Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Free Essays on Australians Wartime Leaders

Australians Wartime Leaders: Robert Menzies: Robert Menzies was Australia’s longest serving Prime Minister and was elected in 1939, he headed the United Party until he resigned and started the Liberal Party. Robert Menzies committed Australia to war in Late 1939. After this speech Australians weren’t as encouraged to join the war effort because of their experience with WW1. Australia struggled to make the necessary 20,000 troops. Menzies didn’t introduce conscription because he believed that the many campaigns would help make the required amount of soldiers that he had promised to Britain. (10,000). this group of men were called the 6th Division. . The Menzies government were the first to introduce rationing which was used because of the shortages and lack of many needed raw materials. In 1939 the Menzies government also passed the National Security Act. This gave the government more power over the people allowing them to imprison the perceived internal â€Å"threats† such as German and Italian born citizens In 1947 Menzies opposed the banning of the communism party but 2 years later he had changed his mind. This is due to the widespread fear of communism in Australia. John Curtin: John Curtin was one of Australia’s Prime Ministers during both world wars. In 1941 John Curtin became Prime Minister following the termination of the Menzies Government. He was responsible for the alliance between Australia and the U.S because he saw that they were the only country who would be able to avoid a Japanese invasion of Australia. This agreement was made after a disagreement with Winston Churchill in which he argued that Australian troops (7th Division) needed to be brought home to defend Australia, Winston Churchill disagreed. In the end the troops were sent home. In 1943 John Curtin revised the defence act; this allowed the military to be sent to limited areas in the South-West pacific outside Australia. Just one ye... Free Essays on Australians Wartime Leaders Free Essays on Australians Wartime Leaders Australians Wartime Leaders: Robert Menzies: Robert Menzies was Australia’s longest serving Prime Minister and was elected in 1939, he headed the United Party until he resigned and started the Liberal Party. Robert Menzies committed Australia to war in Late 1939. After this speech Australians weren’t as encouraged to join the war effort because of their experience with WW1. Australia struggled to make the necessary 20,000 troops. Menzies didn’t introduce conscription because he believed that the many campaigns would help make the required amount of soldiers that he had promised to Britain. (10,000). this group of men were called the 6th Division. . The Menzies government were the first to introduce rationing which was used because of the shortages and lack of many needed raw materials. In 1939 the Menzies government also passed the National Security Act. This gave the government more power over the people allowing them to imprison the perceived internal â€Å"threats† such as German and Italian born citizens In 1947 Menzies opposed the banning of the communism party but 2 years later he had changed his mind. This is due to the widespread fear of communism in Australia. John Curtin: John Curtin was one of Australia’s Prime Ministers during both world wars. In 1941 John Curtin became Prime Minister following the termination of the Menzies Government. He was responsible for the alliance between Australia and the U.S because he saw that they were the only country who would be able to avoid a Japanese invasion of Australia. This agreement was made after a disagreement with Winston Churchill in which he argued that Australian troops (7th Division) needed to be brought home to defend Australia, Winston Churchill disagreed. In the end the troops were sent home. In 1943 John Curtin revised the defence act; this allowed the military to be sent to limited areas in the South-West pacific outside Australia. Just one ye...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

A Definition and Overview of Systemic Racism

A Definition and Overview of Systemic Racism Systemic racism is both a theoretical concept and a reality. As a theory, it is premised on the research-supported claim that the United States was founded as a racist society, that racism is thus embedded in all social institutions, structures, and social relations within our society.  Rooted in a racist foundation, systemic racism today is composed of intersecting, overlapping, and codependent racist institutions, policies, practices, ideas, and behaviors that give an unjust amount of resources, rights, and power to white people while denying them to people of color. Definition of  Systemic Racism Developed by sociologist Joe Feagin, systemic racism is a popular way of explaining, within the social sciences and humanities, the significance of race and racism  both historically and in todays world.  Feagin describes the concept and the realities attached to it in his well-researched and readable book,  Racist America: Roots, Current Realities, Future Reparations. In it, Feagin uses historical evidence and demographic statistics to create a theory that asserts that the United States was founded in racism since  the Constitution classified black people as the property of whites. Feagin illustrates that the legal recognition of racialized slavery is a cornerstone of a racist social system in which resources and rights were and are unjustly given to white people and unjustly denied to people of color. The theory of systemic racism accounts for individual, institutional, and structural forms of racism. The development of this theory was influenced by other scholars of race, including Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois, Oliver Cox, Anna Julia Cooper, Kwame Ture, Frantz Fanon, and Patricia Hill Collins, among others. Feagin defines systemic racism in the introduction to the book: Systemic racism includes the complex array of antiblack practices, the unjustly gained political-economic power of whites, the continuing economic and other resource inequalities along racial lines, and the white racist ideologies and attitudes created to maintain and rationalize white privilege and power. Systemic here means that the core racist realities are manifested in each of society’s major parts [...] each major part of U.S. societythe economy, politics, education, religion, the familyreflects the fundamental reality of systemic racism. While Feagin developed the theory based on the history and reality of anti-black racism in the U.S., it is usefully applied to understanding how racism functions generally, both within the U.S. and around the world. Elaborating on the definition quoted above, Feagin uses historical data in his book to illustrate that systemic racism is primarily composed of seven major elements, which we will review here. The Impoverishment of People of Color and Enrichment of White People Feagin explains that the undeserved impoverishment of people of color (POC), which is the basis of the undeserved enrichment of white people, is one of the core aspects of systemic racism. In the U.S. this includes the role that Black slavery played in creating an unjust wealth for white people, their businesses, and their families. It also includes the way white people exploited labor throughout the European colonies prior to the founding of the United States. These historical practices created a social system that had racist economic inequality built into its foundation and was followed through the years in numerous ways, like the practice of redlining that prevented POC from buying homes that would allow their family wealth to grow while protecting and stewarding the family wealth of white people. Undeserved impoverishment also results from POC being forced into  unfavorable mortgage rates,  being channeled by unequal opportunities for education into low-wage jobs, and being p aid less than white people for doing the same jobs. There is no more telling proof of the undeserved impoverishment of POC and the undeserved enrichment of white people than the massive difference in average wealth of white versus Black and Latino families. Vested Group Interests Among White People Within a racist society, white people enjoy many privileges denied to POC. Among these is the way that vested group interests among powerful whites and â€Å"ordinary whites† allow white people to benefit from a white racial identity  without even identifying it as such. This manifests in support among white people for political candidates who are white, and for laws and political and economic policies that work to reproduce a social system that is racist and has racist outcomes. For example, white people as a majority have historically opposed or eliminated diversity-increasing  programs within education and jobs, and ethnic studies courses that better represent the racial history and reality of the U.S. In cases like these, white people in power and ordinary white people have suggested that programs like these are hostile or examples of reverse racism. In fact, the way white people wield political power in the protection of their interests and at the expense of others, w ithout ever claiming to do so, maintains and reproduces a racist society. Alienating Racist Relations Between White People and POC In the U.S., white people hold most positions of power. A look at the membership of Congress, the leadership of colleges and universities, and the top management of corporations makes this clear. In this context, in which white people hold political, economic, cultural, and social power, the racist views and assumptions that course through U.S. society shape the way those in power interact with POC. This leads to a serious and wells include discrimination against POC and preferential treatment of white students among university professors, more frequent and severe punishment of Black students in K-12 schools, and  racist police practices, among many others. Ultimately,  alienating racist relations make it difficult for people of different races to recognize their commonalities, and to achieve solidarity in fighting broader patterns of inequality that affect the vast majority of people in society, regardless of their race. The Costs and Burdens of Racism are Borne by POC In his book, Feagin points out with historical documentation that the costs and burdens of racism are disproportionately borne by people of color and by black people especially. Having to bear these unjust costs and burdens is a core aspect of systemic racism. These include shorter life spans, limited income and wealth potential, impacted family structure as a result of mass incarceration of Blacks and Latinos, limited access to educational resources and political participation, state-sanctioned killing by police, and the psychological, emotional, and community tolls of living with less, and being seen as â€Å"less than.  POC are also expected by white people to bear the burden of explaining, proving, and fixing racism, though it is, in fact, white people who are primarily responsible for perpetrating and perpetuating it. The Racial Power of White Elites While all white people and even many POC play a part in perpetuating systemic racism, it is important to recognize the powerful role played by white elites in maintaining this system. White elites, often unconsciously, work to perpetuate systemic racism via politics, law, educational institutions, the economy, and via racist representations and underrepresentation of people of color in mass media. This is also known as white supremacy. For this reason, it is important that the public hold white elites accountable for combatting racism and fostering equality. It is equally important that those who hold positions of power within society reflect the racial diversity of the U.S. The Power of Racist Ideas, Assumptions, and World Views Racist ideology- the collection of ideas, assumptions, and worldviews- is a key component of systemic racism and plays a key role in its reproduction. Racist ideology often asserts that whites are superior to people of color for biological or cultural reasons, and manifests in stereotypes, prejudices, and popular myths and beliefs. These typically include positive images of whiteness in contrast to negative images associated with people of color, such as civility versus brutishness, chaste and pure versus hyper-sexualized, and intelligent and driven versus stupid and lazy. Sociologists recognize that ideology informs our actions and interactions with others, so it follows that racist ideology fosters racism throughout all aspects of society. This happens regardless of whether the person acting in racist ways is aware of doing so. Resistance to Racism Finally, Feagin recognizes that resistance to racism is an important feature of systemic racism. Racism has never been passively accepted by those who suffer it, and so systemic racism is always accompanied by acts of resistance that might manifest as protest, political campaigns, legal battles, resisting white authority figures, and speaking back against racist stereotypes, beliefs, and language. The white backlash that typically follows resistance, like countering Black Lives Matter with all lives matter or blue lives matter, does the work of limiting the effects of resistance and maintaining a racist system. Systemic Racism Is All Around Us and Within Us Feagins theory and all of the research he and many other social scientists have conducted over 100 years illustrates that racism is in fact built into the foundation of U.S. society and that it has over time come to infuse all aspects of it. It is present in our laws, our politics, our economy; in our social institutions; and in how we think and act, whether consciously or subconsciously. Its all around us and inside of us, and for this reason, resistance to racism must also be everywhere if we are to combat it.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Target Market Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Target Market - Assignment Example IKEA doesn’t just provide its clientele with high quality, low cost furniture; they also offer their clients delicious food from their restaurant, and provide transportation for larger items. IKEA’s in store revenue has been inclining quite steadily, and there has been a 9.8% increase on their online retail store, a 7.4% increase on online furniture category sales and a 2.9% increase in its total furniture sales throughout all their distribution channels (Fig 1). In order for IKEA to keep growing, and remain competitive is to provide a service that is readily available to the majority of the market, that service can be easily made available as a mobile and tablet application. As part of the New IKEA Virtual Furniture Application, our team intends to integrate: the whole online catalogue (approx. 10,000 products), BESTA Planner (which is a feature on the IKEA website that allows the customer to design the colour, style and format of any of IKEA’s furniture’ s), Create Cozy (which is another feature on the IKEA website that lets you design the layout of a room), ability to input dimensions (this feature will allow the customer to input the dimensions of their wall/room in order to distinguish if a piece of furniture is too large for that section of the room, see (Fig 3.)) The application will come in bended with a new feature called Draw Furniture which allows the customer to draw their own furniture and decide its dimensions and colours, and the feature will automatically select the closest furniture (from its online catalogue) that matches the dimensions and style of the furniture drawn. If the furniture drawn does not have any matches, IKEA will promptly build it upon payment. (See Fig below for preview) The Android OS Smartphones are currently dominating the Smart Phone Market Share at 36% and the Apple I-OS is at 27% total market share (Fig 2). Now Windows Mobile is only just reaching 10%, but they’re mobile phones are incre asing in processor speeds and storage space which will have a major increase in its future users. The IKEA will be made a multi-platform application making it available to the Android OS, Apple I-OS and the Windows Smart Phones, making it available to a total of 74% of the total Smart Phone Market. A rental scheme will also be introduced for selected customers by making selected mobile smart phones and tablets available to rent to enhance the shopping experience and promote loyalty towards IKEA and also a way of goodwill from IKEA. Competition Our investigation has specified that there are currently no other retail applications offering all of their online features in an Application. Harvey Norman is in the process of developing an application that allows the customer to select a particular product such as kitchen-ware, furniture and other appliances but does provide all of their online features in the application itself. There are also a few interior decorating applications but the se do not offer the inbuilt purchasing capability that IKEA does. The IKEA Virtual Furniture Application is a one stop shop for any consumer looking to purchase furniture. Value Curve The value curve helps to understand what features a customer see will add value to their experience; in this case the curve compares in-store purchases, online purchases and the IKEA Virtual Fu

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Greatest Communicator Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Greatest Communicator - Essay Example Bill Clinton is a notable personality whose skill communication make audience yearn to listen more from the personality. Bill Clinton was at some point the president of US and pulled crowd with how he presented his speech. Additionally, Bill had good leadership skills that made him unique. Leaders need to be multi-talented so as to be there for the people. Bill Clinton displayed all these characteristics making him one of the most prominent and notable leader of all time. Bill Clinton had the most impressive communication skills any leader would want to possess. When addressing the audience, Bill Clinton would use gesture sync with words to ensure that a given message is efficiently grasped by the audience (Marcus par 3). To guide audience’s emotion and attention, he would extend his arms facing up or out. Additionally, Bill Clinton overlapped arms across the chest to show emphasis on a given statement. Moreover, he used hard-stop pacing in his word to ensure that points mention got the stress required. Use of frequent pause in statements helped to gather the attention of the audience. Visuals enabled Clinton to pass information clearly. Policy used was fewer words but more visual to ensure that the audience enjoyed the speech. In most of Clinton’s speech, monotony breakage was fostered by the addition of a story in the middle of a speech. Excellent communication skills by Clinton impacts individuals on a significant margin. When presenting a speech, it is crucial that the audience needs to enjoy the speech. Use of gestures like Bill Clinton ensures that the audience gets information clearly as well as enjoys the speech. Moreover, involving the audience in the presentation of speech makes them ride along. Direct eye contact is vital in enhancing emphasis to a given statement or speech. Moreover, it ensures that the audience’ attention does not get diverted. Bill Clinton’s good communication skills influence individual’s speech

Sunday, November 17, 2019

The contrasting place Essay Example for Free

The contrasting place Essay How does Barry Hines create sympathy for Billy Casper in A Kestrel for a knave? Kes is a novel written by Barry Hines set in Sheffield, south Yorkshire, in the 1960s. The story describes two different places that really contrast each other. The first place is where Billy lives all the houses are council houses, the whole area is run down and deprived of luxuries such as central heating. The contrasting place is called Firs Hill where all the houses are big, clean and very posh with lots of luxuries like hot running water. I suppose we already feel sorry for Billy because of the disadvantaged area he lives in. Kes raises a lot of 1960s issues for example, Billy has no father, his mother goes out most nights and always returns home with a new man, making us feel sorry for Billy as hes no one to look up to. Another issue is that of the education system which lets Billy down badly. He attends a boys secondary modern where he suffers draconian punishment such as thrashes from a cane or lashes from a belt. Billy will have to leave school when he is 15; his only choice of employment will be to work down the mine (pit) with his brother Jud whos a bully. Billy hates the thought of having to work down the mine, which creates sympathy as hes forced into a no hope situation. The first incident I have chosen is Sugden P. E lesson (pg. 87-108) I have chosen this because when you compare Billy to a bully like Sugden, it shows how pitiful Billy really is. In this part of the novel Hines has managed to create sympathy for Billy by showing how weak and vulnerable Billys character is. Billy has to tell Sugden hes forgotten his P. E kit and Sugden makes him wear a pair of shorts which are massive, the class roars with laughter and even Billy has to smile. The only person not amused was Sugden. This part emphasises on the hard strict character Sugden is and makes Billy look like a complete wimp. The class then goes onto the field and football teams are picked. Billy is last to be selected which shows he has no friends. You feel sorry because hes the loner of the class, not only does he get picked last, but he is made to go in goal, this appears to be a regular thing as Billy states Im fed up o goin in goal. I go in every week. In this same incident a dog wonders on to the pitch. Sugden, bringing out his bulling character, resorts to violence and tells the boys Go and fetch half a dozen cricket bats from the games store, Billy sticks up for the dog saying Itll not hurt you. And manages to lead the animal off the field without getting hurt. This shows a caring side to Billy and how he relates to animals. The end of lesson bell sounds but the match carries on. Time is being expressed in this part of the story maybe to show how slowly it is passing and to create tension as to whos going to win the game. Eventually its all over and the boys race inside to the showers. Sugden watches Billy as he changes and blocks off his exit because he didnt have a shower. Billy denies not having one and comes up with the excuse of having a cold but cant produce a sealed letter from a legal guardian to prove it. At this point in the novel you can feel the unnecessary humiliation Sugden inflicts upon Billy as he sends him into the showers not once but twice and orders three other boys to help. This part emphasises on just what a bully Sugden is and creates sympathy as Billy suffers Sugdens taunting. The film version of this incident is slightly different; it starts off with a distance shot of Sugden outside doing an over exaggerated warm-up. Circus fair music is being played which makes his warm-up seem very funny. As the camera gets closer you can see that Sugden is full of his own self importance as he comes over as being real big headed. The next shot cuts to the changing room showing an over the shoulder shot of Sugden having a go at Billy for forgetting his kit. This shot gives the impression of Sugden towering over Billy and shows how small and scrawny Billy is compared to a bully like Sugden. (The size difference does not come over in the book. ) There is also a low angle shot of the boys looking in at Sugden and Billy, which creates the impression of them crowding round to watch. This shot creates sympathy for Billy as it shows the whole class watching as Sugden tares strips of him. The shot then cuts to the outside scene where all the boys are lining up ready to be picked. It projects Billy as an isolated, pathetic figure as hes left standing alone, waiting for his name to be called. The book tells us that Billy is picked last and this shot directs attention towards him looking alone and segregated. The football scene is cut short in the film, I think this is to keep the story flowing as it seems to drag on a bit in the book. However the film missed out the dog scene, which portrayed Billys understanding of animals and how he treats them different to adults. Throughout the football scene the camera is mostly focused on Sugden. It shows in sequence Sugden taking the penalty twice and sending a boy off for a foul he made himself, then hes seen hitting two boys for not participating in the game properly. These shots are all designed to show him as a bully. The close ups show his facial expressions as being stern and strict. This emphasised his bulling character whereas the book can only reveal his character by how he talks and acts. Both make you dislike him. The final scene opens with a shot of Sugden stopping Billy for not having a shower, while Billy gets undressed Sugden starts laughing with the other boys, creating pity for Billy as everyone seems to pick on him. The shot cuts to a close up of Sugden turning the shower temperature dial form hot to cold, as in the book. This is an important scene because it shows just how far Sugden will go with his self ego and the fact that no-one bothers sticks up for Billy shows how lonely he is. The shots of Billy in the showers alone are mid shots and close ups. The close-ups show details like goose pimples and actually start to make you feel cold. The shot of him by himself make him look isolated and lonely again creating pity. This part of the story comes across a lot better in the film than in the book.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Newtons Method: A Computer Project :: Newton-Raphson Method

Newton's Method: A Computer Project Newton's Method is used to find the root of an equation provided that the function f[x] is equal to zero. Newton Method is an equation created before the days of calculators and was used to find approximate roots to numbers. The roots of the function are where the function crosses the x axis. The basic principle behind Newton's Method is that the root can be found by subtracting the function divided by its derivative from the initial guess of the root. Newtons Method worked well because an initial guess was given to put into the equation. This is important because a wrong initial guess may give you the wrong root for the function. With Mathematica, a program for Newton's method can be produced and a graph of the function can be made. From the graph, the a good initial guess can be made.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although Newton's Method works to find roots for many functions, it does have its disadvantages. The root sometimes cannot be found by using Newton's Method. The reason it sometimes cannot be found is because when the function is equal to zero, there is no slope to the tangent line.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As seen in experimentation's, it is important to select an initial guess close to the root because some functions have multiple roots. Failure to choose an initial value that is close to the root could result in finding a the wrong root or wasting a lot of time doing multiple iterations while getting close to the actual root.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On some occasions, the program cannot find a root to an initial guess that is placed into the program. In some instances Mathmatica could not find the root to the function, like if it is a parabola with its vertex is placed

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Professional Development Opportunities Essay

NAYCE (National Association for the Education of Young Children) – http://www.naeyc.org NAYCE is a vast among the Early Childhood Education. The programs feed knowledgeable information to Early Childhood teachers. Teachers can become a member and go to many Expos and Conference to meet other teachers and program directors. NAYCE also have educational books online for teachers to develop more learning into their classroom and curriculum. CAT (Creative Art Team)- http://www.creativeartsteam.org/professional-development/professional-development/early-childhood-professional-development-initiativ The CAT website provides an Early Childhood Professional Development Initiative workshop for mentoring teachers. The schools who wish to participate for the workshop will have five days of in-services for students, in class mentoring and coaching with four teachers, on site staff development and second-five hour’s professional development with CAT. The workshop is free for all teachers who are interested to join. Collaborative for Children- www.collabforchildren.org/training-child-care-providers The Collaborative for Children is a learning development for teachers in the surrounding Houston area and online for all Early Childhood teachers. The professional development programs offer Early Childhood Training Courses with the cost of $12.00. The Collaborative is part of Texas Agrilife Extension Service, an educational agency of the Texas A&M System. New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute- http://www.earlychildhoodnyc.org/ New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute offers many programs to benefit new awareness in New York City. The Institute offers on site coaching, professional development, and technical assistance also CDA programs for aspiring childcare workers. These programs are working with parents and teachers to develop healthy and learning children. Early Learning Leaders- http://www.earlylearningleaders.org/?page=Professional The website contains Early Care Professional Training and Education for child care administrators. The program enriches childcare directors into learning and developing new programs into their childcare program home base. There are weekly webinars and sessions for each learning development.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Math in Early Childhood Article Review Essay

The purpose of this article was to explain the use and importance of programs such as the, â€Å"What’s the Big Idea† program instituted at the Bennington Library in Vermont. The â€Å"What’s the Big Idea† program aims to provide librarians with techniques and tools for introducing preschool and kindergarten students to science and math through literature. Picture books and stories are used a lot because stores are great conveyors to memorable messages about since and math. It also gives children the tools they need to be able to look at books and seek out math and science concepts and connections within the text. The program focuses on child directed and hands on explorations rather that adult directed instruction allowing the children to gain personal acts of discovery through play. â€Å"What’s the Big Idea† focuses on four main math and science concepts; numbers and operations, patterns and relationships, changes over time, and geometry and special sense. For each topic there are activities, projects, and books that correspond with the chosen topic. There are different activity centers that are also set up. Some are set up for large group and small group and some are set up for independent exploration. They offer things such as interactive graphs, geoboards, jars with small objects for sorting, blocks, and other manipulatives. Something new that I learned was that I didn’t know that libraries offered programs like that. I knew that had reading groups and programs but I didn’t realizes that there were also libraries that offered programs to also promote math and science concepts as well. I like how they use books first to gain an idea and then tie it into math and science by exploring the concepts in the story a little further to better their understanding not only of the story but of the math and/or science behind it. A way that I can see this information being useful in the future is to have programs like this available to all libraries nationwide. In the article it said that it started out in Vermont and spread to libraries in New York, Delaware, and Texas. With children having access to programs like this from the preschool level they will then enter kindergarten with a greater knowledge base and with deeper understanding of the math and science concepts that they will need for the rest of their lives.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Biography of Sojourner Truth, Abolitionist and Lecturer

Biography of Sojourner Truth, Abolitionist and Lecturer Sojourner Truth (born Isabella Baumfree; c. 1797–November 26, 1883) was a famous African-American abolitionist and womens rights activist. Emancipated from slavery by New York state law in 1827, she served as an itinerant preacher before becoming involved in the anti-slavery and womens rights movements. In 1864, Truth met Abraham Lincoln in his White House office. Fast Facts: Sojourner Truth Known For: Truth was an abolitionist and womens rights activist known for her fiery speeches.Also Known As: Isabella  BaumfreeBorn: c. 1797 in Swartekill, New YorkParents: James and Elizabeth BaumfreeDied: November 26, 1883 in Battle Creek, MichiganPublished Works: The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slave (1850)Notable Quote: This is what all suffragists must understand, whatever their sex or color- that all the disfranchised of the earth have a common cause. Early Life The woman known as Sojourner Truth was born into slavery in New York as Isabella Baumfree (after her fathers owner, Baumfree) in 1797. Her parents were James and Elizabeth Baumfree. She was sold several times, and while enslaved by the John Dumont family in Ulster County, she married Thomas, also enslaved by Dumont and who was many years older than Isabella. The couple had five children together. In 1827, New York law emancipated all slaves. At this point, however, Isabella had already left her husband and run away with her youngest child, going to work for the family of Isaac Van Wagenen. While working for the Van Wagenens- whose name she used briefly- Isabella discovered that a member of the Dumont family had sold one of her children into slavery in Alabama. Since this son had been emancipated under New York Law, Isabella sued in court and won his return. Preaching In New York City, Isabella worked as a servant and attended a white Methodist church and an  African Methodist Episcopal Church, where she reunited briefly with three of her older siblings. Isabella came under the influence of a religious prophet named Matthias in 1832. She then moved to a Methodist perfectionist commune, led by Matthias, where she was the only black member, and few members were of the working class. The commune fell apart a few years later, with allegations of sexual improprieties and even murder. Isabella herself was accused of poisoning another member, and she sued successfully for libel in 1835. She continued her work as a household servant until 1843. William Miller, a millenarian prophet, predicted that Christ would return in 1843 amid economic turmoil during and after the panic of 1837. On June 1, 1843, Isabella took the name Sojourner Truth, believing this to be on the instructions of the Holy Spirit.  She became a traveling preacher (the meaning of her new name, Sojourner), making a tour of Millerite camps.  When the Great Disappointment became clear- the world did not end as predicted- she joined a utopian community, the Northampton Association, founded in 1842 by people interested in abolitionism and womens rights. Abolitionism After joining the abolitionist movement, Truth became a popular circuit speaker. She made her first antislavery speech in 1845 in New York City. The commune failed in 1846, and she bought a house on Park Street in New York.  She dictated her autobiography to womens rights activist Olive Gilbert and published it in Boston in 1850.  Truth used the income from the book,  The Narrative of Sojourner Truth, to pay off her mortgage. In 1850, she also began speaking about womens suffrage. Her most famous speech, Aint I a Woman?, was given in 1851 at a womens rights convention in Ohio. The speech- which addressed the ways in which Truth was oppressed for being both black and a woman- remains influential today. Truth eventually met Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote about her for the Atlantic Monthly and wrote a new introduction to Truths autobiography. Later, Truth moved to Michigan and joined yet another religious commune, this one associated with the Friends. She was at one point friendly with Millerites, a religious movement that grew out of Methodism and later became the Seventh Day Adventists. Civil War During the Civil War, Truth raised food and clothing contributions for black regiments, and she met Abraham Lincoln at the White House in 1864 (the meeting was arranged by Lucy N. Colman and Elizabeth Keckley). During her White House visit, she tried to challenge the discriminatory policy of segregating street cars by race. Truth was also an active member of the National Freedmans Relief Association. After the war ended, Truth again traveled and gave lectures, advocating for some time for a Negro State in the west. She spoke mainly to white audiences and mostly on religion, the rights of African-Americans and women, and temperance, though immediately after the Civil War she tried to organize efforts to provide jobs for black refugees from the war. Death Truth remained active in politics until 1875, when her grandson and companion fell ill and died. She then returned to Michigan, where her health deteriorated. She died in 1883 in a Battle Creek sanitorium of infected ulcers on her legs. Truth was buried in Battle Creek, Michigan, after a well-attended funeral. Legacy Truth was a major figure in the abolitionist movement, and she has been widely celebrated for her work. In 1981, she was inducted into the National Womens Hall of Fame, and in 1986 the U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp in her honor. In 2009, a bust of Truth was placed in the U.S. Capitol. Her autobiography is read in classrooms throughout the country. Sources Bernard, Jacqueline.  Journey Toward Freedom: The Story of Sojourney Truth. Price Stern Sloan, 1967.Saunders Redding, Sojourner Truth in Notable American Women 1607-1950 Volume III P-Z. Edward T. James, editor. Janet Wilson James and Paul S. Boyer, assistant editors. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Belknap Press, 1971.Stetson, Erlene, and Linda David.  Glorying in Tribulation: The Lifework of Sojourner Truth. Michigan State University Press, 1994.Truth, Sojourner.  The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: a Northern Slave. Dover Publications Inc., 1997.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

How to Use the Internet as a Reporting Tool

How to Use the Internet as a Reporting Tool At the risk of sounding like an old fogey, let me explain what it was like to be a reporter in the days before googling was a verb. Back then, reporters were expected to find their own sources and interview them, either in person or over the phone (remember, before the internet, we didnt even have email). And if you needed background material for a story, you checked the newspapers morgue, where clips from past issues were kept in filing cabinets. Or you consulted things like encyclopedias. Nowadays, of course, thats all ancient history. With the click of a mouse or a tap on a smartphone, journalists have access to virtually unlimited amounts of information online. But the strange thing is that many of the aspiring reporters I see in my journalism classes dont seem to know how to appropriately use the internet as a reporting tool. Here are three main problems I see: Relying Too Heavily on Material From the Web This is probably the most common Internet-related reporting problem I see. I require students in my journalism courses to produce articles that are at least 500 words, and every semester a few submit stories that simply rehash information from a variety of websites. But there are at least two problems that arise from this. First, youre not doing any of your own original reporting, so youre not getting important training in conducting interviews. Second, you run the risk of committing plagiarism, the cardinal sin in journalism. Information taken from the internet should be a complement to, but not a substitute for, your own original reporting. Any time a student journalist puts his byline on an article being submitted to his professor or the student newspaper, the assumption is that the story is based mostly on his own work. By turning in something thats largely copied off the internet or not attributed properly, you are cheating yourself out of important lessons and running the risk of getting an F for plagiarism. Using the Internet Too Little Then there are students who have the opposite problem - they fail to use the internet when it could provide useful background information for their stories. Lets say a student reporter is doing an article about how rising gas prices are affecting commuters at her college. She interviews plenty of students, getting lots of anecdotal information about how the price rise impacts them. But a story like this also cries out for context and background information. For instance, what is happening in global oil markets that are causing the price increase? What is the average price of gas across the country, or in your state? Thats the kind of information that can easily be found online and would be perfectly appropriate to use. Its laudable that this reporter is relying mostly on her own interviews, but shes short-changing herself by ignoring information from the web that could make her article more well-rounded. Failing to Properly Attribute Information Taken From the Web Whether you are using online sources a lot or just a little, its crucial you always properly attribute the information you use from any website. Any data, statistics, background information or quotes that you havent gathered yourself must be credited to the website it came from. Fortunately, theres nothing complicated about proper attribution. For instance, if you are using some information taken from The New York Times, simply write something like, according to The New York Times, or The New York Times reported†¦ This introduces another issue: Which websites are reliable enough for a reporter to use, and which sites should she steer clear of? Fortunately, Ive written an article on that very topic, which you can find here. The moral of this story? The bulk of any article you do should be based on your own reporting and interviewing. But any time you are doing a story that could be improved with background information on the web, then, by all means, use such information. Just make sure to properly attribute it.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Has the Recession Changed the way UK banks measure performance Dissertation

Has the Recession Changed the way UK banks measure performance - Dissertation Example When the business cycle is reduced and cut back, this is often referred to as a recession which generally slows down the economic activity during a particular period of time .When recessions occur, it has been believed that there is a general drop in spending, and governments normally address this financial matter by implementing macroeconomic policies which deal with the economy’s performance and behaviour to be able to understand how the whole economy functions (Strupczewski 2004). Furthermore, governments also increase the supply of money as well as government spending, and decreases taxation. According to the NBER or the National Bureau of Economic Research, an economic recession normally lasts for more than a few months which will be evident in the GDP growth as well as in personal incomes, employment rates, production, business profits and sales which all fall and drop during this critical slump. The latest economic recession in 2008 first began in December of 2007 in the United States and was greatly intensified in September of 2008 (Gullapalli and Anand 2008). This particular financial crisis had been described by numerous imbalances and had been associated with hasty and unstable lending practises which resulted from the interference of the United States government regarding real estate mortgages. The US securities which were backed by mortgages were sold around the world despite the fact that it had risks which were hard to evaluate.