The Fierce Warrior-Slaves Known as the Mamluks

The Mamluks were a class of warrior-slaves, mostly of Turkic or Caucasian ethnicity, who served between the 9th and 19th century in the Islamic world. Despite their origins as slaves, the Mamluks often had higher social standing than free-born people. In fact, individual rulers of Mamluk background reigned in various countries, including the famous Mahmud of Ghazni in Afghanistan and India, and every ruler of the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt and Syria (1250-1517). Slaves of High Standing The term mamluk means slave in Arabic, and comes from the root malaka, meaning to possess. Thus, a mamluk was a person who was owned.  It is interesting to compare Turkish Mamluks with Japanese geisha or Korean gisaeng, in that they were technically considered women of pleasure, yet they could hold a very high status in society. No geisha ever became Empress of Japan, however. Rulers valued their slave-warrior armies because the soldiers often were raised in barracks, away from their homes and even separated from their original ethnic groups.  Thus, they had no separate family or clan affiliation to compete with their military esprit de corps. However, the intense loyalty within the Mamluk regiments sometimes allowed them to band together and bring down the rulers themselves, installing one of their own as sultan instead. The Mamluks Role in History Its not a surprise that the Mamluks were key players in several important historical events.  In 1249, for example, the French king Louis IX launched a Crusade against the Muslim world.  He landed at Damietta, Egypt, and essentially blundered up and down the Nile for several months, until he decided to besiege the town of Mansoura.  Instead of taking the city, however, the Crusaders ended up running out of supplies and starving themselves  The Mamluks wiped out Louiss weakened army shortly thereafter at the Battle of Fariskur on April 6, 1250.  They seized the French king and ransomed him off for a tidy sum. A decade later, the Mamluks faced a new foe.  On September 3, 1260, they triumphed over the Mongols of the Ilkhanate at the Battle of Ayn Jalut.  This was a rare defeat for the Mongol Empire and marked the south-western border of the Mongols conquests.  Some scholars have suggested that the Mamluks saved the Muslim world from being erased at Ayn Jalut; whether or not that is the case, the Ilkhanates themselves soon converted to Islam. Egypts Fighting Elite More than 500 years after these events, the Mamluks were still Egypts fighting elite when Napoleon Bonaparte of France launched his 1798 invasion.  Bonaparte had dreams of driving overland through the Middle East and seizing British India, but the British navy cut off his supply routes to Egypt and like Louis IXs earlier French invasion, Napoleons failed.  However, by this time the Mamluks were outmatched and outgunned.  They were not nearly as decisive a factor in Napoleons defeat as they had been in earlier battles.  As an institution, the Mamluks days were numbered. The Mamluks End The Mamluks finally ceased to be in the later years of the Ottoman Empire. Within Turkey itself, by the 18th century, the sultans no longer had the power to collect young Christian boys from Circassia as slaves, a process called, and train them as Janissaries. Mamluk corps survived longer in some of the outlying Ottoman provinces, including Iraq and Egypt, where the tradition continued through the 1800s.

MBA Admissions Tips How to Get Into a Top MBA Program

The term top MBA program is used for any business program that is consistently ranked among the best business schools in a specialization (such as accounting), region (such as the Midwest), or country (such as the United States). The term might also refer to schools that are included in global rankings. Top MBA programs are tough to get into; admissions can be extremely competitive at the most selective schools. But in most cases, the hard work is well worth the effort. We asked admissions representatives from top schools around the country to share their tips on how to get into a top MBA program. Heres what they had to say. MBA Admission Tip #1 Christina Mabley, the Director of MBA Admissions at McCombs School of Business, offers this advice to applicants who want to get into a top MBA program - specifically, the McCombs MBA program at  The University of Texas at Austin: Applications that stand out are ones that complete a good story. Everything in the application should provide a consistent story about why an MBA, why now and why specifically an MBA from McCombs. The application should tell us what you want to get out of the program and conversely, what you feel you will bring to the program. MBA Admission Tip #2 Admissions reps from Columbia Business School  like to say that your interview is your chance to stand out among other applicants. When we contacted them, they specifically said: The interview is an opportunity for applicants to demonstrate how they present themselves. Applicants should be prepared to discuss their goals, their accomplishments, and their reason for seeking an MBA. MBA Admission Tip #3 The Associate Director of Admissions at Ross School of Business  at the University of Michigan offers this advice for getting into their top MBA program:Show us through the application, resume, and especially the essays, what is unique about yourself and why youre a good fit for our school. Be professional, know yourself, and research the school to which youre applying. MBA Admission Tip #4 Isser Gallogly, the Executive Director of MBA Admissions at NYU Stern School of Business, had this to say about getting into NYU Sterns top-ranked MBA program:At NYU Stern School of Business, our MBA admissions process is holistic and individualistic. Our Admissions Committee is focused on three key areas: 1) academic ability 2) professional potential and 3) personal characteristics, as well as fit with NYU Stern. Throughout the process, we provide our applicants with continual communication and personalized attention. Ultimately, we want to ensure that each student who enrolls believes that Stern is the right fit for his or her personal and professional aspirations.Many applicants think the Admissions Committee wants to hear what we write on our website, which is not what we are looking for. Ultimately, what makes candidates stand out is when they are self-aware, know what they want and speak from their heart in their application. Each persons story is unique and compelling, and eac h applicant should tell his or her story. When you read over 6,000 essays in an admissions season, the personalized stories are the ones that make you sit up in your chair. More Tips on How to Get Into a Top MBA Program For more advice on how to get into a top MBA program, get more tips straight from admissions officers.

DéjàVu Motifs of Hitler in Richard III(1995) and How...

It is not terribly odd to see directors adapt Shakespearian plays to a different era. In fact, contemporary elements in films like Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet and the most recent Much Ado About Nothing by Joss Whedon have definitely bring valuable new readings to the text. Embracing this trend, Richard III (1995) by Richard Loncraine shifts its background to 1930s Britain. Starring Ian McKellen as Richard, the movie makes an undeniable connection to Nazi Germany; very details include costume design, set and prop, and cinematography choices all closely relate Richard to Hitler, an equivalent villain from modern history. The choice of blending Hitler into Richard puts viewers now into the shoes of audience from Shakespeare’s time to†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"The staging itself reminded the audience of how fascists use such panoramas: [†¦] Hitler at the Nazi Party Conference at Nuremberg in 1934 as reevoked in the monumental Triumph of the Will† ( Crowl, 53). The huge red scrolls and banners with Richard’s badge of boar, the vast crowd waving red flags, all these imageries created by Richard Loncraine echo the past â€Å"glory† of Hitler when he convinced tamed German citizens with his mouth. Lady Anne is just another victim of Richard’s wooing tactic. In this version of Richard III, Anne is portrayed as a stunning young widow with no more faith in life. She dress in high fashion, frequently smokes cigarettes, injecting drugs, wearing scarlet nail prints when crying over her newly died husband’s corpse like the red comes from his blood. Several professionals associate the proposal scene took place in morgue with certain sexual impulse, indicating Ian McKellen’s Richard as a Casanova. For example, Professor Samuel Crowl sees a delicate strip performance: â€Å"McKellen managed to undress his upper body with one hand. Off came the greatcoat, then the leather strap over his military tunic supp orting the belt from which his sword hung, then the buttons of his tunic as he dropped to his knees, offering Anne his bright sword and his mocking heart in the same instant.† Like Lady Anne, it is hard for audience to deny this romance within danger. As McKellen’s Richard shedding his

Infinity Essay Example For Students

Infinity Essay Most everyone is familiar with the infinity symbol, the one that looks like the number eight tipped over on its side. Infinity sometimes crops up in everyday speech as a superlative form of the word many. But how many is infinitely many? How big is infinity? Does infinity really exist?You cant count to infinity. Yet we are comfortable with the idea that there are infinitely many numbers to count with; no matter how big a number you might come up with, someone else can come up with a bigger one; that number plus one, plus two, times two, and many others. There simply is no biggest number. You can prove this with a simple proof by contradiction. Proof: Assume there is a largest number, n. Consider n+1. n+1*n. Therefore the statement is false and its contradiction, there is no largest integer, is true. This theorem is valid based on the Validity of Proof by Contradiction. In 1895, a German mathematician by the name of Georg Cantor introduced a way to describe infinity using number sets. The number of elements in a set is called its cardinality. For example, the cardinality of the set 3, 8, 12, 4} is 4. This set is finite because it is possible to count all of the elements in it. Normally, cardinality has been detected by counting the number of elements in the set, but Cantor took this a step farther. Because it is impossible to count the number of elements in an infinite set, Cantor said that an infinite set has No elements; By this definition of No, No+1=No. He said that a set like this is countable infinite, which means that you can put it into a 1-1 correspondence. A 1-1 correspondence can be seen in sets that have the same cardinality. For example, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9}has a 1-1 correspondence with 2, 4, 6, 8, 10}. Sets such as these are countable finite, which means that it is possible to count the elements in the set. Cantor took the idea of 1-1 correspondence a step farther, though. He said that there is a 1-1 correspondence between the set of positive integers and the set of positive even integers. E.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, n } has a 1-1 correspondence with 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 2n }. This concept seems a little off at first, but if you think about it, it makes sense. You can add 1 to any integer to obtain the next one, and you can also add 2 to any even integer to obtain the next even integer, thus they will go on infinitely with a 1-1 correspondence. Certain infinite sets are not 1-1, though. Canter determined that the set of real numbers is uncountable, and they therefore can not be put into a 1-1 correspondence with the set of positive integers. To prove this, you use indirect reasoning. Proof: Suppose there were a set of real numbers that looks like as follows1st 4.674433548 2nd 5.000000000 3rd 723.655884543 4th 3.547815886 5th 17.08376433 6th 0.00000023 and so on, were each decimal is thought of as an infinite decimal. Show that there is a real number r that is not on the list. Let r be any number whose 1st decimal place is different from the first decimal place in the first number, whose 2nd decimal place is different from the 2nd decimal place in the 2nd number, and so on. One such number is r=0.5214211 Since r is a real number that differs from every number on the list, the list does not contain all real numbers. Since this argument can be used with any list of real numbers, no list can include all of the reals. .u2f6d545f161054f53c81c6843cd0c528 , .u2f6d545f161054f53c81c6843cd0c528 .postImageUrl , .u2f6d545f161054f53c81c6843cd0c528 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u2f6d545f161054f53c81c6843cd0c528 , .u2f6d545f161054f53c81c6843cd0c528:hover , .u2f6d545f161054f53c81c6843cd0c528:visited , .u2f6d545f161054f53c81c6843cd0c528:active { border:0!important; } .u2f6d545f161054f53c81c6843cd0c528 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u2f6d545f161054f53c81c6843cd0c528 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u2f6d545f161054f53c81c6843cd0c528:active , .u2f6d545f161054f53c81c6843cd0c528:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u2f6d545f161054f53c81c6843cd0c528 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u2f6d545f161054f53c81c6843cd0c528 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u2f6d545f161054f53c81c6843cd0c528 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u2f6d545f161054f53c81c6843cd0c528 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u2f6d545f161054f53c81c6843cd0c528:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u2f6d545f161054f53c81c6843cd0c528 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u2f6d545f161054f53c81c6843cd0c528 .u2f6d545f161054f53c81c6843cd0c528-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u2f6d545f161054f53c81c6843cd0c528:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Incessant Desire -Symbolism Of A Poem, Painting And Song EssayTherefore, the set of all real numbers is infinite, but this is a different infinity from No. The letter c is used to represent the cardinality of the reals. C is larger than No. Infinity is a very controversial topic in mathematics. Several arguments were made by a man named Zeno, a Greek mathematician who lived about 2300 years ago. Much of Cantors work tries to disprove his theories. Zeno said, There is no motion because that which moved must arrive at the middle of its course before it arrives at the end.