Spartan Military essays

Spartan Military essays I chose to do my final project on the military tactics, techniques, requirements, and lifestyle of the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta. When we discussed this topic in class, I was very interested in how much emphasis the Spartans put on the military. I wanted to learn more about this subject and also answer some of my own questions I had that we may not have covered in class. The word Sparta actually has two separate meanings, which contradict each other. The first meaning of the word is bravery, and the second is barren. I interpret the second meaning in the way that, the Spartan lifestyle was barren in that they focused solely on their military and not on all the other pleasures of life. The city-state of Sparta was located on the Peloponnesus, a peninsula just southwest of its rival state, Athens. Spartans looked at themselves as military powerhouses and all their discipline, from birth to adulthood, was directed toward war. Any child that was born with a deformity, mental illness, or that was physically handicapped was killed. Children first began military training at the age of seven. These boys were organized into small groups and those who were the most courageous were made captains. The boys slept in dormitories on hard beds, and ate black broth and porridge. They wore the simplest clothing and spent very little time learning music or literature. Each day they were drilled in gymnastics and military exercises. These boys were taught that retreat or surrender in battle was disgraceful and dishonorable. They learned to endure pain and hardship without complaint and to obey all orders without question. The boys were allowed to steal food to satisfy th eir hunger, but if they were caught they would be whipped. This was not done to promote dishonesty, but rather to develop slyness among the boys. It is said that a Spartan boy, who had stolen a fox for his dinner, would rather allow the fox to knaw on his f...

American College Essay Assistance

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Grant Review and Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Grant Review and Evaluation - Essay Example The scrutiny is necessary because I will not entrust an unknown organization (Sargeant & Lee, 2004) with my money and I need to ensure that I am giving my money to the people who will use it for human welfare only. Frankly speaking I do not trust the organization at this point and will need proof of its effectiveness regarding the ability to serve suffering children in the future. The human value of compassion has compelled me to grant you the money (Canda, 1988) because I have to respond to the noble cause of serving unfortunate children; but I can practice compassion by granting you the least possible amount and my compassion will grow as your operations will expand and become more effective in attainment of the objectives. I am talking openly in this regard due to my sincere intentions and wishes to see your organization in a better and respectable position and I want you to give me more reason to give you more funds. To prove your claim of serving the unfortunate children, you actions and their consequences should bring forth positive results; which are as yet lacking. Furthermore, I pardon about my extremely ruthless behavior but I feel that my actions are necessary in order to make you thrive as an organization. I would like you to work hard in order to win the confidence of donors, thus paving the way for further funding. I wish you good luck in your quest for excellence in the field of humanitarian relief activities. Additionally, I request you to arrange my visit of the facility you are running so that I can evaluate your outlook and performance as it may motivate me to offer more funding in the future. Moreover, to evaluate the living conditions of the children living at your establishment, I need to interview a few children. This will enable me to get a first-hand knowledge of the conditions of the children who are being supported by your

Dissatisfaction with Working Conditions in the New York Bank Essay

Dissatisfaction with Working Conditions in the New York Bank - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that after the recession, all stakeholders of the Bank of New York expected the situation to turn around and growth to be exponential, which has not been the case. The marketing and customer care departments are responsible for retention of old customers and acquisition of new ones, respectively. These departments fall under the human resource management whose work is to find, train, employ and retain the best human resource. John Doe is the marketing manager for the New York branch of the bank of New York. He is responsible for organizing his team whose work is to attract new customers into the firm. While the customer care department has improved its services and managed to retain a high percentage of existing customers, the marketing manager has failed to organize his team to bring in new ones. At first, John was remarkably effective in disseminating his duties and organizing his team, a task he is failing these days. John has a masterâ₠¬â„¢s degree in management, a degree he acquired after working in the bank for two years. He can successfully organize the marketing team based on his high qualifications and work experience since he has worked in the bank for 4 years. In fact, before the recession, he was doing an admirable job and the bank had new customers flocking it halls resulting in high profits. When the recession hit, it affected John more than any other employee; colleagues suggest that the economic slowdown gave him time to rethink his career path. The management had observed that the marketing department employees were not achieving their set targets, and few of them even cared about it; they seemed to have lost hope in their role at the bank. As observed by all stakeholders, employees in the marketing department always have something to complain about their work, the bank, customers and many other aspects of their jobs. Results revealed that all of them are quite demotivated; they work just to pay their bills. In addition, all employees in a group that should work as a team for maximum productivity work as separate entities, significantly compromise their work due to inefficiency resulting from duplication of efforts. This duplication is because of failure in the set communication channels. The management has to do something about the affairs in the marketing department as the disorganization resulting from John’s inefficiency is jeopardizing the future of the bank. The main proposal is for the management to facilitate changes that will result to improved communication, encourage innovation, increased consultation with employees, and high but sustainable efficiency in use of resources. Little communication, or lack of it, among employees and between employees and management, has caused the situation to reach alarming levels. There should be forums where employees can let the management know about all their concerns on matters affecting them in the workplace, and management should have a way of voicing its concerns while considering employees’ welfare. Members of the group should work together to encourage bonding, ensuring that each of them feels as part of a team rather than work in isolation. Communication of employees with the management should not occur when the former are receiving absolute orders, it should include consultations before the latter makes far-reaching decisions.

Set Up and Operate a Business in Foreign Country Essay Example for Free

Set Up and Operate a Business in Foreign Country Essay This paper deals with the international business. It emphasizes on the means to start the business and the cost associated with the initiation of the business. It also describes the most important aspect of managing human resource. Because of the competitive environment, the need to do the business internationally has increased. This paper provides the overview of the two countries i. e. china and South Africa. Broad description of the legal processes that were supposed to be followed by the company to initiate business in the China has been explained. Apart from this, the staffing of local and expatriate staff along with the labor organization and legislation of the foreign country has been described. Therefore, the paper provides detailed analysis of the conditions that should be kept in mind while establishing business in the foreign country. Introduction International business is a term, which is used collectively to describe issues relating to the firm’s operations with interests in numerous countries. These firms are sometimes referred as multinational corporations. The main area of concern in the international business is the cultural considerations. These considerations include dissimilarity in law and legal systems, living standards, language barriers, climate and many more (Cherunilam, 2005). All these issues need to be overcome for an MNC in order to obtain success in an overseas venture. Nationwide economic growth and globalization of the economy provide an outstanding background for businesses in China as compared to the South Africa. Nevertheless, the growth of the company and sustainability can be hampered by the factors like industry consolidation, economic reform and globalization. The project of building substantial companies and integrating them effectively into the global marketplace is a complicated task. Reasons: Why Company Going Global Many companies and businesses get into international selling because of the existence of competitive environment. This environment compels the company to move further rather than staying at the same stage and size by just focusing on the quality. Another reason of growth and expansion is the fear of loosing the customers. If the company would not show sustainable growth, competitors would move ahead and chances of loosing of customers will increase (Cherunilam, 2005). Other general reasons for going international are: political changes like changes in the regulation of work and safety and economic changes that include cost of production. If there is an increase in the cost of production at home, company looks for places where cost of production is reasonable. The four major objectives that compel the company to go for international business are: to enlarge the sales, to successfully get hold of the resources, to diversify the sources of sales and to look for the diversifying the supplies (Kazmi, 2002). Overview Population China: China is a socialist republic and the most populous country with population over 1. 3 billion. It is having 90. 9% literacy rate (male: 95. 1% female: 86. 5%). The average educational achievement in China is low. South Africa: South Africa is a nation of diverse origins, languages, cultures and beliefs with population over 47-million. It is having 86. 4% literacy rate (male 87% female 85. 7%) of total population. The average educational achievement in South Africa is very low. Geographical Location  China: China is located in Eastern Asia bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea and South China Sea between North Korea and Vietnam. China has mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west and plains, deltas, and hills in eastern region. The geographic coordinates of China are 35 °00N, 105 °00E. The total area coverage of China is 9,596,960 square kilometers (land area is 9,326,410 square km and water is 270,550 square km). China is the worlds third-largest country in total area after Russia and Canada, and the second largest country by land area. The total land boundary is 22,117 km and the border countries are Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma, India, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Vietnam. China’s coastline is 14,500 km (China, 2008). South Africa: South Africa is located at the southern region of Africa. The geographic coordinates of South Africa are 29 00 S, 24 00 E. The total area is 1,219,912 sq km. The total land boundary is 4,862 km and the border countries are Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. Its coastline is 2,798 km. South Africa’s northwest region is desert and eastern is well watered. GDP, Per Capital Income, Current Inflation Rate, Unemployment Rate China: The GDP is $3. 42 trillion and officially recorded GDP growth rate is 11. 4% in 2007, per capital income is $ 2000, inflation rate is 7% in 2007 and it has jumped to 8. 7 percent in February after severe winter storms disrupted the economy and worsened food shortages (Chinas inflation at decade high, 2008). Unemployment rate in urban area is 8%-10% (China Unemployment rate, 2008). South Africa: The GDP is $283 billion, real GDP growth rate is 5. % in 2007, per capita income is $ 5700, inflation rate is 7. 1% and unemployment rate is 23% in Sep. 2007 (South Africa: Profile, 2008). Type of Legal System China: The legal system is based on civil law system. It is derived from Soviet and continental civil code legal principles. The legislature holds the power to interpret the acts. There are seven categories of laws in china’s legal system; these are: the constitution and related laws, civil and commercial laws, administrative laws, economic laws, social laws, criminal laws, and litigation and non-litigation procedural laws (The Constitution and Legal System, 2008). South Africa: The legal system is based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law. There is an independent judiciary in South Africa. Constitutional Court and Supreme Court are the highest court in the country. Constitutional Court deals with constitutional matters and Supreme Court deals with the final appeals of all the other matters. The bill of rights provides fundamental political and social rights to South Africas citizens (South Africa, 2008). Type of Economic System China: China is a major economic power and it has great potential of the development. Previously, the public sector was in dominant position, but after 2001, a socialistic market economy is taking place in China and the intensive mode is replacing the extensive mode of economic growth (Economic System, 2008). South Africa: The South African economy is an industrialized and productive economy. It has inadequate distribution of income wealth. Labor is divided into formal and informal sector. Formal sector is more developed, which is based on agriculture, manufacturing, services and mining. South Africa is looking forward for privatization along with free arket economy and favorable investment climate (Economy: South Africa, 2008). Type of Political System China: The National People Congress is the highest authority of state power in China. The people congress system is the fundamental political system in China. The representatives are elected by people at all levels. South Africa: The South African Republic is a federal state constituting of a national government and nine provincial governments. The constitution of South Africa was adopted in 1996 and implemented officially on 4 February, 1997. President of South Africa is the executive head of the state and leads the cabinet. He is elected for a two five year terms by the parliament (South Africa, 2008). Estimates of Future Economic Growth General Economic Projects China: China has become the world’s fastest growing economy after the economic reforms in 1979. It has achieved 11. 4% GDP growth rare in 2007. Industrial manufacturing expansion has contributed in China’s rapid economic growth. European Union, Japan, United States, Hong Kong and ASEAN are the major trading partner of China. Rapid economic growth of China results in an increase in income, which in turn makes China a huge market for a variety of goods and services. So it would be beneficial for any company to start operation in China. South Africa: In previous years, South African economy was not doing well. Government was facing the problem of unemployment and poverty. But in recent years, country is seeking to achieve stable growth rate. To promote economic growth, South Africa is making optimal use of available resources and reducing completer dependence on primary sector industries. South African companies are now investing in retail, banking services, telecommunication and shipping industry. Government is seeking to liberalize its economic policies to attract FDI and increase future economic growth and now outsider companies may think to start its operations in South Africa. Social and Cultural Factors Social factor in China: In China, the main focus of the business entities is on the corporate social responsibility. The Chinese region has become the region full of opportunities for MNC’s in these days because of the rapid rise, elaborating receptiveness and growing consumer market. The social factors reflect the true picture of society’s attitude towards the corporate. The symmetrical society structure stimulates forces on businesses for concentrating on corporate social responsibility (Kyoon, 2007). Cultural factors in China: Understanding the culture of a country is one of the important factors in front of modern organizations. The traditions and customs vary among towns, cities and provinces in China. The social network structures in China assist in understanding the information sharing between the people (Kyoon, 2007). The Chinese environment is now open for the outsiders. The cultural values include the belief in God, unity, optimism and readiness to work together according to the rules of law. Social factor in South Africa: The social environment of South Africa is highly imbalanced and not much developed. It suffers from the problems of increasing population, poverty, illiteracy and lack of resources. The population of South Africa was 40. 6 million in 1996, which is growing rapidly at the rate of 2% per year. If the same trend continues, then by the year 2035, the population of South Africa will be approximately 86 million. This will be a problematic situation as the country has limited resources to support its increasing population. There is already a pressure on the resources to meet the needs and requirements of the people (Social Environment, 1999). Many people in the country live in informal and inadequate houses and just half of the population lives in towns and cities. Many people living in rural as well as urban areas even do not have access to water supply, electricity, sanitation and other services. Nowadays, the urban population of South Africa is rapidly increasing because of factors like growing employment opportunities, land reform and restitution and immigration from other countries. Unemployment and poverty are the major problems in South Africa that affect the social life of the people. The poverty level is the highest among the Black population of South Africa. It has reached up to a level of 60%. The education level of the country has increased as compared to the previous year levels, as the country has reformed its educational system. Almost, all South Africans now have access to education but still about 7. 5 million people are functionally illiterate. Such factors contribute to high crime rates in the country that have noticeably increased in the urban areas. These and other factors contribute to the high crime rates currently experienced in many urban centers. To promote sustainable development and reduce social imbalances such as poverty, unemployment and pressure on natural resources, the Government has developed a number of policies and passed a number of laws aiming at some constructive work in this direction. These include the Reconstruction and Development Programme, a White Paper on Population Policy, and the National Crime Prevention Strategy (Social Environment, 1999). Cultural Factor in South Africa: Africa has a diverse cultural environment with about 800 languages spoken all over the continent. Among these, South Africa have 11 official languages of its own, i. e. English, Afrikaans, Tsonga, Xhosa, Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Zulu, Tswana, Venda, Northern Sotho, and Swati. There are many cross-cultural challenges that are critical to success and organizations should be prepared to face these challenges. Analysis  The company has chosen china for its operations as china has successfully emerged as the best suitable market for the consumer products, especially in terms of the growth rate, potential and the market size. China is providing huge benefits to attract the players from the United States. The growth graph of the china depicts that the market of the consumer electronics is growing with a CAGR of 11. 7 percent from the year 2002 to 2006. Future also shows the greater intensity of market growth. There is a greater possibility of bright future in Consumer Products. The Company is willing to start its operation. Another major factor for establishing operation in china is the population as it is regarded the driving factor for any business. Apart from this, there is a well established market of credit card, which has increased the popularity of the consumer products in the country (Windsor Jones, 1999). China is the highly populous country and demands for consumer products are fuelling with greater pace. In china, urban centers are emerging which are called secondary cities, which comprise of 8 to 10 million people. These cities have huge buying power and industrial development. These cities would be best for the company’s operations and are located interiorly away from the cost. Tsingtao is a city, which is suitable for the operation of the company because its urban area is quickly expanding. It is also having excellent connections with the countryside. The disposable income of the people is quite similar to the people in the bigger cities. Another reason for selecting this place is that the people in this city show greater likeability towards the product of the United States and relate the product with greater degree of integrity. People show positive view and experience towards the U. S consumer products. Operations In order to establish operation in china, company’s chairperson should visit these cities, must talk to the local officials and begin networking. Apart from this, the most important thing is to analyze the competitors’ working and strategies. Another step that the company can adopt is subcontracting, which can be done by forming joint ventures with the manufacturers of china. If the company doesn’t possess enough resources for joint venture, company can go for forming the partnership or consortium in the United States. This consortium acts as the legal entity, which can form partnership with the Chinese manufacturer. The advantage of the consortium is that it reduces risk and the cost for the company (Barron, 2006). While selecting the operations, evaluation should be made based on the analysis of cash accounting and not on absorption accounting. As in absorption accounting, the fixed costs are prorated over small volume of production and thus the number obtained can deter company from moving production to a subcontractor. The other operations include: integrity of product and trade safety, fair balanced economic development, financial sector reform, security energy efficiency, sustainability in environment and bilateral investment. All the above mentioned reforms would help the company to establish business opportunities in china. The agreement between the United States and China that relates to conduction of business with extensive cooperation covers the issue of climate change, environmental sustainability and energy security. This type of agreement would advance the innovation in the technology and the acceptance of extremely-efficient and clean energy technology will encourage the development of technology so as to address the changes in the climate and promoting natural resources. Three major factors, which can determine the success in the Chinese market and should be kept in mind, are: †¢Culture: Understanding of Chinese culture and behavior can provide better option to fulfill the demands of the customers. †¢Value Proposition: This includes having the knowledge of technical know how and understanding the level of competitiveness. †¢Negotiation: The Company should implement negotiation technique as per the way of Chinese. Success of doing business in China depends greatly on the extent of adoption to the requirements of he local customs instead of the value proposition of foreign investors. Legal processes In the process of starting a new business, Legal and regulatory processes play a very vital role. Legal processes include several restrictions, intrusive bureaucracy, dissimilar understanding of regulations from place to place even between authorities and recent formulations of policies that are aimed at safeguarding the domestic companies. Therefore, before starting any operation in the foreign country (china) the company should understand regulations and their applications before entering into any agreement. The company should look for legal proposals from experienced professional firms. Due attention should be given to the financial and legal background and also on the reputation of key partners. Apart from this, partners and employees should be educated on the protection of the intellectual property. If required, the rights can be enforced but for this, all the terms and conditions should be well known. Management Organization Structure Organization structure plays a vital role in determining the success of the company in the host country. Therefore, there is a requirement of change in the organization structure in order to accommodate a firm’s internationalization approach in answer to the worldwide competition. Significant research has shown that the structure of the firm must be conducive to the strategy implementation. In simple words, it can be said that the structure should â€Å"fit† the strategy. Managers should work towards achieving the fit between the structure and the strategy (Gupta, 2007). Management organizational structure refers to the representation of a formal structure, which describes relationship inside an organization. The level to which authorization is assigned ascertains centralization and decentralization. Most of the MNC’s in their initial phases of globalization utilized an international section traversing certain regions of the world to manage the functions in those regions. Matrix organizational structure is very effective for the business. The structure of the organization is decentralized, which merge the advantages of being large with the agility and concentration of smaller organizations. The small segments of the business assist in concentrating more on the needs and equirements of the customers and employees effectively. The company’s employees are associated with the goals and objectives for an established global enterprise. The organization is mainly focusing on the way in which the products and services are delivered to the customers. The development and marketing of products and services in an effective provision provide specialized and quality services to external and internal customers. The autonomous operating companies broaden the geographic reach of the associates around the world and provide larger marketplace and product focus. This way, the employees get closer to the customers and business. The employees would be able to gain more sensation of ownership in driving the business. The employees are authorized to aim their business to fulfill the varying needs of customers inside their regions (Mathew, 2003). The decentralized operating companies, associates and business sections are joined in the organization structure, which ensures that the activities are aligned with the overall strategic objectives. All the employees perform their work systematically with the high ethical standards. As the company rises, the structure also develops, assuring the effective growth of the business portfolio. In recent years, the business sections have constituted shared service groups that raise and confirm the capabilities of the individual companies in the elementary domains of responsibility. The corporate headquarters in the U. S. function with the family of companies for producing great synergism and efficiency by collaboration, dispersion of better patterns and organization of shared business information. The corporate headquarters render direction and services in different critical areas, which include human resources, finance, advertising, and law. The consequences of environmental circumstance (instability of technology), industrial circumstance (production technology) and organization structure on the involvement of customer in product development are the main areas of concentration in China (Windsor Jones, 1999). The earlier results demonstrate that for going through customer orientation in the firms at China, the company has to modulate towards market driven economic entities.

A Violation of Rights-School Uniforms Essays -- essays research papers

I believe all people have the right to express themselves. However, with rights come responsibility, a concept most people ignore. Having a "right" is to be free to express one's self. Consequentially, having a "responsibility" is doing it constructively, in such a way as to not violate policies, laws, and others' rights. There is a definite difference between a dress code and a school uniform. I support enforcing a school dress code, but is implementing a school uniform necessary? No matter how students dress, they will still pass judgments on their peers, uniforms do not necessarily save money, and children are forced to conform to the same standards. While in school, teachers have a responsibility to teach and students have the responsibility to learn. Both have the right to exist in their environment without harassment and the right to express their individuality. Some people have found some expressions crude, obnoxious, and distracting. To combat the problem , the idea of mandating school uniforms was introduced. This notion of making everyone appear "uniformed" in order to cut down on violence and negativity in school, is absolutely mislaid. School was designed to equally teach all children not only book knowledge but also offer practice in cooperation with others on a social scale. The home was designed to teach children right from wrong, to respect and obey authority, and how to socially function properly with others. Sadly, the parents ...

High School Essay

My freshman year of high school was scary. Two rival middles schools coming together to make one freshman class did not seem like the best idea, the classes were harder, and the stress levels were higher. In eighth grade I was so excited to be in high school, but once I got there I could not wait for that year to be over. Then I realized I still had three more long school years ahead of me. Don’t get me wrong, I had plenty of fun times freshman year. I met so many new people and made a lot of new friends. The majority of my friends then are still my friends now. But I was ready to grow up. I think every teenager thinks like this at one point or throughout every year of high school. Most teenagers are ready to move from home and start a new and more independent life in college during most years of high school. I know that I thought this way for quite sometime. I thought that life in college would be a million times more eventful than life in high school. Sophomore and junior year were also similar to freshman year. Friendships became stronger, classes were continuing to get more difficult, and even though I involved myself more in extracurricular activities, I was ready to get out of town and start college more than ever. I had picked out my dream school and already had so many plans for my freshman year of college. But instead of time speeding up like I wished it would, it felt like it was slowing down. Summer going into senior year I began getting bored with the town and I felt like I was always saying â€Å"there is nothing to do here.† I thought I needed more adventure and was becoming tired of just going through the motions. Although I felt like that then, a few weeks into senior year my mindset had completely changed. Even though senior year has been the toughest year yet, my class has created a culture. There is so many things that define us as a class and set us apart from everyone else. From traditions started at football games, to the things that we do as a group, we have created our own culture and identity. I have realized that even though I have wanted the past three years to fly by, all I want is for this year to slow down. My friends and I have all created extremely close bonds and we have become almost like a family. I feel like throughout the past three years I have taken a lot of things for granted and have not really appreciated all the memories I have had that came from good experiences. I have learned not to take any special moments for granted because I could look back on these days and remember all of the good times and how much I enjoyed my senior year. At times I regret wanting to grow up so fast because I know now that these are some of the best times of my life and I wish I would have appreciated them before. Although I do regret that, I’m thankful I get to spend this year with every single one of my closest friends. I still have a long time to make memories, but as the saying goes, â€Å"time flies when you’re having fun.†

The Fourth Plinth of Trafalgar Square

The Fourth Plinth of Trafalgar Square is very different from the other three – instead of carrying a grey statue it always surprises one's eye with a contemporary sculptural piece, which is changed every two years. But the question is – does the contemporary art sculptures fit into the classical space of Trafalgar Square? The Fourth Plinth of Trafalgar Square, built in the north-west corner, was designed by Sir Charles Barry in 1841. It was intended, that it would hold an equestrian statue of William IV, however due to insufficient funds the statue was never completed.The plinth stayed empty until 1858, when a statue of Edward Jenner was unveiled. Still, it was removed four years later due protests by anti-vaccinationists. After that, it was unused for more than a century, and became In 1999, when the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) launched the Fourth Plinth Project, three contemporary sculptures by Mark Wallinger (Ecce Homo (1999) – a life-sized figure of a man, wearing a loin cloth and a crown of barbed wire, with his hands tied behind his back, referring to Jesus Christ), Bill Woodrow (Regardless the History 2000) – a bronze sculpture showing the head of a man crushed over a book, both bound to the Plinth by the roots of a dead tree) and Rachel Whiteread (Untitled Monument (2001) – a transparent resin cast of the actual Plinth, standing upside-down on the original) have been commissioned to be displayed temporarily on the Plinth. Regarding the enormous public attention, the Mayor of London began the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group (a commission of specialist advisers appointed to guide the commissions for the Plinth) and since then the Plinth has been used as a location for exhibiting specially commissioned works by contemporary artists.After standing empty again for a few years, the Plinth was again open for exhibit in 2005, when a controversial statue Alison Lapper Pregnant by Marc Quinn unveiled. This has caused many discussions, since some were questioning on the shock value of disability, as well as lauded for its progressive social values. Also, the statue reactivated the discussions about the purpose of contemporary art in this antique location. In 2007 Marc Quinn's work was replaced by Thomas Schutte's Model for a Hotel 2007 – a model of a twenty-one storey hotel from red, yellow and blue coloured glass.It brought a feel of After two years, the colourful, static sculpture was replaced by presumably most interesting and negotiable project on the Fourth Plinth – Antony Gormley's One & Other, turning the plinth into a â€Å"living monument†. This involved 2400 people, picked from the public after applying on the project's website, standing on a plinth for one hour – 24 hours a day for 100 days without a break. Selected people were allowed to use the Plinth any way they want, do anything they want, including dancing, music , performing, reading poetry, or even just doing nothing at all, making a raw epresentation of both, individuality and the whole of humanity at the same time. The performances were broadcast live over the internet 24 hours a day. The project also caused a lot of discussions, since many people did not consider this as an appropriate act of art for the Trafalgar Square, rather as an act of snobbery. The current sculpture on the Fourth Plinth is Yinka Shonbare's Nelson's Ship in a Bottle. It was unveiled on 24th of May, 2010. This work of a Anglo-Nigerian artist is a replica of Nelson's ship, the Victory, inside a large glass bottle stopped with a cork.The artwork marks the preserved importance of historical symbolism of Trafalgar Square. It is a reminder of the Battle of Trafalgar and is directly related to Nelson – this is one of the reasons which excludes the piece from the others exhibited on the Fourth Plinth. Soon, the turn for a new art piece will come, so at the moment s ix more commissions for the Plinth are being considered. All six of them were exhibited in St-Martin-in-the-Field gallery near the Trafalgar Square until the end of October. The first one is Battenberg by Brian Griffith. The Pink and yellow decorated cake was nvented especially for Queen Victoria's granddaughter – Princess Victoria of Hesse – to Prince Louis of Battenberg wedding anniversary in 1884.The sculpture made of handmade bricks is reminiscent of this little piece of history. Sikandar by Hew Locke echoes the British Army General, Sir George White, a monument standing in Portland Place. â€Å"Sikandar† translates as Alexander in Urdu. A hybrid between the name of a famous ancient conqueror and the image of the British Army General, modernized, studded with medals, jewellery, chains, materials, according to the creator, symbolizes the hero ant the eroic concept of the evolution of today's world. It's never too late and you can't go back – this it th e name of the third piece by Mariele Neudecker, depicting mountains. From ancient times mountains symbolize monumentality, strength, eternity and glory. Looking from below the sculpture, the mountain line forms a map of Britain, so it perception of the work may easily switch from dimensional landscape to territorial The blue Hahn / Cock by a German artist Katharina Fritsch symbolizes the awakening, strength and renovation. This sculpture would easily catch one's eye between the grey statues of theTrafalgar Square – the surrealism of its huge size and ultramarine colouring is inevitable. Allora and Calzadilla's work Untitled (ATM/Organ) is actually a combination between an automated teller machine (ATM), installed in the Plinth, connected to a pipe organ on top of it. It will produce sound by driving pressurised air through pipes selected while pressing the ATM machine keyboard. The last sculpture is Powerless Structures, by the authors Elmgreen & Dragset.Gold coloured boy roc king on a particular childhood symbol – a rocking horse – might symbolize the value of rowth and maturity, at the same time showing a future hero, â€Å"the heroism of growing up†. So for now the dilemma is – the blue rooster, an equestrian decorated with medals, sequins and chains, a sound-producing ATM organ, a golden boy, rocking on a toy horse, a brick cake or a floating mountain-scape – which of these works will be the next one in queue for the Fourth Plinth? Finally, seeing these new brave, exceptional and innovative proposals it is very likely that these six candidates will cause as much arguments as all of the other of their predecessors. It is still ften discussed if the Fourth Plinth is an appropriate location for contemporary art pieces, but since the plinth itself has a meaning of a base for a sculpture that is excluded from the surrounding and defines it as art, once again it leads to the eternal questioning of what is art itself, or i f we should interpretate this enviroment as a for one-art-kind-only space, but residents and guests of London seem to enjoy the Fourth Plinth a lot more than all the grey.Fourth Plinth http://www. london. gov. uk/fourthplinth/ Antony Gormley's Fourth Plinth, Trafalgar Square – Telegraph http:// ww. telegraph. co. uk/culture/4838343/Antony-Gormleys-Fourth-Plinth-Trafalgar- Trafalgar Square – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/ Trafalgar_Square#Fourth_plinth Archinect : Discussion Forum : Culture : The Fourth Plinth (Stop Frame Animation) Day 1 http://www. archinect. com/forum/threads. php? id=90208_0_42_100_C157 Alison Lapper – The Student Room http://www. thestudentroom. co. uk/ showthread. php? p=2723396;highlight=fourth%20plinth BBC News – Trafalgar Square fourth plinth candidates unveiled http://www. bbc. co. uk/ news/uk-england-london-11022665

Tomorrows Technology essays

Tomorrow's Technology essays I have chosen the topic Tomorrows Technology for my I.S.P. I choose this topic because Im interested in the direction in which our technology is expanding. I find new technologies intriguing and fascinating. The technology of tomorrow is expanding in all directions and new technologies are leaving humans with endless possibilities. I have chosen four new technologies to investigate and explain all of which will impact our future greatly. People instinctively react to certain sights or sounds. A key part in helping humans make sense of their surrounding environment is to recognizing noticeable objects. In the world of robotics a discouraging challenge is building robots that can intelligently pick out items of interest using sight or sound. Selective-attention modeling is something which a handful of engineers are working on, this technology helps robots to identify objects of interest. Selective-attention modeling attempts to program robots to be able to evaluate scenes critically, the same way the human mind is believed to. Several research groups are giving robots eyes that allow the robot to pick out unusual objects. Pan-and-tilt cameras are the type of camera used to enable robots to identify objects of interest. The ability to respond to an eye catching sight allows robots to act independently when encountering unexpected sights. An example of how this technology may be used is if a robot is inspecting the surface of Mars it may notice an area of discoloured ground, which the robot would take a sample of. A traditional robot would only detect discoloured ground when instructed specifically to look for discoloured ground. Objects of interest are sensed based on many factors including colour, edges, orientation, light intensity and motion. The robot makes maps for each of these factors which can be scanned for irregularities. This new approach gives robots the ability to identify specific objects, for exam...

Dubai - Ten Geographic Facts

Dubai - Ten Geographic Facts Dubai is the largest emirate based on the population of the United Arab Emirates. As of 2008, Dubai had a population of 2,262,000. It is also the second largest emirate (behind Abu Dhabi) based on land area. Dubai is located along the Persian Gulf and it is considered to be within the Arabian Desert. The emirate is known around the world as a global city as well as a business center and financial center. Dubai is also a tourist destination due to its unique architecture and construction projects like the Palm Jumeirah, an artificial collection of islands constructed in the Persian Gulf to resemble a palm tree. The following is a list of ten more geographic facts to know about Dubai: The first mention of the Dubai region dates back to 1095 in the Andalusian-Arab geographer Abu Abdullah al Bakris Book of Geography. By the late 1500s, Dubai was known by traders and merchants for its pearl industry.In the early 19th century, Dubai was officially established but it was a dependent of Abu Dhabi until 1833. On January 8, 1820, the sheikh of Dubai signed the General Maritime Peace Treaty with the United Kingdom. The treaty gave Dubai and the other Trucial Sheikhdoms as they were known protection by the British military.In 1968, the U.K. decided to end the treaty with the Trucial Sheikhdoms. As a result, six of them Dubai included formed the United Arab Emirates on December 2, 1971. Throughout the rest of the 1970s, Dubai began to grow considerably as it gained revenue from oil and trading.Today Dubai and Abu Dhabi are two of the strongest emirates in the United Arab Emirates and as such, they are the only two that have veto power in the countrys federal legislature. Dubai has a strong economy that was built on the oil industry. Today however only a small portion of Dubais economy is based on oil, while the majority is focused on real estate and construction, trade and financial services. India is one of Dubais largest trading partners. In addition, tourism and the related service-sector are other large industries in Dubai.As mentioned, real estate is one of the major industries in Dubai, and it is also a part of the reason why tourism is growing there. For example, the worlds fourth tallest and one of the most expensive hotels, the Burj al Arab, was built on an artificial island off the coast of Dubai in 1999. In addition, luxury residential structures, including the tallest man-made structure the Burj Khalifa or Burj Dubai, are located throughout Dubai.Dubai is located on the Persian Gulf and it shares a border with Abu Dhabi to the south, Sharjah to the north and Oman to the southeast. Dubai also has an exclave called Hatta which is located ab out 71 miles (115 km) east of Dubai in the Hajjar Mountains. Dubai originally had an area of 1,500 square miles (3,900 sq km) but due to land reclamation and the construction of the artificial islands, it now has a total area of 1,588 square miles (4,114 sq km).Dubais topography mainly consists of fine, white sandy deserts and a flat coastline. East of the city, however, there are sand dunes that are made up of darker reddish sand. Farther east from Dubai is the Hajjar Mountains which are rugged and undeveloped.The climate of Dubai is considered hot and arid. Most of the year is sunny and summers are extremely hot, dry and sometimes windy. Winters are mild and do not last long. The average August high temperature for Dubai is 106ËšF (41ËšC). Average temperatures are over 100ËšF (37ËšC) from June through September however, and the average January low temperature is 58ËšF (14ËšC).

Medium and Profession Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Reacting to Change Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reacting to Change - Research Paper Example Denial is the principal driving force behind the habit to refuse a change or to deny seeing its importance. Anger or stubbornness is also a driving force which makes many students refuse to give up accustomed ways and welcome something new. Adaptation is also a force behind the reaction when students are convinced to acknowledge the importance of a change and in a response, they try to adjust with the change. Â   Teachers must know how the students react to change. Many teachers are exasperated at the reactions of their students towards different teaching techniques which is why they need to encourage the students to develop a welcoming attitude towards any changes introduced in the classroom. Students cannot modify their antagonistic reactions on their own and teachers’ relentless efforts and consistent support should continue forever. Effective coping mechanisms should be engineered by students and teachers together to modify their reaction to change.