spanish Essay Example For Students

spanish Essay ELEMENTARYCURRICULUM PROJECTThird Grade Topics (Last Updated: Aug 1, 2010) Names / Greetings / Numbers / Alphabet (4 lessons) Weather / Seasons (4 lessons; 2 extra lessons) Pastimes (4 lessons) Family (2 lessons) Animals (7 lessons) Body and Five Senses (3 lessons) Four Elements (1 lesson) Planets (4 lessons) Calendar: Days / Months / Dates (1 lesson) Extra:10. House 11. City (includes review of Seasons plus sports terminology) 12. Market 13. Signs / Maps / Directions / Location Author Mrs. E ThompsonTopic: Names / Greetings / Numbers / Alphabet(Last Updated: July 18, 2006) Objectives:Note: This topic is repeated from previous grades. More or less time should be spent on each subtopic, depending on background of students, and math calculations can be increased as students master the numbers. Students will be able to understand and use ? Se llama ____? and ?Me llamo___? , Muy bien, gracias, Adi?s. (This should be review from earlier years) Students will understand and respond appropr iately to: ?C?mo se llama?, ?C?mo te llamas?, Muchas gracias. Students will be able to greet people with: Buenos d?as, ?C?mo est?s? Students will be able to see, hear, and say numbers 0-20. Students will understand m?s, menos, son. Students will understand and respond to: ?Cu?nto cuesta? Students will carry out math calculations: addition, subtraction, multiplication (if this has been covered in English) Students will be introduced to the alphabet in Spanish Topic: Weather / Seasons (Last Updated: July 18, 2006) Objectives:Students will be introduced to el tiempo. Students will use appropriately: hace fr?o/calor/buen tiempo/mal tiempo . Students will use appropriately: hay sol/lluvia/nieve/viento/nubes. Students will use ?Qu? tiempo hace? Students will compare weather in Duluth and different parts of the Spanish-speaking world. Students will understand a story about the weather. We will write a custom essay on spanish specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Students will learn the four seasons: primavera, verano, oto?o, invierno Students will associate weather with each season Students will learn the differences in connections between timing of seasons in northern and southern hemispheresTopic: Pastimes (Last Updated: June 23, 2006) Objectives:Students will learn about different pastimes that are popular in Spanish-speaking countries (f?tbol m?sica: tango/flamenco) Students will understand f?tbol vocabulary: f?tbol, pelota, jugador, equipo; aficionado, gol, golero, cancha; mirar, jugar Students will learn active vocabulary: me gusta; S?; No, no Students will respond appropriately to the following expressions: jueguen con la pelota; d?nle con el pie; tiren la pelota; agarren la pelota; ?gol! Students will understand: Eres/Soy aficionado de . Students will learn about two types of music and dancing that are popular in the Spanish-speaking world: flamenco, tango Students will locate on map where this music is popular Students will underst and dance and music vocabulary: m?sica, flamenco, tango, guitarra, viol?n, bandone?n, bailar, escuchar, tocar, cantar Student will understand different pastime activities: leer, correr, nadar, saltar, jugar, mirar televisi?n, cantar, caminar, tocar m?sica Student will be able to say what s/he does: Leo, corro, nado, salto, miro televisi?n, canto, camino, toco m?sica; juego Students will review alphabet through spelling of wordsTopic: Family (Last Updated: June 23, 2006) Objectives:Students will understand the following terms: la familia, el padre, la madre, el hermano, la hermana, el abuelo, la abuela Students will identify these people in pictures of families: Es . Students will tell peoples names: Se llama, Me llamo Students will be able to say how many people there are in their family: Somos + # Students will plot the number of family members among their classmates Students will describe activities of people: baila, toca m?sica, cocina, come Students will look understand family a ctivities/members in Mexican family Topic: Animals (Last Updated: July 12, 2006) Objectives:Students will understand how animals move (caminan, vuelan, nadan, corren; r?pido, lento) and different places for animals to live (casa, jard?n, granja, mar, bosque tropical, zool?gico) Students will identify where animals live Students will be able to say: Vive en, Come, Es grande/peque?o, Es anfibio/ Students will identify animals of Spanish-speaking world: loro, quetzal, c?ndor, tuc?n, coqu?, jaguar, toro, llama, urraca Students will identify other animals: gato, caballo, vaca, pato, cerdo/chancho, perro, mariposa, abeja, ara?a, rat?n, conejo, ardilla, serpiente, p?jaro, rana, pez, caballo de mar, gaviota, cangrejo, tortuga, tibur?n, pulpo, cerdo, burro, gallina, pavo, oveja, cocodrilo, elefante, le?n, buho, oso, mono Students will listen to and understand stories about animals Students will understand vocabulary related to butterflies: patas, alas, antenas, mariposa, huevos, oruga, masti car, morder, piel, crecer, comer, insectos, hojas, pupa, volar, n?ctar Students will view pictures of butterflies of the Spanish-speaking world Students will learn sounds made by different animals Students will classify animals by kind: anfibio, ave, mam?fero, reptil Students will understand animal vertebrado Topic: Body and Five Senses (Last Updated: July 14, 2006) Objectives:Students will identify the following parts of the body: cabeza, pelo, ojos, orejas, o?do, nariz, boca, lengua, dientes, labios, nuca, hombros, brazos, manos, dedos, pecho, barriga/est?mago, piernas, rodillas, pies, dedos; time permitting, cintura, barbilla) Students will identify the parts of the body used in the five senses (o?do, nariz, lengua, mano, ojo) Students will understand and identify the terms for the five senses: o?r, oler, saborear, tocar, ver; oigo, huelo, saboreo, toco, veo Students will understand adjectives which describe their world: duro/suave/?spero/peludo/espinoso, fuerte/bajo, dulce/amarg o, grande/peque?o, bien/mal Students will associate activities they do with appropriate body partsTopic: Colors (Last Updated: July 14, 2006) Objectives:Given a color word in Spanish, students will point to a specific object of that color (rojo, amarillo, verde, caf?, blanco, anaranjado, negro, azul, gris, p?rpura/morado). Topic: Physical Responces and Vocabulary(Last Updated: July 17, 2006) Objectives:Students will physically respond to simple directions: Lev?ntate, Si?ntate, Formen una l?nea/un c?rculo, Levanta la mano, Manos abajo, Ojos aqu?, Boca cerrada, Escuchen, Repitan, P?salo, D?melo When given two vocabulary choices (Es _______ o _________?), OR when asked to point to a picture, students will correctly identify certain animals (abeja, oveja, tortuga, gusano, oso, tigre, tibur?n), schoolroom vocabulary (bandera, tijeras, papel, l?piz), travel vocabulary (monta?a, valle, calle, tren, avi?n, autob?s, cami?n, barco), food vocabulary (helado, hamburguesa, tomate, chocolate, lec huga, fresas, leche, manzanas, uvas, naranjas). Topic: Calendar: Days / Months / Dates(Last Updated: July 18, 2006) Objectives:Students will hear and use the days, months of the year: lunes, martes, mi?rcoles, jueves, viernes, s?bado, domingo; enero, febrero, marzo, abril, mayo, junio, julio, agosto, septiembre, octubre, noviembre, diciembre Students will review the seasons: primavera, verano, oto?o, invierno Students will practice writing dates: el + # de + month Students will connect months to appropriate season, in N. and S. Hemispheres Topic: House (Last Updated: September 22, 2005) Objectives:Students will hear, see and use terms of the house: la casa, el apartamento, la ciudad, el campo, el palacio; el cuarto de ba?o, la sala, el dormitorio, la cocina, el s?tono, el garaje, la primera planta, la planta baja, el ?tico. Students will understand vocabulary for items associated with each room. Students will understand and use: ?Cu?nto cuesta (por mes)?, Cuesta Students will hear and respond to: ?Cu?nto cuesta (por mes)?, De que cuarto es Students will create and present an ad for housing. Students will draw and label a representation of their house. Topic: City (Last Updated: July 13, 2006) Objectives:Students will hear and use the terms: la ciudad, la plaza, el calle, el mercado, el puente, la fuente, el parque, la glorieta, el estadio, el museo, el cuadro, la escultura Students will associate/compare these city structures with similar structures in their own town. Students will understand and respond accordingly to: ?C?mo es?, ?Cu?ndo se usa? Students will use descriptive frases: Es grande/bonito. Students will talk about when they are used: Se usa en el invierno/la primavera/el verano/el oto?o/todas las estaciones. Students will take a virtual tour of museums from the Spanish-speaking world Students will talk about art works they like: Me gustaTopic: ClothingObjectives:Students will recognize items of clothing: falda, pantalones, camisa, camiseta, calcet ines, sombrero/gorra/gorro, vestido, guantes, gafas de sol, botas, pantalones cortos, bufanda.

This is a pro and con essay about weather there should be gun control in the united States

This is a pro and con essay about weather there should be gun control in the united States No Longer NeededAudience- The English 101 teachers and anyone who supports the use of guns.As life began humans only knew two things, they must survive and mate. In the survival category fell gathering food and protecting themselves from other creatures. As humans began to develop, weapons were invented. For example, first there were spears, then bows and arrows, and eventually guns. Guns became a necessity to hunt for food and to protect themselves from other, harmful people. This was the case when the United States of America was formed. Since then, over 200 years ago, the military has become very powerful and the need to hunt has been eliminated by ranches and slaughterhouses. For this reason, and many others, the question to ask is why guns should be illegal for the public to use and possess in the United States.As guns become more common in the household, they because more available to kids.Kids with gunsIn today's society kids have to go to school scared, no knowing if they wil l be shot by a crazy classmate. Over the past ten years there has been a huge rise in school shootings. Something else very alarming is each year more than 35,000 people are killed by guns (Gun Control par. 2). Attacks made with a gun are five times more likely to result in death than similar attacks that are made with a knife (Gun Control par. 2) and in 1997 guns were used in approximately 70 percent of the murders in the United States (Gun Control par. 2).The statistics about un violence are alarming, even with these outrageous statistics, supporters of the right to bear guns always turn to the second amendment of the constitution. It states "A will-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state,

MSC COURSEWORK IN MANAGEMENT QUANTITATIVE METHODS AND EXCEL Assignment

MSC COURSEWORK IN MANAGEMENT QUANTITATIVE METHODS AND EXCEL - Assignment Example The scatter diagram for the individual purchase share (IPS) showed that customers spend from 30-60 per cent of their total income on Hindon products. Meanwhile, the histograms revealed that customer ratings were widely dispersed for Factors 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7, whereas Factors 5 and 6, IPS and overall satisfaction were found to be moderately dispersed. The combined scatterplots for Factors 8 and Factors 1 to 7, showed that: (1) Factor 8 has a very strong relationship with Factor 5 and overall satisfaction; (2) Factor 8 has a substantial to very strong association with Factors 1 and 2; and (3) Factor 8 has a low to moderate relationship with Factors 3, 6 and 7, although 7 tends to be negatively correlated with Factor 8. All these three generalizations were verified using correlation analysis. The complete workings with 26 figures and two tables are shown in Appendix 1. 2. The HD management is interested in finding out the average perceptions of HD  Factors 1 to 7 as seen by all of its customers. Do calculations to produce information on what you can say about these average perceptions on the basis of your sample.   Answers: The average customer satisfaction ratings are as follows: For Factor 1, 3.5; for Factor 2, 7.9, for Factor 3, 5.2; for Factor 4, 2.4; for Factor 5, 2.9; for Factor 6, 2.7; and for Factor 7, 7.0. From the average perceptions, it may be concluded that among Factors 1 to 7, Factor 2 or the design factor obtained the most favourable rating of 7.9 from the customers, followed by Factor 7 or the website quality factor with the second most favourable rating of 7.0. Factor 3 or the reliability factor was rated to be mediocre from an average of 5.2. The rest of the factors received very low ratings, with Factor 4 or the price factor getting the lowest average rating of 2.4. 3. The management of HD

Joseph Brant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Joseph Brant - Essay Example Perhaps no Freemason who ever lived in America has been so condemned by some authors and praised by others as Joseph Brant, the powerful and influential Mohawk chief who sided with the British during the American Revolutionary War.Born at Cuyahoga Ohio Country on the banks of the Cuyahoga River, near present-day Akron, Ohio, during the hunting season when Mohawks travelled to the area, Brant was originally named Thayendanegea, which has possibilities of meaning two wagers (sticks) bound together for strength, or "he who places two bets." The parents of Joseph Brant were Mohawks whose home was at Canajoharie on the Mohawk River in New York. Brant, however, was born on the banks of the Ohio River in 1742 while his parents were on a hunting excursion to that region.(1) His father was Nickus (or "Nicholas") of the Wolfe family, who, although not a chief, was a Mohawk of some standing in the tribe. His mother Margaret, or Owandah, the niece of Tiaogeara, a Caughnawaga sachem, took Joseph and his older sister Mary , alsoknown as Molly, to Canajoharie, on the Mohawk River in east-central New York, where she had lived before her family moved to the Ohio River. His mother remarried on 9 September 1753 in Fort Hunter (Church of England) a widower named Brant Canagaraduncka, who was a sachem of the tribe. Thus he got the name of Brant.Sir William Johnson, the British superintendent of the northern Indians of America, who was extremely popular with the tribes under his supervision, developed a liking for Brant when he was just in his youth. During his time with the Iroquois, Johnson became particularly close to the Mohawk tribes. He was also a Mason and a former Provincial Grand Master of the New York colony. In 1759 Johnson's wife, Catherine died and he then married his Indian mistress who happened to be Brant's sister, Molly in an Indian ceremony later that year. It was due largely to Johnsons relationship with Molly that Brant received the favor and protection of Sir William and through him the British government, which set Brant on the road to promotion. Brant and a number of young Mohawks were selected by Johnson to attend Moors Charity School for Indians at Lebanon, Connecticut- the school which was later to become Dartmouth College. Here he learned to speak and write English and was introduced to Western history and literature studies. He is the only one of those chosen known to have derived any benefit from the educational process standing at that time. He left school to serve under Sir William from 1755-1759 during the French and Indian War (1754-1763). After these participatons, he became Sir William's close companion and helped him run the Indian Department which was administered by the British out of Quebec. He was also assigned the work of an interpreter for an Anglican missionary and helped translate the prayer book and Gospel of Mark into the Mohawk language, which he did in a quite orderly fashion. About 1768 he married Christine, the daughter of an Oneida chief, whom he had met in school. He then settled with her on a farm near Canajoharie which he had inherited. While here, Brant assisted in revising the Mohawk prayer book and translating the Acts of the Apostles into the Mohawk language. He also joined the Anglican Church, was a regular communicant, and evinced a great desire to bring Christianity to his people. His wife died of tuberculosis about 1771, leaving him with a son and a daughter. In 1773, he married his wife's sister, Susannah, who died a few months afterward, also of tuberculosis. In 1780, he married Catherine Adonwentishon Croghan, the daughter of the prominent American colonist, Indian agent, fur trader, and New York-Pennsylvania-Ohio landowner/speculator George Croghan and a Mohawk mother, Catharine Tekarihoga. They had seven children: Joseph, Jacob, John, Margaret, Catherine(2), Mary and Elizabeth. Through her mother, Catharine Adonwentishon was head of the Turtle

Science and Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Science and Technology - Essay Example The division between science and technology has a long history, but there have been numerous instances when science has furthered the efforts of technology or vice versa and this has brought the two fields into closer contact. For most of history, there has been a sharp division between science and technology. Dan Berger (2000) points out that science is â€Å"the investigation of nature† while technology is â€Å"how we get things done.† As a result, there is no need for the two fields to co-exist. Throughout history, this has proven again and again to be the case. Berger illustrates how the Greeks tended to have a great deal of science, but not so much technology, primarily because the thinkers and the artisans were isolated from each other through a highly exclusive social system. At roughly the same period in time, the Egyptians had a high level of technological knowledge, but not a great deal of science because, while they had great ambitions and ideas, they tended to discourage any close questioning of their traditional belief systems. In his book Society and Technological Change, Rudi Volti addresses these concepts as well as he traces the relationship between science and technology t hrough the Roman era, the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance. In spite of this, it has often been seen throughout history that science has helped to inform significant technological advancements at the same time that technological advancements have helped to further science. In the past, it has typically been the discoveries of science that were translated, eventually, into uses of technology. An example of this might be discovered in the ‘science’ of Leonardo da Vinci, who spent a great deal of time studying the mechanical processes at work that enable a bird to fly. Although he felt he understood the process, these discoveries

The European Union: International Relations

The European Union: International Relations The European Union (EU) is an economic and political union of 27 member states, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the European Economic Community. With almost 500 million citizens, the EU combined generates an estimated 30% share (US$18.4 trillion in 2008) of the nominal gross world product and about 22% of the PPP gross world product. The EU has developed a single market through a standardised system of laws which apply in all member states, ensuring the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital. It maintains common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries and regional development. Sixteen member states have adopted a common currency, the euro, constituting the Eurozone. The EU has developed a limited role in foreign policy, having representation at the WTO, G8, G20 and at the UN. It enacts legislation in justice and home affairs, including the abolition of passport controls by the Schengen agreement between 22 EU and 3 non-EU states. As an international organisation, the EU operates through a hybrid system of supranationalism and intergovernmentalism. In certain areas, decisions are made through negotiation between member states, while in others, independent supranational institutions are responsible without a requirement for unanimity between member states. Important institutions and bodies of the EU include the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, the European Council, the European Court of Justice, and the European Central Bank. The European Parliament is elected every five years by member states citizens, to whom the citizenship of the European Union is guaranteed. The EU originates from the European Coal and Steel Community formed among six countries in 1951 and the Treaty of Rome in 1957. Since then, the EU has evolved through a process of enlargement, while new policy areas have been added to the remit of its institutions. HISTORY After the end of the Second World War, moves towards European integration were seen by many as an escape from the extreme forms of nationalism which had devastated the continent. One such attempt to unite Europeans was the European Coal and Steel Community which, while having the modest aim of centralised control of the previously national coal and steel industries of its member states, was declared to be a first step in the federation of Europe. The originators and supporters of the Community include Jean Monnet, Robert Schuman, Paul Henri Spaak and Alcide de Gasperi. The founding members of the Community were Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany. In 1957, these six countries signed the Treaties of Rome which extended the earlier cooperation within the European Coal and Steel Community and created the European Economic Community, (EEC) establishing a customs union and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) for cooperation in developing nuclear energy. In 1967 the Merger Treaty created a single set of institutions for the three communities, which were collectively referred to as the European Communities (EC), although commonly just as the European Community. In 1973 the Communities enlarged to include Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Norway had negotiated to join at the same time but Norwegian voters rejected membership in a referendum and so Norway remained outside. In 1979 the first direct, democratic elections to the European Parliament were held. Greece joined in 1981, and Spain and Portugal in 1986. In 1985 the Schengen Agreement led the way toward the creation of open borders without passport controls between most member states and some non-member states. In 1986 the European flag began to be used by the Community and the Single European Act was signed. In 1990, after the fall of the Iron Curtain, the former East Germany became part of the Community as part of a newly united Germany. With enlargement toward Eastern and Central Europe on the agenda, the Copenhagen criteria for candidate members to join the European Union were agreed. The European Union was formally established when the Maastricht Treaty came into force on 1 November 1993, and in 1995 Austria, Sweden and Finland joined the newly established EU. In 2002, euro notes and coins replaced national currencies in 12 of the member states. Since then, the eurozone has increased to encompass sixteen countries, with Slovakia joining the eurozone on 1 January 2009. In 2004, the EU saw its biggest enlargement to date when Malta, Cyprus, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary joined the Union. On 1 January 2007, Romania and Bulgaria became the EUs newest members and Slovenia adopted the euro. In June 2009 the 2009 elections which later led to a renewal of Barrosos Commission Presidency and in July of that year Iceland formally applied for EU membership. On 1 December 2009 the Lisbon Treaty came into force after a protracted and controversial birth. This reformed many aspects of the EU but in particular created a permanent President of the European Council, the first of which is Herman van Rompuy, and a strengthened High Representative; Catherine Ashton. MEMBER STATES The European Union is composed of 27 sovereign Member States: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Only six of these France, (then-West) Germany, Italy, and the three already integrated Benelux countries; Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg were members at the start, with membership having grown as countries willingly accede to the treaties and by doing so, pool sovereignty in exchange for representation in the institutions. To join the EU a country must meet the Copenhagen criteria, defined at the 1993 Copenhagen European Council. These require a stable democracy that respects human rights and the rule of law; a functioning market economy capable of competition within the EU; and the acceptance of the obligations of membership, including EU law. Evaluation of a countrys fulfilment of the criteria is the responsibility of the European Council. No member state has ever left the Union, although Greenland (an autonomous province of Denmark) withdrew in 1985. The Lisbon Treaty now provides a clause dealing with how a member leaves the EU. There are three official candidate countries, Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Iceland are officially recognised as potential candidates. Kosovo is also listed as a potential candidate but the European Commission does not list it as an independent country because not all member states recognise it as an independent country separate from Serbia. Four Western European countries that have chosen not to join the EU have partly committed to the EUs economy and regulations: Iceland, which has now applied for membership, Liechtenstein and Norway, which are a part of the single market through the European Economic Area, and Switzerland, which has similar ties through bilateral treaties. The relationships of the European microstates, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican include the use of the euro and other areas of co-operation. GEOGRAPHY The territory of the EU consists of the combined territories of its 27 member states with some exceptions, outlined below. The territory of the EU is not the same as that of Europe, as parts of the continent are outside the EU, such as Switzerland, Norway, European Russia, and Iceland. Some parts of member states are not part of the EU, despite forming part of the European continent (for example the Isle of Man and Channel Islands (two Crown Dependencies), and the Faroe Islands, a territory of Denmark). The island country of Cyprus, a member of the EU, is closer to Turkey than to mainland Europe and is often considered part of Asia. Several territories associated with member states that are outside geographic Europe are also not part of the EU (such as Greenland, Aruba, the Netherlands Antilles, and all the non-European British overseas territories). Some overseas territories are part of the EU even though geographically not part of Europe, such as the Azores, the Canary Islands, Madeira, Lampedusa, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and RÃ ©union, Ceuta and Melilla. As well, although being technically part of the EU, EU law is suspended in Northern Cyprus as it is under the de facto control of the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus, a self-proclaimed state that is recognised only by Turkey. The EUs member states cover an area of 4,422,773 square kilometres (1,707,642 sq mi). The EU is larger in area than all but six countries, and its highest peak is Mont Blanc in the Graian Alps, 4,807 metres (15,771 ft) above sea level. The landscape, climate, and economy of the EU are influenced by its coastline, which is 65,993 kilometres (41,006 mi) long. The EU has the worlds second-longest coastline, after Canada. The combined member states share land borders with 19 non-member states for a total of 12,441 kilometres (7,730 mi), the fifth-longest border in the world. Including the overseas territories of member states, the EU experiences most types of climate from Arctic to tropical, rendering meteorological averages for the EU as a whole meaningless. The majority of the population lives in areas with a Mediterranean climate (Southern Europe), a temperate maritime climate (Western Europe), or a warm summer continental or hemiboreal climate (Eastern Europe). GOVERNANCE The EUs work is divided into three areas of responsibility, called pillars. The original European Community policies form the first pillar, while the second consists of Common Foreign and Security Policy. The third pillar originally consisted of Justice and Home Affairs, however owing to changes introduced by the Amsterdam and Nice treaties, it has been reduced to Police and Judicial Co-operation in Criminal Matters (other matters were transferred to the Community). Broadly speaking, the second and third pillars can be described as the intergovernmental pillars because the supranational institutions of the Commission, Parliament and the Court of Justice play less of a role or none at all, while the lead is taken by the intergovernmental Council of Ministers and the European Council (which operate more by consensus than majority in these pillars). Most activities of the EU come under the first, Community pillar. This is mostly an economically oriented pillar and is where the supranati onal institutions have the most influence. The activities of the EU are regulated by a number of institutions and bodies that carry out the tasks and policies set out in the Treaties. These procedures are all subject to the principle of subsidiarity which requires that action only be taken at EU level where an objective cannot be sufficiently achieved by the member states alone. The EU receives its political leadership from the European Council, which usually meet four times a year. It comprises one representative per member state-either its head of state or head of government-plus its President as well as the President of the Commission. The member states representatives are assisted by their Foreign Ministers. The European Council uses its leadership role to sort out disputes between member states and the institutions, and to resolve political crises and disagreements over controversial issues and policies. On 19 November 2009, Herman Van Rompuy was chosen to become the first permanent President of the European Council. He took office on 1 December 2009. The European Council should not be mistaken for the Council of Europe, an international organisation independent from the EU. By virtue of a rotating presidency, every member state takes the helm of the EU for a period of six months during which that countrys representatives chair the meetings of the Council of Ministers. The member state holding the presidency typically uses it to drive a particular policy agenda such as economic reform, reform of the EU itself, enlargement, or furthering European integration. INSTITUTIONS The European Commission acts as the EUs executive arm and is responsible for initiating legislation and the day-to-day running of the EU. It is intended to act solely in the interest of the EU as a whole, as opposed to the Council which consists of leaders of member states who reflect national interests. The commission is also seen as the motor of European integration. It is currently composed of 27 commissioners for different areas of policy, one from each member state. The President of the Commission and all the other commissioners are nominated by the Council. Appointment of the Commission President, and also the Commission in its entirety, have to be confirmed by Parliament. The European Parliament forms one half of the EUs legislature. The 736 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are directly elected by EU citizens every five years. Although MEPs are elected on a national basis, they sit according to political groups rather than their nationality. Each country has a set number of seats. The Parliament and the Council of Ministers form and pass legislation jointly, using co-decision, in certain areas of policy. This procedure has extend to many new areas under the Treaty of Lisbon, and hence increase the power and relevance of the Parliament. The Parliament also has the power to reject or censure the Commission and the EU budget. The President of the European Parliament carries out the role of speaker in parliament and represents it externally. The president and vice presidents are elected by MEPs every two and a half years. The Council of the European Union (sometimes referred to as the Council of Ministers) forms the other half of the EUs legislature. It consists of a government minister from each member states and meets in different compositions depending on the policy area being addressed. Notwithstanding its different compositions, it is considered to be one single body. In addition to its legislative functions, the Council also exercises executive functions in relations to the Common Foreign and Security Policy. The judicial branch of the EU consists of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and the Court of First Instance. Together they interpret and apply the treaties and the law of the EU. The Court of First Instance mainly deals with cases taken by individuals and companies directly before the EUs courts, and the ECJ primarily deals with cases taken by member states, the institutions and cases referred to it by the courts of member states. Decisions from the Court of First Instance can be appealed to the Court of Justice but only on a point of law.

The Myth of the Lost Cause :: American America History

The Myth of the Lost Cause Following the defeat of the Confederacy and to lift the morale of a shattered people momentum gathered to enshrine the Myth of the Lost Cause which would transform the Southern soldier living and dead, into a veritable hero. In order to come to terms with defeat and a look of failure in the eyes of God, Southerners mentally transformed their memories of the antebellum South. It became a superior civilization of great purity which had been cruelly brought down by the materialistic Yankees. At the head of this revival was the memory of Stonewall Jackson, closely followed by Robert E. Lee (who would rise to the prominent position following his death in 1870). Other generals of the Confederacy who had died during the war followed, as did those who would pass on later. D.H. Hill, a friend of Longstreet published LAND WE LOVE, a magazine devoted to Literature, Military History and Agriculture. In 1869 Hill sold out to a Baltimore periodical, NEW ECLECTIC, which in the same year became the SOUTHERN MAGAZINE, official organ of the SOUTHERN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION. In 1871 it changed its name to the SOUTHERN MAGAZINE and together with a later periodical, SOUTHERN BIVOUAC kept the memory of the War alive and fresh in the public mind. Filled with poems and stories of loyalty to the LOST CAUSE sent in by veterans. Hill was Stonewall Jackson's brother in law and he filled the magazine with stories, anecdotes and poems of the now legendary general. Other Confederate heroes received their share of attention from a flood of material supplied by readers commemorating Southern dead and using religion to explain the defeat. Book - writing was prolific in the '70s & '80s mainly from veterans but much on the romanticism of the Cause from women. The most prominent of the writer of the period was John Esten Cooke, who was related by birth and marriage to virtually all the prominent families of Virginia he helped enshrine the Confederate dead into chivalric knights and symbols of the LOST CAUSE. Cooke's impressive literary output polarized Southern perceptions of the War transforming the stigma of defeat into a badge of honour that Confederate veterans could wear proudly. His portrayal of the War as a wonderful adventure, in which participation was an honour. When Lee died on 12 Oct. 1870 he was one of a significant number of Confederate heroes running second to Jackson.