How important was nationalism as a cause of the collapse of communism Essay

How important was nationalism as a cause of the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe - Essay Example In this paper, the term nationalism is used in the meaning of political doctrine and ideology which is justified by a goal to make a certain nation succeed in pursuing its interests. In this context, a nation is understood as â€Å"a political, ethnic, territorial, cultural, or religious group united by a common economy, mass culture, common legal rights and duties, and a belief system that emphasizes either shared history and genealogy or other common myths distinguishing this group from others† (Smith, 1991: 14). Molchanov (2000: 264) observes that nationalism today is a product of modernization as well as mass education. It is also a product of the elites’ conscious manipulation of country’s masses. Nationalism is based on national feeling, i.e. a feeling of belonging to a community which is culturally distinct and goes beyond people’s circles of important others, covers the barriers of statuses and classes, and on a legitimate basis commands its member s’ loyalty. In this respect, a national community is perceived as an imagined community with its contours being reconstructed during the process of national mobilization (Molchanov, 2000: 263). As for the national elite, it serves a mobilizing agent in this process. Its parochial interests get the status of national interests and become values for which all compatriots fight. Typically, the elite is made up of well-educated classes â€Å"from the indigenous nationality and local administrators† who have become dissatisfied with current social standing (Molchanov, 2000: 264). ... It is also a product of the elites’ conscious manipulation of country’s masses. Nationalism is based on national feeling, i.e. a feeling of belonging to a community which is culturally distinct and goes beyond people’s circles of important others, covers the barriers of statuses and classes, and on a legitimate basis commands its members’ loyalty. In this respect, a national community is perceived as an imagined community with its contours being reconstructed during the process of national mobilization (Molchanov, 2000: 263). As for the national elite, it serves a mobilizing agent in this process. Its parochial interests get the status of national interests and become values for which all compatriots fight. Typically, the elite is made up of well-educated classes â€Å"from the indigenous nationality and local administrators† who have become dissatisfied with current social standing (Molchanov, 2000: 264). Exploring the political agenda of contempor ary nationalism, one may state that it necessarily develops in its connection to state (Tibor, 2010: 36). The relationship between nationalism and the state is discussed in two major modes. The first one describes the situation when the representatives of the indigenous nationality already have control over the state. They make efforts to unite people and create their specific nation. It is characterized by a focus on cultural and linguistic homogenization, consolidation of political connections, and creating the feeling of solidarity. The activity of the government results in education standardization and decrease of the social distance which may be found between the society layers (Gellner, 1998). The second mode of nationalism development within the state is when the elites do not possess control over

The application of Task-based Approach in English Reading Teaching Essay

The application of Task-based Approach in English Reading Teaching - Essay Example The processes of material design, task demonstration and evaluation are covered in this essay, while relevant teaching theories or principles are subsequently treated. The process of foreign language acquisition in China is, to some extent, still based on the traditional educational system that emphasizes on the reading and writing of a foreign language like English with the hope of translating it. The students are primarily taught to learn English through reading various texts that could broaden their knowledge of the language (Adamson, 2004; Burkett, 2009; Dzau, 1990). As a result of this, teachers are saddled with the responsibility of making English seem understandable to their students. The current demand for English in China has also increased the pressure on primary school teachers to do more in the area of improving the reading skill of their students. The fundamental objective of adopting Task-Based Approach in the reading teaching at elementary level in China is to detect the reading competence of each student under the full watch of his or her Homeroom Teacher, who would provide the needed assistance to help the students become near-confident readers, if not totally-confident readers (Grellet, 1992). The students are given simple stories to read depending on their grades—the little harder reading comprehension goes to the farther end of the spectrum. The purpose of this is to improve their reading fluency, not necessarily to make them memorize their textbooks’ contents (Hiskes, 2007). Task-Based Approach lets the teachers perceive the students’ reaction to words they may have been taught before. For examples, showing the ability to identify and pronounce simple words about weather, food, fruits and colours as they appear on the textbooks used for this task. Most teachers believe that exposing children to th e words they had heard before may increase their ability to identify related words on

The Rise of Blogs in Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Rise of Blogs in Media - Essay Example More important than any other factor, it means that the way of communication is changing. It also means that ideas and opinions are going to be a way of growing on the Internet, as opposed to the polished facts that were seen in mainstream media. The rise of blogs is one which is bringing a mixture of the good, the bad and the ugly to those who are in media and communication. While most are excited about the boom in social media on the web, there is also two questions which many should ask. The first is: what does this mean about the information that is available? The second is: where will blogs lead in the future in creating new ways of communication and the interpretation of information. OKeefe, Kevin.   (2010).   "Blogging for Business by U.S. Companies on the Rise."   Retrieved from: http://kevin.lexblog.com/2010/09/articles/blog-basics/blogging-for-business-by-us-companies-on-the-rise-/.    One of the reasons why blogs are popular is because it gives room to design. If you just write a paper, essay or other print communication, you are limited to editing needs. However, with an online blog, you have complete digital freedom to do what you want with color, design and the overall look and feel, all which is a personal expression of what you want to retrieve to others. What most overlook with the designs of blogs is that it refers directly to the communication that you are using for others. Most don’t consider design as a strategic way of making a statement and instead get the best colors or the design that is most convenient. The number one problem with publishing blogs and the designs are used is the desire to put too much in too little of a space. Liquid content, calendars of posts, tag clouds, widgets and RSS feeds are some of the problems that are associated with blog design.  

Discussion question 1 Week 9 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion question 1 Week 9 - Assignment Example , balance sheet and cash flow statement to be prepared in accordance with the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) by the accountants of the company. The donors of a not-for-profit organization are its main source of funding. Hence it is important for the organization to satisfy the needs of its donors to ensure generation of more funds for the organization which would help it to run the operations effectively and efficiently. Hence, it is necessary that better quality financial statements are prepared by the organization which provides all the necessary information required to reassure the donors. It is easier and less costly for any not-for-profit organization to keep its existing donors than acquiring new one (Agard, 2010, p. 641). According to the case BDO International is one of the top five accounting firms in the world and is engaged in the business of providing various financial and accounting services to its clients (BDO International, n.d.). The advantages of BDO from belonging to a large international group are that it can have a huge customer base and has greater proximity to the clients. This helps BDO to generate huge amount of revenues and provide quality service to its clients according to their specific needs and

Positive and Negative Environmental effects of Genetically Modified Research Paper

Positive and Negative Environmental effects of Genetically Modified Crops - Research Paper Example Still, a number of objections have been raised. This essay examines the positive and negative environmental effects of genetically modified crops. While genetically modified crops have steadily gained support there exists a strong contingent of groups that object to these crops on environmental reasons. Within this contingent some of the strongest objections have been levied by groups concerned with environmental sustainability as well as religious groups that object to genetic modification on moral grounds. Still, it’s clear a growing body of research has pointed to substantial environmental concerns from implementing genetically modified crops. In this context of understanding, one of the predominant concerns is unintended harm to surrounding crops and organisms. For instance, a recent study indicated that, â€Å"pollen from B.t. corn caused high mortality rates in monarch butterfly caterpillars† (‘Transgenic Pollen’, pg. 214). While this study was not co nducted in natural conditions, other researchers have argued similar contentions. In these regards, it’s been noted that pollen and other genetically modified crop outgrowth holds a strong potential for spreading to surrounding areas and detrimentally affecting the life-cycle of a variety of organisms. Another prominent environmental concern related to the use of genetically modified crops is the reported potential of gene-transfer to non-target species. Essentially this concern indicates that crops that have been genetically modified for stringent resistance to weather conditions or other areas of detriment will transfer their crop resistance to less desirable outgrowth. For instance, â€Å"crop plants engineered for herbicide tolerance and weeds will cross-breed, resulting in the transfer of the herbicide resistance genes from the crops into the weeds. These "superweeds" would then be herbicide tolerant as well† (Whitman). These concerns have emerged in a number of r eal-world contexts, with lawsuits emerging in situations where adjacent genetically modified crop-land have reportedly infected non-modified crops. Another prominent concern in this area of understanding is the worry of the reduced effectiveness of pesticides. This concern takes a variety of forms as farmers of non-genetically modified crops worry that new species of insects might emerge in response to genetically modified crops that are then entirely resistant to traditional forms of pesticides. While there have been a variety of proposed solutions to the above mentioned environmental concerns, it’s clear that at least in the present technological environment they remain viable worries for farmers not directly involved in the production of genetically modified strains of crop. Even as substantial environmental objections exist to genetically modified crops, researchers note that there is considerable environmental support for this mode of agricultural production. One of the major noted environmental benefits for farmers is the increased pest resistance of genetically modified crops. One of the primary areas where such genetic modification has had a tremendous impact on farming is in developing regions. In these areas, â€Å"agricultural production does not merely function as a means of economic profit, but is oftentimes intimately linked to the population’

Introduction to Critical Thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Introduction to Critical Thinking - Essay Example e of cancer is highly reported on men as compared to women since men are likely to be affected 3 times as compared to women (AGNEW, GILCHREST & BUNKER, 2005). Age bracket highly affected are those between 45 and 54 of age. Many cancers are caused by the ultra-violet radiation as this tends to suppress the immune functionality and the aging. Basing on the above fact about cancer there is an issue that tomatoes protect the skin against skin that would later prevent it against cancer infection (DELMAS, JANNIN & LATRUFFE, 2005). In this regard, this is the issue that I have chosen to discuss on in my paper. It is worthwhile noting that ultra-violet radiation from the sun exerts aging and carcinogenic effects on the skin through the oxidative stress, inflammation and damage of DNA. Due to these facts, there has been a lot of desire to find out more on skin cancer by the scientist community in using antioxidants from plant foods to protect against these damages. Through use of animal study, photo-protection has been demonstrated. This was achieved by use of variety of antioxidant supplements that involved green tea catechins, proanthocyanadins, resveratrol, and silymarin (SUN-WATERHOUSE, 2011). These substances are antioxidant. In addition, they are also able to absorb ultra-violet rays from the sun when applied typically, more so enable repair of damaged DNA and also reduce inflammations. Pink and red fruits such as tomato, grapefruit and papaya are thought to have lycopene a carotenoid antioxidant which is well known for its prostate cancer protective effects. This is usually of high content in well cocked tomato products such as tomato pastes. Lycopene is well known to be a very powerful antioxidant that is vitro which is a known to prevent or repair the damaged DNA that could lead to cancer development. Moreover, lycopene stimulates the production of antioxidant enzymes and hinders signals that could lead to development of tumours. Through recent research, it

Sunlight on the Grass Essay Example for Free

Sunlight on the Grass Essay For the purpose of this assignment I will analyse two stories. Firstly I will examine the â€Å"Compass and Torch† by Elizabeth Baines and will demonstrate how the objects in the title relate to the characters of the story and represent key themes. I will then discuss â€Å"Something Old, Something New† by Leila Aboulela and highlight the ways in which the title relates to the story. Firstly the â€Å"Compass and Torch† is a story about a young boy setting out on a camping trip with his estranged father. The compass and torch are used symbolically throughout the narrative to reflect the boy’s feelings and relationship to his family. I feel that the compass symbolises a lack of direction or the absence of a relationship between father and son. This can be demonstrated when they are about to leave the car for their journey together at the bottom of the hill. â€Å"The man looks up – for the first time – at the path they will take, which runs from the gate to the brow of the hill. Then he groans: I didn’t bring a compass†. The lack of compass showing with nothing to guide them the chance for them to get closer in their relationship is doomed. However, the narrative continues to suggest that the compass is not required, that with love and hope in their hearts, father and son will always be bonded. â€Å"Compasses are things boys and dads tend to have, but which, when they are alert and strong at heart, they can leave behind.† The compass can also be seen as a metaphor for the pull of the boy between his divorced parents. This idea is shown when the boy had gone upstairs looking for his torch and overhears his Mother and her boyfriend Jim talking in the kitchen. â€Å"The boy might have remembered it, the compass, as they were leaving. But he couldn’t wait to get going, for it all to be over †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ And the way his mother said hardly anything, and made her face blank whenever Dad spoke to her or looked her way†. This text demonstrates that mother and father remain hostile following their divorce and reflects the boy’s awareness of this and feelings of being in the middle of it all. The story demonstrates how the camping trip is an opportunity to strengthen the father son relationship, with the torch signifying the path of reconciliation, used as a tool to light the way to a new future. This is highlighted when, as the boy is sitting in his father’s car, he shows him he has brought his torch, representing the boys longing to bond with his dad.â€Å" as the man drops into the driving seat something in the boy’s chest gives a little hop of joy and he cries excitedly, ’oh I brought my torch!’†. This idea is further reinforced in the narrative when we discover both father and son have torches, â€Å"Two torches are for lighting a bigger space in the wilderness, for lighting it together. Two torches are for father and son to back each other up.† Furthermore, the colour of the torches seems to hold some significance. It is shown that the boy has a red torch whilst the father has a green one. I feel this is deliberate and hold connotations similar to a traffic light system where the red torch symbolises the lack of relationship with this father, with no way of moving forward whilst the fathers green torch reflects the idea of rebuilding the relationship, with the possibility of new horizons. Although not in the title of the story the horse is also symbolic of the boy’s mother and highlights further how Baines uses symbolism to represent characters throughout the narrative. For example whilst on his journey with his father a horse appears. â€Å"The horse comes up to the car. She nudges up, puts her nose over the edge of the door. The man bats her away† I feel this represents the mothers need to protect her son and the struggle the boy feels between his parents. The quote above illustrates the father not wanting the mother to be involved, to take a step back. Similarly â€Å"the horse nuzzles the rucksack top and the man pushes her away†. In Something Old, Something New, Leila Aboulela writes about a wedding due to take place between a Scottish man and his Sudanese bride. The title is therefore appropriate to the story as the popular wedding phrase something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. However, the title goes deeper than that and relates to the story in many more ways representing a number of key themes. The groom is depicted as a man desperate to find himself. He has dropped out of medical school and is unsure on which direction his life should take. He converts from Catholicism to Islam and his new spiritual world seems to have saved him. Indeed, the narrative demonstrates how his view of Islam is different to his brides. â€Å"She associated Islam with her dark skin, her African blood, her own weakness. She couldn’t really understand why anyone like him would want to join the wretched of the world. But he spoke with warmth†. Religion for her seems a flaw, but for him represents a new beginning in life. This theme of conflicting ideas of old and new is also depicted when he arrives in Egypt to meet his bride and her brother. Back in Scotland, her ethnic difference seemed exotic, exciting but once in her home country he realises its nothing new any more â€Å"He became aware that everyone looked like her, shared her colour, the women were dressed like her†. The author also utilises the Nile as a metaphor for the proposed marriage. The Nile is one of Egypt’s most anticipated sights, but on closer inspection the groom finds it is not as he expected â€Å"yes it’s beautiful he replied. But as he spoke he noticed that the rivers flow was forceful, not innocent, not playful. Crocodiles no doubt lurked beneath the surface.† I feel this represents the marriage that his idealised view of his wedding and his bride suddenly turning fearful, with the lurking crocodiles a metaphor perhaps for her overbearing brother. With this fear in place, the groom begins to yearn for the comforts of home and staying at the Hilton hotel represents to some degree the characters longing for home comforts. The Hilton used as sign of the Western world in contrast to the barren landscape of Egypt. †The hotel lobby was impressive, the cool tingling blast of the air-conditioner, music playing, an expanse of marble. He felt soothed somehow, more in control†. Another example of this is when the character struggles to follow the strict Islamic custom of mourning following the girls Uncle’s death. â€Å"He shrugged, he did not want to talk about it, was numbed by what had happened, dulled by the separation from her that the mourning customs seemed to impose.† Furthermore the anxiety he feels about this new culture is noted again â€Å"He had thought, from the books he’d read and the particular British Islam he had been exposed to, that in a Muslim country he would find elegance and reason. Instead he found melancholy, a sensuous place, stripped to the bare bones†. The idea of a new life and a new culture suddenly turning sour in his mind is reinforced with the theft of his British passport contributing to a feeling of a loss of identity. To conclude I feel I have demonstrated how the stories titles relate to the overall meaning of the story and how symbolism is used to portray characters and to enhance the mood and tone of the narrative. Where possible I have provided key examples to support my ideas and to illustrate my understanding of the texts.