Three Nations Make a Strong Case for Being the Oldest

Three Nations Make a Strong Case for Being the Oldest Although empires existed in ancient China, Japan, Iran (Persia), Greece, Rome, Egypt, Korea, Mexico, and India, to name a few, the starting dates of these entities dont correlate with their modern counterparts as nations, even though the empires did have central governments ruling over their territory. The makeup of these ancient empires largely consisted of an agglomeration of city-states or fiefdoms, which overlapped jurisdictions with the imperial government. Much territory of empires was temporary (with fluid boundaries) and won through war or marriage alliances of monarchs, making them not unified entities, even if the lands were considered part of an empires territory by its emperor. Empires were not the equivalent of the modern nation-state, which emerged in the 19th century. Often, in fact, todays nation-states arose from the dissolution of empires, around communities that shared a common geography, language, or culture. The following three countries are most often cited as being the worlds oldest. San Marino By many accounts, The Republic of San Marino, one of the worlds smallest countries, is the worlds oldest country. San Marino, which is completely surrounded by Italy, was founded on Sept. 3 in the year 301 BCE. A monastery at the top of Mount Titano, likely the center of the community there, was constructed during the sixth century BCE. However, the nation wasnt recognized as independent until CE 1631 by the pope, who at that time controlled much of central Italy politically. San Marinos constitution is the worlds oldest, having been first written in the year 1600. San Marino was aided in its continued independence by the fact that it sits isolated amid fortresses in high, mountainous terrain. Japan According to Japanese history, the countrys first emperor, Emperor Jimmu, founded Japan in 660 BCE. However, it was not until at least the eighth century CE that Japanese culture and Buddhism spread across the islands. Over its long history, Japan has had many different types of governments and leaders. While the country celebrates 660 BCE as the year of its founding, it wasnt until the Meiji Restoration of 1868 that modern Japan emerged. China The first recorded dynasty in Chinese history existed more than 3,500 years ago when the feudal Shang dynasty ruled from the 17th century BCE to the 11th century BCE. However, China celebrates 221 BCE as the founding of the modern country, the year Qin Shi Huang proclaimed himself the first emperor of China. In the third century CE, the Han dynasty unified Chinese culture and tradition. In the 13th century, the Mongols invaded China, decimating the population and culture. Chinas Qing Dynasty was overthrown during a revolution in 1912, leading to the creation of the Republic of China. However, in 1949 the Republic of China itself was overthrown by Mao Tse Tungs communist rebels, and the Peoples Republic of China was created. It exists to this day. Other Contenders Modern countries such as Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Greece, and India bear little resemblance to their ancient counterparts. All of these countries except Iran trace their modern roots only as far back as the 19th century. Iran traces its modern independence to 1501, with the founding of the Shia Islamic state. Other countries that consider their founding to be prior to Irans include: France (CE 843)Austria (CE 976)Hungary (CE 1001)Portugal (CE 1143)Mongolia (CE 1206)Thailand (CE 1238)Andorra (CE 1278)Switzerland (CE 1291) All of these countries have a long and impressive history, which allows them to maintain their place as some of the oldest nation-states on the planet. Ultimately, it is difficult to judge which country is the worlds oldest due to a variety of complex factors, but you could easily argue for San Marino, Japan, or China and be considered right.

When Words Collide

When Words Collide When Words Collide When Words Collide By Maeve Maddox This use of the verb collide in a newspaper article struck me as odd: One driver was able to stop short of hitting the child but her bike collided into another car. The verb collide is from Latin collidere, to strike or clash together. Its most common use is as an intransitive verb. Used without a prepositional phrase, collide signifies an action in which two moving objects strike one another: Two satellites collide in orbit Two NJ Transit buses collided in the Lincoln Tunnel this morning Two Thai F16 jets collided in mid-air and crashed Collide can also be used figuratively: Southern Politics and Personalities Collide in Old Globes Cornelia, What Happens When Political and Humanitarian Goals Collide? When the colliding objects are not of the same kind, or a contrast between them is desired, a prepositional phrase is employed: Fire Truck Collides With a Van birds collide with airplanes As sea floor spreads from the oceanic ridge, it eventually collides against the continental crust or plate. Insurance rates collide with credit scores Pakistani frigate collides against the dock Jeep collides against tree The prepositions with and against are used to introduce the other object in the collision. The use of with indicates that both objects were moving. The preposition against indicates that one of the objects was stationary. The following headline is redundant: 15 Injured after 2 Buses Collide against each other The OED entry includes a transitive use of collide, but calls it rare or obsolete. Changing technology may call this use back from obsolescence. Here are two recent examples of collide used transitively: I simply want to collide a sprite against the edges of the screen. The simulation has determined they are not moving fast enough to warrant colliding them against each other A Google search turns up millions of examples of collide into, but in most instances, the writer may have been reaching for crashed: RAF Tornados nearly collided into each  other What would happen if a planet collided into the sun? Woman who collided into train tested positive for cocaine Some writers use the word in mysterious ways. In the following examples collide seems to be standing in for combined or coalesced: Can tetanus, meningitis, and chicken pox shots be all collided into 1 shot? Our worlds collided into one chat room. Bottom line: If you find yourself placing into after collide, you may wish to reconsider your use of one of the two words. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Opening Lines to Inspire the Start of Your Story40 Synonyms for â€Å"Lie†1,462 Basic Plot Types

The Economics of Crime. The Determinants of Rates of Crime in England Essay

The Economics of Crime. The Determinants of Rates of Crime in England and Wales - Essay Example Crime has been taken as a social issue and discussion on economics of crime follows. The crime incidence of England and Wales has been taken as the real world scenario. The market model of crime determines the expectations of the participants on probability of getting victimized. It has been found out that the elasticity of the supply and demand curve have a major role to play. In order to deal with the effect of crimes, the public enforcement laws can be made more stringent as that will reduce the opportunity cost of committing crimes and pay-off will get reduced. Aims and objectives of the study The overall aim of the project is to show the relevance of the economic analysis to real world scenario. The micro or the macro theory is used by the policy makers. There is no simple solution to the major social issues and the aim of the project is not to provide readymade remedies. The aim is not to take into account the fine details of the different policies of the government that relate s to social issues but the concrete aim of the study is to witness the way economists analyze problems relating to social issues. The aim is to show the use of economics in the vast fields and economics cannot be encircled only in business. Economics of crime The aim of the project is to determine the determinants of rates of crime in England and Wales. Some researchers put out their views by providing a framework in which they provide an economic analysis of crime. They assumed that the offenders are economically rational as well as utility maximizing. They predicted crime can be kept in check through stringent law enforcement polices as high prices for crime commitment would act as the disincentive for the offenders to participate in illegal activities (Winter, 2008). On the other hand if the labour market does not provide job opportunities the potential offenders would get involved in criminal activities as it reduces the opportunity cost of doing such activities. Following the i nferences many scholars were interested in empirically testing the predicted relationship between crime and variables which can influence the offender’s decision by affecting the costs and benefits of crime commitment (Eide, Rubin, Mehlop, 2006). The analysis has distinct implications for the purpose of policy analysis. The response towards crime is one of the priorities for governments. It is necessary to understand the effective control of crime and the interaction between crime and the various social factors. Crime can be reduced by increasing the income level of the offenders and if the empirical tests on the crime rates in England and Wales can confirm the validity of the predictions, it can be stated that economic growth can act as the effective way to reduce the frequency of crime (Peltzman, and Fiorentini, 1997). Effective control of crime through economic growth will be less costly for the government as economic prosperity is indeed the aim of the government (Freeman , 1999). The reduction of the rates of crime is a positive side effect of good conditions within the economy (Benson, 2010). The decision of committing crime is analyzed on the basis of cost. According to BBC Magazine the average cost of keeping an offender in prison for a year sums up to 50,000 pounds. The champions of community punishment point their effectiveness stating the reoffending crime rates to be at 36% compared to 60% among those released after short term punishments. Decision to commit crime: An individual can earn 100 pounds in legal