...French Values and the European Union The development of France as a nation and the French identity has been a complicated and gradual process. Though it is true that France is a country in Western Europe and its inhabitants speak French, there is much more to the definition of France as a nation, society, or culture. France began its development by becoming a civilization, something directly opposed to "barbarism" and, as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary, "the action or proves of civilizing or of being civilized; a developed or advanced state of human society." France then began to develop into a nation, or a modern political institution. Many of its national values are based on Enlightenment philosophers, who said that "governments should be reflections of the governed, of the people" (Lesson 1). Just as France does, every nation has a history, or "origin story," that describes how it originated and what type of being belongs in the French nation. After the Gauls, Roman Empire, and German invasion, the French Revolution finally brought about three values that define the French nation: liberté, fraternité, and égalité (liberty, brotherhood, and equality). The following two articles will show how these values and others, such as French exceptionalism and separatism, affect the French attitude towards the European Union. The first article summarizes France's response to a request from the European Commission for information about its recent Roma expulsions. According...
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...People against the Earth: Cycle of melting of ice caps in the environment It is very shocking to see how many people do not have the knowledge or the interest to educate themselves about one of the biggest issues of the Earth. There are many articles about the climate change in general, but this essay will answer a question what are the effects of melting ice caps on climate change? Firstly what is global warming and what is climate change? Global warming is just the Earth’s rising surface temperature and climate change is a bigger category and global warming is one part of its category. In another words global warming is one issue of a much larger problem of human caused climate change. Both of them are a commonly talked about issue among scientists since it causes many changes in the environment including the melting of ices which has an effect on all parts of the world. Because of the sea level rising there are, even if it is not a rapid increase, many devastating effects on land habitants, and also there is a threat of the next ice age. Firstly the melting of polar ice caps can affect countries, as continents. A lot of parts of the “now known” continents would totally disappear under the ocean; which would mean that people that live there now, would lose their homes and the number of people per square foot would rise rapidly. The sunk parts of the countries would affects also the fauna and flora. It is clear that many species are dying out now and also...
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...communication over long distances that has been around as long as there have been human societies, the messages transmitted were severely limited. Smoke could signal trouble with an invading enemy, but little more. In France in 1791, Claude Chappe developed an optical device for signaling over distances and named it the telegraph from the Greek for "far writer." A noted clockmaker devised a system of pulleys and rotating arms that enabled the operator to position the large viewable arms. Napoleon Bonaparte, who came to power in 1799, ordered an extensive network of optical telegraphs built. Chappe evidently had enormous plans for a network of telegraphs across Europe. By the 1830s, lines of optical telegraph towers stretched across much of Western Europe. At this time, Morse failed to garner interest in continental Europe in his electromagnetic telegraph and code due in part to the dominance of the optical telegraph. In 1837, Congress was asked to fund cross-country optical telegraph lines between New York and New Orleans, but it refused to do so. The optical telegraphs required skilled operators and were expensive to build. The Chappe system was even adapted for use at night by the use of torches or lanterns on the movable arms. The development of the optical telegraph occurred alongside the attempts to harness electrical current as a means of sending messages. Analysis There were considerable gains from network externalities in the use of the telegraph. As more...
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...Reformation The Reformation was one of the greatest religious and political movements of the 16th century, aimed at reforming the practises and beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church. Beginning in 1517, The Reformation was led by a German monk, known as Martin Luther. Luther argued that the Roman Catholic Church was corrupt and that it should be reformed, in attempt to making it fair, less greedy, and accessible to all people. He declared authority should be derived from the Bible, not the Pope or the Church, giving rise to Protestant systems of belief. This conflict caused a split in the Church, and separated the Christians of Western Europe into Protestants and Catholics. The disruption also triggered a series of wars, persecutions and the...
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...Why was Socrates regarded as a man of virtue? Why was Socrates regarded as a man of virtue? Socrates: Man of Virtue (470-399 B.C.E.) Socrates proposed the theory of value in which there are two sorts of good: virtue and happiness. Both are unconditional goods. But happiness is a "self-generated" good in that it "derives its value strictly from its inherent properties;" whereas virtue is an "other-generated" good in that it derives its value from happiness, precisely from its conduciveness to happiness. Virtue is an instinct in all humanity which can be aroused through self-examination. This universal truth is accessible to everyone who thinks and question. Socrates assumes that any person with whom he talks has the resource to answer his question correctly, that is, that no specialist knowledge is required. Socrates thought that knowledge is virtue, and virtue leads to happiness. It makes sense to think that moral people know what morality is. If you know right from wrong, then you might be able to choose to do what you know to be right. It also makes some sense to suspect that our beliefs about right and wrong influence our decisions. If we believe its right to help a drowning child, then it would be fairly shocking to decide not to do so—and it would less surprising when we decide to help the child. It is quite a shocking statement to say that virtue always leads to happiness. Criminals commit crimes that hurt others to help themselves. To think that their crimes would...
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...Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, LLC Asia's Different Standard Author(s): Bilahari Kausikan Reviewed work(s): Source: Foreign Policy, No. 92 (Autumn, 1993), pp. 24-41 Published by: Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, LLC Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1149143 . Accessed: 26/01/2012 05:56 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, LLC is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Foreign Policy. http://www.jstor.org ASIA'S DIFFERENT STANDARD by BilahariKausikan East and SoutheastAsia must respond to a new phenomenon: Humanrightshavebecome a legitimateissue in interstate relations. How a treatsits citizensis no longera matter country for its own exclusive determination. Otherscan claim a concern.There is and do legitimately an emerging global culture of human rights, and a body of international law on human has gradually developed,codifiedin the rights the UnitedNationsCharter, Universal Declaration of Human Rights,and other international...
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...emphasized the arts and cultivated a skepticism of authoritative ways of knowing--two traits that still mark his thinking, commented Lucas. He excelled academically there, became a letterman in three varsity sports, and was president of his senior class. After graduation, he spent the summer traveling around Europe with a group of classmates. In the fall he began his freshman year at Notre Dame. On the weekends he continued to follow his urge to travel, taking frequent road trips. By the time he graduated in 1966, he had visited every state in the union except for Alaska, Hawaii, and Oklahoma. The result, noted many critics, is a book that succeeds on several levels. First, Lopez has gathered an extraordinary amount of material, wrote a contributor to the New York Review of Books, making Of Wolves and Men one of the most comprehensive sources of information on these animals ever published. Second, in showing readers the many diverse images of the wolf, the author reveals how man creates animals by projecting aspects of his own personality onto them. Third, Lopez illustrates how undeserved is Western civilization's depiction of the wolf as a ruthless killer. His observations showed him that the Eskimos' conception of the wolf is much closer to the truth; among them, wolves are respected and emulated for their intelligence and strong sense of loyalty. What society thinks about the wolf may reveal something about itself, concludes Lopez, for white Western man has revealed the wolf as a...
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...the Second World War may have been seen as aggressive by USA. The forceful take-over of Eastern Europe through the Red Army occupations, especially in distinctive cases such as Poland and Czechoslovakia, can be seen as being far from the “liberation” over which the two war-time allies had agreed, while the rigging of elections did not conform to the Yalta agreement of the organisation of free ones. Stalin responded to the Americans’ policies of containment by creating his own agencies, therefore creating even more hostility between the two superpowers, while also refusing the existence of anything but Soviet puppet states in Eastern Europe. However, the event which cemented the outbreak of the Cold War was Stalin imposing the Berlin Blockade, taking direct action towards weakening the Americans’ position. One may see that Stalin’s blockade resulted in the official creation of two separate German states, one of the most significant events of the Cold War. On the other hand, revisionists point out that the USSR was taking defensive measures to protect itself from anything that could have caused as much damage as the Second World War, while the Americans, who were superior economically, adopted provocative policies. They challenged the patience of the Russians by hiding crucial events from them, while a range of public speeches and declarations of the need for US intervention in Europe were seen as hostile by the Russians. The US actively had a role in the battle against communism...
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...Crimea and Ukraine crisis has grown. Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula, the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian militia are engaged in a back and forth standoff in eastern Ukraine, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened that the conflict “essentially puts the nation on the brink of civil war.” The United States has been at the forefront of building international support for Ukraine, and the Obama administration continues to assemble Western support. However, efforts to reach a diplomatic settlement, or at least to reduce immediate tensions, are still in progress. As the Obama administration prepares its next steps in response to Russia in Ukraine, it can examine lessons from two other administrations in times of crisis. First, the Reagan administration’s reaction in 1983 to the Soviet downing of a civilian Korean airliner and its response to the terrorist attack against U.S. Marines on a peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. Second, the Clinton administration’s initiative to proactively expand and deepen partnerships in Europe during the 1990s through its Partnership for Peace. President Ronald Reagan faced an exceptional provocation with the downing of the Korean airliner and a month later, with the terrorist attack against U.S. Marines in Lebanon, resulting in significant American and allied casualties. Keeping costly and possibly destabilizing military options as his last resort, President Reagan used vigorous but measured words to condemn these lawless actions and...
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...Ideologies such as Christianity, measurement systems like the Imperial and Metric systems, languages and terminologies, as well as diseases, were all exchanged by the explorers, colonists, and traders of the time period. Christianity, specifically Catholicism and Protestantism, spread widely throughout the Americas by European settlers. Missionaries and churches were established in cities, and the cultural impact of these ideologies found their way into laws, ethics, and traditions across the Western Hemisphere (Crystal). Subsequently, travelers also brought with them navigational tools like the imperial and metric systems, which remain in use today (Whitfield). The metric system, widely used in European countries, remains second to the Imperial system in the United States. Finally, the largest barrier between trade and societal understanding remains language. The languages spoken throughout the Americas today are a direct result of the Columbian Exchange. English, Spanish, and French were all introduced by colonizers and have become the most dominant languages across North and South America (Crystal). In conclusion, many of the necessities found easily accessible in the Americas today are a byproduct of the undeniable impact the Columbian...
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...Death, n.d.). Greeters, who were waiting anxiously for goods discovered something horrific. Many sailors on the ships were dead and the rest who made it through the journey were quickly dying as well. Not only goods came back from China but also came flea-infested rats, which is the source of the bubonic plague. Another distinctive name for the plague was the Black Death; this particular plague had a discerning effect on the history of Europe producing a sequence of social, religious, and economic catastrophe. This plague killed over half of Europe’s people. Spreading all over Europe and Asia, the Black Death was spreading fast. Victims of the Black Death suffered fevers, weren’t able to digest their food, and became delirious because of the pain. Unknown black boils oozing blood and pus are where the plague got its name. The Black Death ravaged through cities that caused a widespread of hysteria and death. This was an epidemic that could not be stopped. The plague continued for the next five years killing more than 20 million people in Europe, almost one third of the continent’s population (Distinct Clones, 2010). Germs called yersenina pesis transmitted to humans by rat fleas from infected rats spread the plague from place to place, human-to-human (Distinct Clones, 2010). Antibiotics weren’t available during...
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...Journals Student’s name Name of the Institute Contents Journal 1 3 Journal 2 5 Journal 3 7 Journal 4 8 References 10 Journal 1 Civil society organizations and NGOs have had a negligible influence on the governance of peace and security Civil society is the set of diverse groups and social organizations that are strong enough to provide protection and autonomy to individuals from the hegemonic and authoritarian tendencies of states. (Human Security Centre, 2005) Major dimensions in peace building process can be identified as: * Political and Institutional: respecting and strengthening state reform, good governance and democratization * Military and Security: Protection, demobilization, disarmament, demilitarization. * Social: basic needs and amenities, attention to the most vulnerable groups. * Economic: re-establish a stable macro-economic framework, reactivate the supply, demand & the local markets, and promote structural reforms. * Environmental: ensure a sustainable management and access of the natural resources Roles of civil society and NGOs in global governance for peace and security are: * Collect, disseminate and analyze information * Provide input to agenda-setting and policy development processes; * Perform operational functions * Assess social conditions and monitor compliance with peace and security agreements * Advocate social justice The Civil society and NGOs are crippled and...
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...Finance Organization and Long-Term Planning Introduction Sensible Essentials, after considering the Genesis Corporation aggressive growth plan, suggested that Genesis should consider broadening their financing to consider long-term financing beyond just short-term financing. The organization has provided the potential costs and benefits of each long-term option available. Long-Term Financing A company needs long-term financing if they want to expand their business as Genesis is planning by starting operations in Europe and Asia. Sources of long-term financing include shares that are issued to the public and these holders are considered the owners of the business. There are two types of shares – equity and preference. The advantages of equity capital is no fixed maturity, no obligation to redeem, no compulsion to pay dividends, provides leverage capacity, and dividends tax exempt for investors. The disadvantages of equity capital are dilution of control of existing owners, high cost – rate of return expected by the equity holders higher than debt holders, dividends are not tax deductible, issue cost are higher due to underwriting, brokerage, and other issue expenses, along with higher servicing costs including post annual reports (Fedorov, 2012). Preference capital advantages are no obligation to pay dividend, no bankruptcy or legal action for non payment, financial distress of redemption obligation not very high, part of net worth which hence increases its creditworthiness/leverage...
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...around Europe. The major impact of Black Death was on the economy of the continent. Due to the shortages of labor, the wages increased to a high level. The population loss in Black Death also led to the prices of common commodities like wheat to decrease as well. With the shortage of labor and limited resources, the industry owners had to enhance their working methods. Therefore, an impact of the Black Death was the emergence of inventions that improved the way of life. Some would argue that this pandemic also lead to unequal distribution of wealth as to those who could grab opportunities went to be richer. Thus another impression of the plague was an increased gap between the rich and the poor. The way of life was enhanced for people around Europe and the women in Europe also went on join the working force. It is no surprise that Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in history. The plague burst out and started off the in winter of 1347-1348. The source of Black Death was traced back to the wild rodents of the steppes of central Asia even as far as Asia or China. Apart from China, some trace its origin back to Kurdistan and Iraq.1 The main concern wasn’t where it started but how it actually spread through the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. The plague first appeared in China and reached Crimea in 1346; from there it travelled to Constantinople and Sicily in 1347. After that, it was found in Egypt and Syria in 1348 and spread to the rest of the Europe subsequently...
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...The United States (U.S) and it’s ideals have greatly impacted foreign affairs since the founding of the nation. Though most ideals shift over hundreds of years, American exceptionalism has remained unchanged. As demonstrated by J. Edgar Hoover and Richard Nixon’s anti-communist agendas, the U.S has not been tolerant of communist, marxist, or anti-democratic rumblings in the western hemisphere. The second red scare on U.S soil indicates how repulsive to the American populace the ideal of communism had become, and how easily it could be manipulated as a political weapon. Intervention in situations where European powers are attempting to enter Latin America was justified by the Roosevelt Corollary. This gave the government the right to interfere...
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