Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Cause of the Civil War essays

Cause of the Civil War essays The Civil War is commonly thought to have been caused by the idea or institution of slavery in the United States. Although slavery did play a part in leading to the Civil War, the true cause of the United States of America being divided into two separate entities was succession. More specifically the succession of the state of South Carolina from the Union. The succession of South Carolina, the catalyst which ignited the conflict of the Civil War, was brought of by two key factors, the southern nationalistic views and the strong leadership among the Cotton Kingdom1 which South Carolina possessed. Ten years prior to the Civil War the south, especially South Carolina, had a strong feeling of southern nationalism. This was of no surprise considering all of the influences and events of the time period, 1850. The historical meeting of the Nashville Convention, November 14, 1850, was of the largest importance dealing with this issue. Cheves launched an attack on Henry Clays Compromise of 1850, saying to the southerners, Unite, and you shall form one of the most splendid empires on which the sun ever shone, of the most homogeneous population...2. Cheves went even further, making a defensive attack on how the south should unite and further declined that the institution of slavery was not wrong or immoral, but in fact was apart of their culture and their society. Chevess speech at the convention was not the only topic that brought together and connected the people of the Palmetto State3 and the rest of the south, but the tariff and nullification episode between 1827 and 1833 also gave the southerners a feeling of nationalism to their part of the country. The tariffs gave the south such a disadvantage to the north that they had no other choice but to band together. Cotton, the souths most lucrative and essential industry, price, ...had fallen from thirty cents a p...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Citizenship to the united states of america essays

Citizenship to the united states of america essays There are two ways to become a citizen. The two ways are by birth and through naturalization. Birth because of Jus Soli, those who are born in the United States are US citizens and those who are born to US citizens as well. If you were born in the United States: Including, in most cases, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, you are an American citizen at birth (unless you were born to a foreign diplomat). Your birth certificate is proof of your citizenship. If you were born abroad to TWO U.S. citizens: And at least one of your parents lived in the United States at some point in his or her life, then in most cases you are a U.S. citizen. If you were born abroad to ONE U.S. citizen: In most cases, you are a U.S. citizen if ALL of the following are true: one of your parents was a U.S. citizen when you were born; your citizen parent lived at least 5 years in the United States before you were born; and at least 2 of these 5 years in the United States were after your citizen parents 14th birthday. Your record of birth abroad, if registered with a U.S. consulate or embassy, is proof of your citizenship. You may also apply for a passport to have your citizenship recognized. If you need additional proof of your citizenship, you may file an Application for Certificate of Citizenship with USCIS to get a Certificate of Citizenship. Call the USCIS Forms Line at 1-800-870-3676 to request a Form N-600, or download the form from the internet at http://uscis.gov. Naturalization If naturalization is to confer the rights of a national on and to admit to citizenship, then how might one become a naturalized citizen? If you are not a U.S. citizen by birth or did not acquire U.S. citizenship automatically after birth, you may still be eligible to become a citizen through the normal naturalization process. People who are 18 years and older use the Application for Naturalization (Form N-400) to become...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Louisiana Purchase Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Louisiana Purchase - Research Paper Example In addition, the US government had to cancel a $ 3,650, 000 owed by France. Louisiana had become a major issue in the European history following the defeat of the Britain by France. This essay will therefore analyze the acquisition of Louisiana by the United States and its implication on the European political history. The city of Orleans was strategically located on river Mississippi and, hence it provided a good control point for activities that took place in the waterways. It acquisition was therefore significant to the US economy during that time. The main reason why the United States needed to acquire the territory is that, it was the easiest channel to the Gulf of Mexico. River Mississippi was vital to the United States economy since it served as an entry point for goods leaving United States and goods coming into the country (Ziegler 1988, 85). During that time, the country heavily depended on water transport, as it did not have access to other transport system. The US depende d on the Mississippi waterway to transport most agricultural products such as tobacco and cotton from the upper states. The rights to be able to navigate through rivers Mississippi and Ohio were therefore significant the United States (United States. Dept. of State, 1905, 122-125). The United States also needed to control the region in order to reduce the financial cost that it was incurring due to the French and Spanish control over the area. Initially US merchants had to pay hefty sums of money as tax in order to use the Mississippi and Ohio waterways. The US government therefore needed to gain control over the city in order to boost its trade balance by reducing the operation cost incurred by merchants from the country. Other than trade, the US population was expanding rapidly due to the large number of immigrants who were settling into the country from Europe. The US therefore, needed to expand its territory in order to achieve its expansion ambitions. The high population growth also had a direct influence on the United States’ economy. The US government therefore needed to be aggressive in the acquisition of land for its citizens. The acquisition of Orleans proved to the world that the United States had become fully independent from European powers. The Spanish and French forces that controlled the region posed a major threat for the expansion of the United States; the US needed to acquire the territory in order to end their control over the region. The acquisition marked the end of the western frontier enabling the country’s expansion to the west coast. France entered into war with other European powers from 1792 to 1795 under the leadership of Napoleon. The French forces were fighting in both the European and American frontiers. During the war, France incurred heavy costs that may have pushed Napoleon to sell off Louisiana to the Americans. The French army also suffered heavy casualties and this forced Napoleon to sell the territory to the Americans. The sale of Louisiana came at a time when the French army was preparing for war against the British in the northern frontier. To maintain the war Napoleon needed finances to pay the army and to provide essential supplies to the French soldiers. The French army also lacked appropriate military hardware that the government needed to acquire in order to maintain the war. During the war, Napoleon needed to control his army and the newly

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Supermarkets in United Kingdom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Supermarkets in United Kingdom - Essay Example Although the supermarkets claim to provide a wide range of options for their shopping but the prices that they charge on their products and the pressure given to the suppliers has created certain predicaments in the market. The four giants in the UK supermarket are Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrison. In addition to the planning controls by the government for taking care of the pressures felt by the suppliers in the retail industry, it has restricted the expansion plans of the four giants in the market (Grugulis, Bozkurt and Clegg, 2). Despite the recession happening in the country and decrease in the consumer’s spending, the food and retail industries are showing exponential growth; the main credit goes to the four giants in the supermarket industry who are opening numerous stores at an accelerating rate (Neate, 1). The report by Corporate Commission has indicated that Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrison have been successful in getting permission from the co ncerned authorities to expand into other areas by opening up new stores. The report also highlighted the threat the expansion of these large supermarkets posed to the convenience stores, local grocery stores and specialty stores. The study of Clerren et al. revealed that the large supermarkets are doing expansion on such an increasing rate so that they can get more market share as compared to their competitors and it is expected that the trend will continue so because of the support that they are receiving by the UK government (470-471). Grocery Market of UK The IGD research has shown that in the past ten years, the grocery market of UK has been growing at an exponential rate and the number of large supermarkets has risen to an exceptionally high figure (Li, 2). In 2008, the grocery market had reached ?146.3bn from ?93.3bn in the year 1998. Afterwards, the market has seen numerous uncertainties in the form of less consumer spending power, high rate of unemployment, financial crisis and many more. As of 2008, the UK grocery store has been divided into four major sectors i.e. convenience store; hypermarket, superstore and supermarkets; online channel and traditional retail. Among all the sectors, the huge market is of hypermarket, superstore and supermarkets and these comprise of more than 73% of the entire sales of the grocery market, followed by convenience stores’ sector that has 21% of the total sales; however, traditional retail faces stiff competition from the aforementioned two sectors and it has declined to 5% (Michaels, 1). According to the Corporate Watch, the four biggest supermarket chains in the UK market comprise of Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrison and they collectively constitute of about 68% of the complete grocery market (3). Tescopoly has shown that the grocery market share can be distributed as the traditional retail stores and supermarket chains; the market share is divided as 30% of Tesco, 15% of Asda, 14% of Sainsburyâ₠¬â„¢s, and Morrison of 10%. Other supermarket chains that are included in UK grocery market are Marks and Spence, Iceland, Waitrose, Whole Foods Market, Aldi, Lidl and many more (Vasquez-Nicholson, 3). Porter has reported that the disclosed sales figure of the four large supermarket chains in the last financial year are as follows, Tesco ?3.8billion, Asda

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Referee Report for Economics Manuscript Essay Example for Free

Referee Report for Economics Manuscript Essay â€Å"Different Risk-Adjusted Fund Performance Measures: A Comparison† Summary This paper compares various risk-adjusted performance measures for a set of mutual funds. The authors argue that performance measures based on Value-at-Risk (VaR) or Extreme Value Theory (EVT) are more appropriate than other popular performance measures such as the Sharpe ratio (SR), the Treynor index (TI) or Jensen ´s Alpha (JA) . They propose a performance index similar to the SR and the TI based on losses calculated by means of VaR together with EVT. They find that EVT-VaR measures are more appropriate in the presence of non-normal data. Main Comments The topic of the paper is of relevance for financial practitioners as well as academics and it is certainly applicable to the current financial stability context. The paper is also generally wellwritten. However, I have some comments for its improvement. 1. The contribution of the paper is not clearly stated. In the 6th paragraph of the introduction, the authors suggest that their main contribution is the construction of a performance index based on EVT-VAR. However, it is not very clear why the new proposed measure should be better in relation to existing measures as it is now explained. It is true that VaR or EVT should be more reliable measures for extreme events but when looking at formula (13) it is not apparent why this measure should be more reliable than the traditional measures. The denominator has, in fact, an â€Å"extreme return† as opposed to the SR or TI which have strictly second moments, so it is not very straight forward to relate these measures. A better job should be done at explaining the implications of such VaR based measure, how it relates to other measures and why it should be better. 2. Why have the measures been compared only in a â€Å"static† way? It is widely known in the finance literature that asset return volatility is time-varying, and to some extent, also expected returns. It would be possible to go around the latter by arguing market efficiency (which is also questionable) but it is certainly much more difficult to argue against time-variability of the standard deviation in the VaR measures (or in the SA and TI ratios). This is very important as the â€Å"good† or â€Å"bad† applicability of a particular performance measure could be sample dependent and as it is now with unconditional measures, this is hard to uncover. For instance, while the authors account for nonnormality of returns in the modified-VaR measure by means of a Corner-Fisher quantile, they assume a constant standard deviation which means that in periods of high volatility they could still understate the VaR. So at the minimum, the performance comparisons should be done for the full sample and different sub-samples and it should be tested whether the measures obtained are significantly different over different samples. 3. The authors concentrate on top 10 and bottom 10 funds for their analysis and discarded the other funds â€Å"for the sake of simplicity†. However, by choosing only the â€Å"tail† funds, the authors are giving from the start an advantage to EVT or VaR measures. It would be more appropriate to also report results on (say) 10 â€Å"mid† funds. 4. It is not very clear why the top 10 funds â€Å"show more departures from normality† in relation to bottom funds. This finding should be expanded and the intuition behind it should be better explained. One could argue that â€Å"losers† could be more volatile than â€Å"winners† as the level of uncertainty with respect to the fund might increase which could lead to more extreme returns. In fact, in the 3rd paragraph of the empirical result section it says â€Å"the bottom 10 funds have, in general, higher VaR values than the top ones, which means that they are more susceptible to extreme events† which is somewhat contradictory with the finding that the top 10 funds exhibit more departures from normality. Moreover, one of the main findings of the study is that the VaR and EVT performance measures perform best in relation to other measures when there are more departures from normality in returns. A better attempt to reconcile the findings of nonnormality, the â€Å"winner vs. looser† funds and the results on the performance measures with some previous studies or satisfactory intuition should be done. Other comments 1. The contributions of the paper should be stated earlier in the paper and not almost at the end of the introduction as it is now. The contributions should be clearer (see also point 1 above) and should be better related to the existing relevant literature. 2. The conclusion is too long. The concluding remarks should be much shorter and should only summarize the main findings and reconcile them with the issues raised in the introduction as well as highlight possible extensions for future work. 3. The tables should also be improved. They should have a short description of the contents to facilitate reading. As it is now, the reader has to constantly come back to the main text to find out what the contents mean. 4. The figures are hardly visible, they should also be improved and a short explanation should be given.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Conflict :: essays research papers

Jack London’s â€Å"To Build a Fire† and John Updike’s â€Å"A&P† were very different, but interesting stories. Both authors chose a different approach to their chosen tone. Updike wrote in a more laid back and entertaining way, while London, on the other hand, chose to write in a more formal and serious way. The authors also developed much different characters. London’s main character was much older and rugged than the complicated teenage girls and grocery clerk that Updike chose to focus his story around. The most significant difference, however, is the choice of conflict. Updike’s conflict was a simple one focusing on man versus man, but London’s story had many conflicts that dealt with much more serious issues like, for example, life and death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From the beginning of both stories one can get an immediate sense of where each story is headed. The author’s very appropriately set the tone to each of their stories early on. The first sentence in London’s â€Å"To Build a Fire† said, â€Å"Day had broken cold and gray, exceedingly cold and gray, when the man turned aside from the main Yukon trail and climbed the high earth-bank, where a dim and little- traveled trail led eastward through the fat spruce timberland† (561). From that very first sentence the audience can immediately tell that this is going to be a dramatic story. The strong and descriptive language prepares us for the rest of the story. The beginning of Updike’s â€Å"A&P† sets a much different tone for the story to follow. He wrote, â€Å"In walks these three girls in nothing but bathing suits. I’m in the third checkout slot, with my back to the door, so I don’t see them until they’re over by the bread. The one that caught my eye first was the one in the plaid green two-piece† (612). The beginning of this story has a relaxed and enjoyable tone. We, the audience, are now prepared for some easy reading.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Next, focusing on the characters, we see another big difference. London’s story had very few characters. London took his time and very descriptively developed his main character throughout the entire story. The story is periodically filled with bits about how the unnamed man feels and what he’s thinking. London paid very close attention to how his main character physically felt. For example, he wrote, â€Å"After a time he was aware of the first faraway sensation in his beaten fingers.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Annotated Bibliography Lord of the Rings

Rutledge,   Fleming. The Battle for Middle-earth: Tolkien's Divine Design in The Lord of the Rings. Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans. 2004. Fleming Rutledge takes a deep dive into the religious undertones behind Tolkien's masterpiece. This was especially written for Tolkien readers who look at The Lord of the Rings as pure fantasy, totally unaware of the religious dimensions of the story. The author accomplishes this by taking a parallel analysis of the events as they unfold in the book. With scholarly expertise, Rutledge shows the theological themes that drive every action in the story, thus proving the profound presence of religion in the sub-narrative. In his introduction, Rutledge writes the following: Nonetheless, because I have come to the work entirely without expectations, I am presumptuous enough to believe that my delayed, untaught encounter with the Ring saga – combined with my knowledge of Scripture, theology, and the Church – had afforded an opportune glimpse into Tolkien’s deepest intimations. (2) In another chapter, Rutledge writes about Bilbo’s behavior, If there were any doubts about the lasting effects of the ring even on the most innocuous individuals, the next sequence dispels it. †¦ In the great Hall of Fire after dinner, Frodo is reunited with Bilbo. Of course Frodo is overjoyed to see his beloved relative, mentor and friend once more; it has been the greatest desire of his heart. But when the subject of the ring comes up between them, an appalling change creeps over Bilbo. He asks, in a rather too sniveling a voice if he can see the Ring once more†¦ The change in Bilbo is revolting†¦ The implication is clear. One more close encounter with the Ring and dear, cuddly, beloved Bilbo will be on his way to becoming another Gollum. 2. West, John Garret, et al. Celebrating Middle-Earth: The Lord of the Rings As a Defense of Western Civilization. Inkling Books. 2002 This volume is a collaboration among six writers who each explores the place of The Lord of the Rings in the modern Western world. Each of the authors present In John West’s preface, he says, Tolkien was both a devout Christian and a dedicated scholar of the Western intellectual and literary traditions, and his love for Christianity and the West stand at the core of this narrative. Far from being simple escapism or blind nostalgia, Tolkien’s saga actually confronts many of the idols of modernism and post-modernism. (10) Another writer, Kerry Dearborn maintains, Tolkien’s faith was deeply important to him, and it is something woven into the fabric of his stories, but something which must be deduced or worked out†¦Although Tolkien reflects vivid belief in and experience of the world’s depravity, his faith correlates more closely to Christian traditions that would affirm a vestige of the divine in creation and the imago dei (the image of God) in humanity rather than total depravity. (95-96) Towards the end of the book, West writes, We are free to a point. We are free to accept our calling or reject it. The most inspiring thing about The Lord of the Rings, for me, is its heroes’ monumental struggle to fulfill the mission that fate had ordained for them†¦ Nothing could make them abandon their mission†¦ Whereas the good characters all submit to authority outside of them, the bad ones recognize no authority higher than their individual will. 3. Bassham, Gregory and Bronson, Eric. The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy: One Book to Rule Them All.   Open Court Publishing. 2003. The author of this book is chairman of the philosophy department at King's College. This book takes a philosophical view on the lessons on life and living that the Lord of the Rings presents. Particularly, the authors distill lessons about morality and ethics, the power of choice, and the corruptive nature of power. Bassham writes the following, †¦Gollum is the more fascinating character†¦ He represents the good gone bad, something which is always intriguing for those who are struggling to stay with the first. Sam represents the good that stays good even under temptation. Both Gollum and Sam want the same thing: to be happy. Both work hard at it. But only one of them succeeds: Sam reaches his goal and Gollum ends in disaster. Why? This is the momentous philosophical question, because it concerns the nature of the good life, the life of happiness. We need to answer it because in answering we can perhaps also learn something important about how to achieve happiness for ourselves. In the book, the authors make the following points, So St. Augustine and Tolkien agree that nothing is completely and utterly evil, because such a thing could not even exist because existence itself is good. (103) In another chapter, the authors further, In an epic tale of good and evil such as The Lord of the Rings, it is a virtual necessity that the characters representing good and evil can be identified as such by the reader. One way for them to be identified is through their actions. Another is though the character traits from which those actions proceed. There may be different literary reasons for preferring one approach to the other, but when the characters are given personalities that exhibit virtues or vices, the moral lesson is clearer. The lesson is clearer because right actions may be performed for wrong reasons, or, alternatively, wrongful acts may be performed for the right reasons. So just looking at what people do may be less morally instructive than considering who they are. (110) 4. Lobdell, Jared et al. A Tolkien Compass. Open Court Publishing. 2003. This book is basically a compilation of reflections to the places and characters in Middle-Earth. This book is intended to use Middle Earth as a guide to our own life’s journeys. This volume traces the journeys of some of the main characters in Tolkien’s story, their inner struggle and transformations, and cull lessons that we an use as we face life’s many uncertainties. Walter Schepes writes in his essay, It is important to note that most of the distinctions between good and evil in The Lord of the Rings are generic distinctions, and the forces of evil are often immediately recognizable as such from their place of origin, their color, or their manner of speech. (44) The author furthers, These major characters seem to fall into groups of three. First, there are three already wholly corrupted by the desire for power – Sauron, the Ringwraiths, and Gollum. Second, there are the three who belong to an earlier time and have removed themselves from the world to such a degree that the power of the Ring means nothing to them – Shelob, Fangorn, and Tom Bombadil. Third, there are three, The Great, who would have the strength to wield the power of the Ring if they did obtain it – Saruman, Gandalf, and Galadriel. Fourth, there are the three men of Gondor to whom the Ring offers special temptation in their threatened land – Boromir, Denethor, and Faramir. And fifth, there are the three who for differing reasons obtain heroic stature in the story – Frodo, Sam, and Aragorn. (57) 5. Curry, Patrick. Defending Middle-Earth: Tolkien, Myth and Modernity. Mariner Books. 2004 Curry focuses on the different social and political systems that existed in Middle Earth and how these various structure worked together to ward off an evil that threatens all of them. The author maintains that Tolkien’s masterpiece is a spiritual work meant to enlighten those who read it with an open heart. This book also analyzes the symbolic battle of nature against a highly mechanical, modern world and how Tolkien presents us with a cautionary tale about the abuses of technology. The following is an excerpt from the book: However, although Tolkien drew on the tiny corner of the world that is the West Midlands of England, readers from virtually everywhere else in the world connect the hobbits with a rustic people of their own, relatively untouched by modernity – if not still actually existing, then from the alternative reality of folk and fairy tale. 6. Chance, Jane. Tolkien the Medievalist. Routledge. 2003 This book puts Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings in the context of the Medieval Period. The book provides an in-depth analysis of the elements of Tolkien’s stories and relates them to the literary characteristics that were in effect during the Middle Ages. This book will be useful in studying how the elements of Catholic beliefs of good and evil influence Tolkien’s famed The Lord of the Rings trilogy. However, aside from the comparison with the literature of the Middle Ages, this volume offers an interesting perspective on how the trilogy came to be and to what extent did the existing circumstances, particularly the looming world war, affected Tolkien’s value system and how he wrote the book. A relevant quote from the book goes like this, In September of that year John Ronald Tolkien, then a 22-year old student at Oxford awaiting military call-up, wrote a fairy tale poem titled â€Å"The Voyage of Earendel,† about a celestial mariner who sails west to seek peace for Middle Earth. It was the beginning of his invented mythology. (26) 7. Isaacs, Neil David et al. Understanding The Lord Of The Rings: The Best Of Tolkien Criticism edited by Neil David Isaacs. Houghton Mifflin Books. 2005 This volume compiled and edited by Isaacs is the definitive collection of literary criticisms on The Lord of the Rings. The books compile essays from the time The Lord of the Rings was first published up until the renewed interest in Tolkien after the release of the Peter Jackson’s film. This book is valuable because it presents a variety of perspectives and arguments without diluting the beauty of Tolkien’s masterpiece. In Edmund Fuller’s essay, he makes a point about the theme of good and evil in The Lord of the Rings, As to the inherent meaning, we are confronted basically by a raw struggle between good and evil. This contest offers a challenge and demands decisions of several kinds. The power of evil is formidable and ruthless. The initial decision, in which many of the characters participate, is whether or not to attempt to resist at all†¦ So great and discouraging are the odds involved in resistance that the possibility of surrender, terrible than the fight – unless the deciding element is the moral choice of rejecting evil regardless of consequence. (19) 8. Porter, Lynette. Unsung Heroes of The Lord Of The Rings: From The Page To The Screen. Praeger/Greenwood. 2005 Porter’s book presents a fresh take on heroism as defined by the minor characters on the book. Most criticisms on The Lord of the Rings are about the central characters, often overlooking the fact that the ones in the background have struggles and heroism in their own lives as well. Here is Porter’s take on Pippin, Pippin’s value as a hero cannot truly be measured using the typical definitions of a literary hero. The importance of his character lies not in his ability to serve as a classic literary hero preordained for greatness, but in his ability to overcome his fear and self-doubt to grow up and into a heroic young adult. Pippin is truly the everyperson hero who, at least early in his life, might be voted least likely to do anything worthwhile for others, but who matures into a leader capable of heroic action in crises. (59)

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Design of the Gunma Museum of Modern Art

Gunma Museum of Modern Art The Gunma Museum of Modern art is located in the Gunma Prefecture in Japan. The building of the museum took 3 old ages from 1971 to 1974. [ one ] Arata Isozaki ( born 1931 ) was chosen to explicate the architectural designs of the Gunma Museum. [ two ] The museum is recognized as one of his most impressive signifiers of architecture and summarizes many of Isozaki ‘s architectural ideas every bit good as his accomplishments. Even today twenty old ages after its construct, it still holds an of import significance every bit far as Isozaki ‘s architectural point of view and take on conceptual every bit good as modernistic architecture. The beginnings of conceptual art are said to hold originated with Marcelle Duchamp, the â€Å"Father of Conceptual Art† . [ three ] Duchamp ‘s work had a immense impact on and influenced Isozaki. It was against this background, and the munition of 1960 ‘s conceptual art that Isozaki ‘s drama on dematerialization was manifested through the creative activity of the gunma museum. In add-on to dematerialization, the marked architecture has a great accent on regular hexahedrons for the conceptual model of the museum. Isozaki placed himself in the same comparative postion. With respect to the function of the object in conventional art as American conceptual creative persons had done in the late sixtiess. [ four ] Artists sought to make off with the object and cut down it to a simple dematerialized geometric entity. His subsequent infatuation with grid surfaces would look to hold been inspired by the superstudio group ( who began there activities in Firenze in December 1966 ) and sol lewitts minimalist sculptures, but it was an avenue which increased instead than lessened the dematerialization of his signifier. Isozaki made it clear at the beginning that it was his purpose to avoid all historical mentions and connexions with anterior designers. He has said in an interview, †i was believing much more conceptually compared to richard meier ‘s bronz developmental centre in new York, I was believing how to destruct the traditional sense of tradition and balance- those proprotions based on the humanistic system of the aureate mean from Greece, and the kiwari†the Japanese modular system† for wood constructions. Le corbusier developed proportions related to the Greek aureate subdivision and kenzo Tange trid to unite the kawari traditional proportions with the fibonnaci series to do proportions like lupus erythematosus corbusier. I wish to get away from these traditional systems of proportion. My purpose was to contradict any significances originating from the surface any connexion with alvar Aalto and gunnar aspeld were post- design.† > Herein lies the significance of the cosmopolitan grid. Its intent was to heighten the dematerialization of signifier and deny the material nature of the artefact. Dematerialization became a major concern of conceptual creative persons in the late sixtiess every bit merely in importance by the accent proccess ; what it amounted to was the purpose to do architecture as unsubstantial, unseeable, and missing weight as the mental constructs from which the signifiers sprang. This gives the visual aspect that the > museum rests lightly on the green plane of lawn in Gunma-no-mori Park. The edifice was non tethered to the Earth, and the square frame of each regular hexahedron that goes across the underside is indistinguishable to the side and top members. There was no differentiation in footings of proportion between top, bottom and sides ; there was no up or down, no narrowing of the square in acknowledgment of the anisotropy of infinite to get by with the weight of the edifice mass. The aluminum-covered regular hexahedrons appear to be weightless, drifting every bit light as helium-filled balloons. > The exterior of his concrete three-dimensional model with glistening trecherous surfaces realised by the medium of brooding aluminium home bases. In taking regular hexahedrons and take a firm standing that the strengthened concrete construction have the same dimensions throughout and the beams and columns the same subdivision, Isozaki ignored gravitation. †¦an abstract neoplatonic system that is unconnected with the demands of gravitation pure shapes like the regular hexahedron therefore connote a gravity-free environment such as outer infinite where stuffs have no weight. The suggestion of lightness was strengthened by covering the surface of the edifice and concealing the construction of columns and beams under a tight tegument of 2 millimeters thick aluminium panels, composed of indistinguishable square units. This unvarying square grid is expressed limitless extension in resistance to the three-dimensional frame whose function was to specify the museum. Buildings are of class made from heavy stuffs such as concrete, steel and glass, and are hence capable to a much greater extent than picture and sculpture to the pull of gravitation. Engineers have developed optimum subdivisions, beams that are deeper than they are broad to defy flexing minutes, columns that are square or unit of ammunition to defy the different types of compaction tonss, and frames designed to do the most economic usage of stuff. > The museums three-dimensional thesis had it roots in the earlier Oita Prefectural library and nakayama house of 1964 and it late resurfaced in the New oita prefectural library ( 1994 ) . Subsequent designs have elaborated parts of the original gunma museum strategy giving prominence to some facets at the disbursal of others. Thus the quickest and most thorough debut to Isozaki ‘s architecture is a visit to the Gunma museum. Page 22 The Gunma Museum is non symmetrical, but it looks as though it should be. It is uncomplete as it stands. From left to compensate it consists of four parts, two of which are indistinguishable A, B, C: . To finish the bilateral symmetricalness all that is needed is to add two more parts, A, B, C: C, and ( B, A ) to it. Mentally, we are prompted to provide the mirror or impudent image. The presence of ‘C’ – an indistinguishable row of regular hexahedrons on the right side, equilibrating the left side of the symmetricalness axis, strengthens the given of bilateral symmetricalness. Page 23 Isozaki violated its implied bilateral symmetricalness and this induces an air of instability. Symmetry signifies well-proportioned, well-balanced, and it denotes a harmony of the several parts. Beauty is normally associated with symmetricalness and the grasp of form. This was ignored with the add-on of a regular hexahedron to the chief entryway facade. Alternatively of finishing the bilaterally symmetricalness Isozaki broke it. There were purely practical grounds for this – the most obvious was the propinquity of Masato Otaka’s 1979 Gunma Prefactural Museum of History 15 m off. Page 20The auditorium is located on the first floor opposite the chief step. The chief step is enclosed on two sides by walls faced in reflecting marble in between which is an unpolished cardinal strip of unthinking rock that is somewhat narrower than the step. The step rises through the spread between two rows of 12 m regular hexahedrons sandwiched between the entryway hall and disposal that ploughs its manner though the museum. The breadth of the step is hard to gauge because it is reflected in the polished marble walls on either side, giving the semblance that it extends boundlessly. * Exterior Design Page 17 On the exterior, the Museum of Modern Art was stripped back so that small else remained besides the grid and sleek mirror-like sheath of square aluminium panels. The erasure of anything which might add significance was deliberate. Although the museum is deliberately impersonal and its construction assimilated within the annoyer aluminium tegument, it is non passive- instead, it urges us to oppugn what is the nature of architecture by coercing architecture on this juncture to interrogate itself. The usage of the frame as a metaphor for a museum devoted to modern art is extremely implicative in these footings. First, it detaches the museum from the landscape and limits it, proclaiming it to be a kingdom set aside from the mundane while labeling it a topographic point specifically devoted to the art experience, at the same clip that it designates it a semisynthetic infinite. It creates a new focal point in order to direct attending to the art. In Japan the frame acts as a gesture which draws the audience into its drama of semblance and, conversely, it is a agency of taking the interior into the landscape. Isozaki conceived his basic three-dimensional model as a impersonal spacial entity for plants of art, with the model puting the plants apart from the environing park. Yet it besides draws the park equivocally indoors, while stressing that the act of sing a work of art is a specialised aesthetic act in that it places the work in a new unnaturally delimited context. > Peoples tend to reject any absence of intending – where there is nil they frequently invent something in its topographic point. The more empty and blank an object is, the more it draws in intending from outside itself. The shimmering immateriality of Isozaki’s museum, its general emptiness and the upseting feeling of non-existence which emanates from it, challenges the person to add something of his ain. Ultimately we, as users and viewing audiences, provide the message and imbue objects with significance. Isozaki hence magnified the frame in its function as a device for specifying the infinite of a picture to the point that it included the museum. By extension, the museum can be seen as a cultural frame of art. Like the frame around a work of art, the museum alerts the visitant to the presence of art by extinguishing anything that might distance the person or decrease the familiarity of that experience. P13-14- & A ; gt ; isozaki was therefore runing on two degrees ; utilizing a basic construction compromised of the gunma museums three-dimensional model to modulate the infinite additively giving rise to the primary signifier. At the same clip, he deployed secondary ancillary or auxiliary constructions within the basic tructure to make multiple beds and such things as sculpturer aiko miyawaki ‘s stepped tokonoma-like object at the far terminal of the entryway hall.art today is no longer tied to one topographic point, instead it is transported around the Earth traveling from one exhibition site to another. Once art is removed from its original context and placed inside a museum, and so migrates signifier museum to museum, it loses its connexion with a specific clip and topographic point. Paintings and sculptures arrive in crates complete with their ain frames and bases and small else. the art museum might so, seem every bit little more than a big container and recepticle, for ha ving displaying, and sing progressively nomadic plants of art. Isozaki decided that the gunma museum should run mostly as an enveloping model with no explicit or associatory iconography of its ain. He reasoned back since its chief map was to expose plants of art, the museum was a phase, and, as such, it needed the equivalent of a apron arch to border the work of art in the same manner the apron arch frames the phase play in theatre in the West or the phase of a Japanese noh theater. A three-dimensional model enveloping infinite in 3 dimensions hence seemed a suited metaphor for the art museum. Squares balance the co-ordinates. Because the sides of a square are equal, no dimension is overriding and this produces an consequence of hush and repose instead than dynamic instability.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Employment essays

Employment essays Since trading has begun, employment has evolved and changed in many ways. Money is somewhat a necessity for todays civilisation and survival. Therefore, humans have to work for what they need and want; and doing so is not an easy task. The whole concept of looking for a job, researching what is suitable, creating a curriculum vitae, cover letter, the nerve-racking interview and the anticipated phone call to find out whether or not you have been accepted can be a blunder. The moment you find out you have been successful, you feel proud of yourself and happiness enlightens you. But then you step into the office, your older male co-workers are starring and smiling at you and you think theyre just being friendly but unfortunately your presence does not have the same effect from your female co-workers. Dealing with employment related problems are something that you do not expect to occur but it does. Sexual harassment, negligence, and discrimination are some of the employment related pro blems that occur but fortunately there are laws to overcome them. Sexual harassment is sexual attention that is undesirable and unsought. The victim is not fond of, begin or support the attention. Harassers are usually older, experienced and are in authority so if the employee has been harassed by the employer, the employee will lack confidence and be reluctant to complain. Fortunately, we are all aware that this type of behaviour is unacceptable in any workplace and laws have been implemented to aware employees and employers about the issue. The victim is advised to report to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. It has offices in each states and contact details are available online or in the phone book. The Sex Discrimination Act. 1984 has been implemented as law. Negligence is carelessness of employers to look after their employees healthy and occupational safety. An example of this is the failure of an employer to pr...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

The sacrament of marriage Essay Example

The sacrament of marriage Essay Example The sacrament of marriage Essay The sacrament of marriage Essay The Roman Catholic Church has a very specific interpretation of marriage and how it should be accepted. Marriage is one of the sacraments. It is one of the ceremonies that the Roman Catholic Church expects a devoted catholic to go through. It is believed to bring you one step closer to God. Marriage is also a covenant, a promise to one another. It is an eternal agreement between two people to allocate themselves to each other.The Catholic Church believes that the relationship between two people should be like the creation story. Adam and Eve are model parents and set an example to all couples. God wants all Catholics to have a bond between each other shown in the creation story.Jesus had a different view to the Old Testament which was that two people become one once they unite. Jesus said No human being must separate what God has joined together, meaning that it is not our job to choose to separate. Jesus was completely against the idea of divorce.The Pope has a similar opinion to Je sus that a man and a woman pledge themselves to one another in an unbreakable alliance meaning that a marriage is unbreakable and that they are choosing to enter an alliance, a life long commitment.Hosea emphasised that marriage was a symbol of Gods covenantal love.He said show your love for a woman who is committing adultery with a lover. He is trying to say that we should be able to forgive if we have sinned against one another. The love between two people should help their marriage survive through a crisis.The Catholic Church believes it is unacceptable for two people to divorce as this is emphasised in the New Testament although it does conflict with Moses teachings who said that divorce was acceptable. Although a marriage can be annulled if it is proven that it was never real or happened for the wrong reasons.One of the main views of the Catholic Church is that marriage is there for two people to become one. There is a special union that a couple shares in a marriage, sexual in tercourse is a sign of this union where two become one. If both partners choose to separate they are still joined after becoming one and God lets no one divide. In a marriage sex is seen as a proper expression of the love of a man and a woman only within marriage. They are able to have children with the encouragement of the church. The churches teachings explain that the sex and the possibility of having a child should not be separated. The church teaches that marriage is the only appropriate relationship, within which sexual intercourse should take place.In a marriage ceremony, two people make a commitment which is done by the marital vows. These vows include what their duties are and what they are expected to do as husband/wife. For richer for poorer is one of the vows meaning that they must stand by each other if they are experiencing any financial difficulties. In sickness and in health meaning that if one partner unfortunately is sick, the other must support them and continue t heir marriage. There are many other vows which explain their responsibilities.The Catechism is a book on moral issues which explains the Catholic Churches views on society. One of the categories that are highlighted in the catechism is that adultery, divorce, polygamy and free union are all offences against the dignity of marriage. Masturbation pornography and homosexual practices are also considered to be sins. The Catholic Church is strongly against any one that does not follow the creation, the uniting of a man and woman.Polygamy is another category that the church does not approve of where some one is married to more than one person. This is explained in 1 kings11: 3 that Solomon had married 700 princesses and also had 300 concubines. Solomon had disobeyed Gods laws and was lead astray by these women.The Catholic Church basically believes that when two people are married they have made a promise and are united. They are able to have sexual intercourse and then be able to have a child. People are expected to keep their vows and accept the moral issues mentioned in the catechism.AO2: Explain how in the course of their marriage the couple would apply these beliefs and highlight specific instances where Christian belief makes a real difference to a healthy marriage, you may include a variety of Christian responses to the beliefs andProblems that arise in marriage (598 words)Many marriages are successful and do not experience any serious problems whereas there are many marriages which do experience serious problems. These problems can be related to their vows or other social problems. Many things can be done to help save a marriage during a crisis with help from the church or groups.When a marriage is going through problems they can often reflect on the vows by keeping them. These marital vows can help resolve problems. For richer for poorer is one of the vows that we are expected to follow. Marriages can run through financial difficulties which can lead to pr oblems. One partner may feel they are unable to live with the other if they are not being supported financially. Marriages running through these difficulties are expected to love each other even if they are experiencing financial problems.Another vow that is expected to help resolve problems is in sickness and in health. This vow means that if either partner is having health problems, the other should support them. Many marriages can break down as one partner may feel they are unable to love and care for them. Using this vow they should be able to continue loving each other and enable them to resolve the problem by making time to care for the person. Two people in a marriage are expected to be together till death do us apart. People can reflect on this vow and help them want to continue the marriage and love each other until either partner dies.A marriage can experience many problems and pressures in society. Marriages can break down for many reasons. Some times there could abuse in the marriage leading the victim to feel the only way out it is to separate. A large percentage of marriages fall out due to one partner committing adultery and the other may feel they cannot forgive. In these situations divorce can be inevitable. A couple may have an annulment if they prove that the marriage was either rushed or one was forced or it happened for the wrong reasons. Once a marriage has been annulled it has the advantage of completely being eradicated from the churches records and are able to re-marry in a catholic church.When a couple is experiencing problems they can get help from the church where there are certain groups organised for marriage problems. They can all receive help from counselling groups such as Marriage and Relate.A couple may feel that they must stay together no matter what due to certain reasons. If children are involved the couple may feel that they have to stay together for them and to prevent the family from breaking up. A couple may stay toget her for religious reasons. They may be religious and determined to keep the marriage together to obey the Roman Catholic views. After having marital problems it could make a relationship much stronger between two people.In an R.E video, R.E collection, I learnt about couples who have truly kept the vow in sickness and in health. Anita and Glenn were together for five months and then married for 6 months. Unfortunately Glenn suffered in an accident and became disabled. Anita was enable to care for him and had to look after her child. She did not divorce Glenn and visits him very often feeling that her marriage is still very alive and true even though she is no longer able to have a sexual relationship with him. This is an example of a true Christian who continues to love her husband in sickness and in health.AO3: Life long marriage is too much for Christians to live up today. The church should be willing to drop this vow. Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer showing that you ha ve thought about more then one point of view. (462 words)I disagree with this statement and that this vow should not be dropped. I think people need someone they can rely on and be able to share the rest of their life with as this is essential in a fast changing world. They can have a future together that they can look forward to. When getting married a couple speak out their vows. The vow death do us part should not be broken as the Roman Catholic Church says. Jesus wanted marriage to be permanent just like his love for the church, which is permanent. He made it clear that he did not like the idea of divorce. A couple should not be parted until one has died.Getting married is necessary to show the couple is ready to make a commitment to each other. A couple needs this security, this commitment to show the eternal unity between two people. Marriage can enable a couple to have stability therefore a couple are able to provide a loving home for children. It gives the couple and childre n security. If the couple have a strong lasting relationship it can prevent adultery. A couples relationship can grow and their love deepens.Jesus made it clear that when two people are joined it is not up to us to decide to separate. Having a divorce is a direct violation to the vows and Jesus teachings. He wanted us to work through what ever problems or difficulties we have in relationships which could help make a couple stronger.How ever in many situations it could help if this vow were to be dropped. Couples might be having serious problems such as physical abuse. If there is abuse in the relationship it may be extremely difficult to get through and divorce could be inevitable. Some relationships could be experiencing insoluble money problems. They could be in debt and the relationship is just not progressing. There could be serious sexual problems in the relationship. One partner may desperately want a child whereas the other may not or one partner may be unable to have childre n. Either way it could cause serious problems leading to divorce.Sometimes relationships have no trust where one partner maybe committing adultery or one partner may not be able to trust the other leaving a very weak relationship as trust is essential in a marriage.Many people feel the love between two people dies out after a while making it impossible for them to be able to make an honest commitment. As people seem to be living longer we are expected to love our partner for a long time the rest of our lives, which can be difficult, and divorce maybe necessary. If children are involved, divorce can have a big impact on their lives.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

The influence of macroeconomic conditions on market participants Essay

The influence of macroeconomic conditions on market participants - Essay Example This paper outlines the importance of the macroeconomic factors recognition during planning of the economic activity of any company. None of the companies is able to control them, yet these factors may hamper or facilitate the business activities of many companies and the stability of the market in which the company operates in. Economic factors play an important role in decision-making process of each company. The company should certainly try to improve its technological facilities, management procedures and financial operations but the successful activity in micro-environment can be sustained only if the company reacts quickly to macroeconomic factors and adapts its policy accordingly. The marketing strategy will fail if such factors as interest rates, level of unemployment, legal social and demographic factors are not taken into account, as none of the companies is able to operate in environment and outside it. Current political conditions as well as level of corruption might influence the decision making process as well. One of the most important factors that affects the business activities of companies is the purchasing power. If the purchasing power is low, as it is in less developed countries, then the company is not able to sell expensive products or the level of sales may be lower than expected one. The level of unemployment should be taken into account in developing of the marketing strategy of the company. High level of unemployment usually leads to the decrease in the production of luxury goods (such as expensive cars, refrigerators and other home appliances). Past incomes, earned by the persons who are retired should be taken into account in devising of the marketing strategy as well.

Friday, November 1, 2019

HW 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

HW 1 - Essay Example In addition, globalization contributes to unfair employment practices and working conditions, which are mostly perpetrated by large organizations. Thirdly, globalization makes large organizations to exercise little accountability in the conduct of business (Norberg, 2011). I disagree with the statement about sweatshops because I believe that, rather than enhancing progress, they tend to derail it. The working conditions brought about by the idea of sweatshops are not impressive and they often lead to the victimization of employees. Sweatshops should not be tolerated since they demean humans and are an insult to human dignity. This idea subjects employees to poor wages; the work they do is not worth the income they are paid. From an economic point of view, sweatshops tend to perpetrate poverty rather than alleviate it. Modern technology has had a huge impact on globalization. The developments and advancements in technology have driven globalization and led to the spread of trade among nations. Most of the globalization processes have been facilitated by technology. For example, modern technology has enhanced the mass production of goods and services. In addition, communication technology has led to the exchange of information about business activities between nations (Norberg,