Wednesday, November 27, 2019

The Siege of Jerusalem During the First Crusade

The Siege of Jerusalem During the First Crusade The Siege of Jerusalem was conducted from June 7 to July 15, 1099, during the First Crusade (1096-1099). Crusaders Raymond of ToulouseGodfrey of BouillonApproximately 13,500 troops Fatimids Iftikhar ad-DaulaApproximately 1,000-3,000 troops Background Having captured Antioch in June 1098, the Crusaders remained in the area debating their course of action. While some were content to establish themselves on the already captured lands, others began conducting their own small campaigns or calling for a march on Jerusalem. On January 13, 1099, having concluded the Siege of Maarat, Raymond of Toulouse began moving south towards Jerusalem assisted by Tancred and Robert of Normandy. This group was followed the next month by forces led by Godfrey of Bouillon. Advancing down the Mediterranean coast, the Crusaders met little resistance from local leaders. Recently conquered by the Fatimids, these leaders had limited love for their new overlords and were willing to grant free passage through their lands as well as trade openly with the Crusaders. Arriving at Arqa, Raymond laid siege to the city. Joined by Godfreys forces in March, the combined army continued the siege though tensions among the commanders ran high. Breaking off the siege on May 13, the Crusaders moved south. As the Fatimids were still attempting to consolidate their hold on the region, they approached the Crusader leaders with offers of peace in exchange for halting their advance. These were rebuffed, and the Christian army moved through Beirut and Tyre before turning inland at Jaffa. Reaching Ramallah on June 3, they found the village abandoned. Aware of the Crusaders intentions, the Fatimid governor of Jerusalem, Iftikhar ad-Daula, began preparing for a siege. Though the citys walls were still damaged from the Fatimid capture of the city a year earlier, he expelled Jerusalems Christians and poisoned several of the areas wells. While Tancred was dispatched to capture Bethlehem (taken on June 6), the Crusader army arrived before Jerusalem on June 7. The Siege of Jerusalem Lacking sufficient men to invest the entire city, the Crusaders deployed opposite Jerusalems northern and western walls. While Godfrey, Robert of Normandy, and Robert of Flanders covered the walls of the north as far south as the Tower of David, Raymond took responsibility for attacking from the tower to Mount Zion. Though food was not an immediate issue, the Crusaders had problems obtaining water. This, combined with reports that a relief force was departing Egypt forced them to move quickly. Attempting a frontal assault on June 13, the Crusaders were turned back by the Fatimid garrison. Four days later the Crusader hopes were boosted when Genoese ships arrived at Jaffa with supplies. The ships were quickly dismantled, and the timber rushed to Jerusalem for building siege equipment. This work began under the eye of the Genoese commander, Guglielmo Embriaco. As preparations progressed, the Crusaders made a penitential procession around the city walls on July 8 which culminated with sermons on the Mount of Olives. In the following days, two siege towers were completed. Aware of the Crusaders activities, ad-Daula worked to strengthen the defenses opposite where the towers were being built. The Final Assault The Crusaders attack plan called for Godfrey and Raymond to attack at opposite ends of the city. Though this worked to split the defenders, the plan was most likely the result of animosity between the two men. On July 13, Godfreys forces began their attack on the northern walls. In doing so, they caught the defenders by surprise by shifting the siege tower further east during the night. Breaking through the outer wall on July 14, they pressed on and attacked the inner wall the next day. On the morning of July 15, Raymonds men began their assault from the southwest. Facing prepared defenders, Raymonds attack struggled, and his siege tower was damaged. As the battle raged on his front, Godfreys men had succeeded in gaining the inner wall. Spreading out, his troops were able to open a nearby gate to the city allowing the Crusaders to swarm into Jerusalem. When word of this success reached Raymonds troops, they redoubled their efforts and were able to breach the Fatimid defenses. With the Crusaders entering the city at two points, ad-Daulas men began fleeing back towards the Citadel. Seeing further resistance as hopeless, ad-Daula surrendered when Raymond offered protection. The Aftermath In the wake of the victory, the Crusader forces began a widespread massacre of the defeated garrison and the citys Muslim and Jewish populations. This was sanctioned mainly as a method for cleansing the city while also removing a threat to the Crusader rear as they would soon need to march out against the Egyptian relief troops. Having taken the objective of the Crusade, the leaders began dividing the spoils. Godfrey of Bouillon was named Defender of the Holy Sepulchre on July 22 while Arnulf of Chocques became the Patriarch of Jerusalem on August 1. Four days later, Arnulf discovered a relic of the True Cross. These appointments created some strife within the crusader camp as Raymond and Robert of Normandy were angered by Godfreys election. With word that the enemy was approaching, the Crusader army marched out on August 10. Meeting the Fatimids at the Battle of Ascalon, they won a decisive victory on August 12.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Uses, Meanings, and Examples of Que in French

Uses, Meanings, and Examples of Que in French The French word que, which contracts to qu in front of a vowel or mute h, has numerous uses and meanings. This summary includes links to detailed information on each use of que. Comparative and superlative adverb Il est plus grand que moi - He is taller than I. Conjunction Je pense que tu as raison - I think that youre right. Conjunctive phrases Je lai fait parce que javais faim - I did it because I was hungry. Exclamative adverb Que tu es grand! - Youre so tall! Indefinite relative pronoun Ce que jaime, cest laventure - What I love is adventure. Indirect commands Que le bonheur vous sourie - May happiness smile upon you. Interrogative phrase Est-ce que tu es prà ªt? - Are you ready? Interrogative pronoun Que veux-tu? - What do you want? Negative adverb Je nai que 10 euros - I only have ten euros. Relative pronoun Jai perdu le livre que tu mas achetà © - I lost the book that you bought me. Que the Conjunction When the French word  que  is used as a conjunction, it is equivalent to that:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Je pense quil a raison  Ã‚  Ã‚  I think (that) he is right  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nous espà ©rons que tu seras l  Ã‚  Ã‚  We hope (that) youll be there  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cest dommage quil ne soit pas prà ªt  Ã‚  Ã‚  Its too bad (that) hes not ready Note that that is optional in English, but  que  cannot be omitted. With verbs of wanting followed by  que, the French structure is the same as the above, but the English translation uses an infinitive:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Il veut quelle nous aide  Ã‚  Ã‚  He wants her to help us  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jaimerais que tu sois l  Ã‚  Ã‚  I would like (for) you to be there Que  can be used to repeat a previously-stated  conjunction  (like  comme,  quand, or  si) or  conjunctive phrase:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Comme tu es l et que ton frà ¨re ne lest pas†¦Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since youre here and (since) your brother isnt†¦Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Je lui ai tà ©là ©phonà © quand jà ©tais rentrà © et que javais fait mes devoirs  Ã‚  Ã‚  I called him when I got home and (when) Id done my homework  Ã‚  Ã‚  Si jai de largent et que mes parents sont daccord, jirai en France lannà ©e prochaine  Ã‚  Ã‚  If I have money and (if) my parents agree, I will go to France next year  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pour que tu comprennes la situation et que tu sois laise†¦Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So that you understand the situation and (so that) you feel comfortable†¦Ã¢â‚¬â€¹ Que  can begin a clause and be followed by the subjunctive, with various meanings:​ Que   whether:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Tu le feras, que tu le veuilles ou non  Ã‚  Ã‚  Youll do it whether you want to or not  Ã‚  Ã‚  Que tu viennes ou que tu ne viennes pas, à §a mest à ©gal  Ã‚  Ã‚  Whether you come or not, I dont care Que   so that:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Fais tes devoirs, quon puisse sortir  Ã‚  Ã‚  Do your homework so that we can go out  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tà ©là ©phone-lui, quil sache oà ¹ nous rejoindre  Ã‚  Ã‚  Call him, so that he knows where to meet us Que   when:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Nous venions de manger quil a tà ©là ©phonà ©Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We had just eaten when he called  Ã‚  Ã‚  Je travaillais depuis seulement une heure quil y a eu un exercice dà ©vacuation  Ã‚  Ã‚  I had been working for only an hour when there was a fire drill​ Que  Ã‚  third person order:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Quil pleuve!  Ã‚  Ã‚  Let / May it rain!  Ã‚  Ã‚  Quelle me laisse tranquille!  Ã‚  Ã‚  I wish she would leave me alone! Que  can be used to emphasize  oui  or  non: Que oui!  - Yes indeed! Certainly! You bet!Que non!  - No way! Certainly not! Not at all! Que  can represent something that was just said: Que tu crois!  (informal)  Thats what you think!Que je le fais tout seul? Cest absurde!(You think) I should do it all alone? Thats absurd! Que  can be used instead of  inversion  with direct speech and certain adverbs:  «Donne-le-moi!  » quil me dit (me dit-il)Give it to me! he saidPeut-à ªtre quil sera l (Peut-à ªtre sera-t-il l)Perhaps he will be there

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Project maangement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Project maangement - Essay Example This paper will evaluate the various reasons why organizations are using Project Management to achieve their strategic objectives. It will focus on the view of projects as investments rather than being likened to investments. The paper will evaluate the application of the various doctrines of strategic project management that project managers use to accomplish the strategic objectives. Project management generally takes the form of a decision tree (Fig. 1). Goodwin and Wright, (2009) observe that after developing the strategic objectives, the managers evaluate the current situation or status of the organization. This is a starting point that is necessary to determine the next course of action. Project management is therefore preferred because it answers the question of whether the organization has attained its maximum capacity (Chapman and Ward, 2003). If not, the managers engage in assessing the constraints to establish if their cause is known or not. From this point, if the causes of the constraints are known, ways of alleviating them can be determined. If they are not known, investigations are undertaken. Such procedures help organizations to apply a straightforward approach to solving problems (Kendrick, 2009). Many contemporary organizations undertake different projects depending on their significance to organizational productivity (Dale et al. 2007). In many situations, different departments in the organization come up with projects that compete for the available finances. They have different impacts on the overall organizational performance and priorities need to be set depending on the organizational needs. Project management is significant in making strategic choices to support the projects that need immediate attention as well as those that can be implemented in future (Kemp, 2006). Strategic project management integrates major organizational processes of strategic planning, tactical setting of

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Religion in the U.S. workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Religion in the U.S. workplace - Essay Example This is also designed to reduce the number of cases when people would ask for a religious holiday leave even though no being known as active religious practitioners. 2. If there are disputes over the distribution of the religious holiday leaves, they should be resolved in the following manner. The priority will be given to a person who applied for a leave first, i.e. First come first served rule. Secondly, a person who is known to perform active religious practice before has the priority over a person who has just taken up it. The communication in these cases should be polite and tolerant, trying not to hurt any person or cast any kind of shadow on the religious feeling of an individual. 3. One of the most effective ways to communicate the policy to the employees would be to call for a meeting and present them with a printed out version of the main provision. It is particularly important that they have those printed out as the employees will be able to refer to them any time when they have question about the distribution of religious holiday leaves. Another point about communication is that it should promote the feeling of justice: since the matter in question is rather difficult to regulate, the employees should agree on at least some kind of rule that might be suitable for that. 2. Personally, I do not think that it is a good idea to protect the individuals who are obese in case it is not conditioned by an illness. It is true that managing one’s weight might be incredible difficult, but still it is possible. If a company gives certain preference for obese people, others who are different in someway might raise a question why obesity is taking into account and other abnormalities are not. In addition to that, fair treatment of the obese people might be viewed as an additional stimulus for them. 3. The Weight law involves many issues, such as an effective way to determine the presence of obesity; the grounds upon which

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Research Technique Essay Example for Free

Research Technique Essay Suppose your sociology instructor has asked you to do a study of homelessness. Which research technique (survey, observation, experiment, existing sources) would you find the most useful? How would you use that technique to complete your assignment? If my sociology instructor has asked me to do a study of homelessness, I will choose the observation research technique because I think this method is the most useful to me. In definition, observation means collecting information through direct participation and/or by watching a group or community engaged, which means, this is a technique which researchers observe carefully the behaviors of people involved in their hypothesis. Although there are various types of observational research techniques (naturalistic observation, participant observation†¦), each of them has both strengths and weaknesses. Personally, I believe participant observation is the most suitable method for the study of homelessness. Firstly, this technique allows me to gain information in my own point of view as I’m the observer and participant as well. Secondly, by using this method, the subject behaviors (homeless people) remain natural, therefore, giving the results high validity and reliability. Thirdly, it’s flexible as I can myself test the hypotheses and be able to redefine possible personal conceptions. Fourthly, by directing involving the research, my results will contain highly-detailed, high-quality information about the homelessness’s behaviors. However, this technique also has some disadvantage. First, it’s likely for me to have a close relationship with others which may influence the results. Second, it’s quite difficult for me to be accepted in the group (maybe I’m too different from them). Third, this technique requires a great deal of skill and commitment from the researchers. I must have the ability to fit-in with the people being observed and the ability to communicate naturally to them without letting them know my purposes. Finally, I have to make sure that I have enough money, time, resources, skills and support to go through this research. More details about my study. After having finished 3 important steps (defining the problem, reviewing the literature, formulating the hypothesis), I’ll continue the fourth step: collecting and analyzing data by using the observation technique (participant observation). I’ll join the homeless communities, which usually gather to sleep in the parks, under the bridges or in the verandas of the private or public houses†¦It’d be easier for me to participate if I can show them for sure that I’m a real homeless person (little money, no mobile phone, have acceptable reason to become homeless, dirty clothes†¦). The length of my stays are going to be about 6 months to 1 year as this time is long enough for me to have a generally view about this problem (however, it mainly depend on the time which the instructor allows me to so that I can limit/expand the areas researched). During the time I’m homeless, I’ll try to gain the acceptance in the group studied in order to collect the information needed without raising close relations or letting them know who I am, which will affect the conclusion of my study. Then, I’ll listen to their stories about the reason why they become homeless (of course I must have a reason for myself), observe their feeling, their behaving in life as well as their attitudes about their present conditions. Besides, I also have to try fulfill my study by finding the answers for these following questions: 1. How did they become homeless? (different people will have different answers) 2. Do they feel like the government is helping them to reduce homelessness? 3. How has being homeless affected them? (difficulties in all aspects) 4. What are the main causes of people becoming homeless? 5. What should the government do to help the homeless people? 6. The link between being homeless and having social diseases (HIV, syphilis†¦) 7. Where do the homelessness rates have the highest/lowest percentage? What are the differences in these areas? These 5 questions are the basic information that I have to find the answers by asking directly through normal conversations, by observing, by listening†¦ Besides, I think I can conclude some other useful results so as to have a general overview to support for my study thank to the time I’m being homeless. My conclusion will include these data: 1. Trends in homelessness recently. 2. Characteristics of persons experiencing homelessness 3. Causes of homelessness 4. Effect of homelessness. 5. Homeless policy initiatives 6. How different places have different rate of homelessness. Reasons? Solutions (If I can) 7. Outlook for the future (solutions) Finally, I’ll finish the final step: developing the conclusion base on the data I have to support or redefine the hypothesis.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Point of View and Theme in Heart of Darkness Essay example -- Heart Da

Point of View and Theme in Heart of Darkness       In Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness the story of Marlow, an Englishman travelling physically up an unnamed river in Africa and psychologically into the human possibility, is related to the reader through several narrational voices. The primary first-person narrator is an Englishman aboard the yawl, the 'Nellie', who relates the story as it is told to him by Marlow. Within Marlow's narrative are several instances when Marlow relies upon others, such as the Russian, the brickmaker and the Manager at the central station, for information. Therefore, through complicated narrational structure resulting from the polyphonous account, Conrad can already represent to the reader the theme of the shifting nature of reality. As each narrator relates what is important to them, the audience must realise that each voice edits, absents information and is affected by their own experiences and the culture and ideology within which they judge and respond. Therefore the text reveals itself as non-essentialist. It is also seen through the narratorial voices, who are all significantly European males, although challenging the received view of imperial praxis as glorious and daring, a racist and patriarchal text, which eventually, through Marlow's own assimilation of the ideology of his time, reinscribes and replicates that which it attempts to criticise:   European action in Africa.       Marlow quickly interrogates colonialism through his statement:    "The conquest of the world which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much."    So that t... ...hrough the confident and mediating narrative account the reader receives through Marlow and the unnamed First narration Conrad is able to interrogate the theme of the corruption and economic motivations behind colonids praxis in the novel Heart of Darkness. It is, however, unconsciously, also made clear that this text, its narrator and its author are products of their time and ideology, as it consistantly represents characters and situations in racist and patriarchal terms, so that the reader is also aware of the Eurocentric and ethnocentric themes running through the novella.    Bibliography    Conrad, J.   Heart of Darkness. London: Penguin Group.   1995    Cole, David W., and Kenneth B. Grant. "Conrad's Heart of Darkness." The Explicator 54.1 1995.    Jean-Aubry, George. Joseph Conrad: Life and Letters. Vol. 1. New York: Page, 1966.   

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

My choice of topic falls on the first one †the Barbara case

This story is about delivery of new born and the choice of sex before the birth of a child. The parents can actually have babies of the desired sex at the desired time. It also talks about choosing further – choosing the characters of a baby. This story also tells about two women living together and having to bring forth a child, fulfilling their dreams. They need not necessary adopt a baby who does not carry their blood. So generally the story is about reproduction, parenthood and choices of it.There is also an element of same sex marriage, the rights to it and legalization of the same. There is the example of man and woman relationship that one of Dan and Barbara and an example of the woman and woman one but the bottom line here is that both sets of couples have brought forth babies. The common thing about the babies is that their parents chose the characters of their babies. My response to the read story is that it is such a technology is real helping people especially in t his age where parents can not afford many babies.So getting the right sex as per the parents desire is something really good. The other very important thing is that the parents get to know if they are expecting a boy or a girl, they get to shop for the right stuff in advance, and also get the best name for the baby. I fully agree with the writer about Barbara wanting two babies a boy and a girl. It is so wonderful that technology will help people realize their dreams. I found a new thing that some hereditary factors can be altered.When Barbara says ‘ and while I was at it, I made sure that Max wouldn’t turn out to be fat like my brother Tom, or addicted to alcohol like Dan’s sister Karen’ this surprised me that one can refuse their kids to carry a negative gene that’s in the family! This makes me think that at this rate, with the current technology even diseases that run through some families will be dealt with such that babies will be enjoying perf ect health. It makes me wonder if crippled people be no more. Perhaps technology can detect this earlier and fix the problem. In my understanding science and technology will outdo nature.When this technology was lacking people just waited for nature to take its course about sex and character of a baby. Parents only knew what they had expecting after it was actually born. I really dislike the two mothers’ part. Although people should be given the right to choose how they will lead their lives; I quite dislike this one thing about same sex marrying. I think it is only fair for a child to have a mother and a father. Not two fathers or two mothers. I really like the fact that the two can realize their dreams of having a baby. The fact that the baby has both parents’ genes is to me better than the two women having to adopt a baby.