The lessons in Vietnam war were forgotten in Iraq and Afghanistan Essay Example for Free

The lessons in Vietnam war were forgotten in Iraq and Afghanistan Essay A lot of lessons were learned throughout the Vietnam War but those lessons were not carried out in the Iraq and Afghanistan war. Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War, caused by fears of communism and the fact that since the USA was our allied country we had to join forces, was one of the most disastrous episodes in our past. The lessons learned from the Vietnam War were forgotten when Australia decided to join the United States of America, who were planning the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. The American soldiers and the Australian soldiers went through and are still going through some of the same circumstances that happened in the Vietnam War. Some of those circumstances are that the American/Australian soldiers don’t know the terrain as well as the enemies do and the enemies are blending amongst innocent civilians and they plan ‘attack and run/booby traps’ which harm/kill the innocent civilians and the soldiers like the Vietcong did in the Vietnam war. The number of American/Australian deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan are 1/10. Some people would say that the USA/Australian forces in Iraq and Afghanistan are completely pointless, ‘Like Vietnam, this war cannot be won’. Some people however disagree. People argue that the reason why our efforts in Vietnam failed where due to the lack of support towards the America/Australian Military defence forces. In World War 2, the United States were not fighting against Japanese and German soldiers in and attempt to make those countries better places. The goal was to defeat there military forces, destroy their capacity and keep fighting, just as what the North Vietnamese were trying to do to the South Vietnamese. World war ll was a much simpler war than Vietnam. There enemies were easier to identify and the United States felt obligated to use firepower at its disposal and kill innocent people. Suddam Hussein (the fifth president of Iraq), had ‘weapons of mass destruction’. Hussein ordered the Iraqi troops to attack the country of Kuwait. The United States defended Kuwait in the Persian War against Iraq. On March 19th, 2003, the United States attacked Iraq. The United States used national security as an excuse for fighting. Afghanistan had terrorist training camps run by the Taliban government. Also, Hussein supposedly had ‘Mass Weapons of Destruction’. Due to Australia being allied with the United States, it was Australia’s right to help America out. This is where they all went wrong; it was going to turn into another Vietnam War again. Two countries stepping onto foreign land, fighting against foreign people, who were hard to identify and who were also hard to find. Over time, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan, the united states/Australian soldiers are trying to win wars while appearing to help people and are fighting against enemies who are hard to identify against the civilians, just as they did in Vietnam. With such unrealistic goals, it may be impossible to ever declare victory in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Valuing a Website Before You Sell :: Sell Websites Buy Websites

Valuing a Website Before You Sell Reprinted with permission of VotanWeb.com There is probably no part of the buying process that worries a potential buyer more than overpaying for a website. While this is understandable (who wants to pay more than something is worth), it has more to do with misinformation and one's total approach to buying a website than it does to being an expert at appraisals. The truth is, value is completely subjective. After all, what one website may be worth to you is entirely different from what it is worth to the next person. While there are cases where people may not negotiate the best price possible for a good website you must know that no price is cheap enough if you buy the wrong website. In time, a good website will always justify the purchase price whereas a bad one may not ever allow you to recover financially. What is Value? In a nutshell, value must be measured by what you are getting in return for your money. You have to equate the purchase price against the benefits you will derive over the term in which you can realistically expect to own the website. As an example, you cannot simply measure the purchase price against the income that you will derive from a specific website. What about the daily enjoyments you will get from being your own boss? Or, the sense of accomplishment you will feel from building something? Maybe, it's the gratification that you will get from contributing to the lives of others (i.e. employees). Perhaps it will come from knowing that from the toils of your labor you have been able to provide certain things for your family that you could never even consider if you were working for somebody else. A good website will provide abundant rewards for you so in order for you to truly measure a website’s value you have to consider all of the benefits that you stand to gain. Also, you must factor in what you could never have achieved if you don't go into business for yourself. Think of it this way: the average person takes 30 years to payoff a mortgage and 4 years to pay off a car. Neither one of these will pay you a salary. While they both have their benefits, neither one comes close to what you can derive from a good website as far as overall benefits are concerned.

Should English Be the Medium of Instruction in Sri Lankan Universities

Should English be the medium of instruction in Sri Lankan Universities Medium of instruction is a language used in teaching. It may or may not be the official language of the country or territory. Where the first language of students is different from the official language, it may be used as the medium of instruction for part or all of schooling and universities Bilingual or multilingual education may involve the use of more than one language of instruction. UNESCO considers that â€Å"providing education in a child's mother tongue is indeed a critical issue†Native-language instruction is the practice of teaching schoolchildren in their native language instead of in the official language of their country of residence. An English medium education system is one that uses English as the primary medium of instruction – in particular where English is not the mother tongue of the students. Because a working knowledge of English is perceived as being valuable, many states thro ughout the world where English is not the predominant language encourage or mandate the use of English as the normal medium of instruction.Bilingual education involves teaching academic content in two languages, in a native and secondary language with varying amounts of each language used in accordance with the program model. There are two ways of Bilingual education. First one is Transitional Bilingual Education. This involves education in a child's native language, typically for no more than three years, to ensure that students do not fall behind in content areas like mathematics, science, and social studies while they are learning English.Research has shown that many of the skills learned in the native language can be transferred easily to the second language later. The goal is to help students transition to mainstream, English-only classrooms as quickly as possible, and the linguistic goal of such programs is English acquisition only. In a transitional bilingual program, the stu dent's primary language is used as a vehicle to develop literacy skills and acquire academic knowledge. It is used to develop literacy and academic skills in the primary language. Second one is â€Å"Two-Way† or Dual Language Immersion Bilingual Education.These programs are designed to help native and non-native English speakers become bilingual and bi-literate. The two-way bilingual immersion program has 90% of the instructions in grade 1 in minority language which is less supported by the broader society and 10% in the majority language . This proportion gradually changes in the majority language until the curriculum is equally divided in both the language by 5th grade. The two-way bilingual immersion program is based on the principle of clear curriculum separation of the two languages of instruction.Teachers do not repeat or translate the subject matter in second language but strengthen concepts taught in one language across the two languages in a spiral curriculum in orde r to provide cognitive challenge. The languages of instructions are alternated by theme or content area. This type of immersion is required to develop the dual language proficiency, as social language can be mastered in couple of years, but a higher level of competency is required to read social studies texts or solve mathematics word problems, roughly around 5 to 7 years.This essay attempts to take into account of divergent views to deal with â€Å"Should English be the medium of instruction in Sri Lankan Universities†. . The debate on English as a medium of instruction in tertiary level education was always carried out among the Sri Lankan society. Majority claims that â€Å"who can never speak English with the degree of adequacy or fluency is not survived in the job arena of the white collar’s. † Almost the private sector investors’ basic requirement is the employees should be able to communicate with the mediation language of the globe.When we conside r about trading with other countries, tourism, IT Sector and the other areas of high salary paying employment opportunities govern by the people with the command in English. Or at least they know how to deal with the language and the opportunity they involved with. And jobs in the private sector which require functioning knowledge of English have enabled migration across the globe. However, one can point out the flaw in the system which restricts the benefits of the migration to 8-10% English speaking elite and middle class of the total population in Sri Lanka.Some view English as an elitist urban cultural value, derived from the west, which is imposed on the nation. This argument sees English as a language left behind by the whites and claims that cultural and linguistic authenticity is tied to thinking, speaking and writing only in vernacular languages. The argument also suggests that if the academia shifts to English it might sound the death knell for native languages as there wi ll be fewer and fewer literary works in native languages.The general obsession with English and with the notion of â€Å"sophistication† attached to the language has been a major cause of increasing divisions and psychological distress among the youth. University drop out rates can potentially increase among the students with weaker English skills. The above arguments tend to draw their inspiration from the fact that countries like Japan have done remarkably well in spite of a resolute emphasis on retaining their native languages even among children of the internet age.However, most works of science and human studies have, unfortunately, not been documented in Sri Lankan national languages to place complete reliance on the local medium even if we were to agree with the above arguments to do away with English. Developing our languages to impart higher education is important but depriving people of the access to the knowledge systems in English is not correct. It is important t o invest in education in our country to create resources to impart the language skills required to fully utilize the educational opportunities offered in English.To take a pragmatic view, introduction of English at an early stage in children’s education is necessary without being overbearing on the native languages. Perhaps we should look to the European Union in this regard, to develop multilingual skills without compromising on the native character of individual nation. Some Sri lankans are firmly convinced that the only way to learn English properly is to learn everything else through English.This is contrary to logic and evidenced both in Sri lanka and around the world. Children in every country today learn English, but they learn it as a foreign language, and learn it well, in all countries where English is not the native tongue. Consider countries like Korea, Japan, Germany, Sweden, Russia, Brazil and China. They have economies that are better than most. Their schools t each English, but employ their own mother tongues as the medium of instruction. Korea's population is equal to Sri Lanka.The Scandinavian countries are comparable, less in population size, to Sri Lanka Their languages remain vibrant, they create new knowledge and literature in their own languages and produce Nobel prize winners and world-beating companies. Of course, they also learn English, the de facto world language. Except in colonized Sri Lanka, nowhere do people believe that unless they abandon their mother tongue and embrace English as the sole language of instruction, their future is doomed.

Hydro Québec, Energy and the Environment Essay

The replacement of gas with electric streetlamps in Quebec was implemented by the Royal electric Company which covered the entire city as at 1889. The project was facilitated by Senator Rosaire Thibodeau with the financial backing of a prominent businessman, Mr. Rodolphe Forget. There was with time the development of nuclear power. The experimentation with nuclear power began from around 1965. Nuclear power was increasingly being considered the energy source of the future and all the major countries had embraced it, prompting Canada to do the same. The last hydroelectric project in the twentieth century was the Sainte-Marguerite-3. This was built both a water reservoir and power generation head. The head is 330 meters long, making it a marvel. In 1998, Hydro Quebec decided to reinforce its transmission system. This was because in January of the same year, there had been a major ice storm that destroyed much of its Quebec distribution and transmission systems, exposing their vulnerability hence a need for reinforcement (History of Electricity in Quebec: Chaotic Growth of an Industry, n. d). On 7 February 2002, there was the signing of a historical agreement between the Grand Council at Crees and The state of Quebec. This provided a basis for the building of two main generation systems, the Eastmain-1 and Eastmain-1-A on the Rupert River. According to the company’s management, many past studies have investigated the potential health effects of electric and magnetic fields on human beings. These have however been inconclusive hence the harm not fully established. It therefore calls for further research to clarify this while minimizing people’s exposure to them and committing the company to supporting the research (History of Electricity in Quebec: Chaotic Growth of an Industry, n. d). Renewable and Green Hydroelectric power is not as green as required. This is because it contributes to mercury poisoning of water sources (Eisler, 1987). There is also a forced decomposition of the matter that is flooded, leading to production of carbon dioxide and Methane, both major greenhouse gases. Gas and coal are considered greener, but have lower performance. The greenhouse gases produced by Hydro-electric power are comparatively minimal. Hydropower produces a mere thirty-fifth of that by natural gas and a seventieth of that by a coal. The comparison is unjustified. This is because the ratio of waste product produced is less than the other sources. The author calls for a comparison between the sources in terms of same costs hence superiority of hydroelectric power (Hydro Quebec Research: Publications and Documentation Centre, n. d). Hydro Quebec and Sustainability Hydro Quebec is also committed to the promotion of wind power as a source of energy. Its strategic plan proposes the creation of a 4000 Megawatt wind energy capacity by 2015. Between 2004 and 2005, there was the signing of purchase deals for wind power with its total Wind power capacity standing at 500 Megawatts. The company also planned to engage in gas and oil exploration specifically at the Gulf of St. Lawrence and was seeking partners (Sustainable Development, n. d). The company promotes a reduction in electricity demand by enhancing efficiency in its use. This is done through awareness campaigns and investment in research and development. There is for instance investment in power-saving refrigerators and solar units. Hydro Quebec still retains one nuclear plant, the Gentilly-2 in the south of the Saint-Laurence River, producing about 2 per cent of the company’s electricity. Steps taken towards environmental protection include the minimization of atmospheric emissions. This is achieved by supplying hydro electric power to neighboring United States which is known to mostly rely on generation fuel-generated electricity. It also advocates for the Kyoto Protocol on emissions and is frequently involved in environmental conservation campaigns and funding of environmental research. Hydro-Quebec also values aesthetics and therefore fully incorporates it in its facilities. In this, there is emphasis on good choice of material, landscaping and observation sites among others (Sustainable Development, n. d). References Eisler, R. (1987). Mercury Hazards to Fish, Wildlife and Inveterbrates: A Synoptic View. Washington DC: US Department of the Interior. History of Electricity in Quebec: Chaotic Growth of an Industry. (n. d. ). Retrieved March 30, 2009, from Hydro Quebec: http://www. hydroquebec. com/learning/histoire/histoire_quebec/index_frame. html? ext_epoque=1 Hydro Quebec Research: Publications and Documentation Centre. (n. d. ). Retrieved March 30, 2009, from Hydro Quebec: http://www. hydroquebec. com/sustainable-development/documentation/documents. html Sustainable Development. (n. d) Retrieved March 30, 2009, from Hydro Quebec: http://www. hydroquebec. com/sustainable-development/index. html

Latin Adjectives 1st and 2nd Declension

Latin Adjectives 1st and 2nd Declension In Latin, adjectives must agree with the nouns they modify in case and number, as well as gender. This means that like nouns, Latin adjectives must be declined.* Latin 1st and 2nd declension adjectives are declined like nouns in the 1st and 2nd declensions. It so happens that like nouns, there are also 3rd declension adjectives, but there are no 4th or 5th declension adjectives. So, since there are more declensions for nouns than adjectives, the number of the declension of the noun cannot possibly have to match the number of the declension of the adjective. Its even misleading to think of adjectives as belonging to the 1st OR the 2nd declension. They belong to both but look different depending on gender. For this reason, its better to refer to such adjectives as 1st AND 2nd declension adjectives. The Latin from which we get our word republic comes from a 5th declension feminine noun ( res) and a feminine adjective ( publica). If the 5th declension noun were masculine ( e.g., meridies midday), the adjective would take the masculine form publicus. As stated above, Adjectives need to match only the gender, number, and case of the noun they modify. A 1st and 2nd declension adjective can modify any noun. The 1st and 2nd declension adjective used here as a model is bonus, -a, -um, the Latin word for good, showing the full masculine form first, followed by the ending of the feminine next, and finally the ending for the neuter. nominative bona puellagenitive bonae puellaedative bonae puellaeaccusative bonam puellamablative bona puella The word girl is puella in Latin, a 1st declension noun, and like most 1st declension nouns, its feminine. The adjectival form corresponding with puella- a noun in the nominative singular- is bona. Declension of Bona Puella (Good Girl) in Latin Singular Plural: nominative bonae puellaegenitive bonarum puellarumdative bonis puellisaccusative bonas puellasablative bonis puellisnominative bonus puergenitive boni pueridative bono pueroaccusative bonum puerumablative bono puero The word for boy in Latin is puer. This is the nominative singular of a 2nd declension masculine noun. The form of the model adjective were using, that corresponds with puer- that is, the form of the adjective that agrees in number, case, and gender- is bonus. Declension of Bonus Puer (Good Boy) in Latin Singular Plural: nominative boni puerigenitive bonorum puerorumdative bonis puerisaccusative bonos puerosablative bonis puerisnominative bonum verbumgenitive boni verbidative bono verboaccusative bonum verbumablative bono verbo The English word word is verbum in Latin. This is a 2nd declension neuter noun. The form of the model adjective good that corresponds with verbum is bonum. Note that since this is a neuter, we can not say whether bonum verbum is nominative or accusative, although it is clearly singular. Declension of Bonum Verbum (Good Word) in Latin Singular Plural: nominative bona verbagenitive bonorum verborumdative bonis verbisaccusative bona verbaablative bonis verbis The paradigm form you will usually see for a 1st and 2nd declension adjective is: bonus -a -umboni -ae -ibono -ae -obonum -am -umbono -a -oboni -ae -abonorum -arum -orumbonis -is -isbonos -as -abonis -is -is *Note: You may run into indeclinable adjectives, which, obviously, are not declined.

The Winning Formula for Writing Success

The Winning Formula for Writing Success The Winning Formula for Writing Success The Winning Formula for Writing Success By Mark Nichol When I wrote the heading for today’s post, I thought to myself, â€Å"I should be making infomercials and workshop presentations, offering my ‘secret’ for a thousand dollars.† A thousand dollars a head for even a few dozen participants? That’s what I call successful writing: With one phrase and a few platitudes, I could take a couple of years off from work. Nah. I’ll give it to you free of charge: Quality requires quantity. Yes? And? That’s it. Quality requires quantity. Oh, all right. I’ll expound. That’s a layered statement, one that’s as deep as you want to dive. But on its most basic level, it means that an output of high quality must be preceded by an input of high quantity. In other words, a return of quality takes an investment of quantity. The new publishing model is that, thanks to the Internet, everyone’s a writer. That’s the good news. But it’s also the bad news, because it means that because many writers in this suddenly expanded universe are not highly qualified, the universe is degraded. There have always been less-than-stellar writers, but it was more difficult for them to publish their work and sustain success. Now, however, nonprofessional writers can be forgiven for believing that because it’s easy to type, it’s easy to write. And the remaining exemplars of great writing are lost in the leveling of the signal-to-noise ratio if they are sought out at all anymore. The brave new world of formal publishing is also degraded, in this case by a business model that no longer values quality because remember, quality requires quantity (and quantity, of course, requires financial investment). So now, I can find six typographical errors stuffed into a twenty-word caption in the website for a major metropolitan newspaper (since corrected because, hey, it’s the instant Internet, and we can always fix it later!), and I can find my enjoyment of a newly published book compromised by shoddy editing (improvement of which must wait for the second edition, if there is one, and if there is the wherewithal to improve it but that’s too late for me). That’s why I may come across as a dinosaur about these things, because I believe that if something is worth doing, it is worth doing well. And because I believe that, that’s why I’m proud to remain part of the old-school old guard, editing book manuscripts for publishers willing to spend time, effort, and especially money to ensure that their products reflect their high standards. Quality requires quantity. Oh, quality is sometimes accidentally produced with a minimum of quantity, but standards cannot rely on serendipity. The work ethic is called that for a reason: Good isn’t easy. It takes effort. Quality requires quantity. There’s at least one other layer to the formula. Last week, I wrote a post about another formula, what I call a writing-competence matrix. Rather than explain it here, I invite you to read the post, if you haven’t already, or to review it, if you have. Go ahead. I’ll wait. What does it take to score high on this matrix? Don’t expect to ever hit â€Å"Expert† on all three counts; many successful writers may excel in only one category. But to rate highly in even one area takes time. Remember the 10,000-Hour Rule? (That’s all right. I’ll still be here when you get back.) If you want to be a great writer, be content at first with endeavoring to be a good writer. Great can wait. But to become a good writer, you must invest quantity in your quest for quality quantity of time and effort. And you must be willing to labor not only longitudinally, putting in years of skill development, but also latitudinally, massaging, refining, and polishing each piece of writing along the way. Remember this truism: If it’s easy, you’re probably not doing it right. Quality requires quantity. 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 Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:75 Synonyms for â€Å"Angry†Do you "orient" yourself, or "orientate" yourself?Is "Number" Singular or Plural?

A problem of statement in Science Education Research Paper

A problem of statement in Science Education - Research Paper Example Several researches about the RET programs have indicated variations in changes and drastic improvement concerning the teachers that, a lot of research skills and teaching based practices can be adopted through inquiry based processes. For this reason, there is a bit of conformity that, RET are good for the instructors as it expands the mind during study and equips the teachers with adequate knowledge on how to carry out research (Sarah &Wise, 2003). It has been realized that the adaptation of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) within the teaching fraternity as one of the major elements in RET has replaced the test. This method has for decades entrenched science education, which could not give relevant effects about the students understanding. The NGSS practices has been proven best to the educators and the students since it enhances learning through students engagements as such, enabling them to explore actively the science that was meant to have been learnt in class together w ith the actual engineering practices (NGSS Lead States, 2013). Most of the findings argue that, science teachers’ require comprehensive assessment to determine how best they have embraced research as an important role in adding the teaching practices. This is because most teachers are conversant with class tests as in contrasts to research practices which are perceived to expose many skills needed during actual professional exploration (Goreham, 2010). Research experience for teachers mainly focuses on instructive issues that may affect teaching of sciences and how to deliver learning of science at all levels of teaching and this would in turn helps in the professional development of teaching skills to the instructors. Through the involvement of quite a number research, discussion groups and may be seminars, teachers are able to get the best strategies and adequate resources which they further implement in classrooms. According to National Science Education Standards (NRC, 20 00), the effect of RET practices amongst the teachers has not been explored to its best therefore, this research is meant find in-depth analysis on how positively this can be implemented in other areas where the effect has no so much been felt (Russell, 2006). II. Background on RET programs Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) has stirred up professional development amongst the teachers and the students themselves, this grate importance of significant effect has improved the teaching moderation and learning in classroom. Several researches have indicated how teachers gain a lot of confidence after conducting numerous researches. With respect to this, they view themselves as learners and this further enhances the development of closer ties with their students and the colleagues at work (Cahn, 2008). RET programs vary considerably depending on the specialization of the teachers. For instance, some teachers may develop journals concerning the experiences they have achieved after fie ldwork observations to be used for later discussions in the classes. In this case, the records can be used to redefine the mentality of an instructor on how the programs are delivered. Moreover, other research methods such as discussions, observations and interviews are targeted at