Why The Confederacy Lost Essays - American Civil War,

Why The Confederacy Lost Why the Confederacy Lost Throughout history many historians have tried to put their finger on the exact reason for the Confederacy losing the war. Some historians blame the head of the confederacy Jefferson Davis, however others believe that it was the shear numbers of the Northern army that won out. Yet others have blamed almost every general that the Confederacy had, according to James M. McPherson: Among them Robert E. Lee himself for mismanagement, overconfidence, and poor judgment; Jeb Stuart for riding off an a raid around the Union army and losing contact with his own army, leaving Lee blind in the enemy's country; Richard Ewell and Jubal Early for failing to attack Cemetery Hill on the afternoon of July 1st and again for tardiness in attacking on the 2nd; and above all, James Longstreet for lack of cooperation, promptness, and vigor in the assaults of July 2nd and 3rd.(P.19). Hopefully, this paper will shed some light on the true reasons for the Confederacy losing the war. There are two categories that interpretations can fall under, one is internal- internal is looking only at the south, what they did right and what they did wrong. The next one is external-external is looking at both the North and the South, seeing the problems and the successes of both sides. For and example of an external explanation, when Pickett was asked what he thought was the reason for the Confederacy losing the Battle of Gettysburg he said, ? I've always thought the Yankees had something to do with it? (19). The idea that the Yankees had way too many

Malcolm X Essays - Politics, Counterculture Of The 1960s

Malcolm X Essays - Politics, Counterculture Of The 1960s Malcolm X Racism is a problem that the American people have grappled with since colonial times. The 1960's saw the rise of Martin Luther King, Jr and Malcolm X, who not only influenced the civil rights movement but attempted to solve the problem of racism in this country. On February 16, 1965, Malcolm X gave a speech called Not Just An American Problem, but a World Problem. In his speech he provides a theory on the relationship between media and racism called image making which still has validity today. On first reading, Malcolm's tone is angry and his theory on image making sounds absurd. He states: They (racists) use the press to get public opinion on their side. . . this is a science called image making. they hold you in check through this science of imagery. They even make you look down upon yourself, by giving you a bad image of yourself. Some of our own Black people who have eaten this image themselves and digested it until they themselves don't want to live in the Black community. Yet, current television programming seems to favor this idea. Local news programs continue to show colored communities as dangerous and gang-infested. They continually rely on the reports of these areas for the bulk of their news and overlook the positive images that residents of these areas try to create. For example, KNTV news continually reports on the thefts and shootings in East San Jose but does not make an effort to show how residents are dealing with these situations. The day a local East San Jose church helped sway the city council to put a streetlight on a very busy intersection, the news pre-empted the report with an accident on another East San Jose intersection. As a result, most people in these communities do not realize that they have power to change their area and have a great desire to move out of these areas. They have become prisoners who have bought into the image of East San Jose. Yet, local news programs are not the only ones to blame for image making; documentaries have played a part in the negative images of blacks. Malcolm X makes the claim that the negative image of communities in America are just a small part of the image making process. The documentary film has done the same for their African homeland. He states: They (the press) projected Africa in a negative image, a hateful image. They made us think that Africa was a land of jungles, a land of animals, a land of cannibals and savages. It was a hateful image. Current documentaries of Africa are still about their jungles and their tribes. Although they do not have a racist tone, the idea that African people are still uncivilized continues. The result is: Black people here in America who hated everything about us that was African. . . it was you who taught us to hate ourselves simply by shrewdly maneuvering us into hating the land of our forefathers and the people on that continent. These films do have an influence on today's society. From watching today's black TV, the actors on these shows make fun of these images. Recently, Martin Lawrence made fun of one of his friends; calling him a spear-thrower on his hit TV show. The larger problem that Malcolm X did not discuss in his speech is the result of the image making. The effectiveness of today's media on young minds is great. Only several years have passed since the introduction of a Black Barbie doll. The great action heroes are not colored but are white; only their sidekicks are colored, e.g., Lone Ranger and Tonto. Consequently, the serious Black actor is a precious commodity. It is the Black comedian who is more accepted in today's society because they are able to laugh about the negative black images. The white man, as Malcolm X might agree, would favor the comedian over the serious actor because white men do not want to be reminded about their crime. The comedian often supports the negative black images that the media has created: large lips, large buttocks, the criminal and the slave. Eddie Murphy is famous for his Mister Robinson character on Saturday Night Live. Robinson is a spoof on Mister Rogers; however, Robinson is a criminal. The image of the black man as a thief

Buddhism Essays (1386 words) - Yogacara, Buddhist Practices

Buddhism Buddhism, one of the major religions of the world, was founded by Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, who lived in northern India from 560 to 480 B.C. The time of the Buddha was one of social and religious change, marked by the further advance of Aryan civilization into the Ganges Plain, the development of trade and cities, the breakdown of old tribal structures, and the rise of a whole spectrum of new religious movements that responded to the demands of the times (Conze 10). These movements were derived from the Brahmanic tradition of Hinduism but were also reactions against it. Of the new sects, Buddhism was the most successful and eventually spread throughout India and most of Asia. Today it is common to divide Buddhism into two main branches. The Theravada, or "Way of the Elders," is the more conservative of the two; it is dominant in Sri Lanka, Burma, and Thailand (Berry 23). The Mahayana, or "Great Vehicle," is more diverse and liberal; it is found mainly in Taiwan, Korea, and Japan, and among Tibetan peoples, where it is distinguished by its emphasis on the Buddhist Tantras (Berry 24). In recent times both branches, as well as Tibetan Buddhism, have gained followers in the West. It is virtually impossible to tell what the Buddhist population of the world is today; statistics are difficult to obtain because persons might have Buddhist beliefs and engage in Buddhist rites while maintaining folk or other religions such as Shinto, Confucian, Taoist, and Hindu (Corless 41). Such persons might or might not call themselves or be counted as Buddhists. Nevertheless, the number of Buddhists worldwide is frequently estimated at more than 300 million (Berry 32). Just what the original teaching of the Buddha was is a matter of some debate. Nonetheless, it may be said to have centered on certain basic doctrines. The first of the Four Noble Truths, the Buddha held, is suffering, or duhkha. By this, he meant not only that human existence is occasionally painful but that all beings; humans, animals, ghosts, hell- beings, even the gods in the heavens; are caught up in samsara, a cycle of rebirth, a maze of suffering in which their actions, or karma, keep them wandering (Coomaraswamy 53). Samsara and karma are not doctrines specific to Buddhism. The Buddha, however, specified that samsara is characterized by three marks: suffering, impermanence, and no- self, or anatman. Individuals not only suffer in a constantly changing world, but what appears to be the self, the soul, has no independent reality apart from its many separable elements (Davids 17). The second Noble Truth is that suffering itself has a cause. At the simplest level, this may be said to be desire; but the theory was fully worked out in the complex doctrine of "dependent origination," or pratityasamutpada, which explains the interrelationship of all reality in terms of an unbroken chain of causation (Conze 48). The third Noble Truth, however, is that this chain can be broken, that suffering can cease. The Buddhists called this end of suffering nirvana and conceived of it as a cessation of rebirth, an escape from samsara. Finally, the fourth Noble Truth is that a way exists through which this cessation can be brought about: the practice of the noble Eightfold Path. This combines ethical and disciplinary practices, training in concentration and meditation, and the development of enlightened wisdom, all thought to be necessary. For the monks, the notion of offering extends also to the giving of the dharma in the form of sermons, to the chanting of scriptures in rituals (which may also be thought of as magically protective and salutary), and to the recitation of sutras for the dead (Corless 57). All of these acts of offering are intimately involved in the concept of merit-making. By performing them, individuals, through the working of karma, can seek to assure themselves rebirth in one of the heavens or a better station in life, from which they may be able to attain the goal of enlightenment. Zen Buddhism Zen or Chan Buddhism represents a movement within the Buddhist religion that stresses the practice of meditation as the means to enlightenment. Zen and Chan are, respectively, Japanese and Chinese attempts to render the Sanskrit word for meditation, dhyana (Coomaraswamy 94). Zen's roots may be traced to India, but it was in East Asia that the movement became distinct and flourished. Like other Chinese Buddhist sects, Chan first established itself as a lineage of masters emphasizing the teachings of a particular text, in this

Discourse analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Discourse analysis - Essay Example In this piece of conversation, the major theme is a dispute between three children, with the younger children Ayesha and Zaynad appearing to unite and take sides against the elder Kahlidja. The major issue is whether or not Khalidja went to her aunt’s house to read the evening prayer to her aunt and whether she was doing her school work on her computer or downloading other materials. In the process of arriving at a resolution of what appears to be a simple issue, the conversation in this instance reveals conflicts arising out of the differences between the conveying of a message by a speaker and its interpretation by a listener. Wardaugh (1985) states that conversation is a social activity, the participants must take each others’ feelings and sensitivities into account if communication is to be successful. They need to be conscious of each others’ needs especially the need not to be offended (Wardaugh,1985:2). In this transcript, there are several instances where participants interrupt each other, and also offend each other. For instance, analyzing the conversational trend shows that the confrontational stance seems to have developed because of the lack of sensitivity of the participants about not offending each other. For example, the conflict has developed because both Zaynab and Ayesha have alleged that Khalidja did NOT go to the mosque, whereas a better conversational approach could have been to pose their doubts about her attendance at a mosque in the form of a question. As Wardaugh (1985) states, the social nature of conversation mandates that all participants should get equal opportunities to speak; in this transcript however, some of the linguistic characteristics that may be noted arise out of the lack of sensitivity of the participants. Zaynab in particular, being the youngest, has been interrupted ever so often; hence he does not have the same opportunities for participation th at the others

Does Modern Wedding Cost Too Much Research Paper

Does Modern Wedding Cost Too Much - Research Paper Example Although there are special cases of societal icons that have broken records in spending millions of dollars in wedding events, general spending by average people has increased tremendously. This paper seeks to provide succinct evidence to support the fact that modern weddings cost too much. Interestingly, planning of wedding events has become a fully functional industry that generates millions of dollars every year. Certainly, this has been primarily caused by the increase of busy lifestyles and consequently less time to spend organizing for wedding events. Couples have increasingly preferred to opt for wedding organizing services since there is increased money flow and less time to spend it due to busy lifestyles. Although the exact cost of holding a wedding event ranges from one country to another Sherrie claims, â€Å"The price for a wedding in the U.S, is $ 26, 400† (Sherrie 14). It is also claimed that the wedding â€Å"Cost will increase about 2.3% over already high 200 5 prices† (Sherrie 13). Although these statistics were taken in 2005, it can be posited that at present, costs have actually gone up further. There is overwhelming evidence indicating that the costs of modern wedding are actually high. According to a report by Fox, â€Å"the national average costs of using a wedding planner is approximately $3500 to $4000. For some couples, hiring a wedding planner is a crucial part of their wedding preparation† (Fox n.p). With the stresses of modern lifestyles, it is easy to understand why many couple opt for a wedding planner, it simply offers a relief. Although hiring a wedding planner increases the costs of the wedding, the relief offered is justified. With more people preferring wedding planner service to organize their wedding events, wedding planning business continue to flourish and offer better services thereby increasing the costs further. Holding of wedding events calls for hiring of special ceremony sites that will offer the wedding a sense of uniqueness. Renting of the ceremony sites especially for the reception, assuming that appreciable number of weddings are held in church, has increased with time. This causes an increase in overall wedding costs considering that a large percentage of the wedding resources will be spent on hiring exclusive ceremony sites such as lucrative hotels and recreational centers. According to estimates by Alliance Trust â€Å"The largest proportion of the wedding cost is spent on the hire of the venue, catering and drinks, this alone can swallow around 33% of the total cost† (Alliance Trust web). Another important aspect worth consideration, a precursor to rising wedding costs, is the upward shift in wedding age. According to Alliance Trust, â€Å"Our calculations put the average cost at ?20,000 – an onerous amount which could well explain why couples are delaying a wedding until they are more financially secure† (Alliance Trust web). This is clear evid ence that the modern society appreciates the importance of weddings to the extent that they would defer the wedding to a later date so that they could afford the increased wedding costs. A brief analysis of trends in wedding costs conducted by Wong posits, â€Å"The average price tag that is fast approaching $30,000 represents a 73 percent increase during the past 15 years† (Wong web). It is interesting to note that such a rise in spending costs can be attributed to change in lifestyle, personal

Aquatic Flora of Pulicat Lake Essay Example for Free

Aquatic Flora of Pulicat Lake Essay Pulicat lake derived its name from a vernacular name ‘Palaverkadu’ means plants with many number of roots. Those plants are mangroves with aerial roots called Pneumatophores. The word mangrove is considered to be a combination of the Portuguese word â€Å"Mangue† and English Word â€Å"Grove†. These are salt tolerant plants and are rich in this area and might be the reason for that name. The lake harbours rich and valued floristic wealth because of its varied ecological habitat viz., salt marshes, canals, mangroves, islands, low lying areas etc. A careful study of literature revealed that the lake has hardly received attention by the botanical explorers and hence it has remained botanically under-explored so far. But its fauna was extensively studied by many zoologists Nanda Kumar et.al . A.R.KSastry and T.A. Rao (1973) in their extensive study on the flora and vegetation of Coastal Andhra Pradesh, have recorded about 15 species from the island of the lake. Pulicat lake derived its name from a vernacular name ‘Palaverkadu’ means plants with many number of roots. The lagoon’s boundary limits range between 13.33 ° to 13.66 ° N and 80.23 ° to 80.25 °E, with a dried part of the lagoon extending up to 14.0 °N.; with about 84% of the lagoon in Andhra Pradesh and 16% in Tamil Nadu. The large spindle-shaped barrier island named Sriharikota separates the lake from the Bay of Bengal. Area Three major Rivers which feed the lagoon are Arani river, Kalangi river and Swarmukhi river. The Buckingham Canal, a navigation Channel is part of the lagoon on its western side. It is connected to the sea through three tidal inlets, one each at Tupilipalem, Rayadoruvu and Pulilcat villages respectively, from north to south. Study was undertaken in the Pulicat lake and data of aquatic flora collected by frequent visits during 2009-2010. Close up Photographs of as many as possible and associations depicting the richness of the macrophytes of the lake were taken. Herbaria of various aquatic plants also collected for future reference. Herbaria-specimens are preserved at N.B.K.R. Medicinal Plant Research Centre, Vidyanagar, Nellore District. Results and Discussions Brackish water is more saltier than fresh water and less saltier than sea water. Hence it is biologically more productive than either freshwater or sea water. It shows very rich aquatic population diversity including free floating, submerged, suspended, marginal, amphibious plants along with halophytes and mangroves. Region of pulicat lake includes salt marshes, canals and mangroves. Salt marshes often inundated by backwaters are mostly occupied by halophytes. They include Aleuropous lagopoides, Etriplex repens, Cressa cretica, Crotalaria retusa, Cyparus haspan, Fimbristylils ferrugenea, Salilchornia brachiata , Sesuvium portulacastrum Etc. Similar halophytic species scattered along the banks of Buckingham canal and Vapenjeri canal flowing with brackish water. Halophila ovalis popularly called sea grass belong to the family Hydrochariticeae appear prominently all along the margins Buckingham canal. Small mangrove pockets are located at two places namely near Vepenjeri canal close to Chandrasikuppam, and near Chengalpalem. Four species of mangroves belonging to four families are prominent over here. They include Aegiceras corniculatus of Myrsiraceae, Avicennia marina of Aviceiniaceae, Excoecaria agallocha of Euphorbiaceae and Lumintzera racemosa of Combretaceae. They develop pneumatophores in response to oxygen deficient conditions Significance of macrophytes to the lake: Macrophytes provide cover for fish and substrate for aquatic invertebrates, produce oxygen and act as food for some fish and wild life. Established mangrove roots provide an oyster habitat and slow water flow, there by enhancing sediment deposition. The fine anoxic sediments under mangroves act as sinks for a variety of heavy (trace) metal with colloidal particles in the sediments scavenged from the water. They protect coastal areas from erosion, storms and tsunamis. Their massive root systems are efficient at dissipating wave energy. Conclusion A decline in the macrophytic population may indicate water quality problem. They may be the result of excessive turbidgidy, pollutants including herbicides or salinization. It may lead to a major socio economic problem. One village in Tamilnadu was protected from tsunami destruction. That village is Naluvedapathy planted 80.244 saplings to get into the Guinness Book of World Records. This created a kilometer wide belt of trees of various varieties. When the tsunami struck, much of the land around the village was flooded but the village escaped form minimal damage. Many conservative methods have to be practiced to protect the macrophytic flora of the lake.

Computational Complexity and the Origin of Universals :: Mathematics Mathematical Philosophy Papers

Computational Complexity and the Origin of Universals ABSTRACT: This paper establishes close relationships between fundamental problems in the philosophical and mathematical theories of mind. It reviews the mathematical concepts of intelligence, including pattern recognition algorithms, neural networks and rule systems. Mathematical difficulties manifest as combinatorial complexity of algorithms are related to the roles of a priori knowledge and adaptive learning, the same issues that have shaped the two-thousand year old debate on the origins of the universal concepts of mind. Combining philosophical and mathematical analyses enables tracing current mathematical difficulties to the contradiction between Aristotelian logic and Aristotelian theory of mind (Forms). Aristotelian logic is shown to be the culprit for the current mathematical difficulties. I will also discuss connections to GÃ ¶del’s theorems. The conclusion is that fuzzy logic is a fundamental requirement for combining adaptivity and apriority. Relating the mathemati cal and philosophical helps clarifying both and helps analyzing future research directions of the mathematics of intelligence. I. Introduction: Mathematics and Philosophy The two-thousand year old debate on the origins of universal concepts of mind was about the roles of adaptivity or learning from experience vs. the a priori knowledge (the inborn or God-given). It is closely related to the epistemological problem of the origins of knowledge. The problem of combining adaptivity and a-priority is fundamental to computational intelligence as well as to understanding human intelligence. There is an interrelationship among concepts of mind in mathematics, psychology, and philosophy, which is much closer than currently thought among scientists and philosophers of today. From the contemporary point of view, the questions about mind posed by ancient philosophers are astonishingly scientific. A central question to the work of Plato, Aristotle, Avicenna, Maimonides, Aquinas, Occam, and Kant was the question of the origins of universal concepts. Are we born with a priori knowledge of concepts or do we acquire this knowledge adaptively by learning from experienc e? This question was central to the work of ancient philosophers, medieval theologists, and it was equally important to theories of Freud, Jung, and Skinner. The different answers they gave to this question are very similar to the answers given by McCulloch, Minsky, Chomsky and Grossberg. When 2300 years ago Plato faced a need to explain our ability to conceptualize, he concluded that concepts are of a priori origin. The philosophy based on the transcendental, a priori reality of concepts was named realism. During the following 2000 years the concept of a-priority was tremendously strengthened by the development of monotheistic religion in Europe, to the extent that it interfered with empirical studies.