Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois Conflicting Ideas Of Freedom - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 487 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/07/04 Category People Essay Level High school Tags: Booker T Washington Essay Did you like this example? I am a 30-year-old man that has very little education. I know how to read and write only a little bit. I support my family by working hard every day as a crop sharer. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois: Conflicting Ideas Of Freedom" essay for you Create order I work from sun break until a little after sundown, breakin my back working in the fields. I wake up and start tillin the fields, planting the crops, and maintaining the crops that support my family. My wife is 28 years old and was a domestic servant for her boss, she has more skills than I do she cook, clean, and raise our one boy. She can write and read real good. After all my hard work, I am a supporter of Booker T. Washington because he is tryin help folks like me to be able to be more successful with my hard work. Within the Life and Legacy of Booker T. Wahsington video, Washington supported helpin out folks like me to be able to see the value in the work I was doing, he made me believe that I could become more successful by giving us skills to be able to show the white man that we worth something. I wouldnt want my boy growing up not showing the integrity and the values of agricultural that Mr. Washington believes in. I think that us black folks need to listen to what he be sayin about being more successful and making us become just as good as the white man. Washington believes we will be able to build up our communities and we can succeed with our skills so that we can become stronger and better. I can stand behind Mr. Washington because folks like me dont have much besides our work to make us be good people and be seen as equals to the white man. If I can use my skills to become a better person, then you better bet on it that I will do all I can to be equal. Mr. Du Bois someone I cant support in this time. I have no education to make me be able to fight the political side of things and our rights. As in the Philosophy of W.E.B Du Bois video, he aint never been a slave like me and my wife, so I feel like he aint really got any idea about how it truly is for us black folks. He wants us to stand up and say that we aint be treated fair. He wanna sacrifice more of us just to prove a point? He dont really understand that for the ones of us that dont have no education, we aint really got much else besides our labor to support us and to make us become seen as equals and of value. If I followed behind Du Bois, I may lose all that I got and have worked real hard for and I sure dont wanna lose it all.

The Important Factor Of Family - 1157 Words

The important factor of Family We are living in a world were for some family dysfunction is the new norm. Dysfunction is when one deviates from the norm of social behavior in a way regarded as bad. Though in today’s time there are many families that fall under dysfunctional. In the 1950s however, that wasn’t the case. Families tended to have a full makeup of the roles played in a family. What is the meaning of family? This question would pose a different response from many people today. Because the family and its structure have changed over the years. There are many influences on how people perceive family life like their background, nationality, sex and their very structure. A family with the father who just loss employment and a mother who is working two jobs to support her family and/or a family that keep moving from place to place having no real sign of stability, as well as, a family where the young ladies are not allowed to get an education. On the other hand, a family with both parents workin g and they have a nice big home may appear to be normal but have damaging chaos in their household. These are just some of the dysfunctional situation that take place in a family setting. Nevertheless, everybody views on the important of family may waiver, for example some people may believe that discipline is the key to a happy family well other may believe patience is the key factor of family. Because people have the ability to deal with the different situation in life, theirShow MoreRelatedMy family has been an important factor in my life, and in my education. Over the years, they have600 Words   |  3 PagesMy family has been an important factor in my life, and in my education. Over the years, they have thought me to face my problems, and they have taught me that life is not easy, and that I should never take the easy way out. I have learned many things from my culture like some of the traditions that I was not aware of, and I really enjoy them. I come from an extended family. A family in which relatives such as grandparents, aunts, and uncles live in the same home as parents and their children (Book)Read More3 Elements Of Smallholder Agriculture770 Words   |  4 Pagessmallholder agriculture It is important to have a picture of some of the key elements of smallholder agriculture that relate to livelihood (see Figure 11). Labour is one of the key features of smallholder agriculture. The family relies on its agricultural activities for most of the food consumed – be it through self-provision, non-monetary exchanges or market exchanges. The family members also engage in various activities other than farming. The farm relies on family labour with limited reliance onRead MoreThe Biggest Influences On Young Adolescents1192 Words   |  5 Pagesfocuses on the factors that influence young adolescents’ religious and spiritual beliefs. The survey can be categorized as my primary source of information, which I can utilize to obtain information and gain a personal perspective on the issue being explored. With the addition of several secondary sources, more information in regards to the issue can be obtained to further explore the issue. In modern society, religion and spirituality are concepts that are recognized as relatively important and significantRead MoreSociocultural And Family Influences On Eating Disorders1372 Words   |  6 Pages1.There is a combination of different forces; individual, sociocultural and family, that lead to the development of eating disorders. Neurology is a factor as disturbances to neurotransmitters and serotonin can affect brain activities that make an individual more susceptible to develop disordered behaviors associated with eating disorders. Genetics are also an important factor to eating disorders as they are inheritable and recessive in future generations. Personal, predisposed characteristics areRead MoreThe Irish Culture And The Person I Interviewed1316 Words   |  6 Pagescountry that is rich in culture, traditions, and faith. This country has struggled with over time with famine, religious tension, and even freedom. Many individuals immigrated to America in search of a be tter life. The person I chose to interview family came over to the United States when Ireland was struggling with famine. They came over on a boat through New York and changed there name to make it more American. For this paper I will further discuss the Irish culture and the person I interviewedRead MoreParenting Practices Essay1002 Words   |  5 PagesJanet Michelle Lewis Parenting Practices April 12, 2014 PARENTING PRACTICES Parenting a child is a very important role. Parents teach a child how to behave and they provide the needs for the child. Parenting practices varies from generation to generation. In the chart below I have described parenting practices over generations in my family.    | Generation 1: Years (1960-1970) | Generation 2: Years(1980-2000) | Generation 3: Years(2000-2014) | Parenting Practice 1: Education | MediumRead MoreMidlife Behavior Essay examples1576 Words   |  7 Pagesas risk factors or as protective factors for the health and well-being during this stage of development. According to the study Journey from Childhood to Midlife completed by Werner and Ruth Smith in 2001, by middle adulthood, most people have noted a balancing in their lives and improvement in overall quality of their lives. The period of early adulthood had provided positive turning points such as community college, marriage to a stable partner or military service. A contributing factor is relationshipsRead MoreAddiction Is A Condition Of Substance Use Disorder1523 Words   |  7 Pagesan individual’s daily life. Certain factors can either drive an individual to drug use, or keep him away. These factors are known as risk and protective factors, respectively. The greater the number of risk factors, the greater the likelihood of substance abuse, which could subsequently turn into an addiction. According to Chang et al. (2006), as youths become young adults, they will be exposed to more high-risk contexts or in other words, more risk factors. For instance, when children enter middleRead MoreEssay on P2 Unit 4 Health and Social Care1421 Words   |  6 Pagespotential effects of five different life factors, on the development of an individual There are different factors that can influence a person development. When a person is developing that are different biological and environment factors that can determinate the way they are, how they act and how they develop. It all depends on a combination of both biological inheritance and the environment influences. In this assignment I will talk about how five different factors affect an individual development. Read MoreThe Social Factors That Affect The Experiences Of Children1204 Words   |  5 PagesA traditional family is defined by the marriage of a man, woman, and/ or a child. Today, less than half of the children in this nation live in such a family. Families have become more complex and less â€Å"traditional† (Livington, 2014). According to Livington (2014), Americans are delaying marriage or avoiding it altogether. This is largely due to the factor that women are attaining careers and not getting married and having children. Another factor that contributes to thi s movement away from the traditional

Responses to Juvenile Violence in the USA free essay sample

This paper looks as three responses to juvenile violence over the past century and how they combine to form a holistic picture of the problem. The paper examines the legislative, judicial and administrative responses to juvenile violence. From the legislative aspect, it studies the justice system for minors and its changes over the past century. From a judicial aspect, it looks at the unfair application of the legislation in the USA. From the administrative aspect, it deals with the trend toward more rehabilitation-orientated treatment of juvenile offenders. Many juvenile courts have now discarded this so-called infancy defense and have found that delinquent acts can be committed by children of any age. This reflects less a change in the understanding of child psychology, however, than it does a change in cultural and social ideas about criminal agency (http://128.192.30.16/LegisGame/g7/issues/A10.htm). The creation in the late 19th century of a separate justice system for youths reflected a combined legislative, judicial and administrative response to the need that society felt for punishing youths but not too much. We will write a custom essay sample on Responses to Juvenile Violence in the USA or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page So many offenders were juveniles that it was believed that some system must be established to deal with their unique needs and to help them from becoming lifetime criminals.

Driverless Cars free essay sample

A driverless car, also known as a self-driving car is an autonomous car which can perform the actions of the human being, as if a man were driving a traditional car. We can say that the car is independent of the human as the car only needs to be programmed with the destination. The mechanical part of the vehicle is held by the car its own. Moreover, to function, the car has some specific technology, for example laser, radar, GPS and computer vision. An example of an approved case of self-driving cars can be Google’s.In 2011 the state of Nevada was the first jurisdiction in the United States to pass a law concerning the operation of driverless cars. This law was turned into effect by March 2012 and the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles gave the first license for a self-driven car in May 2012. This license was given to Google’s car which was in this case a Toyota Prius. We will write a custom essay sample on Driverless Cars or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Google got involved with this issue as it is trying to develop technology for driverless vehicles. In addition, the project is currently being led by Google engineer Sebastian Thrun, director of the StanfordArtificial Intelligence Laboratory and the co-inventor of Google Street View. To develop this system, Google also had to hire 15 engineers. This topic about self-driving cars involves also other issues such as hardware and software, social and ethical issues and the social impact. As regards hardware and software involved, it integrates Google Maps with various hardware sensors and artificial intelligence software so as to take its passengers where they want safely and comfortably. Google Maps provides the car with road information; the hardware sensors provide the vehicle with real time environment conditions and the artificial intelligence software provides the car with real time decisions. Google Maps interacts with the GPS and acts as a database. In addition, it is in charge of looking for speed limits, upcoming intersections, traffic reports, nearby collisions and directions. Concerning hardware, we have to take in account that it uses an array of sensors to navigate public roads without a human driver, and many other components. Google’s Toyota Prius possesses a lidar, which is a rotating sensor on the roof that scans more than 200 feet in all directions to generate a precise three-dimensional map of the car’s surroundings.

Tragedy In Hamlet Essays - Shakespearean Tragedies,

Tragedy In Hamlet The Tragedy of Hamlet Arguably the best piece of writing ever done by William Shakespeare, Hamlet the is the classic example of a tragedy. In all tragedies the hero suffers, and usually dies at the end. Othello stabs himself, Romeo and Juliet commit suicide, Brutis falls on his sword, and like them Hamlet dies by getting cut with a poison tipped sword. But that is not all that is needed to consider a play a tragedy, and sometimes a hero doesn't even need to die. Not every play in which a Hero dies is considered a tragedy. There are more elements needed to label a play one. Probably the most important element is an amount of free will. In every tragedy, the characters must displays some. If every action is controlled by a hero's destiny, then the hero's death can't be avoided, and in a tragedy the sad part is that it could. Hamlet's death could have been avoided many times. Hamlet had many opportunities to kill Claudius, but did not take advantage of them. He also had the option of making his claim public, but instead he chose not too. A tragic hero doesn't need to be good. For example, MacBeth was evil, yet he was a tragic hero, because he had free will. He also had only one flaw, and that was pride. He had many good traits such as bravery, but his one bad trait made him evil. Also a tragic hero doesn't have to die. While in all Shakespearean tragedies, the hero dies, in others he may live but suffer Moral Destruction. In Oedipus Rex, the proud yet morally blind king plucks out his eyes, and has to spend his remaining days as a wandering, sightless beggar, guided at every painful step by his daughter, Antigone. A misconception about tragedies is that nothing good comes out of them, but it is actually the opposite. In Romeo and Juliet, although both die, they end the feud between the Capulets and the Montegues. Also, Romeo and Juliet can be together in heaven. In Hamlet, although Hamlet dies, it is almost for the best. How could he have any pleasure during the rest of his life, with his parents and Ophelia dead. Also, although Hamlet dies, he is able to kill Claudius and get rid of the evil ruling the throne. Every tragic play must have a tragic hero. The tragic hero must possess many good traits, as well as one flaw, which eventually leads to his downfall. A tragic hero must be brave and noble. In Othello, Othello had one fatal flaw, he was too great. Othello was too brave, too noble, and especially too proud to allow himself to be led back to Venice in chains. A tragic hero must not back down from his position. He also has to have free will, in order to stand up for what he believes in. Finally, the audience must have some sympathy for the tragic hero. In MacBeth, although MacBeth commits many murders, one almost feels sorry for him and his fate. Hamlet is the perfect example of the tragic hero. Hamlet has all the good traits needed to be a tragic hero. He is brave and daring. One example of this is that when he went to England, he was taking a big risk. If his plan didn't work, he would have been executed He also is also loyal. His loyalty to his father, was the reason he was so angry at Claudius and his Mother. Another trait was that he was intelligent. He was able to think up the idea of faking insanity, in order to get more information about Claudius. But Hamlet like all other tragic hero's had a flaw. He couldn't get around to doing anything, because he couldn't move on. He was a full grown adult, yet he still attended school in England, because he couldn't move on. Also, it took him a long time to stop grieving about his father, because he didn't want to move past that part of his life. And after he finally did, Hamlet couldn't get around to killing Claudius. He kept pretending he was insane even after he was sure

Invention of telephone Essays

Invention of telephone Essays Invention of telephone Essay Invention of telephone Essay When Alexander Graham Bell foremost invented the telephone his purpose was to make a device that would do communicating over great distances easier. Today. when we want to speak to another individual. what do we make? We pick up the telephone. coil through our contacts. and imperativeness send. Because of the engineering that was foremost invented in the mid 1800’s we can immediately link to people in other metropoliss. provinces. and even other states. But have you of all time wondered how different today’s universe would be without the innovation of the telephone? In my sentiment. the telephone has brought about the most far making and permanent alterations in our civilisation. The innovation of the telephone has caused both positive and negative results to our society. Some of the advantages of the innovation of the telephone are: We can now immediately reach our household and friends. concerns can distribute their services worldwide. we can reach exigency forces in the event that we need them. and it was used to assist make the cyberspace. Some of the disadvantages of the innovation of the telephone are: America is a state that thrives on instant satisfaction. there are a batch of safety and wellness concerns due to the overexploitation of the telephone. and the fact that people today are non every bit societal as they one time were. Back when this state was foremost founded if a individual wanted to acquire in contact with another individual in another metropolis it meant a courier had to go a great distance and manus present the missive to the intended individual. The procedure from start to complete could take months. or even near to a twelvemonth. because of the bringing clip. In today’s universe though. a individual has the ability to pick up the telephone and immediately acquire an reply to a inquiry they have. Businesss use telephones within their offices to pass on with colleagues and they besides utilize the telephone to speak to clients. concern spouses. or sellers that may populate in different provinces or different states. In the 1700’s if a baker needed milk he could non pick up the phone and order 100 gallons from Cobourg Farms that was located 200 stat mis off. the baker would hold to purchase that milk from a local husbandman. Families that were separated by an full ocean truly had no agencies of communicating until the early 1900’s. However. today non merely do we hold the ability to name person on our telephones. but we besides have to ability to see the other individual while speaking on the phone with them. In the crude cyberspace yearss we used the telephone lines to dial into the cyberspace. The innovation of the telephone has opened impossible doors for the universe. However. with the good the telephone brings society. it besides brings some negative things into society every bit good. Most first universe states in the universe thrive on instant satisfaction. We ever have our phone with us and when we are without it we feel like a piece of us is losing. I myself have been guilty of speaking to older coevalss and inquiring them how they of all time survived without a cell phone. because holding a phone within my range 24/7 is 2nd nature to me. When we want to cognize something or want to speak to person all we have to make is make down into our pockets and we immediately get replies. Peoples are less patient now-a-days and I’d like to believe that has something to make with the fact that we have the universe at our finger tips at any given point throughout our twenty-four hours. Because of the innovation of the cellular telephone there are a figure of safety and wellness hazards that are caused by the overexploitation of these devices. Cellphones emit little sums of radiation. and over clip the radiation end product can take to memory jobs. tumours. and other wellness issues. Peoples now besides can speak on their cell phones and thrust. or text and thrust. A driver is non to the full cognizant of his or her milieus when they are being distracted by a cellular telephone in their manus. or a Bluetooth device that is in their ear or built into their auto. Having the ability to utilize a phone anyplace. at any clip causes wrecks and human deaths every twenty-four hours in the impulsive universe. We now have runs against texting and driving and in some provinces it is illegal to speak and drive without a grip device because of the figure of deceases that phones have caused. I can vouch if you walk into any dining installation at dinner clip you will see at least one household whose olfactory organs are all buried in their phones. Because of the innovation of the smartphone we have entree to the whereabouts of everyone in our household and all of our friends. The telephone has played a immense function in the decomposition of our societal behaviour. Twelve people can be in a room with each other. but neer talk to each other because they are all preoccupied on their phones. Families don’t communicate every bit much as they used to in individual. because directing a simple text message is much easier than speaking in individual. In today’s coevals holding a phone is a natural portion of life. When the phone was foremost invented it was merely available to the rich. but over clip it has become less expensive which allows more people to hold entree to it. The innovation of the telephone has greatly changed how society maps. I don’t believe Alexander Graham Bell knew how the engineering for the phone would turn when he foremost invented it. The phone has many positive properties. but it besides has many disadvantages every bit good. I urge you the following clip you pick up your phone attempt and believe about how you would hold functioned 200 old ages ago when communicating was non so readily accessible.

Why did the Tokugawa permit the 'Floating World' to operate Essay

Why did the Tokugawa permit the 'Floating World' to operate - Essay Example The representative art of the floating world in Japan was the traditional Japanese form of art and showed Japanese cultural influences merged with Western forms to provide originality in form and presentation of such artistic creations. Ukiyo-e is thus a form of Japanese traditional art that used art as a form of social criticism and represents society in all its aspects. In fact Ukiyo-e represented all cultural forms at the time and issues related to social conflicts and cultural changes, sexual taboos and attitudes towards social norms, war and art life. A man’s role in a rapidly changing environment is represented in these art forms and in this discussion I will highlight why the Tokugawa shogunate permit the Floating world to operate within Japan. In this context a novel ‘An Artist of the Floating World’ has been written by K.Ishiguro which represented WWII Japan and showed how the attitudes and paintings have changed in recent times within the limits of Japanese traditional art. The use of Kimono and geisha themes, the popularity of Japanese samurais and sushi are all features of the Ukiyo-e period and the period represents a unique Japanese culture highlighting traditional Japanese forms, arts, food and everything representative of traditional Japan. Ukiyo-e, the traditional Japanese art form came into existence during the Edo period (1615- 1868) along with the emergence of the unified government of Japan and growth of a large urban population. Edo has now been transformed to modern Tokyo and the pleasure quarters of the modern city was known as Ukiyo or the floating world (Yasutaka et al, 2000). Ukiyo is portrayed negatively in Buddhism as the term means ephemereal or worldly and transitory pleasures and gradua lly came to be known as a world of sensual pleasures that are valued in the modern world (Kabayashi, 1992). Ukiyo-e literally means pictures or images of the floating world or the world of pleasures and represents an art form in traditional Japan that highlighted these different dimensions of pleasure, and art that recorded the life vein of Edo at that time - the geishas and courtesans, the kabuki actors, samurais, and the art on these themes was based on the traditional ukiyo-e form of woodblock printing. The kabuki theatre highlighted and patronized the merchant class as well as erotic art and landscape of Japan (Hebbitt, 1975). The representations of Mt Fuji, depiction of waves and scenes of landscapes and seascapes show the views of nature and represents classical style and Japanese emphasis on nature, values and tradition. Some of the main Japanese artists who represented the floating world in their art and paintings are Hiroshige, Kuniyoshi, Hokusai, Kunisada, and Utamaro. The Ukiyo-e artists produced erotic prints, paintings and subjects within the Shunga. Ukiyo-e had a focus on sexual and erotic themes and celebrated sensuality and sexuality and many modern paintings are simply representations of the older ones. The Ukiyo-e artists have used their art to expose political corruption, social disorder, as well as violence and chaos along with gestures of emotion and drama as well as varied sexual and erotic themes. However the Ukiyo-e art was allowed to flourish by the Tokugawa shogunate but in 1850 with the fall of the Shogunate, Japan's politics became enmeshed in a civil war and the Ukiyo-e art at this time lost its patronage of the Tokugawa Shogunate and also highlighted the violence and political disruption of the situation as the Tokugawa shogunate collapsed. In the initial stages of the Edo period, the region had a feudal political system with a

Assignment 11Chapter10 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

11Chapter10 - Assignment Example Routine reports are supposed to be primed and submitted on issues required by the organization for the purpose of helping the organization management to take actions in the issues that are related to daily affairs of the business. The main aim of routine report is to make the management aware of the happenings within the organization, progress where there might be a deviation, and what kind of resolutions made in conjunction with solving the problem. There are few problems associated with routine reporting; one is that data collected and submitted within the organization is neither complete nor accurate for the purpose of tracking outcomes or process performance across the entire organization. Secondly, systematic evaluation of data may be hit with challenges as a result of inconsistencies (Meredith & Mantel, 2012). The main purpose of earned value measures the entire organization performance by use of an aggregate performance measure which is the earned value. The earned value of performed work for any task in progress is obtained by multiplying the estimated percent physical completion of task for each task by the planned cost for those particular tasks. The result should be the amount that may have been spent on the activity thus far; this can then be paralleled with the actual amount that has been spent (Meredith & Mantel, 2012). Having a summarized estimate of the percent completion of any project without keen study of every of its work and tasks units is not sensible in a

How to Develop a Plan That Really Works Case Study

How to Develop a Plan That Really Works - Case Study Example Boeing uses four main types of plans: strategic, tactical, operational and contingency plans. Strategic planning is important as it determines the directions and strategic priorities of the corporation. Recent years, Boeing develops its strategic plans in accordance with Federal regulations and bankruptcy laws namely the Federal Acquisition Regulation and Cost Accounting Standards. For Boeing, strategic alternatives may be generated at all levels in the organization's hierarchy. At the organizational level, alternatives are concerned with the form of government, its basic style and policies, and its central service delivery purpose and strategy. At the department level, alternatives deal with the direction the organization should follow for each major service being delivered (Bryson 2004). At the division level, alternatives are concerned with the direction the organization should take in regard to discrete systems, processes, methods, and approaches. As the strategic planning proces s is being contemplated, criteria should be established as to how the plan will be evaluated. Criteria such as reduced cost, improved quality, improved sense of direction, better teamwork, and improved service delivery might be used. Organizations need to be aware of what is happening in their environment that might affect them. In other words, they should continually survey and monitor the outside as well as the inside of the organization (Bradford et al 2000). Strategic planning is influenced by social responsibility issues including ethical concerns and fair competition laws. Special attention is given at competition and advertising, macroenvironment and compliance with international laws. "Global corporate citizenship is one of Boeing's core values, and our communities are among the key stakeholders in the company's business model. Corporate citizenship is as integral to our company as our expertise in flight and technology" (Boeing Home Page 2008). Factors to be considered as part of the macro-environmental scanning process include social factors such as demographics, financial factors such as interest rates, and political factors such as increasing government deregulation, changing federalism and state government's trends, and regulations. Among the factors to be considered as part of the government, an environment is the number and locations of other governments, the degree of federal and state government presence, the typical service s being provided, and the marketing strategies of other competitive local governments. The competitive-environmental scan includes consideration of general competitor profiles (other local governments and private service providers), market segmentation patterns, research and development, and so on (Bryson 2004).

Pestel Analysis Of Icici Prudential Economics Essay

Pestel Analysis Of Icici Prudential Economics Essay Threat of New Entrants. The average entrepreneur cant come along and start a large insurance company. The threat of new entrants lies within the insurance industry itself. Some companies have carved out niche areas in which they underwrite insurance. These insurance companies are fearful of being squeezed out by the big players. Another threat for many insurance companies is other financial services companies entering the market. Power of Suppliers. The suppliers of capital might not pose a big threat, but the threat of suppliers luring away human capital does. If a talented insurance underwriter is working for a smaller insurance company (or one in a niche industry), there is the chance that person will be enticed away by larger companies looking to move into a particular market. Power of Buyers.  The individual doesnt pose much of a threat to the insurance industry. Large corporate clients have a lot more bargaining power with insurance companies. Large corporate clients like airlines and pharmaceutical companies pay millions of dollars a year in premiums. Insurance companies try extremely hard to get high-margin corporate clients. Availability of Substitutes.  This one is pretty straight forward, for there are plenty of substitutes in the insurance industry. Most large insurance companies offer similar suites of services. Whether it is auto, home, commercial, health or life insurance, chances are there are competitors that can offer similar services. In some areas of insurance, however, the availability of substitutes is  few and far between. Companies focusing on niche areas usually have a competitive advantage, but this advantage depends entirely on the size of the niche and on whether there are any barriers preventing other firms from entering. Competitive Rivalry.  The insurance industry is becoming highly competitive. The difference between one insurance company and another is usually not that great. As a result, insurance has become more like a commodity an area in which the insurance company with the low cost structure, greater efficiency and better customer service will beat out competitors. Insurance companies also use higher investment returns and a variety of insurance investment products to try to lure in customers. In the long run, were likely to see more consolidation in the insurance industry. Larger companies prefer to take over or merge with other companies rather than spend the money to market and advertise to people. Pestel analysis Political and legal factors Within Indian political ambitions and rise of communalism, fissiparous tendencies are on the rise and may well continue for quite some time. Based on this the insurance companies might introduce political risk coverage in their policies. In India the only area where customers consider to a take insurance cover is on customs duty change but also on certain conditions. The term political risk has a wider connotation than commonly understood or assumed. It covers events rising not just from politics, but risks in the course of international transactions. Based on this the insurance companies come up with new policies with respect to the problems arising out of foreign legal jurisdiction, political changes and also currency exchange difficulties being faced by many developing countries. Reforms in the Insurance sector were initiated with the passage of the IRDA Bill in Parliament in December 1999. The IRDA since its incorporation as a statutory body in April 2000 has fastidiously stuck t o its schedule of framing regulations and registering the private sector insurance companies. In India the entry mode for a company to start up a new life insurance company is to have a paid up capital of 100 crore rupees. Other rules got in by IRDA are Mandatory Investments of LIC Life Fund in government securities to be reduced from 75% to 50% GIC and its subsidiaries are not to hold more than 5% in any company (There current holdings to be brought down to this level over a period of time) Economic Factors The interest rates at bank and also the provident fund variation affect the life insurance industry as people are always attracted by a higher return. So compared to this the lower return policy is not attractive to the customers. Another factor which affects the life insurance industry is Unemployment, as unemployed people would not have any earnings, savings would be comparatively less which would mean less sales in-turn affecting the GDP of the country and also the industry. Other factors which contribute to the insurance industry are the natural factors like earthquakes, monsoons etc, as these events lead to a lot of deaths, the insurance companies have to pay claim against the policy. A typical Indian will want a better product with a low income so he prefers to pay in annuity or installments (EMI), so that they will not have extra savings to invest in the insurance policy. One of the main reasons for the economic factor is the inflation rate in todays market. High inflation rate will tend to reduce the insurances business as the money paid to the policy holder during the time of maturity will be less and it would be less attractive for the investor. Social-cultural factors Population is one of the major factors affecting the industry as the growth in population will indirectly help the companies to capture more market with more people. Life styles is another factor which affect the industry, the current life styles of the people in India are increasingly becoming like nuclear families, as both the parents would be working there would be a possibility of an accident, which would mean more sales for the company In terms of life insurance. Similarly people are interested in having a car and more cars in the road would mean more sales for life insurance. The third factor is the level of education, as India is still a developing country more than 50% of the population is illiterate and the other 50% are not sure about the concept of life insurance, creating the awareness for the product is a big challenge and one of the more contributing factors that affect the life insurance industry. Technological Factors Internet is becoming a fast house hold name in India where every house in the urban area has a connection. The life insurance industry has taken advantage of this with having many policies which can be flexible to the customer. The customer can check the flexibility sitting at home and select the best policy, pay the monthly installments and everything would be done within minutes. One more factor is the debit and credit card facilities where the customer can pay the installments easily. The life insurance industry is taking a huge advantage of the technology advancement in the world and making it their competitive advantage. Environmental factors Insurance companies in India are more affected by the environmental factors which can affect the industry. The Tsunami in 2008 which had such an impact in the south western India, Drivers of growth in the insurance industry. Government support The existing rule according to the IRDA in India is that a foreign partner can hold a maximum of 26% of equity in an insurance company. Countering this a proposal has been submitted to the government to increase the limit to 49% which would mean more money to be pumped in the market. In 1999, a total of Rs. 8.7 billion has been supplied by the foreign partners and 21 private companies have been granted licenses. Competition The intense rivalry among the players in the life insurance market is going to affect the industry in a positive way. LIC which has the most market share is showing signs of losing their grip in the competition and other companies like ICICI prudential, Metlife India are gaining. Legal aspects The insurance sectors growth is more than 3 times the growth of its economy in India. So many businesses or the domestic firms will aim to invest in insurance sector. Moreover, the growth of insurance in India is 13 times more than the growth of insurance industry in the developed countries. So foreign companies will be fostering an immense desire to invest in the Indian insurance market. Industry life cycle model Source: (Johnson, et al.2005) The theory for the Industry Life cycle is given in the Appendix. Analysing the life insurance industry in India the key observations are, the Industry is in the shake-out stage relating to the porters 5 forces analysis we can evaluate that the entry into the market is difficult and there is immense competitive rivalry in the industry and the companies are innovating with many flexible policies to suit the potential customer. The present market players like LIC, ICICI Prudential, Metlife India insurance are having a strong Managerial and Financial position, they are capable of holding the market which in the present market scenario is a key to holding customers so the weak companies are not able to cope up with this scenario and are either being taken over by the big companies or they are just run over. Scenario 1 Joint-Venture In the future we might see a lot of companies merging in order to compete with LIC which has about 68% of the market share. The next major company holding the market is ICICI Prudential with 8% which is also a joint venture between ICICI Bank and Prudential life Insurance. The difference between the top two companies is 60%. Which can also be told as a monopoly by LIC. As the insurance industry is one of the most emerging in the world many companies want to compete for the market share.Given the scenario, the only weakness that LIC has is their customer relationship management, other companies have made that area their strongest. Taking into consideration one of the drivers for change that is mentioned above, which says that the government might increase the limit of foreign companies equity to 49%, there are many opportunities for the joint ventures to happen. Few companies have already established themselves in the market like AIG with Tata, ING with Vyasaya. Scenario 2 Life Insurance becoming more tech-savvy. Another scenario is that the life insurance companies make trading online for the customers. That is make everything available in the internet for the customers like paying of premium, choosing the right policies etc. ICICI Prudential has tried its hand at the technology by giving more information about their policies and services they offer to the customers where the customers can check and enquire anything they want to know. This is one of the stepping stones to the technology of having everything electronic where the customer wont be harnessed to the paper work of having a life insurance. Many other companies have taken upon this area and soon it will be a boon to the customers. Scenario 3 Life insurance as growth of the economy Since Indias life insurance industry liberalized in 1999, there have been companies coming to India and with it increasing the competition, the innovation, the flexibilities etc. Insurance industrys contribution towards the GDP has increased significantly from 2.3% in 2001 to 5.2% in 2011. The Life insurance covers have increased about 12times in the past decade and Many analysts predict that by 2020 India will be one of the three top countries in the insurance market. The statistics say that the insurance industry will reach upto $350-$400 billion by 2020. (Study of insurance sector, 2011) Changing scenario in the life insurance industry! http://www.unepfi.org/fileadmin/documents/insurance_climatechange_statement.pdf

Dugong Research :: Marine Mammals Biology Essays

Dugong Research Scientific name: Dugong Dugon Status: Vulnerable to extinction since 1982 (IUCN) Appendix I of CITES Taxonomy: Class Mammalia Order Sirenia Family Dugongidae Genus Dugong Species dugon Common Name dugong or sea cow Local Name duyong or baboy dagat Description: The dugong is one of the 24 species of marine mammals present in the Philippine waters. The dugong is the only representative of the order Sirenia to be found in the country. It is a truly unique aquatic animal, being the only herbivorous mammal whose preferred habitat is the sea. Like people and other mammals, the dugong is warm-blooded, has hairs, breathes air and the mother suckles their young. It has been noted that stories on mermaids are attributed to this unique animal due to its striking resemblance – fish-like tail, brownish smooth skin, mammary glands, woman-like genitalia and even its’ suckling baby. An adult dugong can grow to more than three meters in length and can weigh more than 400 kg. Newborns are a little over a meter, while mature animals measure at least 2.5 meters in length (Marsh et al. 1984). The dugong’s body is torpedo-shaped with whale-like flukes. The neck is short and indistinct. The flippers are small and short are used for manoeuvring and as a support during feeding or resting at the sea bottom. The color of an adult dugong is greyish bronze, which becomes lighter ventrally. Neonates and juveniles are lighter and are browner in color. The skin is tough, heavily scarred and usually colonized with barnacles in older animals. Short/stiff hair and fine/thin hair is sparsely distributed throughout the back of the animal. Hair is almost absent in the abdomen but are large, thick and abundant in the snout region. The upper lip forms the rostral disc, which is horseshoe in shape and is covered with a lot of thick and long vibrissae used for probing. A unique feature is around 25-35 mm thick (not as thick compared to other marine mammals, since protection from the cold is not a great problem for this warm and shallow water species).

Internal and External Business Stakeholders Essay

In 1963 an internal memorandum issued at the Stanford Research Institute used the term â€Å"stakeholders† for the first time and defined the word as â€Å"those groups without whose support the organization would cease to exist†(Boundless, paragraph1). Now it generally includes anyone who has an interest or â€Å"stake† in a business or entity. There are two types of stakeholders: internal stakeholders, those within an organization that have an interest in the business, and external stakeholders, those with an interest in the business outside of an organization. Internal stakeholders include owners, employees, managers, and stockholders, those who are directly affected by the success or failure of a business’ decisions. The owners and stockholders are the ones who have the most to gain or lose depending on how the business fares in the market. They’re the ones who put their money into an idea to create the business and should it fail, they’d lose that investment. The managers and employees, similarly, would lose benefits, rewards, or even their jobs completely should it fail. Since these have the most to lose, they’re the one who work the hardest to make sure the business succeeds. External stakeholders, customers, creditors, suppliers, the government, etc., are also affected by the success of a business. If the business is doing well, the customer is able to get good quality products and/or services at sensible prices, creditors get paid back the loan they gave the business, and suppliers keep selling their products to the business, thus keeping them in business as well. When the business is up and running, stakeholders need to collaborate and each plays their own part with each other to keep the business successful. The owners and creditors need to supply the financial backing, the employees need to sell the products or services to the consumers with excellent customer service, the suppliers need to distribute and deliver their products promptly and professionally, and the customers need to continue to buy the products or services while providing constructive feedback. When these stakeholders interact without confusion or miscommunication, the business runs smoothly and they all gain something from working together. No matter what the business sells or provides, if there’s contact with any human being, and there always is, then there are by definition â€Å"stakeholders† in the company.  Without them, there would be no products or services offered to the consumer and there wouldn’t be a business in the first place. Source: Boundless. â€Å"Business Stakeholders: Internal and External.† Boundless Accounting. Boundless, 14 Nov. 2014. Retrieved 19 Jan. 2015 from https://www.boundless.com/accounting/textbooks/boundless-accounting-textbook/introduction-to-accounting-1/overview-of-key-elements-of-the-business-19/business-stakeholders-internal-and-external-117-6595/

The alliance system

The alliance system, which had kept Germany out of war for so long, has forced us into one. For almost a century after the fall of Napoleon in 1815, Europe has been largely peaceful. Until now. With the Franco-Prussian War, and other revolutions in 1848, the systematic dismantling of unity which has been so supported is now undergoing an ironic dismantling. They tell us Central Europe is growing up! If it is then how come it is pulverizing its own foundation? Now 1871, after over one thousand years of political bickering and jostling, the Germanic states finally unify behind one flag. Led by the will of our dear "Iron Chancellor", Otto Von Bismarck, we have accomplished in a less than a decade what has taken the rest of the major European powers hundreds of years. What is not being told however is the fact that it is all just a facade for Bismark to hide his shameful face behind. We have just undergone the fastest rise of a true world power in modern history. Right now, Italy is idolizing us and trying to unify also. We must not let Italy, nor any other country for that matter, see our true self. We must keep face for old Bismark and not let him down. For if we were to make a slip and show the slightest bit of rebelliousness in our blood, we let down our country and pull the mask off the actor. The unification of Germany was indeed a good idea, but in my opinion, created a strain on Europe. The powers at the edge of Europe (Great Britain, France, and Russia) have been exerting pressure on the center. Now for the first time, the center of Europe is becoming sufficiently powerful to press on the periphery. Bismarck realizes this shift, and its consequences. Almost immediately, he set about creating a system of alliances. They are designed primarily to prevent war and maintain the status quo. The alliance system, which had kept Germany out of war for so long, has forced us into one. Millions of graves are...

Ethnography Research Paper Conducted at Local Mall McDonalds

Ethnography Research Paper Conducted at Local Mall McDonalds Free Online Research Papers Ethnography Research Paper Conducted at Local Mall McDonalds The ethnography research that I studied took place at the food court. I visited the McDonalds stall in the food court of Pacific Fair Mall on a Saturday at around 1pm. Pacific Fair is the biggest shopping mall in Gold coast, Australia. The food court is located in the first level of the mall. The first level was roofed with some kind of translucent material so that sunlight can come in to the mall; also, it can thwart the customers from rain, especially during the winter. In a square shaped area, the stalls were to be found on the sides leaving a big space in the middle, where, large number of tables and chairs were placed. When alls said and done, it created a cozy feel for the customers. The food court comprises of more than 25 individual stalls, from coffee shops to proper cuisine. The shoppers had a wide range of food variety to choose. Some of the stalls are self service and the others were served by food runners (waiters). There was a lot of running around and quick moves between the counter and the kitchen. Most of them working in the stalls appeared to be younger than eighteen years of old. The reason for young staffs could be, less pay per hour. I was amazed by the fact, most of them wearing black trousers as their uniform, but, the shirt differ from stall to stall. Apart from this, there were people working in blue clothing, looked a little elderly, were cleaning the tables with left over food and the wrapping papers. It was a late Saturday afternoon and the food court was filled with people off all ages, there were families with kids, couples, individuals and teenage groups. I could see different races of people, Asian to African. It is easier to assume people with their cameras clicking some pictures are tourists. Apart from that I could see people of different race speaking Australian lingo, for instance, â€Å"no might (mate)†, â€Å"woudcha? (would you)†. These people could be the migrants to Australia and made Australia a multi-cultural destination. Out of the whole crowd I noticed this group of friends who were loud in laughing and cracking jokes. They got seated before they could order food; I guess this was to ensure a seat due to the increasing crowd. The group was between the age group of 15-16 years old. I was seated between them and the counter, which made it very easy for me to hear their conversation at both ends. The group consisted of three boys and two girls. Out of which, one of the guys was loud and cracking jokes and the other two were listening to him, out of the girls one was listening to the first guy’s comments and the other one was meddling with her hand bag and finally removed a Mobil phone, probably checking her message she must have received on it. This is one difference I have noticed between the two sexes everywhere. No matter how big or small a Mobile phone is, men always carry it in their pant pockets where as women always use their hand bags. The boys were dressed sporty. Two among the three were wearing cap and the other guy was blonde. The third guy had a good hair-style. Among the three, two were wearing t-shirts (Billabong) and the other one was wearing a white colored vest. All the three were wearing surf shorts. And to my greatest surprise two guys were not wearing any shoes. And the other one was wearing flip-flops. Among the two, one girl was wearing a tight top and a short denim skirt. And the other one was wearing sleeveless top and a surf shorts. Both the girls were wearing caps. I was surprised because according to the country where I come from, going places with out shoes is considered as indecent. Also in a big shopping mall it is impossible to find one person without shoes. From their dress code we can assume two points: typical summer clothing and they belong to the popular culture, the surf culture. As soon as after they got their seats, both the girls sat back and the guys got up to take their food orders. In most countries and even the one I come from India i.e. when there is a group of girls and boys the girls rarely get up to order their own food. Most of the boys make use of this opportunity to show their graciousness. The group spent a lot of time looking at the menu board which had the list of the different kind of burgers. After much discussion among each other the boys ordered their food. The girls got a small burger and a salad respectively, but, the guys grabbed the Big Macs. Well this reminded me of a Jack Nicholson movie, in which he positively passes a statement saying women never eat on dates. In agreement to that I can not remember ever noticing a girl eating more than the guy on the table. Every one in the group got a drink as well. I guess which an indication of the increasing heat is. The conversations began to flow again and this time they were talking about the food they had ordered. The boys exchanged bites of each others burgers and took comparatively larger bites. After each one of them started eating their meals the conversation grew less among the guy but the women continued to whisper and mutter words among each other. The boys just quickly ate through their food. Where as, the girl who was eating the smaller burger took really small bites and had longer intervals between them. The girl who ordered the salad plate kept on playing with the food by just mixing everything in the plate using a fork and took equal portions of each vegetable. Conclusively, female have more table manners than guys; no matter which age group they belong. Research Papers on Ethnography Research Paper Conducted at Local Mall McDonaldsHip-Hop is ArtPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsWhere Wild and West MeetResearch Process Part OneGenetic Engineering19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided Era

Merger or Acquisition Case Study (Report) Essay

Merger or Acquisition Case Study (Report) - Essay Example On the other hand, if the organization feels it is not performing up to the expected levels, and needs some pep up from external forces, then also they can merge with or acquire company, which is also â€Å"sailing in the same boat† and thus facing the same issues. Thus, M&A can be both a successful strategy and at the same time survival strategy, aiding the organizations in the short as well as in the long run. Immediately it can fulfill the short term targets, and in the long run, probably after five years, it can satisfy each entities long term goals. So, this paper focusing on the merger of AT&T and BellSouth will first discuss the stated aims of that deal and the extent to which these aims have been fulfilled or being fulfilled. AT&T Inc is USA’s largest fixed telephony as well as mobile telephony provider. AT&T has reached its present status, after going through a series of break-ups and mergers. The original AT&T was divided in 1983 as a result of the United Stat es vs. AT&T antitrust suit, and Southwestern Bell Corporation (SBC) came into existence as the newer version of AT&T. Then in 1995, SBC changed its name to SBC Communications Inc. Then, finally in 2005, SBC Communications Inc. became AT&T Inc. ... One of the main aims of this acquisition by AT&T is to create a ‘super-sized’ AT&T, with largest customer base. In case of mergers and acquisitions, in particular acquisitions, the aim of the acquiring company is to further expand its size, operations, reach, etc, by absorbing all the resources of the acquired company. Likewise, in the case of AT&T, it is already a major corporation, while BellSouth was a middle player. Thus, AT&T wanted to further accentuate its size, reach and importantly customer numbers, and this acquisition of BellSouth provided the needed leverage and the numbers. The other associated aim of the acquisition is to control more than half of the telephone as well as internet broadband lines in USA. This way, it also wanted or aimed to beat their competitors. Competition is part of every business, and only if the concerned organization comes up with effective and sometimes â€Å"out of the box† strategy, it can beat off the competition. Thus, th is way AT&T can beat of its competitors like Verizon, Comcast, etc. With Verizon close on its heels, AT&T wanted to accumulate a customer base, which will be ahead of Verizon and other competitors. So, its aim to garner half of the total telephone and internet lines also pushed it to acquire BellSouth. Apart from these AT&T centric aims, the acquisition was also carried out with another aim of propping up Cingular Wireless, the mobile telephony wing. Even before the acquisition, both AT&T and BellSouth only managed Cingular’s operations, but without an single administrative setup. So, both AT&T and BellSouth through the acquisition process aimed to create a more efficient Cingular Wireless. Firstly, the merger

EUROPEAN UNION LAW Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

EUROPEAN UNION LAW - Coursework Example If we see, there are different articles In European Law Union which states the provisions regarding the free movement of persons inside the member states. Below is the critical evaluation and advice to the plight of a polish family who moved to UK Critical Evaluation and Advise to the Family Members a) Josef’s case Jozef, you came to UK with your partner Karolina on visit and eventually planned to find a job and settle here. You demanded financial support which was not legally available to you as per UK law and also expected a fair treatment from UK as to the wage scale and employment opportunities. But the major mistake on your part is that you were not aware of the UK laws with regard to the benefits the country offers to non nationals According to European Union Treaty (2006) â€Å"The Council and the Commission shall ensure the consistency of activities undertaken on the basis of this title and the consistency of such activities with the policies of the Union and the Comm unity, and shall cooperate to that end† The thing to be noted here is that many people cross the national boundaries with less knowledge about the legal procedures of UK and end being corrupted and humiliated. Jozef , you resorted to manipulate the tax system in eagerness to make financial gains and ended up being disobedient to the legal system of the country and got imprisoned. What can be suggested here is that, while moving to a developed, wealthy and expensive nation you should have been ready to initiate hard work and thoughtfulness to follow the legal system of the country and target to achieve success in long term and not attempts short cuts and end up in trouble. Generally, the legal system of free movement of people has some reservation to the nationals as compared to the people moved from other member states.Craig & de Burca (2008,pg.743) suggests that â€Å"The meaning and the scope of the terms ‘worker’ and activity as an employed person’ shou ld be thus clarified in the light of the principles on the legal order of the community†It is important for you to know the regulation set by UK government as to the worker’s right and employment so that you do not end up in trouble due to ignorance. b)Karolina Case : Karolina you moved with Jozef to UK and planned to stay in the country with him and started looking for a job and were asked to comply with certain demands of the UK government to procure a job. You are a trained teaching professional in Poland but to attain a teaching status in UK you needed to pass the English language proficiency test. You got distressed on this demand of the government and became adamant as to not to follow the test, instead took a job of language translator. Here you are not ready to accept the reality that UK needs the proficiency in their mother tongue to qualify as the country’s teacher. This is a minimum requirement which any teacher needs to obtain to occupy a professional teaching status. You should understand that you are not in your native land but in a country where the mother tongue is English. In real sense, you have lost the opportunity to be a professional teacher just because you neglected the value of the test demanded by the country which would have helped you in building your career and life in the long run. The UK government has not created hindrance in the growth of your

Assignment 5 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 9

5 - Assignment Example The graph shows that the percentages of the native speaker interlocutor were higher in all the categories above. The findings are that a native speaker interlocutor achieves greater accuracy and systematicity with the learner since the interviewers native language shares the same bound morphemes as those of the learner. The native speaker achieves higher percentage in plural and person singular over the non-native speaker. The percentages mean that a learner will learn to pronounce plural and singular words better when a native interlocutor teaches them to pronounce the words. The second graph depicts the effects of NNS and NS interlocutors on target language utterances of free morphemes on a learner in copula, the indefinite article and definite article categories. The NNS interlocutor achieves higher percentages in all categories as compared to NS speaker. An NNS interlocutor will enable a learner to link sentences accurately better using joining verbs or copula. The difference in learning the curve of indefinite articles between the NNS and NS is very minimal. An NNS interlocutor will enable a learner to use the definite article, the in a better way than an NS interlocutor. In conclusion, an NNS will effectively teach a learner to adopt a better sentence structure while an NS interlocutor will teach a learner to pronounce the sentences and achieve

Teams in Organizations.Group dynamics for teams Essay Example for Free

Teams in Organizations.Group dynamics for teams Essay Teams in Organizations Introduction            Teams are important part of any given organization or company. There are a lot of benefits which companies can realize from their teams which include sharing of work load as well as sharing of ideas in the company leading to increased innovation within an organization. In every organization, there are various departments depending on the type of operations which are carried out within the organization (Clegg, Kornberger, Pitsis, 2011). The number of departments will influence the type of teams and the number of teams that an organization will have. Furthermore, the composition of the teams will depend on the number of people within the departments. It is important to have teams within organizations since there is a lot of benefit which can be generated from having teams as part of operations in the company, hence the view presented by Tom Peters is agreeable. Impacts of Teams in Companies/Organizations            It has been noted that there are various benefits which can be realized as a result of having teams within companies and organizations. As Tom Peters, (1987, p296) insisted, there is need to organize and have teams that are focused in achieving specified objectives and goals within organizations. The benefits or impacts of teams in organizations and companies include: Increased Productivity            Productivity is an important part that companies strive to achieve. Every company often strives to attain high productivity and hence increase its sales in the long run and therefore more profits. When an organization is organized in form of teams that work together in collaboration, it becomes easy for the company to attin high productivity since the teams are able to share the workload and therefore produce more(Clegg, Kornberger, Pitsis, 2011). When there is increased productivity as a result of teamwork, it means that there are increased chances of making more profits and meeting the objectives and goals of the company. Therefore, it is important that organizations should be organized in teams Maximization of resources            The other benefit which has been noted through research is that of increased maximization of the resource which are available within the company. When the company is organized in to teams, it is easy to manage how the resources of the organization are being used hence ensure that there is maximum use of the resources for the greater benefit of the company. Furthermore, it has been noted that when an organization is organized in to teams, there is ease in the allocation of the resources of the company (Levi, 2011). It is easy to formulate budgets which can be sued by each teams hence the resource of the company are allocated according to the budgets that he team provides. This ensures that there is proper control on the resources of the company. What this means is that there is no wastage of the resources within the company. Therefore, it is important to have teams within an organization or company. Accountability            Accountability is an important aspect within organizations and companies. Majority of companies look for accountability through various strategies and hence teams forms one of the strategies which the companies and organizations have been able to use(Clegg, Kornberger, Pitsis, 2011). When employees are divided in to teams, it becomes easy for the management to make follow up and hold employees accountable for their duties and actions in the operations which they carry out. It is easy to identify where there are mistakes when employees are divided in to teams and hence reduces the amount of time that is used in identifying faults in people.            Teams help in enhancing accountability within organizations and this means that there are reduced cases of defaults within the company as well as improved performance(Clegg, Kornberger, Pitsis, 2011). When employees know that their team will be held accountable for their part that they undertake in the operations of the company, they will strive to ensure that they succeed in the tasks which they have been assigned. Therefore, the view presented by Tom Peters is agreeable and teams should be promoted within companies. Time Management            Formation of teams within organizations helps in the management of time within organizations and companies. Teams are given specific duties and tasks to carry out of which they are needed to accomplish within specified time. Therefore, when the teams work together, it becomes easy for them to complete the task within the time frame provided hence ensuring that there is no wastage of time(Levi, 2011). The teams make use of time in an effective way hence improving the efficiency within the company since the teams are able to share the work load hence it is easy for the employees to carry out the assigned tasks. This shows that the suitable and best way that an organization can operate is through teams which can help save a lot of time within the company as well as motivate the employees to work hard and improve on their efficiency. Innovation and creativity            Organizations such as Google Inchave developed and continued to provide the best products in the market as a result of innovativeness within the company. This has been contributed to by the aspect of teamwork within the company. Another organization which has continued to benefit from team work is Apple Inc. This company has been able to produce quality products as a result of innovativeness of its teams. Therefore, when an organization or company puts its employees in teams, it provides them with the opportunity to work together and share ideas which lead to innovation(Clegg, Kornberger, Pitsis, 2011).            There is constant sharing of ideas among the employees which helps to enhance their ability to solve problems and come up with solutions as well as new ideas that will benefit the company. Innovativeness and creativity is important within organizations because it helps in the production of high quality products and services which meet the needs of the customers(Clegg, Kornberger, Pitsis, 2011). When the customers are provided with high quality products or service through innovation, it means that an organization or a company will be able to increase its customer base as well as its revenue hence its profitability. Therefore, the view that has been presented by Tom Peters that organizations should be put in form of teams is agreeable based on the positive impact that it has on innovation and creativity within companies.            However, there are issues that affect the effectiveness of teams within organizations or companies. The difference that exists between employees, such as cultural diversity, often affects how teams function. It is quite a challenge to have a team that will put aside their cultural differences and work for the benefit of the company. There are employees that work well when assigned duties alone without having to work as a team(Levi, 2011). Therefore, it calls for the management of the company to realize that teams do not function all the time under every situation. There is need for proper analysis of the employees to find out if the idea of teams will work pout and generate the required and maximum results in the short and long run. Furthermore, it is to be noted that different organizations have different composition in terms of departments. Some of the departments cannot be organized in to teams due to the reason that they perform similar duties hence organizing them in to team will not change anything in their operations(Clegg, Kornberger, Pitsis, 2011). The differences in the employees create a challenge for the management within organizations when there is need to formulate teams for the purpose of sharing the workload that is available. Therefore, this could mean that teams may not seem as the suitable way to go in ensuring success within an organization or company. Conclusion            It is important to have teams within organizations since there is a lot of benefit which can be generated from having teams as part of operations in the company, hence the view presented by Tom Peters is agreeable. Organizations that have teams have greater benefits as compared to organizations or companies which have not organized their personnel in to teams that can collaborate for the benefit of all. Teams are important in enhancing accountability, time management, maximization of resources and minimization. Furthermore, it has been noted that teams helps in enhancing innovation and creativity within companies hence organizations are encouraged to organize their employees in to teams that are manageable. References Clegg, S. R., Kornberger, M., Pitsis, T. (2011).Managing and organizations: An introduction to theory and practice. Sage. Levi, D. (2011). Group dynamics for teams. Los Angeles: SAGE. Source document

Encourage Children to Follow Their Dreams :: Teaching School Education Essays

Encourage Children to Follow Their Dreams Philosophy Statement After fourteen years of being scared of college, I decided to start my new journey in August of 2001. I wanted to go to college all by life to become a teacher, but I felt I needed to wait until my children were old enough to understand. Therefore, I pushed my dream back until one day it over whelmed me; I jumped in with both feet. I was so scared my first day, but over time, the fear went away and I am now fully focused on my dream. My husband and children have supported me with my decision; I could not have made it this far without them. I wanted to become an elementary teacher, but along the way, I found a new love—English. Therefore, I changed my major. I am counting the days until I have my own classroom. I have been active with my children every since they were born. I have coached cheerleading for five years, and served as a team mom and cheerleading coordinator for two Little League teams. I am always at their school helping in one way or another. And I signed up to help with the Title I program. I can bring into my classroom my experiences with children. Many of these children have problems at home. I want to be able to identify these children and help them cope with these problems. Students today have to deal with issues that you and I did not have to when we were at that age. I plan to work toward my Master’s in English after I graduate from Concord, but I do want to begin teaching immediately. I feel it is necessary to get into the classroom while I am excited and new with ideas. I want to start working more in my community with children. I would like to start a program to educate children about guidelines for a college education. They need to know there scholarships and financial aid available. I would also like to help them with problems they are having at home, and show them that life is not all bad.

Humorous Best Man Speech for Two Best Men -- Wedding Toasts Roasts Spe

Humorous Best Man Speech Written for Two Best Men Best man 1: Good evening everyone. I must warn you we are both pretty nervous about doing this speech. We have spent many a night awake, trying plan it to no avail. We were both so nervous about doing this speech we asked the groom for some advice on how to prepare for talking to a large audience. Best man 2: So he did. He told us to imagine that you are all naked, so if you don't mind, we are going to give it a go. (Stares, winks at people) Best man 1: Ladies and gentlemen, may I thank you for attending this wonderful occasion. You can all agree that today has been a great success, so far, they look absolutely stunning. So if you could raise your glasses. To the bride and groom. Best man 2 :Also, thanks must go to the beautiful bridesmaids, who did a fabulous job today getting the bride ready and making sure she didn't back out. So if you could please raise your glasses again. To the bridesmaids. In preparing for today the groom has given us a list of things we have to do, so if you don't mind, for our sake and for yours, we would just quickly like to run through it, sorry. (Get pens and list out of pockets) Make sure that the groom is dressed appropriately. Best man 2: No better than usual, check. (Pretends to check list) Best man 1: Ensure that the groom has been to the bathroom Best man 2: I made sure he went in there, but the rest is up to him! Best man 1: See that angry ex-girlfriends are kept at bay Best man 2: Errrmmm. I can't find any, most of them seem rather relieved. Best man 1: Bring a bag with the following items for emergencies. Best man 2: aspirin, antacid, deodorant, toothpaste, Viagra. Oh, sorry the groom wasn?t going to ment... ...g unless its shared by two. Congratulations to the bride and groom. Best man I : To end we would just like to read a few verses from this poem that is very close to our hearts. It is called ?The Power of Love? which was written by William Shakespeare. Best man 2: Wasn't it also covered by Huey Lewis and the News in 1985 for the film Back to the Future Best man 1: Yeah O.K. quiet. (sing) The power of love is a curious thing Make a one man weep, make another man sing. Change a hawk to a little white dove More than a feeling, that's the power of love. Best man 2: It's O.K. mate Pats him on the shoulder) Let me: You don't need money, don't take fame Don't need no credit card to ride this train. It?s strong and it's sudden and it's cruel sometimes but it might just save your life. Thats the power of love, that?s the power of love!! Thank you.

Loose/Strict Constructionist Essay

By both definition and widespread perception the Jeffersonian-Republicans were strict constructionists, meaning they closely followed the framework of the Constitution. On the other hand, the belief was that Federalists, who thought the Constitution was open for interpretation, were loose constructionists. Although both the presidencies of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison (Democratic-Republicans) mainly supported these theories, they, like other politicians of the time, often made exceptions to their â€Å"policies. † During Jefferson’s Presidency, he often conveyed his strict constructionist stance regarding certain issues; therefore he followed the ‘defined’ ideals of the Democratic-Republican Party. After just entering office (August of 1800), Jefferson sent a message to Gideon Granger (Doc. A), a future cabinet member. His letter depicted his opposition regarding the idea of a strong, â€Å"single† centralized government in America (a Federalist-minded view). For example, one of the most noteworthy things Jefferson did during his political career was outwardly oppose Hamilton’s plan for a National Bank. This truly demonstrated Jeffersonian-Republican opposition (before 1800) towards any sort of Federalist ideal. Throughout his political career, he also portrayed his belief in the Constitution as it was written, rather than accept views of the Federalists (which, he implied, would lead to a monarchy). During his last year in office (1808), Jefferson is shown to have written another letter (Doc. B), this time to a Mr. Samuel Miller. Here, he re-asserted his desire for a government to follow the ideals of the Constitution, and thus make sure there will be a full separation between church and state (first amendment rights). James Madison, also being a Democratic-Republican, supported, for the most part, the same principals Thomas Jefferson did. As shown by Document H, Madison is depicted as to standing firm on his Republican ideals when affirming his position: that funds cannot be set apart for the development of national transportation because â€Å"such a power is not expressly given by the Constitution. † Not only did he express his anger towards a loose following of the Constitution in Doc. H, but Madison also went as far as vetoing a popular â€Å"Bonus-Bill. Although it was unpopular (especially amongst Federalists), he vetoed the proposed legislation because he believed it seemingly gave the government powers that the Constitution had not granted. Although both Presidents mostly stood firm regarding their strict constructionists views (as explained before), they, along with many other politicians (including Federalists), at times, had acted incredibly hypocritical when it came to their stances. Often it was demonstrated that Federalists became more strict, while Republicans became increasingly loose. First, Federalist Daniel Webster demonstrated this change in political position in document D. In his speech, he opposed President Madison’s position regarding a mandated military draft. He claimed that Madison was acting outside the guidelines of the Constitution, which illustrated Webster’s change from a loose constructionist to more of a strict constructionist. Secondly, Jefferson, a self-proclaimed strict constructionist also joined the group of political hypocrites. For example, Jefferson’s most grand defiance of the Constitution of the United States was his approval of the Louisiana Purchase. Even though the Constitution didn’t necessarily allow for such action, Jefferson made an executive decision to pursue the idea of expanding America, and thus starting a westward movement. Apparently the success of the Louisiana Purchase must’ve altered Jefferson’s mindset, because eight years after his Presidency (1816), Jefferson wrote a letter to Samuel Kercheval (Doc. G), which gave support to exploring some change/further interpretation of the Constitution. Lastly, Republicans also at times slandered Madison for being too much like a Federalist (Webster in Doc. D and Doc. F). In this document (F), Randolph outwardly spoke against his executively proposed tariffs of 1816, which truly angered many strict constructionists. Not only was he slandered for his proposed tariffs, but also his establishment of the â€Å"American System† that favored the re-establishment of a Second National Bank in America. These examples of prominent politicians slightly swaying from their political party, demonstrate the presence of political opportunists even in the 1800s. â€Å"When judged by the presidencies of Jefferson and Madison (for the most part), it would appear that Jeffersonian-Republicans were indeed strict constructionists. It also appeared that both Presidents, along with other politicians, chose certain times to act hypocritical† (Parker); Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase and Madison’s re-establishment of a national bank are two portrayals of those instances. In general, the politicians of 1800-1817 laid the foundation for political opportunists to maneuver their way into power by challenging normal ways of thinking/unpopular philosophies. This precedent is still being followed today, and although it may not be too beneficial at times, it has strengthened democracy and this republic of the United States of America.

Ida Tarbell essays

Ida Tarbell essays Ida Tarbell was a woman far ahead of her time. Tarbell was an extraordinary woman whose work influenced the lives of others all over. She helped transform journalism by introducing what is called today investigative journalism. Through her achievements she not only helped to expand the role of the newspaper in modern society and stimulate the Progressive reform movement, but she also became a role model for women wishing to become professional journalists. Ida Minerva Tarbell, the first child of Franklin Sumner and Elizabeth McCullough Tarbell, was born November 5, 1857 in the log home of her maternal grandfather, Walter Raleigh McCullough. His farm was located in Hatch Hollow, near Wattsburg in northwest Pennsylvania. Both of her parents were teachers by profession, though her father was a carpenter and joiner by trade. Two of her brothers knew Abraham Lincoln, and her father was forced out of business by John D. Rockefeller and the South Improvement Company scheme, predecessor to his Standard Oil empire. These connections would prove influential in her later career. In 1860, when Ida was three years old, Franklin Tarbell, like so many others, rushed to the oil region. He moved his family to Cherry Run in Rouseville, where he began building wooden oil storage tanks. Ida spent her days playing among oil derricks on slippery, oil-soaked soil. In an article entitled "Pioneer Women of the Oil Industry," written by Ida Tarbell in 1934 , she tells of her life in Rouseville-attending Mrs. Rice's home school-and the problems her mother had bringing children up among the oil derricks. While still living in Rouseville, Ida's father extended his business to Pithole during its boom of 1865. With the decline of Pithole, however, the Tarbells moved to Titusville. The church and school were there-both institutions for a good living. In 1870, when Ida was thirteen years old, her father bought the Bonta House, a hotel in Pithole, for six hundred...

Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum Essay Example

Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum Essay Example Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum Paper Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum Paper Dues Rexes Judicature: The Words of Liberation for Women When Amelia Lancer wrote Salve Dues Restaurateur in 1 61 1 she intended to use her words as a platform In her fight to liberate women from the unjust treatment, and corrupt representation that the early male-dominated belief system bestowed upon them. It was not only her words that sought out this liberation, but also the structure in which she presented them. Her poem is broken up into distinctive parts that speak of women and the freedom, knowledge and power that was rightfully heirs. The title that she had chosen for her poem is Just one of many decisions Lancer made that gave her work more meaningful Impact on her readers. Latin was spoken and understood mostly by scholars or those who came from rich blood lines, and It Is the first sign of who Lancer wished her audience to consist of. She pleads her case to women of high-class status of which she also commends with her words. The language used to make up her title Is not the only significance wealth It. In the conclusion of her poem she explains why she had chosen this title, she writes if thou sire to be resolved, why I give this title, Salve Dues Restaurateur, know for certain , that it was delivered unto me in sleep many years before I had any intent to write In this manner, And thinking It a significant token that I was appointed to perform this work, I gave the very same words I received In sleep as the fittest title I could devise for this book. Gilbert, Guava 82) That statement handed down to her by God, however true it was, expressed her reasoning and might have also given her protection from opposition of her words that It followed. By appealing to the noble omen of her time, Lancer might have hoped that they would hear her words and that someday they could fight together to be accepted as equal no matter their status or education. The actual meaning of Salve Dues Rexes Judicature is Hail God, ki ng of the Jews, which was a variation of the words that were fixed above Jesus when he was crucified. Gilbert, Guava 82) It Is the actions of the women at the time of Chrisms death that Lancer uses these words to show the value that Jesus gave to women. Since he was born of a woman, nourished of a woman, and gave message of his surjection to a women that all creation should view them the same has their Father. Her argument in the defense of women begins with her re-interpretation of the story of Genesis. We have all heard the story of Adam and Eve and how Eve betrayed both Adam and God out of pure evil, and because of that betrayal both she and Adam were banished from the Garden of Eden. Of course with this Interpretation most would be upset with Eve and her actions. The blame was fully hers and because of 1 OFF ten Dealer Tanat women were Interior to men, Eves octagons In castes upon women as a whole. E Bide Ana Eden In Eves Apology, Lancer brings non-traditional concepts of women and religion into her explanation of Eves role in the Genesis story. She portrays Eve as Gods gift to Adam instead of an evil temptress responsible for the downfall of mankind. In her argument she points out that Eve is not given the same power as Adam, but instead, her role is to make Adam happy and do what he asks of her. From the beginning Eve is not considered Adams equal. She was conceived from a portion of Dams rib and therefore she is seen as lesser being from the start. She is not warned of the danger that eating from the tree of knowledge would cause them. Adam had been cautioned before Eves conception and his failure to inform her of the knowledge that God had given him left her open to temptation. When Lancer writes Eve, had no power to see The after-coming harem of her actions, (Gilbert, Guava 85) proves that she couldnt have known the danger and in fact did so out of love not betrayal. It is the misuse of Dams knowledge that damns all mankind. God had given him knowledge of the tree and when Eve brought her erasure to him to share, instead of educating her; he took the fruit out of greed so that he may gain the forbidden knowledge. Some refuse to see the discrepancy within each of the assigned roles these characters play. It seems that it was far easier to blame the naive Eve for the error, instead of admitting that Adam had made his own educated decision. Nevertheless, Lancer provides a great argument that potentially frees Eve of all guilt and again restores her to the righteous position she should have always held as a good woman with a good heart. Throughout Salve Dues Rexes Judicature Amelia uses many different rhetorical strategies such as persuasion with a touch of flattery when addressing her strong and powerful female audience, and gives the female gender a voice with her prevailing words and concepts. Following her strong argument in the defense of women is the imagery charged Description of Cooke-ham. Within this country-house poem, which is also believed to be the first of its kind, she uses unbelievable symbolism to describe an imaginary paradise for women that is kept alive by women without the need of a mans influence. It is here that she writes her book with the outside influence of the Countess of Cumberland, which seems to be the life blood of the estate. Her description of this paradise is one filled with symbols for the love and acceptance that radiates from this place. As she explains how all the land and its creatures gravitate towards the presence of the Countess, it is like you are there witnessing the influence she has on the universe itself. The most dramatic imagery is when it seems that the Countess is leaving and Cooke- ham begins to die all around her departure. Upon her exit from this place she kisses a tree that before had shaded them from the Sun as they shared their knowledge with one another. Lancer quickly kisses the tree after the Countess, so that she may take ten Knowledge Tanat seen Delves ten tree NAS galena Witt n r Nils act AT Slang the tree seems to be a metaphor. Like Eve who took from the tree of knowledge so does Lancer, but she does so not out of evil but instead with hope that she may spread the knowledge and power she had gained from her stay at Cooke-ham. I found great pleasure in reading Amelia Lancers Salve Dues Rexes Judicature. Her argument within Eves Apology actually opened my eyes to the inconsistencies of the actual meaning within the book of Genesis. For as long as I can remember I Just accepted the fact that Eve was the one to blame for their banishment from Eden. I didnt like the fact that anyone you ask thats the first thing they say is if it wasnt for Eve Now having read Lancers interpretation I clearly see the error in this long held belief and I am once again proud to be a descendant of such a noble women. However, by far my favorite portion of these readings was the Description of Cooke- am. In the way that her words flow and the detail that she places on objects and events is awe-inspiring. When the Countess is leaving the tone of sadness in her words makes even the reader feel as if they are losing their pass to this inspiring place. The knowledge and emotion that I gathered from these readings truly kept me wanting more. To think that her words were kept from the public for so long seems as if we were robbed of the Joy that I am sure that anyone who has the pleasure of reading this piece has gained. Amelia Lancer has done what she planned to do, and hat is to inform and inspire yet another reader and that is what makes her a truly gifted writer and woman.

Overview of the Sri Lankan Civil War

Overview of the Sri Lankan Civil War In the late 20th century, the island nation of Sri Lanka tore itself apart in a brutal civil war. At the most basic level, the conflict arose from the ethnic tension between Sinhalese and Tamil citizens. In reality, though, the causes were much more complex and arose in large part because of Sri Lankas colonial history. Background Great Britain ruled Sri Lanka- then called Ceylon- from 1815 to 1948. When the British arrived, the country was dominated by Sinhalese speakers whose ancestors likely arrived on the island from India in the 500s BCE. Sri Lankan people seem to have been in contact with Tamil speakers from southern India since at least the second century BCE, but migrations of significant numbers of Tamils to the island appear to have taken place later, between the seventh and 11th centuries CE. In 1815, the population of Ceylon numbered about three million predominantly Buddhist Sinhalese and 300,000 mostly Hindu Tamils. The British established huge cash crop plantations on the island, first of coffee, and later of rubber and tea. Colonial officials brought in approximately a million Tamil speakers from India to work as plantation laborers. The British also established schools in the northern, Tamil-majority part of the colony, and preferentially appointed Tamils to bureaucratic positions, angering the Sinhalese majority. This was a common divide-and-rule tactic in European colonies that had troubling results in the post-colonial era in places such as Rwanda and Sudan. Civil War Erupts The British granted Ceylon independence in 1948. The Sinhalese majority immediately began to pass laws that discriminated against Tamils, particularly the Indian Tamils brought to the island by the British. They made Sinhalese the official language, driving Tamils out of the civil service. The Ceylon Citizenship Act of 1948 effectively barred Indian Tamils from holding citizenship, making stateless people out of some 700,000. This was not remedied until 2003, and anger over such measures fueled the bloody rioting that broke out repeatedly in the following years. After decades of increasing ethnic tension, the war began as a low-level insurgency in July 1983. Ethnic riots broke out in Colombo and other cities.  Tamil Tiger insurgents killed 13 army soldiers, prompting violent reprisals against Tamil civilians by their Sinhalese neighbors across the country. Between 2,500 and 3,000 Tamils likely died, and many thousands more fled to Tamil-majority regions. The Tamil Tigers declared the First Eelam War (1983-87) with the aim of creating a separate Tamil state in northern Sri Lanka called Eelam. Much of the fighting was directed initially at other Tamil factions; the Tigers massacred their opponents and consolidated power over the separatist movement by 1986. At the outbreak of the war, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of India offered to mediate a settlement. However, the Sri Lankan government distrusted her motivations, and it was later shown that her government was arming and training Tamil guerrillas in camps in southern India. Relations between the Sri Lankan government and India deteriorated, as Sri Lankan coast guards seized Indian fishing boats to search for weapons. Over the next few years, violence escalated as the Tamil insurgents used car bombs, suitcase bombs, and landmines against Sinhalese military and civilian targets. The quickly-expanding Sri Lankan army responded by rounding up Tamil youths and torturing and disappearing them. India Intervenes In 1987, Indias Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, decided to directly intervene in the Sri Lankan Civil War by sending peacekeepers. India was concerned about separatism in its own Tamil region, Tamil Nadu, as well as a potential flood of refugees from Sri Lanka. The peacekeepers mission was to disarm militants on both sides, in preparation for peace talks. The Indian peacekeeping force of 100,000 troops not only was unable to quell the conflict, it actually began fighting with the Tamil Tigers. The Tigers refused to disarm, sent female bombers and child soldiers to attack the Indians, and relations escalated into running skirmishes between the peacekeeping troops and the Tamil guerrillas. In May 1990, Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa forced India to recall its peacekeepers; 1,200 Indian soldiers had died battling the insurgents. The following year, a female Tamil suicide bomber named Thenmozhi Rajaratnam assassinated Rajiv Gandhi at an election rally. President Premadasa would die in a similar attack in May 1993. Second Eelam War After the peacekeepers withdrew, the Sri Lankan Civil War entered an even bloodier phase, which the Tamil Tigers named the Second Eelam War.  It began when the Tigers seized between 600 and 700 Sinhalese police officers in the Eastern Province on June 11, 1990, in an effort to weaken government control there. The police laid down their weapons and surrendered to the militants after the Tigers promised no harm would come to them. However, the militants took the policemen into the jungle, forced them to kneel, and shot them all dead, one by one. A week later, the Sri Lankan Minister of Defense announced, From now on, it is all out war. The government cut off all shipments of medicine and food to the Tamil stronghold on the Jaffna peninsula  and initiated an intensive aerial bombardment. The Tigers responded with massacres of hundreds of Sinhalese and Muslim villagers. Muslim self-defense units and government troops conducted tit-for-tat massacres in Tamil villages. The government also massacred Sinhalese school children in Sooriyakanda and buried the bodies in a mass grave, because the town was a base for the Sinhala splinter group known as the JVP. In July 1991, 5,000 Tamil Tigers surrounded the governments army base at Elephant Pass, laying siege to it for a month. The pass is a bottleneck leading to the Jaffna Peninsula, a key strategic point in the region. Some 10,000 government troops raised the siege after four weeks, but over 2,000 fighters on both sides had been killed, making this the bloodiest battle in the entire civil war. Although they held this chokepoint, government troops could not capture Jaffna itself despite repeated assaults in 1992-93. Third Eelam War January 1995 saw the Tamil Tigers sign a peace agreement with the new government of President Chandrika Kumaratunga. However, three months later the Tigers planted explosives on two Sri Lankan naval gunboats, destroying the ships and the peace accord. The government responded by declaring a war for peace, in which Air Force jets pounded civilian sites and refugee camps on the Jaffna Peninsula, while ground troops perpetrated a number of massacres against civilians in Tampalakamam, Kumarapuram, and elsewhere. By December 1995, the peninsula was under government control for the first time since the war began. Some 350,000 Tamil refugees and the Tiger guerrillas fled inland to the sparsely populated Vanni region of the Northern Province. The Tamil Tigers responded to the loss of Jaffna in July 1996 by launching an eight-day assault on the town of Mullaitivu, which was protected by 1,400 government troops. Despite air support from the Sri Lankan Air Force, the government position was overrun by the 4,000-strong guerrilla army in a decisive Tiger victory. More than 1,200 of the government soldiers were killed, including about 200 who were doused with gasoline and burned alive after they surrendered; the Tigers lost 332 troops. Another aspect of the war took place simultaneously in the capital of Colombo and other southern cities, where Tiger suicide bombers struck repeatedly in the late 1990s. They hit the Central Bank in Colombo, the Sri Lankan World Trade Centre, and the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, a shrine housing a relic of the Buddha himself. A suicide bomber tried to assassinate President Chandrika Kumaratunga in December 1999- she survived  but lost her right eye. In April 2000, the Tigers retook Elephant Pass  but were unable to recover the city of Jaffna. Norway began trying to negotiate a settlement, as war-weary Sri Lankans of all ethnic groups looked for a way to end the interminable conflict. The Tamil Tigers declared a unilateral ceasefire in December 2000, leading to hope that the civil war was truly winding down. However, in April 2001, the Tigers rescinded the ceasefire and pushed north on the Jaffna Peninsula once more. A July 2001 Tiger suicide attack on the Bandaranaike International Airport destroyed eight military jets and four airliners, sending Sri Lankas tourism industry into a tailspin. Long Road to Peace The September 11 attacks in the United States  and the subsequent War on Terror  made it more difficult for the Tamil Tigers to get overseas funding and support. The United States also began to offer direct aid to the Sri Lankan government, despite its terrible human rights record over the course of the civil war. Public weariness with the fighting led to President Kumaratungas party losing control of parliament and the election of a new, pro-peace government. Throughout 2002 and 2003, the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers negotiated various ceasefires and signed a Memorandum of Understanding, again mediated by the Norwegians. The two sides compromised with a federal solution, rather than the Tamils demand for a two-state solution or the governments insistence on a unitary state. Air and ground traffic resumed between Jaffna and the rest of Sri Lanka.   However, on October 31, 2003, the Tigers declared themselves in full control of the north and east regions of the country, prompting the government to declare a state of emergency. Within just over a year, monitors from Norway recorded 300 infractions of the ceasefire by the army and 3,000 by the Tamil Tigers. When the Indian Ocean Tsunami hit Sri Lanka on December 26, 2004, it killed 35,000 people and sparked another disagreement between the Tigers and the government over how to distribute aid in Tiger-held areas. On August 12, 2005, the Tamil Tigers lost much of their remaining cachet with the international community when one of their snipers killed Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, a highly respected ethnic Tamil who was critical of Tiger tactics. Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran warned that his guerrillas would go on the offensive once more in 2006 if the government failed to implement the peace plan. Fighting erupted again, including the bombing of civilian targets such as packed commuter trains and buses in Colombo. The government also began assassinating pro-Tiger journalists and politicians. Massacres against civilians on both sides left thousands dead over the next few years, including 17 charity workers from Frances Action Against Hunger, who were shot down in their office. On September 4, 2006, the army drove the Tamil Tigers from the key coastal city of Sampur. The Tigers retaliated by bombing a naval convoy, killing more than 100 sailors who were on shore leave. After October 2006 peace talks in Geneva, Switzerland, did not produce results, the Sri Lankan government launched a massive offensive in eastern and northern parts of the islands to crush the Tamil Tigers once and for all. The 2007-2009 eastern and northern offensives were extremely bloody, with tens of thousands of civilians caught between the army and Tiger lines. Entire villages were left depopulated and ruined in what a U.N. spokesman termed a bloodbath. As the government troops closed in on the last rebel strongholds, some Tigers blew themselves up. Others were summarily executed by the soldiers after they surrendered, and these war crimes were captured on video. On May 16, 2009, the Sri Lankan government declared victory over the Tamil Tigers. The following day, an official Tiger website conceded that This battle has reached its bitter end. People in Sri Lanka and around the world expressed relief that the devastating conflict had finally ended after 26 years, hideous atrocities on both sides, and some 100,000 deaths. The only question remaining is whether the perpetrators of those atrocities will face trials for their crimes.