The Eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815

The Eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815 The tremendous eruption of Mount Tambora in April 1815 was the most powerful volcanic eruption of the 19th century. The eruption and the tsunamis it triggered killed tens of thousands of people. The magnitude of the explosion itself is difficult to fathom. It has been estimated that Mount Tambora stood approximately 12,000 feet tall before the 1815 eruption when the top third of the mountain was completely obliterated. Adding to the disasters massive scale, the huge amount of dust blasted into the upper atmosphere by the Tambora eruption contributed to a bizarre and highly destructive weather event the following year. The year 1816 became known as ​the year without a summer. The disaster on the remote island of Sumbawa in the Indian Ocean has been overshadowed by the eruption of the volcano at Krakatoa decades later, partly because the news of Krakatoa traveled quickly via telegraph. Accounts of the Tambora eruption were considerably rarer, yet some vivid ones do exist. An administrator of the East India Company, Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles, who was serving as governor of Java at the time, published a striking account of the disaster based on written reports he had collected from English traders and military personnel. Beginnings of the Mount Tambora Disaster The island of Sumbawa, home to Mount Tambora, is located in present-day Indonesia. When the island was first discovered by Europeans, the mountain was thought to be an extinct volcano. However, about three years before the 1815 eruption, the mountain seemed to come to life. Rumblings were felt, and a dark smoky cloud appeared atop the summit. On April 5, 1815, the volcano began to erupt. British traders and explorers heard the sound and at first thought it to be the firing of cannon. There was a fear that a sea battle was being fought nearby. The Massive Eruption of Mount Tambora On the evening of April 10, 1815, the eruptions intensified, and a massive major eruption began to blow the volcano apart. Viewed from a settlement about 15 miles to the east, it seemed that three columns of flames shot into the sky. According to a witness on an island about 10 miles to the south, the entire mountain appeared to turn into liquid fire. Stones of pumice more than six inches in diameter began to rain down on neighboring islands. Violent winds propelled by the eruptions struck settlements like ​hurricanes, and some reports claimed that the wind and sound-triggered small earthquakes. Tsunamis emanating from the island of Tambora destroyed settlements on other islands, killing tens of thousands of people. Investigations by modern-day archaeologists have determined that an island culture on Sumbawa was completely wiped out by the Mount Tambora eruption. Written Reports of Mount Tamboras Eruption As the eruption of Mount Tambora occurred before communication by telegraph, accounts of the cataclysm were slow to reach Europe and North America. The British governor of Java, Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles, who was learning an enormous amount about the native inhabitants of the local islands while writing his 1817 book History of Java, collected accounts of the eruption. Raffles began his account of the Mount Tambora eruption by noting the confusion about the source of the initial sounds: The first explosions were heard on this Island in the evening of the 5th of April, they were noticed in every quarter, and continued at intervals until the following day. The noise was in the first instance almost universally attributed to distant cannon; so much so, that a detachment of troops were marched from Djocjocarta [a nearby province] in the expectation that a neighboring post was attacked. And along the coast boats were in two instances dispatched in quest of a supposed ship in distress. After the initial explosion was heard, Raffles said it was supposed that the eruption was no greater than other volcanic eruptions in that region. But he noted that on the evening of April 10 extremely loud explosions were heard and large amounts of dust began to fall from the sky. Other employees of the East India Company in the region were directed by Raffles to submit reports about the aftermath of the eruption. The accounts are chilling. One letter submitted to Raffles describes how, on the morning of April 12, 1815, no sunlight was visible at 9 a.m. on a nearby island. The sun had been entirely obscured by volcanic dust in the atmosphere. A letter from an Englishman on the island of Sumanap described how, on the afternoon of April 11, 1815, by four oclock it was necessary to light candles. It remained dark until the next afternoon. About two weeks after the eruption, a British officer sent to deliver rice to the island of Sumbawa made an inspection of the island. He reported seeing numerous corpses and widespread destruction. Local inhabitants were becoming ill, and many had already died of hunger. A local ruler, the Rajah of Saugar, gave his account of the cataclysm to British officer Lieutenant Owen Phillips. He described three columns of flames arising from the mountain when it erupted on April 10, 1815. Apparently describing the lava flow, the Rajah said the mountain started to appear like a body of liquid fire, extending itself in every direction. The Rajah also described the effect of the wind unleashed by the eruption: Between nine and ten p.m. ashes began to fall, and soon after a violent whirlwind ensued, which blew down nearly every house in the village of Saugar, carrying the tops and light parts along with it. I n the part of Saugar adjoining [Mount Tambora] its effects were much more violent, tearing up by the roots the largest trees and carrying them into the air together with men, houses, cattle, and whatever else came within its influence. This will account for the immense number of floating trees seen at sea. The sea rose nearly twelve feet higher than it had ever been known to be before, and completely spoiled the only small spots of rice lands in Saugar, sweeping away houses and every thing within its reach. Worldwide Effects of the Mount Tambora Eruption Though it would not be apparent for more than a century, the eruption of Mount Tambora contributed to one of the worst weather-related disasters of the 19th century. The following year, 1816, became known as the Year Without a Summer. The dust particles blasted into the upper atmosphere from Mount Tambora were carried by air currents and spread across the world. By the fall of 1815, eerily colored sunsets were being observed in London. And the following year the weather patterns in Europe and North America changed drastically. While the winter of 1815 and 1816 was fairly ordinary, the spring of 1816 turned odd. Temperatures did not rise as expected, and very cold temperatures persisted in some places well into the summer months. Widespread crop failures caused hunger and even famine in some places. The eruption of Mount Tambora thus may have caused widespread casualties on the opposite side of the world.

How We Listen to Music essays

How We Listen to Music essays In the story "How We Listen," by Aaron Copeland, both a subjective attitude and an objective attitude occur in each separate plane that is being described. The subjective attitude is where everything is taking place in the listeners mind, where as they are unaffected by the world around them. The music becomes essential to them. The objective attitude is where the listener has something to do with the material object as distinguished from the mental picture. They are uninfluenced by emotion or personal prejudice. Many people listen to music on what Copeland describes as the sensuous plane. That is, to take in the music you are listening to without judging it in anyway. You hear this music without even recognizing that it exists. There is an objective attitude being displayed here, because the listener is uninfluenced by the personal feeling or prejudice that they hold. They merely listen to the music to escape the problems or negative feelings that they hold inside their mind. However, neither one of them are concentrating on the music they here. They can become lost within the music itself. The subjective attitude in the sensuous plane is where the listeners are pertaining to the nature of the music itself. It seems important in order to let them escape the feelings they have in their everyday life. The second plane in which Copeland describes is called the expressive plane. No music, according to Copeland, has a meaning that is possible to describe or explain; yet, every piece of music means something, whether it is the listener or the composer. Many listeners in this plane hold a subjective attitude because the music always seems to play a role in the listeners life, where as it might reminds them of something. It becomes personal, existing in their mind the true meaning of what they are listening to, yet they are unable to state it. This helps the listeners to experience differe...

Saudi undergraduates' perceptions about English academic listening Dissertation

Saudi undergraduates' perceptions about English academic listening difficulties and their strategies to cope with these diffic - Dissertation Example For English language schools in Iran however, the skills of listening are not highlighted even with the significant access available in terms of listening materials in classrooms, such as CDs and DVDs. As a result, students believed that their difficulties in understanding what they were listening to did not match their competence. According to Graham (2006) persistent issues in securing listening skills may cause passivity as well as a decreased motivation and decreased involvement in the lessons. In other words, the listening skill is not given enough attention in the classroom and is not given sufficient value in the global setting (Graham, 2006). Two challenges are seen in the listening skill. One challenge refers to the understanding of the skills process itself, and another is on selecting the medium by which the listening strategy can be transmitted in the classroom (Graham, 2006). The latter may inhibit students from improving their listening skills at the lower levels in the classroom setting. Studies on explicit listening instructions seem to be important in terms of the choice of language and in securing listening strategies because the challenge at the lower language levels is to understand the context of teaching the listening strategies. ... Nagle and Sanders (1986) have secured a listening comprehension-processing model indicating how the automatic and controlled processes help listeners secure meaning based on an oral input. Moreover, evidence based on a varied context and input from the Constructivist construction by Vandergrift (1999) suggests how listeners can gain meaning based on oral support. Various studies highlight the types of learning strategies which second language learners apply during listening (Carrier, 2003; Chang and read, 2006). Authors contend that good language learner applications must be used in order to help students who are struggling in their language learning. Hassan and colleagues (2005) carried out a review of ESL studies which highlighted learning strategies from various languages. Most of the studies indicated that learning strategies, include metacognitive (learning awareness), cognitive (mental learning), and socioaffective learning (individual and social interaction behaviour). Hassan, et.al., (2005) identified learning strategies as strategies which learners use often in order to improve their learning. Chang and Read (2007) assessed visual support in the process of foreign language learning processes, evaluating the effect of various kinds of listening support on low level proficiently learners in English learning in Taiwan. Four groups took part in their study with two groups assigned to listening supports and another one focused on pictures or a written background text. A third group was a recipient to listening input repetition and the fourth group was the control group, not having any listening support. A listening proficiency test followed, then a short

Individual academic and practical 'state-of-the-art' report Essay

Individual academic and practical 'state-of-the-art' report - Essay Example The perspective of the entrepreneur and the management of new venture is clearly seen through the fact that real entrepreneur should see the opportunity for creating and managing this venture. It is stated, that 'the fundamental activity of entrepreneurship is new venture creation'. (Carland, Hoy & Carland, 1988) However, it is also argumentative, whether this statement should be added with the more specific characteristics as for profitability of this enterprise. This is a dubious aspect, as ventures are initially different, and often entrepreneurship is meant for creation of non-profit enterprise, but in any case the recognition of the opportunity is the basic factor of entrepreneurship and is the start of new venture creation and management. This recognition of opportunity can be recognized through the two different views: a) the opportunity for the formation of a new venture; b) the opportunity for the significant improvement of the already existing venture. One of the most important perspectives of entrepreneurship in venture management is recognition of these opportunities, because on the one hand without this recognition new ventures would not be created or improved, and on the other hand, this recognition is the display of these very entrepreneurial characteristics of the person. Thus, they may partially be equated. However, entrepreneurship cannot be limited to the search and recognition of opportunities. It is of course an everlasting process in managing any new venture, because any action the entrepreneur has to take to improve or change the business is again the recognition of new opportunity for this change and improvement, as well as profitable use of this opportunity. 'Entrepreneurship is the process of identifying opportunities, marshalling the resources needed to take advantage of the opportunities, and creating a new venture for the purposes of providing needed products/ services to customers and achieving a profit.' (Fletcehr, 2006) It is meaningful, that the world 'entrepreneur' is taken from a French verb which is translated as 'to undertake'. The word 'undertaking' is core for defining the essence of entrepreneurship. It means that a person is able and willing to take certain steps on his (her) own initiative for the achievement of the certain set goals. Another perspective of the entrepreneur when managing new venture can be seen through the fact that entrepreneurship involves risks, and the risk of failure for new ventures is especially high. This is why in order to be successful in managing a new venture the entrepreneur should be able to take decisions and to tolerate the conditions of risk, not only surviving in them, but developing and expanding business. Venture entrepreneurship is somewhat different from the innovation entrepreneurship. (Aldrich & Martinez, 2001) While venture entrepreneurship is connected with the creation of the new ventures, and as a result, of new jobs and positive growth of GDP, innovation entrepreneurship will later be discussed in this work and is connected with the improvements made in already existing enterprises. Comparing these two kinds of entrepreneurship, it is appropriate to suggest that while newly created ventures are mostly small, but

Nursing Accountability in Relationship Essay Example for Free

Nursing Accountability in Relationship Essay In this paper, I will review and implement recommendations based on the findings of the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) regarding the training of hospital staff to respond to a mass casualty incident (MCI). I will give examples and situations that can affect the effectiveness of proper training and responses to a traumatic event in our city, county, state, or country. For years, hospitals have contemplated the possibility of a mass casualty incident (MCI). Federal agencies planning and responding to these events have determined that it would be overwhelming and catastrophic to any community. The resources would not be sufficient to absorb the needs and requirements for help. These events can be naturally occurring or manmade, for example, hurricane season and tornado season in Texas can be predicted with accuracy. In the West coast, we have constant planning and preparation for the next big earthquake even though we do not know with accuracy when it would be. During hurricane Katrina, we had an excellent opportunity to witness how prepared a city is, and how hospitals can easily be overwhelmed by a massive influx of patients. Examples can be given worldwide, but for the purpose of simplicity we will not elaborate further. Never before have we experienced more threats than in the past few years starting from the Oklahoma City bombing and the 911 attacks as the most horrific examples to site. More and more we have seen our fears become our realities and our vulnerabilities, and this is what has made us rethink our strategies and training for proper response to chemical, radiological, or biological threats. Findings The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) requires that hospitals implement and test proper hospital response training twice a year. My hospital, BAMC, a military hospital, has complied with the training and has made significant contributions to the evolution and preparedness in response to a potential or actual event. The military has always been an integral part in training and preparation in regards to logistics and coordination of available resources, but even the best trained or better equipped hospitals cannot compensate for the impact it has on its employees, particularly nurses. Nurses take part and are an important aspect of training and preparation, and they are essential in the response to a crisis or trauma. Working in the emergency department, I often question myself as to how is it that we can train and prepare every year for a mass casualty incident (MCI) when I can see how easily we get overrun and in total disarray. Our hospital is currently capable of taking up to four major traumas all at the same time, but the reality is that even under the best staffed days we get overwhelmed, resourcing quickly to diversion of Emergency Medical Service (EMS) to other hospitals when we have reached maximum capacity. If training then is to prepare us and allow us to be well equipped with the necessary knowledge to perform, why is it that we struggle under small real life case scenarios? The response has to be once again in the level of preparation that each individual nurse takes to be ready to be able to function under very stressful environment. The nurse can be well prepared for future events by performing after action reviews (AAR), which is primordial in determining the stressors and the potential solutions to the problems encountered after each event. Disaster drills are beneficial in the effectiveness of command and control, communication, triage, patient flow, security response, and the roles each practitioner must perform. Recommendations Hospital drills and disaster planning are key and instrumental to make the nurse familiar with his/ her role, as well as the role of all the providers of care and first responders. Proper coordination and adequate allocation of resources are essential. The nurse can be instrumental in his/her flexibility and ability to adapt to different roles under extremely chaotic circumstances. Also, nurses are important for the delegation of tasks and coordination of duties to be taken to stabilize the emergency department for the proper movement of patients arriving and departing. The nurse plays an integral role in the transporting of patient, triage, and treatment of the injured. Properly identifying those who are very critical (expectant, life threatening), and those who are stable and can still function (broken bones, laceration, psychological issues) allows the provider to render the proper and efficient care. The nurse needs to have clear communication with the rest of the staff at every level of the disaster event in order to function and coordinate efficiently. Good documentation needs to be implemented. Nurses need to remain creative in finding ways to document what has been done to a patient with regards of his or her care. In a war zone, we can document key components of patient treatment on the uniforms of soldiers, and the same can be done with civilian population in the absence of computers or charting for short periods of time. Another important aspect is the transport of first aid equipment and supplies as soon as the disaster is identified, including body bags, stretchers, wheelchairs, crutches, splints, IV solutions, blood products, antibiotics, and plenty of analgesics and narcotics. Keeping an adequate number of chaplains, counselors, and security is imperative for the emergency department to maintain order under the chaos and stress. Summary In conclusion, the registered nurse needs to be ever vigilant of the realities of our current situations of the world. Today, more than ever with ongoing climate changes and unpredictable massive storms, tornados, earthquakes, and the impending threats created by man, we are always at risk for an (MCI). Keeping a good understanding of the preparation and the steps to take, and knowing his or her role the nurse can be reassured that he/she will be ready for the unpredictable and often unthinkable. References Training of Hospital Staff to Respond to a Mass Casualty Incident Evidence Reports/Technology Assessments, No. 95 Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); July 2004 http://angel03. gcu. edu/section/default. asp? id=705202 Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) St. John West Shore Hospital, MCI Overview http://www. emsconedonline. com/pdfs/EMT-Mass%20Casualty%20Incident-an%20overview-Trauma. pdf

Biography of Mark Twain Essay -- biography biographies bio

Biography of Mark Twain Mark Twain was a writer whose works revolved around his childhood experiences growing up on the Mississippi River. The main source of his writing was the time he spent in Hannibal, Missouri as a young boy. He also used his childhood friends in many of his work, such as modeling the character Sid in Huck Finn after his brother Henry. Twain also used the happy times in his life to express his feeling in his writings. Twain used the trials of his life to make his works humorous and all-time American classics. Twain's life began in the sleepy town of Florida, Missouri. After a few years of living in Florida, Twain's family packed up and moved to Hannibal, Missouri, about 30 miles away from Florida. Hannibal is where most of Twain's thoughts turned into his writings. Hannibal was a small town of 50 people and 3 stores when the Twain family moved in (Foner 16). By the end of the decade it boasted 1,034 persons, a newspaper, a cigar factory, a whisky distillery, and several slaughter houses (16). The key to Hannibal's growth was the main source of Twain's writings the Mississippi River- "the great Mississippi, the magnificent Mississippi, rolling its mile wide tide along" (16). While in Hannibal the young Twain led a life like any other young boy. He played with friends, went swimming, and of course went to school. But tragedy struck while Mark was only 12 years old: his father passed away. Six years later Twain left Hannibal on May 27, 1853 (21). In the autograph album of one of his girl fr iends, he bade his farewell to Hannibal: "Good-by, good-by, I bid you now, my friend: And though 'tis hard to say the word, to destiny I bend" (21). Twain was four years old when he was brought to Hannibal; he was eight... ...cluding Twain himself. In closing Twain was a writer that took in surroundings and somehow turned them into some of the greatest books in the world; such as his life in Hannibal, working as a river boat pilot, fighting in the civil war, moving to Nevada, and his lectures during 1868 -- 69. All of these events in his life somewhat effected the writing style he used. Twain also used these times in his life to make his writings humorous to his public. Twain didn't write stories that were complicated because he was a fairly "laid back" guy. This style that Twain used was one that anybody could understand or relate to. This is why Twain's name will live on and on for generations. Bibliography: Foner, Philip., Mark Twain Social Critic. New York: International Publishers, 1981 Twain, Mark., The Autobiography of Mark Twain. New York: Harper and Row, 1959

A Scientific Solution to the Whaling Problem

Science faces a dilemma when it comes to consider the breakdown of society in the face of technological advance. The situation is even more difficult when science takes the environmentalist stance and then finds itself in opposition to native culture, which it also wants to preserve. Anthropological studies have shown that many cultures around the world are integrally linked to whaling, both economically and culturally. But now that whales are facing extinction, the scientific community must make a decision as to which is more worth preservation, native human cultures, or the population of whales. In my opinion, science should support the latter cause. It is an accepted tenet of modern life that technological advance breaks down old modes of social solidarity, and introduces new forms of connectedness. These new spheres of connection bypass locality and ethnicity, so that the tendency is towards a global culture and economy. What seems to be initially a cultural loss is not so, for culture is evolving in step with technology. However, the extinction of whales is a true and final loss. In 1999 the international whaling commission lifted its moratorium and allowed the Makah Indians of Washington State to hunt whales for the first time in 70 years. Charlotte Cote, a descendant of whaling Indians, enthuses over the decision, and describes how whaling has â€Å"reaffirmed their identity as a whaling people and providing a symbol for tribal resiliency, adaptability, and cultural survival† (2006, p. 177). However, Richard Caulfield, who has carried out extensive research into the whaling tribes of Greenland, opines that we cannot view these cultures in isolation, and these people have always retained links to mainland Europe. The recent speed of technological advance has only intensified these links. It is obligatory, therefore, that the remote whaling communities collaborate with the international community (Nuttall 1998, p. 831). The best role for the scientific community would, thus, be to effect a dialogue between the natives and the international body politic, while carrying out research from both points of view.

Is it fair to blame investment bankers for the global downturn? Essay

It seems to be quite easy to jump on the ‘bank-wagon’ and blame investment bankers for the current global economical downturn. The current downturn in question is one which is generally accepted by the financial industry to have started in 2007, and was officially dated December 2007 by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).The question is, whether this industry and its bankers are the root cause, and if so, could they have avoided it? The word ‘bankers’ can imply different meanings to different people, so to clarify, when I use the word ‘bankers’ in this text, I am referring to investment bankers. The first article I analysed is by Jonathan Wang, Ph.D., and entitled ‘Real Causes For US Financial Meltdown and Global Recession’ (March 2009). Wang is the President of Amlink, a multi-million dollar company which provides links in trade and politics between China and the United States of America (USA). He is based in Michigan, USA. I will be comparing it to John Gapper’s ‘Promises that proved ultimately empty’ (January 9th 2012)[1]. Gapper is the assistant editor and chief business commentator for the Financial Times newspaper and website. He is based in New York, USA. Wang has an opinion that the bankers are unaccountable as the blame is with the governments whereas Gapper has an antipodal view in line with the assessment Wang gave, stating ‘it was within banks where the crisis emerged and where its heart still lies’. Wang seems to have a widespread knowledge of many fields. He has a Ph.D in geosciences from the University of Michigan. Geosciences have no relevance to economist articles on the banking industry but this Ph.D allowed him the expertise to start Amlink a year later, as he originally focused on importing and exporting high quality marble between US and China. He increased his links with the two countries by giving financial & trade advice (business consulting), intervening in politics, research & development, manufacturing and IT services. This how we gained his expertise. This expertise of 19 years strengthens his perspective as he has gained the relevant knowledge and skills to talk about this topic with credibility. However, his trade is between (mainly) US and China thus may so it is questionable to whether his experience can be applied to Europe, where many economies collapsed, such as Greece. Gapper currently works for the Financial Times (FT) since 1987, an international daily broadsheet newspaper and website, available in 24 countries. They have a daily readership of 2.1 million and 5.7 million online subscribers. His position is associate editor and chief business commentator. He was trained by the Mirror Group and worked for the Daily Mirror, Daily Mail & Daily Telegraph newspapers in the United Kingdom. Additionally, he has worked as columnist for the BBC, UK & Worldwide. His resume also lists New York Magazine, CNBC & CNN among his employers. This striking list of employers may show, at first glance, that he is not politically bias possibly leading him to be known as a highly reputable columnist. the Conservative Party, one that is centre-right; The Daily Mail is also a Conservative supporter; and However, his political stance may be more Conservative as the FT is a public supporter of the Daily Telegraph has been nicknamed the ‘Torygraph’ due to its support of the Conservative party. He has previously worked for politically independent media but his main contract of employment has been with FT since 1987. This political bias may narrow his perspective. Additionally, in 2011, he won four awards in multiple countries. In the United States he was awarded the Best Columnist Citation by the Society of American Business Editors & Writers; and in the UK he was award with the Best Business Columnist at the Comment Awards. He also has a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University. Both articles have strengths and weaknesses, and it is better to analyse these sections rather than attacking the author (ad hominem). The chain of argument in both articles has been constructed quite rigidly, and allows the statements made by the respective authors to reach their necessary conclusions. Wang concludes that increasing tax on the top income groups becomes necessary as the government must focus on stabilization rather than expansion. His main reasoning for this is ‘when the share of total income going to [the] top 10% reached 50%, the capital market crashed in the United States’. He also has an intermediate conclusion that the ‘Government’s improper interventions in the capital market before both episodes of crisis had accelerated the extreme inequalities and ultimately intensified the crisis.’ Wang reasons that ‘It is the extreme inequality that has resulted in the great depression in 1929 and again caused the global recession today’. This is fallacy of the single cause as the recession in 1929 has three are three general theories on what caused the 1929 depression, Keynesian, Monetarist & Austrian. None of these theories are based on inequality. The Monetarist view blamed the Federal Reserve for ignoring the importance of money, who themselves agreed with this and apologised on the 8th of November 2002 via Chairman Ben Bernanke[2]. It may be that the recession is part of the business cycle, and happens quite frequently whereas a depression is a sustained, long term economical downturn. The NBER stated that ‘The expansion [from November 2001 onwards] lasted 73 months’ which then strengthens Wang’s reason that ‘two major economic expansions led to two episodes of extreme inequalities in the United States. Both ended in severe economic depression.’ [3]Elizabeth Allgoewer (2002) states that this was the cause of the Great Depression, however the true cause is still being debated by economists, with around a dozen other heterodox economical theories such as non-debt inflation or population dynamics. His reasoning here needs further clarification or research before this can be fully taken as evidence. Gapper states that ‘driven by the rise of derivatives, the loosening of regulation and capital standards, and a hubristic belief that they had somehow broken their old habit of losing billions of dollars in downturns’. He does not strengthen this with any evidence on the ‘loosening of regulation’ etc., and deserted his statement. He also quotes credible sources such as Ranu Dayal, senior partner at the world’s leading advisor on business structure, the Boston Consulting Group – ‘There is a deep question of legitimacy that banks need to face up to’. However one of his sources is credited as being a Professor but in fact he is only an Associate Professor, a position which still has very high credibility, but of less than the one quoted by Gapper. Also, Gapper does not give any conflicting perspective, the only views you read are the ones that agree with him. This weakens his argument as he has not considered alternative perspectives. After analysing both articles, my view is still similar to Gapper and I already thought that it was fair to blame investment bankers for the 2007 downturn. Whilst I note that they dealt with a lot of money and it was not handled in a correct manner by anybody who had access to it (including the Federal Reserve), I also can see where Wang‘s concept bases its format. His perspective of social inequalities is only US based but I can understand his assumptions that expansion was high and the consequence of this led to social inequalities. This has happened elsewhere, such as during the Chinese Mao era of 1949-1976, in particular during the Great Leap Forward (1958-61). Gapper’s perspective has persuaded me that he is of more expertise than Wang as he is so influential in finance media. His analysis was concise and constructive. He quoted many important figures in his article including an executive director of the Bank of England; Chairman of the Financial Services Authority; and a Professor of Entrepreneurship at MIT Sloan school. His arguments are quite strong however he does go a stage of a circular argument where he should be concluding his article. His evidence did strengthen my perspective however Wang’s comments led me to read more into financial theories, especially of those surrounding the 1929 Great Depression. He managed to intrigue me into the history of the financial world and I do believe that 1929 and 2007 are very similar in the cause, but the cause is the banking industry, not the housing market. Wang has only commented on the United States but his views may apply worldwide however his lack of evidence weakens his perspective as it is too narrow. My final conclusion is that investment bankers were the major, not the only, cause of the global downturn which started in 2007, and we have to share the blame for the current economical state

Upon the Burning of Our House Essay Example

Upon the Burning of Our House Essay Example Upon the Burning of Our House Paper Upon the Burning of Our House Paper † look for capitalization and punctuation clues that indicate the beginning and ending of the speaker’s ideas. Literary Skills Understand the characteristics of a Petrarchan sonnet. Reading Skills Find units of meaning. Student Pages with Answers Collection 1 Student pages 18–19 18 Part 1 Collection 1: Encounters and Foundations to 1800 World, in hounding me . . . 19 11 Name Selection: Class Author: Date Plain Style The plain style is a way of writing that stresses simplicity and clarity of expression. DIRECTIONS: Read the selection, and find examples of the four characteristics of plain style. Fill in the chart below with the examples. Answer the questions below to help you analyze the plain style. Everyday language Simple sentences Direct statements Biblical references Copyright  © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. Questions to Help Analyze Plain Style 1. What other style of writing was popular in England during the time of the Puritans? How was this style different from the plain style? 2. Why does the plain style seem difficult to today’s reader? Graphic Organizers 211

The Peel Commission essays

The Peel Commission essays The Arab Revolt of 1936, during the British Mandate over Palestine, led to perhaps one of the most important events leading up to the establishment of the independent state of Israel. As a reaction to the increasing immigration of Jews the Arab Higher Committee declared a strike, demanding the immediate end of Jewish immigration, the cessation of land sales to Jewish settlers and the establishment of an independent Arab government. The majority of the strike took form in violent attacks against Jews; with responsibility for maintaining peace, the British government had to take action. In August of 1936 they appointed a Royal Commission, chaired by Earl Peel, with the task of ascertaining the causes of the revolt and to make recommendations to end the hostilities and prevent future insurgencies. The Peel Commission was also given the duty to ... inquire more widely into the implementation of the Mandate, the obligations of the Mandate to both the Jews and Arabs, and the grievances bet ween the two (Shlaim 54). British officials in Palestine were the first to offer testimony to the Royal Commission. Most sought a sympathetic understanding of the difficulties from the commission by conveying the difficulties they faced under the pressure from both the Jewish populations, numbering approximately four hundred-thousand, and the Arab majority which neared a population of one million. Isaiah Berlin, an observer, made an excellent comparison paralleling the Mandate situation to a school setting, There was the headmaster, the High Commissioner, trying to be firm and impartial: but the assistant masters favored the sporting stupid boarders (Arabs) against the clever swot dayboys (Jews) who had the deplorable habit of writing home to their parents on the slightest provocation to complain about the quality of the teach, the food and so on (Shlaim 54). Berlins view is that the British Government wishes to stay impart...

Contribution of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Essay

Contribution of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King - Essay Example What Gandhi had achieved for India, the same has achieved by King for the African-Americans. They are often referred as the leaders who were mutually influenced and both suffered exceptionally to cherish their dreams. When king had taken his first steps to political activism, he protested against the anti-black violence. The Civil Rights Movement of King was mainly influenced by the non-violence resistance of Gandhi (The Martin Luther King Education and Research Institute, 2014). King entered to the African American Civil Rights Movement in 1955. It was he who led the movement and took the decisive role in spreading it. The Civil Rights Movement actually began when a black Montgomery resident was arrested for not surrendering her seat on bus to a white man. The black activists, under the leadership of King protested against the Segregation law and boycott the Montgomery transit system. They also formed the Montgomery Improvement Association. This movement forced the Montgomery city g overnment to abolish the segregation on buses. King’s fighting, without violence caused for a political change and he was thus established as a powerful leader. Another significant contribution of King to American politics and social life was his endeavor to assure the voting rights for the African -Americans. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 assured the enfranchisement of African-Americans and it outlawed the discrimination in voting system.

Popular culture in society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Popular culture in society - Essay Example Popular culture is necessary in the society (Gans 1999, p197). The importance of a popular culture should be looked in terms of what it means to the society. It has commercial, social, educational and economic importance to a society (Fedorak 2009, p95). The commercial benefits of the popular culture are enormous. This is because popular culture affects the fashion, movie industries and the styles of people. This is most profound among the youths. For instance, youths like wearing what is trending in the market. This way they feel relevant and accepted in the main stream society (Fedorak 2009, p55). Popular culture causes designers to come up with products that will impress the youths. This has caused some fashion and design industries to make massive profits (Gans 1999, p197). The nature of popular culture is that it keeps on changing, (Gans, 1999, p197). This means that it the designers have to dictate the pace of the products so that they can remain relevant. Some industries have ridden along the wave of popular culture to get developed and get established e.g. the movie industry. Some of the products that are significantly influenced by the popular culture are music, shoes and clothes (Fedorak 2009, p54). There are brands that a re released specifically for a certain season. This has also attracted job creation as many people get absorbed in such industries. Therefore, with regard to business and entrepreneurship, popular culture can impact the society positively (Gans 1999, p197). Most of the designs under the popular culture are not inspired by rationale or decency (Gans 1999, p17). Most of them are bent on what the people want, especially the youths. This has earned the popular culture a lot of criticism especially from the religious quarters (Fedorak 2009, p95). This is because it is seen as a threat to the conservative values and convictions. The nature of the popular culture is that it keeps on evolving, and