Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Zebbra Muscles essays

Zebbra Muscles essays The zebra mussel is a native species of the Europe area. It was originally introduced into the United States by accident, through the ballast water in ocean-going freighters that came from European ports (Officials). The reason this was possible was because the ballast tanks equalize the weight of the ship and its cargo by filling up with the same water from which the ship floats, and also taking what ever may be in the water into the tanks as well. Then later they empty the water at a different location, relocating what ever was in the tanks to a new ecosystem, where the problems soon followed. Once they were introduced into the lake they began to reproduce at an alarming rate. The problem was at first, just as with most other alien species there were not any known predators in order to keep the numbers at bay. Soon after other problems began to develop. The mussels liked to be around flowing water, because that would bring food to them. This posed a big problem for those who relied on intake pipes such as power plants. The mussels would crowd around these intake pipes so tightly that they would in some cases actually stop the flow of water through these pipes. Also the zebra mussel devours microscopic plants at the bottom of the food chain (Faber B1). These plants are vital to the survival of the native species of the lake. If a part of the food chain is broken especially close to the bottom then the entire ecosystem suffers. In some cases the introduction of this species to lake Erie was thought to be worse than the oil spill in Alaska (Faber B1). Reason being, exotic introductions are permanent and spreading, they cant be cleaned up like oil spills. In a hundred years it is possible to substantially clean up an oil spill, but for the zebra mussels they will have spread across America. It was only at first that this mussel was thought to be all bad, but after a couple years of ...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Give It Up vs. Applaud

Give It Up vs. Applaud Give It Up vs. Applaud Give It Up vs. Applaud By Maeve Maddox A reader asks, Lately, I hear announcers introducing acts by saying GIVE IT UP FOR, rather than   LETS HAVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR. Is this a new expression? The verb give/gave/given has been in the English vocabulary for more than a thousand years. The earliest OED citation is from Beowulf: Beowulf 1719 Nallas beagas geaf Denum à ¦fter dome. Note: The reference is to Heremod, a Danish king who did not honor his men by giving them treasure as custom required. A literal translation of this example is â€Å"Not at all rings gave [he] to the Danes for honor.† The OED entry for give requires more than a hundred items to clarify the various ways in which this verb is or has been used throughout the centuries. The expression â€Å"give it up for so-and-so† is just one of the verb’s more recent uses. The earliest OED citation for â€Å"give it up† in the sense of â€Å"applaud,† dated 1990, is from a Web source: Hey folks, lets give it up for Andy! One huge round of applause please!- Re: ShrinkIt 3.0 in comp.sys.apple2 (Usenet newsgroup). The basic meaning of give is â€Å"to make another person the recipient of something in the possession of the giver.† When an audience is asked â€Å"to give it up† for a speaker or performer, they are being asked to show appreciation by applauding. In this way, they give their approval. An earlier expression referring to the act of applauding links give with hand. At the end of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Puck (aka Robin Goodfellow) asks for applause this way: Give me your hands, if we be friends: And Robin shall restore amends. Audiences are said to â€Å"give a hand† to performers. Performers hope to â€Å"get a big hand† from their audiences. No one seems to mind such established circumlocutions for applaud, but the latest expression provokes annoyance: Does anybody else hate the expression, â€Å"give it up† for whoever it is instead of just clapping? It drives me mad. Oh, I must say that I  hate  the recent,  Put your hands together for. Or the even more egregious,  Lets give it up for â€Å"Give it up† annoys me too. I hate this new age talk, it just sounds lazy. I hate â€Å"give it up for [so-and-so]† when announcers introduce entertainment acts. Love it or hate it, â€Å"give it up for† in the sense of â€Å"please applaud† has caught on with large numbers of speakers. Note to ESL learners: In some contexts, â€Å"give it up† or â€Å"give up† can also mean surrender, abandon, and quit: The house is completely surrounded. You might as well give it up. Eventually he took a huge risk and  gave himself up to  the Chicago  police. Unable to overtake the planes,  he gave up  the chase three miles from his own lines. How  many  people do something just once and are  ready to give up?   Give it up! You can’t win. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Slang Terms for Money75 Idioms and Expressions That Include â€Å"Break†Drama vs. Melodrama

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Rule of Taliban Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Rule of Taliban - Essay Example After several bombing instances, the Taliban were attacked by the United States of America which made them to escape to other areas for safety (Barth, 12). This left them with a mere 5% of the entire country under their control, these were regions on the north and eventually escaping to Pakistan start being driven out of their last city(Kunduz). It was until recently that first signs of their return were detected. Arguments have risen across different political, religious, social and economic divides of whether ruling power needs to be taken back to them or not. The varied opinion on whether Taliban should be allowed to take back Afghanistan under their rule has been strengthened by the impact felt during their regime whether it were positive or negative. Many people believe that despite the pessimistic views labeled against Taliban, lots of positive developments were realized during their regime as compared to before and after their ousting. It should be noted that despite Taliban being considered reckless on women, they were arguably of importance to the economy and social wellbeing of the Afghans. Some of the reasons cited for letting Taliban regain control of Afghanistan include, but not restricted to their goal of minimizing and eliminating crime at all cost. They succeeded in doing so by coming up with their own kind of Islamic law that entailed death sentences and amputations. Crimes committed such as rape incidence against women were minimized by ensuring that women did not walk out of the house without being in company of male counterparts. Wearing of burga (clothes that covered women’s entire body from head to toe) imposed by Taliban also helped with reducing rape incidences. Those found guilty of violating Taliban laws were thoroughly punished by religious police. Cases of children being used as sex slaves also reduced tremendously (Mason, 102). Taliban advocated for basic and isolationist

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Am I a Constructivist Teacher Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Am I a Constructivist Teacher - Essay Example I also have group activities once a day. Reading to each other, playing math games, and other activities are encouraged. Every lesson also has an open discussion. I allow all students to participate with answers, questions, and even stories. I am at the middle of the constructivist spectrum due to my views on individual teaching. I feel that children can play around or distract when grouped together too often. Interspersing constructivist activities with traditional assignments seem to keep the children focused better. A child does not automatically understand self-control, autonomous behavior, and self-reliance without doing traditional assignments by themselves. On the other hand, after doing a traditional assignment constructivist activities about the traditional assignment are handy. This helps the children do the assignment on their own merits while learning from their and others’ mistakes and successes. My current teaching habits do reflect my constructivist-based views. I like to mix both traditional and constructivist views. Children cannot be programmed like computers. It is essential to use constructivist-based activities to help the child learn. Upon learning a skill a student can then reproduce the skill alone. For example, creative writing is a test given in the 5th grade. All year descriptive writing is examined by the students. Papers are written and shared by the entire 5th grade. Students bounce ideas off of each other in groups and through open discussion, however when taking the writing test the student must perform on their own. This is why I prefer both methods. Discipline is another reason I am in the middle on constructivist views. Some students cannot handle group interaction. Often these children have rough backgrounds. These children need a more traditional approach. This is especially true when speaking about emotionally disturbed (ED) children. Every child is different. If a

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Capitalization of Gender in Edna Millays Essay Example for Free

Capitalization of Gender in Edna Millays Essay The sonnet has experienced many modifications and innovations throughout the ages. Edna St. Vincent Millay’s â€Å"I, Being Born a Woman and Distressed† and Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s â€Å"Sonnet 43†, both Petrarchan sonnets, have diversified and helped pave the way for future female poets. In order to address and capitalize on ideas of gender connected to sonnet form and content, Edna Millay and Elizabeth Browning both revolutionize the traditional male-dominated sonnet form as females, Browning expresses overly sentimental and passionate emotion through content and Millay contradicts the social norm of female sexuality as well through content. Millay and Browning revolt against the male-dominated sonnet. Popular among prominent male poets, the sonnet was deemed unworthy for females, as men were far more educated and capable of fulfilling its high standards and strict guidelines. Both poets proved common beliefs wrong by excelling in the sonnet form. They used the Petrarchan sonnet, playing close attention to rhyme scheme and using iambic pentameter. They even incorporated the Volta between the octave and sestet, while using the first three lines in the sestet to introduce the change in tone and the last three lines in the sestet to conclude, invariably identical to the traditional Italian sonnet. At a time where women did not even have the right to vote, Millay and Browning both struggled to find a place in poetry writing, especially the sonnet form in which their predecessors were all male. The literary cannon and the Romantic Era consisted of all male poets who directed the sonnets to their lovers in regard to express their profound appreciation. Love has been the preferred sonnet theme since the 1300’s when the sonnet was created and both, Millay and Browning, stuck with the same traditional concept of love and lust as their topic. Being one of the most popular, sought out forms of poetry, the sonnet was the perfect way for nineteenth-century women to get out into the limelight and start a feminist movement. Or possibly, women poets stumbled toward the sonnet form due to its oppressive rules of rhyme scheme, structural shifts, meter and syllable count, it provided them a ready-made metaphor, suggesting difficulties in communication. Extremely restrained, the sonnet form helped make inexpressibility apparent, it therefore presented women sonneteers with an irony that revealed their circumstances of restricted speech and forced silence. Female poets, who incorporated the strict sonnet form, at a time difficult for women to freely embark in the lyric tradition, did so only to promote gender variance. Elizabeth Browning uses exceedingly sentimental emotions in her â€Å"Sonnet 43†. She either does so for ridicule or freedom for women to express themselves. By the use of such diction she is using satire and mockery of overly melodramatic reactions and feelings of a typical woman. â€Å" With my lost saints! -I love thee with the breath,/ Smiles, tears, of all my life! (12-13)†, even with the usage of several exclamation marks, she creates emphasis on the over exaggeration. In her Sonnet 43, Browning proclaims the pleasure love brings and pleads for a complete surrender to love, which seems far too corny. Or perhaps, she is just being herself, demonstrating to fellow females to be confident and unafraid of articulating and communicating your feelings. Following the thematic convention of rhyme scheme and iambic pentameter, Browning either wants to represent stereotypical females with her portrayal of unrealistic sensations or she wants to prove that even a completely feminine sonnet can create attentiveness to gender difference. Edna Millay challenges the social standards of female sexuality. Millay’s poem explores a female-centred perspective which opposes the widespread male-dominated presumptions of women. It is indeed a very sexual poem, revealing her sexual attraction and intentions to a particular man. Female sexuality was silenced in those times and rarely did women speak so openly and fearlessly of personal matters. She created a new realm of subject matters to women authors and helped support a liberated approach to life. The style of her poetry is formal with typical meter and rhyme scheme. Critics have repeatedly pointed out her bizarre connection of conventional poetic forms and structures with completely unconventional ideas and expressions. We must recognize and appreciate Millay for revealing the love em and leave em tactic normally exercised by males. However, because of the poets reversed gender, this strategy seems more modern, harmless and considerably humorous. There is irony and originality in a female using such rebellious content, perhaps she is scrutinizing normal male intentions, as it is regularly the women who are hurt in the end because they long for a relationship while the men are only looking for sex. The form may receive validity of tradition while the content concurrently mocks tradition. With the help of this poem she gained a reputation of a free-spirited and revolutionary social figure whose work followed her commemoration of life. Edna Millays poem fights for sexual freedom originally claimed by men, it fights for equality of the double standard that exists, which inhibits female sexuality and encourages male sexuality. Writing as women has led them to run â€Å"counter to† their culture and â€Å"against the grain of time† to echo Pounds words. Edna St. Vincent Millays â€Å"I, Being Born a Woman and Distressed† and Elizabeth Barrett Brownings â€Å"Sonnet 43† redefine the standards of genre and gender norms. Millay and Browning both revolt against the regularly male sonnet form, they were attracted to its structural affinity to promote gender variance. Browning creates emphasis using ordinary female emotions, while Millay challenges normality of female sexuality. However at the same time there are distinct contrasts apparent, Brownings poetry has a feminine quality with such passion and sentimentality while Millays poetry has a masculine quality, as it resists sentimentality with her ability to look beyond the status quo and her completely opposite lifestyle of love affairs. However, both poets attempt to reconcile with convention while contributing to gender capitalization, hoping to establish diversification equally valid for females. Both are icons for womanhood, both are masters of the sonnet forms and both are nurturers of ambition, independence, outspokenness and flaunting sexuality.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Banning Cars Essay -- Papers benefits pros cons Essays Vehicle

Banning Cars There are always two sides of the story. In this essay I am going show the good points and the bad points about banning cars. Many things have to be considered before a change of this magnitude can happen. I will also express my own opinion to show what a person of the public would think of the change. ====================================================================== The good points weigh out the bad points by a long way. One big reason for this is pollution and the environment. The environment has been effected by cars and their pollution from the time cars were invented. The pollution that comes from cars is made up of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, and many other poisonous gases. This kills plants and animals and destroys the ozone layer. The pollution forms a layer in the atmosphere which, keeps the heat in causing global warming and is dangerous to the earth. If cars were banned the demand for petrol would be no where near as much as before. This would mean not as much oil would ...

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Project management success factors Essay

Housing is the critical issue in global urbanization which have a tremendous impact on the environment – both during construction and through out their. As the key element in urban development, housing plays a vital role in attaining the goal of sustainable development. Effective of project management is becoming increasingly important for sustainable housing to remain competitive in today‟s dynamic business environment. This paper attempt to establish a theoretical framework for project management success factors in sustainable housing development. Review on past literature on the subject were carried out to build the existing research works on the area and to establish critical success factors of project management best practices. At the end of this paper, a new area of managing sustainable housing for future direction of this research was identified. A list of critical success factors for project management practices for sustainable housing development was established. Keywords: Sustainable Housing, Sustainable Development Project Management, Critical Success Factors. 1.0 INTRODUCTION Housing, as human basic need, is a very important issue of people‟s everyday life. In 1948, the United Nations, in its Universal Declaration of Human Rights, stated that â€Å"everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services†¦Ã¢â‚¬  . Housing provision is one of the major challenges facing developing countries. Under the Seventh Malaysia Plan (1999-2000) and Eight Malaysia Plan (2001-2005), Malaysian governments are committed to provide adequate, affordable and quality housing for all Malaysian, particularly the low income group. This is in line with Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlement and Habitat Agenda (1996) to ensure adequate shelter for all. In order to be sustainable, housing initiatives must be economically viable, socially acceptable, technically feasible and environmentally compatible (Choguill, 2007). In the other hand, housing encompasses the immediate environment, sanitation, drainage, recreational facilities, and all other economic and social activities that make life worthwhile (Olejado, 2003). The World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED, 1987) report, Our Common Future has led to a world-wide notion of the concept of sustainable development (Meldon, 1998). However, it has been argued that the history of the concept of sustainability can be traced back to the terms â€Å"stationery† or â€Å"steady state economy† used by the nineteenth century political economist (European Environment agency, 1997). Today there are over 300 published definitions of sustainable development, the products of diverse world views and competing vested interests (Moles and Kelly, 2000). Fundamentally, sustainable development addresses three major areas; I. People living today are entitled to justice and equal rights; II. Environmental degeneration must be alleviated or eliminated; and III. Future generations must not be impoverished as a result of current actions (Redclift,1987). Our Common Future explores how sustainable development â€Å"is not a fixed state of harmony but rather a process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the orientation of technological development, and institutional change are made consistent with future as well as present needs† (Moles and Kelly, 2000). In other words, (WCED, 1987, 8) it‟s defined as â€Å"development which meets the needs of the present without comprising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs†. The Commission not only observed that environmental problems need to be addressed, but also socials problem, such as inequity, property, non-prosperity and the violation of human rights, that are related to explosive population growth and the enormous expansion of environmental harms caused by human activities. According to the Commission, solving these problems requires global economic growth whilst respecting ecological constraints (Klunder, 2004). Other studies, (Ding, 2008) defined sustainable development is as a concern of attitudes and judgment to help insure long-term ecological, social and economic growth in society. While the term of sustainable development is well known and widely used, there is no common understanding and approach for it. The perception of sustainability especially when it comes to what â€Å"needs† is regarded as important varies much by different nation and even different people with different points in time, economic, social and cultural backgrounds (Zinkernagel, 2001). The detail of what comprises sustainable development is very context – specific and the same condition and practice cannot apply everywhere. Therefore, sustainability has its diverse implications in every corner of the world and in every sector of a society (Bell and Morse, 2003). For construction sector, the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (1990) explains sustainable as directed towards the reduction of the environmental and health impacts consequent to construction, buildings and the built environment. Such construction processes would bring environmental responsibility, social awareness, and economic profitability objectives to the fore in built environment related projects (Langston and Ding, 2001). There are various definitions of sustainable housing; The European Union defined sustainable housing in the following perspective: construction (e.g. Quality of construction), social and economic factors (e.g. Affordability and psychological impacts) and ecoefficiency (e.g. Efficient use of non-renewable resources) (VROM, 2005). Previously, IHBC (1998) definitions  present the general factor of a sustainable housing practice that is applicable under various circumstances, depending on the conditions where it‟s implemented (Larasati, 2006). Basically, all these definitions were carry out the idea of Principle 15 of the Declaration of the United Nations Conference on The Human Environment: â€Å"Planning must be applied to human settlements and urbanization with a view to avoiding adverse effects on the environment and obtaining maximum social, economic and environmental benefits for all† (UNEP, 1972). A sustainable house is cost-efficient over time, comfortable, cheap to maintain and complements our unique environment (Queensland Government, 2004). â€Å"Sustainable Housing† is a new concept in developing countries and unearthing projects covering all aspects of sustainability proved to be difficult (Ebsen, 2000). For housing that make up a great proportion of building, sustainable housing could be defined as housing practices, which strive for integral quality (including economic, social, and environmental performance) in a broad way (John, Croome & Jeronimidis, 2005). The focus on sustainable housing implies a perspective of flows (Klunder, 2004). From this viewpoint, a sustainable  housing is characterized by the minimization of the environmental impacts of material use, energy consumption and water consumption during the whole service life of the building. 2.0 PROBLEM STATEMENT Malaysia is a developing country heading towards industrialization. The growths of industries bid rapid housing expansion due to the high demand from the customer. A good housing area has to fulfill the health aspect from the building, drainage, clean water supply, domestic waste management and suitable ventilation. The quality of housing and it‟s social, economic and environmental performance is critically important to sustainable development. However, the lacks of practices of project success factors in housing development activities may often bring about water, air and land pollutions thus affecting the natural environment, health and quality of  life. These issues are often raised today as problems of uncontrolled development of housing growth as concern for the environment is not considered. With this concern in mind, housing and other social services become priority in today‟s development programmes which aimed at improving the quality of life and contributing towards the formation of a caring society. However, the issue of sustainable housing are still new and not that familiar in our country. With referring back the house being built in the past decade, those houses were not meeting the essential criteria of sustainability and unfortunately, there are little to none; in depth studies for this matter. Although the homes that create may look good and be cheap to build, they are poor value if they weather poorly, have high energy and other running costs, are expensive to maintain and cannot adapt to changes in use. According to Maylor (1999) those organizations that are most resourceful in seeking out best practices and making those aspects work for them will be the most successful. Although project management has proved its success in many construction projects, there is however some problems associated with the manner in which the system has been selected and/or implemented (Noum S. et al., 2004). Here, critical factors of successful project management were establish to develop a new area of managing sustainable housing for further studies of this research to ensure its potential for future sustainability. 2.1 RESEARCH QUESTIONS Based on the problems stated above, two main questions are formed as below: 1) What are the critical factors that are required for the successful implementation of sustainable housing practices? 2) What are the critical factors project management best practices in sustainable housing development? 2.2 OBJECTIVES There are two objectives for this paper: 1) To identify factor that are required for the successful implementation of sustainable housing practice. 2) To establish the success factors that determines the best practices for project management in sustainable housing. 3) To establish guideline for project management best practices for sustainable housing. 3.0 FACTORS EFFECTING PROJECT SUCCESS Nowadays, companies are increasingly using projects in their daily work to achieve company goals. The only way organizations can be driven to achieve excellence is by keeping an eye on competition and world best practice in all aspects of the business (Bendell et. all, 1998). Recently more and more organizations are recognizing that translating corporate strategies into actions requires project management. Consequently, it is vital that projects are successful (Baccarini, 2003). Critical success factors are important influences that contribute to project success. So, critical success factors are the set of circumstances, facts or influences which contribute to the project outcomes. According to Mobey and Parker (2002), to increase the chances of a project succeeding it is necessary for the organisation to have an understanding of what are the success factors, to systematically and quantitatively assess these factors, anticipating possible causes and effects, and then choose appropriate methods of dealing with them. Once identified, the success of the project can be achieved. Generally, the success of a construction project depends on a number of factors, such as project complexity, contractual arrangements, and relationships between project participants, the competency of project managers, and the abilities of key project members (Chua et al., 1999). Bayliss, (2002) in his report said that successful project delivery requires the concerted effort of the project team to carry out the various project activities, but it is the project manager who, at the center of the project network, is responsible for orchestrating the whole construction process. Possessing the core project management competence would help to define the ability of project managers to deliver good performance towards the attainment of project success. The search for factors that influence project success has been growing interest over the past decade. Among researchers that have tried to a certain extent to identify success factors for project management are Pinto and Slevin (1987,1989), Cooke-Davis (2002), Muller and Turner (2003), Belassi and Tukel (1996) and etc. Success factors are those input to the project management system that lead directly or indirectly to the success of the project or business. Belassi and Tukel, 1996, categorized success factors into four main group. These are factors relating to the project, project managers, organization, and external environment. Others researcher, Chan et al., 2002 identify a set of project success factors; project team commitment, contractor‟s competencies, risk and liability assessment, client‟s competencies, end-users needs and constraints imposed by end user. As referred to the ten critical success factors developed by Pinto and Slevin (1986), Pinto and Mantel (1990) suggest that â€Å"these critical success factors were found to be generalisable to a wide variety of project types and organizations†. Their model is one of the most widely quoted lists of critical success factors (Muller and Turner, 2007). However a single set of project success factors may not be suitable for all industries (Lim et al, 1999; Hartman et al, 1996). Liu and Walker 1998 suggest that as industries operate differently, â€Å"a set of critical success factors may not be transferable from one project to another project†¦only generic areas can be identified and used as broad guidelines.† A comprehensive review of the literature research on success factors of project management was conducted. Table 1 gives lists of the critical success factors developed in the various literatures. Several researchers have identified the factors that significantly determine project management success. Based on the frequency analysis, the critical success factors are prioritised as shown in Table 2. Table 1. Summary of literature reviews from various author‟s for project success Author‟s Pinto & Critical Success Factors Belassi Cooke- Baccarini Andersen Hyvari Turner & Khang Slevin & Davies (1999, et al., Muller & (2002) 2003) (2006) (2005,07) Moe (1987,89) Tukel (2006) (1996) (2008) Project Understanding √ √ Top Management Support √ √ Information/Communication √ √ √ √ Client Involvement √ √ √ √ Competent Project Team √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ Authority of the Project Manager/Leader Realistic Cost and Time Estimates √ Adequate Project Control √ √ √ √ √ √ Planning/Controlling Project mission /common goal √ √ Project Ownership √ √ √ √ √ √ √ feedback √ √ √ √ √ √ √ or empirical basis. Table 2: Prioritisation of CSFs Critical Success Factors Prioritised Occurrence No. Frequency of Rank 1 Competent Project Team 8 1 2 Authority of the Project Manager/Leader 6 2 3 Project Understanding 5 3 4 Top Management Support 5 3 √ √ Remark: â€Å"√ † critical success factors that is determined by the authors either on a conceptual Sr. √ √ √ Monitor performance and √ √ √ Adequate Resources √ √ √ Risk Management √ √ √ Problem Solving Abilities √ √ 5 Client Involvement 5 3 6 Project mission /common goal 5 3 7 Adequate Resources 4 4 8 Realistic Cost and Time Estimates 4 4 9 Information/Communication 4 4 10 Project Ownership 3 5 11 Monitor performance and feedback 3 5 12 Planning/Controlling 3 5 13 Risk Management 3 5 14 Adequate Project Control 2 6 15 Problem Solving Abilities 2 6 The frequency analysis in Tables 1 and 2 revealed that there are only one critical success factors in all frameworks in common which is competent project team. The analysis also showed that authority of the project manager/leader is prioritised in rank 2. The analysis further revealed that 5 out of the 8 frameworks have four critical success factors in common: Project Understanding, Top Management Support, Client Involvement and Project Mission/common goal. The Adequate Resources, Realistic Cost and Time Estimates and information/Communication success factors have their presence in forth frameworks respectively. The other critical success factors (namely, Project ownership, Monitor performance and feedback, Planning/Controlling and Risk Management) are presented in very few frameworks (Table 1 and 2). Meanwhile, the other two factors were not commonly found in the literature which is adequate project control and problem solving abilities. 4.0 FACTORS OF PROJECT SUCCESS FOR SUSTAINABLE HOUSING The subject of project management is vast and numerous authors continuously add to the body of literature on the subject. According to the Project Management Institute (2004), the discipline of project management can be defined as follows: Project management is the art of directing and coordinating human and material resources throughout the life of a project by using modern management techniques to achieve predetermined objectives of scope, cost, time, quality and participation satisfaction. Project management best practices may be described as optimum way of performing work to achieve high performance (Ramabadron et all., 1997). According to Dey (2002), current project management practices of organizations in the industry sector do not always ensure success. The main problems with projects planning and implementation have been cost and time overruns and quality non-achievement. Dey (2002) stated that the main contributing factors are: ï‚ · Expansion of the scope and subsequent quality increases of input resources; ï‚ · Engineering and design changes; ï‚ · Underestimation and incorrect estimation and ï‚ · Unforeseen inflation ï‚ · Project size and complexity and etc. Dey, (2002) illustrates projects management growing popularity has stimulated interest in how companies compare in their application of project management process, tools and techniques. Successful project management can contribute towards project success but is unlikely to be able to prevent project failure (de Wit, 1988). The various variables affecting the success factors are identified in the  previous section. There are Project Understanding, Top Management, Support Communication, Client Involvement, Competent Project Team, Authority of Top Level, Realistic Cost and Time Estimates, Adequate Project Control, Problem Solving Abilities, Risk Management, Adequate Resources, Planning/Controlling, Monitor performance and feedback, Project mission /Common goal, and Project Ownership. Furthermore, a new conceptual framework that includes the indentified variables of project success is shown in Fig. 1. Its show that variables project success can influence a variable of criteria measuring sustainable housing. Figure 1: Framework of Project Management Success Factors in Sustainable Housing. Project Management Success Factor Criteria Measuring Sustainable Housing: Competent Project Team Authority of the Project Manager/Leader Project Understanding Top Management Support Client Involvement Project mission /common goal Adequate Resources Realistic Cost and Time Estimates Information/Communication Project Ownership Monitor performance and feedback Planning/Controlling Risk Management Adequate Project Control Problem Solving Abilities ï‚ · Energy Efficiency ï‚ · Use of Materials ï‚ · Water Efficiency ï‚ · Disposal ï‚ · Site Issues ï‚ · Green ï‚ · Traffic ï‚ · Outdoor environment and Indoor environment Project Management Success Factors in Sustainable Housing – Economically ; are cost-efficient over the lifespan of the dwelling – Environmental/Ecology ; are resource efficient in terms of materials, waste, water and energy – Social/Community ; are safe, flexible and comfortable for people with varying abilities * Critical success factor of project management were establish to come out the best practices in new area in Sustainable Housing. An extensive literature survey on sustainable housing also has been carried out to select criteria measurement frameworks for this study. The relevant literature has revealed that different researchers have adopted similar sustainability criteria‟s framework that consider on three basic themes of the sustainable construction; social, environmental, and economic. Below, there are a few literatures findings in term of criteria of measuring sustainable housing: 1. Winston (2007) have carried out some important characteristics of sustainable housing include: sustainable land-use planning; resisting scattered settlements; housing close to employment and public transport; higher residential densities; sustainable construction; high standards of energy efficiency in use of dwellings; housing availability, affordability and quality; access to green space, and a high quality residential environment. Many sustainable building indicator sets are derived from conceptual models (Winston and Pareja, 2008). 2. Blaauw (1997), the following environmental theme are derived from a workbook for sustainable building and housing: Energy, Use of Materials, Water, Disposal, Site, Green, Traffic, Outdoor environment and Indoor environment. 3. Building Environmental Science & Technology (B.E.S.T), formulated residential green building guidelines: Emphasize the reduce, recycle, re-use, renewable; use energy, water and resource efficiently; healthy indoor air quality; building has affordable community; development creates a sense of well-being; the home remains reasonably affordable and cost effective. 4. (Bennett and James, 1999) Effective sustainability measurement should consider the complete triple bottom line of economic, environmental, and societal performance which is: a) Social Sustainability ï‚ · Healthy internal environment ï‚ · Safety (personal, household and environmental) ï‚ · Provision of social amenity ï‚ · Provision of recreation amenity ï‚ · Accessibility to jobs and amenities b) Economic Sustainability ï‚ · Cost efficient over time ï‚ · Adaptability with min. cost ï‚ · Affordability ï‚ · Job creations and local economy c) Environmental Sustainability ï‚ · Energy efficiency ï‚ · Water efficiency/Conservation ï‚ · Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions ï‚ · Waste management / recycling ï‚ · Material efficiency ï‚ · Pollution prevention– noise, water, air ï‚ · Optimization & conservation of land ï‚ · Protect and enhance biodiversity ï‚ · Reduction of car dependency 5. Green Building Manual from the US Department of Energy (DOE) & Public Technology, Inc. (PTI) include the following points: ï‚ · Site Issues: selection of building sites, landscaping, watershed, site materials and equipment ï‚ · Building Design: building systems (heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, electrical and plumbing systems) and indoor environmental quality ï‚ · Construction Process ï‚ · Operations & Maintenance ï‚ · Economics & Environment: energy and water efficiency, waste reduction, construction costs, building maintenance & management savings. For the purpose of this research, eight aspects of criteria sustainability that can be used to analyze sustainable housing , were derived from the six environmental themes that are distinguished The National Measures for Sustainable Building (Hendriks, 2001): ï‚ · Energy: reducing the demand for energy, promoting the use of sustainable energy resources and using energy efficiently ï‚ · Materials: more efficient use of materials, reducing waste and removing it responsibly ï‚ · Water: reducing water usage, preventing land drying up, and protecting water quality ï‚ · Indoor Environment: improving air quality, improving thermal comfort, and reducing noise levels. ï‚ · Surrounding Environment: supporting bio-diversity, strengthening the perception of the environment (including maintaining old townscapes) and reducing nuisance (noise, wind, odor) ï‚ · Miscellaneous: improving the flexibility of the home with regard to accommodating new functions and improving safety It is expected that study of project management best practices in the extent of project success could lead toward meeting criteria of sustainable housing. This approach in sustainable housing area will provide much needed information to local authorities to take more effective control of housing issues. 5.0 CONCLUSION The implementation of success factors for project management in sustainable housing is important in other to ensure project success. Apparently, the sustainable housing is one of the major contributors to the development of any country. Unfortunately, in our country Malaysia, the issue of sustainable housing development is still new and not yet the proactive action had been taken to develop the housing sector in sustainable way. Thus, this research is proposed to identify success factors for project management in sustainable housing area. At the end of this paper, a new area of managing sustainable housing for future direction of this research will identified. A list of critical success factors from various authors for project management success for sustainable housing development in Malaysia was established. Further work is needed to explore in more detail which factors are important and to understand how the factors interact with each other in sustainable housing area. 6.0 REFERENCES Andersen, E.S., Jessen, S.A. (2000), â€Å"Project evaluation scheme†, Project Management, Vol. 6 No.1, pp.61-9. Baccarini D. (2003), Critical Success Factors for Projects. Faculty of The Built Environment, Art and Design Curtin University of Technology, Australia. Belassi W, Tukel OI (1996), A new framework for determining critical success/failure factors in projects. International Journal of Project Management. 14(3): 141-151. Bell, S and Morse, S (2003), Measuring Sustainability: Learning from Doing. Earthscan: London, UK. Bendell, T., Boulter, L. and Kelly, J. (1998), Benchmarking for Competitive Advantage, Pitman, London. Bennett M., James P. (1999). Sustainable Measures: Evaluation and Reporting of Environmental and Social Performance. Greenleaf, Sheffield, UK. Blaauw, drs. F.J. (1997), Werkboek Duurzaam Bouwen en Wonen. Alphen aan de Rijn: Samsam HD Tjeenk Willink bv. Building Environmental Science & Technology (B.E.S.T.). „Green Building‟ – http://www.energybuilder.com/greenbld.htm#top Chan, A.P.C., Scott, D. and Lam, E.W.M. (2002) Framework of Success Criteria for Design/Build Projects. Journal of Management in Engineering Vol. 18 (3), pp. 122128. Choguill, C. L. (2007), The search for policies to support sustainable housing. Habitat International, pp 143-149. Chua DKH, Kog YC, Loh PK (1999), â€Å"Critical success factors for different project objectives.† Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, pp. 142-150 Cooke-Davis, T. (2002). „The â€Å"real† success factors on projects‟, International Journal of Management, 20 (3), pp. 185-190 de Wit, (1988), â€Å"Measurement of project management success†, International Journal of Project Management, Vol.6 (3), pp. 164-170. Dey, P.K. (2002), â€Å"Benchmarking project management practices of Caribbean organizations using analytic hierarchy process†, Benchmarking: An International Journal, Vol.9 No.3, pp. 326-356. Ding, G.K.C (2008), Sustainable Construction-The role of environmental assessment tools. Journal of environmental management, 86, 451-464. Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and The Environment (1990), Nationaal milieubeleidsplan-plus; notitie instrumentarium + duurzaam bauwen, Sdu. Den Haag. Ebsen C., Ramboll B. (2000). International Review Of Sustainable Low-Cost Housing Projects Proceedings: Strategies for a Sustainable Built Environment, Pretoria, 23-25 August 2000 Green Building Manual from the US Department of Energy (DOE) & Public Technology, Inc. (PTI) Hartman F, Ashrafi R. (1996). Failed successes and failures. PMI Annual Seminar/Symposium, Boston, PD 35, 1-5, Hendriks, (2001). Sustainable Construction. Boxtel, The Netherlands : AEnas technical publishers. John. G., Croome D.C and Jeronimidis G. (2005), Sustainable building solutions: a review of lessons from the natural world. Building and Environment, 40(3): 317-326. Khang D.B and Moe T.L, (2008). Success Criteria and Factors for International Development Projects: A Life Cycle-based Framework, Project Management Journal, Vol. 39, No. 1, pp. 72-84. Klunder G. (2004), The Search for The Most Eco-efficient Strategies for Sustainable Construction; Dutch lessons, Journal of Housing and The Built Environment pp 111126. Langston, C. A. & Ding, G. K. C. (2001) (Eds.), Sustainable practices in the built environment, Langston, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford. Larasati D. (2006).Towards An Integral Approach Of Sustainable Housing In Indonesia With An Analysis Of Current Practices In Java. Delft University Of Technology – The Netherlands Lim, C.S. and Mohamed, M.Z (1999), â€Å"Criteria of project success: an exploratory reexamination†, International Journal of Project Management, Vol. 17 No. 4, pp. 243-8. Liu, A.M.M. and Walker A. (1998), Evaluation of project outcomes. Construction Management and Economics; Vol. 16 No.2, pp. 209-219. Malaysian Government (1999), Seventh Malaysia Plan, Percetakan Nasional Berhad, Kuala Lumpur. Malaysian Government (2001), Eight Malaysia Plan, Percetakan Nasional Berhad, Kuala Lumpur Mylor H. (1999), Project Management, 2nd ed. London: Financial Times. Meldon, J. (1998), Learning Sustainability by Doing – Regional Integration by the Social Partners, European Commission and the Department of Environment and Local Goverment, Dublin. Mobey A, Parker D (2002). Risk evaluation and its importance to project implementation. Int. J. Productivity and Performance Manage., 51(4): 202 – 208. Moles R. Kelly R., (2000), Towards Sustainable Development in The Mid-West Region of Ireland. Environmental Management and Health, Vol. 11 No.5 pp 422-432. Muller R, Turner JR (2003). On the nature of the project as a temporary organization. Int. J. Project Manage, 21(1): 1 Muller R, Turner JR (2005). The project manager‟s leadership style as a success factor on projects: A literature review. Project Management Journal,36(2): 49 – 61 Muller R., Turner R. (2007), â€Å"The influence of project managers on project success criteria and project success by type of project.† European Management Journal Vol. 25 (4), pp. 298-307 OECD. (1998) Towards Sustainable Development – Environmental Indicators. OECD Code 971998031P1. Olejado, E.O. (2003), Implication of Designs and Material Specifications on Housing Development. Proceedings: Housing Development in Nigeria – Which Way Forward, Lagos State of Nigeria. 1st & 2nd April, 2003. Pinto JK, Slevin DP (1989). Critical success factors in R & D projects. 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VROM (Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning, and the Environment); The Netherlands. 2005. Sustainable Refurbishment of High-Rise Residential Buildings and Restructuring of Surrounding Areas in Europe. Report for EuropeanHousing Ministers‟ Conference held in Prague, Czech Republic, 14 -15 March 2005. Winston N., Pareja M., (2008). Sustainable Housing in the Urban Context: International Sustainable Development Indicator Sets and Housing, Social Indicators Research; Vol. 87 Issue 2, p211-221 World Commission on Environment and Development (1987), Our Common Future, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Zinkernagel.R (2001), Indicators to measure sustainable development in urban residental areas. Thesis for the fulfillment of the Master of Science in Environmental Management and Policy. Lund University : Lund, Sweden.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Far from the madding crowd Essay

Roles of women in the Victorian times were very limited compared to now. They were expected to be house wives, and never expected to have an opinion or point of view. They were never in control of anything and everything was decided by men. They were usually expected to take care of everything in the house including looking after children. They were very much expected to be women whose life revolved around the domestic sphere of the home and family. However, this role was challenged by Queen Victoria In the novel ‘Far From the Madding Crowd’ you see Bathsheba and Fanny breaking the norms expected from women in Victorian times. Sometimes these norm-breaking actions would result in a sever consequence depending on how bad the norm-breaking was. However, sometimes these limits which exist were ignored, but no penalty was paid. In chapter 42 Bathsheba opens the coffin in which Fanny and her baby lay. Here you can see an example of a woman crossing the barrier of what was expected from her, but no penalty being paid. She is very insecure as weather to open the coffin or leave it closed. â€Å"If I could only look in upon you for one little minute I should know all† She finally does open the coffin and is slightly relieved that her tension and suspense has come to an end. â€Å"It was best to know the worst, and I know it now†. She is in a lot of pain, because she now knows that it was the women that Troy loved. She realises that it is his baby and is shocked when Troy says to her that he will never love her like he loved Fanny. Bathsheba also realises that Troy has slept with Fanny out of marriage, which was a very unacceptable action in Victorian times. She does not wish to pursue or debate with Troy about what he has done, because there are risks of other people finding out and this would bring shame to her self-image. The consequences of Troy’s actions would mean that people would look at them badly and want nothing to do with them. In a way, Fanny paid the price for a highly thought sinful act, and through death. Many Victorian readers would’ve been shocked at Bathsheba’s actions when she opens the coffin and also with Troy’s actions. Bathsheba is obviously troubled and disturbed; otherwise she would never have opened the coffin. You can see that she is showing her true emotions and in Victorian times women never showed their true emotions. Bathsheba’s actions for opening the coffin would not have been a very severe punishment but would be frowned upon by many Victorians. In chapter 13, the expected roles of women are transgressed when Bathsheba and Liddy play the game of the Bible and key. â€Å"Did you ever find out, miss, who you are going to marry by means of the Bible and key? † Many Victorian women would think it a very foolish game to play, therefore, not expected from women. This chapter is an example of a woman crossing the barrier of her expected role, but nothing happening and therefore no consequence. In chapter 11, fanny pays a visit to Troy; however, she travels a very long distance to do this. It was very unusual in Victorian times and nowadays that a woman should travel for miles and miles by foot to visit their loved ones. This wasn’t considered very lady-like, and was looked as desperate. It could also have been seen as chasing him around, therefore not being a proper Lady. To make matters worse, Troy dismisses her abruptly which shows a lot of disrespect for Fanny. But Fanny doesn’t acknowledge this and we can see that she is a weak character. â€Å"There was a tone in the woman which is not that of the wife, and there was a manner in the man which is rarely a husband†. Fanny’s actions may also have come down to her social class. Her ways of thinking may have also been completely different to that of an upper class. However, the boundaries of what was expected from women was the same throughout social class. But some may have broken these boundaries with no consequence. You can see now that if the boundaries are taken too far the consequences are drastic and sever. However, sometimes they are ignored or they are hidden. Fanny ignored these boundaries and paid the penalty. Bathsheba did step over the line, but never did ignore the extreme limitations. The women in the novel are defined by how they are seen to everyone else. Some Victorian women would not abide by the rules that were set for them, and some would, either out of fear of what would happen to them if they didn’t or they didn’t want to feel sinful.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

The eNotes Blog Thats a Fact, Jack History of theJack-O-Lantern

Thats a Fact, Jack History of theJack-O-Lantern Have you ever seen a flickering light, perhaps over a foggy river or hovering above a misty hilltop, that seems to recede the closer you get to its source?   For hundreds of years, this phenomenon was referred to by several names: Will O the Wisp, Ignius Fatuus, and, Jack OLantern. In 1750, a printed mention of a Jack-O-Lantern referred to a nightwatchman toting a lantern.   All of these incarnations, including our modern use as a fun, often comic, Halloween decoration, actually has very ancient Celtic origins. The old folktale goes like this. Jack, an Irish blacksmith, had the misfortune of running into the Devil in a pub on Halloween.   Jack had drank a bit too much that evening and the Devil thought him easy prey, but the clever trickster made a bargain with the Devil.   In exchange for one last drink, Jack offered up his soul.   Jack didnt want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a sixpence that Jack could use to buy their drinks.   The Devil changed his form to make payment to the bartender, but Jack pocketed the coin in a bag with a silver cross with the knowledge that the cross would prevent the Devil from changing back.   Once in his purse, Jack only freed the Devil after he agreed not to claim his soul for ten years. Ten years later, the Devil met Jack walking on a country road and told him that he was there to collect his soul.   Jack, feigned compliance, but asked the Devil if he would first climb an apple tree and get him an apple.   The Devil, having nothing to lose, climbed the tree, but as he reached for the apple, Jack pulled out his knife and carved the sign of the cross in the trees trunk. The Devil was unable to come back down until he had agreed never to claim Jacks soul. Some years later, Jack died and went to Heaven.   But he was dismissed from St. Peters gate because he was too much of an unsavory figure to allow in.   He then went to Hades, but the Devil was bound never to claim his soul, and so would not allow him to enter.   Instead, he sent him away with only a burning ember to light his way.   Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been doomed to roam the Earth in darkness ever since. The Irish began to refer to his damned soul and ghostly light as Jack of the Lantern, and then, simply Jack O Lantern. It has been believed for centuries that on Hallows Eve, evil spirits roam the Earth, Stingy Jack among them. For hundreds of years on that frightening night, the Irish carved scary faces into potatoes and turnips and placed them in windows and doorway to scare away Jack and other spirits.   When the Irish immigrated to the United States, they brought their tradition with them, with one amendment. They discovered that pumpkins had the perfect surface for carving the best frightening faces. Glowing Jack-O-Lanterns came much later, most likely   because of an article published in the  New York Times  in 1900 which recommended lighting a pumpkin as part of the festivities. The suggestion, of course, caught on and now millions of us scoop out pumpkin guts, put a candle in its hollowed-out interior, and wait for our ghosts and goblins to arrive.   Bonus Fact: What was the original reason for dressing up on Halloween? Apparently evil spirits arent all that bright. A simple mask was thought to be able to fool those troublemakers into believing we are not who they think we are.   And maybe were not.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Brief Guide to the Architecture of Chicago, Illinois

Brief Guide to the Architecture of Chicago, Illinois Chicago, Illinois is known for its architecture and has long been connected with some of architectures most important names- Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan, Mies van der Rohe, and Holabird Root. Follow these links for a virtual tour of must-see architecture in Chicago. Must-See Buildings in and around Chicago: Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower)Auditorium Building, Adler SullivanThe Manhattan BuildingFarnsworth House (near Chicago)The Old Colony Building The Marquette Building Leiter Building (II) (Sears, Roebuck Company Building)The Robie HouseThe Rookery The Arthur Heurtley HouseFrank Lloyd Wright HomeFrank Lloyd Wright StudioFrank Lloyd Wrights First Prairie Style House, the Winslow House, 1893Frank Lloyd Wright Pre-1900 Queen Anne Style HousesFrank W. Thomas HouseNathan G. Moore HouseWilliam Winslow ResidenceJay Pritzker Music Pavillion by Frank GehryAqua Tower by Jeanne Gang, 2010 Famous Chicago Architects: Daniel BurnhamBruce GrahamWilliam HolabirdWilliam Le Baron JenneyLudwig Mies van der RoheLouis Henri SullivanFrank Lloyd WrightJeanne Gang Chicago Before the Internet: Today we think nothing of shopping online. Ever hear of Amazon.com? What Amazon offers is a catalog of things to buy that can be shipped to your home. Before the digital revolution, the catalog of things was printed on paper, mailed to homes, and family members would circle items and turn down page corners for the treasures that they wanted. The Wish List in the Wish Book was the old Shopping Cart. Chicago was at the hub of the American Industrial Revolution- skyscrapers were being built and a great network of rail lines converged in Chicago at the turn of the 20th century. The US Postal Service delivered mail by rail to remote and rural locations. Sears, Roebuck Co., based in Chicago, delivered everything else- including jewery, farm equipment, groceries, and the precut supplies to build entire homes. Browse our reproduced catalog pages from Sears and other mail order companies in Bungalows by Mail, Index to Selected Floor Plans. The competition became fierce, and marketing tactics became familiar to what we know today. Through these pages, we begin to see how modern Chicago became so quickly. Learn More About Architecture in Chicago: What is the Chicago School? Skyscrapers with StyleChicago Architecture FoundationSite includes a virtual walking tour past famous skyscrapers.Chicago Architecture and Design by Jay Pridmore and George A. Larson, Abrams, 2005Chicago Architecture and Design, 1923-1993: Reconfiguration of an American Metropolis, edited by John Zukowsky, Prestel, 2000Chicago Architecture: 1885 to Today by Chicago Architecture Foundation (C.A.F.), 2008Chicago (America the Beautiful), Firefly, 2009AIA Guide to Chicago by Alice Sinkevitch, 2004A View from the River: The Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise by Jennifer Marjorie Bosch and Hedrich Blessing, 2008Lost Chicago by David Garrard Lowe, University Of Chicago Press, 2010Cool Chicago by Kathleen Maguire, Pavilion, 2014The Encyclopedia of Chicago edited by James R. Grossman, Ann Durkin Keating, and Janice L. Reiff, University Of Chicago Press, 2004 Plan Your Chicago Architecture Visit: For excellent tours of Chicago architecture, visit the National Register of Historic Places. Youll find maps, photographs, historical information, and travel recommendations. Choose a Historic Chicago Hotel: If youd like to stay in a historic landmark building, youll be interested in the following hotels. Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel. Built in 1927, the centrally-located 14-story hotel is known for its lavish Crystal Ballroom.Deer Path Inn. Located 30 miles north of Chicago in Lake Forest, this stately Tudor is modeled after a 15th-century English Manor House.The Burnham Hotel has taken over the historic Reliance Building, one of Chicagos early skyscrapers, completed in 1895 and fully remodeled in the 1990s Look for Special Offers in Chicago: For special offers and helpful visitor information, explore the goChicago pages here at About.com.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Counting terrorism in Nigeria Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Counting terrorism in Nigeria - Essay Example They are using violence and intimidation in a bid to overthrow the Nigerian government and to replace it with an Islamic one. Boko Haram believes that western education is a sacrilege and is highly prohibited. It has had numerous social, economic and political consequences in the country and should be speedily curbed. The term terrorism is not news to our ears since it has dominated various media outlets. Terrorism has had devastating effects on the political, social and economic development in various societies. The contemporary society is full of mushrooming terrorist groups like Al-Qaida, Taliban, Al-Shabaab, Hezbollah and Boko Haram among others. What is terrorism? The word terrorism, originates from the word terror. According to Hornby (2000), terror is defined as a feeling of extreme fear. â€Å"Terrorism is the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce especially for political purposes† (Dictionary.com 2012). Terrorists often stage sudden attacks on the unsuspecting civilians to push their agenda. Terrorism is an activity that has been condemned by most governments of the world; the United States taking the centre stage. Having explicated terrorism in general, we can now narrow down to a particular terrorist group, Boko Haram, in Nigeria. The paper will explore current terrorist activities in Nigeria by this group. It is in order to understand the term, Boko Haram. According to Domingo (2012), it is a terrorist group that was founded by one Mohammed Yusuf between 2001 and 2002. Northern Nigeria is predominantly occupied by the Kanuri ethnic group, and it is the stronghold of Boko Haram. Terrorist assemblages are often formed and propagated by the drive of revenge, believing that they have suffered historical injustices, which may be religious, political, social and economic in nature. Terrorist groupings do not believe in dialogue and have resorted to barbaric violent ways of handling concerns. They believe that the government is doing