Death of a Salesman Essay Outline

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller (1915-2005) Explore the ways in which Miller constructs the identity of Willy Loman and what is suggested by his interactions with his work and his wife in this extract. Thesis Statement:In the passage, Miller criticises society for being stifling and breaking down youths once full of passion into meek workers resigned to their fate. To convey this, Miller uses Loman, an exaggerated version of what the population is going through. They are battered from exhaustion, too accommodating as they are afraid of change and also mentally crushed.Topic Sentence 1Miller constructs the identity of Willy Loman as one that largely comprises of him being â€Å"the Salesman†. The entire dialogue in the passage was dedicated to work, although they were placed in a homely setting, showing that it is hard to separate the private self with the public working self. Evidence from passage: The identity â€Å"the Salesman† is one that identifies Loman the m ost accurately. The title, â€Å"death of a salesman†, also shows that the identity of being a salesman triumphs over all his other identities and even his name. He is also depicted to be living a very rigid, robot-like life.Evidence from passage: Each action is stated clearly in a mechanical manner. â€Å"He closes the door† â€Å"then carries his cases out into the living room† or â€Å"unlocks the door† â€Å"comes into the kitchen† â€Å"thankfully lets his burden down† â€Å"feeling the soreness of his palm† Topic Sentence 2Loman is also seen to be, after 60 years of his life in this stifling capitalism system, resigned to his fate. He is beaten down and is dubious of new prospects as he is much too comfortable and familiar to his current life. Evidence from passage:â€Å"You’re too accommodating, dear. â€Å"I couldn’t make it† â€Å"his massive dreams and little cruelties, served her only as sharp reminde rs of the turbulent longings within him, longings which she shares but lacks the temperament to utter and follow to their end. This inability to change his life in real life seems to manifest into wild imaginations, where he lives out his dreams. Evidence from passage: â€Å"But it’s so beautiful up there† Speaks of his dream-like imagination with wonder, although it was a dangerous situation. Topic Sentence 3Much like his name, â€Å"Willy†, Loman is seen to be much of a willy-nilly and seems disordered and haphazard.Miller constructs this through the use of the Loman’s erratic dialogue with his wife. The constant repetition of phrases and restating his points Evidence from passage: â€Å"I couldn’t make it. I just couldn’t make it, Linda†, â€Å"I stopped for a cup of coffee. Maybe it was the coffee. † Conclusion:Loman criticises society for breaking down a man, stripping him of his individual identity as a person and giving him the identity of a worker. This life manages to drive Willy to slight insanity, and self-doubt so serious that he is unable to provoke any change in his life.

A Month to Live

A Month to Live Everyone should live like today is her last day because no one knows if it will be her last one. If I knew I only had a month to live I would try to focus on things that are most important to me. I would spend a lot of time in prayer. God, who knows me better than myself, also knows I would have a lot of request. First, I would try to get all my business affairs in order for my family. I would want them to know about the life insurance policies, retirement benefits, and other matters they need to check on.I would make sure I told them about any details that were important to me such as funeral arrangements or burial location. I would also try to figure out who I wanted to have any of my valuable or sentimental possessions. This way I could give it to them before I was no longer here. Even though these practical details are necessary, I would spend little of my limited time concentrating on my worldly affairs because there are more important things to do.Next, I would take a little time to reflect on my life to see if I needed to make peace with anyone. If I knew I offended someone or treated someone badly then I would definitely want to make amends. If I was holding a grudge or thought someone was holding a grudge against me I certainly would want to make things right for both of us. I would want my friends to know how much they all mean to me. I would be sure to tell my family members how proud I was of each of them and that I expected them to continue to take care of each other.I would even like to tell my ex-husband that I forgive him for not being there to help support his children when they were growing up. Third, I would focus on spending time with my family, especially my children, grandchildren, parents, and siblings. We could sit and talk about our lives and all the wonderful times we shared. I would take my family on a vacation together. Just being able to sit and talk with them, seeing their smiling faces or reaching over to give them a hug, or just hearing their voices.Their laughter would make me very happy during my last month. Spending time with them is all I would want to do. Just as my life revolves around taking care of them, their happiness would be my main focus till my death. Finally, I would want a little peace before I leave this world. For example, I would like to sit under the trees remembering my life; I would appreciate the star, the sunset, and just the natural beauty of the world. I hope I would be able to think of my life and know I would not trade it for anyone else’s.

Facebook and Loneliness Essay

With over 955 million active Facebook users worldwide, Facebook has definitely taken over the internet, and many people’s lives. With a simple click of a button many people can communicate with each other in the blink of an eye. Being able to add however many friends one may want, or talk to how ever many people one may want would make someone assume many people are less lonely today than they were 100 years ago. However, that is not the case. In recent years, the number of chronically lonely people worldwide has gone up significantly. Why one may ask? Research has shown a direct connection to loneliness and the frequent use of Facebook. Facebook, like many other social media sites gives individuals a way to communicate with friends, family, and other individuals through the internet. Throughout the years Facebook has become a worldwide phenomenon that people have become quite obsessed with. One would think that since Facebook makes communication quicker, and easier for many people that it would make people less lonely. However, it is doing the opposite. Today, lonely people use Facebook as an outlet to run to while other things in their lives aren’t going as planned. Loneliness lies deep inside someone, and cannot be cured by â€Å"fake† communicating with an individual over Facebook. While individuals flee to Facebook to try to alleviate the pain of being lonely, it only leaves them less happy. The more these people try to be happy, the less happy they will be. It was shown that the more narcissistic one is, the more likely they are to be using Facebook. These types of people have an inflated sense of their own importance of oneself. Facebook is a perfect outlet for them to create this great self-image for oneself, while forgetting about all other aspects of life. Facebook also intrigues lonely people as a way to feel more connected to other individuals, however these other individuals over Facebook are like a dog, or a book, they are not real things to become completely intimate with. This leaves people with a sense of loneliness in the long run. Personally, I was shocked to see the statistics about how Facebook is making individuals lonelier then not. This is because I definitely thought Facebook  was bringing people less loneliness then anything by offering the service to talk to people whenever one desires. However, after reading the article I completely understand how to opposite trend is now taking place. Facebook is a perfect outlet for lonely people to run to, and it does nothing but hurt them. Though it is not Facebook alone that is making people lonely worldwide, Facebook is definitely contributing to the increasing number yearly. Since Facebook started offering one-click communication methods and the ability to talk to anyone, at any time people have become less engaged in real life and more engaged in cyber-life. Individuals struggling with family or other relationships run to their fantasy world on the internet while leaving more important issues behind them for a quick second. In a world with so much technology, and advancements in communication one would think that this would make us less lonely, but we can all see now that this is not the case.

Networking Infrastructure - British Canoe Union Assignment

Networking Infrastructure - British Canoe Union - Assignment Example For instance, if a distributed denial of service threat attack a website, the traffic can be routed from the other available locations on a different network segment. Moreover, the MX record demonstrates where an email needs to be delivered. Furthermore, TXT records are utilized for holding any type of text. The Domain Name System is focused around the idea of name determination that is a key capacity of TCP/IP systems. Such systems are utilizing IP addresses as a part of request to recognize the beginning and objective of system transmissions. An IP location figures out where a datagram is sent and is extraordinary for the particular system area. IP addresses that were focused around IP rendition four (Ipv4) were as a 32-bit number. However the accessible locations were constrained and inevitably we arrived at the point where the Ipv6 tending to framework focused around the utilization of a 128-bit number where the IP location was sent. It is clear that individuals are prone to think that it’s hard to recollect 32-bit and 128-bit addresses that are sensibly straight forward for machines to distinguish. It is important to secure a more compelling framework for clients to distinguish the location of a system area. This is carried out by utilizing more significant names as the ones that we have in regular sites (e.g. http://www.thisismypersonalwebsite.com). This is a decent case of how a client may recollect an imperative site. However a machine must have the capacity to change over this name to an IP address that will figure out where the objective of the expected correspondence lives. Name determination is the term used to portray the change of the name utilized for a site or the Internet area to an IP address for that particular area. Each one time we enter the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for a World Wide Web address in a web program this is changing over into an IP

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT OF S.E.A. OLYMPUS Dissertation - 1

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT OF S.E.A. OLYMPUS - Dissertation Example In order to justify this further, the actual survey and interview with customers and the staffs of the chosen organisation was initiated. The study’s conclusions are based on both the findings of literature review and the actual survey and interview and out from them come the general recommendation of how an organisation should meet the customers’ perceived services and actual received services. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT My heartfelt gratitude goes to my parents who were able to provide me financially for the success of this study. Without them, I would not be able to gather data and other related information because such activity would require extensive time and substantial financial resource. During my sleepless nights, I would like to thank all my friends who were able to impart their time and provide me with their important suggestions in order to improve my paper. I would also like to personally thank my supervisor who was able to give her time and effort for my study. My he artfelt gratitude is also for her. CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY 1.1 Introduction to the Problem Every organisation requires substantial management in order to succeed. Thus, strategic management tools are necessary in order to evaluate performance in great detail. Performance should be of high quality. Thus a management with exceedingly high quality especially if it is in a progressive approach is said to help organisations achieve their best performance especially on meeting high level of customer satisfaction and eventually obtaining their profit (Yeung and Chan, 1998). In line with this, it is not only important to consider improving internal operations but a considerable amount of quality management system should be implemented both inside and outside of an organisation. At some point, management strategic tools are necessary (Mol and Birkinshaw, 2009; Smith, 2007; Nonala and Kenny, 1991). This is to ensure that the entire business operation is obtaining corporate object ives. This may take time though. However, the right response on the process is necessary in order that the entire business operations both internally and externally are working together for the entire benefit of the whole organisation. However, there are some cases in which an organisation attempts to move forward and ensure its growth and competitive advantage. At this point, it is important that various aspects need to be substantially considered. One of the most highly considered aspects in the present time involves a high consideration for customers. Customer satisfaction in particular is considered tantamount to the success of an organization (Muller, 1991). This means that in order for an organisation to be a success in an industry where it belongs, giving enough time on how to satisfy customers and meet their expectations is necessary. Today, as commonly observed, this is most common in modern profit organisations (Kotler et al, 1999; Boone and Kurtz, 2006). However, it is im portant to find out how an organisation should build up its competitive advantage knowing that everyone seems to be trying to be a cut above the other. Addressing customer satisfaction is necessary, but there must be a concrete understanding how should it be achieved to ensure competitive advantage (Boone and Kurtz, 2006). 1.2 Background of the Problem With respect to this,

Social Issue about Abortion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Social Issue about Abortion - Essay Example Boonin finally highlights a number of arguments that oppose abortion. In doing this, he focuses on arguments which do not depend on the notion that all human fetuses have the right to live. This book is relevant to this topic because it critically examines abortion as a social issue. The book is also relevant because it discusses the moral permissibility of abortion according to people’s different terms. The book is a credible source for this topic because it is written by a reputable author who is a renowned professor of philosophy. Dworkin, a highly reputable and distinguished scholar, successfully shows how abortion and euthanasia are social dilemmas. In the process, he explains how the two issues provoke eruptive controversy. Dworkin’s approach is philosophical in nature and his arguments are concise moral overviews of the issues of abortion and euthanasia. The character of human dignity and the meaning of life are a major focus of the author. Dworkin’s book is an excellent piece that is very relevant to this topic because it examines all sides of the arguments that either support or are against abortion. In doing so, Dworkin breaks down both arguments and gives convincing reasons behind them. He further explains why people fail to even understand their own arguments about the issues of abortion and euthanasia. The author concludes by advising society on how to reconcile its values of individual liberty and life. Lee addresses the moral issue of abortion by focusing on unborn human life. One question that is brought to the forefront by the author is whether unborn human beings are only considered persons after birth. The author brings forth the debate of when individual humans come into being. In the process, he discusses whether to consider unborn human beings as persons during gestation or after birth. The book is relevant to this topic because it

Sickness and healing - An Anthropological Perspective Essay

Sickness and healing - An Anthropological Perspective - Essay Example Disease accounts; whereby the biomedicine’s recognizes the body as the cause and remedy of sickness and lastly, disorder accounts; whereby the imbalances are the main source of illness and means to cure. He refuses the concept of culture-bound syndrome because he believes that it is based on anthropological and psychiatric notions and; therefore, it is culturally biased. The cultural difference in health and illness presents and makes people understand the symptoms of the disease. He goes ahead to explain that the individual and social experiences of illness are termed as a complex process, and; hence, the physiological expression of these diseases are becoming the main concern among medical anthropologists and something needs to be done. Hahn also gives an example of sociocultural influences on low-birth-weight between black and white infants. He says anthropology and epidemiology are can make a conclusion on this social-medical problem. This evidence can illustrate how the t wo disciplines can make individuals understand the complexity of a disturbing problem. It serves as a powerful means that shows individuals the benefits of looking at sickness and heals from both sociocultural and biomedical perspectives3. There are different ways in which individuals respond to sickness from one society to another. Hahn concludes that anthropology is exclusively found on investigations of subjective States and expresses that sociocultural phenomena should be included in the medical epistemology and should be practiced4.

Reproductive System Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reproductive System - Assignment Example Julia had been working as a computer engineer in an information technology firm and she described her job as â€Å"moderately successful†. She had never been pregnant in her life. Her menses had started at the age of 12 years and had been fairly normal regarding frequency, duration and bleeding. She had become sexually active at the age of 19 years and had variably used diaphragms, condoms and oral contraceptive pills for contraception. She weighed normal for her height, was a non smoker and occasionally consumed alcohol on social occasions. Apart from few episodes of urinary tract infection, last one 2 years back, her other medical and surgical history was remarkable. Ross was an architect and content in his professional and personal life. He had no significant medical, surgical or sexual history. He was physically very active and a non smoker. When they visited the infertility specialist, both of them were questioned regarding their medical and sexual history. They were educ ated regarding the physiology of reproduction and the possible causes of their infertility. Regarding the female reproductive system, description of the organs of reproduction in female and the steps of oogenesis and menstrual cycle was explained: Female reproductive system, oogenesis and menstrual cycle Organs involved in reproduction in a female are ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus and vagina internally and external genitalia and mammary glands externally. Ovaries are small glands located on the sides of uterus. Germ cells in the ovary are referred to as ooogonia. At nearly 8 weeks of gestation, oogonia become primary oocytes by entering prophase of first meiotic division andundergo further change only before ovulation. A layer of granulosa cells surround this oocyte to form a primordial follicle. Out of all of the follicles, one follicle becomes dominant 5-7 days after menses (Knobil & Neill 2006). Due to hormonal action, meiosis is resumed and expulsion of the egg and follicular fluid occurs. This expulsion is called ovulation. Uterus is the organ where implantation of a fertilised egg occurs. Fertilisation itself occurs in the fallopian tube which connects ovary to the uterus. Cyclic shedding of the internal lining of the uterus called endometrium occurs every 28-30 days in a process called menstruation. This cycle is regulated by a complex interaction of hormones produced by the hypothalamus, pituitary and ovaries (Look, Heggenhougen & Quah 2011). Menstrual cycle has two parts: follicular or proliferative phase; and luteal or secretory phase. Follicular recruitment is caused by FSH. Estrogen causes LH surge for ovulation. These steps take place during follicular phase which technically begins on the first day of menses and lasts for around 14 days (Carr & Wilson 1987). Figure 1. Female reproductive system (www.patients.co.uk 2012) Figure 2. Oogenesis and menstrual cycle (Carr & Wilson 1987) Corpus luteum remains after ovulation and is responsible for sec retory phase of the endometrium. If fertilisation does not take place, it degenerates after 10-14 days and this leads to shedding of the endometrial lining and bleeding (Knobil & Neill 2006). Thus, the couple were explained about oogenesis and menstrual cycle with the aid of above illustrations. Only when these hormonal and tissue changes occur in tandem, fertilisation can take place. Any hormonal or endocrine disorder such as that of hypothalamus, pit

The threat of terrorism warrants the curtailment of civil liberties Essay

The threat of terrorism warrants the curtailment of civil liberties (Persuasion ) - Essay Example These terrorist groups also have the latest in satellite imaging, in weapons technology, in biological and chemical weapons capability, and even cyber-terrorism. And they are not afraid to use these weapons and technological advancements on as many people as possible. They are not bound to honor the laws of man and of God in unleashing these weapons; but the different countries and governments trying to counter these terrorist attacks and weapons are pressured to abide by their laws. And because of terrorists’ disregard for laws coupled with their potential to wreak havoc on people’s lives, I believe that stronger means must be employed in order to protect and ensure our safety and security. There are necessary measures, like the curtailment of civil liberties, which have to be employed in order to counter the threat of terrorism. An opinion survey conducted by YouGov in the UK sought people’s perception or opinion about the government’s proposal to control civil liberties and the survey revealed that a great majority of respondents believe that it is appropriate to curtail the movements of terrorist suspects even if the usual trial policies cannot be applied to them. The survey also revealed that most people favored preemptive actions to be taken by the government in order to control or address the threat of terrorism (2). Majority of the respondents also set forth that they do not accept the idea that government authorities can never curtail anyone’s civil liberties, especially when it is essential to their national security (2). In the same survey, the respondents were asked if they rated national security as more important than the protection of their civil liberties. Again, majority of the respondents believed that national security is more important to them, and only about 3% answer ed that their civil liberties were more

Physical Fitness and Nutrition Worksheet Essay Example for Free

Physical Fitness and Nutrition Worksheet Essay In order to obtain optimal health, it is critical to be physically fit and eat a healthy and balanced diet. Becoming knowledgeable about what it means to be physically fit and learning how to evaluate the nutritional value of what you eat may greatly increase your ability to improve your health and wellness. In this three-part worksheet, you identify the five components of health related fitness, critique a recipe for nutritional value, and respond to two short answer questions about nutrition. Completing this assignment is a step towards gaining the knowledge needed to better manage your physical fitness and nutrition. Part 1: Five Components of Health Related Fitness Table Complete the table below. The first row has been filled in for you as an example. Components of Physical FitnessDescriptionHow to Incorporate in Your LifeBenefit(s) Cardiorespiratory FitnessBeing able to exercise at a moderate to high intensity for a long period of timeWalk 2 miles at a brisk pace every day.Reduced the risk of heart disease, hypertension, and high cholesterol. Muscular StrengthMaximum force able to be exerted by single contraction of a muscle or muscle groupStart out with crunches, lunges and squats.The ability to carry out tasks easier that like yard work. Muscular EnduranceAbility to perform high-intensity muscle contractions repeatedly without fatiguing Do push-ups to build up muscular endurance.Increased metabolism, Reduced fatigue, fewer injuries, and fewer back problems. Flexibility Ability to move joints freely through their full range of motion Start with stretching or yoga to help with flexibility. Being able to keep joints flexible and ability to reach or move. Body CompositionThe amount and relative proportions and distribution of fat mass and fat-free mass in the body By exercising, eating right and managing my time. Living longer and feeling good about one’s self. Part 2: Critique a Meal For this part of the assignment, you critique the nutritional value of a meal. You will select this meal from the USDA website. Follow the instructions below: †¢Access the USDA Recipe Finder search tool at http://recipefinder.nal.usda.gov/ o(either click on or paste the above link in your internet’s address bar) †¢Search for a recipe using one of the available criteria: oType in ingredients; oType in a recipe name, or; oChoose options from the available categories †¢Select a recipe to critique from the generated results. Review the nutritional information provided for the recipe you selected or added and answer the questions below. Each response should be 75 to 125 words. 1.What is the name of the recipe you are evaluating? The name of the recipe that I am evaluating is Baked Chicken with Vegetables. 2.Which essential nutrients—carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals—are included in the recipe? The essential nutrients that are included in this recipe are saturated fats, carbohydrates, Fiber and protein. Also included are Vitamin A that adds carotene and helps with the eyes; Vitamin C which is important for growth and development; Calcium needed for muscle, bones and nerves. Iron helps with distributing oxygen to the body. Vitamin E helps body tissue from damage. Vitamin K makes proteins for bones and tissue also helps with clotting to not bleed too much. 3.Which ingredients are providing each nutrient? Potatoes have vitamin C, potassium, and carbohydrates. Carrots have vitamin A, E, and K. Onions have potassium, Vitamin C and sodium. Chicken there is vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and iron. If the body is missing any vitamins the body will start to deteriorate. 4.Does this recipe include a good balance of essential nutrients? Explain your answer. I believe it does have a good balance but not to the full extent that it could be. Anything could be added to have the extra missing vitamins and minerals that a lot of people do not get on a regular basis. 5.How could the recipe be altered to include more essential nutrients? The recipe could be altered to include more essential nutrients by adding mushrooms, cheese, nuts or eggs. These items would add vitamin D and E. Vitamin D helps with the absorption of calcium and magnesium. Vitamin E is similar to vitamin C in helping protect the body from damage and helps with red blood cells. So adding the items in one way or another would add to the nutrients that one’s body. 6.Do you consider this a healthy meal? If not, what is a healthy alternative? Yes I do consider this a healthy meal in the fact that it does have quit a few vitamins and minerals that our bodies need on a regular  basis. It is low in fat and calories and will still fill someone up in one meal. With the chicken, carrots, onions, and potatoes there is not too much more that would be needed to supplement the body.

A Critique On Rene Descartes Ontological Argument

A Critique On Rene Descartes Ontological Argument Of all the recurring questions of Man, one of the most persistent is the question of our origins. Specifically the question of what, if anything, caused us to exist. It has been argued by generations of minds, all seeking the definitive explanation of our existence. One such mind was that of Rene Descartes, a brilliant philosopher of his time, throughout and beyond ours. His ideas on geometry and metaphysics, among others, remain influential upon the thinkers of today. In Meditations, Descartes formulates the framework and guidelines of his First Philosophy or metaphysics, where methodic doubt is used to discern the nature of being and the world. Here he describes how we can derive a reliable method that can definitively determine what is certain and what is suspect, and further apply that method to prove the existence of absolute ideas such as God or mathematics. The methods ground-up approach is supposed to provide for the foundations of certain knowledge, and so it does. Descartes believes that after I call into doubt everything that can easily be relegated as uncertain (such as sense dependent data), I am left with mental ideas of things that I once experienced through the senses. Given that a chairs physical existence may be suspect, my idea of a chair may also be suspect in regard of some aspects such as appearance, yet I cannot suspect the fact that I am thinking of scale, quantity, measurement, space, etc. in providing for my mental image of the chair. Hence for Descartes, there are things that are certain regardless of sense experience and it seems mentally impossibly to conceive of them as false. Given this, Descartes develops his reasoning for the existence of God as an all-perfect being. He does this by beginning with an idea that is considered certain and attributing what makes us feel as if something is certain. In this case he considers something certain as something so clearly and vividly perceived that it cannot be untrue. Here he implies then that for something to be true, I just have to have a clear and vivid idea of it and that alone is enough antecedent for its truth-value. He clarifies this by describing the nature of the mind to have clear and distinct knowledge of certain thing to be true because of its basis in something true that is external from the senses. So, when I distinctly and vividly perceive of something I do so in such intensity because of my recall with the higher form of the idea. Descartes then says that one can know that some properties of these higher idea forms can be known to be true because if I know of ultimate idea of a triangle, when I per ceive its three angles to be equal to two right angles, it must be true because I cannot so vividly perceive it as a triangle unless the ultimate nature of a triangle did not contain the predicate of its three angles being equal to two right angles. So then, a property of a clear and distinct object must be true by the basis of its being perceived as also being clear and distinct. Since the concept of a perfect being implies that it contains its own necessary existence, that is, for it to be perfect it must in itself contain all perfections and by extension all expressions of such. For Descartes, because it is clear and distinct that the idea of a perfect God must hold that God has necessary existence, and that if I have an idea of something and I clearly perceive it to have a property then that thing really has that property, then God must exist because Gods existence naturally follows from Gods conception. The problem with this is that because of Descartes logical framework, all it takes for something to exist in the world is to somehow incorporate the idea of existence into the nature of the concept. Also, because all it takes for it to be true is that that I perceive that existence is part of the concept just enough to be vivid and clear. Such that I could conceive of a chair and it would not exist, but the chair were somehow ascribed with a nature of existence such that the chair has the property of existence, and that I clearly and so distinctly perceived it as such, then it would exist. So then, all it takes to create a chair into existence is to somehow be able to build it to the point that I clearly perceive it to be an existing chair. Clearly, we cannot just go around creating chairs out of thin air, so this must not be the case. So then, it should not be so that I can conclude that a thing is existing in the world just by clearly and distinctly perceiving that existence is par t of the things nature. While there must be something that carries its own necessary existence within itself, it should not be so that I am able to ascribe self-necessity to something, as that defeats its purpose. Another similar problem with the Cartesian ontological argument is that just because one knows a perfect Gods nature as having necessary existence, it does not follow that God is in a state of existence. This is because something that is existing, can not necessarily be in existence as a thing. Given that I were to think of the concept of God, and Gods properties, it follows by Cartesian logic that the only thing I can know to be true is that the existence of the concept God, rather than that God is existing in the world. Therefore, when I think of something, I regard it as existing just by the conception of it, regardless of whether the thing I am thinking of exists as such. So existence does not really add to the idea of something because it already exists as one conceptualizes the idea. It can be seen then that Descartes is sneaking that God is existing in the world, when he can only actually observe that there is a subject such as God, and that God-concept is omnipotent, omniscie nt, self-necessary, etc. in the world. For it would be different if there were ways we could empirically observe that God existed in the world. If God existed in the world, then we would be able to observe that a part of Gods essence is that God is existing since it would be obvious to our senses. Given that God was existing, then there would be more perceivable signs of God interacting with matter that are present, even to the point of having an experience of personally watching God affect matter as it is happening. However this is clearly not the case, for we come to our knowledge of God only through the mind, and our current understanding of the physical world. We know that God, being wholly perfect, must then contain all necessary existence within itself, otherwise it would be dependent on another for its own existence and hence not perfect. Clearly this is a logical deduction, which comes from premises that show our collective conception of what an all perfect being is. In othe r words, all we know is that there is a concept of omnipotence- but not perceive omnipotence in reality, there is such a thing as omniscience-but not perceive of omniscience in reality, etc, and that there is such a concept of God who contains all these things by virtue of conceiving Gods God-ness- but no perceive of God in reality. As shown, this is the case in the world, where we can have no relevant or reliable sensory experiences that can show Gods existing in the real world. So then, Descartes is making a logical leap of assumption when he shows that the basis for Gods existing as the fact that God has necessary existence. In making that assumption, he assumes that when I have the full concept of God in my head, as in the idea of God fully and purely, then I clearly perceive Gods necessary existence, and therefore I am supposed to realize that God exists-just because it seems so real to me. Descartes attributes much weight to the feeling that something is clear and distinct, when as it can be seen that it is not enough to perceive a concept as clear and distinct and immediately assume that the concept exists. After all, one can be clear on a concept, and yet that concept could exist in reality or not. In the same way, from being clear that God as existence per se, we can be clear that the concept God as such exists, not that God is existing. The all-perfect being may in fact exist then, but Descartes ontological argument is not enough to be able to expla in how such a being exists in the world.

Strategic Management Analysis: Nike

Strategic Management Analysis: Nike Nike Inc Strategic Plan Analysis Introduction Nike is the leading corporation in the world, which deals in equipment supply sportswear. It is a US based company and established in 1962 by Bill Boverman Philip Knight in the name of Blue Ribbon Sports. Later it was changed to Nike Inc in 1978. Headquarter of the company are located in Oregon, which is near Beaverton, the USA. It is the major manufacturer and supplier of apparel and athlete shoes. The business practices and manufacturing methods of Nike Inc are based on innovation. Mission statement Mission of the company is to become the best shoe provider, which delivers best services to its customers. Vision statement The vision statement of the company is to assist every athlete in developing motivation and creativity throughout the world. Goals and objective Goal of the company is to utilize the innovative ideas in order to manufacture quality athlete shoes and attire for the world. There are various objectives of the company, but the most significant one is to become the leader through different activities, which exhibit concern for those who are associated with Nike, such as customers, employees and suppliers throughout the world. Management style at Nike Former CEO, Philip Knight played a vital role in the establishment of strategic management. His style of management is described as the idiosyncratic, which is very personal and distinctive. The mode of management in Nike is described by strategic planning. CEO of Nike reflects broad mindedness as the management style at Nike is based on different aspects, such as the conservative decisions and planned risks. Implementation of management style is based on a thorough analysis of internal as well as external environment. Decision making style of Philip Knight reflects participative method. Knight is a daring person and able to make independent decisions, but before going to consider any decision, he invites the management team to give their views and suggestion on a particular subject. Management style of Nike differs greatly with the management style of Toyota, as it employs the concept of quality across all the levels of management. Basically, Nike is a home region company; 99 percent of its production is outsourced to south East Asia. The products of Nike are being supplied by the employees from independent contract companies, which do not form the part of ownership but are component of supply chain network. From these independent firms, the management at Nike is indirectly accountable for the working conditions of employees. Nike gives immense focus on the sales. On the other hand, Toyota focuses on cutting down the number of human labor by adopting the system of Just in Time (Rugman, 2005). This system helps to maintain appropriate inventory level and ensures correctness in every step of assembly process. Nike’s management style is characterized by the approach towards team management. Top management is composed of the dedicated executive groups having huge knowledge and skill. The group is highly oriented towards the team. This management style has led to the development of faith and esteem (Heller, 2008). This culture of company extends throughout organization. On the other hand, Management style at Toyota is also very effective, as it implements the philosophy of production system into manufacturing procedures. The policy enhances honesty and innovation among the employees, which further assists them to produce quality goods and services. The production system at Toyota is formulated on a strong channel of suppliers and equipment manufacturers. Management team applies those policies, which perform in an interactive manner throughout the distribution networks. Apart from this, similarity lies in their focus of developing the global brand in terms of the quality and style (Kno wledge Management Practices at Toyota Motors, 2005). Total Quality Management Style in Toyota Toyota successfully adopted the system of total quality management. Earlier, the company adopted the American method, which says that machines should be operated until they are broken. The engineer should be called only after this situation. This approach resulted in a decrease in the productivity. But Toyota has always adopted a learning attitude and as a result, it underwent transformation. In the first step, workers were assigned with the responsibility of handling individual machines. In the next step, workers were supposed to keep the documentation of the machine in the special notebooks. In this notebook, they were supposed to document the operation of machine along with the maintenance history. In the further step, they concentrated on the cleaning of dirt, for which they designed particular guards and covers. In the last step, they went for the practices of systematic maintenance. All these procedures helped Toyota in redesigning and making modifications in the parts and above all, these processes led to the building of highest quality cars and as a result, it became the most profitable car manufacturer. Considering Nike, its strategy always focused on encouraging customers to buy the products and the investors to purchase the stock. In spite of this, the production of Nike suffered because of its poor labor law and less focus on the workers conditions (Nike Dispute, 2008). Therefore, in order to implement the Total quality Management, Nike should give emphasis over the overall aspects of the organization. Integration of TQM in Nike TQM implies Total Quality Management; it is a management function and implemented in each business practices through different activities, such as customer feedback and research on their needs and demands. TQM practices of Toyota are based on the quality measures and focus on active participation of every employee in the quality based practices to achieve long term success. TQM practices of Toyota can be incorporated into Nike by shifting its focus on quality measures. The methods involve assessment in a rigorous manner and designing all features of Nike. Management team of Nike should consider each and every aspects of organization and must initiate the TQM practices from the top position (Heller, 2008). In order to implement TQM system, there is a requirement of increasing the level of accountability among the employees, which in turn can assist them to achieve the goals successfully, so Nike should also consider this aspect in the implementation of TQM practices. To ensure quality in the products and goods, Nike should involve practices to enhance customer satisfaction, which were also used by Toyota. Apart from this, Nike should also give emphasis on establishing achievable goals and objectives, so as to ensure quality practices as a means of TQM methodology (Heller, 2008). Conclusion From the above discussion, it can be concluded that the participative style of management, which is followed in the Nike serves as strength. Nike’s continue focus on the market of high end, increase of market share in the middle and focus on the small price ranges have broaden the product spectrum of Nike. In order to implement the Total quality Management, eight important aspects must be given due consideration, which includes: Principles, Integrity, Trust, Training, Recognition, Teamwork, Leadership and Communication. Nike should focus on improving labor relation and conditions of factory at the production system. To make TQM successful, supervisor must show his full commitment in leading his employees and must try to develop faith and promise by implementing practices of TQM. There is a huge requirement of dedication and personal involvement from top management. Last but not the least, clarity in the goals and objective can help in making the employee satisfied and would as sist in gaining their corporation. References Heller, R. (2008). Management styles. Retrieved August 30, 2008 from http://www.thinkingmanagers.com/companies/nike.php Knowledge Management Practices at Toyota Motors (2005). Retrieved August 30, 2008 from http://www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/IT%20and%20Systems/ITSY048.htm Kotler, P. (2002). Marketing Management (11th Edition). New Delhi: Prentice Hall of India Private Ltd. Nike Dispute (2008). Retrieved August 30, 2008 from http://ivythesis.typepad.com/term_paper_topics/2008/08/nikes-dispute-w.html Rugman, M.A. (2005). The Regional Multinationals. Cambridge University Press.

the way of confucius Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Confucius is one of the most famous of the ancient Chinese philosophers. Confucius lived from 551 to 479 BC. He believed that Chinese culture had peaked during the height of the Zhou dynasty. During their reign, the Zhou rulers adhered to a set of practices referred to as the â€Å"li†, also called rites or rituals. These rites governed all aspects of Chinese culture. The rites told everything, from the way huge political ceremonies should be conducted, to what is the proper way to respond to the receiving of a gift. During Confucius’ life, the role of the Zhou kings was reduced to mere figureheads and many of the rites had been lost, forgotten, or reduced to a lesser role. Confucius decided that he was to revive the practice of the rites and show others back to the way of the â€Å"dao†, or the â€Å"way of heaven†. In an effort to accomplish this, Confucius would not only strive to strictly follow the rites himself, he would dedicate his life to teaching and spreading them to others as well. The teachings of Confucius cover a wide variety of topics, as they were meant to govern all aspects of one’s life. Some of the most important aspects of the rites taught by Confucius regard family relations, desirable traits of character, proper ways of governing, and aspects of â€Å"ren† or â€Å"true humaneness† or â€Å"humanity†. While some of his teachings are ideas specific to his time and culture, such as the proper colors to be worn by nobility, other teachings such as family relations and virtue of character are just as valuable to today’s society as it was for his own. One of the most important aspects of life for Confucius was family life and relationships. Many of his teachings are therefore related to such topics. The main points of Confucius’ teaching regarding family life have to do with filial obligations and respect among the family. He had become disheartened by the current state of family affairs as can be seen in Book 2.4 where he states â€Å"nowadays, filial is used to refer to anyone who is merely able to provide their parents with nourishment. But even dogs and horses are provided with nourishment. If you do not treat your parents with reverence, wherein lies the difference† (Ivanhoe, 5). Confucius believed that respect and reverence were the foundation of the family bonds and what separated people from the animals. Confucius believed the only cor... ...ims with the proper corresponding actions. Confucius also makes clear the distinction between a gentleman and a petty man. He gives examples such as in Book 4.16 when he states that a gentleman acts a certain way because he understands what the right thing to do is, where as a petty man acts a certain way only because it is to his advantage to do so. In Book 15.2 Confucius states that in times of hardship, such as a shortage of food or water, the gentleman remains firm and levelheaded, while the petty man becomes overwhelmed by the situation and acts improperly. He also states that in terms of everyday affairs, â€Å"the gentleman is relaxed and at ease, while the petty man is anxious and full of worry† (Ivanhoe, 23). As can be seen, Confucius was an extremely wise man. His appreciation for the past spurred the development of his teachings that have stood the test of time. While his work was intended to guide the masses of his day back to the glory that was once the Zhou dynasty, he instead managed to create a set of rites and teachings about the importance of family relations and strength of character that can be applied and appreciated as much today as they were over 2000 years ago.

Dream :: essays research papers

DREAMS Theories attempting to explain the origin and functions of REM sleep include: (1) that REM sleep provides stimulation for the development of the brain; (2) that it performs a chemical restoration function, since during REM dreaming neuro-protein synthesis occurs along with the restoration of other depleted brain chemicals; (3) that it provides oculomotor (eye movement) coordination, since during non-REM sleep the eyes move independently of each other; (4) that it provides a vigilance function, since REM sleep (stage I) is characterized by a level of consciousness close to the awakened state; (5) in a more recent and controversial theory, REM dreaming performs a neurological erasure function, eliminating extraneous information build-up in the memory system; and (6) that, in a more cognitive psychological explanation, REM dreaming enhances memory storage and reorganization. Contrary to popular belief, dreaming is not caused by eating certain foods before bedtime, nor by environmental stimuli during sleeping. Dreaming is caused by internal biological process. Some researchers have proposed the activation-synthesis hypothesis. Their neurological research indicates that large brain cells in the primitive brain stem spontaneously fire about every 90 minutes, sending random stimuli to cortical areas of the BRAIN. As a consequence, memory, sensory, muscle-control, and cognitive areas of the brain are randomly stimulated, resulting in the higher cortical brain attempting to make some sense of it. This, according to the research, gives rise to the experience of a dream. Now, as in the past, the most significant controversy centers on the question of whether dreams have intentional, or actual personal, meaning. Many psychotherapists maintain that while the neurological impulses from the brain stem may activate the dreaming process, the content or meaningful representations in dreams are caused by nonconscious needs, wishes, desires, and everyday concerns of the dreamer. Thus, such psychotherapists subscribe to the phenomenological-clinical, or "top-down," explanation, which holds that dreams are intentionally meaningful messages from the unconscious. The neurological, or "bottom-up," explanation maintains that dreams have no intentional meaning. In between these two positions is an approach called content analysis. Content analysis simply describes and classifies the various representations in dreams, such as people, houses, cars, trees, animals, and color, though no deep interpretation is attributed to the content. Differences in content have been discovered between the dreams of males and females, and between dreams and occurring in different developmental stages of life. What these differences mean is under investigation. Some recent research seems to indicate that dream content reflects problems that the dreamer experiences in life, and that the function of such dreams is to facilitate the emotional resolution of the problems.

Policies and procedures for communicating information Essay

Review of systems, policies and procedures for communicating information on health and social care workplace in accordance with legislative requirements. Health and safety laws never used to be in existence. It was the appointment of the first set of factory inspectors, initiated by the Provisions of the Factories Act of 1833, that brought about the foundations of health and safety. In recent times, a great leap was made when the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 was initiated. This was described as â€Å"a bold and far-reaching piece of legislation† by HSE’s first Director General, John Locke. This became the primary piece of legislation covering occupational health and safety in Great Britain. The health and safety Act of 1974 has led to initiation of several other Acts which includes the followings below 1.Health and safety (First Aid) Regulation 1981 2.Food Safety Act 1990 replaced by the food safety act of 1995 3.Management of health and safety regulation 1992 4.Manual handling operation regulation 1992 5.The Notification of Accidents and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1980 (NADOR), replaced by the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulation 1995 (RIDDOR). 6.The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) 2002 Act This is just to mention a few. In 1977/78, the Health and safety annual report stipulated that there are overriding concerns to stimulate awareness of the risks and encourage the joint participation of workers and management in efforts to eliminate them. Hence, making communication of health and safety issues paramount in the work place. Basically, there are three approved modes of communication of health and safety and these are: 1.Verbal 2.Written 3.Graphics

A Regression Model

Introduction A regression model with one explanatory variable is called a Simple linear regression, that is it involves 2 points: single explanatory variable and the response variable which is the dependent variable Y and independent X, in the graph of two axis y and x coordinate and finds a linear function, as precisely as it can to explains the response variable values as a function of the expanatory variables. The term simple means in statistics that the response variable y is related to one predictor x. The linear regression is given as Y=?0+?1 + ? and they are two parameters that are used estimate the slope of the line ?1 and the y- intercept of the line ?0. ? is the error term.Background Linear Regression has played a vital role in assisting in the analysis of medical data. It makes it possible for the recognition and grouping associated multiple factors. It as well also allows the recognition of anticipating related dangerous factors and the counting of dangerous scores for a single person's prediction, this was made possible by English scientist Sir Francis Galton (1822–1911), a family member of Charles Darwin, made sufficiently benefaction to both in the study of genes and in the study of behaviour and mind . He is the one that came with regression and introduced statistics in a study of living organism.In his study the data sets that he regarded persistent was the heights of male parent and male child (father and son). He wanted to find out whether he can predict the height of a male child based on the male parent's height. Glancing at the results and scatterplots of the heights, Galton noted the relationship which was increasing and it was linear. After drawing a line to these results using the statistical tools, he observed that for male parents whose heights were more than the normal, the regression line anticipated male parents whose heights were more than the normal tended to have male children that have less height than the normal and male parents that have a height which is less than the normal tended to have male children that have a height that is more than the normal . Purposes Simple linear regression could be for example be purposefully in the instance of a an association among weight and height, Weight being the dependent variable y measured in kilograms and height being the independent variable x in centimeters, where the expected value of weight at a specified height is (X) = 2X/4 – 45 for X > 100 for example. Because of natural changeability, the weight could differ for example, it might remain normally distributed with a still ? = 4. The change between an experimental weight and mean weight at a specified height is denoted as the error for that weight. To realize the association that is linear, we might take the weight of three personalities at each height and relate linear regression to model the mean weight as a function of height using a straight line, ?(X) = ?0 + ?1X . The most general way to guesstimate the parameters, (pronounced beta not) ?0 and gradient ?1 (pronounced as beta not) is the least squares estimator, which is derived by differentiating the regression model with respect to ?0 and ?1 and solving for ?0 and also solving for ?1. Let (x i , y i ) be the Ith coordinates of Y and X. The least squares estimator, guesstimates the intercept and the slope reducing the residual sum of squared errors ?ei2= ?(y i – ? i)2= SSE where yi is the experiential value and ?i = b0 + b1xi is the estimated regression line and is called the fitted or â€Å"hat† values. The estimates are given by b0 = – b1 then b1 = SSXX / SSYY and where and are the samples means X and Y, SSXX and SSYY being standard deviations and r = r(X,Y) Pearson correlation coefficient. It is also denoted as Pearson's r, the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient, is a measure of the linear associate amongst two variables X and Y. The Pearson correlation coefficient, r takes a variety of values from -1 to +1. A value of 0 recommends that there is no relationship amongst the variables X and Y. A value greater than 0 recommends a positive relationship that is, as the value of the other variable rises, so does the other variable. Before making use of the simple linear regression it is always vital to follow the steps below:1. Select an explanatory variable which is more possible to make the changes in the response variableBe convinced where the previous quantity for the explanatory variable transpire in the precise same period as the quantity of the respone variablePlot the interpretations on a graph making use of the y axis for the respone variable and the x axis for the predictor variable 4. Analyse the plotted interpretations for a linear outline and for any outliersKeeping in mind that there could be correlation without cause and influence. Importances Simple linear regression is considered to be widely valuable in many real-world applications and practises. Simple linear regression functions by assuming the independent and dependent variables have a association that is linear in the certain set-of-data.As expectations are and outcomes are interpreted, the individual handling the analysing role in a such data will have to be precarious since it has been premeditated before that there may be some variables which hinder minimal changes to occur while others will not consider being seized at a stationary point. Although the concept of linear regression is one that is more composite subject, it still remains to be one of the most vital statistical approaches being used till date. Simple linear regression is important because it has be wildly being used in many biological, behavioural , environmental as well as social sciences. Because of its capability to define likely associations among known variables which are simple independent and dependent , it may have assisted in the fields of finance, economics and trend line in describing major data that have proven to be of crux in the selected areas. Above all simple linear regression is vital since it has provided a clue of what desires to be predicted, more specially in regulatory functions involved in certain disciplines. In spite of the complication of simple linear aggression, it has been recognized to be sufficiently valuable in numerous day-to-day applications of life.

Planning Strategies Essay

Planning is the most basic managerial function. It helps managers identify opportunities, anticipate problems, and develop appropriate strategies and tactics. If done properly, planning identifies threats and opportunities, facilitates entrepreneurship and innovations, and fosters learning. Objectives help you attain our goal, establishing an overall strategy or achieving those goals, developing a comprehension hierarchy of plans to integrate and coordinate activities. Strategic planning focuses on the development of an organization’s mission and vision, goals, general strategies, and major resource allocations. Tactical planning focuses on the shorter term detailed decisions regarding what to do, who will do it and how to do it. Tactical planning specifies the actions for implementing strategic plans. Organizational diversification strategies on planning The primary organization level diversification strategies vary from single business strategy to dominant business strategy, related business strategy, and un-related business strategy. The complexity of strategic planning increases as an organization becomes more unrelated in terms of the range of differences in goods and services the firm provides and the differences in the markets it serves. Levels of strategy and planning Corporate level strategy focuses on the activities of various businesses (or product lines) within a parent organization. Business level strategy focuses on the operations and performance of a single business firm or strategic business unit. Functional level strategy focuses on the actions for managing each specialized area. It specifies how each function will contribute to the organizations business level strategies and goals. Strategic Business Level Planning Planning Process:- 1. Develop the organizations vision, mission and goals 2. Diagnose opportunities and threats 3. Diagnose strengths and weaknesses 4. Develop strategies 5. Prepare strategic plan 6. Prepare tactical plans 7. Control and diagnose the results of both strategic and tactical plans 8. Continue planning process

Computers help in agriculture?

Agriculture Computers help in agriculture? It can't sow seeds or harvest crops or irrigate fields. But it can definitely help the farmers and the agricultural scientist in various stages of farming. And why haven't we used computers in agriculture till date? Just one reason, farmers are not comfortable with computers. And since there's no market for such a technology, the industry never bothered to consider that field for making any software.Countries like USA and Australia use software in their day to day farming activity. It helps them choose the right crop for their field, track the growth and accounting after harvesting. Clearly such technology is useless for Indian agriculture scenario because most farmers in India cannot effectively use it and only a few would be willing to invest in such a tool. So can computer technology really help Indian or other countries agriculture? And my answer is a big yes.It has a bigger role to play in Indian agriculture than in any other countries. Indian agriculture systems have a symbiosis between farmers and agriculture scientists. Scientists need input from farmers about their experience, to come up with new strategies for farmers. If we can somehow avail all the necessary data to scientist, they can for sure come up with better strategies. And if we can aid in their strategy planning by providing tools to do that, scientists will be able to compare different strategies.Having leveraged the scientists to come up various farming strategies, the next obvious step is to enforce these strategies through farmers by letting them choose the one which suits their land the best. Imagine software, which can predict the soil fertility of a land after harvesting a particular crop, provided we have the soil fertility information of the land and the crop to be harvested now. Well if you can predict the fertility of the soil after a particular crop harvest, it lets you decide what's the other crops can be cultivated later and helps deci de the best crop rotation policy.This would guarantee the highest yield all the time. We are not in an ideal world where everyone is a computer wizard. In such a non-ideal world, what good would it bring if given to farmers? How many farmers are out there who can efficiently use such a tool? How to make software that is so easy to use even for farmers? On the other hand, if we give this tool to scientist or government officials, they can help farmers choose the best crop for their lands.

Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness Essay - 1

Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness - Essay Example The main purpose of the research is to present that Life, Liberty and pursuit of happiness is a phrase which outline and indicate the unalienable rights given to all human beings by the God and the institution of government is formed to protect those rights. Jefferson’s original draft suggests that all men are created equal and from this creation, each of them derive and inherent the right to preservation of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. The overall emphasis therefore is upon creation of men as equal and from within this equality, all men have the undeniable rights to preserve the life, have liberty and pursue the happiness. While this phrase is one of the well-known phrases in the declaration however, it is argued that Jefferson was largely influenced by Locke when he decided to include this phrase in declaration. Though, the original draft of Jefferson was refined subsequently however, debate remains regarding what were the actual influences on Jefferson to include this in the original draft. One argument is based upon the assumption that Jefferson was impressed by what Locke termed as the protection of property. Locke suggested that the very purpose of political society is to actually protect the property of individuals. Property, according to Locke, comprises of life, liberty or freedom and estate. Jefferson however, replaced the word estate with the word pursuit of happiness. The right to preserve the life has liberty and pursuit of happiness therefore was the basic promise State actually made to its citizens as one of its basic duties towards citizens.

Catch 22 - Orr Character Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Catch 22 - Orr Character Report - Essay Example This essay will explore Orr’s significance to the wider themes and motifs of the novel. As the hostilities in the Second World War were at a peak, the soldiers start to feel psychologically and physically weary and contemplate the situation they find themselves in. The term Catch-22 refers to this sense of entrapment felt by many members of the United States military at the time, who are sane enough to see the absurdity of putting their lives at risk, while insane enough to continue participating in it. The Catch-22 situation arises when a soldier, in a moment of sanity and lucidity, sees the futility of war; but realizes that the only way he can escape from its viciousness is by claiming insanity. In other words, it is a circular argument wherein the premise is taken as proof of argument. The military officers use this paradoxical rule to keep control over their squadron members, lest they will begin to assert their will. The character of Orr should be studied in light of this most prominent theme in the novel. In the initial stages of the novel Orr comes across as an incompetent pilot, whose plane inevitably gets shot, forcing him to crash land on each occasion. But, as the war wears on and the Catch-22 puzzle overwhelms the members of the squadron, it is Orr who succeeds in escaping to Sweden, a neutral country where peace prevailed. In this respect, the sub-plot involving Orr is comprised of more heroism and courage than that of Yossarian. Author Joseph Heller, by way of depicting the personal qualities of Orr, gives away hints related to his impending escape. For example, there are references in the novel to Orr’s aptitude for mechanics and his skilful dexterity, as when he tailors the tent in such a way as to make it comfortable. When analyzing the novel in retrospect, we see how this talent comes handy in his escape expedition to Sweden. The incident involving the prostitute in Rome is another

Domestic Violence and Health Consequences Research Proposal

Domestic Violence and Health Consequences - Research Proposal Example mestic abuse or spouse abuse is when a family member is suppressed or dominated by another member, partner or ex-partner in a psychological or a physical manner. According to Buzawa (2002), â€Å"Domestic violence is operationally defined as violence between intimates living together or who have previously cohabited.† Domestic violence usually takes place between spouses and is also called spousal abuse but it can also occur among people living together that is, among brothers, child and parent, sisters, friends and non-married intimate partners. People from various races, sexes, religions and cultural backgrounds sexes can be the victims of domestic violence. It occurs and affects all kinds of people and couples. Domestic Violence doesn’t just affect a way a person acts, but it affects their health as well. Domestic violence is defined as behavior used by one person in a relationship to control another. The relationship can be between married or unmarried couples, separated or dating, gay or lesbian. Domestic violence includes, keeping a partner away from calling his/her friends or family, withholding money, threatening or harming physically, calling names or putdowns, stalking, intimidation and abusing sexually. It can occur occasionally, on and off or very often. The intensity of harm can be mild, severe and also can go up to homicide. However emotional, psychological and financial abuse is not considered criminal violence like physical abuse but may lead to criminal violence. Domestic abuse caught attention only after womans movement in 1970s, particularly feminism and women’s rights which was focused on the wives being physically assaulted by their husbands. And only after the mens movement the abuse of men by women has caught attention. Domestic violence can have some very serious physical and mental effects on the victims as well as the children of a family where domestic violence occurs, and they are more likely to be ignored or to get

Discuss the role of Haskole (Jewish Enlightenment in Eastern Europe) Essay

Discuss the role of Haskole (Jewish Enlightenment in Eastern Europe) and of Hasidism in the formation and development of modern Yiddish culture - Essay Example From the initial days of the Yiddish, there were a few prayer books for women but were merely translations of existing Hebrew scripts. The first of the books published originally in Yiddish was â€Å"Come Out and See†, more commonly known by a slurring of the name as ‘Tsenerena’; written in the early 1600s. It was written for women, who generally did not read Hebrew and were not as well-versed in biblical commentary, so it is an easier read than some of the Hebrew commentaries written for men. When secular Jewish fiction began to emerge, the religious authorities of that time did not approve of these irreverent Yiddish writings dealing with modern secular and frivolous themes. Some strictly observant people refused to even set type for these writers because they were so offended by their works, but Jewish people throughout Europe embraced them wholeheartedly and treasured them. Foundations of the Yiddish theatre can be traced back to Abraham Haim Lipke Goldfaden w ho was (at that time) a pioneer of Yiddish plays. He wrote and produced numerous plays while travelling throughout the Eastern Europe. The culture, as we all know, was not preserved and was laid bare to the brutalism of the Nazis and the communists†¦ however; certain movements took place during that period in order to modernize the Jews and the Yiddish culture. Two off these movements are of great significance regarding the enlightenment of the Jews in Eastern Europe i.e. Haskole (Haskalah) and Hasidism (Hasidic Judaism). Haskole is a word of Yiddish, the alternative of which in Hebrew is Haskalah. The movement began in the late 1880s its aim being to enlighten the Jews of Eastern Europe through better mixing of the Jews with the eastern societies so that they could learn and live the ways of their neighbors in order to acquire a wider horizon. Haskole encouraged

Environmental Impact Assessment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Environmental Impact Assessment - Coursework Example This shows the fast growing trend of establishing wind energy infrastructure and it is evident that we are going to see many similar projects been commissioned. On one hand it is a very healthy step to shift from non-renewable fuels to green technologies such as wind energy but these technologies also have some issues regarding their impacts on environment and need to be scoped and studied. Another reason for this selection is that this project is an extension, so its impact on the environment will not just be doubled but increased many folds. As you can see in the figure that the extension project is adjacent to high density wind farming area shown in RED. 1.2 Location and Description of the Project Whitelee Wind Farm, is the biggest onshore wind farm in Europe Union, which started in May 2009. ... The Whitelee project will use 69 Alstom ECO 100 wind turbines with a 3MW capacity and six ECO 74 turbines with 1.6MW capacity each. This expansion will confirm Whitelee’s status as the largest wind farm in Europe. â€Å"Simon Christian, UK director of ScottishPower Renewables, said â€Å"Whitelee windfarm is already the largest onshore windfarm in Europe and this extension pushing the overall capacity to 539MW will make it one of the largest in the world.† (Simon Christian) ? Site : Whitelee Wind Farm EXT ? Part : Eaglesham Moor ? Latitude : 55 ° 41' 13.1" ? Longitude : -4 ° 13' 44.4" ? Geodetic system : WGS84 In the above figure the green area mainly comprises of the wind farm and we can see that there are urban areas nearby which include Kilmamock and Hamilton. The next figure will give us the deeper picture of the extension and the turbine density in the gird. Where the blue circles show the planned extension turbine location and the grey show the existing turbi nes. As from the figure we can see that the extension will make create proximity of turbines to the urban areas(white parts of the figure) and therefore the turbines will have more adverse affects on the environment of the area and possibility of accidents will rise in these locations. At present this land is mainly used for grazing for livestock, agriculture activities and forestry. There has been an effective conservation of these activities before the extension but there is potential risk to them now as more turbines will occupy more spaces and construction of these facilities will require more restricted areas and spots. Same is the case with the visual amenity, where now the excessive number of wind turbines

Research paper solar power Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Solar power - Research Paper Example With man’s development and innovation, the sun has also become an energy source. Solar power is basically the power provided by the sun’s rays in the form of electricity or heat (Clean Energy Ideas, n.d.). Solar power has been considered a renewable form of energy compared to fossil fuels because the source, which is the sun, is basically present all the time. It is not likely to happen that the sun will burn out one day, or if it does, all of earth will be in trouble as well (Clean Energy Ideas, n.d.). rays. This photons is transforming the electrons in the materials to conduction electrons that make the electricity (Clean Energy Ideas, n.d.). Solar panels are the materials that have the electrons which create electricity. This materials look like computer chips and can also be seen in rooftops and space engines. The photons in the rays of the sun charges the electrons in the chips and the electrons flow through the cell. This is when electricity is generated (â€Å"Solar Energy†, n.d.). Different techniques have been used to make solar power. One uses a U-shaped mirror which looks like long troughs and focuses the sunlight to an oil that can be found at the middle of the pipe. With the hot coming from the sun, the oil makes the water boil and this creates the solar power. One more technique is using mirrors which can be moved to catch the sunlight which is connected to a tower that collects the heat and connected to a receiver. Molten salt is used as the receiver for this kind of technique. Another technique uses windows with materials that absorb heat. Usually, they are placed in walls and floors, and at night, these materials give out heat that can make hot water in the house (â€Å"Solar Energy†, n.d.). Just like any form of energy source, solar power has its pros and cons. The major benefit of solar power is that it is a sustainable source of energy. Meaning it can be harvested continuously without the fear that it will run out

Thomas Lanier Williams III Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Thomas Lanier Williams III - Essay Example Thesis religions education and values of his grandfather had a great impact on themes and motifs used by Williams in his plays. The religious dimension is appeared in his early plays and portrayed as an important part of characters life. One of his best early one-act plays, Portrait of a Madonna, is at once a pathetic portrait of a deranged Southern spinster, precursor of Blanche DuBois of Streetcar, and a grotesque parody of the immaculate conception. Miss Collins both believes and denies belief. She has been brought up in the shadow of the Episcopal church but feels she has been abandoned by the church. Her walk in the scorching, merciless sunlight is a kind of passion, punctuated with cries to God, Jesus, and a "merciful Christ in Heaven" who show her no mercy. The recluse who believes herself pregnant wants to educate her imagined child privately, "to make sure that it doesn't grow up in the shadow of the cross and then have to walk along blocks that scorch you with terrible sunlight" (Bigsby 2004). The collapse of her belief turns her life into nightmare, as Williams makes amply clear through the tightl y woven pattern of Christian reference turned into parody and developed through imagery of light and shadow (Bigsby 2004). In Summer and Smoke the rectory is the home of a deranged woman and the angel in the park which dominates the set brings at the end not heavenly mercy or the "Eternity" inscribed at its base but the traveling salesman. The central irony of this struggle of body and soul is that by the time that Dr. John finally recognizes that human beings do have souls, Alma has given up hope and searches for satisfactions of the body alone. God's mercy comes not in the form of spiritual aid but in sleeping pills. As Alma tells the salesman, "Life is full of little mercies like that, not big mercies, but comfortable little mercies. And so we are able to keep on going." In The Rose Tatoo Serafina can shed her loneliness and prolonged grief and find love again only after she has blown out the candle under the Madonna's image. The priest is ineffectual and cannot solace her (Bloom 2003). Only in Mangiacavallo does she find renewed life. The Night ofthe Iguana gives us another ineffectual minister, the Reverend T. Lawrence Shannon.Locked out of his church for heresy and fornication, Shannon rages romantically against the traditional image of God as a "senile delinquent" and wants to preach "God as Lightning and Thunder," in oblivious majesty before the terrors of the human condition. His own suffering is described by Hannah as a "voluptuous crucifixion," and her final appeal to God at the end of the play is only the last link in a chain of imagery of crucifixion and unsuccessful resurrection, of Christian belief gone awry. . Dr. John in Summer and Smoke will be married on Palm Sunday. Orpheus Descending reaches its wild climax on Easter Sunday and the lynching of Val Xavier becomes as a result a brutal parody Christian imagery becomes a means of denying Christian belief. In its quieter forms the combination produces cosmic irony; in its most violent manifestations, grotesque parody (Bigsby 2004). In the Glass Menagerie , religion is used as a unique theme which helps Williams to unveil false dreams and ideals of the character. On the level of plot, this circle of reference enhances the credibility of the dramatic situation. Given Amanda's sham

Fitness Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Fitness - Assignment Example Chad may be having. This initial formality is quite crucial for any trainer and their client. For Mr. Chad, a medical form was sent to his doctor and later returned with all the necessary medical questions and requirements filled out. It turned out that Mr. Chad is quite healthy, with no chronic illnesses. For a personal trainer, it is always important to familiarize with a patient’s medical history. This familiarity ensures that one is fully aware of the client they are dealing with and whether they are fit enough for some of the exercise routines being made ready for them (Graves, 2000). Once the decision to begin exercising is reached, cardiac anomalies are usually tested. This examination is done through a graded exercise test. This test was recommended to Mr. Chad because of his age. It is generally not performed on people under the age of 40 years. The test was done with utmost care, under the supervision of three highly trained medical personnel, who had brought with them emergency response medical equipment. A treadmill was used for running and walking exercises, after which his heart rate and blood pressure were measured and compared to the standard range. To determine how hard Mr. Chad should train, a level of exercise intensity that would reasonably overload his cardiovascular system was identified. This identification was through the THR, which relates increasing exercise intensity to a faster heartbeat. The increasing pulse is caused by the muscles demanding for more blood and oxygen. After this test, the next exercise was to assess Mr. Chad’s cardiovascular endurance. This examination was done through the 12-minute run-walk test. The test was used to verify aerobic fitness levels before and after training. In this exercise, Mr. Chad covered a distance of 1.3 miles in 12 minutes, indicating that he had good cardiovascular endurance (Graves, 2000). Having tested Mr. Chad’s cardiovascular endurance, a

Williams Brice Stadium Essay Example for Free

Williams Brice Stadium Essay Williams Brice Stadium appears to be just another college football stadium, but one step through those gates proves it’s a loud exciting and full of heart place. From the band playing, cheers and chants being yelled. The smell of stadium food and the garnet and black color that surrounds you will leave you with the feelings of excitement and a love of college football. Williams Brice Stadium is home to the University of South Carolina Gamecocks football team. Game days at the stadium are the most exciting, thrilling, and full of spirit. From the moment you walk through the gates the sounds of the Mighty Southeast Gamecock marching band, playing â€Å"2001† and â€Å"Step to the Rear† fill your ears. Pumping the fans up for the game that lies ahead. Throughout the game you will hear many cheers and chants being yelled; but none like the famous â€Å"Game Cocks†! The 86,000 plus fans become divided, one half yells â€Å"Game†, while the other half yells â€Å"Cocks†! Making it and Williams Brice Stadium one of the loudest college football stadiums to be. The food at the stadium is delicious typical stadium food. From popcorn, nachos, pizza, hotdogs, cotton candy, pretzels, all fill the walkway behind the seating; thus making your mouth water. All plastic containers are personalized with gamecock football history or design. Sometimes the lines can be a bit long, but so worth the wait. Everywhere you look you will see the colors garnet, black, and white. From bathroom walls, to the signs, banners, railings, letterings, and scoreboards all decked out with school colors. The 86,000 plus fans will all be wearing these beautiful, bold colors. Gamecock fans are some of the most dedicated, loyal, and full of team pride and spirit in all of college football. Visiting Williams Brice Stadium is a very loud, exciting, unique, and full of spirit experience. From the band, to the chants, to the food and color that surrounds you. It’s a one of a kind college football experience. The excitement, the noise, the food, and the Carolina Gamecock pride of football and spirit will leave you longing to return to another game experience at Williams Brice.

The Golden Age Of Athens

The Golden Age Of Athens The Golden Age of Athens, the Age of Pericles, and Pentekontaetia are all names for the time period when Athens reached its height of power and prosperity. It began in 478 B.C. and lasted for approximately fifty years until 431 B.C. In the beginning of its so-called Golden Age, Athens was just coming out of the Persian Wars as leader of the Delian League, and they were beginning their rise to power. At the end of this prosperous era, Athens had made huge advancements in their government, architecture, art, literature, science, and philosophy. Their accomplishments in these areas influence essentially every aspect of society today. Before the Golden Age, Athens was like other city-states in Greece. They were not the superpower of the country; in fact, they were not very significant at all during this time. Athens was located on the peninsula of Attica, and it was the only part of mainland Greece that remained Ionian and did not submit to the Dorian invasion. After the Dorian invasion, Athens did not have a Democracy; they had an oligarchy like many of the other city-states in Greece. In Athens, the Acropolis which was the highest part of the city, was the first site of settlement because it was easily defendable with its steep slopes. Eventually, a central fortress was built, and it encompassed the city. The first law code of Athens was created in 621 B.C. by Athenian nobleman Draco. However, this law code was harsh and only favored the oligarchs, and there were rules such as: a creditor could enslave a debtor if they didnt repay the debt, and the death penalty was given for the smallest crimes. Eventually, in 594 B.C., Solon changes Athens laws. He abolished all of Dracos harsh rules, and he gave citizens a larger voice. Solon created the first Assembly; however, poor citizens were not allowed to hold government jobs. He also helped establish the idea of Democracy, although Athens would not become a full Democracy until 5th Century B.C. The Greeks fell under Persian rule, but although they were not enslaved, they had to pay taxes and annual tributes to the Persians. In 499 B.C, the Ionian Greeks, led by Aristagoras, revolted against Persian rule. There were several battles between the Greeks and the Persians before they were independent once again. The first major battle was the Battle of Marathon fought in 490 B.C, and it was essentially between Athens and Persia. At this time, Athens did not have the strong fleet that it had during its Golden Age. The Athenians needed help, so they sent Phidippides, a professional runner, to ask Sparta for help. Yet, the Spartans did not send soldiers until well into the war, and the battles outcome looked bleak for the Greeks. However, hope was not lost for the Athenians; they received help from Plataea, who sent 9,000 men to join the Athenians at Marathon. The Greeks used the hoplite formation to defeat the Persians. At the end of the battle, 6,400 Persians died, whereas the Athenians only lost 192 men. Phidippides was then sent from Marathon to Athens to alert the Athenians of their victory. The run was a little over twenty-six miles long, and he died immediately after giving the good news. Today, the marathon races run today represent Phidippides journey and they are held in honor of him. It was David versus Goliath, with little David winning. Furthermore, for the first time, a battle was fought on which our whole modern way of life seemed to dependà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ If the Athenians had lost at Marathon, Athens would have been destroyed, and then (many people think) Greece might never have gone on to develop the peak of its civilization, a peak whose fruits we moderns have inherited [Isaac Asimov, pg. 104 ]. Another important battle of the Persian Wars was the Battle of Thermopylae, which was fought in 480 B.C. 7,000 men were led by King Leonidas of Sparta, and his 300 Spartans were the backbone of the army. This battle was mostly between the Greeks (led by Sparta) and Xerxes, the Persian leader. The Greeks lost the battle because of a Phocian traitor that told Xerxes a way around the mountain pass they were stuck in. Although every soldier died fighting, their valiant battle inspired the Greek lovers of freedom, who continued fighting against the Persians. There were other battles like Salamis, Himera, Mycale, and Plataea, and all of these were victories for the Greeks. Finally, in 478 B.C, the Persian War ended, and the Greeks were free from Persian rule. After the Persian War, Sparta and Athens emerged as the two most powerful city-states in Ancient Greece. However, Sparta became extremely jealous of Athens because the Athenians had received most of the credit for the victory against the Persians. The Confederacy of Delos, or the Delian League, was an alliance of Greek city-states formed during the Persian War that was headed by Athens. Yet, although many of the city-states were involved in the alliance, most of the money from the Delian League was used to glorify Athens. The Spartans were upset that Athens was using all of the money, and also because of the fact that they were not the head of the League, so they formed their own alliance called the Peloponnesian League. In time, Spartas jealousy and growing dislike of Athens became so great that a civil war broke out, which led to the downfall of Athens Golden Age. Athens great Golden Age began in 478 B.C. and lasted for Fifty Years. This period of peace, prosperity, and progress in every aspect of culture and science flourished under the leadership of Pericles. Pericles was an aristocrat from a pro-democratic family, so it was natural that he believed in and supported democracy. He was a good speaker and planner of Athens policies. He commanded the military and carried out foreign policies of the people; he was not only respected by the people, but also by his colleagues. Pericles encouraged the arts and built great public buildings, such as the Parthenon. The Greeks, specifically the Athenians, were happy with what Pericles was doing with Athens. By making Athens seem more beautiful to other countries, Greece seemed to be more respected by the world. Pericles seemed like somebody who would be comfortable around others, especially because he was such a charismatic figure. However, he avoided social activities and had very few friends. His one passion in life was for politics; he never mentioned gods or any sort of piety. Pericles was a well-educated and honest man that did not accept bribes or abuse his power. This led the Athenians to like him even more, and he had more power than a king or a tyrant would have had. It was this power that allowed him to bring Athens to its height and turn it into the foundation of Western Civilization. Pericles favored equality for all in Athens, excluding women of course. He passed a bill that gave a salary to jurors, which allowed the poor to serve. He also eliminated laws that allowed only the rich to hold a high office and paid officials, which permitted all citizens of all social classes to participate in the government. Pericles strengthened Athens by building walls from the city to Piraeus in order to safely move food and supplies. These walls became known as the Long Walls, and it was completed in 458 B.C. He was the very basis of Athens Golden Age and after his passing, life in Greece would never be the same. Their most glorious age had reached a sudden end, and their most terrible ordeal was about to begin [Don Nardo, pg.]. While leading Athens during its Golden Age, architecture was very important to the Greeks. Pericles believed the citys greatness should be seen by the world, so he supported major construction of great structures. He had the Acropolis built, and its buildings contained Doric and Ionic columns. These were made of marble, and they represented the strength and grace of the Athenians. On top of the Acropolis was the Propylaea, or entrance way. The Propylaea incorporated traditional, Doric, and Ionic styles. It was designed by architect Mensicles circa 437 B.C. Another structure on top of the Acropolis is the Erechthium, which is the Temple of wingless victory. Perhaps the most famous building from the Golden Age was the Parthenon. This structure was built in 447 B.C., and was the spiritual center of Athens. It was designed and built by architect Ictinus, Callicrates, and sculptor Phidias. The Parthenon was a temple dedicated to Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, and it was Doric in style. The building was a symbol of Athens power, and demonstrated the blessing the city received from the Gods. It is 237 feet long, 110 feet wide and 60 feet tall. It denotes harmony and symmetry in the way that the building is completely symmetrical. According to Greek Scholar John Miliadis, the Parthenon is more the work of inspiration than of calculation. It is a new vision of life, the vision of classical Athenians. Phidias was a friend of Pericles, and died in prison because of the aristocrats of Greece that disliked him. He was believed to be the greatest sculptor during Pericless Age. He carved a 525 foot frieze, which is a band of sculptured figures, around the perimeter of the Parthenon. He also sculpted a statue of Athena Parthenos, which stood 40 feet tall, and was composed of wood, ivory, and over 2,500 pounds of gold. The appearance of Athens was extremely important to its people, and this was clearly displayed through its architectural projects. The Parthenon, the Erechthium, and the Propylaea were all clear examples of Athens power and greatness. Pericles believed that Athens was the leader of the Greek World, and therefore, they had the responsibility of showing the world how cultured they were. Much of the money from the Delian League went into the building projects of Athens. Most members of the League were not upset about this however; on the contrary, they were somewhat glad that Athens was representing Greece well. Art was also a significant part of Athens Golden Age. The purpose of their art was to preserve something visible, such as an idea or a feeling, by revealing its most prominent component. Greek sculpture was intended to be displayed in public places, which meant that it had to be worthy of the gods. The style of art shifted from Archaic to Classical. The most important change in the art style may have been in the poses of the sculptures. Before, the sculptures were a bit in stiff, unrealistic poses, and the faces of the people always seemed very calm. However, in Classical art, the poses of the sculptures were much more natural, and their faces depicted various kinds of emotion. This style of art focused on balance, completeness, proportions, and realism. Sculptors would try to create the perfect person that would be almost god-like. The ancient Greeks believed that the closest thing to perfection was the young athletic human body of a male. There were fewer structures of women than men, and their bodies would always be clothed. The mindset of the average Greek from this time period was: women are not equal to men; therefore, women cannot be anywhere near perfection. This kind of attitude was the reason why there were fewer works of art of women. Like architecture, Greek art during the Golden Age was very important in representing their country to the world. The phenomenal artwork heightened the worlds respect for the Greeks, which was what any country wanted. The Greeks, particularly the Athenians, believed that is they showed the world how cultured and sophisticated they were, their country would be seen as superior and more powerful. The sculptures of Athens Golden Age also captured the beliefs and ideas that people had at the time. They believed in beauty, balance, and harmony, which were clearly depicted in their art. Drama and literature was another area that flourished during the Golden Age. During this time, tragedies and comedies emerged, along with poems and epics. Poetry was regarded as almost a second religion, in the way that many people respected this type of literature. Poets would write about anything that they believed was appropriate to write about. The epics usually featured a hero, and its plot was both exciting and tragic. Famous epics include The Iliad and The Odyssey which were written by the blind poet, Homer. Two of the most prominent types of ancient Greek plays were tragedies and comedies. Tragedies were very serious and intense, and they often showed man as uncertain, fragile, and dangerous. The relationship between God and mans relationship was often seen in tragedies. These tragic plays were based on serious themes which came from history and mythology, such as Aeschyluss The Persians. The greatest writers of tragedies were Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Aeschylus lived around 525 B.C., and he fought at the Battle of Marathon, Salamis, and Plataea during the Persian War. He was the first person to use dialogue in plays, and he was also the first to use costumes, high shoes, and masks. Aeschylus wrote well over 90 plays, however only seven of them have survived. It was through his experience in the Persian Wars that he was able to write The Persians. Sophocles lived around 495 B.C., and his most famous play was called Oedipus Rex. He wrote over 100 plays, but like Aeschylus, only seven of them exist today. Euripides lived circa 484 B.C., and he was interested in human psychology. He had his characters talk in everyday language unlike Aeschylus and Sophocles. Although he wrote over 92 plays, only 18 of them have survived. Tragedies usually had very dreadful endings, with the main characters punished for any action they choose. These plays were performed in an amphitheater, where the acoustics amplified the actors voices. They used masks not only to portray their expressions, but because the mouthpiece of the mask was shaped like a megaphone, which further magnified their voices. More tragedies have survived than comedies, and they all contain universal themes such as love, hatred, revenge, duty, and morality. On the other hand, comedies were optimistic plays that usually focused on human flaws and allowed the audience to laugh at their own mistakes. They were full of slapstick gags, and they lacked cultivation by todays standards [Don Nardo, pg. 75]. Comedies usually involved music and dancing, and they would often include current events. Comedies were also performed in amphitheaters, and they would also be performed at festivals celebrating Dionysus, God of Wine, along with several tragedies. Aristophanes lived in roughly 448 B.C., and he wrote most of the surviving Greek comedies. His weapon was biting wit and sharp satire against the weaknesses of the time and against individuals of whom he disapprovedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ [Isaac Asimov, pg. 135]. These individuals included everybody from rich people to poor people, and even extended to politicians as well. He wrote approximately 40 to 50 comedies, but unfortunately, like all of the other Greek dramatists works, only a number of them have not perished; 11 to be exact. Greek drama was the main form of entertainment for the ancient Greeks. They had no televisions or movie theaters to go to, so they watched plays instead. Not only were these dramas entertaining, they were both informative and a way for people to express themselves. Greek drama taught valuable lessons such as what the most important things in life really are, and they also taught people about human flaws. Ancient Greeks also learned to have a voice because of drama, which correlates to the type of government they had. The Golden Age of Greece also brought the first known historian in the world, besides its other accomplishments. This man is also referred to as the father of history, and his name is Herodotus. Herodotus began the system of writing down history texts, and if it were not for this historian, much of ancient Greeces history may not be known. Herodotus goal was to preserve the memory of the past by putting on record the astonishing achievements both of our own and of other peoples; and more particularly, to show how they came into conflict [Don Nardo, pg. 76]. Science made great advances during the Athens Golden Age. The progressions in science provided a hypothetical basis for all happenings. Science was necessary for many things such as architecture; matter, space, and motion; math-specifically geometry; and even music. Scientists and mathematicians were the first Greeks to not rely on Mythology to explain the happenings of the world, and they used information from ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians to help them. However, the Greeks did not use experiments to find out how things work. Rather, they investigated the world around them and observed, guessed, and discussed their ideas with each other in order to reach a conclusion. One of the most famous scientists was Hippocrates of Cos. He lived in 460 B.C. and introduced medicine into 5th Century B.C. Hippocrates collected data and made inferences. He also experimented on animals to learn physiology, which helped the Greeks deal with fractures and head wounds that resulted from wars. Hippocrates founded the first rational theory of medicine, one that did not depend on gods and demons. It is for this reason that he is often called the father of medicine. [Isaac Asimov, pg. 136]. He believed that illnesses were not caused by gods, but that these were excuses doctors used when they were too embarrassed to admit that they didnt know the cause of a disorder such as epilepsy. There were also many other scientists and mathematicians of ancient Greece that accomplished many things. One of them, Leucippus, believed that matter was composed of tiny particles, and not substances that could be divided infinitely. He was the first person to ever suggest this, and his views were carried on by his student, Democritus. Democritus then began to call these tiny particles atoms, and his views on atoms were very similar to modern views on them. However, other Greek scientists were not yet ready to accept his ideas, so naturally, they shot them down. There was also Eudoxus, who established that a year was not exactly 365 days long, but was six hours longer. Heraclides, a Greek astronomer, was a student of Plato that was the first person to believe in the rotation of the Earth. Aristarchus was also another astronomer, and he suggested that Earth and all other planets revolved around the Sun, but this too, like Leucippus and Democritus views, was unaccepted by other astronomers. Pythagoras was a mathematician that lived in the 6th Century B.C. He introduced the Pythagorean Theorem, which is used to find the length of a side of a right triangle if two lengths are given. He also believed that what separated humans from animals was reason. Science changed Athens and the Greek world by allowing people, for the first time, to realize that not everything depended on the gods and goddesses of their myths. People began to question everything around them, instead of leaving everything up to the will of the gods; and this would eventually reach out to other parts of the world. As a result, of science becoming more prominent in Athens, people were more educated about themselves and the world that they lived in. One of the most important achievements Athens made during its Golden Age was in its government. Athens created the first democratic government the world had ever seen. Meanwhile, other Greek city-states such as Sparta had an oligarchy. Their oligarchy consisted of a small group of aristocrats that made important decisions for Sparta, and the rest of the citizens were equal. The main difference between these two types of government was that in Athens democracy, all citizens had the right to vote, and each vote counted as much as anybody elses vote. Athens democracy was a direct democracy, meaning that its citizens spoke for themselves and not through representatives. Their type of government valued law, order, and freedom. Every citizen, from the poorest man to the richest one, was allowed to hold office. All decisions were made by the Assembly, which consisted of any Athenian citizen that wished to participate. This group met 40 times a year, and they made decisions like fees for public service, which allowed the poor to hold office. There was also the Boule, which was a 500 man council that met daily to discuss issues that were urgent, and they also prepared the Agenda for the Assembly. As a result of Athens change in government to democracy, more Athenians gained equal rights-besides women and slaves, though, they were not considered citizens of Athens. The differences in rights between the social classes in Athens grew very small, which naturally angered those in the upper class. The important matters of the city were decided by its people; however, some people doubted the judgment of those who were less educated. Nonetheless, Athens democracy continued to expand and strengthen as the Golden Age went on. The Greeks idea of liberty was the freedom to do or realize his full potential, speak freely, and make decisions without interference [C.M. Bowra, pg. 12]. However, the beginning of the Peloponnesian War brought an abrupt end to the Golden Age. It began with Sparta declaring war on Athens in 431 B.C. and ended with Athens surrender in 404 B.C. Spartas hatred towards Athens increased over time, until finally; they could not contain their animosity anymore. Greek city-states did not get along very well; they were separated by their mountainous geography, which resulted in different governments, cultures, and customs. The difference was particularly great between Athens and Sparta in everything from their government to what they valued the most. What angered Sparta the most was that Athens received all the credit for defeating the Persians during the Persian War; and this further increased tensions between the two city-states. The war began when Athens imposed a trade embargo on Megara, an ally of Sparta. They refused to let any Spartan ally trade in any ports belonging to the Delian League. Most of the ports were controlled by the Delian League, which meant that Spartan allies essentially had nobody to trade with. The Megarians began to starve as a result of this embargo. Pericles goal when imposing the trade embargo was to discourage the Spartans from war. However, his plan was disastrous, and resulted in Sparta declaring war on Athens. Sparta was in control of the greatest army in Greece, and they decided to use this to their advantage. The Spartans did not want a long and drawn-out war because that would result in many casualties and put a great strain on their city-state. They marched an army of 35,000 hoplites into Attica, and destroyed the entire countryside, leaving people in fear and chaos. Sparta cut off Athens grain supply, hoping to force them to surrender, but the Athenians were well supplied behind the Long Walls. The Spartans wanted to keep the war on land because of their strong military, and they continued to attack Attica relentlessly every year. Athens, meanwhile, had a better navy and treasury than Sparta. While Pericles was in charge during the Peloponnesian War, he ordered all people to retreat behind the Long Walls. He was aware that trying to defeat Sparta on land was near impossible, so he planned to fight on the water. By having all of the Athenians behind the Long Walls, they would be able to receive supplies from cargo ships and hopefully tire out the Spartan army. Pericles plan worked throughout the first summer of the war, and when the Spartans left in the winter, the Athenians went back to their homes. The enemy attacked in the spring of 430 B.C., and the Athenians were forced to retreat behind the Long Walls once again. However, this time, there was something far more dangerous than the Spartan army that was attacking Attica; and this was disease. A fast-spreading plague struck the Athenians and killed approximately 20% of the population. The plague lasted for four years, and after many people had died, the Athenians decided to leave the protection of the Long Walls and fight the Spartans. Unfortunately, Pericles was a victim of the plague as well, and his death in 429 B.C. left Athens weak and divided. Pericles death left several people vying for power over Athens. Among these people were Cleon and Nicias. Cleon wanted to fight Sparta until the Athenians reached a total victory. Nicias, on the other hand, favored peace. Cleon won power over Athens, but soon died in battle. Nicias saw this opportunity to influence Athens to make peace, but Sparta and its allies refused peace and they continued to fight Athens without mercy. Eventually, Athens surrendered to Sparta in 404 B.C. after its fleet was destroyed at Thrace. The Spartan fleet cut off Athens remaining lifeline, which forced the Athenians to put an end to the war. The Spartans were not happy with just winning the war, though. They forced Athens to give up its fleet and foreign possession, take down the Long Walls, and change their cherished democracy into an oligarchy. After a while, the Athenians were allowed to restore their democracy, but the damage was done-their Golden Age came to an end. The Peloponnesian War left Athens devastated; the land was completely destroyed, the food supply was scarce; and the physical resources were nearly completely gone. The war is best known through Thucydides, an Athenian general. He wrote about the war in great detail, and was not biased; he wrote only about the facts of the war. No one could have guessed that the conflict would bring about Pericles downfall, the end of the Fifty Years, and the exhaustion and cultural decline of all the city-states, [Don Nardo, pg. 80]. The Peloponnesian War stripped Athens of its power and greatness, and left Greece vulnerable to any foreign invasions. With the end of the Peloponnesian War, the Athenians were faced with the grueling task of rebuilding their city-state. People began to look for a principle that explained why things are the way they are, which began the rise of philosophy. The ancient Greeks believed that philosophy and science came from the same branch of study; which is why scientists proved things using logic and reason. Philosophers were travelling teachers that wanted to learn the truth and sought wisdom through different methods. The three most famous philosophers of ancient Greece were Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Socrates was the earliest of the Greek philosophers, and participated in the Peloponnesian War. He was born in 469 B.C. and he lived as a very plain and poor man. During the Peloponnesian War, he came to the conclusion that Man-not the universe-was the enemy of man. He believed that everybody knew more than they thought they knew, and he also believed that mans conscience was a better guide to right conduct than what society said. His method of teaching was by asking questions, and has come to be known as the Socratic Method. Socrates was proclaimed the wisest man in Greece by the Oracle of Delphi after stating, All I know is that I know nothing. Despite being the wisest man, he was unpopular among the Athenians. He was arrested on three charges at the age of 70. The first charge was for corrupting the youth; the second charge was for not believing in the citys gods; and the third was for introducing new deities to society. He was brought before a 501-man jury in 399 B.C., convicted of corrupting the youth, and then sentenced to death. He was convicted by the slim majority of 281 to 220 Athenians. Socrates had several opportunities to break out of jail, and yet, he refused to do so. He did not want to break the law by breaking out of jail, so he stayed in his cell, drank the poison hemlock, and died. Many people today believe that the unjust death of this wise philosopher, which was the result of a vote of the people, is an example of the dangers of a direct democracy. Plato was another famous philosopher of Greece. He was Socrates student, and wrote down all of his teachings, for Socrates did not record anything. Plato believed that all souls were immortal and knew all truths, but as they grew up, they forgot everything. He believed that it was his job to help students remember these truths through the power of logic and reason. In 387 B.C., he founded the Academy, the first school for higher education in Athens, and he also wrote a book called The Republic. The Republic describes his Utopia which was a state ruled by philosophers. In this ideal state there were three classes: the Guardians who governed the state, the Auxiliaries who were the military, and everybody else. In his book, he expressed his strong dislike for democracy, which he believed was the reason why his teacher, Socrates, had died. Plato also wrote The Dialogues, which displayed Socrates ideas along with his own. The Dialogues were composed of discussions that Socrates would have with other students while he was alive. In Platos eyes, Socrates was the wisest and most just and best man [C.M. Bowra, pg. 138]. So naturally, his death was an extreme loss to Plato. One of his philosophies, Platonism, stated that physical beings were imperfect, and that the spirit, soul, and body of a person were separated. These ideas passed into Christianity later on, where they influenced certain beliefs. Platos philosophical system and marvelous language make him one of the most gifted men who ever lived, [C.M. Bowra, pg. 140]. Over time, his ideas spread over Europe, and they eventually reached across the Atlantic Ocean, where it helped form the basis of Western Philosophy. Aristotle was the last, and perhaps the most influential, philosopher from the ancient Greek world. He attended Platos Academy at the age of 17, and he studied there for 20 years. He was born in 384 B.C., and he travelled to Athens to attend the Academy. There, he studied science, ethics, politics, and mathematics. Aristotle, unlike his teacher Plato, believed that research was the method people should use to investigate the world. His philosophy consisted of the power of direct observation to draw conclusions. He relied on the five senses, while Plato believed that they were not reliable. Evidently, these two philosophers did not agree with each other, yet they respected each others ideas. Aristotle was particularly interested in natural philosophy which was the study of natural phenomena in the world, which includes many fields of science. Here, he made great advances, and was the most successful in his studies of biology. He classified animal species, and also concluded that dolphins were not fish, which proved that he was a full 2000 years ahead of his time. Aristotle also ways of observation to find a solution influenced Francis Bacon, who founded the scientific method. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were all famed philosophers that changed their times. Their philosophies helped the Greek population to become more educated, and their ideas provided some guidance in rebuilding Athens after the Peloponnesian War. However, despite their great efforts to revive Athens former state of glory, the Peloponnesian War had indeed brought the end of the Golden Age of Athens. Their ideas and philosophies, although taught in vain, have become a great addition to Western Philosophy. The achievements that occurred during the Golden Age of Athens continue to affect the modern world. Although most people do not realize it, more than half of what is taken for granted, can be attributed to the Athenians. Pierre Leveque stated, One need only to look closely at our own language, our political institutions, and our culture, to discover to what extent the Greek experience lives on. Despite the fact that Athens Golden Age was over 2000 years ago, all of its accomplishments have not been forgotten, and they are being lived through Western Civilizat