Book Report on Three Books Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Book Report on Three Books - Essay Example After reading the author's story and confronting his notions, the reader finds that they stick in his mind just like the way a delicious meal's aroma engulfs and settles with a person. Charles Fourier is amongst the extra obscure individuals among chief utopian thinkers. This is not on grounds that we know remarkably little of him, but since for a majority of academicians his identity amasses a stock illustration of long standing. By reference to Frank Manuel’s preface of 1971 to choosing from the writings of Charles Fourier, nearly all the scholars of Utopia are conversant with the slender, droning subsistence. The writings are centered on the poorly paid clerk, roomer in monotonous boarding residences and the pitiful return home each mealtime to wait for the affluent sponsor who would sponsor the founding of Harmony. His area’s general secretary, refused to edit one of Fourier’s exertions because, the appraisal of such bizarre paradoxes shows too many complexit ies ever becoming too hazardous. Most ensuing judgment faced with such notions as sexual appeals, amid extraterrestrial bodies and oceans finally becoming lemonade, adjusts this verdict only by totaling or be taken sincerely. Jonathan Beecher takes apart this typical representation and discloses Fourier as an additional wholly rounded individual and rationally logical intellectual. Beecher has dedicated over 20 years of powerful analysis to the author, who, he thinks of all socialist intellectuals appeared to tender the broadest, most liberal revelation of human likelihood. The consequence is a merge of individual and scholar memoirs that can position as ultimate; no basis, serious or minor, appears to have fled the writer, who incorporates them into a complete, sensible, and extremely decipherable study (Goodwin, Barbara, and Keith 56). Nietzsche "Beyond Good and Evil" Beyond Good and Evil, is a complete general idea of Nietzsche's way of established thinking. The volume comprises of 296 sayings, ranging in extent from a handful sentences to some pages. These sayings are thematically clustered into nine dissimilar sections and are concluded by a foreword and a verse. Whereas every saying can position individually, there is the existence of a linear development amid sayings within sections and from one section to the next. However, each saying gives a characteristic viewpoint and still the section conclusions leave out a grand deal. The preface indicts theorists of rigidity, and the initial section surveys this allege. Every grand viewpoint, Nietzsche declares, is modest surplus to the confession. Theorists build up intricate structures of thought to validate their individual suppositions and chauvinism. If we could excavate these, we could perceive what these theorists treasure most profoundly, and so achieve analysis into their temperament. Nietzsche compares their rigidity with the "liberated spirit" that is not detained in a meticulous viewpoint. He antici pates that the future theorists will be typified by such an untried technique, eager to attempt out whichever supposition, and trail every dispute all through to its end. After a debate, of the spiritual spirit, which he asserts is a type of rigidity; Nietzsche get on a sequence of axioms, the majority of which emphasize

How Taubman Technique Essay Example for Free

How Taubman Technique Essay How Taubman Technique can be applied to young beginners piano learning- using traditional materials Background information With hundreds of years of evolution in the study of elementary piano, nowadays materials of this sort have been widely available, perhaps even gone rampant. This article argues the effectiveness of solely relying on certain elementary piano methods to teach, without the incorporation of a more holistic approach to piano playing. The beneficiaries of the renowned Taubman approach to piano technique are mostly injured concert pianists, conservatory students, and piano teachers, people who lready have more or less a certain degree of piano proficiency. Since Taubman approach is so effective in helping intermediate and advance pianists, I would like to experiment the application of it to young beginning childrens piano lesson. Seeing that systematic materials for young beginner based on Taubmans approach are extremely limited, my goal is not only to incorporate part of Taubmans ideas to the standard beginning teaching, but to suggest a way to make it an essential part of teaching, using existing beginning materials. This article will discuss how the Taubman Technique can be systematically taught, learned in young beginners lessons with traditional materials, using the Alfreds Basic Piano Library lesson series as a model. The need to incorporate a more holistic approach to beginning piano teaching There is a huge array of beginning piano materials- Hal Leonard, the Music Tree, Alfreds Basic Piano Library, Piano Adventure and so on. The methodology each publishing company varies slightly. Hal Leonard Piano Student Piano Library starts with off- staff notation recognition, and the Music Tree starts with recognition of roups of two and three black notes. Most of the companies sell books introducing theory, lessons, and other activities at a sequence. For example, Hal Lenard has lesson books, technique books, theory books, ear training books, game books tc. , and in the first page of lesson book, a chart is used to explain the sequence. None of the piano methods is perfect or complete; each has its own unique combination of strengths and weaknesses. Contrary to popular belief, a child doesnt become great by going through the designated steps in a beginning lesson book. To know simple heory, history of mus ic, and enjoy some fun piano games may be important for a 6- year-old beginner, but its not the most important thing to make a good pianist. A young beginner becomes great when his coordination with the instrument is properly developed. We make motions to produce music, therefore, music and technique are inseparable, and technique is coordination. (Lister-Sink) The and young beginning students, its not so much as to pound the concepts on paper into their brains- the head knowledge, rather, its the connection between their body and the instrument they feel that sticks- the body knowledge. Without a deliberate emphasis on teaching in the physical aspect of playing, the teachers found the most popular piano method books insufficient to help the student reach his full potential. Thats why there are so many people who quit after learning the piano for couple years, and so many advanced students, even those in the conservatories, suffer piano related injury. That makes me wonder, what can supplement my teaching with the Alfreds Basic Piano Library materials, or more precisely, what makes the material stay with the students, how to ingrain the sense of playing to the students. I suppose its not about the methods, its about the truth in the mechanisms of piano playing. Since its the people, human beings, who invented piano and developed its technique, the piano technique must be something thats inherently natural, and there must be a set of principles that can solve any pianistic problems. Through couple lessons with Certified Taubman teachers and research, I found out there are governing principles thats beyond the scope of existing materials in piano teaching. These principles need to be included in the very first lessons, regardless of what material used. Why using the Taubman concept to teach Started in 1976 by Dorothy Taubman, a New York piano teacher, Taubman approach is a ground breaking analysis of the invisible motions that function underneath a virtuoso technique. Ms. Taubman and her analysis helped pianists overcome technical limitations as well as cure playing-related injuries. Before meeting Tauman, American pianist Leon Fleisher and professor of Peabody Institute of Music was forced to play with only one hand for many years due to playing related hand injuries.

Sympathetic Imagination in Northanger Abbey Essay -- Northanger Abbey

Sympathetic Imagination in Northanger Abbey   Ã‚  Ã‚   Critics as well as the characters in the novel Northanger Abbey have noticed Catherine Morland's artlessness, and commented upon it. In this essay I have chosen to utilise the names given to Catherine's unworldliness by A. Walton Litz in Jane Austen: a Study of her Artistic Development,[1] and Christopher Gillie in A Preface to Jane Austen.[2] Litz refers to "what the eighteenth century would have called the sympathetic imagination, that faculty which promotes benevolence and generosity" (Litz, p. 67). Gillie calls this same quality "candour", and states the importance of it to Jane Austen herself, gleaning a definition of it from one of Austen's own prayers: Incline us, oh God! to think humbly of ourselves, to be severe only in the examination of our own conduct, to consider our fellow-creatures with kindness, and to judge of all they say and do with that charity which we would desire from them ourselves (cited in Gillie, p. 22). Both critics recognise that Catherine's possession of this quality is problematic; it is desirable, but it must also be regulated if a heroine is not to be frequently duped by the harsh world. Both Gillie and Litz also acknowledge that an investigation of this enigma is at the heart of all Jane Austen's work. I believe that the exploration of this fundamental conundrum is at the core of Northanger Abbey, and that this should be so dismisses the claims of those who believe that the lessons Catherine learns in the Gothic section of the novel are thematically most important.[3] I maintain that Northanger Abbey is not merely a curiosity, a burlesque of the Gothic style, a remnant which looks back to the parodic style of much of the juvenilia.... ...1974). For instance, Marvin Mudrick, Jane Austen: Irony as Defence and Discovery, (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1952). Peter L. De Rose and S. W. McGuire, A Concordance to the Works of Jane Austen, (New York: Garland Publishing, 1982). Northanger Abbey, p. 56. Northanger Abbey, p. 18, and Northanger Abbey, p. 206. Northanger Abbey uses "artless" three times in two volumes; Emma uses "artless" four times in three volumes. [ J. F. Burrows, Computation into Criticism: a Study of Jane Austen's Novels and an experiment in Method, (Oxford: Clarendon, 1987). See Northanger Abbey, pp. 22-23. See Northanger Abbey, p. 92, pp. 110-112. [Back] See Northanger Abbey, p. 30. "That a young lady should be in love, and the love of the young man undeclared, is an heterodoxy which prudence, and even policy, must not allow" (Johnson's Collected Works, V. 168).

Contrasting Imagery with Symbolism Essay

The story The Cathedral by Raymond Carver is a story of transformation of a human character’s life from depression and carelessness to belief and diversity. A cathedral is a symbol of faith, conversion, creativity and strength and is therefore a substantial component of Carver’s story. The process of drawing it becomes the climax of the story when the author uses intense imagery to describe the workings of the drawing that the husband is creating. Imagery and symbolism are greatly used in this story, but in very different ways to provide very different effects. Moreover, the cathedral is connected to the representation of the blind man as a preacher and a teacher. The symbolism of the cathedral in the story makes one believe in the future and optimism. A cathedral symbolizes religion, and the TV show that the two men watch leads to an important question. The blind man asks the husband to describe to him the image of a cathedral. The husband is unable to successfully compose an accurate description because he doesn’t understand the meaning and the symbolism of the building. He is not a man of religion, and he is watching the show only because he has nothing else to do. â€Å"Don’t ask me why this is,†(245) he says. Compelled to think about the purpose of cathedrals, the narrator begins to realize that they symbolize the struggle that people endeavored to build those structures. What would make people do such a thing? Belief and religion sometimes give direction and meaning to peoples’ lives. The effort required to build a cathedral becomes an outburst of creativity. The inability of the husband to understand the purpose of cathedrals shows that he lacks creativity, and his life is meaningless and not fulf illing. By making the husband draw a cathedral together with him, the blind man teaches him about the importance of the cathedrals and the significance of believing in something. The husband experiences something that he has never thought would happen to him, and it makes him aware of the diversity of life. Before Robert came, the husband was alone, and his wife says that he didn’t have other friends. â€Å"Never thought anything like this could happen in  your lifetime, did you, bub?† asks Robert and there is no answer. The narrator’s loneliness caused by urban life has become his style of living, and when he has to communicate with others and to share ideas he becomes anxious. The detachment makes him pessimistic and closed-minded. The narrator’s anxiety disappears as the story progresses, and when he begins to draw he is more relaxed and in a creative mood. The first thing that he thinks of is his house: â€Å"I drew a box that looked like my house†(247). The transformation of the house into a cathedral is a very powerful image. His home and himself derive the symbolism of a cathedral. And â€Å"What’s a cathedral without people?†(247). Characterized as a social place where people meet, the cathedral becomes symbol of the husband’s ability to overcome his loneliness and his inability to communicate. The author uses suddenly uses intense imagery in the story that he hasn’t used before, this is to emphasize the importance of the moment. â€Å"His fingers rode my fingers as my hand flowed over the paper. It was like nothing that I have ever felt before.†(247) This marks the climax of the story as well as the turning point in the thoughts and beliefs of the husband. Nevertheless, the husband doesn’t change his life by himself. It seems that the blind man is showing the husband how to draw and not the opposite. Robert is in control, but the narrator does not oppose that experience. He has been waiting for something like this to happen, and he is happy that it happened. The process of drawing a cathedral together with the blind man creates the symbolism of a cathedral and becomes a religious experience, which symbolizes the husbands conversion – his spiritual epiphany from good to bad. He is taught the meaning of value and virtue; he is happy that he encoun tered Robert. The symbolism of the cathedral is also directly connected to the blind man. His question if the husband is a religious person is almost rhetorical because he already knows that he isn’t. The blind man is a very powerful person because his blindness has made his other senses different than ours in a wonderful way. He sees things from a special perspective, and becomes a person who can share a different angle toward wisdom, a different entrance  toward knowledge. For the husband, Robert comes as nobody, and he becomes somebody. He is like a preacher who opens your mind and gives a meaning to life. The blind man is a teacher, and his image is connected to the spiritual image of a cathedral. The image of a cathedral is an image of something enormously strong, stable and at the same time beautiful and creatively artistic. The author uses imagery not only to create a mental portrait of the physical surroundings of the story, but also to breath life into the symbolism of the images that are created. The small amount of imagery that is used is very significant in that the imagery that is used, brings across very strong and clear pictures of meaning and thought. The symbolism that is in this story is enormous. It can be found everywhere. It is used in contrast with imagery to give greater meaning to the story that otherwise wouldn’t have been clear.

Reformation of the 16th Century

The Protestant Reformation ignited a religious reform movement that separated the western Christian church into Catholic and Protestant groups. Martin Luther embarked on a Journey to start the religious reform movement; there were other developments before him that set a foundation for a religious alteration in the sixteenth century.The Protestant Reformation allowed for Protestantism to flourish throughout Europe, united the Roman Catholic Church with Christian denominations, enabled people to develop independent thinking and creative, fostered etermination in people to attain religious and political freedom, and allowed for Christianity to evolve permanently throughout history. Johannes Gutenberg of Mainz helped produce the development of printing from a moving type. In Europe there were thousands of printers that published religious books like the Bible, sermons, Latin and Greek classics, legal handbooks, and works on philosophy.This type of development manifested an â€Å"immedi ate impact on European intellectual life and thought† (Duiker 429). This kind of invention fostered creative thinking and determination in people to study scholarly resources. Printing allowed the European civilization to disperse new religious ideals. This communication throughout Europe played a major role in enabling people to acquire newfound knowledge and formulate beliefs of their own. Many historians state that Desiderius Erasmus â€Å"laid the egg that Luther hatched† (History 1). Erasmus was an influential Christian humanist.Christian humanism or northern Renaissance humanism combined the ideas of the classical Italian Renaissance with the ideas of early Christianity. According to Christian humanism, a society must alter the human beings that compose it. They strongly believed that people are smart enough to formulate their own ideals and beliefs. They did no have to solely depend on an irrational religion for happiness and salvation. Erasmus was most influenti al in teaching that religion should be a philosophy for a direction of life, not a source of arbitrary practices and rituals, which is what medieval religion emphasized.Erasmus also placed an emphasis on teaching the philosophy of Jesus Christ. Erasmus did not approve of the abuse of power of inside the church. The opposition towards a dogmatic religion encouraged the Christian and northern Renaissance humanists to stand against the orruption of the Catholic Church; they gave mankind hope and encouragement to believe in themselves, and to fight for freedom of religion. Another factor that influenced people to start a reform was the corruption of the Catholic Church. The all-powerful Roman Catholic Church labeled any non-believer as a heretic; punishment included being burned at stake.The Catholic Church's power was assembled over centuries, and depended on the lack of religious education and unawareness of people. People's primary motivation of believing in the Catholic Church came from the belief of salvation to heaven though the Catholic Church. Any other belief was disregarded. The realization that many popes were not committing to the needs of the church and people outraged many people in Europe. Many popes' interests were not focused on the spiritual uprising of religion, but worldly interests like power and wealth The process ot salvation was becoming a traud.This ignited hate and bitterness towards the Catholic Church and stimulated the idea for change and reform. The Catholic Church strongly emphasized that good works and strong faith were the gateway for personal salvation. Martin Luther had a strong opposition o that idea, even as a monk and professor at the University of Wittenberg. Through personal study and dedication to religion he discovered that no weak and powerless human being could do enough good works to achieve salvation. He believed that through a powerful faith and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, that alone was enough for people to achiev e salvation. Justification by Faith† (PBS 1) became the primary belief of the Protestant Reformation. Luther's repulsion of Catholic Church teachings enabled him to create the Ninety-Five Theses, which opposed the sale of indulgences and revolted against clerical abuses. According to many historians this was the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. The Ninety-Five Theses were quickly created and disseminated throughout Germany. Luther encouraged German royalty to overthrow the idea of salvation though the Catholic Church.His idea of salvation through faith alone was widespread and becoming acceptable to many people. The Roman Catholic Church was outraged and did not accept his view of salvation. The Catholic Church believed that he was to be excommunicated from the church in 1512. When Luther was summoned to appear to the Holy Roman Empire and to â€Å"recant the heresies† (Duiker 431). He responded by rebuffing and making a statement that â€Å"became the battle c ry of the Reformation† (Duiker 431). This angered the members of Reichstag, who ordered Luther to be detained.Luckily for him, Fredrick of Saxony protected him. A revolution was manifested upon Luther's religious ideals; this revolution changed the European Civilization forever. Luther's popularity fostered from hatred and dissatisfaction with the greed of wealth power, corruption and dogmatic ideals of the Roman Catholic Church. The marriage between Luther and Katherina von Bora demolished the idea of clerical celibacy; his marriage ighlighted the life of a Protestant minister with a family. German rulers strongly supported Luther; they quickly acquired control and supervision of the German churches.Luther emphasized that the churches focus on the preaching the Word of God and Bible study. In Luther's eyes in was necessary to abolish Catholic Mass and gravitate towards new religious services. All of these changes highlight the metamorphosis that Christianity was experiencing. People who believed and promoted these new ideals were complacent with a new religious experience. In 1 519, Charles V ruled a vast empire, composed of Austrian lands, part of Italy, Spain, nd other territories. Though election he was granted the Holy Roman Empire title.His idea was to â€Å"preserve the unity of his empire in the Catholic faith†(Duiker 432). By this time, Germany detached it self from the idea of imperial ruling; this disintegrated any loyalty to the Holy Roman Empire. In 1546, Lutheranism was the prominent belief and practice throughout Germany. Charles Vs effort to bring combat and war to disintegrate Lutheranism was a failure. This failure encouraged Charles V to create the Peace of Augsburg, which granted freedom to German states to choose between Catholicism and Lutheranism.The expeditious spread of Lutheranism and Protestant beliefs reassured that Christian unity was no longer a possibility. Switzerland had a prominent role in the Protestant Reformati on. The revolution sparked upon Ulrich Zwingli. Zwingli ignited religious changes in member states of the federal states of Switzerland and the city of Zurich. Evangelical reforms took over these areas. For example, Mass was replaced by services that promoted biblical study and prayer, relics were destroyed, and pope's authority was no longer accepted.His primary source of support came from the people of Zurich and the agistrate, known as Mark Reust. Zwingli created an alliance with the German rulers, and Martin Luther. In 1513, rage and dissatisfaction festered between Catholic states and the Swiss Protestants. This created a war that led to Zwingli's death, his responsibility and loyalty to manifest change in Switzerland was handed down to John Calvin. John Calvin was a practical theologian who organized the Protestant reform. His conversion to Protestantism led him to escape his native France to Switzerland.His beliefs coincided very closely with Luther's beliefs. A unique belief that he promoted was the idea of predestination. Predestination was a belief that â€Å"God predestined some people to be saved, and the others to be damned, both who He would admit to salvation, and whom He would condemn to destruction† (PBS 1). Calvin also emphasized absolute sovereignty of God; he called it the â€Å"power, grace, and glory of God†(PBS 1). His reputation and credibility arose from his publication of the Institutes of the Christian Religion, an integration of Protestant beliefs and stands.In 1536, he expanded his revolutionary Protestant reform to the city of Geneva. Calvin created The Consistory, a governing body that attested to moral virtue nd discipline, and enabled a systematic way of including clergy and laymen in church service. The success that was fostered upon Geneva, allowed for missionaries to travel throughout Europe and infiltrate all of Europe with Protestantism. The city of Geneva stood as a Protestant citadel that gave success to th e religious reform. The Anabaptists were radical promoters of the Protestant faith, who also played a pivotal role in the reformation.Their concern was to return to practice and religion of early Christianity, they emphasized equality in all believers. Separation of Church and State was something they strongly advocated. They did not see any benefit of the government dictating the Jurisdiction of religion. The Anabaptists opposed the idea of baptism in infants. Magisterial Protestants and Roman Catholics grew hostility and hatred towards the Anabaptists because of that belief. That is why they were heavily persecuted in the sixteenth century. The English Reformation played a pivotal part in the Protestant reformation.King Henry the VII was seen as selfish glutton. Surprisingly his strong desire to divorce Catherine of Aragon, his first wife made the English Reformation a more political than religious cause. The pope refused to grant Henry VII's request to divorce Catherine of Aragon for Anne Boleyn. His attention then focused on the archbishop of Canterbury, head of the highest court in England. The archbishop condoned a divorce and annulled King Henry VII's first marriage. Soon after Anne became queen she had a child, whom was a girl.This infuriated King Henry VII because he did not have a son to inherit his throne. This anger encouraged Henry VII to promote separation of the Church of England with Rome. This was known as the Act of Supremacy in 1534, it declared that the King was in complete control of the doctrine and Church of England. During Henry VII's reign, Archbishop Cranmer attempted to reform the administrative and religious ruling. Shortly after this, Henry VII died and left his ruling to his underage son. Cranmer took advantage of this situation by directing the Church ot England in a Protestant direction.T manifested new Protestant services and ideals in the Church of England. Mary a Catholic succeeded Edward VI. Her nickname â€Å"Bloody Mary' was no understatement. Her primary concern was for the Church of England to return to Catholicism; she murdered more than 300 heretics who opposed Catholicism. Ironically, her actions ed for England to become more Protestant than ever before. By the mid-sixteenth century, the Roman Catholic Church no longer dominated Europe. Protestantism was infiltrating all of Europe and becoming more dominating and accepted.Due to this nature, the Catholic Church underwent a reformation of its own known as the Catholic Reformation. The Catholic is divided in to three parts known as the Jesuits, a reformed papacy, and the Council of Trent. Ignatius of Loyola, Spanish noblemen, founded the Society of Jesus. This society accepted the directing of the pope and promoted the principals of obedience to the papacy, and hierarchical ruling of ociety and civilization. They fostered missionaries to explore Asian countries to convert people to Catholicism The reformed papacy was another aspect of the Catholi c Reformation.Pope Paul Ill took the initiative to create a reform to team to hold Catholic Church's accountable and enforce discipline. Through this he was able to create the Council of Trent and gave recognition to the Society of Jesus. In 1545, church officials gathered in the city of Trent started the Council of Trent. This Council of Trent met continuously though three different sessions in the sixteenth century. Their ideas coalesced and they came to the conclusion that the â€Å"selling of indulgences was prohibited, both faith and good works were required for salvation, and only the church could interpret scripture† (Duiker 438).This manifested one doctrine and religion under the Roman Catholic Church. The Protestant Reformation had significant impacts in the foundation of our world nations. This impact allowed for the re-establishment of political and religious views throughout the European civilization, challenged the authority of the Catholic popes, and led to mode rn concepts of democracy. This reformation is key to understanding how religion has laced an importance in the foundation and building of every nation in our world.The fight for equality and freedom will always be an obstacle throughout history; understanding the struggle, rebellion, and motivation to fght that many people faced in reformation, allows for our world to become educated and motivated to strive towards a better world.

How to Find the Sagittarius Constellation

How to Find the Sagittarius Constellation The skies of July and August provide an excellent view of the constellation Sagittarius. Easy to spot and filled with fascinating deep-sky objects, Sagittarius is an ideal subject of study for stargazers and astronomers alike. The constellation Sagittarius is often referred to as a teapot because of its appearance: the main boxy shape is the body of the teapot, from which a handle and a spout extend outward. Some observers add that the Milky Way appears to be rising up out of the spout like steam. Finding the Sagittarius Constellation In the northern hemisphere, Sagittarius reaches its highest point in the southern part of the sky during July and August and into early September. Sagittarius is also visible high in the northern part of the sky for regions south of the equator. Sagittarus has such a distinctive shape that its not too hard to spot in the sky. Simply look for the teapot shape next to the curved body of Scorpius the Scorpion.  Not only are these constellations filled with fascinating celestial bodies to observe, they are also on either side of the core of our galaxy, where the black hole Sgr A* lives. A chart of the sky containing Scorpius and Sagittarius. Ross 154 is a faint star in Sagittarius. Carolyn Collins Petersen All About Scorpius Sagittarius is best-known as the figure of a cosmic archer, although the Greeks saw it as a starry representation of a mythical creature called a centaur. Alternatively, some mythology identifies Sagittarius as the son of Pan, the god who created archery. His name was Crotus, and he was put into the sky by the god Zeus so that everyone could see how archery worked. (However, most viewers dont see an archer when they look at Sagittarius- the teapot shape is far easier to identify.) The Stars of the Scorpius Constellation The entire constellation of Sagittarius shown with IAU boundaries and the brightest stars that make up the pattern.   IAU/Sky Telescope The brightest star in the constellation Sagittarius is called Kaus Australis (or Epsilon Sagittarii). The second-brightest is Sigma Sagittarii, with a common name of Nunki. Sigma (Nunki) was one of the stars that the Voyager 2 spacecraft used for navigation as it was traveling to the outer solar system to study the gas giant planets.   There are eight bright stars that make up the teapot shape of the main constellation. The rest of the constellation as outlined by the IAU boundaries has a couple of dozen more stars.   Sagittarius constellation is outlined by eight bright stars, and scattered among them are globular clusters (yellow circles), open clusters (yellow broken line circles), and nebulae (squares). Its best to search this area with a good pair of binoculars just to get an idea of the many fascinating objects in the Sagittarius region.   Carolyn Collins Petersen Selected Deep Sky Objects in Constellation Sagittarius Sagittarius is right on the plane of the Milky Way and its teapot spout points almost directly to the center of our galaxy. Because the galaxy is so well-populated in this part of the sky, observers can spot many star clusters, including a number of globular clusters and open star clusters. Globulars are spherical-shaped collections of stars, many much older than the galaxy itself. Open star clusters are not as tightly gravitationally bound as the globulars. Sagittarius also contains some lovely nebulae: clouds of gas and dust lit up by radiation from nearby stars. The most prominent objects to search out in this area of the sky are the Lagoon Nebula, the Trifid Nebula, and the globular clusters M22 and M55.   Nebulae in Sagittarius Because we look at the galaxy from inside, its very common to see clouds of gas and dust in the plane of the Milky Way. This is especially true in Sagittarius. The Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae are the easit to spot, although they can generally only be seen well with binoculars or a small telescope. Both of these nebulae contain regions where star formation is actively taking place. Astronomers see both newborn stars as well as protostellar objects in these regions, which helps them track the process of starbirth. The Trifid is also known as Messier 20 and has been studied by many ground-based observatories as well as Hubble Space Telescope. It will look somewhat dim but should be easy to spot in a small telescope. Its name comes from the fact that it looks like a little pool next to the brighter regions of the Milky Way. The Trifid looks like it has three lobes connected together. They lie just over four thousand light-years away from us.   The Trifid Nebula in full glorious color provided by the European Southern Observatory. Smaller telescopes will not show these colors, but a long-exposure photograph will.   European Southern Observatory Globular Clusters in Sagittarius Globular clusters are satellites of the Milky Way Galaxy. They often contain hundreds, thousands, or sometimes millions of stars, all tightly bound together by gravity. M22 (which is the 22nd objects in Charles Messiers list of Faint fuzzy objects that he compiled in the 18th century), was first discovered in 1665 and contains about 300,000 stars all packed together in a region of space about 50 light-years across.   This view of the globular cluster M22 in Sagittarius was taken using an amateur telescope.   Hunter Wilson, via Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 Another interesting globular cluster is also in Sagittarius. Its called M55, and was discovered in 1752. It contains just under 300,000 stars all gathered into an area bout 48 light-years across. It lies nearly 18,000 light-years away from us. Search out Sagittarius for other clusters and nebulae, especially using a pair of binoculars or a small telescope.

19 Colleges With the Lowest Acceptance Rates

19 Colleges With the Lowest Acceptance Rates SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Acceptance rates are an important factor to consider when deciding where to apply to college. A school’s acceptance rate is often considered a measurement of its quality. While this is accurate in many cases, some schools have low acceptance rates for reasons unrelated to the academic excellence of admitted students. In this article, I’ll tell you what the lowest college acceptance rate is, explain why some colleges have such low acceptance rates, and list the colleges with the lowest acceptance rates. Why Do Some Colleges Have Such Low Acceptance Rates? A college can have a low acceptance rate for a variety of reasons. The most common reason for a low acceptance rate is a combination of high academic standards and popularity among prospective students. This happens at Ivy League schools and schools such as Stanford and MIT, which have strong name recognition both in the US and internationally. As a result of their reputations, these schools get huge numbers of applicants every year. They end up with low acceptance rates because they need to turn away the vast majority of applicants in order to maintain their reputations for academic excellence. Only the most qualified students are admitted, and even those who technically meet academic standards might be rejected depending on their other credentials. In 2017, an impressive 47,450 students applied to Stanford- and only 2,040 were accepted! That's an acceptance rate of just 4.3%, giving Stanford one of the lowest college acceptance rates. Low acceptance rates also happen at schools that have very specific criteria for admission and are popular for other reasons. Military schools such as West Point and the US Naval Academy have low acceptance rates because they require applicants to meet other strict criteria besides academic qualifications. Meanwhile, music schools such as Juilliard might have especially low acceptance rates because they’re only willing to accept extremely talented students in a very specific area of study. There are also schools where students are offered free tuition or must meet financial need qualifications in order to be accepted. This means that these schools are popular (everyone wants to avoid paying for college!), but only a small subset of applicants make the cut. In the next two sections, I’ll go through a list of the schools with the lowest acceptance rates in the country; these fall into both the "non-specialized popular and academically rigorous" category and the "popular and specialized" category. How I imagine auditions for Juilliard. Non-Specialized Colleges With Low Acceptance Rates This is a list of schools that do not cater to a specific subset of students and have acceptance rates of less than 10%. These schools include Ivy League institutions and other colleges that have extremely high academic standards and widespread popularity. Keep in mind that you can’t necessarily expect to be accepted just because you meet the average academic requirements. These schools receive many applicants who are academically competitive, but acceptance isn’t a sure thing unless you’ve done something incredible in high school. Any college that has an acceptance rate of less than 15% is a reach school for all students. School Name # of Applicants* Acceptance Rate Average SAT Average ACT Stanford 47,452 4.8% 1465 33 Harvard 42,749 5.2% 1520 34 Columbia 40,203 6.1% 1515 34 Yale 35,307 6.3% 1505 34 Princeton 35,370 6.4% 1500 33 MIT 21,706 7.2% 1528 34 Caltech 8,208 7.7% 1560 35 Pomona 10,245 8.4% 1450 32 UChicago 32,283 8.7% 1530 34 Claremont McKenna 6,272 9.0% 1490 32 Northwestern 40,425 9.2% 1490 33 Brown 35,437 9.3% 1488 32 Penn 44,491 9.3% 1490 33 *Based on fall 2017 admissions data as reported in the College Board's BigFuture database To me, the most intimidating aspect of this building is that the engraved "Us" looks like "Vs." That's how you know something is prestigious. Specialized Colleges With Low Acceptance Rates This is a list of schools that are geared toward specific types of students and have acceptance rates of 15% or less. This includes music schools, military schools, and schools with special financial stipulations that lead to selectivity and popularity. Curtis Institute of Music Undergraduate Enrollment: ~175 Number of Applicants: Not reported Acceptance Rate: 4% Average GPA: Not reported Average SAT/ACT: Not reported Why Is the Acceptance Rate So Low? Admission at the Curtis Institute of Music is, as the website emphasizes, "based on artistic promise alone." Only the most talented student musicians are accepted, and spots are highly limited (only 40 students were accepted for 2017-18). The school also provides a full-tuition scholarship to each of its students. The Juilliard School Undergraduate Enrollment: 566 Number of Applicants: 4,045 Acceptance Rate: 5.9% Average GPA: Not reported Average SAT/ACT: Not reported Why Is the Acceptance Rate So Low? Like the Curtis Institute of Music, Juilliard is looking for a very specific, very talented subset of students. Applicants must audition for faculty members as a part of the application process, and performance standards are extraordinarily high. US Naval Academy Undergraduate Enrollment: 4,495 Number of Applicants: 16,086 Acceptance Rate: 8.5% Average GPA: 3.94 Average SAT/ACT: 1410 / 31 Why Is the Acceptance Rate So Low? In order to attend the US Naval Academy, students must apply for and receive a nomination from a representative, a senator, or the vice president. Applicants must also pass a physical fitness assessment and medical examination to be eligible for admission. Academic standards are high as well. All these factors combined make for a very low acceptance rate. US Military Academy (West Point) Undergraduate Enrollment: 4,491 Number of Applicants: 12,294 Acceptance Rate: 9.6% Average GPA: 3.73 Average SAT/ACT: 1300 / 25 Why Is the Acceptance Rate So Low? West Point has such a low acceptance rate because it requires students to excel in other ways besides earning high test scores and grades. Like applicants to the US Naval Academy, students must complete a physical fitness assessment and apply for a nomination from a congressperson, a senator, or the vice president. The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art Undergraduate Enrollment: 867 Number of Applicants: 2,574 Acceptance Rate: 13.1% Average GPA: 3.50 Average SAT/ACT: 1393 / 31 Why Is the Acceptance Rate So Low? At the all-honors college Cooper Union, every student not only gets a half-tuition scholarship but is also automatically considered for extra merit scholarships. In addition, the school is home to some highly specialized programs in architecture, fine arts, and engineering. Students applying to the Cooper Union must take "home tests" designed by the school as a way to determine students' individual skill levels. Admission is based significantly on creative abilities as well as academic achievement. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering Undergraduate Enrollment: 380 Number of Applicants: 878 Acceptance Rate: 13.4% Average GPA: 3.90 Average SAT/ACT: 1497 / 34 Why Is the Acceptance Rate So Low? Olin is an extremely small engineering school that gives a half-tuition scholarship to every student. With Olin also pledging to meet 100% of demonstrated financial need, competition is fierce for the approximately 90 spots each year. Students must not only demonstrate overall academic achievement but also excel in fields such as calculus and physics. At Olin, students have the opportunity to take classes at neighboring schools such as Babson, Brandeis, and Wellesley. You get to wear a cool hat if you graduate from West Point. How to Get Into Colleges With Low Acceptance Rates If you’re hoping to attend one of these colleges, you’ll have to do quite a bit of legwork in high school. For the first group of selective schools, you'll be expected to maintain a very high GPA and earn elite standardized test scores to meet admissions standards. On top of that, you should think about what your true academic and extracurricular passions are and try to translate those into concrete accomplishments. To stand out from the crowd, you’ll need to show these schools that you’re capable of more than just high grades and test scores. Their goal is to admit students who will make a strong, positive impact on the world. We give you more tips in our expert guide on how to get into the most selective schools. For the colleges with low acceptance rates on the second list, the key to acceptance (for the most part) is effective planning and an understanding of exactly what it takes to get in. If you’re looking at a high-caliber music school, for example, you’ll need to be extremely dedicated to practicing music every day and preparing for your audition. For the military schools, you’ll need to apply for your nomination from a government official well before the application deadline. All these schools are challenging to get into, but not impossible if you plan ahead and play your cards right. Just remember that such lofty goals will require lots of dedication and effort! I'm sure you'll ace the college application process. If not, you can always become a professional poker player. From what I've seen, the qualifications are just owning a pair of sunglasses and being severely emotionally stunted. What's Next? If you're interested in schools with low acceptance rates, you'll almost certainly have to have a high GPA. Read this article on how to get good grades in high school for some tips and strategies! Are you a little intimidated by the college application process for competitive schools? Check out our complete guide on how to apply to college. Extracurricular activities can go a long way toward strengthening your application beyond grades and test scores. Learn more about your extracurricular options and why they matter. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Deregulating Telecommunications

Deregulating Telecommunications Until the 1980s in the United States, the term telephone company was synonymous with American Telephone Telegraph. ATT controlled nearly all aspects of the telephone business. Its regional subsidiaries, known as Baby Bells, were regulated monopolies, holding exclusive rights to operate in specific areas. The Federal Communications Commission regulated rates on long-distance calls between states, while state regulators had to approve rates for local and in-state long-distance calls. Government regulation was justified on the theory that telephone companies, like electric utilities, were natural monopolies. Competition, which was assumed to require stringing multiple wires across the countryside, was seen as wasteful and inefficient. That thinking changed beginning around the 1970s, as sweeping technological developments promised rapid advances in telecommunications. Independent companies asserted that they could, indeed, compete with ATT. But they said the telephone monopoly effectively shut them out by refusing to allow them to interconnect with its massive network. The First Stage of Deregulation Telecommunications deregulation came in two sweeping stages. In 1984, a court effectively ended ATTs telephone monopoly, forcing the giant to spin off its regional subsidiaries. ATT continued to hold a substantial share of the long-distance telephone business, but vigorous competitors such as MCI Communications and Sprint Communications won some of the business, showing in the process that competition could bring lower prices and improved service. A decade later, pressure grew to break up the Baby Bells monopoly over local telephone service. New technologies- including cable television, cellular (or wireless) service, the Internet, and possibly others- offered alternatives to local telephone companies. But economists said the enormous power of the regional monopolies inhibited the development of these alternatives. In particular, they said, competitors would have no chance of surviving unless they could connect, at least temporarily, to the established companies networks- something the Baby Bells resisted in numerous ways. Telecommunications Act of 1996 In 1996, Congress responded by passing the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The law allowed long-distance telephone companies such as ATT, as well as cable television and other start-up companies, to begin entering the local telephone business. It said the regional monopolies had to allow new competitors to link with their networks. To encourage the regional firms to welcome competition, the law said they could enter the long-distance business once the new competition was established in their domains. At the end of the 1990s, it was still too early to assess the impact of the new law. There were some positive signs. Numerous smaller companies had begun offering local telephone service, especially in urban areas where they could reach large numbers of customers at low cost. The number of cellular telephone subscribers soared. Countless Internet service providers sprung up to link households to the Internet. But there also were developments that Congress had not anticipated or intended. A great number of telephone companies merged, and the Baby Bells mounted numerous barriers to thwart competition. The regional firms, accordingly, were slow to expand into long-distance service. Meanwhile, for some consumers- especially residential telephone users and people in rural areas whose service previously had been subsidized by business and urban customers- deregulation was bringing higher, not lower, prices. This article is adapted from the book Outline of the U.S. Economy by Conte and Carr and has been adapted with permission from the U.S. Department of State.

THE ROLE OF Human Resource Information System (HRIS) IN ACHIEVING Dissertation

THE ROLE OF Human Resource Information System (HRIS) IN ACHIEVING EFFECTIVE PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL - Dissertation Example But as this goal cannot be achieved by generalizing a single solution to all the different facets of human resource management duties at work, there have always been the need for specific aspects and departments of human resource management to be looked at. It is not for nothing therefore that much attention will be given to the area of performance appraisal in seeking ways of making it more and more effective. This literature review is therefore focused on finding major existing literature that is related to the problem of making performance appraisal effective. The review shall be conducted by taking opinions and cater opinions on major themes of the research work that have been outlined in the specific objectives of the study, as well as those posed in the research questions. This way, the literature review is going to become an effective data collection tool for addressing the research problem. Generally, researchers hold a common opinion that when information system is made an i ntegral part of human resource management it leads to a more effective human resource management goal achievement. But as to how the concept of information system should be applied is where differences come in opinions. 2.1 Human Resource Information System As the search for best ways to use information technology in human resource management continues, the argument is further reduced to best ways in using information technology in performance appraisal. This is because performance appraisal remains a central part of human resource that is focused on finding the effective compliance level of employees to roles and tasks assigned to them (BNET, 2010a). On the use of information technology in performance appraisal, McLeod and Schell (2008) holds a school of thought that it is not enough to merely have computers and computers accessories in place and think that performance appraisal will become effective. Rather, it is opined that information technology should be transformed into an in formation system, which is further integrated into the role of performance appraisal. This means that information system will be integrated into performance appraisal in a manner that ensures that all areas and aspects of the performance appraisal process are linked to a centralised information system that determines how procedures should be followed. In support of the opinion, Alvarez-Suescun (2007) stressed that once information technology is moved a step into information system and applied in any aspect of human resource management, the concept of human resource information system (HRIS) is said to be developed. Such HRIS has been said to be better off than the ordinary application of information technology in performance appraisal. In the opinion of Noe and Gerhard (2007), the major difference that exists between HRIS and the application of information technology in performance appraisal is that all forms of application of information technology constitute HRIS but HRIS goes bey ond the ordinary application of information technology. As technology takes a central part in organisational management, it is very common to see that each and every modern day organisation has series of computers and their accessories that are used in the day to day processing of information at the workplace. However, this is not the same as information system because information system goes more into a technical composition of information technology (Deloitte, 2006). In information system, the work is not made to control the information technology but information technology is made to control the work. In effect, human resource managers using HRIS in performance ap

Search warrants and warrantless searches, can either make or break a Research Paper

Search warrants and warrantless searches, can either make or break a criminal case - Research Paper Example the one that will determine whether the defendant will be free to go before the trial is conducted or whether to hold them in the cells to await the trial in the courts (Scheb, 2011). Warrants are orders from the court that are issued by the judge, magistrate or supreme court official, that authorizes law enforcement officers to perform a search of an individual, a certain place, or even a motor vehicle as a proof of a criminal offence that is happening or did happen. There are certain jurisdictions, which do respect the law, its rules and a basic right to privacy which puts constraints on the control of police investigators and forces them to require a search warrant in order to conduct any search (Gardner et al., 2009). There are only few scenarios where this rule of law can be accepted, and that is when there is a hot pursuit. This is mostly when a criminal decides to escape from the crime scene. The police are forced to run after them, and in this scenario they can enter by force into the property that he has chosen to hide (Bernnat et al., 2011). In United States of America under the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the police investigators are only required to conduct any search when having a warrant that has been issued by the judge, magistrate or the Supreme Court official. And this must also have a credible course. All the searches that are to be conducted have to be of a reasonable course and to the specifics. When a certain case from the archive is checked; Kentucky v.King, No.09-1272, where the ambush by the police in Lexington, was out of a mistaken judgment. The police officers witnessed a drug deal going on in a parking lot, and they hurriedly ran into a certain apartment house having a complex look for a suspect who had presently sold cocaine to an informer. When the case was heard by the Kentucky Supreme Court, the evidence was suppressed. It was stated that any risk of the drugs being destroyed was as an outcome of the

Business research method Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business research method - Essay Example Celebrities help create unique ads for companies; a positive engendered attitude and sales intention towards produced brands (Ranjbarian, Schekarchizade & Momeni, 2010). Celebrity endorsement is a panacea for all marketing woes and is becoming common each day. This is because of the impetus bases on attracting customer’s attention thus developing a positive association. This influences recall and also induces trial, which eventually effects purchase decision. Furthermore, the assumption that they have a similar lifestyle with celebrity lures people to buy the product. In view of the fact that celebrities are always on the spotlight, they are able to transfer their image to the advertised product. For this to happen, becomes an added advantage to the company. According to McCracken (1989, p.310), â€Å"a celebrity endorser is an individual who publicly enjoys recognition and uses it on behalf of consumer goods through advertisement†. Celebrity endorsement influences the consumers’ feelings and attitude towards the advertisement and towards the brands. This increases purchase intentions and sales because, in this whole process, goals are achieved, which include awareness of the product; interest to know more about the product; desire to own product and action to buy the product. Marks & Spencer is the most suitable target group to bring out advertising using celebrity endorsement. When beginning to design a research on this topic we first and foremost have to use the two fundamental types of research, descriptive and explanatory. Descriptive research covers what activity is going on in a company. Explanatory research covers why an activity is going on in the company. Marks & Spencer is a company that deals with the sale of clothes for all gender and all ages. This UK, based company strategically came up with the idea of using celebrity endorsement to market their products. This was necessary to them because the type of business they are in co mes up with new upcoming products. They have used a couple of celebrities over the years, and they include; David Beckham, Helen Mirren, Dannii Minogue, Twiggy, Antonio Banderas and the X factor’s finalists. Marks & Spencer used these celebrities for different reasons. It enabled the audience easily recall the brand. When a new product comes into the market and is advertised by a particular celebrity, certain target groups follow and remember the existing brand. It helps the company recover its image. For two years in a row, this company had experienced losses and needed the fastest way to recover its customers back and attract more from competitors. For those people who did not recognize of the existence of this company, got to know because the certain interest that the celebrities imparted on the viewers of the advertisement. Celebrities are considered as respectable and only settle for quality when choosing things. Therefore if, he/she is in a particular advertisement the customers develop confidence on the product. Marks & Spencer used this strategy to create confidence in the goods they manufactured. They also used people are familiar with the customers because they wanted their products to look believable. This is because a celebrity cannot advertise for a company that is a hoax (Till & Busler, 1998,

American Foreign Policy since 1877 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

American Foreign Policy since 1877 - Assignment Example In its formative years, American foreign policy dealt with issues like challenging the Great Britain, maintaining their trade in the overseas, etc. In spite of these early hindrances, the country has managed itself by emerging into a key international power or even a sole superpower by the end of the twentieth century. During the Gilded Age, instead of having robust foreign policy, America turned its focus on internal growth paving the way for political, military and economic stability of the country. â€Å"In the years that followed, the United States lapsed into diplomatic inactivity, not out of weakness but for lack of any clear national purpose in world affairs. The business of building the nation’s industrial economy absorbed Americans and turned their attention inward.†1 In the early 1920s, the country followed the path of isolationism in their foreign policy by avoiding key role in the League of Nations and seeking to have a free operating authority. However, as time went, the country’s foreign policy turned from cautious into aggressive dealing due to the confident intervening strategies. In the period of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, he confidently intervened in the world affairs through various strategies of presidential diplomacy. As his term coincided with the Second World War, his key role in ending the War and also his successful handling of the colonial conflicts between the nations strengthened American’s position in major areas of the world. In addition, along with United Nations, America invested heavily for strengthening the war-devastated European democracies through the Marshall Plan. This expansion of its foreign policy strategies into Europe also led to the establishment of trade relations with those countries, thereby giving it strong influence in those countries. Thus, its victory in the Second World War and its key role in the post-war phase elevated United States as the most powerful nation in the world leading to dramatic changes in its foreign policies from the political perspective. â€Å"By the end of the war, the United States stood alone, easily the most powerful nation in the world, its power greatly increased by its mobilization and war effort, its rivals defeated, and its allies exhausted†.2 In the days of Woodrow Wilson, the economy of the country expanded into overseas markets as well, and that provided the platform for America to exercise its dominance over Third World Countries, thereby orienting its foreign policy further. That is, the prodigious development of American economy in late 19th century and early 20th century demanded the Americans to look abroad for further economic growth and expansion. â€Å"Through the 19th century, America concentrated on creating a nation that spanned the continent, and it avoided foreign entanglements. Once industrialized and more prosperous, it began looking for foreign markets and colonies.†3 America’s gross d omestic product quadrupled towards the end of the 19th century, which in turn led to the export of surplus products. â€Å"Roughly one-fifth of the nation’s agricultural output was exported, and as industry expanded, so did export of manufactured goods. Between 1880 and 1900, the Industrial share of exports jumped from 15 percent to over 30 percent.†4 These heightened exports and foreign trade relations paved the way for industrial expansion of the country into European as well as

World Wide Flu Epidemic Kills 20 Millions. 1918 Essay

World Wide Flu Epidemic Kills 20 Millions. 1918 - Essay Example The fort was an outpost in Kansas where new soldiers were trained before being sent off to Europe for World War I. A company cook apparently came down with the symptoms of the flu which appeared similar to the symptoms of a bad cold. He was isolated immediately; however, within the next hour, several soldiers were also admitted to the infirmary for the same symptoms as the cook (Rosenberg, 2010). Despite their best attempts to contain the symptoms, the flu spread quickly to the Fort Riley population and after several weeks, about a thousand of them were infected by the flu; towards the end, 46 of them died (Rosenberg, 2010). Similar incidents were soon reported in different military camps in the US and this spread on board transport ships and inadvertently this disease reached Europe via infected soldiers. When the epidemic reached Spain, the Spanish government immediately made the epidemic public; and since most people first heard the attack from the Spanish broadcast, the flu was n amed the Spanish flu (Rosenberg, 2010). It later also infected Russia, India, China, and Africa; but by the end of 1918, the first wave of the disease gradually tapered out. The second wave of the flu was however more deadly. It struck three port cities all at the same time (Boston, US; Brest in France; and Freetown in Sierra Leone) (Rosenberg, 2010). Hospitals were overwhelmed by the second wave as the patient population overflowed and depleted their supplies. The flu had a major impact on victims as within a few hours, symptoms of extreme fatigue, fever, and headache, already started showing up (Rosenberg, 2010). Patients were also subjected to powerful bouts of coughing which most often tore their abdominal muscles. Blood was often seen from the mouths, nostrils, and from their ears. Other patients also vomited (Rosenberg, 2010). This disease sometimes killed patients within a matter of hours from the first symptom manifesting and others within a day or two of the

American Foreign Policy since 1877 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

American Foreign Policy since 1877 - Assignment Example In its formative years, American foreign policy dealt with issues like challenging the Great Britain, maintaining their trade in the overseas, etc. In spite of these early hindrances, the country has managed itself by emerging into a key international power or even a sole superpower by the end of the twentieth century. During the Gilded Age, instead of having robust foreign policy, America turned its focus on internal growth paving the way for political, military and economic stability of the country. â€Å"In the years that followed, the United States lapsed into diplomatic inactivity, not out of weakness but for lack of any clear national purpose in world affairs. The business of building the nation’s industrial economy absorbed Americans and turned their attention inward.†1 In the early 1920s, the country followed the path of isolationism in their foreign policy by avoiding key role in the League of Nations and seeking to have a free operating authority. However, as time went, the country’s foreign policy turned from cautious into aggressive dealing due to the confident intervening strategies. In the period of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, he confidently intervened in the world affairs through various strategies of presidential diplomacy. As his term coincided with the Second World War, his key role in ending the War and also his successful handling of the colonial conflicts between the nations strengthened American’s position in major areas of the world. In addition, along with United Nations, America invested heavily for strengthening the war-devastated European democracies through the Marshall Plan. This expansion of its foreign policy strategies into Europe also led to the establishment of trade relations with those countries, thereby giving it strong influence in those countries. Thus, its victory in the Second World War and its key role in the post-war phase elevated United States as the most powerful nation in the world leading to dramatic changes in its foreign policies from the political perspective. â€Å"By the end of the war, the United States stood alone, easily the most powerful nation in the world, its power greatly increased by its mobilization and war effort, its rivals defeated, and its allies exhausted†.2 In the days of Woodrow Wilson, the economy of the country expanded into overseas markets as well, and that provided the platform for America to exercise its dominance over Third World Countries, thereby orienting its foreign policy further. That is, the prodigious development of American economy in late 19th century and early 20th century demanded the Americans to look abroad for further economic growth and expansion. â€Å"Through the 19th century, America concentrated on creating a nation that spanned the continent, and it avoided foreign entanglements. Once industrialized and more prosperous, it began looking for foreign markets and colonies.†3 America’s gross d omestic product quadrupled towards the end of the 19th century, which in turn led to the export of surplus products. â€Å"Roughly one-fifth of the nation’s agricultural output was exported, and as industry expanded, so did export of manufactured goods. Between 1880 and 1900, the Industrial share of exports jumped from 15 percent to over 30 percent.†4 These heightened exports and foreign trade relations paved the way for industrial expansion of the country into European as well as

Micro and macro economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Micro and macro economics - Essay Example A rosy business environment means that merger forecasts indicated that the combined company will be able to create a profitable synergy. The synergy included combining the marketing and management strategies of both companies. Since the two companies were economically profitable prior to the January 2001 merger, all business predictors expected that the combined company will be able to generate additional revenues that will surpass the combined revenues and profits of each of the two merger companies combined (Lipsey, 2007). In fact, the merger was a huge projected gamble at $348 million investment money on the line. Both America Online’s founder, Stephen Case, and Time Warner’s chief executive, Gerald Levin, had very high hopes that the merger will bring more revenues and profits to the new giant company, the merged entity cropping up from the two companies. The merger was expected to generate an equal share in the shareholders’ dividends. The board of directors of each of the two combining companies was expected to vote equally on all business decisions of the combined company (Hoskisson, 2005). Question 2 Both companies had similar motives for ensuring the success of the merger. Time Warner entered the merger in order to enhance its benefits from both the supply equation and demand equation (Microeconomics). Similarly, America Online entered the merger in order to enhance its present benefits from both the supply equation and demand equation (Hirschey, 2005). Additionally, Time Warner joined the merger to enhance the company’s macroeconomic environment. The company’s macroeconomic goals included improving its total economic activity, especially in the area of growth. The company’s other macroeconomic goals included the successful resolution of the obstacles of inflation. Further, the company’s macroeconomic goals included contributing to the reduction of the nation’s unemployment rate (Hall, 1997). Simi larly, America Online vigorously entered the merger in order to enhance the company’s macroeconomic environment on January 10, 2000. The company’s macroeconomic goals included improving its total economic activity, especially in the area of growth (Tucker, 1997). The company’s other macroeconomic goals included the successful resolution of the obstacles of inflation (Khoury, 2003). Further, the macroeconomic goals of Time Warner and America Online are geared towards contributing to the improvement of the nation’s economy. The nation’s economic indicators include gross domestic production. The nation’s economic indicators include international trade. The merged company’s global market included clients from outside the United States. The merger between Time Warner and America Online occurred on January 2000. The merger was considered as one of the largest merger s in United States history. The merger involved an estimated $348 million. America Online’s founder, Stephen Case, was proud with the merger. Likewise, Time Warner’s chief executive, Gerald Levin, felt that America Online’s formidable internet presence would catapult America online to greater financial profit heights (Hoskisson, 2005). After the merger was consummated, the new merger focused on reducing the number of redundant employees. With the retrenchment, the number of unemployed United States citizens ballooned to unfavorable macroeconomic levels. Today the combined value of the two companies, Time Warner and

Vladimir Putin & successor Essay Example for Free

Vladimir Putin successor Essay Vladimir Putin was the hand-picked successor of Boris Yeltsin and was elected as the president of the Russian Federation in 2000. After earning a law degree in 1975, Putin joined the KGB, the security force of the former Soviet Union. He spent years working primarily in East Germany, then left the service in 1991 and became active in the politics of St. Petersburg. He was brought to Moscow by Yeltsin in 1996 and served as an administrator in the Kremlin and an official for the security organizations which replaced the KGB. In 1999, Putin became Yeltsins fifth prime minister in 17 months, and then became acting president when Yeltsin left office. He was officially elected to the office in 2000 and then re-elected in a landslide vote in March of 2004 (Montinola 148). Putin moved quickly to reassert the central governments authority over the various republics, regions, and other administrative units and has sought to exert control over elements of the independent media. He also has worked to revamp, and reduce the size of, the military. He won enactment of liberal economic reforms and ratification of international arms agreements, while also renewing ties with former Soviet client states and maintaining Russias strong opposition to proposed U. S. ballistic missile defenses (Fish 119). Although Putin has been, in the main, popular with the Russian public, his reputation suffered when he was perceived to have acted belatedly after the Russian submarine Kursk sank in Aug. , 2000 (Baker 27). By the end of his second year in office, however, the Russian presidents position had visibly strengthened, as he became apparently successful in stabilizing the government and the economy, the latter achieved in part through banking, labor, and private-property reforms and in part through a fortuitous rise in oil prices (Russias principal export). Legal reforms gave greater protection to the accused and increased powers to judges, bringing Russian judicial practice more in line with that of the West. In 2001 and 2002, Putin criticized, but accepted, the U. S. withdrawal from the ABM treaty as it proceeded with its development of its missile defense system, while signing a treaty reducing the number of U. S. and Russian nuclear warheads and establishing closer relations with the United States and NATO. Many reforms that had been enacted faltered in their enforcement in the second half of Putins term, or were not built upon. Russias regions and provinces managed to resist central government control in many instances, and Chechnya remains an ongoing, festering problem. Putin was reelected in Mar. , 2004, in an election that European observers criticized as unfair (Baker 257). Putin subsequently obtained changes that allowed him to appoint regional and provincial governors, increasing the central governments control over the federations constituents. Given this background, the policies of Putin can now be assessed. This analysis will cover some of the most influential and questionable policies of Putin during his tenure as the president of Russia. The first issue is the way that Putin has dealt with welfare policies in Russia. According to various Russian and western media reports, Putin is extremely concerned about the ongoing demographic problems (death rate being higher than birth rate and immigration rate), cyclical poverty, and housing concerns within the Russian Federation. In 2005, four national projects were launched in the fields of healthcare, education, housing and agriculture (Hanson 660). In his May 2006 annual speech, Putin proposed increasing maternity benefits and prenatal care for women. While these developments in the Russian policy on healthcare have had a fair degree of success, it cannot be properly and completely assessed without first examining the economic policies of Putin since these have a direct effect on the ability of the Russian government to implement these welfare policies. The Russian economy has grown strongly under Putin, thanks mainly to the good luck of sustained high oil prices, but helped too by sound macroeconomic policies (Hanson 661). Foreign investors, forgetting that they were badly burnt by Russias default in 1998, have flocked back. But the imminent demise of Yukos and the evidence that Putin is more interested in reasserting state control over the economy than in pursuing economic liberalization are making many pause once again (Hanson 670). But the attack on Yukos, the best-run and most western-looking of Russian companies, was the worst cure of all: capricious, selective and motivated by politics not the rule of law. Fears that it might presage attacks on other companies seem confirmed by this weeks news of an abrupt tax claim on VimpelCom, a telecoms firm. Businessmen in Moscow say that, far from Putins new order helping to squeeze out corruption, it is now more pervasive than in the worst of the Yeltsin years. Corruption lies at the heart of many of Russias most intractable problems, from the poor state of the army, to the war in Chechnya, to its ineffective policing and counter-terrorism (Montinola 152). Putin has admitted that many Russians might fear the police more than they do criminals. But his efforts to tackle corruption have been half-hearted at best—and, because he has fostered more state control and little respect for the rule of law, he has created precisely the conditions in which corruption thrives best. Meanwhile, the pro-business reforms promised for his second term are largely in limbo (Montinola 153). Russias notorious â€Å"oligarchs† have also been tamed. Boris Berezovsky and Vladimir Gusinsky, two of the most unco-operative, are in exile. Mikhail Khodorkovsky, on trial for fraud and tax evasion, has been in prison since his arrest in October 2003. And Yukos, the oil company Mr Khodorkovsky once ran, looks set to be eviscerated when most of Yuganskneftegaz, its oil-production subsidiary, is sold on December 19th. What remains of Yukos may also be seized, to requite alleged tax debts of some $25 billion. The near-certain purchaser of Yugansk is Gazprom, the state-run gas monopoly. Swallowing Yugansk will turn Gazprom into an energy behemoth that serves Russias foreign-policy interests even more powerfully (Montinola 148). Mr Putin is emerging more and more as a tactician, not a strategist. Economic reform, for example, has stalled since high oil prices offered an easier path to growth. His commitment to democracy now looks to be a tactic too. He may not yet have decided what to do in 2008. Boris Nemtsov, co-founder of a committee set up to make sure he leaves on schedule, says that, if he does want to stick around, international obloquy would give him greater pause than domestic opinion. European and American leaders would react badly to a restructuring of the government, and with horror to a change in the constitution (Baker 375). Perhaps one of the most controversial policies of Putin is directly related to Putins rise to public office in August 1999 which also coincided with an aggressive resurgence of the near-dormant conflict in the North Caucasus, when Chechen nationalists regrouped and invaded neighboring Dagestan. Both in Russia and abroad, Putins public image was forged by his tough handling of this dire challenge (Fish 125). His war in Chechnya was hugely popular, but its brutality also raised real questions about Putins commitment to human rights. References: Baker, Peter and Glasser, Susan Kremlin Rising: Vladimir Putins Russia and the End of Revolution Scribner Book Company May 2005 464 pages Fish, Steven Democracy Derailed in Russia: The Failure of Open Politics, (Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005), pp. 119-127. Hanson, Philip and Teague, Elizabeth â€Å"Big Business and the State in Russia,† Europe-Asia Studies, 57, 5:657-680, July 2005 Montinola, Gabriella and Jackman, Robert â€Å"Sources of Corruption: A Cross-Country Study,† British Journal of Political Science Vol. 32, 2002, 147-170 Putin, Vladimir First Person, Public Affairs, 2000, 208 pp. (collection of interviews). Russian title: Ot Pervogo Litsa. Razgovory s Vladimirom Putinym (From the First Person. Conversations with Vladimir Putin), Moscow, Vagrius, 2000.

Egypts Age Of Reform

Egypts Age Of Reform Muhammad Ali Pasha, or Mehmet Ali PaÃ…Å ¸a, was the ruler of Egypt for 43 years (1805 to 1848). He is regarded in history as the founder of modern Egypt. Muhammad Ali was born to an Albanian family in Kavala which is modern day Greece. He worked first in the tobacco industry as a merchant until he became part of the Ottoman army. He first came to Egypt with the army to rid the country of the French expedition. After successfully liberating Egypt in 1801, Muhammad Ali started to gain interest in ruling Egypt. He made efforts to reach the power in Egypt until he successfully did in 1805 (. Throughout his rule, Mohammed Ali introduced many reforms of all kinds in order to achieve his goal which was to turn Egypt into a modern country. Although he was not a pure Egyptian, Mohammed Ali ruled Egypt with love and determination to make it an independent country. He was a true visionary; his efforts of reform indeed were successful in creating a period of renaissance that benefited Egypt in numerous ways. He was able to strengthen, unify, and most importantly modernize Egypt in a period of 43 years. What encouraged Muhammad Ali to insist on reforming Egypt were two reasons. First he felt that it is a country that had such a rich history and civilization, deserved to be modernized and independent. The second reason was that Egypt had a strategic geographical location that he felt had the potential of making it one of the most advanced countries. Mohammed Alis reforms did not only focus on one area, but rather on numerous fields which included the military, agriculture, industry, and education. All in which took Egypt steps further ahead and transformed it from being an ordinary state run under the rule of the Ottoman Empire into being an independent country and one of the most developed countries outside of Europe. His main goal was to build a strong army. However, the shortage of revenue was a major obstacle that hindered him from achieving his goal. As a result, he extended the governments control onto all of Egypts resources in order to enable him to plan and manage a way to generate more revenue that would enable him to carry on his reform plans. Furthermore, Muhammad Ali realized that if he was to build a strong army, he had not only to focus on Egypts military sector, but also on all the other sectors in order to establish a powerful economy. Military Reforms Muhammad Alis military reforms were very smart and served Egypts interest. He realized that the army was not strong enough. Its main weakness was that its soldiers were a mixture between Turks, Albanians, and Mamluks and therefore, there was no sense of nationalism or unity. He also realized that the European armies were more advanced since they were using modern weaponry and techniques whereas his army was not which posed a threat to Egypts security. As a result, Ali was determined to create a new army. He had made several attempts to build a new army. His first attempt on August 1815 was to appoint Egyptian farmers however, together both Albanians and men of religion opposed him and threatened his life which caused Ali create another plan. His second attempt was to appoint Sudanese men, yet his plan also failed primarily due to the fact that Sudanese soldiers had no feeling of nationalism towards Egypt and therefore, were not driven to join the army and protect Egypt. His third and final attempt in 1820 was to once more appoint Egyptian Muslim farmers. This attempt succeeded yet it was strongly opposed by the Turkish aristocrats who feared that by giving Egyptians power in the army that they would use it against the Ottomans (Ø §Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ÃƒËœÃ‚ ­Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ÃƒËœÃ‚ ¯Ãƒâ„¢Ã…  , 59). It was also opposed by the farmers themselves since they did not find any benefits to them being part of the army (Ø ­ÃƒËœÃ‚ ³Ãƒâ„¢Ã…  Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬  , 142). However, according to Mouriez in his book Modern Egypt from 1840 to 1857 he states that the farmers quickly got used to their new lives as part of the army and were proud to be the army men of Muhammad Ali since they found that the title was prestigious (Ø §Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ÃƒËœÃ‚ ­Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ÃƒËœÃ‚ ¯Ãƒâ„¢Ã…  , 59). In a period of 10 years the army reached a total number of 130,000 soldiers which was a relatively large number considering that the population of Egypt as a whole was about 3.5 mi llion (Ø §Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ÃƒËœÃ‚ ´Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡,125). In order to train the army, Mohammed Ali used the aid of a French colonel Seve who was later known as Suleiman Pasha after he converted to Islam (Ø §Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ÃƒËœÃ‚ ´Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡, 125). Although he was French, Suleiman Pasha played a huge role into modernizing the army. Mohammed Ali had great hopes in him and trusted that he would be able to make the Egyptian army similar to those armies of Europe. Under the control of Suleiman Pasha, the army moved to Aswan as a location for training. For a period of three years the army was placed under constant training that was aimed at organizing, strengthen, and unifying the soldiers as one (Ø §Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ÃƒËœÃ‚ ­Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ÃƒËœÃ‚ ¯Ãƒâ„¢Ã…  , 62). In addition to training the army Mohammed Ali also sent military missions to Europe. This indicates that as a ruler he was not only planning short term goals for Egypt, but also long-term one that would benefit Egypt for more years to come. What is admirable about Muhammad Alis techniques in reforming the army was that he was not ashamed to admit that he wanted to imitate the army of his enemy. In my opinion it was smart of him to seek help from European experts to train the Egyptian army. Industrial Reforms Although Muhammad Ali used the aid of European states, his plan was to use it only for a short period of time. In other words he was clever in seeking foreign help in order to build Egypt, yet the beauty in his plan was how he managed to transform Egypt from a dependent country to an independent country. One of Mohammed Alis main goals was to limit import substitution in Egypt. He wanted to manufacture his own weapons for the Egyptian army and stop depending on European states for aid. However, Muhammad Ali could not have industrialized Egypt without the helping hand of Europe at first. His plan was to import machinery and experts from Europe. Then he would imitate the machinery by building similar ones in Egypt under the supervision of the European experts who trained the Egyptian labor (Ø §Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ÃƒËœÃ‚ ´Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡, 75). One of the most successful industries was the military industry. The reason to why he decided on establishing a military industry in particular was because he usually faced two problems when importing weapons from Europe. First, Egypt did no always have enough money to buy weaponry and secondly, was because often some European countries refused to export their weaponry to Egypt. As a result, Muhammad Ali was determined to make Egypt rely on its own production (Ø §Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ÃƒËœÃ‚ ´Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡, 75). He established the first arsenal in 1816 to produce cannons and munitions. He also established arsenals in Alexandria, Cairo, Rosetta, and Bulaq to produce arms and naval ships. Not only was Egypt now manufacturing to meet its needs, but also it was manufacturing at very high quality (Owen,71). In addition to the military industry, Muhammad Ali established textile factories starting from the year 1815 to further decrease Egypts import bill and to compete against the finished goods coming from India. He would supply the raw materials from Egypts local production of cotton and whenever the factories faced a shortage of raw materials, Muhammad Ali would order that more land be cultivated to produce more output (Ø §Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ÃƒËœÃ‚ ´Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡, 75). Moreover, Muhammad Ali established factories for the production of silk starting from the year 1816 with the first factory in Khoronfish. In addition, there was the establishment of 3 factories for the production of sugar in 1818, and a factory for leather (Ø §Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ÃƒËœÃ‚ ´Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡, 75). Agricultural Reforms Moving to the agricultural reforms, it is clear that Muhammad Ali relied less on European aid and more on the efforts of the government and the locals. Although the reforms might have seemed harsh, yet Egypt would have never been strong without the implementation of Muhammad Alis policies. In order to transform the agricultural sector into a more modern one and in order to increase Egypts revenue coming from this sector, Mohammed Ali had to go through several steps in order to achieve his ultimate goal. First, he ended the Iltizam system in Egypt since he realized that a large part of Egypts land tax was going to the Multazims instead of the government (Ø §Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ÃƒËœÃ‚ ´Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡, 98). He first abolished the Iltizam system in 1812 in Upper Egypt and then in 1814 abolished it in Lower Egypt. In order to replace the Multazims, Mohammed Ali appointed Coptic clerks as the ones responsible to collect the tax. In addition, he used the village sheikhs to perform surveillance among the tax collection in order for him to ensure that the taxes reach the government (Owen,65). Moreover, Muhammed Ali introduced new crops for cultivation. One of the most important crops that were introduced is long staple cotton in 1821. Farmers cultivated long staple cotton intensively. In fact, the government itself encouraged farmers to cultivate it by giving them animals on credit, and cotton seeds for free. In addition, the government distributed cotton gins and presses in villages and used the help of experts from Syria and Anatolia to aid the farmers in the cultivation of the crops. As a result, there was a large increase in Egypts revenue. Almost 33% of revenue coming to Egypt came from cotton, which allowed the government to fund the expansion of its army (Owen, 66-67). Egypts cotton was highly demanded by French and British textile factories. In addition their output increased tremendously in six years from 944 cantars in 1821 to 34,300 cantars In addition, Muhammad Ali introduced a new system to the agricultural sector which is known as the Monopoly system. Under the Monopoly system, Muhammad Ali considered himself as the owner of all the land of Egypt. He nationalized all land in Egypt and banned the private trade of numerous crops. Under the Monopoly system, Muhammed Ali divided the land among the farmers so that each farmer would get from 3 to 5 feddans to cultivate and gave away 4% of the total area of land in each village to the village sheikhs. As long as each farmer paid the land tax, they had the freedom to choose the crops that they were going to cultivate. After the crops were cultivated, the farmers were responsible to hand in all their output to the government. The government would then buy the crops from the farmers at a price lower than the international price and sell it in the international market at the international price. As a result, the money that Egypt would make out of this monopoly would go to the industrial sector in order to achieve the goals of having an industrial sector that was strong enough to compete on its own both locally and on an international level (Ø ­ÃƒËœÃ‚ ³Ãƒâ„¢Ã…  Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬  , 156). As a result Mohammed Ali had complete control of 95% of Egypts exports. Meanwhile, h e only controlled 1/3 of the total imports of Egypt. The reason why he did not have much control over Egypts imports was due to the pressure of European states on the Ottoman government set a law in 1820 that allowed foreign merchants to export goods to the Ottoman Empire was an import rate of 3% only. Therefore, despite the fact that Muhammad Ali wanted to protect Egypts local production, he could not go against the laws that the Ottoman empire had set on the importation of European goods (Ø §Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ÃƒËœÃ‚ ´Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡,72). In addition, Mohammed Ali increased the area of cultivated land by 164960 feddans. However, in order to increase this area, he had to carry irrigational projects. He ordered the digging of new canals and the clearing of old ones in order to ensure that there was a constant supply of water reaching the lands. Some of the most famous canals of that time and that are still found today are Mahmudiya Canal, the Delta Barrage, and Al Anater Al Khayreia (Ø §Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ÃƒËœÃ‚ ´Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡, 72). Moreover, the government confiscated all the Waqf land since its owners could not proof that their land was in fact Waqf. As a result of Muhammad Alis efforts to transform the agricultural sector, Egypts revenue increased tremendously. Since more land was being cultivated, there was more production. More production meant an increase in exportation, and finally this led to an increase in revenue. Although many could argue that the monopoly system is not a democratic system and therefore, one should not be praised for applying it, in Egypts case applying the monopoly system was the most ideal solution for increasing revenue. However, only because Muhammad Ali was not driven by greed did this system work. However, if it was someone other than Muhammad Ali then there would have been a chance that the money surplus would have gone to waste. Educational Reforms The educational sector is by far the sector that benefited Egypt the most on the long run. In my opinion, if Muhammad Ali was not a believer in education then no matter how much he tried to reform the military, industrial, or agricultural sectors Egypt would have still remained insignificant. Mohammed Ali, highly believed in the value of education. Although, he was illiterate until he reached his forties, Mohammed Ali encouraged Egyptians to read and educate themselves. In fact, Abdel-Rahman Al-Jabarti, an Egyptian historian, mentioned in his chronicale Ajaib al-athar fil tarajim wal-akhbar, that Mohammed Ali admired and was taken by the intelligence and receptivity of learning that was evident in Egyptians. In fact, he tells a story of a man named Hussein Jalabi Ajwa, an Egyptian who invented a devise for grinding rice. When his invention was shown to Mohammed Ali, Ali was very impressed and concluded that Egyptians were in fact smart and therefore, deserved to have schools for education (El Gemeiy). Before Mohammed Alis efforts for reform in the educational sector, education in Egypt was limited to religious studies and Islamic law. Moreover, before his reign Egypt reached a very low state in education. A primary reason to why it reached this stage was due to the fact that the Ottomans did not possess any sort of valuable knowledge that they could pass on. In fact the Ottomans were weak in Arabic which resulted in Turkish becoming the main language (Ø §Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ÃƒËœÃ‚ ­Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ÃƒËœÃ‚ ¯Ãƒâ„¢Ã…  ). However, seeing European states advance using their modern sciences drove Mohammed Ali to transfer knowledge from the West to the East. His admiration of the European method of education made Mohammed Ali more determined to introduce modern education first time to Egypt. Moreover, he felt that Egypt needed employees who were well trained and specialized; in addition he realized that it needed well trained army officers. As a result, Muhammad Ali introduced a new system of education in hopes that it will elevate Egyptians. The main reason to why Muhammad Ali wanted to introduce a better education was because he felt that by having one it would create a strong backbone for the Egyptian army since the army needed to be updated with the modern military methods (El Gemeiy). In addition, it needed doctors, translators, teachers, engineers and specialized experts in many different fields in order for it to be considered a strong army (El Gemeiy). As a result, Muhammed Ali was keen on introducing secular education. Instead of establishing an educational system that started with primary schools, Mohammed Ali first established specialized schools and then moved to the establishment of middle and primary schools. His plan was to establish specialized institutes, bring foreign instructors to teach, send educational missions to Europe, and finally translated European books into Turkish and Arabic (Ø §Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ÃƒËœÃ‚ ­Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ÃƒËœÃ‚ ¯Ãƒâ„¢Ã…  ). The process of reforming the educational sector was long, yet it benefited Egypt greatly. During the first stage from the year 1811 to 1836, 67 new schools were introduced in Egypt. Although, all schools were run under the control of the department of Military, each school had its own unique system, meaning that each school created its own rules. One of the most important schools that were established during his reign was the school of Medicine. This school was established in 1827 in an area called Abu Zaabal. Its main goal was to graduate doctors who could work for the Egyptian army. The school grew to be very prestigious. Later in 1830 the School of Pharmacology was established followed by the School of Obstetrics which was established a year later together with the school of Veterinary Medicine. The schools proved to be a great success. In fact they graduated 420 doctors and pharmacists that worked for the army afterwards (El Gemeily). In 1837 the school of medicine was relocated in Cairo and was built by Ahmed Al-Aini. It was later known as Qasr Al-Aini. Furthermore, Muhammed Ali established agricultural colleges. Al-Darsakhana al-malakiya (The Royal Academy), established in the year 1830, was the first agricultural college to be introduced. Not only did it teach agricultural sciences, but also taught Arabic and Farsi. Later in 1833, an agricultural college in Shubra Al Kheima was established. Another college that was established in 1836 was in Nabruh in which its instructors were made up of the Egyptian student body who went on missions to Europe (Ø ­ÃƒËœÃ‚ ³Ãƒâ„¢Ã…  Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬  , 162). One of the first schools he established was Al Mohandes Khana (School of Engineering) which was created in 1816. The government imported all the machinery and tools needed for the school from England. In addition, he made its education for free and gave the students a monthly salary. Later in 1834 he created another similar engineering school in Bolak (Ø ­ÃƒËœÃ‚ ³Ãƒâ„¢Ã…  Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬  , 162). Moreover, a proof that Muhammed Ali was sincere in his goal of translating Western knowledge to the East, was the establishment of Al Alson Academy, an institute that . Several military schools were established during the reign of Muhammad Ali. The Artillery Academy, the Cavalry Academy, was established in 1831. Their aim was to graduate a labor force that would be useful for the Egyptian army. Furthermore, a naval academy was established under Muhammad Ali. This academy proved to be very successful to an extend that its naval fleet equaled that of the Ottoman Empire not only in size, but also in strength and skill (El Gemeiy). During the period between the years 1836-1841, Muhammed Ali realized that more order should be placed in the educational sector. Therefore, he established Diwan al-madaris (the Department of Schools) to take over the educational sector instead of the Department of Military. Was established in order to organize and take control of the educational sector in Egypt. During this stage the establishment of preparatory schools took place. As was mentioned previously, Mohammed Ali was keen on sending educational mission to Europe. He realized that by sending students to Europe would open these students to a more modern way of thinking so that when they come back to Egypt they can implement what they have seen in Europe. The missions involved all educational fields meaning that students were sent to study military sciences, agriculture, engineering, mathematics, medicine, and many other fields of study. The total number of students sent on these missions added up to 319 students. In my opinion, the educational sector was the sector that received the most beneficial reforms. If it was not for Muhammad Ali, then this sector would have probably remained stagnant. It would have been nearly impossible to modernize and evolve Egypt without having an educational sector. To conclude, Mohammed Alis reforms were aimed at elevating Egypt as a whole. Although his main goal was to create a strong army, Muhammad Ali understood that in order to achieve his goal he has to build a strong economy as well. Many might oppose him for using the aid of European countries especially since he played a role in ending the French Expedition in Egypt, however, in my opinion I find that his plan was ideal. The main reason why is because by doing so Muhammad Ali proves that he is a smart ruler who would do anything to bring his country further ahead. Furthermore, even though he was not purely Egyptian, Muhammad Ali ruled with love for Egypt. As a result, not only did he carry out his policies to achieve short-term goals, but also he established long-term goals that would make Egypt a modern country that was not just a state under the Ottoman Empire. As a result of all the reforms Egypt ended up with more local production, more exports, limited imports, better education, an d a stronger army.