Hopefully Looking Into the Future: Haiti

Hopefully Looking into the Future â€Å"Hope is the thing with feathers  /That perches in the soul  /And sings the tune without the words  /And never stops at all. †Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  Emily Dickinson In Edwidge Danticat's anthology, The Butterfly's Way: Voices from the Haitian Dyaspora in the United States, different voices of the Haitian dyasporas tell their stories on how they have hope. Whether it be a young child looking for motherly love, seeking to win a soccer game or on an even bigger scale, or getting politically active and hope that what you have done pays off.Though Haiti is often associated with negative stereotypes, whether it be associated with AIDS or â€Å"the Phrase† which was Haiti: The Poorest Nation in the Western Hemisphere (Dreyfus 57), Haitian Americans tend to look on the bright side and turn out to be very optimistic. They are not the ones to just give up, they have come too far. The hope Emily Dickinson's quote from her poem Hope is the thin g with feathers   describes, is what the hope Haitians have. It gets buried within a person, that never succumbs. Throughout many essays, this point is clearly supported.Though their country may not be at its best, throughout the essays, Haitians as well as this part of the Haitian dyaspora, look to move forward and become successful by the migration to the United States. In many instances throughout the compilation of essays and poems, Haitian Americans share their stories on how they have this sense of hope. In â€Å"Restavek† , by Jean-Robert Cadet, the boy, despite the maltreatment of Florence, hopes that deep down she loves him and cares for him. In reality all she really does is abuses and uses him for what he's supposed to be doing as a restavek child.Even til the end, when the boy knows how Florence treats him, he hopes that she had gotten him something for his ceremony. In â€Å"Bonne Annee†, Jean-Piere Benoit inserts a small anecdote that shows that,  "Haitians hope even when there is no hope† (34). Interestingly enough, Benoit cleverly includes the brief anecdote of the soccer game of Italy versus Haiti right after he mentions Bebe Doc taking over his father, but right before states that Bebe Doc had fled the country, as if to enhance the meaning of it.By putting it in this order, you see that Haiti can, even if they end up losing they do have the potential. Jean- Claude fleeing the country gives rise to new hope among many Haitians, both in the ten departments of Haiti and in the eleventh department. As Benoit describes that even † a blizzard in New York [†¦ ] does not prevent jubilant Haitians from taking to the snowy streets, waving flags, pouring champagne† (Benoit 35). Like the soccer game, they celebrated. Something good has happened, an occurrence that for Haitians does not come too often. hink this is perfectly sequenced in order to convey In â€Å"Adieu Miles and Good-bye Democracy†, Patric k Sylvain shows us that the hope he has in his country becoming a democracy is more important to him than his family. Even though he does give up his role as a father to take that of a political activist, he does question himself on whether he made the right decision and if he even made a difference in Haitian politics. All these different voices come together to express the potency of the hope of Haitian Americans.The hope Haitians have prevails over death. Although many Haitians seem to be very hopeful in life, there most certainly are those few that through death triggered hope, and ultimately resorting to suicide. In â€Å"Something in the Water†¦ Reflections of a Peoples Journey†, Nikol Payen tells us of a woman that could not bear with the suffering being on the boat with her infant and gave up on life, plunging into the ocean, never to be heard of again. Although she did not fight to continue, we have to understand the hardships dealt on a daily basis.The boy tell ing the author the story of the aunt that had jumped off the boat, gains hope from seeing this act. He resorts to trusting Payen and getting onto the ship, hoping that he would get a better ending than the aunt. In Marie Ketsia Theodore-Pharel's essay â€Å"Haiti: A Cigarette Burning at Both Ends†, the title alone gives the essay an ethos of lost hope, that no matter what Haiti will, in comparison to a cigarette, burn at both ends, choking any possibilities of having hope. In the end, Thurel died, simple as that. Mr.Thurel â€Å"had made the ultimate sacrifice†, his journey had ended, but his death triggered the author of the essay to think, and other could have been influenced too. Therefore his death had made an impact on people enough to maybe give them hope to do better, and not turn out haw he had. Theodore- Pharel is contemplating whether Mr. Thurel had died for no cause, and this makes her question her love for Haiti. Being given a hopeless title, but opening th e essay with an anecdote from her past that shows the story of a martyr that obviously impacted her, makes me think of the essay as being contradictory.Thurel's suicide, as the suicide of the woman on the boat, is because of the difficulties that they were dealing with in their lives. However, in Thurel's suicide we see more of him being somewhat of a martyr. Thurel said himself in this essay that he was to â€Å"offer myself in holocaust for the complete liberation of my country† (Pharel 83). He died for his country , as had past fighters: Dessalines and Christophe. Like they once did, he had hope for his country, and as did Sylvain, which was mentioned before.Hope does not stop at death, especially considering the fact that Haitians believe that a person does not really die, their soul lives on. And even after death, there is always hope for future generations. Many of the authors of these essays have grown up in the United States, coming from Haitian-born parents. These pa rents hoped for their children to be successful. They did not want their children to have to go through what they had been. These authors, now mostly accomplished , are the epitome of a Haitian American, or of the Haitian dyaspora.Finding â€Å"success in exile†, whether it be to learn a lesson as Sandy Alexandre did in Exiled when she was tricked by her mother to go to Haiti to teach her a lesson to respect her elders, or finding exile as a motivator to become successful (Dreyfus 58). Having been sent to to Haiti, Dreyfus realizes she has to be thankful for what she had, not just take it for granted, seeing that not everyone had the same privileges as she did back in her home in America. In â€Å"Home is†¦ Sophia Cantave, currently a professor at Tufts University, is perplexed if â€Å"perhaps my mother had given birth to me so that I could do all the things that she never did† (170). As an educated woman, she is proud of having succeeded, making her mom proud, yet she is disconnected from her mother, her native land. This hope given to future generations , of the children of Haitian migrants to the United States, is in a way disconnecting them from Haiti. Hope is an exuberant trait among Haitian Americans.Those that had grown up in a place very different from their mother country, as well as those still in Haiti and even in the journey to migrate faced many dilemmas. As Haitians, going from fighting France to win their independence and always having this background of a turbulent government, they will always turn to hope. All they can do is hope, hope for the best , as their ancestors had done in the past and as they continued to do so. And from that hope, become a proud Haitian, because despite their past, they overcame it. They are left alone in this new world, with only hope at their side to help them continue.

Cda and Power Relations

CDA AND POWER RELATIONS Hafiz Ahmad Bilal Department of English, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan Tel: 92-321-600-2709 Email: ahmadbilal. [email  protected] com Akkasha Tariq (Corresponding Author) Department of English, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan Tel: 92-300-600-5445 E-mail: ak. [email  protected] com Sadaf Zahra Department of English, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan Tel: 92-342-737-2911 E-mail: [email  protected] com Saadia Ashraf Department of English, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan Tel: 92-334-757-2265 E-mail: life. [email  protected] com Saman Sibtain Department of English, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan Tel: 92-334-753-0668 Email: [email  protected] com Kainat Aqsa Department of English, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan Tel: 92-341-571-8087 E-mail: [email  protected] com Abstract This study aims at finding the connection between language and ideology which is represented by language. Through the analysis of Obama’s speech it will be seen that how dominant forces exercise their power, maintain their superiority and show their dominance.In this study it is tried to show that how come dominant forces or groups adopt strategies which fulfill their personal interests. In other words through the application of critical discourse analysis the text is analyzed to see up to what extent dominance and power is seen in the words and speech of those in power. CDA always aims at exploring the way social power abuse and dominance are enacted in society. Words are not to be considered neutral but as having some particular meanings which are not always obvious to all readers. Keywords: CDA, dominance, Obama’s speech, Power, Power realations 1. Introduction:Language is a phenomenon which is related to our social and cognitive development right from our childhood and plays a very crucial role in the formation of our identity. Whatever we say always contains some meaning and repr esents our perception toward a certain thing or idea. Language plays a very important role because every action particularly a political action is accompanied and in fact influenced and played by the language we use. We have always got a particular way of understanding and perceiving language. And the way we perceive language builds the foundation of our social construction and individual as well as group relationships.And some branches of linguistics have tried to explain that what kind of relationship is there between the use of language and importance of perception. Because the way we make use of language tells our intention toward any important issue either political or social. Any discourse either spoken or written can emerge from many sources like cultural, social or power background. Language has always its surface and real meanings and surface meanings differ from that of real meanings, and it is in fact one of the aims of discourse to show how language is working and what c ontext it is being used in. .. Using a language involves something that goes beyond the acquisition of structures and the ability to make appropriate choices in the realization of the particular language functions. † (Yalden, 1987, p 39). Every language finds its ways in discourse and in order to understand a speech or a text it so very necessary to get into the depth of that very spoken or written text and go for the context of it. Because unless the text is seen as having more than surface meanings, it would not be easy to get real meaning and understand the motive and intention of speaker.Discourse always intends to bring forth the context of a thing and bring into light which is otherwise not transparent enough to a reader and listener. Because it’s so very evident that our words have never been neutral and language is not an abstract thing rather our words have meanings and they belong to some particular social and political condition. It’s quite important t o know that what actually people do with words and this takes language from being comprised of structures and grammar to function and communicative competence. 2. Discourse AnalysisDiscourse analysis is a rapidly growing and vast field. Discourse explains that how texts relate to contexts of situation and context of culture. How texts are produced as a social practice, what texts tell us about happenings and what people think and belief. Text analysis is the study of formal linguistic devices that distinguish a text from random sentences. Discourse analysis takes into account the text-forming devices with reference to the functions for which the discourse was produced, and the context within which the discourse was created.The very aim of discourse analysis is to show how the linguistic elements help language users communicate. Cohesive devices tell us the text and discourse is the meaning in the context. When we find out meaning in the context, and when we find out meaning from a t ext that will become discourse, and when analyze the text along with the context it becomes discourse analysis. It’s a well known fact that language is checked not in the text but in context as well. It is very necessary to know historical background of any event.For example if a text consists of words about 9/11, it will be obvious to for the historical story. To know actually about a text background knowledge is required which will make the sense even more clear. Certain structures are traced out to reach to the meanings and this is called discourse analysis. Discourse analysis is a methodology but a research as well. It brings new things into knowledge and refers to expressing oneself using words. It is evident that words are never neutral and everything which is written or read has some meanings and through discourse analysis those meanings become clear.This is discourse analysis which enables the analyzer from seeing language as abstract to seeing it as having some meani ngs related to particular conditions like historical, social or political. Discourse analysis has been used to describe a number of research approaches whose ultimate purpose is to focus on the use of language. Conversational analysis, critical discourse analysis is some kinds of discourses which have their own methods and assumptions but the ultimate purpose is to explain the way meanings are constructed in communication.A wide range of texts including journals and broadcast media, political speeches, interviews have been understood through the application of discourse analysis. Discourse analysis includes the ways in which people assume meanings of a text within a given context. Conversational analysis focuses on the analysis of the ways language is being used. It tells how people respond to any conversation and how they make use of a specific word or any provided phrase. On the other hand critical discourse analysis (CDA) is concerned with the imbalance sources of power, inequali ty and bias. 3. Critical Discourse AnalysisThe term critical discourse analysis is an approach which studies discourse in which language is viewed as a form of social practice and focuses on the ways social or political domination are presented by text and talk as well. Power is one of the concepts CDA deals with and CDA tends to analyze the language of those in power, of those who are responsible for the inequalities in done in a society. Moreover CDA researchers attempt to know how discourse produces domination, and how power abuse of one group is exercised on others. And how dominated groups may strive to resist such actions. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is a type of discourse analytical research that primarily studies the way social power abuse, dominance, and inequality are enacted, reproduced and resisted by text and talk in the social and political context. † (van Dijk, 2001, p. 352) One more important perspective concerned by CDA about â€Å"power† is that it is a very rare chance that a text is a work of only one individual. There exists in texts certain evidence which, if observed through a critical eye, clearly shows the ideologies of those who intend to struggle for dominance.The constant unity of language with a number of social issues makes one thing clear and obvious that there is a close relationship of language with social power and this relationship occurs in a number of ways. Power is not essentially derived from language but language can be used in a way so as to challenge power. Language enables to establish differences in power in hierarchical social matters, issues and structures. The actions and words of those in power are always considered of great significance and given a particular importance.And they apply different strategies which are more than enough to show their interests, and it so happens that their words are taken as the ultimate truth. â€Å"The words of those in power are taken as â€Å"self-evident tru ths† and the words of those not in power are dismissed as irrelevant, inappropriate, or without substance† (van Dijk, 2000). In fact it is one of the responsibilities of the CDA researchers to play a very important role in bringing into light the problems and issues of those who have become the victims of dominance and power abuse, and then question the voice of those who have been exercising their power over other groups.Indeed it’s so very important to question them in order to reveal their hidden motives, their superiority, personal interests to make others subjugated. â€Å"†¦ home practitioners must engage in critical discourse analysis to make the voice of the marginalized legitimate and heard and to take the voice of those in power into question to reveal hidden agendas and motives that serve self-interests, maintain superiority, and ensure others’ subjugation. (Henry & Tator, 2002) As already mentioned that CDA’s main concern is about t he power and use of power which is reflected in the text and talk of those who struggle to maintain their authority over others, so it is believed that oppression, inequality and biasness would be left unchallenged if the text is not viewed and analyzed keenly and critically. â€Å"Given the power of the written and spoken word, CDA is necessary for describing, interpreting, analyzing, and critiquing social life reflected in text† (Luke, 1997). Power, dominance and inequality are equally interpreted by the help of CDA as these terms are major concern of CDA. CDA is concerned with studying and analyzing written texts and spoken words to reveal the discursive sources of power, dominance, inequality, and bias and how these sources are initiated, maintained, reproduced, and transformed within specific social, economic, political, and historical contexts† (van Dijk, 1988). As a matter of fact CDA aims to bring a reform in the society and tries to illuminate the paths of supp ressed groups and people. Its whole purpose is to let the oppressed groups know of the injustice done to them and make them able to resist it in order to make their lives worth living.It is in fact a path which tends to lead the dominated bodies to transform their lives. CDA has got many objectives and one of those is to uncover the ideologies that are otherwise hidden in the words or written texts. â€Å"†¦ a critical approach to discourse seeks to link the text (micro level) with the underlying power structures in society (macro sociocultural practice level) through discursive practices upon which the text was drawn (meso level)† (Thompson, 2002). Language tends to have some meaning in it which is not transparent always.CDA plays an important role in making those meanings clear which are otherwise opaque to a common man. â€Å"CDA helps make clear the connections between the use of language and the exercise of power (Thompson, 2002). † CDA does also aim to find connection between social power and discourse. According to van Dijk (1996), â€Å"one of the central tasks of CDA is to account for the relationships between discourse and social power† (p. 84). CDA actually makes itself involved in many social issues which need to be resolved. They can be political issues, power abuse and many others. CDA sees itself as politically involved research† (Titscher et al, 2000, p. 147). Now it will be clear that CDA is interested in analyzing and critiquing the obvious as well as hidden structural relationships of discrimination, inequality, power, dominance and control which are shown by language use. 4. Application of CDA This research study is concerned with the critical analysis of speech of the president of America telling the entire world about the death of Osama Bin Laden (Leader of Al-Qaeda) who was shot dead in his apartment, in Abbotabad (Pakistan), after an operation by the USA troops.Researchers would be interested in criticall y analyzing the whole speech/text in order to find out traces of power imbalance, inequality, and unjustified practice made by the USA. This research will also take into consideration the views of some of the officials of American government as well as the remarks made by Prime Minister of Pakistan. The agendas, ideologies, and hidden motives of the dominant group, in this case America, would be brought into consideration through the help of critical discourse analysis of the speech by President Obama.It will be viewed that how they have managed to show their dominance over others (Pakistan) and what kind of imbalance of power relationship has been generated by the dominating country (USA). 5. Background of Osama bin Laden Al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden is believed to have ordered the attacks on New York and Washington on 11 September 2001 and a number of others. He was top of the US most wanted list. And then a war had been declared against Al-Qaida by the USA.And this operation i n Pakistan was done when the American government was sure enough about Bin Laden’s presence in Pakistan. 6. Text of President Obama Speech THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who's responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children. It was nearly 10 years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history.The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory — hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky; the Twin Towers collapsing to the ground; black smoke billowing up from the Pentagon; the wreckage of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the actions of heroic citizens saved even more heartbreak and destruction. And yet we know that the worst images are those that were unseen to the world. The em pty seat at the dinner table. Children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father.Parents who would never know the feeling of their child's embrace. Nearly 3,000 citizens taken from us, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts. On September 11, 2001, in our time of grief, the American people came together. We offered our neighbors a hand, and we offered the wounded our blood. We reaffirmed our ties to each other, and our love of community and country. On that day, no matter where we came from, what God we prayed to, or what race or ethnicity we were, we were united as one American family. We were also united in our esolve to protect our nation and to bring those who committed this vicious attack to justice. We quickly learned that the 9/11 attacks were carried out by al Qaeda — an organization headed by Osama bin Laden, which had openly declared war on the United States and was committed to killing innocents in our country and around the globe. And so we went to war against al Qaeda to protect our citizens, our friends, and our allies. Over the last 10 years, thanks to the tireless and heroic work of our military and our counterterrorism professionals, we've made great strides in that effort.We've disrupted terrorist attacks and strengthened our homeland defense. In Afghanistan, we removed the Taliban government, which had given bin Laden and al Qaeda safe haven and support. And around the globe, we worked with our friends and allies to capture or kill scores of al Qaeda terrorists, including several who were a part of the 9/11 plot. Yet Osama bin Laden avoided capture and escaped across the Afghan border into Pakistan. Meanwhile, al Qaeda continued to operate from along that border and operate through its affiliates across the world.And so shortly after taking office, I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority of our war against al Qaeda, even as we continued our broade r efforts to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat his network. Then, last August, after years of painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden. It was far from certain, and it took many months to run this thread to ground.I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we had located bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside of Pakistan. And finally, last week, I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice. Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed.They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body. For over two decades, bin L aden has been al Qaeda's leader and symbol, and has continued to plot attacks against our country and our friends and allies. The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al Qaeda. Yet his death does not mark the end of our effort. There's no doubt that al Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must — and we will — remain vigilant at home and abroad.As we do, we must also reaffirm that the United States is not — and never will be — at war with Islam. I've made clear, just as President Bush did shortly after 9/11 that our war is not against Islam. Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims. Indeed, al Qaeda has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, including our own. So his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity. Over the years, I've repeatedly made clear that we would take action within Pakistan if we knew where bin Laden was. That is what we've done.But it's important to note that our counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden and the compound where he was hiding. Indeed, bin Laden had declared war against Pakistan as well, and ordered attacks against the Pakistani people. Tonight, I called President Zardari, and my team has also spoken with their Pakistani counterparts. They agree that this is a good and historic day for both of our nations. And going forward, it is essential that Pakistan continue to join us in the fight against al Qaeda and its affiliates. The American people did not choose this fight.It came to our shores, and started with the senseless slaughter of our citizens. After nearly 10 years of service, struggle, and sacrifice, we know well the costs of war. These efforts weigh on me every time I, as Commander-in-Chief, have to sign a letter to a family that has lost a loved one, or look into the eyes of a service member who's been gravely wounded. So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when our people have been killed. We will be relentless in defense of our citizens and our friends and allies.We will be true to the values that make us who we are. And on nights like this one, we can say to those families who have lost loved ones to al Qaeda's terror: Justice has been done. Tonight, we give thanks to the countless intelligence and counterterrorism professionals who've worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome. The American people do not see their work, nor know their names. But tonight, they feel the satisfaction of their work and the result of their pursuit of justice. We give thanks for the men who carried out this operation, for they exemplify the professionalism, patriotism, and nparalleled courage of those who serve our country. And they are part of a generation that has borne the heaviest share of the burden since that September da y. Finally, let me say to the families who lost loved ones on 9/11 that we have never forgotten your loss, nor wavered in our commitment to see that we do whatever it takes to prevent another attack on our shores. And tonight, let us think back to the sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11. I know that it has, at times, frayed. Yet today's achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people.The cause of securing our country is not complete. But tonight, we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to. That is the story of our history, whether it's the pursuit of prosperity for our people, or the struggle for equality for all our citizens; our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place. Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice f or all. Thank you. May God bless you.And may God bless the United States of America. 8. Analysis The speech opens with a detail explanation of the whole incident of Abbotabad (Pakistan) and President Obama congratulates the people of his country and the rest of the world about the victory which embraced them after a long span of time. Then there are a few statements about what did the families of the victims of 9/11 go through and what kind of grief surrounded the whole nation. But there then comes some statements which, if analyzed critically, clearly show the efforts America has made to fulfill her personal interests.Obama at one instant states, â€Å"Over the last 10 years, thanks to the tireless and heroic work of our military and our counterterrorism professionals, we’ve made great strides in that effort. † And then he makes further comments which are a clear cut example of their intent to show dominance over Al-Qaeda and then their efforts to fulfill their own se lf-interests. Says he, â€Å" And around the globe, we worked with our friends and allies to capture or kill scores of al Qaeda terrorists, including several who were a part of 9/11 plot. These two above mentioned fragments of his speech just seem enough to elaborate their point of view about their position in the world and their way of doing things. It is obvious that they have been putting themselves in this effort for last ten years. Then the point becomes even clearer when President Obama talks about the result of their continuous efforts and tell the world how they located bin Laden. â€Å"Then, last August, after years of painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden.It was far from certain, and it took many months to run this thread to ground. I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we had located bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside of Pakistan†. This statement if observed superficially will only be discussing about the fruitful results of the US intelligence on the matter of bin Laden’s capture. But in the eyes of CDA it’s just not a simple statement but it is something greatly related with the imbalance power relationship with Pakistan as well.If analyzed and interpreted critically, it becomes obvious that USA government has shown little reluctance in sharing their plans with Pakistan. For example to understand it more clearly just ponder on the words said by Obama. â€Å"I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we had located bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside of Pakistan. † What does â€Å"my national security team† mean? It obviously means that Obama has just asked his national security team to go through the process of finding Laden.He has not mentioned that any plan or idea is shared with Pakistani officials or intelligence. So through the application of CDA and considering its main purpose it is evident that nothing matters for them as far as their interests are concerned. Pakistani security team was just not told anything and USA just took their special team in confidence. It means that they have been struggling and making many efforts without letting Pakistan know anything about it.And it must be observed that the process of inquiring about Laden’s presence was taking in Pakistan and Obama makes it clear in his speech that he learned that Laden was present â€Å"deep inside of Pakistan†. Now this is again something of great importance, as it is like showing dominance and power over other country. In the above stated comment of Obama two things show the excessive use of their power. First President’s meeting with his security team only and second the action of investigating Laden’s presence in Pakistan is the thing not being shared with the country where he actual action was to take place. This is to be considered as one of the examples of inequality and wrong use of power by USA. The story is just not over here as there comes many more evidence in the text which represent the inequality USA seems have done to Pakistan. â€Å"Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbotabad, Pakistan. † There again needs to apply CDA and get into the depth of the statement and reach to the real meanings which are otherwise hidden and not easily understandable. Today, at my direction† is just not simple phrase but something that is more than enough to affect the power relationship between two independent countries. â€Å"Today† seems to specify the day and time which appeared suitable to the dominating country and then â€Å"at my direction† is indicating towards something which goes in favor of USA because here again it is noticeable that President Obama looks like in believing in his own orders and directions, not giving any clue of the direction or requirement of taking the direction of Pakistani government.This if critically analyzed is pointing towards the belief which the USA government might have in them and in their power as well. And this looks like USA tends to imbalance the power relation with Pakistan and makes that country dominated by such remarks and action as well. Then there come another statement which looks even closer to the way one may exercise their power over other group or a country might be. â€Å"Yet his death does not mark the end of our effort. There’s no doubt that al Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us.We must—and we will—remain vigilant at home and abroad. † In the above mentioned statement there are three important words which are enough to grab the attention of those who work through CDA. â€Å"We must, we will remain vigilant at home and abroad are not having ordinary mea nings in them as it is well known fact that words are not always ought to be neutral. If viewed deeply there in that statement a word is used â€Å"abroad† and it seems to indicate some determination of American government.Using words like â€Å"we must†, â€Å"we will† is a way adopted for asserting their power and dominance. And it’s not their country only they will be working but abroad as well. And abroad can be any other country or Pakistan may be as he didn’t mention it at all. , as he said it was not the end of their efforts and any further action could be possible in future. Judging this very fragment of his speech it might be said that it was not at all a neutral statement and contained in it a signal to show their strength and then will to exercise power whenever they feel it to exercise. Over the years, I’ve repeatedly made clear that we would take action within Pakistan if we knew where bin Laden was. That is what we’ve do ne. † Such a statement from president of USA for another independent country is indeed of great attention as it again refers to the same thing which CDA aims at. Critically evaluating, this statement contains some meaning which seems to give world an idea about what USA thinks and wants to do. To make an argument like â€Å"I’ve repeatedly made clear† is containing a huge meaning in itself.It refers to the idea of being always right, and dominant. And if analyzed this statement more deeply, it appears as if America is biased toward Pakistan and this is shown through the text itself. â€Å"†¦. that we would take action within Pakistan if we knew where bin Laden was. † This remark is showing the bias America is or may have against Pakistan. As it shows that they are already having some prejudice against Pakistan and have repeatedly made it clear that they would take an action if found it good in their interest.Continuing further he adds that he called P resident Zardari and his officials and was told that it was a great day for both of their nations and further Obama states, â€Å"And going forward, it is essential that Pakistan continue to join us in the fight against al Qaeda and its affiliates. † It does seem opaque that what kind of contribution they are asking Pakistan to make, they may be signaling toward the same way they just adopted to attack Osama in Pakistan, and making Pakistani government clear that their contribution lies in the fact that they would not be asked if the action is to be taken again to attack any other member of al Qaeda.President Obama’s speech consists of many fragments in which he every now and then shows his sympathy with his nation about the incident of 9/11 and ensures to take possible measures to protect their country but that statement itself becomes controversial and looks like to serve their purposes only. Says he, â€Å"Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when our people have been killed. We will be relentless in defense of our citizens and our friends and allies,† This statement is just telling the way they want to secure their country.And letting the entire world know of what they think of the security of their people and country. But in a way or other it suggests that it is only their security that matters and they will not allow anyone to threaten their security, moreover they will be relentless in defense of their citizens. But the question arises that what about the security of the country which was threatened and weakened when President Obama took that action in Pakistan and made it clear that they had already said that any action of this sort could take place in Pakistan if necessary.On one side securing their own country and on the other hand not showing any concern about the security of the other country (Pakistan). These kinds of phrases are interpreted with the help of CDA in order to detect the hidden ideologies of the dominating country. And statements like this and many others are a warning to let others know not to take this matter lightly. CDA aims at exploring the motives of dominant group and it tells what one is allowed and expected to do. President Obama concludes the speech with a statement which contains in it a message which confirms their dominance, power and threat to power relation with Pakistan.Adds he further, â€Å"The cause of securing our country is not complete. But tonight, we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to. That is the story of our history, whether it’s the pursuit of prosperity for our people, or the struggle for equality for all citizens; our commitments to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place. † Though these are the closing comments from president Obama but they do have the signs of over dominance. â€Å"†¦America can do whatever we set our mind to. If this and many other above mentioned statements are left unchallenged then power relation and excessive use of dominance by America in this particular case can create many problems for the country who is being repressed and dominated. As it is one of the main aims of CDA to reveal hidden motives which do lie in texts and words, this piece of text does need a critical analysis. Telling what America can do somehow discloses the ideological assumption of America. This appears like America has got some firm belief in their strength and that they can do whatever they want to do.It’s through the application of CDA that it becomes possible to let others know that how those who in power maintain their superiority and how they want or ensure others subjugation. This statement is just no looks like a warning to al Qaeda only but to the entire world. Saying that America can do anything seems like America can attack Al Qaeda again as well as America can make use of it s excessive power by maintaining its dominance and can again take such sort of action in Pakistan. It points towards the commitment America has made in order to be superior and ensure its superiority over others.CDA is very helpful in such situations as it help in understanding that how one exercises their authority through words. This very statement is a signal toward the presence of imbalance in power relationship between the two countries (Pakistan and America). And CDA helps understand the social problems, inequality and excessive use of one’s power and superiority over others. Some comments of the American officials have also been added and analyzed with the help of CDA. BBC reports on May 2, 2011. The US official said that intelligence had been tracking a trusted courier of bin Laden for many years.The courier’s identity was discovered four year ago, his area of operation two years ago and then, last August, his residence in Abbotabad was found, triggering the st art of the mission. (BBC News) This news by US official reflects the same idea as it was there in President Obama’s speech. Their continuous effort to find out Osama’s residence across the world appears to be their top priorities. And as the official said that at last they found him in Abbotabad (Pakistan), it looks like that they had kept an eye on Pakistan.But what happened actually that the plan was not at all shared with Pakistan, which seems like a way used by US to exercise its superiority and keep its self interest most important. It actually can be fatal for the power relation between the two countries because inequality can be seen in this very case. According to another report by BBC it was said that nothing about the plan was shared with anyone including Pakistan. The official said â€Å"Only a very small group of people inside our own government know of this operation in advance. (BBC News) The statement is what CDA aims to bring into notice. US officials knew that the operation was to be held in Pakistan but it was not their concern to share it with the officials of Pakistan. At surface level this statement is not that dangerous but its critical analysis may make it prominent and questionable. The information was shared with a very few people of the US and it indicates towards the inequality shown by the US. It too shows the power abuse which according to CDA needs to be resisted.Power relations can be at risk if such statements are made by an independent country for another independent country. It looks like as if sovereignty of a country has been challenged through the words of those who have power and this time Pakistan seems to be the victim of such oppression and injustice. The nature of these remarks makes CDA an interesting task. This should be kept in mind that those who are in power they keep asserting their dominance through the use of words and this has just been shown and understood through the critical discourse analysi s of above mentioned remarks of the US officials.BBC News had too added the remarks of different officials of many countries but in this very analysis the remark of Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani would be analyzed. â€Å"Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said the killing was a â€Å"great victory† but added that he â€Å"didn’t know the details† of the US operation. † (BBC News) CDA aims to highlight oppression, repression and marginalization by critically analyzing the text to reveal dominance. And what makes the remark of Prime Minister a questioning one. The declaration of Mr.Gilani about having no details about the US operation seems to ensure what America wanted for them. The operation was made in Pakistan and the Prime Minister of the same country has not been told about it. Dominance of America may be observed here as there comes no resistance from the words of Prime Minister. Moreover it seems to ensure the subjugation of Pakistan and do mination of America in the very incident of Abbotabad. This is an attempt to critically analyze the words of those in power. It is shown that what it looks like and what it actually is. . Conclusion Let this fact be acknowledged that those in power have always some hidden motives and ideologies which they adopt to serve their purposes and fulfill their self-interests. Their words are not at all neutral rather they have respective hidden agendas which they use to maintain their superiority. The same has been understood by critically analyzing the text of President Obama’s speech after the death of bin Laden. CDA tries to illuminate ways followed by dominant forces that favor their personal interests.A text may appear flat if not critically observed but if critically evaluated it reveals hidden traits of those who tend to exercise their power by using words and speech. CDA has played a major role in unraveling the text and meanings which are contained in it. Critical analysis o f text is necessary to challenge the excessive use of power, oppression and inequality, and CDA helps resisting such actions if prevailing in the society. DISCLAIMER: The text of Obama’s speech was taken for the research purposes only and none other purpose should be extracted out of this analysis.The text analysis should not be taken politically or personally. References BBCNews. (May 02, 2011). â€Å"Osama Bin Laden, al-Qaeda leader, dead-Barack Obama. † (Extracted on: June 16, 2012) Available : www. bbc. co. uk/news/world-us-canada-13256676 CBSNEWS. (May 02, 2011). â€Å"Full text of Obama’s Speech on Bin Laden’s Death†. Extracted on: June 16, 2012. Available: http://www. cbsnews. com/8301-503544_162-20058783-503544. html Henry, F. , ; Tator, C. (2002). Discourse of domination. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Luke, A. (1997) Theory and practice in critical science discourse. In L. Saha (Ed. , International encyclopedia of the sociology of education. Accessed March 6, 2003. http://www. gseis. ucla. edu/courses/ed253a/Luke/SAHA6. html(Retrieved on: June 16, 2012) Titscher, S. , Meyer, M. , Wodak, R. ; Vetter, E. (2000) Methods of Text and Disocourse Analysis. London: Sage Thompson, M. (2002). ICT, power, and development discourse: A critical analysis. Accessed March 6, 2003. http://www. jims. cam. ac. uk/research/seminar/slides/2003/030529 thompson ab. pdf( Retrieved on: June 16, 2012) van, Dijk, T. A. (2001). Critical Discourse Analysis. In Handbook of Discourse Analysis. Schiffrin, D. , Tannen, D. nd Hamilton (eds). Malden: Blackwell. (pp352-371) Van Dijk, T. A. (2000). Critical discourse analysis. Accessed March 6, 2003. http://www. discourse-in-society. org/OldArticles/The%20reality%20of%20racism. pdf(Retrieved on: June 16, 2012) van Dijk, T. A. (1988). News as discourse. Hillside, NJ: Erlbaum van, Dijk, T. A. (1996). Discourse, power and access. In Texts and Practices: Reading in Critical Discourse Analysis. Coult hard, C. , Rosa, C. and Coulthard, M. (Eds). London: Routlegde. pp 84-104 Yalden, J (1987). Principles of Course Designing for Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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MGM625-0903A-01 Applied Finance for Decision-Making - Phase 1 Individual Project 2 - Essay Example difference between the current assets and the current liabilities, in other words, the assets set aside by the company in order to run the day to day operations (Samuels et al, 2000). The working capitals for the three years are computed as follows: The working capital of the firm is sufficiently higher than the current liabilities and it has remained almost steady for the three years, with a slight decrease in 2003. In case Superior Living is planning on entering new projects and investments, it will be essential to increase the current level of working capital. The current ratio of the company is the ratio of the current assets to the current liabilities. It indicates the liquidity position of the firm and its ability to cover the current liabilities with the liquid assets. The quick ratio is computed as the ratio of the ready cash assets (current assets – inventories – prepaid expenses) to the current liabilities. The liquidity ratios for Superior Living are computed as follows: It is evident that the current ratio is around 2 for the three years, indicating the strong liquidity position of the company. It is interesting to note that the inventories form a large portion of the current assets and they cannot be readily liquefied. The quick ratio is around 0.55 which is much lower than the ideal 1:1, indicating that the short term cash needs in case of solvency will not be met (Burks and Wilks, 2007). Hence the company needs to improve the cash assets. The short-term (due within a year) and long-term debts (due in more than one year) of the Superior Living are listed in the table below. The debt to equity or the gearing ratio is computed as the ratio of the long-term debt to the equity (Samuels et al, 2000). The values are tabulated below: The gearing ratio of the company is very low (2% - 3%) over the three years. Though the long-term debt has increased by $400,000 over the three years, the debt to equity ratio has not increased. The company is not

Logical Forms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Spotify E-Commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Spotify E-Commerce - Essay Example On a day-to-day basis, the company utilizes technology in conducting their operations. Additionally, the management uses generic marketing strategy in products and services to consumers. In addition to using Apple airplay, Denon and Marantz, Logitech squeezebox, Onkyo Network-Capable Receivers and Sonos Digital Music Systems, the company employs a combination of marketing strategies in promoting their products to clients. According to Gilmour (2012), Spotify uses cost leadership, product differentiation and generic strategies in the market. As discussed in the report, innovations are vital to success at spotify. The discussion is highlighting the implications of technologies at Spotify, the types of technologies used by the company, and the information systems used in conducting operations at the company. The report’s aim was to analyze the strategies that Sportify uses in conducting its operations in the global market, thereafter make recommendations that will suit the intere st of the company. According to Sehgal (2010, p. 12), the report used online content in analyzing the stratagem that Sportify use in the market. The information was sourced from journals, books and sportify’s website. E-commerce Introduction Spotify TM is a Swedish company that offers a variety of entertainment services to consumers in different parts of the globe. The company has its head office in London but it still conducts some of its operations in Sweden. Additionally, the company offers services that include streaming of music and sharing of data via the internet (Eldring, 2009). Sportify TM works in conjunction with companies like Sony, universal records and EMI in ensuring that the company meets the growing demand in entertainment industry. Currently, the company serves more than twenty million customers on an annual basis. In 2010, records indicated that the company surpassed its initial target by supplying close to 10 million customers entertainment services. Profe ssionals in Stockholm came up with the idea of starting the company in 2006. Daniel, E. K spearheaded the process with the assistance of Martin Lorentzon. Thereafter, the two came up with software that offers clients registration to the site. Generally, Spotify TM has revolutionized the entertainment industry despite facing challenges in their operations. In 2009, hackers invaded the sites of the company and got away with sensitive information that belonged to clients. This contributed to major losses recorded in that year. However, the company was able to regain back its position with support from Founders funds. Besides, Spotify recruited Sean parker who reintroduced the winning strategies at the company. According to Porter (2008), the manager used a combination of marketing strategies and technologies in putting back the company to its positions. At present, Spotify is leading distributor of music in the world’s entertainment industry. Spotify TM Spotify is a cloud-based music-streaming process delivered via desktop and mobile phone. It was launched in October 2008 and offers subscribers access to a vast database of songs via the internet. In order to achieve this, Spotify TM uses many information systems, some of which are so unique to its operations. An individual could play Spotify music through their network devices, smart phones and mobile devices. Spotify also continue to innovate new features that enhances music listening from inside the house. It allows people to simplify their work and vitality as they develop an admirable in music catalogue. Additionally, Spotify availability is also found in UNIX, Microsoft spotify code windows and Macintosh. These sites contain

Drugs in sport, I'm looking at the use of EPO in Essay

Drugs in sport, I'm looking at the use of EPO in - Essay Example The paper would also briefly show the picture of what this type of behavior could do in the long run for the sports world as well as on the actions of younger generations. Any state taking part in the Olympics would be familiar with this: ``The important thing in the games is not winning but taking part. the essential thing is not conquering, but fighting well, since this is the creed of the said event (Baron, 54). But could it still be reconciled with the reality of the modern sports world? Sports now after all is not just playing some game, one could discern that it is really more than that. Thats why sports get a separate section in every major daily newspaper, stadiums are filled along with arenas around the world regularly with fans rooting and screaming their lungs out for someone or some group, they receive massive funds from schools and they occupy hours of commercial TV and radio air time (Washigton, 188). This kind of situation leads to a reward system wherein incentives are given not to a job well done or a battle well fought but to winning. Athletes and their coaches know that. Largely, as it could be associated from the above described sp orts world, this is because winning today do not just give you a shining image (if only they could be satisfied with that), but in this time and age, it is absolutely associated with unbelievably huge amount of money. Winning open the doors for athletes as well as the coaches to multimillion dollar contracts, appearance fees, and various international endorsements and exposures. Something nobody except for a few rare souls, could reject. However, the issue is not even about the abnormal financial gains these performers could acquire when they succeed, but what this drive to excel lead them to do. A conspicuous issue that arises from such situation is the use of performance enhancers in

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Modern-day Slavery and abused domestic workers in kuwait - Essay Example There are several cases that domestic workers, who have been abused by their employers tries to escape and the Kuwaiti law allows the employers to sue these domestic workers for trying to abscond and they get these workers deported at the end of the day (Human Rights Watch, 2010). This trend can only encourage modern-day slavery in Kuwait as there have not been stringent laws to curb the excesses of employers that abuse their domestic workers. This situation is rather different from the one in the United States of America as the government of the country has made efforts to reduce the problem of modern-day slavery to the barest minimum. The US government has given the domestic workers the right to sue their employers whenever they feel they have been maltreated by them. Thus, the modern-day slavery in Kuwait seems to be more terrible than the one in the US and this is due to the fact that the domestic workers in US have the right to protest against harsh treatment, while the ones in Kuwait have not been granted that privilege (Human Rights Watch, 2010).

Shakespeare's Othello theme and characterization Essay

Shakespeare's Othello theme and characterization - Essay Example 34). Lago characterization is basically presentation of black sheep in the societies that how they play with individual’s life and destroys them. Their mind games are of pure evilness and immorality; utmost desire to get power, wealth & ranks can lead them to do any spiteful task. Lago in the quest of such desires makes a big spectrum in which he plays with many individual’s life and creates conflicts in between them so that he would lead to the ultimate path of success. His agenda is self fulfilment of worldly desire for which he would take any step (Rees, 186). The theme of the author is to concentrate readers on such kind of devil-men who are present in the human race. Othello is depicted as hero in the novel; however his did some immoral acts due to ignorance about the occurrence of certain events. Lago is the main person behind this whole game plan. The writer wanted to depict that sometimes even good people can commit crime due to ignorance, resentment, jealousy, envy and unawareness but their agenda is not to prevail destruction among the society. Their acts are in the light of presented facts and figures and thus they feel resentful inside thus take bitter actions. Othello killed her wife due to genuine misunderstanding; though taking a human life due to jealousy, betrayal and revenge is not justifiable in any book of law (Toole 73). Todd & Kenneth (371) illustrate that Othello after knowing the real picture of the handkerchief incident commits suicide as he feels extremely sorry for his act of killing her wife, disrespecting her and disregard Cassio services. The writer wanted the readers to understand that the good one’s cannot resist after hearing the truth as they feel ashamed of their wrong deeds prevailed. Also man with a noble and gentle heart knows that what’s right and wrong in life so killing an innocent due to a great

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Art is an expression Essay Example for Free

Art is an expression Essay Art to me is an expression. Society has a way of creating social norms, and through this influence people to become inspired to be different, to express themselves in many ways and to share with others this passion, in the form of art. Cultures have utilized art in the form of drawings, patterns, and techniques; for example the type of clothes they wear, and type of houses they live in. Art is everywhere. Albert Einstein once said, you could look at life as if nothings a miracle or as if everything is. I think that you can look at art in the same way. I remember watching a film in class on a man and a woman who were in charge of the community project that consisted of hanging sheets for miles. I have no idea why they would do that over a different art project, but I got their message. It was all about working together, doing something that was unique and of their own works, regardless of everyone else’s opinion. They had to fight the system for a while before they were able to begin. That’s passion. After the readings I can’t help but to agree that art offers us a way to go beyond physical existence. What the author is saying to me is that art in every form changes our values our ideas in an effect change our lives. We are not robots, we don’t have to stay within regulations; we have the ability to be creative. Being creative is the most powerful tool we have some may argue. To touch back on why people make art, I can remember watching movies as a kid and there was this one kid out of the prep school that did wear the dress uniform to standard like all the other students. He was seeking to be different. Changing your uniform up a little to be different is art. Indians may paint their faces and their horses differently so that they stand out of all the others so that they can be found and identify. Same cases Indians made art was to distinguish themselves from other tribes as to not kill  their own people during a raid or battle. I used to become stressed with school and/or with relationship issues so I started drawing. I never liked being told what to draw and how to do it. I mostly like to begin with lines and later find out it looks like something that was unplanned. The reasons why I draw was take my focus off of life. Sometimes drawing something that makes you happy can help you to recall memories from good experiences and can turn your day around. Art is my tool and is my passion.

Foreign Aid and US Politics

Foreign Aid and US Politics To Be Or Not To Be Involved In the year 1796, President George Washington gave his speech, the Farewell Address, directing to all fellow American citizens before he resigned from his presidential office concerning the young nation’s future. He warned the Americans to avoid political parties for it may tear the country apart, and to avoid creating permanent alliances and foreign affairs, but rather favor isolationism and temporarily alliances in cases of emergencies. It wasn’t until during the presidency of Woodrow Wilson, World War I occurred that America began to shift away from the ideology of neutrality. Since then until today, the United States rose to become the world’s superpower and serves as the world’s â€Å"police† after the aftermath of World War II and the Cold War, ending the concept of isolationism. With many speculations regarding foreign issues, threats, attacks, helping hands that are not needed and the increase of the deficit spending, many Americans began to wonder whether or not being involved in other countries’ businesses would do more harm than good to the nation. After the World Wars, many Americans believe that the country should cut all ties from any foreign affairs, including aids. A number of people believe that the government is spending too much money on foreign affairs, not realizing that the money being â€Å"wasted† is used to help many undeveloped countries around the world. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan stated in his speech, ‘Remarks at a White House Briefing for the Citizens Network for Foreign Affairs,’ that America is actually spending less than what they supposed to on foreign policies, â€Å"Give away too much money without return? The truth is that now, and historically, weve spent very little on foreign affairs in terms of the overall budget of our government. In the late forties and early fifties, during the time of the Marshall plan, we spent 11 cents of every Federal dollar on foreign affairs. That figure had dropped to 4 cents on the dollar by 20 years ago and has continued to fall until, in recen t years, weve been spending less than 2 cents of each dollar to support our national’s foreign policy.†[1] However, over the years America has changed; America continued to develop and strengthen their economy and defenses as well as helping other unfortunate countries who are in need to the point that America is in a deficit with the national debt of about 17 trillion dollars compared to Reagan’s era which was only 1-2 trillion U.S dollars. President Bill Clinton made effort of lowering the national debt during his presidency, which he did briefly by -2.0%, and the United States was in a surplus for just that moment until George W. Bush came into power in 2001.[2] By having their complete focus on foreign affairs, the U.S has neglected the problems arising among their own people. As of today, thousands of Americans are unemployed and are being forced to continue to live in poverty. Many Americans argued that the billions of dollars the government is sending to foreign countries should be used for creating jobs and prevent poverty from spending throughout the country. Not only are thousands of Americans are living in poverty but also millions of foreigners around the world. Ironically, those billions of dollars the United States government sending is going to the Middle East, the most Anti-Americanized region in the world. [3] Americans questions why does the government even bother helping a country if they don’t want any interference from outsiders regarding their own domestic issues. Although America is trying their best to help as much as they can, half of those billions of dollars are going straight to the rich people’s pockets rather than the poor and receive nothing in return as a result. Foreign aid is supposed to help the lives of poor people who never had the chance to live a better life. For over 40-50 years, there are still children around the world roaming around on the streets to find food and help their parents’ labor; many of those children if not all are illiterate. For 40-50 years of receiving foreign aid, these people’s lives aren’t improving much at all. As William Easterly pointed out, â€Å"The West spent $2.3 trillion and Amaretch is still carrying firewood. It’s a tragedy that so much well-meaning compassion did not bring these results for needy people.† [4] And did the people even receive the full amount of $2.3 trillion of foreign aid? If the people in foreign countries truthfully received only about less than one-fourth of the original amount, what happened to the rest of the trillions of dollars? William Easterly cited that the money gets lost along the way to the World Bank, other agencies, rich people and corru pted politician leaders before the money finally arrives to the lower class citizens. And because the auxiliary countries usually don’t pay attention, they just stop at that, not realizing that the money they have sent to a country like Ethiopia in Africa has come extremely short. â€Å"So with a long chain of officials in charge of the money with no one looking over their shoulder to see how they’re spending it, there’s plenty of ways that it leaks.†[5] Unfortunately, the people who are more benefited with this amount of money are the rich. Isolationist and former U.S Congressman, Ron Paul expresses his foreign policy by stating that â€Å"the country needs to ‘downsize’ its foreign policy.† Despite being a conservative politician, Ron Paul opposes any type of foreign affairs and urges America to cut off foreign aid completely. He disapproves President Barack Obama continuously getting the nation too involved with the affairs which have already leaded to many misconceptions between the foreign countries and the United States. â€Å"’What I really want is [President Barack Obama] to downsize the foreign policy, because if you stay involved in 140 countries . . . stirring up trouble, and you downsize the military, you run into a problem. So, its our intervention that needs downsizing.’†[6] Paul also states that the countries should solve their own domestic policy issues without the United States constant interfering. Even if there’s no intervention among countries, foreign aid creates dependency of countries one another, especially upon the U.S. When President Obama denied Ukraine’s need for military aid in the early 2014, he received many critics of why he didn’t help aid, and why did he not send in troops into Ukraine. His response was â€Å"Why is it that everybody is so eager to use military force after we’ve just gone through a decade of war at enormous costs to our troops and to our budget? And what is it exactly that these critics think would have been accomplished? Do people actually think that somehow we sending some additional arms into Ukraine could potentially deter the Russian army? Or are we more likely to deter them by applying the sort of international pressure, diplomatic pressure and economic pressure that we’re applying?†[7]Obama had used the same tactic when issuing about Syria up until now. During the war in Libya, the Obama Administr ation intervention was poorly devised; the overall purpose of heading into Libya remained unclear. To add on more of the uncertainty of Libya’s affairs, Congress considered Obama’s action a violation against the War Powers of Resolution of 1973.[8] Speaker of the House John Boehner informed the president that the Obama Administration must withdraw.[9] Currently, the United States is involved with Syria’s Civil War since 2011 with Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad has warned against any foreign intervention that will be seen as an act of aggression to the entire country. After the deaths of five ‘Westerners’ in Syria by attempting to give aid to the civilians, especially children, U.S President Barack Obama continues to send in more troops into the foreign country, not only to stop ISIS but also overthrow the Syrian President. [10][11] However, the idea of foreign aid is not corrupt as some people may have interpret, but rather how much does the countries take role in foreign affairs. When a country does not seek aid but to resolve their domestic issues instead on their own, a foreign country such as America should not have the right to interfere. There is no use of one country getting involved in a foreign issue that has nothing to do with them. However, if they continue to get involved without consent, then the foreign country may have become new enemies to the problematic country that is facing its own civil war as long as the issue may impact the entire world. In 1796, U.S President George Washington knew the dangers of being involved in foreign affairs, and although President Ronald Reagan stated that â€Å"We are the leader of the free world. And that is not a role we asked for; its a role that was thrust upon us by history and by the hopes of those who aspire to freedom throughout the world.†[1], so l ong as America continues to engage deeply with foreign affairs that are deemed â€Å"threatening to the entire world of democracy†, America will continue making enemies and their economy will fall due to the large social gaps between the rich and the poor and the troubles the country is facing itself. Despite trying to not get involved with future affairs, many countries are already depending on the United States to resolve their problems such as the Ukraine Crisis. The best solution for America regarding foreign aid is less interference unless the situation is necessary. Cited Sources http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=33589 www.skymachines.com/us-national-debt-per-capita-percent-of-gdp-and-by-presidental-term.htm http://www.rightsidenews.com/2013072832963/us/politics/on-foreign-aid-duncan-stop-giving-money-to-countries-that-hate-us-they-can-hate-us-for-free.html http://www.cato-unbound.org/2006/04/02/william-easterly/why-doesnt-aid-work http://bigthink.com/videos/why-does-foreign-aid-fail http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/ron-paul-military-cuts-budget/2014/02/24/id/554467/ http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2014/04/obama-fed-up-with-foreign-policy-critics-187581.html http://www.cfr.org/libya/obamas-poorly-conceived-libya-intervention/p24494 http://www.speaker.gov/press-release/speaker-boehner-challenges-president-obama-legal-justification-continued-operations http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/09/syria-islamic-state-201491114243147712.html http://www.globalresearch.ca/us-house-approves-obama-plan-for-military-intervention-in-syria/5402679 The Great Escape: Health, Wealth, and the Origins of Inequality by Angus Deaton http://press.princeton.edu/titles/10054.html Ch.7 Aids and Politics http://press.princeton.edu/chapters/s2_10054.pdf

Microsoft Surface Table: 3D Modelling and Touch Controls

Microsoft Surface Table: 3D Modelling and Touch Controls Background and Context Three Dimensional (3D) Modelling is the process of creating a 3D representation of any surface or object by manipulating polygons, edges, and vertices, in simulated 3D space ­1. 3D modelling is used in many different industries, including virtual reality, video games, TV and motion pictures. 2A 3D modelling software generates a model through a variety of tools and approaches including: Simple polygons. 3D primitives simple polygon-based shapes, such as pyramids, cubes, spheres, cylinders, and cones 3Spline curves a curve that connects two or more defined specific control points. 3NURBS (non-uniform rational b-spline) Computationally complex, smooth shapes designed by bezel curves. Scope and Objectives In this project, the 3D model produced, was the 5G Innovation Centre at the University of Surrey. The final version of the prototype is supposed to be a model of the whole University campus, which would be able to display the temperature, noise levels, and a few other statistics in every single area on the map. In order to record data, an IoT Desk Egg4 was created. This Desk Egg is a multi-sensor suite with feedback mechanisms and wireless communication capabilities. Using this Desk Egg, environmental data, such as light, sound, temperature, noise, humidity, dust density are measured and recorded. Separately, these recordings have limited value, but when combined, and analysed in aggregate, the sensors provide a rich context of its immediate surroundings. 5The objective of this project is to enhance the model with touch navigation capabilities, similar to 3D navigation on a mobile phone or tablet. The current model is constructed for a Samsung SUR40 touch table, running Microsoft Surface. The model has been implemented using PixelSense and in addition, Microsoft Surface Game Studio 4.0 and the Window Presentation Foundation (WPF). To go about enhancing the model, investigations would have to be established, on what changes would be involved to implement touch navigation, before implementation and testing of the aforementioned varieties. Introduction[SO1] Microsoft PixelSense 6Microsoft PixelSense orientation capabilities are used and seamlessly integrated into the application, which also supports multiple simultaneous touch points. The Samsung SUR40 can only run Windows 7, as the Surface SDKs are only fully supported on Windows 7 and not any newer Operating System. Window Presentation Foundation To initiate an application for any Microsoft Surface devices, especially for the PixelSense, the Microsoft Surface Game Studio 4.0 and Window Presentation Foundation (WPF) are required. Rowe (2012) shows a few points that can assist a developer to innovate and create a great application for the Samsung SUR40 Surface Table.7 Implement a darker background as it does better with quality during contact. Multiple screen interactions, in which, the users finger and objects, can be detected. Actions only must be interacted by the users fingers to avoid detection errors, and adding sound effects, acknowledging the users finger interaction, should be done. Ensuring the user immerses into an outstanding experience from the application. Since the PixelSense has 4 corners, it will be more convenient for users to be able to turn the orientation of the application, while offering an easy means of leaving the application. The points of interaction with the application, should be well sized and well-spaced, to prevent manipulation errors during input. Working with Touch Input To implement the 3D touch controls, a key prerequisite for the project is the availability of touch control capability. Using the System Information app, which could be launched from the Run dialog box, with the syntax msinfo32.exe. As seen from the image below, the Samsung SUR40 Surface Table, has 52 individual touch points. This confirms that the table supports the touch interaction and the touch framework is ready to use. Fig 1. The Run dialog, with the corresponding syntax, used to launch the system information window. Fig2. A System Properties window, showing the details on the touch capability. The initial edition of the 3D modelling software has sub-par touch navigation controls, but it makes up in the availability of buttons which are mapped to specific viewing points of the model. Having these buttons provides a way of navigating through, but lack the fluidity of the touch input system you would get from any other 3D modelling software. Fig 3. An image showing the initial edition of the source code, with buttons. Development Environment In order to be able to work on this project, a few software programs have to be installed. These software programs are specifically required to create an application for a Microsoft PixelSense device. These include: Windows 7 Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 Microsoft XNA Framework Redistributable 4.0 Refresh Microsoft XNA Game Studio Platform Tools Microsoft Surface 2.0 SDK Microsoft Surface 2.0 Runtime GitEXT Windows 7 Windows 7 is the latest operating system that the Surface SDK supports, hence, all the programming done, had to be on a PC running Windows 7. Running these programs on a Windows 10 PC, gives an unfixable error. A Windows 7 license had to be purchased. Microsoft DreamSpark provides a free license to the University of Surrey students. Using the downloaded ISO file, a USB boot key was made, using DiskPart, so as to dual boot Windows 7 on the laptop used. Using DiskPart, empties the flash drive of all its contents, its advisable to use an empty drive, or back up its contents. Fig 4. The error shown when the program is being opened on a Windows 10 PC. Fig 5. Image showing the free purchase of a Windows 7 Operating System, using DreamSpark. DiskPart is the Windows built in disk management program, using CMD to call it, the following syntaxes will create a custom USB key for any appropriately sized flash drive: List disk This lists out all the disk drives connected to the system, and their sizes, with disk numbers Disk ###, for easier disk reference. After finding your particular disk, use select disk x, x being the respective number of your disk. This basically tells the program you plan on working on this disk. Clean This clears your drive of previous configurations and empties it. Create partition primary This creates a primary partition on the cleaned drive. Select partition 1 This selects the recently created partition. Active this sets the selected partition as an active partition. Format fs=fat32 This syntax formats the flash drive to a requested file system. In this example, the file system being FAT32, the legacy file system recognizable by most BIOS (Basic Input Output System) firmware. Fig 5. The image shows the procedure for creating a USB Key, Disk 2. Visual Studio 2015 Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 is now a free software, but for the Enterprise version, a key is needed, but as a University of Surrey student, one is provided free of charge, under the DreamSpark account. Fig 6. Image shows free purchase of Visual Studio Enterprise, using DreamSpark. Microsoft XNA Framework and Microsoft Surface SDK A Microsoft Surface SDK installer was downloaded and installed, as an extension, for the Visual Studio 15 suite. This enables Visual Studio to compile on the Microsoft Surface XNA Game Studio framework. The installer sets up two important frameworks, which are the Microsoft Surface WPF and Microsoft Surface XNA Game Studio 4.0. These frameworks are applied to help developers with the creation of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) applications respectively. A successful install will show something like this, when creating a new project in Visual Studio. Fig 7. The image shows a properly installed XNA Game Studio Framework. GitEXT GitEXT is an extension for windows, that helps manage a git repository. The programs source code had to be worked on alongside a few colleagues, as they had other objectives in terms of updating the 3D Modelling software. Using a git repository, helps with management of different modifications and changes between different editors of the same source code. Fig 8. The image shows an installed git extension for version management. Camera Movement Running a camera location around an object is a concept of projecting different views from different positions for audiences. It is an essential task for the developer to implement this concept in the application. In order to implement, a series of matrix calculations are required to move the camera from its current position to a desired place and display the object with high quality and performance. The current camera, as stated earlier, seen in Fig 3, has a fixed position, and does not move around the model, rather, there are fixed points in camera can be. These points are controlled by the arrow buttons. To fix this problem the touch framework has to be implemented. Touch Gesture The touch functionality of the program depended on raw input, and only moved the model round a fixed point. The method of implementation made navigation with the touch screen, somewhat ineffective. The XNA framework installed, comes with a touch input namespace namely Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Input.Touch. After extensive research on this library namespace, using this namespace made implementing a new gesture-based, touch framework for the code straightforward. The namespace provides support for gestures like tapping, double tapping, horizontal drag, and a few others. Development After researching various libraries and namespaces for a substantial understanding of the initial source code, coding began. During initial coding, it was discovered that the method of navigating the model, was rotating the camera round a fixed object, as it gives the same illusion as the model moving round its axes, as opposed to the manipulation of the model itself in front of an immovable camera. Using this logic, the touch code had to manipulate the cameras movement and not the movement of the model. While implementing the touch framework, a few redundancies were removed, such as the buttons used in moving the camera and a few others, to provide for a more immersive experience when using the 3D model. Fig 9. The image shows the 3D model with redundancies removed.

Plants and Superstitions Essay -- Botany

Plants and Superstitions For many years plants have played a large part in superstitions. Although, they are not so much believed now, as they used to be. They were used to help one's fortune, wealth and fertility. It is amazing that bread was ever eaten; there were so many superstitions about it. It was used to aid in all of these things and many more, It is ironic, however, that the one thing they worshipped and used to keep harm and disease away made them ill and killed some of them. When all of this happened they blamed another superstition, which was witchcraft. "Almost all of the witchcraft misunderstandings were caused by Christianity's persecution of those who refused to abandon pagan beliefs" (Zolar, 1995), but not in the case of the Salem Witch trials. In 1692 superstitions somehow became the way of thinking. The misuse of it led to the executions of many innocent people in this country. Witchcraft was the crime, for which they were wrongly accused. Fact Net Inc. (see Internet Source) defines superstitions as "Beliefs held despite evidence. They are based on the belief that some people, Plants, animals, stars, words, numbers or special things have magical powers, which contradicts what we know about the world." A mysterious illness overcame Salem, Massachusetts. Thrashing around, moaning, babbling, and crying made up what were called "convulsive fits," which suddenly occurred in eight girls daily. Hallucinations were also a part of their fits. (see Internet Source). Everyone was terrified. Doctors came to visit, but they did not know much about disease and medicines at that time. One doctor questioned the idea of witchcraft and soon rumors spread that there was a witch in town, or maybe even a group of them we... ...tific thinking has almost swept away the ignorance of superstitions that once kept people from learning about out world. Like in the case of the Salem Witch trials "When minds are poisoned by the ignorance of superstitions, terrible things happen" (see Internet Source). Bibliography Bennett, J.W. 1999. Pride and Prejudice: The story of ergot. Perspective in Biology and Medicine 42 (3): 333-355. Spanos, Nicholas P. 1983. Ergotism and the Salem witch panic: a critical analysis and an alternative conceptualization. Journal of the History of Behavioral Sciences 19 (4): 358-369. Starkey, Marion L. 1949. The Devil in Massachusetts, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. 39- 48, 138-158. Zolar.1995. Encyclopedia of signs, omens and superstitions. Carol Publishing Group, New York. 50-52,380. Internet Source: http://www.xenu.org/factnet/GEN/FILES/BOOKS/TRUE.TXT

Blaise Pascal Essay -- Essays Papers

Blaise Pascal "We arrive at truth, not by reason only, but also by the heart"(1) said Blaise Pascal, one of the greatest minds of the 17th Century. The 17th Century was the time of the scientific revolution. During this period the main idea for everyone, was to question everything not to just listen to what is told. This caused a transformation in thought in both religious and scientific areas. Science allowed the questioning of the teachings of the old church. Scientists battled with ideas in math and physics, while philosophers battled with ideas of God. It was an intellectual revolution concerning the methods for determining humanity's place in the universe. Blaise Pascal was a physicist, a mathematician, and a man of God. He was a Renaissance man of the scientific revolution. On June 19, 1623, Pascal was born in the small town of Clermont-Ferrand, France, to Antoinette and Etienne Pascal. When Pascal was just three his mother passed away. After this, Etienne Pascal moved Blaise and his two sisters to Paris, France. Here his son would be able to learn. Etienne Pascal was very concerned about his son becoming an educated man. This is why he decided to teach his son on his own. He brought a young Blaise to lectures and other gatherings. He decided Blaise would not study math until age 15. When he made this decision he took all the math books out of the family home; however, this did not stop a curious Pascal. At age twelve, he started to work on geometry by himself. Blaise’s father finally started to take him to mathematical gatherings at "Academic Parisienne." At the age of 16, Pascal began to play an active role in "Academic Parisienne," as the principal disciple of Girard Desargues, one of the heads of "Academic Par... ... Pascal was such a brilliant man because he could do both of these. Pascal was one of the only men that wrote about his beliefs in God and was an accredited scientist and mathematician too. He was a true man of the scientific revolution. Endnotes: - Pascal, Blaise. 1910. Pascal's Pensà ©es. Translated by W. F. Trotter. New York: The Modern Library, 1941. - Rose, N. Mathematical Maxims and Minims. Raleigh NC: 1988. - Same as 1. - Gillispie, Charles Coulston. Dictionary of scientific biography. New York: Scribner, [1970-1990]. - Auden, W. H. and Kronenberger, Louis. The Viking Book of Aphorisms. New York: Viking Press, 1966. Work Cited Hazelton, Roger. Blaise Pascal The Genius of Thought. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1974. Eliot, Charles W. The Harvard Classics (Pascal). New York: P. F. Collier & Son Corporation, 1938. Blaise Pascal Essay -- Essays Papers Blaise Pascal "We arrive at truth, not by reason only, but also by the heart"(1) said Blaise Pascal, one of the greatest minds of the 17th Century. The 17th Century was the time of the scientific revolution. During this period the main idea for everyone, was to question everything not to just listen to what is told. This caused a transformation in thought in both religious and scientific areas. Science allowed the questioning of the teachings of the old church. Scientists battled with ideas in math and physics, while philosophers battled with ideas of God. It was an intellectual revolution concerning the methods for determining humanity's place in the universe. Blaise Pascal was a physicist, a mathematician, and a man of God. He was a Renaissance man of the scientific revolution. On June 19, 1623, Pascal was born in the small town of Clermont-Ferrand, France, to Antoinette and Etienne Pascal. When Pascal was just three his mother passed away. After this, Etienne Pascal moved Blaise and his two sisters to Paris, France. Here his son would be able to learn. Etienne Pascal was very concerned about his son becoming an educated man. This is why he decided to teach his son on his own. He brought a young Blaise to lectures and other gatherings. He decided Blaise would not study math until age 15. When he made this decision he took all the math books out of the family home; however, this did not stop a curious Pascal. At age twelve, he started to work on geometry by himself. Blaise’s father finally started to take him to mathematical gatherings at "Academic Parisienne." At the age of 16, Pascal began to play an active role in "Academic Parisienne," as the principal disciple of Girard Desargues, one of the heads of "Academic Par... ... Pascal was such a brilliant man because he could do both of these. Pascal was one of the only men that wrote about his beliefs in God and was an accredited scientist and mathematician too. He was a true man of the scientific revolution. Endnotes: - Pascal, Blaise. 1910. Pascal's Pensà ©es. Translated by W. F. Trotter. New York: The Modern Library, 1941. - Rose, N. Mathematical Maxims and Minims. Raleigh NC: 1988. - Same as 1. - Gillispie, Charles Coulston. Dictionary of scientific biography. New York: Scribner, [1970-1990]. - Auden, W. H. and Kronenberger, Louis. The Viking Book of Aphorisms. New York: Viking Press, 1966. Work Cited Hazelton, Roger. Blaise Pascal The Genius of Thought. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1974. Eliot, Charles W. The Harvard Classics (Pascal). New York: P. F. Collier & Son Corporation, 1938.

The American Dream in the Great Gatsby Essay -- F. Scott Fitzgerald

The American Dream can mean different things depending on who is asked. Some will answer it is the freedom of religion, class or race, others will claim it is about the ability to choose where they want to work, what they want to wear, or what’s for breakfast the next day. For Jay Gatsby and many others, the American Dream is about gaining wealth and material possessions in an attempt to find happiness. Through his novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald shows how the American Dream is only the concept of perfection, something that can never be acquired, but always can be reached for. Daisy Buchanon was always mesmerized by wealth. Her dream is to have a luxurious lifestyle filled splendor. Before the events of the novel, she could not see Gatsby providing this lifestyle for her. Before Gatsby went to war, she promised him that she would wait for him to come back and they would get married. Instead, she met Tom and married him, not for his personality, she married him for his money. Her promise to Gatsby before he left was an empty one – she never intended to follow through with it. Gatsby wasn’t upper class at the time they met, he was relatively poor and could not satisfy her desire for wealth. Even Gatsby realized he was below her and he felt that, â€Å"he was in Daisy’s house by a colossal accident . . . he was at present a penniless young man without a past, and at any moment the invisible cloak of his uniform might slip from his shoulders.† (149). Gatsby showed no ability to be able to support her, so she lost interest wh ile he was away and eventually forgot about him. She only started showing renewed interest when he began throwing extravagant parties every night. While over at Gatsby’s, Daisy comments about... ... will store up in his ghostly heart" (101). Gatsby expected perfection from Daisy, but was instead met with a shallow corrupt woman, who could never fulfill all of Gatsby’s dreams. Daisy was never meant to be Gatsby’s, she was only supposed to be the thing he tried to get, the false image of perfection. The real fulfillment of the American dream was Gatsby’s path towards perfection, not his eventual failure to reach the end. Throughout his novel, F. Scott Fitzgerald shows many characters trying to find perfection. Daisy, Myrtle, and Gatsby all believed wealth would lead them to happiness, though, no matter how hard they tried, they could never quite get there. These characters show that the American Dream is about striving for perfection, but never reaching it. Works Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1992.