The Oppression of Poland During Joseph Conrad’s Childhood Essay

The Oppression of Poland During Joseph Conrad’s Childhood Joseph Conrad was born in 1857 as JÃ ³zef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski in south-eastern Poland. He grew up during one of Poland’s most difficult times. The Polish people were oppressed by three imperial rulers. Joseph Conrad’s parents died as a result of the oppression imposed on the Polish population. Conrad ultimately left Poland mainly due to its political situation. In 1795 Austria, Prussia, and Russia partitioned Poland for the third and last time. What was once a great empire stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea ceased to exist up until the end of World War I. Though all three countries were oppressive, none was more so than Russia. It occupied the most territory and most resistance occurred against Russian rule. The Polish people never ceased to resist the three imperialist rulers. When Napoleon invaded Russia in 1806, Poles lead the charge hoping the campaign would result in a free Poland. Unfortunately Napoleon’s campaign failed and the Poles that fought alongside of him either had to flee to Western Europe or face hard labor in Russia. Poles once again tried to free themselves in 1831 when they launched the ‘November Insurrection.’ After fighting for over a year, the Polish rebel army was forced to capitulate. Russia immediately punished the Polish population. All schools were closed down and over 40,00 0 families were sent to Siberia. Even though the Polish people faced harsh repression, their patriotic spirit never died. In the second half of the nineteenth century, after almost 30 years of general calm, the Polish people once again began protesting Russian rule. Meetings were held and discussions raged about reforms and emancipatio... ...live. They made every effort to continue their traditions at high risks. At the end of World War I, after 123 years of occupation, Poland finally regained its independence. Works Cited http://www.top-biography.com/9211-Joseph%20Conrad/life.asp Brief biography of Joseph Conrad http://www.citinet.net/ak/polska_16_f2.html Contains information about Poland after the third and final partition of 1795. It is mostly about the ‘November Insurrection’ of 1831 and the uprising in 1863 and their repercussions. http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~koby/political/chapter_19/19_1863up.html Describes the events that led up to the uprising of 1863. This website also gives specifics about the uprising itself and life during and after it. http://artyzm.com/g/gierymski/e_powstanie.htm Displays paintings of the uprising.

Citi Group Restructuring

Background It all began with the financial crisis of 2007-2008, a crisis which was of a scale that had never been seen before. Many economists called it even worse than the Great Depression. Whether it was or not, that’s something that could be argued. But everyone was of the view that the crisis is really very serious. As a result of it large financial institutions collapsed, banks were being bailed out by the national governments and stock markets tanked to their new lows.This caused the collapse of housing markets in many countries, consumer spending suffered immensely as a result, industries went bankrupt, businesses closed down and unemployment peaked. There were many reasons that were put forth by various economists. A report presented in the US senate called it as the â€Å"failure of regulators, credit agencies and markets†. Citigroup’s Sufferings According to a US government’s report which came into the light in 2011, Citigroup which was the third largest US bank in terms of assets at that time was on the verge of failure.Regulators were going to pull the plugs on it anytime as depositors were withdrawing their deposits and bank’s counterparties also declined to give credits to the bank. How Citigroup moved to new setup? Citigroup suffered losses for five consecutive quarters. In the fifth quarter, in fact its losses were to the tune of $ 8. 29 billion. Many in the Citigroup agreed to the fact that unless something is done to sharpen its strategy, Citigroup will never regain its glory and perform accordingly.As a result, Citigroup started analyzing its business and strategies. It was found that Citigroup was involved in too many business segments which stopped it from focusing on its core interest area. While analyzing, everything big or small was examined. Citigroup in its annual report called the analysis as â€Å"wide ranging and dispassionate†. The outcome of this analysis was that the Citigroup finally dec ided to realign the group’s various business interests in two broad segments: Citicorp and Citi Holdings.The thinking behind this new setup was that this structure will help the company focus on its core business areas which in turn would improve the overall performance, while at the same time realizing the value from its non-core assets. The new structure would look like this: In Citicorp, businesses which were core to the group’s strategy and which offered maximum earnings potential to its shareholders with appropriate risk parameters were placed. These businesses are: †¢ Global Transaction Services – Treasury and Trade Solutions Securities and Fund Services †¢ Securities and Banking – Global Banking – Global Markets – Citi Private Bank – Citi Capital Advisors †¢ Regional Consumer Banking – Four Regional Consumer Banks in North America, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), Latin America and Asia that each in clude retail banking, local commercial banking and Citi-branded cards (Source: http://www. citigroup. com/citi/investor/quarterly/2010) Citicorp, according to the new structure will be a relationship driven global bank, to serve both consumers and businesses.The assets of Citicorp include its core assets located across the globe with strong presence in emerging markets like India, China etc. Citicorp will have the capability to take deposits from customers throughout the world in a manner so that maximum return could be availed. Citicorp will have the capacity to serve local customers globally and global customers in a highly localized way. While in Citi Holdings, assets and businesses which were not central to Citi’s strategy were placed.But that does not mean that those assets were not good. Some have had very high value in their own right. Some were big iconic brands like Morgan Stanley Smith Barney joint venture. Citi Holdings includes: †¢ Brokerage and Asset Managem ent, which includes the Morgan Stanley Smith Barney joint venture †¢ Local Consumer Lending – North America, which includes residential and commercial real estate loans; auto, student and personal loans; and retail partner cards International, which includes Western Europe consumer banking and other consumer finance franchises around the world †¢ Special Asset Pool, which includes non-core assets, many of which are illiquid in current markets Citi Holdings will consist of non-core businesses which attract long term investments. But since those businesses are not the core one, therefore they do not enhance the performance of the group as a whole and in fact they compete for the limited resources that the company could employ in a highly risky and volatile situation.It was expected that the management team of Citi Holdings will restructure, divest and manage its business in a way that maximizes the value and will take the group forward in a tough economic situation Vi kram Pandit, then CEO of Citigroup in one of his interview talked about â€Å"accelerating the implementation of its newly evolved strategy to focus on its core business†. Given the market conditions and business sentiments, Vikram Pandit wanted to streamline the business of Citigroup as soon as possible to further strengthen its position and better serve its clients.

Islam – Hajj

Hajj Overview oPilgrimage is the supreme prayer for forgiveness of sins committed and the ultimate preparation for eternity oPilgrimage rituals which must be performed, eg circumambulation of the Ka’ba oThe rites of the Hajj symbolise the essential concepts of Islam and commemorate the trials of the Prophet Ibrahim and his family oHajj: The annual, week-long pilgrimage to Mecca (in modern-day Saudi Arabia), which is the fifth pillar of faith and is therefore an obligation as it is prescribed in the Qur’an.The complete Hajj occurs two months and ten days after Ramadan ends and culminates with ‘Id al-Adha (the Festival of Sacrifice). oIhram: The white garments are symbolic of human equality and unity before God, since all pilgrims are dressed similarly. Money and status are no longer a factor for the pilgrims— the equality of each person before God becomes foremost. oBefore they leave they must pay their debts, provide for for Hajj nd provide for any family t hat may be left behind. oThe rituals occur in and around Mecca. Before commencing Hajj or entering the holy area of Makkah the pilgrams must prepare themselves for the physical and spiritual journey ahead. This includes †¢Formal washing of the complete body †¢Making intention †¢Putting on the clothing consisting of two seamless pieces of white cloth for males. Females can wear what they like, provided its modest and covers body. †¢Attaining a state of Ihram, a state of purity, peace and honesty > refraining from sex, flirting, lustful thoughts, wearing shoes or socks. Reciting a prayer that the Hajj is for Allah alone > â€Å"here I am responding to your call O Allah. I am responding to your call. † oThen begins the physical journey of the pilgrim in Makkah. One that will take several days to complete. Significance oMuslims believe that the rites of Hajj were designed by God and taught by the Prophet Muhammad. oThe Hajj is designed to develop God conscious ness and a sense of spiritual rebirth. oIt is also believed to be an opportunity to seek forgiveness of sins accumulated throughout life. Prophet Muhammad had said that a person who performs Hajj properly ‘will return as a newly born baby [free of all sins]’. oIt is also an opportunity for Muslims from all over the world to come together to worship the One God. How Hajj Expresses the Belief of Islam oIncorpoates and expresses all the main articles of faith of Islam (beliefs about Allah, his messengers, Muhammad, the Qur’an, angels, Adam and eve the devil, life, death and the Day of Judgment to come. oTradition has it that Adam and Eve were forgiven by Allah near Mount of Mercy.In gratitude Adam built the first Ka’ba but this was washed away in the great flood. oIn the Qur’an there are many references to the Hajj and pilgrimage is mentioned many times. In fact Sura 22 is titled Al-Hajj †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Proclaim the pilgrimage to the people. They will co me to you on foot and on every lean camel, they shall come from every deep ravine† Significance of Hajj for the individual and the community o‘The reward for an accepted Hajj is nothing less than paradise’ (Hadith) oMakes present the central beliefs of a muslims religion. It is an obligatory pilgrimage oThey get to see the very places where the Prophet Muhammad lived and to walk in his footsteps is inspirational and strengthening to faith oAn opportunity for spiritual rebirth and the removal of sins, to start again and ‘return like a newborn baby’ (Hadith) oThe rejection of Satan by stoning the three pillars is a physical act that reinforces a spiritual and psychological commitment to reject evil both now and into the future oThe pilgrims state of Ihram is one of purity and humility.Here they are at peace with Allah, with themselves, with other Muslims and with all of creation. This memory will stay with them and they will try to recreate this in thei r everyday lives. oWithin Hajj the unity and universality of Islam are highlighted and strengthened. oHajj is the largest annual peace gathering in the world with over 2 million people gathering each year to pray together and be at peace with each other and with creation. oHajj reminds all Muslims of the Day of Judgement when all will assemble and be judged on their intentions.Conclusion Islam, the world’s second most followed religion can be summed up in the two sentences: ‘There is no god but God’ and ‘Muhammad is the messenger of God’. Everyone and everything depends upon Allah and it is through the guidance of the Qur’an and the example set by the Prophet’s life that Muslims cultivate an understanding of God and surrender themselves to the will of God. The relationship between the individual and God and with the community is expressed in the living out of the five pillars and following Shari‘a.Throughout its history, there hav e been shifts in how Islam views signifi cant people and schools of thought, and the modern world has brought new challenges to Islamic jurisprudence in regard to ethical issues. Muslims living in Australia have not always found it easy to ‘live out’ their religion according to Shari‘a and have had to confront misconceptions about their beliefs and practices. Today, however, the practices of Islam are a normal part of Australia’s religious landscape.

Professions for Women Essay

1. According to Virginia Woolf, what are two main obstacles to women’s professional identity? Are these still the two main obstacles, or does the contemporary women face different hurdles? Explain. The two main obstacles to women’s professional identify is the expectations of society and the expectations she has for herself. These obstacles still exist today but to a certain degree. In 1930 society’s expectation for women was to stay home to cook and clean, now women are still seen to do this but are also seen to have a job. Women also give themselves high expectations for many things as they did in the 1930’s. 2. What is the Origin of the â€Å"Angel in the House† (para. 3)? Consult the Language of Composition Web site for background information: .Why is this an appropriate or effective frame of reference for Woolf? The origin of the â€Å"Angel in the House† came from a poem written in the 1900’s about self sacrificing heroine which represents the ideal Victorian women; a woman who was sympathetic, very charming, and unselfish. Including the â€Å"Angel in the House† is appropriate because she talks about killing this phantom which meant she was free to express herself, which inspired many women. 3. What do you think Woolf means in paragraph 5 when she asserts that â€Å"a novelist’s chief desire is to be as unconscious as possible†? Do you agree that someone who writes fiction should be â€Å"unconscious†? Why do you think a novelist would want to be â€Å"unconscious† or would benefit from being â€Å"unconscious†? I think what Woolf means by â€Å"a novelist’s chief desire is to be unconscious as possible† (paragraph 5). Is that when a writer begins to write they disappear into their own words and continue to write without stopping. I agree that someone who writes fiction should be â€Å"unconscious† because it helps them describe the character they are portraying better. 4. In paragraph 5 and 6, Woolf explores the consequences of being unable to tell â€Å"the truth† about her own â€Å"experiences as a body.† What does she mean† Why does she believe that surmounting this obstacle is more difficult – perhaps impossible at the time she was writing – that â€Å"killing the Angel in the House†? Woolf means that women still have to hide behind lies, like a fake  name, to have a book published. She believes the surmounting this obstacle is more difficult because women were not seen as equals in the 1930’s they were more seen as property of the husband or father.

Professional Development of Nursing Professionals Essay

In this day and age when medicine becomes more technological and industry driven, nursing needs to find its new role in the rapidly transforming healthcare system. In 2010 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published proposals about remodeling of nursing in the U.S. – â€Å"The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.† This report points out to the need for changes in education, expanding practice, and demonstrating leadership in nursing. This modification will have a strong effect on the nursing in future and will contribute to changes of scope and standards of practice. Impact of the IOM Report on Nursing Education In regards to nursing education IOM report proclaim, â€Å"nurses should achieve higher levels of education and training through improved education system that promotes seamless academic progression.† (IOM Report, 2010). Today healthcare system is advancing rapidly and requires from all caregivers to improve their knowledge and specialization. The training and education that was given in the past to the nurses does not satisfy the demands of modern days and need to changed dramatically to allow them to keep up with rapidly changing scope of todays medicine. Nowadays, ever-growing complexity of patients demands from nurses to achieve a higher level of education in order to deliver a higher-quality patient care. To achieve this goal nursing schools have to develop new educational model, that provide competencies in decision making, quality improvement, systematic thinking, and team leadership. Another recommendation that IOM repot promotes to raise the proportion of BSN graduates among of the nurses to 80% by the end of 2020 (IOM, 2010). An increase in the percentage of nurses with a bachelor degree would help to manage a challenging and increasingly diverse healthcare environment. Impact of the IOM Report on Practice, Particularly in Primary care Nowadays, the health care system starts to focus on the new ways to provide patient-centered care by delivering more primary care and working on education of communities by promoting disease prevention and healthy lifestyles. Nurses now qualified to provide these services, since they have enough scientific knowledge and training. Regrettably, however this welcomed change is hindered by various restrictions coming from outdated policies and rules. These restrictions prevent nurses to deliver services to the patient and community in the full capacity. The IOM report advice to redesign the roles of nurses to satisfy the need for improved and safe service to the public. The report also advised to revise the outdated standards of practice and eliminate the obstacles to maximize the contribution to the community that nurses can make. Impact of the IOM Report on Nursing Role as a Leader Public is not used to seeing the nurse as a leader, mostly because of historical and rather stereotyped role of a nurse as a physician extender. However, in a constantly changing climate of a healthcare reform and increasing power of entities such as insurance companies, nurses cannot stay passive any longer if they want to continue to be relevant. â€Å"Because nurses have regular and close proximity to patients and scientific understanding of care processes across the continuum of care, they have a unique ability to act as partners with other health professionals and to lead in the improvement and redesign of the health care system and its many practice environments, including hospitals, schools, homes.† states in IOM recommendation. A unique nurses role as a patient advocate combined with a stronger leadership role that they ought to embrace is indispensible in order to form new health care policies that put patient in the center of the discussion. Changing Your Practice to Meet the Goals of the IOM Report Another key point of IOM report is to promote a high level education in the nursing. I am working toward achieving my goal and receiving Bachelor degree in nursing. I’m an operating nurse with more than fifteen years of an experience. Over many years of my practice I have achieved a high level of skill in many different areas of my profession. Now looking back I have a renewed appreciation to all the nursing educators that trained me so well and equipped me with tools to strife for continued self-improvement. I feel that now is my turn to pass on the torch and make sure that the future generation of nurses with rip from my experience and knowledge. Current concerning trend in the nursing is an acute deficiency in experienced locally educated nurses. As stated by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing,† U.S. nursing schools turned away 78,089 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2013 due to an insufficient number of faculty,† (AACN, 2014). I fully intend to use my BSN education to embark on the difficult role as a nurse educator initially on my workplace and possibly later in a nursing academic institution In summary, an academic nursing education is an important evolution in my profession since it equips me with knowledge, skills and tools to continue to provide better patient care in safer environment, take part in shaping future health care policies and pass on my knowledge in an efficient way. References American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). (2014). Nursing Faculty Shortage. Washington, DC Retrieved from: http://www.aacn.nche.edu/media-relations/fact-sheets/nursing-faculty-shortage Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (IOM). (2010). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. Retrieved from: http://iom.edu/Reports/2010/The-Future-of-Nursing-Leading-Change-Advancing-Health.aspx

Safety Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Safety - Essay Example ucating people regarding safety precautions and providing them with information and knowledge, ergonomics is a more hands-on practice in which professionals are required to use their skills to design an effective system to prevent high levels of risk for employees (Zacharatos, Julian, & Iverson, p. 91). I would prefer to work for the mining industry as I feel that this industry has more need for designing safety practices as the workers of this industry are succumbed to high levels of risk. Hence, practicing ergonomics for this industry would be highly effective and applicable. Q2. The presentation â€Å"Goal Setting for Young Professionals† has several important points that can be of significance when planning a career. One of the most important points that grasped my attention was the differentiation between a career and just a job. Hence, the presentation emphasized that a person should choose their career path wisely, and he should not just consider it a job, but should consider it a progressive stage of life that a person needs to excel in. Q3. Developing passion and purpose in your career is a vital component to success. In order to develop passion and purpose in your career, it is highly important to be interested in the field you work in and have vigor to continue working in that field permanently. Moreover, it is also highly essential to have a dream or set goals that you want to achieve which work as fuel for your passion and set out your purpose in your career (Salvandy, p. 88). Without setting appropriate goals and defining a career path, it is difficult for a person to have passion and purpose in their career as they are usually aiming for mediocrity. Moreover, without a specific purpose in your career, any path you are on is likely to be considered the right one. Choosing career paths that interest you or offer opportunities for growth, enhancement of skills, and learning opportunities are likely to be those in which you can develop passion and

Compare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Compare - Essay Example This paper will compare and contrast the art of the Renaissance as against the art of the 20th century. I will do so by choosing two artists, one from each era and comparing and contrasting their styles on the basis of the ideas, methods, materials and media they employed. Further I will discuss at least three works of each artist to prove my point. For the purpose of this assignment I have chosen to compare and contrast the works of Michelangelo in the Renaissance Era to that of Salvador Dali in the 20th century. Both of these artists were incredibly talented and hardworking, worked on a variety of mediums and in a sense became the iconic artists of their eras. While surrealism dealt with imagery, this is no less important in the spiritual paintings of the Renaissance. The Art of the Renaissance The Renaissance can be characterized as a time during the fifteenth century in Europe when there was a rebirth or reawakening of the human mind and spirit in almost every way. Every discipli ne of importance was affected, including art. The Early Renaissance started in Italy round about the year 1400. It can be said that the Renaissance took Europe from the medieval times to the modern ages. All art forms like sculpture, paintings and even decorative art of this period bear some similar and distinctive characteristics that indicate the change in thinking as well as the creation of new artistic sensibilities. Among the prominent artists of the Renaissance are Titian, Raphael, Michelangelo, Bellini, Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro Boticelli. The opening work of this era is characterized by the bronze doors of the Baptistry of the Florentine cathedral designed by Lorenzo Ghiberti. Its culmination may be seen in the work on the Sistine Chapel done by Perugino, Ghirlandaio, Boticelli and Rosselli through their frescoes depicting the Life of Christ and the life of Moses. The Art of the 20th Century Twentieth century art had its beginnings in the movement towards modernism from t he late 19th century. It is also called Modern Art. Its beginnings lie in Art Nouveau and Post Impressionism. The art of the 20th century espoused many forms and used a variety of mediums. It was characterized at various times by Cubism, Fauvism, Dadaism and Futurism. Prominent among the artists of the 20th century are Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock and Damien Hirst. Each of these artists has used a different medium and some a variety of mediums to express their feelings and ideas. Ideas, Methods, Materials and Media Michelangelo was a versatile artist and a great painter and sculptor. He is said to have been a keen observer of the human body and even studied corpses for anatomical details. The results are clearly evident in his sculptures of the Pieta and David, classical masterpieces completed before he was thirty years old. Michelangelo studied painting under Domenico Ghirlandaio and sculpture under Bertoldo di Giovanni and emerged as one of their best pupils before embarking on his own career as an artist. He fashioned works of art out of wood, marble and stone, besides painting numerous frescoes. His work on the Sistine Chapel which took four years to complete (1508-12) and Pope Julius’s Tomb which due to various interruptions was completed in forty years remain outstanding as some of the hallmarks of Renaissance work (Hibbard, 48). Salvador Dali who was