Ferguson Surname Meaning and Origin

FERGUSON Surname Meaning Origin: Ferguson is a patronymic surname meaning son of Fergus. The given name Fergus, comes from Fearghas, derived from the Gaelic fear meaning man, and gus meaning vigor. FERGUSON is the 34th most common surname in Scotland. Surname Origin: Scottish, Irish Alternate Surname Spellings: MACFERGUS, FERGESEN, FERGERSON, FURGUSUN, FERGERSEN, FERGUSSON, FARGUSON Famous People With the Surname FERGUSON Harry Ferguson - Irish inventor and pioneerAdam Ferguson - Scottish philosopher, sometimes called the father of modern sociology.Patrick Ferguson - Scottish officer in the British Army, inventor of the breech-loading rifle. With the help of this weapon, the Americans were defeated at the Battle of Brandywine (1777).Colin Ferguson - murderer found guilty of the Long Island Railroad Massacre Genealogy Resources for the Surname FERGUSON Common Scottish Surnames Their MeaningsUncover the meaning of your Scottish last name with this free guide to Scottish surnames meanings and origins. Common Surnames of IrelandDiscover the meaning of your Irish last name, and find where in Ireland these Irish surnames are most commonly found. Ferguson GenealogyWebsite dedicated to helping Ferguson family researchers connect to their 18th Century Virginia roots. Fergus(s)on DNA ProjectA DNA project spearheaded by the Clan Fergusson Society of North America to create a database of DNA corresponding to different Scottish and Irish subdivisions such as those discussed in Records of the Clan and Name of Fergusson, Ferguson and Fergus, by James Ferguson and Robert Menzies Fergusson, Edinburgh, 1895. Ferguson Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Ferguson surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Ferguson query. FamilySearch - FERGUSON GenealogyFind records, queries, and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Ferguson surname and its variations. FERGUSON Surname Family Mailing ListsRootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Ferguson surname. Cousin Connect - FERGUSON Genealogy QueriesRead or post genealogy queries for the surname Ferguson, and sign up for free notification when new Ferguson queries are added. -- Looking for the meaning of a given name? Check out First Name Meanings -- Cant find your last name listed? Suggest a surname to be added to the Glossary of Surname Meanings Origins. ----------------------- References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames. Avotaynu, 2005. Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia. Avotaynu, 2004. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

The Entry On Diaspora By Simon Dubnow - 963 Words

The entry on â€Å"Diaspora† is by Simon Dubnow, a scholar of Jewish history. Diaspora refers to the exile of Jews from the holy land, and their overall dispersal throughout several parts of the globe, within the America’s, varying parts of Europe, as well as other places within the world. It refers to suggested/implied deracination, legal disabilities, oppression, and an often painful adjustment to a hostland. The diaspora helped to develop institutions, social patterns, and ethnonational religious symbols. Within The Jewish Prototype and Beyond, it states that there are seven specific criteria that need to be followed. These could be seen as â€Å"commandments† in a certain regard. The general prototype includes language, religion, values, social†¦show more content†¦Controversial aspects of Diasporas include language, memory, and/or religion. The Religious Dimension covers the fact that, for the Jews, religion is the most important element of the diaspora. Furthermore, â€Å"many Jews envision Israel as the only country where a full Jewish life can be lived.† What makes the theological aspect of the Jewish diaspora unique is the hostility of Christians, grounded in church teachings. Another feature that is considered peculiar, is that it was â€Å"externally imposed†, and the only way to escape it is to exit the Jewish community. Zionists and Christian evangelists thought the Jewish diaspora must be ended to allow the second coming of Christ. Israel is no longer seen as an â€Å"appropriate homeland† due to it losing its â€Å"romantic allure†, the growing income inequality, pollution, and the poor behaviour towards Arabs. This clashes with the traditions of the diaspora. The pride that was once present in Israel has now been replaced with â€Å"embarrassment†. In Homeland-Diaspora Relation, it states that one of the essential aspects of the diaspora is their transpolitical linkage to the homeland. There have been impacts on the diaspora externally, which have directly involved Israel. The bat-mitsva from the U.S, Judaism coming from Europe and Maimuna flowing from North Africa. Some differing culture patterns were brought back to the hostland. Two examples are the German rank and title system as well as

Talkshow on Rom Whittaker Free Essays

Romulus Whitaker was only four years old when he caught his first snake in the country estate that he shared with his mother and sister in northern New York State. It was the beginning of a fascination with reptiles and a journey to conserve nature. Although born in the United States in 1943, Rom Whitaker grew up in India where he nurtured his passion for reptiles exploring the wild as a student in a boarding school up in the mountains in south India. We will write a custom essay sample on Talkshow on Rom Whittaker or any similar topic only for you Order Now Dr. Whitaker is one of India’s leading herpetologists and conservationists. His efforts have helped to put numerous endangered wildlife on the conservation map. The world-renowned herpetologist and author is changing perceptions of reptiles through his innovative work while championing the cause for conservation of India’s rich biodiversity. (He’s 69) In an exclusive interview Romulus Whitaker shares some of his thoughts and interesting experience through the course of his work. 1. What is it about reptiles that got you fascinated about them? My love affair with reptiles began before my ‘age of reason’, in fact I was catching and keeping snakes at the tender age of 5 years at Hoosick, NY I found my first snake, a Dekay’s snake and I was hooked. I Kept a terrarium full of local snakes and when I was seven I moved to India, the land of snakes. Over the years my interest broadened to all herps. 2. Were your parents or friends influential in your decision to go into herpetology as a profession? My mother in particular was very supportive of my ‘unusual’ interest and bought me books by Pope, Ditmars etc. 3. Where is your favorite herping spot in the world? I guess my best place in Agumbe, Karnataka State, near the west coast of India, where we have one of our research stations. 4. What herp in the wild still gives you chills and sends your excitement levels through the roof? What herp is at the top of your list to find in the wild? I guess the king cobra tops the list but I get great pleasure in seeing any of the wonderful herps we have here in the wild. Well, having found a lot of species in a lot of places I guess it’s just the mere idea of finding ‘new’ species, which I’ve never seen in the wild, which excites me. 5. Aside from the conservation programs you’ve set-up, do you keep any herps as personal pets? Nope, no herp pets. We live on an 11 acre farm with Russells vipers, cobras, kraits, saw-scaled vipers, rat snakes, trinket snakes, vine snakes and so on, so there are rarely ‘dull’ moments here. 6. What’s the best avenue people can help your conservation trusts and efforts? People can donate out right of course but perhaps more of them might be interested in coming over to India on a ‘paying volunteer’ program which allows people to stay on site and do work to help keep the research and general work going, bringing their own special inputs. 7. Any advice for students looking to get into the herpetological field? Handling venomous snakes? I think the best way is to attach yourself to an existing herp program in any capacity just to get that experience and to work with people who are obviously doing it right and learning from them. 8. Do you think the increase of interest in the herp-keeping hobby has helped or hindered reptile amphibian conservation? I can’t say much about the herp keeping hobby, I know that it should be done responsibly and people should learn and know where their animals are coming from. If most of the herps on the market are from captive bred stocks fine, but taking them from the wild can be a fatal rip-off and that has hammered several species worldwide. 9. What are some of the most fascinating aspects of your job as a Reptile Expert? Every day is a fascinating experience, simply because so little is yet known about reptiles, as compared with more ‘obvious’ creatures like birds and butterflies. Perhaps most interesting of all is the fact that once you have studied and been close to reptiles long enough, you realize that they too are complex beings with individual personalities, some nice and some not so nice. Venomous snakes have their tremendous killing power yet they are timid and shy and want nothing more than to stay clear of horribly dangerous human beings. I don’t have dull moments except for when I have to go into the awful city to do some chore like renew my driver’s license! 10. In the course of your career, you must have had several close and dangerous encounters with crocs, komodo dragons and snakes. Is there any incident that stands out in your mind which left you completely speechless? It’s kind of hard to say which experiences stand out as being exciting and memorable, in my kind of life excitement is never far away. Perhaps the incident that sticks in my mind is the first time I encountered a king cobra. It was in Agumbe (where we now have a research station) and I saw the black tail of a large snake disappearing into the bushes. Thinking it was a large, harmless rat snake I did what any snake hunter would do, I leaped on it. I managed to grab the tail and in my now prone position I looked up to see the hood of a large king cobra spread over me and a pair of not so friendly eyes glaring down at me. I needed no more encouragement and quickly released the king cobra’s tail and rolled out of the way. Luckily the snake didn’t want to tangle with me any more than I wanted to tangle with it and it slid away into the forest. Phew! 11. What are the challenges you have faced to dispel some of the misconceptions people have about reptiles? The main challenge is to get people to realize that their old folk tales and beliefs about snakes are usually wrong and that the reality of snakes and other reptiles is of course much more interesting than these old tales. People have a tendency to think that wild animals are ‘out to get them’ when actually it’s just the opposite. 2. Do you think there is adequate support / assistance for conservation of reptiles today or more can be done? How? Certainly reptiles are still not too high in the popularity charts and there is always a need for understanding the misunderstood creatures that we share the planet with. More media exposure to the facts about reptiles, their usefulness to us in controlling rodents and cleaning the wa terways (in the case of crocs) and controlling harmful insects in the case of lizards, will certainly help their plight. 13. What do you hope people will take away from your work and films on reptiles? Is there anything you would like to do in the future? Well, I know people are not going to start hugging reptiles overnight, but I do feel we are making headway by writing, making films and bringing people to the Madras Crocodile Bank and teaching them about the wonders of the reptile world. What will I do in future? Probably just what I’m doing right now. One project is to promote research on snake venoms and the perfection of the anti-venom serum against snakebite in India. All good fun! How to cite Talkshow on Rom Whittaker, Essay examples

American Renaissance free essay sample

Also known as the New England Renaissance, the American Renaissance refers to a period of American literature from the 1830s to the end of the Civil War. The movement developed out of efforts by various American writers to formulate a distinctly American literature influenced by great works of European literature. Yet these novels, poems, and short stories utilized native dialect, history, landscape, and characters in order to explore uniquely American issues of the time, such as abolitionism, temperance, religious tolerance, scientific progress, the expanding western frontier, and the Native American situation. Short fiction of the American Renaissance encompassed a broad range of subjects, settings, and styles—including Gothic romance, detective and horror stories, sea tales, historical fiction of colonial America, and progressive social problem tales, among others—all of which contributed to the first generation of great American literature. Critics consider the shorter work of Herman Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, and Lydia Maria Child, as well as the posthumously published sensational thrillers of Louisa May Alcott, as representative of American Renaissance short fiction. We will write a custom essay sample on American Renaissance or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page These authors viewed the short story or novella as a viable form in which to produce parables that explored literary and political concerns. Critics regard some of the short fiction produced during the American Renaissance as some of the best American fiction ever written. The American Renaissance was closely associated with an intellectual movement known as Transcendentalism, which is a philosophy or system of thought based on the idea that humans are essentially good, that humanitys deepest truths may be formulated through insight rather than logic, and that there is an essential unity to all of creation. Transcendentalism in the United States became popular among scholars, ministers, and intellectuals in and around Concord, Massachusetts. The American Transcendentalists advocated the development of a national culture and efforts at humanitarian social reform, as well as debate on such issues as the abolition of slavery, womens suffrage, workers’ rights, educational innovation, and freedom of religion. The magazine The Dial, founded in 1840 y Margaret Fuller and Ralph Waldo Emerson, served as a forum for the publication of fiction, poetry, and essays by leading American Transcendentalists and writers of the American Renaissance, such as the poet Walt Whitman and the essayists Henry David Thoreau, Bronson Alcott, George Ripley, Fuller, and Emerson. American Renaissance Introduction. Short Story Criticism. Ed. Janet Witalec Project Editor. Vol. 64. Gale Cengage, 2004. eNotes. com. 2006. 13 Aug, 2010 Note: When citing an online source, it is important to include all necessary da tes. The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. †¢ If there are three dates, the first date is the date of the original publication in traditional print. The second is the date of publication online or last modification online. The last date is todays date — the date you are citing the material. †¢ If there are two dates, the date of publication and appearance online is the same, and will be the first date in the citation. The second date is todays date — the date you are citing the material.

Research Paper on Spanish-American War Essay Example

Research Paper on Spanish-American War Essay Spanish-American War Research Paper By the second half of the 19th century the United States declared its sovereignty and became the independent state. The United States were constituted on a strong ideological basis. The prevailing national idea was the aspiration to freedom and the new democratic values. The people of the United States realized their mission to spread the ideals of freedom beyond the boundaries. In 1840’s the leaders and politicians introduced the new term, Manifest Destiny (Manifest Destiny). This term explained and approved the expansion of the American ideals of freedom to the West. The country developed rapidly and there was real need to expand its territory. There were some reasons for such expansion. First of all the land was the indication of wealth for the colonists. There was a high growth of population in the country. The country passed two depressions, in 1818 and 1839. The frontier lands were cheap or even free. We will write a custom essay sample on Research Paper on Spanish-American War specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Research Paper on Spanish-American War specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Research Paper on Spanish-American War specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The 19th century was the century of reshaping the political map of the world. Spain which used to the superpower was loosing its world domination. By the second half of the 19th century Spain had its possessions only in the Pacific, Africa, and the West Indies. Much of the empire had gained its independence and the areas remaining under the Spanish influence were about to demand their independence. Now and then there were revolts in Cuba and the Philippines and the Spanish government had neither financial resources nor appropriate manpower to coup with the numerous revolts against the Spanish rule. The Spanish government found the best solution to build the concentration camps in Cuba for rebels. Faced with defeat, and a lack of money and resources to continue fighting Spanish occupation, Cuban revolutionary and future president Tomas Estrada Palma secured $150 million dollars from a U.S. banker to purchase Cuba’s independence, but Spain refused. He then deftly negotiated and propagandized his cause in the U.S. Congress, eventually securing the bill for U.S. intervention (Wikipedia). On February 15, 1898, the American battleship USS Maine in Havana harbor suffered an explosion and quickly sank with a loss of 266 men. There was no any distinct proved evidence as for the cause of explosion, but the American press declared it was the act of sabotage of the Spaniards. There were suspicions that there was really an act of sabotage but committed by the Cuban revolutionists to involve the United States into the war with the Spaniards in order to liberate Cuba. So, the formal reason for the war between the United States and Spain was doubtful and unclear. The economic background of the US – Spanish war was expressed by Senator John M. Thurston of Nebraska: â€Å"War with Spain would increase the business and earnings of every American railroad, it would increase the output of every American factory, it would stimulate every branch of industry and domestic commerce.†(Wikipedia). U.S. President William McKinley was not a supporter of the war with Spain, but the explosion of Maine and public opinion created by the press forced him to agree with the decision of starting the war. On April 25, Congress declared that a state of war between the United States and Spain had existed since April 21st (Congress later passed a resolution backdating the declaration of war to April 20th). Thus, the formal reason of the war was suspicions of the Spanish sabotage of the US military vessel. The real reason of the war had an economic background. The official aim of the United States was to liberate Cuba from the Spanish domination. These 3 factors constituted the background of the Spanish war. The US – Spanish war was full of controversies. Though the formal cause of the war was the liberation of Cuba from the Spanish rule, the real reason was the expansionism policy of the United States in the Caribbean. The history of the US – Puerto – Rican relations during the war and after it is the vivid example of the controversial position of the United States in the US – Spanish war. Located at the north east of the Caribbean Sea, Puerto Rico was a key to the Spanish Empire since the early years of conquest and colonization of the New World (Marisabel Bras). Of all Spanish colonial possessions in the Americas, Puerto Rico is the only territory that never gained its independence. Internal and geopolitical dynamics during the last quarter of the nineteenth century, nevertheless, brought dramatic political, social, and economic changes to the island, setting the stage for the development of its national institutions and the transformation of its political system as a United States territory during the twentieth century. During the early 1860s, local Spanish authorities, alarmed by conspiracies from separatist groups, applied severe measures against all acts of dissidence on the island. Freedom of the press was non-existent, and group discussions were monitored by the government. The island was ruled by â€Å"leyes especiales†; extraordinary decrees dictated by the Captain Generals, or governors, appointed by Spain. The establishment of liberal government in Spain between 1869 and 1873 led to granting certain rights to Puerto Ricans. Puerto Rico even got its representation to the Spanish Cortes and self governance from Spain. This period of the short-lived self-government experiment came to an abrupt end one month later with the advent of the Spanish-American War. â€Å"Liberating† Caribbean from the Spanish rule the United States realized the significance of its domination over Puerto – Rico. The island’s value to US policy makers was as an outlet for excess manufactured goods, as well as a key naval station in the Caribbean. The Treaty of Paris gave the United States full control over all former Spanish military installations as well as some 120,000 acres of land formerly owned by the Spanish Crown on the island. The main military posts were located in the capital city of San Juan along with military bases in the towns of Cayey, Aibonito, Ponce, Mayaguez, Aguadilla and the adjacent island of Vieques. Puerto Rico remained under direct control of US military forces until the US Congress ratified the Foraker Law on April 12th, 1900, bringing a civilian government to the island (Marisabel Bras). The US occupation of Costa Rica followed by the long term its annexation is one of the main controversies of the US – Spain war, a controversy between the formal cause, liberating Cuba and the real dominative objective in the Caribbean. At 2.34 am GMT and 5.34 am Baghdad Time on 20th March 2003 (9.34 pm EST on 19th March 2003), the armed forces of the United States of America (â€Å"the USA†) and of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (â€Å"the UK†) commenced warlike operations against the Republic of Iraq (â€Å"Iraq†) with air and missile strikes against â€Å"targets of opportunity† in Baghdad. Those strikes were eventually followed up by a ground invasion of Iraq, the overthrow of the Iraqi government and the occupation of Iraq (Legality of the Iraq war). The war in Iraq was a part of anti-terrorist operation commenced by the United States after the cruelest terror act ever committed in the history of mankind which got its name â€Å"9/11†. The terrorism became the plague of the present. Though the advocates of the theory of state by Hobbes consider the war to be the natural state of a man, i.e. a state of war is typical for a human being, a war should at least be accompanied by a certain procedures to make it legal if â€Å"legality of war† is applicable in general terms. First of all if we compare both war conflicts in the history of the United States we understand one similar feature. There are economic reasons in the essence of both conflicts. In the case of the Spanish war it was cited by the words of Senator John M. Thurston of Nebraska above. In order to understand the reasons and backgrounds of both wars it is necessary to realize the global political situation preceding both wars. The second half of the 20th century was marked by the Cold War, a strong confrontation of two superpowers, USSR and the United States. That confrontation sometimes approached the military conflict in its development. The thesis â€Å"what is bad for my opponent is good for me† was used throughout this confrontation by both opposing sides. The post-World War II history of relations of the United States and the USSR was the history of the superpowers confrontation. Several times world was under the threat of the global nuclear catastrophe. When the USSR started its aggression in Afghanistan the United States supported the Anti – Soviet regime in Afghanistan. After the collapse of the USSR the usual permanent threat for the United States from the â€Å"Empire of Evil† disappeared but there were a number of groups and regimes provided with the modern arms and technologies by the superpowers. These regimes and groups created their activity on the basis of terrorism, neglecting the norms of the international laws and headed by the irresponsible arms race. Afghan, Iraq and other regimes were among them. The 9/11 became a milestone in the history of global security. It created the distinct borderline between two epochs, an era of military support of â€Å"enemies of my opponent† and the era of realizing that the terrorism regime does care who his enemy is, the most important is the presence of such enemy or if he is absent he should be nominated. The international community got the new global threat but it was not ready to coup with it from the military, political and legal points of view. The formal reasons of both wars where unclear and unjustified. There was neither proved evidences of attack of Maine by the Spaniards no possession of the mass destruction weapon by Saddam Hussein. Spanish war spread beyond Cuba involving a number of countries into it. One of them was Puerto Rico. During May 1898, Lt. Henry H. Whitney of the United States Fourth Artillery was sent to Puerto Rico on a reconnaissance mission, sponsored by the Army’s Bureau of Military Intelligence. He provided maps and information on the Spanish military forces to the U.S. government prior to the invasion. On May 10, 1898, U.S. Navy ships were sighted off the coast of Puerto Rico. Spanish gunners stationed at Fort San Cristobal fired the first shot (a 15-cm breech loaded Ordonez rifle round), missing the USS Yale, an auxiliary ship under the command of Capt. William Clinton Wise. Two days later on May 12, a squadron of 12 U.S. ships commanded by Rear Adm. William T. Sampson bombarded San Juan, Puerto Rico. During the bombardment, many buildings were shelled, terrifying the population of San Juan. On June 25, the Yosemite blocked San Juan harbor. On July 18, General Nelson A. Miles, commander of the invading forces, received orders to sail for Puerto Rico to land his troops. On July 21, a convoy of 3,300 soldiers and nine transports escorted by the USS Massachusetts sailed for Puerto Rico from Guantanamo, Cuba. On July 25, U.S. troops landed at Guanica, Puerto Rico and took over the island with little resistance (Wikipedia). The result of the Spanish war was the United States gained all former colonies of Spain in the Caribbean and Cuba was granted formal independence but this independence was formal and there were a lot of restrictions imposed by the United States. The results of the Spanish war proved the economic basis of the war. The Spanish – American war opened the expansionism policy of the United States. It created very dangerous precedent the consequences of which present nowadays. It showed that the territorial expansion may be done by the war means, the economic goals could be gained by the military conflicts. â€Å"Congress had passed a resolution in favor of Cuban independence before the war started. When the war ended, Congress debated reneging on this promise, but eventually agreed to Cuban independence. However, the Senate passed the Platt Amendment as a rider to an Army appropriations bill, forcing a peace treaty on Cuba which severely curtailed its freedom of action in foreign affairs and allowed the United States considerable freedom to intervene in Cuban affairs. It also provided for the establishment of a permanent American naval base in Cuba, which would lead to the establishment of the base still in use today at Guantanamo Bay. The Cuban peace treaty of 1903 would govern Cuban-American relations until 1934.† (Wikipedia) The United States annexed the former Philippines, Puerto Rico and Guam. Thus the United States became the imperial power with the foreign colonies. It contradicted to the very essence of the United States and its declarations on the independence and democracy. This caused strong opposition inside the country on one hand but it also gained the support of a part of a population heated by the slogans on the pride and the self esteem of a nation. One more very important effect of the American – Spanish war was that it united the nation, the South and the North of the United States. The common enemy made both parties, which had been involved into the Civil War, forget their antagonisms. The annexation of Puerto Rico has been going on up to now. The liberation of Cuba being the major reason of the Spanish war led to the annexation of Puerto Rico and this could not meet an approval of Puerto Rico people. Ramon Emeterio Betances wrote â€Å"I do not want us to be a colony, neither a colony of Spain nor a colony of the United States.† (Wikipedia). On the other hand the Puerto Ricans being the residents of the United States Commonwealth voted to reject the complete independence, but still they are exempt from Federal income tax and other provisions of Federal regulation. One of the lessons of the Spanish war for the United States was the United States at the end of the nineteenth century recognized that its military forces had faced serious organizational, logistical, and medical challenges in that conflict. The war clearly pointed to a need for military reform in the United States, and in its aftermath Congress enacted some critical reform legislation (Hendricks, Charles). Similar lesson was obtained during the Iraq war or the anti-terrorist operation in Iraq. The events of 9/11 made all countries, and the United States in first turn realize a new global threat, a threat of terrorism. The United States of America happened to be unprepared to this new threat. The 9/11 attacks showed that the police methods of preventing the threat of terrorism were insufficient. The terrorists have necessary finance, contacts, and combatants to commit actions which according to their tragic consequence may be compared with those of the military war or operations. The response to those cruel attacks against civilians should have been done by all means. The only question arises on the adequacy of these responses. On the other hand, after finishing the Cold War the problem of proliferation the weapon of mass destruction became of the high importance for the former opponents, the United States and the ex-USSR. Both parties are not interested in the mass destruction weapon proliferation. The main reason of such change is the change of political priorities and inability to control the regimes which would have an access to nuclear or any other mass destructive weapon. On the other hand the attacks 9/11 indicated that the threat does exist and there is no guarantee that the world is safe if terrorists would have the mass destruction weapon. On the other hand, terrorists are not associated with any country directly and the problems of national security which deterred the arms race and the use of weapon do not exist for the terrorists. The terroristsâ €™ organizations may get the nuclear weapon and support from the existing regimes. That means that adequate measures should be taken against the regimes which support terrorists. The next very important question is the legitimacy of such actions from the point of view of the international law. The next question which is no less important than the previous one is if terrorists associated with some particular country, i.e. with its rulers, how legal are the military actions against the entire country. All these questions are similar to those which were on the eve of the American – Spanish War. In the first case there was an attack on Maine, and then the military actions as a response and America annexed some territories, namely Costa Rica as a result. The Iraq war may be considered as the repetition of the historic scenario occurred long ago which led to the war with Spain. The Iraq war is the first war in the history of mankind objected to mass destruction weapon deterrence. The logic of this war is rather controversial. If we link Iraq to 9/11 attacks, as it was done by the Bush Administration, then there is no logic in the war at all. If Hussein had something common with Al-Qaeda and possessed the Weapon of mass destruction, the question is why he did not use his weapon or provide Al-Qaeda with his weapon to commit attacks on the United States. Hussein could not under evaluate the response of the United States no matter what kind of weapon was used. The mass destruction weapon and terrorist attack would cause the similar reaction of the United States. Another question is no less important and maybe even more is the question of the Iraq war legality. The United States assumed the possibility of the preventive wars. If the preventive wars are considered to be legal then what is the legality of such wars. What criteria should define when the war is the only one possible action aimed to prevent the proliferation of the mass destruction weapon? Three types of legislation are involved into the issue of Iraq war and these legislations at least have to answer the question on conformity of the war commencement to the laws. The United States made its best to involve its allies to Iraq war to make it some kind of lawful. The Great Britain entered the war in alliance with the United States. According to the UK legislation, the UK constitutional settlement, a decision to declare war or to commit the armed forces of the Crown to warlike operations is a matter of the Royal will (â€Å"the Royal Prerogative†). In the case of the Iraq, Parliament was asked to authorize the invasion of Iraq by resolution, and the Public Administration Committee of the House of Commons is now looking at ways to develop a new mechanism by which certain categories of Prerogative powers, such as that of going to war may, only be exercised with the consent of Parliament (Legality of the Iraq War). Though the United States acquired the support and assistance of its allies, one of them, the Great Britain acted contradicting its national legislation while joining the United States in Iraq campaign, i.e. illegally. The leaders of the two belligerent powers, the United States of America and the United Kingdom put forward rather different justifications for the invasion of Iraq before the invasion and, since the invasion, as pretexts advanced at the time have proved unjustified, they have shifted their ground. The Bush pretexts for the invasion of Iraq were: that Saddam Hussein’s regime had links to the Al Quai’da terrorists who were responsible for the 11th September 2001 twin towers atrocity in New York; that the Saddam Hussein regime possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction which could fall into terrorist hands; The Blair pretext was limited to the second Bush pretext. Blair acknowledged right from the start that there were no substantiated links between Saddam Hussein and Al Quai’da. In fact Blair’s real reason for joining Bush’s war was his personal belief that the United Kingdom must always support the United States of America in any war (Legality of the Iraq War). The position of the United Nations towards the war conflict in Iraq was expressed by Secretary General Koffi Anand. â€Å"The United Nations secretary general, Kofi Annan, declared explicitly for the first time last night that the US-led war on Iraq was illegal. Mr Annan said that the invasion was not sanctioned by the UN Security Council or in accordance with the UN’s founding charter. In an interview with the BBC World Service broadcast last night, he was asked outright if the war was illegal. He replied: â€Å"Yes, if you wish.† He then added unequivocally: â€Å"I have indicated it was not in conformity with the UN charter. From our point of view and from the charter point of view it was illegal.†( Legality of the Iraq War). The results of the invasion to Iraq are known very well. The United States and its allies failed to find any evidence of the weapon of mass destruction. At the same time it is worth noting that the United States is the only Western democracy which did not sign the international treaties banning antipersonnel landmines and prohibiting the use of incendiary weapons such as napalm and white phosphorus in areas, including cities, where civilians are at risk (The Guardian). After the United States and its allies fail to find what they were supposed to, the new motto appeared; the motto â€Å"to liberate people of Iraq from Saddam†. Such reason can cause nothing but confusion. What is the legal basis of removal of the president of the independent country by means of force? It is unlikely that any existing legislation could find any legal provision for doing it. On the other hand the world community needs to acquire some legal basis to coup with the global terrorism. The Iraq war showed both legal and political collisions. On one hand if assumed that Hussein was the initiator of 9/11 attacks then he needs to be prosecuted by some international tribunal but not by the court in Iraq, a country president of which he was. Hussein as any other political leader had his supporters and opponents in Iraq that is why he could not count on the fair court process from the very beginning. The similarity of the Spanish war and that in Iraq though are not so clear, still could be found. The Spanish war was aimed to expand the American influence in Caribbean; the United States joined the â€Å"club† of colonial owners as a result of the war. The Iraq War is the attempt to legalize the theory of the â€Å"preventive war†. This theory is very dangerous because the limit of â€Å"prevention† has not yet been defined. After the Spanish War America gained the control over the territories which originally had not been parts of the United States. After the Iraq War, America and its allies gained the control over one of the major exporters of oil. There is a lot of confusion in America regarding the terms of â€Å"preventive war† and â€Å"preemptive war†. The preemptive war is the use of force against the threat of attack which is imminent. The classical example of the preemptive war was the 6 Day War of Israel against Syria, Jordan and Egypt in 1967. The results of that war were rather successful. In the US – Iraq case there was no any direct threat or it is better to say â€Å"proved threat† to the national security of the United States. The preventive war is considered to be an attack against the emerging regimes which may bring real threat to national or global security if they develop their arms further. The major reason of the Iraq war was the economical one. Iraq is very attractive for the United States because of its oil deposits. The United States had to re-evaluate the significance of the preventive war after the Iraq occupation. The basic question which had to be answered but was not what benefits the war brought for the national security of the United States. The mass destruction weapon as it was stated above was not found. The links of Hussein to Al Qaeda were not proved. The economic benefits of the Iraq are clear from the statement of the U.S. Energy Information Agency: Iraq contains 112 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, the second largest in the world (behind Saudi Arabia) along with roughly 220 billion barrels of probable and possible resources. Iraq’s true resource potential may be far greater than this, however, as the country is relatively unexplored due to years of war and sanctions. Deep oil-bearing formations located mainly in the vast Western Desert region, for instance, could yield large additional oil resources, but have not been explored. (U.S. Energy Information Agency) The access to the huge oil deposits of Iraq is the main cause of the US intervention against Iraq. The war in Iraq is very similar to Spanish War. The backgrounds of both wars are purely economic ambitions of the United States.

Culture-Specific Theories and Practices of Management The WritePass Journal

Culture-Specific Theories and Practices of Management Introduction Culture-Specific Theories and Practices of Management IntroductionThe Culture ConceptCulture and Business ManagementSmall vs. large power distance (PDI)Individualism vs. collectivism (IDV)Masculinity vs. femininity (MAS)Weak vs. strong uncertainty avoidance (UAI)Long vs. short term orientation (LTO)ConclusionReferencesRelated Introduction In the prevailing business environment which is marked by high level of competitiveness and a challenging international free market economy, business managers are required to have global cultural understanding skills in addition to their domestic cultural ones alone. Chen and Eastman (1997 p.454) mention: â€Å"despite differences in the level of analysis and standpoints of organizations versus subgroups, both the integration and differentiation perspectives on organizational culture are inadequate to address cultural conflicts associate with demographic diversity.† Considering the importance of cultural understanding in business management, this essay embarks on a quest to understand the characteristics of Chinese culture, which are relevant to management. It will highlight the implications of those characteristics for business managers. The essay will incorporate the author’s reflection upon two videos regarding life in China. The first one is titled â€Å"Shanghai Q uest† by Kim Taylor and the second is â€Å"Man Zou: From Beijing to Shanghai† by Ian Connors Jason Reid The Culture Concept Culture is complex and multi-dimensional. Culture is far too complex to be defined in simple terms (Hall, 1976). Kroeber and Kluckhohn (1952) have identified more than 160 different definitions of culture in their study. One of the earliest definition of culture in academia in that of Tylor (1887) who defines it as a â€Å"complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, arts, morals, law customs and other capabilities, and habits acquired by a man as a member of a society†.   A recent and widely cited definition is that of Hofstede (1980). He defines culture as â€Å"the interactive aggregate of common characteristics that influence a group’s response to its environment.† He redefined culture as â€Å"the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group or category of people from another†¦..Culture, in this sense, includes systems of values; and values are among the building blocks of culture† (Hofstede, 1984). Culture and Business Management The business culture of a society is not just an outcome of its economic system. More often, it is to the contrary i.e. the economic life is shaped by the cultural foundation of a society.   The videos viewed as part of this work, lead to that conclusion. All the three individuals in the documentary â€Å"Shanghai Quest† were struggling and trying to be successful entrepreneurs in their respective fields of interest in Shanghai, China. Shanghai’s quest towards urbanization and industrialization was an important cultural characteristic of the city that helped them throughout their way in seeking out opportunities. Geert Hofstede, a renowned management thinker was among the first researchers to conclude that culture impacts upon the management styles of different economies. According to Hofstede (1984, 1991), culture can be distinguished by five fundamental dimensions. Hofstede, who was a one-time employee at IBM, conducted a survey of more than 116,000 IBM employees across seventy two different countries spread across different regions in the world. He developed an index ranging from 0-100 for each of his five cultural dimensions in order to measure and compare cultural differences among different nations. His five cultural dimensions are:   power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism/collectivism, masculine/feminine and long-term versus short-term orientation. Small vs. large power distance (PDI): The extent to which less powerful people accept that power is distributed unequally, that others have more power Individualism vs. collectivism (IDV): Individualism is the tendency of people to look after themselves; collectivism to look after the members of their society in exchange for loyalty Masculinity vs. femininity (MAS): Masculinity: dominant values are success, competition, and money Feminity: dominant values are caring for others Weak vs. strong uncertainty avoidance (UAI): The extent to which people feel threatened by ambiguous situations and have created beliefs or institutions to avoid these feelings Long vs. short term orientation (LTO): The extent to which people attach value to their future against their past or their present. Long term oriented cultures give more value to actions and attitudes affecting the future in contrast to the short term oriented cultures.[1] China’s indices for these cultural dimensions are illustrated in the following figure (fig.1). (Source: www.geert-hofstede.com) Small vs. large power distance (PDI) China scores high in power distance index indicating that the country has a high cultural tendency to accept differencees in individuals’ powers within their society. It implies that in China, the respect for elders is widely ingrained in their culture and both the leaders as well as the followers endorse society’s level of inequality. In term of business management, seniority demands respect and obedience. Elders are more likely to become leaders and considered as substantial role models. In doing business with Chinese people, it would be vital to win the confidence of authoritative and significant personals and appease them. While communicating with them, it would be ideal to use specific titles, with a high emphasis on respect and consideration for hierarchy and authority. Individualism vs. collectivism (IDV) On the individualism index, China scores only 20 points indicating the country is highly collectivist. It implies that Chinese people have great consideration for others; they keep the interest of others in mind while doings things and encourage the phenomenon of unity. They believe that groups are primary unit of survival rather than individuals. The connotation ‘we’ is deeply ingrained in their psyche, determining an individual to be in a surrounding which he/she owns and incorporates with. Chinese people tend to do everything collectively. The ‘we’ awareness persists in their workplace and they would be most happy in doing team work and group work. Hofstede (1980) mentions that in societies with a high level of collectivism, people tend to depend emotionally upon their outer circle. In business, themes such as loyalty, community relations, national identity, and family are of great significance. The Chinese collectivism is reflected in the Shanghai Quest video when ‘Benji’ speaks with Chinese fellows in their native language. He is often seen to be positively remarked upon that. The Chinese people value the idea that a foreigner speaks to them in their native language fluently, as for them it reflects a sense of familiarity and unity. Masculinity vs. femininity (MAS) Masculinity index is often seen to correspond with the power distant index. Societies with a high power distance index usually have a higher masculinity index in which more emphasis is towards success, competition and wealth. China, and specially Shanghai, is on a verge of mass industrialization and urbanization. As mentioned in the second video â€Å"Man Zou: From Beijing to Shanghai†, Shanghai is the city that China wants to portray to the entire world as the country’s face due to its contribution to the rapidity of China’s urbanization and industrialization. The forces of urbanization and industrialization incur a higher level of masculinity in the city and overall country’s culture. Weak vs. strong uncertainty avoidance (UAI) In uncertainty avoidance index, China scores a low of 30 points. It implies that Chinese people are generally risk taking people and feel less threatened by ambiguous situations. They are willing to wander in uncharted waters, try new things, and experiment. This is clearly reflected in the case on the three individuals from the first video. One of them is from US, who has also lived in England for 6 years, and Australia for 2 years, before settling in China. He wants to be an American-Chinese pop star and a performing entertainer, having his foot in TV, videos, modeling, commercial etc. He mentions that it is pretty unusual and for the first time that an American wants to be a Chinese singer. It brings an element of uncertainty and risks. The second person portrayed in the videos in from Paris and was raised mostly in Britain and he being all over the world. He wants to be entrepreneur, exporting of the self item to buyers across the globe. The third one is a dancer, who provides hi s services as a party entertainer along with his girlfriend. The provision of opportunities for all these individuals reflects that cultural characteristics of China in accepting new phenomena, changes, versatility, adventuring and experimentation. Chinese people are adapting and entrepreneurial. The commentary of the second videos also coincides with the same view. The commentator mentions that â€Å"China makes you present all the time. It’s a country on a fast track towards urbanization and industrialization. It’s a Place to be. It’s a happening place.† Long vs. short term orientation (LTO) China’s high score on long term orientation index reflects its focus upon persistence and perseverance. In economic terms, it implies that investments and business decisions tend to base on the provision of long term stability and benefits. Their thinking ways focus on either complete or no-confidence rather than on probabilistic views. Conclusion The aforementioned cultural traits have a deep impact upon the Chinese economic system. They also impact upon how Chinese people conduct business in the international arena and how global businesses should engage with them.   Moreover, these cultural dimensions have implications for communication, leadership development, human resource management and decision making processes involving Chinese. References Chen, C. C., W. Eastman (1997). Toward a Civic Culture for Multicultural Organizations. Journal of Applied Behavioral Sciences, 33,454-470. Hall, E. T. (1976). Beyond culture. Doubleday. New York Hofstede, G. (1991). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind. London: McGraw-Hill. Hofstede, G. (1980). Cultures consequences:   International differences in work related values. Sage. Newbury Park Hofstede, G. (1984). Cultures consequences:   International differences in work related values (Abridged ed.) CA: Sage. Beverly Hills, Kroeber, A. L and Kluckhohn,C. (1952) Culture: A critical Review of Concepts and Definitions.   Paper of Peobody Museum of American Archeology 47 (1) Tylor, E (1871) Origins of Culture. Harper and Row. NY. [1] These cultural differences are a representation of averages or tendencies and not the precise individual characteristics belonging to a society.

New York City Project Part 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

New York City Project Part 1 - Essay Example Due to lack of adequate money to do it all, the budget reflects the priorities of the city’s elected representatives. And I consider the city council of New York City has a comprehensive plan because that the New York City Charter ("the Charter") vests the responsibility for preparing an annual expense and capital budget with the mayor. The mayor must then submit the expense and capital budget to the City Council for its review and adoption. It shows that the process of making a budget has to be rigorous enough to be implemented (Christine, 2013). Besides, each budget must consist of several parts: the expense budget, which sets forth proposed appropriations for the operating expenditures for municipal services including debt service; the capital budget and program, which sets forth proposed appropriations for capital projects for the ensuing fiscal year and the three succeeding fiscal years; and the revenue budget, which shall set forth the estimated revenues and receipts of the city. In addition, the expense budget is further broken down into a contract budget, which can be viewed as a detailed portion of each agencies' other than personal services expenditures for contractual services that are personal service in nature (Christine, 2013). ... Private employment rose by 9,000 in August 2013 after an increase of 13,000 in July. The unemployment rate rose to 8.6 percent in August from 8.4 percent in July. House market is a significant factor in the New York City’s economy. Some of the most expensive office space in the United States is located in New York City. For example, the world’s third expensive office building-Bank of America tower was value $1 billion in New York City. Department of building’s Fiscal 2014 Preliminary Budget is $93.7 million, which is approximately $2.6 million less than the $96.4 million Fiscal 2013 Adopted Budget (Christine, 2013). This is primarily due to revenue increases from construction related fees. Budgeting Methods Budgeting is a very important management tool in every organization. New York City plays a very important role in the economy of United State. The constitution of United State gives the city council of New York the power to make budget. This budget ensure that the city continue to support the economy. The city is headed by a mayor who manages the city with the assist of a council, which is commonly called city council (Clarke, 1978). The city council of New York uses a master budget in running the activities of the city. The city council uses this approach because it can project all the activities that need a budget allocation. The line items in the master budget include transport expenses, salaries and allowances. The performance of the city’s budget is monitored on monthly bases by its chief financial officer to ensure accountability. The city has various departments such as health, education and waste management (Eltis, 1993). Expenditure is distributed as per the departments'