The Rave Subculture Essays - Neurochemistry, Drug Culture

The Rave Subculture I walked into the dark room after paying the ten-dollar cover charge. The music was what I noticed first. It was very loud and made a ring linger in my ears. The music was house music, also known as techno or electronic music. The next thing I noticed was the people. The majority of them were young adults, anywhere from their late teens to early 20's. It wasn't the people I noticed so much, but how they were behaving. Most of them were dancing, but not just your typical dancing that you would see in most dance clubs. People were very close together and there was a lot of physical, euphoric interaction between them. They were dancing to the beat, almost together as one. Also moving the groove of the music were many lights of all different colors. Most people were dancing with glowsticks as well as other various kinds of lights. It was clear to me right away that the majority of the people inside the room were not sober but were under some kind of influence. I had walked into the world of the rave. It was a Saturday night in Jacksonville, Florida. I was at a club in the Downtown area called 618. It opens at 10 p.m., a time when most other places are getting ready to close. The patrons there however, were just getting their night started. I walked around the club, observing as I walked. I saw people hugging a lot, giving each other massages or giving each other light shows. I asked a girl what the light show was for. Her name was Sara and she replied, ?The lights look really cool when you're rolling.? Rolling is term most ravers use when are on the popular club drug ecstasy. Sara was 19 and dressed like a lot of the ravers I saw there. Loose shirts and baggy pants. She had jewelry on that looked almost like children's jewelry. She said kids there who wore that kind of apparel were called ?candie ravers? or ?candie kids?. Ecstasy pills are made of a compound called methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA. It's an old drug: Germany issued the patent for it in 1914 to the German company, E. Merck. It's chemists thought it could be a promising intermediary substance that might be used to help develop more advanced therapeutic drugs. It was not successful however and disappeared until 1953. That's when the U.S. Army funded an animal study of eight drugs, including MDMA. They were trying to find a lethal drug for use on soldiers during the cold war. They did not find it to be as toxic as they had hoped however and MDMA was forgotten once again. It wasn't until 1985 that it was outlawed and made a Class I substance, in the same category as heroin or LSD. By then, college-age people in Europe and India were taking the drug to enhance rave parties, where thousands of people danced to loud techno music. As years went by, MDMA got more and more popular, especially among users in their late teens and early 20's. The drug sells for $20 to $30 today in the United States. People who have taken the drug say the experience is a several-hour intense journey. All five senses are heightened. It's not uncommon for people to massage, touch and hug one another while ?rolling? to increase the pleasure. Some say it makes them happy and energetic. Others say MDMA releases their ?true selves?. I asked Sara how long she had been rolling and why she did it. ?I dropped my first pill around the middle of 1998. That first time was so awesome. It was like a whole new world that I'd never seen. Everything around you is just a hundred times better than when you are sober. The air you breathe feels good, just to breathe it. Your skin is really sensitive to touch. And it feels so good just to hug people because you just feel like you have to. It's like everyone here is a family and we are unified.? Then Sara reached over to me, grabbed me and gave me a very embracing hug. It caught me off guard and surprised me.

Macintosh Retail Group Essays - Steve Jobs, Retail, Macintosh

Macintosh Retail Group Essays - Steve Jobs, Retail, Macintosh Macintosh Retail Group The Macintosh Retail Group A short summary The Macintosh Retail Group is a Dutch holding, that today competes in the sectors of clothing, living and automotives. It consists of the companies Superconfex (clothing), Kwantum, Tonton Tapis, Bartels Decor, GP Dcors, Klerkx Group (living), Halfords (automotive) and other smaller ones. Today, the group is active in several European countries, namely the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany. Some numbers for Macintosh 1990-1995 turnover in net profit in number millions of Dfl millions of Dfl of employees 1990 1,049.6 18.3 5,793 1991 1,070.1 30.5 5,730 1992 1,113.8 29.1 5,750 1993 912.1 51.3 3,616 1994 934.2 38.5 3,737 1995 999.8 22.5 4,136 In 1995 it made a profit of Dfl 22.5 million and employed 4.136 thousand workers. Looking on the results of 1994, we come to know that the group made 39% of its profit with fashion, 47% with living and 14% in the automotive sector, which is probably similar to 1995. During the history of the holding (it started with being a job creation program in 1932), the structure of the Macintosh Retail Group changed: Under the name of Cenfectie Ateliers Chas Macintosh N.V. it grew to the largest manufacturer of clothing in Europe in the 1950s and 1960s, which was done by acquire other companies. In the 1960s Macintosh started producing abroad, in order to remain competitive. This continued in the 1970s, at which time the production in Western Europe was nearly phased out because of the costs, especially to Belgium, Portugal and Tunisia. With creating a separate holding company and separate operation companies, the organizational structure was totally changed in 1977. But not even that step prevented the Group of making a negative operational profit of Dfl 19 millions in 1980. As a result of that, a recovery plan was developed by the management and a strategic planning process was introduced. It consists of changing production over to retailing, which is obviously a reason for the fact, that in 1990 about 90% of total turnover was realized in the retail sector. With acquisitions of companies of the sectors living and automotive in the last 15 years, the Macintosh Group continued enlarging. A climax of this development may be seen in the year 1993, in which the Group nearly stopped its complete production activities. It can be said, that throughout this process it evolved from a tailor to a retailer. The expectations of the management for the future are significantly to increase the number of the shops (334 in 1994), and consequently of the retail floor space (300.000 square metres in 1994). The Group tries to strengthen its market positions and to improve productivity. Strengthen its market positions should be reached with expansion through acquisitions on the international market, with concentrating in northwestern Europe. With doing this, Macintosh tries to establish and increase its position in the market sectors of clothing, living and automotive. Although the sector of clothes loses its importance within the Group, it is planned to develop this sector further during the next years.

Mechanism of Black Holes Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Mechanism of Black Holes - Research Paper Example the term â€Å"black hole† refers to a region of space-time from which the gravitational pull is so strong that it does not allow anything, including light, to escape (Begelman, 2003), which implies that black holes cannot be observed. This essay will explore the concept of black holes, that is, all that is currently known about this phenomenon, how they are formed, and what can be learnt from them; similarly, this essay will also highlight how black holes are detected and how they are made. The appearance of an event horizon, the boundary in space-time through which matter and light are attracted inwards towards the mass of the black hole becoming trapped permanently, is the most distinguishable feature of a black hole. As noted earlier, not even light can escape from a black hole since anything that draws nearer and crosses the event horizon boundary is trapped due to the strong gravitational pull that defines black holes (Kormendy, Bender & Cornell, 2011); an event horizon is thus called since if an event occurs within the boundary, this information is never known to an outside observer. Einstein’s theory of relativity argues that the presence of mass distorts spacetime thereby causing the paths taken by particles to bend towards the mass and given that this deformation is so strong at the event horizon, no paths can lead away from the black hole because all matter is trapped inside, including light (Hooft, 2009). Precisely, an object falling into a black hole appears to slow down as it draws nearer to the event horizon but never really reaches it, due to the gravitational time dilation effect (Nrumiano, n.d). Similarly, an outside observer will experience all processes on an object nearing the event horizon as slowed down, and the emitted light will appear dimmer and redder due to the gravitational redshift effect; as soon as the falling object reaches the event horizon, it becomes so dim that it can never be seen. Black holes often form at the ends of the

The Providence Debate Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Providence Debate - Research Paper Example The author considers that a balanced mixture of these two views offers a better perspective. The author proposes that God’s truth as revealed in the Holy Scriptures is reflected in some parts by the Calvinists view and in some parts by the Armininans and God’s truth regarding salvation is not monopolized wholly by just one of these two views. God Announced Salvation after the fall On the sixth day of creation, after forming everything which included the light, the firmament, the plants and the animals, God created man in His own image and put him in the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it; later Adam was joined by his wife Eve, the woman whom God formed from one of Adam's ribs.1 Adam and Eve had everything they needed and lived very close to God and just like in a fairy tale, they could have lived happily ever after. But they disobeyed God’s commandment: â€Å"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die†.2 Thus the first man and woman fell to sin and the whole creation fell with them.3 The loving Almighty God, after the fall of man, even in the dawn of human history, had already announced the forthcoming salvation, as He said to the serpent: â€Å" And I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed: it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel.†4 The Holy Bible abounds with several verses which teach the way to salvation. In fact the whole Bible, with its old and new testaments, shows â€Å" God's way of having people come to know Him and His plan for mankind, His chosen and special people...who by faith will form the true family of God throughout eternity.†5 God's Thoughts Are Higher Than Our Thoughts Despite the so many verses pertaining to salvation (or maybe due to such great number), even the so-called 'faithfuls' have found themselves in opposite camps. This providence deb ate has been going on for centuries and perhaps, Christians will finally get the correct answer when they come face to face with our loving Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our God is a very great God. He is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent. He is the first and the last. We may come to know Him, but not yet as fully as we would have wanted. As it is written, â€Å"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.†6 The Arminians and Calvinists Views A careful and prayerful study of the Holy Bible will reveal chapters and verses which support both the Arminian and Calvinist views. The Arminians View. The Arminians believe that salvation is brought about by the combined efforts of God who initiated the process and man who must respond to God's call. God has provided salvation for everyone, but His provision becomes effecti ve only for those who, of their own free will, 'choose' to cooperate with Him and accept His gracious offer of salvation. Thus man's response becomes the determining factor for the attainment of salvation. At the crucial point, man's will plays a decisive role; in this perspective, man, not God, determines who will be recipients of the gift of salvation.7,8 Arminianism emphasizes conditional election based on God's foreknowledge, man's free will through prevenient grace to cooperate with God in salvation,

Polo Activity in Wellington Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Polo Activity in Wellington - Assignment Example On the other hand, the National Horse Show brings in another $8.5 million which further highlights the importance of these three events not only in the tourism but also the real estate and other services industry in Wellington (Palm Beach County Club 1). The discussed origin of how Wellington becomes synonymous with polo shows that the economy has directly and indirectly invested in this revenue generating activities. Before the height of its popularity, initial investment has amounted more than just monetary but intensive and extensive marketing campaigns in order to promote these activities. Currently, these initial investments are being continued through the form of expenses in order to finance taking care of horses which are used for the race. Economic Research Associates estimates that Palm County Beach Equestrian residents are pouring in $121 million each year for the care of their 11,000 horses (Gasset and Gasset 5). With the vibrant outlook for the polo events in Wellington together with the expected increase in the GDP of the community, induced investments are also projected in the medium term. Among this is Mark Bellissimo's plan of the making the showground in Wellington part of a "multi-billion dollar 140 acre show facil ity with varied year round Equestrian events" (Gasset 3) adding that he wants to make this the "Center of The Equestrian Universe" (Gasset 3). The magnitude of how these investments in ensuring that these polo events will be as exciting, prestigious, and attractive to tourists and fans together with the revenue generated by the events can be measured by looking at these at an economic standpoint. It should be noted that the investments poured in as well as revenues generated are magnified when taken into account how these are used and passed on to the different economic players in the community. Economically speaking, the total amount of revenue and investment brought in Wellington by polo should be multiplied by Keynes' multiplier in order to really calculate how much wealth it created for the community (Brue and McConnel 225). In the case of Wellington, the huge number of fans which devote their time and money in watching the tournaments do not only shore in direct income but promoted the creation and development of vibrant service, real estate, and tourism industries which gives livelihood and revenue to Wellington. The role of investments in pump priming the economy can be illustrated by the plans of making the community an even more developed venue for polo events. For instance, when Mark Bellissimo finally puts into practice his plan of renovating the Wellington showground, we assume that this will be in an amount of $1 billion for simplicity. This amount of investment will be used to finance the sourcing of input, payment for labor, machinery, and other necessities. Thus, this $1 billion is passed on to these economic players in forms of payments, salaries, and wages. As a result, they will have a higher disposable income which they can spend for the purchase of goods and services. On the other hands, goods and other service providers will have higher revenue where they can use in order to produce more of their products. This process of wealth creation goes on and on. As an example, this paper will look at how investment creates

The Architecture Of Theatres Architecture Essay

The Architecture Of Theatres Architecture Essay Back to the first half of the 20th century and it was in America that mass production was becoming ever more efficient and chains of theatres were blooming all over the country. Architects commissioned to design these theatres were no longer being briefed by the playwrights and managers but by the owners of the chains with the sole intention on increasing box office sales. The aesthetics were clearly intended for the paying customer and the money directed at the entrance lobby and the ever growing auditorium spaces and the less spent on the ever smaller dressing rooms. This problem was less common in Britain around that time as very few theatres were built during the war but a prime example for Britain did come about with the redevelopment of the Memorial Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1930. Designed by modernist architect Elizabeth Scott, after months of fundraising and committee meetings, was expressed by the director of the theatre William Bridge-Adam as having, Absolute flexibility, a box of tricks out of which the child like mind of the producer may create whichever shape it pleases. It should be able to offer Mr Poel an Elizabethan stage after his hearts desire. The Architectural Review responded to it with critical acclaim. Sightline was an area singled out as being particularily good with no pillars obstructing any views and no boxes. Acoustics were also mentioned, the shape of the theatre resembles a giant horn and is so deigned that the players can be herd from all parts of the stage and the sound distributed evenly throughout the auditorium. The splays and the ceiling of the proscenium, together with the forestage when in use, act as reinforcment to the source of sound. Finally the use of materials and the style where mentioned. Though new theatres continue to appear in constant succession throughout the country, each newcomer, with very occasional exception, represents no more than another step along the tiresome path of motif ornament and meaningless decoration. Since Palladio built his theatre of Vicenza there has been no development other than an increasing tendency towards vulgarity and over-elaborationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ in the new theatre in Stratford-on-Avon materials are used with intelligence, selection and fitness of purpose and designed by the nature of the material. It later became clear that the actors did not feel the same way. Comments were made over the distance from the stage and front row and the bare walls stretching from the proscenium to the circle. It was described in The Other Theatre, published in 1947,Word count: 294 as if performing to Calais from the cliffs of Dover. (Baliol Holloway) Clearly the architect had not achieved what she had wanted (an intimate theatre) nor what the client desired. What had happened here was a lack of communication and cooperation between the two professions. In the past there was an understanding of what was required and little was said between either professions but back then the architects working on theatre buildings would have specialised in Theatre design, most of them being builders themselves with several years of experience under their belts. The word specialist was not used in Britain until the mid-19th century, pervious to that an architect who designed theatres would just be referred to as a Theatre Designer. Earlier cases have been recorded in other parts of the world where renowned general architects have thought they could solve the problems aroused by the old theatre designs. At the end of the 18th century London had several theatres which had work done to them such as Benjamin Dean Wyatts Theatre Royal in Drury Lane which also received architectural critical acclaim. Too often theatres built by renowned generalist architects are more extravagant and end up having work done to the auditorium within and around a decade. Luckily for both architect and theatre owner money had become available for rebuilds and amendments however vast. The theatre professions displeasure with the works of Wyatts at Drury Lane and Elizabeth Scott at Stratford -upon-Avon are only a couple of examples of what happens when famed architects try and impose a solution to and old and accustomed problem. Their belief that they could rethink the nature of the auditoriums issues upon their first attempt can be seen a s naÃÆ' ¯ve and as the theatre profession is more voluble than the architectural realm when provoked, the public tend accept the blame being placed on the architect. Word count: 385 Luckily there are a few first time Architects, Theatre Designers and Consultants who do listen to their clients and are willing to spend the time studying the code for auditorium design as well as meet technical requirements. As a result there are many theatres in both Britain and America which function out of a healthy relationship between both theatre and architecture professions. The breakdown in communication is what both sides have to be wary of and this can often be caused by the architects instinctive to offer slender resources to the external design. In some cases it may be the case that the architect has taken a modernist mind-set, strange to the theatrical precedence which is generally that the outside of the building should express whats inside and also the other way around. Therefore in the name of architectural truthfulness as a whole, the detailing and shape to the auditorium could be sacrificed by the architect under his manifesto. Looking at it the issue in detail, th e same outcome can be caused by the opinion that the architect is not changing anything just reorganising the auditorium elements more effectively which is just as dangerous as believing that they can change the nature of the auditorium itself. Therefore by trying to organise these key components such as lighting, side seating and acoustic materials, and moving them to the perimeter of the space the eye of the viewer may be drawn to the outside of the stage rather than inwards at the actor. The attention would be drawn to the side walls and ceiling hence the actor will have to try harder to gain the attention of the audience. The problem with auditoriums in the past was the failure to draw the attention to the front 15ft of the stage which should appear to float. Some of the causes may have been that the seating went too far back or was spread too wide. The stem for this problem maybe that some architects are taught and become firm believers that form follows function, thus the functionality fallacy. They work only with statistics in creating a design which is dictated purely on numbers. Areas of the design which could not be measured were often ignored or left to the architect to decide on the outcome unattended. This is a clear example of a lack of a real philosophical discussion on the nature of how theatre functions, between the theatrical technician and the architect. Word count: 403 To understand the architect lets look at how the development of the proper approach to theatre design. First of all a team needs to be formed consisting of: an architect, engineer, acoustic consultant, cost consultant and theatre consultant. An architect naturally heads the team as is in the architects office where he or she works alongside partners, associates and has technicians underneath heading different departments on the construction drawings. There will be some younger members of the team which would have graduated high from their architectural schools wanting to work for an experienced architect on high level projects who spend their time trying to find rational solutions through designing sketch schemes with the architect. These young people are who the Theatre Consultants should liaise with. The Engineers occasionally have a tendency to take over a project which can be dangerous for the position of the architect. The electrical engineer has the safest role in terms of lighting which can be overseen by the Theatre Consultant and more central to the success of the project is the mechanical engineer. The mechanical engineer takes charge of the heating and ventilation. Theatres require that the space be dry and cool whilst also being silent, something theatre managers specify as being essential is the silence. Architecture Actor Audience states that Quite simply there is nothing more expensive and nothing more necessary. The overall job of the engineers be them electrical, structural or mechanical is to solve how the design is put together as opposed to the what and the why of the design. This leads us to the dangerous cases in which the engineers take over the role of designer of theatres from the architects. 1950s America and engineers were emerging with numerous qualifications in stage design and acoustic and scenic engineering claiming they had solutions to sights and sounds. Fixed angles where determined for acceptable sightlines in the auditoriums. Ceilings hidden by lighting, previously referred to as the heavens to capture the rising human spirit and to keep a cap on the theatre space to focus the attention back down to the actor. The side walls which had been lined with humanity in the early years were also now shaped for acoustic advantages. To create a theatre that was intimate, it was suggested that the furthest seats from the stage had to be of a certain distance. Jo Melziners so called field tests in which he concluded that the furthest distance of: 55ft (16.8m) for Julie Harris in drama, slightly more for Gertrude Berg in a rather broad comedy and 100ft (30m) for Ethel Merman in anything. What had not seemed to be considered was the density of the space given to the individual audience member or of the impact of the amount of people to be fitted into the full distance allocated. Just to mention some of the theatres loved by the theatre profession; the Old Vic in London, the Lyceum and the Booth in New York, all of which would be considered badly designed with views obstructed with bad sightlines and areas with a lack of legroom but shows succeed in these theatres Word count: 331 Nowadays this is realised as being a mistake in design as functionality actually took away from the experience but in the 50s and 60s this confusion of the criteria of what makes a good theatre experience had not been realised. What differentiates the live theatre is the sense of community and involvement not the emphasis on the visual lines and sound quality. Maybe if we take a step back and look at what Marcus Vitruvius Pollio wrote in the early first century BC on theatre architecture, we could possibly find another angle on design. Vitruvius having been an architect and builder shared most if not all his knowledge in his ten books on architecture. He makes detailed reference to existing buildings and gave recommendations on how to build new ones. Word count: 248 The conclusion is that clients are appearing to be increasingly greedy wanting larger seating volume with equal comfort. The architect must not fall for the naivety that they can solve the problems which have been around for centuries. An architects overconfidence in his technical skills can easily cause the failure of a production and not have the talent of the production or writers to blame. Many newly emerging architects believe that theatres need modernisation but there needs to be a greater understanding of the magic and illusionistic handling of the space of such a complex building type. It seems better then to stick to old strategies which work and if there is an old theatre in question then keep it if it works. Amendments can be made to the dressing room and bar, possibly the foyer but not to the spaces in which the audience interact with the performers. By looking to the past for answers we will find that the majority of successful theatres are based on the principles of the sacred geometry which should be considered as special harmony with the intention to encourage movement of energy not as a robust net of formations. Finally the sightline paradox. It seems the theatres which work well suffer from the occasional views with obstructions but those theatres which have excellent sightlines all-round are universally disliked by actors and audience.

Essay --

The museum that Daniel Libeskind created through his superb creativity is a direct mirror image of the persistent and consistent presence of Jewish history in the past, present and in the far future. The metaphorical obstacle that the project created was to become a representative of the Jewish struggle and their urge for rescue during the Holocaust, in which Daniel Libeskind defines the experiences in 3 different categories; Continuity, exile and death. The physical procedure that the organization had to overcome were both very solidly influenced by the post modern era, in which they considered as ‘esthetic’ of which included both classical and modern design with the use of zinc faà §ade but deigned in such a classical way that it still highlights its purpose for its presence in Berlin. Furthermore the buildings remarkable connection and message speaks for more than a modern presence-with respect to the social fabric of the city than earlier architectural designs. The Jewish Museum in Berlin, opened to the world in 2001. This museum revolutionizes the social, radical and ethnic history of the Jews in Germany from the 19th century to the present day. The museum especially presents and mixes for the first time, the war in Germany, and the consequences of the Holocaust that the Jews were forced to be in. The new design that Daniel Libeskind came up with, which was created a year before the Berlin Wall was abolished was based on three formats that underpin the museum’s foundation: firstly, the impossibility of understanding the history of Berlin without understanding the enormous logical, economic, ethnic participation made by the Jewish nations. 2nd, the responsibility to integrate the physical and emotional in depth by meaning o... ... is a daring and reserved one. By using ‘fragmentation, separation, non-rectilinear and non-vertical walls’ Ignites the suitable emotion that the museum is trying to receive, both joyful and somber. The building creates the response for one of the worlds most atrocious tragedies which makes the people who visit the building reconsider the purpose of the museum making it much more than a funky design that is trying to get people to visit just for its appearance. Perhaps, Libeskind said it the best,â€Å"The task of building a Jewish Museum in Berlin demands more than a mere functional response to the program for the people. Such a task in all its ethical depth requires the incorporation of the void of Berlin back into itself, in order to disclose how the past continues to affect the present and to reveal how a hopeful horizon can be opened through the aporias of time.’’

Why Nations Go To War

WHY NATIONS GO TO WAR is a unique book and a product of reflection by author, Dr. John G. Stoessinger. First published in 1978, its Eleventh Edition with additions came out in 2010. It is built around ten case studies, culminating in the new wars that ushered in the twenty-first century: Iraq, Afghanistan, and the wars between Arabs and Israelis in Gaza and in Lebanon. In the book he analyses the most important military conflicts of the 20th century: First World War, operation Barbarossa, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the war in Yugoslavia, the India-Pakistan conflict etc.The distinguishing feature of the book is the author's emphasis on the pivotal role of the personalities of leaders who take their nations, or their following, across the threshold into war. Thus this book transmits an understanding of warfare from World War I to the present century. Dr. Stoessinger believes that the war is neither impersonal, nor inevitable, arguing that the responsibility for a war doesn't lie solely with certain events, because everything is, in fact, about the decisions that people make.He argues that many conflicts could have been avoided without the use of force or without going to war. Dr. John G. Stoessinger attended college at Grinnell College in Iowa as an undergraduate and completed his Ph. D. in International Relations at Harvard. He has taught at several universities including Harvard, MIT, Columbia, Princeton, and the University of San Diego, where he is currently a Distinguished Professor of Global Diplomacy. In addition to his teaching career, Dr. Stoessinger has also led the International Seminar on International Relations at Harvard in 1969.He was also the keynote speaker at the World Congress of Junior Chamber International during their fiftieth anniversary event in Kobe, Japan. Dr. Stoessinger has written ten books on international relations and was awarded the Bancroft Prize for The Might of Nations: World Politics in Our Time. He has served as the book review editor of Foreign Affairs, acting director of the Political Affairs Division of the United Nations, and is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations. He has been included in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World. Dr.Stoessinger is notable for his individual analyses of war, contrasted with the systemic views more commonly studied by political scientists after the Second World War. Stoessinger was only a child when Adolf Hitler invaded his home of Austria in order to obtain Anschluss. As a Jewish family, they needed to escape from the Nazis. They received a visa to Shanghai, China from Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat who helped thousands of Jews escape from the Nazis. These were the beginnings that shaped Dr. Stoessinger's world view and interest in ‘WHY NATIONS GO TO WAR’.In the book’s introduction, Dr. Stoessinger tells how, when he was a student, he was always dissatisfied with the explanations found in history books rega rding wars: nationalism, militarism, alliance systems, economic factors and other â€Å"fundamental causes† that, according to him, couldn’t be directly linked to the precise moment of a war’s beginning. He argues that these â€Å"fundamental causes† of wars throughout history are those forces that people apparently don’t control, although it is people who lie at the base of a conflict.In analyzing the 10 conflicts presented in the book, Dr. Stoessinger searches for the â€Å"moment of truth†, the one in which the leaders take the fatal step towards the war, and he wonders in which precise moment the decision to go to war becomes irreversible, who takes responsibility for it and if the disasters could have been avoided. Dr. Stoessinger has set up his book to look at the events that led to specific wars of the twentieth century and then drawing parallels between the different wars that might not have been apparent or obvious at the times of t he various conflicts.The book closely examines each war or group of wars in individual chapters arranged in a near chronological order with a conclusion chapter that pulls from all of the conflicts previously presented. This approach is very well organized and helps the reader to follow the evolution of war styles. The book’s first chapter is dedicated to World War I and is expressively entitled The Iron Dice, referring to the famous words spoken on August 1st by German chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg: â€Å"If the iron dice must roll, may God help us†In general, because of the history taught in schools or because of popular history books, most people consider that the so-called fundamental causes of World War I are: the deteriorating balance of power in Europe and the new competitive alliances, the arms race, Germany’s militarism and her claims regarding a larger colonial empire etc. Loyal to his theory, Stoessinger ignores these causes and chooses to analyze the leader’s actions in the war’s eve. According to the author, all of the political leaders involved were aware of the war’s inevitability and, in spite of this, they couldn’t stop it.More than once, these leaders have denied their responsibility, placing it in the hands of God or destiny. But it wasn’t God who could control the evolution of events and stop the war, was he? Dr. Stoessinger’s main theory is that the events weren’t, in fact, incontrollable and that it was the people who made the crucial decisions. And these people weren’t some evil leaders with a thirst for blood and destruction (how the Kaiser is so often portrayed), but worried people stuck inside their own illusions.Stoessinger believes that the crucial events that pushed the European countries to war were the following 1) The pledge that Germany made to Austria-Hungary regarding her policy towards Serbia 2) The ultimatum Vienna gave to Serbia and its rejection by the Serbs 3) The German efforts to mediate the conflict and tame Austria 4) At last, the declaration of war made by Germany against Russia and the invasion of Luxembourg and Belgium. In the first section of his novel, The Iron Dice: The causes of WW1, Stoessinger offer an alternative explanation of the causes of World War I, one that includes human reactions and feelings.He says: â€Å"The notion that WW1 is beyond men's control is wrong: Mortals made these decisions. They made them in fear and in trembling but they made them nonetheless. In most cases, the decision makers were not evil people bent on destruction but were frightened and entrapped by self-delusion. They based their policies on fears, not facts, and were singularly devoid of empathy. Misperception, rather than conscious evil design, appears to have been the leading villain in the drama. † Although Dr. Stoessinger's essay is well thought out and well written, It is hard to agree to the thesis compl etely.It seems that all the European countries had good reasons for wanting a war as well. â€Å"Serbia was right in wanting to expand, Austria in wanting to survive. Germany was right in fearing isolation, Great Britain in fearing German power. † All these countries needed to wage war since the balance of power was no longer balanced. All of these countries had good motives for a war, therefore, it is illogical to place the blame just upon the leaders of those countries, rather than analyzing the circumstances that made the countries want to wage war.As much as we would all like things to be simple, they are not. Finding a couple of unfortunate leaders in power guilty seems to be the easiest solution. However, the truth is just not that simple. The truth is that everyone was to blame, the circumstances that created the need for war, the short war illusion that everyone entertained, and the governments who felt the need for a war. The responsibility of preventing World War On e rests not solely upon the shoulders of a few selected individuals. However that is the theory maintained by Dr. Stoessinger throughout the book.The distinguishing feature of the text throughout the book remains the author's emphasis on the pivotal role of the personalities of leaders who take their nations or their following across the threshold into war. Most statesmen who made the crucial decisions behaved like fatalists. The terrible denouement was foreseen, but couldn't been prevented. Historians have been affected by this fatalistic attitude (events passing beyond men's control). Stoessingers view is that this is wrong mortals made decisions basing their policies on fear, not facts. Stoessinger views the World War I as preventable.The perception of statesmen and generals were absolutely crucial. Following dimensions of this phenomenon: 1. A LEADERS PERCEPTION OF HIMSELF 2. HIS PERCEPTION OF HIS ADVERSARY'S CHARACTER 3. HIS PERCEPTION OF HIS ADVERSARY'S INTENTIONS 4. HIS PERCE PTIONS OF HIS ADVERSARY'S POWER AND CAPABILITIES 5. HIS CAPACITY FOR EMPATHY WITH HIS ADVERSARY Most leaders saw themselves as stronger than they really were and their adversaries as weaker than they really were. These misperceptions led directly to distorted perceptions of adversarial intentions which then precipitated quickly into all out war.If the leaders of the various nations involved would have viewed reality rather than their own distorted misperceptions, it may have been possible to avoid conflict on such a massive scale or even avoid war altogether. This seems to be a recurring theme throughout the book. One of the important theories attributed to Stoessinger is the theory of perceptions. Stoessinger believes that, in the eve of major conflicts, many of the political leaders involved have misjudged the situation and have thus led their countries to war.These false perceptions manifest on 4 levels: firstly, a false perception regarding the leader’s own person, of the ir role in the world and of their loyalty towards the possible outcome of the conflict. The second level regards the opponent and often includes demonizing his image and the inability to objectively understand a situation. On the third level, we are dealing with the misperception of the opponent’s intentions and, on the fourth level, with misjudging the opponent’s abilities.Stoessinger has emphasized the importance of the political leaders’ personalities and the fundamental part they play in the evolution of international relations. The second chapter discusses Hitler and his invasion of Russia in 1941. Again, misperceptions played a key role in the events that unfolded. This time, more emphasis was put on the character of the aggressor and his adversary. Hitler essentially had a one track mind. He decided to attack and eliminate the Russian people and paid no attention to the lessons learned by Napoleon when he had attempted to conquer Russia.Hitler was convinc ed that it would be a quick and easy victory. Stalin, on the other hand, believed that since they had previously been allies, Hitler would not invade Russia. Stalin continuously ignored intelligence that came from British and American sources, including eighty-four warnings in the year preceding the attack, because he was suspicious of Anglo-American motives. He preferred to place his trust in Hitler, a fellow dictator. In the end, Hitler invaded Russia and had misjudged the Russian people.They were fighting for their very existence which is probably the most powerful motivation ever. He had failed to plan for the Russian winter because he thought it would be a quick and easy victory, and ended up losing many men to cold and starvation, much as Napoleon had previously. Stalin had placed his trust in the wrong entity and was greatly disillusioned and was unprepared for the attack when it came. Again, the misperceptions of the leaders involved ended in a great loss of life. The third chapter deals with the Korean War and misperceptions of a different sort.In the later stages of the war, after the North Koreans were driven back to the 38th parallel, General Douglas MacArthur went beyond the original scope of the police action by driving toward Chinese border along the Yalu River. This move provoked China and brought them into the conflict. MacArthur did not believe that the Chinese army would be strong and thought he could achieve an easy victory. He ignored intelligence that told him the size of the Chinese army and chose to believe that it was smaller than it really was.His hubris added two years to the war and cost 34,000 additional American lives. Had he chosen to listen to reality instead of his own misperceptions, many lives could have been saved. The Vietnam War was full of misperceptions as well. One of the biggest misperceptions would be the type of war being fought. The United States was fighting against communism, while the Vietnamese were fighting aga inst imperialism and colonialism and to protect their way of life. Had the United States never entered Vietnam, communism would have taken over earlier, and with fewer human lives wasted.In 1978, the Vietnamese communists invaded Cambodia to put a stop to the communist regime of Pol Pot and the killing fields. Had the United States been open-minded enough to see that there were distinctions between types of communists, perhaps we would never have participated in the conflict. Dr. Stoessinger continues through several other wars including: Milosevic’s ethnic cleansing in Yugoslavia, the battles between India and Pakistan, the Arab-Israeli conflicts, Saddam Hussein’s wars in Iran and Kuwait and the current American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan after the tragedy of 9/11.Dr. Stoessinger summarizes the book in the final chapter. Here he reiterates his thoughts that the â€Å"case material reveals that perhaps the most important single precipitating factor in the outbreak o f war is misperception. † He also restates the dimensions of misperception and gives each one special attention. In regards to the idea that there is a misperception in a leader’s self-view, Stoessinger notes that there is â€Å"remarkable consistency in the self-images of most national leaders on the brink of war.Each confidently expects victory after a brief and triumphant campaign. † He also states that â€Å"leaders on all sides typically harbor self-delusions on the eve of war. † Stoessinger also discusses the idea that a leader’s misperception of his adversary’s power is perhaps â€Å"the quintessential cause of war. It is vital to remember, however that it is not the actual distribution of power that precipitates a war; it is the way in which a leader thinks that power is distributed.†Dr. Stoessinger uses many primary sources for his information including newspapers, documents, reports, and first-hand accounts. He also uses many secondary sources including books by other authors well-versed in the conflicts being discussed. It is very apparent that a lot of thought and research has gone into the creation of this book. The index is very complete and the bibliographies at the end of each chapter make it easy to find more information on the conflict at hand.I believe that this book has a lot of historical worth since it pulls from so many valid sources. It presents straightforward and factual information with knowledgeable interpretations of the information. I believe that Dr. Stoessinger has successfully accomplished what he has set out to do. I would recommend the book to others if they are looking for interpretations of war and how they begin. The book was interesting, though it could be a little dry at times to someone who is not well-versed in modern and contemporary history.

Free Essays on Stephen Hawkings Affects On The Science Community

Professor Stephen Hawking’s Affects on the Scientific Community Professor Stephen Hawking is a theoretical physicist who specializes in the study of black holes while also working in the areas of general relativity, thermodynamics, and quantum mechanics. He also holds the holds the chair of Lucasian professor of mathematics at Cambridge University. Hawking was born on January 8, 1942 in Oxford, England. At age eight Hawking moved from Oxford to St. Albans, which is located about 20 miles north from England. Hawking described St. Albans as, â€Å"a somewhat stodgy place compared with Highgate or Harpended. My parents made hardly any friends there†¦ But it also reflected a different kind of population†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Childhood 7) At age 17 Hawking attended University College in Oxford, he intended to study in the field of mathematics but the college didn’t offer it, so instead, he studied physics, and after three years received a first class honors degree in Natural Science. After Oxford Hawking moved on to study cosmology at Cambridge University, under the supervision of Denis Sciama. After receiving his Ph.D. he became a Research Fellow, and later a Professorial Fellow at Gonville and Caius College. In 1973, Hawking then went to the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, and since 1979 has held the post of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. With this said, how has Hawking’s work affected people’s views on the universe? When Hawking was 21 he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, it is a, â€Å"fatal disease of the motor neurons (nerve cells) that control the skeletal muscles of the body. The disease characteristically produces a wasting away of the muscles that have lost their nerve supply, resulting in weakening and paralysis. There are also signs of spasticity, or stiffness, of the muscles and exaggerated reflexes. Eventually, ALS results in total paralysis an... Free Essays on Stephen Hawking's Affects On The Science Community Free Essays on Stephen Hawking's Affects On The Science Community Professor Stephen Hawking’s Affects on the Scientific Community Professor Stephen Hawking is a theoretical physicist who specializes in the study of black holes while also working in the areas of general relativity, thermodynamics, and quantum mechanics. He also holds the holds the chair of Lucasian professor of mathematics at Cambridge University. Hawking was born on January 8, 1942 in Oxford, England. At age eight Hawking moved from Oxford to St. Albans, which is located about 20 miles north from England. Hawking described St. Albans as, â€Å"a somewhat stodgy place compared with Highgate or Harpended. My parents made hardly any friends there†¦ But it also reflected a different kind of population†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Childhood 7) At age 17 Hawking attended University College in Oxford, he intended to study in the field of mathematics but the college didn’t offer it, so instead, he studied physics, and after three years received a first class honors degree in Natural Science. After Oxford Hawking moved on to study cosmology at Cambridge University, under the supervision of Denis Sciama. After receiving his Ph.D. he became a Research Fellow, and later a Professorial Fellow at Gonville and Caius College. In 1973, Hawking then went to the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, and since 1979 has held the post of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. With this said, how has Hawking’s work affected people’s views on the universe? When Hawking was 21 he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, it is a, â€Å"fatal disease of the motor neurons (nerve cells) that control the skeletal muscles of the body. The disease characteristically produces a wasting away of the muscles that have lost their nerve supply, resulting in weakening and paralysis. There are also signs of spasticity, or stiffness, of the muscles and exaggerated reflexes. Eventually, ALS results in total paralysis an...

The Illusion essays

The Illusion essays I watched a play The Illusion by Pierre Corneille on 27 of September. Pierre Corneille wrote that play on 17th century so at first thought it is kind of hard for me to understand the whole play. It was played at Russell H. Miller theatre. Actually Tony Kushner adapted the play. It was a strange comedy about and magic. It was played pretty well and I was pleased about it and the rest of audience liked it too. The play opens as a desperate father comes to a magician Alcandre for help in finding his son. The magician lives in a cave with his servant. Years before, the father's rigid expectations forced the boy from home, now the old man regrets his rashness. The magician decides to help him and shows three scenes about his sons life. In the first vision the son is a penniless young and altruistic swain smitten by love of a lady he worships from afar and thats all what happened in first scene. In the second, the son is a manservant of his nobleman rival who is secretly courting the lady because of her wealth, while bedding the maid. He is imprisoned for killing the nobleman rival in a duel. The maid arranges his escape and his union with her lady at the cost of the lady's entire fortune. The lady's faith in her lover allows her to give all to receive all. The son escapes with the now penniless lady. In the third vision, the son is a philanderer married to the lady. The prince assassinate s him because of his affair with the princess. The lady witnesses the stabbing, is overcome, and dies. When Pridamant sees his son mortally wounded he becomes so disconsolate that he falls ill. The magician then reveals that the visions are theatrical illusions and his son is an actor. After hearing this Pridament dont like his sons profession and doesnt show any interest for his son anymore and he lives the cave. First moments watching the play were kind of confusing for me ...

Interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 7

Interview - Essay Example of experience working in the position and thus knows a great deal about how the work is done; furthermore, he has developed proper skills with respect to teaching people that are newly hired within the work environment and train them regarding the job at hand. Moreover, he seemed very genial and professional at the same time, making it very comfortable for those working in the library and also has excellent customer management skills which are very essential for the purpose of a good library student leader. Working at the library involves a great deal of customer service and it is like a public service job where one has to cater to the needs of other people; books need to be kept in order, music CDs and films need to be kept in a proper manner so that they are easily found by others when they require them. Furthermore, the organization of all these resources also requires the people handling them to be very careful so as to ensure no damage of the same. We discussed the purpose of various groups within the library work field and how they are organized and utilized in an efficient manner – for example, the purpose of the people handling the inventory; when there are about ten people handling the same, they divide the job among themselves so as to get done faster and in a more efficient manner. Other chores in the library involve discharging books, CDs and DVDs and maintaining them in a proper order. He has spent a considerable amount of time working with various groups in the lib rary carrying out these different functions and has experience in utilizing groups; over the last two years he has used various methods to get the inventory work done faster by segregating the literature in different parts according to their genres, covering the books and then placing them in their respective racks to be found easily and issued by the customers. The groups are thus utilized in an efficient manner; however Mr Ferguson also said that there could be more groups with respect

Managing Hospitality Enterprises Literature review

Managing Hospitality Enterprises - Literature review Example In order to help revive the monastery, this paper examines strategies that could be used, approaches to change management and restructuring of the MdTF by the new owners. The management could use Porters generic strategies of cost leadership, cost leadership and segmentation to improve its competitiveness. The change could be initiated through learning and communication (Diamantis 2004, p. 307). As noted by Eldring (2009), modern scholars have focussed on the application of business strategies in the hospitality industry given the dynamism of the industry. The hospitality industry has grown rapidly and is attaining maturity at a fast pace than expected. The industry is characterized by intense competition in terms of high-quality services and products, price and market share. In addition, it is also characterized by high concentration. Due to these changes, some scholars have perceived change transient (Wratshko, 2009). Strategic management in the hospitality industry could be defined differently based on different schools of thought. Drake et al. (2007, p. 86) note that strategic management could be taken to imply the decision-making process that is future oriented. The goal of this definition is for firms to formulate good decisions today in order to improve future performance. Strategic management could also be perceived as establishment a management that is result oriented. Miller & Dess (1993, p. 577) note that in such cases, managers are expected to present the results of their efforts after a given period. According to Beamish & Williams (2008, p. 91), strategic management believes in the superiority of the proactive approach to management. Many strategic plans involve firms that analyze their current business environment and future environments, evaluate the situation and attain success instead of waiting for events.