Friday, March 20, 2020

70 Million Years of Primate Evolution

70 Million Years of Primate Evolution Many people take an understandably human-centered view of primate evolution, focusing on the bipedal, large-brained hominids that populated the jungles of Africa a few million years ago. But the fact is that primates as a whole - a category of megafauna mammals that includes not only humans and hominids, but monkeys, apes, lemurs, baboons, and tarsiers - have a deep evolutionary history that stretches as far back as the age of dinosaurs. (See a gallery of prehistoric primate pictures and profiles.) The first mammal that paleontologists have identified as possessing primate-like characteristics was Purgatorius, a tiny, mouse-sized creature of the late Cretaceous period (just before the K/T Impact Event that rendered the dinosaurs extinct). Although it looked more like a tree shrew than a monkey or ape, Purgatorius had a very primate-like set of teeth, and it (or a close relative) may have spawned the more familiar primates of the Cenozoic Era. (Genetic sequencing studies suggest that the earliest primate ancestor may have lived a whopping 20 million years before Purgatorius, but as yet theres no fossil evidence for this mysterious beast.) Scientists have touted the equally mouse-like Archicebus, which lived 10 million years after Purgatorius, as the first true primate, and the anatomic evidence in support of this hypothesis is even stronger. Whats confusing about this is that the Asian Archicebus seems to have lived around the same time as the North American and Eurasian Plesiadapis, a much bigger, two-foot-long, tree-dwelling, lemur-like primate with a rodent-like head. The teeth of Plesiadapis displayed the early adaptations necessary for an omnivorous diet - a key trait that allowed its descendants tens of millions of years down the line to diversify away from trees and toward the open grasslands. Primate Evolution During the Eocene Epoch During the Eocene epoch- from about 55 million to 35 million years ago- small, lemur-like primates haunted woodlands the world over, though the fossil evidence is frustratingly sparse. The most important of these creatures was Notharctus, which had a telling mix of simian traits: a flat face with forward-facing eyes, flexible hands that could grasp branches, a sinuous backbone, and (perhaps most important) a bigger brain, proportionate to its size, than can be seen in any previous vertebrate. Interestingly, Notharctus was the last primate ever to be indigenous to North America; it probably descended from ancestors that crossed the land bridge from Asia at the end of the Paleocene. Similar to Notharctus was the western European Darwinius, the subject of a big public relations blitz a few years back touting it as the earliest human ancestor; not many experts are convinced. Another important Eocene primate was the Asian Eosimias (dawn monkey), which was considerably smaller than both Notharctus and Darwinius, only a few inches from head to tail and weighing one or two ounces, max. The nocturnal, tree-dwelling Eosimias - which was about the size of your average Mesozoic mammal - has been posited by some experts as proof that monkeys originated in Asia rather than Africa, though this is far from a widely accepted conclusion. The Eocene also witnessed the North American Smilodectes and the amusingly named Necrolemur from western Europe, early, pint-sized monkey ancestors that were distantly related to modern lemurs and tarsiers. A Brief Digression - The Lemurs of Madagascar Speaking of lemurs, no account of primate evolution would be complete without a description of the rich variety of prehistoric lemurs that once inhabited the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar, off the east African coast. The fourth-largest island in the world, after Greenland, New Guinea, and Borneo, Madagascar split off from the African mainland about 160 million years ago, during the late Jurassic period, and then from the Indian subcontinent anywhere from 100 to 80 million years ago, during the middle to late Cretaceous period. What this means, of course, is that its virtually impossible for any Mesozoic primates to have evolved on Madagascar before these big splits- so where did all those lemurs come from? The answer, as far as paleontologists can tell, is that some lucky Paleocene or Eocene primates managed to float to Madagascar from the African coast on tangled thatches of driftwood, a 200-mile journey that could conceivably have been accomplished in a matter of days. Crucially, the only primates to successfully make this trip happened to be lemurs and not other types of monkeys - and once ensconced on their enormous island, these tiny progenitors were free to evolve into a wide variety of ecological niches over the ensuing tens of millions of years (even today, the only place on earth you can find lemurs is Madagascar; these primates perished millions of years ago in North America, Eurasia, and even Africa). Given their relative isolation, and the lack of effective predators, the prehistoric lemurs of Madagascar were free to evolve in some weird directions. The Pleistocene epoch witnessed plus-sized lemurs like Archaeoindris, which was about the size of a modern gorilla, and the smaller Megaladapis, which only weighed 100 pounds or so. Entirely different (but of course closely related) were the so-called sloth lemurs, primates like Babakotia and Palaeopropithecus that looked and behaved like sloths, lazily climbing trees and sleeping upside-down from branches. Sadly, most of these slow, trusting, dim-witted lemurs were doomed to extinction when the first human settlers arrived on Madagascar about 2,000 years ago. Old World Monkeys, New World Monkeys and the First Apes Often used interchangeably with primate and monkey, the word simian derives from Simiiformes, the infraorder of mammals that includes both old world (i.e., African and Eurasian) monkeys and apes and new world (i.e., central and South American) monkeys; the small primates and lemurs described on page 1 of this article are usually referred to as prosimians. If all this sounds confusing, the important thing to remember is that new world monkeys split off from the main branch of simian evolution about 40 million years ago, during the Eocene epoch, while the split between old world monkeys and apes occurred about 25 million years later. The fossil evidence for new world monkeys is surprisingly slim; to date, the earliest genus yet identified is Branisella, which lived in South America between 30 and 25 million years ago. Typically for a new world monkey, Branisella was relatively small, with a flat nose and a prehensile tail (oddly enough, old world monkeys never managed to evolve these grasping, flexible appendages). How did Branisella and its fellow new world monkeys make it all the way from Africa to South America? Well, the stretch of Atlantic Ocean separating these two continents was about one-third shorter 40 million years ago than it is today, so its conceivable that some small old world monkeys made the trip accidentally, on floating thatches of driftwood. Fairly or unfairly, old world monkeys are often considered significant only insofar as they eventually spawned apes, and then hominids, and then humans. A good candidate for an intermediate form between old-world monkeys and old-world apes was Mesopithecus, a macaque-like primate that, like apes, foraged for leaves and fruits during the day. Another possible transitional form was Oreopithecus (called the cookie monster by paleontologists), an island-dwelling European primate that possessed a strange mix of monkey-like and ape-like characteristics but (according to most classification schemes) stopped short of being a true hominid. The Evolution of Apes and Hominids During the Miocene Epoch Heres where the story gets a bit confusing. During the Miocene epoch, from 23 to 5 million years ago, a bewildering assortment of apes and hominids inhabited the jungles of Africa and Eurasia (apes are distinguished from monkeys mostly by their lack of tails and stronger arms and shoulders, and hominids are distinguished from apes mostly by their upright postures and bigger brains). The most important non-hominid African ape was Pliopithecus, which may have been ancestral to modern gibbons; an even earlier primate, Propliopithecus, seems to have been ancestral to Pliopithecus. As their non-hominid status implies, Pliopithecus and related apes (such as Proconsul) werent directly ancestral to humans; for example, none of these primates walked on two feet. Ape (but not hominid) evolution really hit its stride during the later Miocene, with the tree-dwelling Dryopithecus, the enormous Gigantopithecus (which was about twice the size of a modern gorilla), and the nimble Sivapithecus, which is now considered to be the same genus as Ramapithecus (it turns out that smaller Ramapithecus fossils were probably Sivapithecus females!) Sivapithecus is especially important because this was one of the first apes to venture down from the trees and out onto the African grasslands, a crucial evolutionary transition that may have been spurred by climate change. Paleontologists disagree about the details, but the first true hominid appears to have been Ardipithecus, which walked (if only clumsily and occasionally) on two feet but only had a chimp-sized brain; even more tantalizingly, there doesnt seem to have been much sexual differentiation between Ardipithecus males and females, which makes this genus unnervingly similar to humans. A few million years after Ardipithecus came the first indisputable hominids: Australopithecus (represented by the famous fossil Lucy), which was only about four or five feet tall but walked on two legs and had an unusually large brain, and Paranthropus, which was once considered to be a species of Australopithecus but has since earned its own genus thanks to its unusually large, muscular head and correspondingly larger brain. Both Australopithecus and Paranthropus lived in Africa until the start of the Pleistocene epoch; paleontologists believe that a population of Australopithecus was the immediate progenitor of genus Homo, the line that eventually evolved (by the end of the Pleistocene) into our own species, Homo sapiens.

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

The Japanese American No-No Boys in World War II

The Japanese American No-No Boys in World War II To understand who the No-No Boys were, it’s first necessary to understand the events of World War II. The United States government’s decision to place more than 110,000 individuals of Japanese origin into internment camps without cause during the war marks one of the most disgraceful chapters in American history. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, nearly three months after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. At the time, the federal government argued that separating Japanese nationals and Japanese Americans from their homes and livelihoods was a necessity because such people posed a national security threat, as they were supposedly likely to conspire with the Japanese empire to plan additional attacks on the U.S. Today historians agree that racism and xenophobia against people of Japanese ancestry following the Pearl Harbor attack prompted the executive order. After all, the United States was also at odds with Germany and Italy during World War II, but the federal government did not order mass internment of Americans of German and Italian origin. Unfortunately, the federal government’s egregious actions did not end with the forced evacuation of Japanese Americans. After depriving these Americans of their civil rights, the government then asked them to fight for the country. While some agreed in hopes of proving their loyalty to the U.S., others refused. They were known as No-No Boys. Vilified at the time for their decision, today No-No Boys are largely viewed as heroes for standing up to a government that deprived them of their freedom. A Survey Tests Loyalty The No-No Boys received their name by answering no to two questions on a survey given to Japanese Americans forced into concentration camps. Question #27 asked: â€Å"Are you willing to serve in the armed forces of the United States on combat duty, wherever ordered?† Question #28 asked: â€Å"Will you swear unqualified allegiances to the United States of America and faithfully defend the United States from any or all attack by foreign or domestic forces, and forswear any form of allegiance or obedience to the Japanese emperor, or other foreign government, power or organization?† Outraged that the U.S. government demanded that they vow loyalty to the country after flagrantly violating their civil liberties, some Japanese Americans refused to enlist in the armed forces. Frank Emi, an internee at the Heart Mountain camp in Wyoming, was one such young man. Angered that his rights had been trampled on, Emi and a half-dozen other Heart Mountain internees formed the Fair Play Committee (FPC) after receiving draft notices. The FPC declared in March 1944: â€Å"We, the members of the FPC, are not afraid to go to war. We are not afraid to risk our lives for our country. We would gladly sacrifice our lives to protect and uphold the principles and ideals of our country as set forth in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, for on its inviolability depends the freedom, liberty, justice, and protection of all people, including Japanese Americans and all other minority groups. But have we been given such freedom, such liberty, such justice, such protection? NO!† Punished for Standing Up For refusing to serve, Emi, his fellow FPC participants, and more than 300 internees at 10 camps were prosecuted. Emi served 18 months in a federal penitentiary in Kansas. The bulk of No-No Boys faced three-year sentences in a federal penitentiary. In addition to felony convictions, internees who refused to serve in the military faced a backlash in Japanese American communities. For example, leaders of the Japanese American Citizens League characterized draft resisters as disloyal cowards and blamed them for giving the American public the idea that Japanese Americans were unpatriotic. For resisters such as Gene Akutsu, the backlash took a tragic personal toll. While he only answered no to Question #27- that he would not serve in the U.S. armed forces on combat duty wherever ordered- he ultimately ignored the draft noticed received, resulting in him serving more than three years in a federal prison in Washington state. He left prison in 1946, but that wasn’t soon enough for his mother. The Japanese American community ostracized her- even telling her not to show up at church- because Akutsu and another son dared defy the federal government. â€Å"One day it all got to her and she took her life,† Akutsu told American Public Media (APM) in 2008. â€Å"When my mother passed away, I refer to that as a wartime casualty.â€Å" President Harry Truman pardoned all of the wartime draft resisters in December 1947. As a result, the criminal records of the young Japanese American men who refused to serve in the military were cleared. Akutsu told APM he wished his mother had been around to hear Truman’s decision. â€Å"If she had only lived one more year longer, we would have had a clearance from the president saying that we are all okay and you have all your citizenship back,† he explained. â€Å"That’s all she was living for.† The Legacy of the No-No Boys The 1957 novel No-No Boy by John Okada captures how Japanese American draft-resisters suffered for their defiance. Although Okada himself actually answered yes to both queries on the loyalty questionnaire, enlisting in the Air Force during World War II, he spoke with a No-No Boy named Hajime Akutsu after completing his military service and was moved enough by Akutsu’s experiences to tell his story.​ The book has immortalized the emotional turmoil that No-No Boys endured for making a decision that is now largely viewed as heroic. The shift in how No-No Boys are perceived is in part due to the federal government’s acknowledgment in 1988 that it had wronged Japanese Americans by interning them without cause. Twelve years later, the JACL apologized for widely vilifying draft resisters. In November 2015, the musical Allegiance, which chronicles a No-No Boy, debuted on Broadway.

Monday, February 17, 2020

A Contraversial Issue utilized by George W. Bush during his presidency Essay

A Contraversial Issue utilized by George W. Bush during his presidency - Essay Example evel of responsibility by the governments of Afghanistan and Iraq in the terror attacks of 11 September on the U.S., the actions which allegedly caused the invasions in question. First, this discussion will examine the motives postulated by the U.S. for military actions against these sovereign nations. It is the contention of this dialogue as well as the vast majority of the world and, as it now seems, the American public that these actions were patently illegal, immoral and inexcusable. The ‘War on Terrorism’ as it is commonly referred to, is phrase coined by United States government officials and is primarily used to justify the military initiative de jour. It is generally defined as the current conflict between the U.S. and radical Islamic factions. Immediately following and as a reactionary response to the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S., President George Bush stated the county’s intent to initiate a ‘War on Terrorism’ which he characterized as a prolonged battle against those that would employ terrorist actions along with the nations that enabled them. When the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, legal advisors tied closely to the ideology of the Bush administration within the Justice Department’s Office advised Bush that the U.S. was not legally bound by the U.N. Charter or international laws with regard to rules of engaging a perceived enemy. These views were echoed by Alberto Gonzales, then White House legal advi sor for the President and now Attorney General of the U.S. He also advised President Bush that he did not have to comply with the Geneva Conventions in the handling of prisoners, or ‘detainees’ in this war on terror. This opinion, shared by legal counsels to the President, applied to not only those directly affiliated with Al Qaeda but to the entire ruling party in Afghanistan, the Taliban, because, as they argued, Afghanistan was a ‘failed state’ (Mayer, 2005, p. 32). The Bush administration chose to follow the

Monday, February 3, 2020

Lab report (Using NMR) Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

(Using NMR) - Lab Report Example Hydrogen molecule found in the hydro carbon is the most frequently observed nuclear in the NMR spectroscopy (Orrell, Ã…  ik & Stephenson, 2010). A 2D nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy experiments entails a set of NMR methods which offer data that has been plotted in a space which is defined by 2 frequency axes and not a single one. The Methods of NMR that will be utilized in the experiment entails correlation spectroscopy, nuclear overhauser effect spectroscopy and the hetero nuclear single quantum correlation spectroscopy. Hetero nuclear single quantum correlation spectroscopy will detect the correlation between the nuclei of 2 different types that are divided by a bond. The method often presents a single peak per pair. The original two dimensional experiments were utilized to identify the nuclei which shared a scalar coupling. The presence of the off-diagonal often correlates the coupled partners (Orrell, Ã…  ik & Stephenson, 2010). The procedure is first conducted by collecting a sample of nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer that will be sufficient soluble in the solvent that was requested. The samples were prepared in solid, semi-solid or NMR chromatography. The sample was collected in 5mm nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. The tubes were labeled with the significant concentric label. The purpose of the tubes being labeled was to ensure that the experiment is curried out sufficiently. The sample collected was sufficient enough to yield better results for the experiment since it was able to form the chromatography. In the C10H18O experiment, the experiment is often utilized to analyze coupling relationships between the protons. Clear solutions have been identified to offer the best results with turbid solutions presenting poor spectrum. To achieve the maximum solution, the solvent with the low viscosity was chosen (Orrell, Ã…  ik & Stephenson, 2010). In cases where the signal

Saturday, January 25, 2020

The History of Newspapers

The History of Newspapers Introduction: Any kinds of news about something new or current affairs which appears frequently and is a type of publication can be considered as a Newspaper. According to American author Mark Twain â€Å"If you dont read the newspaper, youre uninformed. If you read the newspaper, youre mis-informed.† Newspaper consists of many different contents such as news, articles, features, advertisement and many more which is printed in relatively cheap newsprint. Newspaper publishes news daily or weekly of general interest to large portions of public in a specific geographic area. According to American Novelist Norman Mailer Once a newspaper touches a story the facts are lost forever, even the protagonists. A newspaper contains news and articles that touches personalities, business and finance, crime, severe weather, natural disasters, health and medicine, science and technology, sports, entertainment, fashion and arts divided and published in different sections closely related to proximity factor or general interest of the people. Even though the Newspaper is based on facts and news, personal opinions are adjusted through editorials and op-eds. The newspaper includes photographs shot by the photographers along with stories and articles along with graphic artists, data, chats and diagrams. All the reports or stories have headlines and photographs with caption is edited to be fixed somewhere in the papers layout after being checked by the editors usually supervised by an editor-in-chief or an executive editor. The newspaper business is kept alive by general circulation or through advertisement they carry. It is important for newspaper to provide citizens with information on government and politics. History of Newspaper in European context: The history of newspaper in Europe can be traced back to 59 B.C. to A.D. 222 in Rome when writing and reading gained reliability. The Roman Empire published Acta Diurna (Daily Acts), a daily handwritten news sheets which were carved in mental or stone and posted by the government in Roman forum. The acta contained news of Political happenings, trials, scandals, military campaigns and executions. These were printed with the order of Julius Caesar, a Roman general and author of Latin writing style. The printing press came into light to propagate news in Europe soon after the invention of letter press by Johann Gutenberg in the 1450s which was the initiation of movable type of printing press. In 1470, one of the first printed works which can be considered as news was an Italian account of a tournament. Christopher Columbus had written a letter reporting his discoveries which was set in type and was circulated all over Barcelona before he got there in 1493. There were thousands of printed newsbooks, short pamphlets reporting on a news event, and news ballads, details of current events written in verse and generally printed on one side of a single sheet of paper which were circulated all over Europe and its colonies specially America in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The newsbooks and news ballads was eligible enough to be called a newspaper since they appeared only once, to report only one story and had no identity separate from the scrupulous news report they told. There is no doubt that the concept of modern newspaper was invented in Europe. The oldest form of modern newspaper is said to be first published as a handwritten news sheets that circulated extensively in Venice, Italy in the sixteenth century. Notizie scritte (written notices) were published by the government of Venice in 1556 which led to the trademark of modern newspaper. Venice was the center of trade in Europe therefore hub for information. The Venetian news sheets also known as avisi or gazettes which was handwritten had information and news regarding politics, wars and economy of Italy and Europe during early modern era (1500 – 1800). The newspaper traveled all along Europe till London and was distributed weekly during 1566 A.D. They techniques and style they applied for this paper were short sets of news items, advanced from a particular city, printed under the name of that city along with the date on which they were sent. These techniques would be used in most early p rinted newspapers and this idea of handwritten newsbooks travelled all the way to Germany and Holland. According to World association of newspapers, the oldest surviving European printed newspaper were published weekly in German language in Germany, the first being Relation aller Fà ¼rnemmen und gedenckwà ¼rdign Historien printed in 1605 A.D. in Strasbourg by Johann Carlous followed Avisa Relation oder Zeitun printed by Lucas Schlute in 1609 in Wolfenbà ¼ttel. The names of the cities were not included in the papers in order to evade government prosecutions. It did not take much time for the printed newspaper to spread through Europe rapidly starting from printed weeklies which appeared in Basel in 1610, followed by Frankfort and Vienna in 1615 and finally in Berlin by 1617. All the weeklies were in German language and no specific names have been discovered. In 1618 the first Dutch newspaper weekly was introduced in Amsterdam called Courante uyt Italien, Buytslandt, c. which can be considered as the first broadsheet paper because it was issued in folio – size rather than previously printed pamphlets in quarto – size. The very first newspaper printed in England came in 1621 when an English official complained about the lack of means of communication in England. The French started printing newspaper of its own in May 30, 1631 called La Gazette in Paris. The Italians introduced their first printed weekly in 1639 followed by Spanish Catalan language newspaper Gazeta in 1641. The first English Language newspaper was printed in Amsterdam by Joris Veseler for the publisher Pieter van den Keere in 1620. The first English newspaper does not begin with a title because in those early days papers often did not have consistent names. The first English newspaper is well illustrated by the following item: Out of Ceulen (cologne), the 24 of November. Letters of Neurenburge of the 20 of this present, make mention, that they had advise from the Borders of Bohemis, that there had been a very great Battle by Prague. The news was translated in English, printed and shipped to London. Many early newspapers did not have many stories to be printed and struggled to find new news to fill their paper every week, especially in England, the news were published late. The readers expectation of weekly newes was not fulfilled during those time. This led to more working hours to gather news to fill the weekly news and this pace of gathering news lead to adapt itself to the schedule of daily newspapers later on. The first actually printed newspaper in England was Corante, or weekely newes from Italy, Gerany, Hungary, Poland, Bohemia, France and the low Countreys in September 24, 1621. The publisher known by only initials N.B. whose credits are given either to Nathaniel Butter and Nicholas Bourne which were both Englands first newspaper journalist. The second newspaper in France Gazette de France was also published in 1631 by Theophraste Renaudot which survived till the French Revolution in 1789. There were basically two formats in which the newspaper were published in early days; one was the Dutch paper style known as corantos, in which the reports were packed densely in only two or four pages and the other style was the German weeklies, generally a pamphlets with eight to twenty four pages. The Dutch style of paper eventually turned into German style in 1622. The news were printed directly in print shop as soon as it was received, such as the thirty years war raging on the continent at that time appeared under the name of Vienna, Frankfort or Prague or any other cities where a letter or newspaper found its way to a printing shop. The same news printed in some date in a certain city was printed in different date in some other city. In London the process of editing story to make it easier for the reader started by editor Thomas Gainsford, who started working in series of early English newspaper in 1622. The Oxford Gazette which was established in 7 November 1665 and that contained official journals of record of the British government is the oldest surviving English newspaper in the world today. The Daily Courant was the first daily newspaper in the England and the world. It was first published in 11 March 1702 and was produced by Elizabeth Mallet and contained a single page with advertisements on the reverser side. Year Newspaper Language City Country Reference 1605 Relation aller Fà ¼rnemmen und gedenckwà ¼rdign Historien German Strasbourg Holy Roman Empire First newspaper of the world 1609 Avisa Relation oder Zeitung German Wolfenbà ¼ttel Holy Roman Empire 1610 German Basel Swiss Confederacy 1615 German Frankfurt Holy Roman Empire 1617 German Berlin Holy Roman Empire 1618 Courante uyt Italien Duytslandt, c. Dutch Amsterdam Dutch Republic It is the worlds first broadsheet. out of use in 1664 1620 Nieuwe Tijdinghen Dutch Antwerp Spanish Netherlands Published in 1605 – 1629 1631 La Gazette French Paris France First newspaper in French language and first weekly magazine established between May 30, 1631 – September 30, 1915 1641 Gazeta Catalan Barcelona Spain The first Catalan Language newspaper. Only two issues were published 1645 Ordinari Post Tijdender Swedish Stockholm Sweden Oldest and still published newspaper in the world. Went online in 2007 1656 Weeckelycke Courante van Europa Dutch Haarlem Dutch Republic In 1664 the name was changed to Oprechte haerlemsche Courant. The newspaper merged with the Haarlems Dagblad in 1942 and still exists. 1661 La Gazeta Spanish Madrid Kingdom of Spain Existed till 2008 as Boletin official del Estado and went completely online from 2009. 1661 Merkuriusz Polski Ordynaryjny Polish Krakow Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Lasted till 22 July 1661 in Warsaw. 1664 Gazzetta di Mantova Italian Mantua Duchy of Mantua, Holy Roman Empire Still the oldest privet and continuously published print in the world. 1665 Oxford Gazette English Oxford England It was renamed as London Gazette and moved to London in 1666. 1702 Daily Courant English London England It was the worlds first daily Newspaper. Merged with the Daily Gazetteer in 1735. 1702 Vedomosti Russian Moscow Russia Renamed as Sankt – Petersburgskie in 1728, and again renamed as Petrogradskie Vedomosti in 1914. Last issue in 1917. 1703 Wiener Zeitung German Vienna Austria Still in publication. 1704 The Review English London England Founded by Daniel Defoe as a Review of the Affairs of France until 1713. 1705 Hildesheimer Relations – Courier German Hildesheim Germany Still in publication with name Hildesheimer Allgemeine Zeitung. 1705 Mercurius Hungaricus Hungarian Hungary Hungary Was printed in Latin and lasted till 1710. 1709 The Tatler English London Kingdom of Great Britain Founder was Richarded Steele and existed till 1711. 1709 The Worcester Post – Man English Worcester Kingdom of Great Britain Renamed as Berrows Worcester journal since 1753. Last publication was in 1690. 1710 The Examiner English London Kingdom of Great Britain Jonathan swift had the most contribution and lasted till 1714. 1711 The Spectator English London Kingdom of Great Britain Founded by Joseph Addison and lasted till 1712. 1719 The Daily Post English London Kingdom of Great Britain Established in 1719 by Daniel Defoe. It contained news about current events, science, art and all important dates. 1719 PraÃ…Â ¾skà © poÃ… ¡tovskà © noviny Czech Prague Kingdom of Bohemia It was a weekly newspaper which is no more. 1731 Gentlemans Magazine English London England Lasted till 1922 and was first to use the term magazine. 1734 Lloyds List English London England It still publishes news about shipping, marine insurance and is the oldest English – language daily to be published till date. 1735 Gazzetta di Parma Italian Parma Duchy of Parma Still available. 1737 The Belfast News Letter English Belfast Kingdom of Ireland Still available. 1738 Feuille dAvis de Neuchà ¢tel French Neuchatel Swiss Confederacy The oldest French – Language daily newspaper which is still published. 1747 The Press and Journal English Aberdeen United Kingdom Still available. 1749 Berlingske Danish Copenhagen Denmark – Norway Originally known as Kjà ¸benhavnske Danske Post-Tidender. Still available. 1752 Leeuwarder Courant Dutch Leeuwarden The Netherlands Originally known as Leeuwarder Saturdagse Courant. Still available. 1758 Norrkà ¶pings Tidningar Swedish Norrkà ¶ping Sweden Originally published weekly asNorrkà ¶pings Weko-Tidningar. Still available. 1761 Nassau – Saarbrà ¼ckisches Wochenblatt German Saarbrà ¼cken Nassausaarbrucken Still available as Sarbrà ¼ker Zeitung. 1767 Adresseavisen Norwegian Trondheim Denmark – Norway Originally namedKongelig allene privilegerede Trondheims Adresse-Contoirs Efterretninger. Still available 1767 Finns Leinster Journal English Kilkenny Kingdom of Ireland 1772 Fyens Stiftstidende Danish Odense Denmark – Norway Originally namedKongelig Privilegerede Odense Adresse-Contoirs Efterretninger. Still available. 1783 The Herald English Glasgow United Kingdom Still available. 1785 The Times English London United Kingdom Still available. 1791 The observer English London United Kingdom First Sunday newspaper of the world. Still available. 1794 Arhus Stiftstidende Danish Denmark – Norway Arhus Originally named Aarhus Stifts-Tidende.still available 1817 The Scotsman English Edinburgh United Kingdom Still available 1821 The Guardian English Manchester United Kingdom Originally named The Manchester Guardian. Still available. 1824 Abo Underrà ¤ttelser Swedish Abo Finland Still available. 1826 Le Figaro French Paris France Still available. 1829 Curierul Romà ¢nesc Romanian Bucharest Romania Lasted from 1829 to 1859. 1829 Albina Romà ¢nească Romanian Lasi Romania Lasted from 1829 to 1850. 1831 Takvim-I vekayi Turkish Istanbul Ottoman Empire Published till 1891. 1835 O Aà §oriano Oriental Portuguese Ponta Delgada Azores Portugal Still available. 1843 News of the World English London United Kingdom Closed in 7 July 2011, after the phone hacking scandal. 1844 Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant Dutch Rotterdam The Netherlands Merged with Algemeen Handelsblad in 1970 and still available. 1846 LIndà ©pendant French Perpignan France Still available. 1853 Faro de Vigo Spanish Vigo Spain Oldest and still available newspaper published in spain. 1854 Surrey Comet English London United Kingdom Still available. 1855 The Daily Telegraph English London United Kindom Still available. 1855 A Aurora do Lima Portuguese Viana do Castelo Portugal Still available. 1859 Le Progrà ¨s French Lyon France Still available. 1859 La Nazione Italian Florence Grand Duchy of Tuscany Still available. 1861 LOsservatore Romano Italian Vatican City Papal States Semi official newspaper of the Holy See. 1863 Church Times English London England Weekly newspaper which is still available. 1870 La Dà ©pà ªche du Midi French Tlulouse France Still available. 1873 Richmond and Twickenham Times English London England Weekly London newspaper which is still available. 1877 Dernià ¨res Nouvelles dAlsace French Strasbourg France Still available. 1881 The Evening News English London England Closed in 1987. 1882 El Pireneo Aragonà ©s Spanish Jaca Spain Still published in the Autonomous community of Aragon. 1888 Financial Times English London United Kingdom Still available. 1889 LEst Rà ©publicain French Nancy France Still available. 1891 Gazet van Antwerpen Dutch Antwerp Flanders, Belgium Still available. 1891 La Nuova Sardegna Italian Sassari Kindom of Italy Still available. 1893 Lidovà © Noviny Czech Brno Moravia, Austria – Hungary Still published in Prague and known as Lidovky. 1893 De Telegraaf Dutch Amsterdam The Netherlands Still available and is the largest Newspaper in Holland. 1895 Heraldo de Aragà ³n Spanish Zaragoza Spain Still available and known as Heraldo. 1896 Daily Mail English London England Was a major trendsetter for English newspaper market by starting the trend for popular mass journalism and is still published. Table 1: List of oldest newspapers in Europe according to the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers. The freedom of the press was very much suppressed during those times and controlled by the authorities therefore very less news about the country was being printed at those times. The newspapers were not allowed to discuss any local or national issues or events. The first breakthrough in news writing came during the English Civil War after the parliament under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell struggled with King Charles I, and journalist felt free to discuss about it. The first English newspaper to talk about national issue was the sedate little weekly entitles which talked about the proceedings in the parliament in 1641. The struggle of freedom of press was initiated by John Milton in His Areopagitica in England 1644. They were free from government control and experienced free press. According to the historian Joseph Frank, newspapers in England were the first to use Headlines, print advertisement, employ women, newsboy to sell newspapers and proper journalist in the world in 1640s. Newspaper started reporting newsworthy national stories by 1649 with a story: This day the King was beheaded, over against the Banquetting house by White – Hall†¦. Cormwell gained more power after the beheading of Charles I and cracked down the press allowing only few newspapers to be printed. However the Glorious Revolution in 1688 again free the press freedom and the Licensing Act lapsed in 1695 allowing press to criticize the government and write what they pleased. Newspapers started taking new turns by becoming more commercial with more advertisement along with printing price listings and market reports. In 1650 the worlds oldest surviving printed daily newspaper Einkommende Zeitung was established in Leipzig in 1650. Daily Courant became the first daily newspaper in the world which appeared in London in 1702. In the early eighteenth century, according to journalism historian Stanley Morison, the newspaper gained a hold on Londons commercial classes which it never lost. At that time, too, great essayists like Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, Daniel Defoe and Jonathan Swift began publishing newspapers filled with their social and political commentaries in London. Breakthrough in English newspaper came when journalist were allowed so sit in the gallery in parliament, however they could not take any notes. In 1783 journalist were allowed to take notes after William Woodfall, editor of morning Chronicles send his reports to write the parliament proceedings. Similarly reports about the French Revolution were heavily written all over Europe which led to many other revolutions notably the American Revolution in late 1700s. The early 19th century there was many newspapers being published in Europe specially after the Industrial Revolution. Advances in printing technology related to the Industrial Revolution enabled newspapers to Become and even more widely circulated means of communication. By 1814, the Times (London) acquired a printing press capable of making 1,100 impressions per minute. Conclusion In this way the development of newspapers in Europe has impacted the way of newspaper writing and printing all over the world. The rich history of newspaper in Europe and its domination around the world at that period has left a lot of impact and impression on other newspaper around the world. According to WAN-IFRA Currently there are more than 15 thousand newspaper titles in the world. Newspaper is a part of eve

Friday, January 17, 2020

Lewis’ Babbitt as a Conformist

In 1922 Sinclair Lewis published the book which won the Nobel Prize portraying the very special personage whose surname – Babbitt – became a household word, a symbol of middle–class Philistine. For the first time we meet George Follanbee Babbitt at his bed going to awaken and dreaming of the fairy child. And here, from the very beginning of his novel Lewis gives occasion to an attentive reader to realize that something is wrong with this 46 years old businessman. Babbitt likes to escape from reality which means the reality is not too attractive to him.He is often becoming angry and irritated by everything and everybody – by sullen wife, by impossible children. And then in the course of novel Lewis gradually expose a tragedy of a man who is in deep disbalance with himself. George Babbitt has obtained all required to match precisely the template of social expectation, except entire comfort with it. Distracted by the feeling that there must be more, Babbitt s tarts pushing limits. But he has no choice. He could not help but be what he was.Near the end of the novel, after a brief rebellion which included a furtive, adulterous love affair he sits in the train returning back to Zenith and suddenly realizes that he couldn't escape as he is able to do only things which all could do. He failed to tear himself away from the vicious circle of Philistinism. That is his cardinal problem. It is the typical problem of a middling person who lives own life without passion or satisfaction to his heart's content and going with the stream. However Babbitt is not stripped of imagination, and he knows for sure his own weakness and the dismals.The personality of Babbitt is totally controlled by the force of conformity. It is so dominant that even after Babbitt realizes the stifling nature of the society in which he lives he is powerless to change his fate as a member of conformist society. Pressure to conform lies in all aspects of Babbitt's life. Relations hips, family, social life, and business are all based on his ability to conform to Zenith's preset standards of thought and action. All of his thoughts are those of society, and thoughts that are not of society are ridiculed hence they are frowned upon by him.Babbitt works simply to raise his social status by means of increasing his material worth. He goes about his normal routine praising modern technology, material possessions and social status only as ways to measure the significance of an individual. He belongs to many popular clubs, the purposes of which he does not even completely understand. Why does Babbitt do these things? He does these things to perform for the other members of society. He does everything expected of him even if he does not expect those things of himself.Babbitt does these things in hope of improving his social status. This conformist man is exactly who Sinclair Lewis wanted to show the reader, a man whose life is based on the ideals and standards of other s. The goals set by society are economic and material worth, social standing, and conservative thought. Since Babbitt has achieved, at least in part, these goals he is in a sense fooled into believing he is truly happy. But†¦ Every minute and calorie not needed for plowing, sawing and bolting can be spent playing the cello, gazing at the stars, learning to draw, fishing, making love.If only someone started thinking about it, the future could be full of both material wealth for everyone and more, also for everyone, more of what the materially wealthy George Babbitt knew he lacked when he declared, that never in his life he done a thing which he wanted to do. By his George Babbitt Lewis shows us how we oughtn't to live, he gives us a vivid specimen how dissimulation and sanctimony could ruin a person's own life. The image of Babbitt is unforgettable, and the book is for sure worth the highest praise.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

The Political Culture Of Reconstruction - 836 Words

In Gendered Strife and Confusion: The Political Culture of Reconstruction, Laura Edwards studied how gender, race, and class shaped not only the political terrain of the South during Reconstruction, but also its private and public foundations. Edwards viewed the Southern household during this period as a â€Å"highly contested political issue.† Following the war, changes swept southern society regarding how households were defined, who were the heads of those households, and what rights these heads and their dependents held. She argued that African American and common white women became a very loud and â€Å"vigorous public presence both during and after the Civil War.† Being poor, black, or both, these women demanded that concerns for their family’s welfare and safety, such as issues of rape and physical violence, be heard. Therefore, these women â€Å"moved private issues onto the public stage.† Within her work, Edwards extended Reconstruction to the end of the nineteenth century. She stated that â€Å"racial and class hierarchies appeared as ‘natural’ as gender hierarchy, and the political power of poor white and African-American men appeared as pointless as that of women.† She discussed that the end of Reconstruction concluded at different times in different places throughout North Carolina, ultimately ending with the white supremacy campaign in 1898 leading to disfranchisement. Before 1898, many African Americans and â€Å"dissenting whites retained their grip on local power,† whichShow MoreRelatedAfrican American and Black People Essay1273 Words   |  6 Pages1 . What issues most concerned black political leaders during Reconstruction? Reconstruction brought important social changes to former slaves. Families that had been separated before and during the Civil War were reunited, and slave marriages were formalized through legally recognized ceremonies. 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In this literature review I will add scholarly discussion to consolidate evidence to answer the aforementioned research question and utilize reconstruction as a methodological component to measure if it has ushered in securitization, political inclusion or economic empowerment. I will alsoRead MoreCivil Rights and the Second Reconstruction1189 Words   |  5 Pagesand the Second Reconstruction The Civil Rights era was one of the most tumultuous times in American history. The country appeared at once to be striving forward for social progress and, simultaneously, coming apart at the seams. It is exactly this contradiction which drives our discussion the period known as the Second Reconstruction. Named in reference to the original Reconstruction era which succeeded the Civil War and the abolition of slavery in the South, the Second Reconstruction was akin toRead MoreNew Life and Laws after the War of Northern Aggression1231 Words   |  5 Pagesyears to come after the Civil War, developing a strong sharecropping culture that served as a widespread solution to the vast economic turmoil. Political factions, such as the Redeemers, were a conservative, pro-business extension to the Democratic Party that pursued the removal of carpetbaggers and scalawags throughout Reconstruction. Many laws were passed in Southern states that alienated African-Americans during Reconstruction, such as state passed voting laws. After the Civil War, the SouthRead MoreReconstruction: Eric Foner1673 Words   |  7 PagesMr. Maynard APUSH Period 3 10 January 2010 Reconstruction: Eric Foner The Reconstruction time period, 1865 through 1877, was a complex time for America. The southern part of the nation was in need of governmental, economical, and social repair after losing the Civil War. Radical Republicans, Democrats, and newly freed African Americans all were influential in the age of Reconstruction. Historians have struggled to put into words exactly what Reconstruction incorporates and precisely what the motivesRead MoreThe Souls Of Black Folk By. B. Dubois1080 Words   |  5 PagesIn The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. DuBois, DuBois argues his point-of-view on racial tensions in the south during and after Reconstruction. DuBois was a key figure African-American historian and civil rights activist in his time leading and defending his fellows African-Americans. One of DuBois’s themes ranges on race relations developed after Reconstruction in the south. DuBois elaborates on the overwhelming divide between the white population and the black population in his chapter about race