Bham civil rights

MAGMA It was coldest November day when my friend and I went to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Coming here brought back a lot of memories because feel like Civil Rights was the majority of what we studied in grade school. From the minute I parked I saw the 16th SST Baptist Church that was bombed many years ago. I remember taking field trips there when was a child. Walking through the building was like taking a journey through Birmingham contributions to the Civil Rights Movement and human rights struggles.The most familiar part of the institute was going past Martin Luther King Jar. ‘s exhibit. I always enjoyed hearing his speeches because he has so much passion when he spoke. He actually helped me out in my speech class my freshman year. Another section remembered studying in grade school was the displays of segregation. There were separate bathrooms and water fountains and they depicted how the ‘White† bathrooms were spotless and the â€Å"black† bat hrooms were run down and dirty.And who can forget Rosa Parks and ere decision to stay put in her seat, ignoring the bus driver, James Blake, on December 1, 1955. Overall, I enjoyed my visit to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. I thought it was going to be a walk in, look at stuff and leave type of thing but it truly brought back many memories from grammar school and what we studied then. I would encourage anyone who has not been to the Civil Rights Institute to go and see for themselves how interesting and heartfelt it is to see the past of our city, Birmingham, and what has become of it now. Birmingham has come a long way.

Micromax Owners Profile

Corporate Profile: Micromax Mobiles is one of the leading mobile companies in the World today. According to Strategy Analytics’ Global Handset vendor market share report, it is the 12th largest mobile brand in the World with a global market share of 1% and close to 8% market share in India. With an in-depth understanding of rapidly changing consumer preferences coupled with the use of advanced technologies, Micromax has been able to differentiate itself from the competitors through innovation and design.The brand took on the leaders in the category with specific products that addressed different customer needs. The company has focused their efforts towards creating life-enhancing mobile phone solutions and wireless technologies that cater to the increasingly evolving needs of mobile users in India. Micromax aims to be a billion dollar company with a significant double digit market share by 2014. Driving the next phase of growth, the company is expanding aggressively in India a nd globally.Journey of a homegrown brand: Micromax started as an IT software company in the year 2000 working on embedded platforms. By 2008, it entered mobile handset business and by 2010 became the largest Indian domestic mobile handsets company. This transformation was steered by four friends who divided responsibilities on functional lines, which haven’t changed since: Rajesh Agarwal, 47, Managing Director, Rahul Sharma, 37, Executive Director, Vikas Jain, 37, Business Director, and Sumeet Arora, 37, Chief Technology Officer.Through its emphasis on adapting to the changing market dynamics, introducing feature-rich phones and smartphones that are innovative and unique, Micromax has today become a brand to reckon with. Today, Micromax has presence across India and global presence in Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri-Lanka, Maldives, UAE, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Afghanistan and Brazil. Micromax sells around 1. 3 million mobiles handsets every month, with a presenc e in more than 500 districts through 100,000 retail outlets in India.Product Innovations: Micromax product portfolio embraces more than 60 models today, ranging from feature rich, dual-SIM phones to QWERTY, touch-enabled smart-feature phones and 3G Android smartphones designed for younger consumers in suburban and urban markets. Marketing: Driven by growing aspirations of the Indian mobile users, Micromax has geared up to bring about a paradigm shift in the way cell phones are used by introducing groundbreaking mobile solutions technology. When Micromax entered the segment, it followed a simple strategy of bringing innovative products for the consumers and coupled it with smart marketing.The company’s success could be attributed to the ‘Out of the Box’ thinking and thus providing Innovative & insightful products to the masses. At Micromax, the target audience is youth who want innovative, stylish phones that are affordable. Today the mobile phone category is driv en by youth, with about 60% of the users under the age group of 20-40 yrs and Micromax utilizes every opportunity to connect with the youth. Micromax understands that building connect is all about being involved with the customers and also giving them the value for money.Through their products and innovative campaigns, they aim to provide value additions to the Micromax users and have him or her involved by creating unique brand proposition. Distribution Network: Micromax has a 3 tier distribution network in India, which extends across 65 super distributers, 1500 micro distributors and over 100,000 retailers. To enhance brand cognizance and retail strength, Micromax has a chain of exclusive retail outlets, owned by third party Vikas Jain, Business Director, Micromax Informatics LimitedVikas Jain is the Business Director and one of the Promoters of Micromax Informatics Limited. With over 14 years of experience in international business & planning and the information technology sector , Vikas has played a crucial role in garnering and accelerating the business dynamics of Micromax. With his unique set of expertise in the 3G business dynamics, coupled with a great sense of innovative worldscale business ideas, Vikas has successfully contributed in taking the company to newer markets and helping in global expansion.Vikas upholds diligence and perceptiveness in all his endeavors and has reiterated these principles in Micromax’s Vikas understands the fact that Micromax being a homegrown market has an edge over the rest when itcomes to its international counterparts, as it understands the utility needs of the Indian consumers better. Micromax launched its first mobile phone whose key selling point was a battery that lasted 30days. In a country that suffers from chronic power deficiency, this was an invaluable proposition,according to Vikas.He believes that the thrill of newness and the idea of innovative technology is wherea brand scores more. Keeping this cent ral, Vikas presently looks after the business interests of thecompany in the ‘Operators Vertical’ with his skillful ability to identify and understand the needs of the varied set of consumers. Closely working with the operators enables Vikas to comprehend the technological advancements further empowering him to put a commercial angle to the company’s products. Under Vikas’s supervision and knowledge, the company has recently forayed into the internationalbusiness arm of exports.With establishments in Nepal and Dubai, Micromax is predominantly focusingon SAARC regions, Africa, Middle East (UAE, Qatar, Pakistan) and Latin America (Brazil). Vikas strategizesto focus on SAARC regions primarily because of its geographical alignment with India; Africa, as It encompasses territorial similarity with India in terms of tele-density and growth potential; Middle East, since it is an aspiring market and Brazil because it is technologically advanced than India and a not ch Vikas espouse the fact that life is purely about passion and more about enjoyment.Anything that sets the adrenaline rushing excites Vikas. An ardent sports lover and an adventure person, Vikas loves badminton, cricket and snooker and activities such as parasailing, scuba diving and ocean walks. He is also passionate about fast cars. An avid traveler, Vikas has a fetish for Lebanese and Chinese cuisines. During his leisure time he loves listening to music and watching movies. Vikas is an alumnus of Jamia Millia University from where he completed his engineering degree Rahul Sharma, Executive DirectorMicromax Informatics Limited, is the driving force behind Micromax’s commendable position in the Indian mobile handset market. Leading the Product and Sales strategies in Micromax, Rahul encompasses an enriching work experience of 13 years. The phenomenal growth of Micromax can be attributed to the dynamic leadership of Mr. Sharma. An unparalleled increase in revenue inflow furt her substantiates the midas touch that Rahul has brought to the company and an equally impressive growth of the company highlights the consistency of his leadership.Rahul upholds the philosophy that we must create our own roadmaps rather than following others by imbibing innovative models tailor-made for our needs and expectations, and hence along with his peers – Rajesh Agarwal, Vikas Jain and Sumeet Arora, he scripted the success story of Micromax since its inception. It was Rahul’s abetted efforts to convince his peers after nine years of selling computers, software courses and â€Å"fixed wireless† public phones (PCOs), to venture into the mobile handset industry in 2008, thus leading to the inception the fascinating feat in Micromax.Considering Micromax to be his brainchild, Rahul drew his greatest inspiration for the company to enter the mobile phone manufacturing business over a compelling incident of a chance encounter with a payphone operator. Everythin g started with a truck battery in the year 2007. In the powerless village of Behrampur in West Bengal, Mr. Sharma saw an Airtel PCO being powered by a truck battery. Every night, the PCO owner would lug the battery 12 km to an adjoining village on his cycle, charge it there overnight, and lug it back to Behrampur in the morning.Rahul was fascinated by the nature of innovative adaptation to suit the difficult conditions which the payphone operator had employed and his interest only grew when he found out that to everyone’s surprise, the operator was also able to earn a tidy sum of money. Based on this phenomenal experience of innovation arising from constraint, Micromax soon launched its first phone which had a battery back-up of one whole month. And from there started the grand journey. This compelling story reflects Rahul’s firm belief in the ideology, â€Å"Success comes to those who dare to dream. Keeping this central to all his endeavors at Micromax, Rahul made si gnificant progress and went on to launch a whole gamut of phones, all designed to suit the ever-changing needs of the dynamic Indian market. Rahul takes great pride in investing all his energy and deep commitment to quality in improving the business performances of his organization. Passionate about being a catalyst for change in the lives of the people, Rahul is rare combination business acumen and a creative mind and is adept at leveraging his knowledge, skills and expertise to maximize people’s potential.His leadership was instrumental in Micromax winning accolades and awards at prominent business forums. Micromax was the ‘Emerging Company of the Year 2011’ as per India’s leading telecom magazine- Voice & Data. It also bagged the FIEO Telecom Technology Awards and Power Brands 360 Award, recently. In recognition of his achievements, Rahul was adjudged one of the Forbes Person of the Year 2010. For the successful person he is today, Rahul considers his f ather to be his true inspiration in life, his real hero. It was his father who instilled in Rahul a strong work ethic, honesty, sincerity and humility.Besides being an entrepreneur, Rahul is a sports enthusiast with a passion for fast cars and Formula 1 racing. He spends his free time reading autobiographies of successful leaders Rahul is a mechanical engineer by profession. Rajesh Agarwal, Managing Director, . With an enriching experience of 22 years, Rajesh has orchestrated strategic accomplishments that, together with ground-up development, allowed Micromax to assemble a portfolio amongst the top-tier handset manufacturers that serve consumers across the globe.Rajesh has been instrumental in advocating innovative product strategies, business restructuring and channel management as the building blocks to create a strong base for the organization over the past three years. Today, Micromax is the third largest mobile brand in India with a market share of 6. 9% for the FY 2011. It ju mped into the industry in the year 2000 as a software company when 3 of his friends- Sumit Arora, Rahul Sharma and Vikas Jain ventured together to script the success story of Micromax which then evolved as a mobile brand in the telecom space.Under Rajesh’s able guidance Micromax has achieved an envious position in the category, making it the 12th largest mobile brand in the World, according to Strategy Analytics’ Global Handset vendor market share report. Rajesh has also been instrumental in getting a lead investment of RS 400 crores (approximately US $83 million) from TA associates, Sequoia Capital and Sandstone Capital, which has brought the company international experience and exposure. For all the accomplishments that he knitted in his entrepreneurial journey,Rajesh upholds the Success Mantra: â€Å"Team work divides responsibilities and multiplies growth. † Keeping this central to all his endeavors, Rajesh believes in striving towards the unreachable. His l eadership was instrumental in Micromax winning accolades and awards at prominent business forums. Micromax was the ‘Emerging Company of the Year 2011’ as per India’s leading telecom magazine- Voice & Data. It also bagged the FIEO Telecom Technology Awards and Power Brands 360 Award, recently. In recognition of his achievements, Rajesh was amongst the finalist of E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year 2010.Inspired by Warren Buffett, Rajesh an electrical engineer encompasses from him the rich virtues of will strength, determination and risk-taking ability and applies them across all diversification and growth to emerge as a victor. An ardent outdoor sports lover, Rajesh shows keen interest in volley ball, cricket and table tennis. He is fond of travelling to new places and exploring different cultures. In his leisure he reads about successful leaders and draws inspiration through their ideologies.

Descartes Dream Argument Essay

How do we know we are not dreaming some particular experience we are having, or we are not dreaming all our experience of this world? When we dream we imagine things happening often with the same sense of reality as we do when we are awake. In Descartes dream argument, he states there are no reliable signs distinguishing sleeping from waking. In his dream argument, he is not saying we are merely dreaming all of what we experience, nor, is he saying we can distinguish dreaming from being awake. I think his point is we cannot be for sure what we experience as being real in this world is actually real. When Descartes remembers occasions when he is dreaming, he falsely believes he is awake. Reflecting on this, Descartes thinks he cannot ever tell whether or not he is dreaming. How can he know he perceives his hands right now? Maybe, it is all just a dream. If it were just a dream everything would seem to be the same. In order to have knowledge the suggestion he is dreaming is false, he somehow has to have some knowledge of being awake. I believe his dream argument could be formed in this way: 1. When we are dreaming we are not in a good position to tell whether we are actually dreaming or awake. 2. Any experience you are having right now could also mean you are dreaming. In other words, you can’t possibly know you are dreaming even if it is a dream. 3a. For each of your experiences, you can’t tell whether your experience is a dream or not. (You can’t tell which of your dreams is a waking experience or a dreaming experience). 3b. For all you know, all of your experiences may be dreams. (You may be walking around in a dream, never having any walking experiences) Most philosophers think the dream argument supports both conclusions, but many philosophers also think this argument is strong enough to support 3a but not 3b. It is not really clear whether Descartes is arguing for the stronger claim or the weaker claim. It could be 3b, the weaker claim, is enough to support his purpose. Maybe he does not need a stronger claim to prove his theory. The last step in Descartes argument says if he cannot tell whether he is dreaming, then how can he trust any of his senses telling him about the environment? To know anything about the external world on the basis of his sensory experiences, it seems like Descartes would have to know those experiences are not all just a dream: To know anything about the external world on the basis or your sensory experiences, you have to know that you are not dreaming. I believe the things in my dreams must have been patterned after real things. So, even if I might be dreaming now, I know the world has colors, things that take up space, have shape, quantity, and a place in space and time. Now if you pull premises 1-4 together, we get the result of the conclusion: 5. Therefore, you can’t know anything about the external world based on your sensory experiences. In an interpretation of Descartes Dream Argument, premise 1 supports premise two and premise 3a and 3b support premise 4. So let us take a look at premise 2, 4, and the conclusion. This looks like the valid inference rule, such as modus ponens. P ? Q P__________ Therefore, Q However, that is not what is exactly happening in the dream argument. For premise 4 says to know you would have to know you are not dreaming. But premise 3 says you cannot know you are dreaming. In order for Modus Ponens argument to work, it would have to contain the premise: â€Å"I know I am dreaming. † Since Descartes cannot actually declare he is dreaming, it will not work. So there goes the premise of the argument. The most Descartes can say in his argument is â€Å"you can’t tell whether you experience is a dream,† premise two states â€Å"You can’t possibly know you are dreaming,† to premise 3, â€Å"you can’t tell if you are dreaming† to the conclusion, â€Å"You can’t know anything. † In order for Modus Ponens to work once again Descartes would have to know he was dreaming. As stated above he cannot state his position as if he is dreaming, so there goes the premises argument. So if this is not a valid argument, then perhaps there is a way to revise my interpretation on Descartes’ Dream argument so it turns out to be a valid rgument. Can we make the argument valid by changing premise 4? 2. Any experience you are having right now could also mean that you are dreaming. In other words, you can’t possibly know that you are dreaming even if it really is a dream. 4. I know that I am dreaming. Therefore, you can’t know anything about the external world based on your sensory experiences. This is now valid but is Descartes actually dreaming? Lets try switching around premises one. 1. If I cannot distinguish with certainty between sense perceptions and dreams, then I cannot believe anything based on images as true. . I cannot distinguish with certainty between sense perceptions and dreams. 3. Therefore, I cannot believe as true anything based on images. The argument is now valid again. But the question remains, whether the argument is sound and all the premises are true. A dream is a dream because its external conditions make it a dream and not because of a sense perception. If I am asleep and having an image of a body, than I am dreaming. If I am awake and having an image of a body, then I am not dreaming. Usually I am having a sense perception, but it could also be a hallucination. Dreaming is a certain kind of state. The only way to know you are not dreaming is to know you are not in a state of being asleep and having mental images, sounds, etc. No amount of images, sounds, can tell me I am in the state of being asleep and having images, sounds, etc. before my mind. If premise 2 is true, you can never be certain you are dreaming, as opposed to having sense perception. For instance, I can never step outside of myself to check what state I am in. It is indeed possible I could be dreaming. Descartes, however, has a very different kind of reply to the dream argument. He does not challenge premise 2 at all, instead he challenges premise one: If I cannot distinguish with certainty between sense perceptions and dreams, then I cannot believe as true anything based on images, etc. Descartes states in meditation one, â€Å"Nevertheless, it surely must be admitted that the things seen during slumber are, as it were, like plain images, which could only have been produced in the likeness of true things, and these general things —eyes, hands, head, and the whole body,–are not imaginary things, but are true and exist. This statement is actually very clear because the reply is the contents of dreams (Mt. Everest, other people, houses, etc) must come from reality. We get images through the world that we live in, so even if I am dreaming, I know there are mountains, people, and houses. They must exist in order to have dreams like the ones I have. If the world was different then I would have different kinds of dreams. † In Descartes final thoughts he admits it seems to be possible I am now dreaming even though no one could know anything about the world around us. I think Descartes point to be made throughout the dream argument is we are able we are not dreaming if we are to know an external world around us. If we are to know our external world around us, then we would have a better understanding of why we dream. It would also give us a better understand to distinguish from being awake to dreaming. It seems to me the point throughout his dream argument the point he is trying to make is we cannot be sure of what we experience as being real in the world is actually real. Descartes may have not made his point to be valid or true, but made us think outside the box, there are other possible choices to why we experience these thoughts when we dream.

Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 42

Case Study - Essay Example Consequently, it facilitates identification of weaknesses and threats that may hinder production of superior commodities. It is imperative for administrators to perform a comprehensive evaluation of operations in Heir Corporation based on SWOT guidelines to enable the establishment of growth oriented business policies. Haier, which is an electronic producing institution in china, has an outstanding human resource management history. The company practices conventional human administration principles that borrow its ideals from the integrated Japanese supervision philosophy, US innovation guidelines and aspects of traditional Chinese culture. The policies are set with an aim of building cohesive working relations and teamwork, which are crucial for institutional advancement. Indeed, Haier Company has adopted noble performance management human resource (PMHR) policies that steer its growth. It sets the policies to boost interaction levels, worker recognition, morale advancement and employee empowerment. The critical issues that fosters PMHR that the institution tackles includes Haier in its human resource management guideline adopts motivational practices that facilitate employee satisfaction and improve performance. The company remunerates its employees well with job security that boosts performance (Donna, 2010). Consequently, it practices transparency, fairness and justice without sheer discrimination. These aspects remain a major human capital administration issues that influence performance if not addressed amicably. Going global is a performance and human resource practice that expands an institutions network and employees scope of deployment. Globalization signifies growth that most employees normally anticipate. Employees are motivated by growth prospects of institutions since it guarantees their job stability and advancement. Haier Company has advanced its

Network Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Network - Essay Example Outsourcing is important to keep up with the competition in the global business in order to be able to drive the market share and profit (Burns 2009, p.62). It also gives your business the ability to concentrate on the main objectives such as customer service, banking and retailing. The company focuses on the increase in the use of smart cards in the Gulf region by supporting through giving their experience and expertise to the current and new clients. The current business environment is quite competitive that is why Network international has to keep up with the upcoming trends in the market through investing in the latest technologies, which will help the customers give a faster and more comfortable means of payment. According to Curtis Arnold, depending on the nature of one’s business, they have a variety of card and payment products and services, which will broaden one’s business opportunities (Network International). Network international has maintained a culture of encouraging innovations in order to give their customers extraordinary products and services to keep up with the competition in the business environment. Their trained, qualified and experienced staff plus a business which is customer focused promotes confidence in their clients to focus on their own business strategy. Working with network international gives business ideas that enhance loyalty in customers. EFQM model provides a groundwork that motivates hard work, which is needed in the competition on a global arena (Gomez, Costa & Lorente 2011, p.486). The model gives a broader view of the organization which can be useful in determining how different ideas come together to complement each other. EFQM model enables individuals to understand what its organization does and the results it achieves. The aim of the model was to enable organizations to be successful and sustain the success and respect. Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award- SKEA and Dubai Quality Awards- DQA depend on

Religious Imagery in The Glass Menagerie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Religious Imagery in The Glass Menagerie - Essay Example Religious Imagery Act 1 Scene 4: Probably one of the strongest religious images in the play is the trivialized representation of Christ in the person of the magician named Malvolio (i.e., â€Å"hatred†). Malvolio changes water into wine, then to beer, and finally whiskey. By depicting one of the most popular miracles of Christ (The Wedding at Cana) as a mere trick or illusion, the image is a commentary on superficial religiosity, and Christ compared to a mere magician. Finally, Malvolio rises from a nailed coffin without any injury, quite apparently a farcical re-enactment of Christ’s Resurrection. In a way, the Resurrection encapsulizes the theme that runs through the play, which is all about escape. Act 2 Scene 8: Another religious symbol is also that of Christ as Savior, in the person of Jim, the should-have-been suitor to Laura. Tom brings Jim home on the orders of Amanda, in the hope that romance would blossom and they would eventually get married. The dinner scene was quite suggestively called â€Å"Annunciation† in the stage direction, depicting Tom as the messenger who informs the virgin Laura of the coming of the Savior (Jim).

Online games Vs Violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Online games Vs Violence - Essay Example Hollingdale & Greitemeyer found that the Chinese adolescents who prefer to play violent games against human opponents online tended to more aggressive and a greater tolerance for anger. This study was carried among 312 Chinese teens who play online video games. In most cases, it is noted that when video game consumers play against human opponents, the levels of gaming experience increases. Thus, the gaming effects tend to increase the gamers emotions and behaviors. Children who grow up playing violent games tend to develop thinking patterns that influence their behaviour. Many people become aggressive when the gaming controls become difficult. This is a reaction caused by the frustrations facing the gamer. Mothers in Hongkong share a different perspective concerning online games. To them, video games have created a modern form to foster child development (Yung). Kenix Chong Wei-peng believes that online games help her daughter burn up excess before retiring to bed (Yung). According to Chong, her daughter has the opportunity to experience different situations through the online games. Her daughter would be ready, and know what to expect when she has the real chance to face the same situations. Apart from the games being part of entertainment, the experts tend to make them educational too. Ann Chow, head of marketing consumer channels in Microsoft Hongkong, believes that the games would encourage kids to develop a positive attitude towards learning (Yung). Players could access the natural world and have a clear understanding of nature, and be conversant with the different languages and environment. In the gaming consoles, the player becomes the character chosen and assumes the skills of that character. As the levels increase, the games become tougher requiring the gamer to utilise and learn more tactics. Each challenge reinforces the player with new information, thus fostering learning (Yung). Most parents argue that

Harvard Business Review Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Harvard Business Review - Coursework Example The study found that 85 percent of the executives did not actively involve themselves with an innovation as they only played a facilitation role. Only 15 percent of the executives did the creative work themselves. The executives who did not delegate the creative work applied five skills that resulted in brilliant and industry changing ideas. The five skills that the study identified are discussed below in detail. The associating skill is an ability that allows the innovative leaders or executives to make a connection between ideas, questions, or problems, which are unrelated. These innovators connect dots of seemingly unrelated occurrences to generate new and creative ideas that can be recombined in new ways. The second discovery skill is questioning. Creative and innovative entrepreneurs challenge the standard method of undertaking processes and wisdom. They ask provocative questions that challenge common ideals and assumptions to understand them and see if better ways can be concocted. Under questioning, the innovative entrepreneurs use different techniques such as embracing constraints, imagining opposites and asked why, what if and why not questions. The observation skill is the third discovery skill that the study by (Jeffrey, Hal & Clayton, 2009) found to be common with the innovative entrepreneurs was observation. The some of the creative executives came up with business ideas, which were conceived through observation. Some of the most useful observations were those made of the potential customers. The innovators were keen on behavioral details that would give insights to a new approach to various things. By experimenting, innovative executives and entrepreneurs were able to test and fine-tune their ideas in order to understand and find new ways of doing a certain task or a certain approach. Not only is experimentation a means of coming up with new ways of

The bottled drinking water industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The bottled drinking water industry - Essay Example Qualitative measures are to be given utmost importance as it will maintain good health and prevent us from deadly diseases. The awareness about the good quality water became significant for last two decades due to information technology and hence people started preferring bottled drinking water. There are several types of bottled water available in the world (FN2). 1) Purified drinking water 2) Naturally sparkling water 3) Mineral water 4) seltzer 5) Mineral water etc. mineral water contains dissolved solids like calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium and bicarbonates. (a) In general the consumer surveys revealed that the taste of bottled water is fine compared to that of tap water. It is due to the fact that the disinfectant used for bottled water i.e. ozone doesn't leave any residue or smell. In case of tap water residue will be left by chlorine (disinfectant). As a result 54 % of the American population is found to be consuming bottled drinking water and the it is reported that the consumption of bottled water became tripled in the last decade in U.S.A. Bottled-water consumption has also increased around the world in the past 30 years. It is estimated to be worth $22 billion, the world bottled-water market represents an annual volume of 89 billion liters. It is reported that Western Europeans are the world's major bottled water consumers-85 liters per person annually (FN4). Concern over regulations of bottled drinking water: However there has been growing concern over safety regulations of bottled drinking water in the recent days. Hence here is a need to analyze the present level of regulations, its adequacy and relevance, organization controlling regulations and information provided to the customers relating to critical health contaminants and source of water supply. Let us discuss one by one. (1) What is the present level of regulation for bottled drinking water Presently the bottled drinking water is regulated by FDA (Food and Drug Administration). FDA regulates this product under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA or the Act) and several sections of Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Bottled water quality standards were initially adopted in 1973 and were based on the 1962 U.S. Public Health Service standards for drinking water. In 1974, the Safe Drinking Water Act gave the responsibility to the Environmental Protection Agency for ensuring the safety of municipal water systems, which includes setting maximum limits for chemical, bacteriological and radioactive contaminants and physical contaminants that affect odor, taste and color. In

Physical Geography Articles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Physical Geography Articles - Essay Example This article tries to define sand dune and ripples and the cause-effect relationship. The author argues that sand dunes are result of sand waves which piles up with a particular pattern over a large area mostly of desert. However, the article shows that bedforms that result to such land forms are not only caused by wind but any other fluid. It is therefore important to note that climate factor which in turn influences movement of wind and water is responsible for the various landforms that characterize Earth surface. The central idea of the article is that Dunes and ripples are considered bedforms. Increasing changes in global climate has significant effect on various land forms. The deserts are particularly in danger as temperatures plummets and humidity dwindles. The little vegetation that covers desert landforms is at the brink of complete elimination. In other words, deserts that already have scanty vegetation cover are likely to be transformed to bare land. This would lead to other features like sand dunes among others. Besides, the trend in the desert change is closely associated with rising water levels due to increasing global temperature that melts ice. This article therefor offers an insight into the complex consequences of climate change of various landforms. This article centers on the unforeseen benefits of global warming as the ice melts. The Glacial melt constitute shift of more iron deposits which are seen as facilitating growth of phytoplankton. These phytoplankton in turn help in absorbing excess carbon dioxide with marginal reduction in greenhouse effect. This fertilization observation is attributed to the silver lining that can be observed on glacial landscapes. The author of the article therefore offers an insight into the existing relationship between physical geography and climate

Iran Informative Speech Outline Essay Example for Free

Iran Informative Speech Outline Essay I.Iran is the center of the world of international news right now with its oil sanctions, threats from Israel, threats of shutting down the Straight of Hormuz but above all else, its expanses in nuclear power. a.Iran’s nuclear program and nuclear weapons have grown exponentially since 2003 threatening Middle-Eastern countries and America. Iran has had a nuclear program since the 1950’s when the U.S. helped launch it as part of the Atoms For Peace program. But since then, the program has grown with out regulation from the I. A.E.A. b.The fact that Iran’s unstable government has nuclear capabilities threatens not only neighboring countries like Israel but also the entire world and this situation needs to be handled as quickly as possible. c.In my speech, I will inform you on Iran’s nuclear program, why it is of the upmost importance, and what we as a nation should do in response. II.Because of Iran’s aggressive nuclear behaviors recently the U.N. has taken notice and has retaliated. a.Harsh economic sanctions were placed on the Iranian people recently. 1.The sanctions are an attempt by the US and European powers to hurt Iran’s economy so that they have no choice but to halt all nuclear developments. 2.Although the economic sanctions have hit hard and have â€Å"settled [the economy] into a slow, downward glide, hemorrhaging jobs and hard currency but appearing to be in no immediate danger of collapse, western diplomats and analysts say,† (Joby Warrick, 19 March, 2013), the sanctions haven’t triggered any protests or any slowing of nuclear development despite Iranian people’s suffering. b.Not only has the Iranian economy suffered but it is also on the verge of war with Israel. 1.They have been in what’s called a shadow war for 5 years where they exchanged terroristic type attacks. 2.Israel has blamed Iran for car and suicide bombings that targeted Israeli diplomats and killed Israeli tourists. Iran’s president has accused Israel and the U.S. of colluding to kill nuclear scientists. c.It’s clear that these issues will quickly escalate and have a negative outcome. III.If action isn’t taken soon, the U.S. will suffer. a.Iran and Israel’s war is inevitable. 1.â€Å"War with Iran seems to be turning away from a mere possibility and more towards inevitability†¦[and] Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta recently stated that he believes Israel will attack Iran,† (Joseph Sarkisian, March, 2012). 2.And because the U.S. has given Israel billions and has helped expand their military, if Israel attacks Iran in the near future, America has no choice but to attack as well. b.In response to the sanctions, the Iranian government has threatened to shut down the Strait of Hormuz. 1.The Strait of Hormuz is extremely important geographically because it is considered one of the world’s foremost chokepoints. In 2011, nearly 17 million barrels of oil, or almost 20% of the world’s traded oil flowed on ships through the Strait of Hormuz daily. 2.If the Strait of Hormuz closes, our oil supply from the Middle East will be cut off and the overall price of gas will increase to over $8 and will force the U.S. to spend billions of dollars on new drilling sites in North America. c.These looming threats of war and oil restrictions need to be dealt with.

The Crucible have lasting appeal Essay Example for Free

The Crucible have lasting appeal Essay The play The Crucible was written in 1953 by Arthur Miller. It was set in a 1692 in a small Quaker town called Salem, Massachusetts, North America. Arthur Millar based the play on the Salem witch trials, so elements of this piece of literature are based on historical fact. The play acts as an analogy for the communism which took place post World War II in the American Government System. Miller himself said of the setting The place devotes a lethal brew of illicit sexuality, fear of the supernatural and political manipulation. The Play explores human relationships in a deeply religious, insular society. It explores many common themes that we can identify with the 21st century, the predominant themes are the strict Quaker religious regime, jealousy, revenge, adultery, compulsive obsessive behaviour, the art of manipulation, power obsessed, love and hate, violence, racism and finally prejudice. These themes are timeless as we still have them in todays society. They are skilfully presented in the play in the use of stage craft techniques, where Miller creates tension and suspense throughout the thorax. In his analogy Miller compares communism in the American Senate to the witchcraft that took place. This play highlights the hypocrisy of the American government and it is a satire on the American legal system. The title of this play, The Crucible has a specific meaning because a crucible is used as a melting pot for metal alloys and in Millers play he draws parallels between the different social and cultural fusion in a 17th century community and the mixing of different metals to strengthen a structure. As the principle characters in the play enter into conflicts, struggle to understand one another and beguile with their lies and lack of fidelity, we could see the similarity between a red hot crucible as all tensions come to the surface. There is a link between the crucible and the witches cauldron and witchcraft is a significant theme in the play. The title also relates to the death of John Proctor at the end of the play and his betrayal of conscious, suggesting to us that he too needed purifying like the metals heated in the crucible to purify it. This immediately appeals to our inquisitive nature and we are naturally intrigued by superstitious acts. Miller communicates to us through the play how a group of girls manipulate a theocratic society into believing that friends, family or neighbours were practising the art of witchcraft. A character called Abigail and some friends were discovered dancing in the forest. In order to divert attention form themselves the girls seized the opportunity to make their own accusations of witchcraft leading to the death of several characters. Millers inspiration came from his personal experience in the McCarthy Era in which he was accused of being a communist. Miller uses the theme of jealousy and presents it through Abigail Williams as she is clearly very jealous of Elizabeth Proctor. She wants to get rid of her so that she can have John Proctor to herself. Abigail is obsessed with him and will do anything in her power to get him, even if it means that Goody Proctor is killed. When the girls were dancing in the forest, Abigail drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor, this shows how much she will try in order to kill her. The main theme of this play is witchcraft, this engages the audience and adds curiousity. Mr Putnam is curious why seven of his children dies at birth and if it may be linked to witchcraft. Abigail uses the art of manipulation to force the other girls into following her. She blackmails them into doing as she say by saying: Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you. She wants to be the leader and relishes the power that comes with it. She and the other girls create lies so that people in the town are accused of witchcraft so they will be arrested and hanged. It is as if the girls are deciding who will live and who will die. The people being accused of being witches are getting arrested for it; this is making the people lie in order to avoid death. If people confessed to witchcraft, even if they didnt practice it, their life would be spared. Corruption and discrimination is shown in the play and also the misuse of power and influence. Parris uses his power as the Reverend if Salem to his advantage. He is a widower with no interest in children, this means he doesnt really know or care about children and is a firm believer that children should be seen but not heard. The true nature of Parris is that he is more worried about himself not his daughter and this is shown when he says: Now look you, child, your punishment will come in its time. But if you trafficked with spirits in the forest I must know it now, for surely my enemies will, and they will ruin me with it He was paranoid and controlling, this was shown by the fact he felt insulted if someone rose to shut the door with out first asking for his permission. Also he thought that he was being persecuted wherever he went. As Reverend he was suppose to teach the word of God and make sure the rules of a Quaker town were kept, however, he spent the church money on gold statues and candlesticks instead of spending it on things that would be worthwhile. This makes him a hypocrite as he is telling the villagers to do one thing while he is doing the other. We also see racial discrimination against Tituba, I know not she spoke Barbados This is a theme that can still be seen in the world today and because she has a different appearance and she speaks differently then she is made a target for Abigails accusations. Abigail shows that she is racist throughout the play. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section.

Disadvantaged groups in education and emergencies

Disadvantaged groups in education and emergencies This chapter first identifies groups or clusters who would be particularly vulnerable educationally in an emergency. This does not catalogue all vulnerabilities in these groups, but tries to restrict it to existing disadvantage which may be exacerbated by emergency or new vulnerabilities created by disaster. It then looks at ‘educational sites’ which are also vulnerable in themselves, or which might contribute to vulnerability. It draws attention to the intersection of multiple vulnerabilities, but also signals the notion of emergency as an opportunity. The chapter also draws attention to hidden or forgotten emergencies. 3.1.1 Gender-related disadvantage It would be commonly agreed that girls as a broad category are at greater risk during an emergency, because of traditional gender disadvantage. ‘Normal’ patriarchal cultures are strengthened during emergencies, as people seek comfort in routine relations, roles and hierarchies. If girls are routinely left without access to education, this is unlikely to change. Afghanistan, for example, is traditionally seen as a site of educational difficulties for girls (although in Kabul they currently attend schools and projects freely). The links of gender disadvantage with poverty and economic vulnerability are well documented (Mujahid-Mukhtar, 2008). Cultural barriers often cited are limited roles for girls and women, differential treatment of girls in nutrition and health, men viewed as breadwinners, a male dominated education system, gender-differentiated child-rearing practices, low status of women, lack of knowledge of the social and personal benefits of education, gender ster eotyping and threat of sexual violence (UNICEF, 2007). Specific areas related to emergency in many or all countries which have been highlighted in this study would be: Early marriage (girls are pushed into marriage because of fragile and insecure situations, increased poverty, death of bread-winning relatives, and therefore they leave school). After war, there are fewer men, so girls are pushed into polygamous marriages (as in Afghanistan), but conversely, therefore, men are forced to accept more than one wife. Older people have not adapted their norms to accept single unattached women, as in other post-conflict locations Child labour (sons recruited in conflict, the need to work, displacement causing vulnerability to be incorporated into trafficking and sex trade). Domestic labour, normally girls, is often not viewed as ‘child labour’ although this can prevent school attendance. Boys are more likely to receive kits and educational materials because of ‘normal’ male preference in and out of schools (interview data, Nepal). Protectionism/lack of independence. In the context of the tsunami, in the Maldives secondary schools do not exist on every island, and parents may be reluctant to send their daughters to neighboring islands for fear of pregnancy and also fear of sexual abuse Abuse. Sexual abuse, rape, gang rape and physical abuse all get worse in the camps and in situations of emergency with the breakdown of law and order and lack of supervision. Men experiencing loss of status are more likely to engage in domestic violence. Trafficking for prostitution increases, particularly post-emergency when police or security force protection is withdrawn (interview data, Nepal). During conflict, boys may be recruited or taken for enforced labour. Kidnapping and abduction are a threat as well as trafficking. Religious taboos and misinformation. Oxfam reported that in some cases in the tsunami the heavy and voluminous clothing worn by Muslim women and the cultural barriers that prevent girls from learning to swim contributed to the death by drowning of many women and girls. The same clothing also restricted some women from running to high places or from climbing trees. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many men survived by doing just this. There are reports from many of the tsunami-affected countries of Muslim women who perished because they were too afraid to leave their home with their head uncovered. Conversely, in some cases the waves were so strong that women were stripped of their clothing and there are reports of naked women refusing to climb into rescue boats manned by males from their villages (Pittaway et al., 2007). Marginalization of females during humanitarian and reconstruction efforts after the tsunami, with lack of consultation about needs and with response efforts almost exclusively headed by male staff. Refuges and camps often showed little regard for women’s health, safety and privacy. However, gender-related disadvantage does not always mean girls come off worst: in conflict, boys may be more likely to be recruited as child soldiers, and hence lose schooling; in economic difficulties caused by disaster, they may be taken out of school because they have greater earning power. Conversely, there is evidence from Nepal that females joining insurgent groups (e.g. Maoists) may experience higher status there and participation in decision making, and that in this sense, conflict has increased rather than decreased female status. Much depends on their role, whether combatants, supporters or dependents (Plan, 2008a). While an ex-combatant woman may enjoy a more equal status within a relationship or marriage with another ex-combatant, when an unmarried woman otherwise wants to return to her family or community she is a seen as ‘spoiled’, as she would not have been protected in the same way as non-combatants growing up in traditional or conservative cultures. 3.1.2 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees While these groups which can be caused by an emergency are clearly vulnerable generally, there is sometimes a difference relative to other groupings in that they are identifiable, and that they receive help. In some countries, those formally identified as IDPs may be the more fortunate ones, as they can claim assistance, including educational support. They are visible in the camps, whereas the ‘lone IDPs’ who are fleeing a personal emergency, or who do not have the political knowledge to claim official IDP status, can suffer problems of discrimination or exclusion in a new community. IDPs may not want to, or be unable to, return to their own communities, and have resettled: at what point do they cease to be IDPs, especially in normally nomadic societies where there is much seasonal migration for work? Specific issues relating to education and emergency are: Internal displacement exposes children to forced military recruitment; they may become direct targets in the conflict or be subject to unequal or biased educational service provision (Sri Lanka). Refugees suddenly become a minority, with loss of status and position; there is lack of choice, including educational choice. Afghan refugees in Pakistan complain that they are given very little choice about where to live – the camps nearer Afghanistan cannot guarantee security, and food or shelter cannot be guaranteed in Peshawar. There are the well-documented issues of language and curriculum of their new schools, as well as problems of ‘return’. Afghan refugees in Pakistan for example are now being sent back, causing a highly uncertain situation for them with all this movement. There is pressure on remaining schools after an emergency to accept more children, which means larger classes, therefore a decrease in quality and in drop-out for all children. ‘Hosting’ refugees amounts to an education emergency in affected communities, with jealousies and feelings that incomers drain resources or hold ‘our’ children back. Refugees may have services that the surrounding communities lack. Children and families may move several times before settling in one place where they could stay more than six months. If they go to school, children drop out continuously when they cannot keep up or catch up. Older children may be forced to learn with younger children, to match their perceived learning levels, which cause distress and a lack of self-esteem. Security in the camps is a problem (see above), as is health, for example with cholera in Pakistan. Relocated communities in the tsunami can suffer: in Sri Lanka, various buffer zones in the coastal areas were established to impose limits on where people could live after the tsunami, but some were far from the sea, and parents tend not to send children to school in these circumstances, as this could show acceptance of the unsatisfactory situation. Refugee and IDP children may be more subject to abuse and trafficking; children living with ‘host’ families are more likely to be abused. There can be drug and alcohol problems of parents (and children) in IDP camps. 3.1.3 Minority groups/caste/ethnicity In all countries there are pre-existing patterns of social stratification based on ethnicity, caste, tribe or clan. These are highly linked to social class and socio-economic status. Emergencies will tend to mean that low status groups are further disadvantaged or discriminated against, as power to attract resources is not evenly distributed. Conflict may be between different ethnic groups, or with a majority group and there is rarely a win–win resolution of the conflict; even if the conflict is not directly related to ethnic or other status, as in natural disasters, the lack of capacity to claim rights and resources post-conflict means more polarization. Areas under conflict may find it more difficult to respond to natural disasters, as has been reported for reconstruction after the tsunami in LTTE-controlled areas of Sri Lanka. Recommendations for action suggest projects focusing on a specific group, e.g. safe play areas for children from a specific ethnic group, or educatio n facilities for a specific religious group (Save the Children, 2008a), although there is a danger of focusing, say, on one caste which may cause attitudes to that group to harden. 3.1.4 Economically disadvantaged Poverty on its own is not always a predictor of vulnerability, and clearly combines with other axes of disadvantage. Emergencies will highlight these. While homelessness in disasters can affect families in every economic stratum, their social capital becomes crucial, as does the network of relatives and friends who can provide support. The poor are likely to have poorer quality housing, in poorer or lower lying land (or conversely in steep hills) which does not withstand floods, cyclones or earthquake; therefore they can be displaced or live in the open not near to a school. Animals too are not protected, and subject to loss. Food shortages are made worse by emergency, and may mean migration to urban areas to find work. Rural children are more likely to be out of school, particularly when poor; natural disasters may mean that distances to the nearest school become even greater. The rapid recent increase in food prices in Bangladesh and elsewhere has had an impact on school attendance, both because children have become hungry and less attentive and because parents have been less able to meet educational expenses. Parents have also been forced to cut back on the use of kerosene for night lighting thereby reducing the evening study period for students (Raihan, 2008). 3.1.5 The invisible Children without a formal identity (estimated to be 50 million globally) are never registered and there-fore deprived of access to education. In emergencies, they have no claim to resources or proof of age when relocating. It is more difficult to resist recruitment into insurgent or security forces. Children of different ethnic groups may be deprived of nationality and identity. Street children may come under the category of invisible, as they are harder to track and monitor, and also may not be in formal school. However, there is a debate as to whether they are particularly vulnerable during emergencies, as they are used to surviving, and have personal and social resources which the newly homeless do not have. The out-of-school by definition tends to be more invisible. They are more vulnerable during emergencies, since, as in Sri Lanka, most of the educational and emergency provisions utilize schools, and the out-of-school tends to be invisible among service providers. The turning away of children in Afghanistan from orphanages, schools or projects can precipitate them being involved in the sex trade, as dancers or working with truck drivers. 3.1.6 Differently affected This is a broad category of children who are differentially affected by emergency, or who have pre-existing conditions which may be exacerbated by emergency: Those with disabilities. Those with physical and mental disabilities are less likely to survive a disaster. Special facilities or education are not always prioritized during emergencies. Schools that refuse to take children with disabilities in ‘normal’ times are even less likely to accept them after an emergency. Children may have been injured by landmines, and all need landmine education. Traumatized children. Children experiencing conflict and witnessing the violent death of relatives and friends suffer a range of traumatic conditions. Children were scared of going back to schools after the tsunami, and even after four years were reported to be ‘very jumpy’ and emotionally unstable at school. Orphans, especially where there is lack of social welfare support. Absence of orphanages may be a problem, or conversely orphanages may be a site for abuse or trafficking of children. Agencies such as UNICEF and World Education may be against the institutionalization of children, including orphans, and there can be lack of integration mechanisms and support. Child-headed households. The child can be of either sex, but additional responsibilities (economic and caring) mean such children are unlikely to go to school. Child soldiers and ex-combatants. Such children have not just lost schooling, but may be traumatized as well as stigmatized on their return. They may be placed in classes inappropriate to their age. Drug users (living in badly bombed buildings in Kabul, for example). In the Maldives, there is strong social stigma against drugs and children will be expelled from school if caught with them. There are few rehabilitation centers or organizations to help them. School failures. Those who were failures before an emergency often use the crisis as an excuse to drop out of school. War children or ‘lost generation’ need to ‘catch up’ within rigid school systems which make this impossible. They may be jealous of the younger generation whose education was not disrupted, and fear the future. Children in conflict zones. There may be security checkpoints preventing access to school (also for their teachers) and/or danger of mines. Children of prisoners (criminal or political). These may suffer low esteem as well as economic hardship. Children in detention centers and prisons themselves. UNESCO runs a de-institutionalization project in Afghanistan, which also includes children in and from orphanages. Children of sex workers. Children of the HIV affected and from homes where there are diseases such as leprosy. 3.2 Educational sites and personnel Schools were destroyed. Schools (and colleges) can collapse in an earthquake and a hurricane in the worst case with students and teachers are still in them. In most of Nepal, a non- architectural and designing phase the presented seismic safety measures. National Society for Earthquake Technology (NSET) with a modification or restructuring of the school program, but can reach only a few. But in the actual school vulnerability of particular importance is the contract and the corruption of the materials used to make it easier to make the collapse of natural disasters to the schools. Do not let this corruption in Pakistan and China, is going on the list, and this sustained after a disaster or even. In Bangladesh, which has been identified (interview), build back on the poor instead of build back better. In China, the authorities have also asked the parents did not cause to complain about the building to ensure the death or injury of their children and financial incentives for them. Poor building standards of experience, but also on their return folded the school itself forms to create an emergency (Harber 2005) anxiety in the child and parents. Schools as a refuge or a takeover of the internally displaced, disrupting education. Built schools or on the ground that the social distance is an issue, renovated. If the site is in this sense are people died as a cemetery, still popular. As one respondent said: The school is a graveyard it. Children do not go to school for fear of appearing recruited into armed groups, or to go on the road. In the Maldives, an island, when the school was destroyed, and it was reported that sometimes reluctant to take on children in other islands of the school, while others welcome. Child labor and domestic workers in their own home or in someones home is difficult to adapt to the standard items or in school. Older children can be destructive, is considered cute employees. Temporary schools (even permanent) can move the missing girls and teachers sanitation special. To form an important topic in the vulnerability of certain groups, the maintenance management systems and school officials. These are usually male-dominated groups, at least moderately high caste and socio economic status. You are likely to be, during and after CIES EMERGEN the same group, it may be necessary to change the mindset so that they meet for the child or to seek an appropriate school concept. Now the question is, what incentives could make them to change this mindset. How can teacher’s high caste be persuaded to teach low caste children and interact? How can the person who convinced for the school management committee has been grant equitable distribution? One study examined community-based education system in Nepal, that the use of community based school improvement plan to bring elite processes, the process of creating incentives and equity. Strategy of education untouchables girls the opportunity to the majority of the population are less willing to tolerate a d irect attack, but would under the heading (Gardner and Subrahmanian, 2005) to agree. 3.3 Multiple vulnerabilities Although it is possible to a certain group or website, as can be seen above, two important questions are immediately clear: First, within and between the clusters they intersect in various ways, secondly , therefore it is difficult to around the disadvantaged or even draw the most vulnerable limit. It is commented on how to report in India, even if it is taken out of the equation of sex , the majority of the population is at risk. Caste is said to individual well over 50 % of the population affected , although there are exceptions, generally poor Dalits , disenfranchised , less educated , more abused . The vast majority of the population to be at risk if they are fragile along a parameter, they are more likely to have multiple vulnerabilities . Everyone has a different vulnerability so-called beam (Fluke, 2007), from a political, economic, social and ideological complex interactions. Practice of: The third complex is the time when they begin and end with emergencies (if they do), for those in danger? Vulnerable orphans temporarily take care of a family, but later at a loss and abandonment and exploitation of resources. Vulnerability often associated with children (Zelizer, 1994), perceived social value to work in practice or emergency emotionally as the context victim. This can dramatically change the changing social and economic priorities. Schools can a neutral body to maintain and improve the childs value when their environment is sensitive.

Personal Narrative- The Wrong Crowd of Friends :: Personal Narrative Essays

Personal Narrative- The Wrong Crowd of Friends It was a cold October afternoon in 1996, and I raced down the stairs and out the front door, in an attempt to avoid my mother's questions of where I was going, with whom, and when I'd be back. I saw my friend Kolin pull up in his rusted, broken-down gray van, and the side door opened as Mark jumped out and motioned for me to come. I was just about to get in when my mother called from the front doorway. She wanted to talk to me, but I didn't want to talk to her, so I hopped in pretending I hadn't heard her and told Kolin to drive off. When we were out of my neighborhood I asked where we were going and Kolin said we were going to Dre's apartment first; afterwards we would take the Metro down to Northwest because he had to meet up with some people for a drug deal. Mark began to roll a joint and he said, "Look, I scored some KB off this idiot high-school kid who thought it was swag. It's my treat ladies." We rolled up to Dre's apartment, drank a little and hot-boxed the van. As we sat there smoking, Kolin, Mark, and Dre began to talk about the recent events. "That party last Friday was fucking stupid. I can't believe they gave you shit at the door," said Kolin. "Yeah it was almost a messy situation, but they backed off," replied Mark. "Who cares man, I got sixty-five for the stereo in that house. And the way I see it, it was all fair," remarked Dre. At this they all burst out laughing and even I joined in for a chuckle. The "KB" was in effect, and our spirits were raised, not to mention our "senses of humor." I leaned back and sat there smiling as they continued to reminisce about their other excursions. I loved to hear about it all, and it was fun learning about drugs and theft, and other things you could put into practice without "really" hurting anyone. I was unknowingly getting an education in "street smarts," and how to "rip people off." I enjoyed learning about it because it all seemed so fun and easy, and only the benefits, such as money, seemed tangible to me, not the consequences of my actions.

Chivalry :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Micro theme Topic: Courtly songs off differing views of Chivalry, especially of Chivalric love. Contrast as specifically as possible, the views on chivalry in one of these pairs: #’s 2 & 4, #’s 6 & 7.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Courtly songs, both 2 and 4, contain specific views on chivalric love though their views differ greatly. From reading both songs it is obvious that song # 2 centers chivalric love around the adored (female) and song # 4 centers chivalric love on the lover (male).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From song 2 it is clear that to the author, Bernart, love is paralleled to many things. Love equals: self-honor, fear-rejection, and secretiveness. In the song, the view of chivalric honor is based on how the lover is affected by the loved and how this shapes him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Within the first stanza love is shown equaling joy and self-honor. â€Å"I have joy in it (love), and joy in the flower, and joy in myself, and in my lady most of all† (lines: 5 & 6). The ballad is showing the happiness that love brings and how that it has a strong effect on the smitten.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the third stanza the quote, â€Å"†¦I can hardly keep myself from running to her; and I would do it, if I weren’t so afraid† (lines: 22 & 23), refers to love causing fear-rejection. The author feels so strongly about his love that it would wound him to know that his love is not accepted or returned.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the last stanza the song shows how chivalric love can be very secretive. â€Å"Sweet lady, if only you would deign to love me, no one will ever catch me when I lie† (lines: 55 & 56). Sometimes chivalric love must be covered up and kept unknown to anyone. The reasons why can be assumed to be the same as for any young love today that must be concealed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Song four gets into a completely different view of chivalric love than song 2. It seems as if the author, Peire Vidal, centers chivalric love on the lover. The whole song points out the aspects of the male and what makes him a chivalric lover. Basically, in song four, to be a chivalric lover you must be fearless and good in bed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"For warrior’s nerve I am worth Roland and Oliver† (line13). This quote is one of many within the song that point out that chivalric love is deemed from honor.

William Randolph Hearst and the Spanish American War Essay -- William

William Randolph Hearst and the Spanish American War How far is a person willing to go to be the best? Will he sacrifice friends, family, even the lives of his countrymen? What makes someone that devoted to competition that they are willing to destroy everything that they’ve ever known, and quite possibly start a war in the process all to see that they’ve outsold there competition? These are the questions one must ask once you learn of the life’s story of William Randolph Hearst. From his news empire that included over 2 dozen major newspapers in 15 cities (Swanberg) to his more then slightly warped sense of moral propriety, Hearst’s life led him into the position where he escalated an international dispute into a war with one of Europe’s colonial powers. William Randolph Hearst was born on April 29, 1863, in San Francisco, California, to George Hearst and Phoebe Apperson Hearst. George Hearst was a self-made multimillionaire miner and rancher who spent much of his young life in Franklin County, Missouri in the 1820’s. Growing up he received very little in the way of formal education but he did learn a lot about the so-called "lay of the land," particularly in regards to mining. In fact, legend has it that local Indians referred to him as the "boy that the earth talk to." (Loe) The Senior Hearst quickly made himself wealthy through his investment in mining operations in the United States. Doing all of the research into these sites himself he owned some of the largest claims in the nation, â€Å"including the Comstock Lode in Nevada, the Ontario silver mine in Utah, the Homestake gold mine in South Dakota and the Anaconda copper mine in Montana† (Loe). The Comstock, Homestake and Anaconda claims would become three of the largest mining discoveries in American history. (Swanberg) This sudden success story was an inspiration to his son and his overbearing mother constantly told William of his father’s great successes. It was Williams Mother who became the fiery driving force in the young man’s life, constantly pressuring him to succeed and be better then all others. While George Hearst was running about the American West securing mine space, land grants, and buying hundreds of acres of grazing lands for what would be his second empire, cattle, Phoebe was prepping her son for a life of wealth and privilege. In 1873 she organized a European tour to educate... ...at Hearst and the other yellow journalists started the war, it is fair to say that the press turned what had been overlooked since Grant into a major international affair. Without sensational headlines and stories about Cuban affairs, the mood for Cuban intervention may have been very different. In the end the escalation of the crisis was a simple drive to be the best, to beat everyone else and to prove to the world (and his mother) that William Randolph Hearst was a success in his own right. Works Cited Dyal, Donald H.. Historical Dictionary of the Spanish American War. Greenwood Press: Westport, CT, 1996. Gould, Lewis L. The Presidency of William McKinley. University Press of Kansas, 1980. Loe, Nancy E. Hearst Castle. Hearst Castle Historical Society. 03 Dec. 2004 . O'Toole, G.J.A., The Spanish War: An American Epic-1898. W.W. Norton & Company: New York, 1984. Miller, Daniel A."Crucible of Empire." PBS, New York. Video Archive. 02 Dec 2004 . Milton, Joyce. The Yellow Kids: Foreign Correspondents in the Heyday of Yellow Journalism. Harper-Perrenial: New York, 1989. Nasaw, David . The Chief: The Life of William Randolph Hearst . New York: Mariner Books , 2001.

Iran’s Influence in Iraq

ABSTRACT In the period after 2003, Iran was extensively involved in Iraq by demonstrating its leading role in the international context. However, Iraq has been confronted with substantial instability as a result of Iran’s invasion, even though scholars have presented mixed arguments about this issue. This paper discusses the role that Iran has played after 2003, which has affected both the dimensions of stability and instability. The primary objective of Iran after 2003 was to observe a positive economic change in Iraq and also to ensure that the Western troops were taken off. Different factors affected Iraq’s stability, including inherent sectarian divisions and the role of other states. There were two types of influence on Iran and they are: first and foremost was that the projects politically influenced leveraging close historical relationships with several Shi’a organizations in Iraq like the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI), the Badr organization, and the Dawah political party. A second factor was that Iran had used the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Qods Force (QF) to provide paramilitary training, weapons, and equipment to various Iraqi militant groups, including Moqtada al-Sadr’s Jaysh al-Mahdi (JAM) and the Special Group Criminals (SGCs). Iran also had an influence on the legal and constructive functions of Iraq. Although it was seen that Iran’s policy in Iraq is also duplicitous, it publicly called for stability but diverted Iraq’s government and illegally sponsored anti-government militias. INTRODUCTION Although the factors and consequences surrounding Iran and Iraq war have been extensively discussed in the research literature, the post-war implications have been hardly understood. The United States has been accusing Tehran of its undue interference, which was done by Arab leaders for establishing an Islamic Republic[1], and by prominent Iraqi officials of an array of illegitimate meddling. It has been observed that Iran’s influence in Iraq has created a quite complex situation for the entire region. Iran had vital interests in Iraq, which can be perceived as strategic important for establishing power relations in the region. In order to maximise the success of Iraq from its political transition, it is very important that Tehran and Baghdad work together. In addition, it is fundamental for all involved parties to prevent the US from further deterioration of its relations with the Islamic Republic.[2] Therefore, the objective of the present research is to explore Iran’ s role and influence in Iraq in both political and military aspects. The essay is divided into introduction followed by theoretical remarks regarding the Iraqi insurgency, and the political stability. In reviewing the literature on the conflict between Iran and Iraq, it becomes clear that Iran has played a role in bringing about instability in Iraq since 2003, which has been further divided into different sections. The first and the foremost division occurred between those academics who cite Iranian influence to be the most significant destabilising factor in post-2003 Iraq, and others who hold the opinion that Iran’s influence is considered either positive or insignificant. As per Barzegar[3], the first approach is that Iran’s influence in Iraq is both strong and negative. At the same time, it has been indicated that Iran had a negative foreign policy. The nature of Iran’s relations had changed with various militant groups in Iraq and after the fall of Saddam’s regime in 2003. Moreover, Iran had deployed thousands of intelligence and paramilitary people to Iraq, as Iran had conflicting and negative goals in Iraq. The primary goal of Iran was to expand its influence at both national and local levels in Iraq. Thus, it was seen that it had made links with the local actors, even when they opposed Iran’s preferred clients at the national level. It may be also argued that Iran follows a policy of favouritism. In the beginning after the invasion, Iran has tried to combat US power. The US had a strong position in Iraq, which could have a negative impact on the security of Iran. With the worsening situation in Iraq, and with the regime change that the US tried to impose in Iraq, the United States became less of a driver of Iranian actions, although it was always an important factor in the Iranian leadership’s calculations. Soon after 9/11 Iran also had changed some of its policy as there were significant changes in the US policy. Initially Iran had cooperated with the US with regards to al-Qaida and to some degree in Afghanistan’s issues. However, later on Iran believed that the United States rebuffed its gestures. In addition to this Iran also had exploited the situation that followed the US regime and change in Iraq so as to expand its influence there.[4] As of today, Iran has its closest ties with the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI), formerly the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). This relationship basically was on the exceptionally close and subservient days when SCIRI’s role was that of an Iranian proxy to be wielded against Saddam’s regime during the bitter 1980-8 Iran-Iraq war. Indeed, Iran even organised part of SCIRI into the Badr Corps to fight against Iraqi forces on Iran’s behalf. Today, as the International Crisis Group notes, â€Å"although the extent of ISCI’s continued involvement with it is a matter of debate, there is no question that Tehran exerts significant influence over the Party and that ISCI’s ties to Iran’s security establishment remain strong†.[5] Therefore, ISCI has been recognised as having the strongest ties to Iran. It has also been shown as quite cooperative with the United States.[6] For instance, ISCI had members, which were a part of Iraq’s intelligence and police forces. These members are now working with the United States in its capacity as part of the Iraqi government; they have also gone after ISCI rivals like Muqtada as-Sadr’s Jaysh al-Mahdi (JAM). In spite of ISCI being Iran’s closest ally in Iraq, Tehran has had many other relationships, which were maintained at any cost including weakening ISCI, such as Iran’s ties to JAM have grown to the extent of even hosting its leader Muqtada al-Sadr. This happened despite his repeated criticisms of Tehran and violent rivalry with ISCI. Thus, all these efforts were done to accomplish the initially set goals, including the major idea of maintaining a solid local influence.[7] IRAN-IRAQ WAR (1980-1988) It is important to clarify the circumstances leading to the 1980-1988 Iraq-Iran war in order to understand Iran’s and Iraq’s complicated relations. In 1979, after the rule of the Shah of Iran was overthrown in 1979, under the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini, an Islamic Republic of Iran was established. Soon after assuming power, Ayatollah Khomeini not only exported the Islamic revolution to other countries in the Middle East but also to Iraq.[8] Because of all this Saddam Hussein in 1980 decided to initiate a war; thus, for the next two years there was a persistent war between Iran and Iraq, resulting in Iraq being expelled from Iran. [9] Although at this juncture Iran could have been declared victorious, Khomeini fought across the Shatt al-Arab waterway in Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein and forced his resolution in there. Khomeini had thought that Shiites would support him in his invasion but they were least interested to do it. Throughout the Arab countries it was assumed that it would take time for Iran to overthrow Saddam Hussein before the vulnerable monarchies of the Gulf fell, including the prised Saudi Arabia and its oil. Till now America was just waiting and watching all the drama (war), but at this juncture it decided to get into the war itself and tilt towards Iraq.[10] During the reign of Saddam Hussein, Iran launched a number of Shiite groups who violently opposed the Iraqi Baathist regime and this particularly took place before the Iran-Iraq war had started. The Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution (SCIR) in Iraq was led by Ayatollah Muhammad Bakr al-Hakim and his militia, the Badr Brigade, also joined forces with Iran in the Iran-Iraq war and very actively participated in the war by supporting the Iranian side. [11] After responding to the President George H. W. Bush’s ill-fated call for a Shiite uprising, which happened in 1991, SCIRI temporarily occupied the Iraqi port of Basra. Soon after the reprisals, SCIRI continued to be with the Shiite group and opposed Saddam Hussein. They were competing with different groups, such as Ahmed Chalabi’s Iraqi National Congress. After the US invasion and also after the establishment of the interim Iraqi government, SCIRI established itself as one of the most important and main political parties, which represented southern Shia (the other being Dawa). [12] Bakr al-Hakim, who was an Iraqi religious leader, was killed in the US led Iraq war. Abdul-Aziz Al-Hakim was the SCIRI’s political leader and was very famous in Iraq as a politician.[13] Moreover, SCIRI and Dawa had supported Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim when he was in Iran and was exiled; they also gave their support to the Iranian regime and advocated an Iraqi Islamic theocracy. After returning back to Iraq, they withdrew their support from Dawa and another government party, which was led by the velayat-e faqih. As a result, they started propagating the meaningful role of religion in governance.[14] IRAN’S STRATEGY TO INFLUENCE IRAQ Soon after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003, Iran tried to influence Iraq by adopting the strategy that Iran and Iraq are neighbours with a long history of dealing with one another. In addition, they both have same historic, religious, economic, and cultural factors of influence. Moreover, the eight-year long war was a result of their troubled relationship, in which Iran tried to position itself to influence the formation of a new government in Iraq. This took place through the use of all elements of national power: diplomatic means, information technology, military, and economic resources. Iran has tried to achieve its goals in Iraq by adopting different strategies. For instance, Iran openly supported pro-Iranian factions and armed militias; it also tried to influence Iraqi political leaders by building strong economic ties in Iraq, which were considered a manifestation of goodwill towards Iran.[15] According to Joseph Felter and Brian Fishman,[16] Iran has persistently tried to affect the political landscape of Iraq. It has been argued that Iran has a well-developed plan so as to exert influence in Iraq in order to minimise or avoid the American power projection in the Middle East. Two significant modes of Iranian influence have been identified in Iraq. The first mode was associated with the idea to influence Iraqi politics through the assistance of various Shiite organisations, such as the Supreme Council of Iraq, the Badr organisation, and the Dawa political party. The second method suggested support of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Qods Force (QF) to obtain arms and ammunition as well as paramilitary training to various Iraqi militant groups to include Moqtada al Sadr’s Jaysh al Mahdi (JAM) and the Special Group Criminals (SGCs). Iran’s influence on Iraq has been identified as economic and religious. Iran’s ambitions for influence have spread to different diplomatic, military, and economic sectors of Iraq. Iran wanted to influence Iraq not only politically but through the involvement of mass media by creating a specific image in minds of Iraqi people so as to get help for its strategy. In economic terms, Iran has helped Iraq to build its trade and expand it accordingly.[17] IRANIAN MILITARY INFLUENCE IN IRAQ Because of the influence over the military, it had made many insurgent groups to operate in Iraq and some of them were directly opposing the US military in Iraq. With such influence in Iraq, Iran could possibly retaliate against the United States. In turn, this prompted the United States to convince the United Nations to impose economic sanctions on Iran because of its nuclear program. Iran also executed return attacks on the US forces using proxy militia groups in Iraq in case the US decided to take direct military action.[18] Since 2003, Iran had pursued extensive collaboration with Iraqi political allies, such as the United States, in order to participate in the nascent democratic political process. It has also armed, trained, and funded Shiite militias with the idea to defeat the United States, which would prevent further intervention of the US army in that particular area.[19] As Katzman mentions,[20] in the period from 2005 to 2008, Iran had increased support for Iraqi Shiite militias and took over both the material aid like physical arming of militia groups and the contribution of troops, as well as training or harbouring of insurgents. The Quds forces were supplying material to Iran, and they were charged for territorial actions, although reports have said that the military training in the Iraqi Shi’a militia was done by the Lebanese group Hezbollah.[21] The major terrorist activity was completed by Iran and Quds Force. This was confirmed in 2010 by the US State Department[22], but it appears that not only this Iranian government was involved between the IRGC and the Special Groups inside Iraq.[23] It has been noted that the Iraqi military group linked most strongly to Iran, is probably the Badr Corps, the armed wing of the ISCI, which, even prior to 2003, was described as â€Å"Iran’s most important action arm inside Iraq†.[24] Bergner (2007) stated that Iraqi Shiite groups were not in the situation to bring about such massive and destructive attacks, without weapons and training from Iran, implying that Tehran has carefully planned its actions. Again it was argued that links between military groups in Iraq were made in Iran, and this further fuelled instability. However, the question whether other agents or groups were involved in creating such an unstable situation remains open.[25] IRANIAN POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT IN IRAQ By 2011, it has been observed that Nouri al-Maliki, Prime Minister of Iraq, was openly against the Vice President Hashemi. In addition, there was persistent agitation between Erbil and Baghdad, which made the members of Iraqiyya and the Kurds to actually consider prime minister’s ouster seriously, which occurred in the 2012 spring. At this point Maliki’s opponents took the help of Sadrist because it was necessary at that point of time to obtain 163 votes, which were required to pass a non- confidence motion. Sadr was not willing to break with the other Shiite blocs and side with Maliki’s Kurdish and Sunni opponents in a non- confidence motion, in spite of having meetings between top Kurdish, Iraqiyya, and Sadrist officials (including Sadr himself) in Erbil and Najaf.[26] President Jalal Talabani was also under high pressure from the Iranian government to help and support Maliki, but he directly opposed the initiation of a non-confidence vote in the parliament, sa ying that there is no proper support for this action.[27] However, by June 2012, it has been evident that the non- confidence vote had faltered. It was in late 2012 reported that the President Talabani had changed his position on a non- confidence motion because of growing tensions among Arabs and Kurds.[28] By the end of 2012, Talabani suffered a stroke there by ending any chance of renewing push to remove Maliki through a non-confidence measure. De-Ba‘athification served the Iranian ambition more than the Iraqi one. The extensive period of Saddam Hussein’s Ba‘athist rule had left a deep societal mistrust and sectarian divisions. This institution, de-Ba‘athification, was created after Saddam’s downfall in 2003, but it was very quickly politicised, which also applied a ban on the former members of the Ba‘ath party. Again it was noted that there were links between the Iranian-backed militant groups and the head of the Shi‘a-dominated commis sion and his deputies, Ahmed Chalabi and Ali al- Lami.[29] Iran has been involved in Iraqi politics since 2003. Yet, Iranian efforts to exert influence over politics in Iraq have been evident since 1980s. However, the main point which is debated is whether Iran is committed to exerting long-term control over such a government, and whether the Iranian government would be comfortable in allowing a Shiite Iraqi government to become militarily and political powerful. It has also been claimed that the Iranian government had exerted persistent political pressure over the US to force the Americans to withdraw their troops in 2008 as per US-Iraq Security Agreement.[30] It has also been observed that Iran normally exerts pressure on the political sphere in Iraq through Iraq’s Shiite political parties by using its religious prowess to garner favour in the Shiite community. It appears that many of the political links were falsified after the Iran-Iraq war. This resulted in a huge number of Iraqi political figures being exiled in Iran and returning in the aftermath of the 2003 invasion to influence the politics in their home country. Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, had to spend a substantial amount of time in Iran, although most of his exile was spent in Syria, but this was during the rule of Saddam Hussein.[31] Similarly, it has been also noted that the Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr had strong links with the Iranian religious government and political establishment, although the Sadrist movement was basically anti-Iranian.[32] There were lots of other people, who felt that Iran had a negative impact on the instability of Iraq. According to Alsis et al.,[33] after the war the elections backed all major Shiite parties, so that if any of the party wins elections can be beholden to Tehran. Again this was the strategy of Iran to get support, which had led to Shiite divisions, and thus the cause of conflict and instability in many case s. Such political instability was the major cause of the development of various divisions in Iraqi society. The eruption of these division fuelled pressure not only in Iraq but in the entire region. During the 2010 elections, many incidents of violence were reported. This raised the question about the politically unstable country considering the presence of weak coalitions and holding of elections. This has provided Iran with an opportunity to demonstrate its support for Shiites, as this could be conducive to social stability, or such a condition may simply serve to whitewash and thus diminish the reality of the ground situation. The Brookings Institute Iraq Index (2006)[34] had charted a peak in multiple fatality bombings in January 2005, during the elections, and again during other months of the same year. All this has been seen very common in Iraq and somehow very much seen during Ramadan and elections, or in other words, it was considered quite normal during religious and political events. For example, Cordesman cites that â€Å"the number of attacks peaked to some 700 per week in October 2005, before the October 15th referendum on the constitution, compared to 430 per week in mid- January†.[35] In relation to these events, many political groups and parties, who are said to have links to political establishments of Iran and also independent elements within Iran, have argued that most of these groups have strong influence and links to the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI). It has been observed in recent years that the Mahdi Army, which is led by Moqtada al-Sadr, has become very powerful and influential due to reported links with Iran of Sadr.[36] ECONOMIC INFLUENCE Since the US invasion, trade between Iran and Iraq has steadily increased and Iran is now Iraq‘s biggest trading partner[37], and the trade consists of building materials, chemicals, consumer goods, and foodstuffs, much of it via the border at Mehran and Mundhirriya/QasrShirin. In addition to this, Iran has negotiated electricity deals with Iraq that were implemented after the CPA era.[38] According to the Iranian ambassador to Iraq, Iran supplies 750 megawatts of electricity to Iraq daily. Moreover, two Iranian banks have received an approval to open their branches in Iraq.[39] Nonetheless, Iran’s investments in real estate and businesses in Basra, Karbala, and Najaf have been seen as exploitative rather than a form of gratitude from Iraqis.[40] To add to this Iran-Iraq economic ties are strong, and this has been encouraged to some extent by the impact of international sanctions on Iran and in other markets. It was demonstrated by Iran‘s ambassador in August 2010 that Iran would double its trade volume with Iraq.[41] Iranian officials have also indicated that they welcome a strong economic integration between the two countries, â€Å"Our message to Iraqi brothers in my visit is that Iran is fully ready to expand ties with Baghdad. We announced that Tehran is prepared to put its scientific, technical, engineering, economic and commercial potentials at the disposal of Iraq†.[42] In 2005, there were reports that to get a job in Basra, this requires the sponsorship of Iran, as teaching posts were filled only by those who were supporting Iran[43]. As a result, most traders in southern parts of Iran speak Farsi and many accept Iranian currency. Iranian exports include electricity, refined oil products, and cars. It al so helps to fund reconstruction. Iraqis have also started receiving medical care from Iran. Thus, Iran has presented a strong economic influence on Iraq. IRAN’S BROADER ROLE IN IRAQI SECURITY The interests of Iran and Iraq security coincide in certain areas and security competition is complicated as it is seen by some Iraqis that Iran is making huge efforts to acquire nuclear weapons as a Muslim bomb, and not as a threat to Iraq.[44] It was also noted that Iran has given some funding to Iraq‘s security forces in 2005, and Iraq had to promise the United States that Iran would not train Iraqi security forces.[45] Iran had pressurised on the security arrangement between the US and Iraq. General Odierno who was the Commander of the Multi-National Force in Iraq at that time said on October 12, 2008, that Iran may try to corrupt the members of the Council of Representatives so as to vote against the Status of Forces agreement.[46] However, in December 2011 Iran indicated that the US forces should withdraw from Iraq, as the US should not use Iraqi land, sea, and air for launching or for any transit point when they attack other countries.[47] It has been argued that some Iraqi military and intelligence officials had significant influence over elements of the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior, and had accused Iran of providing shaped charges and artillery to Iraqi militants. Moreover, Iran had also recruited thousands of Iraqis for gathering information; in fact, Iran has had intelligence agents in northern Iraq for at least 20 years.[48] As per Dafna Linzer, the rough estimate about Iranian intelligence officers in Iraq in 2007 was about 150.[49] It was also observed that some of the Iranian people felt that an increase in Iraq would be a threat to them, while others have attempted to use Iraq‘s military as a wedge to force the US out of Iraq.[50] As per Iran‘s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, â€Å"Considering the fact that the Iraqi Army can provide security, their presence in the country is not justifiable†.[51] THE ROLE OF THE IRANIAN REVOLUTIONARY GUARD IN IRAQ Immediately after the fall of Saddam in 2003, Iran began funnelling much of its aid to militias in Iraq via the Qods Force, which is a branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.[52] They not only provided funding, weapons, operatives, and training to groups in Iraq, but also to Islamic militants in Palestine, Bosnia, Hezbollah in Lebanon, fighters in south Sudan, and the Taliban in Afghanistan.[53] It was argued by Mahan Abedin, who is a director of research at the London-based Centre for the Study of Terrorism that Qods’ training was largely focused on utilising intelligence and this was the key to their success. As per official figures, the number of Qods and Iranian intelligence personnel in Iraq was 150, while US commanders believe there were only fewer Shiite provinces.[54] Although the United States was slow to grasp the full extent of Iran‘s expanding role in Iraq, but on July 19, 2005, the United States sent a secret cable to Iran which stated that a British soldier was killed by an explosive which was supplied by Iran, although Iran denied there involvement, which lead to confrontations. [55] The Commander General Petraeus, who was in power during the Multi-National Force operation in Iraq, stated in his testimony to Congress that â€Å"none of us earlier this year appreciated the extent of Iranian involvement in Iraq, something about which we and Iraq‘s leaders all now have greater concern†.[56] Moreover, the Qods was a tool used by Iran directly or indirectly for hurting the US military and also disrupting American interests in Iraq. In 2007, General Petraeus stated that, â€Å"There should be no question about the malign, lethal involvement and activities of the Qods Force in this country†. He went on to add that Iran was â€Å"responsible for providing the weapons, the training, the funding and in some cases the direction for operations that have indeed killed US soldiers†.[57] American officials did not accuse the Qods Force directly for attacking Americans and very carefully said that they were not aware of leadership of the Iranian gover nment as being involved in the Qods Force‘s activities.[58] Such uncertainty in the US regarding the potential involvement of Iran in hte Qods Force raises certain issues that should be addressed by American politicians. Although the American president, George W. Bush, confidently said that those arms, ammunitions and explosives, which were used in Iraq, were certainly from the Qods Force, but â€Å"we are not aware whether or not the head leaders of Iran ordered the Quds Force to do what all this and what all they did †. [59] As per the US intelligence reports, which leaked in 2010, certain details were provided about the precise extent to which Iran was involved in 2006-2009 violence. The report also said that the IRGC used Hezbollah to train militants in Iran before crossing to Iraq. Moreover, General Petraeus had stated Hezbollah‘s role in a 2007 report to Congress.[60] The reports draw on testimony from detainees, captured diaries, and weapons originating in Iran which included explosively formed penetrators, bombs, and surface-to-air missiles. Thus, by all these reports it can be concluded that Iran had a hand in training and resourcing of specific attacks, including assassinations of Iraqi ministry officials, mortar attacks on the Green Zone, and also on kidnappings of American soldiers. In addition, General Petraeus implicated Iran in the 2007 car bombing and killing of two southern Iraqi governors. Besides using Hezbollah to train terrorists, the reports point to both the Badr Corps and Mahdi Army as allies in Iranian efforts.[61] According to the Long War Journal, which is basically based on interviews with senior military and intelligence officials and also mid-level military people, the Qods Force streamlined its operations in Iraq by creating the Ramazan Corps. The Corps was responsible for most of Qods Forces operations in Iraq in 2007 and consists of the Fajr command in the south, Nasr command in the north, and Zafar command in central Iraq. The Qods Force’s aid also included Mahdi Army, the Badr Brigades, the Qazali Network, the Sheibani Network, and many more groups and parties, as they mostly targeted political rivals, the Iraqi Security Forces, and Coalition forces. Moreover, when Badr Brigades and SCIRI formed a government, Iranian groups targeted them.[62] Again as per Brigadier General Kevin Begner, on July 2, 2007, Iran had supplied the Iraqi militias with $3 million per month.[63] Again in 2011, the US raised concerns over Iran‘s involvement in Iraqi violence and said that the incre ase in the number of Americans dying in the summer of 2011 was because Iran had supported Iraqi militants. Again in July, Admiral Mullen said that Iran was supplying militias in Iraq so as to take credit for withdrawing American troops.[64] During the war, which lasted for 8 years, Iran has developed strong ties in terms of religious and political influence with Shiite parties. During this period, Iran played a very important role in mediating between the Iraqi political leaders. It also had strong relations with the Sadrists who are one of the largest political parties in Iran’s ruling collation. Moreover, IRGC also had a significant influence over Iraqi security forces. Iran also has a large mix of resources, which were available in the process of exerting influence upon Iraq after Saddam Hussein was toppled in 2003. Iran also used its influence in Iraq so as to divert the US goals, and pursue its own goals and interests. Iran used its sway in Iraq in order to keep the pro-Iranian Shiite Prime Minister Maliki in power and also to maintain stability along its western border. Thus, it can be argued that Iran’s role in Iraq is very complex, and not a simple task to mould Iraq as per the wishes of Iran. [65] CONCLUSION From all that has been discussed and looked at above, it is beyond doubt that since the invasion of Iraq by the United States and the downfall of Saddam Hussein, Iran has exerted more and more influence in Iraq by both conventional and unconventional methods. It has used a number of tools ranging from economic, political, military, regional to historic to exert such influence and has also formed proxies both with organisations of different profiles and objectives. Sectarianism and factional divisions have also been largely exploited by Iran to achieve its goals. Iranian influence in Iraq is vital to Iran since it considers its importance as a means of establishing its regional dominance and counters the influence of the United States in Iraq. Such efforts of establishing its influence in Iraq have not been without setbacks considering that Iran has had to work with organisations that have been counter-productive in their goals and objectives. 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