Battle of Ascalon in the First Crusade

Battle of Ascalon in the First Crusade Battle of Ascalon - Conflict Date: The Battle of Ascalon was fought August 12, 1099, and was the final engagement of the First Crusade (1096-1099). Armies Commanders: Crusaders Godfrey of BouillonRobert II, Count of FlandersRaymond of Toulouseapproximately 10,000 men Fatimids al-Afdal Shahanshahapproximately 10,000-12,000 men, possibly as high as 50,000 Battle of Ascalon - Background: Following the capture of Jerusalem from the Fatimids on July 15, 1099, the leaders of the First Crusade began to divide the titles and spoils. Godfrey of Bouillon was named Defender of the Holy Sepulchre on July 22 while Arnulf of Chocques became the Patriarch of Jerusalem on August 1. Four days later, Arnulf discovered a relic of the True Cross. These appointments created some strife within the crusader camp as Raymond IV of Toulouse and Robert of Normandy were angered by Godfreys election. As the crusaders consolidated their hold on Jerusalem, word was received that a Fatimid army was en route from Egypt to retake the city. Led by Vizier al-Afdal Shahanshah, the army encamped just north of the port of Ascalon. On August 10, Godfrey mobilized the crusader forces and moved towards the coast to meet the approaching enemy. He was accompanied by Arnulf who carried the True Cross and Raymond of Aguilers who bore a relic of the Holy Lance which had been captured at Antioch the previous year. Raymond and Robert remained in the city for a day until finally being convinced of the threat and joining Godfrey. Battle of Ascalon - Crusaders Outnumbered: While advancing, Godfrey was further reinforced by troops under his brother Eustace, Count of Boulogne, and Tancred. Despite these additions, the crusader army remained outnumbered by as much as five-to-one. Pressing forward on August 11, Godfrey halted for night near the Sorec River. While there, his scouts spotted what was initially thought to be a large body of enemy troops. Investigating, it was soon found to be a great number of livestock which had been gathered to feed al-Afdals army. Some sources indicate that these animals were exposed by the Fatimids in the hope that the crusaders would disperse to pillage the countryside, while others suggest that al-Afdal was unaware of Godfreys approach. Regardless, Godfrey held his men together and resumed the march the next morning with the animals in tow. Approaching Ascalon, Arnulf moved through the ranks with the True Cross blessing the men. Marching over the Plains of Ashdod near Ascalon, Godfrey formed his men for battle and took command of the armys left wing. Battle of Ascalon - The Crusaders Attack: The right wing was led by Raymond, while the center was guided by Robert of Normandy, Robert of Flanders, Tancred, Eustace, and Gaston IV of BÃ ©arn. Near Ascalon, al-Afdal raced to prepare his men to meet the approaching crusaders. Though more numerous, the Fatimid army was poorly trained relative to those the crusaders had faced previously and was composed of a mix of ethnicities from throughout the caliphate. As Godfreys men approached, the Fatimids became discouraged as the cloud of dust generated by the captured livestock suggested that the crusaders had been heavily reinforced. Advancing with infantry in the lead, Godfreys army exchanged arrows with the Fatimids until the two lines clashed. Striking hard and fast, the crusaders quickly overwhelmed the Fatimids on most parts of the battlefield. In the center, Robert of Normandy, leading the cavalry, shattered the Fatimid line. Nearby, a group of Ethiopians mounted a successful counterattack, but were defeated when Godfrey assaulted their flank. Driving the Fatimids from the field, the crusaders soon moved into the enemys camp. Fleeing, many of the Fatimids sought safety within the walls of Ascalon. Battle of Ascalon - Aftermath: Precise casualties for the Battle of Ascalon are not known though some sources indicate that Fatimid losses were around 10,000 to 12,000. While the Fatimid army retreated to Egypt, the crusaders looted al-Afdals camp before returning to Jerusalem on August 13. A subsequent dispute between Godfrey and Raymond regarding the future of Ascalon led to its garrison refusing to surrender. As a result, the city remained in Fatimid hands and served as a springboard for future attacks into the Kingdom of Jerusalem. With the Holy City secure, many of the crusader knights, believing their duty done, returned home to Europe. Selected Sources History of War: Battle of AscalonGodfrey His SuccessorsMedieval Crusades: Battle of Ascalon

Certainty vs. Certitude

Certainty vs. Certitude Certainty vs. Certitude Certainty vs. Certitude By Mark Nichol What’s the difference between certainty and certitude? My hunch was that they’re interchangeable, but it turns out that they have a slight but significant difference in connotation- of that I am certain. Certainty and certitude, of course, share a root word: the Latin term certus, meaning â€Å"fixed† or â€Å"settled.† Certainty originally meant â€Å"pledge† or â€Å"surety,† then developed a sense of â€Å"something that is certain,† and certitude derives from a Latin word with the same meaning. But along the way, distinct connotations have emerged, though they are not always observed: A certainty can be something known based on fact, while sometimes, a certitude is something one is convinced of on the basis of faith. (The synonym conviction more obviously refers to what one believes rather than what one knows.) This is a useful distinction, but it’s unfortunately unlikely to ever emerge as one writers use consistently. The antonyms differ in form: uncertainty, but incertitude. (Incertain and incertainty existed in Middle English but were supplanted by the un- forms.) Other words based on certus include the adjectival and adverbial forms of certainty, certain and certainly, as well as the verb certify, meaning â€Å"confirm† or â€Å"vouch for†; the noun form is certification, and something that can be confirmed or vouched for is certifiable. (In colloquial usage, one who is, in jest or derision, thought eligible to be judged insane is referred to as certifiable.) Certificated is an adjective derived from the obsolete use of certificate as a verb. The noun certificate originally meant â€Å"action of certifying† but now has a dominant sense of â€Å"a document that provides certification.† Ascertain (the prefix a, meaning â€Å"to,† followed by certain) once meant â€Å"assure† or â€Å"inform† but now means â€Å"determine.† Concert and associated words are related to certain by way of the root word, though here, -cert has the sense of â€Å"strive.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Bare or Bear With Me?Loan, Lend, Loaned, LentPhrasal Verbs and Phrasal Nouns

Quantitative and Qualitative How smartphones influence teenagers in EF Research Paper

Quantitative and Qualitative How smartphones influence teenagers in EF Cambridge - Research Paper Example The study will aim at carrying out a study of Smartphones in the teenage world. It will also aim at performing the study how Smartphones have affected the daily lives of teenagers at EF Cambridge. Teenagers feel that Smartphones reduce their work load. For instance, Smartphones allow teenagers to slide their screens effortlessly rather than tapping keys like conventional phones. Smartphones have applications like facebook, twitter, whatsap, and other social sites that help in the creation of new friendships (Zheng and Lionel 2006, p.1). Alternatively, Smartphones seem to have created more problems because teenagers have become lonesome, exposure to bullying, and exam cheating. The study gained more information from journals and books on Smartphones and their markets. The study used questionnaires as the main method of collecting data for the study. The questionnaires contained two sections; the first section required teenagers at EF Cambridge to give their views toward the pros and cons of utilizing Smartphones. The second section of the questionnaires required several teenagers who did not own Smartphones to give their reasons and the present trend of owning Smartphones. One hundred and twenty (120) teenagers took part in the study but only 100 questionnaires were received. The study possessed several limitations. The data collected was inadequate to give a definite answer regarding the influence of smart phones amongst teenagers at EF Cambridge. The study occurred between 120 students whereby only 100 return their questionnaires. The number of participants was very small to represent the high number of teenagers in EF Cambridge. Hingorani, Woodard, and Askari-Danesh (2012), p.33) all from Alabama State University discovered that smart phones have become powerful gadgets amongst young people compared to computers. Sarwar and Soomro (2013, 217) discovered that mobile communication has

Fitmath in Afterschool and Why It Is Effective Dissertation

Fitmath in Afterschool and Why It Is Effective - Dissertation Example School time and various resources are frequently diverted from various types of physical Education and openings for physical action for example recess. (HRDC, 2001). The program Fitmath the kids, under goes numerous stages in which they study how to turn out to be fit both bodily and mentally, the significance of having well eating habits with nourishing foodstuff, and to maintain body in correct shape, additionally to thorough mathematical abilities. And it helps to accomplishing and learning maths with fun and pleasure. (Wenger). According to Nancy Protheroe in his article called, what does Good Math Instruction look like? Says that, it entails good teachers, effectual math surroundings, and a curriculum that is more than a mile broad and an inch deep. This research article points out that it takes more than a good trainer to teach math. According to MUCHA in his article says that, Mathematics subject has always been an essential constituent of person thought and culture, and the d evelopment of technology in current times has further enlarged its significance. Nowadays mathematics is a crucial partner in areas where once it played no particular role. (Mucha). Fit math is one of the most significant programs in schools in the 21st century. It connects healthy academics and eating. This program assists students in increasing self-assurance in their physical capability, in addition to enhancing familiarity, by way of expressions in the fields of physiology, anatomy, and mathematics. Fundamental fact acquisition is a significant part of building up higher-order math abilities. (Springer). On the other hand, getting learners with a history of academic rebelliousness to engage in various activities associated to acquisition of various skills can be difficult. (Lynn Arthur Steen 2010). According to Michelle Kulas in her acrtcile called, Need for After-School Exercise Programs says that, program related to after-school fitness build exercise fun for children. Dependi ng on the style of program, it will help the child to study a new sport or have the alternative to join in in a large variety of exercise activities. She also says that, because of this exercise program it will helps to develop health of the kids by being physically active at the same time as also playing with and cooperating with other kids in a supervised setting. Also After-School Exercise Programs will be capable to create new friends and may enjoy superior self-assurance and self-esteem. (Kulas, 2011) According to Sam Piha in his article called AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS: WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT AND HOW SHOULD WE MEASURE SUCCESS says that, after school programs offer young people with the various types of learning practices and opportunities that may not be obtainable to kids in their homes or classrooms. And also they recommend young people opportunities to study new things and build up significant skills that are essential to achievement in school and in life. The article Effective M athematics Instruction says that, Mathematics instruction is an extremely complex procedure that tries to create abstract ideas more tangible, difficult thoughts comprehensible and multifaceted evils solvable. Visual depictions bring

India of My Dreams Essay Example for Free

India of My Dreams Essay Long years ago, we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom With these words of Pandit Nehru, on 15th August at the stroke of the midnight hour India declared itself independent from the British rule. As the Union Jack was being brought down and the Indian tricolor flew up the hopes and aspiration of the Indian founding fathers were completed. Sixty years after the birth of this massive and diverse nation though there has been considerable progress, the overall picture of life in the country is depressing. With increasing prices and growing unemployment, the common man remains as poor as he had been. Though education has spread, its standard and quality have received a set back. Nor is the political scene very encouraging. While the working of democracy is not satisfactory, the forces of religion, provincialism and linguism pose a threat to the unity of the country. Our leaders lack the qualities of idealism, integrity and self sacrifice, which were abundantly in evidence during the days of the struggle for freedom. In this bleak situation, it is natural for the youth of the country to have a vision of a stronger India. In the same way I have a vision too – a fearless, strong, self reliant India. I visualize my country way ahead of other nations all round the globe in every aspect, whether its development in any field or showing its military might or being a fore-runner in technological advancement, skills and prosperity. I visualize India being a country that will provide equality of opportunity to one and all irrespective of caste, creed, and sex. A place that will provide optimum scope for development of latent skills of an individual and then to use it for the welfare of the nation. I strive for such a country wherein the poorest of the poor feel that this is his country in building which his voice has its due importance. I wish for a constitution, which will release India from all thraldom and patronage, and give her, if needed, the right to sin. I dream of a nation where nobody is illiterate and nobody sleeps hungry, where there is no distinction on the basis of genre, religion or caste, where justice to a common man is neither denied or deleted, where corruption in public life does not exist, where criminals do not occupy ministerial berths nor enter legislative assemblies, where merit counts in every sphere of life, where jobs cannot be purchased, where criminals have to spend the rest of their lives behind the bars and where the intellectuals like Amartya Sen do not have to leave the countrys shore for higher research and recognition. Today India is grappling with divided states, poverty, and population on the one hand and a mà ©lange of languages, traditions, festivals, religions, cultures which poses a problem but my vision for India is a country where the Kirtans from Gurudwaras, and Azan from Mosques, the Bhajans from Temples and chiming of the bells from churches merge and mingle and produce a harmonious, melodious, tune of humanity. I dream of a casteless and a perfect India of which all Indians can be truly proud of. My vision of India may sound like a dreamers agenda but the day every Indian citizen realizes his responsibility towards his country my vision would be reality. At last I would like to conclude with the words of Sir Rabindranath Tagore: WHERE the mind is without fear and the head is held high Where knowledge is free Where the world has not been broken up into fragments By narrow domestic walls Where words come out from the depth of truth Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection Where the mind is led forward by thee Into ever-widening thought and action Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

History of the Internet :: Computer Network

A Free Net The Internet has revolutionized the communication world in unprecedented ways. It allows worldwide broadcasting, global distribution of information, and it is a medium for the interaction and communication of individuals without regard for geographic location. Thirty years ago, America?s principal Cold War think-tank, the RAND Corporation, faced a strategic dilemma: how could the United States authorities successfully communicate after a nuclear war? The solution was a network of individual nodes, computer units that would send and receive information in a random manner. If one area of nodes were destroyed the message would bounce between the others. After the Cold War ended, and the threat of nuclear war subsided, the potential for this ?internet? was realized. Of course, in the beginning, it was small and difficult to make use of, but as more corporations and different social groups began to possess powerful computers, the network grew and became more useful. As with the growth of fax machines in the early 1990?s, the Internet was only practical if someone else had one to communicate with. Today, the Internet has moved out of its original base in the military and research institutions and into schools and learning centers, public libraries and commercial sectors. It is now a vast system of millions of computers, not only corporate and military, but personal as well. The Internet can be used for the purpose of gathering information and communicating. The Internet enables users to surpass the distance barrier and Page 2 communicate with anyone on the face of the planet, provided that they have access to a computer. According to recent research, the world?s Internet population is only expanding. By the year 2002, it is estimated that 490 million people will have Internet access. At the end of this year, the United States will have 135.7 million users - that?s 36.2% of the total world users (CyberAtlas). Lately there has been another addition to the usefulness of the Internet, the sales of products and services. These transactions are known as e-commerce, the ?e? standing for electronic. In 1998 a three-year moratorium banned the taxing of Internet use and on- line spending. Currently, a new law is looking to extend this ban another five years. There are currently 7,500 state and local tax systems throughout the United States. These numbers could be significantly increased if state and local governments were able to tax e-commerce. On-line businesses would be buried in costly paperwork trying to meet the terms of conflicting tax clauses. Under the current system, it is difficult to determine the locality from which an order was placed and it is unclear where an Internet

“Catcher in the Rye”: Not a Bildungsroman Essay

Bildungsroman: a coming-of-age novel. Many critics and readers alike have argued that JD Salingers Catcher in the Rye is a superb example of a bildungsroman. The novel is a narration by Holden Caulfield, a troubled and mentally unstable sixteen year-old that has just been expelled from his fourth prep school. Holden, who is undergoing treatment in a mental institution, recounts the story of his mental breakdown and the events leading up to it. He concludes the story with brief hints at his recovery. Though one assumes that Holden is receiving and responding to treatment, his attitude and tone are unchanged throughout the novel. If the protagonist has not matured since story began, how can Catcher in the Rye be considered a bildungsroman?The novel opens with Holden carelessly tossing around the fact that he has been expelled from Pencey Prep (page 2). Though Holden has previously been kicked out of three other prestigious schools, he is completely apathetic about the situation. He has no drive; no concern or outlook for his future whatsoever. Even after everything that Holden experiences throughout Catcher in the Rye, his attitude is unchanged at the conclusion: and what school Im supposed to go to next fall, after I get out of here, but I dont feel like it. I really dont. That stuff doesnt interest me too much right now (page 213). That statement unequivocally proves that Holden has not matured at all. Contemptuous, bitter, judgmental: take your pick. Each word describes Holden to a tee; not just in the beginning, but throughout the entire narration. Holden is constantly judging everyone he comes into contact with. He speaks about Mr. Spencer (page 10), a professor at Pencey Prep, in the same patronizing tone that he describes a particular psychoanalyst with (page 213). Though the events take place several months apart, Holdens attitude is consistent. He continues to have a cynical, patronizing, and overall pessimistic outlook on people and life in general. If Holden is just as immature and mentally undeveloped at the end of the novel as he was at the beginning, how can one argue that he has come of age? Having a mental breakdown and needing treatment for said breakdown may very well be considered a rite of passage. However, to be considered a coming of age story, Holden would need to be changed for the better because of his  rite of passage. One can clearly tell from his consistency in tone, attitude, and maturity level (or lack thereof) that Holden has not changed in the least. Though many critics and readers alike have claimed Catcher in the Rye to be an excellent bildungsroman, there is certainly a strong argument to be made against this claim. â€Å"Catcher in the Rye† By JD Salinger (1951)Pamela Hunt Steinle (2000). In Cold Fear: The Catcher in the Rye Censorship Controversies and Postwar American Character. Ohio State University Press.

Economics IA Commentary †Market Failure Essay

Household energy bills will increase by à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½50 as the impact of green taxes triples over a decade, new research shows. By James Kirkup, Political Correspondent, Published: 12:01AM BST 17 Aug 2010 The sum the Government levies from energy use will rise to more than à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½16 billion by 2020, a think tank has estimated. Policy Exchange, which has close links to Conservative ministers, calculated that the cost of green taxes, surcharges and other levies on energy will go from à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½5.7 billion this year to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½16.3 billion in 2020. In 2020, some à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½6.4 billion of the total will come from levies applied to domestic energy consumption. That is up from à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2 billion today. The increase will add à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½40 to the average household gas bill and à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½8 to an electricity bill, according to data from the Department of Energy and Climate Change. Household energy bills are increased by a number of Government environmental policies, including the Renewables Obligation and other levies applied to energy usage to fund low-carbon power generation. Energy companies also face charges for schemes including the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme, costs which are then passed on to customers. â€Å"Green† levies are meant to increase the price of carbon-emitting energy use, with the aim of funding alternative sources and encouraging consumers to change their behavior. Much of the money raised by such levies does not end up with the Treasury, but â€Å"green taxes† are regarded with suspicion by some consumers, who regard them as a disguised revenue-raising measure. Simon Less, Policy Exchange’s head of environment and energy, said that the various environmental charges should be considered taxes by another name. â€Å"The funding for these policies may come through energy bills, rather than the tax man, but it is a tax, and an increasingly large one paid by individual households and firms. Its scale makes it even more important that this money is used in the most efficient way possible.† Warning about need to gain public support for measures to combat climate change, his report says that â€Å"raising taxation through energy bills, rather than, say, using income tax, is relatively regressive, because the poorest households tend to spend a larger proportion of their income on energy.† Dr Less also said they funds that are supposed to go to renewable energy sources are often spent inefficiently. He said: â€Å"Climate change is a major threat. It needs to be tackled as a priority, and that will be expensive. But the public and industry will not put up with paying such large sums if the money is going to be wasted.† Last week, The Daily Telegraph highlighted the latest â€Å"green† charge to be applied to British businesses, the Carbon Reduction Commitment, which will require big companies to buy â€Å"permits† for their carbon emissions. Thousands of those companies are facing large fines if they fail to register with the new scheme before a deadline next month. The articles discusses that although ‘green taxes’ are applied to fund low-carbon power generation with the ultimate aim of encouraging consumers to tap alternative energy, they will increase the cost of household energy bills by à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½50 by 2020. Externalities are third party effects arising from production and consumption of goods and services for which no appropriate compensation is paid. Negative externalities occur when such production and/or consumption impose external costs on third parties outside of the market for which no appropriate compensation is paid. Households consuming carbon-emitting energy can be considered to be a negative externality as it affects the rest of society and even a nearby country which is outside the ‘consumption market’. Many a time, the government will impose a tax on those who create negative externalities attempting to correct market failure. The graph shows negative externality of consumption, where MPB (marginal private benefit) is much higher than MSB (marginal social benefit).The consumption of pollution-emitting energy can be represented by the demand curve MSC (marginal social cost) in the diagram. This curve shows the spillover costs on society with each additional unit of consumption. Consumption is at Q1 and not at the optimal, Q* indicating over consumption leading to welfare loss to society. In order to correct this, ‘green taxes’ are being introduced in an effort to bring consumption to the optimal. This would however result in the optimal price to shift from P* to P2, which is relatively higher. Carbon emissions refer to the release of Carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere when fossil fuels like gas, oil, or coal are burnt. In a natural carbon cycle, carbon dioxide is re-absorbed by plants and trees but currently, the burning rate is faster than the absorption rate. Global warming is the direct negative consequence and the government has to invest in new research technologies to avert further crises. In UK, there are a number of governmental environmental policies, like the Renewables Obligation and other ‘green levies’ which are used to fund low-carbon emission energy. According to the article, ‘Green taxes’ would rise threefold, from à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½5.7 billion in 2010 to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½16.3 billion in 2020. In the coming years, as world population rises, so will energy consumption, carbon emissions and its negative effects; these taxes will follow suit. In the short run, the tax increases might not be very large and hence would not cause a great decrease in quantity demanded. In the long run however, as the taxes rise to a sizeable amount, then the deterrent action will ensue; consumers will now be discouraged from consuming carbon based energy and shift to alternative sources. However, In reality this is only partially true. The tax will be most effective on households with lower income, as this tax will cover a larger percentage of their income. The tax will not be as effective on wealthy households since it would be just a negligible amount in their budget and they will not think twice before spending on goods that cause negative externalities. Another disadvantage of such a ‘taxation’ method is achieving the right level of taxation so that private cost will exactly equate with the social cost. The government cannot accurately put a monetary value on the private benefits and cost of firms; in fact, a certain financial figure on the value of externalities such as the cost to natural habitat, long-term effects of ozone layer depletion or even that of the human life for that matter, is rather hard to arrive at. All in all, all that the government and other environmental agencies can hope to achieve is the correct direction of movement towards the optimum level of output. A more effective step the government could take is to impose a complete ban on certain forms of energy consumption that produce large quantities of emissions or issue marketable pollution permits. The latter case of Carbon emissions’ trading has been gaining momentum in many countries now and is a central feature in Kyoto Protocol and the European Union Carbon Emissions Trading Scheme which started in full in 2005. This new approach involved the issuance of limited volume of pollution rights which are sold to companies that pollute. The incentive is that if the company pollutes less, then they can sell their excess permits in the secondary market. As the number of permits being issued is carefully reduced year by year, total carbon emission can be curbed efficiently and simultaneously the path towards greener energy alternatives can be also be paved.

Maos Hundred Flowers Essay Example

Maos Hundred Flowers Essay Example Maos Hundred Flowers Paper Maos Hundred Flowers Paper In 1956 Mao Zedong started a campaign to allow more freedom within his communist regime in China. However in a year the campaign had been cancelled, and replaced by a anti-rightist campaign. Was this just a clever trap to allow Mao to see his critics? Or was it a genuine attempt to allow the Chinese people more freedom? Many historians have argued either way. In 1956 Mao thought it was time to allow more freedom, and allow great expression of thoughts. He intended to allow people to constructively criticises how well communist China was advancing. He made a speech saying how he was extremely pleased with Chinas current state, and hinted he would be allowing intellectuals more freedom. This was very unusual behaviour from Mao, as he was normally against intellectuals. However did he do this for a certain reason? Mao had been so pleased with Chinas state he had sent all the Russian advisers home, as the contract was costing China heavily in resources. However by losing the Russian advisers he needed to allow the Chinese intellectuals to have some more freedom to inspire them to continue the work the Russians were doing beforehand. Stalin died in 1953, and when Nikita Khrushchev came to power he slammed Stalin, and when Mao saw this he could see the same happening to him in China. Therefore to stop this happening Mao allowed criticism within his own party so he did not become like Stalin. This helped make himself less like Stalin too. Another possible reason for Mao to make a genuine to attempt to give more freedom was that he was getting suspicious of a Military Coup. He had used the military in the early stages of his campaign, but after they had sorted out the country they were no longer needed. He needed to give more freedom to stop the military deciding to take power. However there a few potential reasons which show it could be a clever trap. In 1956 there was a nation wide revolt against the Russian communist regime. The Government fell quickly and Russia had to send in troops to regain control. Mao did not want the same happening in China, therefore allowing people to openly criticises the regime he could see the people who could be willing to start an uprising. He mainly expected this to come from the intellectuals of China. When Mao cancelled the Hundred Flowers campaign in 1957, many thought it was a clever trap to allow Mao to find out his enemies within the state, however after studying the evidence, I feel Mao had made a genuine attempt to give more freedom within China. However, when he saw how much people did not agree with his policies, he panicked and removed the Hundred Flowers campaign, and decided to send the opposition to re-education centres.

How to Find Adult Education and Earn a GED in Michigan

How to Find Adult Education and Earn a GED in Michigan You may be pleasantly surprised to find some refreshingly unusual education opportunities for adults on the Education page at Michigan.gov. It takes a few clicks to find these treasures. From the main landing page, click on the Education tab at the top, and then on Students on the left navigation bar. On the Students page, click on Adult Learning on the right navigation bar, under Timely Topics for Students. Here you will find links to wonderful and unexpected programs like Becoming an Outdoors Woman, getting work as a Seasonal Farm Worker, and help for the blind at the Commission for the Blind. There is also a link for the Michigan Historical Museum Volunteer Program/Docent Guild, a fantastic way for lifelong learners to share their love of history, knowledge of the local areas, and hard-earned wisdom. College Career Prep Under the College Career Prep heading, there are links for the more traditional kinds of adult education. Unfortunately, at the time of this publishing, the link for Adult Education Resource Center simply takes you back to the Education landing page. The Michigan Career Portal link does take you to a new site focused on helping Michigan citizens find jobs, from management careers to skilled trades. There is a counter that shows Michigan has more than 90,000 jobs available! Use the search box to find the jobs appropriate for you. On the Career Explorer tab on this page, youll find helpful tools for assessing and developing your skills, and a very interesting opportunity under the Career Jump Start tab to work with a liaison who can point you in the right direction. There are 10 of them, each assigned to a region of the state. Contact info for each is at the bottom of the Career Jump Start page. Earning Your GED in Michigan Sadly, the GED link at the bottom of the Education/Students page opens a PDF that does not appear to be current, and it is the only apparent link for GED information. The best way to find GED information at Michigan.gov is to search for GED in the search box at the top of the page. The first result is a link to the Michigan Workforce Development Agency, which oversees this aspect of adult education in Michigan. When GED and high school equivalency testing options became available in the United States on January 1, 2014, Michigan chose to continue its partnership with GED Testing Service, which now offers a computer-based GED test. Your best option for information is to visit GED Testing Service, where you can find testing centers in your own county. In March of 2015, the state transitioned from paper transcripts and certificates to a paperless, web-based credentialing system. Its an easier, much faster way to receive your credentials, and they can be easily forwarded to schools and potential employers in Michigan. This is a state credentialing service, not national. You can still get a paper copy if you desire. There may be a small fee. Registered Apprenticeship If you are looking to develop skills in a particular trade, you will want to be sure to visit the Registered Apprenticeship page, also found on the Michigan Workforce Development Agency site. Opportunities are available in skilled trades, energy, health care, information technology, and advanced manufacturing. If you participate in this program, youll receive extensive on-the-job training under supervision in addition to classroom education. Youll find addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses for the people to contact. Return to the list of states.

The NBA Lockout Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The NBA Lockout - Essay Example A labor union uses certain tools to enforce their demands such as strikes and collective bargaining with the management, while the management uses tools such as lockouts to strengthen their position in a negotiation. There are a number of causes for a lockout. A lockout can be triggered by a strike of the labor union, for example, if the strike causes loss to the organization, the management of the organization may call a lockout in order to weaken the position of the workers and the management may continue the lockout unless the workers leave the union and agree to work with the organization or the labor union ends the strike and agrees the terms of the management. In more common cases, a lockout takes place when the labor union refuses to accept the final offer made by the management of an organization in a negotiation. In such scenarios, the management calls for a lockout in order to put pressure over the workers to accept the offer of the management. The case with the NBA lockout is quite similar to the second example presented above. The NBA owners initiated the lockout after the owners proposed significant cuts in the salaries but the union of players refused to accept the offer. The contract ended before the union and the NBA owners could reach a final settlement and the scenario resulted in a lockout. From the analysis of the historical data available regarding the NBA lockouts, it has been found that the main reason behind lockouts is the failure to negotiate the salary system of the players. In some scenarios, the management agrees to accept the demands of the union as a result of the shock effect but in case of NBA the negotiations are usually stricter as compared to other organizations. In the 1998-99 NBA lockout the owners wanted to change the salary cap system of the players and sought to cut down the overall salaries of the players. The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) refused to accept the plans of the owners and demanded for incre ases in the salaries of the players. Ultimately, the negotiations reached a dead end and a consensus could not be reached by both the sides and this scenario ended in a lockout which lasted from 1 July 1998 to 20 February 1999. The 2011 NBA lockout occurred due to a reason similar to that of the 1998-99 lockout. The last negotiations between the owners and the players took place in 2005 and both sides reached a deal before the end of the last contract. The term of the contract was six years and it was due to end on 30 June 2011. In order to enter into a fresh contract, negotiations between the owners and the players started in the beginning of 2011. The argument on the owner side was a little stricter this time because the owners presented a claim that they were not gaining enough revenue and they were bearing a loss of $300 million each year. The league proposed to reduce the salaries of the players by as much as 40% and it also proposed a modification on the salary cap of teams wh ich would result in a reduction of the salaries of the players. Such strict changes were completely unacceptable by the union which did not consider these figures equitable for the players, thus the union initiated collective bargaining with the owners. The union planned to be steadfast in its bargaining to such as extent that the director of the union, Billy Hunter, advised the players to be ready for a lockout which was expected considering the strictness on both sides of the negotiation

Why i want to go to University of Miami Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why i want to go to University of Miami - Essay Example A balanced way of combining both theoretical and practical approaches of education makes a big difference between University of Miami and other universities. And since the major I choose is business analysis, this combined method of education is very important for me to obtain my specialty properly and on a high level. The reason of this is quite obvious: being a good business analytic requires to practice a lot with a huge massive of data, but to be able to process the information you need to know how to do it, to be theoretically versed. I believe that University of Miami can give me an opportunity to acquire all the indispensable knowledge to become a real professional in my chosen realm. Also, which is very important in studying process, the professors of the university are excellent professionals and I had a chance to ascertain this while studying in the university. The university hires ones of the best, so it’s not strange that its alumni occupy high positions in best co mpanies worldwide. In addition, as for a foreign student, it is quite important fact for me that the university accepts a lot of foreign students into studying process; I consider this as a great opportunity to establish international contacts with future professionals in economics, which might be useful in my further career. During my undergraduate program in University of Miami in the summer of 2012 I practiced in Guo sen Securities, a Chinese state-owned investment bank headquartered in Shenzhen. Analyzing a lot of financial documents I realized that the knowledge I had acquired in university were practically very useful for me to handle with all the responsibilities I had within the scopes of the internship. In the university I learned how to estimate and prevent financial risks, make capital budgets, develop lasting conceptual frameworks, and analyze future ideas in the financial arena. I saw, that my knowledge and skills were in a high level for an intern, so I’m