Ethnic Conflicts in Nigeria - 629 Words

The military elites made the situation even worse by staging coups and making a mockery of democracy in Nigeria. The military era was marked by corruption, ineptitude and confusion. It drove Nigeria into many problems including economic problems, poverty, and ethno-religious conflicts until the 1990s. The military continued intervening because they believed the civilian leaders were inept and indecisive. Ethnic conflicts continued to escalate through the democratic transition in Nigeria, as various ethnic groups demanded political restructuring. The federal structure has developed deep cracks and demands urgent action to fix it. What is most worrisome in Nigeria is the religious dimension of ethnic conflict and competition for power and oil wealth. The numerous ethno-religious conflicts that the northern cities of Kaduna, Kano, Jos and Zamfara have witnessed, came about from the introduction of Muslim Sharia courts, in addition to the Souths demands for autonomy. The continuing conflict is a sign Nigeria’s lack of effective mechanisms to manage ethnic conflicts. The intense ethnic conflicts that rocked Nigeria and South Africa have pushed them to develop constitutionally backed institutions for conflict management. In South Africa, the state has prevented further conflicts by developing multiple democratic approaches to create a foundation for peace and security. The new constitution crafted an impressive document aimed to heal the wounds of the past and to build aShow MoreRelatedNigeria: Ethnic Conflict Essay916 Words   |  4 PagesEthnicity is how individuals perceive themselves, and unlike race it can be changed. There are countries in which there are several different types of ethnic groups, and in some cases that could lead to conflict within a country, but as research will show it is not the only cause, and in some cases the conflict was purposely organized. In such cases it is usually in a developing country, which is â€Å"defined according to their Gross National Income (GNI) per capita per year. Countries with GNI of US$Read Mo reEthnic and Religious Conflict in Nigeria3148 Words   |  13 Pagesstability in Nigeria’s fourth republic (1999-2011) INTRODUCTION Background to the Study Basically, Nigeria is a plural society and heterogeneous in virtually all the facet of life. The custom and tradition of Nigerians is so diverse to the extent that Nigeria as a country is now confronted with the problem of religion and ethnicity towards their political stability. The origin and history of ethnic conflict (societal wars and violence) can be traced from eternal (internal) state rivalry to external (physical)Read MoreComparative Analysis of South Africa and Nigeria1374 Words   |  6 PagesCOMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SOUTH AFICA AND NIGERIA Africa is the second largest continent with vast resources and inhabits more than 12 percent of the world’s population. Although we know that the continent has plenty of resources, Africa remains the world’s poorest and most undeveloped continent. [1]Poverty is widespread, there is a great threat of communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. Politically, I would say that the country is unstable as there were civil and liberationRead MoreThe Federal Republic of Nigeria Essay examples1486 Words   |  6 PagesThe Federal Republic of Nigeria Located in the west of Africa, housing a city with major attractions in the country as the Nigerian National Mosque and the Nigerian National Christian Centre, it is safe to say that Nigeria has a prosperous ethnic diversity housing 250 ethnic groups of which there three in 250 ethnic groups are predominant which are the Hausa, Yoruba and the Igbo. Amongst other predominant tribes the Edo, Ijaw and the Kanuri are three major tribes of six major tribes (Maps of WorldRead MoreRole and Influence of Religion on Conflicts1208 Words   |  5 Pagesthe role and influence of religion on conflicts. Rabkin states that religion is not a primary source of conflicts and violent strife. According to him, most often than not, religion is used only to legitimize, but not motivate conflicts. However, Jonathan Fox states that religion is one of the motivators of terrorism. The impact of religion on conflicts is also increasing over the years. Similarly in Nigeria, religion was not the central source of conflicts at the time of colonization or evenRead MoreEssay on The Nigerian Civil War1344 Words   |  6 Pages1967 – 1970, was an ethnic and political conflict caused by the attempted secession of the South-eastern provinces of Nigeria as the self-proclaimed republic of Biafra. The war became notorious for the starvation in some of the besieged war-bound regions, and the consequent claims of genocide made by the largely Igbo people of those regions. Causes of the Conflict The conflict was the result of serious tensions, both ethnic and religious, between the different peoples of Nigeria. Like most modernRead MoreNigeri The Western Coast Of Africa1151 Words   |  5 PagesNigeria is located on the western coast of Africa, surrounded by Benin, Cameroon, and Niger. This country is known to have one of the largest populations among the African countries. Falola (3) says that not only it has large population, but also its land size is a little bigger than the size of the U.S. state of Texas. Nigeria has about 170 million residences which is about half of current population in United States. In other words, Nigeria has a very dense population regarding its size of landRead MoreThe Conflict Between The Muslims And The North1361 Words   |  6 Pagesfrom Sahel to the Atlantic coast, started the main cause of conflict between the Muslims and the Christians. It led to political disagreement between the two major religions in two separate regions of the countr y. In the years 1947 to 1959, the Nigerian leaders came together to try to come to an agreement to resolve the political and religious conflicts between the north (Muslims) and the south (Christians). Christians believe that if Nigeria is governed by Muslims, they will try to islamize the countryRead MoreIntroduction to Security Challenges in the Northern Region of Nigeria Ethnic1001 Words   |  5 Pagesdemocratic rule in 1999, Nigeria has witnessed the relative deterioration of its internal security. This is worrisome because internal security crisis is inherent with tendencies that threaten national unity and the peace of the state. This research attempts a critical analysis of the causative of the relative insecurity in Nigeria in relation to the problem of policing in Jos which is located in the northern region of Nigeria. The work is aimed at taking an indebt look into the Nigeria police force, whichRead MoreCultural Relativity: the Root Cause of Conflict in Nigeria1428 Words   |  6 PagesCULTURAL RELATIVITY: THE ROOT OF CAUSE CONFLICT IN NIGERIA Nigeria is a multicultural nation with over 250 ethnic groups. Human beings are product of culture. Culture has made people what they are. Culture is the totality of experience of people in a given environment. Culture is complex whole of the people- this complex whole includes the beliefs, habits, modes and attitude of people. Culture is the result of interaction of people in a particular environment and the interpretation of their experiences

Effects Of Drugs And Alcohol During Pregnancy - 2451 Words

The Effects of Drugs and Alcohol During Pregnancy Final Research Proposal Latifah Kelly Tuskegee University Abstract: Becoming a mother can be a rather challenging time for many parents, especially new parents. This experiment will educate women who are pregnant or plan to become pregnant on the risks of their behaviors dealing with drugs and alcohol throughout their pregnancy. The purpose of this experiment is to show how often these horrible things happen to unborn children and the effects that drugs and alcohol have on children throughout the first few years of their life and throughout the course of their life, for some children. This experiment is also happening to try and prevent children from having these types of birth defects due to the lack of knowledge that parents have on the cons of abusing drugs and alcohol during the course of a pregnancy. Introduction: When you are pregnant, every single thing that you eat, drink or take into your body will not only affect you but it will also affect your child. Many women tend to change their diet and exercise routines when they become pregnant. The most important thing is to avoid drug abuse and also avoid alcohol abuse. Many women are not as careful as they should be when they become pregnant. Seeing as many people are not aware of the effect that drugs have on the unborn children of pregnant women, those of us who know of the danger should spread awareness about it. Using drugs duringShow MoreRelatedWhy Pregnant Substance Abuse Should Be Treated As A Major Issue1441 Words   |  6 Pagessubstance abuse should be treated as a major issue. The effects of substance abuse on the mother, fetus, and the overall pregnancy can range from none to extremely harmful. Women who use drugs during their pregnancy commonly give birth to â€Å"crack babies† or â€Å"drug babies†. Th ese babies can have developmental disabilities or other birth defects. The mother may give birth to a premature infant, underweight infant, or even have a stillborn birth. The drug use of a pregnant woman has a direct impact on theRead MorePregnant Womens Temporary Satisfaction and Long Term Consequences1500 Words   |  6 Pagescontinues to go on today is the drug and alcohol abuse by pregnant women. This has become a growing issue due to the fact that pregnancy is starting at a much younger age. Women tend to become pregnant around the age of 15 to 44 (â€Å"Birth Data†). In young women among the ages of 18 to 24, the alcohol and tobacco rates were 25.5 percent and 15.5 percent, respectively (Chen). As of 2001, about 12 percent of all pregnant women admitted to consuming alcohol during their pregnancy (Burd). Out of the 4 millionRead MoreEssay on Prenatal Substance Abuse954 Words   |  4 Pages Substance abuse during pregnancy can have a negative force on th e health and wellness of not only the fetus, but that of the mother. The harmful effects of medications, alcohol and illegal drugs on an unborn child can be devastating and can have significant consequences to its use. Sometimes the effects can be faced and treated, and other times the outcome is a lifelong challenge. During the prenatal period, it is important that new mothers are informed of the different types of abuseRead MoreA Brief Note On Drug Use On Infants1572 Words   |  7 PagesDrug Use on Newborns Many women abuse drugs whether they are pregnant or not. In both cases, many women are unaware of the consequences of what drugs can do to their body. However, for pregnant women, the situation is completely different. â€Å"Studies show that using drugs -- legal or illegal -- during pregnancy has a direct impact on the fetus† (Gaither 1). In simpler terms, drug use not only affects their own lives but also affects the lives of their unborn children. For the sake of enjoymentRead MoreHow Substance Abuse Negatively Affects The Baby While During1328 Words   |  6 PagesHow substance abuse negatively affects the baby while during a woman’s pregnancy. Many women across the world cause complications to their unborn child when they choose to abuse substance. There are many types of substance abuse such as alcohol, tobacco, and drug abuse. Most likely when women choose to engage in these types of activities it causes harm to the child and birth defects. Long term and short term deformities and conditions are present in the child. Other factors play a part into whyRead MorePregnancy and the Dangers of Drug Use1353 Words   |  6 PagesDangers of Drug Use i Pregnancy and the Dangers of Drug Use Sarah McVicker Psychology 201 Lifespan Development Professor Sally Vyain October 7, 2007 Pregnancy and the Dangers of Drug Use It is very important for a mother to lead a healthy lifestyle when she becomes pregnant. She must eat healthy, get lots of rest, and exercise regularly. It is even more imperative that she avoids things that may harm her or potentially her baby. Amongst things she must avoid, alcohol, cigarettesRead MorePrenatal Development And Development Of A Fetus1591 Words   |  7 Pagesdevelopment, also known as antenatal development, is the process of the development of a human fetus during pregnancy, from fertilization of the egg until the birth of the child. There are many factors that can contribute to the development of the fetus and many threats that can impact it. Most prenatal development occurs in a normal manner, however; there are many things that can go wrong during this vulnerable time and usually are caused by genetic or environmental factors. While the hazards thatRead MoreThe Effects Of Air Pollution On Reproductive Health1376 Words   |  6 Pagesknown as Teratogens. Teratog ens can stop the pregnancy outright, or in cases of full term pregnancies, cause birth defects to the child. Some categories of teratogens are environmental and subjective teratogens. Environmental teratogens relate to environmental factors that cause birth defects or termination of a pregnancy. Subjective teratogens are substances in which the mother consumes that cause defects to the child or also termination of a pregnancy. Substances such as air pollution, pesticidesRead MoreEssay on Teratogen Affects on Pregnancy953 Words   |  4 PagesTeratogen Affects on Pregnancy Oct 9, 2010 Textbook References: Chapter 2 Teratogens: Drugs- smoking p 50 Part II Chapter 2 Teratogens: Drugs- behavioral problem w/smoking p 51 Part II Chapter 2 Teratogens: Drugs- Child Behavioral Problems w/drinking p.52 Part II Chapter 2 Teratogens: Drugs- FAS p 51 Part II There are many potentialRead MoreFetal Alcohol Syndrome Essay1699 Words   |  7 PagesFetal Alcohol Syndrome Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a condition affecting children born to women who drink heavily during pregnancy. There are three criteria used to describe the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure and to make a diagnosis of FAS. The first of these is a pattern of facial anomalies, these features include: #61558; Small eye openings #61558; Flat cheekbones #61558; Flattened groove between nose and upper lip #61558; Thin upper lip These characteristics

A Game of Thrones Chapter Twenty-one Free Essays

Tyrion Are you certain that you must leave us so soon?† the Lord Commander asked him. â€Å"Past certain, Lord Mormont,† Tyrion replied. â€Å"My brother Jaime will be wondering what has become of me. We will write a custom essay sample on A Game of Thrones Chapter Twenty-one or any similar topic only for you Order Now He may decide that you have convinced me to take the black.† â€Å"Would that I could.† Mormont picked up a crab claw and cracked it in his fist. Old as he was, the Lord Commander still had the strength of a bear. â€Å"You’re a cunning man, Tyrion. We have need of men of your sort on the Wall.† Tyrion grinned. â€Å"Then I shall scour the Seven Kingdoms for dwarfs and ship them all to you, Lord Mormont.† As they laughed, he sucked the meat from a crab leg and reached for another. The crabs had arrived from Eastwatch only this morning, packed in a barrel of snow, and they were succulent. Ser Alliser Thorne was the only man at table who did not so much as crack a smile. â€Å"Lannister mocks us.† â€Å"Only you, Ser Alliser,† Tyrion said. This time the laughter round the table had a nervous, uncertain quality to it. Thorne’s black eyes fixed on Tyrion with loathing. â€Å"You have a bold tongue for someone who is less than half a man. Perhaps you and I should visit the yard together.† â€Å"Why?† asked Tyrion. â€Å"The crabs are here.† The remark brought more guffaws from the others. Ser Alliser stood up, his mouth a tight line. â€Å"Come and make your japes with steel in your hand.† Tyrion looked pointedly at his right hand. â€Å"Why, I have steel in my hand, Ser Alliser, although it appears to be a crab fork. Shall we duel?† He hopped up on his chair and began poking at Thorne’s chest with the tiny fork. Roars of laughter filled the tower room. Bits of crab flew from the Lord Commander’s mouth as he began to gasp and choke. Even his raven joined in, cawing loudly from above the window. â€Å"Duel! Duel! Duel!† Ser Alliser Thorne walked from the room so stiffly it looked as though he had a dagger up his butt. Mormont was still gasping for breath. Tyrion pounded him on the back. â€Å"To the victor goes the spoils,† he called out. â€Å"I claim Thorne’s share of the crabs.† Finally the Lord Commander recovered himself. â€Å"You are a wicked man, to provoke our Ser Alliser so,† he scolded. Tyrion seated himself and took a sip of wine. â€Å"If a man paints a target on his chest, he should expect that sooner or later someone will loose an arrow at him. I have seen dead men with more humor than your Ser Alliser.† â€Å"Not so,† objected the Lord Steward, Bowen Marsh, a man as round and red as a pomegranate. â€Å"You ought to hear the droll names he gives the lads he trains.† Tyrion had heard a few of those droll names. â€Å"I’ll wager the lads have a few names for him as well,† he said. â€Å"Chip the ice off your eyes, my good lords. Ser Alliser Thorne should be mucking out your stables, not drilling your young warriors.† â€Å"The Watch has no shortage of stableboys,† Lord Mormont grumbled. â€Å"That seems to be all they send us these days. Stableboys and sneak thieves and rapers. Ser Alliser is an anointed knight, one of the few to take the black since I have been Lord Commander. He fought bravely at King’s Landing.† â€Å"On the wrong side,† Ser Jaremy Rykker commented dryly. â€Å"I ought to know, I was there on the battlements beside him. Tywin Lannister gave us a splendid choice. Take the black, or see our heads on spikes before evenfall. No offense intended, Tyrion.† â€Å"None taken, Ser Jaremy. My father is very fond of spiked heads, especially those of people who have annoyed him in some fashion. And a face as noble as yours, well, no doubt he saw you decorating the city wall above the King’s Gate. I think you would have looked very striking up there.† â€Å"Thank you,† Ser Jaremy replied with a sardonic smile. Lord Commander Mormont cleared his throat. â€Å"Sometimes I fear Ser Alliser saw you true, Tyrion. You do mock us and our noble purpose here.† Tyrion shrugged. â€Å"We all need to be mocked from time to time, Lord Mormont, lest we start to take ourselves too seriously. More wine, please.† He held out his cup. As Rykker filled it for him, Bowen Marsh said, â€Å"You have a great thirst for a small man.† â€Å"Oh, I think that Lord Tyrion is quite a large man,† Maester Aemon said from the far end of the table. He spoke softly, yet the high officers of the Night’s Watch all fell quiet, the better to hear what the ancient had to say. â€Å"I think he is a giant come among us, here at the end of the world.† Tyrion answered gently, â€Å"I’ve been called many things, my lord, but giant is seldom one of them.† â€Å"Nonetheless,† Maester Aemon said as his clouded, milk-white eyes moved to Tyrion’s face, â€Å"I think it is true.† For once, Tyrion Lannister found himself at a loss for words. He could only bow his head politely and say, â€Å"You are too kind, Maester Aemon.† The blind man smiled. He was a tiny thing, wrinkled and hairless, shrunken beneath the weight of a hundred years so his maester’s collar with its links of many metals hung loose about his throat. â€Å"I have been called many things, my lord,† he said, â€Å"but kind is seldom one of them.† This time Tyrion himself led the laughter. Much later, when the serious business of eating was done and the others had left, Mormont offered Tyrion a chair beside the fire and a cup of mulled spirits so strong they brought tears to his eyes. â€Å"The kingsroad can be perilous this far north,† the Lord Commander told him as they drank. â€Å"I have Jyck and Morrec,† Tyrion said, â€Å"and Yoren is riding south again.† â€Å"Yoren is only one man. The Watch shall escort you as far as Winterfell,† Mormont announced in a tone that brooked no argument. â€Å"Three men should be sufficient.† â€Å"If you insist, my lord,† Tyrion said. â€Å"You might send young Snow. He would be glad for a chance to see his brothers.† Mormont frowned through his thick grey beard. â€Å"Snow? Oh, the Stark bastard. I think not. The young ones need to forget the lives they left behind them, the brothers and mothers and all that. A visit home would only stir up feelings best left alone. I know these things. My own blood kin . . . my sister Maege rules BearIsland now, since my son’s dishonor. I have nieces I have never seen.† He took a swallow. â€Å"Besides, Jon Snow is only a boy. You shall have three strong swords, to keep you safe.† â€Å"I am touched by your concern, Lord Mormont.† The strong drink was making Tyrion light-headed, but not so drunk that he did not realize that the Old Bear wanted something from him. â€Å"I hope I can repay your kindness.† â€Å"You can,† Mormont said bluntly. â€Å"Your sister sits beside the king. Your brother is a great knight, and your father the most powerful lord in the Seven Kingdoms. Speak to them for us. Tell them of our need here. You have seen for yourself, my lord. The Night’s Watch is dying. Our strength is less than a thousand now. Six hundred here, two hundred in the ShadowTower, even fewer at Eastwatch, and a scant third of those fighting men. The Wall is a hundred leagues long. Think on that. Should an attack come, I have three men to defend each mile of wall.† â€Å"Three and a third,† Tyrion said with a yawn. Mormont scarcely seemed to hear him. The old man warmed his hands before the fire. â€Å"I sent Benjen Stark to search after Yohn Royce’s son, lost on his first ranging. The Royce boy was green as summer grass, yet he insisted on the honor of his own command, saying it was his due as a knight. I did not wish to offend his lord father, so I yielded. I sent him out with two men I deemed as good as any in the Watch. More fool I.† â€Å"Fool,† the raven agreed. Tyrion glanced up. The bird peered down at him with those beady black eyes, ruffling its wings. â€Å"Fool,† it called again. Doubtless old Mormont would take it amiss if he throttled the creature. A pity. The Lord Commander took no notice of the irritating bird. â€Å"Gared was near as old as I am and longer on the Wall,† he went on, â€Å"yet it would seem he forswore himself and fled. I should never have believed it, not of him, but Lord Eddard sent me his head from Winterfell. Of Royce, there is no word. One deserter and two men lost, and now Ben Stark too has gone missing.† He sighed deeply. â€Å"Who am I to send searching after him? In two years I will be seventy. Too old and too weary for the burden I bear, yet if I set it down, who will pick it up? Alliser Thorne? Bowen Marsh? I would have to be as blind as Maester Aemon not to see what they are. The Night’s Watch has become an army of sullen boys and tired old men. Apart from the men at my table tonight, I have perhaps twenty who can read, and even fewer who can think, or plan, or lead. Once the Watch spent its summers building, and each Lord Commander raised the Wall higher than he found it. Now it is a ll we can do to stay alive.† He was in deadly earnest, Tyrion realized. He felt faintly embarrassed for the old man. Lord Mormont had spent a good part of his life on the Wall, and he needed to believe if those years were to have any meaning. â€Å"I promise, the king will hear of your need,† Tyrion said gravely, â€Å"and I will speak to my father and my brother Jaime as well.† And he would. Tyrion Lannister was as good as his word. He left the rest unsaid; that King Robert would ignore him, Lord Tywin would ask if he had taken leave of his senses, and Jaime would only laugh. â€Å"You are a young man, Tyrion,† Mormont said. â€Å"How many winters have you seen?† He shrugged. â€Å"Eight, nine. I misremember.† â€Å"And all of them short.† â€Å"As you say, my lord.† He had been born in the dead of winter, a terrible cruel one that the maesters said had lasted near three years, but Tyrion’s earliest memories were of spring. â€Å"When I was a boy, it was said that a long summer always meant a long winter to come. This summer has lasted nine years, Tyrion, and a tenth will soon be upon us. Think on that.† â€Å"When I was a boy,† Tyrion replied, â€Å"my wet nurse told me that one day, if men were good, the gods would give the world a summer without ending. Perhaps we’ve been better than we thought, and the Great Summer is finally at hand.† He grinned. The Lord Commander did not seem amused. â€Å"You are not fool enough to believe that, my lord. Already the days grow shorter. There can be no mistake, Aemon has had letters from the Citadel, findings in accord with his own. The end of summer stares us in the face.† Mormont reached out and clutched Tyrion tightly by the hand. â€Å"You must make them understand. I tell you, my lord, the darkness is coming. There are wild things in the woods, direwolves and mammoths and snow bears the size of aurochs, and I have seen darker shapes in my dreams.† â€Å"In your dreams,† Tyrion echoed, thinking how badly he needed another strong drink. Mormont was deaf to the edge in his voice. â€Å"The fisherfolk near Eastwatch have glimpsed white walkers on the shore.† This time Tyrion could not hold his tongue. â€Å"The fisherfolk of Lannisport often glimpse merlings.† â€Å"Denys Mallister writes that the mountain people are moving south, slipping past the ShadowTower in numbers greater than ever before. They are running, my lord . . . but running from what?† Lord Mormont moved to the window and stared out into the night. â€Å"These are old bones, Lannister, but they have never felt a chill like this. Tell the king what I say, I pray you. Winter is coming, and when the Long Night falls, only the Night’s Watch will stand between the realm and the darkness that sweeps from the north. The gods help us all if we are not ready.† â€Å"The gods help me if I do not get some sleep tonight. Yoren is determined to ride at first light.† Tyrion got to his feet, sleepy from wine and tired of doom. â€Å"I thank you for all the courtesies you have done me, Lord Mormont.† â€Å"Tell them, Tyrion. Tell them and make them believe. That is all the thanks I need.† He whistled, and his raven flew to him and perched on his shoulder. Mormont smiled and gave the bird some corn from his pocket, and that was how Tyrion left him. It was bitter cold outside. Bundled thickly in his furs, Tyrion Lannister pulled on his gloves and nodded to the poor frozen wretches standing sentry outside the Commander’s Keep. He set off across the yard for his own chambers in the King’s Tower, walking as briskly as his legs could manage. Patches of snow crunched beneath his feet as his boots broke the night’s crust, and his breath steamed before him like a banner. He shoved his hands into his armpits and walked faster, praying that Morrec had remembered to warm his bed with hot bricks from the fire. Behind the King’s Tower, the Wall glimmered in the light of the moon, immense and mysterious. Tyrion stopped for a moment to look up at it. His legs ached of cold and haste. Suddenly a strange madness took hold of him, a yearning to look once more off the end of the world. It would be his last chance, he thought; tomorrow he would ride south, and he could not imagine why he would ever want to return to this frozen desolation. The King’s Tower was before him, with its promise of warmth and a soft bed, yet Tyrion found himself walking past it, toward the vast pale palisade of the Wall. A wooden stair ascended the south face, anchored on huge rough-hewn beams sunk deep into the ice and frozen in place. Back and forth it switched, clawing its way upward as crooked as a bolt of lightning. The black brothers assured him that it was much stronger than it looked, but Tyrion’s legs were cramping too badly for him to even contemplate the ascent. He went instead to the iron cage beside the well, clambered inside, and yanked hard on the bell rope, three quick pulls. He had to wait what seemed an eternity, standing there inside the bars with the Wall to his back. Long enough for Tyrion to begin to wonder why he was doing this. He had just about decided to forget his sudden whim and go to bed when the cage gave a jerk and began to ascend. He moved upward slowly, by fits and starts at first, then more smoothly. The ground fell away beneath him, the cage swung, and Tyrion wrapped his hands around the iron bars. He could feel the cold of the metal even through his gloves. Morrec had a fire burning in his room, he noted with approval, but the Lord Commander’s tower was dark. The Old Bear had more sense than he did, it seemed. Then he was above the towers, still inching his way upward. Castle Black lay below him, etched in moonlight. You could see how stark and empty it was from up here; windowless keeps, crumbling walls, courtyards choked with broken stone. Farther off, he could see the lights of Mole’s Town, the little village half a league south along the kingsroad, and here and there the bright glitter of moonlight on water where icy streams descended from the mountain heights to cut across the plains. The rest of the world was a bleak emptiness of windswept hills and rocky fields spotted with snow. Finally a thick voice behind him said, â€Å"Seven hells, it’s the dwarf,† and the cage jerked to a sudden stop and hung there, swinging slowly back and forth, the ropes creaking. â€Å"Bring him in, damn it.† There was a grunt and a loud groaning of wood as the cage slid sideways and then the Wall was beneath him. Tyrion waited until the swinging had stopped before he pushed open the cage door and hopped down onto the ice. A heavy figure in black was leaning on the winch, while a second held the cage with a gloved hand. Their faces were muffled in woolen scarves so only their eyes showed, and they were plump with layers of wool and leather, black on black. â€Å"And what will you be wanting, this time of night?† the one by the winch asked. â€Å"A last look.† The men exchanged sour glances. â€Å"Look all you want,† the other one said. â€Å"Just have a care you don’t fall off, little man. The Old Bear would have our hides.† A small wooden shack stood under the great crane, and Tyrion saw the dull glow of a brazier and felt a brief gust of warmth when the winch men opened the door and went back inside. And then he was alone. It was bitingly cold up here, and the wind pulled at his clothes like an insistent lover. The top of the Wall was wider than the kingsroad often was, so Tyrion had no fear of falling, although the footing was slicker than he would have liked. The brothers spread crushed stone across the walkways, but the weight of countless footsteps would melt the Wall beneath, so the ice would seem to grow around the gravel, swallowing it, until the path was bare again and it was time to crush more stone. Still, it was nothing that Tyrion could not manage. He looked off to the east and west, at the Wall stretching before him, a vast white road with no beginning and no end and a dark abyss on either side. West, he decided, for no special reason, and he began to walk that way, following the pathway nearest the north edge, where the gravel looked freshest. His bare cheeks were ruddy with the cold, and his legs complained more loudly with every step, but Tyrion ignored them. The wind swirled around him, gravel crunched beneath his boots, while ahead the white ribbon followed the lines of the hills, rising higher and higher, until it was lost beyond the western horizon. He passed a massive catapult, as tall as a city wall, its base sunk deep into the Wall. The throwing arm had been taken off for repairs and then forgotten; it lay there like a broken toy, half-embedded in the ice. On the far side of the catapult, a muffled voice called out a challenge. â€Å"Who goes there? Halt!† Tyrion stopped. â€Å"If I halt too long I’ll freeze in place, Jon,† he said as a shaggy pale shape slid toward him silently and sniffed at his furs. â€Å"Hello, Ghost.† Jon Snow moved closer. He looked bigger and heavier in his layers of fur and leather, the hood of his cloak pulled down over his face. â€Å"Lannister,† he said, yanking loose the scarf to uncover his mouth. â€Å"This is the last place I would have expected to see you.† He carried a heavy spear tipped in iron, taller than he was, and a sword hung at his side in a leather sheath. Across his chest was a gleaming black warhorn, banded with silver. â€Å"This is the last place I would have expected to be seen,† Tyrion admitted. â€Å"I was captured by a whim. If I touch Ghost, will he chew my hand off?† â€Å"Not with me here,† Jon promised. Tyrion scratched the white wolf behind the ears. The red eyes watched him impassively. The beast came up as high as his chest now. Another year, and Tyrion had the gloomy feeling he’d be looking up at him. â€Å"What are you doing up here tonight?† he asked. â€Å"Besides freezing your manhood off . . . â€Å" â€Å"I have drawn night guard,† Jon said. â€Å"Again. Ser Alliser has kindly arranged for the watch commander to take a special interest in me. He seems to think that if they keep me awake half the night, I’ll fall asleep during morning drill. So far I have disappointed him.† Tyrion grinned. â€Å"And has Ghost learned to juggle yet?† â€Å"No,† said Jon, smiling, â€Å"but Grenn held his own against Halder this morning, and Pyp is no longer dropping his sword quite so often as he did.† â€Å"Pyp?† â€Å"Pypar is his real name. The small boy with the large ears. He saw me working with Grenn and asked for help. Thorne had never even shown him the proper way to grip a sword.† He turned to look north. â€Å"I have a mile of Wall to guard. Will you walk with me?† â€Å"If you walk slowly,† Tyrion said. â€Å"The watch commander tells me I must walk, to keep my blood from freezing, but he never said how fast.† They walked, with Ghost pacing along beside Jon like a white shadow. â€Å"I leave on the morrow,† Tyrion said. â€Å"I know.† Jon sounded strangely sad. â€Å"I plan to stop at Winterfell on the way south. If there is any message that you would like me to deliver . . . â€Å" â€Å"Tell Robb that I’m going to command the Night’s Watch and keep him safe, so he might as well take up needlework with the girls and have Mikken melt down his sword for horseshoes.† â€Å"Your brother is bigger than me,† Tyrion said with a laugh. â€Å"I decline to deliver any message that might get me killed.† â€Å"Rickon will ask when I’m coming home. Try to explain where I’ve gone, if you can. Tell him he can have all my things while I’m away, he’ll like that.† People seemed to be asking a great deal of him today, Tyrion Lannister thought. â€Å"You could put all this in a letter, you know.† â€Å"Rickon can’t read yet. Bran . . . † He stopped suddenly. â€Å"I don’t know what message to send to Bran. Help him, Tyrion.† â€Å"What help could I give him? I am no maester, to ease his pain. I have no spells to give him back his legs.† â€Å"You gave me help when I needed it,† Jon Snow said. â€Å"I gave you nothing,† Tyrion said. â€Å"Words.† â€Å"Then give your words to Bran too.† â€Å"You’re asking a lame man to teach a cripple how to dance,† Tyrion said. â€Å"However sincere the lesson, the result is likely to be grotesque. Still, I know what it is to love a brother, Lord Snow. I will give Bran whatever small help is in my power.† â€Å"Thank you, my lord of Lannister.† He pulled off his glove and offered his bare hand. â€Å"Friend.† Tyrion found himself oddly touched. â€Å"Most of my kin are bastards,† he said with a wry smile, â€Å"but you’re the first I’ve had to friend.† He pulled a glove off with his teeth and clasped Snow by the hand, flesh against flesh. The boy’s grip was firm and strong. When he had donned his glove again, Jon Snow turned abruptly and walked to the low, icy northern parapet. Beyond him the Wall fell away sharply; beyond him there was only the darkness and the wild. Tyrion followed him, and side by side they stood upon the edge of the world. The Night’s Watch permitted the forest to come no closer than half a mile of the north face of the Wall. The thickets of ironwood and sentinel and oak that had once grown there had been harvested centuries ago, to create a broad swath of open ground through which no enemy could hope to pass unseen. Tyrion had heard that elsewhere along the Wall, between the three fortresses, the wildwood had come creeping back over the decades, that there were places where grey-green sentinels and pale white weirwoods had taken root in the shadow of the Wall itself, but Castle Black had a prodigious appetite for firewood, and here the forest was still kept at bay by the axes of the black brothers. It was never far, though. From up here Tyrion could see it, the dark trees looming beyond the stretch of open ground, like a second wall built parallel to the first, a wall of night. Few axes had ever swung in that black wood, where even the moonlight could not penetrate the ancient tangle of root and thorn and grasping limb. Out there the trees grew huge, and the rangers said they seemed to brood and knew not men. It was small wonder the Night’s Watch named it the haunted forest. As he stood there and looked at all that darkness with no fires burning anywhere, with the wind blowing and the cold like a spear in his guts, Tyrion Lannister felt as though he could almost believe the talk of the Others, the enemy in the night. His jokes of grumkins and snarks no longer seemed quite so droll. â€Å"My uncle is out there,† Jon Snow said softly, leaning on his spear as he stared off into the darkness. â€Å"The first night they sent me up here, I thought, Uncle Benjen will ride back tonight, and I’ll see him first and blow the horn. He never came, though. Not that night and not any night.† â€Å"Give him time,† Tyrion said. Far off to the north, a wolf began to howl. Another voice picked up the call, then another. Ghost cocked his head and listened. â€Å"If he doesn’t come back,† Jon Snow promised, â€Å"Ghost and I will go find him.† He put his hand on the direwolf’s head. â€Å"I believe you,† Tyrion said, but what he thought was, And who will go find you? He shivered. How to cite A Game of Thrones Chapter Twenty-one, Essay examples

Mineral Resource And Ore Reserve Estimation â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Mineral Resource And Ore Reserve Estimation? Answer: Introduction Business strategy sets out for achieving desired objective. It is defined as a long term business planning. A business approach generally covers a period of around 3-5 years and at times even longer. BHP Billiton is one of the greatest leading resources Company. This company extract and process minerals, oil and gas, and more than 60,000 workers and contractors works in Australia and America. This company product is sold worldwide, sailing and marketing led through Houston, Singapore and United States. BHP Billiton headquarters are in Melbourne, Australia. This firm operate a dual listed firm structure with two parent firms, first is BHP Billiton Limited and second is BHP Billiton Plc. The approach of this corporation is to own and operate large, long life, low cost, upstream assets diversified by commodity, market and geography. This report will demonstrate the current business strategy of BHP Billiton, internal external analysis of BHP Billiton and its competitive advantage. Competitive advantage of BHP Billiton As Chinas growing retreats from exponential to desirable, with service prices following suit, geology and geography is not sufficient to assurance the on-going growing of Australia. If Australia want to give fresh jobs with great pay scale and some prospects will be beneficial for the youngsters, then they should address the states output challenges. There are some reasons, due to which the productivity in Australia has deteriorated in some industry as they are unable to participate efficiently in the world-wide market. A punier Australian dollar gives short-term release which is not sufficient (Alam and Majumdar, 2011). The fundamentals needs to be examined which support productivity, development of talents and the skill of the people of the company which is the most essential resource of all; the roads, rails and harbour organisation to make the company an effective interchange nation and incentivising and upgrading the skill and innovative ideas to give extra production today and give a provision to the job for tomorrow. The pains are very crucial to increase the output, which will help in organising the capital required to implement new resources and to apply some new technology (Grant et al., 2013). The flow of capital to investment opportunities will be smooth in Australia, if they can be able to make the stability between risks and arrival right. To attract new principal, the most important factor is to make sure that they have a modest taxation command globally which means they want to have a good tax rate and a proper scheme which is created from the values of simplicity, constancy, transparency, sustainability and fairness (Barbash and Roye, n.d.). A debate which has been informed before, as how to improve the tax system, based on the principles and also needed to have an appreciation of todays worldwide reality. This discussion should identify the main role of tax locations which it plays, to expand the growth and productivity and BHP Billiton als o want to take part in the discussion. The economy of BHP Billiton make the influence to Australia of around A$27 billion last year by the expenses given to suppliers, earnings and the benefits of the employee, taxes and monarchs, dividends. BHP Billiton is the countrys largest tax payer. Trends in Australian steel manufacturing Industry The steel manufacturing industry in Australia has gone through some major failures from the last five years. Industry revenue is likely to fall in an annual rate4 of 8.5% from last five years in 2016-17 to $9.1 billion. This makes an expected decline of 7.9% in the present year. The falling down of demands from the markets going downwards has driven industry failures (Hubbard and Moore, 2012). To be precise, the activity of falling from downstream of mining and manufacturing industries has decreased the demands for the products of the industry. To add in it, low cost of steel and the competition of the import markets has put lots of pressure on the operators of the industry by the help of low cost and decreased demands, with many individuals reducing the production from a long period. The steel industry is relatively capital-intensive (Edwards, 2014). For each and every dollar spent on cost of capital, approximately $3.77 has been spent on wages. The capital strength of differs with the size of the operators of the industry, as more benefits of the firm from the economic scale and more demanding regarding capital, whereas some smaller operators are labour oriented with the high cost of wages in relation to depreciation. In spite of this, high expenses of capital on equipment and machines which is needed to operate in the industry. Capital tool like electric arc furnaces, blast furnaces, charging buckets and machines used for casting are very costly and can be modified to a great extent (Grant et al., 2013). To run the operation, labours with high skill is required to control the machines and the tools of the industry, which makes the expenditure high in the cost of wages. Figure 1: Australian exchange rates in terms of trade Source: (Anderson, 2017) From the above graph, it can clearly be identified that there has been a fall in in the exchange rate in in Australias terms of trade. The decline has continued into 2016, as the terms of trade has dipping to 80.5 in the June quarter of 2016, which is the lowest level in the decade. Figure 2: Business Investment by Industry, June 2006 to June 2016 Source: (Anderson, 2017) The following data is the real trend data of the business investment in Australia. It can be clearly identified from the above graph that there has been continuation in the falling of the business investment mainly in mining. Business Investment in mining was $54.2 in 205-26, whereas it was $74.8 billion in 2014-15. This clearly indicates a drop of 29.9 per cent(Anderson, 2017). The future business investment and its impact on the domestic economy is still a concern for Australia. As per the Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectation the production of steel in Australia is expected to be 450.59 thousand tonnes within the end of this quarter. Looking towards the future, it has been estimated that the production of steel in Australia will stand at 453.63 with 12 months times. It has been analysed that the production of steel in Australia is estimated to trend about 453.69 thousand tonnes in the year 2020 as per the econometric models. Current business strategy of BHP Billiton in Australia The policy of this business is to own and run large, long life, low cost, upstream properties spread by commodity, market and geography. This firm have an easy and diverse portfolio of tier one assets about the world, with low cost options for future development and creating new values (Grant et al., 2013). This applies values and culture, emphasise security and productivity, deploy technology and exert capital discipline for extracting the most value and the maximum returns from the assets. Its effective model allows leveraging expertise across its business, with multifunctional terms expertise across the group for sharing best practice, make harmless and focus on solving problems together. Its producers are over the world top producer of major commodities involving iron ore, metallurgical coal and cooper. This company also have substantial interests in production on oil, energy coal and gas. Plan of the company to grow value Consistent with company strategy, it has a plan to develop the value of BHP. This plan is focused on six important parts: Cost efficiencies- focused on more gains Latent capacity- smart returns, normal risk Major projects- timed for value and revenues Exploration- progressive result reduce risk future wells Technology- develop security, minimum cost and unlocks resource Onshore- value and flexibility Capital management The aim of company capital allocation framework is to maximise the potential value of every dollar earn for company shareholder. Swot analysis of BHP Billiton is: Strength: BHP Billiton is one of the largest resources companies. This firm supplies many capitals including copper, uranium, lead and silver etc. it also crops Iron ore, metallurgical coal and manganese in Australia, South Africa and Brazil. This corporation provides thermal coal which is very useful and it is used in the electric power generation and general industry anxieties. This company has shown strong financial returns to its stakeholders (Grant et al., 2013). The profitability ratios show a strong hold on the market. BHP Billiton operates crossways eight countries in Australia, South Africa, the USA and South America. So it has increased the global image of the nation. In case of market capitalization, it is the largest company. This increases the trust of its investors towards the firm. This firm is involved in many CSR activities which has increased the image of the company. These are the strengths of the company. Weakness: The firm is facing many restrictions by the rule of the land. These rules and regulations include increasing traffic organisation standards and to suspend all the work which is non- essential outside sunshine hours. These have compact the efficiency of many events (Anon, 2017). Communication system of the company is one of the main faintness of the company. One of the ways for growing is to collaborate. Opportunities: So there are many opportunities for Bill Billiton to raise in size by unions and attainments. This company may obtain related small firms. This company increase a competitive control in terms of social and also in non-human capitals. The monetary condition of the company and general reliability may be broken for expanding the current operations. It may co-operate with the local competitors there for growing. This will increase the image of the firm in many nations. In this modest world, it is essential to continuously discover in order to endure (Bhp.com, 2017). So proper marketing through effective channels is very necessary for growing in this company. Threats: The BHP Billiton is fronting rivalry from many administrations like Anglo American plc, ExxonMobil Corporation, and Nippon Corporation etc. This may be the major threat in the upcoming centuries. The cost of the raw supplies which is used by the firm is growing at a very fast rate. This will increase the production cost which results to increase the general success. External analysis of Bill Billiton The PESTEL analysis of Bill Billiton is strategic tool for analysing the macro environment. PESTEL analysis stands for radical, Economic, Social, Technological, Ecological and lawful factors which impact the instruction environment of Bill Billiton. Political factors: Political factors play an important role to determine the factors which may impact the long term profitability of BHP Billiton in a country or in market (Bhp.com, 2017). This company is operating in industrial metals and minerals in many countries. BHP Billiton analyse some factors before exploiting in a market. Governmental solidity and importance of metals and minerals in economy of the country Legal framework Level of corruption Business regulations Employees benefits Tax rates and incentives Anti-trust laws related to industrial metals and minerals. Economic factors The factors of macro environment like inflation rates, saving rates, interest rate, and foreign exchange rates regulate the demand and asset in an economy (Anon, 2016). Macro atmosphere factors like struggle norms which effect the competitive advantage of the company. Some economic factors which BHP Billiton should analyse are: Type of economic system means what type of monetary system there is and how stable it is. Exchange rates and stability Efficiency of financial markets Education level of the economy Labour cost and production cost Commercial cycle stage Financial growth rate Joblessness rate Interest rate Inflation rate Social factors The culture of the society also impacts the nation of a group in an environment. Arrogances of the population play an important role in how the dealers of BHP Billiton will understand the consumers of the market (Anon, 2016). Social factors which BHP Billiton should analyse are: Skill levels of the population Class structure and hierarchy Education level in this company Culture which includes gender, roles and social conventions etc. Attitudes which include health, environment and consciousness etc. Leisure interests Technological factors Technology is growing very fast across the world. Over the last five years the company has been growing very fast (Anon, 2016). Skill analysis includes understanding of many effects- Fresh technological growths by BHP Billiton opponents Effect of skill on product contribution Effect on cost assembly Rate of technical diffusion Environmental factors As different marks consist different environmental standards that can impact the profitability of a company (Anon, 2010). Some of the ecological factors which a company should reflect are: Climate Climate change Rules which regulate environmental effluence Recycling Air and water effluence guidelines in metals and mineral industry Leftover management Support for renewable energy Legal factors Some of the legal factors which BHP Billiton leadership should analyse Anti-trust law in the company Discrimination law Employment law Costumer protection Health and safety law Data protection Conclusion It has been found from the discussion that BHP Billiton is one of the greatest leading resources Company. This company extract and process minerals, oil and gas, and more than 60,000 workers and contractors works in Australia and America. The flow of capital to investment opportunities will be smooth in Australia, if they can be able to make the balance between risks and return right. As per the Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectation the production of steel in Australia is expected to be 450.59 thousand tonnes within the end of this quarter. This firm have an easy and diverse portfolio of tier one assets about the world, with low cost options for future development and creating new values. This company provides thermal coal which is very useful and it is used in the electric power group and general manufacturing anxieties. References Alam, Q. and Majumdar, N. (2011).Cases in business and management. Prahran, Vic.: Tilde University Press. Anderson, K., 2017. Sectoral Trends and Shocks in Australia's Economic Growth. Australian Economic History Review, 57(1), pp.2-21. Anon, (2010).Our strategy delivers Sustainability Report. [online] Available at: https://static.globalreporting.org/report-pdfs/2010/d15f1e51b615717103b0c49f0818acad.pdf [Accessed 18 Sep. 2017]. Anon(2017).Value through perfromance. [online] Available at: https://www.bhp.com/~/media/bhp/documents/investors/annual-reports/bhpbillitonannualreport2014.pdf [Accessed 18 Sep. 2017]. Anon, (2016).Integrity Resilience Growth Annual Report. [online] Available at: https://www.bhp.com/-/media/bhp/documents/investors/annual-reports/2016/bhpbillitonannualreport2016_interactive.pdf [Accessed 18 Sep. 2017]. Barbash, B. and Roye, P. (n.d.).Investment Management Institute, 2017. Bhp.com. (2017).Cite a Website - Cite This For Me. [online] Available at: https://www.bhp.com/-/media/bhp/documents/investors/annual-reports/2015/bhpbillitonstrategicreport2015.pdf?la=en [Accessed 18 Sep. 2017]. Edwards, A. (2014).Mineral resource and ore reserve estimation. Carlton, Vic.: Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Grant, R., Butler, B., Orr, S. and Murray, P. (2013).CONTEMPORARY STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AN AUSTRALASIAN PERSPECTIVE 2E. Melbourne: Wiley. Hubbard, T. and Moore, M. (2012).BHP Billiton. Evanston, IL: Kellogg School of Management.

Jesse Jaramillo Essays - Racism, British People, Identity Politics

Jesse Jaramillo History 4C Prof. Adrienne Edgar The Effects of Imperialism on Europe and Abroad Imperialism in the late 1800's and early 1900's resulted in equally great social and political changes in both the host regions and colonizing countries. From change in how citizens viewed their nation to changes in national relationships, imperialism had far reaching effects around the globe. These changes were equally drastic but not equally beneficial. I will use the purpose of colonization expressed in "White Man's Burden" by Rudyard Kipling and the sweeping social change stated in "Why We are Militant" by Emmeline Pankhurst to show the broad effects imperialism had on the people of imperialistic countries as a group, and I will use the first-person account of experiencing imperialism in "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell to show the effect imperialism had on citizens of colonizing countries as individuals. The cultural impact on the colonizers was great. Nationalism and racism grew rampant among those who supported imperialism. Children's books were filled with racist images of Africans and pro-imperialist messages. Violence and movement, pro-imperialism European citizens felt that they were part of something when their country made plays to take colonies. "Shooting an Elephant", a first-person account by George Orwell, describes his feelings and duties as a British police officer in Burma during the time of colonization. Orwell, who did not approve of imperialism, writes, "All I knew was that I was stuck between my hatred of the empire I served and my rage against evil-spirited little beasts who tried to make my job impossible."Though, Orwell disagreed with his empire's actions, he still calls the Burmese people "evil-spirited beasts" because they were angry at him as he seemed to be the symbol of their British oppressors. This shows that the culture of the people of the colonizing co untry were against those who they were conquering. It created a mindset of division between groups of people through their nationalities and wealth. In the poem "White Man's Burden", by Rudyard Kipling, a well-known propagandist for the British Empire, describes how a culture of imperialism gave reason to colonization in the eyes of the Europeans. Europeans believed they were civilizing and advancing inferior cultures, which is exemplified in the poem when Kipling states, "Go, bind your sons to exile to serve your captives' need". In this quote, we see that Europeans feel that they are doing a service to their "captives". When he continues on, he writes, "Take up the White Man's burden, and reap his old reward - the blame of those ye better the hate of those ye guard," to show the selfish idea that the Europeans deserved penance for their good deeds in nurturing and advancing their colonized people. Kipling shows that the colonizers feel they are treated unfairly and that they shoul d be gratified instead. The poem as a whole shows the growing racism and feeling of superiority in white Europeans by implying themselves as the guardians of the uncivilized world. Imperialism changed the culture of Europeans by increasing the influence of nationalism and racism. Colonization was a prominent factor in changing the culture of colonized countries. The colonized were victims of exploitation and discrimination. Some colonized areas succeeded, "Treaty ports like Hong Kong were transformed as Europeans built banks, shipping enterprises, schools, and religious missions. As Europeans and indigenous peoples encountered and transformed one another, new hybrid cultures emerged." while others were in torment, "Elsewhere, new social instabilities were produced as European demand for labor brought men out of their villages, away from their families, and crowded them into shanty towns bordering sprawling new cities. Hopes that European rule would create a well-disciplined labor force was quickly dashed." In Africa, which had no clear boundaries due to the indigenous people being a tribal culture, colonization drew boundaries that separated families and forced enemies together. In the colonies, there was exploitation and suffering on a scale never before see n. Entire peoples were forced to work under strict rules that often resulted in deadly punishment. A culture of fear and hatred arose. As people mixed, imperial and indigenous, cultures also mixed. The Europeans were becoming more militant as the enthusiasm for colonization grew. Many countries took part in colonizing different parts of

History of St. Valentines Day in the 1800s

History of St. Valentines Day in the 1800s Commemorations of St. Valentine’s Day are rooted in the distant past. In the Middle Ages the tradition of choosing a romantic partner on that particular saints day began because it was believed that birds began mating on that day. Yet there doesnt seem to be any evidence that the historical Saint Valentine, an early Christian martyred by the Romans, had any connections to either birds or romance. In the 1800s, stories abounded that the roots of St. Valentine’s Day reached back to Rome and the festival of Lupercalia on the 15th of February, but modern scholars discount that idea. Despite the holidays mysterious and puzzling roots, it is obvious that people have observed St. Valentine’s Day for centuries. The famed London diarist Samuel Pepys mentioned observances of the day in the mid-1600s, complete with elaborate gift-giving among the wealthier members of society. The History of Valentine Cards It seems that the writing of special notes and letters for Valentine’s Day gained widespread popularity in the 1700s. At that time the romantic missives would have been handwritten, on ordinary writing paper. Papers made especially for Valentine greetings began to be marketed in the 1820s, and their use became fashionable in both Britain and the United States. In the 1840s, when postal rates in Britain became standardized, commercially produced Valentine cards began to grow in popularity. The cards were flat paper sheets, often printed with colored illustrations and embossed borders. The sheets, when folded and sealed with wax, could be mailed. The American Valentine Industry Began in New England According to legend, an English Valentine received by a woman in Massachusetts inspired the beginnings of the American Valentine industry. Esther A. Howland, a student at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, began making Valentine cards after receiving a card produced by an English company. As her father was a stationer, she sold her cards in his store. The business grew, and she soon hired friends to help her make the cards. And as she attracted more business her hometown of Worcester, Massachusetts became the center of the American Valentine production. St. Valentines Day Became a Popular Holiday in America By the mid-1850s the sending of manufactured Valentine’s Day cards was popular enough that the New York Times published an editorial on February 14, 1856 sharply criticizing the practice: Our beaux and belles are satisfied with a few miserable lines, neatly written upon fine paper, or else they purchase a printed Valentine with verses ready made, some of which are costly, and many of which are cheap and indecent. In any case, whether decent or indecent, they only please the silly and give the vicious an opportunity to develop their propensities, and place them, anonymously, before the comparatively virtuous. The custom with us has no useful feature, and the sooner it is abolished the better. Despite the outrage from the editorial writer, the practice of sending Valentines continued to flourish throughout the mid-1800s. Popularity of the Valentine Card Boomed After the Civil War In the years following the Civil War, newspaper reports indicated that the practice of sending Valentines was actually growing. On February 4, 1867, the New York Times interviewed Mr. J.H. Hallett, who was identified as the â€Å"Superintendent of the Carrier Department of the City Post Office.† Mr. Hallett provided statistics which stated that in the year 1862 post offices in New York City had accepted 21,260 Valentines for delivery. The following next year showed a slight increase, but then in 1864 the number dropped to only 15,924. A huge change occurred in 1865, perhaps because the dark years of the Civil War were ending. New Yorkers mailed more than 66,000 Valentines in 1865, and more than 86,000 in 1866. The tradition of sending Valentine cards was turning into a big business. The February 1867 article in the New York Times reveals that some New Yorkers paid exorbitant prices for Valentines: It puzzles many to understand how one of these trifles can be gotten up in such shape as to make it sell for $100; but the fact is that even this figure is not by any means the limit of their price. There is a tradition that one of the Broadway dealers not many years ago disposed of no less than seven Valentines which cost $500 each, and it may be safely asserted that if any individual was so simple as to wish to expend ten times that sum upon one of these missives, some enterprising manufacturer would find a way to accommodate him. Valentine Cards Could Hold Lavish Gifts The newspaper explained that the most expensive Valentines actually held hidden treasures hidden inside the paper: Valentines of this class are not simply combinations of paper gorgeously gilded, carefully embossed and elaborately laced. To be sure they show paper lovers seated in paper grottoes, under paper roses, ambushed by paper cupids, and indulging in the luxury of paper kisses; but they also show something more attractive than these paper delights to the overjoyed receiver. Receptacles cunningly prepared may hide watches or other jewelry, and, of course, there is no limit to the lengths to which wealthy and foolish lovers may go. In the late 1860s, most Valentines were modestly priced, and targeted toward a mass audience. And many were designed for humorous effect, with caricatures of particular professions or ethnic groups. Indeed, many Valentines in the late 1800s were intended as jokes, and the sending of humorous cards was a fad for many years. Victorian Valentines Could Be Works of Art The legendary British illustrator of children’s books  Kate Greenaway designed Valentines in the late 1800s which were enormously popular. Her Valentine designs sold so well for the card publisher, Marcus Ward, that she was encouraged to design cards for other holidays. Some of Greenaway’s illustrations for Valentine cards were collected in a book published in 1876, ​Quiver of Love: A Collection of Valentines. By some accounts, the practice of sending Valentine cards fell off in the late 1800s, and only revived in the 1920s. But the holiday as we know it today firmly has its roots in the 1800s.

Industrialization After the Civil War Final Paper Research

Industrialization After the Civil War Final - Research Paper Example According to the standard classification there are two main sectors of economy. The first one is responsible for the production of goods (agriculture, sand mining and so forth). The second one deals with the manufactured products from the first sector. The process of industrialization takes place when the second sector dominates the first one leading to the reorganization of the whole process. In this work the process of industrialization is shown on the basis of history of the USA and its rapid growth after the Civil War. â€Å"At the stage of history, however, there are major differences in the way industrializing societies are organized; and these differences add both variety and conflict to the world scene. Many of these differences can be explained by the character of the industrializing elite who are in charge from one country to another – who they are, what goals they seek, what strategies they follow and how they approach labor – management – state relations† (1960) written by Clark Kerr. The Civil War in the USA (1861-1865) started on the basis of strong contradictions between the North and the South. Its main aim was fighting against slave-owning system. In the first half of the XIX century agricultural South and industrial North existed as two separate economic regions. The enterprises of machinery and consumer industry were situated in the northern part of the country. The immigrants came there from different countries in order to hire a job at the factories, pl ants or other places. As a result this part of the USA was characterized by high level of life. In the South the situation was absolutely different. As a benefit the USA got a great territory after the American-Mexican War. The territory had a good climate, consequently the lands were productive and fruitful. The South became the main agricultural region which lands were occupied by rich planters. The problem was that there were not enough labor resources