Tuesday, December 31, 2019

“SOS Im in Love With Book Character”

You know him better than any of his relatives or friends. You are aware of every his feeling and thought, not a single trait of his personality goes past you. You saw him at his best and at his worst and you love him passionately with your whole heart. There is only one thing that keeps you away from complete happiness. He is a book character and he does not exist. Two Different Cases It is not that bad if the character is fictional. At least you can convince yourself that he is an invention of somebodys creative mind, a creature too perfect to exist. The whole situation becomes much worse if your beloved character is a legendary person or a famous historical figure. The mere realization of this fact fills your head with â€Å"If only I had been born a century earlier† thoughts. All we can advise you – a cruel, but an effective cure: look around and find a nowadays legendary person. What are your chances to build a relationship with such an individual? Lower than one could imagine? Well, then it is hardly possible that you would be able to reach the man of your dreams a century ago. Besides, most of his positive traits are likely to be made up. Short List of Pieces of Advice There are some general pieces of advice for everyone who got lovesick for a book character: Try to switch the book. Find another character to decrease your feelings towards the previous one. Just do not become too playful about it – you might fall in love with the next character and the new feeling can even be worse than the old one. Do NOT try to find yourself a real relationship before you manage to cope with â€Å"book love†. Real boyfriends always lose. At least because you cannot read their thoughts. Try to realize: do you love the character or your own reflection within him? Or, perhaps, he is simply a perfect image of a man for you, not an object of love? Then all you need to do is to make yourself better – and to become more like him. Join the fan club. There you will be able to meet people who will understand your awkward passion and to share your feelings with them. Perhaps, your love towards a fiction character will help you make friends with someone, who will stay in your life even when the love itself will fade away. Think Realistic A character you adore when reading a book, in reality could shatter your life into pieces. Deb Caletti made a good point in his book â€Å"The Secret Life of Prince Charming†: It starts so young, and Im angry about that. The garbage were taught. About love, about whats romantic. Look at so many of the so-called romantic figures in books and movies. Do we ever stop and think how many of them would cause serious and drastic unhappiness after The End? Why are sick and dangerous personality types so often shown a passionate and tragic and something to be longed for when those are the very ones you should run for your life from? Think about it.

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Surveillance During The United States - 1747 Words

Surveillance after 9-11 in the United States Abstract In this article I will be talking about surveillance powers in response from terrorism. I will be talking about the 9-11 bombings which was a day that no one can forget and which shuck up the whole of America. I will examines the factors contributing to the escalation in surveillance and its effects after 9-11 and what is being done against security and stopping terrorism happening. Also I will be talking about the NSA and what they are doing to stop acts of terrorism from happening. Introduction What is Surveillance? Surveillance is an observation of a person or group of people. The government may use surveillance to track who people do like phone calls, internet access,†¦show more content†¦What happened on the 11th September 2001? On September 11th 2001, the United States was attacked by Al Qaeda terrorists. Two planes were hijacked and crashed into the World Trade Centre, killing almost three thousand people in New York. The 9/11 event has impacted the nation as a whole. The attacks killed 2,996. Still today victims’ families are strong and willing to carry on and one person said â€Å"If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate† (Tween Us, 7 inspiring quotes about 9-11). It shows that even if people die life goes on and that they will never be forgotten. Al Qaeda made a life changing moment for the whole world but the United States stands strong. After 9-11 In recent years U.S. police have been given greater surveillance powers in response to apparent threats from crime, drugs, and terrorism. In the post-9/11 era, changes in federal law and technological advances have expanded the circumstances and methods by which the police may engage in surveillance of civil activities. I think that police surveillance has reduced individual privacy protections and impacted aspects of civil life. Security and secretly recording/watching people became a top priority and our national security received a makeover to make sure that we are never again faced with a tragedy such as this. Since 9/11, many major cities, including New York City, have strengthened/improved their security and secretly

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Haemoglobinopathy Free Essays

Review Article Indian J Med Res 134, October 2011, pp 552-560 Invasive non-invasive approaches for prenatal diagnosis of haemoglobinopathies: Experiences from India R. B. Colah, A. We will write a custom essay sample on Haemoglobinopathy or any similar topic only for you Order Now C. Gorakshakar A. H. Nadkarni National Institute of Immunohaematology (ICMR), Mumbai, India Received October 29, 2010 The thalassaemias and sickle cell disease are the commonest monogenic disorders in India. There are an estimated 7500 – 12,000 babies with ? -thalassaemia major born every year in the country. While the overall prevalence of carriers in different States varies from 1. to 4 per cent, recent work has shown considerable variations in frequencies even within States. Thus, micromapping would help to determine the true burden of the disease. Although screening in antenatal clinics is being done at many centres, only 15-20 per cent of pregnant women register in antenatal clinics in public hospitals in the first trimester of pregnancy. There are only a handful of centres in major cities in this vast country where prenatal diagnosis is done. There is considerable molecular heterogeneity with 64 mutations identified, of which 6 to 7 common mutations account for 80-90 p er cent of mutant alleles. First trimester foetal diagnosis is done by chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and DNA analysis using reverse dot blot hybridization, amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS) and DNA sequencing. Second trimester diagnosis is done by cordocentesis and foetal blood analysis on HPLC at a few centres. Our experience on prenatal diagnosis of haemoglobinopathies in 2221 pregnancies has shown that 90 per cent of couples were referred for prenatal diagnosis of ? -thalassaemia after having one or more affected children while about 35 per cent of couples were referred for prenatal diagnosis of sickle cell disorders prospectively. There is a clear need for more data from India on non-invasive approaches for prenatal diagnosis. Key words Haemoglobinopathies – India – invasive and non-invasive approaches – prenatal diagnosis Introduction The inherited disorders of haemoglobin are the most common monogenic disorders globally. Around 7 per cent of the population worldwide are carriers with more than 3,00,000 severely affected babies born every year1. Prenatal diagnosis is an integral component of a community control programme for haemoglobinopathies. Estimating the disease burden, generating awareness in the population, screening 552 o identify carriers and couples at – risk and genetic counselling are prerequisites for a successful prevention programme. The remarkable success of such programmes in the 1970s in Cyprus, Italy, Greece and the UK led to the development of control programmes in many other countries2-6. The extent of the problem in India ? -thalassaemia has been reported in most of the communities that have been screened so far in India. While the overall prevalence varies from 1. 5 to 4 per COLAH et al: PRENATAL DIAGNOSIS OF HAEMOGLOBINOPATHIES IN INDIA 553 ent in different States, communities like Sindhis, Punjabis, Lohanas, Kutchi Bhanushalis, Jains and Bohris have a higher prevalence (4-17%)7-12. Different reportshaveestimatedthat7500-12,000? -thalassaemia major babies would be born in India each year12 -14. It has also been shown recently by micromapping at the district level in two States, Maharashtra and Gujarat in westernIndiathattheprevalenceof? -thalassaemiatrait in different districts within these States is variable (0 9. 5%). Based on these estimates there would be around 1000birthsof? thalassaemiamajorbabieseachyear in these two States alone15. Thus, such data should be obtained from different States to know the true burden of the disease and for planning and executing control programmes. Haemoglobin S (Hb S) is prevalent in central India and among the tribal belts in western, eastern and southern India, the carrier rates varying from 1-40 per cent16-18. It has been estimated that over 5000 babies with sickle cell disease would be born each year19. Haemoglobin E is widespread in the north eastern States in Assam, Mizoram, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura, the prevalence of Hb E trait being highest (64%) among the Bodo-Kacharis in Assam and going up to 30-40 per cent in some other populations in this region20-22. In eastern India the prevalence of Hb E trait varies from 3-10 per cent in West Bengal8,23. Both Hb E andHbSwhenco-inheritedwith? -thalassaemiaresult in a disorder of variable clinical severity24-26. These inherited haemoglobin disorders cause considerable pain and suffering to the patients and their families and are a major drain on health resources in the country. The need for accurate identification of carries and couples at risk Classical ? thalassaemia carriers have typically reduced red cell indices [mean corpuscular volume (MCV)T) ? + 3. -87 (CT) ? + 4. -80 (CT) ? + 5. -29 (AG) ? + 6. -28 (AG) ? + 7. -25 (AG) ? + B. Cap site 1. +1 (AC) ? + C. Initiation codon 1. ATG ACG ? 0 D. RNA processing mutations i) Splice junction site 1. Codon 30 (GC) ? 0 2. Codon 30 (GA) ? 0 3. IVS 1-1 (GT) ? 0 4. IVS 1-1 ( GA) ? 0 5. IVS 1-129 (AC) ? 0 6. IVS 1-130 (GC) ? 0 7. IVS 1-130 (GA) ? 0 8. IVS II-1 (GA) ? 0 (ii) Consensus site 1. IVS 1-5 (GC) ? + 2. IVS 1-128 (TAG GAG) ? + 3. IVS II-837 (TG) ? (iii) IVS changes 1. IVS I-110 (GA) ? + 2. IVS II-591 (TC) ? + 3. IVS II-613 (CT) ? + 4. IVS II-654 (CT) ? + 5. IVS II-745 (CG) ? + iv) Coding region changes 1. Codon 26 (GA) Hb E ? + E. RNA translational mutations i) Nonsense 1. Codons 4,5,6 (ACT CCT GAG ACA TCT ? 0 TAG) 2. Codon 5 (-CT), Codon 13 (CT), Codon 26 ? (GC), Codons 27/28 (+C) in cis 3. Codon 6 (GAG TAG) and on the same ? 0 chromosome Codon 4 (ACT ACA) , Codon 5 (CCTTCT) 4. Codon 8 (AG) ? 5. Codon 13 (CT), Codon 26 (GA), Codons ? 27/28 (-C) in cis 6. Codon 15 (TGG TAG) ? 0 7. Codons 62-64 (7 bp del) ? 0 8. Codons 81-87 (22 bp del) ? 9. Codon 121 (GT) ? 0 Contd†¦. themselves, today their relatives and extended families are coming forward to get screened38. There is only one centre in Lucknow in north India which offers a formal course for genetic counsellors and there is a need for more such courses throughout the country. Counsellors should be aware that couples at risk of havingachildwith? -thalassaemiamajor,sicklecell disease, Hb S ? -thalassaemia, Hb E ? -thalassaemia, – ? -thalassaemia, Hb Lepore ? -thalassaemia and Hb SD disease should be given the option of prenatal diagnosis to avoid the birth of a child with a severe disorder. However, couples at risk of having a child with Hb D disease, Hb D ? -thalassaemia and Hb E disease do not require prenatal diagnosis as these disorders are mild. InSardinia,identificationofthemaximumnumber of carriers followed by effective genetic counselling helpedtoreducethebirthrateof? -thalassaemiamajor babies from 1:250 to 1:400039. Prenatal diagnosis The first initiatives in India Facilities for prenatal diagnosis became available in India in the mid 1980s40. Until then, although prenatal diagnosis was offered by a few centres, foetal samples were sent to the UK and other countries for analysis. Foetal blood sampling by foetoscopy done between 18 and 22 wk gestation and diagnosis by globin chain synthesis were done for the next 4 to 5 years at 2 centres in Mumbai40,41. Chorionic villus sampling and DNA analysis in the first trimester In the 1990s first trimester foetal diagnosis by chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and DNA analysis was established at 4-5 centres in the north in Delhi42, in the west in Mumbai41,43,44 and in the south in Vellore45. These services then expanded to other cities like Lucknow and Chandigarh in the north46,47, and Kolkata in the east48. However, these services are still limited to major cities where couples are referred to or CVS samples are sent from surrounding areas. Molecular analysis ? -thalassaemia is extremely heterogeneous with more than 200 mutations described worldwide49. In India, about 64 mutations have been characterized by studies done at different centres30,31,49-51 (Table I). Six to seven mutations [IVS 1-5 (G? C), 619 bp deletion, IVS 1-1 (G? T), Codon 8/9 (+G), Codons 41/42 (-CTTT), COLAH et al: PRENATAL DIAGNOSIS OF HAEMOGLOBINOPATHIES IN INDIA (ii) Frameshift 1. Codon 5 (-CT) 2. Codons 7/8 (+G) 3. Codon 8 (-AA) 4. Codons 8/9(+G) 5. Codon 13 (CT) 6. Codon 15 (-T) 7. Codon 16 (-C) 8. Codon 16 (CT) 9. Codon 17 (AT) 10. Codons 22-24 (7 bp del) 11. Codon 26 (GT) 12. Codon 35 (AG) 13. Codons 36/37 (-T) 14. Codons 36-39 (8 bp del) 15. Codon 39 (CT) 16. Codon 44 (-C) 17. Codons 47/48 (+ATCT) 18. Codon 55 (+A) 19. Codon 55 (-A) 20. Codons 57/58 (+A) 21. Codon 88 (+T) 22. Codons 106/107 (+G) 23. Codon 110 (TC) 24. Codon 111 (-G) 25. Codon 135 (CT) F. RNA cleavage and polyadenylation mutation 1. AATAAAAACAAA G. Deletional mutations 1. 619 bp deletion; 3’end 2. 10. 3 kb deletion 3. Codons 126-131 (17 bp deletion) Source: Refs 30, 31, 49-51 55 ?0 ? 0 ? 0 ? 0 ? 0 ? 0 ? 0 ? 0 ? 0 ? 0 ? 0 ? 0 ? 0 ? 0 ? 0 ? 0 ? 0 ? 0 ? 0 ? 0 ? 0 ? 0 ? 0 ? + ? 0 ? + ? 0 ? 0 ? 0 Fig. 1. Regionaldistributionof? -thalassaemiamutationinIndia. molecular techniques like covalent reverse dot blot hybridization (CRDB), amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS), denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), and DNA sequencing43,44,52. Foet al blood analysis in the second trimester Most of the prenatal diagnosis programmes in the Mediterranean countries started with second trimester foetal blood analysis but they were able to switch over tofirsttrimesterdiagnosisinashortspan5,39. In India, second trimester diagnosis is still done as manycouplesatriskareidentifiedlateduringpregnancy. Foetal blood sampling is done by cordocentesis at 18 to20wkgestationandafterconfirmingthatthereisno maternal contamination in the foetal sample by foetal cell staining using the Kleihauer-Betke method, it is analysed by HPLC on the Variant Hemoglobin Testing System (Bio Rad Laboratories, Hercules, USA). The HbA levels in foetuses affected with ? -thalassaemia major have ranged from 0 to 0. 5 per cent and these were distinguishable from heterozygous babies where the Hb A levels were 1. per cent in different studies. However, there was some overlap in Hb A levels between heterozygotes and normals53-55. Sickle cell disease and Hb E thalassaemia have also been diagnosed in this way. On the other hand, experience in Thailand showed that while ? 0 thalassaemia homozygotes and HbE-? 0 thalassaemia compound heterozygotes could be diagnosed by HPLC analysis of foetal blood, ? ++ thalassaem ia homozygotes may be misdiagnosed as heterozygotes56. Amniotic fluid cells have not been used extensively in India for prenatal diagnosis of haemoglobinopathies. Codon 15 (G? A), Codon 30 (G? C)] are common accounting for 85-95 per cent of mutant alleles. However, regional differences in their frequencies have been noted30,31,50,51 (Fig. 1). The prevalence of IVS 1 -5 (G? C), the most common mutation in India varies from 15-88 per cent in different States. Codon 15 (G? A) is the second most frequent mutation in Maharashtra and Karnataka and Codon 5 (-CT) is the third most common mutation in Gujarat. The -88 (C? T) and the Cap site +1 (A? C) mutations are more common in the northern region30,31,50. The 619 bp deletion is the most common mutation among the immigrant population from Pakistan. This knowledge on the distribution of mutations in different regions and in people of different ethnic backgrounds has facilitated prenatal diagnosis using 556 INDIAN J MED RES, OCTOBER 2011 Experience at National Institute Immunohaematology (NIIH), Mumbai of Bothfirstandsecondtrimesterprenataldiagnosis for the ? -thalassaemias and sickle cell disorders are done at National Institute of Immunohaematology, Mumbai, and over the last 25 years 2,221 pregnancies at risk have been investigated (Table II). While majority of the couples were at risk of having children with ? thalassaemia major, a significant number of couples at risk of having children with sickle cell disorders have been referred for prenatal diagnosis in the last 4 to 5 years. Our experience in western India has shown that there are still very few couples (G; or codon 35 ? (A? G) at alpha -beta chain interfaces. Ann Hematol 2009; 88 : 1269-71. 52. Old JM, Varawalla NY, Weatherall DJ. The rapid detection and prenatal diagno sis of ? -thalassemia in theAsian Indian and Cyproit populations in the UK. Lancet 1990; 336 : 834-7. 53. Rao VB, Natrajan PG, Lulla CP, Bandodkar SB. Rapid midtrimester prenatal iagnosis of beta-thalassaemia and other haemoglobinopathies using a non- radioactive anion exchange HPLC technique – an Indian experience. Prenat Diagn 1997; 17 : 725-31. 54. Wadia MR, Phanasgaokar SP, Nadkarni AH, Surve RR, Gorakshakar AC, Colah RB, et al. Usefulness of automated chromatography for rapid fetal blood analysis for second trimester prenatal diagnosis of beta-thalassemia. Prenat Diagn 2002; 22 : 153-7. 559 55. Rao S, Saxena R, Deka D, Kabra M. Use of HbA estimation by CE-HPLC for prenatal diagnosis of beta-thalassemia; experience from a tertiary care centre in north India: a brief report. Hematology 2009; 14 : 122-4. 56. Winichagoon P, Sriphanich R, Sae-Mgo WB, Chowthaworm J, Tantisirin P, Kanokpongsakdi S, et al. Application of automated HPLC in prenatal diagnosis of thalassemia. Lab Hematol 2002; 8 : 29-35. 57. Holzgreve W. Will ultrasound screening and ultrasound guided procedures be replaced by non-invasive techniques for the diagnosis of fetal chromosome anomalies? Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 1997; 9 : 217-9. 58. Steele CD, Wapner RJ, Smith JB, Haynes MK, Jackson LG. Prenatal diagnosis using fetal cells isolated from maternal peripheral blood. Clin. Obstet Gynecol 1996; 39 : 801-13. 59. Mesker WE, Ouwerkerk-vn Velzen MC, Oosterwijk JC, Bernini LF, Golbus MS, Kanhai HH, et al. Two colour immunocytochemical staining of gamma and epsilon type hemoglobin in fetal red cells. Prenat Diagn 1998; 18 : 1131-7. 60. Takabayashi H, Kuwabara S, Ukita T, Ikawa K, Yamafuji K, Igarashi T. Development of non-invasive fetal DNA diagnosis from maternal blood. Prenat Diagn 1995; 15 : 74-7. 61. Cheung MC, Goldberg JD, Kan YW. Prenatal diagnosis of sickle cell anemia and thalassemia by analysis of fetal cells in maternal blood. Nat Genet 1996; 14 : 264-8. 62. Di Naro E, Ghezzi F, Vitucci A, Tannoia N, Campanale D, D’ Addario V, et al. Prenataldiagnosisof? -thalassemiausing fetal erythroblasts enriched from maternal blood by a novel gradient. Mol Hum Reprod 2000; 6 : 571-4. 63. Kolialexi A, Vrettou C, Traeger-Synodinos J, Burgemeister R, Papantoniou N, Kanavakis E, et al. Non invasive prenatal diagnosisof? -thalassemiausingindividualfetalerythroblasts isolated from maternal blood after enrichment. Prenat Diagn 2007; 27 : 1228-32. 64. D’Souza E, Sawant PM, Nadkarni AH, Gorakshakar A, Mohanty D, Ghosh K, et al. Evaluation of the use of monoclonal antibodies and nested PCR for non-invasive prenatal diagnosis of hemoglobinopathies in India. Am J Clin Pathol 2008; 130 : 202-9. 65. Lo YM, Corbetta N, Chamberlain PF, Rai V, Sargent IL, Redman CW, et al. Presence of fetal DNA in maternal plasma and serum. Lancet 1997; 350 : 485-7. 66. Lo YM, Tein MS, Lau TK, Haines CJ, Leung TN, Poon PM, et al. Quantitaive analysis of fetal DNA in maternal plasma and serum: implications for non invasive prenatal diagnosis. Am J Hum Genet 1998; 62 : 768-75. 67. Lun FMF, Chiu RWK, Allen Chan KC, Lau TK, Leung TY, Dennis Lo YM. Microfluidics digital PCR reveals a higher than expected fraction of fetal DNA in maternal plasma. Clin Chem 2008; 54 : 1664-72. 68. Li Y, Zimmermann B, Rusterholz C, Kang A, Holzgrave W, Hahn S. Size separation of circulating DNA in maternal plasma permits ready detection of fetal DNA polymorphisms. Clin Chem 2004; 50 : 1002-11. 69. Chiu RW, Lau TK, Leung TK, Chow KC, Chui DH, Lo YM. Prenatal exclusion of beta thalassemia major by examination of maternal plasma. Lancet 2002; 360 : 998-1000. 560 INDIAN J MED RES, OCTOBER 2011 beta thalassemia point mutation by MALDI – TOF mass spectrometry. Fetal Diagn Ther 2009; 25 : 246-9. Papasavva T, Kalikas I, Kyrri A, Kleanthous M. Arrayed primer extension for the noninvasive prenatal diagnosis of beta thalassemia based on detection of single nucleotide polymorphism. Ann N Y Acad Sci USA 2008; 1137 : 302-8. Li Y, Di Naro E, Vitucci A, Zimmermann B, Holzgreve W, Hahn S. Detection of paternally inherited fetal point mutations for beta thalassemia using size fractionated cell free DNA in maternal plasma. J Am Med Assoc 2005; 293 : 843-9. Chan K, Yam I, Leung KY, Tang M, Chan TK, Chan V. Detection of paternal alleles in maternal plasma for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis in beta thalassemia: a feasibility study in southern China. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Repord Biol 2010; 150 : 28-33. Lo YMD. Non invasive prenatal diagnosis in 2020. Prenat Diagn 2010; 30 : 702-3. 70. Papasavva T, Kalakoutis G, Kalikas I, Neokli E, Papacharalambous S, Kyrri A, et al. Non-invasive prenatal diagnostic assay for the detection of beta thalassemia. Ann NY Acad Sci USA 2006; 1075 : 148-53. 71. Tungwiwat W, Fucharoen G, Fucharoen S, Ratanasiri T, Sanchaisuriya K, Sae- Ung N. Application of maternal plasma DNA analysis for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis of Hb E beta thalassemia. Transl Res 2007; 150 : 319-25. 72. Lazaros L, Hatzi E, Bouba I, Makrydimas G, Dalkalitsis N, Stefos T, et al. Noninvasivefirsttrimesterdetectionofpaternal beta globin gene mutations and polymorphisms as predictors of thalassemia risk at chorionic villus sampling. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Repord Biol 2008; 140 : 17-20. 73. Li Y, Di Naro E, Vitucci A, Grill S, Ahong XY, Holzgreve W, et al. Size fractionation of cell free DNA in maternal plasma improves the detection of a paternally inherited 74. 75. 76. 77. Reprint requests: Dr Roshan Colah, Scientist F, National Institute of Immunohaematology (ICMR), 13th Floor, NMS Bldg, KEM Hospital Campus, Parel, Mumbai 400 012, India e-mail: colahrb@gmail. com How to cite Haemoglobinopathy, Papers

Friday, December 6, 2019

Castles Essay Example For Students

Castles Essay By Guneri Tugcu In 1494 the armies of the French king, Charles VIII, invadedItaly to capture the kingdom of Naples. They swept through the country andbombarded and destroyed many castles. This invasion signaled the end of thecastle as a stronghold of defense. For centuries it had been the dominantfortification in Western Europe for the defense of kings, nobility, andtownspeople. Ancient cities were often walled to keep out invaders, and withinthe walls there was usually a citadel, a strongly built fortification occupyingthe highest or militarily most advantageous position. A castle is much like sucha walled city and its citadel contracted into a smaller space. Castles werebasically fortified locations. The word itself comes from the Latin castellum. Up to the 6th century fortifications were primarily communities in which most ofthe population lived. But in the middle of the 6th century, the armies of theByzantine Empire began to build strong forts as defensive positions. For thenext few centuries this castle building was confined to the Byzantine Empire,but later hordes of Islamic warriors who swept out of Arabia to conquer theMiddle East, North Africa, and much Byzantine territory also started buildingsuch forts. Western Europe, in the depths of the Dark Ages from the 5th throughthe 9th century, had no such works. But late in the 9th century, as local lordsand kings began to consolidate power, castle building began probably in France. Once begun, castle building spread rapidly to other areas. But it was not untilthe 12th and 13th centuries, after the Crusaders returned from their warsagainst Islam in Palestine, that castles as imposing as those of the Byzantineor Islamic empires were constructed in Europe. Many of the stone castles of thelate Middle Ages still stand. Some are tourist attractions, in various states ofrepair, along the Rhine River from Mainz to Cologne in Germany, dotted about theFrench countryside, or perched on hilltops in Spain. The original French castleshad been built on open plains. Later ones, however, were situated on rockycrags, at river forks, or in some position where advancing enemies would findapproach extremely difficult, if not impossible. The fortifications became moreelaborate with time, with considerable attention paid to making the livingquarters more comfortable. A typical castle was usually guarded on the outskirtsby a surrounding heavy wooden fence of sharp-pointed stakes calle d a barbican . It was intended to prevent surprise attacks by delaying the advance ofassailants and giving those within the castle compound time to prepare to resistand attack. Inside the barbican stretched the lists, or wards: strips of landthat encircled the castle. The lists served as a road in time of peace and as atrap in war; once within the barbican the enemy was in the range of arrows shotfrom the castle walls. In peacetime the lists also served as an exercise groundfor horses and occasionally as tournament grounds. Between the lists and thetowering outer walls of the castle itself was the moat, usually filled withwater. Across it stretched a drawbridge, which was raised every night. At thecastle end of the drawbridge was the portcullis, a large sliding door made ofwooden or iron grillwork hung over the entryway. It moved up and down in groovesand was raised every day and lowered at night. In times of danger it blocked theway to the heavy oak gates that served as doors to the castle compoun d. Thesegates were so large that they were rarely opened except on ceremonial occasions. .u787e9e5cd7f3a5677f375af3ba6e96a6 , .u787e9e5cd7f3a5677f375af3ba6e96a6 .postImageUrl , .u787e9e5cd7f3a5677f375af3ba6e96a6 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u787e9e5cd7f3a5677f375af3ba6e96a6 , .u787e9e5cd7f3a5677f375af3ba6e96a6:hover , .u787e9e5cd7f3a5677f375af3ba6e96a6:visited , .u787e9e5cd7f3a5677f375af3ba6e96a6:active { border:0!important; } .u787e9e5cd7f3a5677f375af3ba6e96a6 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u787e9e5cd7f3a5677f375af3ba6e96a6 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u787e9e5cd7f3a5677f375af3ba6e96a6:active , .u787e9e5cd7f3a5677f375af3ba6e96a6:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u787e9e5cd7f3a5677f375af3ba6e96a6 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u787e9e5cd7f3a5677f375af3ba6e96a6 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u787e9e5cd7f3a5677f375af3ba6e96a6 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u787e9e5cd7f3a5677f375af3ba6e96a6 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u787e9e5cd7f3a5677f375af3ba6e96a6:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u787e9e5cd7f3a5677f375af3ba6e96a6 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u787e9e5cd7f3a5677f375af3ba6e96a6 .u787e9e5cd7f3a5677f375af3ba6e96a6-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u787e9e5cd7f3a5677f375af3ba6e96a6:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Literate Arts: What is the Purpose? EssayA smaller door was built into one of them to provide easy entrance and exit forthose who lived in the castle . A person known as the chief porter was chargedwith the responsibility of making sure that only friends passed through. Theouter walls of most castles were massively thick, sometimes as much as 15 feet. At intervals were high towers, each a small fort in itself with provisions towithstand a long siege. When an attack was expected, wooden balconies were hungover the outer edges of the wall. During an attack, large stones were thrown orboiling oil poured from the balconies onto anyone trying to climb the wall. Thewall and the towers had hundreds of narrow openings through which defenderscould shoot arrows and other missiles. Inside the walls was the bailey, orcourtyard. At intervals around the bailey were the stables, a carpentry shop,the shop of

Friday, November 29, 2019

A New Forest To Conquer Essays - English-language Films, Bozeman

A New Forest To Conquer Essays - English-language Films, Bozeman A New Forest To Conquer The following is a story that I hope to someday tell my grandchildren. I want it to serve as a means of instilling in them the courage and dexterity that I have somehow found within myself to make it through this wonderful and sometimes very painful journey. Once upon a time, high, high up in a tree, there was a birds nest and in that nest there was a special, little egg . The mother bird worried and fussed and fussed and worried over her little egg, saying, Oh my, this little egg cannot possibly be big enough for my baby bird. Finally, the mother birds wait and worry over the little egg came to an end and her baby hatched. Unfortunately, the egg had indeed been far too small for her baby bird; the little bird was terribly sick from not having enough room to grow. Not sure how to care for the little one, which they named Polly, the mother bird and father bird took their new baby to the Great Owl . Thanks to the Great Owls wisdom and patience, the little bird lived, but, despite his tender care, Pollys wings would not grow. The mother bird refused to believe that her darling baby, that she had worried and waited for, for so long, would never fly. As Polly grew, her mother worked with her everyday, in hopes of teaching her daughter to fly. Eventually, their hard work paid off and, although she was a little slow and awkward, Polly finally learned to fly. As she grew bigger and surer of herself, Polly wished to play with the other birds her age. She tried to fly and play with them, but they did not want her in their games. They teased and mocked her and said she was too slow. Polly wished the other birds understood how hard she had had to work, just to be able to fly at all. But that did not matter to the other birds; they only wanted the strongest, fastest birds for their games . So, Polly went home, heartbroken, and made up her own games to play. When it came time for all the young birds to begin school, Polly had no choice but to join them. Afraid that her sensitive little daughter might be hurt by the other young birds, Pollys mother offered to let her go to a special school, but Polly refused. She was determined to keep up with the normal birds and find a way to fit in. In the beginning, the other birds made fun of Polly, but it turned out that the games she had made up to occupy her, made Polly much better than the others in school. Her experience with playing with twigs made her the best nest builder in her class and, even though she flew slower than the others, the hide and seek games she played with her mom made her the fastest at finding worms. Soon, the other birds were so busy trying to keep up with Polly; they forgot to make fun of her. As time passed, all of the young birds started to become aware of their unique appearances and some traits became more desirable than others. It turned out that small, delicate wings became quite the fashion and soon the little boy birds began to notice that Pollys wings were especially small and especially delicate. It didnt matter anymore that her wings made her slow; now, they made her pretty. At first, Polly was proud that her special wings were finally being appreciated and she made sure to show them off every chance she got. However, it didnt take long for Polly to get tired of all the attention she was getting. Many of the boy birds cared more about Pollys wings than they cared about Polly and, after awhile, they seemed to forget that she was attached to her wings at all. Some of the boy birds were mean and nasty to her when she refused to show off her wings. Before long, Polly didnt want to be around the boy birds . Then, one day, as Polly was flying around by herself, trying to stay away from all the

Monday, November 25, 2019

The Federal Reserve and the Depression Essays

The Federal Reserve and the Depression Essays The Federal Reserve and the Depression Essay The Federal Reserve and the Depression Essay The Federal Reserve, established in 1913, was the leading cause of the Great Depression.They induced the Depression in a number of ways that is directly correlated to the collapse of the US economy.They played a key role in the stock market crash in 1929 and the economic failure that followed with policies that were horrid and also failed to address the new concept of the Wealth Effect and unequivocal distribution of wealth.They also exposed their interests to highly tumultuous parts of the world that carried a great deal of risk, and after the Depression, failed to enact or enforce any laws to help prevent such a disaster from occurring again. The collapse of the stock market is widely thought to be the cause of the Great Depression.The Feds policies during the stock market rise and after the crash were appalling and make many of todays economists wonder how they could be so wrong.From 1922 through July of 1929, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose an astonishing 575% and created hundreds of billions of dollars of wealth worldwide.However, Federal Reserve Chairman Adolph Miller was extremely late to the game and did not even think about the possible implications that a stock market slump may have on the economy.Only at the beginning of 1929 did he increase interest rates, versus more ideal times of around mid-1928, when it became evident that the rally in the stock market had the potential for a long-term run up.But these increases in the stock market are not sustainable without the help of economic policies and Chairman Millers only policy was to sit back and enjoy the ride.Had he increased rates slightly throughout 1928, the economy would have slowed slightly, forcing people to focus more on their debts and paying them off, than the exuberance in the stock market.This would of course, have caused selling in the market, but at a slow pace, and would have given stock prices to catch up to th

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Impact of American Civil War Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Impact of American Civil War - Term Paper Example The authority of National Government was owned by Lincoln as he was the elected President by the Republicans. Lincoln did not bear any harsh values for Southerners; in fact he wanted U.S.A to stay as one nation with one regulatory body. He once said on his second inaugural address:â€Å"With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan...to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.†Every war or a fight leave its impacts on a nation and the greatest impact Civil War made was the condemnation of slavery in Southern America and growth of industrial sector in North America. Southern America was rich in cotton and was considered as the â€Å"King of Cotton† at that time. South was the biggest cotton ex porter across the world, therefore was confident on their economical stability. Southerners in cotton business possessed 55% of enslaved people and were greatly threatened on the idea of freeing the slaves. However, North was growing fast with industrial development. The war against slavery infused the spirit of nationalism and equality within America and especially Republicans with 25 states supported Lincoln’s ideology whereas, 11 stood against it. It is true that America after its independence was still a weak nation. (Todd, 2001) People of America fought revolutionary war for freedom with an aim that all human beings should be treated equally but soon after America was declared as an independent nation, Southern Americans forgot the point they got freedom for. Southerners themselves adopted the strategy of keeping slaves and discriminated people according to their color, cast or creed. Civil war emerged when Lincoln officially stood hard against the concept of slavery and while the civil war was going on, (Schwartz, 2008) Lincoln authored the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which was legally declared in 1865 by making Thirteenth Amendment in legal structure of laws which says: â€Å"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, nor any place subject to their jurisdiction† IMPACTS: It is not deniable that Civil War proved to be the bitterest war in the American History in which America lost 600,000 lives and 400,000 people were severely wounded, but the impact it made on the civilians was far more better and improved their ideology for ever after. Lincoln was unfortunate that he did not get any chance to watch the positive outcomes but his efforts are still respected and traced. (Nevins, 1960) The civil war brought United States of America together in many ways: Slavery was the major bone of differences between the two regions but it was ended after Civil War and it helped people from both regions to think together as one body. It ended the idea of seceding states on every next issues and it is since Civil War that America

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

The Development of Marketing over the Last Century Research Paper

The Development of Marketing over the Last Century - Research Paper Example This marketing concept became applicable from the 1900s to the 1950s. Therefore, the current marketing concepts involving branding, communication, and intensive ads that characterize the modern business environment are merely a rebirth of the concepts used by marketers at the start of the 20th century up to the 1950s (Belz, 2006). At the turn of 1960, a new marketing concept known as marketing orientation emerged. This concept became common from 1960 onwards. This marketing concept emerged because of market saturation that triggered intense competition. Marketing also became a strategic thinking process for managers. Today marketing as a discipline has become an outward looking discipline where strategies and actions depend on the external environment of a company. As such, any change in the external environment affects the marketing strategy adopted by a company (Belz, 2006). The world has also experienced radical changes in technological, economic, and socio-cultural environments s ince the beginning of the 20th century. These changes have created new marketing opportunities and challenges. Globalization has transformed marketing concepts by bringing regional and global societies and economies together. Some of the opportunities that globalization has brought include increased number of market opportunities. For instance, globalization has made it possible for companies to set up businesses in other countries easily. In addition, globalization has transformed marketing by making it easier for companies to penetrate some markets with more ease than ever before. Further, it has provided companies with the opportunity to develop and implement cost-effective international marketing strategies (Johnson, 2007). Despite the benefits that globalization has brought in the... The Development of Marketing over the Last Century This discourse attempts to explore the developments of marketing throughout history and the implications of the developments to marketing organizations. The history of marketing dates back to early 1900 although some marketing practices can be traced back to 1700 B.C according to Dix et al. (2005). Segmentation, marketing developments, promotion, and branding are some of the marketing activities practiced today that have a long history. The origin of these marketing activities dates back to as early as the pre-colonial era. Dix et al. (2005) notes that the marketing concepts of relationship orientation and ‘domesticated markets’ began during the agricultural era. As such, the current popularity of relationship marketing is merely a rebirth of the marketing practices of the pre-industrial period when consumers and producers interacted directly with each other and built structural and emotional bonds in their economic market behaviors. History shows that marketing was init ially based on production orientation. This was the marketing concept that was applicable during the industrial revolution. According to this marketing concept, the focus of marketing was based on efficient production and distribution. Marketing has undergone many changes over the years. It has become apparent that as new technologies emerge, consumer behaviors also changes. As a result, marketing managers must be able to respond to the changes appropriately for the companies they manage to survive, otherwise they will be faced out.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Motifs in The Great Gatsby Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Motifs in The Great Gatsby - Essay Example This actress had none of Daisy’s sophistication, her voice when she spoke echoed off the walls behind her in a brazen, brassy tone that spoke of street markets and low change as compared to the melodious, soft, money-filled voice of Daisy’s. The buzz of conversation that flitted around us as we circulated spoke of such low topics as business and finances, things that belonged in the workplace, not in decent society. Daisy fell into a pattern of simply nodding to these individuals and moving on, in much the same way a queen might pass among her subjects on her way to a finer, more noble company. That Daisy was bored was immediately apparent to any who laid eyes on her, though she tried to remain gay.2 â€Å"I don’t believe I know any of these dances,† Daisy responded, looking coolly about the crowded floor on which several people could be seen performing the new street dances that were just becoming recognized by the theater set. â€Å"Perhaps it is just a little too hot to dance anyway. Shouldn’t we instead go somewhere cool?† Pulled along in their wake like a small tugboat trying to get away, I accompanied Daisy and Gatsby on their stroll about the grounds. Our feet inevitably led us to Gatsby’s garage, where the great yellow car rested in opulent stasis. â€Å"Oh, anything to get some wind. It’s so hot and still these days,† Daisy said in response, not at all concerned that she was taking the host away from his party or leaving her husband in the comforting arms of another Broadway hopeful who was ‘too common’ for her to concern herself about. We went for a ride toward the city, speeding along at breakneck speeds on the empty roads of the New York nighttime, only stopping long enough to allow Daisy to get behind the driver’s wheel because she was bored with just riding on the passenger side and felt perhaps driving would help to

Saturday, November 16, 2019

History of Tourism | Comparing Past Tourism to Today

History of Tourism | Comparing Past Tourism to Today In 1936, the League of Nations defined foreign tourists as someone traveling abroad for at least twenty-four hours. Its successor, the United Nations, amended this definition in 1945, by including a maximum stay of six months. Since the human race existed they have been migrating, travelling all around to achieve different goals, religious purposes, sports, and other leisure activities, for better life, better facilities. In fact there can be hundred reasons for travelling. There cant be fixed and set date to determine when and where and how the first pilgrimage occurred but we can say people started travelling and moving back and forth since they were born. But if we look through the history then we see it happened in 5th and between 3rd millennia BC, when paganism was the culture and religion in the Europe. In the Christian world people have been travelling to Israel where Jesus was born and lived because they spiritually relate themselves to the holiness, and to the shrines of disciples. In the Muslim world the first pilgrimage occurred in 629-628 CE. And it was from Makkah to medina. (www.grand-tour.org) In the ancient times Hindus, Romans, Greeks have long been migrating, travelling for different reasons. So its not particularly related to any specific religion. Grand Tours: Grand Tour specifically means the travel taken by young, wealthy, privileged people for the purpose of education, enhancing their travelling experience to excel in their careers. Grand tours history dates back to the 18th century Britain when the British people and their country was the wealthiest on the face of the earth. So the wealthy people used to send their young kids on grand tours to different countries, mainly to Europe to enhance their experience to practical life and for the education related purposed as well. In Britain Thomas Coryats travel book Coryats Crudities(1611) was a great influence Grand Tour but it was the far more extensive tour through Italy as far as Naples undertaken by the Collector Earl of Arundel, together with his wife and children in 1613-14 that established the most significant precedent. 3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Tour Grand Tours was involving a period of year long, because in those times the means of travelling were so slow and because the term grand tour ventures more than one country so it used to take one year or more. As the time passed the means of travelling got so fast, challenging and more efficient the travelers went more far and far for more exotic places and countries. James Boswell was the most famous in this regard who kept all records in a journal of his travelling and other experiences during such Tour. The first Journal Grand Tour and was published in 1749 by Thomas Nugent. Regarding the professional Travel and tourism the first person to develop this idea was Thomas cook in 1850s he developed and then on he offered travel packages to all parts of the world. So this thing eventually made this effectively cheap and affordable for the middle class as well, as it was only affordable for rich people before. In 1867, Mark Twain had a European and Eastern Mediterranean Tour and sent back the dispatches to Alta California, which was a San Francisco paper. His dispatches were later published a book called The Innocents Abroad or The New Pilgrims Progress. In 1873 at the age of 10 William Randolph Hearst took Grand Tour, travelled one and a half year with the habit of collecting. And his collections can be seen at Hearst Castle in USA. By the late 19th century, the Grand Tour had turned to be an American phenomenon because newly wealthy citizens related themselves to the heirs of the western traditions and they traced their cultural lineage from the Greece to the Roman Empire, European Renaissance. So during those times rich Americans would tour ancient cities of Mediterranean, great European cities as part of their Grand Tours. They felt so related and aspired by the Venices well-to-do merchants and traders who collected the wealth from around the world, loved the architecture. From 1960s the grand tour has taken a totally new shape all over again, students are travelling with backpacks and living in the youth hostels and travelling around. Because the means of transportation are increased to the maximum level, things are starting to slow down a little bit like the olden days, i.e. people again starting to find ships, cruises more lovely and enjoyable like olden days. (www.grand-tour.org) The Modern Tourism: The difference between modern and past tourism is that, modern tourism involves mass availability and mass participations in holidays. Modern travel involves a universal access to travel for individual in every part of the world with destination on an international scale. Modern tourism involves many different types each that in turn have had an impact on the transport means. The different types of tourism can be divided based on the tourists main interest of their trip. Tourism can involve one of the following; adventure, pleasure, sports, cultural, sports, study, incentive, research, professional and country. (www.exampleessays.com) Modern tourism is totally changed from the past because it has got vital modern tool which are high -tech and fast and they save a lot of time. So since the modern inventions have arrived such as, trains, airplanes, cruises, ships, roads, trains, they have changed the face of tourism tremendously. The whole scenarios have been changed. Travel has become cheap and within the access of everybody unlike the past where only rich and wealthy were the ones who were able to travel. Now the tourism has become faster, easier and cheaper and easier and there are more varieties in the forms of tourism then the past. Here we will discuss some of the modern historic developments that has helped modern tourism to take a whole new shape. Factors Facilitating Growth of the Travel and Tourism: The most important factors which are facilitating the travel and tourism and their growth are as follows: Sea Travel. Rail Travel. Air Travel. Sea, air and rail have been playing an important part in the growth of travel and tourism. With these factors the tremendous growth and increase in travel and tourism have become possible. Trains: In the past traveling was so slow, it was taking months and years to travel but since the invention of the trains it has become far easier and faster to move around and its one of the most enjoyable way of traveling among the tourists. The history of rail transport dates back nearly 500 years, Modern rail transport systems first appeared in England in the 1820s. 6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_rail_transport. Ships and Cruises: The first boats are presumed to have been dugout canoes, developed independently by various Stone Age populations, and used for coastal fishing and travel. 7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maritime_history The earliest boats were invented by Egyptians in 3100 BC, and then in 2700 BC they invented ships for trade. (www.localhistories.org) The age of sail, technically and formally speaking, is the period in which international trade and naval warfare were both dominated by sailing ships. The age of sail mostly coincided with the age of discovery, from the 15th to the 18th century 9. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maritime_history The modern cruises are the most modern addition to the sea travel. The cruises have casinos, swimming pools, playing fields, dance venues or we can say the provide almost all the facilities like any high class hotel. Traveling through cruise has become posh and very fashionable and people are being drawn more towards the traveling through cruises. Air Travel The first hovercraft was launched in 1959. The first hovercraft passenger service began in 1962. In 1919 aero planes began carrying passengers between London and Paris. Jet passenger aircraft were introduced in 1949. However in the early 20th century flight was a luxury few people could afford. Furthermore only a small minority could afford foreign travel. Foreign holidays only became common in the 1960s. The Boeing 747, the first Jumbo jet was introduced in 1970 and The Channel Tunnel opened in 1994. (www.localhistories.org) Since the invention of the aero planes the humans have traveled to even those parts of the world where traveling was literally, virtually was almost impossible. Current and future Trends and Development in the travel and tourism sector. In the travel and tourism sector with the modern hi-tech technology, faster means of communications, faster means of transportations, modernized approach in every part of the travel and tourism industry from travelling to hospitality to accommodation everything has become faster and more sophisticated. And in the recent years there has been huge rise in the sector. And the future trend is going up as well. Poetry: History And Origins Of Poetry: History And Origins Of Literature is as old as history of the man itself. Over the past few decades, the role of literature in language learning teaching has been subject to variations. However, literature was excluded from language teaching programme owing to many reasons. The common among these was it structural complexity and its unique use of language. As, literature reflects cultural perspective which is difficult to conceptualize by foreign language students, therefore, it is uninteresting for them. Literature is being considered to be an integral part of any language teaching and learning programme. Language and literature are inseparable. The inclusion of literature in language teaching and learning can bring a fresh breeze into the dry and mechanical task of language learning and teaching. Inge (1970) says, Literature flourishes best when it is half trade and half an art. Literature makes language learning enjoyable because it does not only provide a genuine context for communication, but it also gives pleasure by engaging emotions. Therefore, it motivates and stimulates the language learner. Stop ford A. Brooke (1970) says, Literature is something that gives pleasure to the reader. Moreover, literature has different genres like plays, essays, short stories and poetry. The major focus is on the poetry. Before it, here is a definition on literature. Oscar Wilde (1970) says, Literature is something that is to be written not to be read. In early period, conventional blocks were linked together. According to agreed rules, we can observe much in folk song where the old method was never discontinued. Blave argues that by the end of mediaeval period, literature had been written in English for hundreds of years and it was seen that there is no existence of knowledge of previous literature and language. English appeared to be a language without a past and with a literature that was always modern. Hence words could not attract to themselves those associations linked with known literary works or linguistic origins. English words were insubstantial things which had to be given meanings by many devices such as repetition. 2.2. Poetry: Poetry grasps students attention, its format and style is different as compared to the ordinary run of literary texts. Other than this, poetry is one of the most ancient and widespread of the (literary) arts. Poetry is an important genre in English literature. In poetry, we find fantasized, imaginative world. Here are definitions: Eliot (1970) says, Poetry is the imagination that presents its subject with clarity, precision and economy of language. Sidney (1970) says, All the imaginative literature is poetry. Poems are at times better to use in the classroom because they are briefer and more compact than essays or even short stories. Coleridge (1970) says, The best words in the best order Poetry helps the readers to become more intensive reader and most jobs today still call for some close reading and clear writing. Poetry also reflects the culture of a society to a great extent. It also acts as a mirror of the changing times of a country. Taking the poetry of Pakistan for example, we can get clear picture of the changing viewpoints which are going on in Pakistan at that times. Poetry is used all around the world for teaching and learning purpose. Simple English poems are rich in suggestive, colourful and associative word and expressions which speak subtly different messages to different people. Each personal meaning found in the poem is shared, exchanged, negotiated, reinforced, valued, or loosed in the process of interacting freely, safely, funnily with others findings. There are different meanings to understand poetry. But here, the focus is only on the connotative meaning. 2.3. History / Origin of Poetry: Poetry is not very popular these days. This is an obvious fact for poets, teachers of poetry and poetry-lovers. A different kind of poetry is very much alive today in the forms of popular music lyrics and raps and in jingles but for advertisement and for political purposes. These forms are mostly kept in listeners memories due to the commercial pressures. But many of these forms clearly depend on music or on the interaction of words and music,or on the additional qualities of performance in order to succeed because the written texts may be uninteresting and may miss the special points made by the interaction of music and words in performance. In literary poetry, since the beginning of the twentieth century, practice has shifted away from audible rhythm and towards free verse. For a few decades, while the traditions of rhythm were still active in minds of readers, the free verse of Eliot Pound, Williams and H.D. and the syllabic verse of Marianne Moore could be received as experiments in new sorts of rhythm, reactions toward or against conventions of meter, defamiliarizing the real rhythms of spoken word. The notion of meter in written poetry has vanished from the public memory so there is no interest in written poetry for general readership. This shift founds in the history of western poetry towards the effacement of the bodily pleasure that is experienced in the regular, musical rhythm of meter and towards the meaningful poetry as act of communication. Anthony Easthope (1983) has described the history of this trend within the frame work of the ascendancy of bourgeois culture and of individual subjectivity. The argument of Easthope is deep and compelling and Amittai F. Auiram has been as having something of a complementary relation with it. But Easthope emphasizes the revolutionary aspects of modernism in poetry and sees poet like pound as reversing and breaking the trend towards bourgeois subjectivity, Avirain sees pounds abandonment of traditional forms, his insistance on the rhythm of each line representing the sense as only a continuation of that very trend. In short, it is attend away from poetry toward prose, narrative or exposition; away from the rhythmic pleasures of the body and towards its repression in social discourse; away from the runs subjective effect of rhythm and toward individual expression, socially constructed, as in pound, than self begins to reach the limits of its own undoing. The trend from poetry toward pro se should be seen within the context of a theory of poetry but has become especially prominent in modern times as society has shifted what toward the importance of information in its material life. Thing are not valuable for the physical adventures they offer so much a for what they mean in the most reductive sense, for example, how much they cost, what they are worth on the market. For twenty five year T.S Eliot exercised an authority in the literary world not posses by any writer before him for more than a century. Bu the end of 1920s his poetry was an escapable influence on younger poets and his criticism shaped their word and he was pared by many authors. Twenty year later, the waste land was still widely regarded as the most radical and brilliant development of modernist poetry. An important point is that one must have seen the ages of 1940s and 1950s in which Eliots literary terms and judgments were cited frequently and respectfully. Moreover, Christian ideology was unattractive to many scholars in England and the united states. Thus Eliot was seen as a central poet in the future development of poetry and no poet can compete him. Poetry Strategies: Understanding modern poetry requires an understanding of the following: (1) Free Verse Most modern poems are written in free verse. Free verse has no fixed meter and no fixed line length or stanzas. The poet decides where the line should break based on how the poem should look on the page or where a natural break occurs. (2) Literal and Symbolic meanings The literal meaning of modern poetry often reflects everyday life. They everyday scenes are full of symbolic meaning. (3) Diction Modernism is a deliberate break forms that characterized traditional poetry. Whereas traditional verse relied on formal language, modern poetry uses informal, everyday speech. Understanding of Poetry: English language includes numerous words that main virtually the same thing. Each and every word has a slightly different pattern of sound and shade of meaning that will create a certain individual effect on the reader. As a result, the reader has the power of word choice. The sound of a word can be very important to the mood you are establishing in a poem. For example, compare these two separate stanzas. The old man wrenched His sack of guts And hacked a cough The senior detected A murmur In his intestines We should be able to hear how the hard sounds of the first stanza contrast with the softer sounds of the second. The sound also have a great effect on the meaning and the melody of each live. The old man in the first stanza seems to be in a much worse state than the senior in the second stanza. The words hacked and cough echo the hard sound of the mans coughing while the words murmur and intestines in second example reduce the seniors illness to minor discomfort. Connotation: Connotations are ideas that are associated with a word. These associations go beyond the dictionary definition. The word snake for example, may be defined as a member of the reptile family but this word has many associations like someone or something that is dangerous, low down or slimy. In addition to having a connotation, some words have a symbolic significance due to past associations. For example, as a result of the Garden of Eden story, a snake is associated with evil, especially an evil tempter. In western literature and everyday usage, animals and colors have often been used as symbols, as have the reasons of year, times of day, geographic terrain, natural elements and natural and man-made objects. Connotations are the overtones of word, their vibrations good or bad. Connotation is also to denotation as the figurative is to the literal. Connotation represents the things that a person associates with a word. There are different kinds of meaning in English language. But there are two major kind of meaning to understand the poems or stanzas. These are denotative meaning and connotative meaning. Denotative meaning is a primary meaning of a word. For instance, bread is an edible made up of flour, yeast, water and so on. On the other hand, connotative meaning is a secondary meaning of a word as well as symbolic meaning of a word and cultural dimensions. Bread is a word that is used for money and it is the staff of life. It is through a piece of writing that a person discovers the intention of the writer. Tone controls how a person reads a words denotative and connotative values. Connotation refers to the feeling or images a word evokes in the reader. Students are better able to recall any vocabulary term if they can make a personal association with it. Connotation means what may be differentiated from the former as suggested, implicit or intimated meaning. The following term describes the concept of connotation/denotation that was explained by justice Windeyer in the Queen V. commonwealth Conciliation Arbitration Commission; ex parte Professional Engineers Association: In interpreting the Constitution, we must not restrict the denotation of its terms to the things they denoted in 1900. The words denotation becomes enlarged as new things falling with in its connotation comes into existence or becomes known. But the connotation or connotations of its words should remain constant in the interpretation of the constitution. Words would have borne in 1900 so we are not to give word a different meaning from any meaning. Law is to be accommodated to changing facts. It is not to be changed as language changes. The dictionary helps a lot to see a series of meaning that a word has acquire since it inception. These meanings are the words connotations. When words have several connotations, a person must rely upon its context to derive its meaning. For example, the word blue has gathered different connotations. First, blue refers to the color. There are also dress blues, a term referring to a military uniform. Blue can also mean depressed or melancholy and it also means the musical genre. The word blue also appears in the common expression blue in the face and out of the blue. So, a word blue ha quite a lot of meaning packed into it. Many other word carry a list of connotative meanings as well. A port is better able to learn as many connotative meanings as possible by using words with several meanings in his poetry. He can broaden the scope of his work and can also help the reader to reach a more diverse population. 2.7. History of Connotation: In medieval literature, there are two major sources of connotation that are native and foreign. The former refers to potential associations inherent in words due to their Germanic pagan links and the latter to the associations which learned loanwords bring in the train. Alliterative revival which led to a different vocabulary being used in each period, naÃÆ'Â ¯ve connotations for word in Middle English are difficult to detect. So to consider the possibility of native connotation it is better to take the Anglo-Saxon period. It is closer to the Germanic background in time, and it literature seems to spring from a more unified cultural tradition than that from the middle English period. We are left on individual word which may have connotations. Many of the words used in old English poetry are Germanic stock and as such they may have carried pagan heroic connotations with them. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it was believed that old English poetry was essentially Germanic and heroic in spirit so the words of the poems were interpreted as though they carried pagan connotations. It was seen that pagan connotations for Anglo-Saxon words are replaced by Latin ones. It is easier to prove a Christian Latin association than a pagan heroic one, on one ride because of the nature of Latin language and on other because no pagan Germanic poetry survives. 2.8. Importance of Connotation: The words connotative meanings dont explain themselves for systematic explanation but they are generally work on particular words that surround them. E.g. Everybody knows that good is used to describe the high quality, positive, approved of or appreciated things. But it has also some additional meanings. In an utterance such a shes rally a good person, It connotes someone who is generous, kind, thoughtful, honest and reliable. When we say shes a really good student, the connotation shifts in the direction of brought, motivated, hardworking, organized, cooperative and so on. For describing good story, the word good means interesting or involving. In other words, what makes a person good is not the same set of qualities that makes a student good, or a story good. And of course, good does not mean good at all in a sarcastic tone. A good dictionary can be of some help here. It provides guidance to the teacher as well a extensive and intensive experience with texts. It is finally by seein g and hearing words in actual contexts of use and by assimilating other words. It means that learners will be able to seek their connotative meanings. And hearing is important. Knowledge of a languages sound system is really necessary in speech and is also essential in reading particularly in reading of poetry. Connotations are changing the course of history and of human knowledge. It will point out the relation between connotation and designation. It has seen that if the people behave in a way that makes for fame or infamy, the names acquire decided connotations. And if the names are used very much in contexts the emphasize this connotation than these connotations become so slandered that the proper names can become general terms. Thus the boarder line between connotation and designation is neither sharp nor static. Poetry is the best place to study word connotation. For practical purposes, we should view the advertisements (good or bad) for cruder and simpler examples. For instance, in industrial products, we should keep in mind key word in advertising slogans and note connotation. What is meant by injunction to be a Dawn Girl to have that creamy look to wear a Danto Sweet Smile to develop an English complexion? These terms may designate and it is their connotation. There are good reasons for this. May be that car, hair lotion and whiskey actually does have, not only the characteristics designated but also the characteristics connoted. For a complicated study, it is instructive to look among advertisements for terms with a scientific connotation and this term carry with them on intimation that the product is result of laboratory research or approved by a doctors. The impression that a word gives beyond its defined meaning, refers to connotation. Connotations may be universally understood or may be significant only to a certain group. Both horse and steed denotes the same animal, but steed has a different connotation that it deriving from romantic narratives in which the word was often used. 2nd example about the word home, it means that the place where one lives, but by connotation, it suggests security, family, love and comfort. Consonance occurs is poetry when words appearing at the ends of two or more verses have similar final consonant sounds but have final vowel sound that differ, as with stuff and off words and images that might be used in poems hold meanings, feelings and Connotations which might provoke different clues that people find but it does not mean that a person is exactly saying about a poem. The personal response is important in understanding the literary judgment and close analysis of text. Role of Connotation: Connotation meaning refers to the features of word and it also refers to ones reaction to it, that is its emotional content. For example, A nastier connotation has seen in the word slimy rather than a word silky. The following are described the two line of poetry, one being a denotatively equivalent but connotatively contrasting version of the other. Season of mist and mellow fruitfulness. (Ode to Autumn, Keats) Time of fog and ripe productivity (after, Wallwork, 1969) There is nothing objectively poetic about word like mists or mellow but we have a strong experience of these words. It is difficult to remember that their sweet and pleasant sound qualities are only created by social evaluation. Words can measure and represent their connotative meaning. An idea related to the denotative and connotative meaning of words is category and function shift. This heft occurs when words did not have development previously but now they are used. For example, the word paper began as a noun, it means the sheet of pressed plant fibers you write upon. Then it acquired verb capabilities for use in a sentence e.g., He will paper her mirror with love notes. Paper can also be used as an adjective, such as in the phrase paper plate. The word paper changed categories from noun to verb to adjective without changing spelling. It changed functions too because nouns, verbs and adjectives play different roles in sentences. For romantic poets, poetic meter performs a similar function like the purely formal element of poetry. It can either provide clear, denotative meaning or it can carry follow well known techniques for conveying the connotative meaning. This element follows patterns of compositional practice, convention and deliberate effect and carriers with it patterns of implicit connotation similar to those perceived in absolute music. Wordsworth most famous work on poetics, the Preface to the Lyrical Ballads, demonstrates not only his concerns about these contractual conditions but also his conception of their meaning. He also insisted on writing the theoretical Preface. He felt that his readers might accuse him of breaking the unspoken agreement of comprehensibility between the poet and his readers. His attempt to deflect criticism for Prosaisms, places where poetry becomes too much like prose, demonstrates this anxiety most clearly. Winters describes poetic theory, its concision, lyric but he explains that poetry is the highest linguistic expression, in addition to the denotative aspects of words emphasized in forms of writing, poetry also makes particular use of connotative ones, the two together composing the total content of language. The purpose of poetry is to describe experience as precisely as possible connotation in poetry acquires a moral dimension and to preserve clarity, connotation or feeling must be carefully controlled. Levels of brain to understand connotation: When reading a poem by a person, the brain works on several different levels: It responds to the sounds It responds to the words themselves and their connotations It responds to the emotions It responds to the learning of the world. Poetry becomes a good source of learning through this process. It helps how to read literature in general. All the other genres have elements of poetry within them. Learn how to read poetry in a good way and it is the only way to become a more accomplished reader. Emily Dickinson who claimed that reading a book of poetry (by a poet) made her feel as if they top of {her} head were taken off. Study of Meaning of Context Clues: There are many methods for findings word meaning. The method of studying word meaning which is described under this heading is by using context clues. Context refers to the words and ideas in the text surrounding a word. This text elaborates clues to the meaning of individual words. Context also helps to understand how meaning of the word is being used according to the authors point of view. Meanings of the words may be denotative and connotative. Denotative meaning is often found in dictionary definitions but connotative meaning of the words has both positive and negative effect on the word meaning. Look at the example: the words demure and Prim both have same meaning that is shy. However, Prim has negative connotation of being strict or remote. Demure has positive connotation of being sweet or innocent. It is also found that the additional meaning is part of the words contextual meaning. It appears as a result of the words correlation with others. Connotation is one of the key so the power of words. In a literary text, the most innocent looking word can achieve the most vivid connotations. One of the components of a words meaning is its emotive component. Emotive connotations are rendered by the emotional or expressive counter part of meaning. It is also very important to describe that affective connotations of a word can be within its romantic structure registered in its dictionary meaning. E.g: Fabulous, stunning, smart, terrific and the like have special emotive meaning fixed in dictionaries. E.g: Hes very rich. Hes fabulously rich. Many words hold an emotive meaning only in a definite context. In that case, we say that a word has a contextual emotive meaning. So, we can conclude that affective connotations of a word are peculiar to it either on the pragmatic or systematic level. 2.12. Role of connotation is culture and society: Different words have personal and cultural associations which can be subjective, contribute to their meaning. These additional meanings are known as connotations. We can also talk of affective, emotive, attitudinal or expressive meaning. In this example, we have seen that the word man has denotative meaning that is adult male human being but its connotations are virility, bravery and aggression. The personal and cultural aspects of the wor4d are brought in expressions like thats what I call a man! Or act like a man but the man where refers to after doing brave deed, it means that connotations of word may differ according to the society in which the people use it. For example connotation of the word police means reliability, helpfulness, friendliness and protection while some persons in a society take it as harassment, arrests, aggression, obstruction and injustice etc. it is necessary to define the terms when we translate. The people have different awareness about the political term like labour, depending on the politic of individual. Connotations are difficult to understand than denotation and much more variable and culture bound. For example snow may appear beautiful who have never seen it but the people who live in cold countries where the snow is falling. So the word snow have negative connotation according to this context. The Dog is in western society as a mans best friend but for Arabs and Hindus this animal take as a pet. For the pareses, people take dog as a sacred animal. Words may have the same denotative meaning but the connotative meaning varies from person to person. For instance, woman and lady both denote adult female human being but the word lay has connotation of good breeding and social graces that are absent from women. Some words are always positive like generous, courtesy and masterpiece but others are always negative like rubbish, dirty, thief etc. the one thing is that negative words are not obviously negative but they are marked as derogatory or disparaging in dictionaries. Some words can be both positive and negative according to context. In English, the adjective inquisitive may take as a healthy desire to learn but on the other hand, it takes as an unhealthy or annoying keenness to pry. The word respite is a Spanish word which means on one side respect and on the other hand, it means fear. Translators and language learners should know about the different connotations according to the context 2.13. Connotative meaning through language and culture: Language and culture are deeply interrelated with each other. Language is the vehicle of cultural manifestation. Some words have different motions and cultural values in different languages. That is to say, Many foreign words which appear to have an equivalent basic meaning in the learners L1 are nevertheless different because of their different connotations. (Laufer, 1990, p.582). Lado (1972) defines these words as culturally loaded words Lexical totems which have similar primary meaning but widely different connotations in two languages (p. 285). For example the word old means people are addressed so old in English but in Chinese, this word take as old + surname of surname + old. This is the difficult area of vocabulary acquisition as the tendency of the learner will to transfer the L1 connotation in to L2 (Laufer, 1990, p. 582). English and Chinese are two different languages because these two languages show two distinct culture and ideologies. Chinese culture values harmony, tradition, authority, group solidarity etc while western cultures value individualism, uniqueness, creation, adventure etc. (Jia Yuxin, 1997). Different political and social system through Chinese and western cultures have different understandings of certain political and ideological issues. Moreover, English is neither an official language nor a lingua franca in china. Chinese EFL learners find it difficult to access the cultural aspect of English. They have few chances to communicate with native speaker of English. Liu Zhong (1999) conducted the study of show that certain words have different cultural connotations in Chinese and English. Such as old, propagandas etc. they tested Chinese EFL learners to see whether their judgment on word used in a specific English context is proper or not and their studies pointed out the Chinese learners perception of whether a word is used properly with specific English contexts deviated from that of native speakers of English. 2.14. Emotional meaning of connotation: Connotations also provide emotional power to the word so much that people will fight and die for them. G.K. Ogden and I.A. Richards were the first scholars to consider the misunderstandings that result from the failure of communicators to know that their subjective reactions toward will be a product of their life experience. For example, Mellissas dog dies and she tells Trish about it. Trishs understanding of a massage depends on the feelings of him about pet and death. Mellissa who sees dogs as truly friends, may be intending to communicate her extreme grief. Trish who has never had a pet and doesnt especially care of pets in general or dogs in particular, may miss the emotional meaning that Mellissa has. For this reason, Connotations can be used effectively to increase the emotional appeal to your message. Language also serves as a bridge between human being and the word of sense data. The denotative meaning of the word snake is the perception of the sense data that makes up the sn ake. The connotative meaning of the expression Look! A Snake! is described according to the perception of Mellissa and her grandfather. This expression which they both shared, was a bridge between Mellissas perception and her grandfather. If they did not speak the same natural language then she wouldnt share the connotative meaning of the word snake. Since they do share in the conventional connotative meaning of the expression, she can cross over to he grandfathers perceptual word by using it. Words serve as connotative bridges. Mellissa and her grandfather were unsuccessful in seeking a visual perception of the snake. So words are also denotative bridges. They connect us with real things by means of understanding and processing sense data. 2.15. Connotation in semiotic modes: The term connotation is used in so many ways. John Stuart Mill described words that have different meanings but he focused on two kinds of meaning. For instance, the word white, firstly, denotes the class of white things or as snow or paper or the foam of sea. But its abstract concept has connotative meaning like whiteness, virtue etc. the most importance approach in semiotics has been that of Roland Barites, who was a key player in Paris school structuralist semiotics of the 1690s and 1970s. Barthes argued that different ways of expressing the same concept can have different meanings because the same concept can be expressed in different languages. He developed his approach to denotation and connotation not in relation to language and applied the term connotation to semiotic modes other than language. 2.16. Role of vocabulary in understating connotative meaning: Lexis lexical phrases have come to play a very important role in language teaching learning. Lexis has become more important than structures teacher have noticed that if a person does not know certain words and expression he/she will find it very difficult to express what he/she wishes to say. Many researchers agree that lexis is at least as important as structure, because it is using worng words not wrong grammar that usually breaks down communication. Mistakes in lexis much more often led to misunderstanding may be less generously tolerated outside classroom than mistakes in syntax.(Carter 1987 : 145) Taylor (1990 : 1 ) emphasized the essentiality of vocabulary knowledge. In order to live in the world, we must name it. Names are essential for the

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Essay --

Throughout the annals of humanity, there have been two predominant groups in a society. The first group is made up of individuals who possess the power to define the proper characteristics of those who belong into the dominant group. The secondary groups of people are referred to as the â€Å"others†. The â€Å"other† is nothing more than a mere social construct developed by the dominant party to either exclude or subordinate the groups of people who do not fit the normal characteristics or mores of the dominant group in their respective society. This process is dehumanizing, and these appellations create social barriers that inhibit the growth and evolution of society. Othering is a very insidious process that defies the human conscience. Furthermore, this process has perpetuated xenophobia, gender discrimination, genocide, and various other crimes against the dignity of humankind. Creating â€Å"others† does nothing to advance the human species. Instead this application of discriminatory labels has separated humans from one another. These barriers and constructs have been used to justify slavery, genocide, gender discrimination, apartheid, and various other atrocities. The first step in creating an â€Å"other† is stripping a person of their humanity. This process is gradual, and it is not noticeable. It only takes one pejorative term to initiate this process. Once a negative thought about an individual or a group of people coalesces then the â€Å"other† is created. By separating humans into different constructs and groups, the apathy and prejudice of disenfranchised group grows over time. Once the label and construct is firmly established; the humanity of the stigmatized group is expunged. This paves the way for discrimination, and hate to suffuse ... ... proved to be a severe detriment to human society in terms of not only gender equality, but racial and religious equality as well. Racial and religious constructs are artificial, Race and religion was determined by the dominant society. The dominant group chose the racial characteristics that were favorable, and the people who did not possess these characteristics were marginalized. The dominant group also embraced a certain religious creed that reinforced their morals and standards. The individuals who did possess these characteristics were now considered an â€Å"other†. Othering allowed for the justification for the Holocaust, the Bosnian genocide, imperialism, slavery, and other heinous practices. The groups of people that possessed a different skin color, religion, culture, morals, and other traits were subjected to the greatest evils, because they were dehumanized.

Monday, November 11, 2019

American Unions in the Twenty First Century

The number of people joining labor unions in the United States today is declining. Scholars offer several reasons for this decline. Globalization happens to be one of the reasons, seeing as international outsourcing has become common especially in the area of manufacturing. The most important reason, however, appears to be that the organization has begun to view the employees’ interests as its own, thanks to the budding field of organizational behavior. Introduction In the United States, union membership had peaked in the year 1954 with at least 28.3% of all employed workers joining labor unions. In the year 2003, however, only 11. 5% of employees were known to be union members. The number of employed workers in the U. S. who had joined labor unions was at a peak in the year 1979. There were approximately 21 million union members all across the country at the time. In the year 2003, on the other hand, there were only 15. 8 million union members in the nation. Labor unions were essentially important because they allowed union members to collectively demand higher wages and better working conditions.The demand for higher wages had to be curtailed in the face of globalization, however. Faced by global competition, American organizations began to demand concessions during the late 1970s. They could no longer listen to labor unions’ demands for very high wages seeing that expensive American products and services – due to the high price of labor in the country – could not be efficiently sold in the foreign markets. In the 1980s, there were â€Å"widespread manufacturing layoffs and plant closings† in the country.Another important aspect of globalization had showed up – that of hiring cheap labor in countries where new manufacturing plants could be set up by the American organization in order to cut its costs. As an example, â€Å"toys can be produced more cheaply in China than in the United States or France. This makes it ge nerally unprofitable to have toy factories employing workers in these richer countries (except for upscale toys); it also means American and French workers can enjoy the benefits of lower price toys. †In the year 1981, former President Ronald Reagan announced that air traffic controllers on strike as members of a union had to be fired. After all, strikes are costly for the economy as a whole. More than a decade later in 1992, when the United Auto Workers went on strike, the Caterpillar Corporation threatened to replace them all permanently, following the example of Mr. Reagan. The company was successful through this tactic in breaking the strike. Even today, Wal-Mart and other big corporations are known to stifle union efforts.What is more, the government is said to encourage employers in failing to listen to the demands of union members. The Washington Post reports that the government is known to â€Å"allow employers to block union-certification elections and use stalling t actics and threats to discourage organizing drives. † The main reason for this appears to be the fact that the American organizations have now found a better way to deal with employee grievances, and to essentially satisfy all employees. Union memberships that have the potential to create difficulties for businesses as well as the economy as a whole are being discouraged.The union method of strike, for example, costs a great deal to businesses in addition to the economy. Organizations had to find a more convenient way to make their employees more productive and to satisfy them at the same time. Thus came into being the field of organizational behavior. Organizational Behavior Removes the Need for Union Membership The most important reason for the diminishing role of labor unions in the United States appears to be the direct opposite of a labor strike: the satisfaction of the labor force.According to a federal publication published in the year 2004, â€Å"employers may have be come more sensitive to employee concerns, resulting in greater job satisfaction among nonunion workers and reducing the demand for unionization. On the other hand, management may have become more sophisticated in opposing attempts by workers to unionize† Indeed, both of the above reasons for the diminishing role of union membership are true. Employers have really become more sensitive to the concerns of the employees, thanks to organizational behavior.Moreover, the management of American companies has been improved, also thanks to organizational behavior. The twenty first century began with a great deal of excitement especially as the innovatory technologies of the twentieth century started to appear commonplace and every organization had already been supplied with tools through academic research to deal with additional organizational changes in the offing. The discipline of organizational behavior had been through its trials and tests, finally emerging as an indispensable are a of learning for all twenty first century managers to have gone through.Arthur P. Brief and Howard M. Weiss describe this relatively new field of applied psychology thus: â€Å"The organizations in which people work affect their thoughts, feelings, and actions in the workplace and away from it. Likewise, people’s thoughts, feelings, and actions affect the organizations in which they work. Organizational behavior is an area of inquiry concerned with both sorts of influence: work organizations on people and people on work organizations. † Organizations act as the engine of the American economy in our day.So, for the first time in the latter half of the previous century, the psychology of workers in an American organization became a focal issue in studying organizations. Employee development, organizational cultures, organizational citizenship, work attitudes, organizational attachment, job design, leadership, turnover, absenteeism, and employee work motivation turned ou t to be the centers of attention with advances in psychological theory and changes in the workplace. There were developments in the understanding of cognition, personality, and emotion, and their respective influences on work choices as well as goal striving.The entire human resources departments of the United States were revolutionized at the same time as technological, economic and organizational changes encouraged further research on the influence of socio-cultural in addition environmental factors on employee motivation. The emergence of new paradigms, theories, and organizational concerns did not only provide a rich matrix for the exploration of organizational behavior, but also provided firms with a rather attractive theoretical framework for organizational behavior modification, and in general, the art of running a firm with special reference to its people.As a matter of fact, organizational behavior turned out to be at least as important as computer technology to an American organization. In order to compete in foreign as well as domestic markets, the American organization was required to produce high quality products at low costs. This mission was most likely to be accomplished through satisfied and productive labor, rather than union members on strike. What is more, in order to deal with the organizational changes brought about through the introduction of new technologies, organizations had to learn the principles of organizational change through organizational behavior theories.Indeed, these theories performed their job rather well by helping organizations to introduce technological change effectively. The employees were pleased with the organizational efforts using theories to predict and manage their behavior in the organization. According to Fred Luthans: We found that Organizational Behavior Modification had an average increase of 17% in employee performance. We think that is pretty impressive, especially when you consider many technological inn ovations or some of the better known human resource techniques suchas goal setting do not have evidence of that big an impact. In addition, we also found through†¦meta-analysis some significant theory driven moderators. Specifically, we found that the type of organization and the type of contingent reinforcement intervention moderates the relationship between Organizational Behavior Modification and employee performance. For example, we found that Organizational Behavior Modification had a bigger impact in manufacturing organizations, approximately 33% average improvement, than in serviceorganizations at about 10%. However, it must be remembered that this 10% is still highly significant and can make a big difference in the labor intensive service industry. Whereas the manufacturing industry had traditionally been filled with union members, organizational behavior modification made it possible for the American manufacturing organization to satisfy its employees without a union, especially toward the end of the twentieth century when union membership was falling dramatically.This, indeed, is a big achievement for the field of organizational behavior. Organizations had learned to satisfy their employees without the need for unions to voice the employees’ concerns. By the commencement of the twenty first century, a modern field close to the heart of organization behavior had also been introduced by the name of organizational development.For the present century, organizational development consultants have pointed out the following trends: (1) The range of organizational development techniques is expected to expand, spurred mainly by the information explosion; (2) The number of employees involved in organizational development would increase, which implies that all members of the organization would have to show interest in all phases of organizational operation; (3) It will be increasingly important to improve organizational communication; and (4) The imp lications for organizational behavior – including stress, responsibility, and learning – would be repeatedly addressed.The United States has led the global research into organizational behavior, and there is new information about the field expected in the future with further research. The second prediction of the organizational development experts is that the American organization of the near future would give greater importance to all employees by involving everybody in virtually everything. By increasing the importance of employees in the perspective of the organization, the American firm would continue to lower union membership, seeing as the satisfied employee who participates in virtually all organizational efforts would not need the support of unions.Organizational communication is already very efficient through the use of new technologies. The latest software and Internet-based applications help to bridge communication gaps between employers and employees in all states of America and across the globe. As a matter of fact, Information technology has gifted the organization with new communications tools that allow collaboration in addition to cooperation in the form of wireless communications, electronic mail, shared electronic databases, videoconferencing, and various other groupware technologies.Lastly, the organizational development consultants understand that the organization would continue to take increasing interest in the wellness of its employees. Factors like stress and learning would continue to be addressed. By addressing stress, the organization shows its employees that it cares about their wellbeing. By addressing learning, the organization cares for their essential intellectual and professional growth. In point of fact, progressive organizational behavior theories that stress the need for greater organizational learning are uniquely significant in the twenty first century.In the fast changing business environment, successful Am erican organizations promote learning by getting everyone focused on a common objective; allowing easy communications between and among all members; and then allowing the system to self-organize and to reconfigure itself so as to deal effectively with the emerging new environment. Before the widespread application of organizational behavior theories, it must have been quite stressful to introduce change among union members. Today, if an employee is unhappy at the job, he or she may communicate with the employer in the matter of a few minutes using electronic mail.Perhaps the most important achievement of organizational behavior theories in the United States is that these theories have made the employers realize the true significance of their employees. Consider the following examples of organizational leaders that have tapped their human resources potential: Take Bill Gates, the ultimate techie but a great leader. A reason he has done so well is because he believes in the people par t of his leadership role. In fact, one of his quotes that I like is â€Å"My inventory, the value of my company, walks out the door every night.† I think Gates appreciates the human side of enterprise. He has reward systems, he has teams, he has all the things we talk about in Human Resources; you can find not only the most sophisticated technology in the world, but also textbook examples of effective Organizational Behavior/Human Resources at Microsoft. Gates is obviously the ultimate techie, but he is also appreciative, and an effective leader of human resources. So is Jeff Bezos, the cyber architect of Amazon. com. All of his top people have become millionaires through his HumanResources policies of sharing the wealth through pay for performance and stock ownership in this amazing e-commerce firm. Conclusion Who needs union membership when employers equipped with the new theoretical tools of organizational behavior are wiling to go out of the way to satisfy their employees ? This question leads all researchers to expect that union membership would continue to diminish in the twenty first century. New research into employee satisfaction would continue to enlighten employers.Moreover, employees will be quick to notice the changes brought about through organizational behavior tools, given the advancement in technology that makes it possible for organizational communication to take place at all levels within moments. Although the research for this paper encompassed a variety of reasons suggested for the decline in union membership across the United States in recent decades, organizational behavior appeared to have played the most important role in the diminishing role of labor unions. This is because of the employee satisfaction factor in the organization today.If employees were merely being discouraged by the government or the organization taking actions against union membership, or if they were truly unsatisfied only on the basis of lower wages as a res ult of increased competition and globalization, America’s economy would not have achieved a high rate of growth because employees would have found a way to disturb the organization as well as the economy as whole. However, this did not happen. Rather, employees grew to be satisfied, their productivity increased, and the principal reason why this happened was because employers began to take greater interest in the wellbeing of their employees.By addressing stress, for example, employers ensured that their employees would be mentally and emotionally well in order to perform their job functions most efficiently. Furthermore, employers were made to realize that their employees might have to be involved in the entire organizational process in order to be more interested in their work. Finally, employers who were learned in organizational behavior theories, for example, Bill Gates, appeared to make employees feel that they truly are an integral part of the organization. No more did employees have to be concerned about monetary payments alone.Instead, the workplace was made a truly satisfying and stimulating experience, thanks to organizational behavior theories. Employees could feel that they were a part of the organizational culture. The value of organizational citizenship was additionally recognized. Hence, once again, who needs to join labor unions in order to find more work satisfaction? The American worker has responded to the application of organizational behavior theories and found group satisfaction in organizational teams. The application of organizational behavior theories has been the major reason for the diminishing role of labor unions in the U.S. , and will continue to be the main reason for a decline in union membership in the twenty first century. There is no reason to believe in another direction that union membership might take in the twenty first century. Works Cited 1. â€Å"21st Century Organizational Development Consulting. † Mana gement 2006 (2001). Retrieved from http://www. manage2001. com/index. htm. Accessed 28 October 2006. 2. Brief, Arthur P. , and Howard M. Weiss. â€Å"Organizational Behavior: Affect In The Workplace. † Annual Review of Psychology, 2002. 3. Edsall, Thomas B. â€Å"Labor's Divisions Widen As Membership Declines.† Washington Post (7 March 2005), p. A02. 4. Hodgetts, Richard M. â€Å"A Conversation On Fred Luthans Leadership In The 21st Century. † Journal of Leadership Studies, 1999. 5. Kanfer, Ruth. â€Å"Work Motivation In The 21st Century: Mapping New Directions For Theory And Research. † Society For Industrial And Organizational Psychology Inc (2006). Retrieved from http://www. siop. org/. Accessed 28 October 2006. 6. Compa, Lance. â€Å"Labor Rights and Labor Standards in International Trade. † Law and Policy in International Business, Volume 25, Issue 1, 1993. 7. Mayer, Gerald. â€Å"Union Membership Trends in the United States.† Congressi onal Research Service (2004). Retrieved from http://digitalcommons. ilr. cornell. edu/key workplace/174. Accessed 7 April 2007. 8. Mowday, Richard T. , and Robert I. Sutton. â€Å"Organizational Behavior: Linking Individuals And Groups To Organizational Contexts. † Annual Review of Psychology, Vol. 44, 1993. 9. Peterson, John L. â€Å"Getting Ready For The 21st Century. † USA Today, Vol. 127, May 1999. 10. Walton, Michael. â€Å"Unions In A Global Labor Market. † The World Bank Group. Retrieved from http://www. worldbank. org/mdf/mdf1/index. htm. Accessed 7 April 2007.