Odysseus: Epic Hero? :: Free Essay Writer

Odysseus: Epic Hero? The inquiry has been raised regarding whether Odysseus, the saint of Homers The Odyssey, is an epic legend. An epic Hero depicts numerous great properties, including being extremely solid and fearless. Odysseus is an epic saint, since he depicts a considerable lot of these and different characteristics, for example, having an objective that is principal in his brain, and having plunged into the black market. An epic legend is nearly overpowered with trouble, frequently past that which a typical man could withstand. Not exclusively is he stood up to every so often by threat or misery; it is the whole reason of the sonnet. â€Å"Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of exciting bends in the road driven over and over off kilter, when he had pillaged the consecrated statures of Troy† (Fagles 77). This it the principal line of the entire sonnet, summarizing what will occur as the speaker petitions the Muses, goddesses of stories. There is truth be told, no other individual, anecdotal or something else, in the entirety of history, assaulted with trouble, as Odysseus. Ladies and goddesses frequently entice epic saints, and Odysseus is enticed as well. The goddess Circe is one of the numerous individuals who entice him, â€Å"Come, sheath your blade, gives up to bed together, mount my bed and blend in the enchantment work of affection we’ll breed profound trust between us† (F agles 240). Despite the fact that Odysseus beds with her, he never dismisses his expectation of returning home to his better half, Penelope. A female character consistently helps an epic legend, and Odysseus is no special case. Close to the finish of his movements, Athena feels frustrated about him and chooses to help him and let him return home, and once he shows up, she encourages him murder the admirers that plague his home. â€Å"That left the incomparable Odysseus holding up in his corridor as Athena helped him plot the butcher of the suitors† (Fagles 390). Not exclusively is this help by a lady, and a definite indication of an epic saint, yet additionally a goddess helps him, and just those commendable enough can benefit from outside assistance by the Immortal. Odysseus is likewise supported and advised how to return home by the Goddess Circe. â€Å"You must go down to the House Of The Dead and the wonderful one, Persephone, there to counsel the apparition of Tiresias, diviner of Thebes† (Fagles 245). This is a similar individual who attempted to entice him, yet she understands he wont remain and choos es to help him.

Thoreau Essay Research Paper The Power of free essay sample

Thoreau Essay, Research Paper The Power of Nature in Walking In Walking, Thoreau utilizes wild and otherworldly notices to embody his ain thoughts regarding the genuine Nature. Through these honors, Thoreau looks at the degenerate city development to that of unadulterated nature. The making explains nature as a topographic purpose of thought, where individuals s genuine sentiments rise. Last, Thoreau explains the Sacred situated in Nature through solid profound references. To start with, Throeau utilizes wild and otherworldly creative mind to compare the city, human progress, with the Nature that he professes to be unadulterated. In the presentation to the content, Thoreau depicts Nature as holding outright opportunity, and ferocity, as diverged from an opportunity and human progress just affable ( 71 ) . Directly off, Thoreau clarifies that the general public of grown-up male varies from the general public in Nature. The Nature being depicted lies untasted and spotless by grown-up male not at all like the nature made by universes which stays manageable and cheap ( 80 ) . Blending to Thoreau, each clasp grown-up male miracles Nature, its worth devalues. The idea of grown-up male made nature appalls Thoreau so extraordinarily that he would rather shack in the Dismal Swamp, so stay in the region of the most delightful nursery that ever human craftsmanship created ( 99 ) . For a grown-up male to incline toward the stagnation of the bog than the magnificence of a spring garden, truly embodies the hatred Thoreau has for unnatural Nature. As Thoreau walks through Nature, he accumulates his thoughts and becomes drenched in the landscape. In the city, where individuals are driven by the powers of covetousness and desire, nil is existent, and one can non truly act naturally. The relinquish that Thoreau alludes to is the sparing of the universe, ( 95 ) and Cities import it at any fiscal worth ( 95 ) . This representation of a wild power obviously embodies how grown-up male can lose oneself in Nature. Clearly Thoreau accepts that the city needs forsake, thus, do ing it a second rate topographic point to Nature. People groups who let the wild control them are in effect consistent with their desires throughout everyday life, since they let Nature take them on their legitimate way. Thoreau states how the trapper s coat produces the olfactory property of muskrat, ( 96 ) which to him is a better smell than that which typically breathes out from the merchandiser s or the researcher s pieces of clothing ( 96 ) . A merchandiser and bookman, regular city individuals, smelliness of the city human advancement where individuals control one another. In Nature, everybody proceeds onward their ain unattached to everything aside from the scene environing them. Orchestrating to Thoreau, at long last the characteristic state will smother over the made. He guarantees that the laminitiss of each area which has ascended to greatness hold drawn their nutriment and vitality from a comparable wild start ( 95 ) . Nature doesn T pick individuals, individuals pick Na ture by including its bubbly characteristics. Thoreau needs everybody to encounter Nature s power. Beside embodying Nature as a departure from the city, Thoreau uses creative mind to epitomize Nature as a topographic purpose of thought. While submerged in Nature, grown-up male can accept on his ain without permitting corporate idea impact his judgments. Thoreau feels that there is something in the mountain-air that takes care of the soul and motivates ( 91 ) . In outcome, clime does along these lines react on grown-up male, ( 91 ) so by plunging oneself in the regular area, one s genuine thoughts can be discovered. While in Nature, one s thoughts will be more clear, fresher and ethereal ( 93 ) . Strolling along scene [ that ] is non claimed, [ the ] Walker appreciates relative opportunity ( 84 ) . The wild and obscure power the Walker to permit his thoughts be free, while in the public arena, issues of work and possession load one s head. While strolling in Nature can be propping, individuals who neer go to the Holy Land in their strolls, are so insignificant loafers and drifters ( 71 ) . Thoreau portrays a buggy as individual who permits their head to go a segment of Nature and who looks to happen things in Nature. On the off chance that individual strolls just to revive their natural structure and non their head, so they are viewed as Walkers, non buggies. A carriage lives to its fullest, and the most alive is the most out of control ( 97 ) . People groups who follow their ain path in life have the most accomplishment in Thoreau s eyes. They are the cheerful one s in light of the fact that their mind has discovered Nature, and they become encircled by the common stuff of life ( 97 ) . The individuals who put in the endeavor to distinguish reality in Nature will gather the advantages of its assets. Thoreau requests to be given a surrender whose glimpse no civilisation can process ( 96 ) . This sort of unpleasant nature can non be inspected by simply any pioneer, yet by just the individuals who decide to process its forsake. As Thoreau is as of now adjusted ( 96 ) to this condition, h e trusts that others will follow his lead and adjust to his way of thought. Thoreau utilizes Nature as a device for individuals to ascertain out things on their ain. Just after individual acknowledges their milieus can they really look down the correct class of life. Now, Thoreau represents the request what concern have I in timberlands ( 79 ) ? Nature acknowledges everybody, non just the individuals who comprehend it s qualification. People groups must investigate Nature to perceive what they can distinguish for themselves. Thoreau endeavors to direct individuals towards this way of thought. Only as Thoreau coordinates individuals towards independence through Nature, he applies otherworldly inferences to Nature, so as to cast noticeable radiation on the Sacred in Nature. Thoreau shouts that come ining Nature requires an immediate agreement from Heaven ( 73 ) . Nature goes about as an entryway to felicity and opportunity of thought. In spite of the fact that anybody can stroll in nature, only the individuals who have paid their obligations, and made their will, and settled all their own businesss ( 73 ) can relic in Nature s extreme insight. Thoreau accepts each walk is a sort of battle [ implied ] to travel away and reconquer this Holy Land from the guardianships of the pagans ( 72 ) . At the point when individuals submerge themselves in Nature, they are turn uping non just the hallowed, however part of their ain soul which they may non hold even acknowledged is available. Nature makes grown-up male oppugn the considerations of society and elucidate their ain. Indeed, ev en an exposed topographic point like a bog can be seen as a consecrated topographic point a sanctum sanctorum ( 100 ) . Nature is the sacred topographic point, non the grown-up male made houses of prayer, yet the earth. It is the sanctum of sanctums. A grown-up male can remain in Nature encompassed by Satans [ holding ] discovered his limits without a vulnerability ( 80 ) , with the Prince of Darkness as his assessor ( 80 ) . In any event, being overpowered by the detestable powers in Nature, grown-up male can perceive his expectation for strolling. One who endeavors to tarry with Nature s grandness will pay in the terminal. People groups must populate in congruity with Nature, and look for non to destruct it. At the point when look intoing Nature, individuals must search for a way to partner to it. There is a reasonable tract through Nature that Thoreau accepts individuals should attempt to follow. The path of Hesperides, the Great Western Pioneer whom the states follow ( 88 ) , gi ves a looking at of how Nature can take individuals to the obvious radiation that Thoreau depicts. Nature will return individuals to the method of righteousness and spiritualty. It is a consideration of God which individuals can unmistakably observe. The Sacred feature of Nature encourages individuals to interface with their actual emotions. At the point when enveloped with the spiritualty of Nature, individuals disregard the corporate standards of society and get down accepting for themselves. In choice, Thoreau utilizes Nature to learn individuals about independence. Thoreau believes, by and by, that non everybody will consider Nature to be he does. Individuals must volunteer to begrudge Nature and unrecorded agreeably with it. 316

IAP of Coding

IAP of Coding First off, Id like to thank everyone, especially you, my readers, for the surprising amount of support and encouragement over the past few weeks. I couldnt begin to fathom how many other people are going through the same thing I am and its both humbled me and empowered me. My post The Pretender  reached 6,000 views in less than a month and has been inducted into the Best of the Blogs, a great honor and my second post to do so after MIT: The Sunsical. And my follow-up post, The Lessons Ive Learned, is quickly rising up in views to join its brothers with over 2,000 views in four days. Its funny, I had thought that to garner views, my posts would have to be elaborately creative and quirky, like my older ones where I photoshopped things in creative ways, i.e. My Two Cents. However these last two posts were just me typing furiously on a keyboard for a couple hours about the unbridled stresses of life and then hitting publish after only one or two revisions. And people really like that. So I ask myself whether I should do more quirky elaborate posts or continue with these posts of deep introspection and then I thought of the question I always ask myself when presented with a choice, Why not both? When I started blogging, I wondered for a while what my writing style was, thinking that itd be consistent throughout all of my posts. But as Im going through old blog posts, I can see how my writing style was all over the place and how it slowly has grown and changed over time and Im excited to see how itll develop further. IAP. The month of January. Independent Activities Period. The month where members of the MIT community teach each other anything and everything. Many say that the best time to be at MIT is when semester classes arent in session, and I agree. IAP is a much more relaxed period of learning where you can take month long classes, do research, externships, sports, chill around, and more. Last night I came back to MIT and felt a quick jolt of sadness from leaving home after the holidays, but I felt better after telling myself Ill be seeing them again soon since I convinced my brothers to apply for Spark in March. Once I opened the door to my room in my fraternity house I felt like I had come to college for the first time. I havent seen my room in a while, Im much more relaxed after these two weeks, and Ive finally gotten a grip on understanding my learning style and cant wait to unleash it this IAP and next semester. Ive made coding my theme for this IAP. Last year I was rejected from every UROP I applied to and I suspect it had to do with my lack of coding experience. So this IAP Im playing catch up to be proficient in at least one language and to get some good projects under my belt. Here are my plans: During IAP, there is a class taught called Intro to Python, a recommended prerequisite to 6.01. I wasnt able to take it last year and I struggled through 6.01 with Python until I got the hang of it. So this year, Im going through the class but on OpenCourseWare. That way I can do it entirely on my own time, hoping to solidify some of the things Ive learned in 6.01 and to get down some more Python concepts so that I can say Im proficient in Python by the end of IAP. The RingComm2017 website is currently under development and needs to be ready soon, so Ive been trying to catch up with my much more competent partner on web programming to make it a good site. Last IAP I took a one day workshop taught by Microsoft on how to program games using Unity. Then as the following semester hit, making games became less and less of a priority. I havent touched Unity since. Im going through everything I learned again and hopefully will be able to publish a game soon. Finally I have time to blog more! Ive been keeping an Evernote list where I have some pretty good blog ideas. Lastly, and most importantly, Im doing Momentum, an interdisciplinary design class. This year theyre partnering with the NSF Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering, who focuses on improving lives through the connection of the brain and technology. We do lectures in the first week and then were broken up into groups to create a project that address the theme. Were even given lab space to work on our projects and then on the last week we present our projects to actual industries. The course is also full of mock interviews and internship opportunities. I love it because I havent done anything of that scale before. The thought that after the class is over I can say I made such-and-such thing thats controlled through neurons from your brain and solves such-and-such problem excites me. The next few weeks are going to challenge me to learn quickly, and I welcome that challenge. I learn best when under pressure. In the proverbial pool of knowledge, if I stand on one side and dip my toes in slowly, Ill find the water wayyy too cold and quickly back out, taking forever to get in. But if I jump right into the deep end and force myself to learn, I find Im capable of doing things I never thought possible.

How Does the Political Corruption Affect the Business...

How does the political corruption affect the business environment in Russian Federation? ABSTRACT This paper aims to analyze and describe the influence and the scale of the corruption on business environment in Russia, and the consequences for the society. The paper will start by examining â€Å"The Collapse of The Soviet Union and The Rise of Russia† as the prerequisite for the escalation of the corruption among Government officials, the establishment of oligarchic structures and examining the role of domestic business and foreign investors regarding their contribution in corruption practices. Then it will discuss the historical trends of the corruption’s phenomenon, whether the†¦show more content†¦Now, when the system changed, the government had to establish absolute new for the whole country way for living. Capitalistic system states are based on the free enterprise, private property, markets, and individual choice. In 1991, the Russian language did not even have a word or term that stressed the private property in land. Property belonged to all, and th erefore to no one. After the Bolshevik revolution a forceful collectivization of the land property was carried out. This way a vital link between the peasantry who were the main workforce in the country and their object of work - the land, their prime source of income and goods, was broken. The communist government vigorously was compelling the peasants to work tirelessly, for almost no profit, the salaries were the lowest in the country, so the pensions. As a result the alienation of the citizen toward the land and the property as a whole was one of the main reasons for the fall of the communism. Huge flow of people from the countryside to the cities was taking place. As a result at the end of communist regime the base for restoration of the capitalistic economy in the villages – the development of small and middle sized farms was very weak. Rebuilding the ties between the people and the land, returning the economic initiative to the individuals and changing the state re gulatory system, including the protection of the private property were immense tasks for the newShow MoreRelatedHow Does the Political Corruption Affect the Business Environment in Russian Federation?3378 Words   |  14 PagesHow does the political corruption affect the business environment in Russian Federation? ABSTRACT This paper aims to analyze and describe the influence and the scale of the corruption on business environment in Russia, and the consequences for the society. The paper will start by examining â€Å"The Collapse of The Soviet Union and The Rise of Russia† as the prerequisite for the escalation of the corruption among Government officials, the establishment of oligarchic structuresRead MoreCost Of Renewables In Russia Case Study6040 Words   |  25 Pagesthe capital costs in the best-developed markets: 1,700/kW (photovoltaic) and 1,600/kW(wind).[footnoteRef:2] [1: IEA (2013), Medium-Term Energy Market Report, OECD/IEA, Paris] [2: IRENA (2017), REmap 2030 Renewable Energy Prospects for Russian Federation, Working paper, IRENA, Abu Dhabi. www.irena.org/remap ] Fig. 20. Power Generation Costs from Land-Based Wind Turbines. 2002-2013 Source: IEA, Medium-Term Energy Market Report. 2013 Comparing to fossil fuel, electricity cost of renewable energyRead MoreFifa Corruption Paper4265 Words   |  18 PagesCorruption Scores a Hat Trick Against FIFA FIFA has been at the center of a great deal of corruption during the last couple of years. There are endless topics to discuss on the matter of corruption and FIFA, but I wanted to focus on three of the biggest charges of corruption against FIFA, bribery, mistreatment of female athletes, and the use of slave labor to build stadiums to host their games. FIFA has been around for over a century and was a very respectable organization at one time, but thatRead MoreChapter 07 Essay7194 Words   |  29 PagesGlobal Alliances Implementing Alliances Between SMEs and MNCs Under the Lens: Dancing with Gorillas: How SMEs Can Internationalize Through Relationships with Foreign Multinationals Guidelines for Successful Alliances Comparative Management in Focus: Joint Ventures in the Russian Federation Implementing Strategy Implementing Strategies for SMEs Under the Lens: Breaking Down Barriers for Small Business Exports Implementing a Global Sourcing Strategy Under the Lens: Global Supply Chain Risks—The JapaneseRead MoreComparison Between Japan and Russia13811 Words   |  56 Pages Long-Term Orientation 28 Doing Business 29 Meeting and Greeting 29 Japan 29 Building Relationships, Communication 30 Meetings and Negotiations 30 Entertaining 32 Gift-giving 32 Conclusion 35 Sources 36 General information about Russia and Japan Japan Background In 1603, after decades of civil warfare, the Tokugawa shogunate (a military-led, dynastic government) ushered in a long period of relative political stability and isolation from foreignRead MoreFactors Affecting Good Governance in Pakistan5795 Words   |  24 Pagesaffecting the degree of good governance according to their levels. Keywords: Governance; Rule of law; Government effectiveness; Corruption; Time Series Econometrics; Pakistan I. Introduction Good governance has gained significant attention in the world especially in the last decade. In recent years, good governance has attracted the attention of economists, political scientists, lawyers, politicians, national institutions, and institutions of World Bank and IMF. Since some empirical and theoreticalRead MoreThe Ethical Code Of Ethics4083 Words   |  17 Pagesreasonable methodology that would give the business time to find the productive blend of administrations, quality shields what s more, firm structures is exhorted (Arruà ±ada 2004). Current administrative propensities, the primary component of which is obligatory evaluating, safeguarding against threats and progressively incapable regulation. BODY/ DISCUSSION The Fundamental Principles are situated out as a part assortment of the International Federation of Accountant (IFAC), auditors are obligedRead MoreThe Ethical Code Of Ethics4083 Words   |  17 Pagesreasonable methodology that would give the business time to find the productive blend of administrations, quality shields what s more, firm structures is exhorted (Arruà ±ada 2004). Current administrative propensities, the primary component of which is obligatory evaluating, safeguarding against threats and progressively incapable regulation. BODY/ DISCUSSION The Fundamental Principles are situated out as a part assortment of the International Federation of Accountant (IFAC), auditors are obligedRead MoreInternational Management67196 Words   |  269 PagesManagement Culture, Strategy, and Behavior Eighth Edition Fred Luthans University of Nebraska–Lincoln Jonathan P. Doh Villanova University INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT: CULTURE, STRATEGY, AND BEHAVIOR, EIGHTH EDITION Published by McGraw-Hill, a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. Copyright  © 2012 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Previous editions  © 2009, 2006, and 2003. No part of this publication may be reproducedRead MoreConflict Between The Humanitarian Action And The East Of Ukraine Essay9660 Words   |  39 Pagesvarious forms and could be described as the use of something or someone for one s own agenda, to achieve non-humanitarian goals. Donini defines instrumentalization: â€Å"as a shorthand for the use of humanitarian action or rhetoric as a tool to pursue political, security military development, economic and other non-humanitarian goals† (Donini, 2012, p.2). De facto states: De facto states, such as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Pridnestrovian Moldavian

Nationalism in Europe in the 19th century Essay - 875 Words

Nationalism is way of thinking both political and socially to create a community united by: history, ethnicity, religions, common culture, and language. Numerous effects occurred while establishing a Nationalist community, some effects were a long term impact on Nationalism, and other was short term impacts on Nationalism. Bloody Sunday was a big impact of Nationalism, what started out as a peaceful march of Petersburg workers marching to the Winter Palace led by Father Gapon turned out to be a nightmare. The marchers wanted to establish an eight hour work day, establish minimum wage, and assemble a constitution, while the marchers marched they was fired upon by Russian troops and several hundred marchers was killed. People believed that†¦show more content†¦Piedmonts Victor Emmanuel was declared the kingdom of Italy and unification was completed at the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871. A long term impact of Nationalism was an essay from Giuseppe Mazzini â€Å"On the Duties of Man†, it was written for the workers residing in England. Mazzini preaches toward humanity, and believes that if you are not ready to violate your law of life then you are not ready to become a whole human family. The biggest impact the Nationalism was the redrawing of the map of Europe. Mazzini’s believed that Europe was jealous of righteous powers of others and greed took over. There was much conflict and fighting to settle the new territories of Europe. The reason that the redrawing of the map of Europe was such a big impact on Nationalism is because the boundaries of Europe still hold true today. Mazzini was a leader of the Roman Republic was failed, and began to look for leadership some else besides Italy. Another long term impact of Nationalism was the Frankfurt Constitution, this was a long and detailed document, and it entailed the boundaries of Germany and its enforceme nt of its provisions, and was written for all of Germany, which was mostly consisted of Liberals. Examples of the Frankfurt Constitution are: All Germans are treated equal before the law, all special class privileges are abolished, no citizen shall accept a decoration from a foreign state, and Public office shall be open to all men on the basisShow MoreRelatedFour Definitions of Nationalism Essay1732 Words   |  7 PagesNationalism was a debatable issue in 19th century. It had developed differently in Western Europe and Eastern, Central Europe. Western Europe was identified with Civic Nationalism, and nationalism was also seen as an imperialist and economic movement. In Eastern and Central Europe, however, there were many types of nationalism, such as the popular nationalism, that aimed at national liberation and unification. Benedict Anderson has a theoretical definition of nationalism, which aim at correctingRead MoreThe Two Faces of Nationalism1493 Words   |  6 PagesIntrodu ction The nineteenth century saw the rise and fall of many conventional rulers, kings as well as aristocratic political advisors and parliamentarians sustain a power for majority of the areas in Europe. Having said that, the nineteenth century also recorded tremendous advancements social and industrial and also marked some of the most consistently harmonious eras in history. Some of the marked advancements in Europe that took place in the 19th century include the Industrial Revolution thatRead MoreThe Rise Of The 19th Century1441 Words   |  6 PagesThe 19th century contributed to Europe’s history in the form of ideologies. In contrast to the 20th century, there were no wars or acts of violence used to support these ideologies; instead the forces of capitalism drove the history of the 19th century. By this notion, the last time Europe had experienced extreme forms of violence was during the French Revolution, therefore the decades before the 20th century were relatively peaceful. In the summer of 1914, Europe crossed the point of no return withRead MoreThe Main Long Term Causes of World War One Essay1142 Words   |  5 Pages1914. These factors include militarism, nationalism, imperialism, the alliance system, and industrialization as the long term causes. The intermediate causes included the crises in the Balkans and the short-term trigger for the war was the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand in the Sarajevo, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary. Militarism in the 19th and early 20th centuries involving the great powers of Europe was definitely a key factor in the beginningRead MoreThe Concept of Nationalism in the 20th and 21st Century1228 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Nationalism in the 20th and 21st Century: The concept of nationalism is in essence an odd organization that has had significant impacts in world history through shaping the political and social aspects of the society. As an important aspect in the development of the society, the concept of nationalism has basically been analyzed based on its impact on the emergence of nation-states across the globe. In most cases, these analyses have been conducted to determine the influence of nationalism onRead MoreEthnic Differences Between Nationality And Ethnicity1561 Words   |  7 Pagesoccupied by an ethnicity and can be turned into a nationality. Nation-states in Europe In Europe in the 19th century, ethnicities were changed to nationalities. The French ethnic traditions fused with the Roman Catholic Church to form the French nationality. By 1900, most of Western Europe was made up of nation-states. They competed to control territory in Africa and Asia and disagreed over boundaries. Eastern Europe did not have nation-states. It had a mix of empires and states that did not correlateRead MoreWorld War I Was A Predictable Outcome Of The Culture1539 Words   |  7 PagesWorld War I was a predictable outcome of the culture which was found in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century. This culture developed out of events that occurred in the century preceding it. Some of the changes that occurred seemed subtle and insignificant at the time, but they left a lasting imprint on European history, and global history as a whole, in the form of the first and second World Wars. The culture of Europe shifted because of socioeconomic, demographic and sociop olitical developmentsRead MoreNationalism As A Cause Of World War I1477 Words   |  6 Pages Nationalism as a Cause of World War I Matthew Moore Ms. Beck Honors World Cultures Period 3 19 May 2017 Nationalism entails the people of a nation â€Å"exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups.† The concept of nationalism, essentially an extremist’s angle to patriotism, fueled the actions of many countries heading into World War I. 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Around the American Revol ution, the people of England started use machines to make their products and to help run other machines. The Industrial Revolution took place England and Europe. It’s importance consisted of changing every aspect

Religious Persecution Free Essays

Religious Persecution Religious persecution is a complex situation in the world. Many countries have this situation. In the country of Whitia, a large group of Whitians is being persecuted for its religious beliefs by a larger religious group. We will write a custom essay sample on Religious Persecution or any similar topic only for you Order Now They are not allowed to worship or display their religious beliefs in any way. They’re being stoned and imprisoned, and their religious leader has been burned at the stake. It is not easy to solve this problem by its own government. The United States should get involved in this situation. The United States could get involved in this situation by several ways, such as giving food and medicine to the Whitians who are being persecuted, and talking to Whitian government. People in Whitia who are being persecuted need food and medicine. But they can’t get those things from their own government because the larger religious group controls the government. The larger religious group regards them as enemies because of their different religious beliefs, so they won’t give anything to them. A lot of Whitians die by hunger and disease. This situation aggravates the  conflict between the two different religious groups. With the United States’ help, food and medicine will save a lot of people’s life. Intervention Action is good for reducing the conflict between the two groups. The United States can also talk to the Whitian government about the importance of people’s life and freedom. It could make the government realize that everyone should be able to choose their beliefs, and they should  stop  the violence  between the two different religious groups. The Unites States has already helped a lot of countries, such as Jordan, Sudan and Egypt. The help is helpful to solve the religious persecution and have saved a lot of people’s life in those countries. Assistance will be effective in Whitia, too. One of my friends, Gavin, has different opinion. He thinks that the United States should not get involved in this situation because of its huge financial cost. What I want to say is that it will actually cost a lot of money to buy the food and medicine, but it is truly worth because the money is to save people’s life. Money is made by people. The value of money  cannot be  compared  with the  life. So the United States should get involved in this situation no matter how much money it will cost. Religious persecution in Whitia is a problem which is not easy to solve, and the United States should get involved to help Whitians solve it. How to cite Religious Persecution, Essay examples

Sattriya Dance Essay Example

Sattriya Dance Paper SATTRIYA DANCE-THE LIVING TRADITION OF ASSAM ABSTRACT This paper titled-‘Sattriya Dance-The Living Tradition of Assam’ basically talks about two different aspects related to this dance form. In the first part of the paper, Sattriya Dance as a medium for propagation of Vaishnavism has been discussed. In this part, the prominent role played by Srimanta Sankaradeva to spread the message of Bhakti Movement by using an expressive dance form has been described. This part of the paper basically talks about how Sattriya Dance was used as a communication tool to spread the message of Vaishnavism among the different tribes in Assam. In the second part of the paper, the rising popularity of Sattriya Dance due to the usage of different forms of media like Newspapers, Radio, Local Television channels, Internet etc have been described. Various examples have also been given where the prominent role played by the media in the promotion of Sattriya Dance can be clearly identified. INTRODUCTION When we think of the beautiful state of Assam, the words that usually strikes us is ‘tea’, ‘Ulfa’, ‘Bihu’ etc. But very few outsiders know that it is also a land of one of the exotic classical dances of India namely ‘Sattriya Dance’. It is not just a dance or an art form which is used as a means of entertainment and fun. It is something which is much more than that and has always been part of Assamese culture and tradition. This research paper attempts to look at this dance form from two angles-Sattriya dance as a powerful medium for propagation of the Vaishnava faith and Sattriya dance and its rising popularity through the use of media. Sattriya Dance as a communication tool for the propagation of the Vaishnava faith in Assam We will write a custom essay sample on Sattriya Dance specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Sattriya Dance specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Sattriya Dance specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer During the 15th century, Assam was the home of people belonging to different culture, tribes, religions etc. The majority of the people belonged to non-Aryan tribes and they had distinct culture, customs and religious beliefs. It was seen that many religious followers at that time used to indulge in evil practices like animal sacrifices, human sacrifices, magical rites, spells etc on the name of religion. As a result of this, many poor economically backward classes of people became victims of these horrendous practices. There were religious conflicts and chaos all around. When Assam was going through this tough phase,Srimanta sankardeva appeared on the scene. Mahapurusha Srimanta Shankardeva was a saint-scholar, a spiritual leader, a social reformer, playwright and a very prominent figure in the cultural and religious history of Assam. He wanted to bring all the diverse communities of Assam under a systematized religious code by creating a religion which would bring new faiths, beliefs and abolish the trend of societal degradation and cultural distortion from the society. So he started a social movement in Assam named as the Bhakti movement to create an egalitarian civil society based on the principles of fraternity, equity, humanism and democracy. Through this movement, Srimanta Sankardeva preached a monotheistic philosophy called ‘Ek Xoron Naam Dharma’ which reflects the idea that there is only one God for all of us. Now, in order to spread the philosophy of Bhakti movement throughout the state of Assam, Srimanta Sankardeva introduced Sattriya dance form and used it as a powerful medium for propagation of the Vaishnava faith. Sattriya Dance is one of the classical dances of India which was originated in Assam. It is derived from the word ‘Sattra’ which means monasteries as it was earlier performed mostly in monastery kind of religious institutions. Rising popularity of Sattriya Dance because of the usage of media Even though Sattriya dance always had elements and features to become one of the Classical Dances of India, it was initially never considered as a classical dance. It was never put in the same pedestal as other classical dance forms of India. It was less popular as this art form was performed mostly within the walls of ‘Sattras’. It was mainly due to the efforts of Srimanta Sankaradeva, Late Moniram Dutta Mukhtiar Barbayan and Late Raseswar Saikia that this art form became accessible to the common public of Assam. But here, we cannot deny the fact that media also played a very prominent and important role in the rising popularity of Sattriya Dances. METHODOLOGY The methodology that the researcher followed was basically based on secondary research. The researcher collected lot of information and data from various reliable sources like certain Websites, Articles, Newspaper stories, Journals etc. Along with that, the researcher also did little bit of primary research by interviewing one of the very accomplished Sattriya Dancer named Mrs. Swapnali Chutia from Duliajan,Assam who provided with lot of essential information regarding the topic chosen by the researcher. After collecting all the information from these sources, the researcher analysed the data and came into conclusions that Sattriya Dance was very effectively used as a communication tool by Srimanta Sankardeva and the credit for its rising popularity can undoubtedly be given to the wonderful efforts made by media. The questions that were asked to Mrs. Swapnali Chutia,an accomplished Sattriya dancer from Duliajan,Assam are as follows: 1. What was the main purpose behind creating this rich art form of Sattriya Dance by Srimanta Sankaradeva? 2. Why Srimanta Sankardeva wanted to spread Bhakti Movement in Assam? 3. What are the special features of this art form which makes it special and unique? 4. What are the efforts made by media in Assam to promote this dance form among people? 5. How can it be promoted in a better way? ANALYSIS After scanning through all the information collected from various sources as well as the information received from the interview with Mrs. Swapnali Chutia,it can be said that Sattriya Dance is a very effective way to spread a message or a philosophy as more people come forward to watch these kind of dances and thereby gets influenced by the philosophy depicted by these art forms. It is entertaining as well as informative at the same time. Even though this dance form uses no narrations, it has many unique gestures and facial expressions which make this dance form very expressive. Not only this, it also has the flavour of many regional tribes in Assam because of which this dance form has been successful in reaching out to many people. After interviewing Mrs. Swapnali Chutia,who is an accomplished Sattriya Dancer, the researcher found out the history as well the origin of this rich dance form. It can be said that Srimanta Sankardeva could spread the philosophy of Vaishnavi in Assam so successfully only because he created this Dance form as a part of his plays ‘Ankiya Naat’. Otherwise it would not have been possible for him to bring so many people belonging to different tribes together under the common umbrella of Bhakti Movement. This dance form is so expressive that even without any narrations, with the help of only dancing, singing, footwork and hand gestures, it was able to spread the message of Bhakti. With the spread of this dance form, Srimanta Sankardeva united the various sects of Assam by establishing a universal social brotherhood of Neo-Vaishnavism. Thus Sattriya Dance became a very important part of the Bhakti movement led by Srimanta Sankardeva. The initial steps that Srimanta Sankaradeva took to spread bhakti movement through this dance form was setting up of many sattras or monasteries including the kirtanghars or the prayer halls and the namghars or the community prayer halls in various places in Assam. The doors of these religious institutions were open to all irrespective of caste or gender as Srimanta Sankaradeva believed in the principle of equality. It is in these institutions where ‘Sattriya Dance ‘was performed. This art form reflected the philosophy of Vaishnamism and when large scale of people came to see the dance, they got influenced and became part of the Bhakti movement. In this way, this dance form attracted a number of disciples, who followed Srimanta Sankaradeva’s preaching with great zeal and took the same to the common people. Slowly and gradually, Sattriya dance began to gain roots in the Assamese society. Seeing the growing popularity of the Bhakti Movement due to ‘Sattriya Dance’,Srimanta Sankaradeva established many more ‘Sattras’which became the nerve –centres of the Bhakti movement. In a way, this dance form was responsible in giving birth to a new culture-‘Sattriya Culture’, which was immensely successful in moulding the Assamese society. Sattriya Dance as a dance form has lot of hastas or hand movements, choreographic patterns, distinctive costumes and a variety of masks which reflects the philosophy of Vaishnavism. The music mostly depends on the ‘Khol’, a drum associated with Vaishnavism. The Sattriya Dance basically extols the virtues of Krishna who was an important and popular focus of the devotional and ecstatic aspects of the ‘Bhakti Movement’. In order to attract the different tribes residing in Assam, Srimanta Sankaradeva employed various techniques in this dance form. There are influences of Assam’s traditional and folk dances, sculpture and other images in Sattriya dance. Also the colourful cultural elements of different tribes such as the Mishings, the Bodos and the Deuris can be found in Sattriya. Many folk characteristics like hand gestures found in the dances of the Mishings, footwork and body movements in Bodo dances and the gait of the Deuri folk dance are present in Sattriya Dance. In this way, Srimanta Sankaradeva introduced these indigenous elements of the Assamese culture in this dance form so that the natives of Assam could relate to this dance form and thereby gets influenced to follow the path of Vaishnavism. Thus we can say that Sattriya Dance proved to be a very powerful medium for the propagation of Vaishnavism in Assam. The second part of the research paper clearly points out how media have played a prominent role in promoting this dance form not only within Assam but also throughout India. It can be seen that though because of media and various other kinds of promotional activities, this dance form was finally recognized as a classical dance form of India in 2001,it has still a long way to go as far as its popularity throughout India is considered. But at the same time we cannot deny the fact that different forms of media like Radio, Print, and Television etc are making efforts in every possible way to popularize this dance form throughout India. The problem lies in the fact that till now only Assamese media have made more efforts to spread this art orm. If the media belonging to various other states also come forward to promote this rich traditional dance, then it will surely reach out to more people and thus become more popular. In the recent past, different forms of media in Assam like Newspapers, Television, different other media organizations have really come forward to extensively cover this art form and make it more popular. The role played by media in making th is art form more popular can be seen through various examples. In the year 1988, Door Darshan organized a Sattriya dance performance based on the role of Shishu Krishna in Ankiya Nat ‘Pimpora Gusuwa’, which was directed by ‘Natasurjya’Ratna Ojah. One Devdasi Sattriya performance was made part of a T. V serial ‘Gunjan’ (Commission serial) in the year 2000. Sattriya dance was also part of a National Level VCD ‘Nandera Nandan’ which was produced and directed by Smt. Anjali Mahanta Roy Choudhury in the year2006. In the year 1999,Sattriya Dance was also made part of a documentary named ‘Masoloi Mature Batere’. Indira P. P Bora is a very famous Sattriya dancer and also one of the two grade artistes of Doordarshan(Indian National Television Network). She had used the medium of television to promote Sattriya dance. She had presented many series of ‘National Programme of Dance’ on Sattriya in the Indian Television. She is still a regular performer of Guwahati,Chennai and Kolkata Television centres. She has also appeared in BBC television, Vision of Asia Television (USA) and in many foreign television channels where she had spoken about Sattriya dance. Miss Prateesha Suresh who is a very acclaimed Sattriya Dancer had established a non –profit organization named as ‘Pratishruti Foundation’ in the year 2008 to promote and spread the richness of Sattriya in Assam as well as around the world. In one of the festivals organized by this foundation, media had played a very prominent role by presenting around 15 different artists who had come from places like Majuli, Guwahati etc to the common public through local channels and news-papers. Along with that, several people from media also came forward to help this organization by conducting Seminars, Lecture-Demonstrations, and Cultural Shows, Dance festivals to promote Sattriya Dance in and around Assam. Media have also contributed immensely by designing several websites such as www. sattriya dance . com, www. sattriya. com,mridusattriya. blogspot. com based on this exotic dance form. These websites in a way helps in promotion of this art form by reaching to a large group of people. Media have not only promoted this dance form through the usage of Print or Broadcast communication. It has also made Posters, Hoardings, Pamphlets, and Manuals etc to spread this dance form. Sri Ghanakanta Bora, who is one of the most eminent Gurus of Sattriya dance has written two books on this dance form-‘Mati Akhora’ and ‘Khol Sikhsa’. In this way, he used the medium of print to promote and preserve this dance form among the natives of Assam. Also Dancer Mallika Kandali had written two books based on Sattriya dance. The names are as follows- ‘Nrityakala Prasanga Aru Sattriya Nritya’ and ‘Sattriya Sanskritir Surabhi’. Radio is also not left behind in the promotion of this art form. All India Radio, Dibrugarh airs a programme called as ‘Bhakti-neeti’ every morning where ‘Borgeet’ which is the main music of Sattriya Dance is played. Also the time when Sattriya Dance was not considered to be one of the classical dances of India inspite of having all the elements of a classical dance, All India Radio, Guwahati used to air a lot of programmes based on this issue like debates, seminars, speeches etc. It is mainly due to these efforts taken by the different forms of media that Sattriya Dance was finally recognized as a classical dance form of India on the 14th November of 2001 by Sangeet Natak Academy. Sangeet Academy under the ministry of culture had launched a special project of support to Sattriya dance and all traditions since 2002. Under this project,many seminars on the subject of ‘Sattriya Dance’ as well as training programme of Sattriya Dance for children under eminent gurus was organized in different parts of Assam. It was media who came forward to support this project. The local newspapers covered the seminars,training programmes extensively. The local news channels also came forward to cover these events and thereby promoted this exotic dance form among the Assamese people. Local newspapers have also played a very important role in the promotion of Sattriya Dance in Assam by publication of various articles related to this beautiful art form. For examples, the online edition of The Hindu newspaper had recently on February 27th, 2011 had carried one article titled ‘Sattriya Dance yet to get its due’ where Mallika Kandali, a famous Sattriya dancer had spoken about the preserving of the rich heritage of the ‘Sattriya Culture’. Also one more article titled ‘Sattriya’s spectacle’ was published in the online version of The Hindu ewspaper on May 27th,2011 where Madhavi Puranam had written a detailed review on a Sattriya performance held recently in the city of Guwahati. The Telegraph, Kolkata edition had also published an article titled ‘Sattriya exponent dies’ on the issues of March 27th,2011 where the journalist had written about the demise of eminent Sattriya dance exponent Mr. Ananda Mohan Bhagawati and his immense contribution in the field of Sattriya. In this way, different newspapers have played a role in the promotion of Sattriya Dance. So we can say that media have really played a very prominent role in the popularization as well as in the promotion of this unique dance form called as Sattriya Dance. CONCLUSION Through this research paper titled ‘Sattriya Dance-The living tradition of India’, it is concluded that Sattriya Dance was very effectively used as a communication tool by Srimanta Sankaradeva and his disciples to spread the philosophy of ‘Bhakti movement’ among the various tribes of Assam. This dance form is based on the virtues of Lord Krishna who was a very important aspect of the ‘Bhakti Movement’. In this way, with the usage of this dance form as a tool,Srimanta Sankardeva had influenced many different tribes in Assam to follow the philosophy of Vaishnavism. Through the second part of the paper, it can be concluded that media had played a very prominent role in making this dance form more popular in Assam as well as outside Assam. Different forms of media like Print media, Radio, Broadcasting media, Internet etc had contributed in their own way in promoting the richness of this exotic dance form. REFERENCES Das Mridusmita â€Å"Sattriya Dance,an Indian Classical dance that originated from the state of Assam’WelcometoMridusattriya. om25june,2011 Tankha Madhur â€Å"Spotlight on Sattriya Dance â€Å"The Hindu 15 june, 2011 http://www. hindu. com/2006/07/15/stories/2006071503040200. htm www. sattriya. com Ponmellil, V. A. â€Å"India-Sattriya dance†newkerala. com24 June, 2011 http://www. newkerala. com/india/Dance-Forms-of-India/Sattriya-Dance. html www. sattriyadancecompany. com Lalwani Ramesh â€Å"Sattriya dance by students of Ghana Kanta Bora Borbayan-3†Flicker 25 June, 2011 http://www. flickr. com/photos/ramesh_lalwani/5083331177/ January 2011. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Sattriya. Swapnali, Chutia. What is the origin of Sattriya Dance Meghna Devchoudhury. Tuesday june 2011. APPENDICES 1. The questions that were asked to Mrs. Swapnali Chutia,an accomplished Sattriya dancer from Duliajan, Assam are as follows: What was the main purpose behind creating this rich art form of Sattriya Dance by Srimanta Sankaradeva? Why Srimanta Sankardeva wanted to spread Bhakti Movement in Assam? What are the special features of this art form which makes it special and unique? What are the efforts made by media in Assam to promote this dance form among people? How can it be promoted in a better way? 2. [Assam] Sattriya Dances must endorse Bhakti Ras Nava Thakuria Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:36:39 -0700 Dear friends, Here is a news item for your information and use. Regards, Nava Thakuria Sattriya Dances must endorse Bhakti Ras Guwahati: The Sattriya dances must endorse the devotional character and Bhakti Rasa (spiritual aspect) should be predominant in this Nritya. More over, the gracefulness of the performers must be maintained during the performance, commented Dr PJ Mahanta, an authority on Sattriya Sanskriti. Attending a media workshop on the appreciation of Sattriya dances in Guwahati Press Club on Monday (July 21), Dr Mahanta also maintained that media persons should have the authentic and comprehensive knowledge on the dance form before reporting the events related to the classical dace form. Mentionable that Sattriya Nritya is recognized as one of eight principal classical Indian dance traditions. Sattriya dance has been a living tradition since it its creation by the greatest son of the soil, Srimanta Sankardeva in the 15th century in Assam. Sankardeva created the Sattriya dance to accompany the Ankiya Naat (a form of Assamese one-act plays devised by him) which was usually performed in the Sattras (Assamese monastery). One can find references of Sattriya Nritya are found in the ancient Indian classical texts like Natyashastra, Kalikapurana, Yoginitantra, Abhinayadarpana and also in various sculptures and historical relics. The other resource person of the workshop, Krishnamurti Hazarika has advised the journalists to continue reporting on the cultural activities with a sustained effort. He also emphasized on personal interaction of the journalists with the performers. Anwesa Mahanta, a young Sattriya performer of Assam, presented few Bhangimas of the dance form. Nearly 20 journalists attended the workshop. The GPC secretary Nava Thakuria, while offering thanks to the resource persons, declared that the press club would organize a major media workshop, comprising journalists from all Northeastern states, on all the classical dance forms of the country in Guwahati. 3. K. PRADEEP |Indira P. P. Bora has reinvented `Sattriya Nritya and given it a new lease of life.

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Legend:Blue = FranceGreen = EU (27 countries)source:http//epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/graph.do?tab=graphinit=1toolbox=typelanguage=enpcode=tsieb010plugin=0http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/graph.do Frances Gross Domestic Product per capita (PPP US$)The Human Development report and the Global Competitive Report demonstrate that Frances purchasing power parity (PPP) has declined since 1993 to 33,000 plus/minus. 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France ranks in the 91.3 percentile on voice and accountability as of 2007, which is an improvement from 2002, when it was ranked in the 84.1 percentile. (Datamonitor (2009). France: Country Analysis Report. London: British Library. Page 3) However, France is still considered as a highly centralized country and the elite group is significantly involved in the state and corporate sectors. Moreover, corruption seems to be one of the main issues in French politics. Strengths Political stability can be considered one of Frances strengths. Elections are fair and transparent. Although initially the socialist parties were more popular and therefore winning the elections, lately the majority of the society has voted for pro-reform parties. Before the elections president Sarkozy made following promises: a reduction of unemployment, flexible labour laws, pension reform and tax changes. Frances approach to preventing terrorism is considered to be one of the most effective in Europe. However, it did not come free and the price was limiting civil liberties. (Datamonitor (2009). France: Country Analysis Report. London: British Library. P. 14) Weaknesses Although the current French government is definitely pro-reform, the rest of French society seems to be opposed to the changes. For example, the government wants to simplify public administration and bureaucracy, promote the competition in the market as well as make minimum wages flexible. (www.lemonde.fr)(EWA I sort of know what you mean but can you include a couple of the changes that the government want to bring in. I understand that the citizens would be unwilling to accept any change that would lower wages but does the French government want to lower wages that would also go against what Porter says is the point of being competitive. The population is unwilling to adopt any measures that cause a decrease in wages. One of the reasons would be the decline in purchasing power of the French population. As already mentioned in exhibit B above France is already showing a decline in GDP (PPP US$) per capita. Improving the pension system and modernizing the labour market has been delay ed because of the unwillingness of French citizen to accept change. In general, the reforms are being delayed. Moreover, the liberalization process is also not as dynamic as hoped for, in effect, president Sarkozy is losing his popularity. In regional elections on 21st March the Socialist Party gained 54 % while UMP 35 % only. (Web. . Accessed March 15 2010). Opportunities Improving French foreign policy has been one of president Sarkozys main goals. So far he has been successful. France has returned to NATOs military command. It has helped US in isolating Iran because of its nuclear power. In general, France has been lately very active in international relationships. With no doubt improved foreign relations will help the economic relations with these countries. French National Assembly composition Source: Datamonitor (2009). France: Country Analysis Report. London: British Library. P. 39. President Sarkozys administration has also finally improved French bureaucracy which now should be more transparent and efficient. Threats In France, the government has continued to play a prominent role in business compared to many other EU countries. (Datamonitor (2009). France: Country Analysis Report. London: British Library. Page 16) A concentration of elite citizens in power helps corruption practices and also help to influence government policies which in effect can block development. (Political Science: An Introduction, Michael G. Roskin, June 2005, P. 79) Moreover, since the government becomes more unpopular while trying to implement the reforms (can we get a list of the reforms then I can weave that into this paragraph pension system reform, health care system reform, public administration reform, reform of work conditions regulations un contrat unique, reform of public finances, tax system reform, corporation tax reform) there is a risk that it will become populist to gain power back. There have been a number of protests against reform measures. ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE Overview The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has stated that France faced a 3 % fall in growth in 2009. The decrease of income and wages combined with rising unemployment will affect domestic consumption. Because of the opposition implementing Sarkozys reforms is not going smoothly. Frances credit rating might be affected. That will increase the cost of funding for future governments and business enterprises.(Datamonitor (2009). France: Country Analysis Report. London: British Library. P. 14) Strengths President Sarkozys pro-reform approach affected in general review of public policy. This caused the improvement in public services and therefore reducing the public costs. French infrastructure is one of the best in Europe. There are over 10,000 km of well-maintained highways in France. That is better result than in Germany or UK. French railway network is also very well established. France is seen as global air transport hub with 27 airports. The world-class infrastructure network enables France to offer international investors excellent conditions for doing business and also drive the overall economic engine of the nation. ((Datamonitor (2009). France: Country Analysis Report. London: British Library. P. 18) Weaknesses French external debt is above the EU limit of 60% and most probably will stay this way. Moreover, the share in exports in the Eurozone has fallen by 16% during 1999-2007. (Datamonitor (2009). France: Country Analysis Report. London: British Library. P. 18) As the reasons for this situation can be named low level of industry specialization and poor price competitiveness of French industries. Moreover, Frances effective corporate tax burden is higher than EU average. Opportunities The privatization of telecommunications, electricity, gas, postal services, rail freights as well as the services sector has been in place for a while. The government has also introduced stimulus plan. The hope is that increased investment spending will stimulate domestic consumption. Threats The financial system in France is still significantly being regulated and administrated. What has helped French economy now to recover from global crisis, might create a problem in the future. Structural reforms in public enterprises, pensions and the constitution need to be completed now; otherwise France will lose the competition with countries with more liberalized systems like UK or Germany. SOCIAL LANDSCAPE Overview While social structure considered an aging population and relatively high unemployment rate seem to be main issues. As well as deficient educational system; (Global competitive report, Porter and Schwab, p.19) describes the education system as a whole is high/strength but the flexibility of the labour force is the problem as well as poor labour relations) this partly can be blamed for high unemployment rate. Unemployment rate was 10 % in January 2010. Web. Accessed March 15 2010. Monthly unemployment rates August 2008 January 2010: Strengths Taking into consideration social parameters in general France has been rather successful. For example, life expectancy at birth is in France 80 years; in terms of gender equality there is a positive social climate for women. France has one of the highest birth rate in Europe. Unlike in many other European countries although the rate is decreasing, France is still doing well. Frances birth rate of about 1.8 children per woman in 2006 makes it the only European country with the possibility of maintaining its current population. (Datamonitor (2009). France: Country Analysis Report. London: British Library. p. 22) Weaknesses An aging population and early retirement are serious issues on French social landscape. These issues have not been given enough attention by policy makers which now may cause big problem of additional government expenditure. Low labour participation is another issue as well as the fact that French workers work relatively low hours yearly. Source: Web. Accessed: March 15 2010 Another challenge is educational system which has not kept with changing industrial order. Opportunities New scheme Active Solidarity Revenue (RSA) has been introduced by French government. The aim is to prevent unemployment and poverty. The programme will persuade people to look for a job rather than living off social benefits. Threats Frances wage hikes have not seen an equal increase in productivity or increase in output. Thus, wage increases have become unrealistic. (Datamonitor (2009). France: Country Analysis Report. London: British Library. P. 22) By continuing this policy while the wages are increased but the productivity is not increasing is a serious threat for economic growth. Moreover, France is losing competition on global market where products from emerging Asian countries are present. French government has passed new rules regarding immigrants who want to live in the country or acquiring French nationality. On one side it will help to stop illegal immigrants, however on the other side it will also put off well educated foreigners to work in France. TECHNOLOGICAL LANDSCAPE Overview RD situation in France is satisfying, although far from perfect. The level of public investment in RD is around 2 % of GDP while EUs aim is 3 %. Moreover, private sector funding is still not pleasing. Public involvement is declining and private sector funding still not increasing. This situation might cause problems in future. To improve this condition the Agency for Industrial Innovation has been established. Its main task is to support innovation in large companies. Web. Accessed March 15 2010 Strengths What can be considered as main strength is relatively large number of patents received by France. France ranks fourth in the world in terms of number of patents granted for its innovation. (Datamonitor (2009). France: Country Analysis Report. London: British Library. P. 24) This situation is caused by the approach of successive French government to RD. Research and higher education are priorities of the current government. Large amount from yearly budget is dedicated to support these domains. Political commitment to RD is therefore high in France. Weaknesses Although RD is considered as an important issue by politicians Frances expenditure is at 2 % of GDP only. For comparison it is 2.68% in US and 3.18 % of GDP in Japan. Moreover, the spending on RD as a percentage of GDP by French government is declining. In addition, the input from private sector is still not rewarding. This situation will without any doubts influence future technological development of the country. Opportunities French national research and innovation policy aims to promote innovation, increase the participation of private sector, and improve the cooperation between public and private sector. The goal is to increase the spending on RD to 3 % of GDP and one third of this amount should come from private sector. Threats France lacks the coordination and one clear policy regarding RD sector. There are many research and knowledge institutes which objectives are overlapping each other. One united strategy is needed. Furthermore, there is lack of efficient communication between research institutes and private companies, therefore resources are not being used fully. Moreover, the lack of the connection between the producers and consumers of the technology can be observed. Public RD centres very often do help in application of new technology in industry. In effect, efforts and costs will be duplicated. Beauty products in France cluster analysis 1/ Description of the cluster, cluster size and performance The cosmetics and toiletries (CT) industry in France is estimated at 8 billion EUR in sales and can be divided into the following categories:       * Skincare, colour cosmetics:    37%       * Hair products :    23 %       * Perfumes :    20 %       * Toiletries:    19 %       * Other :    1 % Although in total export value, the CT industry in France shows growth of 6.5% between 1999 and 2005, in terms of global market share, France has declined from 31,6% to 28,5% during the same period. Despite this, France is still a dominant market leader with its export value sales double the amount of the second and third largest exporters Germany and USA with export value of just below 4 billion EUR respectively.Rossi, Prlic, Hoffman; November 2007, Global Insight Report, p.14 Frances beauty care industry has two specialised regional sub-clusters the PASS cluster (Parfum, Arà ´mes, Senteurs et Saveurs perfume, aromas, scents and flavours) in the Provence-Alpes-Cà ´tes dAzur region, and the Cosmetic Valley cluster (Sciences de la Beautà © et du bien à ªtre Science of beauty and well-being) based in the Centre and Normandy region.ClickPress, July 2008 [http://www.clickpress.com/releases/Detailed/82987005cp.shtml] The beauty products cluster consists of just few large corporations and over 400 Small medium enterprises (SMEs) with 25 250 employees. There has been an estimation of 855 companies in the CT industry with less than 10 employees. Rossi, Prlic, Hoffman; November 2007, Global Insight Report, p.4 Major companies include LOreal which is the global market leader with annual sales of US $ 17.7 billion, followed by Japanese owned Shiseido (US $ 5.4 billion), LVMH (US $ 2.7 billion) and Yves Rocher (US $ 1.8 billion). Smaller companies include Chanel, Clarins, Pierre Fabre Dermo Cosmetique and Yves Saint Laurent. Beauty packaging, October/November 2005 [http://www.beautypackaging.com/articles/2005/10/top-20-global-beauty-companies.php] International groups in the cosmetics sector such Beiersdorf, Henkel, Coty Inc, Puig Group and Pacific Europe have a strong presence in France and benefit from a vibrant business environment that also serves as a test market. France also offers expertise in associated industries, such as bottle manufacturing and the production of aromas and scents. Invest in France agency press release at ClickPress [http://www.clickpress.com/releases/Detailed/82987005cp.shtml] Institutions for collaboration The Cosmetic Valley and PASS regional sub-clusters support active cooperation between companies, research organisations, training institutions, laboratories, universities and suppliers. International investment into the industry is promoted and facilitated by the Invest in France Agency (IFA). ClickPress, July 2008 [http://www.clickpress.com/releases/Detailed/82987005cp.shtml] Cluster Map 2/ History The reason behind the perception of France as the cradle of beauty and luxury goes back to the 16th century when it became the center of cosmetic industry starting with the manufacturing of parfumes. Although historically the first European parfume makers originated in Venice, the trade with parfumes developed strongly during the 17th century in France which is today recognised as the dominant parfume manufacturer. This is the result of the attention and support given to the industry by the King Louis XIV whose policies stimulated luxury trade. The use of parfumes spread among the aristocrats and the trade flourished with first parfume guild being established in 1729 in the Provence region. By the 18th century, the original parfume makers started selling other beauty products such as hair dyes, powders, rouges, soaps and white face paints. The industry started being commercialised after the French revolution in 1789 as manufacturers seeked ways to avoid the association with aristocracy. The guild system was abolished in 1791 and first cosmetic shops were opened in Paris, exports to neighbouring countries also started during this time. In the 19th century, French manufacturers developed chemical processes of replacing aromas obtained by natural means with beauty products based on scientific research. This has led to inventions of completely new scents that were not just à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡copying existing natural scents. Separate male and female fragrances were also introduced during this period. Increased demand led to need for larger production facilities. First parfume factory was built in 1840 in Parisian suburb La Villette by an entrepreneour L.T. Piver. Distribution channels were developed as prices of cosmetics became more accessible to the common man and manufacturers were by now producing branded products as well as private labels for department stores. During the late 19th century, an entrepreneur Francois Coty made a major impact on the cosmetic business. His achievements include setting up own salesforce (unheard of in the cosmetics business until than) and using designer bottles for parfumes (until than parfumes were sold in pharmacy-like simple bottles) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡ to attract the eye as much as the nose. His aim was to keep the perception of cosmetic s  as a luxury that more people can afford and he succeeded in bringing cosmetics and parfumes to the masses. By the end of 19th century three quarters of French parfumes and beauty products were sold abroad thanks to the developed infractracture which made it easy to export products to Europe and the US. Typically sales were managed through local import agents. Some bigger manufactuterers such as Coty or Piver later established their own shops in other countries (Pivor in London, Coty in New York). In 1907 Eugene Schueller started new company Socià ©tà © Franà §aise de Teintures Inoffensives pour Cheveux selling hair dyes for hairdressers. The vision of the company was to doà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡research and innovation in the interest of beauty. Later renamed as LOreal, the company had by 1950s over 100 researchers. Today LOreal is a leader in the beauty products industry. Geoffrey Jones, 2007, Imagining Beauty: The History of the Global Beauty Business, p.16 38 3/ Competition and trends According to the Global Insight Inc, the world cosmetics market grew between 2000 and 2006 in Europe and China but declined slightly in US and Japan (Exhibit 2). EU15 United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Luxemburg, Belgium, Austria, Ireland, Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Italy EU 12 Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Poland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, Cyprus EU 27 = sum of the above Exhibit 2 The forecasts show expected further growth especially in developing regions such as China and central eastern Europe (EU12). (Exhibit 3) Exhibit 3 France has kept its dominant position as the leading exporter of beauty products over many years selling double the amount than its closest competitors Germany and US. The growth in value is 6.5% between 1999 and 2005. This however is lower compared to EU average (8.3% growth) as well as compared with the rest of the major beauty exporters in world USA, China and Japan (8.1% growth). This means that on the global scale, France is losing market shares. (Exhibit 3) Exhibit 3 Revealed comparative advantage Global Insight Inc measured the Revealed comparative advantage of nations exporting beauty products and in its findings we see that France is positioned in the upper right quadrant (Cosmetic Industry RCA Analysis, Exhibit 4) the threatened industries. The graph shows us that France is by far the largest exporter, is well positioned but its position is weakening due to lesser growth compared to other countries. On the other hand, the only countries showing intensive growth are developing nations that started at a much weaker base. The market for French products has matured in the developed regions of western Europe and the US which have been traditionally the largest export countries for French products. As a conclusion, France will now have to be more aggressive in creating a strong position in the developing markets of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) countries + central and eastern Europe to regain its growth. This assumption is supported by the data from French customs which point to fast growing cosmetics sales to the emerging markets, while the EU plays a less important role in French exports (50% against 64%). Between 1998 and 2008, sales growth in emerging countries was two times faster than it is for all exports of cosmetics. The share of emerging countries in total sales of cosmetics rose from 14.9% in 1998 to 24.6% in 2008, with particularly strong sales in China and Russia. A trend confirmed by Jean-Paul Agon, the Managing Director of the LOreal Group, in an interview to the French newspaper Le Monde, dated November 6: In the ten coming years, our customers will mostly be Chinese, Indian, Brazilian or Indonesian. While the group LOreal already achieves 60% of its business outside Europe, this proportion is expected to rapidly rise to 90%, according to Jean-Paul Agon Sooner or later sales catch up on demography, he claims. Exhibit 4 Frances second largest competitor in Europe Germany shows a better performance in terms of growth and is slightly gaining market shares from 13% in 1999 to 14% in 2005. Although this might seem only a slight improvement, in terms of growth in absolute numbers, Germany has grown faster than European average and almost twice as fast as France (10.9% growth for Germany versus 6.5% for France). Compared to other three top exporters of cosmetics (France, US and UK), Germany is the only country growing in market shares. In 2007, German exports rose by 14.4% compared to previous year and summed up to EUR 964 million in the first half of 2007, with highest demand from France, the United Kingdom and Russia. Gentry Earlene, German-Arab Industry of Commerce, December 2008 [http://aegypten.ahk.de/index.php?id=1093L=15] The growth of German exports is driven by local SMEs which are strategically managed by IKW the German Cosmetic, Toiletry, Perfumery and Detergent Association (Industrieverband Kà ¶rperpflege- und Waschmittel e. V.) whose mission is to help German SMEs to enter and conquer foreign markets. Gentry Earlene, German-Arab Industry of Commerce, December 2008 [http://aegypten.ahk.de/index.php?id=1093L=15] As a result of its strategic focus and investment, German SMEs have developed quality cosmetics for almost all segments. Etre Belle Cosmetic Vertrieb GmbH is an interesting illustration of those successful German SMEs. The company is now present in more than 35 countries. The brand has developed complete fragrance and skincare ranges segmented by skin types. German companies are also world leaders in some specific niches, such as organic and natural cosmetics which shows the most dynamic growth in western Europe and USA. (German-Arab Chamber of Industry and Commerce, [http://aegypten.ahk.de/index.php?id=1093L=15 ]) Udo Frenzel, director of economic affairs at IKW, the German Cosmetics, Toiletry, Perfumery and Detergent Association, sums up the success behind Germany growth: The exports of the German cosmetics, toiletry and perfumery industry in the last ten years are a story of success based on the quality image of Made in Germany. There is nearly no country on the entire globe where not at least one German brand is available on the market. At present German exports of our industry are 68% higher than imports to Germany. Gentry Earlene, German-Arab Industry of Commerce, December 2008 [http://aegypten.ahk.de/index.php?id=1093L=15] Research and Development French companies sustain their comparative advantage by investing heavily into research and development which is a key requirement to stay competitive in the cosmetics industry. As the following table shows, Frances RD expenditure in 2001 was 2.5x higher than that of the second largest competitor Germany in 2004. (Exhibit 5) Data for other leading countries are unfortunately not available but the assumption is that France is a leading investor into RD worldwide. This is also supported by the fact that the French government actively supports research and has introduced a competitive RD tax-credit system, which reimburses 50% of RD costs in the first year. This provides incentives to non-French companies to set up research facilities in France. Companies that have done this include Pacific Chemical Corp. (South Korea), Takasago (Japan) or Hutchison Whampoa (Hong Kong).Invest in France agency press release at ClickPress [http://www.clickpress.com/releases/Detailed/82987005cp.shtml Exhibit 5 Productivity The most significant threat to the ongoing competitiveness of the industry in most EU countries but mostly relevant to France and Germany, is relatively low productivity combined with high unit labour costs which shows a wide gap between EU companies and the U.S. and Japan. Rossi, Prlic, Hoffman; November 2007, Global Insight Report, p.4 Although only average EU15 (refers to the first EU countries before entry of post-communist nations) data for productivity in the beauty products industry are available, given the size of the French market, the weighted average is likely to be similar to the actual data for France. Referring to the source above, the rest is an assumption, therefor

War and Politics: Are both one in the same

His home in England was near the main gathering point for the D-Day invasion. Along with his fathers service in World War I, Keegan felt himself drawn towards the military and its workings. Unfortunately Keegan was unable to serve in the British Military due to a childhood illness. Although Keegan was unable to serve his country, he was determined to find his way into some aspect of the military. With a degree at Oxford, Keegan became a military historian. This essay will take a look into Keegans work, A History of Warfare, and his thesis that war is not a continuation of politics. This essay will refute his thesis with evidence from Clausewitz, fallacies in Keegans novel and military conflicts over the past thirty years. Keegan has dissected the workings of the military and the military soldier. In his novel A History of Warfare, Keegan disputes the Clausewitzen theory that war is the continuation of policy by other means. Keegan supports his theory by giving explanations of how Clausewitzens theory is invalid. To understand Keegans position one must first be familiar with Clausewitz. Clausewitz was a Prussian regimental officer during the Napoleonic wars. Upon retirement, he wrote the book On War. The books main thesis was war is the continuation by policy by other means. Keegan disagrees with Clausewitz by saying: Such at statement implies the existence of states, of state interests and of rational calculation about how they may be achieved. Yet war antedates the state, diplomacy and strategy by many millennia. Clausewitz, a child of Aristotle, went no further than to say that a political animal is war making animal. Neither dared confront the thought that man is a thinking animal in whom the intellect directs the urge to hunt and the ability to kill. Keegan suggests that war precedes states by many millenniums. First, Clausewitzs thesis does not imply there must be existence of states. Perhaps the political entity of the state did not exist but tribal life did. The tribe is a political entity. The bible has many accounts of tribal warfare for political gain. It varies from Moses leaving Egypt to David defeating Goliath. Keegan also states that war precedes diplomacy and strategy as well. The bible also recounts many strategies and diplomacy between tribes and states. Some historians might object to the bible being a reliable source but no one can refute that what happened in the bible was not true or accurate. We are cultural animals and it is the richness of our culture which allows us to accept our undoubted potentiality for violence but to believe nevertheless that its expression is a cultural aberration. History lessons remind us that the states in which we live, their institutions, even their laws, have come to us through conflict, often of the most bloodthirsty sort. Keegan is referring to the statement made by Aristotle in which he said, Man is a political animal. Keegan said that Clausewitz is a child of Aristotle and he believes that a political animal is a war-making animal. Keegan refutes them by saying, Neither dared confront the thought that man is a thinking animal in whom the intellect directs the urge to hunt and the ability to kill. How can he say that he disagrees with Clausewitzs theory when he himself claims that the states we live in now have come to be by conflict Doesnt that support Clausewitzs theory The point about neither Aristotle nor Clausewitz confront the fact that man is a thinking animal is a bit confusing. Yes man is a thinking animal and throughout history there has been countless rulers, dictators and emperors who have used war to gain political control. A prime example would be the conflict between Julius Caesar and Pompey. While Caesar was in Gaul waging war, he used agents to dominate politics in Rome. Caesar used politics and military strength to seize control of Rome and become the emperor. Man is a thinking animal and those in power, especially in the early years of history, were continually thinking on how to get more. Keegans big fallacy is his statement; Politics played no part in the conduct of the First World War worth mentioning. He goes on to say; The Germans, French, British and Russians found themselves apparently fighting war for wars sake. The wars political objects, difficult enough to define in the first place, were forgotten. Political restraints were overwhelmed, politicians who appealed to reason were execrated, and politics even in the liberal democracies was rapidly reduced to a mere justification of bigger battles, longer casualty lists, costlier budgets and overflowing human misery. The Encarta Encyclopedia states the following; The underlying causes of World War I were the spirit of intense nationalism that permeated Europe throughout the 19th and into the 20th century, the political and economic rivalry among the nations, and the establishment and maintenance in Europe after 1871 of large armaments and of two hostile military alliances. The fundamental causes of he conflict were rooted deeply in the European history of the previous century, particularly in the political and economic policies that prevailed on the Continent after 1871, the year that marked the emergence of Germany as a great world power. Keegan fails to give one argument supporting his statement. How he can say that politics played no role worth mentioning is beyond me. He not only gives no arguments but goes on to say, we are nevertheless right to see Clausewitz as the ideological father of the First World War, just as we are right to perceive Marx as the ideological father of the Russian Revolution. The appalling fate that those armies brought upon themselves by their dedication to it may be Clausewitzs enduring legacy. To compare Clausewitz and Marx is stretching it a bit. To blame Clausewitz for World War I is ludicrous. Once again Keegan fails to support his theory. Keegan goes on to say that Clausewitz is the ideological father of World War I. One can concur that if Keegan states Clausewitzs is to blame for World War I then wouldnt he be supporting Clausewitzs theory If war is the continuation of politics and Clausewitz is to blame, then isnt it correct to say that war is the continuation of politics Keegan he was not the only one who had this theory. Radical military writers such as the British historian B. H. Liddell Hart had such theories as well. He accuses him of urging the largest possible offensive with the largest possible numbers as the key to victory. Later Liddells thoughts were dismissed. Keegan, adhering to Liddells theory, once again has himself in a no win situation. He has stated that man is a thinking animal so shouldnt man be intelligent enough to figure out war and conflict without going to the past Shouldnt a general wage his own war, not an officer who wrote a book in the past Keegan concludes his theory with these thoughts; Culture is a prime determinant of the nature of warfare, as the history of its development. Politics must continue; war cannot. That is not to say that the role of the warrior is over. The world community needs, more than it has ever needed, skilful and disciplined warriors who are ready to put themselves at the service of its authority. Such warriors must properly be seen as the protectors of civilization, not its enemies. There is an even greater wisdom in the denial that politics and war belong with the same continuum. Unless we insist on denying it, our future, may belong to the men with bloodied hands. It is great to say that politics must continue but war cannot, but is it realistic For centuries war and politics have gone hand and hand. What events or individuals have given us a hope for change Are recent conflicts a testament to the future The United States involment in Bosnia, Somalia and the Gulf War has proven that. Would Keegan say that politics were not involved in those conflicts Keegan fails to address a few major conflicts in history. The Vietnam War and Korean War are not mentioned at all. The current theory underlying Vietnam and Korea were political reasons for the conflict. It is true that we went to Korea to support the South Koreans who were invaded but why were they invaded Political reasons are why. We were politically obligated to support the South Koreans. Chinas involment was purely political. The United States was not going to invade China. To the Chinese, having communist North Korea on their border was better than having the United States. Saying that Vietnam was not a political conflict does not give a reasonable explanation. The Vietnam War was the United States supporting a helpless South Vietnam and the United States fighting to keep their influence in South East Asia. With Keegans failure to address these major conflicts he leaves the reader wondering why. There are some errors of interpretation and fact in his novel as well. The atomic bomb was not designed to end wars without commitment of manpower on the battlefield as the author contends. The atomic bomb was another weapon, which we potentiality we only discovered after its use. Not until a decade later did nuclear weaponry come to take its place among equals in military establishments, at least in the United States. Keegans main goal was to refute the Clausewitz theory of war and politics. Keegan failed in this task. His inability to discuss such politically orientated conflicts such as Vietnam and Korea aids in his failure. His contention that World War I was not political was refuted by a definition in an encyclopedia. Keegan tries to offer the reader a new concept in studying military history but he is unable to get the reader to follow his train of thought.