Anna Mae Pictou Aquash essays

Anna Mae Pictou Aquash essays Anna Mae Pictou-Aquash was born on March 27, 1945 in a small Indian village in Nova Scotia, Canada. She experienced extreme poverty in her childhood, on a small Mic-Mac Reservation. However, she learned of the richness of her peoples culture. She attended an off-reservation school where she could experience the harsh daily racial discrimination that caused most of her fellow Mic-Macs to drop out. She continued her education into high school until one day, she and her siblings came home to find that their mother had abandoned them. She then dropped out of school and turned to the only profession she knew, working the potato and berry harvest. In 1968, she joined the Natives Call for Equal Rights, Cultural Recognition and the Fulfillment of the Treaties, working as a volunteer in the Boston, MA Indian Councils headquarters. Her duties centered on helping young, urban Natives to develop self-esteem in an attempt to avoid alcohol abuse; which is very frequent in Indian communities. She became active in AIM (American Indian Movement) protesting not only for American Indian rights, but also for the negative image in which they are portrayed in American history. Aquash then began to working the Teaching and Research in Bicultural Education School Project (TRIBES). The curriculum consisted of traditional subjects as well as Indian history, values, and beliefs to ingest pride in the students. The project was successful, but it closed in 1972, when funding was cut. Later Anna engaged in teaching and assistance, and when offered a scholarship for Brandeis University, in Massachusetts, she declined it to continue her work i n the black and Indian communities. In 1972, Anna participated in AIMs promoted Trail of Broken Treaties March in Washington, D.C., an event that drew Indians from all places and the first time a national organization of Indians had faced a confrontation as a united people. In April of 1973,...

Definition and Examples of Aphorisms

Definition and Examples of Aphorisms An aphorism is a  tersely phrased statement of a truth or opinion or a brief statement of a principle. This is also known as (or similar to) a  saying, maxim, adage, saw dictum, and precept. In The Advancement of Learning (1605), Francis Bacon noted that aphorisms go to the pith and heart of sciences, leaving out illustrations, examples, connections, and applications. In the  article Rhetorical Technique and Governance, Kevin Morrell and Robin Burrow observe that aphorisms are a highly flexible, powerful rhetorical format that can support claims based on logos, ethos, and pathos (Rhetoric in British Politics and Society, 2014). Examples and Observations The word aphorism was first employed by Hippocrates to describe a collection of concise principles, primarily medical, beginning with the famous, Life is short, art is long, opportunity fleeting, experimentation dangerous, reasoning difficult. . . . Eventually, the term was applied to statements of principles in law and agriculture and extended to other areas.(G. A. Test, Satire: Spirit and Art. University Press of Florida, 1991)Sits he on ever so high a throne, a man still sits on his bottom.(Montaigne)If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got.(attributed to Jackie Moms Mabley)I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.(often attributed to Voltaire, the words are in fact Tallentyres summary of Voltaires attitude toward Helvetius after the burning of the latters writings in 1759)All men should strive to learn before they die, what they are running from, and to, and why.(James Thurber)The first rule of Fight Cl ub is, you do not talk about Fight Club.(Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden, Fight Club) An idealist is one who, on noticing that a rose smells better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup.(H.L. Mencken)Expect nothing. Live frugally on surprise.(Alice Walker)Your children need your presence more than your presents.(Jesse Jackson)We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be.(Kurt Vonnegut, Mother Night, 1961) A Five-Part Definition of Aphorism James Geary, in his best-selling  The World in a Phrase [2011],  gives a five-part definition of the form. It must be brief. It must be definitive. It must be personal. (I like his corollary: This is what distinguishes the form from proverbs, for instance, which are really worn-out aphorisms that have had the identity of the original author rubbed away through repeated use.) It must be philosophical. And it must have a twist.(Sarah Manguso, In Short. Harpers, September 2016) The Manipulative Power of Aphorisms Anything that can educate can also manipulate, and anyone selling anything to the public, dictators, CEOs, advertising executives, knows the power of easy-to-remember expressions. I, for one, still believe that It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken. Effective ad copy, of course, doesnt have to be true; it simply has to be catchy. But a well-honed aphorism not only stops us in our tracks; it impedes our moving forward. Even if we dont immediately buy into it, it can still deliver a wallop: There is no female Mozart because there is no female Jack the Ripper, Camille Paglia tells us. Is this worth discussing? Or are we being bamboozled by the phrases conspicuous symmetry? True or not, some aphorisms make it hard to imagine anything better ever being said on the subject. . . . And herein lies the danger as well as the appeal of the aphorism. A statement can be so well put that its cogency is entirely dependent on its formulation, but as soon as we reflect on it we may come to another conclusion.(Arthur Krystal, Too True: The Art of the Aphorism. Except When I Write: Reflections of a Recovering Critic, Oxford University  Press, 2011) The quoting of an aphorism, like the angry barking of a dog or the smell of overcooked broccoli, rarely indicates that something helpful is about to happen.(Lemony Snicket, Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Cant Avoid. HarperCollins, 2007) The Lighter Side of Aphorisms I have been testing the  aphorism, A watched pot never boils. I have boiled the same amount of water in this kettle 62 times. In some cases I have ignored the kettle; in others, I have watched it intently. In every instance, the water reaches its boiling point in precisely 51.7 seconds. It appears I am not capable of perceiving time any differently than my internal chronometer.(Lt. Commander Data in Timescape.  Star Trek: The Next Generation, 1993)

The End of Reading's Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The End of Reading's Analysis - Essay Example Trend states that, his daughter (Emily) is normal in every aspect but she is not good in reading and all this can be attributed to television programs and video games. She may catch up with her peers in terms of reading though it may take her quite a while as it is stated in the book. Trend has worked in various places that have given him exposure to research material on analysis of reading and visual studies. He worked for Journal of Media Arts and Cultural Criticism from 1980 to 1995, which deals in publishing of essays and articles through film studies, photographs and media theory. From the book it is apparent that there is a new type of illiteracy in America and people have resorted to blaming schools, the media too hasn’t been left behind in this blame game. From the book, End of Reading: Gutenberg to Grand Theft Auto, I am going to focus on the writer’s idea on The New American literacy, Blaming Schools, The media made me do it and Child development & human evolu tion so as to clearly show the importance of reading and how it has been affected over the passage of time. Analysis Right from the start the writer states about his daughter’s reluctance and inability to read well and that many other children are affected by the same problem, it is evident that there is some form of illiteracy. Furthermore statistics in the book state that one out of seven adults in America is incapable of reading a newspaper. It is clear that there is a new American illiteracy, where people do not know much as far as reading is concerned but prefer other mediums of learning. The Verbal SAT scores of the children in American schools have continued to dwindle over the decades that have passed. A researcher, Shieda White, states that most people have a difficulty in reading connected sentences or paragraphs. Many children would rather play video games and watch television than read a book. Reading has become torturous to many children in America since many att ribute it with difficulty. The amount of illiteracy is increasing in America, this problem is far from over since most of the people and organizations that can actually change it have resorted to blaming one another. Schools have turned into the main targets of those in search for someone to blame about the persisting problem. These learning institutions have been tirelessly trying to educate the children and make them more connected to the reading culture but the advancement in technology has failed them. Children no longer find books interesting as they would rather use computers, play video games and watch television. In the 90s some writer wrote books on the effects of computers, this when they were starting to crop up and whilst their popularity steadily increased, Marshall McLuhan and Raymond Williams are among the few who addressed the issue of technology in schools. Virtual community (1993) and Manual Castells’ The Information City (1989) are books that were written r ight after computers were introduced for personal use, they address how the computers were going to have effects on the society. If at all schools want to make learning effective then it is important that they use visual arts and introduce film studies. Some individual may not have what it takes to be good writers so they have to seek other means of expression. Leonardo Di Vinci is one person that can

First Amendment and the Freedom of Information Act Essay

First Amendment and the Freedom of Information Act - Essay Example The closing decade of the twentieth century was witness to the live broadcast of every detail of the O.J. Simpson murder trial, giving millions of viewers, not just in the United States, but across the world, access to the entirety of the courtroom proceedings (Cohn and Dow, 2002). As Hernandez (1996) reports, proponents of the practice maintain that the televising of courtroom proceedings does not just give the public access to the workings of their judicial system but allows them to oversee the government, as it is their right to do. Opponents, however, quite rightly maintain that the practice, however, conflicts with both the defendant's right to privacy and his/her expectations of a fair trial (Hernandez, 1996). The argument in favor of cameras in courtrooms is predicated on the Constitution, the First Amendment and theoretical function of the media as watchdog. Both the Freedom of Information Act and the First Amendment clearly explicate the public's right to know, implying, as N. Hentoff (2000) argues, the constitutionality of live coverage of court trials. According to this perspective, the constitutionality of cameras in the courtrooms stems from the fact that the U.S.

Improving science literacy with hypermedia Essay Example for Free

Improving science literacy with hypermedia Essay Methods Learning Design Architecture The four cornerstones of this Science learning and teaching design are goal-based and constructivist learning, simulation, computer-based creative learning environment, computer-based creative assessment, as well as the traditional lectures and tutorials. In the present research, the Discovery Channel â€Å"Pompeii: The Last Day† site was used as the hypermedia environment for investigating the science topic of Plate Tectonic Theory, first, and the impact of natural processes on human history (Pompeii), second. A few words need to be said about the structure of this hypermedia resource and its value for the current research. It is organized as the complex system of thematic hypermedia audio/video-packages accompanied by informational texts in written form. The structure of the site appears to be complex, so far as on the macrolevel it consists of the hypermedia sections: â€Å"What Happened Here? ,† the â€Å"Virtual Volcano† simulation, Pompeii Quiz, and Eruption Videos. Each macrounit, meanwhile, is designed as another macroentity. For example, the section â€Å"What Happened Here? † provides learners with different types of information on the theme of volcanic activity having erased ancient cities from the earth surface. The â€Å"Step Back in Time† slide-show is organized as a series (7 parts or pages) of the typed texts (â€Å"The Long, Deathly Silence,† â€Å"Herculaneum,† â€Å"Two Days in August,† â€Å"The Story of Lupercus,† â€Å"Pompeii: Part I,† â€Å"Pompeii: Part II,† and â€Å"The Story of Caius Julius Polybius† by Rossella Lorenzi). The â€Å"Ongoing Excavations,† or â€Å"Ongoing Archaeology† slide-show comprising 6 parts or pages (â€Å"Uncovering Pompeii,† â€Å"Bringing the Oldest Pompeii to Light,† â€Å"A Unique Glimpse,† â€Å"Herculaneums Lost Papyri,† â€Å"Lost Plays of Sophocles,† and â€Å"Multi-Spectral Imaging†) is analogous in structure to the â€Å"Step Back in Time† macrounit. Besides, within the same â€Å"What Happened Here? † macrosection, there is a â€Å"Pompeiis Eyewitness Account† web documentary. The students listen to the text and watch the video accounting for Pliny the Younger’s story about the ancient Pompeii devastation. Whereas the aforedescribed macrounit explores the issues of human history in relating to natural catastrophes, the other macrosections concentrate on Plate Tectonics theory and scientific description of volcanoes as natural pressure valves. Under the umbrella of Volcanology, there are the hypermedia macrounits â€Å"Virtual Volcano† and of â€Å"Eruption Video. † The section â€Å"Virtual Volcano† consists in its turn of the Overview and the â€Å"Virtual volcano† simulation sections. The theme of the section is â€Å"Tectonic Plates and Volcanoes. † The Overview dwells on the Earth’s tectonic structure, volcano types (three subsections) and structure. The information is presented through both visual and textual form (typed text). In the macrounits of â€Å"Global Perspective† and â€Å"Virtual volcano† a specific type of hypermedia symbolic simulation or microworld – introduces students to the details of tectonic structure and volcanic activity. Simulation is â€Å"a computer-based simulation of a work or decision-making environment† as a system (Sauer, Wastell, Hockey, 2000, p. 46, qtd. in Gredler, 2004, p. 577). Whereas a â€Å"Global Perspective† is a genuine symbolic simulation of Earth with delineated plate boundaries and active volcanoes, the â€Å"Virtual volcano† section is an experiential simulation. This is an alliance of hypermedia and video images â€Å"to create a virtual experience for students who are fulfilling roles as researchers† (ibid. ). The macrounit seems to be designed to improve students’ comprehension of the theme by projecting the concepts from short-term to long-term memory, training topical vocabulary and operating knowledge in the goal-based settings. Six informational video packages within the section of â€Å"Eruption Video† train audition as well as visual comprehension. It also broadens students’ vocabulary with useful terms and present visual information on useful concepts (e. g. pyroclastic flow, lava flow, underwater volcano, etc. ). The informational section â€Å"Volcano news† provides learners with interesting facts on ancient and modern volcanic activity (as well as other scientific facts; there are 13 news pieces, 2 of which are corrupted). The hypermedia assessment tool is given in the form of the Pompeii Quiz. This is an interactive multiple-choice test â€Å"Would you survive after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius?. † To accomplish the test, a student must use knowledge having been gained during the research of the site. The Discovery Channel â€Å"Pompeii: The Last Day† site seems to be a useful hypermedia environment for investigating the topics of Plate Tectonic Theory and its impact on human history. First, students pick up useful concepts related to several branches of science (tectonics, Volcanology, history, archeology, etc. ). Second, they learn important vocabulary on the topics in the flow of constructivist and creative learning process. Due to the fact that the hypermedia environment is used for achieving the learning goals, the body of information is presented through various media (typed text, oral speech, graphics, videoimages, photographs, simulations) and organized flexibly. A learner is free to step from one macrounit to another being led by his/her personal background and motivation, return to the sections which are of most interest for him/her essentially and train comprehension skills in the Quiz as many times as (s)he needs. Finally, it refines students’ ICT skills while they use the World Wide Web to reach the site and proceed from page to page. Instruments To evaluate the effect of the hypermedia learning environment on students’ comprehension of Science (Plate Tectonics, Volcanology, History, Archeology), the researcher investigated each of the four â€Å"Pompeii: The Last Day† sections for the most significant scientific concepts to be utilized by students in the learning process. The search was done by qualitative linguistic analysis of the informational texts. The concepts were grouped into three main sections: geographical names, personal names and scientific terms and concepts (see Table 1 for the list). The students were assumed to learn those terms in the constructivist educational process through the hypermedia tools to incorporate them into their evaluation assignments as the evidence for their improved science reading and visual comprehension. Second, an end-of the week questionnaire was administered to the eight-graders in the Science Hypermedia class to find out feedback on their learning experience from using the hypermedia learning environment including time spent on independent research in the hypermedia environment (â€Å"Pompeii: The Last Day†) (see Tables 3, 4 and Figure 1). Third, Power Point presentations were used as creative evaluation instrument to check the learning outcomes of students’ comprehension. All the students were trained to create computer-based presentations by the given program. In an effort to guide and improve the learning of science concepts in the realms of Geology, History and Archeology with eight-graders in the middle school, a week study of the Topic â€Å"Plate Tectonic Theory and the Impact of Volcanic Activity on Human History† was designed as an action research experiment. From the point of view of settings and partly qualitative assessment of the outcomes of research on specific stages (e. g. students’ feedbacks), this study may also be called a case study, since only one science topic was investigated in regard to students’ comprehension and motivation. Two classes of eight-graders relatively equal in achievements and learning potential were invited to participate in educational experiment. However, there was no internal sampling conducted within each of the classes. All the students participated voluntarily and for no reward in grades or other. The goals of the present research were clarified to all the participants (N = 40). The total number of participants (N = 40) was invited to study the topic of Plate Tectonics and its impact on human history through different learning resources. The students of experiment group (n = 20) studied the topic in the hypermedia environment (a school computer laboratory equipped with Windows-based microcomputers and, optionally, at home), whereas the other group of students (control group, n = 20) did not use any hypermedia resources learning solely from printed textbooks and handouts as well as teacher’s oral instructions. To comment, the student of the experiment group received small portions of a teacher’s instruction while researching the hypermedia context. They were also assisted by a teacher in proceeding from one structural part of the site to the other in order to investigate the topic on each other’s individual pace. However, the general framework of scientific topic was introduced to a group of students. Thus, both group and individual types of instruction tool place in the research. One more thing to note, the studies in both the experiment and the control groups were conducted by one and the same teacher of a teaching style being familiar to the students from previous experience. After a week of studies, the students from both the groups designed Power Point presentations on the topic within the Hypermedia Evaluation Project in lieu of a formal examination. The assessment comprised: 45% on the subject comprehension (major concepts and direct conceptual links), 45% on utilizing Power Point hypermedia resources, and 10% on creativity. All the students (n = 40) were trained in using the Power Point program. Presentations were evaluated by three examiners. The point of degree between the evaluators was high (r = . 088).

Alcoholism :: essays research papers

My bookreport is about living with someone who drinks too much. I chose this topic because hit its very close to home. In the book that I read it tells about other children who are or have grown up with an alcoholic parent. I learned alot about acoholism which is what makes you an alcoholic. I also learned about what some kids go through while growing up. This book tells you how to deal with someone who is an alcoholic and how to deal with your self as well.This book was very interesting and I really enjoyed it. First I would like to point out that kids who live with a parent that drinks all of the time feel as thogh they are the reason why that person drinks all the time. Children often tell that person that they do not like them when they have been drinking. The first chapter in my book was about a girl named Amy who wanted to tell her story about her mother that drank too much. She writes in here about her quite spot which was her room. She went there when her mother was drinking because often her mother was not herself. She tells about how she first noticed that her mother was not like other mothers when she went to other peoples homes. The next chapters explain what acoholism is. It is a disease that when a person wants to quite drinking can not.First of all you will notice that an alcoholic will often gulp their drinks, they can probably drink alot before the get drunk, they may stay drunk for several days, they will also have a favirote drink, and mya change their favirote drink to another. They may also hide thier drinking. Acoholism is an illness and is very sick. It is very hard for an alcoholic to stop drinking because they are afraid to and they know how they feel when they do not drink. Alcoholics usually try to stop drinking because they maybe have hurt someone they love or may also be on the verge of losing their job.People who stop drinking sometimes may have to go to the hospital for a period of time this is called detoxification. This is the best way for treatment when it is hard for them to stop. The withdrawl symptoms are things such as shaking, sweating, fever, pains and nausea.

Tears of a Tiger

Justin Evans Goodbye to love This song goes along with the mood of the story because it is a sad song about losing a loved one. In the story after Rob and Andy pass away their families were very sad about losing them. This was a major plot point in the story. Eye of a Tiger Eye of a tiger relates to the story because Andy tells his brother multiple times in the story â€Å"it’s ok to put dragons in the jungle and tears on a tiger† the title of the story comes from this quote.Basketball The Theme of Tears of a tiger is basketball. This rising action of the story is when Andy, Rob, and 20B. J were celebrating after a huge win. Basketball by Lil Bow Wow I could imagine that this song is Robert Washington’s favorite song. The song talks about playing basketball. Rob always wanted to be on the court, or practicing his shot. That is why I think this song was Roberts’s favorite song.Heaven wasn’t so far away. After Andy and Rob died, their families wished they could see them again. In this song it talks about going to heaven for a day which is what they wanted to do Wish you were here In the climax of this story Rob Washington dies. The song wish you were here fits the mood of the story because everybody wishes Rob was there. Robs girlfriend wishes Roberts was back several times in the story. Tears of a Tiger

Cultural and Political Changes and Continuities in Rome Essay

Rome throughout history is often thought of as rather homogeneous—ancient artifacts timeless, always the same emphases. But, while there were continuities, there were also changes of different sorts in various time periods. Specifically, cultural and political changes in the Roman civilization between 100 ­600 CE, the late classical era, included the rise of Christianity and the division of the empire into two halves, while a continuity was the use of Latin and Greek as common languages. The first change, Christianity spreading throughout the civilization, is shown in the development and spread of Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic lifestyles. Constantine legalized Christianity in the fourth century AD, and soon after, Theodosius made it the empire’s official religion. All other religions in the empire began to fade away, becoming â€Å"discouraged† at best. This was all due to the Christian missionaries who travelled the region. After this, as a result, a new controversy arose: the classic one of the separation of church and state. The unified Christian lifestyle was very different from the previously religiously ­tolerant classical Roman Empire. The next change is that the empire soon split in half. Rome became simply too large to govern under one governmental body, and so split into the Eastern and Western halves in 284. These two had separate governments and separate religions (Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholicism respectively). Also, the halves were relatively independent from each other, fighting their own battles and having different levels of advancement in science, technology, and  more. This was different from the united empire of older times. The separation of the halves would eventually create many controversies in the future, especially whether or not they were to aid one another in battle. A continuity of the time period, however, was the use of the common languages Latin and Greek. Latin was known as the original trademark of the Roman Empire and is still associated with it today. (This is similar to the Chinese language of—where else?—China.) Greek came a bit later, with the spread of Christianity, and became a favorite of scholars and politicians. It was originally spread by Alexander the Great. However, all citizens still needed to know Latin to be able to communicate commonly throughout the empire. Both of these languages were used throughout this time period and this use remained a continuity for the Roman civilization. In conclusion, the cultural and political changes in the Roman Empire between 100 ­600 CE (late classical era) involved the rise of Christianity and the division of the empire. A continuity was the widespread use of Latin and Greek. These changes and continuities would affect global perception of the Roman Empire for many centuries to come.

The Guide of Successful Essay Leadership Writing Great Writing Inspires

The Guide of Successful Essay Leadership Writing Great Writing Inspires The Guide of Successful Essay Leadership Writing: Great Writing Inspires Recently, leadership has sparked off numerous debates among researchers. As such, it is the subject of most extensive researches and literature reviews. For example, in Harvard Business Review the study by David Rooke and William R. Torbert concludes that there are seven leadership transformations due to   a number of personal changes and external interventions. It is very common for students to be asked to write leadership essays even if they are not pursuing a course in leadership. The subject of leadership cuts across different scholarly disciplines, either Psychology, Management or Sociology. The following guide will help you write a compelling essay on leadership. 1.   Identify Your Area of Focus In most cases, an essay on leadership may require your personal reflection on what leadership is. In some instances, you may be asked to demonstrate how you exhibit leadership traits. In other cases, you may be given a scenario and asked to be in shoes of a leader and demonstrate leadership styles needed for that situation. Once you have instructions, you need to identify your area of focus. This will ensure that you remain within the scope of a write-up. 2.   Have a Strong Introduction The introduction gives you an opportunity to wow your readers. This part is aimed at grabbing their attention. However, it can also be the point where you lose them because they lose interest in reading the rest of a leadership essay. A strong introduction acts as a steering point. If you are doing a review, you can choose a memorable quote and incorporate it in the introduction section. 3.   Have a Concise Thesis Statement A thesis statement needs to be brief and clear. Try to confine your ideas to not more than two sentences. The statement is what sums up the argument you should make in the essay. The thesis statement should also have a punch. In most cases, tutors will look at the thesis statement when deciding how to grade your paper. 4.   Provide Rich Content in the Body The body of the content should be rich and comprehensive. Students make the mistake of giving shallow statements without supporting their information. Inasmuch as you are supposed to give your views, ensure that you have research to back it up. Read the article by David G. Jensenon at Science on different leadership styles to cement your views. You can also cite contrary views to your argument. The reader should follow your line of thoughts and see how you reasonably come to a conclusion. The body should have several paragraphs of a content. These paragraphs must have a clear flow of thoughts connected with suitable transition words like ‘Firstly’, ‘Secondly’, ‘Thirdly’. It is important to have a rough draft before you begin to write the final leadership essay. 5.   Follow Essay Writing Instructions and Guidelines Tutors award high marks for following all instructions and working within the guidelines provided. Many students rush to finish an essay or research paper forgetting to carefully look through its instructions. Once your paper is complete, double-check the instructions given by your tutor. Look out for which referencing style is required, either APA, MLA or Chicago. It is also important to ensure that your paper is free of grammatical, spelling and punctuation mistakes. The guideline above serves as a blueprint to help you write an essay on leadership that is supposed to lead you to success. Do so in such a way as to inspire the other people by your writing. If you are at a loss what to do in a particular essay, feel free to address our custom essay writing service with academic professionals. Just rely on their quick help in writing, proofreading and editing.

Gibraltar Territory History and Facts

Gibraltar Territory History and Facts Geography of Gibraltar Gibraltar is a British overseas territory that is located to the south of Spain on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula. Gibraltar is a peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea with an area of just 2.6 square miles (6.8 sq km) and throughout its history, the Strait of Gibraltar (the narrow strip of water between it and Morocco) has been an important chokepoint. This is because the narrow channel is easy to cut off from other areas thereby having the ability to choke off transit in times of conflict. Because of this, there have often been disagreements about who controls Gibraltar. The United Kingdom has controlled the area since 1713 but Spain also claims sovereignty over the area. 10 Geographic Facts You Should Know About Gibraltar Archaeological evidence shows that Neanderthal humans may have inhabited Gibraltar as early as 128,000 and 24,000 B.C.E. In terms of its modern recorded history, Gibraltar was first inhabited by the Phoenicians around 950 B.C.E. The Carthaginians and Romans also established settlements in the area and after the fall of the Roman Empire it was controlled by the Vandals. In 711 C.E. the Islamic conquest of the Iberian Peninsula began and Gibraltar became controlled by the Moors.Gibraltar was controlled by the Moors until 1462 when the Duke of Medina Sidonia took over the region during the Spanish Reconquista. Shortly after this time, King Henry IV became King of Gibraltar and made it a city within the Campo Llano de Gibraltar. In 1474 it was sold to a Jewish group that built a fort in the town and stayed until 1476. At that time they were forced out of the region during the Spanish Inquisition and in 1501 it fell under Spains control.In 1704, Gibraltar was taken over by a British-Dutch force during the War of Spanish Succession and in 1713 it was ceded to Great Britain with the Treaty of Utrecht. From 1779 to 1783 attempted to take Gibraltar back during the Great Siege of Gibraltar. It failed and Gibraltar eventually became an important base for the British Royal Navy in conflicts like the Battle of Trafalgar, the Crimean War and World War II. In the 1950s Spain again began trying to claim Gibraltar and movement between that region and Spain was restricted. In 1967 the citizens of Gibraltar passed a referendum to remain a part of the United Kingdom and as a result, Spain closed off its border with the region and ended all foreign relationships with Gibraltar. In 1985, however, Spain reopened its borders to Gibraltar. In 2002 a referendum was held to establish shared control of Gibraltar between Spain and the UK but Gibraltars citizens rejected it and the area remains a British overseas territory to this day.Today Gibraltar is a self-governing territory of the United Kingdom and as such its citizens are considered British citizens. Gibraltars government, however, is democratic and separate from that of the UK. Queen Elizabeth II is the chief of state of Gibraltar, but it has its own chief minister as head of government, as well as its own unicameral Parliament and Supreme Court and Court of Appeal.Gibraltar has a total popu lation of 28,750 people and with an area of 2.25 square miles (5.8 sq km) it is one of the most densely populated territories in the world. The population density of Gibraltar is 12,777 people per square mile or 4,957 people per square kilometer. Despite its small size, Gibraltar has a strong, independent economy that is based mainly on finance, shipping and trading, offshore banking and tourism. Ship repair and tobacco are also major industries in Gibraltar but there is no agriculture.Gibraltar is located in southwestern Europe along the Strait of Gibraltar (a narrow strip of water connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea), the Bay of Gibraltar and the Alboran Sea. It is made up of a limestone outcropping on the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula. The Rock of Gibraltar takes up the majority of the areas land and Gibraltars settlements are built along the narrow coastal lowland bordering it.Gibraltars main settlements are on either the east or west side of the Rock of Gibraltar. The East Side is home to Sandy Bay and Catalan Bay, while the western area is home to Westside, where most of the population lives. In addition, Gibraltar has many military areas and tunnelled roads to make getting around the Rock o f Gibraltar easier. Gibraltar has very few natural resources and little freshwater. As such, seawater desalination is one way its citizens get their water. Gibraltar has a Mediterranean  climate with mild winters and warm summers. The average July high temperature for the area is 81ËšF (27ËšC) and the average January low temperature is 50ËšF (10ËšC). Most of Gibraltars precipitation falls during its winter months and the average yearly precipitation is 30.2 inches (767 mm). To learn more about Gibraltar, visit the official website of the Government of Gibraltar.ReferencesBritish Broadcasting Company. (17 June 2011). BBC News - Gibraltar Profile. Retrieved from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/3851047.stmCentral Intelligence Agency. (25 May 2011). CIA - The World Factbook - Gibraltar. Retrieved from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gi.htmlWikipedia.org. (21 June 2011). Gibraltar - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibraltar

Economic development of India and China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Economic development of India and China - Essay Example In the case of China, there is consensus that, in the past three decades, the country’s leadership adopted policies aimed at accumulation of wealth for rapid industrialisation and export of industrial goods (Zhijun and Jing, 2011). Prior to 1979, the country’s national planning was a catastrophe. This led to poor showing on economic scales. In India’s case, poor economic performance in the 1960s throughout 1970s has been associated with several issues including poor policies, and license-permits (Kshetri, 2011). Yet India’s poor infrastructure and lack of demand also contributed to the country’s industrial growth. The two countries adopted policies aimed at addressing their challenges, which have effectively turned around their economies since 1980s. Overview of both economies On the key economic developments in recent times, China and India occupy the first and second positions in Asia respectively (Dong et al, 2013). The two nations are by their b ig population size, global economic powerhouses. Whereas they develop the industries, it is clear that their growth will have deep impacts, not just within the countries but for the better part of the global economy. Such impacts which are already on record include; new market opportunities, stemming from improved purchasing power and higher competitiveness of the two greatest economies in Asia known for particular industrial commodities (Zhou et al, 2010; Prime et al, 2012). China and India have had very rapid economic development which has led to significant achievements, especially on poverty reduction. The two countries also experience problems arising from rapid economic development such as the increasing gap between rural and urban income earners and pollution of the environment (Das, 2012). Afan (2013) indicated that increasing incomes trigger structural transformation in the agricultural sector and food industry as the economy encounters changes in demand and consumer prefer ences. Concomitantly the effects will impact on trade, business and investment. Both global economic giants have undergone positive growth in the agricultural sector, followed by fast-developing industrial sectors and a huge slump in relative poverty. Das (2012) pointed to the difference in the preconditions and the triggering economic factors behind growth in the two countries. Massive agricultural production Both China and India have massively invested in agriculture (Dorn, 2013). The Chinese economy manifests the significant impact of agriculture on the country’s economic mix, especially in the 1980s and 1990s, when major economic reform took effect in the country (Liu, Liu, and Wei, 2005). In India, the lesser industrialized power of the two, agricultural production continues to occupy a very important part of the economy. While agriculture's portion in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been on a downward trend, the industry still provides massive employment opportunit ies for the locals (Agrawal, and Khan, 2011; Bensidoun, Lemoine, and Unal, 2009). Economic contribution in this sector is undeniably of tremendous significance for prospective policies and measures aimed at the realization of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This is especially true for the need to alleviate abject poverty and food insecurity in the economy by 2015 (Winters, and Yusuf, 2007; Gupta, and Wang, 2009). Appropriate economic responses China’s and India’s economic growth can be attributed to the tactful manner in which they have responded to new global adjustments such as free trade, globalization, agricultural production, rural growth and poverty alleviation (Das, 2012). The two countries