Oda Nobunagas Biography

The oda of Omwari Oda Nobunaga was born Oda Kipposhi on June 23rd 1534 and was a second son of Oda Nobuhinde who by then was a minor lord and whose family was servant to Shiba Shugo. Oda Kipposhi’s father was a very knowledgeable warrior who used much of his time in battles as a Samurai to Mikawa and Mino. At home, Oda kipposhi’s father, later Oda Nobunaga, was involved in power rivalry with his extended family over the control of Omwari province (Seal par 5).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Oda Nobunaga’s Biography specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Oda family was divided into two warring branches. The Nobuhide’s branch was stationed at kiyosu and was run by three elders; the second branch of the family was housed at Iwakura castle in the north of Omwari province. At the time of his birth, Japan was a divided country as Opposed to what it used to be in earlier years before the terrible civil war of 1460s. The country was divided into more than sixty provinces each under the rule of a Daimyo. However, Daimyo were always at war with each other during which time numerous farms and villages would be burned. Oda Nobunaga was brought up in a castle in Nagoya where his father was among the chiefs from his Oda family that ruled Omwari at the time. During his youthful years, Oda was a handsome and unusually graceful man and his father had hired tutors to teach his son the arts of war and other Chinese classics. Oda however proved to be a nuisance to his tutors because of his arrogance and irrelevance. One of his trainers, Kiyohide committed kanshi after writing up a letter urging Nobunaga to take up his studies more seriously. This death made Nobunaga change some bit and honored Hirashi Kiyohide by building the Seisyu-ji in Omwari (Seal par 4). Oda Nobunaga was strange in his mode of dressing wearing odd colored short sleeve and knickknacks hanging from his wa ist. His moods were also unpredictable making people think him crazy. It was rumored that Oda acted in this manner to fool his older cousins from seeing him a rival for the power. Physically, Nobunaga had a prominent nose and a scarce beard and was of unruly behavior. At the age of fourteen, Oda Nobunaga married a daughter of the lord of Mino province. This was a politically instigated marriage based on convenience not loves. The rise of Oda Nobunaga Following Oda Nobuhinde’s death, Oda Nobunaga built a small force of not more than a thousand men and successfully built an army that later repulsed two attacks by relatives and by a rival province. He later killed his chief rival in the family and a brother who challenged his leadership.Advertising Looking for research paper on asian? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Oda Nobunaga rose to become a minor warlord and only held a small piece of land in Omwari province. Like mos t other Daimyo of his time, Oda rose to power following military encounters and by the age of 25 years, he controlled a large part of Omwari province by ruthlessly taking over territories from his neighbors. By 1558, Nobunaga had successfully united his family (Morton 47). His rule was only secure in 1560 when he defeated Totomi family from the Ingawa province which was matching through his province on their way to conquering Kyoto. Following this defeat to the largest army in Japan, Nobunaga suddenly became a national figure and as a result many other Daimyos met him in a bid to build alliances (Saito 25). Like other Daimyos of the Sengoku era, Oda Nobunaga took the advantage of convenience marriages to create alliances and strengthen his leadership. To begin with, Nobunaga married his daughter to the lord of Mikawa province Tokugawa Leyasu’s son. This alliance lasted for twenty years . O-ichi, Oda Nobunaga’s sister was also married to Asai who was the lord of Omi pro vince. These alliances helped Nobunaga became the leader of a very strong and powerful coalition. This however was only a start of what Oda Nobunaga aspired to do. It was only the beginning of an empire that he intended to build (Saito 27).He multiplied his army into more than ten times. He even recruited farmer to be foot soldiers who carried spears and lances while whoever showed talent was promoted through ranks (Saito 29). His military prowess and leadership skill were again proved when in 1565 he marched into Kyoto and helped drive out a local warlord who had killed a shogun and instead installed a three year old as the new shogun. Nobunaga replaced the child shogun with Yoshiaki, the brother of the murdered shogun. He also helped rebuild the badly damaged palace and gave money to the emperor who had invited him to Kyoto. Following the rise in power of Minamoto no Yoritomo appointed in 1192, as a shogun, most emperors lost their power, the remaining shoguns too lost their power although they still could appoint judges and other administrators. Nobunaga used Shogun Yoshiaki as a puppet and even obtained rights to sign document without his consent. This period saw Nobunaga become the most powerful leaders in Japan owing to his political and military might (Morton 47). Resistance The developments at Kyoto agitated a daimyo that lived outside the influence of Nobunaga. He saw Nobunaga as a force that would lead to his destruction. To him, Nobunaga could not be compared to many other warlords like Hosokama Sumimoto and Miyoshi Motonaga who were only concerned only about personal gain and prestige. Nobunaga’s gain however seemed to surpass that of the two warlords and could not be filled.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Oda Nobunaga’s Biography specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More He knew that Nobunaga’s aim was to rule the whole of Japan. Four other warlords durin g Nobunaga’s rule: Mori Motonari, Takeda Shingen, Uesugi Kenshin and hojo Ujiasu had no say in the capital as they had been removed by Nobunaga. Their movement was also curtailed by Nobunaga who occupied a strategic location. Taking Kyoto only made things better for him as he was now positioned in the middle of Japan. Nobunaga’s power was based on the point of the sword with the use of diplomacy waning as he put additional territories under his rule. Nobunaga crushed his enemies completely especially those troublesome to him (Morton 49). Real trouble The first real trouble came when Asakura Yoshikage turned down an invitation by Yoshiaki who was ordered by Nobunaga to invite all local daimyos to a banquet at Kyoto. Nobunaga took this as a symbol of disloyal to both shogun Yoshiaki and the emperor. Using this as an excuse, Nobunaga raised an army to attack Echizen which was ruled by Asakura. He made good his threat and was approaching Echizen capital, Ichijo-no-Tani, wh en he received news that his brother-in-law , Asai Namagasa, husband to his sister O-ichi had shifted bases and was fighting on Asakura’s side. He later moved back to Kyoto and attacked the combined forces of Asai and Asakura but the winner of this battle was no other but Nobunaga. This win propelled Nobunaga to the highest point in his military and political career (Hooker par 1). He now was a force to reckon with in the larger Japan. However, Asai and Asakura had killed Nobunaga’s own brother, Nobuharu and sought the assistance of the monks of Mt. Hiei. The fall of Monasteries In 1570, Nobunaga’s army under the command of Hideyoshi defeated his brother-in-law, Asai, who had defected from his camp to join that of his rival, Asakura. However, both Asai and Asakura could not be captured as they escaped and sought refuge in Mt. Hiei which was a home to Enryakuji, one of the oldest and holiest Tendai Buddhist monasteries at the time. It is important to know that in middle of the second millennia, Buddhist monks were not as saintly as we know them today, but were rather armed, very political and held a lot of wealth. This resulted into a lot of resentment from Nobunaga who coveted the extensive land holding they held and their use of religion to disguise their power pursuit. When he failed to annihilate Asai and Asakura, Nobunaga pleaded with the monks of Eryakuji to either maintain neutrality or face his wrath.Advertising Looking for research paper on asian? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The monks too were in bad terms with Oda Nobunaga who took some of their lands and had threatened to tax them. They too could not understand how anyone could take the action Nobunaga was intending to fulfill of burning their eight century old monastery. In the mean time, Asai and Asakura took the opportunity to escape as the armed monks engaged in skirmishes with Nobunaga’s men. In October 1571, in the mid of a very windy night, Nobunaga’s revenge was terrible as his soldiers surrounded Mt. Hiei and set it on fire. As enormous flames engulfed the mountain city, thousands of warrior monks, women and children were consumed by the fire that reduced the Eryakuji monastery into ashes. Close to three thousand homes, schools, temples and libraries were destroyed in this fire. The whole of Japan shuddered at what Nobunaga had ruthlessly done. To this day, at the mention of Nobunaga, Japanese first thing in the mind is the burning of the Eryakuji monastery. This act of burning the monastery had the impact that Nobunaga intended as many Japanese monks were terrified and stopped maintaining armies, cease to be political and also accepted their loss of land without a word. In 1574, one of remaining defiant Buddhist sect went up in flames while a second one was suppressed with gun fire in the following year. Only the Honganji monastery on Osaka bay remained defiant as it enjoyed naval support from some western Daimyos, however, in 1580, Nobunaga’s marines in seven warrior ships destroyed close to six hundred war boats. This brought to an end the defiance of the Honganji monastery. Most other Buddhists had however lost their power by 1573. In that same year, Asai and Asakura committed suicide and Nabunaga had their skulls gold and silver plated and used them as drinking cups. As a result of asai’s death, his widow O-ichi, returned to his brother Nobunaga with three daughters and an infant son who was executed. O-ichi, with her striking beauty, wa s married off to a top general in his army, Shibata Katsue. Christian Missionaries and the Gun Powder Oda Nobunaga first interaction with the westerners was recorded by a Portuguese missionary named Louis Frois in 1569. Louis described Nobunaga as a tall man who was greatly addicted to military exercise and who scorned both Buddha and the Kami tradition medicine and who neither believed in life after death nor the immortality of the soul. Nobunaga welcomed Jesuits missionary whom he liked and from whom he received gifts such as maps, tiger skins, magnifying glasses, improved guns and who also shared his contempt for Buddhism. In 1543, three Portuguese traders sold matchlocks to the Japanese at the island of Tanega south of Kyushu. These guns were copied by the local lord’s blacksmith’s but these guns failed to function due the gunpowder failing to explode. Later, a Portuguese blacksmith settled down and began teaching the Japanese finer points of gun making. Within no time, the Japanese were making guns at a very fast rate. Sooner, the port of Okai, on Osaka bay became a major gun manufacturing center in Japan. Until 1569, this very prosperous town was under the rule of merchants but in that year, it fell under Nobunaga’s direct rule. Nobunaga’s Administrative Skills It is recorded that Nobunaga was a very skilful administrator and a good warrior. He promoted trade by minting standardized currency and also standardized weights and measures giving merchants an easy time in the process. ‘Marotoriums’ were also abolished as they exempted the dictatorial warlords from paying debts. In his attempts to further improve trade conditions in Japan, he abolished all toll barriers and guild monopolies in his territory and in major cities. The more Nobunaga expanded his territorial borders by conquering neighboring provinces, the more it became easier for merchants as trade areas increased. Nobunaga modernized his armies and in fact bought tens of thousands of guns that were used by his armies in practicing. The soldiers were trained to fast load the gun powders and to shoot and were also trained on arrangement in the battlefront especially formation of alternating rows. In this arrangement, as the first row bent to reload, the second row would shoot while the third row would be aiming. This ensured a continuous bombardment that was devastating to the rival army. He too armed peasants who at times massacred thousands of samurai swordsmen (Weston 144). Shogun Yoshiaki who too was in communication with Asai, Asakura, monks at the Eryakuji monastery and the daimyo of Akai province was too expelled from Kyoto. Nobunaga imposed taxes on the wealthy city dwellers and those who resisted had their wealth burned. This scared others who hastily complied. Yoshiaki’s life was spared and he was left to wander in Japan for close to thirty years. During this time, Kyoto stayed without a shogun with the emperor failing to persuade Nobunaga to take up the position. Nobunaga had no interest in titles and chose to remain a warrior but demanded obedience from all those ha subdued. He even requested for obedience from his general Shibata Katsue whom he warned never to have any evil thought towards him. The Azuchi Castle In 1570s, Japan was enjoying a peaceful period following the rule of Nobunaga. Oda Nobunaga decided to build himself a seven storey castle on a hill in Azuchi province. This was a magnificent palace build forty miles north of Kyoto and was completed in 1579. The Azuchi castle had very beautiful rooms and were painted by top artists of the time especially Kano Eitoku who was the finest. Each room was unique and was painted in a different theme including falcons, horses, trees, Chinese scholars and even Buddha and his disciples. His tea room was painted in leaf gold and it was in this room that he held tea ceremonies. Nobunaga was a great tea lover and collected rare tea utensils and gav e them to his great generals as gifts. The castle at Azuchi underwent various changes. It was during this time that modern Japanese castles were born (Weston 145). Azuchi castle revolutionized castle building in Japan. It was among the first Hiramayajiro castles that were build on a flat topped mountain and on low hills. The hills chosen were on a plain enabling large numbers of troops to be positioned here. Other features of the Azuchi castle included a bigger and higher tenshu allowing a greater view of the plains, Masugata, multiple maru and an ishigaki at the centre of the castle. There were also secret floors within the tenshu. The Azuchi castle not only served for the defensive purposes but was also a show of power for Nobunaga. Nobunaga’s castle was later copied by other leaders who came after him such as Nagahama and Himeji castles build by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the Sakamoto and Tanbakameyama castles that were build by Akechi Mitsumide. Nobunaga’s Major Achiev ements Military Nobunaga revolutionized the way wars were fought in Japan. His army was one of the most organized in the world during his time. He made many inventions and innovations that helped properly arm his forces (Murray 125). The most notable implementations were use of long pikes, advanced fire arms, ironclad ships and fortifications of castle to boost security. He also started a warrior class in which positions were assigned based on merit and not by name, tribe, rank or the size of land that one owned. Retainers were rewarded on the basis of the amount of rise that a rice farm produced not on the size of the farm. This measures ensured equality and fairness and helped reduce any complaints from his army. This system of army organization was later copied by his rivals such as Tokugawa Leyasu during the formation of the Tokugawa Shogunate that was based at Edo (Murray 128). Trade Nobunaga was a very keen businessman who understood and practiced the principles of macro and m icroeconomics. He was pivotal in the modernization of both agricultural and manufacturing industries. Service bases and castle towns were established as the centers of trade and local economics. To further improve trade and ease the movement of his large army between cities, Nobunaga improved roads. He opened up Japan beyond china and the Korean peninsula to the larger Asian countries such as Philippines, Siam and Indonesia. Trade with Europe especially with Portuguese and Spain was also expanded. As a way to improve and promote trade and industry, Nobunaga instituted the Rakuizi-rakuza policies. Under this policy, Nobunaga’s goal was to abolish and prohibit monopolies and helped open up suppressed unions, associations and guilds. He established a proper tax system and exemptions and instituted laws that governed borrowing (Weston 142). Fine art With the rise of Nobunaga as a national leader, he amassed a large amount of wealth that he used to support major causes most notabl y the fine art. Nobunaga had a liking for the art and later used it to display his power and prestige. His many gardens and castles bore great artistic features with the Azuchi castle being one this great art works. In later years, Nobunaga became a devout Christian and used this as a basis for terrorizing the Buddhist Ikko monks (Peterson 85). His tea master, Sen no Rikkyu helped him established the tea ceremonies which Nobunaga used for politics and business. The westernization of Japan Nobunaga eagerly embraced the western religions especially Christianity and welcomed the Jesuits missionaries with open hands. As a result of his conversion, he became among the first Japanese leader to appear in the European histories. He also imported the western technology like the firearms into Japan. This technology coupled with offensive and defensive mechanisms imported from Europe contributed to the modernization of his forces. His armies were always retrained to cope up with new imported t actics and in addition, massive stone forts were constructed that would defy modern gun fire. He also improved his warships by iron cladding them which resulted into nearly unbeatable models (Weston 145). The Death of Nobunaga Nobunaga’s glory came to its highest point in Kyoto, august of 1581, during this day; Nobunaga had gathered nearly twenty thousand horsemen all brilliantly dressed who flew in full gallop in front of the emperor and half of the Kyoto population. Hideyoshi, one of his top brass general was not in this parade as he was on a mission to conquer the Harima province. The story was that since 1577, Harima province had put up a strong defense following the unification of all western Daimyos under the leadership of the Mori family, who were allies of the Ikko-ikki clan. This province had a united army with as many soldiers and complex gun power as Nobunaga making the war drag for years (Peterson 87). In 1582, the Mori troops were making advancement towards the c astle in Bitchu province and were overwhelming to the Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s army. Hideyoshi asked for reinforcement from Nobunaga who at once decided to head west himself. In the process, Nobunaga commanded his top Generals to join him in this worthy course. He however took a two night’s stop at a temple in Kyoto in order to make the final arrangement for a battle that never took place. June 21, 1582, Akechi Mitsuhide, the general appointed by Nobunaga to lead some ten thousand soldiers to attack Harima province chose to attack Nobunaga instead. This took Nobunaga at a sheer surprise as he was entertaining guests at a Homno temple. Nobunaga had less than a hundred board guards making escape out of question. For the first time, Nobunaga took part in a battle but was wounded by either an arrow or a spear. He decided to retreat into a room and locked himself from where he committed Seppuku, a ritual suicide (Peterson 89). The temple was then burned down and no remains of N obunaga’s body were ever recovered. His eldest son was also killed in this battle and his Azuchi castle looted and then burned down by the mob. It is not known up to today what caused Mitsuhide turn against his master and he never had time to explain as he was hunted by Toyotomi Hideyoshi who took his head. At his death, Nobunaga was forty six years and ruled Japan’s thirty one out of sixty six provinces. His aim was to conquer many more and bring them under one rule. Conclusion Oda Nobunaga was truly one of the Japan’s most influential men and women and is remembered for his attempt to form a united Japan. He had a modern outlook for Japan and helped modernize warfare in Japan, broke the power of the monks, improved trade and industry, westernized Japan, gave equal opportunities to all especially the peasant and surprisingly ignored titles (Berry 35). It is however ironical that this fierce warrior who had the heart to burn thousands of innocent children and wo men was attributed to have brought peace to Japan which by the time was racked by a two hundred years of war. This peace he brought fearfully and was based on one man who ruled Japan with an iron hand. It is no surprise that his allies were also relieved following his death. But the question many ask is ‘to what length Nobunaga would have gone had his life not been cut short?’ By the time of his death, Nobunaga changed Japan forever (Berry 35). Works Cited Berry M. Elizabeth. Hideyoshi. Havard: Havard University Asia center, 1989. Hooker, Richard. â€Å"World civilizations: Odo Nobunaga.† Washington State University, 1996. Web. Morton, M. Scott, and Olenik, J. Kenneth. Japan: Its History and Culture. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional, 2005. Murray, David. The Story of Japan. UK: G.P. Putnam’s sons, 1894. Paterson, Paterson. Oda Nobunaga: The Battle of Okehazama. New York: Jetlag press, 2008. Saito, Hisho. A history of Japan. Tokyo: Forgotten books, 1990. Seal, F. W. â€Å"Oda Nobunaga.† Samurai, Mar 5 2011.  http://www.samurai-archives.com/nobunaga.html Weston, Mark. Giants of Japan: the Lives of Japan’s Most Influential Men and Women. New York: Kodansha America, 2002. This research paper on Oda Nobunaga’s Biography was written and submitted by user Purple Wasp to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Density of Common Substances

Density of Common Substances The table below shows the  density of some common substances, in units of kilograms per cubic meter. Some of these values may certainly seem counter-intuitive- one would not expect mercury (which is a liquid) to be more dense than iron, for example. Notice that ice has a lower density than either water (freshwater) or seawater (saltwater), so it will float in them. Seawater, however, has a higher density than freshwater, which means that the seawater will sink when it comes in contact with freshwater. This behavior causes many significant ocean currents and the concern of glacier melting is that it will alter the flow of seawater- all from the basic functioning of density. To convert the density to grams per cubic centimeter, merely divide the values in the table by 1,000. Density of Common Substances Material Density (kg/m3) Air (1 atm, 20 degrees C 1.20 Aluminum 2,700 Benzene 900 Blood 1,600 Brass 8,600 Concrete 2,000 Copper 8,900 Ethanol 810 Glycerin 1,260 Gold 19,300 Ice 920 Iron 7,800 Lead 11,300 Mercury 13,600 Neutron star 1018 Platinum 21,400 Seawater (Saltwater) 1,030 Silver 10,500 Steel 7,800 Water (Freshwater) 1,000 White dwarf star 1010

A Research Paper on IFRS and Its Implications

A Research Paper on IFRS and Its Implications International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) is a comprehensive, globally accepted set of accounting standards utilizing a principles-based approach with a greater emphasis on interpretation and application of those principles, aiming at best reflecting the economic substance of transactions. It is a less extensive body of literature than U.S. GAAP with limited industry guidance and lesser detailed application guidance. IFRS requires a much greater exercise of judgement, supported by detailed analysis and documentation. In other words, U.S. GAAP gives us a detailed instruction to the location where we would like to go where us IFRS will just guide us to the destination by showing us the direction. Today, more than 40% of the Global Fortune 500 are using IFRS. Stock exchanges in the 85 countries that require IFRS comprise 35% of the global market capitalization, compared to 25% of the global market capitalization held by U.S. exchanges   [ 1 ]   . IFRS is most likely to bec ome mandatory by beginning of 2014. Why IFRS? The question facing companies is not â€Å"If to adopt IFRS†, it is of â€Å"when and how† to adopt IFRS. With so many companies focused on managing through the economic downturn, few leadership teams are eager for one more big thing to do. Especially when that thing involves something as pervasive as International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). But IFRS continues to be adopted by jurisdictions around the world. Taking the organization to IFRS will require managing change in multiple areas: technical accounting and tax, internal controls and processes, management and statutory reporting, technology infrastructure, and organizational issues. They’re all interconnected, which makes things a bit more complicated than imagined. IFRS relies more on general principles than detailed rules and bright lines. This means that the finance people will end up working much more closely with others in the organization to make judgments about accounting based on the underlying economics of transactions. A flurry of operational changes could be triggered by IFRS as well. Companies may have to re-examine contracts and debt agreements, treasury policies, employee benefits, education and training, and communications. Opportunities to centralize statutory accounting functions into shared service centers might also have to be looked at. A revisit of the offshoring, outsourcing, and tax planning decisions might also be required. Principle or Rule Based? At a global symposium held in the month of January where the Peter Wyman, a partner of PwC noticed a sea change in the debate surrounding the adoption of a uniform international accounting standard. The feeling was that IFRS will be adopted across the globe, the issues which were present were only of how it was to be done. There have been primarily been two major approaches to accounting namely rule based and principal based. UK and Europe have a principal based accounting system which allows greater discretion and use of professional judgement. On the other hand, US has been following rule based accounting system which was further strengthened after seeing the light of scandals such as Enron, etc. The major challenge for International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) is to adapt IFRS so that it is agreeable to all the parties involved.

Criticlly assess the basis of obedience by states in international Assignment

Criticlly assess the basis of obedience by states in international law. What factors do states take into account in compliance with international law rules - Assignment Example nal protocol faces the most potent challenge of embracing of the formulated laws and sustenance of the appropriate adherence across the member states (Alter, 19). While the membership of the international community has evolved in the recent past to be synonymous with the most acceptable yardstick for development, there are several considerations that make the expected transition the challenge it is today. The platform on which the international law is founded outlines the integrity of the leadership and governance of the international community and is built on commitment to comply with the binding regulations. Due to the unavailability of a political structure at such a level, only goodwill can be applied in the delivery of the commitment expected for compliance and adherence. In such an arrangement, it is evident that there are loopholes which expose the sovereignties of individual member states to the mercy of external forces. External interference is a contradiction to the existence of the member states as sovereign states, which is the predominant building block of the international community. In the protection of the integrity of the individual state and the international community, there is undoubted favor for the integrity of the member state sovereignty which is the basic unit of the international community. In light of conflicting interests and objectives as expected in such an arrangement, there are important considerations to be made by the leadership of the individual member states regarding becoming signatories of the effective protocols as well as the details of compliance. State behavior in embracing international law and handling international relations is important in determining the considerations that are likely to be highlighted by various leaderships before making commitment to such undertakings (Raustiala and Slaughter, 544). While politics therefore becomes central to the nature of state behavior detailing embracing international laws,

Evaluating ICT Use in Teaching Dyslexic Students in the Mainstream Dissertation - 1

Evaluating ICT Use in Teaching Dyslexic Students in the Mainstream Primary Schools in Saudi Arabia - Dissertation Example 4Study Sample 40 3. 5Ethics 40 3. 6Administration of the Questionnaire 42 3. 7Conclusion 42 Chapter 4: Result and Analysis 43 4.1.Introduction 43 4.2.Response Rate 43 4.3.Characteristics of the Study Sample (Demographic Data) 44 4..2.1.1Academic Qualifications 44 4..2.2.1Major 45 4..2.3.1Minor Major 46 4..2.4.1Teaching Experience 47 4..2.5.1ICT Training 48 60 4.4.Discussion 83 Chapter 6 Conclusion 88 6.1Achievements of the Study 88 6.2Implications for practice 88 6.3Strengths and weaknesses in the study 91 6.4Implications for further research 92 References 94 Abstract Since the introduction of computers in schools in 1970s the role of computers has progressed form tutor to topic to tool. Today, information and computer technology (ICT) has far reaching implications in every sphere of life. Education and learning process have achieved new dimensions with the integration of ICT in the process. It is of special significance for teaching of children with special needs since these student s are characterized by deficits that have adverse impacts on their academic performance. Among the learning disabilities, one of the major causes of concern is dyslexia due to its high prevalence and multivariant manifestation and is characterized by marked reading disability. Use of ICT based intervention strategies have shown potential for overcoming these deficits. Integration of ICT to learning renders the teacher training for ICT imperative. The current study attempts to investigate the availability and integration of ICT resources for the education of regular and dyslexic students in Saudi Arabia and the perceptions of teachers regarding its efficacy for the purpose. The study involved participants from primary schools of Riyadh, KSA who were provided questionnaires comprising of close ended questions on their educational qualifications, experience and ICT training; use and availability of ICT related hardware and software; and their opinion regarding the efficacy and obstacle s in the use of ICT. Significant results from the quantitative research proved a positive correlation existed between ICT training and efficacy of ICT as an educational tool; thus indicating the importance of teacher training in influencing teachers’ perception and usage of ICT. ICT AND DYSLEXIA For people without disabilities, technology makes things convenient; for people with disabilities†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦it makes things POSSIBLE. (Treviranus, 2000) Chapter 1: Introduction This chapter introduces use of information and communication technology (ICT) for education of students with dyslexia and the importance of study of various aspects of dyslexia for an individual as well as a teacher. In order to achieve this aim, the chapter attempts to outline the rationale behind the study, followed by an update on special education status with special attention to Saudi Arabia as the researcher’s country of residence as well as United Kingdom (UK); researcher residing in UK for the major part of the research process. Finally the chapter outlines the aims of the research along with the various objectives followed to achieve the aims. 1.1 Introduction The last two decades have witnessed tremendous advances in information and c

Palestinian ‘invasion Essay Example for Free

Palestinian ‘invasion Essay Since December 1, 2004, out of the 1085 Times’ columns, 37 percent of them talked about Palestinian ‘invasion(s)’, 36 percent mentioned ‘terrorism’, 28 percent talked about ‘terrorist(s)’, 21 percent brought up Palestinian ‘violence’ , 18 percent cited ‘suicide bombing(s)’, 16 percent stated Palestinian ‘weapon(s)’ and 14 percent of them cited Palestinian ‘radicals’. On the contrary to this strong Israeli account, only two words mirroring a Palestinian plot come into view in an equivalent proportion of Times’ columns. Israeli â€Å"settlement(s)† were cited in 32 percent of articles and Israeli â€Å"occupation† was cited in only 16 percent of columns. This one-sidedness is even more arresting because the stress on Palestinian violence heard from last two and a half years time during which Israelis murdered 965 Palestinians, above half of the city dwellers, while Palestinians killed only 85 Israelis . However, Israeli ‘attacks(s)’ are cited in 13 percent of Times columns and Israeli ‘violence’ in only 4 percent. Ethan Bronner recently expressed his viewpoint at the back of The Times’ staged tilt towards a right-wing Israeli-US account. In mocking Jimmy Carter’s latest best-selling volume, Bronner said: â€Å"the never-ending disgrace of everyday life for the Palestinians under Israeli occupation† as â€Å"particularly since Israels exits from Southern Lebanon and Gaza have not closed anti-Israel hostility from those regions†, and since â€Å"for the most radical heads of the Muslim world†¦ resolving the Israel issue†¦ means getting rid of Israel. † However, Bronner’s assertion that a stress on Palestinian and Muslim violent behavior and extremism is required by recent actions is contradicted by the truth that the Times approach isn’t a newly-fangled one, but stands for a business as normal, mirroring the similar orientalist portrayal of Arabs and Muslims drawn by Edward Sa’id in 1978. An example of other Times’ columns from the last weeks offers solid cases of the biased coverage behind the stories. A columnist Isabel Kershner noted in the beginning sentences of her article â€Å"Israel and Palestinians Trade Fire in Gaza and West Bank† (April 22, 2007) that: â€Å"A sharp rise of Israeli-Palestinian fighting in the West Bank and Gaza left up to six Palestinians deceased and ended in Israeli air strikes into Gaza. † Although 6 Palestinians were murdered inside the West Bank and Gaza, with five deaths definitively credited to the Israeli armed forces, with no Israeli damages reported, the column captioned a swap over of blaze. Kershner’s beginning precis sentence didn’t point out the â€Å"violence† or even intensification to Israel, nor did she make use of the word â€Å"attack† to explain Israeli events. Even more odd, of the column’s 851 words in total, 524 words were dedicated to reciting a Palestinian â€Å"attack† on a confidential ‘American School for Palestinians in Gaza’ during which the invaders, â€Å"Islamic extremists† ruined school property, but no one got injuries. So Israeli soldiers, who slaughtered 6 Palestinians, didn’t assault and got less reporting than Palestinian extremists who assailed, though they injure not a soul. Well-known Israeli reporter Amira Hass has said: â€Å"What newspaper writing is truly about – its to keep a close eye on power and the centers of power. † The New York Times has been unsuccessful in attaining that idyllic model, not simply in coverage of Iraq, but also in reporting on Israelis and Palestinians conflict. Sooner than any perception of impartiality, balance or truth, the Times replicates as a substitute the inequity of authority between Israel and Palestine, highlighting the outlooks of the influential players – the Israelis and US administrations. Palestinians’ lived episodes – that they are beleaguered, being murdered, on the breadline, having their property seized, deprived of their human rights and the sufferers of a biased system – are masked by the drumming of ‘Palestinian terrorism’, even when hardly ever Israeli soldiers are being murdered. Similarly with Iraq, this chauvinistic story of inborn Arab bloodshed is being browbeaten to give good reasons for dominance of one people by another. Lacking this investigation, Bill Moyers’ â€Å"Buying the War† stands for only a primary step towards revealing US media bias in coverage of the Middle East. References: Edward Said. â€Å"Orientalism†. New York: Vintage Books. 1978. Kershner, Isabel. â€Å"Israel Says Hamas Was Plotting Terrorist Attacks†. The New York Times, April 11, 2007. 12 May 2007

Muscles Now...Problems Later? :: essays research papers

Muscles Now†¦Problems Later?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Your lifelong dream of becoming Hulk Hogan is coming along slower than planned. You decide to speed the process up by doping on some creatine. But will you just be cutting yourself short in the long run?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Creatine is an amino acid produced naturally in the liver. Many athletes use this naturally occurring metabolite, found in red muscle tissue, as a way to store energy between bursts of activity. Creatine is normally obtained from foods we eat, the best sources being meat and fish, but if you don’t do the meant thing you could always hit up your local drug store or fitness gym. Beef is the most creatine-dense food in the world, and the Babe ate a lot of steaks. He was doing a little creatine doping himself and nobody even knew it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Athletes face enormous pressure to excel in their competition. They also know that winning cannot only earn them a gold medal, but money and fame along with it. Athletes know that training is their best bet to victory, but they also get the message that some drugs can boost their efforts and give them a short cut.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While most athletes use performance enhancing drugs to build their body mass, increase the delivery of oxygen to exercising tissues or to reduce weigh, others misuse the drugs to relax, cope with stress or to boost their own confidence. Performance enhancing drugs increase muscle strength by encouraging new muscle growth and they allow the athlete to train harder and longer at any given period, so they can pump up their bodies and their game. Some drugs, such as creatine, also permit damaged muscle tissue to work harder during therapy and rebuild itself to a normal state.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An athletic boost in short term may lead to health problems in the long run for athletes who use performance- enhancing drugs in the long run, warns a youth sports medicine specialist from the University of Michigan Health System. The same substances that athletes take to have more muscles, power and endurance may cause them to grow into shorter adults. It may even also cause them to take on some secondary physical characteristics of the opposite sex   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  More and younger athletes than ever before are imitating their professional sports heroes by using outlawed drugs and unproven supplements to pump up their bodies. Those physical features are most common among teenagers who use performance- enhancing drugs.

Enron’s Collapse Essay

Enron’s Collapse In the case of Enron’s collapse, many would blame the external auditor’s collusion with the management, the aggressive accounting policy it had adopted to manipulate its earnings or the Special Purpose Entity (SPE) it had created as a sham to conceal its debts. However, everything began from an internal environment with weak controls. The internal environment is the capstone of all other components within an organization’s ERM framework, influencing strategy formulation, objective setting, as well as risk management. The internal environment is largely shaped by the tone at he top. And in the case of Enron, its failure was primarily attributable to the board and management’s failure to take responsibility for the risks inherent in the company’s business plan and strategy. Various elements of the internal environment had contributed to Enron’s failure. Risk Management Philosophy and Risk Appetite Enron had a huge risk appetite which can be seen from its speculative trading activities as well as the use of â€Å"mark-to-market† accounting and SPE to manipulate earnings and conceal debts. The source of revenue was vague and highly volatile. It was almost like Enron was engaged in gambling. However, well knowing the nature of income, the management still continued to carry out such activities. Management’s huge risk appetite reassured the employees that Enron could easily handle these risks. Hence, everyone in Enron became risk-seeking. Board of Directors’ Attitudes One of the core principles of Anglo-American corporate governance is that â€Å"the board should maintain a sound system of internal control to safeguard shareholders’ investment and the company’s assets†. Enron’s board had defended itself by laiming that they had no idea about the unethical conducts Enron’s management was involved with. However, the board had, in the first place, failed to make an appropriate assessment of the risks to which the company was exposed of. And it did not put in place the procedures by which it could obtain the information needed to oversee and monitor the management. Moreover, the independence of the board was also questionable as they allowed own conflict of interest to get in the way of their monitoring role. The board members received substantial payments for consultancy service apart from their directors’ fees. In addition, they were indirectly compensated by receiving gifts made by Enron to their universities and hospitals. As a result, the failure of board’s monitoring role further weakened the internal control of Enron. Integrity and Ethical Values Integrity and standards of behavior are required for the organization to achieve an internal environment with strong controls. There should be a strong corporate Enron’s corporate culture was usually described as arrogant, where everyone in the company, employees, managers or directors, believed that they could handle ncreasingly toxic risk without danger of going bust. Besides the arrogance, greed was as well evident across the organization. Top executives made use of â€Å"mark-to- market† accounting and SPE to manipulate earnings and conceal debts in order to further enrich their compensation which was tied to the performance of the company. Top executive’s actions of striving to enrich personal wealth rather than generate profits for shareholders had set the tone at the top which in turn led to employees’ efforts of maximizing individual wealth instead of creating value for the ompany as a whole. Assignments of Authority and Responsibility Corporate officers owe fiduciary duties to the organization, hence they must act in the best interest of the company and avoid incidences where conflicts of interest would arise. Although this is not enforced by legislation, it is normally set out in the organization’s own code of conduct. A strong code of conduct is a critical element of assignments of authority and responsibility, not only in form but in substance as well. And Enron indeed had such code of conduct, explicitly restraining self-dealing. FastoWs involvement in LJM SPE’s management would amount to self-dealing, which was a clear breach of Enron’s code of conduct. However, the board had waived it under Ken Lays advice. Therefore, it can be seen that the tone at the top made Enron’s code of conduct form over substance, which as well contributed to the failure Human Resource Standards Jeffery Skilling was usually credited with creating a system of forced rankings for employees, under which the bottom 20% was regularly dismissed on the basis of performance rankings drawn up by peers and superiors. Whereas those remained ere rewarded with stock options and performance-based increments. Thus employees attempted to crush not Just outsiders but also each other. And it is not surprising that they would keep silent even that they well knew about the unethical behavior of management. As a result, the ranking policy contributed to the diminishing of the organization’s transparency and a widening communication gap between the board and the rest of the organization, making it even harder for the board to effectively carry out the monitoring role.

Distinctly Visual Essay Essay

Explore the ways the distinctly visual is viewed through experience of others Distinctly visual images are viewed through experiences of others, which are significant in developing portraits of the environment and relationships. Henry Lawson’s ‘Loaded Dog’ and ‘Drovers Wife’, produce distinctly visual images through the experience of characters relationships with each other and their ability to survive in the harsh Australian environment. Similarly, John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ looks at the environment, as a way to develop the relationship between characters and as a result creating a distinctly visual image for the audience In the prescribed text ‘Loaded Dog’, Lawson, develops visuals through the use of larrikin behavior in the Australian environment. The emptiness and often-hopeful feelings in the outback are shown through low modality ‘supposed to exist in the vicinity’, representing the hardships experienced in the Australian outback. Lawson creates vibrant visuals, enabling the reader to understand the vivid sounds in the outback. The use of onomatopoeia ‘the live fuse†¦ hissing and fluttering’, creates a distinct visual, and highlights the rich and exciting nature the Australian environment has to offer. Lawson signifies how experiences in the Australian outback, can create larrikin relationship between characters in the text. Tommy the dog, is seen as the troublemaker throughout the text and through the use of anthropomorphism ‘he took life, the world, his two legged mates, and his own instinct as a huge joke’, the reader is able to understa nd how relationships are developed through the experiences in the gold mining environment. Tommy’s ‘fun-loving nature’ is reflected upon his ‘two legged mates’, who develop humor in the text, in order to create distinctly visual images. Through repetition ‘Run Andy run!’ and vernacular ‘Don’t foller us’, the reader can develop a visual of the men running around in a panicked frenzy, allowing their experiences to create a vivid portrait. The jokey nature between the men allow the reader to develop a distinct visual of the men as ‘larrikins’, and their relationship as fun and friendly. The rhetorical question ‘how’s the fishing going Da-a-ve?’, enables Lawson to  highlight the fact the men create distinct relationships between each other, which led to a comedy of errors, allowing the reader to understand their experiences in the harsh Australian outback. Lawson has demonstrated distinctly visual images, through the detailed and realistic description of people and the environm ent, allowing the reader to depict images in the Australian outback. In the prescribed text ‘Drovers Wife’, Lawson demonstrates that experiences of the isolated and harsh environment creates a relationship with the surrounding Australian outback, create distinctly visual images for the reader. Images are created of her fighting a bush fire, presenting a further challenge for the drover’s wife to conquer in the harsh environment. Lawson demonstrates this through alliteration ‘grass grow’, creating a distinctly visual image, through the experience of the formidable Australian outback. Through colour imagery ‘ big black yellow eyed dog of all breeds’, the reader is able to understand the rough and tough, characteristics that enable the dog to survive in the outback. This colour imagery draws attention to the hard relationship between the dog and the family, and the experiences that enable the dog to protect the family. The Dog creates a distinctly visual image to the reader as Lawson highlights the tight bond between the family and the dog, and the effort they all make to protect each other. This is demonstrated through the simile ‘Tommy, who worked like a little hero’, creating a heroic characteristic that helps the family survive in the unforgiving environment. The relationship between the mother and the kids is shown through the vernacular ‘blast me if I do’, highlighting the empathy the son has for his mother and the distinctly visual bond that has developed. The cruel environment takes its toll on the drover’s wife and her experiences create distinctly visual images. Short syntax ‘she cried then’ demonstrates the relationship between her and the environment and how at times, it gets the better of her, creating a portrait of sorrow. The symbol of the ‘young lady’s journal’, stresses the Drover’s Wife and her ability to leave her womanhood in the past, in order to confront the formidable Australian outback, creating a visual that demonstrates her experiences formed from her relationships in the environment. Lawson creates a text that develops distinctly visual images, through experiences of the drover’s wife  surviving in the unkind environment. In the prescribed text ‘Of Mice and Men’, John Steinbeck creates a distinctive relationship with the characters and uses vivid images to create a backdrop to the environment. Through the clarity of the environment, the reader is able to understand that the environment, determines the moods and relationships of the characters. The simile ‘flies shot like rushing stars’ and assonance ‘the deep green of the Salinas River’, demonstrates where the ventures of the men will take place, and the descriptive language creates a distinctly visual image through the experience of the men. Steinbeck identifies the environment as a warm and peaceful setting through the visual imagery ‘the sycamore leaves whispered in a little night breeze’. These vivid images create a way to understand the natural beauty of the environment, which is significant in that the environment produces different experiences for the characters and therefore creating a distin ctly visual image. Steinbeck uses light and darkness to create symbolism. ‘The two men glanced up, for the rectangle door of sunshine was cut off. A girl was standing there’. The reader is able to visualize the light as hope and dreams, and Curley’s wife, symbolizing the cut off of these dreams. These experiences create distinctly visual images. The relationship between characters Lennie and George demonstrates that experiences of the men in the rugged environment shape the visual images. Zoomorphism ‘Lennie dabbled his paw in the water’ and characterization ‘the first man was small and quick dark of face with restless eyes’, shows the comparison between the men, and how their different characteristics enables a friendship between the men. One predominantly the leader, and the other the follower. The relationship of how the men interact with each other is demonstrated through vernacular ‘they said we was here when we wasn’t’, enables the reader to understand and visualize their experiences. In the related text ‘Loaded Dog’ and ‘Drovers Wife’, Henry Lawson highlights the importance of relationships in surviving in the harsh Australian bush. Through the relationships in the bush, the reader can understand how the characters experiences create distinctly visual images. Similarly in John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’, the environment determines the experiences  that the characters face, which further develops their relationship creating a distinctly visual image.

Wild Things review essays

Wild Things review essays Wild Things is a movie based on sex appeal, money, power, and greed. These things help all of the mysteries unravel. This reviewer was entertained by the twist after twist, it is also thought that the setting and the people that the actors portrayed were the key in making the plot believable. With the story line that takes so many turns the added items might be the only thing holding the movie together. While this reviewer found the sex appeal and the struggle for money and power exciting, it is a clearly a movie that the younger generation would prefer over the depression generation. While I find sleaze and cheese... with gratuitous violence and even more gratuitous sex enjoyable (Anthony Leong 1), others may not. While the twists are far-fetched and unlikely to happen, the drama and the suspense built in with the never-ending twists made the movie truly wild. With out the setting and characters the plot would have just tripped over a tangled bundle of far-fetched crime theories which would nauseate audiences, says Blue Velvet (1). As Scott Ventura says, With all of the heat and humidity of South Florida, its much more believable that this kind of story line would happen. (2) Thinking like the man that I am, who wouldnt want to see the beautiful nude body of Neve Campbell and Denise Richards, even Steve Rhodes says there bodys are admittedly worth displaying As Blue Velvet states, Gorgeous young characters, tabooish sex, gobs of money, and a rage driven by class struggle, Wild Things presents mysteries that compound themselves into sub-mysteries to trick and deceive audiences. Wild Things is rater R for full-frontal nudity, sex, dope smoking, profanity, and some violence and would be ...

Stricter Guidelines for Concussion Testing in High School Athletics Research Paper

Stricter Guidelines for Concussion Testing in High School Athletics - Research Paper Example Concussion results from a blow to the skull and instigates a disorder of working of the nerve cells in the brain. This means that division of the functions of the brain are for the time being 'on hold'. The indications comprise impermanent oblivion,  headache  and, most of the times, a memory loss about the dangerous incident. Nausea and vomiting are also general symptoms. As stated by Michael p. MacClenny â€Å" American athletes suffer 300 000 concussive injuries on a yearly basis and 19% of participants in contact sports such as football and rugby are likely to suffer a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) during a season†. The rate of recurrence of this injury, with a lack in understanding of scientific healing methods and physiology, has been the reason to augmented consideration from the world of sports medicine. The generally hotly discussed concern in sports concussion circles around efforts to set up a scientifically based guide for going back-to-play restrictions, g iven that a subsequent effect prior to previous one from a first concussion can have harmful effects. According to Hovda DA â€Å"This idea is based on recent animal models which suggest that symptoms of sports concussion are likely related to acute metabolic dysfunction† Post -traumatic hectic glycolysis and simultaneous reduced flow of cerebral blood have been concerned for the reason of this dysfunction. It is assumed that metabolic disorder, unless fully treated, may intensify the neurological susceptibility of the athlete if a following shock (even slight one) is continued. The second controversial influence disorder and less stern, although potentially debilitating post-concussion patterns are two dangers concerned with returning a sportsperson to engage in a physical activity before absolute recovery. According to Collins MW â€Å"Although long-term deficits in the form of post-concussion syndrome have been observed from a single concussive event , it is typically ass umed that proper management of injury should lead to a good prognosis and minimal, if any, long-term neurological deficits.† As a result, the exact supervision of concussion is necessary in protecting athletes from an enduring cognitive injury or else death. The great amount of concussive wounds are experienced at the high school and sophomoric levels of involvement, nonetheless many trainers, athletic coaches and team doctors may possibly be ignorant of the harsh penalties and consequences that can take place in returning an athlete to participate ahead of time. As stated by Taylor and Francis â€Å"Recent studies claim that the average concussion ameliorates within 1 week of onset and many concussion grading scales also clear mildly and moderately injured athletes for participation within 1 week.† It is the hypothesis of the author that an even slight concussion frequently needs more than seven days to entirely treat. Concussions have forever been a component of physi cal sports; however with players turning into stronger and bigger, some steps have to be done to increase consciousness of the seriousness of concussions and what may occur afterward down the road if sportsperson are not allocated the sufficient quantity of time to get well. According to Lindsey Newman â€Å" The National Football League has already put regulations on how long a player has to stay out after

Cosmopolitanism Must Be Left as an Individual Choice Essay

Cosmopolitanism Must Be Left as an Individual Choice - Essay Example New York, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Los Angeles as well as London are basic examples of "cosmopolitanized" cities around the globe embracing an eclectic mix of people with various cultures and traditions in a seemingly harmonious way. But this does not mean that there are no concerns being raised. In fact, elsewhere, discrimination still permeates even in highly cosmopolitan cities like New York where "cosmopolitan" lifestyle has been a trademark as against "other" cities. There exists a stark idiosyncrasy on perception of being a "cosmopolitan". Either one has embraced and integrated the word to one's own lifestyle or "tolerate" the existence of this culture, if it may be considered as such. The United States, for one, in trying to protect and allow all the Constitutional privileges of its citizens, which at present vary in their "origin" or nationalities has its scholars and thinkers argue on which must come first: the individual which is associated with liberal rights, or the group which also exercises their rights to organize as provided for by their liberal rights. Barry (2002) aptly argued in his "Culture and Equality: An Egalitarian Critique of Multiculturalism" book that "What we might find out by experience is that institutionalizing group representation offers opportunities and incentives for political entrepreneurs to whip up intragroup solidarity and intergroup hostility in the pursuit of power. And indeed this has happened all over the world virtually every time group representation has been introduced." Backed with empirical case studies as well as theories that made his presentation and argument not only convincing but powerful, his insights explored in depth religious and educational issues such as the case of Sikhs in Britain, Amish, and Quebec separatism. Without neglecting the rights of the members of minority groups, he calls to attention the reader to the concept of universal rights as "(universal) rules define a choice set which is the same for everybody; within that choice set people pick a particular course of action by deciding what is best calculated to satisfy their underlying preferences for outcomes uniform rules create identical choice sets, then opportunities are equal," (Barry, 2002). This goes to say that individual rights come first before group or collective choices. He implied that "rule and exception" approaches to public policy must encompass a universality that is applied equally among all citizens to remove the danger of protectionism and that the best way to help the least advantaged is by avoiding politics of difference and guaranteeing the full benefits of citizenship. Barry went on to add that "within a liberal state all groups are free to deploy their energies and recourses in pursuit of culturally derived objectives on the same terms." Likewise, The Wilson Quarterly (1995) quoted Dr. Samuel Johnson, who famously said "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." Liberals were hailed to have gone further by embracing "all humankind " scoring on patriotic pride as "both morally dangerous and, ultimately subversive of