The Impact of Short-Staple Cotton Essay Example

The Impact of Short-Staple Cotton Essay The discovery of short-staple cotton was a major turning point not only in America’s economic history, but as well as utilization of slaves. Initially, the short-staple cotton variety had no commercial value as it had shorter cotton fibers, which reduces yarn and cloth quality, and fibers that were tightly attached to the seed, causing a longer time to separate the actual fiber from the seed without damaging it. On the other hand, the long-staple cotton fibers were exactly the opposite of their short cotton counterparts which was why the majority of fiber production was done using the longer variety (Philipps, 2004).However, in 1793, Eli Whitney invented a machine called, â€Å"cotton gin,† that enabled mass production of short-stapled cotton. The cotton gin, which was the short term for â€Å"cotton engine,† used wire teeth attached into a rotating wooden cylinder to snare the cotton fibers and pull them through a grate. The slots in this grate were too narrow f or the cotton seed to pass, so that the fibers were pulled away from the seed (Philipps, 2004). This invention eliminated the long and tedious task of removing the short cotton fiber from the seed and reduced the risk of damaging it. However, although the cotton was produced in large quantities, the cotton gin significantly reduced the quality of the fiber, causing resistance from English buyers. But due to the need to further expand the production of cotton and due to the assurance that cotton production would cost lower using the cotton gin, the American South decided to proceed using the short-staple variety.The adaptation of the short staple cotton and the cotton gin caused significant changes in the US South, most of important of which is that it led to the first United States patent system, which described who has exclusive rights over the machine. It also led to the use of more slaves as the operation of cotton gins required little skill. The production of the short stapled c otton boosted the economy of the South and resulted in the country being one of the chief exporters of cotton today (Murrin, 2006).Murrin, J. M. (2006). Liberty, Equality, Power: A History of the American People. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.Phillips, W. H. (2004). Economic History Services: Cotton Gin. Retrieved October 18, 2007 from http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/phillips.cottongin

The United Nations Peacekeeping Operations in Africa essays

The United Nations Peacekeeping Operations in Africa essays United Nations Peacekeeping is based on the principle that an impartial presence of the United Nations (UN) on the ground can ease tensions and allow negotiated solutions in a conflict situation. Known widely as "blue helmets" or "blue berets," United Nations peacekeepers have patrolled buffer zones between hostile parties, monitored ceasefires, and helped defuse local conflicts, allowing the search for enduring political settlements to continue (UN Peacekeeping, Preface). Recent years have, however, seen major changes in the number and nature of conflicts brought before the UN. The post-cold war period has been characterized by a proliferation of civil wars and other armed conflicts within States, which threaten regional, national, and international peace and security. In response to the changing nature of global conflict, the role of UN Peacekeeping, too, has evolved to a more complex operation involving military, civilian police, and other civilian personnel. With a mandate to help create political institutions and broaden their base, the UN today works alongside governments, non-governmental organizations, and local citizen's groups to provide emergency relief, demobilize former fighters and reintegrate them into society, clear mines, organize and conduct elections and promote sustainable developmental practices (UN Peacekeeping, An Evolving Technique). Currently, the one continent where UN Peacekeeping operates extensively is Africa given the increasing number of inter and intra-state conflicts in that part of the world. Indeed, the extent of the troubles in Africa is evidenced by the fact that "the security council's schedule for March will be dominated by African issues, especially efforts to guarantee stability in the western part of the continent." (UN News Center, Mar. 2004) Africa occupying center stage with the UN Security Council is not surprising given i...

A Beginners Guide Tenses of Latin Verbs

A Beginner's Guide Tenses of Latin Verbs Latin is an inflected language  where the verbs include a lot of information about the sentence. Sometimes the verb is the only word in the sentence. Even without a noun or pronoun, a Latin verb can tell you who/what the subject is. It can also tell you the time frame, interval, or tense. When you parse a Latin verb, you deconstruct these and other facets of the Latin. When you parse a Latin verb, you list the following: Meaning/translationPersonNumberMoodVoice (active/passive)Tense/aspect Tense, as mentioned, refers to time. In Latin, there are 3 simple and 3 perfect tenses, a total of 6, and they come in both active and passive forms. Moods in Different Tenses The Indicative Mood is the most common and thats what this page is about. You need to make note of the mood when parsing a verb. Most statement sentences use the indicative. In English, we generally contrast indicative with conditional sentences, although English has the Latin moods (Indicative, Subjunctive*, and Imperative**). Present Tense The first of the simple tenses in the Indicative Mood is the present tense. The present tense in the Indicative Mood has both Active and Passive voices. The present tense shows action that is happening now. I walk - ambulo Latin Imperfect Tense The next tense is the imperfect, which conveys incompleted action in the past. Imperfect means incomplete or unfinished. When translating an imperfect verb, the simple past tense sometimes works. Other times, was plus an -ing ending on the verb or used to plus the verb will convey the incompleted past action. I was walking - ambulabam The imperfect tense in Latin is used for both continuous and habitual actions in the past. Latin Future Tense The third tense is the future tense. A verb in the future tense conveys an action that will happen in the future. The customary auxiliary verb denoting the future tense is will. He will walk - ambulabit The 1st person singular future ambulabo is translated I shall walk technically. Most people in the U.S., if not in the rest of the anglophone world, would say I will walk. The same is true of the 1st person plural ambulabimus: technically, its we shall walk, but in custom, its we will walk. In the second and third person, its just will without qualification. Latin Verb Endings Active Singular -o, -m-s-t Active Plural -mus-tis-nt Passive Singular -or, -r-ris-tur Passive Plural -mur-mini-ntur Perfect Active Endings Singular   -i-isti-it Plural -imus-istis-erunt (sometimes -ere) Past Tenses Past or perfected tenses are used for completed actions. There are 3 such tenses: Perfect,PluperfectFuture perfect. Latin (Past) Perfect Tense Generally simply called the perfect tense, this tense refers to an action that has been completed. Either a simple past tense ending (e.g., -ed) or the auxiliary verb have conveys the perfect tense. I walked - ambulavi You may also translate it: I have walked. Latin Pluperfect Tense A verb is in the pluperfect tense if it was completed prior to another. Usually the auxiliary verb had signifies a pluperfect verb. I had walked - ambulaveram Latin Future Perfect Tense Future perfect is used to convey an action that will have been completed prior to something else. Will have are the customary auxiliary verbs. I will have walked - ambulavero *  More advanced:  In the Subjunctive Mood, there are 4 tenses, both active and passive: Present,Imperfect,Perfect, andPluperfect. ** There is ordinarily one Latin tense in the Imperative Mood, with both active and passive forms.

The Underclass and Group Offending Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Underclass and Group Offending - Essay Example However, since the term underclass was coined, there has not been a precise definition of the term underclass but most sociologists have now come to define underclass as those members of the society whose incomes fall below the level of poverty and may be eligible for assistance by the government. Wilson (1987) attempts to define the underclass as the most deprived sections of the urban community composed of black population, the heterogeneous grouping of individuals and families outside the main employment of the American system. He stated that this group includes those people lacking necessary skills, training to secure employment, have not been in employment for a long-term or are not members of the mainstream labour force. They are those individuals that are often engaged in crime and other forms of behaviour that are abhorred by the society and have experienced long spells of poverty relying on assistance by the government (Wilson 1987, p.8). ... power, the labour government of Prime Minister Tony Blair appreciated the menace posed by the underclass by setting p a social exclusion unit that would deal with what it referred to as Margaret Thatcher’s underclass that defines people who were without jobs and skills, often without homes and hopeless. These individuals were also considered alienated from the conventional setting of a society (Mark 2011); therefore according to the studies by Murray, the underclass are not only defined by their economic positions but also by their behaviour in that they respond to their lowly economic situations through engagement in behaviour that can be deemed to be deplorable (Murray 1990, p.68). One distinct area associated with the underclass and group offending is found among gangs who in most cases belong to a minority underclass found in urban areas. Gangs are often avenues for particular groups of people especially the underclass to get out of poverty and in the mix, they are always brought into the world of crime and the gangs are normally organized in peer groups, street gangs or criminal networks that are organized. Several researchers have suggested that the existence of gangs and gang-related crimes increase when there are limited economic opportunities available. A study conducted by the Crime Justice Research Centre of Ohio State University found that when jobs were lost in the industries, unemployment became rampant; consequently, there was always an upsurge of gangs engaging in criminal activities (Watts 1992, p.819-820). These findings confirm that there is a direct correlation between criminal activities, lack of employment and poverty often associated with the underclass, and most people join gangs discerning that it can provide them with an opportunity to be

Critically analyse the goverment initiative New Deal area of training Essay

Critically analyse the goverment initiative New Deal area of training and to assess where such an approach could be used within an organizational setting - Essay Example within the international market has to focus on the following issues: ‘a) the business structure, b) the legislative and employment relationship context, c) the patterns of HRM competence and decision-making and d) the national culture’ (Schuler et al., 1998, 159). In accordance with the above study human resources development has to be differentiated in each country worldwide in accordance with the local business ethics and the national culture; the potential of organizations to respond to the needs of the particular strategy (especially regarding its cost) has also to be considered as playing a role in the above differentiation. In order to measure the value of human resources development in organizations within the international market, it is necessary to refer to the particular elements of HRD as they can be observed in daily business activities worldwide. Regarding a particular aspect of HRD, training, it is suggested by Reid et al. (2004, 52) that ‘training i s an intervention into an ongoing learning process; the culture, philosophy, policies and procedures of the organisation form a very powerful learning environment, which must be taken into consideration’. In fact, organizations can choose among different HRD strategies when having to develop their employees’ skills. For this reason, Brown (1997, 15) noticed that ‘organizations can buy skills through hiring, or they can develop skills through training and development (T&D) activities’. Current paper refers to a particular aspect of HRD, this of training and especially to a relevant scheme implemented by the British government in order to support new employees in the medical sector. The scheme analyzed is ‘New Deal’, a programme of active labour market policies introduced in the United Kingdom by the Labour government in 1998 aiming to reduce unemployment by providing training, subsidised employment, and voluntary work to the unemployed’ (Wikipedia, 2007). The particular effort has

Katzenbach and Smith Essay Example for Free

Katzenbach and Smith Essay Introduction For this essay I will be explaining what I might do to encourage team performance by using Katzenbach and Smith’s Article as a scaled directive/guideline. The discipline of teams has been useful to show how to encourage team performance and this I will explain I will explain in the first part of this essay. Main Body According to Katzenbach and Smith, there is an importance to distinguish between Teams and Groups. Why? Because it is believed that Teams are different from Groups because they use collective working whereas Groups are based around individual performance. 8 things that Katzenbach and Smith said about how to encourage Teamwork are: ‘Establish urgency, demanding performance standards, and direction’. Katzenbach and Smith: ‘All team members need to believe the team has urgent and worthwhile purposes, and want to know what the expectations are.’ I can use this to encourage team performance by setting standards, rules and directions so the team will know their purpose and what goals they are aiming for. ‘Select members for skill and skill potential, not personality’. Katzenbach and Smith: ‘No team succeeds without the skills needed to meet its purpose and performance goals. Yet most teams figure out the skills they will need after they are formed.’ You can choose the people to be team leaders, purely based on their skills. This people will need to have good skills most especially the ‘Leadership skills and Motivational Skills’ in order to take charge of the team in absence of the manager. ‘Set some clear rules of behaviour’. Katzenbach and Smith: ‘All effective teams develop rules of conduct at the outset to help them achieve their purpose and performance goals.’ To encourage team performance I would make sure I have the team’s attention with no distractions from phones etc., make sure everyone gets a clear chance to speak with no interruptions and constructive confrontation, agree that the only things to leave the room is what is agreed on, always make sure that everyone has an analytic approach while doing research and last of all make sure everyone gets assignments to themselves and make sure they are done. ‘Challenge the group regularly with fresh facts and information.’ Katzenbach and Smith: ‘New information causes a team to redefine and enrich it’s understanding of the performance challenge, thereby helping the shape a common purpose, set clearer goals and improve its common approach.’ I can use this to encourage teamwork by always making sure that everyone on the team does research to see defects in the way the team works, and then have sessions where we discuss how this defects can be sorted out. ‘Spend lots of time together.’ Katzenbach and Smith: ‘Common sense tells us that team members must spend a lot of time together, scheduled and unscheduled, especially in the beginning.’ This can be used to encourage teamwork as it will create creative insights and personal bonds between the team members as they will slowly star to develop a work relationship between each other. ‘Exploit the positive feedback, recognition, and reward.’ Katzenbach and Smith: ‘Positive reinforcement works as well in a team context as elsewhere. This will help encourage team performance as it allows people in the team to get a sense that yes they are being shown gratitude for all the hard they’ve show. One other way you can encourage team work it to use ‘Emotional Intelligence’ (Goleman) this is needed to improve a team as it brings concepts of love and spirituality: bringing compassion and humanity to work and ‘Multiple Intelligence’ theory which illustrates and measures capabilities people possess, and also help show that everybody has a value in the team. But Teams may also have many risks attached and in this part of essay I will be analysing these risks. For example ‘Conformity’, this is the action of always acting in accordance to prevailing social standards, attitude, and practices etc. An example of this type of behaviour can be seen in Solomon Asch’s ‘Studies in Conformity’ – in one of Asch’s experiment which was design to show how perfect normal human beings can be pressured into unusual behaviour by authority figures, or by the consensus of opinion around them. The experiment was. Eight subjects were seated round a table to prevent suspicion. Only one participant was actually a genuine subject while the others were just actors to give already selected responses. The experiment was each participant was in turn asked to answer a series of question, such as which line was the longest or which matched the reference line. The results came out as ‘over one third of the subjects also voiced an incorrect option.’ Asch’s experiment gives us a slight insight into how conformity affects a team. Another risk team work is ‘Groupthink’. Groupthink is when groups of people in a team harmonise in a decision making group override a realistic alternative as it differs from their group’s alternative. An example of group think can be seen ‘Group Decision Fiascos Continue: Space Shuttle Challenger and Revised Groupthink Framework’. The explosion of the space shuttle Challenger is the worst disaster in space flight history and it crippled the American space programme. The NASA managers knew about the faults if they launched the space craft, but despite a huge amount of warnings from their engineers about the dangers if launching posed by the low temperatures that morning. The NASA managers also failed to adequately repost the problems to their superiors and this was what actually caused the catastrophic disaster. And this is why groupthink is a risk of Teamwork. As people can be shut out and made to look as it they didn’t know what they were talking about or being made to look as if they were outcasts. Conclusion But all in all we have to give credit to Katzenbach and Smith for their work in finding ways in improving team work as they have given us a great insight in to improving performance in a team by setting showing how and what it takes to make a team function properly. But as highlighted teams can be risky as they can cause ‘conformity’, and sticky situations like ‘groupthink’ which cause cost lives and not on lives, in a business environment it could cost sales to drop etc. Teamwork has lots of risks but if team work is carried out properly then it is most like nothing will go wrong for the people in the team.

How To Detail Your Car Essay -- essays research papers

How to successfully detail your car. When you buy a new car it comes to you spotless, washed, polished, and dressed. After a while the bright shine of amorall begins to fade and that showroom shine is no longer at show room condition. French fries begin to gather, straw wrappers appear, the ever-present coffee stain on the carpeting and even animal hair collects all which demolishes the clean appearance of your prized automobile. When owning a new car you need to know how to reestablish that beautiful finish. The first thing you should know when detailing a car is the importance of washing and polishing the cars exterior, then comes the dreadful interior, after that is the detailed cleaning that makes or breaks the cars appearance. First you must pick a perfect day to detail your car, the weather must be fair the sun should be blocked by the occasional cloud or two and for your comfort it should be mildly warm out. Pull the car up to a shaded area close to a long garden with water pressure to spare. Make sure the windows are closed, and then begin to pre-rinse the car to get any easily removed dirt off of the car, not doing this will result in scratching of the paint when washing with soap. Second you should later up a nice bucket of car wash and with a knotted hair glove thoroughly scrub every inch of the cars paint and windows. If some of the dirt or squashed bugs from fast highway travel get some bleach-white car cleaner and with a bug pad apply the cleaner directly to...