Anti War Movement And Impacts On Vietnam War History Essay

Of all the major wars in which the United States was involved, none have been more controversial than the war in Vietnam. The Vietnam War, a diplomatic attempt by the United States, split the state in half. It was a war surrounded by contention and guess with engagement non merely from authorities functionaries but from amusement personalities every bit good as legion mass presentations on college campuses across the state. With the aid of these mass presentations, the backdown of American military personnels would go on even before the war in Vietnam was over and a presidential dirt would finally come up assisting a rapid remotion of military personnels from Vietnam. From the Gulf of Tonkin incident to the slaughter at My Lai and the shots at Kent State University, it would go a war which could non easy be forgotten. History shows that Vietnam was non a fledgling to war and in fact had been engaged in some kind of struggle dating as far back as 200 B.C. when it was invaded by the Hans from China. Ruled for 100s of old ages, the Vietnamese eventually achieved what they thought would be their independency. However, this did non stop the feuds and struggles in the state and Vietnam would see itself once more contending encroachers from China every bit good as Mongolia. In the early nineteenth century, Vietnam was eventually able to throw out all encroachers and get down a new dynasty. The new dynasty, known as the Nguyen Dynasty, would see itself overtaken by Gallic encroachers who would finally colonise Vietnam and command the full state. However in 1930, after being colonized by the Gallic for about 50 old ages, the Vietnamese Communist Party was founded. The Vietnamese so began to arise against the Gallic every bit good the Japanese, who besides occupied Vietnam during WWII, under the leading of Nguyen Ai Quoc ( subsequently known as Ho Chi Minh ) . Finally in 1954, after about two and a half decennaries of contending against the Gallic, the Vietnamese were able to throw out the Gallic in the well known conflict at Dien Bien Phu. As a consequence of their triumph at Dien Bien Phu and the Geneva Agreement on Vietnam, the state was split into two parts at the 17th analogue. This splitting of the state was supposed to be impermanent and elections were to be held in 1956 to reunite Vietnam ( Vietnamese Embassy in USA, n.d. ) . The elections set for 1956 ne'er happened. Supported by the United States, South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem, in an effort to derive independency and go its ain state, refused to let the elections to be carried through as he knew that Ho Chi Minh would win the presidential term, something that Ngo and the United States decidedly did n't desire to go on. Because of Ngo ‘s refusal to travel through with the elections, which did n't run into the footings of the Geneva Agreement, the North Vietnamese lost trust in any signifier of diplomatic solution to the division of the state. As a consequence, President Eisenhower began directing â€Å" military advisors † to South Vietnam under the justification of the â€Å" Domino consequence † or the â€Å" loss of an ally in Southeast Asia taking to the loss of others † ( Into the morass, 2007, para 5 ) . President Eisenhower ‘s end was to assist South Vietnam retain its independency which would go another ground for American engagement in Vietnam. One twelvemonth after the Vietnamese elections were supposed to go on, Ngo ‘s authorities came under onslaught from South Vietnamese â€Å" Rebels † known as the Viet Cong. Then, in 1959, Hanoi granted permission for an armed opposition against Ngo ‘s authorities in Saigon ( Mitz, 2007 ) . Initially, the United States paid small attending to Ngo ‘s misdirection of the war. However, they did notice confrontations between Ngo, who was Catholic, and Buddhist leaders in Vietnam. This led to a military putsch encouraged by the United States which ousted Ngo from power in 1963. The putsch led to internal combat and treachery among South Vietnamese military functionaries. In 1964 General Nguyen Khanh, taking Ngo ‘s place, became the leader of South Vietnam. During that same twelvemonth, it was realized that the Viet Cong were winning the war as they were going more and more capable of managing ARVN ( Army of the Republic of Viet Nam ) forces. It was at this clip that the United States contemplated taking serious military enterprise against the North ( Moise, 1996 ) . During 1964, several preparation plans were installed in South Vietnam which was chiefly amphibian war tactic preparation. Actually get downing in 1961, the preparation became more aimed toward aquatic preparation which the United States thought would be good in the war against the Communist North. A base was setup at My Khe in 1962 where â€Å" busting parties † were given preparation by Navy SEALs. The different types of developing given to the raiding parties included â€Å" gum elastic boat, aqualung, cross-beach operations, and explosive destruction techniques † all of which were carried out at My Khe Beach on the eastern seashore of the Tien Sha Peninsula. During these preparation operations, several onslaughts on high precedence marks in the North were unsuccessful with several ARVN work forces being captured ( Moise, 1996 ) . During the early portion of 1964, it was decided that RVN Navy officers were unable to transport out any kind of intelligent program and U.S. advisers had to be installed in all grades of military where intelligence was needed. There were legion foraies on North Vietnam from February to July by the American trained RVN â€Å" frog work forces † . However, these foraies amounted to nil more than monolithic losingss for South Vietnamese forces. ( Moise, 1996 ) . Later that twelvemonth on August 2, studies were made of onslaughts on U.S. Navy vass off the seashore of northern Vietnam by usage of North Vietnamese gunman boats. These boats were said to hold attacked the USS Maddox but were merely able to hit it with one slug. The Maddox opened fire and there were onslaughts on these gunmans boats by aircraft from the aircraft bearer Ticonderoga. One of the boats was said to hold sunk and the other to hold been earnestly â€Å" damaged † . Shortly subsequently, the Maddox con tinued its patrol along the North Vietnam coastline accompanied by another destroyer, the USS C. Turner Joy. Once once more, on August 4, as the destroyers were on patrol, gunman boats made attempted another onslaught. These torpedo boats followed behind the destroyers and so moved in at full velocity assailing both vass. The destroyers fought back and when the combat had stopped, sometime after midnight, the three gunman boats were believed to hold been done for or damaged. The destroyers, nevertheless, came out unhurt ( Schlight, 1996 ) . These onslaughts were carried out within merely a few yearss of air foraies on North Vietnamese marks non far from where the destroyers were positioned. However, the onslaughts on these destroyers were considered â€Å" motiveless † and hence led the president at that clip, Lyndon B. Johnson, to show the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution to Congress. It passed through the Senate and the House of Representatives with merely two members of the Senate disagreeing. This declaration gave Johnson the power to officially get down â€Å" combat operations † throughout Southeast Asia whenever he felt necessary. It was believed that this declaration would be used in defence of aggression against the United States. Congress hence had no ground to believe that President Johnson would of all time utilize the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution to intensify the war in Vietnam ( Moise, 1996 ) . However, there were conflicting studies from the naval vass as to what truly happened with most of the information being extremely exaggerated. Dayss after the onslaughts, initiated by the conflicting studies, Johnson began holding uncertainties which he expressed to George Ball, the Undersecretary of State. Although he had uncertainties after the onslaughts, no grounds can be found of these uncertainties on August 4th when President Johnson gave orders for revenge against North Vietnamese forces. False onslaughts or non, Johnson would decidedly hold force per unit area on him to move as he had been runing for the approaching elections. The events of August 4th and 6th every bit good as a separate onslaught in September in the Gulf of Tonkin together with President Johnson ‘s initial reaction and his inquiring of the credibleness of the onslaughts made the incident one of the precursors of contention that enveloped the United States ‘ engagement in Vietnam ( Moise, 1996 ) . Adding to the contention of the Gulf of Tonkin incident, new information was released with grounds that the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was â€Å" drafted † at least six months before the existent onslaughts on United States military â€Å" vass † . Other information was released which brought to illume the United States ‘ aid of South Vietnamese military foraies on the North. This was said to hold â€Å" provoked † the onslaughts by the North on United States â€Å" vass † . There was besides grounds of Johnson ‘s hyperbole of the existent harm to the ships, which really were non harmed ( Moise, 1996 ) . Another turning point in the Vietnam War merely a few old ages subsequently was the Tet Offensive of 1968. Initiated on January 21, the Tet Offensive began with Communist military personnels enfolding Khe San, a United States Marine base, for a sum of 77 yearss. On January 31st, as a portion of the Tet Offensive, North Vietnamese and Viet Cong military personnels attacked metropoliss and towns throughout South Vietnam assailing a sum of 36 â€Å" provincial capitals † , five â€Å" major metropoliss † , 64 â€Å" territory capitals † , and near to fifty â€Å" crossroadss † . The force with which the offense was carried out aghast President Johnson every bit good as American citizens go forthing Americans with small religion that any promotion had been made in Vietnam under President Johnson ‘s war policy ( Willbanks, 2007 ) . Get downing in 1965, the United States began directing more and more military personnels to Vietnam. These military personnels were actively involved in operations carried out on the Viet Cong with hopes that the enemy would merely give up. The first of these major operations happened in November 1965. The concluding behind these operations was to seek to interrupt down the ground forcess by wounding or killing a huge figure of Viet Cong and North Vietnamese military personnels. However, Hanoi took the enterprise to direct more military personnels down with which the United States answered by a bomb onslaught along the Ho Chi Minh Trail and other known Viet Cong constitutions. As 1968 was pulling nearer, it was obvious the bombardment along the Ho Chi Minh Trail had about no consequence on the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army and war in the South was acquiring worse twenty-four hours by twenty-four hours. By late 1967 readyings for the Tet Offensive had already begun which wou ld take up to the huge combat that would last until fall of the undermentioned twelvemonth ( Willbanks, 2007 ) . Early 1968 saw North Vietnamese forces begin violative onslaughts on countries environing Khe San and the North Vietnamese Army began to increase its Numberss in that part. For American war functionaries, this would be the type of combat that would certainly alter the result of the war in favour of the United States. With North Vietnamese forces being forced to contend in a combat type offensive instead than the usual guerrilla war tactics, General Westmoreland saw this as the chance needed to weaken and destruct North Vietnamese forces. In fact, it was believed that the war had already begun to take a bend in favour of the United States. The Viet Cong had been dealt serious blows which accounted for a big sum of casualties. Because of these casualties there was incredulity that America would non win the war, particularly with the type of advanced engineering being used. There was besides disbelief that North Vietnamese forces were still capable of holding a strong military due to th e figure of casualties the North had incurred in the old two old ages. This left Westmoreland unprepared for the onslaughts that would shortly get down on American bases and metropoliss in South Vietnam ( Willbanks, 2007 ) . Westmoreland was certain the conflict would be at Khe San and would be after Tet as he did n't believe North Vietnamese forces would assail on such a major vacation. Even holding information that an offense was on the rise and propaganda about an onslaught during the Tet vacation, Westmoreland was still unconvinced. To Westmoreland ‘s surprises, every bit good as that of American and South Vietnamese military personnels, North Vietnamese forces began their onslaughts. The Tet Offensive, which began January 31st, would last for 77 yearss with heavy contending throughout South Vietnam. With more and more intelligence being broadcast at place in respects to the combat and the figure of casualties incurred by American forces, Americans were losing religion in the authorities. However, at the terminal of the Tet Offensive, Westmoreland had credited it as a triumph for American forces. Americans back place could n't understand the construct of a triumph with so many casualties incurr ed by American and Allied forces particularly when it seemed that North Vietnam had a ne'er stoping supply of man-power. This led to American ‘s belief that the authorities had been lying the full clip about the advancement in Vietnam ( Willbanks, 2007 ) . The Tet Offensive led to half of American citizenss being wholly against any escalations in Vietnam whatsoever. This resistance led to many protests which became known as the Anti-War Movement. Resistance to the war in Vietnam was merely intensified after the Tet Offensive and intelligence of the sum of casualties America had suffered. Many of these protests became violent taking to a few really important events in the Anti-War Movement. In March 1968, New York University pupils protested the presence of recruiters from napalm maker Dow Chemical Company, which supplied the United States military with napalm which was used in Vietnam, every bit good as military recruiters on campus. A month subsequently, the beginning of the escalation of the Anti-War Movement had begun when pupils at Columbia University took over an disposal edifice doing Columbia University to be closed. The business of the disposal edifice escalated into a surety state of affairs with a few school functionaries bei ng held for at least 24 hours. The pupils were removed from the edifice by utilizing constabularies force which would non be the last clip constabularies used force to command anti-war protestors. That same twelvemonth during the Democratic Convention in Chicago protestors and constabulary forces would once more run into with constabulary forces utilizing beastly force to command the protests. To do the state of affairs even worse, the constabulary did non let telecasting Stationss to be in the locality of the Democratic Convention for fear the newsmans would impede the exiting of the Democratic campaigners ( Barringer, 1999 ) should the demand arise. Though protests began in 1963, the two old mentioned protests would be the accelerators that really set the Anti-War Movement on the way that would finally see the motion holding casualties. Just a twosome of old ages after the protests in New York and Chicago, the lives of several pupils would be taken in 1970 after information became public refering a monolithic American military cover-up in which American forces in several little crossroadss in South Vietnam massacred 100s of unarmed Vietnamese civilians in a hunt for Viet Cong military personnels ; largely adult females, kids, and older work forces. This would go known as the My Lai Massacre and it sparked monolithic protests across the state. ( Barringer, 1999 ) . Richard M. Nixon would subsequently be elected as president of the United States with promises of an terminal to the war in Vietnam, something which the American populace had been hankering to hear. Surprisingly, in April 1970, President Nixon made the determination to occupy Cambodia in order to assail Viet Cong campsites which had been used as a hideaway. With anti-war sentiments already being strong across the state as a consequence of America ‘s continued engagement in Vietnam, non to advert the slaughter at My Lai, the invasion of Cambodia would merely add more fuel to these sentiments making more animus from anti-war protestors towards the American engagement in Vietnam. In May 1970, amid studies of President Nixon ‘s determination to occupy Cambodia, pupils held big protests and sit-ins on college campuses throughout the United States. Death finally would go a portion of the Vietnam War non merely in Vietnam but in the United States every bit good. On May 4th, afte r a declaration of a province of exigency in Kent, Ohio by the city manager a few yearss before, the Ohio National Guard fired upon protestors at Kent University with a few people being killed, including two non-protestors, and several others being wounded. ( Lewis & A ; Hensley, 1998 ) . All these major events, from the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution to the Kent State shots, would do the Anti-War Movement against American engagement in Vietnam one of the most exultant anti-war motions in the history of all United States anti-war motions. The protests and the figure of casualties in Vietnam would play a important function in the backdown of American military personnels from Vietnam. During Johnson ‘s presidential term, the anti-war motion had a momentous function in haltering the war and had a big impact â€Å" in the disposal ‘s policy reversal in 1968 † . Subsequently, at the clip of Nixon ‘s presidential term, the anti-war protests accelerated the detachment of U.S. military personnels, continued to halter the war, harbored the decline of U.S. troop â€Å" morale and subject † , which helped to rush up troop backdown, and led to statute law which would cut off support of the war from the United States. The Anti-War Movement besides harbor ed indicants of the Watergate dirt, which played a major function in seting an terminal to the war by enfeebling Nixon ‘s power in Congress hence enfeebling his â€Å" ability to go on the war † . The United States would see the backdown of the last active combat military personnels from Vietnam in 1973 ( Wells, 1999 ) .

Race Class and Gender in Learning

Race, Class, and Gender in Learning Strayer University There is no simple definition or answer when one asks the question, â€Å"What is the purpose of education in adult learning. † To justly answer or define this question one most first ask one definitive question that will provide three important variables. Ultimately, we must ask â€Å"Who is asking this question? † simply, what is this person’s background, are they a WASP or a minority? What is their social class? Are they male or female? The answers to these questions will provide a contextual framework and starting point in which can genuinely begin to answer our original question, â€Å"What is the purpose of education in adult learning? † The values and norms developed in institutions such as education are authored by the dominant culture. In American society, White Anglo Saxon Protestants (WASPS) are the authors of the dominant culture. Unfortunately, there are major disparities between White European Americans and other minorities. These inequalities are prevalent in every American institution, including education. Blacks and other people of color are underrepresented in all types of adult education (Merriam, Caffarella, & Baumgartner, 2007). Traditionally, statistics show that minorities do not participate in adult education. Some researchers cite racism as a barrier to adult education. Adult educators have examined how the invisibility/norm of Whiteness has affected adult education, curriculum, theories, evaluation criteria, and instructional practices (Manglitz, 2003). Researchers found that racism in adult education was not intentional; many adult educators were unaware of the extent to which theories and research reinforce White racist attitudes and assumptions, thus sustaining the perpetuation of inequalities ( Colin & Preciphs, 1991). Some researchers have contended that socioeconomic status not race is the major barrier in adult education. Socioeconomic status is America is highly stratified; only a very small percentage of the population owns all of the wealth, power and influence in American society. In adult education, when social class is the focus, the aim of the analysis and subsequent action is to bring about a change from a capitalist political economy to a classes socialist form of government (Merriam, Caffarella, & Baumgartner, 2007). Some researchers argue that a classless society would result in more participation in not only adult education but in education in general. Usually those categorized in classes lower than middle class tend to have limited educational experiences. When considering race and class we must examine the inequality of gender in adult education. Feminist have placed gender, and gender as it intersects with race and class (Merriam, Caffarella, & Baumgartner, 2007). Statistics have shown that women are increasingly participating in adult education, despite this women still experience inequality in the classroom. Some argue that content knowledge, theories and research encountered in the classroom is still heavily influenced by American patriarchal dominance. Along with addressing the questions of Race, Class and Gender one most also account for the theories of Critical Theory, Postmodernism and Feminist Pedagogy. These 3 theories will give us a clue into how educators can contextualize the learning experience for each variable (race, gender and class). Each theory offers its own explanation on how the adult learning process should be conducted or imporved. First we will examine critical theory and its context to education. Critical Theory’s aim is to transform and improve society through the use of criticism (Henslin, 2008) Critical Theory defines its social critique through the use of social problems often citing â€Å"systems† as part of the problem. The â€Å"system† in a critical theory analysis is an institution (such as government or education) that functions to reproduce the status quo (Merriam, Caffarella, & Baumgartner, 2007, p. 253). Social institutions exist to positively regulate, order and control members of its society ( Henslin 2008), the institution of education seeks to do the same. Although ideally the institution of education is supposed to improve society, critical theorists often cite the â€Å"status quo† of education as hindering a learner’s experience. Critical Theorist argue that in adult learning there needs to be a paradigm shift in the status quo. Should learning be centered around technology or should more attention be given to emancipatory learning? Essentially critical theorist desire critique the status quo in hopes of developing one that is appropriate and equal to all learners. Postmodernism is a term that is widely used in many fields, such as literature, art, architecture, history, and philosophy. By definition, postmodernism resists definition (Kerka 1997). Postmodernism like Critical theory questions the status quo. Technically one cannot define postmodernism as a theory. According to Kerka postmodernism is a (Kerka, 1997)â€Å"form of questioning, an attitude, or perspective. † Postmodernism never accepts the truth as absolute and sees truth as ever changing. One can make the contention that postmodernism is part of the foundation of adult learning. Concepts popular with adult learning such as transformative learning or narratives urge learners to question their own â€Å"truth† thus by definition, inviting the learner to practice postmodernism. As one would suspect, Feminist Pedagogy is derived from feminist theory. The feminist theory is based in liberation and the feminist pedagogy seeks to create a liberatory learning environment and it also focuses on the concerns of women in the teaching-learning transaction (Merriam, Caffarella, & Baumgartner, 2007). Traditionally a woman is characterized as a docile nurturing human being but rarely as an authority or as assertive. Feminist pedagogy seeks to liberate a woman from this role in the classroom and urges her to be assertive and firm as a learner and to â€Å"find acceptance for her ideas in the public world† (Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger, & Tarule, 1986, p. 20). The liberatory classroom allows for this sort of transformation. As potential adult educators we have to consider â€Å"what is the purpose of education? † for learners and how that question should be answered individually. As we have seen, that answer varies for each learner. We must be vigilant considering each learners diverse background and constantly examine and revam p the status quo to ensure that each learner’s background is included. Works Cited Henslin, J. (2008). Sociology : A Down To Earth Approach. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall. Kerka, S. (1997). Postmodernism and Adult Education. Trends and Issues Alerts. ERIC Clearing House on Adult, Career and Vocational Education. Manglitz, E. (2003, Feb). Challenging White Privilege in Adult Education : A Critical Review of Literature. Adult Education Quarterly , p. 119. Merriam, S. B. , Caffarella, R. S. , & Baumgartner, L. M. (2007). Learning in Adulthood : A Comprehensive Guide. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

“A Secret Lost in the Water” by Roch Carrier Essay

The story â€Å"A Secret Lost in the Water† by Roch Carrier, is about the importance of valuing something before it is lost. I would recommend this story to others because it conveys a strong reverence for nature on a spiritual level, it teaches the reader to value their elders and appreciate the wisdom and knowledge they pass down, and it treasures the relationship between a father and his son. â€Å"A Secret Lost in the Water† should definitely be read by others because it conveys a strong spiritual veneration for nature. The words â€Å"Piety† and â€Å"Religious† are mentioned whenever the author talks about nature: â€Å"My father opened his pocket and cut the branch he selected with pious care.† This quote expresses the appreciation the father has for living things, and shows the spirituality in his gift by using the word â€Å"pious†. Later on in the story, the father says, â€Å"I’ve just taught you how to find a spring†¦It isn’t something you learn from school.† Through this, I can perceive that practicality is more important to the father than complexity. This story should be read and studied by others because it teaches the reader to value our elders and appreciate the wisdom and knowledge passed down. At the end of story, when the narrator is given a chance to recollect the talent passed down by his father in his early childhood, he struggles to perform the gift. As the narrator fails to hear the gushing water and feel the writhing branch, a fellow farmer says, â€Å"Nowadays fathers can’t pass on anything to the next generation.† This quote is very powerful, since it points directly to a message in the story, â€Å"Nowadays, children aren’t as willing to accept knowledge from their parents.† Also, in Roch’s childhood, the father says, â€Å"A man can get along without arithmetic, but he can never get along without water.† The water is a metaphor describing the skills and lessons his father taught him, and how the gift is vital to their relationship. Soon after, the father mentions that it was something that his father passed on to him, but now it is lost because the narrator claims that â€Å"Somewhere along the roads I had taken from my childhood, I had forgotten my father’s knowledge.† This citation represents the journey mankind is taking today, in the form of a metaphor. â€Å"A Secret Lost in the Water† illustrates and compares the relationship between a father and his child. Roch’s father taught him a gift â€Å"you can’t learn from school†; and something that his own father taught him. Roch inherited the gift from his father, but lost it as life went on, as mentioned earlier in the essay. In addition, the farmer too experiences this moral, for he has the â€Å"finest farm in the area†, and his children do not want to inherit the farm, in which their father spends his whole life preparing for them. This portrays the social issue in the story, inheritance, and exemplifies the importance of valuing something before it is lost. â€Å"A person without the knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots†. â€Å"A Secret Lost in the Water†, by Roch Carrier, is a deep and insightful story that should be used to educate mankind. It delivers a strong admiration for nature, it teaches the reader to respect our elders, appreciate the wisdom and knowledge that is passed down to us, and it illustrates the significance of a relationship between father and son.

Perspective on the significance of the marea court case in Research Paper

Perspective on the significance of the marea court case in understanding some aspect of the larger world of 17th century Massac - Research Paper Example Regardless of this fact, it is the responsibility of the historian/researcher to accurately depict the situation and not give way to the temptation to only relate the most interesting/salacious aspects of the story due to the fact that these do not help to give the full story and only emphasize the beliefs and actions of those with the most divergent views among the culture/group in question. Although the trials have been mythified and turned into a cultural phenomenon, the fact remains that even though the number of executions were low and the incident was isolated, the prevailing beliefs of that time with relation to how the settlers/Puritan viewed the world in which they lived worked to have a profound effect on how justice was carried out with relation to those supposedly involved in some form or other of conjuring or witchcraft. From the court data as well as the other primary and secondary data that can be analyzed, it is clear that many factors greatly impeded the case against Marea as it relates to her trial for murder of her own newborn infant. As such, the purpose of this analysis is not to provide a firm case for or against her guilt in the situation; that much should be obvious. Instead, the purpose is to carefully review some of the statements made by the deponents with relation to those testified to Marea’s innocence/guilt. ... the ways in which these deponents related the information they had come across, the level to which these influences are exhibited in the testimony provides ample evidence of how information was interpreted, accepted by the court, and acted upon based upon the biases of the individuals responsible for providing such testimony and the jurors beliefs as they related to the understanding and application of this knowledge. As such, the individual depositions contained strong references the beliefs in here say as tantamount to proof. This was so prevalent throughout many of the testimonies that if it were extent in a courtroom of our time it would clearly be disregarding as a clear abrogation of justice. However, to the individuals involved in the case during the sixteenth century such cultural, social, and religious norms were perfectly accepted both in society and within the court as a defining merit of their unique and peculiar society. Such inclusion of here say as a type of circumstan tial evidence is noted in many court cases of the same period.2 The first of these testimonies is that of Thomas Drake. Of all the testimonies, Thomas Drakes is interesting in that it does not make any of the broad sweeping stereotypical judgments that the other deponents make in their testimony. Thomas Drakes testimony can be seen as rambling and inclusive of a lot of unnecessary facts; however, the fact remains that he appears to present the most impartial and non-aligned view of those that were sampled in the testimony that is available to draw inference upon. Although it cannot be asserted definitively, it is interesting to question whether Thomas Drake was originally born in the colonies or was one of the first settlers due to the fact that his age at the time of the testimony puts

Report on Kingdom of Heaven ( movie review ) Essay

Report on Kingdom of Heaven ( movie review ) - Essay Example This was the start of their journey towards sharing the real meaning of knighthood and brings them across different borders. In Jerusalem, on the other hand, was utmost peace that is brought about by the efforts of a Christian king named Baldwin IV, aided by Tiberias. However, the greed and fanaticism of Baldwin shatters the truce that leads Balian’s skills in fighting to be needed by him which was especially triggered when Tiberias leaves for Cyprus and Balian stays to defend Jerusalem against their enemies who want to besiege them (Kingdom of Heaven (2005) - Plot Summary. The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). N.p., n.d.). Analyzing this movie, I think that there were a lot of aspects where religious and cultural bias were being reflected. One of which would be how it bashed the Muslim point of view. This could be seen through the concept of the movie on the Crusades where prominent figures talked about Islam being incompatible with Christianity and American values as well. This is reflected in the script as well which showed offensive stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims being bombers, dangerous, stupid, and backward people. This is one of the misrepresentations of history which led the director to having this kind of perception towards Muslims. Some of the distinct scenes in the movie that demonstrated this would be when Muslims were shown attacking churches and tearing down the cross and mocking it. However, to counter all these, the film in a way depicts Muslim characters in the movie as the most honorable as they win with dignity and respect for those they vanquish. Aside from that, the movie represented religious misconceptions or careless generalizations that could be offensive to Christianity. There are a lot of scenes in the movie where Christian aggression is being emphasized that translates it to extreme tolerance to contradicting

The History of Maize from the New World to Africa Essay

The History of Maize from the New World to Africa - Essay Example At present efforts are being made in order to increase Africa’s annual local production and at the same time reduce their importation rates since corn is considered to be one of the most important food sources for the people. The History of Maize from the New World to Africa Maize (Zea mays, L.) or more popularly known around the world as corn, is a cereal crop that originated from the New World, now known as the Americas. It is a tall, annual grass, from the family Gramineae, where other important monocot cereal crops such as wheat and rice also belong (Warman, 2003). It is considered to be one of the earliest grains that were borne out of human genetic manipulation, and its high yield was one of the factors that strengthened the early agricultural societies harvesting this crop (McCann, 2005). All of the numerous uses for corn owe it to its high starch content, which can range from being cooked and served as a major carbohydrate source in every meal, to being ground into flo ur for making chips and bread, to sweets such as desserts or as sources of sweetening agents, and even alcoholic drinks like beer, thus corn shows the flexibility of its products (Warman, 2003). Also, corn is known to have small amounts of minerals such as calcium and iron, even higher than in other cultivated cereals, which adds to the crop’s high carbohydrate content and subsequently, its nutritional value (Mboya, et al., 2011). It is through the wide variety of products that can be made out of corn and rather high nutritional value that made it acceptable in many countries, and its worldwide distribution a success. Among the many areas that have come to learn about planting and harvesting corn, as well as creating a culture that highly utilizes it is Africa, where it was introduced during the time when the Portuguese were still in the process of exploring the New World, as well as beginning to enter into the slave trading business (Maddison, 2007). Starting from a few seed s, the local farmers were able to grow various varieties as well as developing the crops to contain some characteristics that were deemed important, such as having attributes that were similar with locally-grown sorghum (La Fleur, 2012). This initiated a wide acceptance of Africans to a corn corn-cultivating culture and makes it one of their most important staple crops as of date. Thus, the introduction of maize, a New World crop into the African continent and culture was brought upon by the colonial rule of the Portuguese in Southern Africa around the 1500’s, and the successful propagation of the crop in the continent created an economic boost that brought up the culture of planting and consuming maize across Africa, which remains very much alive even today. Origins of the Maize Unlike other grains and cereals which were originally bred from wild ancestors and have undergone minimal changes, the appearance of the maize or corn plant and its cob has been the product of the de liberate intervention of man in its evolution. It is hypothesized that the corn has no wild ancestor, and it has been extinct long before its cultivation began.

Should College Football Players be paid Research Paper

Should College Football Players be paid - Research Paper Example This unfair situation should be remedied by immediately establishing steps towards the payment of the football players. Unfortunately, there is strong opposition against such effort, primarily from the school administrators themselves. Nevertheless, it must be made clear that the payment of the players’ services is not just because they are making their schools famous. Even without monetary compensation, these players would certainly work hard to win championships because of their loyalty to the schools where they belong. Still, they deserve to be paid because the schools are actually earning from them also, not just for indirect promotions, but for actually taking part in a revenue-generating spectator sport. The NCAA, particularly its football tournaments, has become a big business, which is why the players should get what is due to them for their hard work. Should College Football Players be Paid? College football players contribute so much in promoting their respective sch ools. They certainly do not only make the colleges and universities in which they are enrolled in proud; they also encourage other prospective students to entertain studying it too. As a result, these athletes may well be considered as the schools’ instruments for increasing the number of enrollees per school year or semester. Since these academic institutions also function as businesses, earning income through tuition, increased enrollment naturally means more revenues to be collected. In a way, college football players should be provided with a percentage of the income they generated for the school. They should be paid not for making their school proud but for utilizing their skills in order to make it earn. The sentiment in favor of having college football players paid by the school is actually gaining support from different sectors already. This is particularly because the public is already very much aware that the NCAA is already a multi-million dollar business. A report from USA Today points out that the â€Å"NCAA averages better than half a billion dollars a year in revenue† and that does not include payouts from the 28 football bowls, which exceed $184 million and go to the conferences† (Whiteside 2004). This means that aside from the indirect financial advantages that schools can generate from enrollment, these could also profit from the premier collegiate tournament itself, especially because the games are often televised and just like the professional leagues, also earn from the TV endorsements. These millions of dollars definitely are not gained because of the member-schools of the NCAA doubled or tripled their respective enrollment rates. Instead these are generated because the student athletes trained hard in order to perform well in the games. Their diligence in the training programs in which they all underwent ultimately raised the level of quality of the games, particularly football. In fact, many observers would point out that many college football players already possess the skills commonly seen among the pros. Another argument why school administrators can certainly allocate funds for paying their respective football players is that some coaches in Division 1-A actually make more that $1 million dollars a year. In the Southeastern Conference or SEC, where the some of the country’s top college football teams are found, â€Å"

International Penology Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

International Penology - Term Paper Example In China, death penalty is reserved for human trafficking and serious cases of corruption. According to the Shot at Dawn Pardons Campaign (2006), world courts-martial have imposed death sentences for offenses such as cowardice, desertion, insubordination, and mutiny. Since time immemorial capital punishments such as decapitation, electrocution, firing squad, gas chamber, hanging, lethal injection, shooting and stoning have been widely used. Decapitation super cedes all other form of penal practice and this practice has been proved to be fatal, as brain death occurs within seconds to minutes without the support of the organism's body. Decapitation was a common practice in the Asian continent. Countries such as China, India, Japan, Thailand and European, American, and African counterparts also greatly used reserved this practice to punish criminals. However, these types of capital punishment methods has been widely debated, where opponents of the death penalty often feel that there is the possibility of innocent or wrong execution, the lack of deterrence of violent crime; and religious grounds for opposition to the death penalty. Supporters of capital punishments often feel this to put an end to violent crime, closure to the families and friends o f the victim and term of prison sentence is not an ideal way to punish. These debates across countries and among philosophers have gradually changed the style of handling criminals and punishing criminal activities. Foucauldian Perspectives Foucault brought forth the idea of the social permeation of power relationships inherently linked to resistance (Gupta and Ferguson, 1997). Foucault gives two senses to the word "subject": One is at once under the control of power and one is acting as one's own agent of power, but never is one outside of power (Foucault, 1972) According to Foucault (2005) "The emergence of prison as the form of punishment for every crime grew out of the development of discipline in the 18th and 19th centuries". He greatly looks are the development of highly refined forms of discipline, of discipline concerned with the smallest and most precise aspects of a person's body. He strongly believed that discipline develops a new economy and politics for bodies and those modern institutions required that bodies must be based on their tasks, as well as for training, observation, and control. His prime argument is that discipline could mould a whole new form of individuality for bodies, which enabled them to carry out their duty within the new forms of economic, political, and military organizations emerging in the modern age and continuing to today. Foucault challenges the commonly accepted idea that the prison became the consistent form of punishment due to humanitarian concerns of reformists. Hence Foucault's theory of "gentle" punishment made created a way for practice of more generalized and controlled means of punishment better compared to excessive force of the sovereign. In his lecture titled Governmentality, Foucault defines governmentality as "1.The ensemble formed by the institutions, procedures, analyses and reflections, the calculations and tactics that allow the exercise of this very specific albeit complex form of power, which has as its target population, as its principal form of knowledge political economy, and as its essential technical means

Ethical Issues in Adoption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethical Issues in Adoption - Essay Example The topic of adoption has sparked heated debate, especially in social, religious, and political forums. In such debates, people from various agencies have raised their concerns about the ethics of adoption. While the topic of adoption has gained wide acceptance across the globe, some quarters within the society still think that adoption is marred with ethical issues. Certainly, I agree that there are ethical issues in adoption just as Proops states in her article. In as much as opinions are divided whether adoption can offer the solution to marital problems, it is worth mentioning that the issue of adoption is ethically significant, especially in the contemporary world.Unlike two decades ago, the modern society has embraced adoption to the extent that some spouses opt not to bear their biological children. Most of these people claim that adoption offers a solution to barren couples and people who want to stay single. From this perspective, adoption appears to be right. Nonetheless, t he gay, bisexual, and transgender community, commonly known as the (LGBT), have taken adoption to a completely new level. Initially, adoption was meant to help less fortunate children and infertile parents. However, the question that rages today is whether to the gay community ought to adopt children. Nevertheless, another critical question is whether adopted children ought to live families where the parents are not straight or whether they ought to live with same-sex parents.

The True Face of Beauty Essay Example for Free

The True Face of Beauty Essay When you look in the mirror what do you see? Obviously you see yourself, but do you see yourself as you truly are? Studies show that most women see themselves as less than they really are. The majority of the population of women in this world are constantly pointing out their flaws, leaving out all the beautiful things about themselves. Everyone has beauty within them even if it isnt visible at first glance. When asked what a beautiful woman looks like, a majority of the population will describe a Photo Shopped model theyve seen in a magazine. These people are myths, they don actually exist. There is not one person in this world that is perfect and thats OK because our flaws, strengths and weaknesses are what differentiate each and everyone of us to the rest of the world. Media doesnt have the right to label beauty to a certain image, because there isnt an image that shows all the different races, cultures and ethnicity. Also, you can forget about defining true beauty. Like a picture, a definition cannot possibly describe all the different characteristics that make a person beautiful. Most people see inner beauty as a joke. Which makes sense because if you cant see it who knows if it really exists. Men usually say that theyre attracted to someone because of the their looks but thats not entirely true. They first look at a girl because of their looks but the attraction, that comes after they first talk to her. Thats why first impressions are so important, but dont judge too quickly because (quoting from Facebook), The girl you just called fat? She has been starving herself and has lost over 30lbs. The girl you just called ugly? She spends hours putting make-up on hoping people will like her. There are a few more but they arent relevant. Just to say that you shouldnt be to quick to judge. Talk to a person and get to know them and their story. At that point you can start forming your opinion on them. Fashion is another issue when it comes to beauty. Since when does the clothes we wear determine if were beautiful or not . People need to stop judging. Our clothes determine our personal preferences and sometimes a bit of our personality. If a piece of clothing was made, there has to be at least one other person, somewhere in the world that also liked it. It has come to the point where even religious women are being judged by what they wear. If a Muslim woman believes that the burqa or hijab should be worn, then she should have the right to wear it without being criticized. Clothing, judgment, race, religion, culture and ethnicity shout not be the only factors that categorizes you as beautiful. Like the the word says, you need to BE-YOU to be beautiful.

Protecting Children from Internet Risks

Protecting Children from Internet Risks Risk and consequences of the internet and mobile phones The Internet can be a wonderful tool for learning, but as well as accessing educational information also has the possibility those children may access inappropriate information whilst online. Within the school setting children will have some protection, as school networks will have specialist software to block inappropriate websites. Mobile phones There will be some children within the school setting who have access to the Internet at break and lunchtimes on their phones without censored search engines and it is important to be vigilant for any pupils who may be accessing and sharing inappropriate content with other children (children are more likely to be warned about bringing mobile phones on to school premises). Children are becoming more and more interested in IT by using mobile phones, laptops, iPods, computers etc and should be monitored in and out of the school. Mobile phones can be used appropriately rather than inappropriately as they could be used to communicate with their parents for forgetting work, PE clothes, school bags etc, but can also have devastating consequences for children if they are used inappropriately. Mobile phones can be used as a forum of bullying, both inside and outside the school setting. The support assistant needs to be watchful and should monitor mobile phone use in the classroom, at break ti mes and lunchtimes to see what children are using them for. Most school’s have a policy for no mobile phones to be used or brought onto the school premises, as they can be sued to send abusive and threatening text across the classroom to bully and intimidate others. Children sometimes hide their mobile phones in their pencil cases, up their blazer sleeves or under jumpers and will take any opportunity to get them out quickly when they think they are not being watched, so it is important to be vigilant at all times. The table below shows the risks and consequences of mobile phones and then Internet. Mobile phones Internet Can issue inappropriate content, pornography, cyber chatting (can lead to meeting strangers online and sharing of personal information)-paedophiles and other strangers could take advantage. Online harassment, through e-mails, chat rooms, face book and other files that can be accessed. This could lead to suicide, self harming, mental breakdown etc. Text messages- can be used to torment victims and at any time of the day or night. Cyber bullying to hurt, upset, harass or embarrass others (could lead to suicide as a result) Images or videos can be taken without others consent or knowledge and can be posted online. Identity theft- could lead to a child’s or adult’s identity being stolen as personal information has been shared. Texting- sexually suggestive or explicit messages or photographs (could lead to the victim self harming or committing suicide) The child could be located in the real world by paedophiles etc which could lead to murder, rape and other upsetting factors. Late night texting- can lead to tiredness, lack of concentration, and an inability to function in normal day to day activities at school. Pornography can be easily located through the Internet, and misleading young girls to do things like stripping, prostitution, drug taking, alcohol consumption etc Theft of expensive mobile phones could cause upset. Chat rooms- could be chatting to the wrong person and leading them to run away from home (could lead to murder) Health issues of long term usage of mobile phones. Could get involved with gambling online which could be addicted in the long term. All these negative risks and possible consequences can be controlled by positive parenting strategies for the use of the Internet and mobile phones. The following could be used to control this. Talk often to the child about their safety Set ground rules for using the Internet and mobile phones (have penalties if this is abused) When and where the mobile can be used Do not let other children use your mobile phone for the use of the Internet No sending of mean or unkind messages via mobile phones or email on the Internet Think carefully about what you search for on the Internet, once shared images they cannot be reversed Be discreet in your use of your mobile phone; do not flash it around as it is a target for thieves. Monitor your child’s Internet sites they have looked at Be a good role model Have some daily routine by only using the Internet for one hour a day Take sensible precautions Online bullying and social networking The popularity of social networking sites increase year on year, and although the minimum age to hold an account is 13 years of age, children younger than this are creating accounts or getting family members to make accounts for them. Children are being bullied when using social networking and are suffering at the hands of bullies that are now finding that there is no respite at home as bullying becomes more of a cyber issue. Social networking and cyber bullying has massive consequences for some children, with suicide as the most dramatic consequence. Social networking not only involves one or two bullies, but could also involve a wider range of children that a child is connected with. Social networking also has the possibility of adult contact or content. Support assistants should be vigilant at all times at school to listen out for any comments at school amongst the children. Schools may also give advice and briefings about staying safe online and the dangers of social networking. Cyber bullying is a form of harassment that makes use of the latest electronic technology. Primarily the harassment occurs on the web, but today’s smart phones are being used to harass people too. Cyber bullying differs from the more traditional forms of bullying in that it can occur at any time 24 hours a day. E-mail messages, videos and images can be distributed instantaneously to a worldwide audience with the perpetrator remaining anonymous, often making them difficult to trace. Children and teens are rarely concerned about Internet safety. Cyber bullying can have devastating effect on them. Suicides have been linked to the Internet. Social media sites can be sued for positive activities, like connecting kids with friends and family, helping students with school work and for entertainment, but these tools can also be used to hurt other people. Whether done in person or through technology, the effects of bullying are similar. Children who are cyber bullied are more likely to do the following. Use alcohol and drugs Skip school Experience in person bullying Be unwilling to attend school Receive poor grades Have low self esteem Have low self belief Feel worthless Have more health problems Depression Anxiety And many more Reference/bibliography www.safenetwork.org.uk www.safeinternet.org.uk (7.2) Ways of reducing risk to children and young people from the following. Social networking Internet use Buying online Using a mobile phone The following table shows ways of protecting children and young people from harm and abuse. Protection from harm and abuse Social networking Should not be able to create accounts until the child is older and wiser. Family members friends should not create accounts for the children. To be aware of the sites children young people are using. Make the child understand the risks report anything they are worried about. Understand safety messages. Keep personal stuff private. Block people who send nasty messages. Monitor sites thy have accessed. Internet use Enable confidence in the Internet through training positive experiences. Do not accept E-mails, messages or open files. Encourage children to talk to you if they experience cyber bullying. Use ground rules for using the Internet. Speak to the child to deliver positive safety messages. Talk to the child regarding inappropriate behaviour and sites. Use parental controls- safety blocks etc. Keep the computer in the family room so you can keep an eye on the child. Set Internet rules. Keep personal information private do not share anything with strangers (address etc). Teach children about cyber bullying. Buying online Be careful not to sign up to any sites do not give any personal information. Children should not be allowed to have a debit card so this would stop them from buying online. Secure your own cards, so your child cannot use it to buy goods (only register ion sites with passwords). Encourage children to speak to you if they want to buy anything online. Using a mobile phone Risk to the child’s health. They can reduce the risk by using landline phones, hands free, loud speakers etc. Buy a cheap phone, less risk of it being stolen. Know your child’s phone functions (ask company what safety measures can be put in place). Block certain sites on the Internet avoiding the child to access. Use rules, where, when how mobile phones can be used (not at mealtimes, not at school or during lessons). Do not let other children use your mobile phone. Do not send mean upsetting messages. Think carefully what you share (images) from your phone once sent it cannot be reversed. Be discreet of your mobile phone. Reference/bibliography www.socialnetworking.org.uk Guided learning activity E-safety leaflet Children today are increasingly using ICT at school and at home. It is not just about using computers and the Internet, but includes a huge range of devices, such as cameras, videos, video cameras, remote control devices, DS games, mobile phones and much more. This is often a huge worry for parents but there are many things that can be put in place to help keep children safe online. However supervision and keeping on open dialogue with the child about what they are doing is the most important thing. Many Internet providers offer systems to help keep children safe at home, but it can still be easy for children to stray onto inappropriate material, whether texts or images. One of the ways of protecting children is to place the computer in a family area of the home and not in a bedroom; this will help to monitor what the child is doing when they are using the Internet. The Internet can be an amazing resource, fun and informative. You do not need to stop the child from using the information and games available on it, but you can set simple rules for keeping them safe, make sure they understand the rules and know why they are necessary. Do not reply to nasty messages you receive Do not reply to texts from someone you do not know Keep the message you have received so you can show them to a trusted adult and make a note of the time and date you have received them Do not answer calls from a withheld number that you do not recognise Block numbers from people who are sending you nasty messages Change your number if you are being bullied Do not give your number to someone you do not know Do not send pictures to someone you do not know If the problem is serious you can report it to the police, cyber mentors or child line, parents or teachers Safety concerns regarding Internet usage and use of mobile phones Internet usage Use of mobile phones Inappropriate material (pornography) Sex ting (sending inappropriate texts that make the victim uncomfortable) Cyber bullying Inappropriate images (pornography) Online predators (strangers wanting private information- paedophiles) Strangers calling (with held numbers) Sharing personal information (could be involved in online fraud) Internet access (could access any site in the Internet) E-mail and chat rooms (chatting to strangers about inappropriate material) Video game safety (could play games designed for older children) Sharing pictures and videos Bullying (could be bullied using texts and calls) Social networking sites (accessing inappropriate sites) Harassment (constantly phoning and texting victim 24 hours) Online gaming (gambling) viruses Could be stolen if expensive S- SAFE Keep safe by being careful not to give out personal information when you are chatting online. It includes your E mail address, phone number, school address, home address and password. M- MEETING Meeting someone you have only been in touch with online can be dangerous. Remember online friends are still strangers even if you have been talking to them for a long time. A-ACCEPTING Accepting E-mails, instant messages, or opening files, pictures or texts from people you do not know or trust can lead to problems. They may contain viruses or nasty upsetting messages. R-RELAIBLE Someone online might lie about who they are and might give information that is not true. It is best just to chat to your real world friends and family. T-TELL Tell your parents or carer if someone or something makes you feel uncomfortable or worried, or if you or someone you know is being bullied online or by phone.