Latin America Resources Essay -- essays research papers

I. 1.Miguel Angel Asturias- A Nobel Prize wining novelist and poet from Guatemala. Wrote about his experience under a dictatorship. Established small-town life and a clash of cultures as themes 2.Frida Kahlo- Started painting in 1925 when she was hospitalized. Married Diego Rivera. Was inspired by retablos, religious paintings. Was a champion of Mexican culture. 3.John F. Kennedy – Kennedy encouraged Latin American countries to undertake reforms to raise the standard of living for their people with the Alliance for Progress in 1961. 4.Luis Munoz Marin – Became Puerto Rico’s first elected governor in the 1950s. He supported a program to encourage tourism and develop industry on the island. 5.Gabriel Garcia Marquez- Nobel Prize winning author in Columbia. Wrote in a Style called magical realism. Most popular novel was One Hundred years of Solitude. 6.James Munroe – Issued the Munroe Doctrine in 1823 which disallowed colonization in the Americas 7.Pablo Neruda - Chile’s Nobel Prize winning poet who criticized the United States for using its power and wealth to carve up Panama. 8.Manuel Noriega – Panama’s president who was charged by the United States with drug trafficking in 1988. 9.Franklin D. Roosevelt – Announced the Good Neighbor Policy in 1933, which declared that â€Å"no state has the right to intervene in the internal or external affairs of another state.† 10.Theodore Roosevelt – President that offered Columbia $10 million for a strip of land in Panama to build a canal. Roosevelt encouraged rebels in Panama to rebel when Columbia rejected the offer. In 1903 when the Panama people received their independence, they granted US the 10 mile wide â€Å"canal zone.† II. 1. Under the Platt Amendment, the United States claimed the right to intervene in Cuban affairs. 2. The United States gained Puerto Rico and Philippines from Spain. 3. Financial interests led the United States to intervene in Latin America. In the early 1900s, the Dominican Republic was unable to pay its debts to American banks. American forces also occupied Nicaragua and Haiti ,and intervened in the affairs of Honduras 6 times. In each case, they stepped in to protect American lives and property or to support a government that favored American interests. 4. The United States wanted to create a solid anti-communist bloc in the Americas. The United States’ primary concern was the communist country of ... ...lopment and democracy. The OAS includes the United States, which has tended to dominated the organization. 11.retablos – religious paintings offered as thanks for escape from misfortune. 12.Sendero Luminoso – (Shining Path) Extreme left wing group that resorted to torture and murder in their on-going struggle to control the country of Peru. 13.Spanish-American War – As the United States industrialized, it extended its influence in the Caribbean and Central America. During the 1890s, Cuban patriots were battling for independence from Spain. In 1898, the United States declared war on Spain and joined the fighting. It promised that once peace was achieved it would â€Å"leave the government and control of Cuba to its people.† The Spanish American War ended in victory for the United States. Cuba did gain its independence, but the United States forced Cuba to include the Platt Amendment as part of its new constitution. Under the Platt Amendment the United States claimed the right to intervene in Cuban affairs. As a result the United States gained Puerto Rico and Philippines from Spain. 14.ultraismo – The belief that art should exist for its own sake, not for any social or political reasons.

Decision-Making Models Essay -- Decision-Making Model Analysis

Decision-Making Models General assumptions create the foundation of a person's reasoning. Imperfections with a supposition can create the opportunity for a skewed perspective in a person's reasoning process (Paul & Elder, 2002). The process of choosing one course of action over another is commonly known as decision making. Consciously or unconsciously, people make decisions on a daily basis founded on one or more of the various decision-making models (Sullivan, n.d.). This paper examines how I apply various decision-making models in the workplace to generate accurate workload estimations in my career. The Qualitative Choice Theory also known as analogous reasoning uses past experience to help an individual make decisions. A resolution is derived by looking at what has occurred historically and basing the decision on the expected outcome (Arsham, 1994). The Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) methodology is a decision-making model that uses a mathematical formula established on realistic, pessimistic, and optimistic estimates to provide an accurate estimate of the most likely amount of time to complete a project (â€Å"Critical path analysis & pert charts,† n.d.). Building on the analogous methodology, the parametric decision-making model looks at one small piece of a project, estimates the amount of time required to complete the particular section of the project, and multiplies the smaller piece times the number of total pieces (International Society of Parametric Analysts, 1999). The Monte Carlo simulation is a technique that makes use of computer models to aid in making decisions in intricate circumstances (Grambow, n.d.). My duties at work often require that I provide estimations for the level of effort required for projects I am working on and I employ all three of the aforementioned decision-making methodologies. More often than not, I rely on the analogous model drawing on my experience as a subject matter expert to create time estimates for small projects. Drawing on more than 5 years of programming experience, I am able create realistic estimates of the level of effort required to complete a small project. I use this methodology when asked to estimate simple text changes to the user interface for Web pages I maintain. For example, a client has just requested a change to the welcome page of his Web site and has committed to provide text... ...Retrieved June 20, 2005, from The University of Baltimore Web site: http://home.ubalt.edu/ ntsbarsh/opre640/partXIII.htm Bassham, G., Irwin, W., Nardone, H., & Wallace, J.M. (2002). Critical thinking [Electronic Version]. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Critical path analysis & pert charts. (n.d.). Retrieved June 21, 2005, from http://www.work911.com/cgi-bin/links/jump.cgi?ID=4532 International Society of Parametric Analysts. (1999). Parametric estimating initiative (pei) parametric estimating handbook: Company developed models (chap. 4). Retrieved June 20, 2005, from http://www.ispa-cost.org/PEIWeb/ch4.htm Grambo, M. (n.d.). Monte carlo analysis. Retrieved June 22, 2005, from The University of Scranton Web site: http://academic.uofs.edu/ faculty/gramborw/tumonte.htm Paul, R. & Elder, L. (2002). Critical thinking: Tools for taking charge of your professional and personal life [Electronic Version]. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Sullivan, M. (n.d.). Problem solving, decision making and critical thinking. Retrieved June 20, 2005, from Villanova University Web site: http://www52.homepage.villanova.edu/maureen.sullivan/ coursematerial/L&M_Notes/ProblemSolving.htm

Argumentative Essay Essay

Analysis of â€Å"We should cherish our children’s freedom to think† â€Å"We Should Cherish Our Children’s Freedom to Think† is written by Kie Ho and expresses his belief of the education in the US. Throughout the article he argues that the American school system â€Å"is not perfect, but it is a great deal better than any other† (Ho, 2007, p. 114). His arguments are reflected through his thoughts and experiences but are weakened by vague evidence. Ho (2007) states that since public school has provided children with opportunities and direction to fulfill their creativity, the US has developed into a country of innovation. He strongly supports this claim with his own experience and idea. On a (2007)â€Å"excursion to the Laguna Beach Museum of Art, where the work of schoolchildren was on exhibit† (p. 113) Ho got the idea that supports his argument. (2007) When public schools give students opportunities to participate in creative activities, the general public assumes that this freedom to choose is universal. This is not true according to Ho’s different personal sources. (2007) A Polish refugee, a German friend and a Lebanese believe that the American education system is far behind their home countries. Ho’s evidence for his first argument favors his reasoning, but is vague on documenting sources. This weakens his argument a lot and results in less persuasive evidence. He assumes that the idea of people who thinking freedom to choose is a norm without any supporting evidence and that the information from his friends is trustworthy knowledge. Furthermore, Ho (2007) makes a comparison between the imagination of his childhood in Indonesia and his son at school in the US. Ho explains that, (2007)â€Å"When I was 12 in Indonesia, where education followed the Dutch system, I had to memorize the names of all the world’s major cities† (p. 13). While (2007) his son at the same age grew up in California had not much knowledge about world’s major cities but had a better imagination because he took creative geography at the age of 6. Both these examples are good strong arguments and support his belief that the American school system has given children a better imagination by introducing creative thinking in class. But then again his personal sources are weak evidence towards making a conclusion that (2007) imagination helps children to learn because it can help them to visualize what they are learning. This idea is also drawn from his son’s life, but is not supported by any other evidence than what he believes. Additionally he feels like the education system took away an important factor in his learning; the ability to â€Å"experiment freely with ideas† (Ho, 2007, p. 113) and gain confidence. (2007) When looking at the quality of the school one does not include the factor of freedom but only how knowledgeable a student is. Consequently this takes him to the counter part of his story were his son was awarded for using his imagination in an essay at school. The evidence strengthens Ho’s argument of that the school system gives a student freedom to choose and gain more confidence when awarded for trying new ways. When looking at the quality of his sources the argumentative appeal weakens a lot. He draws a conclusion from his own experience and assumes that â€Å"disgruntled American parents forget†¦[that] their children are able to experiment freely with ideas† (Ho, 2007, p. 113). If he would have had a supporting source to this claim, rather than only his own experience the argument would stand much stronger. Ho’s next evidence is based on his statement where he admits (2007)â€Å"that American education does not meet high standards† (p. 113) but only because of how the system is now. If one would make American education meet high standards, students wouldn’t be able to function in the way they do now. This is the weakest point of Ho’s argumentative appeal. The argument in some sort misleading because he is later claiming that â€Å"Our public education certainly is not perfect, but it is a great deal better than any other† (Ho, 2007, p. 114). When combining these two ideas he’s saying that (2007) a school system that does not meet high standards in basic courses is basically still a great deal better than any other because of the creativity and confidence it gives students. Ho wants to keep the school system how it is now and not put any more stress on the students with providing them with a higher quality education. Here again Ho doesn’t cite any of his sources. How can he know that providing students with a higher quality education will make them not function the way they do now. It is no doubt that the American school system is bad, but there is no proof that making it better would â€Å"retard their impulses, [and] frustrate their opportunities for self-expression† (Ho, 2007, p. 113). Overall the argumentative appeal in this argument is weak because of the lack of sources and misleading evidence but leads you in some way towards his overall belief. Finally, Ho argues that (2007) critics of American education do not understand the real purpose of the education. In all studies that are done on education the only measurement that has been left out is freedom. He explains that it’s omitted because people have never had freedom in education and therefor never seen the positive effects. To clarify this he applies this to that the importance of freedom in education â€Å"extends even to children the license to freely speak, write and be creative† (Ho, 2007, p. 114). Here Ho relates the first amendment into to right to freely speak or write. This makes a lot stronger evidence for his argument. But on the other side he still doesn’t cite any of his sources and in particular the last sentence were he writes â€Å"Our public education certainly is not perfect, but is a great deal better than any other† (Ho, 2007, p. 114). These words are very strong and almost make it look like he exaggerates to make his cause clearer. Ho is right in some way of his saying but from the general public viewpoint he is wrong. If Ho look at school as an institution that is supposed to teach students to experiment with ideas and fulfill their creativity he is absolutely right. However this is not the real purpose of school. School is an institution made for students to gain knowledge and not mental skills. Ho has several good arguments for his cause but I think his arguments are not strong enough. The starting argument I would say connects to the topic well, but is not very strong. The reason the US is a country of innovation is not only because of the school system, there is other more important factors that made this happened. Later he draws a conclusion about that children need the American school system the way it is to function. This is a little less good of an argument, he doesn’t cite the evidence anywhere and here a chance he made this up by himself. Continuing on, he claims that increasing the quality of the school will retard student’s impulses. This claim is also vague. There is no evidence of this happening, and he doesn’t say that it has even been tried. At last he finishes of saying that American education is good enough the way it is now. I would say I disagree with him at this point. American education does provide a lot of freedom in education, but this generates a lot lower level of knowledge and therefor goes against what education really is about, to learn as much as possible and get a broader perspective of the world.

All Quiet on the Western Front Essay Essay

A soldier must have the mentality of, â€Å"I must kill or I’ll be killed† or they will surely perish. Taking this idea to heart can be a very moralistic test that most people can’t handle. All Quiet on the Western Front is one of the greatest war novels ever written because of its exposing graphic depiction of war. In the short note before Chapter One, Remarque lets the reader know exactly what themes he intends. War is savage, unjustified and unnatural. He intends to explain why the war was responsible for the destruction of an entire generation. Remarque is very clear on the strength of his themes, and uses graphic imagery to show the reader the physical and psychological impact that war has on a person. War brings about hardship, pain and suffering to all involved. It is the battle of two sides made of young men; many of them do not understand what they are fighting for or who they are fighting. Remarque’s novel All Quiet on the Western Front helps portray the image of war and idea of warfare in a pretty gruesome way. He also made his point through the physical deterioration, but mostly through mental and emotional destruction of Paul Baumer and his comrades. In the novel, Remarque does a flawless job conveying the horrible misfortunes of war. Through the eyes of Paul Baumer, a story is told of hopelessness and desperation on the German front lines of WWI. As Baumer and his comrades experience starvation and injury among other hardships, the reader begins to comprehend how tragic war is. They experienced things that can and will traumatize most human beings. â€Å"It’s unendurable. It is the moaning of the world, it is the martyred creation, wild with anguish, filled with terror, and groaning. Ch. 4, p. 62. This scene was the most graphic and horrendous part of the book. It really exemplified the tragedy of war. Detering was very disturbed by this because he’s a farmer. He believed that the horses have innocent souls and that they’re beautiful and should never have been involved. Detering has a special place for animals in his heart so much so that he’d risk his life to find them and put them out of their misery. Remarque knew that war changes people mentally and emotionally, more often than physically. It is very possible that he himself was damaged mentally and emotionally through his service in WWI. â€Å"We have lost all feeling for one another. We can hardly control ourselves when our hunted glance lights on the form of some other man. We are insensible, dead men, who through some trick, some dreadful magic, are still able to run and to kill. † Ch. 6, p. 115. This quote embodies the thesis that Remarque was portraying in this novel. It explains how the soldiers notice their mental and emotional corrosion caused by the horrific things they have witnessed and committed during the war. They can’t really understand why they are still able to fight, but they know that they can’t stop under any circumstances. Soldiers are forced to adopt the dominating mindset of â€Å"kill or be killed. † Remarque realized that when this embracement happens it’s just a matter of time before they become â€Å"dead men. † During WW1 men between the ages of 18 and 30 had to enter the military draft. This meant that post teens would be fighting for their country and risking their lives, while all they knew was school and the safety of their own homes. The protagonist in Paul Baumer was only 19 years old in the novel and he frequently thought about girls and liked to drink a lot. In many ways, Paul is ordinary, and that’s why it’s so easy to relate to him. We see ourselves in Paul, and because of that, the war he suffers through seems all more horrible to us. This age group during WW1 was a damaged and broken generation. They fought for the principle of hatred and the dream of going back home to their families. â€Å"We are none of us more than twenty years old. But young? That is long ago. We are old folk. Ch. 1 Pg. 18 The war has altered these boys; it has turned them into matured old men. Remarque was just solidifying the idea of the bad effects that war can have on a person. These boys are just out of school and most of them have probably experienced some sort of traumatic stress, which can permanently damage someone beyond repair. War affects everyone and everything it gets its hands on. It turns innocent boys i nto murderous men right before your eyes. It obliterates generations and makes millions suffer through the benefit of no one. Erich Remarque was a German war veteran and experienced firsthand the atrocity that warfare can bring. All Quite on the Western Front symbolizes war exactly. It portrays the horribleness of war through the German soldiers; Baumer and his companions. Remarque has them killed, brutally injured and mentally destroyed, all to prove how terrible war can truly be. Through this novel we can truly go back and see the experiences of WW1 soldiers and how the war changed them in every way possible, as a result All Quite on the Western Front is considered one of the best war novels ever written.

Classic Airlines Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Classic Airlines - Case Study Example These decreases have been accompanied by rising operational costs that have forced the company to find ways to cut costs by 15 percent over the next 18 months. These cost cutting measures are necessary in order for them to remain financially sound. While cutting costs the company must also find a way to attract new customers, produce a higher level of satisfaction for their current flyers, as well as bring their once loyal customers back as frequent flyers with their airline. In the wake of financial crisis any marketing efforts cannot involve airfare price reductions; therefore the company is challenged with finding ways to improve the perceived value of flying with them. The organization's focus must be centered on the needs and wants of their consumer while being conscious of costs. While there are many issues facing Classic Airlines, the most relevant to this analysis are contained in the communication threads of emails and meeting excerpts. Of these, there were three primary indicators or events that prompted the issues listed in Table 1. First, the relational dynamic among the members of the management team is unhealthy. The fact that the individuals do not necessarily agree on the processes that will best contribute to the overall success of Classic Airlines is not the issue. The problem lies in the way management is polarizing into an "us vs. them" mentality. As can be seen from the informal meetings and emails, the CEO and CFO have a general lack of respect for the value of marketing to enhance shareholder value, and view it as a necessary expense of operations. Further, the CEO's reference to "Boyle and friends" suggests a suspiciousness of motive. The CFO's personal comments about Mr. Boyle demonstrate an outright hostility. Management of a company that is having profitability issues must resist the tendency to polarize. In fact, the CEO and CFO are presenting a classical example of "push down" responsibility, where "because they are often unfamiliar with entangling details, top management tends to expect succe ssful results without complications." (Pulhamus, 1991, 86) The marketing team, in a similar fashion, is closing ranks and taking an adversarial view of the CEO and CFO. This dynamic must be adjusted to bring balance and respect in the communication of conflicting ideas. Secondly, the CEO and CFO are focused on a singular model to attain profitability, i.e., cost leadership in the market and operational efficiencies. While cost management is a valid tool, it is not exclusive. The CEO views marketing primarily as an operational expense and not a component of the business model that will add value to the company. The CFO is so focused on the fuel hedging tactic that she has taken a defensive position around it to protect it from encroachment; this territorial view of a single method precludes the introduction of new, and more effective, methods of containing costs and increasing profitability. Finally, the CEO has specifically stated that the company does not need an alliance. Even a cursory glance at industry

Ghana Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ghana - Assignment Example The Ghanaian economy is highly dependent on external trade. According to the BBC World news source, the gross domestic product (GDP) of Ghana in 1990s was estimated at 7 billion US $ ($ 430 per capita); that in CÃ ´te d Ivoire is $ 1500, in Togo - 900, in Burkina Faso - $ 700. If comparing with the present period, from that time the GDP has rised to 48 billion, so the level of low income has also grown. In GDP the share of agriculture, forestry, and fishing is about 50%, industry and construction - about 16%, the rest falls on the service sector. Among the countries of sub-Saharan Africa Ghana in the general level of economic development and per capita income ($ 425) is one of the most developed countries, but still not as developed as the world leaders - the USA, China, the UK, Canada, etc. But the economic situation of the country wasnt always good. Since the mid-1950s to mid-1970s Ghanas economy has developed rapidly and in the period of 1955-1974 the annual GDP growth averaged 4%. After 1974 the economy has deteriorated significantly, and until the mid-1980s continued deep recession. The relative economic recovery began in 1984, and until 1995 the average annual growth rate of 4.7%. Annual population growth during the same period was estimated at about 3%. The reason for this is the predatory use of the rich natural resources of Ghana. Its economy has adapted exclusively to the needs of exploitation of the country by foreign monopolies. In their hands were entirely bauxite, gold and manganese ore, almost all logging and mining of diamonds. Foreign companies have also been buying cocoa beans from farmers. All these goods were exported from the country only in the form of raw materials, which hindered economic development of the country. The situation was no better in agriculture. Colonizers encouraged the introduction of the cocoa culture,

Online Auction Fraud Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Online Auction Fraud - Research Paper Example After the invention of the computer, various networks were made to ensure the computers were able to communicate with each other. As time progressed, developments were achieved in the application of the internet in business transactions but the systems in place were not in a capacity to handle all the needs. This provided loopholes for the commission of internet crimes by criminals, as they would hide the identity while undertaking their attacks thus leaving limited evidence of themselves. In mid-1990’s, the internet frauds had increased to alarming rates and researches on the causes of the rapid growth and how it could be curbed were conducted. During the period towards the end of the twentieth century, the â€Å"dot.com† era, which was manifested by increased use of internet by organizations and people, resulted in increase of internet fraud. Due to the continuous technological advancement, the internet frauds have been on the increase with the current number of fraud s being around three times those conducted in mid-1990. There are two types of internet fraud namely offline and online. In offline fraud, the criminal usually steal personal data mostly financial and use it to make transactions. In the online fraud, criminals pose as esteemed institution and thus receive personal data, which they illegally use to make transaction. Some of the commonly used internet fraud include international modem dialer, investment schemes, fake legal schemes, market manipulation; work at home schemes, pharming, phishing, auction, and online shopping. This paper seeks to give an in-depth analysis of auction internet fraud. Online Auction Fraud Due to the continuous technological development, the internet has provided a platform in which direct interaction of the buyer and the seller is not necessary for a transaction to be effectively completed. Criminal have used advantage of this where they misrepresent a product advertised for sale through the internet auction site, fail to deliver the item, or deliver an item but not as specified by the customer after receiving all the money as stipulated in their agreement with the customers. This is usually defined as online auction fraud. To avoid one being a victim of such activities, it is often advisable to undertake a business transaction with companies or individuals one is well conversant with, clearly understand the contract terms, read the privacy policy and use the most secure means of remitting personal information (Royal Canadian Mounted Police, 2006). Methods of victimization Since the internet auction process involves bidding by the interested parties, some people use this opportunity to victimize their target customers. Some of the most commonly used victimization methods include: Non-delivery- this usually occurs when one puts an item for bid whereas no such item exists. Therefore, despite the customer satisfying all the conditions set, he will never get the item (Anon, 2009.). During the transaction, the sellers get the financial details of the customer and thus may use them to exploit him/her further. Misrepresentation- this is mainly executed by altering the actual details of an item in order to win a customer. In most cases, the images are used since they can easily be manipulated. Triangulation- this is somehow technical and involves a person buying something from an online seller using stolen details.