Dubai is an example of modernity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Dubai is an example of modernity - Essay Example With the discovery of oil in 1966, coupled with the vision on leadership of His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Dubai quickly expanded in the latter half of the 20th and early part of the 21st centuries to become one of the world’s foremost tourist destinations with world class hotels, entertainment, shopping, and sporting events. Dubai stands out today as a model in the Middle East for a modern, sophisticated Muslim society, steeped in tradition, but always striding forward with an eye to the future and leading the Middle East and the world in attracting businesses with a world-class cultural and economic base. It has thus become in international city with economic and cultural impact far beyond its borders. Prior to 1833, there was little that existed on the Saudi Arabian peninsula but a finger of desert separating the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf. All that existed in this small peninsular area was a creek, which was settled by some 800 members of the Bani Yas tribe, led by the Maktoum Family (Government of Dubai). As a natural harbor, the creek allowed the Maktoum Family to utilize its resources for fishing, pearling, and trade. In 1835, Dubai and the rest of the small states in the region signed a â€Å"Perpetual Maritime Truce† with Great Britain, allowing it to come under the protection of the UK. (Dubai City Guide). Unlike its neighbors, Dubai stood out with its welcoming attitude and fostering of trade and commerce, led by the rulers from the founding Maktoum Family. With the vision and leadership of Shaikh Saeed Maktoum, Daubai was encouraged to expand and look forward, toward the future, in an area which had traditionally looked toward the past. In 1892 he signed an exclusive business deal with the British and in 1894 permitted a full tax exemption for foreign traders (SkiDubai). Traders from all over the world descended on Dubai to take advantage of the

Electronic Gadgets Like Apple iPod - A Boon or Bane Essay Example for Free

Electronic Gadgets Like Apple iPod A Boon or Bane Essay It has become a necessity. But like everything in universe, electronic gadgets too have two sides to them. I am a house wife. I remember very clearly that evening when my husband came home, beaming from ear to ear. He had got a hefty refund on filing his income tax return. And my first reaction was buy me a washing machine. And I was on cloud nine when my first ever washing machine was delivered. Because I must confess that I hate washing even a small hanky with hands. Over the years I surrounded myself with various electronic gadgets. Latest models replaced old ones. I had the same excuse every time that this one works better. Microwave, toaster, griller, refrigerator, vacuum cleaners, dishwasher, geyser, air conditioner, and room warmer the list is endless. No household today is complete without these. They are no longer considered luxuries. They make our life easy. It was ok when mistress of the house stayed back and looked after the house. But today 99% of women are working. They have to balance both home and office. These gadgets are any home makers friends. Electronic gadgets have brought entertainment right inside our living rooms. Today we could see the majestic full solar eclipse taking place in Kabul while sitting in India. Television and Internet has brought the world together. We all are citizens of a large global village. Computers and laptops are now part of commercial life at all levels. Corporate offices, business houses, railways, banks, post offices are dependent on computers. Work, which used to take hours to complete are just done with a click of mouse. And you can carry your office with you where ever you go that is if your spouse has no objection. Cell phones, iPod, digital cameras, the list is endless. Technology has made our life comfortable rather too comfortable. And this is a cause of concern. No I have nothing against electronic gadgets. I am against our dependency on these gadgets. We fail to perform in their absence. They are meant to serve us and not to rule us. Today we can watch solar eclipse taking place in Kabul, but fail to hear cries of distress in our neighborhood. Our children are turning computer savvy, but they have not experienced the simple pleasure of climbing up a tree. We have become so used to of air conditioners that breathing in fresh air makes us sick. This dependency is making us physically sick. See the obesity rate in the world all over, especially the developed countries. List of diseases are also endless like endless gadgets. Lets not make them our masters.

Abortion - Slaughtering the Young :: abortion argumentative persuasive argument

Abortion - Slaughtering the Young Abortion, the easiest way to fix one's mistakes. I mean, if one is going to screw around and accidentally get knocked up, why should they have to be responsible for the outcome of messing around. Why not just murder the unborn child. That is what goes on daily, slaughtering of young, innocent children, that if born, would easily find a home. What did they [the unborn child] do wrong? Oh nothing, it's just that the mother and/or father are just so lazy and irresponsible that they would rather see their child be butchered than have to change it's diaper or feed it. Society today does not respect life and therefore accepts the murdering of unborn children. A major factor that is missing is society in today's world are moral values. If people actually had morals, then abortion might not occur. No matter what anyone argues, abortion is murder, plain and simple. How could one deny that when a doctor grabs his forceps and crushes a child's skull and sucks out what was once a brain, how could they say that is not murder, how could someone get away with doing this. Then again people ask that same question about OJ. There are many abortion-slaughter techniques that are used today. Examples are the Dilatation and Curettage (D&C) where a loop shaped steel knife is inserted and the child is cut into pieces, also there is the Dilatation and Evacuation (D&E) where the doctor uses forceps with sharp metal jaws and tears the child apart, piece by piece. Usually the head is hardened to bone and must be compressed or crushed in order to get it out. Another highly controversial technique that is getting a lot of publicity nowadays is the partial birth method. This procedure in performed in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy or between 20 to 32 weeks, sometimes later. Now according to Abortion: Some medical facts, a book printed by the National Right to Life, the partial birth technique is performed like this: "Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist reaches into the uterus, grabs the unborn baby's leg with forceps, and pulls the baby into the birth canal, except for the head, which is

Heroic Virtue in Othello Essay -- Othello essays

Heroic Virtue in Othello  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello puts on exhibit an obvious hero and other not-so-obvious heroes. Let us examine them all in this essay.    The supreme type of hero in this play did not occur overnight to the playwright. Rather he slowly built upon one hero after another in his plays until his work culminated in the Moor. A. C. Bradley, in his book of literary criticism, Shakespearean Tragedy, describes the development of the Shakespearean super-hero in Othello:    And with this change goes another, an enlargement in the stature of the hero. There is in most of the later heroes something colossal, something which reminds us of Michelangelo’s figures. They are not merely exceptional men, they are huge men; as it were, survivors of the heroic age living in a later and smaller world. [. . .] Othello is the first of these men, a being essentially large and grand, towering above his fellows, holding a volume of force which in repose ensures pre-eminence without an effort, and in commotion reminds us rather of the fury of the elements than of the tumult of common human passion. (168)    The character’s attitude toward life is certainly a criterion for heroism. Is he heroic in what he does? H. S. Wilson in his book of literary criticism, On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy, discusses the general’s heroic attitude in the final scene of the play:    In the final scene of Othello, the hero, with that utter lack of self-consciousness of self-criticism which is the height of human vanity, strikes a heroic attitude, makes an eloquent plea for himself, at the height of his eloquence stabs himself – and the innocent spectator feels a lump in his throat or dissolves in te... ... of the play is a pleasant surprise.    Despondent Othello, grief-stricken by remorse for the tragic mistake he has made, acts heroically, following the example of Emilia. He stabs himself and dies on the bed next to the one he has wronged.    WORKS CITED    Bradley, A. C.. Shakespearean Tragedy. New York: Penguin, 1991.    Gardner, Helen. â€Å"Othello: A Tragedy of Beauty and Fortune.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from â€Å"The Noble Moor.† British Academy Lectures, no. 9, 1955.    Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.    Wilson, H. S. On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy. Canada: University of Toronto Press, 1957.               

Journal Article Analysis Essay

Current views of the world, desires, dreams, goals, and the demands placed upon society are constantly transformed by present epistemological beliefs. Schommer-Aikens and Hutter (2002) investigated the relationship between an individuals’ belief about knowledge, learning or epistemological beliefs and how this relates to average conversational issues (Schommer-Aikens , Hutter, 2002). Using a study group of 174 adults ranging in age from 17 to 71, Schommer-Aikens and Hutter (2002) posed questions assessing beliefs of knowledge and the speed control of learning. Feldman addressed how assumptions become scientific knowledge by stating â€Å"Sometimes we know things by reasoning or inference. When we know some facts and see that those facts support some further fact, we can come to know that further fact. Scientific knowledge, for example, seems to arise from inferences from observational data† (Feldman, 2003, p. 3). Understanding how assumptions move into scientific knowledge it becomes apparent how these assumptions are qualified in research. The authors used regression analysis to quantify the assumptions of the participants as they relate to knowledge, learning, multiple perspectives, and ultimately the development of epistemological beliefs. This analysis will further identify philosophical assumptions underlying the research; explain the practical significance of these assumptions and their effect on its applicability to other authors and post-positive thinkers. Philosophical Assumptions Underlying the Research Feldman (2003) stated that epistemology, the theory of knowledge is a philosophy that looks into the questions about knowledge and rational. Epistemologist`s tend to focus or concentrate on questions of principal aspects involving knowledge and how those beliefs regulate coherent belief. Those within the field are less concerned about the validity of knowledge or  coherent belief, be it correct or incorrect but focus more on causes (Feldman, 2003, p. 1). To that extent Schommer-Aikens and Hutter (2002) conducted a survey of 174 participants, including 120 women and 54 men. The ages of the participants ranged from 17 to 71 years of age and included various personal and educational backgrounds. Through the Schommer epistemological questioner participants, including chemical engineers, clerks, homemakers, factory workers, pharmacists, and teachers of both genders. These participants were asked a number of questions that incorporated religious, educational, societal and personal belief s. Questions were ranked in a likert- type scale ranging from strongly disagrees to strongly agree (Schommer-Aiker, Hutter, 2002). Philosophical Assumptions Schommer-Aikens and Hutter state â€Å"The results coming from epistemological research suggest that individual`s beliefs about the nature of knowledge and learning are linked to their comprehension, metacomprehension, interpretation of information and persistence in working on difficult academic tasks† (Schommer-Aikens, Hutter, 2002, p. 6). The authors contend that individuals who believe knowledge is isolated into segmented bits and not taken as a sum total perform more poorly in the compression of mathematical, physiological, and medical textbooks (Schommer-Aikens, Hutter, 2002). This statement confirms that knowledge or epistemological commitments are a collection of data and understanding and not segmented or isolated bits of information. The assumption is those who tend to segregate knowledge and who do not attain a higher degree of education have difficulty in their own epistemological commitments. This is further evident in the writings of Quine and Kuhn as these authors beleive â€Å"science is a continuation of common-sense† (Delanty & Strydom, 2003, p. 22). According to these authors common, everyday decisions made by the common man and woman play a significant role in the creation of science. Whereas the purpose of the epistemological study was to extend epistemological beliefs to an individual’s everyday life, it was also designed to reflect on academic studies. This particular article using the Schommer epistemological belief survey makes several assumptions. Those assumptions state those with a higher level of education are more likely to take on multiple perspectives,  withhold decisions until information was available, acknowledge the complexity of everyday issues and were willing to modify thought processes or thinking (Schommer-Aikens, Hutter, 2002). The inference is those who take knowledge as a collection of data, not as segmented bits along with the attaining of a higher level of education were equipped for complex or critical thinking. This enabled each to understand the complexity of life, make crucial decisions, understand varying viewpoints and able to adapt as understanding grew. These assumptions have a practical significance and affect research. The Practical Significance of Assumptions and Their Effect on Research Inferences and practical assumptions are drawn during the research of this article, and one could argue some of the assumptions made were drawn before the research study ever began. Through personal epistemological beliefs society has long held the conviction those who attain a higher level of education are able to deal with the complexities of life. The practical significance of assumptions and their effect on the research conducted are visible in the work of Johnson and Duberley as they state â€Å"both within and outside of our organizations our behavior is internally motivated, and internally justified, by what we believe about â€Å"the World† (Johnson & Duberley, 2000, p. 2). Often in preparing for such a survey the focus group of participants used along with the questions themselves distort the data and thus the results to achieve a desired result. While in this case the participants have diverse backgrounds and have achieved differing degrees of education, making such assertions could distort data. Assumptions and Research Methodology Kuhn preferred historical science and by building upon prior knowledge Kuhn (2012) believes this research and evidence was already available enabling that data to be tested using deferring mechanisms to either prove or disprove a current or prior theory. While not opposed to the empirical testing, it was his belief that details must be obtained for research. It is through this historical science and data that assumptions within society and within science about our understanding of epistemological belief have come into existence. Popper states the empirical method makes good use of a  criticized approach to the method (Delanty & Strydom, 2003). The empirical method tests each system ensuring the best system moves forward after all methods have been tried, tested, and proved. Schommer-Aikens and Hutter (2000) used questions, including â€Å"You never know what a book means unless you know the intent of the author† and â€Å"It’s a waste of time to work on problems whic h have no possibility of coming out with clear-cut and unambiguous answers† (Schommer-Aikens, Hutter, 2000). These answers along with others were used as a measurement in epistemological belief comparing their answers and their level of education to gauge how those answers compared with historical norms (Schommer-Aikens, Hutter, 2000). This data was then taken and a regression model developed to extract the stated research and ultimately assumptions made. Schommer-Aikens and Hutter (2000) in turn came to the same assumptions and epistemological commitments already held within social and physical science to date. The research quantified and validated the assumptions held by historical science that one’s epistemological beliefs are shaped and re-shaped by the ability to link through learning, multiple perspectives, and ultimately the development of epistemological beliefs. The ability for humans to use successfully address complex issues, attain paradigm shifts in their understanding of the world and develop are inevitably linked with thought processes and knowledge gained through high er education. Conclusion A person’s thoughts, feelings, emotion, and beliefs often shape ones decision-making process. Other components, including perception, memory, introspection, and reasoning also assist in the formation of opinions, shape our knowledge, and transform an individual’s viewpoint (Feldman, 2003, p. 3). Perception is how one sees the world around them, the sights, sounds, smells, and other senses creates an understanding of the external environment creating a mental image and often places an attachment to it. Through their research Schommer-Aikens and Hutter (2002) investigated the relationship between and individuals’ belief about knowledge, learning or epistemological beliefs and how this relates to average conversational issues (Schommer-Aikens , Hutter,2002). Using the regression model the authors quantified the beliefs and assumptions the conclusion of which is a culmination of historical science supported by this recent research. While  post-positive thinking like Kuhn, Quine, and Popper may differ in view about the empirical method, testing, and paradigm shifts as theories change over time the core belief of epistemological commitment remain comparable. A sentence sums up this article and the accompanying research as it pertains to epistemological belief. Those with a higher level of education are more likely to take on multiple perspectives, withhold decisions until information was available, acknowledge the complexity of everyday issues and were willing to modify thought processes or thinking (Schommer-Aikens, Hutter, 2002). References Delanty, G. & Strydom, P. (Eds). (2003). Philosophies of Social Science: The Classic and Contemporary readings. Philadelphia, Pa: Mcgraw-Hill. https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content Feldman, R. (2003). Epistemology. Prentice Hall. The University of Phoenix. https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content. Kuhn, T. (2012). The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Chicago, Il. University of Chicago Press .https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content. Schommer-Aikins, M., & Hutter, R. (2002). Epistemological Beliefs and Thinking About Everyday Controversial Issues. Journal Of Psychology, 136(1), 5.https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content. Johnson, P. & Duberley, J. (2000). Understanding Management Research: An Introduction to Epistemology. Thousand Oaks CA. Sage Publishing. Prentice Hall. https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content.

Holes - Book Report essays

Holes - Book Report essays Holes, written by the excellent author, Louis Sachar, is an adventure and mystery book with a humorous touch. The story takes place mainly at the hot and humid Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention facility where there is no lake, and no happy campers. In place of what used to be "the largest lake in Texas" is now a dry, flat, sunburned wasteland. It hasnt rained there for over a hundred years. The only living plants there were two large trees and a hammock stretched out between the trees. Of course, no one was allowed to lay on it except for the Warden or else theyd get in a lot of trouble. A log cabin was behind the trees and thats where the Warden spent most of her time. Camp Green Lake was pocked with countless identical holes dug by boys to improve their character, or at least thats the reigning philosophy at Camp Green Lake. The story takes place in the present time but contains flashbacks of over one hundred years ago to explain how the whole plot started. There were five larg e tents at the camp. A, B, C, D, and E were for the campers and tent F was where the counselors slept. Stanley was assigned to D tent. The three most important characters in this book are Stanley Yelnats a.k.a Caveman, Hector Zeroni a.k.a. Zero, and Linda Miller, the warden at Camp Green Lake. Stanley Yelnats (notice the palindrome) IV, an overweight teenage boy is the main character. He was falsely accused of stealing Clyde Sweet Feet Livingstons shoes. Clyde Livingston was a famous baseball player. He had donated his shoes to an auction and the profit, estimated at $5,000, was going to be given to the homeless shelter. Stanley was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. He had missed the school bus home that day because he had to fish his notebook out of the toilet because a bully, Derrick Dunne dropped it in there. He was walking home when the shoes came down from the sky and hit him on the hea...

Animal Farm Quotes Essays

Animal Farm Quotes Essays Animal Farm Quotes Essay Animal Farm Quotes Essay Napoleons own creation. Why, then, asked somebody, had he spoken so strongly against it? Here Squealer looked very sly. That, he said, was Comrade Napoleons cunning. He had seemed to oppose the windmill, simply as a maneuver to get rid of Snowball, who WA s a dangerous character and a bad influence. 22 From now onwards Animal Farm would engage in trade with the neighbor g farms: not, of course, for any commercial purpose, but simply in order to obtain certain mat aerials which were urgently necessary. The needs of the windmill must override everything else 25 It was about this time that the pigs suddenly moved into the farmhouse and t k up their residence there. Again the animals seemed to remember that a resolution gag insist this had been passed in the early days, and again Squealer was able to convince them that this was 5 not the case. It was absolutely necessary, he said, that the pigs, who were the brains Of the farm, should have a quiet place to work in. It was also more suited to the digging itty of the Leader (for of late he had taken to speaking of Napoleon under the title of Leader) to live inn house than in a mere sty. Nevertheless, some of the animals were disturbed when t hey heard that he pigs not only took their meals in the kitchen and used the drawings a s a recreation room, but also slept in the beds 26 It says, No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets, she announced finally. Cue rigorously enough, Clover had not remembered that the Fourth Commandment mention Ned sheets; but as it was there on the wall, it must have done so. And Squealer, who happen d to be passing at this moment, attended by two or three dogs, was able to put the whole ma utter in its proper perspective 27 but it was cruel work, and the animals could not feel so hopeful about it as the eye had felt before. They were always cold, and usually hungry as well. Only Boxer and Cool ever never lost heart. Squealer made excellent speeches on the joy of service and the dignity of labor, but the other animals found more inspiration in Boxers strength and his universal inning cry of l will work harder! In January food fell short. The corn ration was drastically reduce d, and it was announced that an extra potato ration would be issued to make up for it. The n it was discovered that the greater part of the potato crop had been frosted in the cal MSP, which had not been covered thickly enough. The potatoes had become soft and disclose red, and only a fewer edible. For days at a time the animals had nothing to eat but chaff a ND mangles. Starvation s eemed to stare them in the face 28 When the hens heard this, they raised a terrible outcry. They had been Warner d earlier that this sacrifice might be necessary, but had not believed that it would really hap pen. They were just getting their clutches ready for the spring sitting and they protested that to take the eggs away now was murder. For the first time since the expulsion of Jones, there w as something resembling a rebellion. Led by three young Black Minor pullets, the hens m dad a determined effort to thwart Napoleons wishes. Their method was to fly up to the rafters and there lay their eggs, which smashed to pieces on the floor. Napoleon acted SW fitly and ruthlessly. He ordered the hens rations to be stopped, and decreed that any animal giving so much as a grain of corn to a hen should be punished by death. The dogs saw t o it that these orders were carried out. For five days the hens held out, then they capitulated and went back to their nesting boxes. Nine hens had died in the meantime. Their bodies were e buried in the orchard, and it was given out that they had died of acidosis. Whimper hear d nothing of this affair, and the eggs Were duly delivered, a grocers Van driving up to the farm once a week to take them 30 Suddenly, early in the spring, an alarming thing was discovered. Snowball was secretly frequenting the farm by night! 30 6 Comrades! cried Squealer, making little nervous skips, a most terrible thing h as been discovered. Snowball has sold himself to Frederick Of Pinched Farm, who is even now plotting to attack us and take our farm away from us! Snowball is to act as his guide when the attack begins. But there is worse than that. We had thought that Snowballs re billion was caused simply by his vanity and ambition. But we were wrong, comrades. Do you know what the real reason was? Snowball was in league with Jones from the very start! H e was Joneses secret agent all the time 31 Since Jones had left the farm, until today, no animal had killed another animal 33 If she herself had had any picture Of the future, it had been Of a society Of ann. malls set free from hunger and the whip, all equal, each working according to his capacity, t e strong protecting the weak, as she had protected the lost brood of ducklings with he r foreleg on the night of Majors speech. 34 Ifs no longer needed, comrade, said Squealer stiffly. Beasts of England was t he song of the Rebellion. But the Rebellion is now completed. The execution of the traitors the is afternoon was the final act. The enemy both external and internal has been defeated. In Beasts of England we expressed our longing for a better society in days to come. But the at society has now been established. Clearly this song has no longer any purpose. 34 A few days later, when the terror caused by the executions had died down, so me of the animals remembered ; or thought they remembered ; that the Sixth Com amendment decreed No animal shall kill any other animal. And though no one cared to m mention it in the hearing of the pigs or the dogs, it was felt that the killings which had taken plan CE did not square with this. Clover asked Benjamin to read her the Sixth Commandment, and when Benjamin, as usual, said that he refused to meddle in such matters, she fetch De Muriel. Muriel read the Commandment for her. It ran: No animal shall kill any other animal thou cause. Somehow or Other, the last two words h ad slipped out Of the animals memory y. But they saw now that the Commandment had not been violated; for clearly there was go d reason for killing the traitors who had leagued themselves with Snowball. 35 All relations with Boxwood had been broken off; insulting messages had been sent to Piloting. The pigeons had been told to avoid Pinched Farm and to alter the Eire slogan from Death to Frederick to Death to Piloting. At the same time Napoleon assure d the animals that the stories of an impending attack on Animal Farm were completely unit e, and that the tales about Fredericks cruelty to his own animals had been greatly exaggerate De. All these rumors had probably originated with Snowball and his agents. It now appear De that Snowball was not, after all, hiding on Pinched Farm, and in fact had never been there in his life: he was living ; in considerable luxury, so it was said ; at Boxwood, and had in r laity been a pensioner of Piloting for years past. 38 About this time there occurred a strange incident which hardly anyone was a blew to understand. One night at about twelve oclock there was a loud crash in the y rd, and the 7 animals rushed out of their stalls. It was a moonlit night. At the foot of the en d wall of the big barn, where the Seven Commandments were written, there lay a ladder brook en in two pieces. Squealer, temporarily stunned, was sprawling beside it, and near at hand there e lay a lantern, a paintbrush, and an overturned pot of white paint. The dogs immediately ma De a ring round Squealer, and escorted him back to the farmhouse as soon as he was able to walk. None of the animals could form any idea as to what this meant, except old Benjamin, who nodded his guzzle with a knowing air, and seemed to understand, but would say nothing . But a few days later Muriel, reading over the Seven Commandments to herself, noticed that t here was yet another of them which the animals had 42 Meanwhile life was hard. The winter was as cold as the last one had been, and food was even shorter. Once again all rations were reduced, except those of the pigs and the dogs.