Genetics of Type 1 Diabetes Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Genetics of Type 1 Diabetes - Research Proposal Example Although this is significantly reduced as compared to Europe, this still represents a statistic that is most certainly higher than should be represented (Klompas et al., 2013). A large portion of research with respect to type I diabetes has been concentric upon heredity and environment. Ultimately, the research that is been concentric upon environment necessarily weighs pollution, exposure to sunlight, diet, and other relevant factors (Hilmi et al., 2013). By contrast, the analysis that is been concentric upon heredity has focused mainly upon genetic indicators. As such, many of the genetic indicators that have been linked to potentially encouraging or otherwise exacerbating a risk rate for type I diabetes include haplotypes of the human leucocyte antigen; these include: HLA-A, HLA-B, HLADRB1 as well as HLA-DQB1 genes. Researchers have noted that the association to Type 1 diabetes that these genes portend is concentric upon auto-immune issues that an individual is exposed to if they have these specific genes. Beyond these, IDDM1 through IDDM18 have also been noted to have a clear and distinct linkage to the possibility of an individual developing Type 1 di abetes at some point in their lives. Further, beyond genes that deal with the regulation of proteins or amino acids, CTLA4 has been clearly linked to an increase in the potential of an individual to develop Type 1 diabetes as well. This is due to the fact that the CTLA4 gene plays a regulatory role in the body’s immune system; therefore the prevalence of this gene or absence thereof has a contributing effect with respect to Type 1 diabetes (Lundgren et al., 2013). As Type 1 diabetes is understood in terms of a disease that is exacerbated and/or evidenced by the prevalence of key genes, understanding a differential between these genes and how they relate to individuals of different racial backgrounds is key to better understanding Type 1

International Business Strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

International Business Strategy - Assignment Example International business operators have adopted a new form of business that entails standardization of the product with the intention of offering and bringing together product and service development and processing. In this aspect, multinationals have tried to make one corporation with branches and operations across the world. The thinking, in this case, is influenced by the precise customer needs and the cultural and geographical factors that impact on the purchasing behavior. Therefore, it is possible to have an international company, say a restaurant, offering entirely different types of goods and services in different parts of the world. This depends on the people living in a certain global locality. Nevertheless, the company’s logo and brand name continue to unite its global customers.   Another thinking of the international business that has evolved is the arbitrage thinking. This involves the exploitation of the differences that arise between regional and national marke ts. Business operators are now required to be more vigilant in the location of important parts of the supply chain in different regions. For instance, Europeans, mainly value opening many retail shops while Indians value the initiation of call centers to monitor employees and customers and create a better channel of communication.Another strategic thinking, that has characterized and shaped international business, is the competitive rivalry between different producers and suppliers in the international markets.

Chinese Perception of Global Order

Chinese Perception of Global Order Chinese perception of global order and the position of China throughout history Introduction It is obvious that in the last few decades the People’s Republic of China is on the rise, both in economic and political terms. What remains unclear is how the increase in the Chinese domination will affect the global order. Three important questions arise from this uncertainty: will China be a US competitor? Can it propose a viable alternative to the existing order? How do past experiences shape the current approach of China to global order? The essay will rather focus not on how the world views China, but rather mostly how the Chinese themselves (first of all the elites and the scholars) view the role of their country in the past and present. At the beginning, just to underline the paramount importance of China to world economy and politics, a certain amount of data will be given. China is the first country in the world in terms of population (1,35 bln), third is GDP (12,61 trln in power purchasing power parity), second in exports (1.971 trln USD), third in import (1,53 trln), first in foreign exchange (3.3 trln USD), first in energy production and consumption, second in oil imports. Its military budget is second biggest (16 bln USD) (CIA World Factbook). China is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council. Despite showing almost incredible economic growth, China is not a part of classical Western civilization and the capitalist core. Becoming in many ways a modern capitalist economy, being at the heart of world industrial production, its political views on the international arena and its place in it may not fully fall in line with the Western vision of China. To try to answer the set above questions, it is necessary to go back in history and see what the Chinese perception was, how and why it was transforming. Historical perceptions During the Quing dynasty, that ruled in China since the 17th century until 1912, we can speak of a honor-based system in approach to international (regional) relations. The Emperor and the elites maintained regional order through the formal recognition of superiority of the Chinese nation by the tributary states, thus providing stability and self-respect for the Chinese people. This system was broken by the intervention of the Western states in the 19th century: military defeats and national humiliation through unequal treaties made elites to seek for a way of adapting to the new reality. One approach was to study the international laws through the legal framework to be able to defend the country, exploiting the opportunities the system gave, that is mastering the western knowledge. The second approach lied in the so called Self-Strengthening movement, aimed at using technological modernization to strengthen China, without substantial modernization of the system itself. These develop ments, however, finished with the downfall of the Quing dynasty. The dynasty itself would later be seen as incapable to defend Chinese interests, responsible for humiliation. The Republican leader Sun Jatsen proposed a new concept instead, that was based on ethnocentric honor. He put a lot of efforts into reversing the unequal treaties to which China was bound. And indeed those treaties were revoked, but rather because of the political situation of the time. China remained politically and militarily frail, it had to rely on other states, and thus it was not fully sovereign, which was clearly shown during conflicts with Japan. Even more, it was perhaps of the fact that Japan – the aggressor was defeated that China would gradually rise to prominence in the region. The beginning of the communist era brought yet another shift in Chinese inner perception and approach towards foreign policy. First, those were the communist ideas on the new society (social justice) in China. From th ese ideas the foreign policy strongly depended. Later on, Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong came with the concept of the three worlds. The concept divided the countries into three categories: First World (superpowers: the USA and USSR), Second World: allies of the superpowers (most of the European countries), and the Third World (non-aligned movement states). Mao’s idea was that China could become the leader of the Third World and thus reassert itself as a great power. Still, China at the time lucked economic instruments and military power to assert its dominance even at the regional level. Ultimately, the idea that non-aligned movement would serve for the shift of the international relations, and China would be at the core of this process, did not prove. With Mao’s death, the Chinese elites took a more firm, cautious stance on the international arena, focusing more on reforming the country and going in line with the great powers. Still, the time of the Cold War infl uenced Chinese foreign policy, with political elites having to chose with which superpower to ally. First it was the alliance with Moscow and from 1972 – closer relations with the USA. It as well kept a positive image for the developing world. With the end of the Cold War there has been expressed an opinion that the global domination of the USA should be limited and that the international order should be democratized, there appeared a debate among the scholars whether a unipolar or multipolar world is appropriate. Globalisation was seen as a process beneficial for the USA, in which China had to find its place. To sum up the past experiences and the way it shapes the current approach of China to global order, it can be said that the past times are seen as a period of humiliation and injustice, especially up until the communist times. Subsequently, in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, China perceived itself to be a victim in an unjust world of aggressive, powerful Western states. Contemporary Chinese perceptions of a just international order have been formed by such past experiences and contain a strong element of restitution. Its justice claims start with the Chinese state itself rather than with the needs of a broader global community, focusing on the internal damage. Its activity on the international arena can be explained by the need to return the prestige and honour that was presumably lost in the early 20-ies. Economic factors determining current perception of global order Modern Chinese perspectives on the global order and China’s role in it is a matter of debates between the political elites, as well as economic managers and scholars. Increased by the Chinese paramount economic importance and growing military power, as well as participation in the work of a number of regional and international organizations (WTO, UN and Security Council, Shanghai Cooperation Organization) there are several viable strategies present. What must be taken into account is that Chinese view and strategy is strongly intertwined with the country’s foreign economic policy. There can defined five major principles, characterizing Chinese economy and demanding adherence to them. First, is keeping open world markets for its exports, more than half of which are produced by factories that are wholly or partly owned by foreigners. The second principle is about securing access to international supplies of energy resources and natural resources, which serve a determining factor to the Chinese industrial development. The third principle demands China is to insulate its economy and national wealth from potentially destabilizing international risks. The fourth principle demands that new technologies are acquired, together with knowhow and skills. The fifth principle presupposes promotion of global expansion of Chinese own industries through foreign investment (de Jonquieres, 2011). One of the possible dangers to the development of the Chinese national economy is the fact that it strongly relies on the energy imports. Moreover, as most of the markets for extracting resources are occupied. The data proposes that the Chinese export 4.754 million bbl/day (2010 est.), making them second largest importer of crude oil in the world. It is fourth in the world in importing refined petroleum products: 1.571 million bbl/day (2011 est.). As well, China imports natural gas: 42.5 billion cu m (2012 est.), making them 13 largest importer. Chinese often have to focus on those not so favorable, for some reason abandoned by the West. As a big market player, furthermore, China cannot switch out of investments rapidly without risking substantial losses on them – and consequent fierce criticism from nationalistic sections of public opinion and the Communist party that view the reserves as precious patrimony. In search of an escape route and, in particular, of ways of reducing dependence on the US dollar, China is taking steps to promote international use of the renminbi. They include agreements with selected partners to use the currency to finance bilateral trade (chiefly China’s imports), the launch of an offshore ‘dim sum’ bond market in Hong Kong, and authorisation of limited purchases of domestic Chinese bonds by Japanese investors. Yet, estimated two-thirds of the foreign exchange reserves are held in USD-denominated assets while about a quarter of the reserves are in Euro. This amount was partially formed as a reward for economic success first of all export earning and capital inflows, but at the same time because f skewed social policies through the excess of domestic savings over investment. Generally, they do not contribute to national prosperity. And the issue of investing abroad is under question, partially because China wanted to invest in euro, while the eurozone is still getting out of crisis, partially because China is still too much dependent on the US dollar. As well, the measures to make renminbi convertible brought only to partial advancements. This shows how China may be vulnerable as it increases at the margin of those available markets. Chinese financial system remains underdeveloped. Both external economic factors and social domestic, urge Chinese policymakers for precaution when acting on the international arena. In this way, China remains strongly dependent on the international markets and cannot allow itself grave confrontation with the main trading partners and at the same t ime adhere to the current policy in international relation. Political factors determining current perception of global order. Aside from economic necessity, changes in the Chinese foreign policy there can be traced through bilateral and multilateral acts, as well as inner reforms. Thus, in 1996 there was adopted a new security concept, that surpassed the Cold War thinking and called for a new mentality. Later on, China provided economic assistance to countries affect whose economy was damaged by the Asian financial crisis of 1997-1999. On overall, there is a strong incentive for regional integration (ASEAN plus Three cooperation, the signing of the â€Å"Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea signed in 2002, treaty of Amity and Cooperation, signed in 2003). On the regional level, China aims to be on leading positions, which cannot be done without the agreement with the other countries in the region. One direction of cooperation at which China aims is naval: partner relations with the other states would spur Chinese ambitions and capacity of becoming a great naval power. Another strate gic Chinese partner in the region is Russia. A large part of Russia-Chinese cooperation is arranged through Shanghai Cooperation Organization. This cooperation is as well ambiguous as Russian leadership is aware of the Chinese economic expansion and the demographic shift in the Russian Far East. Thus, the idea of Chinese to establish a free trade zone among the member states of the SCO has not received further development. Yet, military cooperation of the countries is increasing. Official declarations of the Chinese politicians stress the necessity for promotion of peace and development, the need for multipolarization. Some scholars argue that this approach through the regional cooperation and cooperation with great powers (USA, EU, Russia, Japan) on the one hand, and increasing the role of the international organizations (first of all the UNO) is the actual Chinese strategy on the international arena. Such a strategy presupposes democratization of the international relations, furth er support of the concept of the sovereignty of the states. Ideally, the strategy of transcending would lead to slow but secure increase in Chinese importance and multipolar world. Chinese relations with the world hegemony – the USA, is a separate issue. Ever since the Cold War partner relations with China in political sphere slowly drifted from partnership to competition. Yet, political leaders of the USA varied in their opinion on Chinese-American relations. Those relations are at times worsened by several issue, which prove to retain constant character: Taiwan issue, relation s with Iran, devaluation of renminbi, protectionist measures of the Chinese government, violation of human rights in China with special attention to Tibet. Despite the enormous growth in trade and economic cooperation in the last decades, the USA leadership often shifts attention to military-political cooperation and confrontation. China, remaining the greatest developing country, while the USA is the main developed country, has the USA- Chinese relations as the primary focus, and its external policy in various issues is dependent on these relations. Scholars propose three main p ossibilities for further development of China-US relations: long-term accommodation, which presupposes gradual shift of balance between the two great states; long-term cooperation, that presupposes further mutually beneficial partnership without significant shift in the roles; and possible conflict, based on the supposition that the USA will never tolerate China as the second world hegemon. So far, whichever strategy is to take place, China accepts the unipolarity in the international relations. But this may not remain a status quo. Despite the often bright statements announced by the Chinese official, the current approach to global politics is centered around a strategy of bandwagoning and transcending. This means that first China adopts to the US leadership and serves as a partner in various spheres, while the second stage presupposes a peaceful and gradual transition to a more democratic (balanced) world order, with more active participation of the other powers and international organizations. Chinese concept of a new order includes promotion and defense of state sovereignty, support of the role of the UN. On the other hand, constant comparison of the position of China and the USA may not draw a full picture. The Chinese leadership itself emphasized the importance of developing stronger economic and political links with other countries, thus, so as not to remain â€Å"trapped† and tied mostly in their relations with the USA. The ever increasing role of China on the international arena make the other players to study more attentively the Chinese ideas and approach to the global order. And though the Chinese economic policies may go in line with the development of modern economic system, political suggestions may reveal a different picture, that in part center around Chinese history (especially of the last two centuries) and the ideas of retribution for national humiliation, demand for justice and equality, honorable place of China on the international arena, multilateralism; and Chinese internal policy. Although, as this essay suggests, there is no single approach to the global order and the future of the international relations proposed by the Chinese political elites and scholars, certainly whichever this approach be, it will to a large extent shape world politics in the next decades.

The Economic Impact Of The Olympic Games Essay -- Olympics Economy

The Economic Impact of the Olympic Games Missing Graphs With the Olympic games being held in Sydney this year, I wondered if perhaps the performance of the economy was being affected in part by the fiscal stimulus provided by Olympic construction in Sydney and other parts of the country. Australia’s economy has been performing well recently, suggesting that there might be some effect. Over the last five years, growth in Australia’s gross domestic product has averaged 4.35%, almost a full point above it’s thirty year annual average of 3.5%, and the unemployment rate is near a ten year low. According to one estimate, the Olympics will tack on an additional six and a half billion dollars, about 1.6% of the GDP, to Australia’s GDP over the 1994-2000 period. A natural question to ask is if this growth is due primarily to the Olympic preparation, or if, instead, it is a result of some other change in policy, or perhaps just plain old luck. One way to address this question is to see if other host countries have experienced increases in GDP around Olympic years. Below is a graph of one measure of the boost to GDP that countries receive from hosting the Olympics. Each point represents the average, over all of the host countries since 1952, rate of growth of GDP. What this graph suggests is that prior to the Olympics and during the Olympic year GDP growth is higher than average - maxing out at nearly 1.5% above average GDP in the 3rd year before the Olympics. This number seems consistent with the estimates for Sydney - at least prior to the Olympic year. However, the graph also suggests that growth rates are lower in the years after the Olympics, than in the years prior to the games. The economic benefits of the 2000 Olympics can be classified as direct and indirect. Direct benefits include the impact of the Olympics on exports, investment and employment. In terms of exports, the main impact will be inbound tourism, sponsorship fees, media broadcast rights, and ticket sales. The staging of the Olympics will encourage more international tourists to visit Australia. Sponsorship fees received from international sources were strong leading up to the Olympics and according to the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), broadcast rights, approximately one billion dollars in value, were recorded as exports in September quarter 2000. Ticket sale sold to overseas visitors,... ...tself. Importantly, the benefits will continue well into the new millennium as Australia gets more international exposure for its exports and gains from the transfer of technology and knowledge from the world’s best. Opportunity beckons for the athletes, for exporters, for artists, for scientists and for the whole Australian community. Bibliography Arthur Anderson / CREA (1999) â€Å"Economic Impact Study of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games†. January 1999. Arthur Anderson and the Centre for Regional Economic Analysis, University of Tasmania. Dabkowski, S and Ketchell, M (1999) â€Å"Olympic Dream May Not Deliver Riches.† The Melbourne Age. Gittins R (1999) â€Å"Swifter! Higher! Richer? Sadly Not With Our Games.† May 8 1999, Sydney Morning Herald. Mules,T â€Å"The Economic Impact of Special Events .† Griffith University, Gold Coast Queensland. Olympic Co-ordination Authortiy (OCA) (1999) â€Å"State of Play: A Report to the People of New South Wales† June 1999, OCA, Sydney. Reserve Bank of Australia (1999) â€Å"The Economic Effects of Staging the Olympic Games† Semi-Annual Statement of Monetary Policy, May 1999, Reserve Bank, Sydney.

Catfish in the Bathtub

Catfish in the Bathtub Response As you walk in past the brown hazelnut colored door, the aroma of Chinese herbs fill your nose and like every other Asian house, there’s a shoe rack right when you walk in the door. Around dinner time, the meter long table would be filled with food—some looking edible while some makes you want to feed it to the dogs. Sometimes the food would be pig blood and liver made into a soup or chicken feet.To me, I don’t eat that stuff and if I had a decision you would see me running to the nearest fast food restaurant for something I considered â€Å"normal†. But it’s one of my parent’s favorite dishes, so it’s usually made often and thus giving me the feeling of wanting to throw up every time I see it. However, to every else that’s just like me; Americanized, it would probably be gross. I mean who would want to eat pig liver and blood or even chicken feet—where it looked like a legit foot chopped s traight off from a chicken just seasoned, cooked, and flavored.But to top it off, being from a Chinese family also meant that anything that was considered â€Å"weird† was not accepted, so since being a left-handed person/writer, have multiply piercings, and so many other things was thought to be weird. For my sister, she started off being a left-handed person, so my mother would slap her hands when she was little to make sure she would write with the proper hand. Of course nowadays, being a left-handed person is normal, but before my parents didn’t believe so.But now that my parents have been living here in the United States for some time now, they have become more Americanized and have let go of some of their cultural traditions—which, at times I am glad of because now I don’t have to worry about being the straight A student or being perfect at everything. But in the end, despite all these weird traditional food and Chinese culture this is who I am. No matter if it’s having dishes like pig liver and blood for soup or chicken feet on the kitchen table, this is my family’s catfish in the bathtub that I end up living and abiding by.

The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012: Reflection Paper

A few weeks ago, the country was shocked due to the sudden implementation of RA 1015 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. I seldom watch the news but I found out about the law after my mom warned me to be careful of what I post online. I was surprised because my mom has never told me that before. I figured it wasn’t much of a big deal so I shrugged off my mom’s warning. However, as the news about the bill began to spread, a lot of people started to express their opposition to the newly-implemented law. I began to realize that this act was actually a really big deal.I was astounded after reading some explanations as to why the bill shouldn’t be implemented. Why would the government pass a law that hampers democracy? How come only one senator noticed the flaws and loopholes of the bill? I saw a post as to why Senator TG Guingona opposed the said law. First of all, the provisions in the law are vague and unclear. Virtually anyone can be liable and be charged wi th crime. Second, the punishment is too grave and unfair. A 12-year sentence? That’s too much. Third, it’s oppressive. You can be charged with two counts of libel, one under the Revised Penal Code and the second under the Cybercrime Prevention Act.As a student, this law gravely affects me. We all know that many adolescents are very active on the internet. I’m an active netizen as well and because some of the provisions on the law are vague and unclear, I could be charged with crime, even if I just retweet, like or share posts containing criticisms. Second, isn’t a basic human right to be able to express one’s self freely? The Philippines is a democratic country and this law simply curtails freedom of expression. However, the Cybercrime Prevention Act is not all that bad. It’s actually good that we finally have a law that aims to prevent cyber crime in the country.After several cases of unsolved internet crimes (resulting to online criminals not being penalized for their crimes), it’s about time that we have a law for this issue. Its objective is to protect netizens from becoming victims of online crimes but because of certain provisions, the bill becomes an obstacle for freedom of speech. Another good thing about the bill is the establishment of a Cybercrime Investigation and Coordination Center. It will enable qualified officials to go after people who commit online crimes and file a case against them. The opposing views of the act are those against it and those who are in favor of the bill.There are also those who believe that we need this law but don’t agree on certain provisions stated in the law. Yes, we do need a Cybercrime Prevention Law but the problem with this bill is that it lacks or is obscure in certain areas. It’s not perfect and it needs to be improved. It may even be subject to misunderstanding and abuse due to the vagueness of the provisions. If I had the power to reconcile these o pposing views, I would first hear out everyone’s perspective regarding this bill. This would allow me to know what necessary changes should be made to the law.The bottom line is, the bill needs to be revised. A law has to be clear and specific before it is passed and implemented. The only way to fix this issue is to improve and make the law better. Certain areas need to be changed and the changes to be made must be acceptable for all, especially the citizens. We cannot deny that the internet has had a huge impact on our daily lives. It is a symbol of humankind’s advancement and development. It is a vast source of data and information. It has allowed people to communicate with individuals who are far away from them.It empowers people because it is an outlet and platform for us to speak our minds and express our opinions. In more ways than one, it has improved our lives and made it easier. Although it is a valuable research and learning tool, we also cannot contradict th at there are individuals who exploit the freedom they have on the internet. There is a need for a Cybercrime Prevention Law because the internet can also be used to commit crimes. However, individuals should also practice being responsible of what they say and do online. Like what my professor said, it’s a matter of personal responsibility. Think before you post.

Organic Chemistry Caffeine Extraction Lab ( Tea Bags ) essays

Organic Chemistry Caffeine Extraction Lab ( Tea Bags ) essays To demonstrate the isolation of a natural product from a biological source (tea bags) using extraction techniques, and to demonstrate purification by sublimation. In a 400ml beaker, 15 tea bags were submerged in approximately 125ml of water. This was brought to a boil over a bunsen burner and allowed to boil for about 15 minutes. The tea bags were removed from the tea infused water and discarded. 15 grams of Na2CO3 was dissolved in the tea water by stirring, and allowed to cool. It was then transferred into a reparatory funnel. 20ml of Methylene chloride was added and this mixture was shaken gently. The two distinct layers were separated using the water drop technique and the aqueous layer was mixed and extracted with another 20ml of Methylene chloride. The organic extracts were combined in a conical flask and dried with about 1gram of anhydrous MgSO4. The solution was allowed to stand for about 10 minutes, and swirled occasionally to complete the drying. The Methylene chloride solution was gravity filtered into a small, pre-weighed beaker. The solvent was carefully evaporated to dryness and the beaker containing the crude caffeine was re-weighed to calculate the yield. Many useful organic compounds are present in, and can be extracted from, naturally occurring sources. One of the most widely used drugs in the United States is caffeine, an alkaloid, which is present in coffee, tea, soda, chocolate, and many non-prescription drugs. An alkaloid is defined as a basic nitrogen containing organic compound. Caffeine is soluble in water because it has several polar and basic functional groups. This property also makes it insoluble in aqueous base. By adding a weak base to an aqueous solution of tea extract, one can decrease its solubility in water and increase its solubility in a less polar organic solvent, into which the caffeine can be easily extracted, using a separatory funnel. After evaporation of the organi ...

Earth Buddy Essay Example

Earth Buddy Essay Example Earth Buddy Essay Earth Buddy Essay Then operators shape the eyeglasses through a simple gig. Those two operations are occurring simultaneously. Next, molding operators remove the heads from the boxes and make the ears and nose. Then from there, two people put the eyeglasses over the nose and the product is then fashioned with a red mouth and then dried for 5-7 hours. So the production takes some time and the Co-owners of Earth Buddy, Anton Rabbi and Ronnie Harry, are telling the production director, Ben Varied, to remain flexible without building up too such inventory because they want to minimize expense. The challenge for Varied is to guess how much he needs to order produced in order to fulfill the vague directions given to him by the co-owners. 2. The challenge confronting Ben Varied deals with how much to produce. His only advice that he was told by the owners was Remain Flexible. We could get an order for 100,000 units, but if the order doesnt arrive, we would have to put the workforce on hold. We cant afford to carry large inventories. With that advice, he needs to find a ay to increase capacity while staying flexible and minimizing expense, which is much easier said than done. Increasing capacity is a challenge because of the weather affecting drying times as well as worker productivity so estimating how long it takes to make a finished product. The hot, humid summer days take a toll on workers and affect the drying times. His challenge is to find a way to estimate how the production capacity and WIPE levels are affected by this and then figure out how to increase capacity while remaining legible to shut down the workforce if the order does not come in.

Causes of Unrest in Middle East and North Africa

Causes of Unrest in Middle East and North Africa Historians and philosophers, political scientists, economists, and sociologists are trying to identify the root causes of social unrest and their implications in the Arab countries of the Middle East and North Africa in the end of the first and the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century. There are quite a lot of factors serving as the foundation for social unrest in the ME and NA. They are both objective and subjective. The bases of social revolutions are mainly domestic factors, though not without external assumptions. The root causes of the revolutionary upheavals in the Arab world and the Middle East and North African crisis lie in the limited model of modernization, which has led to a disproportionate, extensive and slow development of the region. [1] In January 2014, the Arab world has noted the fourth anniversary of the event, which journalists dubbed as the â€Å"Arab Spring â€Å". Indeed, at first, the world started to witness â€Å"iconic† events occur ring in the region, where the resignation of Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who ruled the country since 1987, on January 14 2011, launched the cascade known as the domino effect. Later, on the 11th of February 2011 the fall of Tunisian president was followed by the most sensational resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who ruled the country since 1981. In combination with the removal of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi (who ruled from 1969) on the 20th of October 2011, events of the â€Å"Arab Spring† began to be perceived and interpreted as signs of radical changes in the entire Arab region, and more broadly within the whole Islamic World [1] . The nomination of main slogans demanding the democratisation of public institutions of government had a dual effect on the countries of the region. Firstly, the â€Å"spring tide† having swept away a number of Middle Eastern regimes, still failed to overthrow the most powerful outposts of authoritarianism w ithin the region [2] . These authoritarian outposts are personified by Arab Monarchies of the Persian Gulf [3] , who happen to be traditional allies of the USA. Reluctance to initiate the reforms for the liberalisation of the regime led to them being discredited in the eyes of the global community as well as the indigenous peoples of the region. And secondly, the events of the last decade, beginning with the US invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq [4] have led, in combination with crisis of power in Egypt and Syria, to the elimination of the political culture and institutions of the Middle East, by knocking out the traditional â€Å"heavyweights† of the Middle East: Iraq, Egypt and Syria. All of these events together resulted in the emergence of activity of those labelled as â€Å"outsiders† by the Arab world. These non-Arab â€Å"outsiders† are primarily Iran and Turkey. The failure of the revolutions to lay foundation for new Political, Economic and Social instit utions has been replaced by simple â€Å"reshuffling of spheres of power and influence. And in Iran, a â€Å"green movement† has been chosen as an alternative path [5] . Throughout the course of the revolution, there were strong expectations that the Middle East was entering a period of democratic development [6] , which was said to achieve all of the attributes of a free civil society, which had for so many years existed in Western countries. However, further advancement of the situation in the region has led to an increase in the influence of supporters of critical perception of the nature and probable consequences of this rebellious movement not only for countries of that region, but also for the whole system of modern international relations. Western experts have increasingly highlighted the ambiguity of this phenomenon for the fate of the entire region, by agreeing on the fundamental reshaping of the entire system of â€Å"balance of forces†. This choir is partic ularly dominated by the notable work of Efraim Inbar, an Israeli expert and his work â€Å"The Arab uprisings and national safety of Israel.†According to Inbar, all what is happening in the region, will not deliver any positive outcomes in terms of stability and regional security† [7] . Despite the secular influence of Western culture, none of the Arab States managed to build a stable, democratic society, based on the ideas of civil liberties, political rights, a system of universal education, gender equality and economic development. The â€Å"democratic† elections in Lebanon in 2005 and Palestine in 2009 brought to power of the Islamists, indicating that the imperfection of the civil society in the Arab world. The most dangerous version of the situation under the influence of the â€Å"Arab Spring† and according to Inbar, there will be an emergence of nuclear Iran, who may ultimately win some time to complete work on its nuclear program and put the globa l community fait accompli. This may result in a â€Å"chain reaction† when other countries region will aim to commence the development of their own nuclear programs, seriously complicating the national security of Israel, which as of now is the only nuclear Power in the conflict-laden region. Activation of Iran on the foreign policy arena after the uprisings is not accidental. Behind its activation lies the influx of huge amounts of Petrodollars, rising anti-American sentiment in the region caused by frankly failed policies of the United States, the rise to power of an ambitious and eccentric leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran’s implementation of its own â€Å"nuclear program†, which turned into a personification of Iran’s power revival [8] . Hence the interest of specialists and politicians on foreign policy doctrine of modern Iran, where it states that it is based not on the principles of national interest but rather the principle of Islamic solidarity, r ooted in the teachings of Imam Khomeini, in relation to the Islamic revolution. Thus, consideration of ideological concepts of Imam Khomeini in interpreting the current leader of the Islamic Revolution (Rahbar) Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, should help understanding and explaining the steps taken by Iran during the reign of the current President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad [9] . The analysis of these concepts will help to forecast future foreign policy initiatives of Iran with its aim to resolve the intra-regional problems.

Man of Marble Film Review Movie Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Man of Marble Film - Movie Review Example ick layer whoselected by a filmmaker, Jerzy Burski (Tadeusz Lomnicki) to star in an advertising film in which he with four others laid 28,000 bricks in 8 hours. This represents "collective working" which symbolized the nature of Communist strength. In this film, the character of Birkut demonstrates the face of the common men, symbol of all common workers in communist Poland. There are three distinct kinds of scenes in this movie - the black and white documentary materials of 1950s, basic accomplishments of Socialism and the idols of the working class. There are also numbers of sections from the 50s shot in color, displaying the exact situation of that time. The third types of scenes are about the actual trouble face by Agnieszka and her team in 1970 while doing this documentary. From a broader perspective, Man of Marble  is a remarkable sample for the blend of diverse messages and subjects in a single film. Both the characters Agnieszka and Birkut are full of optimism and modest in their rigid approach towards the scope of the politics. The significance of this movie lies in the demonstration of the difference among the black and white publicity footage and the colour realism shots which help to expose the temporary nature of political reality. There are two scenes worth mentioning regarding the role played by the movie to demonstrate the political nature of the country. One is about showing Birkut coming out of jail and casting his vote in the elections and encouraging others to do the same. In that part of the movie, there is a clear description about the development of the country under communist rule. . The second scene is about the demonstration of the economic achievement of socialist Poland shoot in colour with the presence of background disco musi c. That disco music is the clear indication of the growth and development of the country under communist rule. From the point of view of above two scenes if we analyze the two main characters of this movie, it is

The Concept of the Ecological Footprint Assignment

The Concept of the Ecological Footprint - Assignment Example At the same time, communities and society need to grow in their concern and understanding about the environment while providing more access to resources that provide sustainability and lower numbers in ecological footprints. There are several concepts and factors that are attributed to the ecological footprint. The main concept is based on the behaviors, social expectations, and trends that are within a culture. The amount of knowledge that one has about the environment also creates a different approach to the ecological footprint that is used. The first factor that determines an ecological footprint is based on the capacity that a human has to use different types of resources and how this directly impacts the environment. The main concept that has to be looked into is based on the amount of resource consumption that an individual uses per year. As economic growth continues to emerge and as rising material standards rise in demand are also problems with ecological deterioration. The more in which one demands to have specific resources available, the more it contributes to environmental changes as a use of resources on the planet (Wackernagel, Rees, 1996). Even though it is required that each individual uses a specific amount of resources, there is also a rising concern with the way in which these resources are impacting the environment. If the ecological resources that are available continue to rise, then it will create unsustainable communities. The first places that are affected are urban settings, which require substantial resources to work with agriculture and to produce resources for different nations. If this increases, then the percentage of resources needed also increase. At the same time, the environmental needs don’t match the number of resources that are needed within a community.  

Multimedia2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Multimedia2 - Essay Example The use of charts, black board and different aid material viz. TLM (Teachers Learning Materials) in the classrooms from decades, itself provide the need for introduction of multimedia in learning process. The effective use of multimedia in teaching and learning helps the children to develop a range of skills. It widens the knowledge and understanding of ICT (Information and Communication Technology). Childrens writing skills improve as they write and rewrite. Editing tools make it easier for them to draft and redraft their work. Motivation is raised because children can write for a real audience and because the presentation of work is impressive. Use of different drawing packages helps them draw pictures and using the digital cameras, video recording and recording their own voices and adding them in their presentation makes this an enjoyable medium for them to work in (Pillai). Shneiderman et al. (1995) discuss the effects of introducing technology into the classroom in terms of the paradigm shifts that result. All of the existing systems they discuss, and all of the attempts we know of, have one common feature that we are trying to avoid. Technology in the hands of the student usually translates into a workstation at each desk. This approach is fine, even necessary, for classes that involve computer-based activities (such as programming). We want to investigate the usefulness of alternative interfaces that are less intrusive and allow natural handwritten note-taking, such as pen-based laptops, PDAs, tablets, or palmtop PCs. According to Hill, M & Novelli, J (1994) â€Å"the simplicity and power of multimedia encourage teacher creativity and self-directed student learning. Its also a whole lot of fun!†. The learning by fun is always encouraged due to its emotional effect on psyche with no tension of learning and memorizing encumber in school syllabus for the examinations. The mind of the students will not be tired of knowledge and they will

Hacker Culture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Hacker Culture - Research Paper Example Hackers may also block the public from logging in to the site hence the revenue details would be inaccessible. This study will focus on hacker’s motivation, their personality, and action. Personality of a potential hacker Potential hackers are people suspected to have intent to circumventing through a computer’s security system for their own personal gain. They may include students, employees, activists, and criminals among others. Normally, the potential hackers have an intention to access the information from Wisconsin department of revenue for commercial purposes. From a psychological view, hackers may be bitter about the unemployment rates in the society or they may be people with an exploration mind. Hackers use vulnerability scanners, password cracking software, packet sniffer software and spoofing attach to enter a system. However, due to the development in technology, such hackers can be identified by recently developed software. Such software is able to identif y any unusual activity in the site hence blocking it (Gayle, 1971). Motivation of hackers Wish to make illegal money by stealing Hackers are people with an intention of making an extra income from conning and swindling online businesspersons. By use of their ability to access secured systems, they are able to access important information for example credit cards data, bank details, identity and various other types of information. With such information, they create rogue accounts which they can use to purchase, borrow advance salary, withdraw cash etc. In case hacker accesses information from Wisconsin department of revenue, the government would loss taxes. The hacker would be able to change the income tax values of companies hence making such companies pay small revenue to the government (Jerome, 1986). This would lead to loss of taxes by the government. These unscrupulous individuals always pay these hackers and companies who need to evade paying taxes. Therefore the money they ear n acts as motivation to hacking. Intention to use other people’s ideas The intellectual property rights guide intellectual property. The legal systems of different countries have been designed to provide protection against use of other people’s ideas. However, the hackers are able to access such ideas and present them as their own. The information may include innovations, new formulas, and important research. New ideas and plans of Wisconsin revenue department stay at risk if a hacker has access to their files. Through the intention to use the ideas of other people, hackers are motivated to struggle and circumvent a computer’s security system. Intention to reveal industrial secrets Every business keeps records and files away from the public. Their records remain a deep secret that is only supposed to be accessed by authorized persons only. Such secrets include the marketing policies, the purchasing policies, and company’s plans. In addition, it may includ e illegal business activities used for the benefit of the company. The competitors are guarded from accessing these secrets as way of safeguarding the benefit and future prosperity of the company in the market. Hackers are therefore motivated to work hard and ensure that such vital data is available to the public or to specific competitors (Gu, 2010). Moreover, a

Employee relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 4

Employee relations - Essay Example In order to evaluate the procedures an organization should adopt for the purpose of dealing such organizational conflict, it is important to identify the reasons behind it. Organizational conflict is a critical phenomenon in the study of organizational behaviour and hence it is essential for every management to recognize the root cause behind conflicts among employees or between employer and employees and apply appropriate strategies in order to minimize the occurrences and effect of such conflict For the purpose of understanding the source of such organizational conflict the management must identify the key attributes of employee relation which will help them to mitigate the effect of conflict and ensure organizational effectiveness by establishing a healthy relationship among employer and employees (Armstrong, 2011). Collective bargaining is a major source of organizational conflict and negotiation strategies have the power to accelerate or decelerate the business operations of an organization. The incidents of industrial democracy in United Kingdom has marked development in employer employee relationship and the management initiative of employee participation in decision making has successfully accelerated the scope for organizational development (Pattanayak, 2014). The paper will concentrate on the employee relations, the cause and effect of conflict as well as the role of negotiation in collective bargaining in order to evaluate the relevant strategies of human resource management and organizational behaviour and how the application of these strategies can help to establish stability in an organizational framework. Organizational structure as well as culture is the most significant source of conflicts. For instance, an organization using matrix structure obligates the employees for dual reporting that leads to create ambiguity regarding their routine responsibilities. Global companies that integrate geographically dispersed provinces across

Multimedia2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Multimedia2 - Essay Example The use of charts, black board and different aid material viz. TLM (Teachers Learning Materials) in the classrooms from decades, itself provide the need for introduction of multimedia in learning process. The effective use of multimedia in teaching and learning helps the children to develop a range of skills. It widens the knowledge and understanding of ICT (Information and Communication Technology). Childrens writing skills improve as they write and rewrite. Editing tools make it easier for them to draft and redraft their work. Motivation is raised because children can write for a real audience and because the presentation of work is impressive. Use of different drawing packages helps them draw pictures and using the digital cameras, video recording and recording their own voices and adding them in their presentation makes this an enjoyable medium for them to work in (Pillai). Shneiderman et al. (1995) discuss the effects of introducing technology into the classroom in terms of the paradigm shifts that result. All of the existing systems they discuss, and all of the attempts we know of, have one common feature that we are trying to avoid. Technology in the hands of the student usually translates into a workstation at each desk. This approach is fine, even necessary, for classes that involve computer-based activities (such as programming). We want to investigate the usefulness of alternative interfaces that are less intrusive and allow natural handwritten note-taking, such as pen-based laptops, PDAs, tablets, or palmtop PCs. According to Hill, M & Novelli, J (1994) â€Å"the simplicity and power of multimedia encourage teacher creativity and self-directed student learning. Its also a whole lot of fun!†. The learning by fun is always encouraged due to its emotional effect on psyche with no tension of learning and memorizing encumber in school syllabus for the examinations. The mind of the students will not be tired of knowledge and they will

Employee relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 4

Employee relations - Essay Example In order to evaluate the procedures an organization should adopt for the purpose of dealing such organizational conflict, it is important to identify the reasons behind it. Organizational conflict is a critical phenomenon in the study of organizational behaviour and hence it is essential for every management to recognize the root cause behind conflicts among employees or between employer and employees and apply appropriate strategies in order to minimize the occurrences and effect of such conflict For the purpose of understanding the source of such organizational conflict the management must identify the key attributes of employee relation which will help them to mitigate the effect of conflict and ensure organizational effectiveness by establishing a healthy relationship among employer and employees (Armstrong, 2011). Collective bargaining is a major source of organizational conflict and negotiation strategies have the power to accelerate or decelerate the business operations of an organization. The incidents of industrial democracy in United Kingdom has marked development in employer employee relationship and the management initiative of employee participation in decision making has successfully accelerated the scope for organizational development (Pattanayak, 2014). The paper will concentrate on the employee relations, the cause and effect of conflict as well as the role of negotiation in collective bargaining in order to evaluate the relevant strategies of human resource management and organizational behaviour and how the application of these strategies can help to establish stability in an organizational framework. Organizational structure as well as culture is the most significant source of conflicts. For instance, an organization using matrix structure obligates the employees for dual reporting that leads to create ambiguity regarding their routine responsibilities. Global companies that integrate geographically dispersed provinces across

“Complete, trusting surrender to God” Essay Example for Free

â€Å"Complete, trusting surrender to God† Essay Although the Qur’an, its sacred text, was only revealed to their Prophet Muhammad more than five centuries after the death of Christ, Muslims trace the beginnings of Islam to the time of Abraham. According to them, the series of revelations of the Qur’an which started in 610 CE in a cave in Mount Hira, Mecca, Saudi Arabia, marked only the renaissance of a religion which sank into insignificance when the people of Mecca rejected the monotheism preached by Abraham. The Islamic claim further states that being the original religion, it provided the foundations for the development of Judaism and Christianity. (Fisher. 2005. Islam) Since the time of the first revelation in Mount Hira, Islam has rapidly grown to become the second-largest religious denomination in the world, next only to Christianity, claiming a following of almost twenty percent of the world’s population. However, its growth has been temporarily slowed down, particularly in the United States, by the effects of the American war against terrorism which is evidently directed against Muslims. This U. S. -orchestrated anti-terrorism war, coupled with the dearth of knowledge about Islam, has severely alienated the Muslims from the rest of the non-Muslim world. (Fisher. 2005. Islam) Yusuf (n. d. ) said that majority of the Muslims are convinced that while the U. S. government has been blaming terrorism on Islam for years, it was the 9/11 incident which dealt the most telling blow on the credibility and reputation of their religion. This was because the international media was able to depict that many Muslims around the world rejoiced after that incident. The truth is, however, that majority of the Muslim world was saddened by that incident and the repercussions it caused. They would like to tell the world that terrorism is not an official policy of Islam and that, in fact, Muslims also consider terrorists as enemies of their religion. He laments the fact that When a crazy Christian does something terrible, everyone in the West knows it is the actions of a mad man because they have some knowledge of the core beliefs and ethics of Christianity. When a mad Muslim does something evil or foolish they assume it is from the religion of Islam, not because they hate us but because they have never been told by a Muslim what the teachings of Islam are all about. Muslims are also complaining about the way non-Muslims always confuse them with Arabs. According to them, while most Arabs are Muslims, less than 20% of Muslims have Arab blood. (Almuslimin. org) Allah is the only authority of this religion. Muhammad was only the messenger and prophet with whom he entrusted the sacred texts called the Qur’an in a series of revelations and who, three years after the first revelation occurred, preached them to the people according to his instruction and his will. However, Muhammad was the role model for all Muslims. His life story and his sayings were saved in the Hadith for every Muslim to learn from and emulate. The central teachings of Islam are oneness of God and of humanity; prophethood and the compass of Islam; human relationship to the divine; belief in the unseen life; and belief in the Last Judgment. (Fisher, 2005. Islam) Islam teaches that there is only one God. This is why the first words spoken to a Muslim infant are the words of the Shahadah – â€Å"la ilaha ill-Allah Muhammad-un Rasulu-llah† (â€Å"There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God†). God may be called by many names, but all the attributes assigned to those different names make up the totality of the One God. They contend that there must be absolute unity among all men of all races because they are all brothers under the one God, and no one race should consider itself the chosen race. Islam teaches that the individual should be one with God, therefore his or her thoughts and deeds should always be inspired by God. This oneness of God and of humanity was very emphatically expressed by Abu Hashim Madami, an Indian Sufi sage, when he said that â€Å"There is only one thing to be gained in life, and that is to remember God with each breath; and there is only one loss in life, and that is the breath drawn without the remembrance of God. † (Fisher. 2005. Islam, p. 373) All the prophets from Abraham to Jesus Christ are honored, but they maintain that Muhammad was the last prophet sent by God with the final message. This means, therefore, that the Qur’an sums up all the messages from God so Islam should include all religions, including Christianity and Judaism which also trace their roots to Abraham. They believe that God created the universe for a purpose and set down laws to govern everything. For this reason, man could live in peace only if he recognizes these laws and abide by them. They accept the existence of the angels, especially Gabriel, whom they credit with bringing the messages of God. They believe that Satan exists just as they believe that there are saints. For them, the Last Judgment means that dead Muslims are allowed some rest before being raised from the grave for the final reckoning, after which the sinners and the unbelievers are sent to hell. (Fisher. 2005. Islam) Their basic practices consist of what they call the Five Pillars of Islam, namely: Beliefs and witness; Daily prayers; Zakat; Fasting; and Hajj. Every Muslim, without resorting to the use of force or intimidation, are obliged to spread the words of Islam so that other people may know about it, understand it, and use the knowledge to guide them in choosing their faith. Prayers should be recited five times a day while facing the direction of Mecca. It is believed that requiring every Muslim to face Mecca symbolizes unity among the devotees of Islam around the world, while the daily prayer emphasizes Islam’s teaching that every Muslim should remember God everyday of his or her life. Zakat, the third pillar, means â€Å"spiritual tithing and almsgiving. † Muslims are enjoined to help the poor by donating part of their annual income to charities of their choice. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for example, channels its contribution through the Islamic Relief Organization which aids people around the world regardless of their religion. Every year, the first Qur’anic revelation is celebrated with a month-long fasting called Ramadan. All able Muslims are required to abstain from â€Å"food, drink, sexual intercourse, and smoking† from dawn to dusk. Although fasting during Ramadan is an obligation, fasting, per se, is advised from time to time because it provides an individual with â€Å"a Transparent Soul to Transcend, a Clear Mind to think and a Light Body to move and act. † The last Pillar – the hajj – is a pilgrimage which is expected of every Muslim who is financially and physically capable even only once during their lifetime. Their pilgrimage destination is Mecca, where their holiest sanctuary, the Ka’bah, is located. (Fisher. 2005. Islam) Muhammad, whose name was taken from the Arabic word hamada which means â€Å"to praise, to glorify,† was born in Mecca, Western Arabia, in 570 CE to Abd bin Al-Muttalib and Amina bint Wahb. (Kikim Media. n. d. ) His parents were believed to be descendants of Abraham and Hagar, the Egyptian slave who mothered Abraham’s son, Ishmael. The story goes that Abraham fled to Mecca with Hagar and Ishmael after his wife, Sarah, also gave birth to a baby boy (Isaac) and became extremely jealous of Hagar and Ishmael. Abraham later built the Ka’bah, Islam’s holiest sanctuary and now the destination of pilgrims during the hajj, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, with the assistance of his son, Ishmael. (Fisher. 2005. Islam) The birth, life, and death of Muhammad impacted the world of Islam differently. His birth in 570 CE also signaled the rebirth of Islam which sank into obscurity for centuries when the people of Mecca rejected Abraham’s monotheistic Qur’an religion. His life as a preacher which began three years after the start of the revelations resulted to a rejuvenated Muslim world. The flight of the Muslims to Medina (or the hijrah) which he orchestrated in order for them to escape persecution from the hands of the Qurayshites of Mecca was what strengthened Islam as soon as they had settled in Medina. This later enabled them to raise a strong army to capture Mecca from the Qurayshites. However, while he re-established Mecca as the holy sanctuary of Islam, Muhammad himself chose to live in Medina. While his birth signaled the rebirth of Islam and his life rejuvenated their religion, his death in 632 CE in Medina caused a split in the Muslim world between what we now call the Shi’a and Sunni Muslims because of the issue of succession. Most of the surviving Muslims believed that although Muhammad was able to tell his followers what to do after his death, he failed to appoint his successor. Thus, the majority decided to settle the issue of succession by election. However, there was a minority group who insisted that it was not true that Muhammad did not name his successor because of a report that some weeks before he died, Muhammad held his son-in-law ‘Ali’s hand and uttered the following words: â€Å"Whoever I protect, ‘Ali is also his protector. O God, be a friend to whoever is his friend and an enemy to whoever is his enemy. † (Fisher. 2005. Islam, p. 380) The issue of succession was ultimately decided according to the wishes of the majority – by election – but the two factions have never reconciled up to this day. The Shi’a Muslims now form the majority faction in Iran, while the Sunnis are the majority in â€Å"Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, northern African countries, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Central Asian countries of the former Soviet Union, and Indonesia. † (page 378) Their place of worship is called a mosque. When I interviewed Bonsan Go, a student from Indonesia, he described a basic mosque as A square building with a small box-type space in front which serves as an extension. It has a dome on the center-top of the main building and a turret or a small ornamented tower or a tower-shaped projection on another building. Inside, you will fine a division (usually a length of fabric) which separates men from the women. There are no tables, chairs, or figurines inside the mosque. I thought, maybe, Mr. Go described a traditional mosque which used to be an Islamic architecture with a dome and one or two minarets. However, the more recent ones especially those constructed in the United States have chosen to go without the dome and the minarets. The more modern mosques have also done away with the curtain-like division which separates the men from the women. I have located one such mosque in Urbana, Illinois. A photo of this mosque is shown below: This is the Central Illinois Mosque and Islamic Center at 106 S. Lincoln, Urbana, Illinois. It is unmistakably an Islamic architecture with the arches found in front, but without the dome and minarets of olden mosques. Their website (http://www. prairienet. org/cimic/) announces that the mosque holds congregational prayers five times during the day, the first session being at 5:45 in the morning and the last at 7:30 in the evening. The center also offers Arabic classes and is open to visitors any day. CIMIC Newsletter is published bimonthly. In my interview with Bonsan Go, I was able to gain some insights on how a lay Muslim understands and practices Islam. About the hajj, Mr. Go describes it as the â€Å"symbol of unity between the Muslim Ummah and the Oneness of Mankind. † According to him, this has to be done at least once in a lifetime and is very important because it is one of the five pillars of Islam. He said that the hajj is obligatory for all Muslims who can afford it financially and physically. It is also important that the money spent for the hajj comes from hard work and not from corruption. He also talked about the Sunnis and Shi’ites. He described the Sunnis as following the teachings of Muhammad, imitating his every actions and words while the Shi’ites believe that Hadhrat Ali was the real successor to Muhammad because he belonged to the family of Muhammad. He further said that the Shi’ites call their leader an imam while the Sunnis call their leader a caliph, just like they do in Indonesia where the great majority of the Muslims are Sunnis. On the question of marriage, he said that a Muslim is not obliged to have several wives. However, once a man decides to do so, he can only marry as much as four times and he is required to treat all of them equally and see to it that all his wives maintain harmonious relationships all around. The Muslims, according Mr. Go, have never worshipped Muhammad. It is Allah that they give praise to. He considers it very disturbing that most people tend to equate the position of Muhammad with the one who created him. He said that to worship Muhammad instead of Allah is considered a great sin in Islam. On jihad, this was what he said: â€Å"Jihad is not a declaration of war against the enemies of Islam but a striving and a struggle in the path of God. Commitment to God involves commitment to sacrifice one’s time, energy and wealth to promote the right cause. It may be necessary at times to give one’s life in order to preserve TRUTH. † Before we parted ways, he told me that he is deeply saddened by the war on terror being waged by the United States and is targeted at Muslims. He said that the U. S. government has categorized all Muslims as terrorists and as such, must not be trusted. He said that the claim that Islam, as a religion, supports the activities of terrorists is definitely not true because even a Muslim like him hates terrorists. In the study of the beliefs and teachings of Islam and Christianity, Fisher (2005) has shown us the similarities between the two religions. They are both monotheistic, they have their own prophets (Jesus and Muhammad), and both religions trace their roots to Abraham. Islam and Christianity teach their followers to treat their fellowmen with fairness and both religions profess anti-violence sentiments. The Muslims are making this especially clear at every opportunity, enough reason for them to feel very badly towards the U. S. -led anti-terror war. The central beliefs of Islam are also very identical to the central beliefs of Christianity: they both believe in the brotherhood of men, in the angels, saints, even in Satan, and in the Last Judgment. If a split occurred between the Shi’a and Sunni Muslims after the death of Muhammad, a great schism likewise rocked the Christian world when the Roman Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox Church parted ways in 1054. Sadly, however, Fisher has also shown us that both Islam and Christianity have chosen the options of wars of aggression and occupations during the early days for the purpose of spreading their doctrines and widen their spheres of influence. (Fisher. 2005. Christianity; Islam) However, if Fisher (2005) has shown that Islam and Christianity have many similarities, they also differ in some aspects. The first difference is rather basic. While Islam revolves around Allah as its God and only authority, Christianity, as a faith, is based â€Å"on the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus. † Muslims disagree with Christians in this regard. They do not believe that Jesus is a son of God. To them, Jesus, like Muhammad, was only a prophet and messenger of God. Another glaring difference between the two religions occurred in connection with the death of Jesus and Muhammad. While Muhammad died peacefully in his bed because of some illness, his death divided the Muslim world into the Shi’a and the Sunni Muslims. Jesus, on the other hand, died a violent death (he was tortured and crucified), but his death strengthened and unified his people. (Fisher. 2005. Christianity; Islam). References Almuslimin. org. (n. d. ). Who Is Muhammad? (Retrieved March 9, 2007 from:http://drupalmalaysia. org/Islam/Muhammad) CIMIC. (n. d. ). Central Illinois Mosque and Islamic Center. (Retrieved March 5, 2007 from: http://www. prairienet. org/cimic/) Fisher, M. P. (2005). Christianity. Living Religions, Sixth Edition (pp. 284-361). Prentice-Hall. Fisher, M. P. (2005). Islam. Living Religions, Sixth Edition (pp, 362-416). Prentice-Hall. Kikim Media. (n. d. ). The Life of Muhammad. (Retrieved March 5, 2007 from: http://www. pbs. org/muhammad/timeline. html. shtml) Yusuf, S. H. (n. d. ). A Time for Introspection. (Retrieved March 9, 2007 from: http://www. masud. co. uk/ISLAM/misc/shhamza_sep11. htm) .

Analysis Of Noun Phrase In English And Vietnamese Education Essay

Analysis Of Noun Phrase In English And Vietnamese Education Essay Noun phrases as well as other phrases play an important role in mastering any language. Without noun phrase, there would have no agents, no patients, and no recipients. Additionally, no matter how wide our vocabulary may be, a single word is often insufficient in expressing our thought.. A contrastive analysis between English and Vietnamese is necessary and interesting for teaching and studying. Almost every language has noun phrases, however, despite having the same basic structure, they have some differences..This study aims to explore internal and external structure of English and Vietnamese noun phrases then make a comparison between two kinds of NP as well as suggest some teaching implications. I hope through this assignment, both I and the readers will learn something helpful which can apply to English teaching and learning. Noun phrase in English Definitions : Le (2002) defined noun phrase (NP) as a group of words beginning with a noun and functioning appositive. This NP often goes right before or right after the noun it expresses. Ex: A victim of war, he hated the sight of soldiers. (A victim of war = he) According to L.H.Nguyen (2004), a NP is a group of words with a noun or pronoun as the main part (the head). In his book Analyzing English, Jackson added some more deal about the head which is the minimal requirement for the occurrence of a noun phrase. Despite the NP is in simple form such as students or in complex form such as the story about the girl who used to live there, it must have a noun or pronoun expressing the main idea. Structure : Basically, a noun phrase consists of 3 main parts : Pre Modification, Head, Post Modification. But in some complex NPs, we can see that the Pre Modification may contain other elements. Based on the theory of NP in the book Analyzing English by Howard Jackson, we have a detailed formula of NP as following : Pre Modification Head Post Modification Pre determiner (A) Identifiers (B) Numeral/Quantifier (C) Adjectives (D) Noun modifier (E) N/pro (F) Relative clauses, non-finite clause, prepositional phrase, adjectives, adverbs. (G) Table 1 : The structure of a NP in English Now, we will go into details of the structure of a NP. Pre Modification This part basically has 5 elements as shown in the above table. The first element is pre-determiners. They are a small group of words which may occur before the identifier in a NP. They also have quantifier reference (all, both, half, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦); fraction numerals (one-third, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). Next element is identifiers. This element includes articles (a, an, the); demonstrative (this, that, these, those); possessives (my, your, his,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). But there is one thing we should pay attention. In any NP, just only one identifier may occur, it means that articles, demonstrative and possessives are mutually exclusive. We cant say that my house but if we use of-phrase with the possessive pronoun, we can express that NP in another way that book of mine. In some NPs such as five cats, several books, the pre modification here is numeral (five) or quantifier(several). Also, sometimes, we can see the combination of these two elements in some NPs. The frequent sequences are ordinal numeral (especially first and last ) + indefinite quantifier ( eg the first few hours), ordinal + cardinal (eg the second five days), indefinite quantifier + cardinal numeral, especially round number (eg several thousand people) (Nguyen, 2004, p. 44). To amplify the head noun in some way, the next element, adjectives, come after the identifier and numerals/quantifiers. However, in case that several adjectives co-occur in a NP, there is a rule for their order. epithet Size shape age colour origin substance present participle charming Small round old brown French oaken writing table Table 2 : The adjective order The last element is noun modifiers which come between the adjectives and the head noun. As we can see, nouns may function not only as heads of NP but also modifiers in NP. For example, in NP a children book, children modifies book and a children book means a book for children. Beside 5 basic elements mentioned above, there is one further kind of pre-modification that is NP in genitive case. This kind is marked by an s added to the its final word (eg my friend s bicycle). Head : The most usual kind of head of NP is noun, but in some NPs such as She is my best friend, the head may be a pronoun of some kind, usually a personal pronoun (he, she, youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). Similarly, Jacobs (1995) stated that many NPs in English are single forms consisting perhaps just of a noun or a pronoun. When the head is a pronoun, it doesnt need any modification, especially the pre-modification. Kinds of pronoun functioning as the head Examples Personal pronoun He, she, you, they, we, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Indefinite pronoun Someone, something, nobody,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Possessive pronoun His, her, your, their,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Demonstrative pronoun This, that, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Table 3 : Kinds of pronoun functioning as the head of NP Post-modification This part is most frequently followed by phrases or clauses. Three kinds of phrasal/clausal post-modification we often see is: relative clauses, non-finite clauses, and prepositional phrases, sometimes we also see an adjective or an adverb functioning as a post-modifier in NP (Jackson, p.15). A relative clause consists of a relative pronoun (who, whom, which, that, whose,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) as a head, which mentions back to the head noun of NP. If the relative pronouns function is object in the relative clause, we can omit that relative pronoun. Non-finite clause is clause usually without subjects introduced by a non-finite form of the verb. That kind of clause include 3 kinds : infinite clause, present participle clause, past participle. In a NP, prepositional phrase occurs most frequently functioning as post-modifier. Some examples: All the schools in town A B F G (prepositional phrase) The last few days B C C F Dong Bang Shin Ki, my favourite music band. F G (appositive NP) My noisy 4-year-old white Siamese cat B epithet age colour F This mischievous tax collectors grabbing hand NP Genitive D F The Korea history which has just been published. B D F G (relative clause) Something important to do F (indefinite pro) G (adjectives) G (non-finite clause) The girl behind you B F G (adverb) Two horses eating grass. A F G (non-finite clause : present participle) A theme song composed by Lee So Man B E F G (non-finite clause : past participle) One-third of the population A B F Noun phrase in Vietnamese Definitions : Mai, Vu and Hoang (2006) defined NP (danh ngà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯) is a phrase in which the noun function as the main part. Also, NP in the theory of Doan, Nguyen, Pham (2001) is a free combination of a noun nucleus and one or more than one subordinate elements which can be front elements standing before the nucleus noun or can be end elements standing after the nucleus noun. Structure : As a phrase, NP in Vietnamese also has three main parts : Pre-Modification (Front Element), Head (Nucleus), Post-Modification (End Element). More detailed, according to Mai et al. s theory (pp. 276-280), the structure of NP in Vietnamese can be described as following : Tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥t cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £ nhà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯ng Cà ¡i con mà ¨o Ä‘en à ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥y (-3) (-2) (-1) Head noun (0) (1) (2) Table 4 : The structure of a NP in Vietnamese Front elements As we can see from the table, the elements in the position (-3), (-2) and (-1) are called front elements, while the elements standing after the nucleus (1) and (2) are called end elements. Those elements are placed in a stable way as shown in the above table. In terms of the front elements , we have three kinds. In the position (-1), quantifiers such as tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥t cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £, tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥t thà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £y, hà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t thà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £y, hà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £, cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.are used. Those words can occur before: definite numerals : mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t, hai, ba, bà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœn,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Ex : tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥t cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £ bà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœn mÆ °Ãƒâ€ Ã‚ ¡i sinh vià ªn (1) collective nouns : Ä‘Ã  n, lÃ…Â ©, bà ³, bà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢, nà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¯m, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Ex: cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £ lÃ…Â © con trai general nouns : quà ¡Ã‚ ºn, à ¡o, binh, là ­nh, xe cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢, mà ¡y mà ³c,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Ex: hà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t thà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £y mà ¡y mà ³c Lets pay attention to the quantifiers such as tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥t cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £, tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥t thà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £y, hà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t thà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £y, hà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £, cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.From the examples above, we can see that such those quantifiers occur before the head noun. Now, taking the first example, is it right if we say it in such a way bà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœn mÆ °Ãƒâ€ Ã‚ ¡i sinh vià ªn tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥t cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £ ? Actually, in terms of grammar, it is correct but the meaning is different. The NP tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥t cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £ bà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœn mÆ °Ãƒâ€ Ã‚ ¡i sinh vià ªn means that no students are left, but in bà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœn mÆ °Ãƒâ€ Ã‚ ¡i sinh vià ªn tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥t cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £, there are some students left. So, we can conclude that tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥t cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £ can stand before and after the head noun depending on the speakers attention. Diep Quang Ban (2000) stated that position (-2) is the place taken by word class as following : Definite numeral/ cardinal number (tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ « chà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ° sà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ lÆ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ £ng xà ¡c Ä‘Ã ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¹nh/sà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ «) Mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t, hai, ba, bà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœn, mÆ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ i, trăm à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. MÆ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ i con mà ¨o Estimate quantifier (tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ « chà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ° sà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ phà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ng Ä‘Ã ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¹nh) Và  i, và  i ba, dăm, mÆ °Ãƒâ€ Ã‚ ¡i, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ và  i ba khà ¡ch hà  ng Allocating words (tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ « hà  m à ½ phà ¢n phà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœi) Mà ¡Ã‚ »-i, mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t, tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ «ng,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Mà ¡Ã‚ »-i cà ´ng dà ¢n Articles (quà ¡n tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ «) Nhà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯ng, cà ¡c, mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t,.. Nhà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯ng bà ¡c sÄ © Word mà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥y Mà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥y con gà   nà  y Table 5: the position (-2) in a NP in Vietnamese However, we should pay attention that such elements as và  i, và  i ba, dăm,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ can not co-exist with the quantifiers such as tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥t cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £, tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥t thà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £y, hà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t thà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £y, hà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £, cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £ in the position (-3). In terms of the position (-1), Diep Quang Ban (2000) stated that it is taken by the deictic word cà ¡i (tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ « chà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ° xuà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥t) in order to emphasize things mentioned in the head noun. However, sometimes, cà ¡i is replaced by another deictic word such as con in NP con ngÆ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ i à ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥y. In Vietnamese NP, cà ¡i occurs before the head noun and can intervene between a numeral (if there is one) and the classifier or a measure phrase. It may be preceded by other pre-noun modifiers such as quantifiers, numerals, and articles. It must always co-occur with a classifier as in ba cà ¡i cuà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢n len kia or ba cà ¡i thà ¹ng nÆ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºc nà  y. Besides, cà ¡i is sometimes mistaken with the homonymous classifier cà ¡i, but its different from classifier cà ¡i as well as other classifiers in term of distribution and function. When cà ¡i precedes a count noun, the use of a classifier is obligatory, as shown in (a). How ever, cà ¡i cannot be used before the homonymous classifier as shown in (b) ba cà ¡i cuà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢n len (correct) ba cà ¡i cà ¡i chà ©n (incorrect) Usually, with the presence of the deictic word, the noun is demonstrative like nà  y, kia, à ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥y, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.(eg: cà ¡i thà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ±ng nhà ³c nà  y) . But, in spoken language, we often see that the demonstratives are omitted, like cà ¡i thà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ±ng nhà ³c. The nucleus (head noun) : According to Dinh Dien (n.d), the nucleus (position (0)) may be a noun(boy, teacher, cat, houseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) or a combination between a classifier (danh tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ « chà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ° loà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡i) and the head noun such as con ngÆ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ i, quyà ¡Ã‚ »Ã†â€™n sà ¡ch, mà ¡y sà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥y. Otherwise, the head noun may be a classifier followed by a descriptive free word cluster (tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ hà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ £p tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ « tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ± do mià ªu tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £) such as hai ngÆ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ i Ä‘ang ngà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Å"i nà ³i chuyà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¡n Ä‘Ã ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ±ng kia, nhà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯ng vià ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¡c bà  n hà ´m bà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯a Additionally, words which are not nouns can also be the head due to the speaking habit of Vietnamese. For example, we can shorten the NP hai cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœc cà   phà ª Ä‘en into the NP hai Ä‘en. Some Vietnamese classifiers are commonly used: cà ¡i  : used for most inanimate objects (cà ¡i bà  n, cà ¡i ghà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿,..) con: usually for animals and children (con bà ©), but can be used to describe some inanimate objects (con dao, con Ä‘Æ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ng) bà  i: used for compositions like songs, drawings, poems, essays, etc (bà  i thÆ ¡, bà  i hà ¡t,..) cà ¢y: used for stick-like objects (cà ¢y phÆ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ £ng, cà ¢y sà ºng,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) tà ²a: buildings of authority: courts, halls, ivory towers (tà ²a nhà  ,..) quà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £/trà ¡i: used for globular objects (quà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £ chuà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœi, trà ¡i Ä‘Ã ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥t,..) quyà ¡Ã‚ »Ã†â€™n/cuà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœn: used for book-like objects (cuà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœn sà ¡ch, quyà ¡Ã‚ »Ã†â€™n tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡p chà ­,..) tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ : sheets and other thin objects made of paper (tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  già ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥y, tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  bà ¡o,..) là ¡: smaller sheets of paper (là ¡ thÆ ¡, là ¡ bà  i,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) vià ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¡c: an event or an ongoing process (vià ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¡c kinh doanh, vià ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¡c hà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ c,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) End elements: Doan et al. classified the end elements in terms of part of speech, structure, way of connection, order of some elements. c.1) In terms of part of speech : noun là ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºp ngoà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡i ngà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯ verb là ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºp giao tià ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿p adjective là ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºp Ä‘Ã ´ng cardinal numeral là ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºp 4 noun of place là ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºp trà ªn là ¡Ã‚ ºu noun of time là ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºp buà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¢i tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœi pronoun là ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºp cà ¡Ã‚ »a tà ´i Table 6 : The end elements in Vietnamese NP in terms of part of speech c.2) In terms of structure: A principal accessory phrase: sà ¡ch văn hà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ c Mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¹ A coordinated phrase: sà ¡ch nghe và   nà ³i A S-V phrase: sà ¡ch mà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¹ tà ´i và ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ «a mua c.3) In terms of way of connection: Direct ways ( eg: tinh thà ¡Ã‚ ºn thà ©p, mà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¯t bà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Å" cà ¢uà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) Indirect ways (eg : bà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢ phim mà   anh thà ­ch, bà  i vià ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t mà   tà ´i và ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ «a hoà  n thà  nh) c.4) In terms of the following order: The nucleus Æ’Â   A Æ’Â  B (a, b, c, d) Æ’Â  C A B C goes with the nucleus to form a phrase (a compound noun) describes the characteristics of the object that the nucleus mentioned Ex: phà ²ng khà ¡ch rà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢ng, bà  n là  m vià ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¡c sang trà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ng,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. demonstrative pronouns such as nà  y, à ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥y, Ä‘Ã ³Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ a b C d a noun, a verb or an adjective và ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  + noun or bà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ±ng + noun cà ¡Ã‚ »a + noun or à ¡Ã‚ »Ã… ¸ + noun Clauses Table 6 : The end elements in Vietnamese NP in terms of some elements order. Something about demonstratives may cause you misunderstanding if we arrange them in different order. For example, compare two NPs vià ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¡c à ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥y cà ¡Ã‚ »a anh and vià ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¡c cà ¡Ã‚ »a anh à ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥y, we can see the difference in meaning here due to our speaking intonation. In the first NP, if we speak with a flat intonation, we can understand it as his work, whereas, if we speak with a raising intonation at à ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥y in the second NP, it can be understood that its your work, not others work. Some examples : Tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥t cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £ nhà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯ng cà ¡i và ¡y Ä‘en bà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ±ng jeans à ¡Ã‚ »Ã… ¸ shop Cass mà   cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ­u (-1) (-2) (-3) (0) (1) (aÆ’Â  bÆ’Â  cÆ’Â  d) thÆ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ng thà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥y Ä‘Ã ³ (2) b) Ä Ãƒâ€ Ã‚ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ng Ä‘ua sà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ 2 à ¡Ã‚ »Ã… ¸ trÆ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºc mà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ·t (Diep, 2000, p. 60) (0) (1) ( cardinal numberÆ’Â  c) c) Nhà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯ng thà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ±ng nhà ³c nghà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¹ch ngà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ £m à ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥y (-2) (0) (1) (adjective) (2) d) Sà  n nhà   chi mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºi lau (0) (1) (S-V phrase) e) Cà ¡i cuà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœn tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡p chà ­ à ¡Ã‚ »Ã… ¸ trà ªn kà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¡ Ä‘Ã ³ (-1) (0) (1) (c) (2) A comparison of English NP and Vietnamese NP From what we discuss above about the NP in English and Vietnamese, we can see that both of them have a basic structure : pre-modification, head, post-modification. . However, there are still some differences between them. We will discuss some remarkable similarities and differences in the positions of pre-modification and post-modification in English and Vietnamese NP. Firstly, in both English and Vietnamese NP, quantifier, numerals, fractions stand before the head noun. (a) All those old chairs Quantifier head noun (b) Several thousand people numeral head noun (c) One-third of my students fraction head noun (a) Tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥t cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £ nhà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯ng cà ¡i ghà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿ cÃ…Â © Ä‘Ã ³ quantifier head noun adjective (b) Và  i ngà  n ngÆ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ i numeral head noun (c) Mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t phà ¡Ã‚ ºn ba sà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ hà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ c sinh cà ¡Ã‚ »a tà ´i fraction head noun Secondly, demonstrative, ordinal numbers, possessives come before the head noun in English but after the head noun in Vietnamese. That large brick house demonstrative head noun The second tour to Korea ordinal number head noun My favourite spicy food possessive head noun (a) Ngà ´i nhà   bà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ±ng gà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡ch to là ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºn Ä‘Ã ³ head noun demonstrative (b) Chuyà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿n du là ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¹ch thà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ © hai Ä‘Ã ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿n Hà  n Quà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœc head noun ordinal number (c) Thà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ©c ăn cay yà ªu thà ­ch cà ¡Ã‚ »a tà ´i head noun possessive Thirdly, in terms of adjectives, we put them in front of the head noun in English NP but in Vietnamese, we put them after the head noun. Ex : cà ¡i bà  n mà  u nà ¢u là  m bà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ±ng gà ¡Ã‚ »- xoà  i head noun. adjectives A brown oaken table. adjectives head noun. However, in some cases, adjectives come after the head noun in English NP such as something strange, somebody brave,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Additionally, the order of adjectives modifiers in English is rather fixed (epithet, size, shape, age, colour, origin, substance, present participle) whereas that in Vietnamese NP may be exchanged, based on the speakers attention. For example, in English, we just have only one order a pretty blue skirt but when we say in Vietnamese, there are 2 ways mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t chià ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿c và ¡y mà  u xanh da trà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ i xinh xà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¯n and mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t chià ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿c và ¡y xinh xà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¯n mà  u xanh da trà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ i. Moreover, in English NP, the occurrence of nouns and determiners is obligatory but optional in Vietnamese NP. So, if we translate the phrase cuà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœn sà ¡ch trà ªn bà  n into Vietnamese, it will be book on table. Is it right? As you see, the true phrase should be the book on the table . In Vietnamese, classifiers are generally obligatory in numerated NP whereas in English, we dont normally use classifiers before nouns, except some special words a pair of shoes, a loaf of bread à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. EX: In English, we say two books but in Vietnamese, we say hai cuà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœn sà ¡ch. The next difference I want to mention is the position of noun modifiers. In English NP, they come before a head noun but in Vietnamese, they come after the head noun. Nevertheless, in some cases in Vietnamese, noun modifiers precedes the head noun (eg mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t thi nhà ¢n, mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  thà ¡Ã‚ »,..) A ballet class A package tour A summer campaign (a) Mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t là ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºp ba là ª (b) Chuyà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿n du là ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¹ch trà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ n gà ³i (c) chià ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿n dà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¹ch mà ¹a hà ¨ Last but not least, sometimes there are some ambiguous structures that cause us confused. In Vietnamese, what comes into peoples mind first is spoken first is the common rule, which is also a natural order of peoples thinking (Dinh, n.d, p. 11). Lets take a NP as an example. How many ways you can say the English NP a new Korean leather coat ? We have mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t cà ¡i à ¡o khoà ¡c mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºi bà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ±ng là ´ng thà º cà ¡Ã‚ »a Hà  n Quà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœc or mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t cà ¡i à ¡o khoà ¡c Hà  n Quà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœc bà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ±ng là ´ng thà º mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºi and mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t cà ¡i à ¡o khoà ¡c bà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ±ng là ´ng thà º Hà  n Quà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœc mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºi. It seems that in the English NP, the position of pre-modifiers and post-premodifiers are not so free and flexible as that in Vietnamese NP Implication in English teaching and learning Learners of English may have some difficulties such as how to translate from English into Vietnamese and vice versa due to the differences in the position of pre-modifiers and post-modifiers we have just mentioned above (for example: mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t quyà ¡Ã‚ »Ã†â€™n sà ¡ch hay a book good or a book interesting. They may also be in trouble with the order of the adjectives in a rather long noun phrase with many adjectives. Which adjective come first? Which one will come next? Where should we put those adjectives. Vietnamese students may find it difficult to remember all the positions due to the habit of placing the adjectives after the head noun and using them flexibly. Knowing clearly about English NP and Vietnamese NP, especially the differences as well as the common mistakes that Vietnamese learners often meet will help the teachers guide their students correctly. In other words, learners can know their mistakes from the beginning so that they can find it easy to learn English later, especially grammar. Based on the knowledge of English NP and Vietnamese NP, the teachers also design the tasks for students to consolidate and practice knowledge of phrases and sentences in both two languages. Conclusion In conclusion, although NP in English and Vietnamese has the same basic structure (pre-modification, head, post-modification), they are not the same in the word order of pre-modification and post-modification. These differences are caused by the dissimilarity in thinking and speaking habit of English and Vietnamese. As a student as well as a teacher-to-be, this research helps me a lot. When doing this assignment, I have a chance to consolidate my knowledge of both English and Vietnamese and know something new and helpful. With what I learn from this research, I will apply to my study and teaching career.

The Business Life Of Ancient Athens :: essays research papers

The Business Life of Ancient Athens   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Business Life of Ancient Athens is an informative book about different aspects of Ancient businesses and Ancient ways of dealing with money. This book first starts out by explaining the agricultural aspects of Ancient Athens. Agriculture was not well for Athens, so they had to trade a lot. It is recorded as early as the 6th century BC that grain was a very big part of an average Athenian's diet. Therefore; much grain trade was necessary because Greece land was very bad for agricultural purposes. Athens had grown industrially and commercially within time, and this was also a problem: overpopulation. Also, many Spartan tribes over and over attacked Greece and destroyed any crops that might grow in the soil. Peasants were also sent to work at farms but they lost care in their farms and found it better to live in the city, living off small amounts of money that came from doing state services. During this time, many people learned ways of math because they needed to know how much grain is needed per person. Although these calculations are not totally accurate, they are a start in banking and maybe even other ways of mathematics. The Peloponnesian War also occurred- leaving Greece(Attica) with nothing. Attica was forced by famine to go under Peloponnesian rule. By now, trade had come in an uproar. Many people had found it easy to trade by sea. So many merchants with not enough money would borrow money from rich people and then buy cargo space on a ship. In most cases the merchant went on the ship to get the goods to sell. Then on returning, the merchant would sell the goods, and then pay off the lender, with a 22.5 percent interest rate. In many cases, problems occurred, sometimes a merchant returned late, could not pay all of the money back, or something or other. Therefore the idea of a collateral was invented. Also, courts were established to rule these sorts of fights amongst the people. These courts weren't used in the winter because of stormy weather and so not to interrupt commercial business. Courts were required to solve a case within 30 days, this procedure only applies to cases where and actual legal documented agreement was made between the lender and the merchant. Many merchants did not return, therefore the collateral was the lender's to keep. But often the merchant didn't have anything good to start with so many lenders lost money.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Next, the book talked about Banking and Bankers. Early banking dates back all the way to Sumer and Akkad where many specialized in weighing things The Business Life Of Ancient Athens :: essays research papers The Business Life of Ancient Athens   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Business Life of Ancient Athens is an informative book about different aspects of Ancient businesses and Ancient ways of dealing with money. This book first starts out by explaining the agricultural aspects of Ancient Athens. Agriculture was not well for Athens, so they had to trade a lot. It is recorded as early as the 6th century BC that grain was a very big part of an average Athenian's diet. Therefore; much grain trade was necessary because Greece land was very bad for agricultural purposes. Athens had grown industrially and commercially within time, and this was also a problem: overpopulation. Also, many Spartan tribes over and over attacked Greece and destroyed any crops that might grow in the soil. Peasants were also sent to work at farms but they lost care in their farms and found it better to live in the city, living off small amounts of money that came from doing state services. During this time, many people learned ways of math because they needed to know how much grain is needed per person. Although these calculations are not totally accurate, they are a start in banking and maybe even other ways of mathematics. The Peloponnesian War also occurred- leaving Greece(Attica) with nothing. Attica was forced by famine to go under Peloponnesian rule. By now, trade had come in an uproar. Many people had found it easy to trade by sea. So many merchants with not enough money would borrow money from rich people and then buy cargo space on a ship. In most cases the merchant went on the ship to get the goods to sell. Then on returning, the merchant would sell the goods, and then pay off the lender, with a 22.5 percent interest rate. In many cases, problems occurred, sometimes a merchant returned late, could not pay all of the money back, or something or other. Therefore the idea of a collateral was invented. Also, courts were established to rule these sorts of fights amongst the people. These courts weren't used in the winter because of stormy weather and so not to interrupt commercial business. Courts were required to solve a case within 30 days, this procedure only applies to cases where and actual legal documented agreement was made between the lender and the merchant. Many merchants did not return, therefore the collateral was the lender's to keep. But often the merchant didn't have anything good to start with so many lenders lost money.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Next, the book talked about Banking and Bankers. Early banking dates back all the way to Sumer and Akkad where many specialized in weighing things