Franz Kafka s The Penal Colony Essay - 1835 Words

In Franz Kafka’s â€Å"In the Penal Colony,† there is no presumption of innocence whatsoever; there is only presumption. â€Å"Innocent until proven guilty.† This presumption of innocence is considered to be the foundation of a civilized criminal justice system, as well as within the fundamental rights of mankind. The Officer says that â€Å"guilt is never to be doubted,† and because he was ordained the judge of the penal colony, there is no proper trial or â€Å"due process† needed, as all are guilty in the eyes of the one who judges (Kafka, p.198). If the punishments delivered to the guilty were less severe, than there would perhaps be fewer qualms about the system, however the â€Å"justice† dispensed by the machine is nowhere near reasonable or humane, dispensing grievous punishments that far exceed most crimes to those who are condemned. However, it is important to remember that the apparatus and its function are simply an extension of t he ideology of the Old Commandant and the Officer who are the true punishers. The punishments the officer administers through the device to the condemned seem to be an example of just one of the two types of justice criticized in the text. The first type of â€Å"justice† is the excruciating suffering wrought by the officer and Old Commandant through the apparatus upon the â€Å"naturally† guilty, almost like divine punishment raining down from the heavens to strike down sinners. The other â€Å"justice† is the presumption of innocence and civilized law and order of liberalShow MoreRelatedThe Ideologies Of His Works Essay1551 Words   |  7 Pagesnot voice his ideologies on the Slavic culture, Jewish existence, and bureaucratic system ; however, he still managed to mirror his perceptions of his society in his works. Kafka was born on July 3,1883 and raised in Prague, Bohemia. In the 1900s, societies structured their family through the patriarchal system. Franz Kafka was the first born of six children, consequently, forcing him to shoulder most of the responsibilities and discipline that come with being an eldest child. Kafka’s father inRead MoreAnalysis Of Franz Kafka s Life1811 Words   |  8 Pagesphilosophy that is often analyzed through literature. Franz Kafka is a key example of the limitless nature of this theme as his many works are divisive in how they connect with existentialism. Kafka is a unique storyteller and his stories have captivated generations since their publications. His background is important in understanding his seeming detachment from his writing. Kafka’s life is described by Ritchie Robertson in â€Å"Biography of Franz Kafka† as â€Å"strikingly ordinary† with the only notable commentaryRead MoreFranz Kafka s Life And Work1738 Words   |  7 PagesAuthor Franz Kafka was born on the third of July, 1883, as the oldest child of Hermann Kafka and his wife Julie in Prague. His family from the fathers side was from Sà ¼dbà ¶hmen und moved later on to Prague. His mother was originally from a wealthy and popular german-jewish family. His father grew up in a part of the tschechisch-jewish part in Milieu, but the family was more orientated at the german speaking culture in Prague, like everyone else in this time at this place. Kafka had three youngerRead MoreExistentialism vs Essentialism23287 Words   |  94 PagesThe philosophy that encompasses the absurd is referred to as  absurdism. While absurdism may be considered a branch of existentialism, it is a specific idea that is not necessary to an existentialist view. * It s easy to highlight the absurdity of the human quest for purpose. It s common to assume that everything must have a purpose, a higher reason for existence. However, if one thing has a higher purpose, what is the reason for that purpose? Each new height must then be validated by a higherRead MoreThis Tournament Goes to Eleven4982 Words   |  20 Pagesforehead and has characters called The Traveler, The Solider, The Inscriber, and The Condemned. The latter endures a torture device that carves into the skin of prisoners before they die. In the Penal Colony was written by, For 10 points, what author of Amerika, The Trial, and The Metamorphosis. ANSWER: Franz Kafka 5. He composed the lines Youth will have needs dalliance / Of good or ill some pastance in the song Pastime with Good Company, and railed against Martin Luther in the treatise Assertio

Computer Ethics and Information Systems Free Essays

string(81) " to wait for your turn and generally be nice to other people in the environment\." â€Å"Computer Ethics and Information Security† a. Introduction The consideration of computer ethics fundamentally emerged with the birth of computers. There was concern right away that computers would be used inappropriately to the detriment of society compromising information security, or that they would replace humans in many jobs, resulting in widespread job loss. We will write a custom essay sample on Computer Ethics and Information Systems or any similar topic only for you Order Now Ethics- Guidelines or rules of conduct that govern our lives, work, behavior and communication in both public and private undertaking. Ethics are a set of moral principles that govern an individual or a group on what is acceptable behaviour while using a computer. Computer ethics is a set of moral principles that govern the usage of computers. One of the common issues of computer ethics is violation of copyright issues. Duplicating copyrighted content without the author’s approval, accessing personal information of others are some of the examples that violate ethical principles. Security – is the degree of protection to safeguard a nation, union of nations, persons or person against danger, damage, loss, and crime. Security as a form of protection are structures and processes that provide or improve security as a condition. Information security means protecting information and information systems from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, perusal, inspection, recording or destruction Computer Ethics- is a branch of practical philosophy which deals with how computing professionals should make decisions regarding professional and social conduct. b. Discussion Computer Ethics Ethics deals with placing a â€Å"value† on acts according to whether they are â€Å"good† or â€Å"bad†. Every society has its rules about whether certain acts are ethical or not. These rules have been established as a result of consensus in society and are often written into laws. When computers first began to be used in society at large, the absence of ethical standards about their use and related issues caused some problems. However, as their use became widespread in every facet of our lives, discussions in computer ethics resulted in some kind of a consensus. Today, many of these rules have been formulated as laws, either national or international. Computer crimes and computer fraud are now common terms. There are laws against them, and veryone is responsible for knowing what constitutes computer crime and computer fraud. The Ten Commandments of computer ethics have been defined by the Computer Ethics Institute. Here is our interpretation of them: 1) Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people: If it is unethical to harm people by making a bomb, for example, it is equally bad to write a program that handles the timing of the bomb. Or, to put it more simply, if it is bad to steal and destroy other people’s books and notebooks, it is equally bad to access and destroy their files. ) Thou shalt not interfere with other people’s computer work: Computer viruses are small programs that disrupt other people’s computer work by destroying their files, taking huge amounts of computer time or memory, or by simply displaying annoying messages. Generating and consciously spreading computer viruses is unethical. 3) Thou shalt not snoop around in other people’s files: Reading other people’s e-mail messages is as bad as opening and reading their letters: This is invading their privacy. Obtaining other people’s non-public files should be judged the same way as breaking into their rooms and stealing their documents. Text documents on the Internet may be protected by encryption. 4) Thou shalt not use a computer to steal: Using a computer to break into the accounts of a company or a bank and transferring money should be judged the same way as robbery. It is illegal and there are strict laws against it. 5) Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness: The Internet can spread untruth as fast as it can spread truth. Putting out false â€Å"information† to the world is bad. For instance, spreading false rumors about a person or false propaganda about historical events is wrong. ) Thou shalt not use or copy software for which you have not paid: Software is an intellectual product. In that way, it is like a book: Obtaining illegal copies of copyrighted software is as bad as photocopying a copyrighted book. There are laws against both. Information about the copyright owner can be embedded by a process called watermarking into pictures in the digital format. 7) Thou shalt not use other peopl e’s computer resources without authorization: Multiuser systems use user id’s and passwords to enforce their memory and time allocations, and to safeguard information. You should not try to bypass this authorization system. Hacking a system to break and bypass the authorization is unethical. 8) Thou shalt not appropriate other people’s intellectual output: For example, the programs you write for the projects assigned in this course are your own intellectual output. Copying somebody else’s program without proper authorization is software piracy and is unethical. Intellectual property is a form of ownership, and may be protected by copyright laws. ) Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you write: You have to think about computer issues in a more general social framework: Can the program you write be used in a way that is harmful to society? For example, if you are working for an animation house, and are producing animated films for children, you are responsible for their contents. Do the animations include scenes that can be harmful to children? In the United States, the Communications Decency Act was an attempt by lawmakers to ban certain types of content from Internet websites to protect young children from harmful material. That law was struck down because it violated the free speech principles in that country’s constitution. The discussion, of course, is going on. 10) Thou shalt use a computer in ways that show consideration and respect: Just like public buses or banks, people using computer communications systems may find themselves in situations where there is some form of queuing and you have to wait for your turn and generally be nice to other people in the environment. You read "Computer Ethics and Information Systems" in category "Essay examples" The fact that you cannot see the people you are interacting with does not mean that you can be rude to them. Ethical Issues :- †¢Computers in the Workplace Computer Crime †¢ Privacy and Anonymity †¢ Intellectual Property †¢Professional Responsibility †¢Globalization Computers in the Workplace. Computers can pose a threat to jobs as people feel they may be replaced by them. However, the computer industry already has generat ed a wide variety of new jobs. When computers do not eliminate a job, they can radically alter it. In addition to job security concerns, another workplace concern is health and safety. It is a computer ethics issue to consider how computers impact health and job satisfaction when information technology is introduced into a workplace. Computer Crime. With the proliferation of computer viruses, spyware, phishing and fraud schemes, and hacking activity from every location in the world, computer crime and security are certainly topics of concern when discussing computer ethics. Besides outsiders, or hackers, many computer crimes, such as embezzlement or planting of logic bombs, are committed by trusted personnel who have authorization to use company computer systems. Privacy and Anonymity. One of the earliest computer ethics topics to arouse public interest was privacy. The ease and efficiency with which computers and networks can be used to gather, store, search, compare, retrieve, and share personal information make computer technology especially threatening to anyone who wishes to keep personal information out of the public domain or out of the hands of those who are perceived as potential threats. The variety of privacy-related issues generated by computer technology has led to reexamination of the concept of privacy itself. Intellectual Property. One of the more controversial areas of computer ethics concerns the intellectual property rights connected with software ownership. Some people, like Richard Stallman, who started the Free Software Foundation, believe that software ownership should not be allowed at all. He claims that all information should be free, and all programs should be available for copying, studying, and modifying by anyone who wishes to do so. Others, such as Deborah Johnson, argue that software companies or programmers would not invest weeks and months of work and significant funds in the development of software if they could not get the investment back in the form of license fees or sales. Professional Responsibility and Globalization. Global networks such as the Internet and conglomerates of business-to-business network connections are connecting people and information worldwide. Such globalization issues that include ethics considerations include: †¢Global laws †¢Global business †¢Global education †¢Global information flows †¢Information-rich and information-poor nations †¢Information interpretation The gap between rich and poor nations, and between rich and poor citizens in industrialized countries, is very wide. As educational opportunities, business and employment opportunities, medical services, and many other necessities of life move more and more into cyberspace, gaps between the rich and the poor may become even worse, leading to new ethical considerations. Common Computer Ethics Fallacies Although computer education is starting to be incorporated in lower grades in elementary schools, the lack of early computer education for most current adults led to several documented generally accepted fallacies that apply to nearly all computer users. As technology advances, these fallacies will change; new ones will arise, and some of the original fallacies will no longer exist as children learn at an earlier age about computer use, risks, security, and other associated information. There are more than described here, but Peter S. Tippett identified the following computer ethics fallacies, which have been widely discussed and generally accepted as being representative of the most common. The Computer Game Fallacy. Computer users tend to think that computers will generally prevent them from cheating and doing wrong. Programmers particularly believe that an error in programming syntax will prevent it from working, so that if a software program does indeed work, then it must be working correctly and preventing bad things or mistakes from happening. Even computer users in general have gotten the message that computers work with exacting accuracy and will not allow actions that should not occur. Of course, what computer users often do not consider is that although the computer operates under very strict rules, the software programs are written by humans and are just as susceptible to allowing bad things to happen as people often are in their own lives. Along with this, there is also the perception that a person can do something with a computer without being caught, so that if what is being done is not permissible, the computer should somehow prevent them from doing it. The Law-Abiding Citizen Fallacy. Laws provide guidance for many things, including computer use. Sometimes users confuse what is legal with regard to computer use with what is reasonable behavior for using computers. Laws basically define the minimum standard about which actions can be reasonably judged, but such laws also call for individual judgment. Computer users often do not realize they also have a responsibility to consider the ramifications of their actions and to behave accordingly. The Shatterproof Fallacy. Many, if not most, computer users believe that they can do little harm accidentally with a computer beyond perhaps erasing or messing up a file. However, computers are tools that can harm, even if computer users are unaware of the fact that their computer actions have actually hurt someone else in some way. For example, sending an email flame to a large group of recipients is the same as publicly humiliating them. Most people realize that they could be sued for libel for making such statements in a physical public forum, but may not realize they are also responsible for what they communicate and for their words and accusations on the Internet. As another example, forwarding e-mail without permission of the author can lead to harm or embarrassment if the original sender was communicating privately without expectation of his message being seen by any others. Also, using e-mail to stalk someone, to send spam, and to harass or offend the recipient in some way also are harmful uses of computers. Software piracy is yet another example of using computers to, in effect, hurt others. Generally, the shatterproof fallacy is the belief that what a person does with a computer can do minimal harm, and only affects perhaps a few files on the computer itself; it is not considering the impact of actions before doing them. The Candy-from-a-Baby Fallacy. Illegal and unethical activity, such as software piracy and plagiarism, are very easy to do with a computer. However, just because it is easy does not mean that it is right. Because of the ease with which computers can make copies, it is likely almost every computer user has committed software piracy of one form or another. The Software Publisher’s Association (SPA) and Business Software Alliance (BSA) studies reveal software piracy costs companies multibillions of dollars. Copying a retail software package without paying for it is theft. Just because doing something wrong with a computer is easy does not mean it is ethical, legal, or acceptable. The Hacker’s Fallacy. Numerous reports and publications of the commonly accepted hacker belief is that it is acceptable to do anything with a computer as long as the motivation is to learn and not to gain or make a profit from such activities. This so-called hacker ethic is explored in more depth in the following section. The Free Information Fallacy. A somewhat curious opinion of many is the notion that information â€Å"wants to be free,† as mentioned earlier. It is suggested that this fallacy emerged from the fact that it is so easy to copy digital information and to distribute it widely. However, this line of thinking completely ignores the fact the copying and distribution of data is completely under the control and whim of the people who do it, and to a great extent, the people who allow it to happen. Hacking and Hacktivism Hacking is an ambivalent term, most commonly perceived as being part of criminal activities. However, hacking has been used to describe the work of individuals who have been associated with the open-source movement. Many of the developments in information technology have resulted from what has typically been considered as hacking activities. Manuel Castells considers hacker culture as the â€Å"informationalism† that incubates technological breakthrough, identifying hackers as the actors in the transition from an academically and institutionally constructed milieu of innovation to the emergence of self-organizing networks transcending organizational control. A hacker was originally a person who sought to understand computers as thoroughly as possible. Soon hacking came to be associated with phreaking, breaking into phone networks to make free phone calls, which is clearly illegal. The Hacker Ethic. The idea of a hacker ethic originates in the activities of the original hackers at MIT and Stanford in the 1950s and 1960s. Stephen Levy outlined the so-called hacker ethic as follows: 1. Access to computers should be unlimited and total. 2. All information should be free. 3. Authority should be mistrusted and decentralization promoted. 4. Hackers should be judged solely by their skills at hacking, rather than by race, class, age, gender, or position. 5. Computers can be used to create art and beauty. . Computers can change your life for the better. The hacker ethic has three main functions: 1. It promotes the belief of individual activity over any form of corporate authority or system of ideals. 2. It supports a completely free-market approach to the exchange of and access to information. 3. It promotes the belief that computers can have a beneficial and life-changing effect. Such ideas are in conflict with a wide range of computer professionals’ various cod es of ethics. Ethics Codes of Conduct and Resources Several organizations and groups have defined the computer ethics their members should observe and practice. In fact, most professional organizations have adopted a code of ethics, a large percentage of which address how to handle information. To provide the ethics of all professional organizations related to computer use would fill a large book. The following are provided to give you an opportunity to compare similarities between the codes and, most interestingly, to note the differences and sometimes contradictions in the codes followed by the various diverse groups. Information Security Information security means protecting information and information systems from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, perusal, inspection, recording or destruction Information Security Attributes: or qualities, i. e. , Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability (CIA). Information Systems are decomposed in three main portions, hardware, software and communications with the purpose to help identify and apply information security industry standards, as mechanisms of protection and prevention, at three levels or layers: physical, personal and organizational. Essentially, procedures or policies are implemented to tell people (administrators, users and operators)how to use products to ensure information security within the organizations. Confidentiality Confidentiality is the term used to prevent the disclosure of information to unauthorized individuals or systems. For example, a credit card transaction on the Internet requires the credit card number to be transmitted from the buyer to the merchant and from the merchant to a transaction processing network. The system attempts to enforce confidentiality by encrypting the card number during transmission, by limiting the places where it might appear (in databases, log files, backups, printed receipts, and so on), and by restricting access to the places where it is stored. If an unauthorized party obtains the card number in any way, a breach of confidentiality has occurred. Confidentiality is necessary (but not sufficient) for maintaining the privacy of the people whose personal information a system holds. [citation needed] Integrity In information security, integrity means that data cannot be modified undetectably. [citation needed] This is not the same thing as referential integrity in databases, although it can be viewed as a special case of Consistency as understood in the classic ACID model of transaction processing. Integrity is violated when a message is actively modified in transit. Information security systems typically provide message integrity in addition to data confidentiality. Accessibility For any information system to serve its purpose, the information must be available when it is needed. This means that the computing systems used to store and process the information, the security controls used to protect it, and the communication channels used to access it must be functioning correctly. High availability systems aim to remain available at all times, preventing service disruptions due to power outages, hardware failures, and system upgrades. Ensuring availability also involves preventing denial-of-service attacks. Authenticity In computing, e-Business, and information security, it is necessary to ensure that the data, transactions, communications or documents (electronic or physical) are genuine. It is also important for authenticity to validate that both parties involved are who they claim they are. Non-repudiation In law, non-repudiation implies one’s intention to fulfill their obligations to a contract. It also implies that one party of a transaction cannot deny having received a transaction nor can the other party deny having sent a transaction. Electronic commerce uses technology such as digital signatures and public key encryption to establish authenticity and non-repudiation. c. Conclusion Impact of Computer Ethics on Information Security The relationship between information security and computer ethics does not look, on the surface, readily obvious, and even appears remote. It is, however, credible. Culture, customs, trust and privacy that characterize security fall within the realm of ethics. Computer ethics alert information security management to ethical considerations and warn potential offenders of ethical consequences in situations where the technical tools or the legal measures fail. In these cases, an ethical decision may be helpful in bringing about a solution. Furthermore, this conclusion is consistent with the following premises with respect to technical controls, computer laws and computer ethics: †¢Premise 1: The information security management community has applied control tools to meet the information security objectives of safeguarding confidentiality against unauthorized access, upholding integrity and maintaining availability. However, detecting computer crime is difficult, because the act is either traceless or difficult to trace. Quantifying the damage is problematic since the victims all too often withhold reporting the crime for reasons including fear of recrimination and bad publicity. 8 Therefore, the technical control tools are ineffective, with respect to legal issues. †¢Premise 2: Computer laws have been enacted in various nations at an ever-increasing rate since the late 1980s, when business and the society at large were forced to face the magnitude and severity of damage not experienced prior to computer crimes. There has been a dramatic increase in specialized legislation to combat criminal behaviors related to computer crime, which include traditional crimes committed with the use of a computer and a variety of new, technologyspecific criminal behaviors spawned by the rapid emergence of computer technologies and the exponential expansion of the Internet. 10 However, despite the additional new laws, prosecution is deterred because the legal proceeding is a tardy, time-consuming and expensive pr ocess, even when there are well-justified intentions to proceed with legal action. Also, legislation always lags behind the event such that either no appropriate laws are found or the new law is too late for the case in hand. Hence, computer laws are at best a deterrent to computer crime, not a guardian of information. †¢Premise 3: Computer ethicists assert, on the one hand, that special ethical issues are raised because computers are special technology, and query, on the other hand, why there should be computer ethics since, for example, there is no such thing as telephone ethics even though the telephone is a special technology that makes a profound change on the way individuals communicate with others. 1 However, information security is worthy of ethical consideration as many decisions in information technology affect a wide range of stakeholders. National and international computer societies have promoted codes of ethical practice and even written these codes into their constitutions. As technology advances, computers continue to have a greater impact on s ociety. Therefore, computer ethics promotes the discussion of how much influence computers should have in areas such as information security, artificial intelligence and human communication. As the world of computers evolves, computer ethics continues to create ethical standards that address new issues raised by new technologies. Reference http://www. isaca. org/Journal http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/ethics-computer/ http://www. cmpe. boun. edu. tr/~say/c150/intro/lit10. html How to cite Computer Ethics and Information Systems, Essay examples

Constructing My Cultural Identity free essay sample

This article provides a critical reflective analysis of my life growing up in Jamaica where I attended colonial school, to making the transition to high school in the Canadian context. I examine the elements that have influenced my cultural/racial identity as a person of African ancestry living in the diaspora. I ask questions such as how has colonial education influenced my cultural identity and how I see myself? I address the complexity of my racial and gender identity drawing on a Black feminist theoretical framework and anticolonial thought to inform this work. Cet article presente une analyse critique et reflechie de mon enfance en Jamaique, ou j’ai etudie a une ecole coloniale, et de ma transition vers l’ecole secondaire au Canada. Je me penche sur les elements qui ont influence mon identite culturelle/raciale comme personne d’ascendance africaine vivant dans la diaspora. Je pose des questions portant sur l’influence de l’education coloniale sur mon identite culturelle et ma facon de me voir. Ce travail repose sur le cadre theorique du feminisme noir, ainsi que sur la pensee anticoloniale. Introduction The purpose of this article is to examine the forces that have shaped my identity as a child of the African diaspora, first growing up in the Caribbean and then the encounter between my Jamaican culture and the Canadian cultural context. I attempt to address the following questions: How has my identity been formed? What parts of my life have been honored, and what parts are excluded and why? How does society view me versus my own definition of myself? And more important, how can I salvage and maintain my identity? I critically draw on the reality, dilemmas, and contradictions of life that show my struggle to negotiate my identity and self-awareness as an individual of African ancestry in the Jamaican and later the Canadian education system. The discussion in this article is informed by a Black feminist standpoint. I believe that theorizing from a Black feminist discursive framework helps me to tell my story and rethink my experiences in a paradigm that takes into account the social dimensions of race, class, gender, sexuality, and other forms of domination. In addition, I employ an anticolonial framework, as this emphasizes the potency of racism, colonization, and imperialism on diasporic peoples and their identity (Dei, 2002). My Discursive Framework As mentioned above, this article takes a Black feminist standpoint in accordance with the perspective of a Black heterosexual woman living in Canada. It is an approach—a framework—from which one can challenge systems of Erica Neegan is a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto. Her research interest includes Indigenous Knowledges, Black feminist thought and anti-colonial and decolonizing pedagogy. Constructing My Cultural Identity domination in society. A Black feminist discourse helps me to tell my story and reclaim my identity as a Black woman. As Wane (2002) notes in her definition of Black feminist thought, Black feminist thought is a theoretical tool meant to elucidate and analyze the historical, social and economic relationships of women of African descent as the basis for development of a liberatory praxis †¦ It can be applied to situate Black women’s past and present experiences that are grounded in their multiple oppressions. (p. 38) Black feminism has provided a space and a framework for the expression of Black women’s diverse identities. I believe that Black Canadian feminist thought is informed by practice and vice versa. In other words, my lived realities inform theory and help me to make sense of what is going on around me. Black Canadian feminist theory, then, becomes a practical way for me to make sense of my experiences in a Canadian context vis-a-vis Black women in the United States context. This makes it especially significant to tell my story as a Black woman experiencing life in Canada. However, sharing one’s story can be painful. Yet it can also be a liberating and transformatory experience. hooks (1993) writes, â€Å"Telling the truth about one’s life is not simply about naming the bad things, like exposing horrors. It is also about being able to speak openly and honestly about feelings and experiences† (p. 27). At the same time, it must be noted that Black women’s experiences are not homogeneous, but they do share a distinct form of oppression. By using a Black feminist framework, racialized and gendered individuals can collectively mark their presence in the world where Black women have for so long been denied the privilege of speaking (Mirza, 1997). Furthermore, Parmar (1987) points out that being cast in the role of the Other—marginalized and discriminated against not only in everyday discourse, but also in the grand narratives of European thought—Black women have fought to assert privately and publicly their sense of self, a self rooted in particular history cultures and languages. Thus the experiences of women of African descent are crucial to Black feminist thought. In turn, Black feminist theory captures our experiences and helps us to reconstruct our lives in a positive form. In conjunction with Black feminist theory, I also take on an anticolonial, discursive framework because it challenges systems of domination and subordination and their continuing effects on Indigenous peoples across the world. Furthermore, because anticolonial discourse is about the absence of colonial imposition, colonialism must be seen not from the perspective of being foreign, but rather as a system of domination and conquest (Dei, 2002). This type of discourse allows one to challenge institutionalized systems of domination. Reflections of my Lived Reality I speak from the perspective of a person who is colonized. As a result of my experiences, I have a keen knowledge of imperialism, and its effect is central to the decolonization process, which in turn is at the core of reclaiming my identity. Before this can be done, I need to know who I am. After listening to a lecture on race and representation by Hall (1997), I concluded that I was a cultural hybrid. That is, my identity is not fixed, but changes depending on where I am. As Hall asserts, cultural identity comes  273 E. Neegan from somewhere and has a history. However, cultural identity is not static and is subject to the continual play of history, power, and culture. Similarly, TwoTrees (1993) describes herself: â€Å"I see myself as a multi-dimensional: faceted being, one facet being woman, one artist, one African American, one Native American. To speak of any one facet more than another dulls the beauty of the whole thing reflecting light† (p. 14). I remember when I was a youngster staring at myself in the mirror and asking myself the question â€Å"Who are you? † Years later, I imagine looking through a cracked mirror and seeing figments: a distorted, fragmented image of myself. I am still searching for the real me. First of all, am I from Africa? Growing up in Jamaica and in Canada, it was extremely difficult to associate myself with being from Africa. For me Africa was a dirty word. I literally thought that Africans were like monkeys, swinging from vines and in need of being â€Å"civilized. † So I absolutely refused to be labeled African. Yet one cannot run from who one is. Being African is deeply engrained in me despite the fact that I tried to negate my African identity. I became conscious that I was Black, and therefore deemed to be ugly, at an early age. I remember that it was always the lighter-skinned people in my junior school in Jamaica who were considered academically bright and who were the teachers’ favorite students. Sometimes it did not matter how hard you tried; darker-skinned students were deemed inferior and were treated as such. So I learned to negate my Blackness at an early age, and schooling helped create in me a marginalized identity. With few exceptions, darker-skinned students like myself were deemed intellectually inferior. I continually asked myself as a child, â€Å"Why did my mother have to make me Black with hair like coconut husk when she was light-skinned with long hair? † When I lived in Jamaica, I was Black and considered ugly. Some family members treated me as inferior vis-a-vis lighter skinned relatives. For example, during an overnight visit with a close relative, I was given old, torn clothes to sleep in and a sheet to cover myself with, whereas my lighter-skinned relative was given brand new clothes and sheet. Other times, relatives would openly ridicule my short, tightly curled hair. Everything around me including people’s attitudes indicated to me that I was lesser than lighter-skinned persons. Years later when I went back for a visit, people noticed that my hair had grown longer and that my skin tone had become brown, or lighter. I was now brown and pretty. Ironically, not until my second year in a Canadian university did I start feeling good about myself as an individual of African ancestry. My perception of myself had been negative despite what I used to hear about Black being beautiful, for I lived in a world where to be Black produced feelings of shame, worthlessness, and anger. Although Jamaican society is predominantly made up of people of African ancestry, the reality in the schools and at home did not necessarily reflect the view that Black was beautiful. As Young (2006) asserts, To be Black is to have accrued a subjectivity haunted by the spectral traces of a social, political and ideological history. Blackness is historically and culturally specific embodied discourse constituted in and through a discursive tradition mobilized by the reconstituted figure of Africa and brutal systems of oppression such as slavery and imperialism. (p. 25) 274 Constructing My Cultural Identity Furthermore, my skin was not the only signifier of inferiority. Indeed, hair texture was also a mark of status. The closer one’s hair was to Anglo-Saxon texture, the better treated the individual might be. Growing up in Jamaica, my hair was detrimental to my identity. If only my texture was silky like that of my mother, grandmother, and sister, who were amicably referred to as Dougla (half Indian) by family and community members. When I was younger, my mother would pull and tug at my hair to comb through it. I remember once the comb broke in half. I was the one with the bad hair. Lighter-skinned people always seemed to be better off than the darkerskinned ones. Yet money for food had to be prioritized. I borrowed a hot comb from a friend and decided to straighten my hair. Many times I would parade around with burned skin from the hot comb, but my thoughts at the time were that it was worth it. Similarly, TwoTrees (1993) notes, Since I was a child my hair has been the plague of my life. I longed for the silken braids of my father’s mother but what I beheld in the mirror was hair made of iron, curved and twisted like mountain snake back roads and wild stubborn as kudzu, a weed that grows like an unchecked brush fire.  (p. 17) Such feelings continue today. Recently a close family member told me that my 5-year-old niece was asked at school why her hair was not like her sister’s. In other words, she has â€Å"bad hair† whereas her little sister has â€Å"good hair. † Unfortunately, at the young age of 5, my niece has already learned t o hate and to question her African identity. By the time I was 8 years old, I believed I had to get rid of my hair texture by whatever means necessary. I pressured my mother to send me to the hairdresser. I saw the privileges bestowed on those whose physical features more closely resembled those of people with AngloSaxon ancestry, and I craved it. hooks (1993) discusses the politics of hair and its effect on the Black female identity. She asks an important question: How is it that little Black girls learn even before they know anything about racism that their hair is a problem? In her examination of the politics of skin color, she argues that without a doubt, dark-skinned Black females suffer the most abuse when Black people internalize white supremacist notions of beauty. As she argues, we live in a white supremacist culture where aspects of Blackness are highly devalued. â€Å"Blacks are wounded by forces of domination regardless of our access to material privilege. We are all wounded by white supremacy† (p. 87). Unfortunately, this experience is also common with other groups who have been colonized: â€Å"Right through high school and even university I wanted to be white† (Yee, 1993, p. 23). This experience mirrors my own as I too negated my Blackness until adulthood and spent almost all my life yearning to be white. Similarly, First Nations writer Harp (1998) recounts: To be me required the examination of who I was. In the quiet of my solitude, I began to assess my faculties I was able to ascertain the following: I had been thinking like a European. I had been feeling like a European. I had been acting like a good European. (p. 67) So colonialism has not only destroyed and displaced peoples, but has also left many of them psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually wounded. Similarly, Jegede (1995) notes, 275 E. Neegan I was a self-hater. I despised myself because of the colour of my skin. I wanted to kill those of lighter complexion. And do you know why? because people love the children with the light skin and the long hair. â€Å"Oh what a pretty child, she got good hair. † I was the one people called dark Vaida or Kizzy from roots. I used to get both Black and White dolls, and I would only play with the White ones, they were the prettiest with long luxurious hair. And, I too wanted the prettiest of long blond hair and blue eyes. (p. 116) Colonial Educational Experiences When I came to Canada and started high school, not much changed. I would skip swimming classes and often end up in the principal’s office for doing so. How could I tell them that I did not wish to get my hair wet because it would be too arduous to comb? How could I say I was different, but it did not make me inferior? After my senior high school years, I began to perm my hair less. Nonetheless, I believe in my undergraduate university years that some transformation away from a colonial mentality was occurring. Sewell (1997) writes: Historically, Black people’s hair has been devalued along with the colour of their skin. In the context of the new world, plantation societies, hair remained a powerful symbolic currency that indicated one’s place in the racial hierarchy. Under this system, the African attributes were devalued and the European elements could facilitate upward social mobility. (pp. 24-25) In my Canadian high school, people from the dominant group in society openly made fun of the physical features of people of African ancestry. It was shameful to be Black even in the best of times. It did not matter that my mother loved me. It did not matter that I had friends who supported me. Nothing can prepare the Black person for the tremendous assault on his or her African identity. Mervyn (2002) argues that even in contemporary Jamaica a manifest series of beliefs and attitudes perpetuate the pathologies of slavery. She adds, â€Å"pictures that represent a person as too Black are regularly discarded. And there is current obsessive focus on mitigating Blackness of the skin tone by bleaching. The goal is to achieve a more brown tone† (p. 18). Yet in the face of colonization and domination, there is also resistance. Some resistance can be heard in the music, which promotes the beauty of having an African identity. Hair is a major area of contestation. By straightening my hair I had a clear desire to modify my African texture, thereby bringing it closer to a European norm. â€Å"In a colonized world, hair is a feature of salience and of equal value to skin colour in the construction of social value so that straight hair can compensate for Black skin and reward the person with higher social status† (Marvyn, 2002, p. 44). Interestingly enough, there are parallels in the education systems of colonial Jamaica and Canada. As in Jamaica, there is the assault on the Black child’s self-identity in the Canadian education system. For example, Maylor (1995) notes, â€Å"The contrast between my dark skin and white teeth provided a source of derision for one of my teachers †¦ If we turn the lights out we will be able to see Uvanney’s teeth† (p. 43). As McCarthy (1997) suggests, â€Å"Historically, education has been a principal site for the reproduction and elaboration of racial meaning and racial identities† (p. 544). My life as an undergraduate university student was not always what I had expected. In one of my political science classes, I and two other Black students 276 Constructing My Cultural Identity were the only students of color. On the first day of class, the professor, who was from the dominant culture and female, passed the attendance sheet around for us to ensure our that names were listed. I was utterly shocked to see that the word Black was written next to my name. I glanced at the names on the list and saw Black written next to the names of the other two Black students. I felt angered, but also powerless. The three of us tried to make sense of the situation, yet it was difficult to rationalize. This was only a few years ago. We talked about the consequences of taking a complaint to the university’s administration. Eventually, because of concerns that they might be graded lower by this professor, the other two students dropped out of the class. One could argue that they were forced out. Although I was determined to stay, after the third class I kept feeling more and more invisible. Then I too dropped out of the course. To this day I wonder what more I could have done to address this action that marginalized us. McCarthy (1997) asserts that inequality exists in school settings and that various groups based on their race, class, and gender have qualitatively variable experiences in schools. She says that the groups exist in constitutive tension and often compete with each other where each student receives varying forms of rewards and evaluations. This has serious implications for students who are perceived as inferior. The question, then, is how can we decolonize education practices in Canada or in Jamaica and make education holistic? Whether yesterday or today, the fact still remains that as people of African ancestry, we still live on the fringes of society. My ancestors have added depth and personality to my life on a personal level. The places I speak from are multifaceted. My identity has so many aspects. Many Jamaicans, including me, were always proud to say that we had some Scottish ancestry. It is often echoed with pride and dignity. Yet although we know that we have African blood in our veins, we are proud of the non-African blood as if it made us better and more human. Earlier I would be quick to say that I had nothing in common with African people. I am Jamaican. Yet to consider myself Jamaican is to ignore the existence of the Indigenous peoples of Jamaica who were not African Blacks, but rather the Taino, the true Jamaicans to put it bluntly. How can I ignore their presence? Whenever I visit the Island, I can feel their presence/spirit around me. We learned through history that the Indigenous population was virtually wiped out. But although I know that many have suffered death and genocide, I believe that many of we African peoples in the diaspora have Indigenous blood in our veins. Why does my maternal grandmother resemble the Indigenous peoples, and how do I reclaim this part of my own identity? What about their contribution to the construction of Jamaican national identity, which has been largely ignored? I recently asked a friend how could I know what country in Africa my ancestors were from. He replied, â€Å"It does not matter. You are from Africa. † I agree. Gone are the days when I found it necessary not to equate myself with people of African ancestry. I know that my ancestors are speaking to me. They guide me through the struggles of everyday life, and I have so much to thank them for. I find myself being drawn closer to my ancestors. My multifaceted 277 E. Neegan identity symbolizes the nature of the diaspora. There need be no state of confusion. For example, I was looked down on for speaking the rich Jamaican language by school personnel both in Canada and in Jamaica as well as in the family. It was and still is associated with underachievement. Although we had a deep-seated knowledge that the language was part of the heritage of our African ancestors, it became easy to negate it. It was not until I was working on my master’s thesis that I realized that the words were a form of resistance and one of the languages that emerged from the imposition and dislocation caused by slavery. Still today, I am scolded for speaking the language I know by the education system, family, and society. Yet another essential part of my identity is silenced. I was taught that it was an obstacle to any form of achievement. Nonetheless, I consider it to be a confirmation of my true identity as an African woman. Like many other Black students, I know English. Yet we choose to speak our language, which is viewed as a deficit by the school system in Canada and in Jamaica. I speak from personal experience. Blacks who speak our language, referred to as patois, are often placed in applied-level streams in high school, and they often become working-class poor as a result. Solomon and Brown (1998) assert that Black students are three times more likely to be in special education classes than in gifted classes. I always wondered why so many of us were in special education classes. Like many other Black students, I was stereotyped as uneducated and backward and lacking the desire to speak â€Å"proper† English. This was yet another attack on the identity of Black children. Identity and Representation Can I truly consider myself Canadian? How can I fit into the traditional definition of what constitutes a Canadian when some people of African ancestry who have been in Canada for several generations are still asked where they are from? Or even worse, First Peoples are continually asked what country they are from. Yee (1993) speaks of never being Canadian although she grew up in Canada. As she puts it, â€Å"I am constantly separated from-by the forces of racism that always keep me asking questions of identity, belonging, place and voice† (p. 4). At the same time as knowing the truth of how Canada came to be, I have to ask myself, is it really that bad not to be considered Canadian? Perhaps not at all. My hair, a physical marker, is now a public and political statement of my Black African identity. I also sit in a privileged position as a doctoral student. Nonetheless, being Black in Canada is a liability, and the greater civil society is not always kind to the Other. People of African ancestry are systematically marginalized in Canadian society. The proof of this is evident. Some diseases are specific to Blacks because of our low economic status in society. We are popular in the criminal justice system, and we suffer high levels of both unemployment and underemployment. Many images in society reinforce our Otherness. All these factors limit our life chances. I can only imagine what my ancestors went through to carve even this space for me today. Much of my existence in this society has been a lonely journey. Although I lived in a predominantly Black country during my childhood, colonial attitudes die hard. I became aware of being the Other at an early age. Ironically, because of the psychological injury I faced in my everyday life, I woke up from a state of  278 Constructing My Cultural Identity unconscious existence to consciousness of my gender, racial, and class position in society. The oppression and marginalization I have endured and the challenges I have overcome in my life have helped me to feel that I can do whatever I wish regardless of the obstacles. As peoples whose identity and culture has been stolen, destroyed, distorted , and omitted from knowledge production we must—for our ancestors, ourselves, and most of all for our children so that they can have a strong sense of cultural identity and self—strive to manage the claws of colonization. I too have passively accepted the notion that people of African ancestry are lazy. Often I wondered why and how they had never contributed to anything. I thought that we deserved to be treated as a subjugated race because of our inadequacies. Yet it was later as an adult that I realized that we have indeed contributed to society, but these contributions have been omitted from the history books. Growing up in contemporary Jamaica, I recall that anything European was regarded in high esteem. As Blacks we were taught to despise anything that was reminiscent of our African heritage. The placing of Europeans at the center of civilization in the education system also enabled me to reject my own identity. As a people, we are in denial of ourselves, our history, and the history of racism. I received many contradictory messages from society. Yet gaining access to higher education has helped me in the process of immersing myself in my Blackness. I have exposed my inner self through reflecting on my experiences like a lost child suffering from withdrawal from its mother. I feel the need to reconnect and reclaim my identity and embrace myself. Slavery, conquest, and colonialism created dominant and subjugated peoples. It also meant the representation of the dominant people as superior beings vis- a-vis the Other. Wangoola (2000) notes how Africans in their new environment used whatever resources they had to shield their traditions, which were continually under attack. The ancestors sacrificed greatly to bring our sacred knowledge to us. How, then, can I not honor sacred ancestral spiritual healing traditions such as Pochomania, Kunina, and Obeah. How can I continue to negate such African spirituality? During slavery these Indigenous forms of spirituality were perceived as pagan. The masters wanted us to believe that as African peoples our intellectuality never rose above magic and superstition (Mervyn, 2002). Yet is this any different from Catholic rituals that are deemed normal? Do we not as African peoples have the right to have our knowledge taught in schools as are the dominant traditions? Graveline (1998), in Circle Works, remarks how she draws on traditional Aboriginal knowing to assist her in surviving the nightmares of contemporary society. I often go to Jamaica and partake in the healing offered by these ceremonies. These are symbols of the resistance and survival of my ancestors. As African Indigenous ways of knowing survive, or the ways that we as African peoples have reinvented in order to hang onto our identity, I too am drawn back to my roots almost as a form of self-representation. Living in North America, sometimes it is a struggle as a Black female for me to make it through each day. These Indigenous ways of knowing keep me going. I think about the drums I hear beating, the chanting and singing, forbidden to partake fully in such sacred ceremonies because even my own  279 E. Neegan family, who are part of the colonial project, see them as backward. Yet the sound of the drums keeps me alive. Colonialism succeeded on one hand, but once one starts to view the world from another lens, colonialism becomes a failure. Colonial education alienated the local people from their environment and denigrated local culture and traditional values and norms (Ellis, 1988). Everything about my Blackness t hat was negated is now at the center of my inner being. Wangoola (2000) notes how African values, ceremonies, and festivals were undermined. To keep our traditions alive, our ancestors had to blend and create spiritual systems. Like Graveline (1998), I too reach out to the knowledge passed down from the ancestors for spiritual healing whenever my identity is wounded by assaults from Eurocentric-dominated institutions. These ways are deeply embedded in African peoples. Wangoola (2000) asserts that in matters of modernization and progress, there was only one knowledge, Western knowledge. Other knowledges were branded as inferior or pure ignorance. Thus African medicine became witchcraft. When I am among some people from the dominant group, as a racialzed person I continually find myself rejecting my race when it collides with the dominant group’s perceptions. I find myself having to reject my identity according to the space in which I find myself. Colonialism was designed deliberately to breed self-hate among the colonized so as to legitimize its subordination of other people. As a racialized individual, I am perceived as different. When people see me, they often ascribe the stereotypical elements by which most Black women are portrayed. For example, there is often an underlying assumption that I am a loud, boisterous, single mother with no formal education. People are often shocked to discover that I am a doctoral student. I believe that in order to create more inclusive education curricula, that is, less Eurocentric, people’s attitudes must change. In other words, how people think and the ideologies with which so many individuals have been indoctrinated need to be altered. Second, individuals will have to be willing to learn more diverse perspectives on what we have come to know as the norm. Furthermore, educators in the system will need to implicate their teaching practices as well as their perceptions of the students they teach. Textbooks written by nonEuropeans and the world views of people other than Europeans need to be voiced in educational institutions to create balance and a welcoming learning environment for all children. Discussion and Conclusion As mentioned above, I carry colonization within me. I believe that we all do. What is more, we have been indoctrinated to think that Eurocentrism is superior. As Wane (2002) noted in a recent lecture, â€Å"the decolonisation process starts within oneself† (Lecture notes: Wk.  5). Furthermore, as anticolonial thinkers, we must deconstruct and demystify what we have come to know as truths in order to reclaim who we truly are and thereby find inner peace. As a teacher and a learner, it is my responsibility to create a space where other forms of knowing can be considered valid. I must share my knowledge with othe rs to help them develop a consciousness of historical and ever-present oppression. As colonized peoples, we all need to gather our resources. We must also create allies with those who can relate to our experiences. We need to tell our stories 280 Constructing My Cultural Identity and rewrite our history from our own perspective. Most important, we need to be community-driven and challenge contemporary colonization by privileging all sorts of knowledges. As mentioned above, there are many examples in society of violence toward the Black African identity and other marginalized groups. And we know that the education system omits the contributions of people of African ancestry, and even worse, denigrates many children of African ancestry. Blacks have been subjugated and forced to accept colonial views through a Eurocentric education. Such institutions are a reflection of the larger society and vice versa. I believe that it is important to reject my old identity, shaped to a large extent by White Eurocentrism, and to create a new one shaped by us. We have suffered loss of identity and fragmentation. We have been denied our true origin, and we in turn have denied ourselves our true African identity and internalized racism and oppression. I believe that it is important for us, we who are aware of race, class, gender, and other forms of oppression, to strategize on how we can build and foster positive cultural identity in our children. We have an obligation to put our energy into serving as mentors for the younger generation. We need to reclaim our heritage. It must not fade away or be forgotten. As the late reggae singer Garnett Silk echoed in the lyrics of his song, â€Å"Hello mamma Africa how are you? I am feeling fine and I hope you are fine too. Mamma Africa, yes I am coming home. † For me, this is a powerful symbol of who I am, and it shows the discontinuous history of Blacks in the diaspora. I can hear the voices of those ancestors calling me. As Talbot (1984) notes, â€Å"Our race memory must be with spirit of those of the cr

Traditional Saree Weaving in Betgeri-Gadag Cluster of Karnataka free essay sample

Gadag is a city in Karnataka state in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Gadag District. Gadag and its sister city Betageri (or Betgeri) have a combined city administration, and the municipality of Gadag-Betageri has a population of 1,54,849 and an area of 54. 56 km?. As of 2001 India Gadag-Betgeri had a population of 154,849. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Gadag-Betageri has an average literacy rate of 71%; male literacy is 79%, and female literacy is 64%. 12% of the population is under 6 years of age. Gadag has become the district head quarters since 1997. Gadag consists of five taluks namely Gadag-Betageri, Ron, Shirhatti, Naragund and Mundargi Since last two centuries Gadag-Betgeri area is famous for its weaving and fabric producing activities. Betgeri is famous for its good quality mercerized cotton and silk sarees with famous Gadi Dadi–Border and Red colour Tope Theni Pallow like famous ILKAL sarees. This region of North Karnataka has lot of weaving activities to the extent of 20 thousand people are engaged in this profession. We will write a custom essay sample on Traditional Saree Weaving in Betgeri-Gadag Cluster of Karnataka or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page April, May and JuneMore demand for sarees, but less productionAbsence of Expert weaver due to marriage season July,Aug. and Sept. No demand for sarees due to â€Å"Ashadamasa†Slack of market. More production in the cluster. Oct,Nov and Dec. More demand for sarees ,but less productionAbsence of Expert weaver due to festivals Jan,Feb,MarchLess salesMore production in the cluster. Almost all the Powerloom Industrialists in this cluster have their own market throughout the year. But the problem observed by survey is the non availability of expert weaver and their frequent migrations. Hence only financially sound can stock the products during slack market duration. Almost all small and medium units are dependent on the agents and traders for their financial supports. Value Addition 1)Embroidery: The art of decoration of fabric or other material with threads, wires or leather using a needle may be defined as embroidery. With the advent of sophisticated machines, embroidery is possible by machines also, especially for repetitive volume work. But, it is the hand embroidery that continues to fascinate mankind for thousands of years. Traditionally, women have been practicing this art from time immemorial. In the cluster,some sarees are taken up for hand embroidery (Kasuti work) or Machine embroidery as per the customer requirement. In hand embroidery depending upon the design, a worker takes one day to five days for a single saree. Women worker does these embroidery works, who all works on part time bases and earn money. 2)Dress materials: Sarees may be converted in to dress materials that are usually available in readymade position for stitching. It is usually of 7 Meters of length, out of which 2. 5 Meter is specially made for wale portion and 4. 75 Meter is made for dressing portion. Production of saree As per the survey, a weaver can produce 5 meters to 6. 7 meters of different varieties of sarees and he can produce 1 sari to 3 sarees in a day. The price range of one sari is around Rs. 230=00 to Rs. 1300=00. Total Power loom units in this cluster are 372 units Total Looms installed in this cluster are 1819 looms The sarees produced are mainly worn by women, age ranging from 40 to 60 years. Wages Skilled Power loom weaver wages differ from design to design and are normally Rs. 00 to 250 per day. They have the employment throughout the year. Employment to women is more on winding machines and they earn minimum about Rs 100=00 per day. Marketing Annual Transaction The silk cotton blended sarees are having good demand among the customers of different states because of comfort and low price when compared with other sarees. As per the estimate the place Betgeri is having transaction about 41 and odds crores in a year.

Edward Mick Mannock essays

Edward Mick Mannock essays Edward Mick Mannock was born in Brighton on May 24th, 1887. Mick lived in England, Scotland, Ireland and India. While he was in India, he got an infection and went blind. Eventually Mick had recovered his eyesight but was forever blind in his left eye. Mick fought in the Boer war, after he had returned home he deserted his family, his wife and their four children. In February of 1914, Mick was relocated for his job at the National Telephone Company to Turkey. After hearing that a war was declared, Mick tried to get back to England. Once he had heard that Turkey had formed and alliance with Germany, Mick knew he was in trouble. Mick was arrested and put into a Turkish concentration camp. He eventually made it back home to England in April of 1915. Once back home in England, Mick immediately joined the British Army; he was very soon after promoted to the position of sergeant-major. In March of 1916 he was transferred to the Royal Engineers as an officer cadet. Not long after he reached the position of Second Lieutenant. In August of 1916, Mick requested to be transferred to The Royal Flying Corps. When in flight training, he blew all the instructors away showing impressive flight skills with only a few hours of professional training. Mick arrived at St. Omer in France on April 6th, 1917. He made his first confirmed kill on June 7th, 1917. Mick quickly built up a reputation as one of the most talented pilots in the RFC. Once he arrived on the Western Front he won four dogfights in his first two weeks. On August 16th he shot down four aircrafts and two more the next day. He won the Military Cross on September 17th. In October that year he was awarded a bar to his Military Cross. The official citation read He attacked a formation of five enemy machines single handed and shot one down out of control; while engaged with an enemy machine, he was attacked by two others, one of which he forced down to the ...

A History of the Chola Empire of India

A History of the Chola Empire of India Nobody knows exactly when the first Chola kings took power in the southern point of India, but certainly, the Chola Dynasty was established by the third century BCE, because they are mentioned in one of Ashoka the Greats stelae.  Not only did the Cholas outlast Ashokas Mauryan Empire, they continued to rule until 1279 CE- more than 1,500 years.   Fun Fact The Cholas ruled for more than 1,500 years, making them one of the longest-ruling families in human history, if not the longest. The Chola Empire was based in the Kaveri River Valley, which runs southeast through Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and the southern Deccan Plateau to the Bay of Bengal.  At its height, the Chola Empire controlled not only southern India and Sri Lanka, but also the Maldives.  It took key maritime trading posts from the Srivijaya Empire in what is now Indonesia, enabling a rich cultural transfusion in both directions, and sent diplomatic and trading missions to Chinas Song Dynasty (960 - 1279 CE). Chola History The origins of the Chola Dynasty are lost to history.  The kingdom is mentioned, however, in early Tamil literature, and on one of the Pillars of Ashoka (273 - 232 BCE).  It also appears in the Greco-Roman Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (c. 40 - 60 CE), and in Ptolemys Geography (c. 150 CE).  The ruling family came from the Tamil ethnic group. Around the year 300 CE, the Pallava and Pandya Kingdoms spread their influence over most of the Tamil heartlands of southern India, and the Cholas went into a decline.  They likely served as sub-rulers under the new powers, yet they retained  enough prestige that their daughters often married in to the Pallava and Pandya families. When war broke out between the Pallava and Pandya kingdoms in about 850 CE, the Cholas seized their chance.  King Vijayalaya renounced his Pallava overlord and captured the city of Thanjavur (Tanjore), making it his new capital.  This marked the start of the Medieval Chola period  and the peak of Chola power. Vijayalayas son, Aditya I, went on to defeat  the Pandyan Kingdom in 885 and the  Pallava Kingdom in 897 CE.  His son followed up with the conquest of Sri Lanka in 925; by 985, the Chola Dynasty ruled all of the Tamil-speaking regions of southern India.  The next two kings, Rajaraja Chola I (r. 985 - 1014 CE) and Rajendra Chola I (r. 1012 - 1044 CE) extended the empire still further.   Rajaraja Cholas reign marked the emergence of the Chola Empire as a multi-ethnic trading colossus.  He pushed the empires northern boundary out of Tamil lands to Kalinga in the northeast of India  and sent his navy to capture the Maldives and the rich Malabar Coast along the subcontinents southwestern shore.  These territories were key points along the  Indian Ocean trade routes.   By 1044, Rajendra Chola had pushed the borders north to the Ganges River (Ganga), conquering the rulers of Bihar and Bengal, and he had also taken coastal Myanmar (Burma), the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and key ports in the Indonesian archipelago and Malay Peninsula.  It was the first true maritime empire based in India.  The Chola Empire under Rajendra even exacted tribute from Siam (Thailand) and Cambodia.  Cultural and artistic influences flowed in both directions between Indochina and the Indian mainland.   Throughout the medieval period, however, the Cholas had one major thorn in their side.  The Chalukya Empire, in the  western Deccan Plateau,  rose up periodically and tried to throw off Chola control.  After decades of intermittent warfare, the Chalukya kingdom collapsed in 1190.  The Chola Empire, however, did not long outlast its gadfly. It was an ancient rival that finally did in the Cholas for good.  Between 1150 and 1279, the Pandya family gathered its armies and launched a number of bids for independence in their traditional lands.  The Cholas under Rajendra III  fell to the Pandyan Empire  in 1279  and ceased to exist. The Chola Empire left a rich legacy in the Tamil country.  It saw majestic architectural accomplishments such as the Thanjavur Temple, amazing artwork including particularly graceful  bronze sculpture, and a golden age of Tamil literature and poetry.  All of these cultural properties also found their way into the Southeast Asian artistic lexicon, influencing religious art and literature from Cambodia to Java.

Contemporary Issues in Global Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Contemporary Issues in Global Politics - Essay Example This provides for an interesting case study on the motives, ethics and modus operandi of government agencies and media organizations. While the respective governments are the primary participants in a war situation, the media’s role is to document unfolding events in an objective and non-partisan manner. Two particular interpretations, pertaining to governance and journalism were chosen for analysis in this essay, which will substantiate widely held negative sentiments about the American government. The following cases also expose the real agenda of the American government beneath the benevolent faà §ade that mainstream media tries to project (Daalder, 2004). Firstly, In January 1991, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded the small neighboring country of Kuwait. Iraq was in no way provoked by the Kuwaiti leadership. There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein’s action was unwarranted and illegitimate. But, was the response from the rest of the world (particularly the United States), any more legitimate or warranted? Sadly, the answer is in the negative. It is an open secret that the middle-east region is of strategic importance. Any country with aspirations to dominate the world will have to have â€Å"control† over the region’s resources (read oil) and governments. The United States, the only superpower at the time, was not above this ambition. Noted American intellectual Noam Chomsky points to glaring misinformation released by the White House in his book â€Å"What Uncle Sam Really Wants†. In Chomsky’s own words, â€Å"The US wasnt upholding any high principle in the Gulf, nor was any other state. The reason for the unprecedented response to Saddam Hussein wasnt his brutal aggression -- it was because he stepped on the wrong toes. Saddam Hussein is a murderous gangster -- exactly as he was before the Gulf War, when he was our friend and favored trading

Academic Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Academic Art - Essay Example Different methods were taught such as seeing color and line as something similar. There had to be a value and a method behind each sculpture, painting, piece of architecture or other art work. Each had a theme or a concept behind it and focused on idealism. Academic arts were not necessarily made for the middle class or the noble. They were made by artists to tell something historic and were more for each other as artists. I’d lean toward that they were made more for the middle class. However, many were commissioned by the noble. The middle class could use these works of art for learning about events. They might not otherwise have access to learning about these things in other ways. They could not be there so they used the art as a historical and educational depiction that could not otherwise be read in books. The noble people commissioned these works of art as a reminder of the history that they would be leaving behind so people would never forget and would learn something. D iego Velazquez created an oil on canvas â€Å"The Surrender of Breda† in 1634-35. This painting depicted the military and how military leaders might treat their enemy. This particular work was one that was commissioned by a Spanish King so that it would act as a celebration of the victories in Spain. It was a painting that captured the ideas of the Academy because people could learn from it and it served as memorabilia of the conflict that people can still use academically. It was an example of the Spanish military.

The foreign exchange market Essay Example for Free

The foreign exchange market Essay The analysis of this paper highlights the importance on the factors that determines the foreign exchange rates at which one country purchases the one unit of the another country’s currency. The foreign exchange market provides a link between the countries through which all countries are working under the umbrella of global trade which works more efficiently than barter. The foreign exchange market provides a hub under which one country exchanges the other country’s currency because every nation uses its own monetary unit. In this particular case, the firm is willing to make a business deal with the Japanese supplier. In order to accomplish the business deal the management of the Blades Inc has two choices one is to purchase two call options contracts and the second is to purchase one futures contract. The tendency of futures price on yen has historically tilted towards discount with respect to the existing spot rate and the firm is willing to use currency options in order to hedge payables in Japanese yen. They prefer currency option because of the uncomfortable leaving the position and also the historical volatility in the yen. But the CFO prefers the options offer over forward contracts or futures contracts due to its flexibility and wants to use the exercise price of 5 percent above the existing spot rate. In general, options on Yen required a premium of 1. 5 percent of the total transaction amount that would be paid if the option is exercised. Moreover, if the firm uses the future yen spot rate, then the decision is purely based on a cost. The optimal hedging strategy is not the lowest-cost alternative because the firm is the in the position of assessing the risk. The firm is working upon hedging because of prevailing unsure market condition. So the perfect hedge reduces the risk associated with the currency. B Answers of the Questions 1. The table shows the option choices for Blades Inc. If they are not willing to pay more than 5% (above spot rate) then the exercise price of $0. 00756 should be considered while on the respective side the premium on that particular option is 2% (more expensive) of exercise price. The option premium is higher is that respective which the firm normally willing to pay. The firm also pays a lower premium by purchasing and considering another option whose exercise price of $0. 00792 but that exercise price is 10% higher than the spot rate. This particular alternative is not feasible for the company because the firm is not willing to pay moire than 5% on the prevailing spot rate. So if the firm wants continue to use option the management of the company either prefers a higher premium than it would prefer, or a higher exercise price that limits the effectiveness of the hedge. If the firm is willing to use an option then the tradeoff is paying a premium of $1,417. 50 to limit the payables amount to $99,000 or paying a premium of $1,890 to limit the payables amount to $94,500. The preference of the option is based upon the assessment of the analyst regarding the Yen (Gerald I. White, Ashwinpaul C Sondhi, and Dov Fried ,2001). 2. Blades Inc also remains unhedged but its preference is towards hedge because of the volatile and fickle movements happen before the events. They are more desirable towards hedge because of the disruption and uncertainty associated with the yen’s future value. Since future prices are not influenced with the doubtful and uncertain events. The management of the company should prefer the futures contracts as an alternative to options. Thus, the firm is willing to purchase future contracts which enable the management to lock its future payments with any undue disruption (Steinherr, 1998). 3. In the market speculators who want to capitalize their expectation and anticipation towards the yen’s future movement, then the anticipation towards future spot rate would be equal to the futures rate. For example, if the speculator wants that Yen should appreciate they should eyeing to buy the Yen. If the Yen appreciates, the speculator buys the Yen’s future rate in two months and sells them at the prevailing sport rate at that particular time. Thus, if the market expectation and sentiments are high towards Yen then the Yen will appreciate and the all the speculators will engage in the similar action. This action enforces towards upward pressure on the future rates and downwards pressure on the expected future spot rate. This ongoing process continues until the future rate is equal to the expected future spot rate. Therefore, the expected spot rate at the point of delivery is equal to the future rate, $0. 006912 (Tsetsekos Varangis, 1997, and, van der Bijl, 1996). 4. The best possible choice at the given future spot rate is described in the question 3 but the decision is solely made on the basis of cost because acquisition of one future contract makes an impact on the actual cost of $86,400 on the delivery date. The actual cost on the delivery dates in the form of purchase of Yen my deviate from this value. It is depending upon moment of Yen between the order and delivery date. Therefore, the firm probably prefers to use future contract over the remaining unhedged time. 5. No as disclose in the case the Yen is very volatile so due to that fact the actual costs might be tilting towards lower side either the firm uses an option to hedge the yen payable or remained unhedged. By applying a future contract to hedge it also locks the price of the firm which they are willing to buy Yen at the given time frame. Moreover, firm forgoes the cost advantage that effects the depreciation of Yen at the given point of time. In that particular scenario, the firm is flexible enough to buy yen at the spot rate but this flexibility is not available with the future contracts (Hunt, Philip and Kennedy, Joanne, 2004).

Web-Based Instruction Essay -- Internet Technology Essays

Web-Based Instruction The use of computers and communication technologies in learning has a history going back more than 30 years. Along the way, it has been called by many names, such as computer-mediated communication (CMC), computer conferencing, on-line learning, Internet-based learning, and telematics. The advent of the Web provides a new and interesting environment for CMC that offers a host of new possibilities together with the advantages of previous incarnations. (McCormack & Jones, 1998) In just a few years the World Wide Web (WWW) has transformed communication, scholarship, and business. The idea of a global information system and the ease with which it can be used means that the Web has captured the imagination of more people than any other computer innovation. (McCormack & Jones, 1998) The possibility for using the Web for instruction has generated a great interest among educators throughout the world. On the whole, however, the use of the Web for education is a rarity. McCormack & Jones (1998) attribute the limited use of the Web in instruction to the following factors: knowledge, reluctance and resources. Very few educators have the knowledge of technical and educational principles required in constructing Web-based instruction. Also, some educators are reluctant to adopt new methods, particularly those that involve technology. This reluctance may derive from ignorance and misconceptions about the characteristics of new methods and what they have to offer. Moreover, very few institutions will provide the time, support, training, recognition, and infrastructure necessary to implement Web-based instruction. At the same time, even as resources are shrinking, industries and consumers are demanding more ... ...acting with classmates using unfamiliar tools such as chat rooms. (Driscoll, 1998) Web-based instruction is also labor intensive, requiring a design team which should include graphic designers, network managers, server installers, end-user support, and programmers. References Driscoll, M. (1998). Web-based training. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Pfeiffer. Konrad, L., & Stemper, J. (1996, Winter). Same game, different name: demystifying internet instruction. Research strategies, 14(1), 5-21. McArthur, D., & Lewis, M.W. (1998). Untangling the web. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Education. McCormack, C., & Jones, D. (1998). Building a web-based education system. New York: Wiley Computer Publishing. Milheim, W. (1993, Fall). Using computer-based instruction with adult learners. Journal of continuing higher education, 41(3), 2-7.

Indian Festivals Essay

A festival is an occasion of enjoyment and celebration. Indian festivals are known to attract the world due to their harmony, variety, colour and excitement. Thus we can divide the festivals into three categories—national or political, religious and seasonal. These are the festivals which punctuate the seasons of the year. National festivals like Republic Day, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti and others are celebrated with great patriotic fervour. Now-a-days they have been declared National Holidays. Religious festivals and ceremonies are as varied as the people, their customs beliefs and faith. In Northern India, Dussehra is observed as Vijaya Dashmi celebrating victory of good over evil, of Rama over Ravana. In Bengal, the occasion is celebrated as Durga Puja. This festival is celebrated with gaiety and lasts for five days. Diwali is the most prominent of the Hindu festivals. The Hindus celebrate this day to commemorate the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya after winning the decisive war against the evil forces of Ravana. The Muslim celebrates Id-UI-Fitra. It is celebrated to mark the end of Ramzan. It was during the month of Ramzan that Holy Quran was revealed to Prophet Mohammed. Christmas is the greatest festival of the Christians. The festival marks birthday of Jesus Christ the founder of Christianity on 25th December. India is the only country where these festivals are celebrated with great devotion to the Almighty and seasonal variations. The main objectives of festivals are to bring people from different walks of life to welcome each section of society with open arms and to forget the narrow differences between one another.

Movie Crash Essay Essay

The film â€Å"Crash† written and directed by Paul Haggis was taken place in Los Angeles. This movie illustrates how discrimination and prejudice has affected our everyday lives, due to the misconceptions we have of each other. All the characters in this movie are either victims of prejudice and discrimination or are guilty of it. To help us give more understanding about this movie I am comparing the movie Crash to Joseph Healey textbook, Race, Ethnicity, Gender & Class. In this movie we see a wide range and depth of prejudice and discrimination and it is not only the whites who are prejudice or discriminate but also minorities who are prejudiced and discriminate against other minorities. For better understanding first we need to learn the meaning of prejudice and discrimination. According to Joseph Healey â€Å"Prejudice is tendency of individuals to think and feel in negative ways about members of other groups.† Discrimination on the other hand, is actual, overt, individual behavior† (Healey 96). Healey thinks these two concepts do not always occur together. Healey believes that there are four different combinations of prejudice and discrimination. The first one is Timid bigot, Healey asserts, â€Å"A person who is prejudiced but doesn’t discriminate is a timid bigot† (Healey 96), An example of this is shown in the beginning of the movie Crash, when Dorri and her father, Farhad, are in a gun shop and the owner of the gun shop makes references to Osama bin Laden and Jihad thinking Farhad was Arab. When Dorri tells the gun shop owner that â€Å"You can give me the gun or give me back the money and I am really hoping for the money† (Crash), the gun shop owner gives her the gun because he is in a gun shop business for the money. This scene from the movie Crash shows a perfect example of timid bigotry; the gun shop owner is prejudiced but doesn’t discriminate due to his nature of work, he is a business owner and his interest is to make money. The second combination of prejudice and discrimination Healey mentions in his book is â€Å"Fair-Weather Liberal.† Healey states that â€Å"a person who discriminates without being prejudiced is fair-weather liberal.†(Healey 96). It’s more  like Officer Hansen who gets upset with Officer Ryan’s treatment to Cameron and Christine; he watched this whole scene but couldn’t stop Officer Ryan who is superior of him. He files a complaint against Officer Ryan and obtains his own squad car. Officer Hansen didn’t say anything to Officer Ryan instead he went back to his department and took an action against Officer Ryan. The third combination of prejudice and discrimination Healey mentions in his book is â€Å"All Weather Bigot† is when a â€Å"person is prejudiced and does discriminate† (Healey 96). In this case we can relate this definition to Officer John Ryan, who is white and racist against all color of people. Right after learning that the person who is handling his ailing father’s insurance case is black; he decides to take his frustration out by pulling over Cameron and his wife, who were black. This is also an example of the Scapegoat Hypothesis mentioned in Healey’s book, which describes how â€Å"people sometimes deal with personal failure or disappointment by expressing their anger on a substitute target, not against the object or person that actually caused their frustration† (Healey 98). In this case, Cameron was driving and did not violate any law; still Officer Ryan treated him and his wife Christine as inferior, and went so far as to molest Christine right front of her husband. Officer Ryan showed prejudice and discrimination by misusing his powers; he held Cameron and Christine until they surrendered their dignity. On the other hand, I believe Officer Ryan is not a bad person, because he is fighting for his ailing father and later in the movie he also saves Christine when she gets into car explosion. These different scenes from the movie illustrate that Officer Ryan who is racially prejudiced is ironically both villain and hero. The last combination of prejudice and discrimination Healey mentions in his book is â€Å"All-Weather Liberal† â€Å"a person who is neither prejudiced nor discriminate† (Healey 96). The best example for all weather liberal in the movie Crash is Daniel the locksmith. In the whole movie I did not see Daniel being racially prejudiced against any character. He is very quiet and the peaceful person in the whole movie and due to nature of his work, he usually works late at night. However, to me it seemed like that he doesn’t really care about working late nights rather he wants to spend more time with his family. Moreover, Crash demonstrates some other examples of stereotyping that are  mentioned in Healey’s book. According to Healey’s book, â€Å"Stereotypes are exaggerated overgeneralization† (Healey 99). It means that people often have distorted perception of another person or a group. They are based on race, ethnicity, gender, age, physical appearance and many other factors. An example can also relate to Daniel the locksmith, who comes to change the door locks for Jean and Rick’s house. By looking at his appearance and tattoo Jean sees him as a gang banger. She thinks after he leaves from her house he is going to give a copy of her house keys to his gang members and they will come to rob her house. That’s why she asks her husband Rick to get the locks changed again in the morning. Jean stereotyped Daniel based on his appearance. To me Daniel is a good guy, but Jean didn’t think of him as a family man. By looking at his appearance she made her judgment and thought of him as a gang banger but nothing else. There are some other terms that are mentioned in Healey’s book that can be related to the scenes in the movie. Another term from Healey’s book that is closely related to the movie Crash is â€Å"Selective Perception,† which means that â€Å"people often see what they expect to see, so stereotypes are often confirmed in a vicious circle.† The example can relate to Officer Hansen; from the first scene he is in, we can tell that he is not prejudiced and it seemed to me that Officer Hansen doesn’t have lots of experience with people outside of his race. In the movie he helps Peter, who is walking on the road side, by offering him a lift. This was the first time Officer Hansen seen prejudiced in the whole movie. Peter began laughing without explanation and Officer Hansen asked him to leave the car. Peter wanted to show him what he had in his pocket that was so funny. While Peter was reaching in his pocket, Offer Hansen panicked and shot Peter, who was innocent. That was the first time Officer Hansen had shown prejudiced; even though he was shown as a good man in the movie, he end up killing an innocent man. I think Office Hansen shot peter because he was afraid that his own life might be in a risk. Officer Hansen thought Peter was reaching his pocket for some kind of weapon and in seconds he made his decision and fire at Peter. The movie Crash shows many aspects of prejudice and discrimination. Crash explores many social encounters that are defined by different characters of  the movie. I think Crash represents the race relations in America and shows that how misconceptions and lack of communication makes our life situations very unstable. On the other hand, Healey’s Book Race, Ethnicity, Gender & Class have helped us with more understanding of prejudice and discrimination by giving us different combinations of racism and prejudice and by providing all important definitions. He even mentions that education have helped us with better understating of each other. But in my opinion we will never have that fully understanding of each other because somewhere on the line we forget who we are and the different people we are dealing with. Most time we think we don’t prejudiced or discriminate and sometimes we don’t even realize that we are prejudicing and discriminating against other people. I guess we are in modern racism.

Learn More About the Riverine Command Boat (Experimental) (RCB-X)

Learn More About the Riverine Command Boat (Experimental) (RCB-X) The Riverine Command Boat (Experimental) (RCB-X) is an experimental military craft that is testing alternative fuel blends. RCB-X uses a blended fuel consisting of 50 percent  algae-based biofuel and 50 percent NATO F-76 fuel. The goal is to reduce the Navy’s consumption of petroleum-based fuels. RCB-X is an experimental version of the Swedish Riverine Command Boat. Over 225 Riverine Command Boat’s are in use worldwide. Riverine Boat Specs Riverine Command Boat (Experimental) (RCB-X) is a 49-foot long, 12-foot wide craft that is fast and agile. The vessel is designed for use on rivers for patrols and assaults by small forces. The RCB-X has a top speed of 44 knots, 1,700 horsepower and a crew of four. It also has a 3-foot draft allowing for easy travel on most rivers. It has Swedish built engines and Rolls Royce twin-ducted water jet propulsion. The bow is reinforced allowing the craft to be run onto shore at full speed without damage. RCB has a range of 240 nautical miles on rivers or open water. There are six gun mounts on the vessel. One on the bow and another behind the mast are remote- controlled from the cockpit. The other four are used for manned weapons. It can carry .50 caliber machine guns, mortar, 40 mm grenade launchers or Hellfire missiles. The mortar launcher is a twin-barrel 12 cm. mortar. RCB can carry up to 20 troops at one time, and be transformed into a dive support vessel or a command craft. The boat can also be configured as an ambulance to take wounded soldiers off the battlefield by river. Made of heavy-duty aluminum, it has a 580-gallon fuel tank that contains a large, high-speed fuel fill capability. The bow drops down making it easy to disembark and return to the craft quickly. The cockpit is armor plated for protection and the cabin can be sealed against nuclear, chemical and biological agents. Over 4 tons of cargo can be carried on the craft. RCB-X and RCB’s are built by Safeboat International under license from the Swedish company Dockstavarvet. The first models cost anywhere from $2 to $3 million each. Bio Fuel Because the Riverine boat is a test version for fuels, it garners power from a 50 percent  algae-based and 50 percent NATO fuel called hydro-processed renewable diesel or HR-D. If the RCB-X used 100 percent biofuel, it would contain water which fouls the engines of Navy craft. Biofuels also have a six-month service life and the blend allows for longer term storage of fuel. The biofuel blend is made by a company called Solazyme, which calls the fuel Soladiesel. Soladiesel is designed to be used directly in place of conventional fuels, with no modifications to the engines or fuel system of the craft. In 2010 Solazyme delivered 80,000 liters of Soladiesel to the U.S. Navy and was under contract for an additional 550,000 liters at the time of publication. The fuel is produced in partnership with Chevron and Honeywell  in Illinois. Solazyme also makes a replacement for jet fuel and standard diesel vehicles. Solazyme’s algae grows in the dark using sugars from plants such as sugar cane and corn. Their system uses standard, industrial fermenters allowing for rapid scaling of production. Solazyme is based in San Francisco, California. Future The Navy  began testing the Riverine boat in 2010. It planned to deploy a strike group for local operations using the blended fuel in 2012 with full deployment in 2016. The Navy is testing the RCB-X, and it may be a possible fast craft for going from brown water (river) to green/blue water (ocean).

A Proposal for Defense Against the War on Christmas

A Proposal for Defense Against the War on Christmas A Modest Proposal for Defense Against the War on Christmas Leah Abrams Across this great and beautiful nation, bombs are dropping. Swords are being raised, grenades are being launched, and battalions are being activated. What aim do our aggressors pursue? What is the flag flown in this frightful fight? The bloody battle being waged against hard-working Americans everywhere is the most outrageous and troubling issue facing our generation†¦ The War on Christmas. The War on Christmas is just the next scheme on the liberal agenda attempting to turn us all into atheist, sexually immoral deviants. However, in recent years, they have escalated this ambush on Christmas spirit to an unprecedented extreme. At this point, the forced removal of Christ from the holiday season is the most preposterous violation of liberty in this nation’s history. Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached a juncture at which the Christmas season lasts only from November 1st to December 25th. I know- despicable. The War on Christmas is a threat to Christians everywhere. PC-police and social justice warriors are attempting to bring about a world in which we say â€Å"happy holidays† instead of â€Å"merry christmas;† a world in which Starbucks cups are merely red and green for a few weeks- with no sign of Christ, a tree, or Santa Claus on the entire cup. Where is our love for religion? Where is our dedication to Christian values? Where is our deeply held belief in Santa Claus, Rudolph, and that little New Year’s Baby? Obama has even renamed the White House Christmas tree the â€Å"Holiday Tree.† Why must they target Christmas? I hold that Christmas remains the primary target of all grinches because it is objectively and undoubtedly the best holiday of all time. Our assailants know that they must defeat us by attempting to abait our Christmas cheer, by attempting to destroy our love of mistletoe, and by attempting to remove our favorite carols from malls across America. But we can withstand this injustice no longer. It is time to launch back with all of our effort, spirit, and stamina. It is time to muster all of our strength and defend the true Christmas spirit. For this reason, I’ve drawn up a modest proposal for a counterattack in the heart wrenching War on Christmas. I propose that we pass a national law mandating an extension of the Christmas season to 365 days per year. You heard me right, folks. I am proposing a year-round celebration of Christmas. Every mall in the United States will echo with Christmas carols 24/7, spurring on Christmas gift shopping. Every home will be decorated with a fragrant, beautiful pine tree in its living room. Santa Clauses will be set up on every corner, and ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas will become ABC Family’s 365 Days of Christmas. Even better, federal law will require a detailed depiction of the crucifix on each and every grande Starbucks cup. Tall cups will be decorated with a holly wreath, and ventis will display the three wisemen. I suppose that my heartless opponents will attempt to find flaws in my foolproof plan. They may argue that celebrating Christmas all year round diverts attention from lesser-known, less important holidays- that it’s unfair to people who celebrate things like Divalidan or Chanukwanzah. However, Christmas is simply a better holiday, and deserves more attention, joy, and frenzy surrounding it. I know that people of other religions will agree, and eventually, through the constant celebration of Christmas, they will come around to join us. Never fear, dear readers, I have nothing to gain from this proposal. In fact, I am far from having any sort of monetary or power-seeking motive in this endeavor, as I do not celebrate Christmas. The war on Christmas is an inherent violation of our God-given right to shove our religion down everyone else’s throats. Never again will someone tell me â€Å"happy holidays† or to enjoy my â€Å"winter break.† It’s time to take a stand in defense of the Christmas spirit. My fellow Americans, join me in defending your Christian morals. Join me in defending Santa, Rudolph, and Frosty. Join me in celebrating the best movies, songs, and sweaters of all time. Join me in saying â€Å"Merry Christmas-† all year.