Cause of Spanish American War essays

Cause of Spanish American War essays The Spanish American War of 1898 was a turning point for United States foreign policy because it established us as a world power by becoming a Imperialistic nation. Although the United States had been debating about Imperialism for a period of time and had many rationales for it including Darwinism, Strategic reasons, and economical reasons, it kept an isolationism policy, except in trading and international affairs. We kept this policy until the mid 1890s when situations in Hawaii, Chile, Venezuela, and foremost Cuba sprung up. The Cuban Revolution, which eventually led to the Spanish American war, made us become a imperialistic nation and thus a world power. Long before the Cuban Revolution, intellectual leaders such as John Fisk took Social Darwinism and applied it to the United States. They believed the U.S. should compete with other nations for wealth and power in the world. They saw the territories, markets, and the raw materials Europe had gained by Imperialism, and concluded the U.S. had to do the same to prosper and develop as a nation. Using the beliefs of Darwinism we had a belief of Anglo-Saxon supremacy and it was out destiny to venture out into the world, which became to be known as our Manifest Destiny. To establish the Anglo-Saxon superiority we put on ourselves The white mans burden to establish our language, religion, politics, and customs in other countries. Other reasons for support of Imperialism included strategic reasons because we needed to protect ourselves from countries the could threaten our rule in the western Hemisphere. Alfred T. Mahan a Navy officer wrote a book called The Influence of Sea Power upo n History, to convince the nation to build up our navy. This was highly supported by the people because it gave protection of international trade and markets. If we expanded trade we would have larger markets and more jobs, and wouldnt have to worry about overproduc...

Alactraz essays

Alactraz essays Imagine yourself existing in a dirty, smelly, cold prison cell that has water dripping down the walls from the ceiling and hardly ever seeing daylight. If you were a guest at Alcatraz, that is exactly what you would experience. Alcatraz was a Federal Prison located in the San Francisco Bay. It was built on a twelve acre, solid rock island, one mile from the main land. There were no roads or bridges built to get there. The only access was by boat. The name Alcatraz means Pelican or strange bird. The reason it was named that was because when it was being built it had a lot of strange birds on it. It was built in 1933 as a federal maximum security prison. But prior to Alcatraz being built it had been a military prison and before that an Indian Reservation. There have been several famous inmates who served time at Alcatraz. A short list would include Al Capone, George "Machine Gun" Kelly and Robert "Birdman" Stroud. Al Capone was convicted of mass murder after ordering his gang of mobsters to gun down 9 members of a rival mobster family execution style. It was said to be the most brutal mass murder in history. He was held at Cook County Jail in Chicago until arrangements could be made for his transfer to Atlanta. On May 4, 1932 he started his prison sentence there. It was not until August of 1934 that he was transferred to Alcatraz. He spent 4 1/2 years there. It wasnt an easy time for "Big Al". He got in a fight with another prisoner and was put in isolation for eight days. He was also stabbed with a pair of shears while he was getting his hair cut. After being diagnosed with a terminal disease in 1938, he was transferred to Terminal Island Prison in Southern California to serve out the remainder of his sentence. He was released in November of 1939 and died in his Palm Beach Mansion on January 25, 1947. George "Machine Gun" Kelly got his name by waving around a machine gun, threatening to blow everybodys he ...

Examine, analyze and explain violent childrens programming from a Research Paper

Examine, analyze and explain violent childrens programming from a content analysis perspective as it relates to network shows su - Research Paper Example The extent of violence and the contexts in which it occurs has been consistently high over the years and has been rising. This essay examines, analyzes, and explains violent children programming from a content analysis perspective as it relates to network shows such as Nick, Disney, and Toon. Continuous watching of television may manipulate viewers' ideas of what the daily world is all about and even induce some violent behaviors in children by changing their general mindset about violence. The media's power to shape perceptions and attitudes is thus questionable. Certain scenes in children programming such as cartoons where animated characters are continuously run over or thrown from the higher grounds but remain dead for a while portrays death as temporary. At times, bullies and violent characters are viewed as heroes thus instilling the mindset in children (Leonard & Christy 78-82). The children’s cartoons are some of the highly violent TV programs that are frequently aired by most TV channels. Unfortunately, the innocence in children is more exposed to violence than the adults by frequent airing of violent scenes in children programs than adult’s programs. Interestingly, the violent acts in the children programs are usually portrayed in a way that authenticates violence by making the actions either funny or acceptable. When either a child or an adult views a violent act, there may be unpleasant effects that may either be long or short term on the viewer (Leonard & Christy 78-82). An exposure to media violence especially to a young child has tremendously strong impact on an individual that may make the child develop very aggressive and violent way of life when he grows up. It is therefore very risky to allow a child to be exposed to such kind of risky media content (Brocato et al. 99-102). The contentious issue is how does the TV violence affect our way of life, attitude and even behaviors yet it is just a matter of just watching a mere materia l. Many grownups are always glued to their TVs in the evening or over the weekends in the name of watching a favorite soap opera. Seemingly, TV programs are one of the worst addictions, which may even literally steal our time and most significantly totally change our mindset irrespective of our age or sex. Most people have postponed doing some very important tasks in the excuse of watching a favorite TV program. It is therefore true that what a person listens to and watches can suddenly change an individual’s style of leaving either regularly or occasionally (Facts for Families, n.p). During the stage of development, children should adopt a way of life that is moral and acceptable to the society by guiding them on what they should watch and listen. What is instilled on a child’s mind while growing can either strengthen or weaken after sometime. An activity or an organ changes its task to adopt to the function that is routinely used as explained in use and reuse theory in biology. This same theory applies to the content of a program watched and the attitude change of the individual because of the program’s content. It is therefore obvious that when children watch violent movies, they will eventually adopt violent behaviors. The ultimate behavior of the child is further strengthened by previous experiences and societal influences (Leonard & Christy 78-82). Disney Films Disney films are several movies released by the Walt

Anthropology of humor and laughter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Anthropology of humor and laughter - Essay Example People belonging to different cultures consider something appropriate for laughter in accordance with their cultures. From a social perspective, humor is a positive emotion of an individual, which is elicited in different social contexts and is demonstrated by different vocal and facial behaviors of laughter. Canned jokes, funny utterances, funny expressions, and spontaneous witticisms are some of the main forms of humor (Martin 29). Psychological functions of humor bring various cognitive and social benefits for the humans. Some of the most significant benefits of humor include increased social interactions, help in relieving the tensions and stress, and help in regulating the emotions. In the past couple of decades, the overall concept regarding laughter has shifted from something being viewed as socially inappropriate to being perceived as socially desirable and healthy for the mind (Martin 29). The sense of humor acts as the main source of laughter for any individual. Although th e sense of humor has a number of psychological and social benefits, the mainstream psychology still needs to pay some more attention to this aspect of human behavior. Works Cited Martin, Rod. The Psychology of Humor: An Integrative Approach. Burlington, MA: Elsevier Academic Press, 2007.

Disclosing Illness in Children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Disclosing Illness in Children - Essay Example No challenges and obstacles should be oppressing our children. These claims are often provided by loving and caring parents. Very often they hide the truth from their children. In the context of medicine, ethical concerns are one of the most important. Therefore, when parents want to keep their children from knowing truth about their diagnoses, they are following such tendencies as fear to reduce child’s desire to live; avoid depression in their child, avoid social oppression or rejection etc (Hendrick, 2004). On the other hand, they are only complicating the situations, because children may be informed by third parties and then the pressure on them will be even more intense. There is a need to inform a child about the illness within family and develop illness coping strategies for sure (Leathard, McLaren, 2007). `In case children know their diagnosis, it will be easier for them to have higher self-esteem and to cause lower depression levels among their parents. In the case sc enario, a child does not know about her diagnosis hepatitis B. Her liver is being gradually destroyed and her mother wants to keep her uninformed about her status. On the other hand, it is better to inform the girl, because in such a way the danger of illness is potentially hazardous for her sexual partners for sure (Butts, 2008). Social implications of hiding the true diagnosis from a child may result in ruined friendship or damaged social contacts, distancing of family members and many other unpleasant things. It is better to inform the child about her diagnosis by family members at once. Of course, it is relevant to take into account child’s age and to find the best convenient time and ways of a child’s informing. There is a need to widen horizon of the neighbors or relatives about the illness in order not to keep them in fear. For example, the way HBV is transmitted is often unknown for people. All physicians of a child and family, few friends and family members sh ould be informed about a child’s diagnosis for sure (Dowrick and Frith, 1999). Of course, there is a chance that these people would remain aside this problem or would not understand your family, but it is better not to hide the truth for sure, but fight for a tolerant attitude to a child. There is a need for support from family members or friends. At this stage it is desirable to provide these people with relevant information about the disease (Reamer, 2005). Proper and on-time informing is worth consideration at different stages of diagnosis disclosure. Not only children should be prepared for this process, but all family member and the closest friends in order to support them. When child is at high school, she will be able to decide whether inform or not inform her friends about her diagnosis (Waz, 2010). Discussion and integration of the ethical principles and theories Treatment providers, the members of the family with HBV should follow ethics code. The highest standards of care should be developed in terms of ethics code. There is no need to choose between right or wrong decisions.  There is a need to balance ethical concerns of family members, teachers and medical staff in every particular case. Thus, it should be noted that professionals in medical sphere would always act in the interests of their client. For example, in this scenario they are worried about potential health hazards to her surrounding people and friends. Her mother is keeping secrets from

Reading Plan Essay Example for Free

Reading Plan Essay Year 1 to 3: Reading Methodology: Oral Recitation Lesson * The Oral Recitation Lesson (ORL) is an instructional procedure that incorporates direct and indirect instruction during small-group reading instruction. ORL helps the teachers to use it easily with basal reading programs, especially with students who experience difficulty in learning to read. * ORL is a part of fluency improving reading program. The strategies of ORL will focus on improving fluency. This week we will focus on: a) ORL Format.Direct Instruction of ORL: Read, discuss, and analyze a story 1. The teacher reads the story aloud to the students. 2. After reading, the teacher works with students to discuss and analyze the story by constructing a story map that identifies the characters, setting, problem, events, and resolution. 3. The group uses the story map to write a brief summary that includes the critical information in the story. The teacher is careful to write down the students language.Indirect Instruction Component (5 minutes daily)Students reread the stories that they have read in the small group, direct instruction component of ORL. While students practice reading quietly to themselves, the teacher listens to individuals read to see if they have achieved master in word recognition (98% accurate) and fluency (75 words per minute in 2nd grade level text). | Reading plan for Year 4-5: Oral Recitation LessonYear 4: Follow Charlie and the chocolate factory (continue reading ahead)Year 5: Read Harry potter(continue reading ahead)How to use Oral Recitation Lesson technique: 1. Read a chapter and identify setting, problems, events and resolution. 2. Write a brief summary at the end of the week on the chapters read. 3. Teachers to follow Indirect Instruction Component mentioned previously to check the fluency and word recognition.Resource Material for Year 1: Ginn Reader (Level 6) â€Å"Time to Smile / Tales we like)Resource Material for Year 2: Ginn Reader (Level 8) â€Å" Through the year / Moonshine)Resource Material for Year 3: Ginn Reader (Level 8) â€Å" Festivals / Magical Tales)|

The Meaning of Political Theory

The Meaning of Political Theory DISCUSSING THE MEANING OF POLITICAL THEORY Harold Lasswell (1936) defines politics as ‘Who gets what, when and how,’ Leftwitch, (2004). No wonder, then, a myriad of attempts has been made to come up with a conclusive and all-encompassing analytical approach to this study of ‘who gets what, when and how’. Some of these, of course, include; scientific approach, philosophical approach as well as theoretical approach to the study of politics, Heywood (2007). It is the latter, however, which is the scope of this discussion. While science refers to a means of acquiring political knowledge through observation, experimentation and measurement using empirical evidence, philosophy is a means by which any abstract thought about politics is covered in search for, both, wisdom and understanding, Heywood (2004). Before going any farther into the discussion, a look at the meaning of the word theory is imperative. The dictionary meanings of the word theory are (1); a formal set of ideas that is intended to explain why something happens or exists, (2) the principles on which a particular subject is based (3) opinion or idea that somebody believes is true but that is not proved, Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, 7th Edition, (2006). Political theory, in this context, is an academic discipline that studies politics based on the following premises; it involves the analytical studies of ideas and doctrines that have been central to the political thought; it studies the ends and means of political action; it is concerned with ethical and normative questions; it draws upon the example of economic theory in building up models based on procedural rules usually about self interested behaviour of individuals involved like the bourgeoisie or the proletariat; it examines what major thinkers said, how they developed or justified their views; it attempts to, better, understand behaviour of actors like voters, politicians, lobbyist and bureaucrats, Heywood, (2004). Basically Political Theory analyses political concepts and their relationship to actual political practice. This is done through; Concepts, Models, Theories and Ideologies. Concepts, to begin with, are general ideas or mental constructs by which attempts are made to draw out meaning from otherwise infinitely complex realities through logical presentations. They are tools with which human beings think, criticize, argue, explain and analyze political developments. Examples include liberty, human rights, equality, power, authority, order and law Heywood (2004). Second tool of political theory are Models. Models are representations of empirical data that aim to advance understanding by highlighting significant relationships and interactions among variables. These are built around a number of concepts with an aim of making a vivid resemblance of the original object without necessarily becoming its copy.They are analytical tools through which meaning can be imposed upon a massive and disorganized collection of facts. An example is the Easton Systems Model of state by David Easton (1953) cited by Heywood (2007). Third on the list of tools of political theory are ‘theories’ or simply put macro theories.Theories, often used interchangeably with models, are comprehensive, systematic, consistent and reliable explanations and predictions of relationships among specific variables. Theories are explained through models, for example, theories of collectivism, pluralism, elitism, and functionalism. These may be explained by a model of state, model of electoral competition, or model of group politics, Heywood (2007). Last on the tools through which political theory does the analysis of politics are Ideologies. The term Ideology was coined during French Revolution by Antoine Destutt de Tracy (1754-1836) Ideologies are intellectual frameworks comprising interrelated values, theories and assumptions, within which search for knowledge is conducted. They are main beliefs that outline how political change can and should be brought about. They provide a broad range of political creeds and traditions which provide basis of political action. Examples of political Ideologies are Conservatism, Socialism, Communism, and Fascism of course, just to mention but a few, Heywood (2004) In as much as there is an appreciation on the arguments of the four tools of Concepts, Models, Theories and Ideologies to the theoretical approach to the study of politics on one hand, a number of weaknesses can be observed in this ‘tool’ based approach on the other. The first problem encountered with political concepts is that they are, often, difficult to disentangle from the moral, philosophical and ideological views of those who advance them. Another problem is that political concepts often become the subject of intellectual and ideological controversy. It is not uncommon for political argument to take place between people who assert to uphold the same principle or ideal which is reflected in attempts to establish a particular conception of a concept as objectively correct, as in the case of true democracy, freedom, justice and so forth, Heywood (2004). An additional problem with political concepts is fetishism. This occurs when concepts are treated as though they ha ve a concrete existence separate from the human beings who use them. In short, words are treated as things, rather than as devices for understanding things. The complexity of political reality also renders concepts insufficient to explain political practice as some concepts are multi-faceted in nature and are a subject to profound ideological controversy, Heywood (2004). Although models are a simplification of reality, they are not a reliable knowledge in themselves as they have hidden values. These values and beliefs may intrude into the process of model and theory building thereby making it impracticable to create purely empirical theories or models. This means that models and theories contain some biases, Heywood (2004). Ideologies are the ‘Grand Thought’ of any political institution. Despite being such major themes in the political arena, ideologies command no objective standard of truth against which they can bejudged. As a matter of fact, there are different perspectives on ideologies. For instance, Liberals, have viewed ideologies as officially endorsed belief systems that claim a monopoly of truth, for example communism and fascism. Conservatives have traditionally regarded ideologies as manifestations of the arrogance of rationalism. Socialists have seen ideologies as body of ideas that conceal the contradictions of class society, thereby promoting false perception and political obedience amongst subordinate classes per se, Heywood (2004). Having looked at political theory from an academic perspective as based on the premises on which it operates, the concepts, the models, the theories and the ideologies with their relationship to real political practice, I would, therefore, understand political theory as an approach to the study of politics based on mere social constructs, of course, without proof. REFERENCES Heywood, A. (2004). Political Theory: An Introduction, London Palgrave. Heywood, A. (2007). Politics (3rd Ed) London: Palgrave. Hoffman, J. and Graham, P. (2009).Introduction to Political Theory (2nd Ed): Pearson Education Limited, England. Leftwich, A. (2004).(Ed) What is Politics? Cambridge: Polity Press. Wehmeier, S. et. al (2006). (Ed): Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, (7th Edition), International Student’s Edition. Oxford University Press. The meaning of political theory The meaning of political theory THE MEANING OF POLITICAL THEORY Human life is a complex creation on the earth’s surface. It is inevitably interesting to think of how humans think about where they come from, where they are now, their values and norms, differing views and perception about the social, economic and political arrangements of the world they live in, and their hope for a better society or world. Aristotle, (1996) argues that man is by nature a political animal. This further complicates the already complex human life as it entails that Politics exists at every corner of human life and is an intrinsic feature of mankind, despite controversies on what is ‘political’ and not. These arguments further erupt over the legitimate order and meaning of political phenomenon or empirical political actions, with regards to what Heywood, (2004) refers to as political values or normative concepts, for instance; justice, liberty, rights, equality, and descriptive concepts like; power, order and law, to mention a few. Political theory is, therefore, concerned with ethical or normative questions like, ‘How should power be distributed amongst individuals and the state?’, ‘What should the limit of an individual’s rights and liberty be?’. But then, what is Political Theory? This paper discusses the meaning of Political theory and attempts to find a better definition of the nomenclature. The desire to find the meaning to Political Theory requires the meaning of theory. The word theory originates from the Greek word â€Å"theoria†, meaning the act or procedure or state of contemplation over something going on with the intention to understand it. Political Theory may, therefore, be described as the act or procedure of having a long thoughtful observation, with intention of understanding the meaning of what may be referred to as â€Å"political†. However, this is not a description enough to quench the desire for a better definition, hence rendering political theory contested. As defined by Held, (1991: cited by Farrelly, 2004), political theory is â€Å" a network of concepts and generalizations about political life involving ideas, assumptions and statements about the nature, purpose and key features of government, state and society and about the political capabilities of human beings†. Heywood, (2004) also contends that political theory is sets of ideas or an idea that in some way seeks to impose order or meaning upon prevailing political phenomena. In general, political theory essentially provides necessary analytical tools like; concepts, models, theories and ideologies, to analyze, understand and criticize Political thought and practice. Concepts, as described by Heywood, (2004) serve as building blocks of human knowledge and are, therefore, general idea or mental construct through which meaning is draw out from an otherwise infinitely complex reality. State, presidency, and political party are examples of concepts. However, the complexity of political reality often renders some concepts insufficient to explain, in great deal, political practice and are often contested, hence Heywood, (2004)’s argument that Politics as a struggle over the legitimacy of concepts. On this background, models and theories were developed. Models successfully devise representations of empirical data that aim at advancing understanding of a number of concepts by highlighting the significant relationships and interactions among them. A theory comprises many models and establishes an explanatory proposition which comprehensively, systematically, consistently and reliably explains and predicts, in full details, political actions and behavior. Pluralism is an example of a theory and is explained by models of the state, electoral competition and group Politics. Theories are, however, not enough analytical tools to give a wider explanation of the structure of the world and predict future events, hence the need for a more comprehensive tool ideologies or paradigms. Heywood, (2004) describes ideologies as intellectual frameworks that comprise interrelated values, theories and assumptions, within which search for knowledge is conducted. Liberalism, Socialism and Conservatism are examples of Political Ideologies. These grand philosophical thoughts explain reality based on the assumptions of what is going on. For instance, if a state claims to be a Liberal, assumptions like; existence of capitalist economic system, an individual’s space, that is, rights and liberty, precede that of the collective, individual property ownership, are drawn. Analysis made on ideologies revealed their short falls, hence, led to establishment of other ideologies in reaction to these short falls. For instance, the failure of capitalism, liberal’s economic system, to redistribute wealth between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat led to the evolution of Socialism which emphasizes welfarism. Most students studying Politics confuse Political theory to[G1] other disciplines that deal with politics, such as political philosophy, political science and history. It is, however, important that a distinction line be drawn among these fields of study. Political theory can be meaningless to the exclusion of history and political philosophy. History enriches us with enough knowledge of the political strives that states have experienced and evolved through. It also informs the strains and stress that lead to the creation of political ideologies through the remarkable works of Aristotle, Plato and other great thinkers. Political theory dwells in these premises; digs out the history of states and governments; analyzes their grand philosophical thoughts, known as political ideologies in order to understand, explain and/or criticize them, and predict future events. Political theory deals with fundamental problems of the state, such as rights, liberty, justice and equality to mention a few. It does not create the fundamentals themselves, but only tries to analyze, understand and explain them so as to predict better social, economic and political arrangements that will create what Heywood, (2004) refers to as a ‘good or just society’. For example, Political theory is not concerned with what liberty and rights are. It is rather interested in comprehending the extent to which the exercise of rights and liberty is just. Political tTheory can be approached in two imperative ways. On one hand is the normative or tradition approach which concentrates on the historical, philosophical, institutional and legal orientations of political phenomenon, for instance, Thomas Hobbes’ theory of the state. On the other hand empirical approach believes in facts, as opposed to values, obtained through scientific methods to make sense of political behavior; for example, David Easton’s model of a political system. Political theory invariably treasures both normative values and empirical facts in order to predict a just society. It is apparent from the discussions on this paper that a precise definition for political theory is invariably difficult as it is subject to contention due to its complexity. It incorporates necessary aspects of history, political philosophy and political science. Nevertheless, political theory can be describes as nothing but a field of study that provides analytical tools, like; concepts, models, theories and ideologies or paradigms in order to impose meaning, understanding, criticism and prediction of political thought and action. It treasures both normative values and empirical facts to predict political phenomenon and it is through a vast knowledge of these analytical tools that a ‘just society’ can be predicted. REFERENCES Aristotle, (1996). The Politics and the Constitution of Athens. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Farrelly, C. (2004). Contemporary Political Theory, London: Sage Publications Heywood, A. (2004). Political Theory, An Introduction, 3rd ed. London: Palgrave Macmillan 1 [G1]Wrong preposition