Best War Ever Essay Example for Free

Best War Ever Essay The Causes of World War II History 1302 In the book The Best War Ever: America and World War II by Michael C.C. Adams, Adams discusses the misconceptions about world war two that America had and still has today. Through the title, one can assume that Americans came out of the five year war with a positive view. This was due to the way theatre and television portrayed it to the public, and like naà ¯ve children America ate it up. Television and other media didn’t want America to see the true horror that actually took place overseas, but what they didn’t know was how mislead America was going to become. This essay will discuss the argument Adams creates in chapter 6 about how sugar coating the war for America, was in a sense best for them, but for small businesses, immigrants and teens it was a different story. Before World War II became the center of attention in America, people lived their everyday lives. Most were small business owners that were just trying to make a living. As the war went on overseas, Pearl Harbor was attacked, which led to the U.S. joining the war. Do to this sudden need to protect our country, America became â€Å"obsessed† and young men volunteered to fight for the country they loved. Everyone including women and children had this attitude of supporting the troops and doing everything they could to help out, by women working jobs in factories that were originally created for men. As these factories like Ford, Coca-Cola, and Wrigley’s grew, â€Å"World War II undermined the world of the small producer in business and agriculture, completing the triumph of large corporations†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (The Best War Ever: America and World War II, 1994)1. Small businesses closing down wasn’t the only cause of America joining the war but also, families losing their homes, farms, towns, and well basically their lives. These people had to move to bigger cities where factories that were being recognized, due to the war, were the o nly jobs available. While factories grew, violence towards immigrants grew as well. Due to Pearl Harbor being attacked by the Japanese, Japanese-Americans were seen as a threat and removed from their homes and put into detention centers. â€Å"More  than two-thirds of the Japanese who were interned in the spring of 1942 were citizens of the United States.† (Japanese Relocation Centers: During World War II, nearly 120,000 Japanese Americans were under lock and key, 2007)2. President Roosevelt felt that they were a threat to America and that anyone of them could be a spy. African-Americans were facing hard times as well, though racism was still going strong, many African-Americans were being attacked and miss treated because of mixed work environments as Adams states in his book (1994) â€Å"A white man in a wildcat strike at a Packard plant said ‘I’d rather see Hitler and Hirohito win the war than work beside a nigger on the assembly line.’†3 Wives of African-American men in the army were also treated as lower class while the American women would get preferred treatment. Another race that was targeted were American-born Hispanics. Teen Hispanics began to form gangs and â€Å"challeng[e] the traditional restraints of their behavior†. They did this by wearing zoot Suits. Because of this new fashion trend amongst Hispanics, military men began to harass and ended up creating a riot known as the â€Å"Zoot Suit Riot† . In this riot military and Hispanic men attacked each other but only the Hispanic teens got arrested for the violence. As immigrants were mistreated, young American teens were feeling a sense of freedom, this was due to the lack of parental control. â€Å"More girls got pregnant. And the venereal disease rate rose : between 194 and 1944, New York City’s VD rate among girls aged fifteen to eighteen years old increased 204 percent.† (The Best War Ever: America and World War II, 1994)4. Teens were getting into trouble cutting school and joining gangs. It was hard for schools to maintain a strong education among the youth and so a decline in intellectual quality began in young Americans. Media also had a small part to play in this lack of education. Mass entertainment was trying to win over the youth through T.V. and movies and because of this the armed services saw that students in this generation weren’t as prepared as generations before them, they lacked skills learned in high school. But one reason that as a main factor were the number of jobs that were available. Teens were able to get a job as young as thirteen years old, even though the job wasn’t helping out the war, money made the youth feel free like they could do anything they wanted, which they did. In conclusion, World War II in a sense was the best war ever but for small businesses, immigrants and teens, it was a war that ended up changing tradition into trends and  violence. Americans w ere blinded and lied to and through this it brought grave consequences . â€Å"†¦ it is the danger of arrogance and hubris – that is, the danger of going to war because a nations leaders are convinced of their own righteousness, or have persuaded themselves and the public that a foreign country should be attacked because its government or society is not merely alien, hostile or threatening, but evil.(The Good War Myth of World War Two, 2008)5. Bibliography Michael C. C. Adams, The Best War Ever: America and world War II (Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press, 1994) Japanese Relocation Centers: During World War II, nearly 120,000 Japanese Americans were under lock and key, 2007 http://www.infoplease.com/spot/internment1.html The Good War Myth of World War Two, May 24, 2008 http://www.ihr.org/news/weber_ww2_may08.html

English Language Essays Learning Styles

English Language Essays Learning Styles Free Essays English Language Essays An examination of learning styles and typologies in a language classroom. plan, teach / act, observe and reflect Sue Davidoff and Owen van den Berg, 1990 The Observation Myobservation was undertaken at the British Council in Kuwait/Gulf Region. The observation class was of mixed nationality ArabicLanguage speakers at Intermediate level. There were twenty students in total,80% males to 20% females. The class comprises of 30% students, 60% working orprofessional people 10% homemakers others. The age range isbetween 20 to 55 years. The class is halfway through a 6 months languagecourse. I observed and was involved in a 90 minute lesson focusing onvocabulary, reading and speaking. At the end the teacher answered my preparedquestionnaire. The followingessay consists of a brief theoretical, analytical and practical examination of learningstyles and typologies in a language classroom and how best to plan for them. Itincludes an analysis of specific elements from the observed lesson put in thecontext of theory and intended future practise. To support thelesson, the teacher used the white board, an overhead projector with onetransparency and three handouts. Whole class work focused on provision ofvocabulary and contextualisation of the material. The material was real andrelevant to contemporary interests and cultures. The teacher used discussionstarters to motivate and encourage student interest and involvement (asAllwright and Bailey advise, 1991) Responses were elicited from the class andsupported through teacher modelling of pronunciation and writing on the whiteboard. Individual work was limited. The teacher had established small groups(three to four students) aimed at balancing ethnic background and gender. Research shows theimportance of understanding and catering for different learning styles andcognitive strategies. When a learning style is not catered for, the studentcan easily become bored and inattentive, do poorly on tests, getdiscouraged about the course, and may conclude that they are not good at thesubjects (Zhenhui, 2001). Various parameters have been constructed fordefining students preferred way of learning, such as Knowles (1982) concrete,analytical, communicative and authority-orientated learning styles (cited inRichards, 1994). Another defines the groups as auditory, visual andkinaesthetic learning styles (Krause et al, 2003, pp154-155) whilstfigure 1 gives a representation of student and teacher inter-reactionsdependent on learning styles. Some researchers such as Richards (1994, pp.59-77)consider an individuals culture as vital to understanding learning styles. Ladson-Billings(1995) advocates a method of Culturally Responsive Teaching which integratescultural points of reference through out the learning process. Others disagree(Kubes, 1998, cited in Krause) and cite more universal forms of learning. This class wasboth interested and engaged in its learning. However, during the interview,the teacher expressed a wish that there was more time for individual tailoring.The teacher acknowledged that this would better cater for the range oflearning styles. More concrete resources (actual materials eg fruit, etc) andincreased use of visual aids (magazines, more transparencies, laminatedpictures) may also help to convey understanding and increase retention. Two tests wereused during the class one was a linking exercise and one a reading exercise.The teacher finished the lesson with each student expressing an opinion on anarticle using the lessons language. Whilst these were not formal tests, theyinvolved assessment strategies. As Nunan points out (1990, p62) assessmentcontributes part of the information for student evaluation. As this infers, thetools for student assessment, be they observational, formative or summative,need to balance with an understanding of the bigger picture. For example, thegoal may be to allow students to understand, practise and develop their own languageand learning strategies (see Hismanoglus exploration of Language LearningStrategies, 2000) be they direct or indirect strategies (Oxford, 1990, p9).Most students require clear and precise scaffolding (Vygotsky, in Krause, 2003,pp60-65) to develop their metacognitive practises for making meaning. Assessmentcan act as a benchmark to the success of the learning pr ocess and show theteacher areas that need to be covered again or in a different way. There is no spacehere to do full justice to the impact of the learning environment upon studentsyet it needs inclusion for a balanced understanding of students learningstyles. Suffice it to say that, as Nunan and Lamb say (1996), the teacherneeds to aim for a safe, positive and progressive environment that encouragesstudent participation, thinking and risk-taking. Much as assessment is an endresult of reflection upon what one wants to define, the learning environmentshould be based upon a thorough understanding of theoretical aspects. Forexample, traditional teaching methods tended towards a unitary approach tointelligence. Contemporary theories, such as Gardners work on multipleintelligences (cited in Krause et al, 2003) allow for the inclusion ofvariable factors that define a students strengths and weaknesses. Many agreewith Wilsons (1998) assertion that Gardners MI theory helps teachers createmorepersonalized and diversified instructional experiences and develops empoweredlearners (http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/mi/wilson1.htm) This holisticapproach agrees with an understanding of other influences upon learning, Maslowshierarchy of needs for example (see Figure 2), or Bronfenbrenners (1979)ecological systems theory. These ecological factors encourage moreintegrated forms of assessment and are particularly useful in understandingvarious forms of washback (see Cushing Weigle, 2002) that may result. Othermore structured tests such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indications Survey, (Myers McCaulley, 1985) may also have their place. The teacher usedgender and ethnic background to balance the groups. The groups worked welltogether in a pro-social manner. However, Woods encourages consciousexamination of an educators own attitudes, especially when the may cause subconsciousactions and opinions to form (Woods, 1996). Should the two parameters ofgender and ethnicity become constraints, then they are not valid means of groupconstruction. Sometimes is appeared that not all group members contribute intheir cooperative learning. However, research has shown that even those who donot appear to be so communicative do benefit to a degree from the listening andprocessing that this format provides. It may be that they are better atworking individually and as such should have the opportunity to do so. The teacher usedelements of the 3 Ps approach presentation, practise, production. However,as the lesson transcript shows, the language was expanded in what became moreof a Harmer-style engage study activate method. I would like tolist the implications for my own teaching under the following points: Use a wide range of teaching strategies and styles to ensure comprehension eg support spoken material with writing on the white board, leave the transparency up on the overhead projector, bring in concrete materials, provide visual clues, model your required responses, set short, realistic goals and review and recycle often. (Antonaros, 2005 ), role play, use song. Use methods according to the area you wish to cover, the materials you have prepared and present concisely and precisely. If the area is suited best to direct instruction then use it, if student-centred instruction or co-operative groups then vary accordingly. Motivation and interest are paramount, but sound understanding is the goal. Prepare your materials so that they are interesting, real, relevant, encourage thinking whilst supporting language development. Take an action research approach to (for example Wrights, 1987, 2005) to develop a thorough understanding of my students learning and cognitive styles and my own attitudes. Use active listening to understand, modelling to improve and discussion to encourage communication Use teacher modelling strategies to develop the students autonomous language learning skills as exemplified by Lowes and Target (1998) in Helping Students to Learn. Providing a positive learning environment where mistakes are not derided Assign homework that re-caps and therefore re-enforces the issues covered in the lesson. Ensure equity in communication make sure everyone has a chance to speak. Everyteacher who has taught a group of grown-ups knows that some individuals may bereluctant to speak, especially when they realize or assume that other studentsare more fluent. (Turula,2002) References Allwright, D. Bailey, K. (1991). Focus on the LanguageClassroom. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Antonaros, S. (no date) Looking Inside and Out for the Answer toMotivating Our Learners http://www.tesolgreece.com/nl/75/7505.html)Accessed 7th February 2006 Davidoff, S., Van Den Berg, O. (1990) Changing YourTeaching. The challenge of the classroom. Pietermaritzburg: CentaurPublications Gardner, H. (1983) Frames of Mind. New York: Basic Books, Harmer, J (1998) How to Teach English. Harlow, UK: Longman Hismanoglu, M. (2000) Language Learning Strategies in ForeignLanguage Learning and Teaching, The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. VI, No.8, August 2000 Knowles, L (1982) Teaching and Reading. London, UK: NationalCouncil on Industrial Language Training. Krause, K., Bochner, S., Duchesne, S. (2003) EducationalPsychology for learning and teaching. Southbank, Victoria: Thomson. Kubes, M (1998) Adaptors and innovators in Slovakia: Cognitive styleand social culture. European Journal of Personality, 12(3), pp.187-198 Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). But thats just good teaching! The casefor culturally relevant pedagogy. Theory into Practice, 34(3), 159-165. Lowes, R. Target, F. (1998). Helping Students to Learn.London: Richmond. Malamah-Thomas, A. (987). Classroom Interaction. Oxford, UK:Oxford University Press. Nunan, D., Lamb, C. (1996). TheSelf-Directed Teacher. Cambridge, UK : Cambridge University Press. Oxford, R. (1990). Language Learning Strategies: What EveryTeacher Should Know. New York, USA: Newbury House Publishers. Richards, J.C., Lockhart, C.L. (1994). Reflective Teachingin Second Language Classrooms. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Richards, J.C. Nunan, D. (eds.). Second Language TeacherEducation. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Turula, A (2002) Language Anxiety and Classroom Dynamics: A Study ofAdult Learners. Forum English Teaching Online, US Dept of State, Vol.40 (2). http://exchanges.state.gov/forum/vols/vol40/no2/p28.htm#top Wilson, L (1998). Whats the big attraction? Why teachers aredrawn to using Multiple Intelligence Theory in their classrooms? http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/mi/wilson1.htmAccessed 7 February 2006 Woods, D. (1996) Teacher Cognition inLanguage Education. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press Wright, T. (1987). Classroom Management inLanguage Education. Hampshire, UK: Palgrave Macmillan Wright, T. (1987). Roles of Teachers andLearners. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Zhenhui, R. (2001) Matching Teaching Styles with Learning Stylesin East Asian Contexts, The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. VII, No. 7,July 2001 Matching teaching styles: http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Zhenhui-TeachingStyles.htmlaccessed 3 February 2006. Language Learning Strategies: http://iteslj.org/Articles/Hismanoglu-Strategies.htmlaccessed 3 February 2006 Maslows Heirarchy of Needs, Huitt, 2004, http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/regsys/maslow.html.Accessed 7 February 2006 Language Teaching http://www.ittmfl.org.uk/modules/effective/6a/paper6a4.pdfaccessed 5 February 2006

Role of the Media in Political Conflict Resolution

Role of the Media in Political Conflict Resolution An Analysis of the Media’s role in Political Conflict Resolution   Abwino Kumchenga CHAPTER THREE  III. METHODOLOGY The study was aimed at analyzing the role that the media can play in efforts to resolve conflicts incited by politicians. It was based on the Libertarian theory of  Ã‚  Communication  to vary what the media has to do in times when the conflict has risen to try to bring about mutual understanding among the various groups that may not be in good terms at a particular moment. Studies were conducted that involved people working in the media sector both private as well as public media houses including the actual people affected by such conflicts on the ground. Theoretical Framework This research was centered on media houses and personalities role in resolving political conflicts through their various ways that they can play in the process of resolving such conflicts, therefore it will focus on the communication theory of Libertarianism. Media has absolute freedom of expression, media as a watchdog, the press’ attacks on government policies are accepted and even encouraged but it is accountable (Roderick Long: philosopher). Other studies have shown how the state abuses the broadcasting sector in Malawi especially the two state broadcasting entities, MBC radios 1, 2 and Television, situations that eventually lead to political confusion as it is the norm among the different parties that have so far run the Malawi government. This development has seen to it that the state broadcaster usually becomes the mouthpiece for the party ruling the country at any particular time. This has been observed through the kinds of programming and how the content in such progr ams is perceived by the public. However, private media houses are not exempted in this matter, as far as the state broadcaster has to a larger extent been pro government in terms of programming, there have been others that have been highly anti government and have done their work to address political needs of opposition parties that are either affiliated to such stations or simply because the general public has in mind the fact that even if they may try to approach the public broadcaster for political advertisement, they cannot be treated just the same as private media houses can. â€Å"The obstacles facing journalism in Malawi are many, but by far the largest problem is that of political interference in the work of the media. Politicians currently control over 90% of Malawi’s media. The sole television station is state-owned and is very much under the control of politicians from the political party in power. Not surprisingly, the news content on TV Malawi is biased towards the ruling party. For example, the station runs a weekly programme called â€Å"Know your Member of Parliament†. Ever since it started last July, only MPs from the party in power have been featured, though the present Malawi Parliament has about the same number of MPs on the ruling side as in the opposition. The national radio station is worse. On it, low key party functionaries from the ruling side are allowed to castigate their opponents and glorify the Head of State. Opposition parties are not allowed a similar chance, thereby denying them the right to reply.† (Kumwe nda, 1999)  All this should not be part of METHODOLY. Find  another section appropriate for this information. Am thinking  Liturature  Review. Type of Design and the Assumptions that underlie it This study was based on qualitative research design and partly utilized the quantitative method to achieve the results of the case under study. It was the researcher’s assumption that since the study was on the role that can be played, it highly involved views of such personalities from different media houses like Zodiak Broadcasting Station’s political department, former employees of the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation, and on the other hand were some employees from Blantyre Newspapers Limited. Not only were the views of such personalities utilized but also the views from the public at a selected site in Lilongwe Rural for validation purposes to the expected results. It is in this line that the quantitative research approach found its sole importance in the study as it was used to vary the figures arrived at in the process of coming up with the results through the various interviews that were conducted. Role of the Researcher The researcher is a qualified personality as far as conducting of this study was concerned. The main role of the researcher was to find out through this study, the role that the media can play in the process of political conflict resolution in regard to the fact that it is through the media that different political parties voice out their ideas to the public. Hence the media has a better stand when it comes to contact with such people and can be the right choice for intervention on political conflicts or misunderstandings. It should be noted that the researcher conducted this study as a partial fulfillment for obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication at the African Bible College. The researcher assumes that the people who were interviewed or asked to fill prepared questionnaires gave the necessary information since they were believed to be professionals in the field. And also the other group that was questioned from the general public was also expected to give the de sired information as they are the ones affected mostly by the issues that arise due to the misunderstandings that the main players in the political arena undertake. Selection and Description of the Study Sites and Participants The researcher intends to conduct structured interviews, at the highest level of the interviewees were several media house personalities in a bid to collect the necessary data for the study. The other level of interviews will be in a form of Questionnaires that will be prepared to collect data from groups with varying ages at Church level at Kaning’a CCAP in area 47. This is the way most of the data was collected through people’s participation in their responses to the questionnaires. The age groups were structured in terms of youths and adults and their gender inclusive, in order to determine the impact that the work of Journalists, media houses and the main players the politicians themselves that they have incited which has led to conflicts. Data Collection Strategies The interviews were conducted with different media house personalities ranging from those with Radio and Television work experience with private and state run stations to print media personalities to share their experiences in their work. Such data together with the data that was collected through the questionnaires that were produced and handed out to different age groups at Kaning’a CCAP Church formed the largest part of the data for this research. The data collected from the people at the church was treated as first hand information from the public itself hence not only getting the facts from the media itself but also those people on whom all those actions determined by politicians and the media falls on, that is those that get affected by the decisions made by those with the power to speak out in whatever way they can through the media, be it through the Radio, Television and also the print media and in this case the newspaper in particular. Data Analysis Strategies To analyze the data that was collected, SPSS statistical software will be utilized, in addition to that, Microsoft Excel will also be used to assess the findings. Basing on the outcomes of the findings, the researcher dwelt much on analyzing and eventually interpreting the data as collected from the respondents both at the highest and the second level of interviews. It is from the analysis of the collected data that conclusions will be made about the opinions and facts as heard from the respondents through the interviews and questionnaires that were prepared in the course of conducting this study. Methods of Achieving Validity To prove the validity of the data collected in this study, the statistical software used in this research (SPSS), (Microsoft Excel) will be fed with the data. After feeding the computer software with the information, it will therefore with its capability prove whether the collected data will be valid or not, be it in terms of its collection or the approaches used to arrive at the desired data in this process.  Sort out your margin for this section REFERENCES Kumwenda Peter(1999). Politics and the Media in Southern Africa. Durbun, South Africa.  Konrad Adenaeur Foundation. CHAPTER FIVE  V. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION Discussion In this section, the researcher’s emphasis is on the incorporation of what other writers have written about in their books and papers as recorded by the researcher in the literature review section of this study with the information that was found and decisions arrived at in the process of data collection for this study. From the responses given both by the general public as well as the people from the different media houses with regard to the guiding question that the researcher had in mind when conducting this study;  which was:  Ã‚  What  role can the media in Lilongwe play in times of political conflict  to  help  resoluse  matters  ?. It has been the researcher’s observation from the responses that yes there is a role that the media can play in trying to resolve conflicts among politicians and also help to avoid inciting conflicts. The general public touched on areas like being biased and not reporting fairly as some of the issues roaming around the media circle which brings about misunderstandings and confusion among the general public but the people themselves hoped that things can change for the better if the media practitioners can conduct themselves in a proper manner and also through fair means of reporting whatever they may be expected to report. Looking at what the media practitioners themselves commented when they were given a chance to speak about this topic, most of them indicated that indeed there are several roles that the media is expected to play in times when conflicts among politicians arise and they further talked about what they can even do to avoid such issues from emanating within the society because of their influence. Most of the respondents that participated were people with Radio, Television, and Print experience, these were media practitioners from the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation, Zodiak Broadcasting Station, Nkhoma Radio Station and Blantyre Print and Packaging Limited. The practitioners were most ly in agreement with each other in terms of their comments, for example the issue of reporting without taking sides and regardless of any political affiliation. This is in line with what others have written before as indicated in the literature review as Puddephatt (2006) in his  Voices of War:  Conflict and the role of the media  book writes â€Å" in addition to the representation of the groups they are reporting on – in this case parties to the conflict – journalists also present their own views and interests†, from that it has to be noted that media practitioners as human beings also have their say on whatever issues they may come across with but they need to be professional in these issues and that implies reporting matters just the way they are as they happen and keep their opinions to themselves. One interesting side that the media practitioners touched on that was related to what is in the literature reviewed by the researcher was about consulting the media ethics and code of conduct first which is a challenge for most journalists practicing their services in a country where politicians own some of the media houses. Nymnjoh (2005) in his book,  Africa’s Media, Democracy and the Politics of Belonging  added that in Southern Africa it is particularly true of Malawi, where most of the so-called independent papers that were established before the 1994 elections ‘are privately owned by opposition parties, the state, government ministers or other politicians in their personal capacities’, with the sole aim of smearing political rivals. This development may be a good one but very tricky for someone working with such media houses owned by politicians because the people in politics may indeed in some instances influence their workers in this case journalists inclusive to write or broadcast that which is of interest to them hence promoting hate journalism. In situations as such it is very crucial for an individu al working in such kind of media to stick to the codes of ethics and conduct but the issue seems to be very different with regard to Malawi where most of the times others have just given in to the needs of their bosses. The researcher was of the view that this may be so sometimes simply due to the fact that not all of the media personalities may be well trained in these issues, but as a professionally trained journalist, the researcher believes that a journalist without knowledge of the media code of ethics and conduct may not be viewed as a  well-trained  practitioner and one who is ready to go into that field. On the other hand, the researcher was of the view that of course they may have undergone such training, but since it is a job and one tries to be submissive to his or her bosses and that is why it is easy to give in and simply do as the boss wishes yet knowing from deep down their hearts that what they are doing is not right. However the researcher thinks that that can a lso be another topic of study on its own if the readers can view it well and deeply think about it. Almost all of the media practitioners that participated in this research took the view of fair reporting, reporting issues just the way they are, without exaggerating and not putting words in people’s mouths but just to let the respondents answer the way they want and not to judge things on their own but to leave it up to the audience to come up with conclusions on what they have heard through the media. Conclusion This study was conducted in order to find out the role that the media can play in times when there is already a conflict in the political arena in the city of Lilongwe and what they can do to help resolve such disputes, and specifically it was aimed at getting the views from the members of Kaning’a CCAP church and also various media practitioners from different media houses with a varied range of media experience. The results according to the responses given to the researcher through the questionnaires that were prepared showed that indeed there are several roles that are there that the media can play in trying to resolve conflicts among politicians in Lilongwe. Not only did the general public confirm that the media really stands a better chance to bring about solutions in political conflicts, but the main players, the media practitioners themselves also agreed that indeed to a greater extent there are bigger roles that people in the media can play looking at them as the bridg e between the politicians and the general public. This according to the researcher proved to be a success in itself in that what the researcher was looking for through conducting this study as guided by the main research question came to light through the responses that the people themselves gave. The correlation of the responses from the general public with those from the people practicing their services in the media showed that really there is a lot that the media is expected to work on Recommendations Having conducted the study, collecting the necessary data, analyzing the data and coming up with conclusions basing on the findings in this paper, the researcher however has several recommendations to the various media practitioners and the different media houses in Lilongwe. In as much as everybody has his or her own view in a particular story or event as it may occur, there is a greater need for the people in the media to weigh the issue at hand and present it in a manner that will be appropriate to the audience regardless of their gender, race, occupation and even political affiliation. This will help to prevent cases of violence and not only that but also the media practitioner him or herself may also end up tarnishing their own image in the industry and being someone famous this can also ruin one’s career as people will definitely associate that particular individual with such kind of behavior. It should hereby be understood that the role of a journalist is to get informa tion as quick as possible to help boost the station’s popularity, but one thing that has to be put into consideration is the fact that putting words in people’s mouths is as costly as killing someone, it has to be noted here that should one report something not factual, if the people involved in that story end up not receiving the issue well, then your own words would surely come back to you and be dealt with accordingly. It is therefore of significance to be professional in the conduct of duties as media personalities. Working in the media should never be taken as an act of simply working in order to please one’s boss but to work with an aim of serving the needs and aspirations of the intended audience at large. Media bodies that watch the actions of media houses and personalities in general need not to look upon such kind of practitioners and houses that practice their work in manners that are not professional as they are expected. A good example is what the M alawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) is currently doing as the country is drawing closer to this year’s tripartite elections, calling upon the general public to report to the body if they suspect that any media house’s conduct seems to be leaning towards the interest of specific political parties, that development is a good one since the media would thereby be held accountable for their actions as in accordance with the stipulations of the communication Act. REFERENCES Nyamnjoh Francis B (2005).  Africa’s Media, Democracy and the Politics of Belonging. Pretoria,  RSA, UNISA Press. Puddephatt Andrew (2006).  Voices of War:  Conflict and the role of the media. International  Media support.

Colonialism and Post Colonial Ethnic Conflict in East African Countries

From the end of the nineteenth century until the attainment of independence in the early 1960s, the countries of East Africa were under the colonial administration of European empires. After decades of foreign rule which saw unparalleled transformations within society, the post-colonial states that emerged have been blighted by ethnic conflict. It has been argued that the beliefs of British, Belgian and German administrators led them to completely reorganise the societies they governed based on a fictitious ‘tribal’ model, and in the process they invented ethnicity. There is a great deal of debate on this matter, though, and its continued relevance to contemporary politics only makes it more vigorous. Before we go on to analyse to what extent it may have been invented under colonial rule, we need to first of all establish just what exactly is meant by the term ‘ethnicity’. It is a complicated as well as a contentious question, interpreted in a variety of different ways that can depend on political beliefs, social status, place of birth and personal history. Clearly, if we are to talk about ‘ethnicity’ without descending into an exhausting debate on linguistics and semantics, it is necessary to take for granted a certain degree of generalisation. We can say that all human beings, broadly, do belong objectively to some form of ‘ethnicity’; that is, a social group whose members they are linked with through a shared culture, religion, territory, language, or genealogy. What varies greatly is the awareness of this connection, and the importance an individual places upon it. The term ‘tribe’ would further complicate the debate, and serve no other purpose than to draw discussion away from the process of invention; the main focus of... ...nd every aspect of life from marriage to choice of profession was influenced by the ethnic group you belonged to. Transience, multiplicity, and change were the key words, though. One can say that what the colonial governments actually invented, and what has often left such a painfully devastating legacy, was not ethnicity itself, but the codification of ethnic groups in national laws, the exclusivity of groupings, and the bringing to the fore of a person’s ‘tribe’ at the expense of all other means of identification. You no longer merely took comfort from being part of a Tutsi community, you were a Tutsi from the day you were born until the day you died, and the course of your life would be decided for you based on this label. Rather than inventing it, colonialism destroyed ethnicity’s one defining characteristic in the East African context: its ability to transform.

Osama Bin Laden’s Claimed Motivations for 9/11 are False Essay

Osama Bin Laden’s Claimed Motivations for 9/11 are False Where did the animosity which lead to the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001 originate? It is obvious at this point in time that the leader of the al Qaeda network, Osama bin Laden, was the mastermind behind the attacks, but the reasons why the attacks occurred and the fact that a small majority of people can support such acts remains very unclear. Osama bin Laden stated in his February 1998 Fatwah, â€Å"The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies- civilians and military- is an individual duty for every Muslim.† When examining the three direct reasons given by Osama bin Laden to kill Americans his reasoning based on factual evidence veers far from the truth and his reasoning based on religion is not a true reflection of the Islamic religion thus creating an illogical argument. Osama bin Laden’s reasons for killing Americans and their allies are insufficient in the sense that his claims about United State’s motivations are wrong and that his justific ations are not rooted in the Muslim religion. In looking specifically at each of Osama bin Laden’s reasons their invalidity as well as, their true purpose, to create an uprising amongst his followers to succeed in his Fatwah, to kill Americans and their allies becomes apparent. Osama bin Laden refers to his reasons as facts. In his first fact he addresses the issue of the United States presence in Holy Middle Eastern places. He believes that the United States is there for the wealth and not only to harass Iraq, but other Muslim countries. Osama bin Laden must have forgotten that in Iraq invading Kuwait it was a breech of International Law and had that not happened the United States presence would not have r... ... Islamic countries. Bernard Lewis also raised an additional point that Osama bin Laden felt he had to fight the United States because there was no one else who could since the fall of the Soviet Union. Osama bin Laden has made such allegations against the United States not because they are true, but only to help him in his ultimate goal of proving to the World that the Islamic world can defend itself and that he is capable of it. He also made such allegations to try to unite the Islamic world in hopes that an Islamic state may rise. Works Cited Alexander, Yonah, and Swetnam, Michael S., Usama bin Laden’s al-Qaida: Profile of a Terrorist Network, Transnational Publishers, September 2001 Bergen, Peter, Holy War, New York: Free Press, 2001 Lewis, Bernard, The Revolt of Islam, The New Yorker, November 19. 2001 Miller, Judith, Interview PBS, 2001

Drag in aircrafts

There are four forces that act on an aircraft in flight: lift, weight, thrust, and drag. Aircraft’s motion in air is dependent on the relative magnitude and direction of these forces. Fig -1 below shows the direction of these forces. Fig 1 (Benson, 2006) The weight of an airplane is always directed towards the center of the earth. The thrust is normally directed forward along the center-line of the aircraft. Lift and drag are aerodynamic forces on the airplane.Drag acts in a direction opposite to the motion of the aircraft and hence is sometimes referred to as the aerodynamic friction, while lift force acts perpendicular to the motion. An aircraft is in a state of equilibrium when the thrust and drag are equal and opposite. It will continue to move forward at the same uniform speed. If thrust or drag becomes greater than the opposite force, the aircraft loses its state of equilibrium. If thrust is greater than drag, the aircraft will accelerate. If drag is greater than thrust, the aircraft will lose speed and eventually descend.When lift and weight are equal and opposite, the airplane is in a state of equilibrium. If lift is greater than weight, the aircraft will climb. If weight is greater than lift, the airplane will descend. Drag is the aerodynamic force encountered as an airplane pushes through the air, which tends to slow the airplane down. Drag is generated by the contact of a solid body with a fluid, in this case due to the interaction between the plane body and air. Drag force, which is a mechanical force, is generated by every part of the airplane including the engines.It is a vector quantity i. e. has both magnitude and direction. Drag must be overcome by thrust in order to achieve forward motion. Drag is generated by nine conditions associated with the motion of air particles over the aircraft. Although prediction of drag and wind tunnel drag measurements of models yield good results, final drag evaluation must be obtained by flight tests. Sou rces of Drag in aircrafts Drag can be thought of as aerodynamic friction, and one of the sources of drag is the skin friction between the molecules of the air and the solid surface of the aircraft.Drag can also be thought of as aerodynamic resistance to the motion of the object through the fluid. This source of drag depends on the shape of the aircraft and is called form drag. As air flows around a body, the local velocity and pressure are changed. Since pressure is a measure of the momentum of the gas molecules and a change in momentum produces a force, a varying pressure distribution will produce a force on the body. This causes pressure drag. As an aircraft approaches the speed of sound, shock waves are generated along the surface.There is a drag penalty, known as wave drag that is associated with the formation of the shock waves. The magnitude of the wave drag depends on the Mach number of the flow. Ram drag is associated with slowing down the free stream air as air is brought i nside the aircraft. Jet engines and cooling inlets on the aircraft are sources of ram drag. (Benson, 2006) There is an additional drag component caused by the generation of lift, known as induced drag, is the drag due to lift. It is also called â€Å"drag due to lift† because it only occurs on finite, lifting wings.This drag occurs because the flow near the wing tips is distorted span wise as a result of the pressure difference from the top to the bottom of the wing. Swirling vortices are formed at the wing tips, which produce a downwash of air behind the wing which is very strong near the wing tips and decreases toward the wing root. The local angle of attack of the wing is increased by the induced flow of the down wash, giving this, downstream-facing, component to the aerodynamic force acting over the entire wing. Types of Drag in aircrafts There are several types of drag: form, pressure, skin friction, parasite, induced, wave and ram.However, form, pressure, skin friction, wave and ram drags are collectively known as parasite drag. Hence, there are only two types of drag: parasite and induced Parasite drag – Profile or parasite drag is caused by the airplane pushing the air out of the way as it moves forward. The parasite drag of a typical airplane consists primarily of the skin friction, roughness, and pressure drag of the major components. Some additional parasite drag is also due to things like fuselage upsweep, control surface gaps, base areas, and other extraneous items.The basic parasite drag area for airfoil and body shapes can be computed from the following expression: f = k cf Swet, where the skin friction coefficient, cf , which is based on the exposed wetted area includes the effects of roughness, and the form factor, k, accounts for the effects of both super-velocities and pressure drag. Swet is the total wetted area of the body or surface. Computation of the overall parasite drag requires that we compute the drag area of each of t he major components (fuselage, wing, nacelles and pylons, and tail surfaces) and then evaluate the additional parasite drag components described above.Hence it is written as: CDp = S ki cfi Sweti / Sref + CDupsweep + CDgap+ CDnac_base + CDmisc, where the first term includes skin friction, and pressure drag at zero lift of the major components. cfi is the average skin friction coefficient for a rough plate with transition at flight Reynolds number. Equivalent roughness is determined from flight test data. (http://adg. stanford. edu/aa241/drag/parasitedrag. html) Induced drag – Induced drag is the part of the force produced by the wing that is parallel to the relative wind, i. e. the lift.As it is a consequence of the vortices it is sometimes called vortex drag. Induced drag is least at minimum AOA and is greatest at the maximum AOA i. e. angle of attack. Induced drag = (k ? CL? / A) ? Q ? S where A is the wing aspect ratio. (Preston, R) The magnitude of induced drag depends on the amount of lift being generated by the wing and on the wing geometry Long, thin (chord wise) wings have low induced drag; short wings with a large chord have high induced drag. An airplane must fight its way through both kinds of drag in order to maintain steady flight.. Total drag is a sum of Parasite and Induced drag. Total Drag = Parasite drag + Induced drag However, the total drag of an aircraft is not simply the sum of the drag of its components. When the components are combined into a complete aircraft, one component can affect the air flowing around and over the airplane, and hence, the drag of one component can affect the drag associated with another component. These effects are called interference effects, and the change in the sum of the component drags is called interference drag. Thus, (Drag)1+2 = (Drag)1 + (Drag)2 + (Drag)interference (Johnston, D)Generally, interference drag will add to the component drags but in a few cases, for example, adding tip tanks to a wing , total drag will be less than the sum of the two component drags because of the reduction of induced drag. Total drag and its variation with altitude The equation for total drag is: D = CD x S x ? rV2 (Preston, R) where, CD is the coefficient of drag. It must be subdivided into two parts, the Cdi (Coefficient of induced drag) and CDp (Coefficient of parasite drag. ). Therefore it can be written as: D = (Cdi + Cdp) x S x ? rV2 (Preston, R)The airplane's total drag determines the amount of thrust required at a given airspeed. Thrust must equal drag in steady flight. Lift and drag vary directly with the density of the air. As air density increases, lift and drag increase and as air density decreases, lift and drag decrease. Thus, both lift and drag will decrease at higher altitudes. Fig 1 shows the total drag curve which represents drag against velocity of the object. The fuel-flow versus velocity graph for an air graph is derived from this graph, and generally looks as shown in Fig 2 Fig – 1 (Preston, R) Fig – 2 (Preston, R) From the above drag it is seen that the total drag is minimum at a certain velocity. This occurs when the parasitic drag is equal to the induced drag. Below this speed induced drag dominates, and above this speed parasite drag dominates. Design engineers are interested in minimizing the total drag. Unfortunately many factors may conflict. For example, longer wing span reduces induced drag, but the larger frontal area usually means a higher coefficient of parasite drag. Conversely, a high wing loading (i. e.a small wing) with a small aspect ratio produces the lowest possible parasite drag but unfortunately is the produces for a lot of induced drag. In recent time it is seen that jet airliners have longer wings, to reduce induced drag, and then fly at higher altitudes to reduce the parasite drag. This causes no improvement in aerodynamic efficiency, but the higher altitudes do result in more efficient engine operation. (Preston, R) Angle of Attack (AOA), is the angle between the wing and the relative wind. Everything else being costant, an increase in AOA results in an increase in lift.This increase continues until the stall AOA is reached then the trend reverses itself and an increase in AOA results in decreased lift. The pilot uses the elevators to change the angle of attack until the wings produce the lift necessary for the desired maneuver. Besides AOA other factors also contribute to the production of lift, like relative wind velocity and air density i. e. temperature and altitude. Changing the size or shape of the wing (lowering the flaps) will also change the production of lift. Airspeed is absolutely necessary to produce lift.If there is no airflow past the wing, no air can be diverted downward. At low airspeed, the wing must fly at a high AOA to divert enough air downward to produce adequate lift. As airspeed increases, the wing can fly at lower AOAs to produce the needed lift. This is why airplane s flying relatively slow must be nose high (like an airliner just before landing or just as it takes off) but at high airspeeds fly with the fuselage fairly level. The key is that the wings don't have to divert fast moving air down nearly as much as they do to slow moving air.Air density also contributes to the wing's ability to produce lift. This is manifested primarily in an increase in altitude, which decreases air density. As the density decreases, the wing must push a greater volume of air downward by flying faster or push it down harder by increasing the angle of attack. This is why aircraft that fly very high must either go very fast e. g. Mach 3, or must have a very large wing for its weight. This is why the large passenger airplanes cruise at higher altitude to reduce drag, and hence save on the furl costs.(â€Å"Aircraft for Amateurs†, 1999) Small sized aircrafts have lower than normal Reynolds number. The drag coefficient attributable to skin friction is hence high er for the small aircraft. For this reason, the maximum lift-drag ratios characteristic of business jet aircraft tend to be lower than those of the large transports. Hence, the smaller flights can fly at relatively lower altitudes. References Books John A. Roberson & Clayton T. Crowe, 1997, Engineering fluid Mechanics, 6th ed. , John Weily & Sons Inc. , ISBN 0-471-14735-4.Clement Klienstreuer, 1997, Engineering Fluid Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-49670-5 Websites â€Å"Aircraft for Amateurs†, 11th Jan. 1999 http://www. fas. org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/intro. htm Benson, T. , â€Å"The Beginner’s guide to Aeronautics†. , 14th March 2006 http://www. grc. nasa. gov/WWW/K-12/////airplane/ Johnston, D. , â€Å"Drag†, http://www. centennialofflight. gov/essay/Theories_of_Flight/drag/TH4. htm â€Å"Parasitic Drag†, http://adg. stanford. edu/aa241/drag/parasitedrag. html Preston, R. , â€Å"Total Drag† and â€Å"Flight Controls† , http://selair. selkirk. bc. ca/aerodynamics1/

An American novelist Essay

An American novelist, historian, and literary historian-that was Alfred Bertram Guthrie, Jr. Having shown an excellent writing style and due to his love of Montana he went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for his fiction The Way West in 1959. This book mainly talks about Dick Summer’s return to the Wild West to guide some settlers on the hard journey to Oregon through a dangerous trail (Joseph, Guthrie, & Peter, 1959, 18). A. B. Guthrie wrote with a unique sense of style, skill, artful simplicity and eloquent sentiment and these are all apparent in the opening, the discovering, the settling, the emergent and the exploiting of the American West. At the point in his life when he was merely a university graduate in journalism, he pioneered the hard knowledge that has helped young novelists ascend to greater heights. Guthrie gave much of himself and his time to advise young writers just as Professor Theodore Morrison, his mentor, did for him. Guthrie’s ability to pay attention to historical accuracy, his love of nature, an unfailing ear for dialect and realistic dialogue and the skill to create unforgettable characters that readers easily adapt to care about are the traits that set him aside from other writers. The distinctiveness of his ability to frame vivid, tightly compressed scenes in which those characters intermingle is pure intellect (Joseph, Guthrie, & Peter, 1959, p. 31). In defining the American experience, Guthrie’s The Big Sky is a big aid in attempting to understand the conflict during this time. It provides descriptive evidence of the attitude of pioneers, the readiness of the pioneers, the empathy for the land that fur-trappers and backwoodsmen had during that time and how all the diverse people merged to form a nation. Guthrie’s most outstanding accomplishment is demonstrated in his ability to affirm the range, complexity, and the intensity of the colonization of the Missouri and Columbia drainage basins by real people which was his large subject (Joseph, Guthrie, & Peter, 1959, p. 45) . Work Cited Joseph Howard, A. B. Guthrie & Peter Hurd. Montana: High, Wide, and Handsome. Yale University Press, 1959, 18, 31, 45