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Terrorist actions, what exactly are they? Well just imagine yourself in a place where bombs can turn up in the strangest of places like inside a watermelon on the seat of a bus or inside a drink bottle being hurled at a pub. Malls getting bombed everyday and having to keep your child inside at all times because it seems to be the safest places, but it can still be bombed as well. This may not be an everyday thing in the United States but lately they happen to the people of Israel and Palestine almost every day. Lets us travel back to September last year with what started out as a disagreement regarding land became violent. The countries' leaders, Ariel Sharon of Israel and Yasser Arafat of Palestine, have made attempts at armistice, but both sides were unable to agree on anything. My essay is going to cover three major points: one, where the United States stands in this war that is being waged. Two, how this whole thing started and why, and finally how I believe this dispute is goin g to end. First and foremost, I am going to speak about where the United States stands amidst all this. Both the United States and the European Union believe that they share a common vision of the two states, Palestine and Israel, living side by side in peace and security. President Bush spoke at a White House news conference with European Union (EU) Council President Jose Aznar and EU Commission President Romano Prodi, after three and a half hours of talks with them. The talks were part of the annual summit between the United States and the European Union. President Bush also said that the United States wants to work with the Palestinian people "to build a Palestinian state that both lives at peace with Israel and lives up to the best hopes of its people." He said it was important for Arafat to show the world "that he's capable of leading" his people toward peace and away from violence. Secondly, how did this all start? Well, on one side (Israel) of the issue we have those who believe that God has given Palestine to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, a gift made in perpetuity. For believing Jews and Christians, Israel's original occupation of Palestine was commanded by God, as was the destruction of the original population.

Greek Heros

Myths of the Greek Heroes Achilles and Ajax are both know as great heroes of the Trojan War. Behind the guts and glory of war, what were they, who were they? Achilles was the son of nymph Thetis and Peleus the king of the Myrmidons. Ajax was the son of Telamon, who was the son of Aeacus and grandson of Zeus. Achilles and Ajax are closely related and their relationship being so close knit makes being at war a dismal time for both of them. Achilles was a man of anger and with this anger he dishonored Agamemnon, the commander of the Achaean forces. This forced Achilles to withdraw from the battle.After Agamemnon took Chrysies the daughter of a priest of Apollo, Achilles saw a way of returning to his rein in the war. He followed Agamemnon instruction in protecting the prophet with the key to saving Greece from the plague that was forced upon them in order to free Chrysies. At the same time sweltering with wrath Achilles prayed to Thetis to convince Zeus to the Trojans gain ground in the war. He then would regain is honor in the Trojan War, the honor that he lost when dishonoring Agamemnon. After saving Greece from the plague Achilles refused to fght the war.He believed that they were fighting for the wrong purpose. According to books, gods are immortal; Achilles proved this to be false. Patroclus was a beloved friend of Achilles and he was also his brother-in-arms. Achilles needed help with regaining power in the war since he was no longer fighting. Patroclus took his place and succeeded in pushing the Trojans back from the beaches he was killed by Hector the leader of the Trojans. After hearing of the death f his cherished friend, Achilles grieved knowing that it would have been him if he had stayed in the war.After the death of his friend, Achilles decided to end his protest. With this built up anger he fought and killed many Trojans but, he was always seeking out Hector. After finding his prey, Achilles chased Hector around Troy three times before Hector was con vinced by Athena in the form of Hectors brother Deiphobus to fight Achilles face to face. After much more grieving over many loses of family and friends Achilles finally met his demise by bleeding out through the only ortal part of his body, his Achilles tendon hence the name Achilles. He was killed by Apollo and Paris.Ajax was a man of great Stature. He endured his training from Centaur Chiron, right alongside his cousin Achilles. Being described as vicious, fearless, strong and powerful Ajax was also known for a very high level of battle intellect. He himself fought Hector twice. The first encounter was in Ajax's control. He hit Hector over the head with a hefty boulder even though Hector fghts back, Zeus calls a draw on the fight and it ends without a winner. The second fght between Ajax and Hector happened when the fght breaks out in the Mycenaean camp among the ships.Hector is set on burning the ships of the Greeks. He feels that the Greeks would be defeated without their ships . The failure of defeating Hector made Zeus second guess who he wanted to favor. Agamemnon then sends Ajax to attempt to reconcile witn the great warrior Achilles and introduce him back to fghting in the war. He fails at convincing him to come back. After the death of his cousin Achilles, Ajax fights for the body of the hero and buried him next to his riend Patroclus.After Achilles's death Ajax was known as the most vulnerable warrior in Agamemnon's army. After arguing and portraying the story of why Ajax deserves the magical armor of Hephaestus, Ajax lost the argument and the armor was awarded to Odysseus who proved to be more persuasive and believable in times of battle. Even though Ajax was the one who fought Hector driving him away with a massive rock and then fought him again away from the ships saving most of the Greek army and killing much of the charging Trojan Army.After fighting for the armor nd losing Ajax falls to the ground and when he wakes he is under a spell put on h im by Athena. The spell leads him to a flock of sheep who believes to be the Achaean leaders, Odysseus and Agamemnon and slaughters them. Waking up the blood of sheep he realizes what he had done. He preferred to no longer live than live in shame. In the first battle between Ajax and Hector, Zeus ended the fght and they exchanged gifts. Ajax gave him a shield and Hector gave him a sword. This very swords is the one is said to of been the one Ajax committed suicide with.

Banquo and Macbeth Essay

Banquo’s Ghost appearing at the banquet is a graphic manifestation of the guilt that Macbeth feels. Since, Lady Macbeth needs to make excuses for Macbeth’s interaction with the ghost of Banquo means that the ghost is only visible in Macbeth’s eyes. During Macbeth’s coronation banquet, Lady Macbeth pulls Macbeth asides and asks him the reason behind his inappropriate behavior. Macbeth becomes angry because Lady Macbeth robustly accuses him of lying. When Lady Macbeth calls Macbeth a liar he replies, â€Å"If I stand here, I was him†(3.4.89). Trying to convince Lady Macbeth of what he saw, Macbeth has to prove to himself that he witnessed Banquo interrupt the feast. Baquo’s ghost is a figment of Macbeth’s guilt. Macbeth tries to convince himself that he sees a ghost and is not going mad. After realizing he is truly the only one seeing Banquo’s ghost Macbeth comes to the conclusion that â€Å"This [seeing Banquo’s ghost] is more strange / Than such a murder is†(3.4.98-99). Fear cuts deeper than a sword. Similar to his earlier epiphany, Macbeth accepts the fact that Banquo is dead on Macbeth’s account. When Macbeth returns to the table he proposes a toast that, â€Å"I drink to th’ general joy o’ th’ whole table / And to our dear friend Banquo, whom we miss†(3.4.108-109). Now, in a stage of acceptance, Macbeth is able to tame the million thoughts fighting in his head. Macbeth is in a state of denial. To insure himself that he is not going insane, Macbeth tells Banquo’s Ghost that â€Å"Thy bones are marrowless; thy blood is cold / Thou hast no speculation in those eyes / Which thou dost glare with†(3.4.114-116). Similar to when Macbeth tells his wife he saw a ghost, Macbeth tries to remain sane. We are not exposed to our real personality until something really awful happens. Once something bad happens all of the useless things fall away until we are left with who we really are. Work Cited Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. Folger ed. New York City: Simon & Schuster, 1992. Print.

Structure and Properties of Polymers Essay

Structure and Properties of Polymers Essay Structure and Properties of Polymers Essay C 10 Lecture Notes Freely jointed chain, a â€Å"phantom† chain n links of same length, ak Joints permit completely free rotation Mean squared end to end length = nkak2 Contour (stretched out) length Lc=nkak Persistence length aq=ak/2 What is the size of the blob? For an ideal Kuhn chain RG2 = RL2/6 (approx.) RG: Characteristic radius of blob 3. Non-crystalline Polymer (Physical States of Matter) 3.1 Glass transition temperature Specific volume a) Tg occur in all materials where crystallinity doesn’t get in the way b) Because it is not an equilibrium phase, glass transition is not a thermodynamic transition Melt/Rubber Glass Equilibrium line T 0 Specific volume Specific volume 1. Cool slowly 2. Heat quickly Tg depends on time scale of observation Slow cool Fast heat Anneal 0 T 0 T 3.2 Polymeric states Molecular weight Increase molecular weight to infinity (chemically linked) → All RUBBER in this region Tg Glass Rubber Viscous melt T 1 GPa Glass log E Rubber 1 MPa ~ 10 MPa Viscous creep Temperature Spring: purely elastic, ÏÆ' = EÃŽ µ Dashpot: purely viscous, ÏÆ' = ÃŽ ·ÃŽ µ stiff spring model elasticity of glass (Eg) dashpot controls short relaxation time processes (frees upon reaching Tg) Eg-Er Er ÃŽ ·1(T) ÃŽ ·2(T) weak spring model elasticity of glass (Er) dashpot for longest relaxation time processes (frees for rubber-melt transition) ÃŽ ·1 and ÃŽ ·2 solid → glass: Eg ÃŽ ·2 solid, ÃŽ ·1 free → rubber: Er viscosity, ÃŽ · = ÏÆ'/ÃŽ µ 4.1 Behavior of spring/dashpot models ÏÆ' ÃŽ µ Maxwell element Time tot = E + − CON. EQN ÏÆ' ÏÆ'0 at time t = Ï„, ÏÆ' = ÏÆ'0/e 0 t ÏÆ' ÃŽ µ = ÏÆ'0/E t Voigt element Add stresses, ÏÆ'tot = EÃŽ µ + ÃŽ ·ÃŽ µ − CON. EQN â‘ ¢ Constant ÃŽ µ, ÃŽ µ = 0 ÏÆ' = EÃŽ µ Constant ÏÆ', ÏÆ' = 0 4.2 How realistic? Assumptions: (i) Viscosity Newtonian ÃŽ · ≠  f (ÃŽ µ) Not very good assumption at high strain rate (ii) Only two relaxation processes Ï„1 Ï„2 LHS controls Tg Relaxation of molecular chain segments RHS longest Ï„ Unraveling of entangled chain N (Ï„) Relaxation Time Spectrum Ï„ Note: N (Ï„): number of elements with Ï„ between Ï„ and Ï„ + d Ï„, like ‘density of state† 5.1 Modulus of glass Eg ~ E of van der Waals solid (held together by VdW forces), approx. 1 GPa Einorganic glass ~ 65 GPa → combinations of ionic bonding and Si – Si Emetal : steel ~ 210 GPa Al ~ 70 GPa Epolymer chain pulled out ~ 250 GPa 5.2 Viscosity of ÃŽ ·1 dashpot In region of Tg, (a) Time-temperature superposition (Fig 5.1) (b) Superimposed curve, made by shifting data by log aT (Fig 5.2 b) (c) Plot of shift factor aT vs. temperature (Fig 5.2 c) Williams-Landel-Ferry (WLF) found empirical equation to describe (c) Ts ~ reference temperature, works well if Ts = Tg With C1 = 17.4 , C2 = 51.6 K Implication: log aT (i.e. ÃŽ ·1) turns to ∞ when T = Tg – C2 → (Tg – 51.6) K ∠´Creep of polymer glass turns to zero at temperature (Tg – 51.6) K or lower Justification of WLF in terms of free volume Specific volume Occupied volume 0 T Second Input: Doolittle Equation 5.3 Elasticity of Rubber Spring 5.4 Viscosity of dashpot Rubber ⇄ viscous melt? Viscous flow ~ relative motion of centers of masses of molecules A. Reptation Model Molecules effectively confined in tube by entangling neighbours Constraints physical cross-linked points Reptation - Molecule can only escape lengthwise Parameters: Need two other equations: B Above critical molecular weight for

A Checklist on Effective Team Working The WritePass Journal

A Checklist on Effective Team Working Abstract A Checklist on Effective Team Working ). Possession of this skill enables one to effectively present their ideas to other group members or express their displeasure in certain ideas without being threatening. Communication also involves listening, which is vital for internalizing the ideas presented by other team members. The present–day technological advancements like the internet and mobile phones have further eased the communication process, which is also advantageous for team work and has led to the ‘virtual team’ phenomenon (Duarte Snyder, 2011). Lack of communication skills often lead to conflicts within the team or groupthink, where some team members agree with ideas without any constructive debate. Commitment to Attainment of the Team Objective The level of team members’ commitment to collaborate and accomplish the team’s goals is a critical contributing factor towards the success of the team (Dunin-Keplicz Verbrugge, 2011). All teamwork projects involve the contribution of individual members towards the attainment of an overall objective. Therefore, commitment starts by their acknowledgement of the fact that what they are working to achieve cannot be solely done by one individual (Mohammed Harrison, 2013). Committed team members have a high regard for the roles that they have been allocated and work as hard as possible to ensure that they are well accomplished within the allocated time. Commitment however depends on how organizations motivate the team members (Sheng et al., 2010). Competence Allocation of roles and responsibilities in team work is done according to the specialty of each team member (Lencioni, 2012). For instance, it is expected that a marketing role will be delegated to an individual who has a rich background in marketing and not engineering. By exercising competence in the roles they are allocated, team members create a sense of confidence in team leaders and other members that they will deliver the required level of quality (Galbraith Webb, 2013). It is also necessary for team members to only accept roles in which they are sure of delivering paramount quality (Dunin-Keplicz Verbrugge, 2011). The lack of the required levels of competence results in poor delivery of individual roles, which adversely affects the overall results of the team. Creativity Creativity is defined as the ability to come up with ingenious solution for certain issues or problems (Mumford, 2012). In teamwork, it is a very important tool, especially when the problem at hand has no pre-defined approach of addressing it. When a team has creative members, one of the main advantages is that the project at hand will not be hindered by common challenges that may arise in the course of its progress. Whereas creativity can be considered as an individual quality, Foss et al. (2013) also argued that creativity can be nurtured within the team because team members provide different suggestions of approaches that can be used in solving problems. Effective Management and Organization In the course of a team project, there are short-term objectives to be met that contribute to the attainment of the larger goal (Mohammed Harrison, 2013). It is therefore vital for team members to effectively manage and organize time and resources that they have been allocated to accomplish their roles. The lack of management and organization skills is likely to result in delays or failure of some team members in accomplishing their roles within the allocated time schedule and resources (Galbraith Webb, 2013). Management and organization also determines the punctuality of team members in attending meetings or reporting the progress of their allocated duties. Respect and Support for other Team Members One of the pillars of teamwork is the acknowledgement of the roles played by each member of the group (Duarte Snyder, 2011). This eliminates the subscription to the ideology by other team members that their roles are more important than others. According to Sheng et al. (2010), support of other team members who may be experiencing difficulties exemplifies a sense of loyalty towards one another. Expressing respect and support rather than playing the blame game builds confidence in team members and contributes towards a constructive working relationship (Galbraith Webb, 2013). It also increases the possibility of successful collaboration in future projects. Accountability and Responsibility Accountability and responsibility play a major role in instilling self discipline among members when handling projects they have been assigned to (Graham Englund, 2013). Whilst not all team members can be allocated a leadership position in the team, they have to be responsible for the small roles they have been assigned and ensure that they deliver them on time (Sheng et al., 2010). Accountability in team work ensures that every action taken in contribution to the team project is justifiable. It is however argued that accountability limits creativity because of the fear of mistakes that can arise when trying out creative problem solving procedures (Mumford, 2012). Conclusion Teamwork is an inevitable phenomenon in any organization. It is therefore necessary for individuals to hone skills that enable them to be better team players. This paper has outlined some f the qualities that are considered as being vital for anyone who wants to be successful team player. Whereas I possess all of the discussed skills, I also intend to improve my level of perfection in them in order to be a better team player in future. References Duarte, D.L. Snyder, N.T., 2011. Mastering Virtual Teams: Strategies, Tools, and Techniques That Succeed. San Fransisco: Josey-Bass. Dunin-Keplicz, B. Verbrugge, ‎J., 2011. Teamwork in Multi-Agent Systems: A Formal Approach. New Jersey: John Wiley Sons. Foss, L., Woll, K. Moilanen, M., 2013. Creativity and implementations of new ideas: Do organisational structure, work environment and gender matter? International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, 5(3), pp.298-322. Galbraith, D.D. Webb, F.L., 2013. Teams That Work: Preparing Student. American Journal Of Business Education Teams For The Workplace, 6(2), pp.223-33. Graham, R.J. Englund, R.L., 2013. Creating an environment for successful projects. New Jersey: John Wiley Sons. Hill, F. Parsons, L‎., 2014. Teamwork in the Management of Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties. New Jersey: Routledge. Lencioni, P., 2012. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: Intact Teams Participant Workbook. San Francisco: Pfeiffer. Mohammed, S. Harrison, D.A., 2013. The clocks that time us are not the same: A theory of temporal diversity, task characteristics, and performance in teams. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 122(2), pp.244-56. Mumford, M.D., 2012. Handbook of Organizational Creativity. London: Elsevier. Sheng, C.W., Tian, Y.F. Chen, M.C., 2010. Relationships among teamwork behavior, trust, perceived team support, and team commitment. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 38(10), pp.1297-305.

If You Want Peace, Prepare for War

If You Want Peace, Prepare for War The original Latin of the expression if you want peace, prepare for war comes from the book Epitoma Rei Militaris,  by the Roman general Vegetius (whose full name was Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus). The Latin is, Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum. Before the fall of the Roman Empire, the quality of its army had begun to deteriorate, according to Vegetius, and the decay of the army came from within itself. His theory was that the army grew weak from being idle during a long time of peace and stopped wearing its protective armor. This made them vulnerable to enemy weapons and to the temptation to flee from battle. Vegetius quote has been interpreted to mean that the time to prepare for war is not when war is imminent but rather when times are peaceful. Likewise, a strong peacetime army could signal to would-be invaders or attackers that the battle may not be worth it.   Vegetius Role in Military Strategy Because it was written by a Roman military expert, Vegetius Epitoma Rei Militaris is considered by many  to be the foremost military treatise in Western civilization.  Despite having little military experience of his own, Vegetius writings were highly influential on European military tactics, particularly after the Middle Ages. Vegetius was what was known as a patrician in Roman society, meaning he was an aristocrat. Also known as the  Rei Militaris Instituta,  Vegetius book was written sometime between 384 and 389. He sought a return to the Roman military system of legion formation, which was highly organized and depended on a disciplined infantry. His writings had little influence on the military leaders of his own day, but there was a particular interest in Vegetius work later, in Europe. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, because he was the first Christian Roman to write about military affairs, Vegetius work was, for centuries, considered the military bible of Europe. Its said that George Washington had a copy of this treatise.   Peace Through Strength Many military thinkers have modified Vegetius ideas for a different time, such as to the shorter expression of peace through strength. Roman Emperor Hadrian (76–138) was probably the first to use that expression. He has been quoted as saying peace through strength or, failing that, peace through threat. In the United States, Theodore Roosevelt coined the phrase Speak softly and carry a big stick. Later, Bernard Baruch, who advised Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War II, wrote a book titled Peace Through Strength about a defense plan. The phrase was publicized widely during the 1964 Republican presidential campaign and was used again during the 1970s to support the construction of the MX missile. The adage justified the Cold War buildup of nuclear missiles as a deterrent to war. Ronald Reagan brought peace through strength back into the limelight in 1980, accusing President Jimmy Carter of weakness on the international stage. Said Reagan: We know that peace is the condition under which mankind was meant to flourish. Yet peace does not exist of its own will. It depends on us, on our courage to build it and guard it and pass it on to future generations.

Strategy as Revolution by Gary Hamel Literature review

Strategy as Revolution by Gary Hamel - Literature review Example Hamel argues in his article that while change may not be welcomed so easily, it should take the courage and initiative of the rule breakers or those in favor of new approaches to present clearly their positions to the senior management for subsequent adoption as policies. Worth noticing is that while Hamel encourages revolutionary approach in policy formulation and demand for change, he nevertheless points out that organizational hierarchy should be respected and a good method which incorporates everyone should be adopted as the best way forward. Introduction For a longtime, many business enterprises have been concerned about the direction of the business, normally employing the tested methodologies that work, or at least the ones that have been approved or put into practice by old establishments. Management is normally concerned with where the business is making an effort to get to in the long run, which, I must say, is not bad only that every other business has the same dream: dire ction. By the same token of concern for business direction, so are they also concerned about which market a business should venture into and what competition strategies are anticipated to work in their best interest? Not only will you find these businesses also doing research on what resources in terms of assets, facilities, technical competence and even finance, but also on what to expect in the external environment. Well planned, that is the trend, unaltered as propounded by many old theories of economics. This is not to dispute the validity of these theories, because when they were formulated, they laid the foundation of the current market scenarios that we see today. To put it differently, suffice it to say that this is what management has for a long time accepted as strategy. So then, what is strategy? Johnson and Scholes define strategy as the direction and scope an organization takes to achieve long term market goals. Strategy exists under different levels such as corporate s trategy, business unit strategy and operational strategy. Article Critique Hamel (Hamel, 1996, p. 69) observes that in the recent past, business firms are all struggling to expand in what he terns as a fight for incrementalism. He also observes that in the current time and space, success is being achieved by how fast firms respond to customers' desires. In addition to this, Hamel also finds out that while this strategy is being adopted by firms, not all, business firms have earned themselves positions in the competitive market either as rule-makers or rule-breakers (Hamel, 1996, p.70; Choe Maker, 1995: 31). That either business firms set rules on how they want to operate in the market or as would be campaigned for, revolutionize the whole system of conformity to predetermined set of rules of the early economists. His view is both divergent and emergent in the sense that he deviates from the norms and presents emerging issues around strategizing in an organization. Anderson (1999, p. 217) and Beinhocker (1999, p. 98) agree with Hamel that organization change is fundamental for laying strategy. With this in mind, Hamel rightly argues that while rule-setters may survive now, rule-breakers, also known as revolutionaries, have a futuristic strategy that will propel them to be the market leaders in the future. He goes on to explore how organizations have conducted themselves towards success or stagnation and assesses this through what he classifies as the ten principles of liberating revolutionary spirit for the success of an organization (Hamel, 1996, p. 70). Like to