Social Structure in the Colosseum - 1229 Words

The Ancient Roman Social Structure in the Colosseum Ancient Rome is one of the greatest and most influential societies in the history of the world. From the basic rules of how the Roman Empire is set up to the infrastructures in the city, the strict hierarchy of Roman social structure can be reflected clearly all over the whole ancient Rome. In fact that â€Å"public architecture presents people with the official view of a society and provides the background against which its individual markers live their lives.†1 With the great desire of Roman for entertainment and their special taste for blood, the amphitheatre is considered as the most popular and most representative type of the entertainment building in the ancient Roman culture. And†¦show more content†¦The fantastic synthesis of seating arrangement and the order of the use of different style provides a visual symbol and expression of the concept of the strict hierarchical Roman social structure. As a matter of fact, the system of entrance and exit of the Colosseum is another important aspect to explore how significant the impact caused by the Roman social structure on the architecture design is. Corresponding to strict arrangement of seating, after arriving at the Colosseum, the spectators are able to find out the specified entrance and exit routs for different social classes.7 Colosseum has an efficient network of vaulted passageways consisting eighty archways serving as entrance and exit.8 Without a doubt, it is certain that the entrance for the emperor is separated from the gates opening for the crowds. Among the eighty archways, there is only one special entrance used by the most powerful men with a great contrast to the public entrance. The walls leading to the special entrance have rich decoration, such as painting and stuccoes.9 Additionally, in order to achieve the efficiency as much as possible, the â€Å"admission tokens†10 with numbers of the seats are cre ated to â€Å"enable the public spectators to go directly to the proper entrance for reaching their own seats†.Show MoreRelatedVisit At The Beautiful Colosseum1425 Words   |  6 Pagesassigned to travel to Rome to visit the beautiful Colosseum where we needed to record out findings and reveal the history of the structure. We traveled over eight hours from New York to Piazza del Colosseo, Rome, Italy to learn about the history behind the Colosseum. Being a new archeologist, it is mandatory to travel all over the world to cites to get a better understanding of history. Before traveling to Rome, I knew very little of the Colosseum. I knew it was made of cement and destroyed but IRead MoreAncient Roman And The Roman Empire1236 Words   |  5 PagesThe Ancient Roman’s had a wicked idea of entertainment. The Colosseum or Coliseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, is an elliptical amphitheater in the center of the city of Rome, Italy. Built of concrete and stone, i t is the largest amphitheater ever built and is considered one of the greatest works of architecture and engineering. The Roman Colosseum, constructed in 79 AD, is a visual representation of the importance of physical strength and military proficiency in Ancient Roman civilizationRead MorePolitical and Cultural Significance of the Flavian Amphitheatre1748 Words   |  7 PagesAssess the political and cultural significance of the construction and initial use of the Colosseum. Throughout the history of Ancient Rome, the construction of public buildings was used as a political tool, to manipulate the views of the people and to demonstrate the power of the State. The very first emperor of Rome, Augustus, initiated social reform through the construction of buildings from 27 BC onwards. Emperor Vespasian in 69 AD used a similar initiative, and throughout Rome’s history it canRead MoreThe Excavation Of King Tut s Tomb951 Words   |  4 Pagesphysical artifacts, a window to deeper knowledge about the world of the past is opened. The Colosseum built under the reign of Emperor Vespasian of Rome and the Gà ¶bekli Tepe of the Neolithic Era prevail as one of the most extraordinary structures of the ancient world (#). The excavation of King Tut’s tomb further unveils valuable information about life in ancient Egypt. An architectural structure like the Colosseum reflects the values and cultures of the ancient Roman civilization. This freestanding ellipt icalRead MoreAn Architecture Monument : The Roman Colosseum Essay1875 Words   |  8 PagesMarianne Santos Degnon Architectural History 1 5 November 2016 An Architecture Monument:The Roman Colosseum Therewas so many famous monuments of the ancient worldthat we studied in class but none other will leave me an impression quite like the Colosseum in Rome.The Roman Coliseum was a masterpiece and a manifestation of the advance of ancient Roman architecture. In addition, the Roman Colosseum was a cultural center that attracted people from different parts of Rome and the Mediterranean. In factRead MoreForm and Function of the Colosseum1286 Words   |  6 PagesForm and Function of the Colosseum Colosseum is an example of a building in which its form and function are inextricably linked. To prove this, let us take a look at some of the orders, the wall-like structure and the vaults of the Colosseum as part of its form and functions. With reference to the Illustration Book Colour Plate 19,28,72,75,76 and 78, and Block 2 The Colosseum Figure 6.1 and 6.2, the Colosseum evidently uses five orders: ‘Doric’, ‘Tuscan’, ‘Ionic’Read MoreEssay On Colosseum1588 Words   |  7 PagesModule 2: Age of Perfection and Empire (Colosseum – Negative) 336! The Colosseum (72AD – 80AD) demonstrates that function (â€Å"shelter, program, organization, use, occupancy, materials, social purpose†) informs style (â€Å"line, outline, shape, composition†) (Figure 1) (Hendrix 2013, 1; John, Sheard and Vickery 2007, 4). Built as a theatre to entertain Roman citizens, the Colosseum’s shape, size, tiered seating, arena and rhythmical arches emerges from the functional requirements to stage entertainmentRead MoreAncient Greeks And The Ancient Romans1150 Words   |  5 Pageslasting impact on the world is there innovation of architecture. A major, lasting example of Roman architecture is the Roman Colosseum. The Colosseum was used for all kinds of things in ancient Rome including battle re-enactments, dramas, executions, and most famous of all, it is the place where the gladiators fought. The unique design of the Colosseum was not like other structures built at this time. A major difference it had from any theater or oth er event for public viewing was the audience was seatedRead MoreRoman Empire : The Greatest Social And Political Center Of Western Civilization1478 Words   |  6 PagesAt its height, the Roman Empire was the greatest social and political center in western civilization. The empire survived for about 500 years, from 31 BCE to 476 CE. The land under Roman rule surrounded the Mediterranean Sea; its territory reached from Europe to the western part of the Middle East to the northern part of Africa. As Kathryn Hinds said in The Ancient Romans, â€Å"Ancient Rome has always been famous for its great achievements in architecture and engineering.† Roman architecture eventuallyRead MoreThe Pax Romana Era Was A Time Of Peace And Prosperity Throughout1618 Words   |  7 Pages The Pax Romana era was a time of peace and prosperity throughout the Roman empire. This era benefitted Rome in varying aspects of everyday life, including architecture, establishing social structures, both political and in home life, uniting the nation through religion and Christian teachings, expanding borders, creating places for worship and entertainment, and establishing a successful subsistence strategy led by agriculture. When looking at the Pax Romana era and how it was the most beneficial

Social Media and Networking Free Essays

Find below an essay I whipped up this morning in class on social media and networking, their implications, advantages, limitations, and effects on society. I’d appreciate any feedback and correction of factual errors. It was a lot of fun to write 🙂 A social network is a structure of individuals and organizations that models their relations to one another. We will write a custom essay sample on Social Media and Networking or any similar topic only for you Order Now They are not unique to the Web, but their manifestation as data has lent itself to be analyzed. Special attention can be paid to the mathematical properties of the network.MySpace is considered by many to be the inaugural social networking site on the web, though it proceeded Blogspot by four years. Launched in 2003, it allows carte blanche for user pages, allowing users to modify the underling HTML of their profiles. It can be used for personal use or for business use and is open to anyone; it is not required to join in order to participate. There are serious concerns with MySpace. As a subsidy of Newscorp, owned by Rupert Murdoch, there are concerns with how the information on MySpace will be used. Additionally, MySpace saw the rise of â€Å"cyber bullying. ‘ 2008 was witness to a landmark trial of Missouri woman who posed on MySpace as a friend of a neighbourhood teenage girl. After gaining the individuals trust online, she badgered the girl until she committed suicide. The eventual conviction hinged on the fact that the woman violated the Terms of Service by using fraudulent information when she registered. Blogging has become wildly popular in recent years and has seen marked increate given the mobility of computers and devices that allow users to stay connected anywhere. Blogging takes text form, video form, and audio form (as podcasts).It has many providers offering comparable services, though some have limitations. Blogger and WordPress are the two foremost text-based blogging service, with Youtube being the foremost video blogging service. These blogs often offer complete anonymity; WordPress is open source software that can be installed on any web host and used to promote users ideas. This anonymity has often been challenged by the courts. Someone who writes a blog in known as a blogger. Online users are often requested by parties who feel that they have been defamed online by anonymous posters.They are often successful, though there has been backlash against this with opponents arguing that they have a right to free speech and anonymity. Bloggers often publish copyrighted material with permission of their owners, and have been the subject of harsh court rulings. Conversely, bloggers have unfairly been the target of take-down notices issued under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. These notices are often issued when copyrighted material is used under fair use or to silence bloggers who blog unfavourably about the copyright holders.In late 2008, a BC court ruled that linking to content was not the same as republishing content, and therefore linking bloggers are not liable for the content they link to. Michael Geist is a professor of Law at the University of Ottawa and holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-Commerce Law. He has followed closely the development of precedent in these cases. He uses his blog and twitter feed to keep Canadian bloggers up to date on developments in these laws. Blogs, and by extension online social networking in general, have been responsible for a fundamental shift in the way people consume media.It has shifted people from consumers in front of a radio of television news programme to people who report on and offer commentary on current events. Facebook is a term that is often synonymous with modern social networking. It was launched in 2004 and was initially for use on Icy League campuses. There is, like with MySpace, a complete lack of anonymity; users are required by the ToS to provide their real identity. Unlike MySapce, Facebook requires users to join before viewing content. Facebook owns all information entered onto its site by users in perpetuity, even if users delete the information, r even their accounts. This of course violates the basic tenants of Canadian privacy law. Namely, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act restricts businesses operating in Canada to store only information that need to to conduct their businesses and only for the amount of time they need to. Facebook has been under investigation by the Canada’s Privacy Commissioner for violation of these laws. PIPEDA represents one extreme, while Facebook’s ToS represents another.It has raised fundamental questions of privacy and a citizen’s right to privacy in an age when laws can’t keep pace with the rapid growth and development of the Internet. Twitter is a â€Å"microblogging† service first launched in 2006. Originally intended for use over SMS text messaging, it limits users to 140 character â€Å"tweets. † It is completely open and anonymous service that offers one-sided friendships; that is, I can follow your tweets without your permission and without you following me back. People who tweet, or â€Å"tweeters†, own the content of their tweets. This has raised questions as to how Twitter survives as a business since they do not use advertisements. A public API has lead to a plethora of mobile applications that give users an ability to tweet from anywhere. However, the mobility of Twitter applications has raised questions about how much information users should be putting online. If I tweet from a Blackberry, it can upload my GPS location, letting the world know exactly where I am. Consider the 2009 Iranian election, where the government attempted to block twitter; tweeting your location allowed for fellow dissenters to come to your aide.Without a doubt, Twitter had a significant role to play in the West’s knowledge of the Iranian election. This continued to shift of individuals from media consumers to media producers. This phenomenon has been coined â€Å"little brother†, to complete converse of the traditional â€Å"Big Brother† government. Social networking is not new social behaviour. The advent of the Internet and mathematical graph theory has led to the use and study of social networking online. It has been responsible for irrevocably changing our society and our history, for better or worse. How to cite Social Media and Networking, Papers

Organizational Health & Safety Management - Sample Assignment

Introduction The Organizational Health and Safety (OHS) Act, 1995 requires all organizations to carry out a risk assessment before making an intervention. Risk assessment requires the risk to health and safety to be controlled so far as is reasonably practical. The purpose of this report is to spell out safety management alternatives and recommendations for a hypothetical construction company ArchitektonikiDomi Ltd. The scope of risk assessment will be limited to site layout, protective equipments of workers and noticeable health and safety hazards at the workplace. Background Information ArchitektonikiDomi Ltd is a private construction company in Athens, Greece. On April 11, 2009, it undertook construction of a five-storey multi-flat building. The building scheme consisted of a rectangular basement, ground floor, single flat on first floor, single flat on second and third floors and a smaller flat on fourth floor. The objectives of the scheme in terms of Time limits, Cost limits and Quality requirements have been set out. However, some concerns regarding the safety management at the worksite remains. Approach to Risk Assessment The first step in safety management is carrying out risk assessment under OHS guidelines (Burke, 2004) Identification of Hazards Several hazards were identified by the author in the given case study Inflammable materials: The presence of several inflammable or combustible sources like welding tools, torches or even cigarettes can cause a fire or explosion at the construction site. A fire can not only affect those present on the site, but also those who are outside as the site is located at the heart of the city by causing serious damage to bodily systems like liver, lungs, or skin inflammation. Noise levels: The noise from the trucks and other construction equipments cause a lot of noise pollution at the construction site. Noise can be irritating for the construction workers and can cause loss of hearing which can increase heart beat and stress levels in humans which can negatively impact the health of the workers at the site (Kogi, 2006). Bird drops: The construction site attracts a lot of pigeons. The bird excrement is identified as a major hazard to the health of all those present at the construction site. Even though personal protective equipments (PPE) like facemasks with filter are mandatory for the workers and visitors, they are not completely fool-proof as workers are often observed to remove their PPE during breaks. The birds faeces often contain Cryptococcus neoformans, a fungus which can cause infection of the lungs (CCPS, 2005). Thus, the workers are exposed to a serious health hazard. Eating area: The eating area which contains clean drinking water is at a considerable distance from the construction site. This has been done to avoid possible contamination of food and water which can compromise the health of the workers. However, in summer months when the temperatures can soar to 40 degree Celsius, travelling in heat can cause unconsciousness and even heat stroke to the workers (OHS Australia, 2009). So, the distance of eating area can be a health hazard during summer months. Risk Evaluation A risk matrix is used to evaluate the seriousness and likelihood of each risk. The rating for Likelihood and Seriousness for each risk is done in the following matrix. The hazards are rated on the basis of previous records available and authors own experiences with these hazards (Table 1). In the risk matrix, the recommended actions for various grades of risk are given according to OHS regulations (Table 2). Existing Safety Measures Before spelling out the recommendations for the construction site, it is important to examine the existing safety management measures No-Smoking zone: The construction site is strictly a no-smoking zone. There is a designated smoking zone for workers who want to light a cigarette. In case a fire does occur, there are numerous fire extinguishers available at accessible places. The workers are trained in use of these fire extinguishers so that they can control minor fires. The fire alarm is audible to every place at the site and the fire station is located nearby. The evacuation drills of the workers are conducted regularly in case of an emergency. This shows that the existing control measures are reasonable. Use of PPEs: The workers involved in welding and torching are required to wear facemasks and ear plugs at all times which can reduce the effect of noise. Other employees are also provided with appropriate PPE so that no permanent long term effects of noise are encountered. The machines are oiled regularly so that the noise level is kept to a minimum. However, noise has to be considered an occupational hazard for a construction site which cannot be completely done away with. Thus the existing control measures are adequate so far as reasonably practical. Bird repellers: ArchitektonikiDomi Ltd. uses bird repellent techniques like spray to drive away the birds at the site. However, these are only used at the ground level. It is not economically feasible to use these sprays at the roof which has become a hub of pigeons. The faeces of these pigeons cause foul smell and mess at the construction site. It is not cleaned regularly which means that the workers are always at the risk of coming in contact with the fungi which can cause lung infection. This shows a deficiency in existing control measures which can be improved upon. Eating area: The eating area is separated from the construction site so as to prevent possible contamination of dust particles with the food or water. The workers are expected to take a shower before they enter the main eating area though it is not mandatory. During summer months, when it is very hot, there is no arrangement for cold drinking water or glucose water at the site itself. This can cause dehydration or even unconsciousness under extreme hot conditions. The control measures are clearly not adequate and must be improved upon. Recommendations The following safety management measures are recommended Bird shield techniques: The bird repellent sprays are not feasible at heights as their effect is very short lived. A shield can be more effective at repelling the pigeons. This will reduce the bird faeces and thus reduce the risk of lung infection for the workers. Moreover, the ground level must be regularly cleaned so as to prevent the foul smell to cause a nuisance among the workers. This will reduce the risk to health of the workers. Moving vehicle for cold water/ glucose: The impact of unavailability of cold drinking water or glucose nearby has to be observed over a period of time as it is relatively low level risk. If unfavourable incidences like dehydration or unconsciousness among workers increases over time, action has to be taken. The action can include providing bottled mineral water or glucose to each worker which they can carry with them. Alternatively, a moving vehicle can be allotted for drinking purpose which can reduce the need to travel long distance to fetch cold water under extremely hot conditions.

State Of Nature Essays - Philosophy, John Locke, Sovereignty, Rights

State Of Nature To trigger off any philosophy on what should be the characteristics of the state we must first imagine living in a state of nature (living with the lack of a state). Since we cannot trace back to any time that we've been without government, we must imagine what it would be like in a state of nature. What are people like with the absence of a state? there have been many views in answering this question, therefore there have been many differences in views for what the"ideal" state should be and serve as. A character of a state is described to best remedy for the deficiency of the "State of Nature", as Hobbes came up with his pessimistic state of nature in which life is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. Hobbes' view started off when he stated that the first principle of human behavior was egoism, or self-interest, and it was this egoism, that was the root of all social conflict. Although Hobbes stated that all people are roughly equal, still, if someone has more, others have less. The insecurity regarding what you can keep leads to violence. "where there are no restraints on people's actions, it leads to the war of ?all against all'" says Hobbes. So, Hobbes is basically saying, any state is better than the state of nature, be glad that the state is there. Even if it is a corrupt state, you will benefit more from the corrupt state than you would from the State of Nature which is completely lawless. However, this vision of society which leaves power out of the hands of the people and leads to criticisms from philosophers such as Locke and Rousseau, who counters Hobbes with their own ideas of the "state of nature". In Locke's "State of Nature" the "State of Nature" is ordered by the Laws of Nature, including your Natural Rights to Life, Liberty, and Property. If a man works a piece of land and makes it better and more valuable or useful, it becomes his property. This possession can only be freely contracted away to others, and government. Although Locke said that the political society is the result of agreements made between people living in a "State of Nature", he says that the state must have permission by a person to enforce the law on him, however if you acquire any property which falls under the jurisdiction of the state, you thereby become a tacit member of that state. Thus, by using the benefits of the state, you have consented to being a member of the state. On a more liberal and appealing philosophy than both Locke and Hobbes, Rousseau maintained that human beings were essentially good and equal in the "State of Nature" but were corrupted by the introduction of property, agriculture, science, and commerce. People entered into a social contract among themselves, establishing governments and educational systems to correct the inequalities brought about by the rise of civilization. All of the differences between Rousseau's theories when compared to Locke and Hobbes, begin with different interpretations of the state of nature. Since Hobbes had the impression that all people were egoists and were only interested in their own good, he figured it would lead to the war of "all against all", therefore any government was better than the "state of nature". Locke believed that most people got along pretty well for the most part by rational intuition, but were always a few "bad apples" in the group that forced others to give up their natural rights in a law system in order to be able to punish the exceptions in the society. Rousseau criticizes Hobbes and Locke by saying that they weren't really looking at the real "State of Nature", and that all of the negative qualities of human beings that they had mentioned to be present in the "State of Nature" was in fact, a quality brought on by the state of their time. The Rousseau version of the "State of Nature" differs greatly from Locke, but from Hobbes especially, in that he makes no mention of the constant fear which Hobbes believed would control man's life in the state of nature, rather he describes the State of Nature as pleasant and peaceful. He described the people in this primitive state as living free, healthy, honest and happy lives, and felt that man was timid, and would always avoid conflict, rather than seek it out. "So why a form of social organization" Rousseau asks? He recognized simply, that

Assigning Classroom Jobs to Teach Students Responsibility

Assigning Classroom Jobs to Teach Students Responsibility If we want to teach children to be responsible, we have to trust them with responsibilities. Classroom jobs are an effective way to enlist students in the duties of running a classroom. You can even have them fill out a Classroom Job Application. There are many different jobs you can choose from  for use in your classroom. The First Step - Pitch Your Idea Tell the students that, soon, they will have the opportunity to apply for classroom jobs. Give them a few examples of the types of jobs that are available and watch their eyes light up as they imagine themselves as the little rulers of a certain domain of the classroom. Make it clear that when they accept a job they will have to take it very seriously, and if they do not meet their commitments they can be fired from the job. Make this announcement a few days before your plan to formally introduce the job program so that you can build anticipation. Decide on the Duties There are hundreds of things that need to be done to run a successful and efficient classroom, but only a couple dozen that you can trust the students to handle. Thus, you need to decide how many and which jobs to have available. Ideally, you should have one job for each student in your class. In classes of 20 or fewer, this will be relatively easy. If you have many more students, it will be more challenging and you may decide to have a few students without jobs at any given time. You will be rotating jobs on a regular basis, so everyone will have a chance to participate eventually. You also have to consider your own personal comfort level, the maturity level of your class, and other factors when you decide how much responsibility you ready to give your students. Use a Classroom Jobs List to get ideas for which jobs, in particular, will work in your classroom. Design an Application Using a formal job application is a fun opportunity for you to get each students commitment in writing that they will perform any job to the best of their abilities. Ask students to list their first, second, and third choice jobs.   Make the Assignments Before you assign the jobs in your classroom, hold a class meeting where you announce and describe each job, collect applications, and emphasize the importance of each and every duty. Promise to give each child his or her first or second choice job some time throughout the school year. You will need to decide and announce how often the jobs will be changing. After you assign the jobs, give each student a job description for their assignment. They will use this to learn what they need to do, so be explicit! Monitor their Job Performance Just because your students now have jobs doesnt mean you can just sit back and take it easy while they perform their duties. Watch their behavior closely. If a student is not performing the job properly, conference with him or her and tell the student exactly what you need to see in their performance. If things dont improve, it might be time to consider firing them. If their job is essential, you will need to find a replacement. Otherwise, simply give the fired student another chance during the next cycle of job assignments. Dont forget to schedule a certain time each day for the jobs to be performed.

A Study On A Structural Necessity Architecture Essay

Within the societal scientific disciplines the term construction besides seems have different options. At possibly the most cardinal degree, within the field, the societal scientific disciplines themselves are broken into separate subjects in an attempt to decently analyze, analyse, and categorise different types of information, therefore supplying a sense of order or construction. Yet even these divisions are inconsistent across the field. At one institute sociology and anthropology may be joined in a individual plan of survey yet at others they are wholly separate and possibly assorted with another, such as linguistics. Beyond specifying itself the societal scientific disciplines have a singular ability for classifying, reclassifying, and re-reclassifying things ( including but barely limited to race, civilization, historical periods, theoretical models, methodological analysiss, and gender ) on a regular footing. In 1978, Edward Said, in his book Orientalism, identified a really controversial division between Europe and the Orient. Since so there have been important arguments on the ground for such a division, and even if such a division genuinely existed. Janet Abu-Lughod, in 1989 wrote â€Å" Analyzing a System in Formation † , in which she agreed that there is a recognizable division between the Europe and the remainder of the universe. Indeed she suggests that there is a incorporate universe construction and it is based on a Eurocentric theoretical account which developed around the 14th century. Within societal scientific disciplines this of course raises the inquiry, is the strong accent we give to construction an unconscious affect of the Eurocentric beginning of our theoretical account? Or is construction a more permeant thought? This essay contends that while a big part of the authorship in societal scientific discipline literature is Eurocentric in beginning, the construction, and more specifically the thought of construction is non limited to European idea. Levi-Strauss ‘ thoughts of infrastructure offers a strong statement that construction, as Abu-Lughod describes it, is simply the superstructure representation of an implicit in infrastructure common throughout all human civilizations. Then before turn toing the signifier of construction in the superstructure of our modern universe system, we must inquire whether determine whether construction is needed, or instead can we gestate of a universe, or societal scientific disciplines, without construction? Finally, manners of communicating will be used to demo how construction is exhaustively embedded in our universe even when it is non perceived. InAnalyzing a System in Formation, Janet Abu-Lughod really indicates her beliefs that the current construction of societal scientific disciplines is dominated by its European beginnings. Indeed while citing others, she gives provinces that the current universe system is wholly Eurocentric. For illustration, she recognizes Immanuel Wallerstein for coining the term â€Å" modern world-system † and that Europe lead development of this system, which has lasted more than 500 old ages. ( Abu-Lughod, 4 ) She supports this contention with the plants of Fernand Braudel and Eric Wolff who describe how a euro-centered universe was established in the 14th century and was the footing for the current universe system. ( Abu-Lughod, 9 ) Indeed, she accuses Braudel of doing an â€Å" unconscious Eurocentric faux pas. † ( Abu-Lughod, 11 ) In these illustrations the thought of Eurocentrism is difficult to lose. As Abu-Lughod points out, â€Å" Before Europe becameoneof the world-economies in the twelfth and 13th centuries†¦ there were legion pre-existent world-economies. † ( 12 ) Looking at the modern system it is possibly excessively easy to see the strength of the European influence upon the system, whether in currency rates, human rights issues, or a assortment of other countries. But to state that the modern system is purely based on this influence suggests that all other systems have either been discarded or go subservient to the Euro-centric theoretical account. Yet we have merely to come in a non-European state to recognize merely how diverse the differences elsewhere remain. Surely the strong grades of European influences are felt in South Africa or India, where English is widely spoken. And similarly in Algeria and Egypt where Arabic is still the national linguistic communication but a turning per centum of the population speak French and English, severally. Yet in each instance, although they have adopted parts of the Euro-centric theoretical account, they have each molded their ain signifier. Rather than being consumed Europe they have been influenced by it. But the influence is non unidimensional, instead influences flow back and Forth between parts. The ongoing argument in France sing hijab and other spiritual symbols in public schools is declarative of the concern felt by many in France of the turning Muslim population. Likewise, the alterations in corporate leading methods over the past decennary, from individualistic to more group-oriented, reflect an inflow of new thoughts from Japan and other states in Southeast Asia. In the terminal, Abu-Lughod was at least partly right ; Europe has influenced the construction of the world-system. But the world-system, and including Europe, has been influenced by the remainder of the universe. In a similar mode, while the construction of societal scientific disciplines found its beginnings in Europe it has, particularly in recent decennaries, been strongly influenced by the remainder of the universe. The construction that remains is non a massive creative activity but instead an merger which is invariably in flux. Leading possibly to the inevitable inquiry, are we utilizing the right, or the best system? Or do we even need to make this construction? When composingThe Ritual Processin 1969 Victor Turner gave us the term ‘anti-structure ‘ . His term was non meant to connote a deficiency of construction. In â€Å" Metaphors of Anti-Structure in Religious Culture † he clarified his term stating, â€Å" †¦ the ‘anti ‘ is here merely used strategically and does non connote a extremist negativeness. † ( 272 ) He farther explains, â€Å" I do non seek the obliteration of affair by signifier. † ( 273 ) Rather than proposing non-structure, the term anti-structure is conceived as yet another portion of the whole non to the full accounted for within the bing construction ; they are two-sides of the same coin. Within societal scientific disciplines as a whole at that place ever seems to be a construction. Disciplines are broken down by topics or methods. Subjects are broken down by location or clip period. Information is so pigeon-holed into a peculiar subject within a topic under a subject. Sometimes these topics and subjects are realigned, and sometimes information is referenced in multiple topographic points, but there is consistent effort to happen a topographic point everything ; or as the expression goes, â€Å" A topographic point for everything and everything in its topographic point. † But why must everything be put in its topographic point? And is there truly a topographic point for everything? Historically, our classification systems last until something does n’t suit. After seeking legion unsuccessful ways to accommodate our theoretical account and our information we acknowledge the job and expression for a new construction ; what sociology of cognition would cal cubic decimeter a revolution of cognition. But is a construction necessary? Can we gestate of our societal scientific discipline information outside the restraints of construction? If it is possible, we do we invariably seek to develop a more accurate and/or effectual construction? One might reason that early ethnographers, such as Marco Polo and Sir Richard Francis Burton worked outside the restraints of construction. They successfully documented important information without being purely attached to a peculiar subject. Indeed such plants frequently contain a wealth of information because they include a great assortment of different types of information. In a similar mode Clifford Geertz ‘ experience as described inDeep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfightcan be viewed as working outside the constituted construction. His intended survey was, no uncertainty, sanctioned and developed along certain guidelines. However, when he allowed himself to be caught up in rabble outlook brought on by the sudden reaching of the constabulary he was non moving within the restraints of any guidelines. Indeed Geertz ‘ description of the police officer ‘s action on page 415 suggest that he was movingagainstthe established construction. When we read about the Balinese cockfight and implicit in construction is easy to individuality. Peopless are identified by originals and specific subjects are ethical motives are indicated. The analysis itself is really structured, and that is where the construction seems to fall within much of the societal scientific disciplines, particularly anthropology. In order to pass on the information to others we construction it in such as manner that it becomes relevant to our audience. Yet the existent assemblage of information, though possibly limited by a pre-defined field site and research inquiries, can be a non-structured action. In my research of the effects of nomadic communicating engineerings, I frequently find it hard to non see a construction. Due to my experience working on the mechanical side of the engineering, I frequently construction the engineerings, and thereby the people, without detecting. A adult male in a suit utilizing a Blackberry phone seems is deemed a concern adult male, while a similar adult male have oning denims and utilizing an iPhone is deemed a college pupil. Likewise, person utilizing Linux is considered more technologically savvy than person utilizing Windows or an Apple OS, irrespective of their existent competency. From a proficient position, nomadic phones require a physical web to enable communicating. Unlike a land line phone which offers interaction between to fixed points in infinite, a nomadic phone offers an tantamount interaction at two random points. Furthermore, the cellular engineerings allow for non-stationary points, significance communicators are no longer tied to a fixed location. Enabling this nomadic communicating is an substructure web kindred to Levi-Strauss ‘ infrastructure of society. This is the unseeable, underlying system which ties everything together. With nomadic phones, a cellular web must be developed and maintained. This web must let easy connexion and must be linked to other cellular webs to enable transferring of one communicator to different locations with disrupting the manner of communicating. Finally, for this method to be genuinely effectual the web must be built around the communicators and their venues ; a cellular web in an empty desert serves no intent. Developing an effectual web therefore requires consciousness of bing locations of communicators and a method of mapping that information into a cellular web. Thus a construction develops based on the demands of a community. Of class, the communicators are by and large incognizant of this web. A adult male simply dials a figure on his Mobile phone, irrespective of where he is, and his married woman replies at some other unknown and apparently unrelated location. There is no demand for the users of this system to be cognizant of its nature, however the system does be. It is really easy to look around and see merely pandemonium. We are non required to see constructions in our day-to-day life. We take the construction itself for granted, yet that does non intend it does non be. We may gestate of cases where persons move outside the construction, or in a non-structured signifier. Yet when we seek communicate these actions we do so in a structured mode. The analysis, the manner we present the information, even the really linguistic communication itself contains an in agreement upon construction which allows us to pass on. But the construction is non massive and unchanging. A changeless duologue between different influences forms and reshapes the construction. We influence others even while we are influenced. At times a certain type of construction, such as the European theoretical account may look to rule but in clip even it is seen to be influenced by others. In the terminal thought of construction is in an built-in thought throughout the universe, a nd it is merely the peculiar signifier, what Levi-Strauss called the superstructure, that is distinguishable. Bibliography Abu-Lughod, J. ( 1989 ) . â€Å" Analyzing a System in Formation. † InBefore European Hegemony: The World System A.D. 1250-1350. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Pp 3-40. Althusser, L. ( 1970 ) .Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses.Retrieved on 28 Feb 10, From The Louis Althusser Internet Archive: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.marxists.org/reference/archive/althusser/1970/ideology.htm. DiTornaso, N. ( 1982 ) . â€Å" ‘Sociological Reductionism ‘ from Parsons to Althusser: Associating Action and Structure in Social Theory. †American Sociological Review, 47 ( 1 ) : 14-28. Geertz, C. ( 1973 ) . â€Å" Deep Play: Notes on a Balinese Cockfight. † InThe Interpretation of Cultures. London, UK: Hutchinson, Pp 412-454. Geertz, C. ( 1973 ) . â€Å" Thick Description: Toward an Interpretive Theory of Culture. † InThe Interpretation of Cultures. London, UK: Hutchinson, Pp 3-30. Goffman, E. ( 1963 ) . â€Å" Stigma and Social Identity. † InStigma: Notes on the Management of a Spoiled Identity. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Pp. 1-40. Levi-Strauss, C. ( 1958 ) . â€Å" Structural Analysis in Linguistics and in Anthropology. † Retrieved on 13 Feb 10, From The Marxist Internet Archivess: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/fr/levistra.htm. Mintz, S. ( 1977 ) . â€Å" The Alleged World System: Local Initiative and Local Response. †Dialectical Anthropology, 2 ( 4 ) : 253-270. Nugent, D. ( 2009 ) . â€Å" Knowledge and Empire: The Social Sciences and United States Imperial Expansion. †Identities:Global Studies in Culture and Power, 17 ( 1 ) : 2-44. Trouillot, M-R. ( 1991 ) . â€Å" Anthropology and the Savage Slot: The Poeticss and Politicss of Otherness. † InRecapturing Anthropology: Working in the Present. Richard Fox ( erectile dysfunction ) . Pp. 17-44. Turner, V. ( 1975 ) . â€Å" Metaphors of Anti-Structure in Religious Culture. † InDramas, Fields and Metaphors: Symbolic Action in Human Society. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. Pp. 272-300.

Cyclical Economic Development in The Economic History Essay

Cyclical Economic Development in The Economic History - Essay Example This paper analyses the process of economic growth, which emerges from and as a consequence of cyclical development. In the 19th century, business cycles were not thought of as cycles at all but rather as spells of crises interrupting the smooth development of the economy. In later years, economists and non- economists alike began believing in the regularity of such crises, analyzing how they were spaced apart and associated with changing economic structures. Schumpeter (1939) suggested that the economic development proceeds cyclically rather than evenly because innovations are not evenly distributed through time, but appear, if at all, discontinuously in groups or swarms. Schumpeter identified the "four-phases" of a cycle. Starting from the mean, a boom is a rise which lasts until the peak is reached; a recession is the drop from the peak back to the mean; a depression is the slide from the mean down to the trough; a recovery is the rise from the trough back up to the mean. From the mean, we then move up into another boom and thus the beginning of another four-phase cycle. In a sense, any cycle of whatever duration can be described as going through these four phases - otherwise the fluctuations cannot be described as "cycles". Empirical evidence shows that throughout the 19th Century, the price level moved backward and forward heavily while output was much less subject to fluctuations. The following four Kondratiev waves (ranging between 48-60 years) have been identified - going through four phases of boom-recession- depression-recovery : (1) The Industrial Revolution (1787-1842), (2) The Bourgeois Kondratiev (1898-1950), (3) The Neo-Mercantilist Kondratiev (1898-1950): and (4) The Fourth Kondratiev (1950- 2010).

Ba financial Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Ba financial - Essay Example Liability products consist of checking and savings account, fixed deposits, certificate of deposits, etc. These products are by nature liabilities for banks as a result of which banks are obliged to pay interest to the customers for all these products. Except for checking accounts all other liability products provide interest to the customers. In short liability products are intended to raise fund for providing asset products. Asset products: Asset products are the revenue earning products for the banks because such products are by nature, assets for the banks. The most common asset products offered by banks are loans (personal and business), credit cards and mortgages. Among these, loans are the most revenue generating asset products of the banks. Banks use the funds raised through their liability products for providing liability products. Therefore, both asset and liability products are equally important for commercial banks. Two liability and asset products that will be discussed further in this essay are Savings account, Certificate of deposits, Mortgage loans and Credit cards. Savings account and Certificate of deposits: Savings account and Certificate of Deposits (CD) are the two main liability products of commercial banks. Savings account provides modest interest rates to the account holders of the bank. It is a very liquid form of asset to the customers as they provide withdrawal of amount at any point of time. Savings account is the primary source for commercial banks to raise money for lending. For the customers it provides a liquid asset with modest interest. A certificate of deposit provides higher interest rates than that of a savings account. CD is a promissory note issued by a bank that entitles the bearer to receive interest. Unlike savings account there is restriction on the withdrawal of funds from CD until the end of the term. For the customers, CD’s provide a safe and high interest bearing investment though it is less liquid. For the banks it provides a source of fund for longer period as early withdrawals by the customers are not entertained. Mortgage loans and credit cards: Mortgage loan is a secured loan provided by the banks to the customers. Such loans are secured by real assets of the customers. Therefore, for the banks the risk of loss is limited compared to usual unsecured loans. Mortgage loans usually bear less interest rate than unsecured loans. Such loans are mostly used by customer for acquiring properties, (residential and commercial). Credit card is growing to be one of the most revenue generating products for commercial banks. Credit card provides the customers with a line of credit which can be used by them to purchase goods or services. There is a credit limit attached to the card beyond which the customers are restricted to use. It provides the banks with revenue from annual card fee and interest on the purchases of not repaid within the billing period. Change in market interest rates and impac t on Asset products Change in the market interest rates will have a direct impact on the products of commercial banks. â€Å"A bank’s interest rate risk reflects the extend to which its financial condition is affected by changes in market interest rates.† (English, 2002) An increase in the market interest rates will have an adverse impact on the asset products of banks. Some of the main asset products of the banks are personal and business

The university and colleges authorities Essay Example for Free

The university and colleges authorities Essay Blogging presents the users with a unique opportunity to express themselves and air their views on different issues. It gives the students a chance to communicate with their peers on different issue. To many this is an opportunity to tell others what one believes or feels concerning a certain issue. It also gives the user a chance to earn some income depending on the number of people who respond to the issues raised by the person initiating the blog. Basically what is a blog? Blog has been described as a term which is used to describe those website which maintain a continuos series of information which is arranged in a systematic manner. By systematic I mean the information is a arranged according to the time that it was posted. The site is frequently updated . This from of communication dwells on various issues from personal to politics. One can focus on a wide issue or a narrow one depending on ones wish. Therefore blog can be fun informative,entertaining and at the same time it can be used as atool of spreading malicious information concerning a person or a group of people. At the same time blog can be used to offend a certain person or a society. (Bruns, A and Joanne J 2006) Blogging can be used for various purposes by different people,in colleges and universities it has become a tool where students attack each other through posting information which can damage a personal character. Although the American constitution through the first amendment guarantees every citizen the freedom of speech the authorities in the laerning institution should control the use of blog to pass information which can interfere with other students learning process. Hate speeches are common among the students in our laerning institutions,internet has played a very big role in promoting this culture as students can post hate speeches anonymously in the internet. Since access to the websites which provide blog is not restricted to any user anybody can bump on such information. Through reading the content one may feel disoriented and will be affected negatively by the message. This will affect the person phychologically and may go to an extent of affecting the student education depending on the kind of message or information that was relayed. (Kline, D and Burstein, D. 2007 34) Restricting blog which are mostly used to insult and demean others is the best thing that can happen in our institution of higher learning. This will ensure that the learning process is smooth if all the other factors remain constant. This will also guarantee each and every srudents right to a dignified life in the institution. It will protect the most vulnerable group as far as hate speech is concerned. The most tergeted groups include the women,people from different races,disabled or basically those students who have some weakness as far as the college society is concerned. These are people who need protection since they are prone to such henous acts which can leave them traumatized to an extent where their education is intefered with. (Ringmar, E 2007 56) The freedom guaranteed by the American constitution does not give us a leeway to spread rumors against others, pass on some information which can hurt other people or even more give messages which are inciting in nature or pass on messages with a purpose of hurting others. The law clearly spells out that such an action would be tantamount to interfering with other people’s affairs in a manner that suggests that one is malicious and at the same time lacks respect for the others. Regulation of blogs which spread such kind of message will ensure that those vulnerable groups are protected from those malicious people who are only interested in hurting other people’s emotions. The universities authorities ought to take the first step in getting all those culprits who are out to hurt other feeling. Though such a move may attract great opposition it is a move in the right direction as the same constitution that promotes free speech articulates clearly the rights of very American to lead a decent life. Blogs which promote such kind information do not only violate a person freedom but also affects their lives. One may argue that why put so much emphasize on the blogs yet hate speeches are made day and day out in our colleges. One has to appreciate that internet is accessed by many people who are not restricted from visiting sites especially those which largely deals with the blog. This means that if a negative or a hate speech is posted targeting a certain group the message will spread far and wide within a very short time. This will affect the targeted people emotionally and psychologically because they may not be in a position to react or behave different in such circumstances. (Bruns, A and Joanne J 2006 38) Emergence of blog has presented some very complicated issues concerning the rights of those who may be targeted by some of the information posted. There have been several cases which have been filed touching on blog and hate speech. It is a form of defamation where perpetrators can be sued in a court of law. May be to start with ,the authorities in our learning institution should sue such character as their aim is harm others while trying to make themselves popular. Through such an action they will be moving in the right direction in curbing such practices in the institutions where students are supposed to be nurtured in a manner where they respect each other. It might be difficult to unmask some of the bloggers who use anonymous addresses but with the advancement of technology this should be an easy task. Involvement of internet service providers in unmasking these malicious people would yield some fruits since they have the proper machinery in netting the culprits. The effects of hate speech have far much reaching effects especially for the students who can be very vulnerable due to their conditions. It impacts some form of resentment to a certain group of people especially those who have characteristics which the blogger writes against. It may also lead to withdrawal of the victim as they tend to come to terms with the message being relayed. This means that the student will not be in a position to concentrate in their studies. (Alavi, N. 2005 26) The university and colleges authorities should not only aim at curbing the practice but should embark on a program where the students are sensitized on the dangers of hate speech especially through blogs. They should be made to understand hate speeches can ignite conflict between different people within the learning institution. Such a conflict can be detrimental to their learning process as they will live in fear of attack from the other group. Another danger as far as this practice is concerning is the time involved. Such a time is supposed to be used to study but most of the students will spend most of their time blogging, an activity which is time consuming. This means that the student will not have enough time as they embark on an activity which is very addictive in nature. Blog when used for the right purpose can have very positive effect but when it is used to hurt other people it has some serious effect on those whom are targeted and at the same time for those who post them. We should not abuse the systems provided for us to ease the process of communication and passing relevant information rather we should utilize such opportunities ti reap as much benefits as possible. The universities can be successful in addressing this issue as they have the capacity to control what the students’ access in the networks provided by the institution. Mostly giving the students the right information can also go along way in ensuring that hate speech is not spread through the internet in form of blog. Work cited Bruns, A and Joanne J Uses of Blogs, Peter Lang, New York, (2006) Alavi, N. We Are Iran: The Persian Blogs, Soft Skull Press, New York,( 2005) Ringmar, E A Blogger Manifesto:Free speech and cesorship in the age of internet,London,Anthem Press(2007) Kline, D and Burstein, D. Blog: How the Newest Media Revolution is Changing Politics, Business, and Culture, Squibnocket Partners, (2005).

Hamlet: Growing Pains :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

Hamlet: Growing Pains         Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the epic tragedy Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, Prince Hamlet is entrapped in a world of evil that is not of his own creation.   He must oppose this evil, which permeates his seemingly star-struck life from many angles.   His dealings with his father's eerie death cause Hamlet to grow up fast.   His family, his sweetheart, and his school friends all appear to turn against him and to ally themselves with the evil predicament in which Hamlet finds himself.   Hamlet makes multiple attempts to avenge his father's murder, but each fails because his father's murder, but each fails because his plans are marred by very human shortcomings.   It is these shortcomings that Hamlet is a symbol of ordinary humanity and give him the room he needs to grow.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Hamlet that Shakespeare begins to develop in Act I is a typical mortal, bowed down by his human infirmities and by a disgust of the evils in a world which has led him to the brink of suicide.   Hamlet voices his thoughts on the issue:   ‘O   that this   too too solid flesh would melt...' (I. ii. 135).   He is prevented from this drastic step only by a faith which teaches him that God has ‘fix'd/ His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter' (I. ii. 131-2).   To Hamlet appears his dead father's spirit, and he must continue to live in the ‘unweeded garden, / That grows to seed' in order to fulfill the obligation he has to his father (I.ii. 135-6).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Making Hamlet more a story of personal growth than a dark murder mystery, Shakespeare emphasizes the emotional, rather than the physical, obstacles that Prince must face in accomplishing his goal.   Immediately, Hamlet must determine whether the ghost speaks the truth, and to do so he must cope with theological issues.   He must settle the moral issue of private revenge. He must learn to live in a world in which corruption could be as near as the person who gave birth to him.   He also must control the human passions within him which are always threatening his plans.   There are no more sobering issues than these which would catalyze growth in any human.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hamlet's widely recognized hamartia, or tragic flaw, is his inability to make decisions on subjects with consequences of any weight.   That he is aware of his stagnation in such situations does prove to be helpful in defeating this flaw.   After passing up three oppotuities to entrap Claudius in the third act (the nunnery scene on which the king was eavesdropping, during The Murder of Gonzago, the scene in Gertrude's closet), Hamlet berates himself because of   his Hamlet: Growing Pains :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays Hamlet: Growing Pains         Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the epic tragedy Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, Prince Hamlet is entrapped in a world of evil that is not of his own creation.   He must oppose this evil, which permeates his seemingly star-struck life from many angles.   His dealings with his father's eerie death cause Hamlet to grow up fast.   His family, his sweetheart, and his school friends all appear to turn against him and to ally themselves with the evil predicament in which Hamlet finds himself.   Hamlet makes multiple attempts to avenge his father's murder, but each fails because his father's murder, but each fails because his plans are marred by very human shortcomings.   It is these shortcomings that Hamlet is a symbol of ordinary humanity and give him the room he needs to grow.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Hamlet that Shakespeare begins to develop in Act I is a typical mortal, bowed down by his human infirmities and by a disgust of the evils in a world which has led him to the brink of suicide.   Hamlet voices his thoughts on the issue:   ‘O   that this   too too solid flesh would melt...' (I. ii. 135).   He is prevented from this drastic step only by a faith which teaches him that God has ‘fix'd/ His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter' (I. ii. 131-2).   To Hamlet appears his dead father's spirit, and he must continue to live in the ‘unweeded garden, / That grows to seed' in order to fulfill the obligation he has to his father (I.ii. 135-6).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Making Hamlet more a story of personal growth than a dark murder mystery, Shakespeare emphasizes the emotional, rather than the physical, obstacles that Prince must face in accomplishing his goal.   Immediately, Hamlet must determine whether the ghost speaks the truth, and to do so he must cope with theological issues.   He must settle the moral issue of private revenge. He must learn to live in a world in which corruption could be as near as the person who gave birth to him.   He also must control the human passions within him which are always threatening his plans.   There are no more sobering issues than these which would catalyze growth in any human.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hamlet's widely recognized hamartia, or tragic flaw, is his inability to make decisions on subjects with consequences of any weight.   That he is aware of his stagnation in such situations does prove to be helpful in defeating this flaw.   After passing up three oppotuities to entrap Claudius in the third act (the nunnery scene on which the king was eavesdropping, during The Murder of Gonzago, the scene in Gertrude's closet), Hamlet berates himself because of   his

Enron Corporation Essay

Enron Corporation began as a small natural gas distributor and, over the course of 15 years, grew to become the seventh largest company in the United States. Soon after the federal deregulation of natural gas pipelines in 1985, Enron was born by the merging of Houston Natural Gas and InterNorth, a Nebraska pipeline company. Initially, Enron was merely involved in the distribution of gas, but it later became a market maker in facilitating the buying and selling of futures of natural gas, electricity, broadband, and other products. However, Enron’s continuous growth eventually came to an end as a complicated financial statement, fraud, and multiple scandals sent Enron through a downward spiral to bankruptcy. During the 1980s, several major national energy corporations began lobbying Washington to deregulate the energy business. Their claim was that the extra competition resulting from a deregulated market would benefit both businesses and consumers. Consequently, the national government began to lift controls on who was allowed to produce energy and how it was marketed and sold. However, as competition in the energy market increased, gas and energy prices began to fluctuate greatly. Over time, Enron incurred massive debts and no longer had exclusive rights to its pipelines. It needed some new and innovative business strategies. Kenneth Lay, chairman and CEO, hired the consulting firm McKinsey & Company to assist in developing a new plan to help Enron get back on its feet. Jeffrey Skilling, a young McKinsey consultant who had a background in banking and asset and liability management, was assigned to work with Enron. He recommended that Enron create a gas bank to buy and sell gas. Skilling, who later became chief executive at Enron, recognized that Enron could capitalize on the fluctuating gas prices by acting as an intermediary and creating a futures market for buyers and sellers of gas; it would buy and sell gas to be used tomorrow at a stable price today. Although brilliantly successful in theory, Skilling’s gas bank idea faced a major problem. The natural gas producers who agreed to supply Enron’s gas bank desperately needed cash and required cash as payment for their products. Enron also had insufficient cash levels. Therefore, management decided to team up with banks and other financial institutions, establishing partnerships that would provide the cash needed to complete the transactions with Enron’s suppliers. Under the direction of Andrew Fastow, a newly hired financial genius, Enron also created several special-purpose entities (SPEs), which served as the vehicles through which money was funneled from the banks to the gas suppliers, thus keeping these transactions off Enron’s books. As Enron’s business became more and more complicated, its vulnerability to fraud and eventual disaster also grew. Initially, the newly formed partnerships and SPEs worked to Enron’s advantage. Yet in the end , it was the creation of these SPEs that culminated in Enron’s death. Within just a few years of instituting its gas bank and the complicated financing system, Enron grew rapidly, controlling a large part of the U.S. energy market. At one point, it controlled as much as a quarter of all of the nation’s gas business. It also began expanding to create markets for other types of products, including electricity, crude oil, coal, plastics, weather derivatives, and broadband. In addition, Enron continued to expand its trading business and, with the introduction of Enron Online in the late 1990s, it became one of the largest trading companies on Wall Street, at one time generating 90% of its income through trades. Enron soon had more contracts than any of its competitors and, with market dominance, could predict future prices with great accuracy, thereby guaranteeing superior profits. To continue enhanced growth and dominance, Enron began hiring the best and brightest traders. However, Enron was just as quick in firing its employees as it was in hiring new ones. Management created the Performance Review Committee (PRC), which became known as the harshest employee ranking system in the country. Its method of evaluating employee performance was nicknamed â€Å"rank and yank† by Enron employees. Every 6 months, employees were ranked on a scale of 1–5. Those ranked in the lowest category (1) were immediately yanked (fired) from their position and replaced by new recruits. Surprisingly, during each employee review, management required that at least 15% of all the employees ranked were given a 1 and therefore yanked from their position and income. The employees ranked with a 2 or 3 were also given notice that they were liable to be released in the near future. These ruthless performance reviews created fierce internal competition between fellow employees w ho faced a strict ultimatum; perform or be replaced. Furthermore, it created a work environment where employees were unable to express opinions or valid concerns for fear of a low ranking score by their superiors. With so much pressure to succeed and maintain its position as the global energy market leader, Enron began to jeopardize its integrity by committing fraud. The SPEs, which originally were used for good business purposes, were now used illegally to hide bad investments, poorly performing assets, and debt; to manipulate cash flows; and eventually, to report more than $1 billion of false income. The following are examples of how specific SPEs were used fraudulently. Chewco: In 1993, Enron and the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) formed a 50/50 partnership called Joint Energy Development Investments Limited (JEDI). In 1997, Enron’s Andrew Fastow established the Chewco SPE, which was designed to repurchase CalPERS’s share of equity in JEDI at a large profit. However, Chewco crossed the bounds of legality in two ways. First, it broke the 3% equity rule, which allowed corporations such as Enron to not consolidate if outsiders contributed even 3% of the capital, but the other 97% could come from the company. When Chewco bought out JEDI, however, half of the $11.4 million that bought the 3% equity involved cash collateral provided by Enron—meaning that only 1.5% was owned by outsiders. Therefore, the debts and losses incurred at Chewco were not listed where they belonged, on Enron’s financial reports, but remained only on Chewco’s separate financial records. Second, because Fastow was an Enron officer, he was, therefore, unauthorized to personally run Chewco without direct approval from Enron’s board of directors and public disclosure with the SEC. In an effort to secretly bypass these restrictions, Fastow appointed one of his subordinates, Michael Kopper, to run Chewco, under Fastow’s close supervision and influence. Fastow continually applied pressure to Kopper to prevent Enron from getting the best possible deals from Chewco and, therefore, giving Michael Kopper huge profits. Chewco was eventually forced to consolidate its financial statements with Enron. By doing so, however, it caused large losses on Enron’s balance sheet and other financial statements. The Chewco SPE accounted for 80% (approximately $400 million) of all of Enron’s SPE restatements. Moreover, Chewco set the stage for Andrew Fastow as he continued to expand his personal profiting SPE empire. LJM 1 and 2: The LJM SPEs (LJM1 and LJM2) were two organizations sponsored by Enron that also participated heavily in fraudulent deal making. LJM1 and its successor, LJM2, were similar to the Chewco SPE in that they also broke the two important rules set forth by the SEC. First, although less than 3% of the SPE equity was owned by outside investors, LJM’s books were kept separate from Enron’s. An error in judgment by Arthur Andersen allowed LJM’s financial statements to go unconsolidated. Furthermore, Andrew Fastow (at that time CFO at Enron) was appointed to personally oversee all operations at LJM. Without the governing controls in place, fraud became inevitable. LJM1 was first created by Fastow as a result of a deal Enron made with a high-speed Internet service provider called Rhythms NetConnections. In March 1998, Enron purchased $10 million worth of shares in Rhythms and agreed to hold the shares until the end of 1999, when it was authorized to sell those shares. Rhythms released its first IPO in April 1999 and Enron’s share of Rhythms stock immediately jumped to a net worth of $300 million. Fearing that the value of the stock might drop again before they could sell it, Enron searched for an investor from whom it would purchase a put option (i.e., insurance against a falling stock price). However, because Enron had such a large share and because Rhythms was such a risky company, Enron could not find an investor at the price Enron was seeking. So, with the approval of the board of directors and a waiver of Enron’s code of conduct, Fastow created LJM1, which used Enron stock as its capital to sell the Rhythms stock put options to Enron. In effect, Enron was insuring itself against a plummeting Rhythms stock price. However, because Enron was basically insuring itself and paying Fastow and his subordinates millions of dollars to run the deal, Enron really had no insurance. With all of its actions independent of Enron’s financial records, LJM1 was able to provide a hedge against a profitable investment. LJM2 was the sequel to LJM1 and is infamous for its involvement in its four major deals known as the â€Å"Raptors.† The Raptors were deals made between Enron and LJM2, which enabled Enron to hide losses from Enron’s unprofitable investments. In total, the LJM2 hid approximately $1.1 billion worth of losses from Enron’s balance sheet. LJM1 and LJM2 were used by Enron to alter its actual financial statements and by Fastow for personal profits. Enron’s books took a hard hit when LJM finally consolidated its financial statements, a $100 million SPE restatement. In the end, Fastow pocketed millions of dollars from his involvement with the LJM SPEs. Through complicated accounting schemes, Enron was able to fool the public for a time into thinking that its profits were continually growing. The energy giant cooked its books by hiding significant liabilities and losses from bad investments and poor assets, by not recognizing declines in the value of its aging assets, by reporting more than $1 billion of false income, and by manipulating its cash flows, often during fourth quarters. However, as soon as the public became aware of Enron’s fraudulent acts, both investors and the company suffered. As investor confidence in Enron dropped because of its fraudulent deal making, so did Enron’s stock price. In just 1 year, Enron stock plummeted from a high of about $95 per share to below $1 per share. The decrease in equity made it impossible for Enron to cover its expenses and liabilities and it was forced to declare bankruptcy on December 2, 2001. Enron had been reduced from a company claiming almost $62 billion worth of asse ts to nearly nothing.

Educational Purpose Essay

Since childhood, I have always wanted to be an educator. This is because I have always considered education as an essential need. It is certainly because education makes one civilized. It is also through education that the potential of one person is maximized. Significantly, it is the way by which one gains knowledge which is very useful in everyday life. Education is also the means which will make it possible for individuals to achieve his or her dreams. In addition, education is necessary in order to mould one to discern what is right from wrong. Hence, education is one of the most important factors for people to exist in a peaceful and civilized society. Additionally, as widely recognized, being a teacher is the noblest profession. It is not only because teachers educate but also because they are considered as the second parent of the students. Hence, it is not only the intellectual aspect that teacher develops but also the emotional and psychological aspect of the student. Teachers are necessary in forming better persons in the society. Notably, in all these endeavors, the teacher does not merely exert effort and time but also extends care, concern, and love to his or her students. It is for these zealous purposes that I longed to be an educator. In the educational system today, many problems can be observed. The most common and old probably is diversity or socio-cultural differences. Even in the older times, diversity has always been a barrier for most of students. I had my own share of difficulty when it comes to the issue of socio-cultural differences. I have experienced being avoided in debates whenever I attempted to join. Being a person having a different skin color and language makes it difficult to be accepted by the majority. However, being different among the majority has challenged me to break the barriers that impede me from achieving my goals. I know that there are thousands who had experienced and is experiencing what I have been through. As such, I am inspired to make ways on eliminating diversity that hinders other students from pursuing their dreams. Meanwhile, school is considered as the second home of students. Hence, schools should be made as a place for freedom regardless of race, culture, gender, age, and socio-economic status. Another problem that is plaguing the education system is commercialization. Education has been said to be a right of every individual. However, as educational fees continue to increase, the burden to the poor is becoming heavier because the value is making it difficult for the poor to afford. Hence, education is becoming a privilege for the rich. Furthermore, the continued commercialization of education is affecting the quality of education because of competition among schools. At the same time, commercialization deviate the labor market and creates labor shifting. This happens especially when schools offer short courses when the employment demands for graduate courses. Education, as such, is one of the necessities for us to be able to achieve our dreams. A student goes to school to be educated so that someday he will have the employment he has desired for. However, the real situation would merely disappoint the student. It is of no doubt that the technological innovation has affected the drastic change in labor demand. In addition, the nation is also highly industrialized. Hence, the labor offered are those related to technology and industry. This fact puts the students of social sciences in a disadvantaged position because they have a narrower chance of employment in a highly technical and industrialized society. It has been said that education is the window to a student’s dream. Thus, the curriculum should correspond to the need of the society and at the same time aid in the fulfillment of the student’s dream.

How successful were Italian leaders at dealing with Italy’s problems 1896-1914 Essays

How successful were Italian leaders at dealing with Italy’s problems 1896-1914 Essays How successful were Italian leaders at dealing with Italy’s problems 1896-1914 Paper How successful were Italian leaders at dealing with Italy’s problems 1896-1914 Paper As a country nearing the end of its unification process, Italy was in the midst of several key issues, including problems within the politics of the country, the social issues that arose as a result of unification, the economic stability of Italy as well as the Papacy’s role in the Italy. The prime ministers of the time, Crispi and Giolitti remained partially successful at tackling these issues, building Italy from the financial rubble into what became known as the ‘economic miracle’ of Italy, although with numerous social costs. A key issue that remained for much of the unification process was the problems caused by the establishment of a centralised Italian government. Despite the liberal aims of this new government that controlled the majority of Italian states, it could not be considered a full democracy due to the fact that there was extremely limited suffrage, with only around 2 percent of the total population being able to take part in voting, a so called liberal state whose government did not represent the actual majority of the Italian population. From this, the concept of ‘Transformismo’ was created, in response to the limited numbers that were actually able to vote. Due to lack of voter turnouts, political leaders relied upon a system of bribery and pressure in order to secure support from several other smaller groups, and in turn arguably the Italian leaders, particularly Giolitti who relied on this massively were unsuccessful to a small extent to dealing with problem of lack of suffrage. However, the success brought by Giolitti in increasing the electorate from 3 million to 8. 5 million people indicates that there were some small successes on the political front. The problem of political extremism also arose from the limited suffrage. Many felt that the Italian government did not fully represent the views and needs of the people, and indeed despite Giolitti managing to increase the electorate numbers it was still a massively small proportion of the whole of the Italian population. This shift towards political extremism reached two ends of the political spectrum; new factions were formed, usually to the far left or right wing in ideology, and would contribute to the eventual downfall of liberalism, particularly by the nationalist ideology which continued to spread with rapid pace. Along with nationalism came the rising urge for Italy to build its own empire, and the Italian prime minister Crispi spectacularly failed with this, not only having his claims to African states rejected by France, but also in failing to provoke a war with France which could possibly allow Italy to seize French territory. Giolitti was also left with little success, failing to promote any assertive foreign policies which would later spur the nationalist movement, and failing to build Italy’s empire despite the invasion of Libya, which while was technically a success, resulted in several Italian casualties and long term instability. Despite this minor success, Giolitti himself received little credit for this, with the nationalist movement claiming success, while the left wing socialist movement remained opposed to his foreign policy, and Giolitti’s small success would only fuel the political extremism. Socially, Italy was also an extremely divided state. From the beginning of the unification process, the issue of the north-south divide was already a major issue, and many Italians from the south refusing to recognise their ‘Italian’ identity, instead viewing unification as more of a colonisation process rather than spurring national unity. The rural south was considered a relatively backward area, especially when compared to the industrialised north which seemed to amount for much of the country’s identity; people from the south were particularly disillusioned by the fact that the Italian working class were the ones that often did not gain from any reforms made. While Crispi’s own domestic policies failed to gain wider support, and in fact brought the Liberal Italian state to the lowest since its creation, Giolitti was extremely successful at tackling the social issues, increasing living standards and affordability of food, with the average calorie intake increasing, leading for an overall healthier nation with better living standards, achievable by balancing the government budget effectively. Social reforms made by Giolitti also led to the abolishment of child labour, with a pensions scheme for the old age and sick extended as well as the establishment of better working conditions by a compulsory weekly rest day. Similarly, under his new legislation female workers were also granted a maternity fund, in an attempt to pacify and improve working as well as living conditions for the working class majority in the south. Overall, it is clear that the Italian leaders of the time generally succeeded in improving Italy’s general society, especially Giolitti’s reforms, although hampered by Crispi’s unpopular domestic policy. Prior to the unification process, as a set of separate sovereign states success economically was hardly viable, and the unification process of the states did little to actually implant the idea of a single Italian nation within the majority of the Italian mind-set, and with a combination of economically crumbling states. To ease this issue, industrialisation was thoroughly encouraged as a way of building the ‘economic miracle’, and this would be a major success as Italy began to catch up to other European countries economically. In this way the Italian leaders can be seen as extremely successful at tackling the issues of the Italian economy, with the rapid industrialisation process leading to production of commodities such as cars and typewriters in Italy. Much of this was made possible by government reforms to gain self-sufficiency; instead of relying on expensive coal imports there was a push towards development of hydroelectric power, which in turn provided the power to fuel Italy’s other industrial activities- at a lower cost to themselves, as well as placing themselves in the forefront of the newest electrical technology available. The government reforms included numerous tariffs in order to protect Italian production and encourage the sale of Italian goods, while the Italian government decided to invest in infrastructure such as shipping facilities and railways, which helped boost Italy’s industrial production further. The success of the Italian leaders at this time can be proven by Italy’s own import records; compared to the 1880s, by the early 1900s nearly all locomotives were produced within Italy, using Italy’s own resources such as steel. The industrialisation process also reached some of the more traditional industries, including silk, cotton and wool, which under government reforms and protection were able to switch to modern production methods. However, there was some economic failure in the form of the backward south, which failed to gain any advantage from the numerous policies and push towards industrialism; records suggest that the maize yields in the northern states were nearly five times as much as the production in the south, and while one part of Italy spurred in its economic advances, the other states underneath Rome were left disadvantaged. Despite this, the Italian leaders were still very successful in improving Italy’s economy, being able to lift Italy from a mainly agricultural, backwards state to one that was industrialised, relatively self-sufficient and the country paving the way for the new technology of the century – hydroelectric power. A key stumbling block in the process of unification was the Papacy, and even after the unification the Papacy still did not regard the unified Italy as a legitimate state. In response to the national elections, the declaration of the Pope to prevent Catholics which made up virtually all of the Italian population would become a threat to Italy’s democratic system, especially the issue of poor vote turnout. Previous attempts to allow some freedom for the Catholic powers had failed, and crackdowns on the ‘Opera dei Congressi’ led to church authorities becoming more complicit with the Liberal government. Despite limited cooperation, ultimately the leaders of the era could not bring about any significant stability; the Catholic influence surrounding politics was still significant with the large majority of the population being under Catholic influence, and the Pope as often demonstrated could command followers to ignore the government, such as refusing to participate in voting. Overall it becomes clear that the policy of crackdown initiated did nothing to solve the problem of Papal influence in the state- arguably it increased it even further as despite the Church initially being complicit, the tensions that built up would trigger an even bigger outburst, and therefore the Italian leaders of 1896-1914 generally failed at maintaining a stable relationship with the Papacy, as despite Catholics being involved in the political system, generally there was still tension emanating from both sides. The Italian leaders of 1896-1914 Crispi and Giolitti attempted numerous reforms to repair the problems of the newly unified state; the newly united Italy was economically backwards, living conditions relatively poor compared to other European countries and the democratic system a failure, failing to grant the majority of the population the vote. The leaders were only successful to a limited extent as despite the suffrage being enlarged, politically the idea Transformismo was still very much engrained and the failure to keep a stable relationship with the Church influenced voting. A success of the two leaders was in industrialising the country, increasing the standard of living and boosting the Italian economy, although this can only be considered a minor achievement due to the fact that not all of Italy benefitted; the rural southern states remained relatively poor and backwards, failing to keep up with the growing northern states. Overall, the leaders were successful to a limited extent to dealing with the problems of Italy, their successes often with shortcomings that would later strike Italy again.

Christianity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Christianity - Essay Example The principle book in Christianity is the Gospel, which is a collection of works that originate from authors such as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; all of which were Jesus’s disciples. The Gospel tells about Jesus’s life and passes on the lessons and teachings within Christianity. There are a great deal of many other writers in the Gospel except the principle four, one of them being Paul. Paul did not directly observe Jesus in life, having only met him a few other times through the Apostles before becoming one of them himself. Because he was not a direct follower of Jesus, many of his writings conflict with that of Jesus. Because Paul did not know a majority about the life and events that occurred during Jesus’s life, there are major events that are history changing that are not mentioned in his Gospel, giving the reader a different feel than the other ones. Because Paul learned from others, his Gospel story is different. Christianity is unified, yet fragmented. There are many different branches of Christianity. Although they are similar, they are still a little different from each other, which makes them different at the fundamental level. The Great Schism happened early in the spread of Christianity. It was a fundamental split between what was Western Europe and what were the remnants of the Byzantine Empire. The West supported the rule of the Pope for Roman Catholicism from Rome, whereas the Byzantine Empire supported Eastern Orthodoxy.

Levels in Undergraduate Family Nursing Education Personal Statement

Levels in Undergraduate Family Nursing Education - Personal Statement Example The district nurse, my mentor started talking to them, and what I observed was worth noting. The visible anxiety gradually calmed down. This was an effective communication, and this was essential in this scenario to pacify them. When I went back home that night and when things started settling down, I thought I would go over the whole incident and find out what was special about this incident, and how this incident can help me in any future incident in the professional practice (Ghaye and Lillyman, 2000, 53-87). This was a set of home health care, and from the incident, it was clear that the incident had considerable acuity. I was a student nurse, and therefore, it was a learning experience for me. The major goal of nursing care in this situation, given Mr. Xs advanced cancer, is palliation and restoration of maximum health function. I was entirely inexperienced, so I decided to observe what my mentor did in this situation (Ghaye, 2005, 7-37).  While reflecting, I gradually came to understand, well-developed communication skills are therefore essential tools for nurses. It was a face-to-face situation, and perhaps there is no substitute for it. I witnessed how effective and appropriate communication helped to establish a therapeutic helping relationship and enabled my mentor to determine their care needs and how it promoted trust and confidence and facilitated care appropriate for this situation. They were anxious and angry.