African Commonwealth Nations

African Commonwealth Nations The following alphabetical list gives the date at which each African Country joined the Commonwealth of Nations as an independent state. The majority of African countries joined as Commonwealth Realms, later converting to Commonwealth Republics. Two countries, Lesotho and Swaziland, joined as Kingdoms. British Somaliland (which joined with Italian Somaliland five days after gaining independence in 1960 to form Somalia), and Anglo-British Sudan (which became a republic in 1956) did not become members of the Commonwealth of Nations. Egypt, which had been part of the Empire until 1922, has never shown an interest in becoming a member. African Commonwealth Nations Botswana, 30 September 1966 as a RepublicCameroon, 11 November 1995 as a RepublicThe Gambia, 18 February 1965 as a Realm- became a Republic on 24 April 1970Ghana, 6 March 1957 as a Realm- became a Republic 1 July 1960Kenya, 12 December 1963 as a Realm- became a Republic on 12 December 1964Lesotho, 4 October 1966 as a KingdomMalawi, 6 July 1964 as a Realm- became a Republic on 6 July 1966Mauritius, 12 March 1968 as a realm- became a Republic on 12 March 1992Mozambique, 12 December 1995 as a RepublicNamibia, 21 March 1990 as a republicNigeria, 1 October 1960 as a Realm- became a Republic on 1 October 1963 – suspended between 11 November 1995 and 29 May 1999Rwanda, 28 November 2009 as a RepublicSeychelles, 29 June 1976 as a RepublicSierra Leone, 27 April 1961 as a Realm- became a Republic 19 April 1971South Africa, 3 December 1931 as a Realm- withdrew on becoming a Republic on 31 May 1961, rejoined 1 June 1994Swaziland, 6 September 1968 as a KingdomTanganyika, 9 December 1961 as a Realm- became Republic of Tanganyika on 9 December 1962, United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar on 26 April 1964, and United Republic of Tanzania on 29 October 1964. Uganda, 9 October 1962 as a Realm- became a Republic on 9 October 1963Zambia, 24 October 1964 as a RepublicZimbabwe, 18 April 1980 as a Republic- suspended on 19 March 2002, departed on 8 December 2003

Richard Owen - A Profile of the Famous Paleontologist

Richard Owen - A Profile of the Famous Paleontologist Name: Richard Owen Born/Died: 1804-1892 Nationality: British Dinosaurs Named: Cetiosaurus, Massospondylus, Polacanthus, Scelidosaurus, among numerous others About Richard Owen Richard Owen wasnt a fossil hunter, but a comparative anatomistand he was far from the most likeable person in the history of paleontology. Throughout his long career in 19th-century England, Owen had a tendency to dismiss or ignore the contributions of other scientists, preferring to claim all the credit for himself (and he was, it must be said, a very talented, insightful and accomplished naturalist). This was even the case with his most famous contribution to paleontology, his invention of the word dinosaur (terrible lizard), which was inspired in part by the discovery of Iguanodon by Gideon Mantell (who later said of Owen that it was a pity a man so talented should be so dastardly and envious.) As he became increasingly prominent in paleontological circles, Owens treatment of other professional, especially  Mantell, became even more mean-spirited. He renamed (and took credit for discovering) some of the dinosaur fossils Mantell had unearthed, he prevented many of Mantells posthumous research papers from ever being published, and he was even widely believed to have written a scornful ananomyous obituary of Mantell upon the latters death in 1852. The same pattern repeated itself (with less success on Owens part) with Charles Darwin, whose theory of evolution Owen mistrusted and was probably envious of. ​After the publication of Darwins seminal book On the Origin of Species, Owen became involved in an ongoing debate with the evolutionary popularizer and Darwin supporter Thomas Henry Huxley. ​Unable to let go of the idea of animal archetypes ordained by god to vary only within tight constraints, Owen ridiculed Huxley for the idea that humans evolved from apes, while Huxley defended Darwins theory by (for instance) pointing out similar substructures in human and simian brains. Owen even went so far as to imply that the French Revolution was a direct consequence of the theory of evolution, as humans abandoned the natural order of things and embraced anarchy. Darwin, as always, had the last laugh: in 2009, the London Natural History Museum, of which Owen was the first director, retired his statue in the main hall and put up one of Darwin instead! Although Owen is most famous for coining the word dinosaur, these ancient reptiles of the Mesozoic Era account for a relatively small percentage of his career output (which makes sense, since the only known dinosaurs at the time, beside Iguanodon, were Megalosaurus and Hylaeosaurus). Owen was also notable for being the first paleontologist to investigate the strange, mammal-like therapsids of southern Africa (especially the two-dog-toothed Dicynodon), and he wrote a famous paper about the recently discovered Archaeopteryx; he also actively researched more ordinary animals like birds, fish and mammals in a veritable flood of professional publications.

The Subjectivity of Storytelling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Subjectivity of Storytelling - Essay Example The Subjectivity of Storytelling Due to this, it is difficult for any reader to distinguish which among the stories are taken from real-life experiences, and which are products of the imagination. The result is a mixture of doubt, entertainment, and intrapersonal questioning towards any narrative included in the book, particularly when the characters involved contradict themselves in the different stories (Heberle 87-8). Mixing facts with fictions is the author’s way of expressing his concept of giving more weight to the act of storytelling than the objective truth it contains. It can therefore be said that the book is not written for the purpose of recounting wartime tales and historical events, but of exploring the ways of narrating stories about war that could either engage or put off readers. It makes readers realize that the subjective viewpoints of the soldiers, the impact that war have in their lives, and their emotional reactions towards different situations are more significant than focusing on the o bjective angles of the story (Heberle 219-21). How to Tell a True War Story This short story backs the very idea mentioned above. O’Brien talks about the ugliness of the war in such a reflective manner that it does not require explanations or factual details anymore. He begins the tale with the statement â€Å"This is true,† (Calloway 249) and even if this statement does not establish the narrative as factual, it makes readers understand that at least the idea is true especially for the one narrating the story. The subjective truth that O’Brien explores on is usually contrasting to the usual glorious and heroic tales associated with wars (King 182). For example, in this particular account, O’Brien talks about Kiley, a soldier who exerts effort to write to Lemon’s sister. Lemon is one of the members of the Alpha Company who died while playing with a smoke grenade (Calloway 249 and King 182). The usual heroic wartime tales would most likely involve a good exchange of letters between the soldier friend and the sister, trading good thoughts and sad memories shared before with the one who died. But in this tale, the sister never responds, and Kiley calls her â€Å"dumb cooze.† (Calloway 249) This paints a picture of ugliness in the circumstances surroundings these soldiers. However, this is the most significant aspect of O’Brien’s narrative. His tale does not try to provoke false sentiments among readers by sugarcoating events and words, but to expose the truth in the event. The story declares how storytelling should be done. There is both a correct and incorrect way to do it. The author dislikes telling stories in a tear-jerking fashion to create an emotional appeal. He also does not agree on its opposite of telling stories in a macho fashion. This particular narrative serves as a guide to the overall style used in the book. O’Brien shares to readers what he perceives to be true by making readers aware of the concept of subjective truth through telling stories that may or may not have actually happened. On a general view, O’Brien teaches the readers that aside from having correct and incorrect methods of telling tales, there are also correct and incorrect ways of perceiving these tales. On a deep political perspective, O’Brien teaches the readers to be aware of the fact that there will always be trustworthy and