Fifa world cup 2014 Essay

The 2014 World Cup begins on June 12, when Brazil plays Croatia in the opening match. Reporters and editors for The Times will count down to the start of the tournament each day with a short capsule of news and interesting tidbits. Perhaps the biggest change at the World Cup will be the introduction of goal-line technology for those rare instances of dispute. Far more common in the game are vexing tackles from behind, which FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, has expressed new concern about. Diving, or simulation, or what basketball fans call flopping, remains an act that can enrage players and fans. Potential World Cup referees and assistant referees from Asia, Oceania and Europe who this week attended a workshop at FIFA headquarters in Zurich were instructed to pay special attention to the nasty tackles from behind that halt the flow of play and can lead to injury. FIFA’s head of refereeing, Massimo Busacca, said referees working the World Cup would be instructed to react to any signs of rough play. â€Å"The safety of the players is very important, so the referees have to read the situation carefully at the beginning of the game,† Busacca told reporters. â€Å"If players start committing this type of foul, we have to take action to avoid it. We have to say, ‘We do not want to see this kind of football in this competition.’ â€Å"This is the role of the referee, to try to understand and anticipate. Sometimes the players forget because of the adrenaline. The role of the referee is to say: ‘Do you want to play today, or do you want to take a shower?’ We must try to avoid these situations which can destroy football.† More recently, the focus has been on diving, where players embellish a foul or near-foul in a bid to secure a free kick in an advantageous spot on the field. But according to the English referee Howard Webb, who called the 2010 World Cup final in South Africa, diving is a lesser issue for match officials. â€Å"It’s one of the things we are always asked to be vigilant about because when it’s not accurately identified, it can have quite a damaging effect on the game,† Webb said. â€Å"If you look at the number of decisions made around simulation, they are quite low compared to the vast number of decisions we have to make. Although it’s a small problem, it has a big impact when it does happen, so of course it becomes quite serious.† In Zurich, the 17 referees and 31 assistant referees (linesmen) were taken through a series of medical, physical, psychological and technical tests. FIFA said it had also begun to employ video analysis of match situations to help game officials.  FIFA is planning another seminar, beginning April 7, for officials from Concacaf and South American nations.

Why Germany Failed in the Battle of Barbarossa

Between June and December in 1941, German judgement inhibited achievement in Operational Barbarossa. Strategic indecision in a wider and more specific context was exacerbated by climatic conditions and a widening rift between the reality and the theory of the battle. The Blitzkrieg strategy that had defined German military capacity was inapplicable to the Russian situation in several contexts. Blitzkrieg was intended to avoid stagnant trench and linear warfare, it was intended to prevent enemy forces form arranging a coherent defence, and it depended upon a highly mobile and mechanised form of warfare. None of these credentials existed in Operation Barbarossa, and the result was a battle of attrition. In commencing Operation Barbarossa, the German prerogative was; ‘Provided everything was over quickly’. Hitler had expected complete strategic freedom within five weeks, an outcome which did not require substantial supplies. However, the reality was that supplies were grossly mismatched with the capability and objectives of German infantry and tanks. The subsequent extension of supply lines increased exposure to Russian attack. The changing nature of the Operation had wider ramifications. Blitzkrieg was not just a tactic, but it was the most fundamental structure of the wider German war plan. Consequently, the entire domestic structure of production was intricately arranged to facilitate a particular warfare. This rendered it incapable of supporting the prolonged warfare of Operation Barbarossa. In November 1941, the Quartermaster General of the German Army reported that; ‘We are at the end of our resources in both personnel and material. We are about to be confronted with the dangers of a deep winter. ’ Hitler was so confident of a rapid victory that he did not prepare for even the possibility of winter warfare. In the first instance, the campaign was launched too late. Hitler should have invaded in April so that objectives could have been achieved before winter set in. However, Hitler’s decision to fight over Yugoslavia in Operation Retribution delayed Barbarossa by five weeks. German Command was unprepared for winter warfare. The many German weapons that malfunctioned in the climate debilitated German firepower. More significantly, forces were not equipped with adequate cold. Vital supplies such as fuel were consumed in managing the temperature. Deep mud, followed by snow disrupted supply lines to exacerbate existing logistical problems. Russian equipment was comparatively adapted for these conditions. Soviet soldiers had warm, quilted uniforms, felt-lined boots and fur hats Climatic conditions only exacerbated the morale deficiency that already marred German forces. Depression was rife, and the presence of an intangible enemy starved German soldiers of contact and success. Soviet potential was severely underestimated by German Command. Communist structures were resistant and adaptable in the sense that they pervaded all aspects of Russian existence. Despite significant losses of land to German forces in the West, the capability of Russia to produce armaments was retained as Communist political structures legitimised the relocation of all industry eastwards. Throughout the duration of the war, the Soviets retained the capacity to rapidly replace its losses and mobilise over 500,000 drafted men each month. The capacity of the Soviet to extract sacrifice from its population was foreign to Western nations. Russian soldiers were reportedly insensible to losses and unmoved by severe attack. A German officer observed that ‘The Russians seem to have a never-ending supply of men. Furthermore, there was little opportunity to interfere with supply columns or communications, because supplies were obtained from the villages through which they advanced. Russian partisans of these same communities would engage in Guerrilla Warfare with advancing German forces. The mismanagement of tactics and climate, and the underestimation of Russian f orces was largely the result of Hitler’s detachment from the tactical and logistical realities of Barbarossa. Hitler’s original three-pronged attack was ludicrously ambitious and unrealistic. Rather, he should have concentrated all forces and supplies on successive breakthroughs. Later, the redirection of the majority of German forces south towards the Caucasus necessitated the displacement of the majority of the 6th Army’s supplies. Despite this, Hitler did not alter the objectives of the Army. Though it was severely incapacitated, particularly in terms of firepower, he insisted that it continue to Stalingrad to isolate the oil fields. Hitler’s decisions were absolute and inflexible, but were undefined and imperceptive to the specifics of the Operation. Paradoxically, these decisions did not ensure conformity, but depended entirely upon the unpredictable interpretations of those under Hitler. As a result, his intentions were often distorted with significant consequences. Moreover, Hitler’s decisions were actualised within an inefficient system. Hitler did not recognise the vitality of admistrative order and clear lines of authority, frequently interfering in the informed judgements of those in the Operation, including Von Paulus. Rather, Hitler dogmatically pursued his preconceived notions of the inherent weakness of communism and inferiority of the Russian culture. His response to the mounting failures of Barbarossa was obtuse. He proclaimed; ‘What we need here is national socialist order’. Perhaps it was mentality that resulted in his gross underestimation of the capability of the Soviet Army. Ultimately, the failure of Operation Barbarossa was the result of palpably inappropriate German judgment. It remains the largest military operation in human history in terms of manpower and area traversed, but as a result of these judgments, also in casualties. Barbarossa provided Britain with an invaluable ally, with which Germany was forced to fight the dreaded two-front war.

The use of High Stakes Test to Evaluate Teachers Research Paper

The use of High Stakes Test to Evaluate Teachers - Research Paper Example With the high level of stress teachers already endure day after day, adding the pressure of high stakes testing only increases the number of cons resulting from placing teacher's career in jeopardy if students are unable to pass high stakes tests. Therefore, the cons resulting from such high stakes tests must be seriously considered by policymakers. If these cons are ignored, the results could be devastating to the American education system. Thousands of potentially good classroom teachers   could lose their jobs and many prospective teachers would mostly likely refuse to enter into the profession.One of the cons of the using high stakes testing to evaluate teachers is that policymakers discard the valuable intangibles that makes up   a teacher’s   character. The worth of a teacher is much more than the results of high stakes testing. Such intangibles as caring teacher/student relationships, active teacher/parent connection, extra-curriculum activities-participation, att endance, role modeling for students can not measured by high stakes testing. Many teachers go far and beyond the call of duty when it comes to preparing their students for the challenges of society and work. The are kind, helpful, caring and compassionate(Suttle). Their students respect them. Releasing such dedicated teachers due to negative high stakes test results is a mistake. In stead of   keeping good teachers who are sensitive to their ideas and thoughts, students most likely will receive teacher who are too test. oriented and insensitive to the student's feelings. Another con of high stakes testing is that the tests do not necessarily reflect the competency of the teacher. Many teachers simply don't know how to prepare their classroom for scoring successfully on high stakes tests. According to Richard F. Elmore, a professor of Harvard School of Education, many teachers are unsure of how to integrate state standards for high stakes testing, so they engage the process blindly . This sense of blindness forces many teachers to focus on teaching test material the entire school year. Other significant aspects of the curriculum such as social studies and science are usually neglected. Such focus on teaching test material is called â€Å"teach to the test† (Walker pg 9). Critical information regarding society, people and the environment are neglected when non-tested subjects such as science and psychology are minimized during the course of a school year. No matter how competent a teacher may be, she can not make students learn if the students are not motivated, perhaps due to some external circumstances beyond school. This is another con of high stakes testing. Many minority populations, including Latinos and African Americans come from impoverished backgrounds or underprivileged schools which might limit their ability to obtain high test scores. For example, studies show that â€Å"significant gaps exist between rich and poor districts and among ethni c and

The Internationalisation of Google Research Paper

The Internationalisation of Google - Research Paper Example First, the Uppsala model highlights the presence of a sporadic export program, which is not controlled by companies but the forces of demand and supply. The export process is also achieved through the help of independent representatives who operate a foreign sales subsidiary within the country of interest (Johansson & Vahlne 2009, p.1411). Finally, the Uppsala model is based on the adoption of a foreign manufacturing and production of units, which will be used to meet the demands of the market by the multinational. To achieve this expansion program, companies such as Google must start their internationalization program in a physics approach, focusing more on nearby markets. This is important in acquiring enhanced knowledge on the operations of the market and to pool together the necessary resources needed to expand to more distant markets. Google first increased its operations to various markets in the United States at the beginning of the millennium as a way of acquiring critical ma rket information and the resources needed to operate in such markets. Beyond the domestic market in the united states, Google entered Canada and Mexico to enhance its understanding of multicultural environments and prepare for major expansion in different parts of the world especially Europe. The second step of the Uppsala internationalization model includes the establishment of various foreign and domestic subsidiaries to augment the functions and operations of the business beyond the local market.

Fictional biography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Fictional biography - Essay Example Although many explorers of the established road traversed continents, the Chinese monk of focus in this essay used the Silk Road to establish a religious and cultural interconnection of Asian countries. This fictional biography will highlight the critical aspects that defined the Silk Road, as well as the religious connectivity that resulted from the exploration of the monk. Unlike the literal understanding adopted by many people regarding the Silk Road, it was a virtual road. The term road implies land to many people, but the Silk Road was defined by multiple sea routes that connected different regions between china where it started, Persian cities, India, Somalia, Egypt and other North African regions, until Turkey in Europe. The availability of these routes served to alter the globe in multiple ways (Brockey 67). It introduced new realms of possibilities. These routes saw to it that goods moved from one region to the other, a factor that led to an intensive interconnectivity. Moreover, as people travelled, an interchange of cultural aspects occurred. In the case of the Chinese monk under study, he embarked on a long trip that saw him use the Silk Road routes as he ventured into India. Being a Buddhist, the trip to India was a critical one, because Buddhism had its roots in the region. Throughout his trip, he would gain familiarity with many Buddhist towns, cities, beliefs and a diverse range of history. Trading is known for enhancing civilization all over the world; it is vital for a country’s wealth and often survival. The early trade between China and West led to human civilizations; there was development of leadership and order, empires developed in the West such as the Iranian empire, Greek and Roman empires as well as the growth of the economy. Cities such as Petra and Palmyra in Syrian Desert developed out of a need for places to trade

Experience with application of theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Experience with application of theory - Essay Example ng our impressions of the experience – how unbelievable the lines were, what classes we were going to be taking, whether we had picked a major yet, and wondering how much longer it was going to take. During these early conversations, because they were a series of very short question and answer type talks alternating with long periods of silence while we watched other people, we didn’t talk too much about our personal lives. I almost forgot to even ask her for her name. I probably wouldn’t have remembered to ask except we discovered we would be in some of the same classes. That first day, as soon as we were finished with the whole registration process, we said goodbye and expected to see each other in class. The next time I saw Patti was when we accidentally bumped into each other at the student bookstore. We were looking about the same as we had been in the registration lines – both of us looking sheepishly around trying to figure out just how we were supposed to know which books were the books we needed and where we might be able to find those fabled used books that were supposed to be so much less expensive than the new books. The sight of a familiar face, even one that was only vaguely familiar like Patti’s, was a welcome sign in an unfamiliar world. Together, we figured out how to learn which books were required and discovered that one of the most expensive books on our shared list only had one used copy left. The new books were twice as much and both of us were going to college on our own funding. We decided to be practical about the situation. We decided that we would both save money by splitting the cost of the one book and then sharing it through the semester. Whe n we sold it back to the bookstore at the end of the semester, we would split whatever we sold it for. This conversation led to an exchange of addresses and we discovered that we didn’t live very far from each other, which meant that sharing the book would be even

Introduction to Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Introduction to Economics - Essay Example This mainly depends on the type of the product or service offered. As such, this essay seeks to explain different factors that cause a monopoly market. It also seeks to discuss the benefits of a natural monopoly in the market with regards to the type of products offered. A monopoly market can be defined as a market environment where only one single supplier operates in that particular market and there is no close substitute to the products or services offered (Roos, 2008). A monopoly usually exists in electricity as well as postal services industry. In such kinds of industries, the government has power to control them to protect the interests of the consumers. A good example of a natural monopoly is Australia Post which offers different postal services as well as stationary to different customers. This industry is regulated by the government and it is responsible for setting prices for different products offered. In this case, it can be noted that the government is responsible for cr eating the monopoly in the postal industry so as to safeguard the interests of the people at large. Usually, confidential documents are conveyed to different destinations inside as well as outside the country hence there is need for this industry to be regulated by responsible authorities to avoid irregularities in handling different postal orders. In the event that some orders have been lost, it becomes easier to trace them given that there will be only a single player in the industry with clearly defined channels of delivering different postal orders. The other factor that may also contribute to the growth of the monopolist market is that this is a service industry which ought to meet the needs and interests of the people at a subsidised rate whereby the price of services offered will be determined by the responsible authorities. If there are many players in this particular industry, the competition that will arise can cause the prices to increase such that they will expensive to many people. The other aim is to maintain the quality whereby there will be few players in the industry. In most cases, it is the government which creates a monopoly market to satisfy the different needs of different consumers. There will be laws that are meant to guide the provision of certain products and services to the customers. A natural monopoly is usually regulated by the government to ensure that the industry conforms to the expected standards of operation. In some cases, a monopoly market can be caused by rising factors of production if it is a manufacturing industry. Information about some of the factors that give rise to a monopoly market can be viewed at . If the factors of production are very high, some players in the industry will be eliminated and only big organisations that are able to reap economies of scale from their operations are able to survive in that market which creates a monopoly. If other players are not able to meet the operational costs, the result is t hat they fold their business and only established organisations can continue to operate. The other factor that may cause a monopoly market is that certain products and services need to be regulated and controlled so that they conform to the expected standards by the regulatory authorities. In some cases, only one company will have great control of the supply of all the required material in

Three Main Parts of a Plant and Differences between Eudicots and Coursework

Three Main Parts of a Plant and Differences between Eudicots and Monocots - Coursework Example Roots are responsible of providing the plant with water and other minerals contained by the soil. It also anchors the plants and holds the plant to ground. Stem has the responsibility to transport water minerals from roots to the leaves and branches and food and oxygen from leaves to other parts. Leaves carry the responsibility of making food for the plants through the process of photosynthesis. Plant can make its food by itself combining carbon-dioxide and sunlight by the process of photosynthesis. The vegetative parts of a plant are root, stem and leaves but flowers, fruits and seeds are its reproductive organs. Difference between Monocot and Eudicot Plants Flowering plants produce seeds of two basic types, monocots and eudicots. There are many differences between the Monocots and eudicots. In monocots there is only one cotyledon in the seed but in eudicot plants the seed has two cotyledons. In monocot plants the root xylem and phloem are distributed in a ring while in eudicots roo t phloem is the xylem. In monocots the vascular tissues are there in the stem in a scattered form but eudicots have its vascular tissues distinctly arranged. Leaves veins in monocot plants are formed in a parallel pattern while eudicots have a leave veins in a net shape.

Cuban Missile Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cuban Missile - Essay Example John F. Kennedy was the US president during this time of crisis. He therefore had to make swift moves to avoid going into war with the Soviet Union. As Robert Kennedy and Arthur Jr. Schlesinger portray in their book In Thirteen Days, they applaud John F. Kennedy for the way in which he handled the crisis.Kennedy’s team of Executive Committee of the National Security Council (ExComm) congregated and deliberated on different ways to deal with the crisis. As Robert puts it, they considered several options. The first one was invading Cuba, option two was ordering air strikes with the intention of taking out the missile areas, the other option was imposing a blockade around Cuba. This was aimed at keeping out the undelivered missiles. The fourth option they considered was presenting a private ultimatum to Nikita Khrushchev and in the event that the missiles were not removed, then a military action was to be taken. The fifth and the last option was to present some offer of trade for the missiles in Cuba and those in Turkey.The fifth option was fronted and therefore at the heart of the crisis Kennedy’s administration agreed to withdraw or remove the US missile s from the republic of Turkey and in exchange the Soviet Union was to also remove their nuclear forces from Cuba. The US central concession handled the matter in secret unlike the Soviet who came out in public. The US thought that the idea of withdrawing from the republic of Turkey would have seen the administration that was in place as weak.