GROUP 5 Essays - Time, Contemporary History, 2nd Millennium

GROUP 5 IRS 204 PROJECT QUESTION With relevant examples of the New States, critically examine the impacts of the cold war to the New States. NAMES OF GROUP MEMBER Afinjuomo Oluwatolani HIS/2014/019 Giwa Opeoluwa Tobi HIS/2014/051 Makinde Joshua O HIS/2014/064 Adeniji Abiona M HIS/2014/009 Adelakun Gbenga J HIS/2014/007 Otumola Funmilola J HIS/2014/103 Idowu Christiana Atinuke IRS/2014/043 Obeya Anthony Agbo IRS/2014/051 Oladosu Oluwatoyin E IRS/2014/059 Onipede Omorinsola A. IRS/2014/067 Abdulazeez Ibrahim Opeyemi IRS/2014/001 Uwaga Favour C IRS/2014/083 The aim of this write up is to have opened the eye of its reader to the effects of Cold War on the New States and how the new states survived during this polarized era that was characterized by the two economic ideologies and arms race. There is need to understand some terms like "Cold War" and "New State" to enhance the proper understanding of the effect of Cold War on the New States. COLD WAR The Cold War was a time of competition, and nations were expected to play a certain role in that struggle. Cold War is the term or is the name given to the relationship that developed primarily between the United Nations and USSR after the World War II. It was a state of tension after World War II between powers of Eastern bloc which was the defunct Soviet Union and its satellite State and Western bloc that is United States and its NATO allies. Although there was disagreement amongst historians regarding the starting point of the Cold War, it was basically between 1947 and 1991. The war was as a result of the growth of the Soviet Union and its hate towards the United States, as to it not participating in the Second World War or its late entry. The United States on the other hand made it a point of duty to curb the excesses of the Soviet Union and to support every other State which was against the Soviet Union. The Cold war wasn't " Idealic " in the sense as it presumed to be because it actually existed. Even though there was no outright exchange of physical ammunition between both blocs, there were proxy wars around the globe in the bid for their struggle for dominance amongst the new states. The war was basically rivalry and competition between both blocs, both blocs developed themselves till they got to the point of MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction). Both blocs were capable of destroying each other, just the United States alone conducted around 1,054 nuclear tests which was according to the official counting during the Cold War, i.e between 1945 and 1991. The Cold War and its events have left to a large extent a significant legacy especially in the New States. NEW STATE The concept of the New states would be explained through two contending theoretical justification which include the new states in terms of age and the new state in terms of development. Ever since the treaty Westphalia in 1648, the primary understanding of state is that it is a political institution of sufficient organized authority and power to govern a defined territory and its population and to remain independent of other states. With the state understood from this view perspective, new states are those ones that recently acquired independent political control over their own affairs and these include the majority of the countries in Asia and Africa as well as Latin America, Europe and Oceania which, before 1945, were under some form of colonial rule. The yardstick used in measuring new states under this analysis is strictly age. i.e those states that were formed in the world politics after 1945 notwithstanding their level of development. A state in the sense of modern state system cannot be so called without sovereignty, and sovereignty cannot be exercised whil e an entity is under some forms of colonial rule. This is why the understanding of the formation of new states assumed the period of independence rather than the actual date of formation. For example, Nigeria became a modern state in 1960 instead of 1914 when the southern and Northern Protectorates were amalgamated. Israel (1948) and China (1949) are examples of new states among others. On the other hand, any state

Hipparchus the Astronomer, Geographer, Mathematician

Hipparchus the Astronomer, Geographer, Mathematician If youve studied math at a high school level, you probably have experience with trigonometry. Its a fascinating branch of mathematics, and it all came about through the genius of Hipparchus of Rhodes. Hipparchus was a Greek scholar considered the greatest astronomical observer in early human history. He made many advances in geography and mathematics, specifically in trigonometry, which he used to construct models to predict solar eclipses. Because math is  the language of science, his contributions are particularly important.   Early Life Hipparchus was born around 190 BCE in Nicaea, Bithynia (now known as now Iznik, Turkey). His early life is mostly a mystery, but what we do know about him comes from Ptolemys Almagest. He  is mentioned in other writings as well. Strabo, a Greek geographer and historian who lived around 64 BCE to 24 AD called Hipparchus one of the famous men of Bithynia. His image, usually depicted sitting and looking at a globe, has been found on many coins minted between 138 AD and 253 AD. In ancient terms, thats a pretty important acknowledgment of importance. Hipparchus apparently traveled and wrote extensively. There are records of observations he made in his native Bithynia as well as from the  island of Rhodes and the Egyptian city of Alexandria. The only example of his writing that  still exists is his Commentary on Aratus and Eudoxus. Its  not one of his major writings, but its still important because it gives us an insight into his work. Life Achievements Hipparchuss major love was mathematics and he pioneered a number of ideas we take for granted today: the division of a circle into 360 degrees and the creation of one of the first trigonometric tables for solving triangles. In fact, he very likely invented the precepts of trigonometry. As an astronomer, Hipparchus was curious about using his knowledge of the Sun and stars to calculate important values. For example, he derived the length of the year to within 6.5 minutes. He also discovered the precession of the equinoxes, with a value of 46 degrees, which is fairly close to our modern number of 50.26 degrees. Three hundred years later, Ptolemy only came up with a figure of 36. The precession of the equinoxes refers to the gradual shift in Earths rotation axis. Our planet wobbles like a top as it spins, and over time, this means that the poles of our planet slowly shift the direction in which they point in space. Its why our north star changes throughout a 26,000-year cycle. Right now the north pole of our planet points to Polaris, but in the past, it has pointed to Thuban and Beta Ursae Majoris. Gamma Cepheii will become our pole star in a few thousand years. In 10,000 years, it will be Deneb, in Cygnus, all due to the precession of the equinoxes. Hipparchuss calculations were the first scientific effort to explain the phenomenon. Hipparchus also charted the stars in the sky seen with the naked eye. While his star catalog does not survive today, it is believed that his charts included around 850 stars. He also made a careful study of the motions of the Moon. Its unfortunate that more of his writings do not survive. It seems clear that the work of many who followed was developed using the groundwork laid by Hipparchus. Although little else is known about him, it is probable that he died around 120 BC most likely in Rhodes, Greece. Recognition In honor of Hipparchuss efforts to measure the sky and his work in mathematics and geography, the European Space Agency named their HIPPARCOS satellite in reference to his accomplishments. It was the first mission to focus exclusively on astrometry, which is the accurate measurement of stars and other celestial objects in the sky. It was launched in 1989 and spent four years on orbit. Data from the mission have been used in many areas of astronomy and cosmology (the study of the origin and evolution of the universe).   Edited and updated by Carolyn Collins Petersen.

Comparison between life in Saudi Arabia and the United States Essay

Comparison between life in Saudi Arabia and the United States - Essay Example For example, in Saudi Arabia, when it is time for Salaat, which is the name for prayer in Islam, everybody can be seen rushing towards the Mosques. Saudi Arabians leave every business apart and go to the mosque to offer the prayers five times a day. They value Salaat above every other matter, and would not miss a prayer in any case. This particular habit of the Saudi Arabians makes them quite distinguished from Muslims in other countries. Not many Muslims in the United States rush towards Mosques when it is the time for Salaat. Likewise, people from all other religions are not as practicing towards their religions in United States in general as the Muslims in Saudi Arabia are, at least with respect to prayers and appearance. The condition of law and order is much better in Saudi Arabia than it is in the United States. According to the most recent statistics about rape per capita recorded by (NationMaster.com), the rapes per capita in the United States are 0.301318 per 1,000 people wh ere as the same in Saudi Arabia are 0.00329321 per 1,000 people. In Saudi Arabia, when it is the time for Salaat, shopkeepers do not even shut their shops for the time they are out of it despite having nobody on their behalf to take care of the shop in their absence. They are so confident that no one is going to rob or steal anything from the shop. And the most interesting part of it is that, nobody really does steal there. This can be fundamentally attributed to the fact that punishments in Saudi Arabia for crime are just too strict for somebody to commit it. If someone is found guilty of stealth, the thief’s hand is cut off. Likewise, if somebody is proved to have committed Zina’, that is the Arabic name for rape, or illegal sex or sex with someone out of the marital relationship, he/she is stoned to death. These are the punishments enforced by Islam for the respective sins. As Islamic laws have been enforced in Saudi Arabia, the crime rate is significantly less than what it is in the United States. In United States, the police is generally very efficient and the law and order is also extremely strict, yet the crime rate is higher than in Saudi Arabia because of several reasons. A person in United States would surely close the shop before leaving the shop for any purpose, or if not close it, would make arrangements to keep the things secure. The culture of United States is largely dominated by multiculturalism. â€Å"America is ultimately a nation of immigrants and as a result is a cultural mish-mash in every sense of the word† (Kwintessential.co.uk). There are people from all over the world who have come to United States for studies or work. Multiculturalism is far more dominant in the life in United States than it is in Saudi Arabia. People from all over the world that have been migrating to United States in the past have brought their individualistic cultures along with them that have blended well with the native culture of the United States. With the passage of time, the culture of United States has started to reflect the colors of all different cultures whose people make part of its society. Because of the widespread multiculturalism, no single religion dominates in the culture of United States. Accordingly, United States has formulated laws, policies, rules and regulations according to social factors