Friday, January 24, 2020

How the United States Must Handle China and Its Military in the 21st C

There is a delicate balancing act a country must be aware of when it is a military superpower. A superpower must exercise extreme care to protect their economic superiority, advance their foreign policies, and project their military might all while working to advance the global system. Enticing China to become a responsible pillar of the global system will be one of the greatest challenges of coming decades for the United States and the Western world-particularly since it appears for the moment China is uninterested in playing such a role. This is the unique situation the United States and China find themselves in, with so many mutual interests, and as the global economy begins to slow, challenges such as: China’s increase in military spending and foreign tension which is rising throughout the Pacific region, highlight the importance of the U.S./China political and military cooperation. However, China’s economic agreements with neighboring countries, the U.S. and Chi nese trade deficit, Chinese foreign policies and military growth, and current U.S. Presidential relations with Beijing all play a decisive role in shaping these two military superpowers. China’s continued refusal to contribute positively to international trade negotiations and constant challenge to their current World Trade Organization (WTO) status places these agencies in a serious state of jeopardy. China is also hurting the global trading system by supporting the creation of a loose but potent Asian trading block. China has difficulties in accepting the terms of membership into organizations which already exist such as the WTO and International Monetary Fund (IMF). They’ve continually challenged the WTO’s rules by exploiting loopholes and the lack of regula... ...007): 26-30. Scobell, Andrew and Wortzel Larry M., Shaping China’s Security Environment: The Role of the People’s Liberation Army. Carlisle: Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, 2009. The White House. National Security Strategy of the United States 2010 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2010): 1-60. Tucker, Nancy. Strait talk: United States-Taiwan relations and the crisis with China. Massachusetts : Harvard University Press, 2009. Tzu Sun. The Art of War. Translated by Samuel B. Griffith. New York: Oxford University Press, 1971. Walt, Victor. "China bets on Iran." Fortune 160, no. 8 (2009): 90. Yanhua, Li. "President Hu Jintao and US President-elect Barack Obama Discuss over Telephone 2008-11-09." September 15, 2009. http://www.enghunan.gov.cn/wwwHome/200811/t20081109146216.htm Internet; accessed 9 Aug 2010.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Criticisms in “In the Penal Colony” Essay

The antediluvian apparatus and ancient legal system in Kafka’s â€Å"In the Penal Colony† describes the current state of humanity in the colonial era.   Through the use, along with the circumstances surrounding the machine, Kafka portrays slavery and colonialism in the world and the consequences of failing to abolish such ways. The people of the colony are represented by â€Å"the Soldier†, â€Å"the Officer†, â€Å"the Explorer†, â€Å"the Condemned man†, and â€Å"the Commandant†.   By giving them these names, Kafka has essentially dehumanized them much like those who have been condemned to working in penal colonies; they only have functions, not names.   The harsh bureaucratic ways of the colony can be seen through the punishments handed out as told by the Officer who is: much more interested in the technicalities of the execution than the niceties of legal procedure. The actual execution is to be carried out by a complex apparatus designed by the former Commandant of the penal colony and maintained by the Officer. The machine tortures the condemned man in a process that brutally mimics and transforms the sexual act. The condemned man is strapped naked onto something akin to a bed and the top part of the apparatus, a set of knife-like needles, automatically descends, piercing his body and excreting a fluid that inscribes the sentence upon his flesh. For the first six hours of the writing process, the condemned man â€Å"suffers only pain† (149) but as the needles pierce his internal organs more deeply, he achieves a form of enlightenment that culminates in death. (Kohn 5) The way in which the punishment is filtered through the legal system of the penal colony is also rather questionable.   The Officer says, â€Å"I have been appointed judge in this penal colony†(145) and uses his principle of: Guilt is never to be doubted.   Other courts cannot follow that principle, for they consist of several opinions and have higher courts to scrutinize them.   That is not the case here, or at least, it was not the case in the former Commandant’s time.†(145) to rule over his judgments.   For the condemned man, he has no chance to defend himself and prove his innocence by virtue of the system in place.   They are always going to be found guilty for the sake of being guilty so they can have an execution take place and bring some kind of grotesque excitement where, â€Å"hundreds of spectators—all of them standing on tiptoe†(153) could bear witness to them. Aside from the archaic methods of criminal procedures, Kafka also presents the reliance on antiquated technology through this work in the presentation of execution machine to portray the costs associated with running a penal colony for slave labor during his time.   We first get a glimpse of the harsh realities of the machine and the cost to upkeep it when the soldier breaks the wrist strap and the Officer says, â€Å"This is a very complex machine, it can’t be helped that things are breaking or giving way here and there; but one must not thereby allow oneself to be diverted in one’s general judgment†(151).   He continues saying: the resources for maintaining the machine are now very much reduced.   Under the former Commandant I had free access to a sum of money set aside entirely for this purpose.   There was a store, too, in which spare parts were kept for repairs of all kinds. (151)†¦Now he has taken charge of the machine money himself, and if I send for a new strap they ask for the broken old strap as evidence, and the new strap takes ten days to appear and then is of shoddy material and not much good. (151) There was an entire store dedicated solely to maintaining the machine it much like penal colonies were such a hindrance on the economies of the nations that controlled and maintained them. As the story progresses, we can see how the ways of the penal colony are being phased out when we hear the Officer tell the Explorer: there’s no time to lose, an attack of some kind is impending on my function as judge; conferences are already being held in the Commandant’s office from which I am excluded; even your coming here today seems to me a significant move; they are cowards and use you as a screen, you, a stranger.(153) The Officer views the Explorer with a great deal of clout believing he can restore the penal colony to the greatness that it once enjoyed.   However, the Explorer knows the harsh realities of the colony and refuses to play along with Officer to help him bring the colony back to its previous state.   Instead we see the Explorer as, â€Å"a kind of outsider,†(157) a change in attitudes throughout the world looking in on the colony.   The Officer finally realizes that the Explorer is not there to help him restore what once was, and he submits himself to his own machine.   As the machine is inscribing ‘be just’ into his body, it fails due to its complex nature and failing state, much like the failing state of the colony, and kills him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Through close readings of â€Å"In the Penal Colony,† we gain an insight as to what Kafka was trying to accomplish with this work.   His nation, Germany, as well as many others in the world at the time had undertaken colonialism and establishing penal colonies to better their nations.   However, Kafka illustrates the failing nature of these establishments through their rudimentary justice systems and monetary reliance on the host nations economies.   Instead of bettering society through what was being provided by the slave labor, the social order of the world was being torn apart keeping them afloat. Works Cited Kohn, Margaret. â€Å"Kafka’s Critique of Colonialism.† Theory & Event. 8.3 (2005): 5. Print.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Fascinating Tufted Titmouse Facts

The tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) is a small, gray-plumed songbird, easily recognized for the crest of gray feathers atop its head, its big black eyes, black forehead, and its rust-colored flanks. They are quite common throughout the eastern part of North America, so if youre in that geographical region and want to catch a glimpse of a tufted titmouse, it may not be that difficult to find. Fast Facts: Tufted Titmouse Scientific Name: Baeolophus bicolorCommon Names: Tufted titmouseBasic Animal Group: BirdSize: 5.9–6.7 inchesWeight: 0.6–0.9 ounce  Lifespan: 2.1–13 yearsDiet: OmnivoreHabitat: Southeastern, eastern, and midwestern United States, southern Ontario (Canada)Population: Hundreds of thousands or millionsConservation Status:  Least Concern Description Male and female titmice have similar plumage, which makes identification a little bit easier, and titmice can be tempted to backyard bird feeders, so you may not have to go far at all to see one. Tufted titmice exhibit some distinct physical characteristics that make them easy to identify; these traits are easily spotted under most conditions and are not shared by too many other species within their range. The key physical characteristics to watch for when trying to identify a tufted titmouse include: Gray crestBlack forehead and billLarge, black eyesRusty-orange flanks The characteristics listed above are most useful in confirming that the bird youre looking at is a tufted titmouse. But you can also look for other field marks characteristic of the species, which include: Overall gray color, with darker gray upperparts and lighter gray on breast and bellyLight gray legs and feetMedium-length, gray tail (about one third its entire length, head to tail) Habitat and Distribution Populations of tufted titmice stretch from the East Coast of the United States westward to the Plains of central Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa. The highest population densities of tufted titmice occur along the Ohio, Cumberland, Arkansas, and Mississippi rivers. Within their range, there are certain habitats that tufted titmice prefer—they are most common in deciduous and mixed-deciduous forests, especially those with a dense canopy or tall vegetation. Tufted titmice also occur to a lesser extent in suburban areas, orchards, and wetlands and can be spotted at backyard bird feeders on occasion, during the fall and winter months. Diet and Behavior Tufted titmice feed on insects and seeds. They forage on trees and can be seen on trunks and limbs looking for insects in the crevices of the bark. They also forage on the ground. Throughout the year, their preferred foraging locations can change. In summer months they spend more time foraging in the canopy of a tall tree, while in winter they can be spotted on trunks and in shorter trees more often. When cracking open nuts and seeds, tufted titmice hold the seed in their feet and hammer them with their bill. tufted titmice feed on a variety of invertebrates including caterpillars, beetles, ants, wasps, bees, treehoppers, spiders and snails. When feeding at backyard bird feeders, tufted titmice have a fondness for sunflower seeds, nuts, suet, and mealworms. Tufted titmice move along branches and over the ground by jumping and hopping. When flying, their flight path is direct and not undulating. The song of the tufted titmouse is usually a clear, two-syllable whistle: peter peter peter peter. Their call is nasal and consists of a series of sharp notes: ti ti ti sii sii zhree zhree zhree. Reproduction and Offspring Tufted titmice breed between March and May. The female generally lays between five and eight brown-speckled eggs in nests that are 3 to 90 feet high. They line their nests with soft materials such as wool, moss, cotton, leaves, bark, fur, or grass. The female incubates the eggs for 13 to 17 days. Tufted titmice typically have one or two broods each season. The young of the first brood usually help care for the nestlings of the second brood. Most of the hatchlings die shortly after birth, but if they survive, they can live for more than two years. The oldest tufted titmouse on record lived to be 13 years old. The tufted titmouse is fully mature and ready for reproduction by age 1. vandervelden  / Getty Images Conservation Status The IUCN classifies the tufted titmouses conservation status as least concern.  Researchers place the number of tufted titmice in the hundreds of thousands or millions. Their numbers have increased slightly in the past few decades, about 1 percent, and they have moved northward, from the southeastern U.S. to the New England region and Ontario, Canada. Since they are among the larger species of birds, competition is not thought to be a factor, but they may be moving northward to areas where there are more dense populations of trees due to climate change. Sources Tufted Titmouse.†Ã‚  Animal Spot.â€Å"Tufted Titmouse.†Ã‚  Tufted Titmouse - Introduction | Birds of North America Online.Watt DJ. 1972. Comparison of the foraging behaviors of the Carolina Chickadee and Tufted Titmouse in northwestern Arkansas. M.Sc. thesis, Univ. Arkansas, Fayetteville.