Peculiarities of Using Drama, Improvisation, and Creative Approach

Peculiarities of Using Drama, Improvisation, and Creative Approach Introduction The contemporary society faces the concept of globalisation. As every issue, globalisation has its advantages and drawbacks that cover all sectors of human activity. Cultural issues should be taken into account as well as peculiar features of every language including teachers who would teach certain languages and approaches applicable to different categories of students in terms of age groups, skills for learning a second language, and implementation of those skills into practice. One of the burning issues for the linguistic sector of cultural heritage are the methods used in class for teaching people whose native language is not English. In this respect, drama used in class to facilitate the process of acquiring English language can be effective when all criteria are followed. For instance, active participation should be combined with a thoroughly prepared plan to follow during the class activities.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Peculiarities of Using Drama, Improvisation, and Creative Approach specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The discussion of the effectiveness of drama implementation for second language acquisition will include such issues as theoretical background and adaptation of certain methods for use with second language learners, concepts and strategies used by the great English educator Dorothy Heathcote, training teachers to use drama with second language learners, effectiveness and limitations for implementation of this approach in class. The discussion will exclude explanation of lessons and will not provide examples of plans of lessons for use of drama for more effective second language acquisition. The literature selection is based on the effectiveness and readability of sources and their practical use for the discussion. The review is organised in accordance with an essay structure where an introduction present the scope of the review, the body includes the basic themes for discussion with topic sentences opening each new paragraph, and a conclusion containing a summary of the review with some recommendations for further research and analysis. Historical Background Approach by Dorothy Heathcote Though many researchers present their vision of the second language acquisition process, it is necessary to emphasise the importance of contribution made by a distinguished English educator Dorothy Heathcote. In this respect, this educator can be considered a pioneer in adjusting drama to the class implementation and analysis of the method’s effectiveness and applicability to different settings and categories of learners. Training teachers to use drama Training teachers to use drama in class is very important because a failure can result in inadequate interpretation of information by a student and inadequate assessment of learning efforts by a teacher. In this respect, one of the most brilliant statements by Dorothy Heathcote can be regarded t he following: â€Å"Teaching is creative work† (Heathcote, 1991, p. 26). In other words, the author means that training educators can be considered a part of teaching and an important aspect of implementation of drama for learning.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The teaching-learning activity is analysed as a flow of energy surges by Armstrong-Mills (1997) who shares her personal experience of acquiring knowledge on using drama in class and implementing it with children: â€Å"Whatever was happening seemed to be related to an increase of energy and concern with the events we were making† (p.93). The main idea in this case is that educators learn to do something and then can try those methods and approaches immediately with children in class by implementing theory into practice. In other words, teaching can be considered equally important for educators and learners. Nature of educational drama Drama and its implementation in class is the changing issue that progresses as far as the educational methods and techniques progress every year. As reported by Heathcote (1991), the changes in the use of drama have shifted the emphases from individual learning to improvisation: There has been a shift in direction from an interest in the personal development of the individual pupil, through the acquiring of theatrical and improvisational skills to the recognition of drama as a precise teaching instrument, which works best when it is part of the learning process (p. 42). In this respect, drama can be used in a great variety of ways and treated differently by different educators who support different views on education. So, Cook (1973) suggests a brief but extremely clear explanation of drama as educational method and justifies its use: â€Å"The natural means of study in youth is play [while] a natural education is by practice† (p. 145). In this respect, drama provides educators with an opportunity to teach children in the most effective way that can be used with second language learners as well as with monolingual children (Kao ONeill, 1998, pp. 3-4). In other words, the implementation of drama in class is effective as well as implementation of drama with second language learners. Theories on the issue Theoretical aspect is important in every case, especially in consideration of pedagogical methods and assessment of their effectiveness while implementing into practice. For instance, Swann et al. (1996) analyses the concept of linguistic insecurity experienced by second language learners (p. 189).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Peculiarities of Using Drama, Improvisation, and Creative Approach specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As suggested by Wagner (2002), gestures, symbols, and other non-verbal means of communication are used by learners at the f irst stage of the acquisition process followed by words and writing. Moreover, the author emphasises the importance of drama combined with certain pressure: â€Å"Improvisational drama is effective because of the repeated pressure it puts on participants to respond† (Wagner, 2002, p. 4). So, drama has been used as an educational method for a long period of time though it was changing along with the educational system as a whole. Historic use of drama for educational purposes has been explored by many researchers. The most important issue, in this respect, was the effectiveness of the method that can be used with learners of different age groups. Understanding and implementation of drama in the classroom are essential steps in the process of acquiring knowledge necessary for effective teaching. Though some researchers may provide evidence for ineffective use of drama as educational method, most educators find this approach rather effective and creative. Defining Drama Drama ca n be defined as a creative activity though it can also be defined as a method of teaching and learning used by creative educators. After having learnt about drama implemented in class, every person would suggest another definition of drama and evaluate its effectiveness for the educational purpose. So, Heathcote (1973) as one of the pioneers of implementation of drama in class has suggested that drama can be considered a potential method of teachers used in class. â€Å"Drama is means of learning, a means of widening experiences even if we never act in a play stand upon a stage† (Heathcote, 1973, p. 158). In this respect, drama can be reported as one of the most effective means of learning and of second language acquisition because second language learners succeed more in their learning when drama is implemented in class.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Drama can be defined as result or as process; every meaning would adequately characterise the nature of drama used for teaching and learning activities. Thus, Wessels (1987) defines drama as doing because it enables both teachers and learners to gain experiences and act in a certain manner (p. 7). Though Shakespeare suggested the idea of theatre and actors applied to ordinary people, it can be effectively implemented for educational purposes. In other words, learning and gaining experience can be considered the integral parts of drama as an educational method. This idea received approval in the study by Heldenbrand (2003) who characterises drama in education as an effective method during which a student acquires knowledge and gains experience of applying the gained knowledge into practice. So, definition of drama depends on its evaluation by the educator. Energy and excitement can be considered essential components of drama in terms of its definition with regard to the implementatio n of drama in class for educational purposes. Thus, Armstrong-Mills (1997) defines drama as a scope of energy surges that are created in the process of acting out some episodes and transmitted to all participants of the action. The same idea can be found in the work by Burke O’Sullivan (2002) who suggest that drama can be characterised as a means of transmitting excitement from a teacher to students with the help of combining action accompanied by a corresponding dialogue. Moreover, it is necessary to support the idea that drama implemented in class is a very exciting and emotional task for both a teacher and students because a teacher should prepare a scenario for students to act out and students should apply improvisational skills to manage to implement the scenario into practice. Concept of Training and Implementing As every approach, drama implemented in class has its strengths and weaknesses. In this respect, the most powerful benefits and potential disadvantages can be analysed in terms of their theoretical background and practical implementation of the method in class. Strengths of implementing drama in TESOL Benefits of implementing drama in classes for second language learners are obvious in terms of knowledge and experienced gained during drama classes. As reported by Furman (1990), drama â€Å"includes all types of human interaction† (p. 2). So, one of the most powerful benefits of drama used in class is its natural implementation. It is natural for people to play some roles and pretend if the situation requires them to do that. In this respect, it is possible to implement informal creative drama where participation is of primary importance in class so that second language learners could acquire language skills more effectively (Furman, 1990, p. 3). Experience and emotions are important elements and absolute advantages of using drama in class. Theoretical benefits Theoretical characteristics of the approach can differ from the results acquired in practice. In this respect, it is necessary to assess theoretical potential of the method contrasted and compared to its practical implementation. As reported by Almond (2005), implementation of drama in class should have a great number of various benefits for students as for teachers (pp.10-17). In other words, teachers have an opportunity to implement into practice what they have been trained for while students can acquire knowledge in a more effective manner. So, both parties concerned can gain experience and be involved into the process. The process of implementation of drama in class can improve and benefits from the use of facial expressions and gestures while acting out some episodes or improvising. The curriculum is an important part of drama implemented in class because it should be adjusted respectively to the needs of students and expectations and plans of educators. The curriculum is considered as a method of engagement of active students in the study by Shie r (2002). When students lack some knowledge and are not able to direct their energy appropriately, they can be engaged via curriculum combined with drama method implemented in class. Another study supporting the idea of curriculum and its combination with drama approach in second language learning is Heathcote (1991), where the author analyses the function of drama in the curriculum and its benefits for use in class. In addition, the study by Maley Duff (2005) attempts to answer the question of importance and usefulness of drama implemented in class and find a great number of skills that can be improved while using drama. For instance, drama â€Å"integrates skills in a natural way,integrates verbal and nonverbal aspects of communication, [transfers] responsibility from teacher to learners†, and some more skills and potential benefits are enumerated by Maley Duff (2005, pp. 1-2). Educational potential of drama as a means of teaching and learning is another important advanta ge in terms of theoretical background for use of drama in class. As reported by Dodson (2002), drama provides learners with an opportunity â€Å"to express themselves in English for a meaningful purpose, going beyond vocabulary and grammar drills† (p. 161). In this respect, it is necessary to encourage students to improvise regardless of language use because learners have to gain language fluency combined with understanding of spoken language. Benefits of use in practice Intelligence and other benefits gained in the course of implementing drama in class can be improved for second language learners because they can become knowledgeable in verbal and nonverbal means of communication used by English speakers. As suggested in the study by Schewe (2002), the intelligence includes multiple intelligences such as linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, interpersonal, and others (p.74). In this respect, implementation of drama in class enables educators to facilitate the process of language acquisition through improvement of other skills necessary for both verbal and nonverbal communication. As reported by Davies (1990), mime, simulation activity, improvisation, and other activities combined under the main idea of drama can be beneficial for second language learners. At the same time, Heldenbrand (2003) analyses other practical benefits of drama implemented in class. These benefits include the fact that learners can acquire language skills in informal and relaxed environment; new vocabulary and speech patterns are recognised and practiced during acts; positive emotions prevail in the process of acting out episodes which facilitates understanding of information provided. Effective implementation of drama in class is demonstrated in the study by Heathcote (1976) where the author suggests a creative approach to the teaching of basic concepts. Besides, some more benefits can be found in the abovementioned study by Heldenbrand (2003) who characterises drama as a m ethod that helps to acquire knowledge concerning intonation and pronunciation patterns in the process of acting. Moreover, drama makes learners more self-confidence and encourages them to speak fluently; additional motivation provided during drama classes can be considered another great benefit of using it in class. Cultural issues can be treated as both benefits and drawback for drama implemented in class because students with different background information can either manage or fail to understand certain cultural cues properly. The importance of dividing information into two parts presented in the textbook and provided by an educator is emphasised by Liu (2002) who analyses the benefits of drama used in class for second language and foreign language acquisition. Moreover, it is necessary to focus on the overall influence of the method on learners and teachers. Though there are some disadvantages in the process of using this method, it gained recognition and can be implemented mor e effectively all over the world. The drama implementation approach can be used for different activities and different languages. Limitations in Implementing Drama in TESOL The basic limitations that can be emphasised in the process of implementing drama in class include cultural cues and globalisation in terms of mixing cultures and inappropriate cues used by second language learners. In this respect, it is important to analyse theoretical and practical aspects of implementation. Contradictions in educational drama are enlarged on by Moody (2002) who analyses the aspects of drama implemented in class and compares those to real practical approach and its effectiveness. Theoretical disadvantages Though some teachers can be aware of peculiarities typical of different cultures, they may fail to explain the peculiar features of the English-speaking culture to second language learners. Fels McGivern (2002) analyse the intercultural recognition gained through performative inquiry and ass ess its effectiveness for second language learners. So, cultural features can prevent learners form effective acquisition of verbal and nonverbal peculiarities while communicating in English. In addition, â€Å"by linking visceral bodily experience, as both sensorial and somatic, we as teachers guide our students in the complexity of transcultural learning† (Axtmann, 2002, p. 49). In this respect, one of the main challenges can concern the understanding of importance of cultural diversity before implementing drama in class. Limitations of use in practice Practical implementation of theoretical knowledge can be even more challenging and full of unexpected disadvantages than a research conducted on theoretical background. Being scared and being tired of what one has been doing are typical limitations of practical implementation of drama in class, as reported by Wagner (1976, p.18). Sometimes, educators can lack self-confidence necessary to implement a theoretical scenario into practice. This can be even more important in the process of acting out some episodes in class because the teacher should guide students in this activity. As communication is composed of both verbal and nonverbal aspects, it is necessary to analyse the challenges encountered in the process of implementing theory into practice with second language learners. As reported by Culham (2002), nonverbal approach should be used on the equal basis with the verbal one because misunderstandings may arise from lack of knowledge in nonverbal area of communication (p. 95). Teachers can fail to find appropriate materials to use with the drama approach or reaction of class to some moments of the teaching-learning process (Burke O’Sullivan, 2002). The arrangement of lessons in terms of time limitations can be a great challenge as well (Sam, 1990). Conclusion Summary of the review The importance of a method chosen for implementation in class is obvious. The rise of sociolinguistic and approache s used for teaching-learning purposes are related to the globalisation with its benefits and challenges. The use of drama in class can be considered one of the most effective approaches for second language acquisition and relevant problems encountered by learners and educators that teach students with different background, culture and language skills. In this respect, it was necessary to analyse the main contributors to the exploration of drama and its effectiveness with second language learners. Dorothy Heathcote can be considered the pioneer in the activity of implementing drama in class, especially with second language learners and adjustment of curriculum to the needs and expectations of teachers and learners. The consideration of cultural peculiarities can be treated as the challenge of primary importance because nonverbal approach is used in some studies whereas its importance affects the level of language acquisition and fluency of a speaker. Recommendations for further resea rch It can be interesting to analyse the relations between the second- and third-language acquisition in terms of methods and approaches used to facilitate the learning. Moreover, it is necessary to evaluate how different cultures perceive the information while being approached with the help of drama method. In addition, some people can fail to understand that there is a great difference between habits, gestures, emotions, and other cultural and language cues demonstrated by people in the process of communication. Analysis of effectiveness of implementation can be conducted via survey using qualitative method. Reference List Almond, M. (2005). Teaching English with drama. London: Modern English Publishing. Armstrong-Mills, C. (1997). Creative uncertainty: Energy surges in the principles and practice of Dorothy Heathcote. In D. Davis (Ed.), Interactive research in drama in education (pp.93-105). London: Trentham Books. Axtmann, A. (2002). Transcultural performance in classroom learni ng. In G. Brauer (Ed.), Body and language: Intercultural learning through drama (pp. 37-51). Westport, Conn; London: Ablex Publication. Burke, A., O’Sullivan, J. ( 2002). Stage by stage: A handbook for using drama in the second language classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Cook, C. (1973). Drama as playmaking. In J. Hodgson (Ed.), The uses of drama (pp.145-156). London: Taylor Francis. Culham, C. R. (2002). Coping with obstacles in drama based ESL teaching: A nonverbal approach. In G. Brauer (Ed.), Body and language: Intercultural learning through drama (pp.95-113). Westport, Conn; London: Ablex Publication. Davies, P. (1990).The use of drama in English language teaching. TESL Canada Journal, 1(8), 87-99. Dodson, S. L. (2002). The educational potential of drama for ESL. In G. Brauer (Ed.), Body and language: Intercultural learning through drama (pp.161-180). Westport, Conn; London: Ablex Publication. Fels, L., McGivern, L. (2002). Intercultural recognitions through perfor mative inquiry. In G. Brauer (Ed.), Body and language: Intercultural learning through drama (pp.19-37). Westport, Conn; London: Ablex Publication. Furman, L. (1990). Creative drama handbook and role play guide. Denver, Colorado: Pioneer Drama Service, Inc. Heathcote, D. (1973). Drama as challenge. In J. Hodgson (Ed.), The uses of drama (pp.156-166 ). London: Taylor Francis. Heathcote, D. (1976). From drama as a process for change. In R. Drain (Ed.), (1995), Twentieth-century theatre: A sourcebook (pp. 199-201). London: Routledge. Heathcote, D. (1991). Collected writings on education and drama L. Johnson C. O’Neill (Eds.). Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University Press. Heldenbrand, B. (2003). Drama techniques in English language learning. The Korea TESOL Journal. 6(1), 27-35. Kao, S.-M., ONeill, C. (1998). Words into worlds: Learning a second language through process drama. London: Greenwood Publishing Group. Liu, J. (2002). Process drama in second- and foreign-language classrooms. In G. Brauer (Ed.), Body and language: Intercultural learning through drama (pp. 51-70). Westport, Conn; London: Ablex Publication. Maley, A., Duff, A. (2005). Drama techniques: a resource book of communication activities for language teachers. 3rd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Moody, D. J. (2002). Undergoing a process and achieving a product: A contradiction in educational drama. In G. Brauer (Ed.), Body and language: Intercultural learning through drama (pp.135-161). Westport, Conn; London: Ablex Publication. Sam, W. Y. (1990). Drama in teaching English as a second language: A communicative approach. The English Teacher, XIX July. Retrieved from melta.org.my/index.php/11-melta-articles/151-drama-in-teaching-english-as-a-second-language-a-communicative-approach Schewe, M. L. (2002). Teaching foreign language literature: Tapping the students’ bodily-kinaesthetic intelligence. In G. Brauer (Ed.), Body and language: Intercultural learning through dram a (pp.73-95). Westport, Conn; London: Ablex Publication. Shier, J. H. (2002). The arts and the foreign-/second-language curriculum: An interdisciplinary approach to actively engage students in their own learning. In G. Brauer (Ed.), Body and language: Intercultural learning through drama (pp.183-207). Westport, Conn; London: Ablex Publication. Swann, J., Deumert, A., Lillis, T., Mesthrie, R. (1996). A dictionary of sociolinguistics. In N. Fitzgibbons (Ed.), Sociolinguistics. Montreal: University of Concordia. Wagner, B. J. (1976). Dorothy Heathcote Drama as a learning medium. Washington: National education Association. Wagner, B. J. (2002).Understanding drama-based education. In G. Brauer (Ed.), Body and language: Intercultural learning through drama (pp.3-18). Westport, Conn; London: Ablex Publication. Wessels, C. (1987). Drama. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Time on Your Hands

Time on Your Hands Time on Your Hands Time on Your Hands By Maeve Maddox For me, January is a time for thinking about time. The month is named for Janus, the Roman god depicted as having two faces. The double visage represents the power to see into the past and the future. Because of this attribute, Janus was the patron of beginnings. Our word time has been in the language since Old English times. It occurs in numerous idioms such as time of day, time-travel, time-keeper, time-limit, about time, and to have a good time. Before any of our British readers object to that last one as a vile Americanism, according to the OED, to have a good time ( = a time of enjoyment) was common in Eng. from c 1520 to c 1688; it was app. retained in America, whence readopted in Britain in 19th c. Another word for time, Greek khronos, has also been put to good use in English in the form of the word elements chron and chrono. Here are just a few, some more useful than others. anachronism: the erroneous reference of an event, circumstance, or custom to a wrong date. For example, Shakespeare’s plays contain numerous anachronisms. In Julius Caesar, set in Roman times, a character counts the chimes of a mechanical clock. References to clothing often indicate that Shakespeare’s actors performed in contemporary Elizabethan garb, no matter what the historical setting of the play. If you want to get really picky, here are some words to narrow down the type of anachronism you mean: parachronism: an error in chronology, esp. the placing of an event later than its real date. Metachronism has the same meaning. prochronism: an error in chronology that places an event earlier in time than its true date. The next three words are used in the study of linguistics. achronic lasting through time, or during the existing period. In linguistics the term means â€Å"pertaining to or designating a method of linguistic study concerned with the historical development of a language; historical, as opposed to descriptive or synchronic.† panchronic: designating or relating to a linguistic structure or theory that may be applied to all languages at all stages of their development. synchronic: pertaining to or designating a method of linguistic study concerned with the state of a language at one time, past or present; descriptive, as opposed to historical or diachronic. Then we have chronic lasting a long time, long-continued, lingering; said of diseases chronicle: a detailed and continuous register of events in order of time. It can also be used as a verb, to chronicle. chronobiology: the scientific study of temporal or periodic phenomena in biology. This is the word that set me off on this theme. I encountered it in a New York Times story: Dr Michael Smolensky, an expert in chronobiology (the study of the bodys natural rhythms and cycles) at the University of Texas at Houston, says that people who live in countries that are cold in winter eat more than they do in warmer seasons: â€Å"Adults typically consume 6 to 7 per cent more calories in the winter.† chronological: arranged according to time dendrochronology: the science of arranging events in the order of time by the comparative study of the annual growth rings in (ancient) timber. isochron: a line (imaginary or on a map) connecting points at which some chosen time interval has the same value. Planning a complex novel might lead a writer to make a chart with isochrons. monochronic: relating to or dating from a single period of time. pseudochronism: Obs. rare a false dating; an error in date. synchronicity: Carl Jung used this word to name the phenomenon of events which coincide in time and appear meaningfully related but have no discoverable causal connection. synchronize: To cause to be, or represent as, synchronous; to assign the same date to; to bring together events, etc. belonging to the same time. I’ll always associate this word with old movies. The plan requires each member of a group to perform separate actions at the same moment. Before initiating the plan, the leader of the good guys gives the command, â€Å"Synchronize your watches!† Some more ‘time† expressions in English: Time, Gentlemen, Please More â€Å"chron† words Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Mostly Small But Expressive InterjectionsAt Your Disposal20 Ways to Cry

Business Writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Business Writing - Essay Example I have been able to first address the problem of a complaining customer by stating the commitment of the company to satisfy his needs and preventing such incidents from happening in the near future. The memo has also developed to include messages aimed at repairing the confidence of the customer. This has been achieved by assurance the customer that the company was making commitments to fix the problem in the shortest time possible. I have also been able to reduce the number of words by focusing on making the memo precise and straight to the point.I gained a number of insights with regards to business writing. For instance, I was able to address a complaint letter by addressing the claim of the customer and later on repairing his confidence. I promised the customer that our organization was going to provide assistance and that we valued his concerns. The assignment also helped me identify and appreciate the need to have my peers and tutor go through my writing so as to ensure that er rors are identified and corrected at an early stage. My peers and tutor read over my work and made comments on the mistakes they had identified in my writings. The teacher played a very significant role in improving my writing skills by identifying mistakes and suggesting ways of correcting them. I will be considering what the reader wants to hear before writing any business letter or proposal. This will involve a complete focus on the relevant information that will satisfy the needs of the reader rather than addressing my personal needs. (Kuiper 140). 2. Samples of your work (â€Å"before and after†) with reflections: Persuasive Message Memo To: Roger Lee roger.lee@rotstein.com From: Mike Jones mike.jones@educatesolution.ca Subject: Re: Training Session Appointment—YourUni We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the training session appointment with our trainer Angela Flight on August 20th. We received your email and immediately contacted Ms. Flight regarding the issue. However, we discovered that there was a mismatch with the dates of appointment with our trainer. Company records indicated that your appointment was scheduled for 27th instead of 21st of August. However, we sincerely apologize for all the inconvenience we have caused your institution. We have made arrangements with our trainer that we

Theodore Roosevelt's philosophy of government and the programs of his Term Paper

Theodore Roosevelt's philosophy of government and the programs of his administration - Term Paper Example These images have been a long time inspiration to both the normal and disabled individuals in the country. This inspiration rather provided them more than the want to be something or at least someone who is worth the life that they were given, it also pushed them to work harder for their country. This was a very important piece of inspirational motivation to the people during the mid-20th century. Basically, people then were undergoing a huge series of social turmoil given the fact that they were passing through times of economic great depression and that of the second world war, when for so many colonies of imperialist countries such as Spain, America stood to be one of the independent giving bodies who continuously push for the establishment of democracy in the world. Yes, in physical approach, Theodore Roosevelt may have been perceived to be weak, but with the strategic utilization of his mind powers and the cooperation that the American people were readily able to provide him as support to his governance and his administrational platform that he would like to apply not only for the better standing of his own country but also for the recovery of those other government administrations of smaller countries to whom he and his administration has given independence to. 2 One of the peak issues during Theordore Roosevelt’s Presidency in America was that of the great depression that paved way to huge unemployment issues and less finances to use for the basic needs of the people. Through the establishment of the National Recovery Administration (NRA), President Roosevelt was rather able to create the necessary programs needed to produce a more systematic way of differing the situations of the country from the downfall that it is expected to face as the years of great depression was ready to take part of. The institution of this approach to the great depression provided a more instituting system that gives a chance to

Difference Between CML and SML Essay Example for Free

Difference Between CML and SML Essay CML stands for Capital Market Line, and SML stands for Security Market Line. The CML is a line that is used to show the rates of return, which depends on risk-free rates of return and levels of risk for a specific portfolio. SML, which is also called a Characteristic Line, is a graphical representation of the market’s risk and return at a given time. One of the differences between CML and SML, is how the risk factors are measured. While standard deviation is the measure of risk for CML, Beta coefficient determines the risk factors of the SML. The CML measures the risk through standard deviation, or through a total risk factor. On the other hand, the SML measures the risk through beta, which helps to find the security’s risk contribution for the portfolio. While the Capital Market Line graphs define efficient portfolios, the Security Market Line graphs define both efficient and non-efficient portfolios. While calculating the returns, the expected return of the portfolio for CML is shown along the Y- axis. On the contrary, for SML, the return of the securities is shown along the Y-axis. The standard deviation of the portfolio is shown along the X-axis for CML, whereas, the Beta of security is shown along the X-axis for SML. Where the market portfolio and risk free assets are determined by the CML, all security factors are determined by the SML. Unlike the Capital Market Line, the Security Market Line shows the expected returns of individual assets. The CML determines the risk or return for efficient portfolios, and the SML demonstrates the risk or return for individual stocks. Well, the Capital Market Line is considered to be superior when measuring the risk factors. Summary: 1. The CML is a line that is used to show the rates of return, which depends on risk-free rates of return and levels of risk for a specific portfolio. SML, which is also called a Characteristic Line, is a graphical representation of the market’s risk and return at a given time. 2. While standard deviation is the measure of risk in CML, Beta coefficient determines the risk factors of the SML. 3. While the Capital Market Line graphs define efficient portfolios, the Security Market Line graphs define both efficient and non-efficient portfolios. 4. The Capital Market Line is considered to be superior when measuring the risk factors. 5. Where the  market portfolio and risk free assets are determined by the CML, all security factors are determined by the SML.

Internet Censorship Essay - Internet Spamming and Censorship

Internet Spamming and Censorship      Ã‚  Ã‚   Not long ago, a manager of a giant Texas-based company wanted to sell his boat. In the old days, he would have posted a notice and a snapshot on the bulletin board in the employee lounge. This being the Nineties, he e-mailed everyone in the company a description of his boat's features and attached, of course, a few full-color images of the boat. As a result, his company's e-mail network crashed.    Incidents like this occur because massive e-mailings, especially with high-quality graphics, employ more bandwidth than the network allows. The fact is that a 15-second transmission of a high-quality video on the web (the multimedia aspect of the Internet) takes as much bandwidth as it would take to transmit the text of War and Peace.    The boat-marketing disaster is an example of what is known as internal spamming. The etymology of this new verb, to spam, is unclear. Most experts say its namesake is the canned lunchmeat. Others attribute it to the Monty Python routine about mindless offerings. In either case, spamming is the act of sending unsolicited, mass-distributed junk e-mail.    Spamming has arisen spontaneously as an outgrowth of the fact that transmission costs on the web have been reduced to almost zero. When spammers hit users with thousands of copies of the same message, havoc is wreaked. When massive e-mailing clogs users' incoming mail, the affected ones are not only the targeted users but also everyone else on their network. Frequent delays can cause deadlines to be missed, and businesses to go under.    Within an organization, abuse of technology is controllable by establishing explicit company policy and enforcing it with strict sanctions. How... ...a) introduced a complex bill called The Unsolicited Commercial E-mail Choice Act, and Rep. Chris Smith (R., N.J.) has proposed a simple amendment to the existing law pertaining to junk faxes. The problem is that legislation only addresses the symptoms; it does not cure the disease. The observance of rules of conduct is effective only when there is common agreement in a society.    The Internet business has the unique characteristic of having no resource monopoly power; hence, it poses no threat to users' choices and freedom. Any attempt to regulate the Internet market through censorship of its pornographic tendencies will be met with considerable anti-christian sentiment, and it faces an uphill fight.    WORKS CITED: "C.N. Enterprises"  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.jmls.edu/cyber/cases/flowers1.html "Communications Decency Act"  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.epic.org/cda/

Case Study: Developmental Reading

The article attempted to explicate how originative activities for 3rd twelvemonth high school pupils affect their critical thought accomplishments. Comparing two groups, the Instruction with Creative Activities ( ICA ) and the Instruction with No Creative Activities ( INCA ) , the survey expected the ICA group to hold higher mean tonss and average additions in their Chemistry Test for Higher Order Thinking Skills ( ChemTHOTS ) and in their pretest to posttest severally. Although, findings suggest that there are no important differences between both groups ‘ average trial tonss, it made a distinguishing suggestion that activities given to each group should hold been more varied.Creative ThinkingCritical ThinkingThere have been surveies that tried to associate creativeness with critical thought, nevertheless most findings do non demo direct grounds to back up this theory. Recommendations range from carry oning more probes on the topic every bit good as lengthening survey period f or which the research will be conducted. On the other manus, surveies besides show that usage of varied originative techniques do assist pupils develop their imaginativeness. Imagination being a clear usage of mental procedures manner beyond the usual stretching of the encephalon. Imagination here can so be linked to perspective pickings and reflective thought which are considered high order believing accomplishments. As kids put themselves in different scenarios, find ways to work out jobs and visualise certain constructs, they do tap on this really rich encephalon activity that really provides footing for better apprehension and critical thought. We can state that every bit originative thought explores assorted appraising actions, critical thought, in bend, plays with taking different scenarios. The blending of these procedures ( as shown from the image I shared on the earlier page ) are manifested when we try to see a job and come up with several ways to work out it or when we try to understand a individual, a narrative or a state of affairs, and put ourselves in different positions. This is most apparent during drama when kids try to research illimitable boundaries and when kids come up with a creative activity that they are proud to name their ain. In a schoolroom scene, an of import end is to accomplish literacy, a solid apprehension of constructs, every bit good as to prolong acquisition, its different signifiers and degrees. However, this is a really delicate and complicated effort that entails an synergistic attack from the instructor and a response from the scholar. Therefore doing the acquisition procedure, a duty of all the cardinal participants. And aside from the traditional stiff methods, there are assorted ways to accomplish these ends. For the intent of this survey, methods that promote originative thought like art, drama and games are proposed. Concretely, a lesson on Shakespearean dramas can be made more colourful if alternatively of inquiring pupils to memorise and discourse lines, they would come up with their ain rendering of a peculiar scene. A lesson on the Solar System can be made more meaningful if alternatively of merely inquiring pupils to memorise the different planets and come up with a theoretical acco unt, they could feign to be going from one planet to another and from each planet they are to direct a post card depicting about their location and their stay at that place. And a lesson on the different states of Africa can be made more unerasable if alternatively of merely being able to turn up them on the map, they would larn a peculiar dance move and associate that with a state, and so likely come up with their ain States of Africa dance. The survey is most relevant as it is the epoch when scholars want to be more involved with the acquisition procedure. They want hands-on, application and pattern. It is besides the clip when it is extremely encouraged for the pedagogues to tailor-fit their lessons to varied scholars with every bit diverse acquisition manners. It is now a call to pedagogues to prolong their acquisition and to react with methods that are perfect lucifer to their acquisition demands. And in the hunt for these methods, we find ways to tap on higher degrees of thought accomplishments, supplying our pupils with unmeasurable instruction. As pedagogues, we ourselves are front line drives in prosecuting this way for our scholars. We must prosecute them in the acquisition procedure by supplying them with instructional schemes and methods that let them really grasp what they are seeking to understand. We should non restrict their heads but instead allow them research the universe. And as they go about this geographic expedition, we ourselves should be with them and continuously open our heads and do our universe even richer, paving the manner for our pupils. We can ne'er be the designers of the workings of our pupil ‘s heads. I learned this the difficult manner while take a firm standing to my so biennial old male child that he should larn about and joint back the life rhythm of a butterfly. The lone things I got out of that episode were painful cryings and letdown with myself. I should hold waited for him to be ready and it would hold been best had I tried to look for ways to offend his involvement and inventive accomplishments foremost. All we can make truly is non to plan their heads but design lessons they can bit by bit absorb with much enthusiasm and through assorted experiences. As a parent and a future pre-school pedagogue, I should besides maintain in head that my kids will be turning up reasonably fast. Each twenty-four hours is a learning twenty-four hours and there truly is no turning back. I should do the most out of the clip I am given with them. I should ever be able to come up with a great lesson, ever luring their involvement and ever doing certain that they leave the category experiencing proud of themselves for making something. I should assist them utilize their heads in many different ways, ever with the end for them to larn something new. And that, they arrive at such larning non merely through ground, but more significantly, with a great trade of sentiment and imaginativeness.

Causes of Road Accidents in Pakistan

J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Causes of Road Accidents in Pakistan By Abdul Manan Khan1 and Ansa Tehreem2 Abstract Every day many people are killed and injured on our roads. Men, women, children, biking or riding to school or work, playing in the streets or setting out on long trips, will never return home, leaving behind shattered families and communities. Road traffic injuries are a growing public health issue, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups of road users, specially the poor.Main causes which are found behind these road accidents are lack of training institutes, unskilled drivers, poor road conditions, use of cell phone during driving, use of intoxicants, over loading and poor performance of government in this regard. If these issues are tackled in a manner way then it can positively affect the social and economic conditions of the residents of developing countries. Key Words: Public Health, Road Accidents, Traffic Accidents 1. In troduction and Literature Review The growth and development of a nation depends, largely, upon the capacity of its transport system to move persons and goods to desired locations safety.In Pakistani society, nuclear family system is very common. Here, it is like a trend that one or two members of family earn the money and other family members heavily depend on them. In developing countries, like Pakistan, roads often carry a wide range of users – from heavy goods-vehicles to bicycles and pedestrians without any separation. Road traffic accidents (RTA) are a significant, cause of any disability, death and economic loss in developing countries like Pakistan. Among the pedestrians, the most vulnerable are those young people who play an important part in the socio-economic growth of the country.In Pakistan, male proportion play dominant role to run their families economically, so they have to face more problems like injuries and disability. Every day many people are killed and in jured on our roads. Men, women, children, biking or riding to school or work, playing in the streets or setting out on long trips, will never return home, leaving behind shattered families and communities. Road traffic injuries are a growing public health issue, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups of road users, specially the poor.Road traffic injuries are a major but neglected global public health problem, requiring concerted efforts for effective and sustainable avoidance. Worldwide, the number of people killed in road traffic crashes each year is estimated at almost 1. 2 million, while the number injured could be as high as 50 million (WHO, 2004). In economic terms, the cost of road crash injuries is projected at roughly 1% of gross national product (GNP) in low-income countries, 1. 5% in middle-income countries and 2% in high-income countries (Soderlund,1995).The economic cost of road crashes and injuries is estimated to be over Rs100 billion for Pakistan (Ahmad, 2008 ). 1 Graduate, Department of Sociology,University of Gujrat, Gujrat. 2 Graduate, University of the Punjab, Lahore 23 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Lower socio-economic groups have limited access to post-crash emergency health care (Mock, etal1997). In Pakistan also, a large portion of population has also limited access to post-crash emergency health care which causes a precious loss of lives.In many developing countries, the costs of prolonged medical care, the loss of the family breadwinner, the cost of a funeral, and the loss of income due to disability can push families into poverty (Hijar etal 2003). In developing countries, the population groups exposed to the highest risks of injury and death from road crashes, pedestrians and users of motorized two-wheelers – are from lower socioeconomic groups (Nantulya, 2003 and Ghaffar A, 2004). In Mexico, the second commonest cause of children being orphaned is traffic crashes (Hijar etal, 2003). Pakistan is also a developing country where a large number of people die every because of the road-side accidents. Especially death proportion of pedestrians and motorcyclists are very high which mostly belong to lower socio-economic groups of society. Recent studies have shown that pedestrians and motorcyclists have the highest rates of injury in Asia (Yang,etal 2003 and Suriyanwongpaisal etal 2003). In Pakistan Incidence of road traffic injuries was 15. 0 (including minor injuries) per 1,000 persons per year (Ghaffar etal 2004). If we use this rate in 2008 it will be in millions. The burden of injury is unequal.More boys are injured than girls, and children from poorer families have higher rates of injury. In 2002, males accounted for 73% of all road traffic deaths, with an overall rate almost three times that for females: 27. 6 per 100 000 population and 10. 4 per 100 000 population, respectively (WHO, 2004). Pakistan is a patriarchal society, where most of the time male family m embers are the primary source of income. So, the higher rate of road traffic deaths among men, can even more severely affect the socio-economic status of the family as well as the whole social structure of the society.In Pakistan, among males of the economically active age group accidental death rate is very high, and also according to the study, motor vehicle injuries are the third most important cause of death in developing countries. (Soderlund 1995). It is projected that RTA will be the second most common cause of disability-adjusted life years in developing countries in the year 2020 (Murray, 1997). Road traffic crashes can place a heavy burden on the family and friends of the injured person. According to WHO estimates for 2002, there were 180500 children killed as the result of road crashes.Some 97% of these child road deaths occurred in low-income and middle-income countries (WHO, 2004). There are many factors which cause the accidents. The motorized traffic on these roads is capable of high acceleration and speed, both key factors in the causes of road crash injury. Most of the factors of traffic accidents are the driver, the highway and motor vehicles (Aaron ,1990, Balogun etal,1992; Luby etal,1997 and Mock etal,1999). Majority of road users including motorists and pedestrians lack road sense, leading to frequent road accidents and continued traffic jams across the country.Some other research evidence also indicates that the human element is responsible for 80 to 85% of all traffic accidents. Traffic violations, driving while intoxicated and lack of driving courtesy are the results of human actions. Unsafe highway and road conditions cause about 10% of all traffic accidents while mechanical deficiencies are responsible for nearly 5% of all traffic problems (Aaron,1990; Collier, 1983; American Automobile Association, 1988; Mc Glade, 1980).Traffic violations like signal crossing, driving without license, wrong parking, usage of mobile phones while drivi ng, wrong overtaking, disregard of zebra crossing, riding motorbikes without lights and helmets, 24 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X over-speeding, change of lane sans using indicators are so common in Pakistan which are the major cause of accident in our society. 2. Data Collection and Methodology This study is based on primary data which is collected from people belongs to transportation system and drivers of LTV, HTV, motorcyclist and pedestrians.For this purpose 100 cases were selected from the universe as described by Neumann (1997). Data is collected via discussion and questionnaire on causes of road accidents and its aspects from each side. 3. Data Analysis On the basis of primary data, when we ask to respondents about the main reason behind road accidents then 40% of the respondents answer that ignorance of traffic rules is the main reason of road accidents. While 32% respondents answer that rash driving and 28% of the view that untrained dri vers are the cause of road accidents.This whole issue is shown in table 1. Table 1. Reasons of Road Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Ignorance of traffic rules 40. 0 40. 0 Rash driving 32. 0 72. 0 Untrained drivers 28. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 When we put the question that is poor conditions of roads is responsible for accidents then 44% of the respondents answer that to some extent poor conditions of roads cause accidents and 32% people response that yes, poor condition of roads is responsible and all is shown in table 2. Table 2. Is Poor Condition of Roads Responsible for Accidents PercentCumulative Percent Yes 32. 0 32. 0 No 24. 0 56. 0 To some extent 44. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 25 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Our next question highlight another burning issue that 68% of the road accidents occur due to untrained/ unskilled drivers while only 12% of the respondents view that unskilled drivers are not responsible, which is shown in table 3. Table 3. Accidents Occur Due to Unskilled Drivers Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 68. 0 68. 0 No 12. 0 80. 0 To some extent 20. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0In most of the parts of the country, one wheeling occurs by young people on roads and 76% of the respondents view that this cause road accidents while only 4% of the respondents answer that one wheeling is not a cause of accidents. Table 4 shows detailed data on this issue. Table 4. Is One Wheeling Causes Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 76. 0 76. 0 No 4. 0 80. 0 To some extent 20. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 Use of cell phones during driving cause road accidents and government take measures to avoid cell phone and there is some penalty.The 52% of the respondents answers that use of cell phone during driving cause accidents while 40% answer to some extent it cause, only 8% view that cell phone is not the cause of road accidents. This is shown in detail in table 5. Table 5. Is Use of Cell Phone Causes Road Accidents Percent Cumulative Percen t Yes 52. 0 52. 0 No 8. 0 60. 0 To some extent 40. 0 100. 0 26 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Total 100. 0 Another issue was raised when we ask a question from respondents that are use of drugs during driving cause road accidents.The answer was astonished us that only 4% of the respondents view that drugs is not a cause of accidents while 72% and 24% response yes and to some extent, respectively. As shown in table 6 below. Table 6. Use of Drugs during Driving Cause Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 72. 0 72. 0 No 4. 0 76. 0 To some extent 24. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 Overloading is another cause of road accidents and respondents answer that overloading is the cause of road accidents as shown in table 7. Table 7. Is Overloading Causes Road Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 40. 0 40. 0 No 4. 0 44. 0 To some extent 6. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 The literacy rate in Pakistan is low which relates with road accidents because most of the drivers are illiterate and can’t read anything even helping booklet/ safety guides on roads. The 72% of the respondents answer that lack of awareness about driving rules and other safety measures is the cause of road accidents. Only 8% of the respondents view that it is not a cause of road accidents and all this is shown in table 8. Table 8. Is Lack of Awareness Causes Road Accidents 27 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 2. 0 72. 0 No 8. 0 80. 0 To some extent 20. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 Above all information explains the causes of road accidents but now we have collected some information about the role of different administrative institutes in overcoming these issues. When we ask about role of government in reducing the ratio of accidents then 40% of the respondents are of the view that government is playing poor role and there is need to improve its role. 28% respondents answer that its role is satisfactory while only 8% resp onse that government is playing excellent role, detail about this is given in table 9.Table 9. Role of Govt. in Reducing Traffic Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Excellent 8. 0 8. 0 Very good 24. 0 32. 0 Satisfactory 28. 0 60. 0 Poor 40. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 The role of traffic police in reducing the road accidents is better and 52% of the respondents show satisfactory role of traffic police while 24% answers very good. So the overall role of traffic police is good but the problem exists when we make a comparison between roads and number of police servants. Only 8% of the respondents answer that traffic police is playing poor role, which is shown in table 10.Table 10. Role of Traffic Police in Reducing Traffic Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Excellent 16. 0 16. 0 Very good 24. 0 40. 0 Satisfactory 52. 0 92. 0 28 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Poor 8. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 Conclusion The main objective of this paper is to highlight the mai n causes of road accidents in Pakistan. On the basis of primary data we conclude the paper as following. The main reason of traffic accidents is due to lack of awareness about rules and regulation, so there is need of institutes for awareness about these rules.Government may create awareness in public by offering different courses in educational institutes and also distribute some material for drivers and for general public also. Government needs to make some core courses/ training before the provision of license and traffic police should keep strong check and balance in this regard. Another problem which causes road accidents is overloading, use of cell phone during driving and drugs addiction by majority of the drivers. These all issues can be solved by creating awareness and by applying some penalty to defaulters.These are not serious issues and easily solved by the strong system of check and balance by any administrative authority. By overcoming on these causes we can save a lot of benefits in the shape of monetary and non-monetary terms. In a nut shell, we say that road accidents are playing prominent role in the families of victims of traffic accidents which is the loss of property on one side while death of humanity is on the other hand. These both can through a family into a vicious circle of poverty and then it impacts on the overall economy.So need of the day is to take some encouraging steps by public side and individuals side also. References ? A Resource Curriculum in Driver and Traffic Safety Education, (1990), Washington D. C. Automative Safety Foundation. ? Aaron, J. E. and Strasser, M. K. , (1990), Driver and Traffic Safety Education, London: The Macmillan Company. ? Ahmad, B. , (2006), Country Report on Road Network in Pakistan, Ministry of Communications, Islambad. ? Balogun, J. , A. Abereoje, (1992), Pattern of Road Traffic Accidents cases in a Nigerian University Teaching Hospital between: 1987 and 1990, Journal of Tropical Medicine 95: 23 -29. Collier, J. P, (1983), Automotive Safety Education London, Macmillan Publishers. 29 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X ? Ghaffar, A. , Hyder A. A. and Masud, T. I. , (2004), The burden of road traffic injuries in developing countries: the 1st National Injury Survey of Pakistan Public Health. ? Hijar, M. , Vazquez-Vela, E, Arreola-Risa, (2003), Pedestrian traffic injuries in Mexico: a country update. Injury Control and Safety Promotion. 10:37–43 ? McGlade, F, (1980), Adjustive Behaviour and Safety Performance Sringfield, Illinois: Carl of C.Thomas Publisher. ? Mock, C. , Amegashie J. and Darteh, K, (1999), Role of Commercial Drivers in motor vehicle related injuries in Ghana. Inj. Prev 5: 268-271 ? Mock, C. N. , nii-Amon-Kotei D. , and Maier, R. V. , (1997), Low utilization of formal medical services by injured persons in a developing nation: health service data underestimate the importance of trauma. Journal of Trauma. 42:504–513. ? Murray, CJL, Lopez A. D. , (1997), Alternative projections of mortality and disability by cause 1990-2020: Global Burden of Disease Study. Lancet . 349:1498504. Nantulya, V. M. , and Reich M. R. , (2003), Equity dimensions of road traffic injuries in low and middle-income countries: Injury Control and Safety Promotion. 10:13–20. ? Neumann, W. L. , (1997), Social Research Methods, Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, Allyss and Bacon, USA. ? Peden M, McGee K, and Sharma G, (2002), The injury chart book: a graphical overview of the global burden of injuries. Geneva, World Health Organization. ? Peden, M. , Scurfield, R. , et al (2004), World Report on Traffic Injuries Prevention; Geneva, WHO ? Soderlund N, Zwi A. B. (1995), Traffic related mortality in industrialized and less developed countries. BuU World Health Organ. 73:175-82. ? Stutts, Hunter. , (1999), Motor Vehicle and Roadway factors in pedestrians and Bicyclist injuries. Accd Aral Prev. 31:505-514. ? Suriyanwongpai sal, P. , and Kanchanasut S, (2003), Road traffic injuries in Thailand: trends, selected underlying determinants and status of intervention. Injury Control and Safety Promotion. 10:95–104. ? Yang, B. M. , and Kim J. , (2003), Road traffic accidents and policy interventions in Korea. Injury control and Safety Promotion. 0:89–93. ? www. makeroadssafe. org ? www. prb. org/Articles/2006/RoadTrafficAccidentsIncreaseDramaticallyWorldwide. aspx ? www. asiaone. com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20080719-77661. html ? www. dawn. com/2008/04/27/nat16. htm ? www. dailymailnews. com/200802/13/news/dmboxitem2. html ? www. dawn. com/2008/04/27/nat16. htm ? www. statpak. gov. pkJ. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Causes of Road Accidents in Pakistan By Abdul Manan Khan1 and Ansa Tehreem2 Abstract Every day many people are killed and injured on our roads.Men, women, children, biking or riding to school or work, playing in the streets or setting out on long trips, will never return home, leaving behind shattered families and communities. Road traffic injuries are a growing public health issue, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups of road users, specially the poor. Main causes which are found behind these road accidents are lack of training institutes, unskilled drivers, poor road conditions, use of cell phone during driving, use of intoxicants, over loading and poor performance of government in this regard.If these issues are tackled in a manner way then it can positively affect the social and economic conditions of the residents of developing countries. Key Words: Public Health, Road Accidents, Traffic Accidents 1. Introduction and Literature Review The growth and development of a nation depends, largely, upon the capacity of its transport system to move persons and goods to desired locations safety. In Pakistani society, nuclear family system is very common. Here, it is like a trend that one or two members of famil y earn the money and other family members heavily depend on them.In developing countries, like Pakistan, roads often carry a wide range of users – from heavy goods-vehicles to bicycles and pedestrians without any separation. Road traffic accidents (RTA) are a significant, cause of any disability, death and economic loss in developing countries like Pakistan. Among the pedestrians, the most vulnerable are those young people who play an important part in the socio-economic growth of the country. In Pakistan, male proportion play dominant role to run their families economically, so they have to face more problems like injuries and disability. Every day many people are killed and injured on our roads.Men, women, children, biking or riding to school or work, playing in the streets or setting out on long trips, will never return home, leaving behind shattered families and communities. Road traffic injuries are a growing public health issue, disproportionately affecting vulnerable g roups of road users, specially the poor. Road traffic injuries are a major but neglected global public health problem, requiring concerted efforts for effective and sustainable avoidance. Worldwide, the number of people killed in road traffic crashes each year is estimated at almost 1. 2 million, while the number injured could be as high as 50 million (WHO, 2004).In economic terms, the cost of road crash injuries is projected at roughly 1% of gross national product (GNP) in low-income countries, 1. 5% in middle-income countries and 2% in high-income countries (Soderlund,1995). The economic cost of road crashes and injuries is estimated to be over Rs100 billion for Pakistan (Ahmad, 2008). 1 Graduate, Department of Sociology,University of Gujrat, Gujrat. 2 Graduate, University of the Punjab, Lahore 23 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Lower socio-economic groups have limited access to post-crash emergency health care (Mock, etal1997).In Pakistan also, a large portion of population has also limited access to post-crash emergency health care which causes a precious loss of lives. In many developing countries, the costs of prolonged medical care, the loss of the family breadwinner, the cost of a funeral, and the loss of income due to disability can push families into poverty (Hijar etal 2003). In developing countries, the population groups exposed to the highest risks of injury and death from road crashes, pedestrians and users of motorized two-wheelers – are from lower socioeconomic groups (Nantulya, 2003 and Ghaffar A, 2004).In Mexico, the second commonest cause of children being orphaned is traffic crashes (Hijar etal, 2003). Pakistan is also a developing country where a large number of people die every because of the road-side accidents. Especially death proportion of pedestrians and motorcyclists are very high which mostly belong to lower socio-economic groups of society. Recent studies have shown that pedestrians and mot orcyclists have the highest rates of injury in Asia (Yang,etal 2003 and Suriyanwongpaisal etal 2003). In Pakistan Incidence of road traffic injuries was 15. (including minor injuries) per 1,000 persons per year (Ghaffar etal 2004). If we use this rate in 2008 it will be in millions. The burden of injury is unequal. More boys are injured than girls, and children from poorer families have higher rates of injury. In 2002, males accounted for 73% of all road traffic deaths, with an overall rate almost three times that for females: 27. 6 per 100 000 population and 10. 4 per 100 000 population, respectively (WHO, 2004). Pakistan is a patriarchal society, where most of the time male family members are the primary source of income.So, the higher rate of road traffic deaths among men, can even more severely affect the socio-economic status of the family as well as the whole social structure of the society. In Pakistan, among males of the economically active age group accidental death rate is very high, and also according to the study, motor vehicle injuries are the third most important cause of death in developing countries. (Soderlund 1995). It is projected that RTA will be the second most common cause of disability-adjusted life years in developing countries in the year 2020 (Murray, 1997).Road traffic crashes can place a heavy burden on the family and friends of the injured person. According to WHO estimates for 2002, there were 180500 children killed as the result of road crashes. Some 97% of these child road deaths occurred in low-income and middle-income countries (WHO, 2004). There are many factors which cause the accidents. The motorized traffic on these roads is capable of high acceleration and speed, both key factors in the causes of road crash injury. Most of the factors of traffic accidents are the driver, the highway and motor vehicles (Aaron ,1990, Balogun etal,1992; Luby etal,1997 and Mock etal,1999).Majority of road users including motorists and pedestr ians lack road sense, leading to frequent road accidents and continued traffic jams across the country. Some other research evidence also indicates that the human element is responsible for 80 to 85% of all traffic accidents. Traffic violations, driving while intoxicated and lack of driving courtesy are the results of human actions. Unsafe highway and road conditions cause about 10% of all traffic accidents while mechanical deficiencies are responsible for nearly 5% of all traffic problems (Aaron,1990; Collier, 1983; American Automobile Association, 1988; Mc Glade, 1980).Traffic violations like signal crossing, driving without license, wrong parking, usage of mobile phones while driving, wrong overtaking, disregard of zebra crossing, riding motorbikes without lights and helmets, 24 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X over-speeding, change of lane sans using indicators are so common in Pakistan which are the major cause of accident in our society. 2. Dat a Collection and Methodology This study is based on primary data which is collected from people belongs to transportation system and drivers of LTV, HTV, motorcyclist and pedestrians.For this purpose 100 cases were selected from the universe as described by Neumann (1997). Data is collected via discussion and questionnaire on causes of road accidents and its aspects from each side. 3. Data Analysis On the basis of primary data, when we ask to respondents about the main reason behind road accidents then 40% of the respondents answer that ignorance of traffic rules is the main reason of road accidents. While 32% respondents answer that rash driving and 28% of the view that untrained drivers are the cause of road accidents.This whole issue is shown in table 1. Table 1. Reasons of Road Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Ignorance of traffic rules 40. 0 40. 0 Rash driving 32. 0 72. 0 Untrained drivers 28. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 When we put the question that is poor conditions of roads i s responsible for accidents then 44% of the respondents answer that to some extent poor conditions of roads cause accidents and 32% people response that yes, poor condition of roads is responsible and all is shown in table 2. Table 2. Is Poor Condition of Roads Responsible for Accidents PercentCumulative Percent Yes 32. 0 32. 0 No 24. 0 56. 0 To some extent 44. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 25 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Our next question highlight another burning issue that 68% of the road accidents occur due to untrained/ unskilled drivers while only 12% of the respondents view that unskilled drivers are not responsible, which is shown in table 3. Table 3. Accidents Occur Due to Unskilled Drivers Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 68. 0 68. 0 No 12. 0 80. 0 To some extent 20. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0In most of the parts of the country, one wheeling occurs by young people on roads and 76% of the respondents view that this cause road accidents while only 4% of the respondents answer that one wheeling is not a cause of accidents. Table 4 shows detailed data on this issue. Table 4. Is One Wheeling Causes Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 76. 0 76. 0 No 4. 0 80. 0 To some extent 20. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 Use of cell phones during driving cause road accidents and government take measures to avoid cell phone and there is some penalty.The 52% of the respondents answers that use of cell phone during driving cause accidents while 40% answer to some extent it cause, only 8% view that cell phone is not the cause of road accidents. This is shown in detail in table 5. Table 5. Is Use of Cell Phone Causes Road Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 52. 0 52. 0 No 8. 0 60. 0 To some extent 40. 0 100. 0 26 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Total 100. 0 Another issue was raised when we ask a question from respondents that are use of drugs during driving cause road accidents.The answer was astonished us that only 4% of the respondents view that drugs is not a cause of accidents while 72% and 24% response yes and to some extent, respectively. As shown in table 6 below. Table 6. Use of Drugs during Driving Cause Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 72. 0 72. 0 No 4. 0 76. 0 To some extent 24. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 Overloading is another cause of road accidents and respondents answer that overloading is the cause of road accidents as shown in table 7. Table 7. Is Overloading Causes Road Accidents Percent Cumulative PercentYes 40. 0 40. 0 No 4. 0 44. 0 To some extent 56. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 The literacy rate in Pakistan is low which relates with road accidents because most of the drivers are illiterate and can’t read anything even helping booklet/ safety guides on roads. The 72% of the respondents answer that lack of awareness about driving rules and other safety measures is the cause of road accidents. Only 8% of the respondents view that it is not a cause of road accidents and all this is shown in table 8. Table 8. Is Lack of Awareness Causes Road Accidents 7 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 72. 0 72. 0 No 8. 0 80. 0 To some extent 20. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 Above all information explains the causes of road accidents but now we have collected some information about the role of different administrative institutes in overcoming these issues. When we ask about role of government in reducing the ratio of accidents then 40% of the respondents are of the view that government is playing poor role and there is need to improve its role. 8% respondents answer that its role is satisfactory while only 8% response that government is playing excellent role, detail about this is given in table 9. Table 9. Role of Govt. in Reducing Traffic Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Excellent 8. 0 8. 0 Very good 24. 0 32. 0 Satisfactory 28. 0 60. 0 Poor 40. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 The role of traffic police in reducing t he road accidents is better and 52% of the respondents show satisfactory role of traffic police while 24% answers very good. So the overall role of traffic police is good but the problem exists when we make a comparison between roads and number of police servants.Only 8% of the respondents answer that traffic police is playing poor role, which is shown in table 10. Table 10. Role of Traffic Police in Reducing Traffic Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Excellent 16. 0 16. 0 Very good 24. 0 40. 0 Satisfactory 52. 0 92. 0 28 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Poor 8. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 Conclusion The main objective of this paper is to highlight the main causes of road accidents in Pakistan. On the basis of primary data we conclude the paper as following. The main reason of traffic accidents is due to lack of awareness bout rules and regulation, so there is need of institutes for awareness about these rules. Government may create awareness in public b y offering different courses in educational institutes and also distribute some material for drivers and for general public also. Government needs to make some core courses/ training before the provision of license and traffic police should keep strong check and balance in this regard. Another problem which causes road accidents is overloading, use of cell phone during driving and drugs addiction by majority of the drivers.These all issues can be solved by creating awareness and by applying some penalty to defaulters. These are not serious issues and easily solved by the strong system of check and balance by any administrative authority. By overcoming on these causes we can save a lot of benefits in the shape of monetary and non-monetary terms. In a nut shell, we say that road accidents are playing prominent role in the families of victims of traffic accidents which is the loss of property on one side while death of humanity is on the other hand.These both can through a family into a vicious circle of poverty and then it impacts on the overall economy. So need of the day is to take some encouraging steps by public side and individuals side also. References ? A Resource Curriculum in Driver and Traffic Safety Education, (1990), Washington D. C. Automative Safety Foundation. ? Aaron, J. E. and Strasser, M. K. , (1990), Driver and Traffic Safety Education, London: The Macmillan Company. ? Ahmad, B. , (2006), Country Report on Road Network in Pakistan, Ministry of Communications, Islambad. ? Balogun, J. , A.Abereoje, (1992), Pattern of Road Traffic Accidents cases in a Nigerian University Teaching Hospital between: 1987 and 1990, Journal of Tropical Medicine 95: 23-29. ? Collier, J. P, (1983), Automotive Safety Education London, Macmillan Publishers. 29 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X ? Ghaffar, A. , Hyder A. A. and Masud, T. I. , (2004), The burden of road traffic injuries in developing countries: the 1st National Injury Survey o f Pakistan Public Health. ? Hijar, M. , Vazquez-Vela, E, Arreola-Risa, (2003), Pedestrian traffic injuries in Mexico: a country update.Injury Control and Safety Promotion. 10:37–43 ? McGlade, F, (1980), Adjustive Behaviour and Safety Performance Sringfield, Illinois: Carl of C. Thomas Publisher. ? Mock, C. , Amegashie J. and Darteh, K, (1999), Role of Commercial Drivers in motor vehicle related injuries in Ghana. Inj. Prev 5: 268-271 ? Mock, C. N. , nii-Amon-Kotei D. , and Maier, R. V. , (1997), Low utilization of formal medical services by injured persons in a developing nation: health service data underestimate the importance of trauma. Journal of Trauma. 42:504–513. ? Murray, CJL, Lopez A.D. , (1997), Alternative projections of mortality and disability by cause 1990-2020: Global Burden of Disease Study. Lancet . 349:1498504. ? Nantulya, V. M. , and Reich M. R. , (2003), Equity dimensions of road traffic injuries in low and middle-income countries: Injury Control and Safety Promotion. 10:13–20. ? Neumann, W. L. , (1997), Social Research Methods, Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, Allyss and Bacon, USA. ? Peden M, McGee K, and Sharma G, (2002), The injury chart book: a graphical overview of the global burden of injuries.Geneva, World Health Organization. ? Peden, M. , Scurfield, R. , et al (2004), World Report on Traffic Injuries Prevention; Geneva, WHO ? Soderlund N, Zwi A. B. , (1995), Traffic related mortality in industrialized and less developed countries. BuU World Health Organ. 73:175-82. ? Stutts, Hunter. , (1999), Motor Vehicle and Roadway factors in pedestrians and Bicyclist injuries. Accd Aral Prev. 31:505-514. ? Suriyanwongpaisal, P. , and Kanchanasut S, (2003), Road traffic injuries in Thailand: trends, selected underlying determinants and status of intervention.Injury Control and Safety Promotion. 10:95–104. ? Yang, B. M. , and Kim J. , (2003), Road traffic accidents and policy interventions in Korea. Injury cont rol and Safety Promotion. 10:89–93. ? www. makeroadssafe. org ? www. prb. org/Articles/2006/RoadTrafficAccidentsIncreaseDramaticallyWorldwide. aspx ? www. asiaone. com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20080719-77661. html ? www. dawn. com/2008/04/27/nat16. htm ? www. dailymailnews. com/200802/13/news/dmboxitem2. html ? www. dawn. com/2008/04/27/nat16. htm ? www. statpak. gov. pk

The Battle of Ayn Jalut, 1260 - Mongols vs. Mamluks

The Battle of Ayn Jalut, 1260 - Mongols vs. Mamluks At times in Asian history, circumstances have conspired to bring seemingly unlikely combatants into conflict with one another. One example is the Battle of Talas River (751 A.D.), which pitted the armies of Tang China against the Abbasid Arabs in what is now Kyrgyzstan. Another is the Battle of Ayn Jalut, where in 1260 the seemingly unstoppable Mongol hordes ran up against the Mamluk warrior-slave army of Egypt. In This Corner: The Mongol Empire In 1206, the young Mongol leader Temujin was declared the ruler of all the Mongols; he took the name Genghis Khan (or Chinguz Khan). By the time he died in 1227, Genghis Khan controlled Central Asia from the Pacific coast of Siberia to the Caspian Sea in the west. After Genghis Khans death, his descendants divided the Empire into four separate khanates: the Mongolian homeland, ruled by Tolui Khan; the Empire of the Great Khan (later Yuan China), ruled by Ogedei Khan; the Ilkhanate Khanate of Central Asia and Persia, ruled by Chagatai Khan; and the Khanate of the Golden Horde, which would later include not just Russia but also Hungary and Poland. Each Khan sought to expand his own portion of the empire through further conquests. After all, a prophecy predicted that Genghis Khan and his offspring would one day rule all the people of the felt tents. Of course, they sometimes exceeded this mandate - nobody in Hungary or Poland actually lived a nomadic herding lifestyle. Nominally, at least, the other khans all answered to the Great Khan. In 1251, Ogedei died and his nephew Mongke, Genghiss grandson, became the Great Khan. Mongke Khan appointed his brother Hulagu to head the southwestern horde, the Ilkhanate. He charged Hulagu with the task of conquering the remaining Islamic empires of the Middle East and North Africa. In the Other Corner: The Mamluk Dynasty of Egypt While the Mongols were busy with their ever-expanding empire, the Islamic world was fighting off Christian Crusaders from Europe. The great Muslim general Saladin (Salah al-Din) conquered Egypt in 1169, founding the Ayyubid Dynasty. His descendants used increasing numbers of Mamluk soldiers in their internecine struggles for power. The Mamluks were an elite corps of warrior-slaves, mostly from Turkic or Kurdish Central Asia, but also including some Christians from the Caucasus region of south-eastern Europe. Captured and sold as young boys, they were carefully groomed for life as military men. Being a Mamluk became such an honor that some free-born Egyptians reportedly sold their sons into slavery so that they too could become Mamluks. In the tumultuous times surrounding the Seventh Crusade (which led to the capture of King Louis IX of France by the Egyptians), the Mamluks steadily gained power over their civilian rulers. In 1250, the widow of Ayyubid sultan as-Salih Ayyub married a Mamluk, Emir Aybak, who then became sultan. This was the beginning of the Bahri Mamluk Dynasty, which ruled Egypt until 1517. By 1260, when the Mongols began to threaten Egypt, the Bahri Dynasty was on its third Mamluk sultan, Saif ad-Din Qutuz. Ironically, Qutuz was Turkic (probably a Turkmen), and had become a Mamluk after he was captured and sold into slavery by the Ilkhanate Mongols. Prelude to the Show-down Hulagus campaign to subdue the Islamic lands began with an assault on the infamous Assassins or Hashshashin of Persia. A splinter group of the Ismaili Shia sect, the Hashshashin were based out of a cliff-side fortress called the Alamut, or Eagles Nest. On December 15, 1256, the Mongols captured Alamut and destroyed the power of the Hashshashin. Next, Hulagu Khan and the Ilkhanate army launched their assault on the Islamic heartlands proper with a siege on Baghdad, lasting from January 29 to February 10, 1258. At that time, Baghdad was the capital of the Abbasid caliphate (the same dynasty that had battled the Chinese at Talas River in 751), and the center of the Muslim world. The caliph relied on his belief that the other Islamic powers would come to his aid rather than see Baghdad destroyed. Unfortunately for him, that did not happen. When the city fell, the Mongols sacked and destroyed it, slaughtering hundreds of thousands of civilians and burning down the Grand Library of Baghdad. The victors rolled the caliph inside a rug and trampled him to death with their horses. Baghdad, the flower of Islam, was wrecked. This was the fate of any city that resisted the Mongols, according to Genghis Khans own battle plans. In 1260, the Mongols turned their attention to Syria. After only a seven-day siege, Aleppo fell, and some of the population was massacred. Having seen the destruction of Baghdad and Aleppo, Damascus surrendered to the Mongols without a fight. The center of the Islamic world now drifted south to Cairo. Interestingly enough, during this time the Crusaders controlled several small coastal principalities in the Holy Land. The Mongols approached them, offering an alliance against the Muslims. The Crusaders erstwhile enemies, the Mamluks, also sent emissaries to the Christians offering an alliance against the Mongols. Discerning that the Mongols were a more immediate threat, the Crusader states opted to remain nominally neutral, but agreed to allow the Mamluk armies to pass unhindered through Christian-occupied lands. Hulagu Khan Throws Down the Gauntlet In 1260, Hulagu sent two envoys to Cairo with a threatening letter for the Mamluk sultan. It said, in part: To Qutuz the Mamluk, who fled to escape our swords. You should think of what happened to other countries and submit to us. You have heard how we have conquered a vast empire and have purified the earth of the disorders that tainted it. We have conquered vast areas, massacring all the people. Whither can you flee? What road will you use to escape us? Our horses are swift, our arrows sharp, our swords like thunderbolts, our hearts as hard as the mountains, our soldiers as numerous as the sand. In response, Qutuz had the two ambassadors sliced in half, and set their heads up on the gates of Cairo for all to see. He likely knew that this was the gravest possible insult to the Mongols, who practiced an early form of diplomatic immunity. Fate Intervenes Even as the Mongol emissaries were delivering Hulagus message to Qutuz, Hulagu himself received word that his brother Mongke, the Great Khan, had died. This untimely death set off a succession struggle within the Mongolian royal family. Hulagu had no interest in the Great Khanship himself, but he wanted to see his younger brother  Kublai  installed as the next Great Khan. However, the leader of the Mongol homeland, Toluis son Arik-Boke, called for a quick council (kuriltai) and had himself named Great Khan. As civil strife broke out between the claimants, Hulagu took the bulk of his army north to Azerbaijan, ready to join in the succession fight if necessary. The Mongolian leader left just 20,000 troops under the command of one of his generals, Ketbuqa, to hold the line in Syria and Palestine. Sensing that this was an opportunity not to be lost, Qutuz immediately gathered an army of roughly equal size and marched for Palestine, intent on crushing the Mongol threat. The Battle of Ayn Jalut On September 3, 1260, the two armies met at the  oasis  of Ayn Jalut (meaning The Eye of Goliath or Goliaths Well), in the Jezreel Valley of Palestine. The Mongols had the advantages of self-confidence and hardier horses, but the Mamluks knew the terrain better and had larger (thus faster) steeds. The Mamluks also deployed an early form of firearm, a sort of hand-held cannon, which frightened the Mongol horses. (This tactic cannot have surprised the Mongol riders themselves too greatly, however, since the Chinese had been using  gunpowder weapons  against them for centuries.) Qutuz used a classic Mongol tactic against Ketbuqas troops, and they fell for it. The Mamluks sent out a small portion of their force, which then feigned retreat, drawing the Mongols into an ambush. From the hills, Mamluk warriors poured down on three sides, pinning the Mongols in a withering cross-fire. The Mongols fought back throughout the morning hours, but finally the survivors began to retreat in disorder. Ketbuqa refused to flee in disgrace, and fought on until his horse either stumbled or was shot out from under him. The Mamluks captured the Mongol commander, who warned that they could kill him if they liked, but Be not deceived by this event for one moment, for when the news of my death reaches Hulagu Khan, the ocean of his wrath will boil over, and from Azerbaijan to the gates of Egypt will quake with the hooves of Mongol horses. Qutuz then ordered Ketbuqa beheaded. Sultan Qutuz himself did not survive to return to Cairo in triumph. On the way home, he was assassinated by a group of conspirators led by one of his generals, Baybars. Aftermath of the Battle of Ayn Jalut The Mamluks suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Ayn Jalut, but nearly the entire Mongol contingent was destroyed. This battle was a severe blow to the confidence and reputation of the hordes, which had never suffered such a defeat. Suddenly, they did not seem invincible. Despite the loss, however, the Mongols did not simply fold their tents and go home. Hulagu returned to Syria in 1262, intent on avenging Ketbuqa. However, Berke Khan of the Golden Horde had converted to Islam, and formed an alliance against his uncle Hulagu. He attacked Hulagus forces, promising revenge for the sacking of Baghdad. Although this war among the khanates drew off much of Hulagus strength, he continued to attack the Mamluks, as did his successors. The Ilkhanate Mongols drove towards Cairo in 1281, 1299, 1300, 1303 and 1312. Their only victory was in 1300, but it proved short-lived. Between each attack, the adversaries engaged in espionage, psychological warfare and alliance-building against one another. Finally, in 1323, as the fractious Mongol Empire began to disintegrate, the Khan of the Ilkhanids sued for a peace agreement with the Mamluks. A Turning-Point in History Why were the Mongols never able to defeat the Mamluks, after mowing through most of the known world? Scholars have suggested a number of answers to this puzzle. It may be simply that the internal strife among different branches of the Mongolian Empire prevented them from ever throwing enough riders against the Egyptians. Possibly, the greater professionalism and more advanced weapons of the Mamluks gave them an edge. (However, the Mongols had defeated other well-organized forces, such as the Song Chinese.) The most likely explanation may be that the environment of the Middle East defeated the Mongols. In order to have fresh horses to ride throughout a day-long battle, and also to have horse milk, meat and blood for sustenance, each Mongol fighter had a string of at least six or eight small horses. Multiplied by even the 20,000 troops that Hulagu left behind as a rear guard before Ayn Jalut, that is well over 100,000 horses. Syria and Palestine are famously parched. In order to provide water and fodder for so many horses, the Mongols had to press attacks only in the fall or spring, when the rains brought new grass for their animals to graze on. Even at that, they must have used a lot of energy and time finding grass and water for their ponies. With the bounty of the Nile at their disposal, and much shorter supply-lines, the Mamluks would have been able to bring grain and hay to supplement the sparse pastures of the Holy Land. In the end, it may have been grass, or the lack thereof, combined with internal Mongolian dissension, that saved the last remaining Islamic power from the Mongol hordes. Sources Reuven Amitai-Preiss.  Mongols and Mamluks: The Mamluk-Ilkhanid War, 1260-1281, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995). Charles J. Halperin. The Kipchack Connection: The Ilkhans, the Mamluks and Ayn Jalut,  Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Vol. 63, No. 2 (2000), 229-245. John Joseph Saunders.  The History of the Mongol Conquests, (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2001). Kenneth M. Setton, Robert Lee Wolff, et al.  A History of the Crusades: The Later Crusades, 1189-1311, (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2005). John Masson Smith, Jr. Ayn Jalut: Mamluk Success or Mongol Failure?,  Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, Vol. 44, No. 2 (Dec., 1984), 307-345.

History of Newspapers In America

History of Newspapers In America The rise of newspapers in America accelerated enormously throughout the 19th century. When the century began, newspapers, generally in the larger cities and towns, tended to be affiliated with political factions or particular politicians. And while newspapers had influence, the reach of the press was fairly narrow. By the 1830s the newspaper business began to expand rapidly. Advances in printing technology meant newspapers could reach more people, and the introduction of the penny press meant that just about anyone, including newly arrived immigrants, could buy and read the news. By the 1850s the American newspaper industry came to be dominated by legendary editors, including Horace Greeley of the New York Tribune, James Gordon Bennett of the New York Herald, and Henry J. Raymond, of the upstart New York Times. Major cities, and many large towns, began to boast high-quality newspapers. By the time of the Civil War, the publics appetite for news was enormous. And newspaper publishers responded by sending war correspondents to the battlefronts. Extensive news would fill newspaper pages after major battles, and many worried families came to rely on newspapers for casualty lists. By the end of the 19th century, after a period of slow yet steady growth, the newspaper industry was suddenly energized by the tactics of two dueling editors, Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst. The two men, engaging in what became known as Yellow Journalism, fought a circulation war that made newspapers a vital part of everyday American life. As the 20th century dawned, newspapers were read in nearly all American homes, and, without the competition from radio and television, enjoyed a period of great business success. The Partisan Era, 1790s-1830s In the early years of the United States, newspapers tended to have small circulation for several reasons. Printing was slow and tedious, so for technical reasons no one publisher could generate enormous numbers of issues. The price of newspapers tended to exclude many common people. And while Americans tended to be literate, there simply werent the large number of readers that would come later in the century. Despite all that, newspapers were felt to have profound influence on the early years of the federal government. The main reason was that newspapers were often the organs of political factions, with articles and essays essentially making the cases for political action. Some politicians were known to be connected with specific newspapers. For instance, Alexander Hamilton was a founder of the New York Post (which still exists today, after changing ownership and direction many times during more than two centuries). In 1783, eight years before Hamilton founded the Post, Noah Webster, who would later publish the first American dictionary, began publishing the first daily newspaper in New York City, the American Minerva. Websters newspaper was essentially an organ of the Federalist Party. The Minerva only operated for a few years, but it was influential and inspired other newspapers that followed. Up through the 1820s the publication of newspapers generally had some political affiliation. The newspaper was the way politicians communicated with constituents and voters. And while the newspapers carried accounts of newsworthy events, the pages were often filled with letters expressing opinions. Its worth noting that newspapers circulated widely across early America, and it was common for publishers to reprint stories which had been published in distant cities and towns. It was also common for newspapers to publish letters from travelers who had just arrived from Europe and who could relate the foreign news. The highly partisan era of newspapers continued well into the 1820s, when campaigns waged by candidates John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, and Andrew Jackson played out on the pages of newspapers. Vicious attacks, such as in the controversial elections of 1824 and 1828, were carried in newspapers which were essentially controlled by candidates. The Rise of City Newspapers, 1830s-1850s In the 1830s newspapers transformed into publications devoted more to news of current events than outright partisanship. As printing technology allowed faster printing, newspapers could expand beyond the traditional four-page folio. And to fill the newer eight-page newspapers, content expanded beyond letters from travelers and political essays to more reporting (and the hiring of writers whose job was to go about the city and report on the news). A major innovation of the 1830s was simply lowering the price of a newspaper: when most daily newspapers cost a few cents, working people and especially new immigrants tended not to buy them. But an enterprising New York City printer, Benjamin Day, began publishing a newspaper, The Sun, for a penny. Suddenly anyone could afford a newspaper, and reading the paper every morning became a routine in many parts of America. And the newspaper industry got a huge boost from technology when the telegraph began to be used in the mid-1840s. Era of Great Editors, the 1850s Two major editors, Horace Greeley of the New York Tribune, and James Gordon Bennett of the New York Herald, began competing in the 1830s. Both editors were known for strong personalities and controversial opinions, and their newspapers reflected that. At the same time, William Cullen Bryant, who first came to public attention as a poet, was editing the New York Evening Post. In 1851, an editor who had worked for Greeley, Henry J. Raymond, began publishing the New York Times, which was seen as an upstart without any strong political direction.   The 1850s was a critical decade in American history. The split over slavery was about to tear the country apart. And the Whig Party, which had been the breeding ground of editors such as Greeley and Raymond, disintegrated over the slavery issue. The great national debates were, of course, followed close, and also influenced, by powerful editors such as Bennett and Greeley. A rising politician, Abraham Lincoln, recognized the value of newspapers. When he came to New York City to deliver his address at Cooper Union in early 1860, he knew the speech could put him on the road to the White House. And he made sure that his words got into the newspapers, even reportedly visiting the office of the New York Tribune after delivering his speech. The Civil War When the Civil War erupted the newspapers, especially in the North, responded quickly. Writers were hired to follow the Union troops, following a precedent set in the Crimean War by a British citizen considered the first war correspondent, William Howard Russell. The pages of newspapers soon filled up with news from Washington as the government prepared for war. And during the Battle of Bull Run, in the summer of 1861, a number of correspondents accompanied the Union Army. When the battle turned against the federal forces, the newspapermen were among those who hurried back to Washington in a chaotic retreat. As the war continued, the coverage of news became professionalized. Correspondents followed the armies and wrote very detailed accounts of battles which were widely read. For instance, following the Battle of Antietam, the pages of Northern newspapers carried lengthy accounts which often contained vivid details of the fighting. A staple of Civil War era newspapers, and perhaps the most vital public service, was the publication of casualty lists. After every major action newspapers would publish many columns listing the soldiers who had been killed or wounded. In one famous instance, the poet Walt Whitman saw his brothers name on a casualty list published in a New York newspapers following the Battle of Fredericksburg. Whitman hurried to Virginia to find his brother, who turned out to be only slightly wounded. The experience of being in the army camps led Whitman to become a volunteer nurse in Washington, D.C., and to write occasional newspaper dispatches on war news. The Calm Following the Civil War The decades following the Civil War were relatively calm for the newspaper business. The great editors of earlier eras, Greeley, Bennett, Bryant, and Raymond passed away. The new crop of editors tended to be very professional, but they did not generate the fireworks that earlier newspaper reader had come to expect. Technological changes, especially the Linotype machine, meant that newspapers could publish larger editions with more pages. The popularity of athletics in the late 1800s meant newspapers began having pages devoted to sports coverage. And the laying of undersea telegraph cables meant that news from very distant places could be seen by newspaper readers with shocking speed. For instance, when the distant volcanic island of Krakatoa exploded in 1883, news traveled by undersea cable to the Asian mainland, then to Europe, and then via transatlantic cable to New York City. Readers of New Yorks newspapers were seeing reports of the massive disaster with a day, and even more detailed reports of the devastation appeared in the following days. The Arrival of the Linotype Ottmar Mergenthaler was the German-born inventor of the linotype, an innovative printing system that revolutionized the newspaper industry in the late 19th century. Before Mergenthalers invention, printers had to set type one character at a time in a laborious and time-consuming process. The linotype, so called because it set a line of type at once, greatly sped up the printing process. Though Mergenthalers mechanical genius greatly changed 19th century newspapers, he had a number of problems in business. Within a few years of linotype machines becoming standard equipment at major American newspapers, Mergenthaler resigned from the company that made them. Though he was ultimately embittered, there is no doubt that his innovative technology changed the news business. Before the linotype, daily newspapers were restricted in how many changes they could make if they published more than one edition in a day. And simply because of the labor intensive nature of setting type, daily newspapers seldom extended beyond eight pages. Mergenthalers machine made multiple editions easier to routinely produce editions of 12 or 16 pages. With extra space available in daily editions, innovative publishers could pack their papers with large amounts of news which previously may have gone unreported. The Great Circulation Wars In the late 1880s the newspaper business received a jolt when Joseph Pulitzer, who had been publishing a successful newspaper in St. Louis, bought a paper in New York City. Pulitzer suddenly transformed the news business by focusing on news that he thought would appeal to common people. Crime stories and other sensational subjects were the focus of his New York World. And vivid headlines, written by a staff of specialized editors, pulled in readers. Pulitzers newspaper was a great success in New York. And in the mid-1890s he suddenly got a competitor when William Randolph Hearst, who had spent money from his familys mining fortune on a San Francisco newspaper a few years earlier, moved to New York City and bought the New York Journal. A spectacular circulation war broke out between Pulitzer and Hearst. There had been competitive publishers before, of course, but nothing like this. The sensationalism of the competition became known as Yellow Journalism. The high point of Yellow Journalism became the headlines and exaggerated stories which encouraged the American public to support the Spanish-American War. At Centurys End As the 19th century ended, the newspaper business had grown enormously since the days when one-man newspapers printed hundreds, or at most thousands, of issues. Americans became a nation addicted to newspapers, and in the era before broadcast journalism, newspapers were a considerable force in public life.