Tuesday, November 26, 2019

The eNotes Blog A Conversation with Joyce CarolOates

A Conversation with Joyce CarolOates The team visited this years LA Times Festival of Books to bring you recaps of the captivating interviews with some of the most anthologized writers. You may recognize the first as part of your syllabus if youve ever read her infamous short story, Where Are You Going, Were Have You Been? Its the prolific and talented Joyce Carol Oates! In 1984 Joyce Carol Oates relegated a manuscript shed been working on, complete but imperfect, to a dark drawer. As its pages yellowed and mildew took up residence, the would-be novel emerged into the light of day just once every seven years or so, only to promptly return. Writing is very intuitive, Oates says of her most recent (or most recently published) novels thirty year history. You cant quite force it. Luckily for her readers, the manuscript found its way back into Oates hands at just the right time, for now we have The Accursed. Oates began her conversation on the novel with some explication on its genre. As a formalist, she admits the attraction of writing in various styles. Over the years she has dabbled in just about everything, though the same vein of sinisterness is rather pervasive throughout. As for The Accursed, Oates herself called it her foray into a neo-Gothic genre a post-modernist horror. (In case one couldnt tell from the book cover, it has a bit to do with vampires.) But the author could just as easily be noted for dipping a toe into the historical fiction pool, given the number of historic figures who meander in and out of the plot. Set in Princeton in 1905, The Accurseds minor players include writers and politicians who lived in the college town at that moment in history; Franklin Roosevelt (then just 23), Upton Sinclair, Mark Twain, and Jack London to name a few, which Oates labels the Shakespearean sub-figures of her work. In a minor way, their presence as relative rabble-rousers of their time advances the themes of The Accursed: those  of class betrayal and racial discriminationhardly light topics for a vampire novel. To unpack these themes a bit more, it is imperative to point out the timing of that mildewy manuscripts resuscitation. When Oates picked it up again in 2010, America had at last elected an African-American man as its presidenta decision that is a far cry from the attitudes of 1905 upper class Princeton, though the threads of racial tension remain. The author admits that her choosing to revive the novel at that particular time is not unlike Millers writing of The Crucible when he did, since it takes a contemporary problem and places it in another time, thereby highlighting it more. In all, one could look at Oates’ latest as a Gothic family drama, a supernatural romance story (complete with the bride being kidnapped by a vampiric seducer at the altar), even a historical satire.   Or one could simply recognize The Accursed for what it is outside of Oates formalist playan homage to American history, literature, and themes, however sordid those may be. Ready to test your knowledge? Take the   Joyce Carol Oates quiz here!

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Stadia and Aquaria

Stadia and Aquaria Stadia and Aquaria Stadia and Aquaria By Maeve Maddox Every so often I receive a comment like this one: Why do you and your countrymen insist on changing the English language? The plural of aquarium is aquaria, stadium is stadia, etc. etc. I like to believe that such comments are meant playfully, to get a rise out of the American. For one thing, the commenter must know that the English language was changing long before there were Americans to speak it. King James I, for whom the first permanent settlement in Virginia was named, would not have understood the English spoken by his predecessor King Alfred. And Queen Elizabeth II does not speak or write the same English that was spoken by King James I. Today’s standard British English and standard American English are different dialects. Considering that both diverged from a form of English spoken 400 years ago in England, they remain remarkably similar. As for the plural of nouns in -um, stadiums and aquariums have become the normal plurals in British periodicals as well as in American. Both dialects do retain the plural stadia in the context of Roman history. The plural aquaria may still be common among British speakers, but in the US, the Latinate plural is more likely to be used by scientists and serious aquarists than by non-specialists. The style guide for The Guardian and The Observer states this policy: Latinate -um neuter endings that are a part of the language (eg stadium) take an -s plural. Note: This style guide does not use periods with e.g., a fact that seems odd to an American: eg no full points. The Guardian/Observer guide has separate entries for the following -um nouns: addendum, plural addendums aquarium, plural aquariums memorandum, plural memorandums, not memoranda referendum, plural referendums, not referenda It also addresses the datum/data debate: data takes a singular verb (like agenda), though strictly a plural; no one ever uses â€Å"agendum† or â€Å"datum.† The Associated Press Stylebook specifies stadiums as the plural of stadium. The Chicago Manual of Style advises writers to consult a dictionary for â€Å"certain words of Latin or Greek origin such as crocus, datum, or alumna.† Here are some of the plural choices given in Merriam-Webster Unabridged: aquarium plural aquariums or aquaria compendium plural compendiums or compendia crematorium plural crematoria or crematoriums encomium plural encomiums or encomia momentum plural momenta or momentums stadium plural stadia in the context of ancient Rome; otherwise, stadiums maximum plural maximums or maxima memorandum plural memorandums or memoranda When in doubt, look up the plural of Latinate -um words in a dictionary that targets your standard dialect of English. When a choice is offered, consider the context in which the word is to be used. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Program vs. ProgrammeDo you "orient" yourself, or "orientate" yourself?50 Tips on How to Write Good

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Money management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Money management - Essay Example I have therefore decided to consider one of two options – a life insurance investment and a personally managed fund. Life insurance option If I invest the $500,000 with a life insurance company then I may be able to earn a stable income each year with adjustments for inflation. Based on discussions with my insurance company, Table 1 in Appendix 1 reflects the amount that I would receive if I invest in an insurance policy that makes adjustments for inflation and pays my estate the balance of my policy at death. The table shows an initial investment of $500,000 and indicates that over a 20 year period and assuming a 3.5% rate of interest and an inflation rate of 3%, I would be able to have an inflation adjusted income of $15,000 in year 1 continuing to $26,302 payment in year 20. This policy continues as long as I am alive. The balance on the account at year 20 suggests that there will be sufficient funds for me to earn an income many years after year 20 if I am still alive. The principal amount only starts declining in year 12 suggesting that I will be paid out of interest earned on the investment up year 11, after which payments will start affecting my principal. My total receipt up to year 20 would be $403,045.62 with a balance on the account of $443,861.55. This indicates a net gain of $346,907.17 (($403,045.62 + $443,861.55) – $500,000). Table 3 in Appendix 1 shows the relevant returns. Personally Managed Funds In the event that I choose to manage the funds personally then I would be able to make earnings at rates between 3 to 7 per cent. This fund would consist of a mixture of government bonds (at least 60%) and stocks. I would use the income generated from the fund in the first year – year 1 as a basis to determine my future income if I am to maintain the same standard of living. I therefore allow for an inflation rate of 3% as with the life insurance option. Table 2 in Appendix 1 provides information on this fund. An average rate of r eturn of 5% annually is assumed. The information indicates that after the first payment of $17,500 subsequent payments will require selling investments and therefore reducing the principal initially invested if I am to maintain the same standard of living year after year. Comparison of both options In comparing both options the life insurance fund has a lot to recommend it. It is secure, simple, provides good returns, safe, and has no sales or administrative charges (immediateannuities.com). i. The life insurance offer provides a stable income for the rest of the pensioner’s life and in some cases beneficiaries can receive the balance after death. The income streams from the personally managed fund are not likely to be as stable, even though this is assumed in Table 2. ii. The pensioner can relax and does not have to watch the market and report on interest and dividends as in the case of the personally managed funds. iii. Returns on life insurance funds are normally higher th an those on government bonds. The reason is that a portion of the principal is normally paid with the interest earned. However, the personally managed fund is a mixture of bonds and stocks. iv. The principal is normally safe in the case of the life insurance

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

The UK Government is Right to Listen to Claims that Large Banks should Essay

The UK Government is Right to Listen to Claims that Large Banks should be Broken up - Essay Example From this study it is clear that  the impediment is that every niche of this argument is based on a myth. The first misleading notion is that the materialization of huge, universal banks- uniting investment banking with commercial banking- was an unnatural or artificial development. This disjointed market means that banks could not accomplish the economies of scale or simply supply clients on a global or national level. The market needs stimulated the consolidation and gave birth to an evolution towards greater competency in the banking sector.This paper stresses that  a second erroneous belief is that these universal, large institutions were primarily to give guilt for financial crisis. As most grave observers recognize, an amalgamation of risk management and bad lending by poor regulation, bank management and poor-advised consumer performance all played a role. A third misleading notion is that huge financial institutions have become too intricate to supervise. A firm of any si ze needs strong management and control to supervise complication. In reality, big global institutions have frequently proved more elastic than others because their expansion in business model makes sure that loss in one department of enterprise can be stifled by revenues in other departments of the organization. In some instances, intricacy can be a remedy to risk, instead of a reason of it.  The opponents of huge banks that are seldom aired similar to they don’t qualify for examination.... Critics point to the excessive influence huge banks mostly has on the political procedures. They panic that those regulators are intimidated by a big bank’s power and position. These opponents appear to consider that regulators are not capable of coming up with independent verdicts. In the practical world, this instance is not true. That supposed, it is genuinely right and mandatory for politicians and regulators to employ with industry and experts practitioners to be trained about these issues. These regulators are not browbeaten, but they usually do require more capability and improved cooperation with each other to take on the tasks lucratively (Duffie 2011). Another condemnation is that huge banks receive large, implied subsidies from government and can borrow money more reasonably because they are considered to ‘too big to fail’. But the facts don’t stay out. Big banks invest billions of dollars to bring services and products want, investments that a f irm has accomplished scale can make. The scale permits them to carry, like huge-box stores, more invention, more consistent and convenience, dependent service (Wilson 2012). Breaching the huge banks would damage their clients, customers, and the economy as a well. In actuality, it would insert novel risks into the financial arena. If the globalized, multifunctional, universal banks are obligated back into dedicated lending firs, they will require figuring out novel ways to give the returns to shareholders. This could easily lead the way to an augmentation in risk lending. Most of the banks in United Kingdom function all over the globe and have to function with international banks. If they are not able to work with banks in UK, they will then work with banks based

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Conservatives Placed Their Faith in Pragmatism Essay Example for Free

Conservatives Placed Their Faith in Pragmatism Essay Why, and to what extent, have conservatives placed their faith in pragmatism rather than principle? Pragmatism is the idea that one should take a flexible approach to politics; using an understanding of what is best for the people and what will bring stability, it also is about what is most wanted by the people. An example of this was the post war consensus when consecutive conservative governments didn’t cancel any of the widespread reforms brought in by the labour government of 1945-51. Principle is the complete opposite of pragmatism and is more ideological sticking to a certain view of how society should be and pursuing this. It is a political idea that changes with the times Conservatives have often favoured pragmatic approaches to situations an example being Benjamin Disraeli and his one nation toryism. Prior to this the general consensus about the poor made by early conservatives was that the poor were due to their own mistakes and that it was not the place of others to help them but that they should help themselves. Due to the Disraeli seeing growth of social inequality he came to the conclusion that to ensure social stability and to stem the tide of revolution, the government should take measures to help the poor. This displays conservative pragmatism as it’s a clear example of the conservative thought changing and reacting to events. In Disraeli’s case these events were the French revolution. This shows how pragmatism was held dear to conservative thought. Another Reason conservatives tend to favour the pragmatic approach stems from conservative thinker Michael Oakeshot who argued that societies should not be directed towards certain goals, claiming ideological change is normally radical in nature and can lead tyranny and this should be avoided. However there are cases when ideology has gripped the conservative party, the biggest example could be the new right under Margaret Thatcher. Here the conservative party appeared to break away from just an opposing role and instead began to pursue ideals of a free market; through the selling of national assets such as the railways and the deregulation of the banking system. It also saw a sort of reversal on the post war consensus, reducing the size of the welfare state. Here there was a clear example of principle being the main driving force within the conservative party as many of the actions taken by Thatcher’s government also faced a lot of criticism from many members of the opposition, the public and her own party. However the fact that the government policies of  her day still pursued these principles in the wave of mass public unrest show that these changes weren’t in reaction to any event but simply part of the pursuit of a political ideal. It seemed like the first time the conservative party had actually adopted some form of ideology. This is a clear example of principle being favoured over political ideology. At it’s very nature conservatism changes in regards to the ideology it’s opposing. It’s rooted in the original ideas of Edmund burke and his writings about the French revolution which claimed that radical change is bad and harmful for society. Conservativism right at its origin fears ideology and it’s very nature as it sees ideology and the radical views that tend to follow it as a threat to the balance of society. At it’s heart conservativism isn’t an ideology but simply a political ideas which at it’s very nature is reactive with the main aim of preserving and bringing about gently staggered change rather than radical changes. It could be claimed that the new right weren’t in fact real conservatives and more like classical liberals. But in conclusion it would appear that true conservativism will always favour pragmatism over ideology.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Essay --

During the nineteenth century, nationalism was the driving force behind the unification of Italy in 1861 and the creation of Germany as a modern nation in 1871. Nationalism had also proved a useful tool for encouraging the expansion of empire, as politicians sought to win over their constituents with the notion that it was the moral duty of western nations to civilize the rest of the world. Imperialism was also one of the four contributing factors to the cause of World War One. Although not all events that fall into the imperialistic category were about controlling another country, they contributed to the war, and imperialistic events were the foundation of the cause of World War One.The Indian Independence Movement began in 1857, and lasted until 1947. Before the beginning of the movement, India had never known political freedom. Foreign rulers had occupied the country for its' entire history. By the time the British took over the area, the natives of India had grown restless with h aving no say in any political decisions. This showed the British that the Indians were serious about achieving their freedom. During the 1900’s almost every part of Africa was a European colony. The native Africans began to protest for independence. They used a system of protests called Pan-Africanism. These brought worldwide attention to the independence of Africa from Europeans.Nationalism has had good and bad effects on major events throughout history. Some of the events that nationalism has affected would be World War 1, the Indian independence movement, and the African independence movement. Nationalism had a vital role to play in the build up in the World Was One, as different nations sought to impose their authority on the rest of the world. Na... ..., and promotes values that are the product of the African civilization and the struggles against slavery, racism, colonialism. Pan-Africanism can be seen as a product of the European slave trade. Enslaved Africans of diverse origins and their descendants found themselves embedded in a system of exploitation where their African origin became a sign of their servile status. Pan-Africanism set aside cultural differences, asserting the principality of these shared experiences to foster solidarity and resistance to exploitation. Initially anti-slavery and anti-colonial movements amongst black people of Africa and the Diaspora in the late nineteenth century, the aims of Pan-Africanism have evolved through the ensuing decades. Pan-Africanism has covered calls for African, nationalism, independence, political and economic cooperation, and historical and cultural awareness.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Education Gap and Social Mobility

â€Å"America may be the land of opportunities, but it is also the land of inequalities†(Lareau, pg3). The American dream is perceived to be obtainable for everyone, not on a rigid class structure, but the rising concern of an educational gap and social mobility presents a new theory that may deviate this notion. Throughout Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life, by Annette Lareau, Racial and Ethnic Stratification in Education Achievement and Attainment, by Grace Koa and Jennifer S.Thompson, and the black-white test score gap, by George Farkas, each with its own approach, analyze the pre-exiting relationship between race, ethnicity, social class, and the academic performance and achievement attainment of different counterparts. Essentially, each with its own childrearing practices that could pertain to the level of success an individual is exposed to. Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life, is a sociological study that draws in-depth observations of black a nd white middle-class, working-class, and poor families.Author Annette Lareau, introduces the power of the social class and their limitations in which may either benefit or become a disadvantage for some. While the important of social class is often overlooked, Lareau ventures out to disprove the notion that this country is â€Å"fundamentally open. † While the common belief is that people who demonstrate hard work, effort and talent, uphold equal life chances, and are capable of achieving upward mobility, Lareau challenges the idea that success is solely in the hands of the individual, but more so the parent’s social location that systematically shapes a child’s daily life.While observing numerous counterparts, she argues that social categories are important to conclude in order to help understand the behavior of family members and their routine of their daily lives. Annette Lareau develops and introduces two types of childrearing practices, concerted cultivati on and the accomplishment of natural growth. Among her notion that social class is pertinent to a child’s outcome, it is also derived from the childrearing practices of a parent.While concerted cultivation provides a child of middle class more opportunities, it may also come with a weighted cost. As for natural growth, it provides an individual with kinship and the ability to attain relationships, but withdrawals the opportunity to proficient in a school or professional setting. Essentially Lareau focuses on social class and child-rearing practices to provide evidence and prove her theory about social inequality.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Personal Selling

Personal Selling, relationship building and sales management Personal selling, unlike advertising or sale promotion, involves direct relationships between the seller and the prospect or customer. In a forma sense, personal selling can be defined as a two-way flow of communication between a potential buyer and a salesperson that is designed to accomplish at least three tasks: (1) identify the potential buyer’s needs; (2) match those needs to one or more of the firm’s products or services; (3) on the basis of this match, convince the buyer to purchase the product.Finally, it is a complex communication process, one still not fully understood by marketers. Importance of personal selling The importance of the personal selling function depends partially on the nature of the product. As a general rule, goods that are new and different, technically complex or expensive require more personal selling effort. The salesperson plays a key role in providing the consumer with informat ion about such products to reduce the risks involved in purchase and use.Insurance, for example, is a complex and technical product that often needs significant amounts of personal selling. It is important to remember that for many companies the salesperson represents the customer’s main link to the firm. In fact, the salesperson is the company. Therefore it is imperative that the company take advantage of this unique link. Through the efforts of the successful salesperson, a company can build relationships with customers that continue long. Personal selling is an integral of the marketing system, fulfilling two vital duties: one for customers and one for companies.Lacking relevant information, customers are likely to make poor buying decisions. For example: Doctors would have difficulty finding out about new drugs and procedures were it not for pharmaceutical salespeople. Second, salespeople act as a source of marketing intelligence for management. Marketing success depends on satisfying customers needs. If present products don’t fulfill customer needs then profitable opportunities may exist for new or improved products. If problems with a company’s products exist, then management must be quickly apprised of the fact.In either situation, salespeople are in the best position to act as the intermediary through which valuable information can be passed back and forth between product providers and buyers. The sales process Personal selling is as much an art as it is a science. The word art is used to describe that portion of the selling process that is highly creative in nature and difficult to explain. Before management selects and trains salespeople, it should have an understanding of the sales process. Obviously, the sales process will differ according to the size of the company, the nature of the product, the market and so forth.Sales objectives: 1. Information provision: Especially in case of new products or customers, the salesperson nee ds to fully explain all attributes of the product or service, answer any questions and probe for additional questions. 2. Persuasion. Once the initial product or service information is provided, the salesperson needs to focus on the following objectives: – Clearly distinguish attributes of the firm’s products or services from those of competitors. – Maximize the number of sales as a percent of presentations. Convert undecided customers into first-time buyers. – Convert first-time customers into repeat purchasers. – Sell additional or complementary items to repeat customers. – Tend to the needs of dissatisfied customers. 3. After-sake service. Whether the sale represents a first-time or repeat purchase, the salesperson needs to ensure the following objectives are met: – Delivery or installation of the product or service that meets or exceeds customer expectations. – Immediate follow-up calls and visits to address unresolved or n ew concerns. Reassurance of products or service super priority through demonstrable actions. The Sales Relationship-Building process For many years the traditional approach to selling emphasized the first-time sale of a product or service as the culmination of the sales process. Marketing concept and accompanying approach to personal selling view the initial sale as merely the first step in a long-term relationship-building process, not as the end goal. The relationship-building process which is designed to meet the objectives contains six sequential stages.These stages are (1) prospecting, (2) planning the sales call, (3) presentation, (4) responding to objections, (5) obtaining commitment/closing the sale and (6) building a long-term relationship. When a buyer and a salesperson have a close personal relationship, they both begin to rely on each other and communicate honestly. When each has a problem, they work together to solve it. Such market relationships are known as functional relationships. A person may have such a relationship with along-term medical or dental practitioner or hair-cutter.When organizations move beyond functional relationships, they develop strategic partnerships or strategic alliances. These are long-term, formal relationships in which both parties make significant commitments and investments in each other in order to pursue mutual goals and to improve the profitability of each other. Marketing managers and sales managers must make some very important decisions regarding how the sales fore should be organized. Most companies organize their sales efforts either by geography, product or customer.There are two obvious reasons why it is critical that the sales force be properly controlled. First, personal selling can be the largest marketing expense component in the final price of the product. Second, unless the sales force is somehow directed, motivated and audited on continual basis, it is likely to be less efficient than it is capable o f being. Controlling the sales force involves four key functions: (1) forecasting sales; (2) establishing sales territories and quotas, (3) analyzing expenses and (4) motivating and compensating performance.Conclusion We attempted to outline and explain the personal selling aspect of the promotion mix. An emphasis was placed on describing the importance of the relationship-building aspect of the personal selling process. For organizations that wish to continue to grow and prosper, personal selling plays an integral part in the marketing of products and services. As long as production continues to expand through the development of new and highly technical products, personal selling will continue to be an important part of marketing strategy.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Animal Domestication - Table of Dates and Places

Animal Domestication - Table of Dates and Places Animal domestication is what scholars call the millennia-long process that created the mutually beneficial relationship that exists today between animals and humans. Some of the ways people benefit from owning a domesticated animal include keeping cattle in pens for access to milk and meat and for pulling plows; training dogs to be guardians and companions; teaching horses to adapt to the plow or take a farmer to visit relatives living long distances away; and changing the lean, nasty wild boar into a fat, friendly farm animal.   While it may seem that people get all of the benefits out of the relationship, people also share some of the costs. Humans shelter animals, protecting them from harm and feeding them to fatten them up and make sure they reproduce for the next generation. But some of our most unpleasant diseasestuberculosis, anthrax, and bird flu are just a fewcome from the proximity to animal pens, and it is quite clear that our societies were directly molded by our new responsibilities. How Did That Happen? Not counting the domestic dog, who has been our partner for at least 15,000 years, the animal domestication process started about 12,000 years ago. Over that time, humans have learned to control animal access to food and other necessities of life by changing the behaviors and natures of their wild ancestors. All of the animals that we share our lives with today, such as dogs, cats, cattle, sheep, camels, geese, horses, and pigs, started out as wild animals but were changed over the hundreds and thousands of years into more sweet-natured and tractable partners in farming.   And its not just behavioral changes that were made during the domestication processour new domesticated partners share a suite of physical changes, changes that were bred it either directly or indirectly during the domestication process. A reduction in size, white coats, ​and floppy ears are all mammalian syndrome characteristics bred into several of our domestic animal partners.   Who Knows Where and When? Different animals were domesticated in different parts of the world at different times by different cultures and different economies and climates. The following table describes the latest information on when scholars believe different animals were turned from wild beasts to be hunted or avoided, into animals we could live with and rely on. The table summarizes the current understandings of the earliest likely domestication date for each of the animal species  and a very rounded figure for when that might have happened. Live links on the table lead to in-depth personal histories of our collaborations with specific animals. Archaeologist Melinda Zeder has hypothesized three broad pathways in which animal domestication might have occurred. commensal pathway: wild animals were attracted to human settlements by the presence of food refuse (dogs, cats, guinea pigs)prey pathway, or game management: in which actively hunted animals were first managed (cattle, goats, sheep, camelids, reindeer, and swine)directed pathway: a deliberate effort by humans to capture, domesticate and use the animals (horses, donkeys, camels, reindeer). Thanks to Ronald Hicks at Ball State University for suggestions. Similar information on the domestication dates and places of plants is found on the Table of Plant Domestication. Sources See table listings for details on specific animals. Zeder MA. 2008. Domestication and early agriculture in the Mediterranean Basin: Origins, diffusion, and impact. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 105(33):11597-11604. Domestication Table Animal Where Domesticated Date Dog undetermined ~14-30,000 BC? Sheep Western Asia 8500 BC Cat Fertile Crescent 8500 BC Goats Western Asia 8000 BC Pigs Western Asia 7000 BC Cattle Eastern Sahara 7000 BC Chicken Asia 6000 BC Guinea pig Andes Mountains 5000 BC Taurine Cattle Western Asia 6000 BC Zebu Indus Valley 5000 BC Llama and Alpaca Andes Mountains 4500 BC Donkey Northeast Africa 4000 BC Horse Kazakhstan 3600 BC Silkworm China 3500 BC Bactrian camel China or Mongolia 3500 BC Honey Bee Near East or Western Asia 3000 BC Dromedary camel Saudi Arabia 3000 BC Banteng Thailand 3000 BC Yak Tibet 3000 BC Water buffalo Pakistan 2500 BC Duck Western Asia 2500 BC Goose Germany 1500 BC Mongoose? Egypt 1500 BC Reindeer Siberia 1000 BC Stingless bee Mexico 300 BC-200 AD Turkey Mexico 100 BC-AD 100 Muscovy duck South America AD 100 Scarlet Macaw(?) Central America before AD 1000 Ostrich South Africa AD 1866

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

The Majdanek Concentration Camp, 1941 to 1944

The Majdanek Concentration Camp, 1941 to 1944 The Majdanek Concentration and Death Camp, located approximately three miles (five kilometers) from the center of the Polish city of Lublin, operated from October 1941 to July 1944 and was the second largest Nazi concentration camp during the Holocaust. An estimated 360,000 prisoners were killed at Majdanek. Majdaneks Name Although it is often called Majdanek, the official name of the camp was Prisoner of War Camp of the Waffen-SS Lublin (Kriegsgefangenenlager der Waffen-SS Lublin), until February 16, 1943, when the name changed to Concentration Camp of the Waffen-SS Lublin (Konzentrationslager der Waffen-SS Lublin). The name Majdanek is derived from the name of the nearby district of Majdan Tatarski and was first used as a moniker for the camp by residents of Lublin in 1941.* Established The decision to build a camp near Lublin came from Heinrich Himmler during his visit to Lublin in July 1941. By October, an official order for the establishment of the camp had already been given and the construction had begun. The Nazis brought in Polish Jews from the labor camp on Lipowa Street to start building the camp. While these prisoners worked on the construction of Majdanek, they were taken back to the Lipowa Street labor camp each night. The Nazis soon brought in approximately 2,000 Soviet prisoners of war to build the camp. These prisoners both lived and worked at the construction site. With no barracks, these prisoners were forced to sleep and work in the cold outdoors with no water and no toilets. There was an extremely high mortality rate among these prisoners. Layout The camp itself is located on approximately 667 acres of completely open, nearly flat fields. Unlike most of the other camps, the Nazis did not try to hide this one from view. Instead, it bordered the city of Lublin and could easily be seen from the nearby highway. Originally, the camp was expected to hold between 25,000 and 50,000 prisoners. By the beginning of December 1941, a new plan was being considered to expand Majdanek in order to hold 150,000 prisoners (this plan was approved by the camp commandant Karl Koch on March 23, 1942). Later, designs for the camp were discussed again so that Majdanek could hold 250,000 prisoners. Even with the increased expectations for a higher capacity of Majdanek, construction came to a near halt in the spring of 1942. Construction materials could not be sent to Majdanek because supplies and railways were being used for the urgent transports needed to help the Germans on the Eastern front. Thus, with the exception of a few small additions after the spring of 1942, the camp did not grow much after it reached the capacity of approximately 50,000 prisoners. Majdanek was surrounded by an electrified, barbed-wire fence and 19 watchtowers. Prisoners were confined in 22 barracks, which were divided into five different sections.  Working also as a death camp, Majdanek had three gas chambers (which used carbon monoxide and  Zyklon B gas) and a single crematorium (a larger crematorium was added in September 1943). Death Toll It is estimated that approximately 500,000 prisoners were taken to Majdanek, with 360,000 of those killed. Around 144,000 of the dead died in the gas chambers or from being shot, while the rest died as the result of the brutal, cold, and unsanitary conditions of the camp. On November 3, 1943, 18,000 Jews were killed outside of Majdanek as part of Aktion Erntefest  Ã‚  the single largest death toll for a single day. Camp Commandments Karl Otto Koch (September 1941 to July 1942)Max Koegel (August 1942 to October 1942)Herman Florsted (October 1942 to September 1943)Martin Weiss (September 1943 to May 1944)Arthur Liebehenschel (May 1944 to July 22, 1944) * Jozef Marszalek, Majdanek: The Concentration Camp in Lublin (Warsaw: Interpress, 1986) 7. Bibliography Feig, Konnilyn. Hitlers Death Camps: The Sanity of Madness. New York: Holmes Meier Publishers, 1981. Mankowski, Zygmunt. Majdanek. Encyclopedia of the Holocaust. Ed. Israel Gutman. 1990. Marszalek, Jozef. Majdanek: The Concentration Camp in Lublin. Warsaw: Interpress, 1986.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Evaluate Wide Area Network (WAN) technologies Essay

Evaluate Wide Area Network (WAN) technologies - Essay Example LAN provide networking capabilities to a small group of computers close to each other such as at home, office or campus. A family can share resources including files, printers, telephone devices and games via LAN. Its main function is to link computers in a network. Its installed in the available PCI ports inside the computers and consist of a unique Media Control Access address. WLAN card allows wireless connection between computers in a network (Bachmann & Stern, 2010). LAN cards can be connected to Ethernet cables via BNC and AUI twisted pair sockets. It’s a network point acting as an entrance to a network and also connects a LAN to the internet. In large enterprises computer server functioning as a gateway can also double up as a proxy server and a firewall server. A hub is a device with multiple ports (6, 8, 16, and 24 ) used to connect all computers with each other in a LAN. Data packets at the hub are broadcasted to all computers. In contrast, a switch directs data to a particular intended port by use of addresses. It acts as a filter thus reduces the amount of traffic on a network. They are used to regenerate or amplify signals that span a limited distance before their quality degrades. They also remove unwanted noise from incoming signals and transmit messages in networks that operate with different protocols. Computers in different rooms and a printer would require a repeater to work efficiently (Habraken, 2009). A large enterprise consisting of hundreds of users and a manufacturing plant typically employs LAN to connect to the Internet WAN via Internet Service Providers. In addition to the above mentioned devices the following devices are necessary; A modem is a communication device that modulates and demodulates digital and analogue data respectively. It converts digital signals produced by the computers into voice frequencies that can be transmitted over telephone