Wednesday, December 25, 2019

`` Weapons, Technology Determination And Ancient Warfare ``

Technological Determination and Hoplites Logically, it makes sense that the army with the most advanced technology would win battles against a less equipped one. However, in his paper titled â€Å"Weapons, Technology Determination and Ancient Warfare,† Fernando Echeverria Rey brings to light the paradox of this idea in ancient warfare, as well as undermine the modern idea of ‘technological determinism’ by claiming that it does not have an ancient equivalent. His argument approaches the study of ancient warfare from different perspectives as he â€Å"[offers] alternative ways to explain technological and tactical change in warfare† (Echeverria 2010: 24). Echeverria Rey makes strong points for his arguments and supports his ideas clearly. While†¦show more content†¦While the ‘political’ level and ‘structural’ level entail that â€Å"ancient communities were determined by military factors† (Echeverria 2010:22) and that these military factors â€Å"produce and explain broader socio-political change† (Echeverria 2010:22) respectively. By focusing in on the ‘battlefield’ level in his paper, Echeverria Rey stresses the distinction between these three levels and maintains clarity in his argument. He supports his argument by also putting â€Å"to the test the assumptions, that first some kinds of weapons and tactics are objectively ‘superior’ to others and that secondly, societies are always trying to create or import such superior weapons and tactics† (Echeverria 2010:24.) While hoplites may not be the epidemy of ancient warfare technological innovation, they are an important part of the history of ancient warfare and exemplify Echeverria Rey’s argument. A hoplite is â€Å"commonly interpreted as the quintessential Greek heavy armed infantry man (Echeverria 2012:292). Originally, the hoplite soldiers were â€Å"generally expected to provide his own arms and armor† (Bertosa 2003:361). Because of the monetary demand of being a hoplite soldier, a hoplite had to provide their own equipment such as a spears or shields, the majority of early hoplites were wealthy farm owners whose main goal was to protect their own land from enemies. The role of a hoplite was critical in ancient civilizationShow MoreRelatedThe Invention Of The World War II1367 Words   |  6 Pagescause and a means of solving political conflict (Military Technology). The technology used in a war determines the strategies, methods, and almost every other aspect of the war (Military Technology). There have been many pivotal points in warfare driven by advancements in technology. 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The Punjab terrorism of the mid 80†²s is a stark example of fundamentalism rearing to give it a go. Probably the only example where it was â€Å"contained† (am not proud of the way it was handled and what it became) yet the fundamentalism wasRead MoreThe Effect of World War II on the Lives of People at Home Essay5431 Words   |  22 Pageschanges in societies attitude were provoked. The war was described as a ‘Total war’ because the complete economy and populations of the participating nations were geared in to the production and support of the war effort. This made warfare totally reliant on the industrial capacity of its country, forcing everyone to be included somehow. In the case of Britain, this unified the citizens and strengthened its spirit through hardships. Without co-operation on the home frontRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. 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Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Sonny s Blues By James Baldwin - 1028 Words

In every individual, a host of socio-historical forces converge and influence the subject’s ideas. Consciously and unconsciously, the individual reflects the confluence of his or her history and culture. In â€Å"Sonny’s Blues†, a short story by James Baldwin, the dominant culture constricts the black individual. Subject to the explicit and latent biases of a racist society, the black population of â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† attempt to endure oppression and suffering and survive in an unforgiving land. However, they can thrive here with the hope and salvation provided by the communal center of African American culture: religion. Written after the abolition of slavery, but before the Civil Rights Movement, â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† transpires in an uncertain era,†¦show more content†¦Aware of the societal policies and practices discriminating against them, the African Americans in â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† perceive this societal oppression as a â€Å"darkness† surrounding them. The darkness in â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† is the metaphorical embodiment of their suffering and the eventual culmination of that suffering: death. The narrator remembers the darkness in his youth, when he saw â€Å"the darkness coming, and the darkness in the faces† (11), which frightened him. The narrator was afraid of his destiny, afraid of the brutal reality awaiting him, afraid of the finality of death. He hoped that â€Å"the hand which stroke[d] his forehead [would] never stop — [would] never die†¦ that there [would] never come a time when the old folks [wouldn’t] be around†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (11). This darkness, the darkness of racism and the darkness of death, affects all the black populace of â€Å"Sonny’s Blues.† In response to this darkness, each black character copes in his or her unique way. The narrator leaves the crime-ridden projects of his youth to a better home, wh ere he attempts, under societal oppression, a stable life. Sonny attempts to escape the darkness by playing music and eventually, doing heroin. The narrator, in enduring his pains, finds relative stability in family and work; believing

Monday, December 9, 2019

Racism in New Zealand Example For Students

Racism in New Zealand â€Å"In Aotearoa New Zealand the legacy of ongoing colonization by European (especially British) settlers has produced a society characterized by the presence of major ethnic and cultural disparities† (Kearns, Moewaka-Barnes, McCreanor, 2009). New Zealand has a population of around four million people. Within that amount of people ranges a vast variety of races consisting predominately of European/Pakeha, Maori, Asian and Pacific people. The Maori, who make up 15% of the population, are indigenous to New Zealand and after the European colonisation in the nineteenth century, have experienced the effects of racism and institutional racism as a result of this colonisation. This essay explores the ideas of racism and racial discrimination and the difference between the two concepts. It discusses the history of New Zealand and where racist issues may have derived from throughout society and how these issues through the idea of institutional racism still exist in contemporary soci ety, by discussing the representation of Maoris’ in the criminal justice system. Ethnicity relates to a group who shares particular history, a set of cultural practices and institutions and is conscious of a shared identity as a result. (G, R, P) Race is the grouping of which results from the practice of classifying others by physical characteristics and the belief that this classification represents some form of innate difference in terms of ability or disposition (G, R, P). Race in contemporary society is largely a production of European colonisation, the enlightenment and the age of empire. Racism is this belief that some racial, ethnic, religious or cultural groups are above others. This notion combined with power leads to actions favouring the supposedly superior groups, thus resulting in acts of racism (Bhopal, 2006). There are different forms of racism present throughout society. Institutional racism relates to the idea of a difference in access to the goods, services and opportunities of a society, which results in a society that privileges racial major ities. Cultural racism sees a difference in beliefs and assumptions about the tradtions, abilities, motives and desires of the racial minorites. Internalised racism is when members of stigmatised racial groups see and acceptance of the negative mess ages about their own abilities and intrinsic worth. Taking the concept one step further, sees the styles of racism present in society. Overt racism sees a person who is intentional and self-consciously biased towards their treatment of racial minorities resulting in a â€Å"visible form of racism. Implicit racism sees a person who is unintentional and unsciously biased of their treatment of racial miniorites, resulting in a ‘hidden, invisible form of racism.’ There is a difference between racism and racial discrimination. Racial discrimination relates to this idea of prejudice and the difference in how people are treated based on their race. In comparison to this racism relates more to how a minority group are treated differently due to their race, which maintains a ‘pre-existing’ system of oppression. In the status of the system, racial discrimination can be practiced both upwards and downwards. However, racism in the status of the system can only be practised downwards. This is because, unlike discrimination, racism is an expression of a much larger system of power relations. In the early 20th Century, New Zealand was a country that consisted of Maori culture. The word ‘Maori’ was not an ethnicity category as of yet. During the early days of colonization, the Maori saw a rise in capitalist ventures between the-the Europeans, supplying agricultural goods. This resulted in the formation of the Treaty of Waitangi, which established the recognised Maori ownership of their lands and other properties under a British Governor of New Zealand. There was a major difference in the Maori translation compared to the English translation of the treaty. The treaty was meant to offer a form of protection towards Maori interests. But the difference in translations lead saw the rise in many racial issues between Maori citizens and the English. Assimilation is the process which sees a prson or a group’s languge and/or culture come to resemble those of another group. In the early 1900s to 1969s Pakeha instituions and some Maori groups pursed policies of as similation through the detribalisation of Maori identity. In 1912 the Native land amendment act was introduced. It was set out to enable Maori to apply to the native land court in order to be declared â€Å"European-in-law† based on the social factors such as knowledge of Englsih, european education, sufficient income from a professino, trade and land holdings. â€Å"This act was repealed in 1931. The government also encouraged Maori to assimilate to European culture. They used propaganda through their sponsorship towards Maori language newspapers. â€Å"Surrender to Pakeha the regulation of all things, for with him is wisdom and power and wealth and nobility, and he will preserve the government of your island†¦cast aside the Maori life, and adopt the usages of the Pakeha† (Te Karere Maori or the Maori Messenger 2:3, 2 May 1862, p. 30) is an example of the forms of propaganda used in order to try to persuade this move towards European culture. Assimilation was no t just enforced through government activity but also occurred through everyday activity through the increase in Maori and European interaction. In schools and at work Maori were being dissuaded from speaking Te Reo. As a result of this by the 1970s very few New Zealanders could speak Te Reo. The colonialisation of New Zealand in the nineteenth century occurred during a period when slavery was coming under attack but when views about ‘race’ were still very powerful (G, R, P). The European’s were very superior. They insisted that their way of life be adopted. They denied the Maori to be able to develop their cultural traditions and languages. For example the Native Schools act in 1867 saw English made compulsory.  ¬Ã‚ ¬ This is still present in contemporary societies. .u02e25a4f14ed758ba7d9b44f47d35fc4 , .u02e25a4f14ed758ba7d9b44f47d35fc4 .postImageUrl , .u02e25a4f14ed758ba7d9b44f47d35fc4 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u02e25a4f14ed758ba7d9b44f47d35fc4 , .u02e25a4f14ed758ba7d9b44f47d35fc4:hover , .u02e25a4f14ed758ba7d9b44f47d35fc4:visited , .u02e25a4f14ed758ba7d9b44f47d35fc4:active { border:0!important; } .u02e25a4f14ed758ba7d9b44f47d35fc4 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u02e25a4f14ed758ba7d9b44f47d35fc4 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u02e25a4f14ed758ba7d9b44f47d35fc4:active , .u02e25a4f14ed758ba7d9b44f47d35fc4:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u02e25a4f14ed758ba7d9b44f47d35fc4 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u02e25a4f14ed758ba7d9b44f47d35fc4 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u02e25a4f14ed758ba7d9b44f47d35fc4 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u02e25a4f14ed758ba7d9b44f47d35fc4 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u02e25a4f14ed758ba7d9b44f47d35fc4:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u02e25a4f14ed758ba7d9b44f47d35fc4 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u02e25a4f14ed758ba7d9b44f47d35fc4 .u02e25a4f14ed758ba7d9b44f47d35fc4-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u02e25a4f14ed758ba7d9b44f47d35fc4:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Racism in O’Connor EssayInstitutional racism does still exist within contemporary New Zealand society. This can be seen through the way the Maoris perception of the police. In the 1998 report on Maoris’ perception of the police, focus groups were conducted mainly within Maori communities to determine why Maori’s have negative views towards the police. In summary, the response consisted of a unanimous perception of the police institution being a racist institution that had strong anti-Maori attitudes (Te Whaiti Roguski, 1998). The participants responded to situations were often the Maori citizens would be questioned on the pretext of criminal suspicion even though they had not committed a crime. They also responded to racist verbal abuse by the police. This is an example of institutional racism, as it sees Maori citizens being placed as the minority against European citizens based on their race. â€Å"For MÄ ori, this breach is also a contravention of indigenous rights. Our results provide an additional reason to urgently address racist attitudes and discriminatory practices and their economic consequences in New Zealand society.† (Harris, Tobias, Jeffreys, Waldegrave, Karlsen, Nazroo, 2006) There is an assumption being placed on them that they are linked to criminal activity resulting in police to automatically believe they are the issue above everyone else, regardless of whether or not they are actually connected with the incident. This issue is still present today. In 2013, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination reported on their concern at the high rates of incarceration the over-re presentation of members of Maori communities, at every stage of the criminal justice system. A proportion of the Maori crime rate is due to an inequality and biased enforcement of the law at multiple stages of the criminal justice system. The small acts of bias including over-policing of Maori communities, harassment, and differential punishment of similar behavior are what influence the overall picture of the overrepresentation of Maori. Maori are over-represented at each stage of the criminal justice system (Hanan) This overrepresentation is justified through the statistics, dating back to 2005 that saw 47% of Maori and Pacific people had been a victim of a crime. Maori women were most likely to be victimized and also had a victimization rate double the average for women overall and 29% of violent crimes against Maori were reported to the Police. â€Å"For many marginalised individuals and groups these effects are internalised and incorporated into personal discourse, attitude, belief or ideology in damaging and self- fulfi lling psychological negativity† (Barnes, Tampa, Borell, McCreanor) The issue of racism continues to grow throughout the world. In New Zealand, it is evident that it does exist as an issue. While New Zealand has come a long way since the earlier European colonization, Institutional racism is still present throughout contemporary society. This is seen through the representation of Maoris’ in comparison to European representation throughout the criminal justice system.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Nuclear Power Essays (1719 words) - Hazardous Waste, Radioactivity

Nuclear Power Radioactive wastes, must for the protection of mankind be stored or disposed in such a manner that isolation from the biosphere is assured until they have decayed to innocuous levels. If this is not done, the world could face severe physical problems to living species living on this planet. Some atoms can disintegrate spontaneously. As they do, they emit ionizing radiation. Atoms having this property are called radioactive. By far the greatest number of uses for radioactivity in Canada relate not to the fission, but to the decay of radioactive materials - radioisotopes. These are unstable atoms that emit energy for a period of time that varies with the isotope. During this active period, while the atoms are 'decaying' to a stable state their energies can be used according to the kind of energy they emit. Since the mid 1900's radioactive wastes have been stored in different manners, but since several years new ways of disposing and storing these wastes have been developed so they may no longer be harmful. A very advantageous way of storing radioactive wastes is by a process called 'vitrification'. Vitrification is a semi-continuous process that enables the following operations to be carried out with the same equipment: evaporation of the waste solution mixed with the ------------------------------------------------------------ 1) borosilicate: any of several salts derived from both boric acid and silicic acid and found in certain minerals such as tourmaline. additives necesary for the production of borosilicate glass, calcination and elaboration of the glass. These operations are carried out in a metallic pot that is heated in an induction furnace. The vitrification of one load of wastes comprises of the following stages. The first step is 'Feeding'. In this step the vitrification receives a constant flow of mixture of wastes and of additives until it is 80% full of calcine. The feeding rate and heating power are adjusted so that an aqueous phase of several litres is permanently maintained at the surface of the pot. The second step is the 'Calcination and glass evaporation'. In this step when the pot is practically full of calcine, the temperature is progressively increased up to 1100 to 1500 C and then is maintained for several hours so to allow the glass to elaborate. The third step is 'Glass casting'. The glass is cast in a special container. The heating of the output of the vitrification pot causes the glass plug to melt, thus allowing the glass to flow into containers which are then transferred into the storage. Although part of the waste is transformed into a solid product there is still treatment of gaseous and liquid wastes. The gases that escape from the pot during feeding and calcination are collected and sent to ruthenium filters, condensers and scrubbing columns. The ruthenium consists of ------------------------------------------------------------ 2) condensacate: product of condensation. glass pellets coated with ferrous oxide and maintained at a temperature of 500 C. In the treatment of liquid wastes, the condensates collected contain about 15% ruthenium. This is then concentrated in an evaporator where nitric acid is destroyed by formaldehyde so as to maintain low acidity. The concentration is then neutralized and enters the vitrification pot. Once the vitrification process is finished, the containers are stored in a storage pit. This pit has been designed so that the number of containers that may be stored is equivalent to nine years of production. Powerful ventilators provide air circulation to cool down glass. The glass produced has the advantage of being stored as solid rather than liquid. The advantages of the solids are that they have almost complete insolubility, chemical inertias, absence of volatile products and good radiation resistance. The ruthenium that escapes is absorbed by a filter. The amount of ruthenium likely to be released into the environment is minimal. Another method that is being used today to get rid of radioactive waste is the 'placement and self processing radioactive wastes in deep underground cavities'. This is the disposing of toxic wastes by incorporating them into molten silicate rock, with low permeability. By this method, liquid wastes are injected into a deep underground cavity with mineral treatment and allowed to self-boil. The resulting steam is processed at ground level and recycled in a closed system. When waste addition is terminated, the chimney is allowed to boil dry. The heat generated by the radioactive wastes then melts the surrounding rock, thus dissolving the wastes. When waste and water addition stop, the cavity temperature would rise to the melting point of the rock. As the molten rock mass increases in size, so does the surface area. This