Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Giotto di Bondone - Father of the Renaissance

Giotto di Bondone - Father of the Renaissance Giotto di Bondone was known for being the earliest artist to paint more realistic figures rather than the stylized artwork of the medieval and Byzantine eras Giotto is considered by some scholars to be the most important Italian painter of the 14th century.  His focus on emotion and natural representations of human figures would be emulated and expanded upon by successive artists, leading Giotto to be called the Father of the Renaissance. Places of Residence and Influence Italy: Florence Important Dates Born: c. 1267Died: Jan. 8, 1337 Quotation from Giotto Every painting is a voyage into a sacred harbor. About Giotto di Bondone Though many stories and legends have circulated about Giotto and his life, very little can be confirmed as fact. He was born in Colle di Vespignano, near Florence, in 1266 or 1267- or, if Vasari is to be believed, 1276. His family was probably farmers. Legend has it that while he was tending goats he drew a picture on a rock and that the artist Cimabue, who happened to be passing by, saw him at work and was so impressed with the boys talent that he took him into his studio as an apprentice.  Whatever the actual events, Giotto appears to have been trained by an artist of great skill, and his work is clearly influenced by Cimabue. Giotto is believed to have been short and ugly. He was personally acquainted with Boccaccio, who recorded his impressions of the artist and several  stories of his wit and humor; these were included by Giorgio Vasari in the chapter on Giotto  in his  Lives of the Artists.  Giotto  was married and at the time of his death, he was survived by at least six children. The Works of Giotto There exists no documentation to confirm any artwork as having been painted by Giotto di Bondone. However, most scholars agree on several of his paintings. As an assistant to Cimabue, Giotto is believed to have worked on projects in Florence and other places in Tuscany, and in Rome. Later, he also traveled to Naples and Milan. Giotto almost undoubtedly painted the Ognissanti Madonna (currently in the Uffizi in Florence) and the fresco cycle in the Arena Chapel (also known as the Scrovegni Chapel)  at Padua, considered by some scholars to be his masterwork.  In Rome, Giotto is believed to have created  the mosaic of  Christ Walking on the Water  over the entrance to St. Peter’s, the  altarpiece at the  Vatican Museum, and  the fresco of  Boniface VIII Proclaiming the Jubilee  in  St. John Lateran.   Perhaps his best-known work is that done in Assisi, in the Upper Church of San Francesco: a cycle of 28 frescoes depicting the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. This monumental work depicts the entire life of the saint, instead of isolated events, as had been the tradition in ​earlier medieval artwork. The authorship of this cycle, like most of the works attributed to Giotto, has been called into question; but it is very likely that he not only worked in the church but designed the cycle and painted most of the frescoes. Other important works by Giotto include the Sta Maria Novella Crucifix, completed sometime in the 1290s, and the Life of St. John the Baptist fresco cycle, completed c. 1320. Giotto was also known as a sculptor and architect. Though there is no concrete evidence for these assertions, he was appointed chief architect of the workshop of Florence cathedral in 1334. The Fame of Giotto Giotto was a much-sought-after artist during his lifetime. He appears in works by his contemporary  Dante  as well as  Boccaccio.  Vasari said of him, Giotto restored the link between art and nature. Giotto di Bondone died in Florence, Italy, on January 8, 1337. More Giotto di Bondone Resources Painting of Giotto by Paolo UccelloBooks on Giotto include Giottoby  Francesca Flores dArcais Giotto(Taschen Basic Art)by Norbert Wolf Giotto(DK Art Books)by  Dorling Kindersley Giotto: The Founder of Renaissance ArtHis Life in Paintingsby  DK Publishing Giotto: The Frescoes of the Scrovegni Chapel in Paduaby Giuseppe Basile Giotto di Bondone on the Web WebMuseum: Giotto Extensive examination of Giottos life and work by Nicolas Pioch. Renaissance Art and Architecture

Saturday, November 23, 2019

The try-catch-finally Blocks in Java

The try-catch-finally Blocks in Java To make a Java program as robust as possible it needs to be able to handle exceptions. The compiler does its part by not allowing you to compile a program until it is syntactically correct and can also point out checked exceptions that must be handled. But the exceptions that are likely to cause the most headaches are the ones that appear once the program is running. To help handle these exceptions the Java language provides the try-catch-finally blocks. The try Block The tryblock encases any statements that might cause an exception to occur. For example, if you are reading data from a file using the FileReader class, its expected that you handle the IOExceptions associated with using a FileReader object, for example,FileNotFoundExceptionand IOException. To ensure this happens, you can place the statements that deal with creating and using the FileReader object inside a try block:However, the code is incomplete because, in order for the exception to be handled, we need a place for it to be caught. This happens in the catch block.The catch Block The catch block(s)  provide a place to handle the exception thrown by the statements within a try block. The catch block is defined directly after the try block. It must specify the type of exception it is handling. For example, the FileReader object defined in the code above is capable of throwing a FileNotFoundException or an IOException. We can specify two catch blocks to handle both of those exceptions:In the FileNotFoundExceptioncatchblock we could place code to ask the user to find the file for us and then try to read the file again. In the IOException catch block, we might just pass on the I/O error to the user and ask them to try something else. Either way, we have provided a way for the program to catch an exception and handle it in a controlled manner.In Java SE 7, it became possible to handled multiple exceptions in one catch block. If the code we wanted to place in the two catch blocks above was exactly the same we could write the code like this instead:In order to do a bit of housekeeping as far as resources go, we can add a finally block. After all, we want to release the file we have been reading from once we are finished. The finally Block The statements in the finally block are always executed. This is useful to clean up resources in the event of the try block executing without an exception and in the cases when there is an exception. In both eventualities, we can close the file we have been using.   The finally block appears directly after the last catch block:

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Exam Cheating As An Ethical Breach Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Exam Cheating As An Ethical Breach - Essay Example Is it a situation where the hunted raising their game than the hunter? One thing for sure is that exam cheating is real although the extent to which it cuts through human morality or ethical standards is what can be argued. Some people consider exam cheating as a way of survival in college and ignore any ethical breach that could be associated with it. However, a keen perception of this matter reveals otherwise. Thesis statement: Exam cheating is an indication of decay in societal morals. The manner in which the society responds to exam cheating is a manifesto that indeed there is a problem. It is possible to find someone ignoring and deeming it normal when they see a close friend or family member cheating in an exam. As long as the ‘cheater’ is away from the instructor or lecturer, they have nothing to worry about. This is because everywhere else is ‘safe’ except the surroundings of the lecturer. No one cares about the society if you cheat or not. Integrity and honesty are key principles in any society’s moral provisions. At work or business, employees are expected to show high integrity level as well as honesty (Anderman and Tamera, 133). At school the same principles apply, one is supposed to honest in every endeavor they engage in. How they are you honest when you sneak in with unwanted materials into the examination room to copy and lie to the examiner it is your own work? In the society, exam cheating is well distinguished to be a wrong action that is ethically unaccepted. Children have been socialized into knowing what is good and what is bad. It, therefore, means that the people who engage in cheating understand pretty well that they are taking unethical steps. All they do is to make what is wrong to look right. They understand that their ego would ‘eat’ them up if they never deploy a strong defense mechanism. They, therefore, have devised excuses and untrue opinions about cheating. Some call it a normal college action while others claim it is not an ethical issue or if it is then it must be very mild. How mild can it be mild when one gets a degree that is not theirs? Doesn’t it feel bad to be employed in an organization with someone’s ‘knowledge’?

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Review of What Management Is Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Review of What Management Is - Essay Example Management has been the key to innovation for success in the past as well as the present. It contains such principles which are jargon-free. She studied how different people work together and emphasized all ideas for effective management should be transmitted into action to get better performance. This theory was supported on the basis of case studies considering dell, for hospitals etc. only such people should be hired in the organization who have capabilities to deal with challenging situations. Management is not only used in business, nowadays management is required for every work. For instance, if one has made choice in any decision or it is related to the community, one should first know the definition of management and should also identify both good as well as bad aspects. In an organization, managers have limited resources they should be able to manage those in accordance with the requirement. In order to become a manager, no training is needed i.e. normally many managers do not possess any formal diploma in management, rather a diploma doesn’t prove that a person is a good manager (Magretta Joan 15). Managers work efficiently only because they have work pressure because of which they prefer to work in teams, find the quick solution to the problems and try to make an effective decision in a short time. To be a manager is the most critical job compared to other professions. Managers are the sole person who helps us identify whether social institutions are serving us properly or not. So one should band the tradition of thinking of a managerial work, in spite should adopt it in practice so that difficult problems can be solved and performance can be improved further (Mintzberg Henry  165).  

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Oversea Study Agent in China Essay Example for Free

Oversea Study Agent in China Essay 1.0 Introduction As China’s refrom and opening up, foreign exchange increasing day by day. Studying abroad craze after another. More and more people chose to accept foreign advanced education. This report is small scale survey on experiences with the services of oversea study agencies, which in order to inform readers some informations about oversea study agencies, let them have a more comprehensive understanding of these agents. First, some basic overviews of oversea study agent such as what is the oversea study agent, the history and development of these agencies, the role and characteristics of oversea study agencies, will be described in this report. Then it also show some main problems of oversea study agencies, which include some illegal phoenomenons, professionalism of employee is low and regulatory mechanism is not perfect. Legal system is not perfect and the lack of high-quality personnel as the causes of problems followed by. At last the recommendation and conclusion will be illustrated. 2.0 Procedures This paper is after a group discussion and arrangements. Five education agents are investigated through telephone consultation, internet search, etc. They are Golden Oriental, Jin Gillette, Mei Grabrel, CIEC World Famous Studio to study vertical and horizontal, Zhong Rui in Shanghai. There are also some views reference by authority report. 3.0 Findings 3.1 Some basic overview of oversea study agent 3.1.1 What is oversea studying agencies Oversea study agent is a intermediary for students to studying abroad to other countries that provide school students application and visa application assistance and services. Everywhere in the world exist this industry. In China the first countries to ratify the legal service agencies to study abroad is very high, the first practitioners of the business background needed to be engaged in education institutions, so the first batch of approved institutions most comprehensive university with some formal or large state government departments, only two company are private institutions, Jin Gillette in Beijing and Zhong Rui in Shanghai . And the choice of this two institutions are engaged in their education both at the same time quite strong behind the enterprise groups as the background. Second and subsequent access to qualified institutional conditions in the application than the first batch of great relaxation, an increase of more institutions, but are required to be registered within the legal institutions. 3.1.2 The role of oversea study agent First, providing professional guidance to reduce the personal trouble. This is the most important role of education agents. The current situation is that most people and institutions of education abroad do not quite understand the situation, the role of intermediaries is to use the relationship with foreign educational institutions, combined with national policies to individuals and schools to study the national situation, to apply for admission, handle Visa and other relevant information and advice. Procedures for many students, if they apply the words of ordinary people, not only spend more time, and error-prone, with the help of an intermediary, you can greatly reduce such problems. Second, providing legally qualified schools. It is understood that there are two types of foreign registered schools, one is teaching institutions, although another category called the school, but in fact is the company, and such registration requirements of the companys relatively loose, the more difficult for teachers and teaching quality assurance. Chinese government prohibited foreign institutions and educational service agencies engaged in recruiting activities on their own in, requiring direct intermediary service organizations and educational institutions with foreign universities signed a cooperation agreement and submit the location of the relevant provincial education administrative departments for the record, but also requires foreign school to provide the Embassy of China in the internationally renowned certification other than the institutions. The goal is to prevent a number of international universities and the poor quality of some multinational companies fraud in China. Therefore, the study intermediary agreements with foreign institutions of higher learning in schools is actually a constraint, so as to ensure the quality of teaching in schools and individual rights. Then, to help design individual study plans. Study abroad is a new way of learning in China, so most Chinese people find it difficult to design their own study plan. There arise a phenomenon that many people have chosen wrong counties, wrong school or wrong professional. The losses are difficult to be measured by money. Study intermediary with resources, according to consumer expertise, interests and financial ability to provide consumers with a most appropriate and most effective way to study. In addition, there is a balance the function of oversea study agencies for market supply and demand. As with other products in the market, study abroad market also has a supply and demand balance. The difference is that, as the case involves foreign students, consumers are poorly understood, the role of intermediaries is that the students grasp the situation told the consumer market, and guide consumers in different countries and schools to filter, so that the education market and a balanced supply and demand. 3.2 Problems of oversea study agencies It is report that â€Å"Golden Oriental† has the trap of going abroad, 15 students trapped in Germany. A parents said the Golden Oriental is a German training center in Qingdao, the main business is to recruit students to learn German. Enrollment in the center, forward to introduce registration of students and parents to learn the language here, must we go through the exit of the relevant procedures. This fully demonstrates the agency of studying abroad at this stage still exit some problems. 1. Some illegal phenomenon First, unauthorized business in the studying intermediary. Without the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Public Security issued a permit to study intermediary services, without the approval of the administrative department for industry and commerce registration, engaging in business activities of education agents. In Beijing there are still some people who employ by the three no company (no license, no office, no charge certificate) to the embassy in front of students engaged in activities of intermediary services around by some foreign embassies. These illegal intermediary agencies in profits, driven by the illicit in intermediary services. Second, there is a linked management phenomenon. Linked management is some of the illegal gain qualification in legal education agents affiliated companies access to the following qualification to the legitimate operations of those features. There are some study intermediaries authorized by the parent company of illegally engaging in a branch or branches of intermediary business, the umbrella agency to act as illegal. Finally, some foreign companies do illegally business in China. State expressly that foreign investment institutions in the country engaged in the study can not be mediated. But there are still some companies as the representative of the foreign school or under the banner of the Office of foreign schools in China to enroll students. 3.2.2 Professionalism of employee is low It is understood that practitioners who have the correlated educational background in the study abroad agency are less than 50ï ¼â€¦. Management has not issued specific standards for employees in certificates, but no appraisal system. Most of the intermediarys employees are recruited from the community, by the agency after a simple training to induction, a considerable number of other employees in the state organs or institutions of workers retire, there officers aging. Therefore, the variation in levels of professional and reduce the agencys service quality and effectiveness of the service extensively restricted. 3.2.3 Regulatory mechanism is not perfect At current situation, it has not specifical laws and regulations on the study abroad agency to regulate behaviours they have. At the same time, the management of policies from different departments, regulatory agencies is not clear. It is a more complex work to supervision and management the intermediary services for studying abroad. Too few managers, industry and commerce, are also responsible for public security, there is busy. Three units of the joint action, they often stay in the rectification movement style, and they can not do more frequent, thorough and meticulous work, so that the management is difficult to place. 3.3Causes of the problems 3.3.1Legal system is not perfect Currently, the state has not the development of social intermediary organizations and the general considerations of unified planning, there is no national authority in charge of social intermediary organizations and coordination of departments, to study abroad agency management and macro-control weaknesses still exist. Government lack of studying abroad Pan strictly regulate intermediary management, law degree is not high. Market economy is the legal economy, study abroad agency to rely on laws and regulations to locate and act. However the legal management of oversea study agencies has a far way from the establishment of socialist market economy. 3.3.2The lack of high-quality personnel Oversea study agency is a strong professional service, foreign language level requirements high. Thus, requiring that their employees must have a high quality of cultural knowledge, good professional service and knowledge of international practice. However, there are talents in this area obviously can not keep up the situation and development needs: the quality of personnel is not high, the shortage of professionals. 4.0 Recommendation At present, more and more people choose to go abroad, the oversea study agent play an important role in China. However, there are still exit the problems which mentioned above. So some measures must be taken such as effectively strengthen the supervision and management of education agents’waste, further improve the advertising review and investigation, to increase the intensity modulation of employees’ education and training, improve relevant laws and regulations to standardize and restrain intermediary acts. 5.0 Conclusion Whit the boom of study abroad set off, oversea study agency has become an indispensable institution to student. It provide professional guidance, provide legally qualified schools, help design individual study plans and so on. However, there are still some problems that can damages the interests of consumers. When people choosing the oversea study agencies, both advantages and disadvantages should be considered. Whit the sound of legal system and the development of market economy in China, problems in the intermediary agencies of study abroad will be solved. Their business will be more and more standardized. 6. Reference Gousheng Li, 2006-10-29, Study abroad at one’s own expenses intermediaraes’problems and countermeasures. Junrong Yan, 2001-12-4, Education agents, you play what role http://baike.baidu.com/view/864680.htm http://www.runsky.com/homepage/study/abroad/news/userobject1ai413028.html

Thursday, November 14, 2019

APPLICATIONS OF SILICON :: essays research papers

Applications of Silicon Silicon is one of man’s most useful elements. In the form of sand and clay it is used to make concrete and brick; it is a useful refractory material for high-temperature work, and in the form of silicates it is used in making enamels, pottery, etc. Silica, as sand, is a principal ingredient of glass, one of the most inexpensive of materials with excellent mechanical, optical, thermal and electrical properties. Hyperpure silicon can be doped with boron, gallium, phosphorus, or arsenic to produce silicon for use in transistors, solar cells, rectifiers, and other solid-state devices, which are used extensively in the electronics and space-age industries. Though silicon was originally discovered in 1810 and thought to be a compound silicon was discovered as an element in 1823 by Jons Berzelius. In 1824 Berzelius prepared amorphous silicon by the same general method and purified the product by removing the fluosilicates by repeated washings. Deville in 1854 first prepared crystalline silicon, the second allotropic form of the element. Davy in1800 thought silica to be a compound and not an element; later in 1811, Gay Lussac and Thenard probably prepared impure amorphous silicon by heating potassium with silicon tetrafluoride. Silicon is a metalloid at room temperature with an atomic number of 14, 14 electrons, 14 neutrons, and an average atomic mass of 28.0855. In its pure form,silicon melts at 2,570 degrees, and boils at 4,271 degrees Fahrenheit. This element belongs to the metalloid family, the 14th family on the periodic table of elements. This element is a solid metalloid at room temperature and turns to liquid at 2,570 degrees. Silicon is prepared as a brown amorphous powder or as gray-black crystals. Crystalline silicon has a metallic luster and grayish color. It is hard, non-magnetic, and most acids do not effect it, but it does dissolve in hydrofluoric acid, forming the gas, silicon tetrafluoride, SiF 4. At ordinary temperatures silicon is impervious to air, but at high temperatures it reacts with oxygen, forming a layer of silica that does not react further. At high temperatures it also reacts with nitrogen and chlorine to form silicon nitride and silicon chloride, respectively. Elemental silicon transmits more than 95% of all wavelengths of infrared, from 1.3 to 6.y micro-m. Silicon is present in the soil and makes up about 25.7% of the earth’s crust. Silicon also promotes firmness and strength in human tissues. It is part of the arteries, tendons, skin, connective tissue, and eyes.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

A Shopkeeper’s Millennium

While other historians wish to discuss American History in general, Paul E. Johnsons gives focus on one subject alone which he intelligently conveys the message of interconnecting his subject on the general concept of American History. His magnificent book ‘A Shopkeeper’s Millennium’ is a compilation of a 6-years-in-the-making book that entails research about the early nineteenth century rapid transformation in the United States of America and its significance and impact in the long run. As the book claims that Rochester, New York was the first inland boom town in America, it also explains how when and why it calls that way. Having listed those factual evidences to prove the claim, Paul reveals some important accounts from his comprehensive study and statistical analysis. Generally, factors that made such impact to Rochester and to America as a whole are the combinations of three aspects, which are the economic, social, and the political context. The economic support from Rochester to the larger America is primarily due to the construction, opening and flourishing of the transportation of Erie Canal in 1820’s to 1830’s. This transportation system solely caters the flour business of the east, which helped feeding other states. Since the opening of the Erie Canal took place, other frontier cities look up Rochester, New York as the role model for every city and likewise emulate the same ideas for their own prosperity. The upheaval between the North and the South of US during that time does neither strengthen not prolong by the usage of this canal. Furthermore, it helps to initially establish as the bridge of the breach that is going on. Another illustration of economic appreciation favoring Rochester is the growing of local grain milling and manufacturing of agricultural products in this town. Detailed description on how well the farmers and women revolutionize their best potentials from being the second class dollar earners to successful businessmen and businesswomen using only their homes and own backyards as their factories. True that there are enough resources to each and every situation but only few can wisely grab these exposed opportunities and use its maximum potential. These rags to riches story of US also entail stories of unsung heroes of American culture and history. The period of early nineteenth century covers many transitions in US. One of these is its politics. This is the time where the Whigs formed the new political party and called as The Republican. Paul E. Johnson also tackles this issue and discusses where and why Whigs drew support from churches and Democrats from the working class groups, which urged people decide supporting such political party that has a promise beneficial to them in accordance to their interest. Since industrialization takes place in Rochester, the emerging capitalism is likewise created by the society. The government as a reaction needs to amend laws and provisions according to the existing norm in Rochester and in New York. The emergence of industrialization in Rochester, New York particularly in the frontier vicinity of Erie Canal causes distinction of societies. Although it is generally viewed as paternalism and the role of women is vaguely illustrated, participation of both groups develops disparity of roles and principles. Moreover, working class’ group which are usually men build up indifferences with the free moral agency set by mothers and women that are belong to the middle and upper class group. Religious aspect is likewise expanded in Rochester. What could be the role of politics, social, and economic factors in the booming town of Rochester then? How these factors caused changes to Rochester? The only political impact that cause changes to Rochester is that Whigs are supported by the majority of its residents and capitalists, and thus won the elections. The population of Rochester, New York is comprised of mostly working class men that are commonly found drank after working hours, and the morally principled middle and upper class women. Their impact is set as equally important in the booming of this inland town because of their balanced contribution in the society and industry. Lastly, Paul E. Johnsons provide us the essence of Rochester, New York in the history of America by supplying us the thought that the most influential factor, which gave immense impact to Industrial Revolution as a whole, is the economic factor that is set first in the area of Rochester. This is due to the fact that the economy of Rochester where inland transportation scheme in Erie Canal, commercialization thru agriculture, and career shift to every home is done in Rochester during the period of revival or the so-called Second Great Awakening in US.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Evaluate The Organization’s Involvement To The Community

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was established on February 4, 1962. It was founded by an entertainer Danny Thomas. Danny was revolutionized how children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases are treated around the world. The company’s core values, their vision and their mission explain the social responsibilities and factor that influence local and a national community. The mission of St.Jude Children’s Research Hospital consists of enriching the life of children by advance means of prevention, for the cure of pediatric catastrophic diseases. Using a vast amount of research and treatment has cause a recent expansion in St Jude’s hospitals to expand its services nation wide. This modern treatment provides an opportunity for these children to live a meaningful life all while being treated. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital started as leader in research for munity-based alternative to institutional care.The need for alternative medicin e and advance technological treatment of children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases was a determining factor that caused the organization to grow to what is known today. Summarize what factors have influenced the social responsibility strategies of the organization. The financial factor has a major influence in the strategies and social responsibility of the company. These funds are the fuel that keeps St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital striving for success.These funds not only pay employees but help families with medical cost and support. The factors that have caused St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital become a successful nonprofit organization can be seen in many other nonprofit companies. These companies strive to reach out to the community that has the most need, like children with Developmental disabilities, cancer and other catastrophic diseases. Does this organization have social initiative? If so what is it?The social initiative is to provide pat ients with exceptional medical care, it all started from St. Jude core values are to be true to their beliefs: respectful, honest, transparent and fair. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is determine to offer a broad combination of services based on the principle of full participation in community by advancing the treatment awareness and prevention of catastrophic diseases in children’s. Jude Children’s Research Hospital receive federal and state grants, donations, foundation funding.These funds are use to conduct research for Biomedical Engineering, Cytogenetic and Protein Production. All of this research is essential in the prevention and treatment of disease like cancer (2013). What are moral effects of the organization? The protocols that St Jude has created helped rates for childhood cancers from less than 20 percent when the hospital opened in 1962 to 80 percent today Research. (2012, 0507 02). The responsibilities of St.Jude Children’s Research Hospital are to the children with catastrophic diseases, their families, and to the donors that have committed their personal resources toward the mission. A major factor of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital determination for success is the fact that they’re a catholic religious hospital. Being able to generate Substantial amount donation has its moral debate. In the recent data collected science has proven the positive effect of stem cell research. Do to the catholic believe of the organization St. Jude will not fund research for cancer that has stem cells.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

population growth essays

population growth essays We are in grave , grave trouble. There are 3,6 billion human beings on the face of the Earth.According to our best estimates, there are somewhere between three and seven times more people than this planet can possibly maintain over a long period of time. ...Non-renewable resources are being exhausted at a horrendous rate, and we are destroying the capability of the planetary ecosystem to renew the supply of renewable resources. (Hinrichs" The worse however is yet to come.here are some numerical data that are present in John Laffins The Hunger to Come: About 2050 the population will be 15.000 million, a century later 82.000 million and by 2350 a frightening 440.000 million will be reached(47).We need to realize the necessity of a population plan which will make us more optimistic as far as our future is concerned.This plan must be based on the fact that the control of the rapid population growth is necessary globally; otherwise, earths environment will be put into greater danger,the overexploitation of natural resources will continue and poverty will rise in most of the worlds countries. In order to understand why rapid population growth is a threat and why we need to control it we must examine the problems which population expansion generates. First, population growth has serious effects on the environment. As we all know we consume materials and energy from earth and then return heat and wastes to earth. It is only logical to say that there is a limit at which these wastes can come to our planet without having serious effect on humans. According to Noel Hinrichs the basic reason for the decrease in the quality of the environment is the absence of control over technology, land-use and especially over pollution. Nevertheless, due to the fact that population growth makes worse all those unfortunate situations, and the control of population density can buy us some time to control the re...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Inca Road System - 25,000 Miles Connecting an Empire

Inca Road System - 25,000 Miles Connecting an Empire The Inca Road (called Capaq Ñan or Qhapaq Ñan in the Inca language Quechua and Gran Ruta Inca in Spanish) was an essential part of the success of the Inca Empire. The road system included an astounding 25,000 miles of roads, bridges, tunnels, and causeways. Key Takeaways: The Inca Road The Inca Road includes 25,000 miles of roads, bridges, tunnels, and causeways, a straight line distance of 2,000 miles from Ecuador to ChileConstruction followed existing ancient roadways; Incas began improving it as part of its imperial movements by the mid-15th centuryWay stations were established at every 10–12 miles  Use was restricted to elites and their messengers, but commoners maintained, cleaned and repaired and set up businesses to cater to the travelersLikely nonelite access by miners and others Road construction began in the mid-fifteenth century when the Inca gained control over its neighbors and started expanding their empire. The construction exploited and expanded on existing ancient roadways, and it ended abruptly 125 years later when the Spanish arrived in Peru. In contrast, the Roman Empires road system, also built on existing roadways, included twice as many miles of road, but it took them 600 years to build. Four Roads from Cuzco The Inca road system runs the entire length of Peru and beyond, from Ecuador to Chile and northern Argentina, a straight-line distance of some 2,000 mi (3,200 km). The heart of the road system is at Cuzco, the political heart and capital of the Inca Empire. All the main roads radiated out from Cuzco, each named for and pointed in the cardinal directions away from Cuzco. Chinchaysuyu, headed to the north and ending in Quito, EcuadorCuntisuyu, to the west and to the Pacific coastCollasuyu, led southward, ending in Chile and northern ArgentinaAntisuyu, eastward to the western edge of the Amazon jungle According to historical records, the Chinchaysuyu road from Cuzco to Quito was the most important of these four, keeping the rulers of the empire in close touch with their lands and subject people in the north. Inca Road Construction Original Inca built canal and street in city of Ollantaytambo, Peru. Jeremy Horner / Corbis NX / Getty Images Plus Since wheeled vehicles were unknown to the Inca, the surfaces of the Inca Road were intended for foot traffic, accompanied by llamas or alpacas as pack animals. Some of the roadways were paved with stone cobbles, but many others were natural dirt pathways between 3.5–15 ft (1–4 meters) in width. The roads were primarily built along straight lines, with only a rare deflection by no more than 20 degrees within a 3 mi (5 km) stretch. In the highlands, the roads were constructed to avoid major curves. To traverse the mountainous regions, the Inca built long stairways and switchbacks; for lowland roads through marshes and wetlands they built causeways; crossing rivers and streams required bridges and culverts, and desert stretches included the making of oases and wells by low walls or cairns. Practical Concerns The roads were primarily built for practicality, and they were intended to move people, goods, and armies quickly and safely across the length and breadth of the empire. The Inca almost always kept the road below an altitude of 16,400 feet (5,000 meters), and where at all possible they followed flat inter-mountain valleys and across plateaus. The roads skirted much of the inhospitable South American desert coast, running instead  inland along the Andean foothills where sources of water could be found. Marshy areas were avoided where possible. Architectural innovations along the trail where difficulties could not be avoided included drainage systems of gutters and culverts, switchbacks, bridge spans, and in many places low walls built to bracket the road and protect it from erosion. In some places,  tunnels and retaining walls were built to allow safe navigation. The Atacama Desert Inca Road through the Atacama Desert. San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta Region, Chile (Lagunas Miscanti and Mià ±iques). Jimfeng / iStock / Getty Images Plus Precolumbian travel across Chiles Atacama desert could not be avoided, however. In the 16th century, the Contact-period Spanish historian Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo crossed the desert using the Inca Road. He describes having to break his people into small groups to share and carry food and water supplies. He also sent horsemen ahead to identify the location of the next available water source. Chilean archaeologist Luis Briones has argued that the famed Atacama geoglyphs carved into the desert pavement and on the Andean foothills were markers indicating where water sources, salt flats, and animal fodder could be found. Lodging Along the Inca Road According to 16th-century historical writers such as Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, people walked the Inca Road at the rate of about ~12-14 mi (20–22 km) a day. Accordingly, placed along the road at every 12–14 miles are tambos or tampu, small building clusters or villages which acted as rest stops. These way stations provided lodging, food, and supplies for travelers, as well as opportunities for trading with local businesses. Several small facilities were kept as storage spaces to support tampu, of many different sizes. Royal officials called tocricoc were in charge of the cleanliness and maintenance of the roads; but a constant presence that could not be stamped out were pomaranra, road thieves or bandits. Carrying the Mail Steps cut into the native mountainside for the Inca Road leading to Machu Picchu. Geraint Rowland Photography / Moment / Getty Images A postal system was an essential part of the Inca Road, with relay runners called chasqui stationed along the road at .8 mi (1.4 km) intervals. Information was taken along the road either verbally or stored in the Inca writing systems of knotted strings called quipu. In special circumstances, exotic goods could be carried by the chasqui: it was reported that the ruler Topa Inca (ruled 1471–1493) could dine in Cuzco on two-day-old fish brought in from the coast, a travel rate of about 150 mi (240 km) each day. American packaging researcher Zachary Frenzel (2017) studied methods used by Incan travelers as illustrated by Spanish chroniclers. People on the trails used rope bundles, cloth sacks, or large clay pots known as aribalos to carry goods. The aribalos were likely used for the movement of chicha beer, a maize-based mildly alcoholic beverage that was an important element of elite Inca rituals. Frenzel found that traffic continued on the road after the Spanish arrived in the same manner, except for the addition of wooden trunks and leather bota bags for carrying liquids. Non-State Uses Chilean archaeologist Francisco Garrido (2016, 2017) has argued that the Inca Road also served as a traffic route for bottom-up entrepreneurs. The Inca-Spanish historian Garcilaso de la Vega stated unequivocally that commoners were not permitted to use the roads unless they had been sent to run errands by the Inca rulers or their local chiefs. However, was that ever a practical reality of policing 40,000 km? Garrido surveyed a portion of the Inca Road itself and other nearby archaeological sites in the Atacama desert in Chile and found that the roads were used by the miners to circulate mining and other craft products on the road and to funnel off-road traffic to and from the local mining camps. Interestingly, a group of economists led by Christian Volpe (2017) studied the effects of modern expansions on the Inca road system, and suggest that in modern times, improvements in transport infrastructure have had a significant positive impact on various companies exports and job growth. Selected Sources Hiking the section of the Inca Road leading to Machu Picchu is a popular tourist experience. Contreras, Daniel A. How Far to Conchucos? A Gis Approach to Assessing the Implications of Exotic Materials at Chavà ­n De Huntar. World Archaeology 43.3 (2011): 380–97. Print.Garrido Escobar, Franciso Javier. Mining and the Inca Road in the Prehistoric Atacama Desert, Chile. University of Pittsburgh, 2015. Print.Garrido, Francisco. Rethinking Imperial Infrastructure: A Bottom-up Perspective on the Inca Road. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 43 (2016): 94–109. Print.Garrido, Francisco, and Diego Salazar. Imperial Expansion and Local Agency: A Case Study of Labor Organization under Inca Rule. American Anthropologist 119.4 (2017): 631–44. Print.Marsh, Erik J., et al. Dating the Expansion of the Inca Empire: Bayesian Models from Ecuador and Argentina. Radiocarbon 59.1 (2017): 117–40. Print.Wilkinson, Darryl. Infrastructure and Inequality: An Archaeology of the Inka Road through the Amaybamba Cloud Forests. Journal of Social Archaeology 19.1 (2019): 27à ¢â‚¬â€œ46. Print.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Financial Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Financial Management - Essay Example real side of facts, however, the corporate goal of shareholder’s wealth maximization does not cause any negative or positive effect to the weight given to the ethical consideration given by market participants (Donald & Nelson, 2000). This paper is therefore meant to research whether the two goals of business ethics and value maximization are conflicting or not. It remains a traditional ideology where it was argued that wealth maximization is inconsistent with ethical behavior in a business. It has often been suggested that the people’s desire for value maximization in general and shareholders’ wealth maximization directly oppose the ethical concepts such as honesty, fairness and corporate social responsibility, or the good of the society. In maximizing the firm’s corporate value, an ethical firm may do this by maximizing the stock prices. In this way, the firm makes the stock as desirable as possible to investors. As we know, market prices can reflect ethics just as they can reflect other valuable items in the market such as cash flows. Investors who care about ethical issues therefore will the stock of unethical firm undesirable. This will make its stock price become lower than that of an ethical firm (Smith, 1992). In our day to day life, if a manager would like to hire someone to perform unethical work for certain ill-gain in the business, they will have to part with much more pay than if they hired someone to do some ethical duty for them which will gain the business positively. From this, it is evident that one cannot get into any unethical behavior with an aim of maximizing the corporate value of the firm. One of the ethical behaviors of managers in a business is that of corporate social responsibility. However, a firm that involves in corporate social responsibility lowers its ability to maximize its corporate value. For instance, a firm would like to donate some amount of money to a non-profit making organization to support a certain cause. By

Friday, November 1, 2019

The Rhetoric and Reality of Trust between Managers and Employees Essay - 1

The Rhetoric and Reality of Trust between Managers and Employees - Essay Example There is ample research evidence which supports the above statement and indicates that the values received by the employees in an organization have a significant impact on the organizational performance which far exceeds those achieved through an organized corporate strategy. Although various means and strategies are regularly adopted and implemented by the management to encourage employee productivity / performance, which includes lucrative rewards, health benefits, as well as frequent training workshops, â€Å"trust† still continues to be the most vital element that governs the employees’ willingness to perform well beyond the management expectations. From this paper   it is clear that the performance of employees which exceeds the managerial expectations is one of the key inputs to organizational success, and cannot be achieved through deliberate corporate strategies and stringent rules. The willingness to excel in their duties is an outcome of individual will, which can be fostered through mutual trust where the employees feel secure about their jobs as well as workplace and the motives of their managers. To encourage such discretionary performance on the part of employees, the management must create a suitable atmosphere and mutual approach whereby employees are persuaded to communicate and contribute their thoughts, ideas and beliefs with their colleagues as well as managers for the overall benefit of the organization.