Friday, December 27, 2019

The Culture Of The Egyptian Culture - 1354 Words

The word culture is a term that is used quite often, but what does it mean exactly? If you were to ask a group of philosophical anthropologists whose job it is to study culture, you may get a different definition from each of them. However, even though definitions of culture may differ, many of them do emphasize similar things. The definition of culture is the beliefs, customs arts, of a particular society, group, or time. A particular society that has its own beliefs, ways of life, which would include such things as language, beliefs, values, customs, laws. What is particularly interesting about cultures is that each culture, no matter where it is found, shares at least five basic characteristics. The Egyptian culture shares at least five†¦show more content†¦The Nile River has portrayed a huge role in Egypt throughout history. Historically the Egyptians were among the first to record data from the Nile River. The Nile River has served as a supply of water, food, and transp ortation for centuries. The northward-flowing river starts 100 miles south of the Mediterranean Sea and extends out 155 miles between the cities of Port Said and Alexandria. The basin irrigation escalated from the ancient time, which is what inhabitants used to anticipate the annual flood which is referred to the life cycle. The oasis, basin irrigation, and the Aswan High Dam in Egypt contribute to the environment today. The Nile River has 95% of the community living and working within 12 miles of the banks. The western desert and Sinai profit from the economy by exporting petroleum. Egypt depends on the income from exporting their cotton and textile. The basin irrigation system has made Egypt’s agricultural system one of the highest in the world. Egypt’s gross national income is $5,910 (2010). Egypt’s population is 82.3 million people (2012). Egypt’s natural increase is 2% and their infant mortality is 24%. Islam governs their political, personal, economic legal lives and is practiced by the majority of Egyptians. Muslims have many obligations; to pray five times a day, which are listed in their newspaper each day - at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and evening. There Muslim holy day is Friday, everything is closed and many also close

Thursday, December 19, 2019

The Reign Of Ancient Greek Philosophers - 982 Words

Aristotle The reign of ancient Greek philosophers was one that was remembered for centuries. One philosopher stood out amongst the rest. He is known as Aristotle. Aristotle made extremely significant contributions to human knowledge. His writings were extremely incredible and he paved the way for philosophers long after him. Aristotle was born in 384 B.C in a town called Stagira in the northern part of Greece. He was born to a set of parents who were members of medical families. His father was a physician to the King of Macedonia, but later died when Aristotle was a young boy. Because his father was so close with the court of Macedonia, Aristotle was still affiliated for the rest of his life. After the death of his father, Aristotle was left without a guardian. His sister s, Arimneste, husband became his guardian until he was legally old enough to take care of himself. Around the age of 17, he was sent to Athens to get an education. Athens was known as the academic core of the world. Aristotle enrolled in Plato s academy and was one of the top scholars. Plato s academy was one of the top learning centers at the time. Aristotle formed a relationship with Plato, who was a Greek philosopher, and taught at the academy for 20 years. Plato died in 347 B.C. Despite their relationship, Aristotle did not agree with Plato s philosophy, so he did not become the director of the academy after Plato s death. Aristotle left Athens, and then went to Mysia, a place he was invited toShow MoreRelatedClassical vs. Hellenistic Periods Essay677 Words   |  3 PagesDuring the span of the Classical and Hellenistic periods in Ancient Greece, many changes occurred that differentiated one from the other. There were many facets of society that were affected as a result from the Classical period leading to the Hellenistic period. The Classical period was a time of intellectual growth and stimulus. The desire to learn brought about the need for a group of teachers to impart worldly wisdom unto their students. This new group of teachers that emerged were known asRead MoreAlexander the Greats Impact on the World Essays1339 Words   |  6 Pageshe demonstrated dynamic leadership and masterful strategy on a large scale and tactics on the battlefield. During his life, he ruled the largest empire the world had ever seen, which stretched from ancient Greece to India. The son of King Phillip II of Macedon, Alexander was educated by the philosopher Aristotle and first led Macedonian troops at age 18. Many times Alexander was worshipped as a god in some of the countries he ruled. He had a huge impact on world history spreading the seeds of westernRead MoreCivilization is Connected from the Mesopotamians to the Powerful Roman Empire836 Words   |  4 Pagesallowed for Hammurabi’s Code of law to be written and preserved through the ages. The Phoenicians took this concept another step forward and fashioned the alphabet. The ability to record history is an exceptional achievement. Another development of the Ancient Near East was architecture. The Egyptian pyramids, and the Babylonian ziggurats stand as testimony to their society’s technological and architectural achievements. The Assyrians left a lasting impact on civilization with the advent of the idea ofRead MoreMovie And Scene Of The Movie Spartacus 1659 Words   |  7 Pageswritten works by ancient writers, one of which was Plutarch. Plutarch was the author of Lives, an ancient literary work that recorded the biographies of various prominent individuals from the time of Spartacus. There was no known date of when Lives was written, but it was known that Plutarch began writing rather late in his life, in his home of Chaeronea, in Greece (Warner 1964, 7). The context of the work at the time of the production of Lives was also kno wn. When the philosopher wrote this workRead MoreThe Age Of Enlightenment By Jean Jacques Rousseau Essay1324 Words   |  6 Pagesof counterculture to the Enlightenment. He didn’t revere the work of the present as the highest form of truth, instead choosing to focus on ancient work. As he recalls his youth, Rousseau explains how he was enthralled with the works of the Greeks and Romans. This influenced his style of thinking throughout his life, making him one of the great philosophers of that time, even though his romantic style of philosophy was not popular at the time. His ideas became associated with a movement called theRead MoreWhat was so Great About Alexander the Great?810 Words   |  3 Pages Alexander the Great, also known as Alexander III of Macedon, was born in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia in 356 BC and was handed down his reign when his father, Phillip II was murdered in 336 BC by his bodyguard. His father was out most of the time trying to extend h is kingdom therefore Alexander was left with his mother, Olympias, who was very emotionally close to her son and had a tendency to spoil him. Alexander was handed down a trained, strong and powerful army with excellent generalsRead MoreGreece : The Birthplace Of Democracy1600 Words   |  7 Pages Despite being over a thousand years old, Ancient Greece is a culture that influences the minds of modern day humans from around the world. At their time, Greece was considered to be the finest place to receive an education and be enlightened by philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. One could learn the Pythagorean Theorem, Hippocratic Oath, or the Socratic Method. But perhaps the greatest gift a man could receive from his government was democracy. Unlike other empires where a citizen’sRead MoreEssay What Does Violence Mean to the Greek?1142 Words   |  5 Pageswhich is expressed in society. For the Greeks, violence was a positive thing, it was an intrinsic part of their society. In this essay, I define violence as a way to express oneself in an aggressive manner while causing misfortune to an individual. I will discuss the role of violence in athletics, politics, literature, art, religion and refer to Spartan norms to prove my thesis. By far the greatest and the most severe legitimate violence was found in Ancient Sparta. Lacedaemon had institutionalizedRead MoreThe Philosophy Of The French Revolution1045 Words   |  5 Pagesaffluence of ancient Rome. However, it was during the Age of Enlightenment around the mid-1700’s that many students went to study art in Rome and returned to their home countries with a renewed appreciation for Greco-Roman culture. A popular neoclassical writer named Johann Joachim Winckelmann once said this, â€Å"the only way for modern artists to achieve greatness was to imitate the Greeks.† In order to identify neoclassical art, one must look for key Greek features including Greek or Roman soldiersRead MoreAn Ideal Hero: Greek vs. Roman Essay1527 Words   |  7 Pagescivilizations (Attached) 3. Ages of early Greek mythology to Ovid ( Poet of Metamorphoses) a. Origin of humans: sacred clay (wise and rulers) blood of titans (murderous and criminals), and stones(endurance) b. 4 ages as decline: Golden (peace), Silver (seasons farming), Bronze (war), Iron (mining, deforestation, crime). 4. Dominant and alternate cultural themes in the Iliad Audience: upper-class men Purpose: cultural propaganda. Greek Heros= models of courage skill to men (what

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

The Advantages of Group Work Free-Samples- Myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss the Group Work Advantage Explain how these Advanges help the University/High school students to become Successfull. Answer: Introduction To work in a team is a very common element of any business environment and may become an approach that organizations take for particular work, accountabilities or some special cases. It can usually be challenging for many types of personalities or types to work together on a common set of objectives; it has some advantages as well which impact the company as well as the people attached to it (Hillyard et al., 2010). The main benefits of group work are more than simple business focused, and there are normally some kinds of advantages for the workforce as well. The group work advantages Share ideas and innovation: one of the biggest advantages of group work or any team culture is the overall capacity to share multiple ideas among the groups. Most probably there are many possible approaches for the projects and as people; a staff member can be unaware of which one can take. At the same time, as a team, all the members can also be a part of different pros as well as cons of the principles to work and way to achieve the necessary goals (Hillyard et al., 2010). Increased level of efficiency: Other main advantages of the group work it helps in getting thing much faster. When any group starts working on a project or function, it can be done in a rapid manner and plus with the great amount of efficiency (Long Porter, 1985). Responsibility for weak areas: working in a team not just assist to show people many kinds of strengths but is also permit for high compensation of many weak cases. Member of a team can share the work so that people can show their strengths with the work and collaborate to solve the weak areas. Improvement in office companionship: when people work at one place as a team, they are not just becoming more invested in the work, but they are also coming closer to one another (Long Porter, 1985). The team also supports one another and tries to help each other even outside the team structure and also be able to adapt one another's working methods. This can result in teamwork and different approaches external of the official structure of teamwork (Cohen Lotan, 2014). How these benefits help the university students to become successful Group work can assist students in some ways where they can easily develop a lot of skills that are very crucial in the professional world. Positivity in group experiences in addition to some learning, retention and complete success in colleges. Following are some the benefits for the students: - It helps them to break the whole task in small parts and steps easily. This way, they become more and more organized in dealing with things. It also helps in properly planning as well as managing the time. Teamwork also helps in refining the overall understanding through appropriate discussion (Widn-Wulff, 2014). A delegation of roles and responsibilities. Deal with difficult issues in a right manner. Generate an ability to settle a shared identity with so many members. Challenges that group faces while working in a team Following are some of the important challenges: - Conflict in diverse situations: when there are two or more than two positions that differ with one another, positions tends to get argued about the group, and it will not lead any solution. Communication problem and mistrust: when people in the team try to dominate the communication while other people silently sit or also appear to drop out from the conversation, it will impact the work culture and create a lot of mistrust in the team. Clashes in personality: in this situation, personal styles are unique and also cause a lot of conflict among the members of the team (Widn-Wulff, 2014). Power based problems and personal issues: conflict also arises when there are power based issues or strong agenda that must be dealt appropriately. The truth is that there is certain kind of people that does not fit on a team and a leader also requires having a will to eliminate them or also offer another position to them (Widn-Wulff, 2014). How these challenges does have an effect on groups Culture issues, as well as diversity based problems, usually clear their position as there is a breakdown in communication process or many kinds of interpersonal issues. The difference in communication behavior from one individual to another, the staff member can try to communicate indirectly while other people may prefer some nurturing approaches. The style of working also changes with someone with an extroverted personality that one might feel unhappy about working alone. Success in team association is constructed on mutual respect and taking a lot of time in listening every member of the team. It is also based on taking their opinion into consideration, and it is very crucial to instill a feeling of values in each member (Baines et al., 2016). How to overcome these challenges every member to take turn one by one to express their concern and doubts. Rest of the people can listen carefully and understand each other situation and reason for their behavior. One way to deal with mistrust is a leader coming forward and asks every member what their opinion and another method is to get a process observer. His job is to aim at how any team is communicating with one another (Levi, 2015). A team leader here also plays a crucial role in administering different behavior based assessment tools to assist people in properly understanding every member and learn to work with one another. The power issues don't happen on the regular interval, but on some occasion, it is required. The situation can be dealt with the team normally is a step forward. This can be an option only in the situation where other people attempts to work with people that have failed miserably (Levi, 2015). Conclusion There are many advantages for depending on the group work in the class and also sharing all the advantages with the students in a more transparent way which assisted the students to understand different methods to learn group work. It can also improve the learning process and also prepare them for many life-based experiences. Working is a group is usually a normal phenomenon for any workplace (Levi, 2015). As a matter of fact, employees learn a lot from working with a group as they work and pursue their career. When people work in a group, they learn a language in so many methods even when they may not understand the kind of changes it is bringing to them. There are so many advantages along with challenges for the company and as the organization, every firm look for these benefits. References Baines, E., Blatchford, P., Kutnick, P. (2016).Promoting effective group work in the primary classroom: A handbook for teachers and practitioners. Routledge. Cohen, E. G., Lotan, R. A. (2014).Designing Groupwork: Strategies for the Heterogeneous Classroom Third Edition. Teachers College Press. Hillyard, C., Gillespie, D. and Littig, P. (2010). University students' attitudes about learning in small groups after frequent participation.Active Learning in Higher Education, 11(1), pp.9-20. Levi, D. (2015).Group dynamics for teams. Sage Publications. Long, M. H., Porter, P. A. (1985).Group work, interlanguage talk, and second language acquisition. TESOL Quarterly, 207-228. Widn-Wulff, G. (2014).The challenges of knowledge sharing in practice: a social approach. Elsevier.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

The Importance of Humans Rights free essay sample

Human rights are almost a form of religion in todays world. They are the great ethical yardstick that is used to measure a governments treatment of its people. A broad consensus has emerged in the twentieth century on rhetoric that frames judgment of nations against an international moral code prescribing certain benefits and treatment for all humans simply because they are human. Within many nations political debates rage over the denial or abuse of human rights. Even in prosperous, enigmatic countries like Canada much public discourse is phrased in the rhetoric of rights. Legal documents to protect human rights have proliferated in Canada, culminating in the 1982 entrenchment of the Charter of Rights in the Constitution. Especially since the advent of the Charter, many Canadians have claimed that particular benefits they desire are a matter of human rights and must be provided. Indeed, the claim that the desired benefit is a human right is often meant to undercut any opposition as unprincipled or even immoral. We will write a custom essay sample on The Importance of Humans Rights or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Lost in much of the discussion is any Justification for the high moral grounded occupied by human rights. Most political activists and commentators are content Just to look at the United Nations ever-growing body of human rights agreements as proof that these rights exist universally and therefore have to be respected by everyone. Domestic human rights legislation represents the local implementation of internationally-recognized rights that are universal and inalienable. Unfortunately, human rights are far more complicated phenomena than that. Any inquiry into the origin, nature, and content of human rights reveals tremendous conceptual hurdles that need to be overcome before one can accept their pre-eminent authority. Indeed, many argue that the problems encountered in this analysis demonstrate that human rights are a misnomer, and that the rhetoric of human rights is really a description of ideals and a controversial set of ideals at that. II. He nature of human rights is complicated even beyond the controversy over their source or who may hold them. A critical debate continues over what is meant by human rights. The universality and inalienability off human right depends too large extent on the character of the right involved. It is necessary first of all to distinguish twine the adjectival use tot the word right, which meaner g or proper, trot the substantive a right, which is a special, possible benefit. Not everything which is right (good) is a right, although many people mistakenly inflate the concept of a right by asserting benefits they believe are right to be rights. This confusion has become evident in the assertion of what are known as second-generation human rights such as the right to economic development and prosperity and third generation human rights which cover the rights to world peace and a clean environment. While some human rights advocates accept the inclusion of these benefits as rights, others argue that prosperity and peace are right but not substantive rights. Even with the substantive term a right, however, there are several different meanings. In 1919, Wesley Hoofed laid down a useful set of four distinctive connotations that can be given to the phrase A has a right to X. ( Perhaps the most common meaning given to this phrase conveys the notion of a claim-right. It is a claim that A has against a correlative duty of another, B; A has a right to X, and B as a duty to let A have or do X. The duty B has may be positive, in the sense that action is required on Bis part to allow A to enjoy X; if A has a right to health care, B has a duty to provide it. There may also be a negative duty, in the sense of B having to refrain from interfering in Ass possession of benefit X; if A has a right to privacy, B must refrain from prying in Ass affairs. It is important to note that the duty may be owed by a particular person or official, or the duty may generally lie in the whole community. The essential characteristic of a claim-right is the inherent connection twine Ass claim to a benefit and Bis duty A can make a claim that B must perform the duty. However, there are other connotations of the phrase A has a right to X that do not involve a corresponding duty on anothers part. The term may mean that A has a liberty with respect to X. In this view, A has no obligation not to do or have X, which may be different from the status of other people. Also, A can make no claim against another, because no-one else as a duty with respect to Ass enjoyment of X. A liberty may be enjoyed by all, such as the right to wear what one pleases while doing household chores. A subset of liberty is privilege, because A may have no duty not to do X but others do. For instance, in some English colleges the dons have a right to walk across the grass in the quadrangle, although others must use the pathways instead. In any liberty there is no duty on anyone to provide the X involved; I. E. , no- one has a duty to provide the lawns simply for the dons to walk upon. To say that A has a right to X may also indicate that A has a power to effect changes in X. Thus an owner of a bicycle has the right to sell it, and a customs officer has the right to confiscate property or detain people at the border. Hayfields fourth interpretation of A has a right to X conveys the notion that A has an immunitys B is unable to change. Thus, Amps have a right to free speech that protects them from prosecution for speeches given in the House of Commons, and it is a right which cannot be changed by the executive, police, or courts. There are other uses of having a right that should be added to those identified by Hoofed, because these other uses refer to ideals, needs, or wants that are simply expressed as rights. The confusion between adjectival and substantive right has led to the frequent use of rights to describe deals. Thus, the rights to prosperity and peace are ideals or goals to strive for that some express as rights. Another confusion arises when people assert a right to a Bennett because it tills a need. But, not all needs are rights; I may need a car to drive to work in, but few would agree that I have a right to a car. Finally, many confuse benefits they want with benefits they have a right to; free, post-secondary education and complete bursaries may be desirable, but are not viewed as rights by many. These uses of rights also involve a confusion between making a claim and having a right. One does not hold a right simply because one claims so, neither is it necessary to make claims in order to possess rights. It is not the act of claiming that creates rights. Thus, the claim to a right to prosperity or world peace does not establish that those benefits exist as rights. Neither does the fact that someone satisfies anothers claim confirm a rights existence; a beggar may claim a right to $5 from a businessman, who may give the money, but that does not establish the beggars right to it. It is important also to note that one may benefit from anothers duty, without having a right to that benefit. Christians may believe that they have a duty to give money to charity, but that does not mean that charities have a right to Christians money. These different notions of right are important to bear in mind when discussing human rights. The most common interpretation given to the right in human rights is that of claim-rights. There is a defined benefit to which individuals are entitled, and there is a correlative duty on others in relation to that benefit.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Review of Aristotle essays

Review of Aristotle essays There are several different types of friendship and within those types, there are different levels. One of the basic types is between the rich class and the poor class. It seems as if the wealthy need friends in order to share their possessions and belongs. After all, what good are money and material items without anybody to share them with? Those living near poverty need friends on a more desperate basis. They feel much more secure if they have friends to protect them when the road gets rough. (p. 688). When we travel about, we may see a man with many friends. Often times we tend to think of this man as well liked, or possible a noble man. This thought is derived from the amount of friends around him. For example, there are two men. One has a single friend beside him. The other has five friends around him. Most likely, we will think of the man with five friends to be more noble and well liked than the man with one friend. It is always good to have friends, after all, arent two brains better than one? However, we must watch how we chose our friends. The ideal friendship, also known as the perfect relationship, is based on love and affection. How we choose our friends is all together different. It is like the old saying, Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. If we have a real friend we wish him well for his own sake, not for the conversations sake. This type of relationship is extremely rare; it takes two of a kind with similar interests and moral beliefs to form it. The beneficial relationship between friends is one that gives enjoyment, self-gain, and goodness to one party. It is often referred to as friendship based on utility (p. 690). In other words, we receive some type of pleasure out of it. This is a very unhealthy relationship and will, in time, degrade ones status if it becomes publicly known. In critiquing Aristotles work, ...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Autobiography Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Autobiography - Personal Statement Example I enjoy dancing which I fist learnt from my brother at early ages. Today I can do tap dance and all manner of acting on stage. In addition, I enjoy photo shooting and hair makeup. As a fashion designer, I officially began my brand in November 2014, and since then I have two-fashion line within the same brand. They include the Tokyo003 collection, which is inspired by the Asian traditional clothes such as kimono and the china dress. The other brand is the T-8-C collection of Gold colour swimwear. I have been displaying my work at local SF fashion since last year. I began the Tokyo 003 collection in late 2014 with my family being the greatest inspiration. My background is attributed to a three generation of traditional Japanese guitar player family. This implies that my grandmother, mother and I, wear kimono. This inspires me to design a kimono which is a traditional wear but in a modern way. In collaboration with David Klein, I learnt how to use his photograph to create various designs. I began my swimwear line this year, 2015. This follows the inspiration of being born and raised near famous beaches for tour. Through the friends whom I could see wearing swimwear model, I was naturally inspired to design my own swimwear collection. The sun goddess and radiant sunshine are my inspiration for the T-8-C. My signature colour is Gold, which is attributed to radiant sunshine. This feeling increase my energy to work even on more designs. In essence, I can describe The 8th Continent as a state of mind, which is surreal Utopia, where one can express views without fear of ridicule. The happiest people with confident are residents of The 8th

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

A Causal Relationship between Problem solving and Student Success Essay

A Causal Relationship between Problem solving and Student Success - Essay Example To be able to analyze the objectives of the project or the course of study and how to utilize the information that is available and that which is already stored in the brain or ask the right questions to obtain clarify and effectiveness. This approach reviews students on an individual basis and instruct methodically rather than one standardized format, which may not be applicable to all. The idea is to access individual student capabilities, weaknesses and fashion it based on their specific needs. These assessments are based on studies made on periodical assignments, IQ tests and skill tests through the course tenure, be it primary or secondary education level. The object of this article is to ascertain if there is a logical reasoning behind this kind of pedagogy and if there is evidence of results. The article is divided under the following: What are problem-solving skills? It is broadly inferred that â€Å"problems† when viewed from the academic point of view relates only directly to mathematics when solving equations; chemistry deducing the chemical compound or the reactive behavior of some chemical compound or to put in even a bit broader in science in general. This article looks at problem solving skill sets as what it is in today’s academic context and its application over the entire academic spectrum. To a human mind anything and everything that does not have an obvious solution is a problem and in the event of such problems it is necessary to take on a theoretical and methodical approach to it. The human mind is a humongous library of knowledge and information stored at different points of time in response to things seen, heard or read. All of this information has applications in our lives and can be found useful in finding a solution or trying to understand something better or learn something new yet connected. The purpose is to train the mind to think objectively exercise it to approach learning

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Military rape Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Military rape - Essay Example However, today female soldiers working in the US military are also extremely vulnerable to sexual molestations mostly by their male counterparts (Whitten, 1999). As a result of the increasing rate of the military rape, today young people, particularly female candidates are reluctant to join the army (Nantais & Lee, 1999). This paper will specifically discuss the intensity of military rape in the US with particular reference given to various elements of sexual behavior. This will also discuss four different theories like the feminist theory, the cultural pathology theory, the strategic rape theory, and the biosocial theory in order to identify the root causes of military rape. Background Rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment that occur during military service are generally termed as Military Sexual Trauma (MST) by the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA). The term ‘wartime rape’ indicates mass wartime rape rather than isolated examples of rape by individual soldiers . Admittedly, there are no reliable statistical data on wartime rape due to pressures from superior officers and the reluctance of victims to come forward. Reports indicates that increases in the frequency of wartime rape might range from an estimated 300% to 400% by the end of the World War II (Gottschall, 2004). While analyzing the available statistics relating to the number of cases reported, it seems that military rape has been becoming a mounting challenge to the US army. According to some estimates, more than half a million people have been raped while serving the US army; and nearly 100,000 cases of military rape have been occurred within the past seven years (Koss, 2004). Although both men and women in the military are exposed to sexual harassments, women are the major victims of unwanted sexual behaviors. To illustrate, a 1996 Department of Defense survey conducted on 90,000 active duty members (including men and women) revealed that 55 percent women reported unwanted uninv ited sexual attention or behaviors whereas the same was reported by only 14 percent men; and the survey also indicated that 78 percent women and 38 percent men experienced one or another form of sexual harassment or sexual assault (Koss, 2004). Unfortunately, many of these cases go unreported due to various reasons, and a significant percent of the reported cases fail to go to full trial or investigations. A recently published report indicates that â€Å"only 3 to 4 percent of cases reported to the Army Criminal Investigation Division proceed all the way through the system to court martial† (Koss, 2004). Evidently, this situation points to the sexual behaviors of military personnel which can increase the rate of military rape. A Detailed Study As discussed already, the incidence of military rape has been significantly increasing over the last decade. Many of the female soldiers who took part in the Iraq war reported that they were raped by their male counterparts. Some studie s point out the possibility that one out of every four women that serve the military will have to face some form of sexual assault within the time span of their careers (Kitfield, 2012). (Details of this citation not found in the proposal you sent. So not included in the reference list). According to Pentagon reports, over 19,000 sexual assaults occur in the US military annually and this data include the cases of both the genders.

Friday, November 15, 2019

SWOT Analysis for Employability Skills

SWOT Analysis for Employability Skills Introduction With the rapid development of society, the competitions between companies are also increasing, what the employers want for the graduates are not only focus on the degree but pay more attention to their employability skills. In order to win their competitors in the fierce competition, employers want graduates who have a wide range of skills to bring to the work environment and need the employees with multi-skilled to fulfil many different roles. à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ Foster, 1998, p.4à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °. So graduates who coming into the workforce must have the skills needed by employers. With the purpose of making ourselves become more competitive in the future job market first we should find out what the employability skills the employer want for graduates, then according to the employability skills do the personal SWOT analysis and make an action plan to improve ourselves. Discussion of employability skills What skills do employers want Employability skills are defined as skills required not only to gain employment, but also to progress within an enterprise so as to achieve ones potential and contribute successfully to enterprise strategic directions. (DEST 2002a) Today, despite the degree, companies are paying more attention to the employability skills of the graduates, but there is no uniform standard of employability skills. What employability skills the graduates should have are depend on companys actual operating conditions and different companies have different standards. Through a wide range of literature research, the result of what the employability skills needed by companies are almost the same, and can be roughly divided into the following eight basic skills: Communication skills, Teamwork skills, Problem solving skills , Self management skills, Planning and organizing skills, Technology skills, Life-long learning skills and Initiative and enterprise skills. (MONASH, nd) Why do companies want these skills? Communication skills The CIPDs views are based on the latest CIPD/KPMG quarterly Labor Market Outlook, a survey of over 1,400 UK employers, the key attributes employers look for in school leaver recruits are communication skills (40% of employers rank this in their top three required attributes), work ethic (39%) and personality (32%). (CIPD,2006) .Communication happens all the time in the workplace, having effective communication skills can make us have a good relationship with colleagues and superiors ,thus can create a good working environment and help us complete the work more efficiently. Whats more , have good communication skills not only can make the existing customers become more satisfy with the products and services provided by our company but also can attract more clients cooperate with us . Teamwork skills In Todays society, only have the individual working ability is not enough, more and more works need a group of people to complete together .Work in groups can speed up the progress of work and also through brainstorming to create a better idea of the company Problem solving skills In this competitive world, companies will faced various problems at any time, solving the problem successfully enable the company ride out the storm or it will fail. Self-management skills Companies also need graduates have self-management skills to complete the work alone or almost alone, without the need for someone to stand over the employees constantly and tell them want to do.à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ Foster, 1998, p.14à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °. Planning and organizing skills Employers need graduates to make plans and organize the limited sources to achieve both short and long-term goals of company. Technology skills In the technological age, technology skills become increasingly important, company need employees use computers and telecommunications systems proficiency, understanding current trends and gathering information to predict the companys operating condition through technology. Life-long learning skills In order to make the company development sustainably, only require employee continuous learning can let the company keep pace with this rapid-developing society, and employees who have the life-long learning skills can also bring benefits to the company. Initiative and enterprise skills Employees recruited by the company are all with multi-skilled, the company may frequent transfer their employees to different departments and to take different roles within a company. (Heather and Peter, 2006, p.2) .So this require the employee have the initiative and enterprise skills to adjust themselves easily to new situations and can take the job quickly. Personal SWOT Analysis After identify the employability skills that needed by companies, I make a personal SWOT analysis based on actual experience and self assessment test through the internet. Strengths : I have good team work and organizing skills. According to the results of my self assessment test, I have a great mark in humanistic-encouraging and affiliative. (See Appendix 1) In the group work I can build on ideas with other members and as team leader I usually will make plans to allocate tasks to the group members to make sure everyone enjoys the tasks they are assigned to. I am good at Self management. I can management my time well and get thing done without being pushed. Usually I will write down the things what I need to do and sort them out according to the importance and the time sequence. After that I will write them to the calendar so that I can know clearly what and when should I do next I do well in learning. I willing to put in time and effort to learn new skills. As a student, beside the major I also join the free English class and the Assessment Centres mini module to improve myself. I have technology skills. I am not only having the basic computer skills but also can use specialised software packages. Since I have learned the business decision modelling in my first year and now I also learning the applied management and decision modelling, all of them need to use the specialised software packages so I learned how to use them in the course. Weaknesses I have no employment experience, even the part-time job experience. I am weak in problem solving; when I face problems usually I can not see all sides of them and can not provide good solution of them. My Communication skills are weak. I am an introvert (Result in appendix ) and I am not good at communicate with others .I feel shy when I talking to strangers. Opportunities I can find a part-time job through the future of our school to learn new skills to enhance my CV. I am more employable than others if I get work experience in UK. 65% of international employers indicate that they are more willing to employ graduates with overseas work experience. (Archer and Davison, 2008.). I have an opportunity to get a good job if I return to China after I graduate. China is widely expected to become the worlds largest human capital market in the future, requiring an explosive number of talented professionals. Companies seeking to hire Mainland Chinese returnees: born and raised in China, studied/worked in the U.S. or Europe and then returned to China. They offer international experience, plus language and cultural skills but are in short supply (Davy, Lau). I can enjoy a variety of preferential policies for overseas student which provided by the Chinese government if I back to China. Threats In recent years, explosive growth trends of Chinese overseas students choose to return home which will increase the competition of getting jobs in China. Employment pressure both in China and UK. Not only Chinese graduates for job-hunting with anxiety, graduates of British also face the same problem. The jobs shortage was blamed on a substantial backlog in the number of jobless graduates from previous years creating additional pressure on the employment market in 2010. (Articlesbase, 2010). Personal Action Plan After I finished the personal SWOT analysis, according to my own situation I make an action plan base on SMART Skill to be improved Specific Actions Measure Target date Communication skills: Participating in the activities that organized by school community orinvolvingin the school communitydirectly. Make a lot of friends. Take the initiative in making acquaintances. Do not feel nervous when talking to strangers Next month Take the mini module about communication that provided by the future in our school Presenting and participating in class discussions Semester 2 Through the IELTStestto improve my English speaking, writing, reading and listening skills. Take the IELTS test Christmas holidays Problem solving skills Apply for the volunteer opportunities provide by the futureHelping people solve problem while improving my problem solving skills. Become a volunteer Semester 2 Analysis the requirements of school assignments Meet the assignment requirements of teachers Deadline of assignments Initiative and enterprise skills Find part-time jobs in our school or become a volunteer Get part-time jobs, become a volunteer Semester 2 Become a trainee of a company for 1-2week Work in a company as a trainee Christmas holidays Teamwork skills Working on group assignments Do the Group work assignments Deadline of group assignments Planning and organisation skills Arranging study and daily lives at university Make plans everyday and do thing according to plans Everyday Self-management skills Summing upthe gaps in skills and knowledge Doself-reflection whenteachers give assignment feedback At the end of semester 1 Learning skills Learning new skills that needed by employers Attend courses and finish courses Semester 2 Technology skills Learn something about Photoshop or database. Participatethe relevant courses During semester 2 Conclusion There is no doubt that employees who having a good degree will gain an excellent starting point, since a good degree helps employees open the door of finding a job, however, a degree alone is not enough, employers want much more from their graduate employees, they want employees can bring benefits to the company and let the company in an invincible position during the fierce competition. Through extensive research I summed up eight kinds of employability skills that most needed by companies. And I made a personal SWOT analysis based on employability skills and self assessment test through the internet and actual experience which made me become more aware of myself. After that I made an action plan for myself. Ill stick to the plan and I hope that it would help me improve my employability skills after I finish it .And get a good job in the competitive job market after I graduate.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Famous Creative Thinkers in the World Essay

It is said that there is greatness in everybody, and it only requires the right place and time to burst out and bless the world. This planet has been blessed to have amazing people walk among us, and they have revolutionized the way people perceived certain ideologies. Jesus Christ, Leonardo Da Vinci, Martin Luther King, Benjamin Franklin and Voltaire, just to mention a few are accredited to have left a mark in this world. With none claiming to be any special than any other man, they stood out to make this world a more comfortable place to live in during their time. Quentin Tarantino, a film director, actor, producer and screenwriter is one of the great men that the 21st century has been blessed to have. With a creative, innovative and ever awe-inspiring works, Quentin has become a figure in society that many people can look up to. His films are usually characterized by non-linear storylines, a glorification of violence and a satirical subject matter that in most times results in an exhibition of neo-noir characteristics. His creative genius by the use of mix and match genre as well as an infusion of music and the morphing of old works and making them new and better are his main characteristics that define him. Quentin’s works have always had a cut above the rest because they seek to contribute largely to the society in general. Whether in educating, reminding or entertaining the society, Quentin has had movie lovers at the edge of their seats and in turn, he has received awards for the same. Quentin has entertaining movies like Pulp Fict ion (1994) that is considered one of the greatest if not the greatest movie produced of all time and Django Unchained that seeks to tell the story of slavery. Movies with stories that remind human beings of their past, or those that make them forget about the daily hassles of life have garnered him success as well as health, although without their share of problems. For example, making of a slavery movie was initially not favored by potential audiences, and it received severe criticism although it resulted to his highest grossing movie of all time. On the other hand, other movies are criticized as having too much violence which is mostly in his line of creativity. The solutions to these problems were primarily making movies that are entertaining and educative, that leave out the brutality of the times that the movies are based on. The second is that the action movies he directs or produces are made for the enjoyment of the entire family, without vulgar language and sometimes incredible humor. For a creative thinker, obstacles are a daily routine since thinking outside the proverbial box is commonplace. For Quentin, research is the initial step towards a resolute creative thinking process. This means a lot of reading and comparisons of different scripts and different possibilities. Tarantino’s creative thinking process revolves around all matters that seem reasonable and worth investing in, promoting ideologies and uplifting talented scriptwriters. Although he is attributed to having anger issues, his movies cannot be remade any better without denying the audience their intended purpose. For example, Django Unchained was meant to educate and remind the American of the past that they are too ashamed of to remember. His works fit perfectly in the 21st century movie making field where creativity and the ‘anything goes’ attitude is prime. Having been an avid movie fan, a trained actor, movie critique and an investor, Tarantino has continued to expand both h is knowledge and skill in the movie world. The age of computing has revolutionized the 21st century and the world has become a better place with computers. The age of computers, as this century is commonly referred to have experienced profound effect in all industries that have chosen to adopt the technology. Grace Murray Hopper (nicknamed ‘amazing Grace’), an American computer scientist as well as the United States navy rear admiral had notable contributions to the world of technology and modern warfare. She is among the pioneer programmers of Harvard Mark one computer, and she developed the first compiler for a computer programming language. This was her first most significant contribution to society. She is also renowned for popularizing the term ‘debugging’ as a term for fixing computer glitches. It is probably because of her sense of patriotism that she volunteered to join World War II, and she was sworn into the Navy reserve where she gained an exemption to enlist because she was underweight. This was among the first hurdles in her career, but what she did not have in physical attributes; she more than made up for them in brains. Throughout her career in both industry and academia, Hopper was a consultant for the United States Naval Reserve as well as a lecturer there. She held several posts in leadership through her career both outside the Navy and also within the Navy. Her technical and marketing skills proved to be of great use to her as she also demonstrated superb political and general business acumen. The major hurdles that she had to overcome were the computer bugs that she was working on while in Harvard. However, working alongside brilliant minds, she co-authored several papers on computers. By the virtue of patience and perseverance, Hopper was able to tackle many of the problems she faced by herself, but in some, she got the assistance of fellow brilliants. She is said to have never turned down a good idea from anyone regardless of their rank in the military of in the lab. By being involved in the successful programming of Mark I through III computers, she was awarded the Naval Ordnance Development Award. Nothing could have been done any different at the time, and up until now, the Mark computers are still formidable in the market. With the age of computing, Hopper’s works fitted perfectly with her time, and her innovations remain a valuable contribution to human beings. By being involved in the university’s academic program, Hopper was able to learn and continue to excel in her field of study and expertise. Up until her retirement, she was a lecturer and an academician whose contributions were noted and highly regarded. Until her death in 1992, Hopper remained an invaluable asset for the United States Navy, Harvard and the World at large. For that, the USS Hopper (DDG-70) Navy Destroyer and the Cray XE6 â€Å"Hopper† supercomputer were named after her in the United States Navy and NERSC respectively. References Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper, USN. (2012, March 4). Biography – Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper, USN. Retrieved May 28, 2014, from http://www.history.navy.mil/bios/hopper_grace.htm Everything Tarantino. (2014, May 27). Everything Tarantino. Retrieved May 31, 2014, from http://www.everythingtarantino.com/ Grace Hopper Biography. (2010, May 12). Bio.com. Retrieved May 31, 2014, from http://www.biography.com/people/grace-hopper-21406809#awesm=~oFPA4E99lVVRqY Quentin Tarantino Biography. (2013, September 27). Bio.com. Retrieved May 31, 2014, from http://www.biography.com/people/quentin-tarantino-9502086#awesm=~oFPAGvRhIMAhpw Source document

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Week Two Discussion Questions

Week Two Discussion Questions †¢ What are the different types of plans that organizations can use? What types of plans does your organization use, and why do they use these plans? There are different types of plans for an organization like examples, a financial plan, a production plan, a sales plan and etc. My organization uses very similar plans like the ones I mentioned because in order to have a success business one must plan ahead and have a future view of the organization. What are the steps in the planning process? Which step is the most crucial? Why? The steps in the planning process are, Planning, Organizing, Leading, and Controlling. I think the most crucial one is Leading because in order to have success you must lead the organization to the correct path and a leader has been placed at its position because of their management skills which involves almost all steps in the planning process. Do you think organizations can overplan? Explain your response. Yes, I think over planning can happen. I think it is always best practice to have a plan B in the case that something goes wrong with plan A. †¢ What are three factors that affect the planning process? How do these factors affect the planning process? Three factors that can affect a planning process can be, competition, the economy, and management.Competition of course is when there is more than one organization out there offering a very similar product at a different price or a better one. The economy always affects business, if there is no jobs, there is no income therefore we do not have money to spend on offered products. Finally management can also fail in planning a good plan and may fail for what was expected. †¢ What role does organizational responsibility and ethics play in the planning process? It plays a role make things efficiently and the right way.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Colonialization in Africa essays

Colonialization in Africa essays Each country in the entire world has experienced a great deal of change whether it be Religion, beliefs, food, or education. You may think that just because you live in the United States that every state has evolved the same, well not really at all the East coast was all founded years before the West and just like America other countries follow a similar pattern like Africa. There are so many different African countries that all have such different pasts and different stories. Even back when the countries were being inhabited or colonized, they were so similar being in the Sahara, yet so different in. So if all these places are so close yet so different does it change the atmosphere , or how does the colonialization of Northern, Southern, Western, and Eastern Africa change the face of the continent? Well here are some examples of four completely different African countries; Tunisia (north), Malawi (south), Djibouti (east), Sierra Leone (west). You will be amazed with all the di fferent histories and cultures each individual country has. Tunisia, a small beautiful country that sits at the top of the African coast was taken over by the French after they found interest in Tunisia's great location. The French signed the Bardo Treaty, which acknowledged Tunisia as a French protectorate. In the late 1880s a group of French settlers colonized the region along the northern coast. The settlers exerted a Western influence on the hitherto Arab culture. Tunisia has changed drastically from the colonization days they have enhanced into a culture that cares deeply about education, and the well being of all people. Tunisias main language is Arabic, yet French and English are widely spoken all over the country. Islam is the main religion, but there are also roman Catholics most of whom are French. Education is widely important and encouraged. The literacy rate is relatively high 40% higher then the other north African cou ...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Meaning and History of Dupont Surname

Meaning and History of Dupont Surname The last name Dupong means dweller by the bridge, from the Old French pont, derived  from the Latin pons, meaning bridge. Dupont is the 5th most common surname in France. Surname Origin: French,  English Alternate Surname Spellings:  PONT, PONTE, DE PONT, PUNT, DUPONTE Famous People with the DUPONT  Surname Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours  - founder of the famous American Du Pont familyAimà © Dupont -  Belgian-born American photographerGabriel Dupont  - French composerJacques-Charles Dupont de lEure - French lawyer and statesmanPierre Dupont de lÉtang  - French general of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars Where is the DUPONT Surname Most Common? According to surname distribution from Forebears, the Dupont surname is most commonly found in France, where one in every 707 people bear the name. It is also common in Belgium, where it ranks 20th, followed by French Polynesia (48th) and Luxembourg (62nd). WorldNames PublicProfiler also identifies Dupont as most common in France, particularly in the regions of Picardie (now  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie), Nord-Pas-De-Calais (now  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie),  and Basse-Normandie (now Normandy). Genealogy Resources for the Surname DUPONT Meanings of Common French SurnamesUncover the meaning of your French  last name with this free guide to the four types of French surnames, and the meanings and origins of common French last names. Dupont  Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Dupont  family crest or coat of arms for the Dupont surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. DUPONT  Family Genealogy ForumThis free message board is focused on descendants of Dupont  ancestors around the world. DistantCousin.com - DUPONT  Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Dupont. GeneaNet - Dupont  RecordsGeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Dupont  surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. The Dupont  Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Dupont  surname from the website of Genealogy Today. Sources Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick, and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997. https://www.thoughtco.com/surname-meanings-and-origins-s2-1422408

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Rape of the Locke Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Rape of the Locke - Essay Example A dire offence is seen in it and a grim situation emerges. The early part of the poem by the revelation of Ariel (1.27-114) gives the philosophical touch to the missing lock. He says, she should be happy that the lock will survive after her death—what a satirical style to highlight her self-importance! The sexuality prevalent in the elite society is subtly tackled by Alexander Pope. He explores the bifacial strategy of the elite to look sober and polished but sexual passion is hidden behind the surface. The act of cutting the hair though a joke, is a form of intimidation and rape. Further, sexuality is also implicit in the following couplet: There is enough stuff in the poem to indicate how the so-called civilized and high class people behave silly like children, and behind the dignified demeanor, violent emotions exist. The basest human motives are intelligently covered so that the world outside does not see it. Pope also pictures the world in which a man worships the woman and the woman worships herself. The poet details and rather defends the compulsions of Belinda as to the necessity for her to behave the way she behaves. The subtle competition and the rat-race to excel, amongst the members of the elite society, create poignant situations for individuals like Belinda. Nowhere the poet condemns her; he sympathizes with her plight. This poem is supposed to be based on the vanities of two families with whom Pope was well-acquainted with. It acts like the soothing balm to cool hot tempers and inculcate the habit to laugh at one’s own folly. Though epic is a serious literary form, Pope derives maximum fun and satire out of this poem. He has a dig at the society in which values have been sacrificed for silly-nothings. A society that gives more importance to the container and not the contents! The society that has been rendered

Friday, November 1, 2019

DIOPHANTUS A KEY FIGURE IN THE HISTORY OF ALGEBRA Essay

DIOPHANTUS A KEY FIGURE IN THE HISTORY OF ALGEBRA - Essay Example He was a Greek mathematician who was born, raised and lived in Alexandria in Egypt which was considered a striking center for learning and culture in the Greek world. During his time he was best known for his collection of books arithmetica which was a landmark work in the algebra history. He had a very huge influence on the development of number theory with the Diophantine equations (Book Rags, n.d). Diophantus’ book The Arithmetica was a much higher one on level compared to the others as it had (or it gave) many amazing solutions to the difficult indeterminate equations. He was very keen as he did not have any impression for zero and tried as much as he could to avoid negatives in his equations. His keenness drove him at three types of quadratic equations that include ax2 + bx = c, ax2 = bx + c and ax2 + c = bx. However despite him using the three types, today’s mathematics only one case (only one quadratic equation) is looked at. He also considered other various types of problems. He was good at solving many mathematics problems that included the pairs of simultaneous quadratic equations (Algebra.com) Diophantus made many contributions to algebra and one of contributions which will be discussed in detail is the problems of Arithmetica. There are six books of Arithmetica that present the indeterminate and determinate problems and they are treated using algebraic inequalities and algebraic equations. Diophantus moves from the simple to difficult in the degree of the unknown numbers and equations. All his works are summed in the sixth book which has a number of exercises that belong to a variety of group problems. The exercises are related to the right triangle and without taking into consideration the dimensions; the polynomials are created from the surface and from the sides and once from the angle bisector (encyclopedia.com., 2011). The first book by Diophantus contains the determinate problems that are of the second and the first degree.

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Innovation and Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Innovation and Change - Essay Example It is therefore very important that knowledge on these important areas is effectively imparted on the people working for organizations and beyond. As such, this module has been a great source of very relevant knowledge and information on some of the contemporary issues that characterize innovation practices across the world. As realized in the readings, the essence of innovation is basically to provide efficient means and ways through which operations in the organization can be bettered. In the same way, innovation is normally geared towards increasing the productivity of the organization through improved production methods and efficiency. It was learnt that a very important aspect in the innovation process involves sourcing for the innovative ideas. In this regard, organizations are encouraged to develop a culture of innovation within the organization through inculcating the imperatives of innovation on the minds of the employees (Cooper & Edgett, 2010). Indeed, employees are the gr eatest assets any organization can effectively use to improve its innovation processes. It was realized that some of the greatest organizations like FedEx and Apple have successfully managed to become market leaders in their respective areas of operation courtesy of innovation. These organizations realized the importance of innovation from an early age and thereby developed very elaborate innovation infrastructure within them. As such, a culture of innovation is very essential in creating the positive change that is much important in the present competitive business environment. However, in addressing the sources of innovation in the organization, it becomes important to realize that some of the assumptions in the module might not always reflect the real picture on the ground. Creating an innovative culture within a particular organization is not really an easy undertaking. In order to create a culture of innovation within an organization, a lot of time is actually needed coupled wi th sufficient financial resources to invest in the innovation process. In any case, the realization of these needs is normally high for most organizations. It therefore implies that smaller organizations might find it much difficult to compete against much bigger organizations which can effectively funds their innovation processes. Without doubt, the success of any innovation process depends upon the proper implementation of the innovation strategy for the organization. The module also highlighted the concept of open innovation and how it can benefit organizations aspiring to benefit from innovation processes. Open innovation is normally the practice whereby organizations are encouraged to go beyond their borders and seek ideas for innovation from other organizations. Indeed, the imperatives of open innovation cannot be overemphasized. The process is very critical as a great source of ideas for organizations operating in very competitive environments. Knowledge never exists in isola tion. The growth of innovative knowledge therefore depends upon that sharing and developing of other innovative ideas from outside the organization. However, despite the seemingly important role of open innovation as captured in the module, it is realized that some organizations have always failed in their innovation processes through the aspect of open innovatio

Monday, October 28, 2019

Humans and machines Essay Example for Free

Humans and machines Essay The interesting feature about discussing the interactions of humans and machines is the inadequacy of language describing these interactions or the ambiguity of the connections between humans and machines. What is really at the center of the debate is how society should view the place of machines or non-human elements within human society. In addition, the application of the technological use of non-human elements in the modern machinery of war exposes the problem of how humans have changed the practice of warfare starting in WWI and how it made war evolve from a â€Å"human† experience to an â€Å"inhuman† experience instead of a â€Å"non-human† experience. The scope of this paper is to analyze the relationships of humans and machines in general as well as in the context of war. Discussion What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be non-human? According to Casper, the human identity is not a natural state of â€Å"being†, rather it is a constructed identity in relation to the context that society gives it. (Casper, 1994) In fact, the recognition of human social identity and the positions or functions attached to it are based on our interpretation of where these elements should be placed, for example, in order to understand or define something, we place it in ‘mental boxes’ that simplify our recognition of identity and function within society. However, Casper argues that we cannot fully justify why we assign human identities to non-human elements or vice-versa. (Casper, 1994) In order to illustrate the lack of consistency as to what we call human or non-human, she uses the example of the fetus that is considered alive for surgery, â€Å"a potential human† with human qualities but also a non-human agent for medical research using fetal tissue (p. 843). Casper mentions The Actor Network Agency (ANT) movement who finds that we should do away with natural/technical and social/cultural labels, which confuses our notions of what is human and what is not. However, this â€Å"analytical symmetry† treatment forgets to explain how we interpret the identities of agents and assign labels. Understanding how and why we label humans and non-humans may help diffuse the confusion over agent identities that bother sociologists and society so much since they cannot seem to make sense of it, for example, some people talk to their car like it was a person but a car is not a person but why do some people have the need to anthropomorphize their car whereas they would call their dog â€Å"it†? Some people would insist that animals are living beings therefore that they deserve to be referred to as he or she. (Casper, 1994) Another example in our technological society is the factory worker who gets laid off and replaced by a robot. The worker knows that he or she is better than a robot. Yet, the robot does his or her job consistently, faster, and without breaks. So, is the worker a sophisticated robot or is the robot a sophisticated worker? Bruno Latour would agree on that ambiguity because of our inadequate handling of situations in which non-human entities are mixed with human agents, especially from the perspective of sociologists. (Latour, 1988) Latour deals with this debate skillfully using an illustration to make his points: the door in a wall, opening and closing thanks to hinges (non-human element) and a human door keeper who has been assigned to close the door each time it is opened. He argues that ‘the hinge always does its work’, precise and consistent while at some time, the human doorkeeper may falter. So, the door keeper could be replaced by a non-human element the ‘door keeper number 2’ to prevent the faltering. The fact that we call the non-human element the door keeper even though it is not human, shows that we do not have ascribed what Latour calls â€Å"a coherent vocabulary† to distinguish humans from non-humans. Thus, his conclusion (p. 310) is that the reason why we have not done that is because â€Å"the delegation of competences and our social interactions imply the participation of non-humans. † The confusion is that non-humans exist within a context of figurative/non-figurative speech, not a human/non-human context. In essence, that is why we anthropomorphize our car. (Latour, 1988) Consequently, it seems that our lives are intimately intertwined with the use of technology, machines, and other tools, including robots as well as computers that all are non-human agents indispensable to our way of life. In fact, one particular illustration of such a reasonable conclusion can be found with computer hackers who, for the most part, are not considered part of ‘normal functioning society. ’ Sherry Turckle investigated MIT A. I. lab students who also are considered hackers. The main recurring idea among these students (almost exclusively male) is the fear of social interactions with other people due to a lack of trust or understanding of social interactions. Hackers are known to be loners and self-admittedly feel in control of their computer and its actions. In fact, on p. 212, this one student states: â€Å"computers have become an extension of my mind. † (Turckle, ) Their self-esteem, their existence become defined only through their medium, resulting in a gradual elimination of life experiences that paralyze them, adding to their needs to mask their personal fears of the world that exists beyond their machine. (p. 208) In contrast, there are people who even today cannot use a computer because they are afraid of revealing to others their lack of computer knowledge that has become essential in our modern society. Some may get help to improve their computer skills whereas others become so angry with the machine, taking their anger, originating from their own lack of confidence in learning new things, onto this ‘stupid’ machine; some may even become technophobic. Unfortunately for our society, science and technology have been used for warfare. Historically, wars always needed improvement in their methods of killing. As a consequence, the development of technology became a part of warfare while its propaganda glorified science and technology as the agents of victory. (Virillio, 1988) (Delanda, ) This became especially true as scientific knowledge evolved in physics, engineering, and chemistry. When WWI broke out in 1914, the weapons available then were the first of their kinds, the most inhuman of their kinds, killing many soldiers remotely: either gassing soldiers with the deadly gas phosgene or using machine guns or canons with an extended range to kill as many enemy soldiers as possible. (Visvanathan, ) In WWII, planes, tanks, and ships became more and more sophisticated with technological advances like radar and sonar. The advent of using nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki horrified the scientists who naively believed that their work would be used to deter, not to destroy. (Kaempffert, 1941) â€Å"Fat Man† and â€Å"Little Boy† were dropped on these two Japanese cities; ironically, these two deadly bombs were named as if they were human themselves. To the Japanese, the nuclear catastrophe and its aftermath on the population promoted the creation of the character â€Å"Godzilla†, a pre-historic mutant monster. With the Cold War, more weapons gradually became stealth weapons instead of ‘front’ weapons. Nowadays, machines have turned into non-human extensions of their makers or rather their military masters, for example, long-range surveying equipment on satellites allowing spying activities on neighboring nations. Yet, is it appropriate to say ‘non-human’ when modern weapons like continental missiles can kill so horribly and from the comfort of a military base on the other side of the world? The military is relying on technology more than ever by using computers, artificial intelligence research, simulation modules that mimic a battlefield or even war video games whose graphics have been rendered so life-like that video gamers who are soldiers may not know reality from fiction, killing enemy soldiers without any care, as if they were video game characters, non-human or human? In conclusion, the relationship between human and non-human agents is complex but not impossible to characterize if the realization is made that non-human agents are part of our environment and society. In fact, they occupy a greater place today than 10 years ago (computer technology, for example). The key to their seamless integration in our society is the figure/non-figurative reference style proposed by Latour as it is already used unconsciously by many of us. References Casper, M. (1994).Reframing and grounding non-human agency: what makes a fetus an agent? The American Behavioral Scientist, 37(6): 839-856. Delanda, Latour, B. (1988). Mixing humans and non-humans together: the sociology of a door-closer. Social Problems, 35(3): 298-310. Kaempffert, W. (1941). War and Technology. The American Journal of Sociology, 46(4): 431-444. Turckle, S. (n. d. ) The new computer cultures: the mechanization of the mind. Book? , publisher, year? Virillio, P. (1988). War and Cinema. Visvanathan.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

gatmoral Moral and Emotional Range of The Great Gatsby :: Great Gatsby Essays

The Moral and Emotional Range of The Great Gatsby    Throughout Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, there is a broad spectrum of moral and social views demonstrated by various characters.   At one end, is Tom, a man who attacks Gatsby's sense of propriety and legitimacy, while thinking nothing of running roughshod over the lives of those around him. A direct opposite of Tom's nature is Gatsby, who displays great generosity and caring, yet will stop at nothing to achieve his dream of running off with Daisy. The moral and emotional characteristics of Gastby and Tom are juxtaposed, Tom, the immoral character and Gastby, the moral character while the other characters' moral and emotional developments appear between these two.      Ã‚  Ã‚   At first glance, The Great Gatsby is merely a classic American tragedy, portraying the story of a man's obsession with a fantasy, and his resulting downfall. However, Fitzgerald seems to weave much more than that into the intricate web of emotional interactions he creates for the reader. One interesting element is the concepts of greatness each has. For Daisy, it lies in material wealth, and in the comfort and security associated with it. Daisy seems to be easily impressed by material success, as when she is touring Gatsby's mansion and seems deeply moved by his collection of fine, tailored shirts. It would seem that Tom's relative wealth, also, had at one time impressed her enough to win her in marriage. In contrast to that, Gatsby seems to not care a bit about money itself, but rather only about the possibility that it can win over Daisy. In fact, Gatsby's extreme generosity gives the reader the impression that Gatsby would otherwise have never even worked at attaining wealth had it not been for Daisy. For Gatsby, the only thing of real importance was his pursuit of Daisy. It would seem that these elements are combined, too in the character Myrtle.    Myrtle is, as Daisy, impressed with Tom's wealth and appearance, but, like Jay Gatsby, is stuck in a fantastic, idealized perception of her object of affection. Even when abused and trampled over by Tom, Myrtle continues to adore him, just as Gatsby continues to dote upon Daisy after being obviously rejected by her. As far as ethical considerations, Gatsby tends to prove himself a sincere and caring person, while Daisy and Tom just destroy the lives of two people and then leave town to escape the consequences of their actions. gatmoral Moral and Emotional Range of The Great Gatsby :: Great Gatsby Essays The Moral and Emotional Range of The Great Gatsby    Throughout Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, there is a broad spectrum of moral and social views demonstrated by various characters.   At one end, is Tom, a man who attacks Gatsby's sense of propriety and legitimacy, while thinking nothing of running roughshod over the lives of those around him. A direct opposite of Tom's nature is Gatsby, who displays great generosity and caring, yet will stop at nothing to achieve his dream of running off with Daisy. The moral and emotional characteristics of Gastby and Tom are juxtaposed, Tom, the immoral character and Gastby, the moral character while the other characters' moral and emotional developments appear between these two.      Ã‚  Ã‚   At first glance, The Great Gatsby is merely a classic American tragedy, portraying the story of a man's obsession with a fantasy, and his resulting downfall. However, Fitzgerald seems to weave much more than that into the intricate web of emotional interactions he creates for the reader. One interesting element is the concepts of greatness each has. For Daisy, it lies in material wealth, and in the comfort and security associated with it. Daisy seems to be easily impressed by material success, as when she is touring Gatsby's mansion and seems deeply moved by his collection of fine, tailored shirts. It would seem that Tom's relative wealth, also, had at one time impressed her enough to win her in marriage. In contrast to that, Gatsby seems to not care a bit about money itself, but rather only about the possibility that it can win over Daisy. In fact, Gatsby's extreme generosity gives the reader the impression that Gatsby would otherwise have never even worked at attaining wealth had it not been for Daisy. For Gatsby, the only thing of real importance was his pursuit of Daisy. It would seem that these elements are combined, too in the character Myrtle.    Myrtle is, as Daisy, impressed with Tom's wealth and appearance, but, like Jay Gatsby, is stuck in a fantastic, idealized perception of her object of affection. Even when abused and trampled over by Tom, Myrtle continues to adore him, just as Gatsby continues to dote upon Daisy after being obviously rejected by her. As far as ethical considerations, Gatsby tends to prove himself a sincere and caring person, while Daisy and Tom just destroy the lives of two people and then leave town to escape the consequences of their actions.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

The Silver Linings Playbook Chapter 9

If I Backslide Knowing that if I wear the wrong thing, Veronica will say I have ruined her night – the way she did that one time when I wore Bermuda shorts and sandals to a dress-up dinner – I can't stop thinking about what I am going to wear to her dinner party, so much that I don't even remember it's Friday, and therefore, time to see Dr. Patel, until Mom calls down in the middle of my workout, saying, â€Å"We're leaving in fifteen minutes. Hit the shower!† In the cloud room, I pick the brown chair. We recline, and Cliff says, â€Å"Your mother tells me you've had quite a week. Want to talk about it?† So I tell him about Veronica's dress-up party and how my old dress clothes don't fit because I have lost so much weight, and I have no swanky clothes other than the shirt my brother has recently given me, and I am pretty stressed out about going to a dinner party and wish I could just spend some time alone with Ronnie lifting weights, so that I would not have to see Veronica, who even Nikki says is a mean person. Dr. Patel nods a few times like he does, and then says, â€Å"Do you like the new shirt your brother gave you? Do you feel comfortable wearing it?† I tell him I absolutely love my new shirt. â€Å"So wear that one to the dress-up dinner, and I'm sure Veronica will like it too.† â€Å"Are you sure?† I ask. â€Å"Because Veronica is really particular about what you should wear to dinner parties.† â€Å"I'm sure,† he says, which makes me feel a whole lot better. â€Å"What about pants?† â€Å"What's wrong with the pants you have on now?† I look down at the tan khakis my mom purchased for me at the Gap the other day because she says I shouldn't wear sweatpants to my doctor's appointments, and even though the pants are not as swanky as my new Eagles jersey, they do look okay, so I shrug and stop worrying about what to wear to Veronica's dinner party. Cliff tries to get me to talk about Kenny G, but I only close my eyes, hum a single note, and silently count to ten every time he says Mr. G's name. Then Cliff says he knows that I have been rough with my mother, shaking her in the kitchen and knocking her down in the attic, which makes me really sad because I love my mom so much and she rescued me from the bad place and has even signed all those legal documents – and yet I cannot rightly deny what Cliff has said. My chest heats up with guilt until I can't take it. Truth be told, I break down and cry – sobbing – for at least five minutes. â€Å"Your mother is risking a lot, because she believes in you.† His words make me cry even harder. â€Å"You want to be a good person, don't you, Pat?† I nod. I cry. I do want to be a good person. I really do. â€Å"I'm going to up your meds,† Dr. Patel tells me. â€Å"You might feel a little sluggish, but it should help to curb your violent outbursts. You need to know it's your actions that will make you a good person, not desire. And if you have any more episodes, I might have to recommend that you go back to the neural health facility for more intensive treatments, which – â€Å" â€Å"No. Please. I'll be good,† I say quickly, knowing that Nikki is less likely to return if I backslide into the bad place. â€Å"Trust me.† â€Å"I do,† Dr. Patel replies with a smile.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Discussions of race and community relations in all facets of American life are often limited to generalized attitudes that are interracial

Discussions of race and community relations in all facets of American life are often limited to generalized attitudes that are at base, interracial. That is to say, the dominant, or white culture, sets standards for the perceived subordinate culture. The expectation is that all cultures that make up the United States must adhere to what is American in order to benefit from the promises of America and its Constitution, that of liberty and prosperity. To complicate matters, the dominant culture also dictates who reaps the benefits of Americanism, despite behavior. Throughout American history there have been many folks who challenge such notions for the sake of a single cause. Whether it is the abolition of slavery, women's suffrage, or education and housing reform, protest, or the ability of an oppressed group to say â€Å"no† to injustice and lack of choice grounded this nation. While on the surface such protests are commendable and admirable, an undercurrent exists that is usually left unchecked. Freedom to earn money and prosper as well as own land is within ones rights as an American that have been upheld as â€Å"self-evident. What complicates such a simplistic and arguably accessible accomplishment is that one group determines how far another group can go, the extent its members can be successful. This notion of superiority is seen within cultures in this country as well. When discussing the history of Blacks in America, the legacy of slavery must be acknowledged as a constant line feeding into ideas of superiority. Such ideas permeate attitudes of whites towards blacks, yet ironically; it also nourishes beliefs within the black community and causes the drawing of class distinctions. Adopting the attitudes and beliefs of ones oppressors and pinning such expectations –not being open to examining and maintaining ones own culture in the midst of or in spite of a dominant culture contributes to the holding back of progress. It can be construed that uplifting the race, based on white paternalistic notions of respectability serves a very limited purpose. Ignoring or attempting to eradicate free black Americans relatively young past in order to accept and uphold standards designed for another culture, namely the dominant one, only serves to polarize an already fragmented culture. Since before freedom, free blacks in the North established class lines comparable to their white counterparts. There was a clear black aristocracy made up of well-educated, wealthy and professional blacks. Many determined that the closer they were to white culture the more superior, much like the stratification that existed on slave plantations when the slaves who possessed the lighter complexions found themselves working closer to the master and his family. Such slaves often experienced privileges that the darker-skinned slaves could not even imagine. The legacy of slavery is most prevalent as class distinctions are drawn among blacks. Where this is seen even more, ironically at time just a half-century beyond slavery, is during the Great Migration. Many established northern blacks saw themselves as successful, having achieved middle class status. While working on uplifting the race to a level of respectability, that is, a most acceptable group among middle class whites, they adhered to faith, hope, and charity. Faith occurred in the form of the church, hope in the manner in which many experienced prosperity, and charity, that which was offered the less fortunate migrants fresh from the cotton fields, who needed to be groomed for proper behavior. Even with faith, hope, and charity, like their white counterparts, the sense of superiority among the established black community made it clear that only a select few would reap the benefits of the liberty and prosperity promised to all. Eastern cities like Washington, DC had a clear distinction between free blacks and the black aristocracy. The lines were drawn with regard to churches one attended, clubs in which one belonged, and neighborhoods where one could purchase homes. Likewise, whites, too, determined class lines based on what they deemed appropriate behavior of the Negro. For example, in 1916 Mary Church Terrell, daughter of one of America's first black millionaires, was refused service at a drug store soda fountain. She and her husband formally protested to the store manager, who immediately apologized for the clerk and said, â€Å"We do not care to serve people of any race at our fountain who are not genteel, but such objection certainly could not obtain against your wife, yourself and any high class colored person† (Gatewood 67). Clearly for some whites the aristocrat of color warranted different and better treatment than did ordinary blacks. In black communities throughout the US, old established families occupied a position of aristocracy. As a black observer noted, â€Å"almost all communities possess a few thoroughbred families who glory in lineal ancestry and carry wherever they go the tone and flavor of unconscious refinement, pride, that manifest their culture, achievement, behavior, and ancestry. Family trees genealogical charts often included an assortment of European noblemen, white American statesmen, African kings, and Indian Chieftains. Even Chicago where there is nothing old, I found the same spirit† (Higgenbotham 70). In Chicago the black population in 1880 was 6480 and increased seven-fold by 1910. There were groups called the 400, the upper 10's, and the high-toned people. (Higgenbotham 117). Stratification in black society, one Chicago editor noted was â€Å"proceeding along its natural course exactly analogous, or at least similar to, the formation of social groups of the white race in this country† (Gatewood 124). The Great Migration forced the established Black community in Chicago to make major adjustments and accommodations. Historically, black churches and civic groups had, like their counterparts in the South, resisted any involvement in social issues. The arrival of hundreds of thousands of migrants, however, simply could not be ignored; churches, being African- Americans richest and most influential institutions, were quickly called to action in the effort to help migrants properly adjust themselves to life in Chicago. Blacks already living in Chicago, Old Settlers were aware of the implications of the Great Migration. The Old Settlers strove to establish respect from whites and a sense of equality within the city's socio-economics system. With the arrival of southern blacks, most of whom were unfamiliar with urban mores, the Old Settlers feared that the progress they had achieved would be dashed. They feared that all whites would equate all blacks with the rural and uneducated migrants. Moreover, the Old Settlers realized the enormous strains placed on many of the migrants who arrived lacking a place to live or a sense of direction in the achievement of personal stability. This is where the church and civic organizations played a big role in offering shelter, food, and clothes to the migrants until they could do for themselves. These organizations provided services for migrants, such as assisting them in obtaining a job. They did it for charity yet the self-interest; yet capitalism was ever present. Borrowing from ideologies of Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. DuBois, the church and civic groups adopted the lifting as we climb approach. For men it was good for business, for the women, status was most crucial so they were motivated by position in the community to be charitable. This is many ways mimics the white progressives whose Christian-based affect was prevalent in their charitable work. Likewise, a certain sense of hypocrisy and fear of association influenced the intentions and efforts to Americanize, or make the migrants Chicagoans, the people they were assisting, often resulted in a miscarriage of sensitivity to the values of an established culture. Gwendolyn Wright in her text Building the Dream offers that such reformers â€Å"did bring much genuine concern, but they brought moralistic middle-class biases to their crusade† (Wright 129). This attitude had an impact on the housing issue for blacks in Chicago as lines were drawn, gates were built, and people were shut out. For so many, Chicago was the land of promise and potential. The dream of liberty and prosperity seemed very close at hand as hopeful migrants left their homes in the Deep South. They met many established Blacks in Northern urban centers who â€Å"visualized the progress of their race in terms of education, personal economic success, judicious political action, and co-operation with powerful and influential white people† (Drake 51). From 1890 to 1920 economic, political, and social lives of blacks in Chicago underwent tremendous transformation. (Knupfer 30). It was believed that the influx of blacks had â€Å"Negroes rapidly replacing foreigners as Chicago's problem† (Drake 60). Given this information, advancing the race became an issue and many aristocratic and middle-class blacks felt the dichotomy of being black in America much like their foreign counterparts; allegiance to an ethnic group as well as to America. The result of this duality lead to the class divisions reminiscent of the days of slavery. The select few living life much like the whites or aspiring to do so and many left behind eating the scraps, when they could get them.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Information on Arizona Education and Schools

Information on Arizona Education and Schools When it comes to education and schools, each state takes its own unique approach. For the most part, state governments and local school boards develop educational policy and mandates that shape education and schools within state and local boundaries. Though there is some Federal oversight, most highly debated education regulations are shaped more closely to home. Trending educational topics such as charter schools, standardized testing, school vouchers, teacher evaluations, and state adopted standards typically align with the controlling political parties philosophy. These differences have made it difficult to compare education and schools between states accurately.   They also ensure that a student living in a particular state will be receiving at least a somewhat different education that a like student in a surrounding state. There are many data points that can be used to compare education and schools among states. Though it is a difficult endeavor, you can begin to see differences in educational quality by looking at shared data in regards to education and schools among all states. This profile of education and schools focuses on the state of Arizona. Arizona Education and Schools Arizona State Department of Education Arizona State Superintendent of Schools:  Diane Douglas District/School Information Length of School Year: A minimum of 180 school days is required by Arizona state law. Number of Public School Districts: There are 227 public school districts in Arizona. **** Number of Public Schools: There are 2421 public schools in Arizona. **** Number of Students Served in Public Schools: There are 1,080,319 public school students in Arizona. **** Number of Teachers in Public Schools: There are 50,800 public school teachers in Arizona.**** Number of Charter Schools: There are 567 charter schools in Arizona. Per Pupil Spending: Arizona spends $7,737 per pupil in public education. **** Average Class Size: The average class size In Arizona is 21.2 students per 1 teacher. **** % of Title I Schools: 95.6% of schools in Arizona are Title I Schools.**** % With Individualized Education Programs (IEP): 11.7% of students in Arizona are on IEPs. **** % in Limited-English Proficiency Programs: 7.0% of students in Arizona are in limited-English Proficient Programs.**** % of Student Eligible for Free/Reduced Lunches: 47.4% of student in Arizona schools are eligible for free/reduced lunches.**** Ethnic/Racial Student Breakdown**** White: 42.1% Black: 5.3% Hispanic: 42.8% Asian: 2.7% Pacific Islander: 0.2% American Indian/Alaskan Native: 5.0% School Assessment Data Graduation Rate: 74.7% of all students entering high school in Arizona graduate. ** Average ACT/SAT score: Average ACT Composite Score: 19.9*** Average Combined SAT Score: 1552***** 8th-grade NAEP assessment scores:**** Math: 283 is the scaled score for 8th-grade students in Arizona. The U.S. average was 281. Reading: 263 is the scaled score for 8th-grade students in Arizona. The U.S. average was 264. % of Students Who Attend College after High School: 57.9% of students in Arizona go on to attend some level of college. *** Private Schools Number of Private Schools: There are 328 private schools in Arizona.* Number of Students Served in Private Schools: There are 54,084 private school students in Arizona.* Homeschooling Number of Students Served Through Homeschooling: There were an estimated 33,965 students that were homeschooled in Arizona in 2015.# Teacher Pay The average teacher pay for the state of Arizona was $49,885 in 2013.## Each individual district in the state of Arizona negotiates teacher salaries and establishes their own teacher salary schedule. The following is an example of a teacher salary schedule in Arizona provided by the Dyzart Unified School District. *Data courtesy of Education Bug. **Data courtesy of ED.gov ***Data courtesy of PrepScholar. ****Data courtesy of the National Center for Education Statistics ******Data courtesy of The Commonwealth Foundation #Data courtesy of A2ZHomeschooling.com ##Average salary courtesy of National Center of Education Statistics ###Disclaimer:   The information provided on this page changes frequently.   It will be updated regularly as new information and data become available.

Monday, October 21, 2019

WindsorChair essays

WindsorChair essays In the Abernathy Room of Starr Library are a half dozen sack-back style Windsor Chairs. The sack-back name comes from the original tendency to cover the back of this chair with a sack to prevent winter breezes from penetrating through the spindles. These chairs are not originals but are reproductions of chairs originally made in America circa 1760 under the Queen Anne period of design. Under the seat of the reproduction is a label that provides no information but the name of the production company. This chair has 17 total spindles on the lower back. The two spindles nearest the hand rests have been worked on the lathe and include vase and bulb motifs. These spindles are toped or met by the first rail, which runs in a U-shape around the seat of the chair. This rail is approximately one inch thick, with the exception of the armrests that are nearer to three inches wide. The meeting of the armrest and the rest of the rail is done in a very simple rounded edge without heavy decoration. The ends of the armrests are designed with carved knuckles. The crest piece is arched and supported by nine spindles that run directly through the armrest from the seat. The spindles do not pierce the crest, but are attached in drilled holes. This piece is decorated with a shallowly carved oval running parallel along the entire arch. The seat is a horseshoe shape with a contoured surface designed for comfort. The seat piece is approximately one and a half inches thick with rounded edges. Each of the fifteen spindles is fitted into its drilled hole and glued in place. The legs of the chair are all shaped in the same pattern. They have been turned with a similar vase and bulb style as the two decorated spindles from the armrests. The spindles used in the stretchers are of a different design than the legs. These spindles are designed symmetrically with a lozenge shaped middle and two bulbs at each end. The two front legs extend at...