Dolphins as Social Creatures

Biography of Golda Meir, First Female Prime Minister of Israel

Biography of Golda Meir, First Female Prime Minister of Israel Golda Meirs deep commitment to the cause of Zionism determined the course of her life. She moved from Russia to Wisconsin when she was eight; then at age 23, she emigrated to what was then called Palestine with her husband. Once in Palestine, Golda Meir played vital roles in advocating for a Jewish state, including raising money for the cause. When Israel declared independence in 1948, Golda Meir was one of the 25 signers of this historic document. After serving as Israel’s ambassador to the Soviet Union, minister of labor, and foreign minister, Golda Meir became Israels fourth prime minister in 1969. She was also known as Golda Mabovitch (born as), Golda Meyerson, Iron Lady of Israel. Dates: May 3, 1898 - December 8, 1978 Early Childhood in Russia Golda Mabovitch (she would later change her surname to Meir in 1956) was born in the Jewish ghetto within Kiev in Russian Ukraine to Moshe and Blume Mabovitch. Moshe was a skilled carpenter whose services were in demand, but his wages were not always enough to keep his family fed. This was partly because clients would often refuse to pay him, something Moshe could do nothing about since Jews had no protection under Russian law. In late 19th century Russia, Czar Nicholas II made life very difficult for the Jewish people. The czar publicly blamed many of Russias problems on Jews and enacted harsh laws controlling where they could live and when - even whether - they could marry. Mobs of angry Russians often participated in pogroms, which were organized attacks against Jews that included the destruction of property, beatings, and murder. Goldas earliest memory was of her father boarding up the windows to defend their home from a violent mob. By 1903, Goldas father knew that his family was no longer safe in Russia. He sold his tools to pay for his passage to America by steamship; he then sent for his wife and daughters just over two years later, when he had earned enough money. A New Life in America In 1906, Golda, along with her mother (Blume) and sisters (Sheyna and Zipke), began their trip from Kiev to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to join Moshe. Their land journey through Europe included several days crossing Poland, Austria, and Belgium by train, during which they had to use fake passports and bribe a police officer. Then once on board a ship, they suffered through a difficult 14-day journey across the Atlantic. Once safely ensconced in Milwaukee, eight-year-old Golda was at first overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of the bustling city, but soon came to love living there. She was fascinated by the trolleys, skyscrapers, and other novelties, such as ice cream and soft drinks, that she hadn’t experienced back in Russia. Within weeks of their arrival, Blume started a small grocery store in the front of their house and insisted that Golda open the store every day. It was a duty that Golda resented since it caused her to be chronically late for school. Nevertheless, Golda did well in school, quickly learning English and making friends. There were early signs that Golda Meir was a strong leader. At eleven years old, Golda organized a fundraiser for students who could not afford to buy their textbooks. This event, which included Goldas first foray into public speaking, was a great success. Two years later, Golda Meir graduated from eighth grade, first in her class. Young Golda Meir Rebels Golda Meirs parents were proud of her achievements but considered eighth grade the completion of her education. They believed that a young womans primary goals were marriage and motherhood. Meir disagreed for she dreamed of becoming a teacher. Defying her parents, she enrolled in a public high school in 1912, paying for her supplies by working various jobs. Blume tried to force Golda to quit school and began to search for a future husband for the 14-year-old. Desperate, Meir wrote to her older sister Sheyna, who by then had moved to Denver with her husband. Sheyna convinced her sister to come to live with her and sent her money for train fare. One morning in 1912, Golda Meir left her house, ostensibly headed for school, but instead went to Union Station, where she boarded a train for Denver. Life in Denver Although she had hurt her parents deeply, Golda Meir had no regrets about her decision to move to Denver. She attended high school and mingled with members of Denvers Jewish community who met at her sisters apartment. Fellow immigrants, many of them Socialists and anarchists, were among the frequent visitors who came to debate the issues of the day. Golda Meir listened attentively to discussions about Zionism, a movement whose goal it was to build a Jewish state in Palestine. She admired the passion the Zionists felt for their cause and soon came to adopt their vision of a national homeland for Jews as her own. Meir found herself drawn to one of the quieter visitors to her sisters home - soft-spoken 21-year-old Morris Meyerson, a Lithuanian immigrant. The two shyly confessed their love for one another and Meyerson proposed marriage. At 16, Meir was not ready to marry, despite what her parents thought, but promised Meyerson she would one day become his wife. Return to Milwaukee In 1914, Golda Meir received a letter from her father, begging her to return home to Milwaukee; Golda’s mother was ill, apparently partly from the stress of Golda having left home. Meir honored her parents wishes, even though it meant leaving Meyerson behind. The couple wrote each other frequently, and Meyerson made plans to move to Milwaukee. Meirs parents had softened somewhat in the interim; this time, they allowed Meir to attend high school. Shortly after graduating in 1916, Meir registered at the Milwaukee Teachers Training College. During this time, Meir also became involved with the Zionist group Poale Zion, a radical political organization. Full membership in the group required a commitment to emigrate to Palestine. Meir committed in 1915 that she would one day immigrate to Palestine. She was 17 years old. World War I and the Balfour Declaration As World War I progressed, violence against European Jews escalated. Working for the Jewish Relief Society, Meir and her family helped raise money for European war victims. The Mabovitch home also became a gathering place for prominent members of the Jewish community. In 1917, news arrived from Europe that a wave of deadly pogroms had been carried out against Jews in Poland and Ukraine. Meir responded by organizing a protest march. The event, well-attended by both Jewish and Christian participants, received national publicity. More determined than ever to make the Jewish homeland a reality, Meir left school and moved to Chicago to work for the Poale Zion. Meyerson, who had moved to Milwaukee to be with Meir, later joined her in Chicago. In November 1917, the Zionist cause gained credibility when Great Britain issued the Balfour Declaration, announcing its support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Within weeks, British troops entered Jerusalem and took control of the city from Turkish forces. Marriage and the Move to Palestine Passionate about her cause, Golda Meir, now 19 years old, finally agreed to marry Meyerson on the condition that he move with her to Palestine. Although he did not share her zeal for Zionism and didnt want to live in Palestine, Meyerson agreed to go because he loved her. The couple was married on December 24, 1917, in Milwaukee. Since they didn’t yet have the funds to emigrate, Meir continued her work for the Zionist cause, traveling by train across the United States to organize new chapters of the Poale Zion. Finally, in the spring of 1921, they had saved enough money for their trip. After bidding a tearful farewell to their families, Meir and Meyerson, accompanied by Meirs sister Sheyna and her two children, set sail from New York in May 1921. After a grueling two-month voyage, they arrived in Tel Aviv. The city, built in the suburbs of Arab Jaffa, had been founded in 1909 by a group of Jewish families. At the time of Meirs arrival, the population had grown to 15,000. Life on a Kibbutz Meir and Meyerson applied to live on Kibbutz Merhavia in northern Palestine but had difficulty getting accepted. Americans (although Russian-born, Meir was considered American) were believed too soft to endure the hard life of working on a kibbutz (a communal farm). Meir insisted on a trial period and proved the kibbutz committee wrong. She thrived on the hours of hard physical labor, often under primitive conditions. Meyerson, on the other hand, was miserable on the kibbutz. Admired for her powerful speeches, Meir was chosen by members of her community as their representative at the first kibbutz convention in 1922. Zionist leader David Ben-Gurion, present at the convention, also took notice of Meirs intelligence and competence. She quickly earned a place on the governing committee of her kibbutz. Meirs rise to leadership in the Zionist movement came to a halt in 1924 when Meyerson contracted malaria. Weakened, he could no longer tolerate the difficult life on the kibbutz. To Meirs great disappointment, they moved back to Tel Aviv. Parenthood and Domestic Life Once Meyerson recuperated, he and Meir moved to Jerusalem, where hed found a job. Meir gave birth to son Menachem in 1924 and daughter Sarah in 1926. Although she loved her family, Golda Meir found the responsibility of caring for children and keeping the house very unfulfilling. Meir longed to be involved again in political affairs. In 1928, Meir ran into a friend in Jerusalem who offered her the position of secretary of the Womens Labor Council for the Histadrut (the Labor Federation for Jewish workers in Palestine). She readily accepted. Meir created a program for teaching women to farm the barren land of Palestine and set up childcare that would enable women to work. Her job required that she travel to the United States and England, leaving her children for weeks at a time. The children missed their mother and wept when she left, while Meir struggled with guilt for leaving them. It was the final blow to her marriage. She and Meyerson became estranged, separating permanently in the late 1930s. They never divorced; Meyerson died in 1951. When her daughter became seriously ill with kidney disease in 1932, Golda Meir took her (along with son Menachem) to New York City for treatment. During their two years in the U.S., Meir worked as the national secretary of Pioneer Women in America, giving speeches and winning support for the Zionist cause. World War II and Rebellion Following Adolf Hitlers rise to power in Germany in 1933, the Nazis began to target Jews - at first for persecution and later for annihilation. Meir and other Jewish leaders pleaded with heads of state to allow Palestine to accept unlimited numbers of Jews. They received no support for that proposal, nor would any country commit to helping the Jews escape Hitler. The British in Palestine further tightened restrictions on Jewish immigration to appease Arab Palestinians, who resented the flood of Jewish immigrants. Meir and other Jewish leaders began a covert resistance movement against the British. Meir officially served during the war as a liaison between the British and the Jewish population of Palestine. She also worked unofficially to help transport immigrants illegally and to supply resistance fighters in Europe with weapons. Those refugees who made it out brought shocking news of Hitlers concentration camps. In 1945, near the end of World War II, the Allies liberated many of these camps and found evidence that six million Jews had been killed in the Holocaust. Still, Britain would not change Palestines immigration policy. The Jewish underground defense organization, Haganah, began to rebel openly, blowing up railroads throughout the country. Meir and others also rebelled by fasting in protest of British policies. A New Nation As violence intensified between British troops and the Haganah, Great Britain turned to the United Nations (U.N.) for help. In August 1947, a special U.N. committee recommended that Great Britain end its presence in Palestine and that the country is divided into an Arab state and a Jewish state. The resolution was endorsed by a majority of U.N. members and adopted in November 1947. Palestinian Jews accepted the plan, but the Arab League denounced it. Fighting broke out between the two groups, threatening to erupt into full-scale war. Meir and other Jewish leaders realized that their new nation would need money to arm itself. Meir, known for her passionate speeches, traveled to the United States on a fund-raising tour; in just six weeks she raised 50 million dollars for Israel. Amid growing concerns about an impending attack from Arab nations, Meir undertook a daring meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan in May 1948. In an attempt to convince the king not to join forces with the Arab League in attacking Israel, Meir secretly traveled to Jordan to meet with him, disguised as an Arab woman dressed in traditional robes and with her head and face covered. The dangerous journey, unfortunately, did not succeed. On May 14, 1948, British control of Palestine expired. The nation of Israel came into being with the signing of the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel, with Golda Meir as one of the 25 signers. First to formally recognize Israel was the United States. The next day, armies of neighboring Arab nations attacked Israel in the first of many Arab-Israeli wars. The U.N. called for a truce after two weeks of fighting. Rise to the Top Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, appointed Meir as ambassador to the Soviet Union (now Russia) in September 1948. She stayed in the position only six months because the Soviets, who had virtually banned Judaism, were angered by Meirs attempts to inform Russian Jews about current events in Israel. Meir returned to Israel in March 1949, when Ben-Gurion named her Israels first minister of labor. Meir accomplished a great deal as labor minister, improving conditions for immigrants and armed forces. In June 1956, Golda Meir was made a foreign minister. At that time, Ben-Gurion requested that all foreign service workers take Hebrew names; thus Golda Meyerson became Golda Meir. (â€Å"Meir† means â€Å"to illuminate† in Hebrew.) Meir dealt with many difficult situations as foreign minister, beginning in July 1956, when Egypt seized the Suez Canal. Syria and Jordan joined forces with Egypt in their mission to weaken Israel. Despite a victory for the Israelis in the battle that followed, Israel was forced by the U.N.to return the territories they had gained in the conflict. In addition to her various positions in the Israeli government, Meir was also a member of the Knesset (Israeli parliament) from 1949 to 1974. Golda Meir Becomes Prime Minister In 1965, Meir retired from public life at the age of 67 but had only been gone a few months when she was called back to help mend rifts in the Mapai Party. Meir became secretary general of the party, which later merged into a joint Labor Party. When Prime Minister Levi Eshkol died suddenly on February 26, 1969, Meirs party appointed her to succeed him as prime minister. Meirs five-year term came during some of the most turbulent years in Middle Eastern history. She dealt with the repercussions of the Six-Day War (1967), during which Israel re-took the lands gained during the Suez-Sinai war. The Israeli victory led to further conflict with Arab nations and resulted in strained relations with other world leaders. Meir was also in charge of Israel’s response to the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre, in which the Palestinian group called Black September took hostage and then killed eleven members of Israel’s Olympic team. The End of an Era Meir worked hard to bring peace to the region throughout her term, but to no avail. Her final downfall came during the Yom Kippur War, when Syrian and Egyptian forces waged a surprise attack on Israel in October 1973. Israeli casualties were high, leading to a call for Meirs resignation by members of the opposition party, who blamed Meirs government for being unprepared for the attack. Meir was nonetheless re-elected but chose to resign on April 10, 1974. She published her memoir, My Life, in 1975. Meir, who had been privately battling lymphatic cancer for 15 years, died on December 8, 1978, at the age of 80. Her dream of a peaceful Middle East has not yet been realized.

Business plan about Thai Day Spa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Business plan about Thai Day Spa - Essay Example The customers will be provided with treatment and product menus in accordance with which, they might be able to accomplish their needs. The spa will provide innovative products and traditional massage services in order to meet market demand. The spa in order to excel in its operation in the market segments of London, UK should adopt penetrating pricing policy with the aim of performing operations with better competitiveness. The company in order to make an effective presence in the UK market segments will procure renowned natural products from Harnn. Subsequently, the spa in order to improve awareness amid customers in the market segments will adopt different promotional strategies that include social media, print media and online community among others. In this respect, promotion of products and treatment services will assist in improving customer base. The ensuing business plan is to open a spa business in London, United Kingdom (UK). According to the plan, a Thai Day spa will be opened in London, UK with the objective of providing better refreshment along with relaxation services to the people. The spa will provide contemporary beauty care and massage services to the people in a traditional way. The spa business in the UK will facilitate in performing operations in a profitable along with sustainable manner, as the fast paced city life of the people is filled with work related stress wherein an opportunity to obtain relief and relaxation from the stress without consuming much time can be extremely attractive. In this context, people of the country have an immense demand for spa, relaxation as well as leisure pastimes. Thai Day spa will be set-up in the city owing to the fact that the available spa businesses are mostly based on beauty products. Additionally, the treatment procedures adopted in most of the spas in the city are based on western treatment style. In this regard, Thai Day spa will provide beauty care and

Arts pictures description Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Arts pictures description - Essay Example Once, Chowdhury travelled to India as an adult, he was confronted with a harsh reality, one that helped him understand why his father fled India and settled abroad. The Laundry Puja is colourful, disorganized, bright and at the same time, demonstrates a settled doom. The doom is further accentuated by the woman at the center of the photograph whose hands are clasped together as if in prayer. There are two men in the photograph. One appears to just be standing idly against a wall and the other appears to be walking, but it is not clear whether he is entering the area or leaving it. In the background there are three richly colored murals capturing India’s bright culture. Similarly the floor appears to be cement with a bright red color smeared over most of the floor. There are pots and pans on the floor as well as a pile of garments over which a clothes line hangs with garments either drying or airing. In the forefront of the photograph is an alarming image of a man’s head . As it sits upon the bright red floor, it at once gives the impression of a decapitated man, with a red fork protruding from his mouth and yellow beads adorning his facial hair. A closer look reveals that the head is made of some foreign material and is not in fact real. The surreal smirk on the man’s face and the half-closed eyes, present a macabre image all the same. As Chowdhury explains, the disorganization and the mixture of colours and images are meant to convey the confused and complex reality of India as he himself experienced and the fanciful exoticism that he imagined as a boy. Image 2 This painting appears to be abstract expressionism. Abstract expressionism was an art movement that began after the Second World War. During the war, constraints on artists expression in Germany and the Soviet Union resulted in many artists leaving for other parts of Europe and the US. In New York, these artist took advantage of their new found freedom of expression and created a for m of art that sent a clear message. Art had no boundaries and did not have to comply with rigid philosophies. Abstract expressionism therefore emerged as an expression of freedom and resistance to constraints on creative freedom. The expressionist wanted to exercise â€Å"spontaneous freedom of expression† (Chivers, 4). For the abstract expressionist the emphasis was on the filling and using the entire canvas and drawing attention to its surface. What the abstract expressionist wanted to accomplish was highlighting the surface specifications of the canvas, its â€Å"flatness†, and to convey the message that all of the canvas is important (Chivers, 4). The image above epitomizes abstract expressionism in that it does not draw attention to a narrative, but rather it draws attention to the full canvas which displays a uniform image throughout the canvas. What you see in the left side of the canvas is mirrored on the right side, although the colors may have been reversed o r changed somewhat. Regardless, the straight lines with fixed colors alternating in shades and arrangements demonstrate the spontaneous expression of abstract expressionism. Image 3 Kim Keever’s Landscape collection. The above image is a part of New York artist’s Kim Keever’s Landscape collection. Keever’s landscape collection are meant to depart from traditional landscape art. Keever accomplishes

E-Procurement Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

E-Procurement - Literature review Example Usual methods of procurement have lots of paper work processing, which requires a huge amount of money and time. E-procurement has reduced this work largely. E-procurement is a chief element of B2B ecommerce and it can be used in markets and industries in wide range. Business organizations buy many products of diverse varieties, ranging from paper clips to computer systems and from steel to equipments. They buy raw material inputs, which directly go in manufacturing process and the raw materials that need some repairing and maintenance before going into manufacturing process. There are thousands of other items purchased by an organization and keeping their receipts in record is very necessary for organizations to maintain professionalism. The main driver of e-procurement is cost-reduction attained from competencies resulting in less staff time spent in looking for and ordering products and integrating deliveries with invoices. Savings also take place with automatic corroboration of p re approved expenditure budgets for individuals or organizations leading to less time necessary for processing each order (Turban, pp.251-252, 2010). Automatic ordering, delivery, confirmations, payment, and inventory information diminish paper work, costs of paper-based ordering forms, storage space for credentials, records, and better information management. Indirect benefits of e-procurement include a shorter cycle time between order and use of supplies, greater suppleness in ordering products from different suppliers, amplified buyer productivity, and lower prices through product standardization and union of buyers (Havaldar, pp.379-382, 2010). Benefits to buyers of e-procurement include gain from improved pricing of goods and services, cost savings in the running of procurement processes, merger of buyer's sub entities into a single buying unit, and minimized costs through purchasing aggregation for some items. Other intangible benefits include enhancement in operations support , employee efficiency, evident purchasing behavior of business partners and supplier performance. Decline in procurement-to-pay cycle time and costs associated with outsourcing procurement and it helps maintaining smooth procurement operations. It also causes huge savings in invoice, finance, goods insurance, and delivery (Gay, Charlesworth & Esen, pp.474-475, 2007). Conversely, suppliers benefit from lower managerial costs, use of standard online catalogues that can be quickly updated with new product information, more effectual targeting, and access to a wider range of buyers (Babin & Weiss, pp.89-91, 2009). Additionally, lower inventory and warehousing costs are also the advantages of suppliers. Other opportunities contain lesser advertising, selling and service costs, extended product and service offerings, enhanced cash flow through better inventory returns and accounts receivables, a more thorough anticipation about a buyer's purchasing needs, and immediate responsiveness to a buyer's needs (N, pp.28-29, 2004). Nevertheless, for each e-marketplace contributor, the benefits will differ according to the contributor’s position. As buyers go for e- procurement, suppliers may not have any other option rather than joining in. The majority of suppliers are also buyers; therefore, net result is an increased involvement in e-procurement. E-procurement offers benefits in many

Reflective Essay on Art and Famous Artists

Reflective Essay on Art and Famous Artists The Olive Trees† by Vincent van Gogh caught my eye as soon as I saw it. Van Gogh has always fascinated me with his dramatic use of color and the thick texture he used while painting. After doing some research, I learned that he painted â€Å"The Olive Trees† in 1890 after voluntarily entering an asylum at Saint-Remy (MoMA). It has been said that van Goghs talent flourished in the last two years of his life while at Saint-Remy. Although he died at the ripe age of thirty-seven, he was a busy man. He created over 200 oil paintings during his life. Some of his most famous pieces are The Starry Night, Portrait of Dr. Gachet, and Irises (Artquotes). â€Å"The Olive Trees† is an oil on canvas painting that measures 28 5/8 x 36† (MoMA). This piece is in the post-impressionist style. Post-impressionists extended Impressionism while rejecting its lack of emotions. Artists continued to use vivid colors, thick application of paint, distinctive brush strokes, and real-life subject matter (Topofart). The post-impressionist style is seen throughout most of van Goghs works and especially in â€Å"The Olive Trees†. Van Gogh used thick oil paint combined with wide rough brushstrokes to create texture in this piece. This technique called â€Å"impasto† is evident in many of his other works such as â€Å"The Starry Night† (Frank). The subject of the picture is olive trees. These trees could be found all around the asylum he admitted himself to. This painting seems to have a lighter mood than some of the other paintings he completed right before his death. It seems that he, â€Å"found happiness† or something that got his mind off of the deep depression and mental sickness he had. The viewer can see it in this piece by looking at the use of color and dancing lines he used to create a happy, but mellow mood in the piece. This technique can also be seen in his other works such as â€Å"Starry Night†. Not only did he use color and line to lighten the mood of the piece, but he also used shape. Van Gogh painted the olive trees, mountains, and clouds all by using organic shape. This creates a flow of line, mass, and space. By using these effects, van Gogh creates a visual rollercoaster for the viewer to follow. At first glance, the viewers eyes roll from the grass up to the olive trees, and then across the blue colored mountains. By using this flow of line, the painting has a unique balance to it which allows no space to appear empty. The painting seems lively and the olive trees create a mood of dancing across the landscape. Van Gogh created a well balanced atmosphere by using the light colored clouds to balance out the blues used in the mountains. The clouds also help to balance the arrangement of greens he used for the foreground and olive trees. This is called symmetrical balance. I believe van Gogh used this in his work not only create a well flowing piece, but also to get the viewers eyes to move across the painting. By doing this, he keeps the viewers eyes from staring at one section of the painting. Instead, the viewer receives an emotional grasp from the flow of line, color, and texture that the painting offers. Overall, I really enjoy this piece of art. Although it is not one of van Goghs most-known pieces, it is one of my favorites. I tend to go against the grain and choose things that I find interesting instead of going with the â€Å"social norm†. His use of color and texture is what keeps me looking at his work. I think the mood and emotion that he gave off by this painting could not be done with any other color. Obviously van Gogh had a message and an emotion that he wanted to portray in this piece, and I think he conveyed it perfectly. I think van Gogh was conveying a since of hope and happiness from this piece. His use of line and texture creates movement in the painting and a sense of joy. The bright cloud contrasts against the olive trees and seems to brighten the piece not only through color, but emotionally as well. The painting is a joy to look at and will remain that way for a long time to come. Works Cited Famous Vincent Van Gogh Paintings. Artist Quotes Art Quotes Famous Artists Fine Artists. Web. 17 Apr. 2010. . Frank, Patrick, and Duane Preble. Prebles Artforms: an Introduction to the Visual Arts. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson /Prentice Hall, 2009. Print. Impressionism and Post-Impressionism Art Reproductions, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism Paintings. Art Reproductions Oil Painting Reproductions. Web. 18 Apr. 2010. . MoMA | The Collection | Vincent Van Gogh. The Olive Trees. Saint Rà ©my, June-July 1889. MoMA | The Museum of Modern Art. Web. 14 Apr. 2010. . Diego Rivera Diego Rivera was born into a wealthy family in Mexico. From the age of ten, Rivera studied art at the Academy of San Carlos in Mexico City (Biography). He was sponsored to continue study in Europe by the governor of Veracruz (Biography). After his arrival in Europe in 1907, he began to study art with a number of well known artists. A few years later Picasso and Georges Braque began getting world-wide exposure with their new type of art, Cubism. From 1913-1918, he devoted himself almost entirely to the cubist school of art (Arttrader). In 1920, Rivera left France and spent a short time in Italy. While there, Rivera studied frescoes and the popular works from the Renaissance period (Biography). In 1921, Rivera returned to Mexico to start on what I personally believe to be some of his best works. He began to paint murals in auditoriums, schools, and other various government buildings. Most of his art carried political influence which he believed in. Rivera was a communist and his work shared that of his political beliefs and how he felt about the Mexican people. He began to develop his own native style based on large, simplified figures and bold colors. Although his paintings were beautiful, his attacks on the church and political beliefs made him a controversial figure. (Biography). Some of his best known works during this time are: En el Arsenal, Creation, and The Flower Carrier. Rivera painted frescoes in this style for many years up until his death in 1957 (Biography). I chose to do my paper on one of his pieces with a Cubist influence. It was completed in 1912 while he was in France. The artwork is called â€Å"Cubist Landscape†. It is an oil on canvas that measures 25  ¾Ã¢â‚¬  x 35  ½Ã¢â‚¬  (MoMA). I chose this piece of art because it reminds me of my grandmother. She was a quilter, and at first glance, this painting reminds me of a patchwork quilt. Cubism was a huge influence in Riveras earlier career, and this was one of his first works in France. The content of this piece is a landscape filled with trees of different colors and a colorful sky with a mountain in the background. To me, it looks like you are looking at four different paintings that have been sat on top of each other at different angles. The use of the cubism style in this painting is very evident due to not only the name, but the way the object of the picture and background are â€Å"chopped† up and distorted throughout the piece. Rivera used big chunks of dif ferent objects to make this piece so it is not as distorted as the works of Picasso. I believe he did this so the viewer would not lose emphasis on the emotion Rivera was trying to get the viewer to feel. Rivera balanced the painting by using the Cubist style to section the painting out in to different pieces. The eye is specifically drawn to the lighter-green tree in the front. This tree is standing straight while all the other trees are bent and leaning in different directions. By doing this, Rivera made the tree in the front the subject of the piece, and made your eyes be drawn directly to this object. Line also played a role in the emotion and emphasis on the tree. He emphasized the front tree even more by making it more detailed and by giving the trunk of it texture. It stands straight up compared to the other ones to symbolize strength and power. The background of the artwork is where the emotion in the painting is created. The background is colored in a patchwork of the color wheel. Greens, reds, oranges, blues, violets, and yellows are all woven into the background to create a happy mood that surrounds the trees. The other trees also fall into the back ground and are red and blue. I think the added color that surrounds the subject gives the piece a lighter feeling and makes the viewer want to smile. I also like the use of impressionism in the piece. Around the border of the painting, Rivera dashed color on the background to create a meadow-like scene to the piece. The use of different color reminds me of wild flowers swaying in the breeze. He created what the eye would actually see in a meadow by using wide, short brush strokes. The way he painted the background reminds me of the brushstrokes used in â€Å"Impression Sunrise† by Monet. His short brush strokes also give texture and movement to the piece. Short brush s trokes make the piece look soft in texture and give it movement as if there were a breezing blowing through the scene. Overall I really enjoyed this piece of art. Not only did it remind me of my grandmother, but it also gave me a new grasp on the Cubist style of art. I was not a fan of cubism until researching this piece because I did not â€Å"get it†. So many times when viewers see cubism we want to run away because we cannot understand what we are looking at. In this piece Rivera makes it very clear and there is no underlying meaning like some of the other Cubists work. It is direct and straight-forward and that is why I chose it. This piece has caused me to grasp new meaning and understanding of the Cubist style and I will definitely embrace what I have learned. Works Cited Art Trader. Web. 21 Apr. 2010. . Diego Rivera Biography. Biography.com. Web. 21 Apr. 2010. . MoMA | The Collection | Diego Rivera. Cubist Landscape. 1912. MoMA | The Museum of Modern Art. Web. 20 Apr. 2010. . Georgia OKeeffe Georgia OKeeffe was born November 15th, 1887 in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. She grew up most of her life in Wisconsin but moved away to go to the Chatham Protest and Episcopal Institute in Williamsburg, Virginia in 1900. After graduating in 1904, she studied art at the Art Institute of Chicago and at the Art Students League in New York (Georgia). She is well known for her artwork and has won many awards such as the Gold Medal of Painting, the Medal of Freedom, and was presented the National Medal of Arts in 1985 by President Ronald Reagan (Georgia). It is said that OKeeffe revolutionized modern art in both her time and to the present. She painted natural scenes which she vividly portrayed with a close-up view. She used art to convey that nature is as powerful as the widespread industrialization of the period of her time. Georgia OKeeffe married Alfred Stieglitz in 1924 (Georgia). He was a famous photographer who put his wifes work in his gallery. In 1916, Georgias work was first exhibited and this is when her art began to be seen and appreciated. In 1949, OKeeffe moved to New Mexico where her art took on a new dimension. She painted bones and desert scenes which captured the calmness and bareness of the desert (Georgia). During her career as a painter, OKeeffe has mostly been remembered for her abstract style of art. She painted many things you would see in nature. She painted them as she saw them, not has how most would see them. She created her style of art by zooming in on the object and painting things that the naked eye would not be able to see. This was her representation of the flower or other object she was painting. Her style of art has been viewed all over the world and she is one of the most famous American artists to this day. I chose â€Å"Lake George, Coat and Red† to do my paper on because the piece jumped out at me. The painting is oil on canvas and it was created in 1919 (MoMA). This abstract piece is rich in texture and the mood of it warms your heart and lightens your mood. Georgia not only used line to create happiness in her piece, but she also used the bright reds in the background to accent the dark color of the painting. She used red and blue because they contrast one another, and it is a great way to catch the viewers eye. Not only did OKeeffe use red and blues in the painting, she also used greens, yellows, and orange. Im not sure if each color was meant to represent different types of emotions, but it gives the piece a center or â€Å"wholeness† since she used every color. Not only is the color balanced in this piece, but the way she used the value in each hue also creates a centralized feel. Since the subject of the piece is a dark blue, I think OKeeffe used the small white ball in the upper portion of the painting to create a small mass that contrasts the heavy blues she used for the subject. Her use of thick lines and texture also contributes to the balance of the piece and gives the subject a since of flow and gracefulness that draws your eyes from the lower left-hand corner of the piece on towards the upper right-hand corner. The paintings size is 27 3/8† x 23  ¼Ã¢â‚¬  (MoMA). This is an average size piece for her, and I think she used this size to get the viewer to see the painting up close and visually â€Å"feel† the texture and the movement of the piece. Not only did the size of the canvas play a role in how she wanted the viewer to feel, but the medium she used did as well. Georgia OKeeffe used a lot of oil paints to make her art because of the way she could create texture throughout each piece with this medium. She also used oil paints because she could blend each color easily to create the hue she wanted. Scale also played a huge part of OKeeffes work because most of her abstract art is a zoomed-in version of what the eye can see. By using this blown-up scale, OKeeffe can make the viewer feel the emotion of the object. Overall, I think that Georgia OKeeffe mastered abstract art and I will continue to be a fan. She has forever changed the way art will be viewed and will be an inspiration for many artists to come. I would not change anything about this piece because the size, color, texture, medium, and line all play a part in what OKeeffe wanted to portray in this piece. Works Cited Georgia OKeeffe Biography. Lakewood Public Library (Lakewood, Ohio). N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2010. . MoMA | The Collection | Georgia OKeeffe. Lake George, Coat and Red. 1919. MoMA | The Museum of Modern Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2010. . Paul Cà ©zanne Paul Cà ©zanne was a French painter born January 19, 1839. He developed artistic interests at an early age and was sent to Paris to study when he was twenty-three. He has often been called the father of modern art, who â€Å"strove to develop an ideal synthesis of naturalistic representation, personal expression, and abstract pictorial order† (Retro). While he was in Paris he studied the works of Monet, Delacroix, and Gustave Courbet (Retro). Cà ©zannes early paintings show little resemblance to his later and more important style. The subject matter is dark and depressing and includes fantasies, dreams, religious images, and a general theme concerned with death (Notable). Most of the work from this era of his life was harshly criticized and was never accepted in any art exhibitions. In the 1870s, Cà ©zanne began to change his style. He started using brighter colors and the religious subjects he once used in his paintings began to disappear (Notable). Cà ©zannes paintings from the 1870s clearly show the influence of Impressionism. He used short brushstrokes characterized by Monet and other early Impressionist to portray what the â€Å"eyes see rather than what the mind knows† (Frank). Some of his most known pieces from this time are â€Å"House of the Hanged Man† and â€Å"Portrait of Victor Choquet† (Notable). In the late 1870s Cà ©zanne moved back to his home in southern France and isolated himself from the art world. He began to create his own style of Impressionism, but he did not exhibit his art for almost twenty years (Notable). Cà ©zannes began to come out of his solitude during the 1890s. In 1895, a large number of Cà ©zannes paintings were shown, and public interest in his work slowly began to develop. By 1904 he was given an entire room at the Salon dAutomne (Notable). Unfortunately he died October 22, 1906 due to natural causes (Notable). Though he died right when he was getting large recognition for his work, Cà ©zanne will be remembered as a front-runner of modern art (Notable). The piece of Cà ©zannes work I chose was â€Å"Still Life with Fruit Dish†. This painting is an oil on canvas that measures 18 1/4 x 21 1/2 (MoMA). According to MoMA, [Still life was an important genre to Cà ©zanne, who made approximately two hundred such paintings over the course of four decades. In â€Å"Still Life with Fruit Dish† he created a shallow, compressed space that flattens the sculptural volumes of dish, glass, and fruit. This painting was a prized possession of the artist Paul Gauguin, who described the picture as an exceptional pearl, the apple of my eye. It was only when he needed money for medical care that Gauguin unhappily parted with it.] I completely agree with Gauguin. This painting is a fantastic example of how Cà ©zanne created his own style of Impressionism. If the viewer were to put Monets work next to it, you could see the resemblance of Impressionism, but he or she could also see both artists personal style difference. Monet was the pioneer of Impressionism, but personally, I prefer what Cà ©zanne did with this piece much more than â€Å"Impression: Sunrise† or â€Å"Water Lily Pond† by Monet. In â€Å"Still Life with Fruit Dish†, Cà ©zanne created most of the lines in the painting with thick, swift brushstrokes in the Impressionist style. Most of the lines in the painting are jagged and not very detailed. The lighting in the piece looks like it is coming from the right and is shining down on the table and the fruit bowl. By using light this way, Cà ©zanne put emphasis on the fruit bowl which is the subject of the piece. Cà ©zanne also positioned the knife to point directly toward the fruit bowl. This guides the viewers eyes from the lower-right-hand corner of the painting directly to the subject. Since this piece is in the Impressionist style, Cà ©zanne painted what the eyes actually see. Impressionists painted what they saw, so there is no underlying meaning to this piece like works of the Renaissance had. The colors Cà ©zanne used give emphasis on the subject. The background is a dark-colored wall. The tablecloth and fruit bowl are both bright white. Though blue is sometimes used to evoke sadness in a viewer, I do not believe Cà ©zanne was trying to create sadness in this piece. The colors he used for the fruits are realistic colors and their greens, yellows, and reds warm the painting dramatically. Cà ©zanne used thick texture in this painting, but it does not create movement or rhythm in the piece like the works of van Goghs did. I think here he used subtle texture just so the painting would not look bland and flat. The texture he used gives character to the fruit as well as the blue background. Overall, I really like this painting and wish I could have a copy in my house. So far it is my favorite painting I have written about. Cà ©zannes realistic proportion, contrast, and use of space also drew my eye to this piece. I like being able to view art and â€Å"know† what the artist wanted you to see and feel. When looking at this painting, I immediately â€Å"got it†. After reading about Cà ©zanne, I have definitely acquired more knowledge about the Impressionist style and gained a new love for his type of art. Works Cited Frank, Patrick, and Duane Preble. Prebles Artforms: an Introduction to the Visual Arts. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson /Prentice Hall, 2009. Print. MoMA | The Collection | Paul Cà ©zanne. Still Life with Fruit Dish. 1879-80. MoMA | The Museum of Modern Art. Web. 25 Apr. 2010. . Paul Cà ©zanne Biography. Oil Painting Reproductions : Museum Quality Art. Web. 25 Apr. 2010. . Paul Cà ©zanne Biography Life, Story, Death, School, Information, Born, House, Time, Year. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Web. 25 Apr. 2010. . Pablo Picasso Pablo Picasso was a famous Spanish painter and sculptor who lived from 1881-1973. He is best known for cofounding Cubism with Georges Braque. His father, Ruiz, was an artist and influenced Picassos early works. When Picasso was seven, his father began to give him formal training in drawing and painting (Answers). Ruiz was a traditional artist and instructor who believed that proper training required disciplined copying of famous artwork. Picasso became so preoccupied with art that he put his education second. After only six years of painting, Picassos father realized that his son was more talented than him (Answers). At the age of thirteen, Picasso took an entrance exam to the Barcelona School of Fine Arts. After creating his piece in only a week, he was accepted and began taking classes (Answers). Three years later his father sent him to Madrids Royal Academy of San Fernando which was one of the most recognized art schools in Spain (Answers). Shortly after enrolling at the Royal Academy, Picasso dropped out to move to Paris in the early 1900s. His first masterpiece was â€Å"Les Demoiselles dAvignon† which he created in 1907. It was thought of as being controversial because of its reference to the female body and masked faces he used (Answers). From 1909-1912, Picasso continued to work closely with Georges Braque to create what would be known as â€Å"Cubism† (Answers). Though Cubism is a huge part of Picassos work, the painting I chose has no cubist influence. My artwork is â€Å"Night Fishing at Antibes†. It is a 69† x 114† oil on canvas that Picasso completed in 1939 (MoMA). I chose this piece because I wanted to learn more about abstract art, and because I enjoy fishing. The subject of this painting was based on â€Å"Picassos observation of night scenes off the shore of Antibes in the South of France. Men went out and fished by the light of acetylene lamps; the lights attracted the fish to the surface, where they could be netted or speared† (Lenin). Some say that the painting has deeper meaning that relates to the outbreak of World War II, but after researching the topic heavily, I found that the idea is not for certain. The content in the painting is two fishermen in a boat. One has fishing line attached to his toe, and the other man is about to stab a fish with a spear. Two women are standing on a bridge to the right . One woman is holding a bicycle and eating an ice cream cone. Picasso used symbolism in his paintings, and there must be symbolism in this piece, but after my research, I could not find any concrete answers for why he painted â€Å"Night Fishing at Antibes† this way. Most art critics believe that Picasso painted this piece as a war protest much like â€Å"Guernica†, but he never announced that this was the paintings meaning (Answers). The size of the painting also has to do something with the meaning. This painting is almost twelve feet wide and seven feet tall. If the meaning of the piece is to protest WWII, Picasso created this painting to be the size of a billboard. This would help drive the underlying meaning of the painting and convey what Picasso wanted to say about the war with a bold message. Picasso created a well-lit piece by making the moonlight shine directly down on the water. This contrasts the fish on the right and makes the eyes look directly at it first. The piece is well balanced due to its large, dark background and small space of lightness. The viewers eyes go directly toward the fish on the right not only because of the lighting, but also due to the way Picasso used line. The spear has four straight, thick arrows pointing directly at the fish. This spear also looks like a trident. This could have some time of underlying meaning as well. The spear looks strong and bold. After guiding your eyes up the shaft of the spear, your eyes drift left across the arm of the fisherman. He is scaled much larger than the other fisherman in the boat and his eyes seem to be looking directly at the viewer. No other subjects in the painting are looking towards the viewer except for this fisherman. The spear and the fishermans arm are by far the strongest lines in the piece. They are at 90 degree angles, unlike any of the other lines in the painting. Though the piece is constructed with purely organic shapes, the painting does not convey a since of movement or rhythm. To me the piece seems like a snapshot in time catching everyone off guard. The colors Picasso used in the painting give the piece emphasis on what time of day it is. The viewer can tell the painting is a night scene because of the title, but I believe Picasso painted a night scene for an underlying meaning. Almost every color in the painting is dark except for the water on which the moon shines down on. The dark hues give the piece a cold and sad feeling. Just by the color alone, I can tell that I would not want to be in this scene. I really liked this work when I first saw it, but after doing research I have changed my view of it. Now knowing what was going on in the world at the time, I feel that this painting has a much deeper meaning than what I as young college student can grasp. I will always be a fan of Picassos work, but to be honest, I just do not understand a lot of what he wants the viewer to catch on to. I like the painting, but I am actually disappointed after writing this paper. Personally, I would have rather picked a piece that I could have understood than try to chase down the meaning of this painting. I spent more time doing research on the underlying meaning than I spent enjoying the painting. I felt like I was chasing my tail while doing the report on this piece. Nonetheless, I am still a fan of Picassos and maybe one day the message of this piece (if any) will hit me. Works Cited MoMA | The Collection | Pablo Picasso. Night Fishing at Antibes. Antibes, August 1939. MoMA | The Museum of Modern Art. Web. 22 Apr. 2010. . Pablo Picasso Night Fishing at Antibes (1939). Lenin Imports UK Latest CDs, Cassettes, Vinyl , Movie, Art Memorabilia In Stock Art, Rock, Movie Loads More. Web. 21 Apr. 2010. . Pablo Picasso Night Fishing at Antibes (1939). Lenin Imports UK Latest CDs, Cassettes, Vinyl , Movie, Art Memorabilia In Stock Art, Rock, Movie Loads More. Web. 28 Apr. 2010. . Pablo Picasso: Biography from Answers.com. Answers.com: Wiki QA Combined with Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Encyclopedias. Web. 23 Apr. 2010. .

Machiavelli :: essays research papers

A great leader is someone who appears to be priceless. Great leader is the main example of his people; he should have the characteristics of higher standards therefore developing his followers into something better. Extraordinary leaders need to have communication skills to understand what the followers expect from him. "You serve as an influential role model for your players and everything you do will be watched. Vince Lombardi says, "Leaders are made, they are not born; and they are made just like anything else has every been made in this country - by hard work."" (Sugarman). Great leader must be seen as being great not actually being one. Machiavelli suggests this idea in D1. To seem to have the qualities is necessary as opposed to having the qualities without the people knowing about them. This is true for all leaders not just political. D1 suggests flexibility is needed, "†¦ but you must have the mind so disposed that when it is needful to be otherwise you may be able to change to the opposite qualities." Flexibility is important; the leader all in all has to give the people what they want satisfying the majority. D1 says that great leaders are sometimes obligated to do evil if constrained without deviating from what is good (if possible), "†¦ being often obligated, in order to maintain the state, to act against faith, against charity†¦" Communication and timing are important. Great leaders are great when they get something across to the followers that the followers want to hear, there is a clear understanding from both sides. "The great leader is a master in the art of communication. He or she is aware of the strong need for actions to match words. Leaders need to possess a willingness to listen to input with an open mind." (Sugarman), "Leadership is about building connections. Effective leaders make people feel they have a stake in common problems." (Goodwin). Great leaders are good with timing; "Timing is (almost) everything. Knowing when to introduce an initiative, when to go before one's constituents -- and when to hold off -- is a crucial skill." (Goodwin). Leaders must care about their people (and of course show them that they care): "A leader who does not hesitate before he sends his nation into battle is not fit to be a leader" (a quote of Golda Meir) (Spanoudis). This sets an example for the followers to care about their leader too.

Budget Hotel

The Advantages and Disadvantages of 7 Days Inn As a typical budget hotel, Seven Days Group Holdings Limited established in 2005 and now, more than 1000 Seven Days Inn have scattered all around the China (Zhang, 2012). I registered to be a member of 7 Days Inn two years age, and have already lodged in three branch stores in different cities during my travels. Budget hotels are considered as 1 star hotel because they provide lodging at cheaper price varies from 30$-40$ per room per night.The main service is providing guest rooms with limited amenities for general tourists and business travelers(Song, 2009). In the last few years, budget hotel has demonstrated its huge market potential, especially within the key consumer groups, like backpackers and university students. Being one of the top ten budget hotels in China, 7 Days Inn has its obvious advantages, such as various reservation systems, convenient hotel locations and enthusiastic services. The primary reason for customers choosing Seven Days Inn is that it provides a complete hotel reservations system.Hotel reservation system, commonly known as a central reservation system (CRS) is a computerized system that stores and distributes information of a hotel, resort, or other lodging facilities (Zhang, 2012). A complete reservation system is important because it is assistance for hotel staffs to manage all of their online marketing and sales, where they can upload their rates and availabilities to be seen by all customers. And for the customers, they can finish their reservations through multiple channels, like internet, telephone and e-mail.Thanks to the 7 Days Inn’s complete reservation system, I could still book a room in time with my mobile phone after I suddenly changed my travel plan in Zhuhai. The second advantage of 7 Days Inn is the convenient location. During my traveling, I found it easy to get to the locations of the branch stores I had booked, because they were either near bus stations or the landmarks of the districts. Different kinds of customers choose 7 Days Inn for different purposes, some for vacations, while others for business. No matter for what purposes, locations of the hotels will surely play a big role in the overall enjoyment of the trip.That's because a well-located hotel will significantly cut down the amount of time you waste in traffic or trying to navigate an unfamiliar place. As a customer-friendly budget hotel, nearly 35% of the 7 Days Inn runs shuttles to and from popular sightseeing destinations, and the rest of its branch stores mainly locate near the metro stations or bus stations (Liu, 2008). At that point, the customers will save money as well as time on cab fare or public transportation. All the staffs trying their best to provide enthusiastic services are the most prominent advantage of the 7 Days Inn.Service quality has been reported as having apparent relationship to costs, profitability, customer satisfaction, customer retention, behaviora l intention, and positive word-of-mouth (Boltan, 1991). To provide high quality service, all staffs in 7 Days Inn are required to wear clean uniform and satisfy customers’ requirements with smiling faces to the greatest extent. Besides, high service quality also has strategic benefits of contributing to market-share and return on investment, as well as in lowering manufacturing costs and improving productivity.Accordingly, in 2011, 7 Days Inn’s annual revenue growth rate increased 28%, which illustrates the importance of high service quality (Li, 2012). Although Seven Days Inn has three aforementioned advantages, at the same time, its reputation is also devalued at a certain extent by its disadvantages, such as the deficient company website with limited information and obsolete equipments in some guest rooms. Firstly, 7 Days Inn’s company website is underdeveloped, which just with some limited or outdated information.A company website is a fairly inexpensive bus iness tool that can serve a purpose for both the company and its clients. With a thorough company website, 7 Days Inn can feature a complete electronic version of its catalog, in which describe all its products and services in greater details. For its clients, they will have the convenience of reading about the service and updated information on their own time. 7 Days Inn already had a website, but as a permanent member, I only use it for my reservation. Most of the customers can not find some more interesting and eye-catching information.Besides presenting its hotel rate and some basic hotel introductions, to well develop its company website, the 7 Days Inn’s webmasters should take measures to perfect its company website, like encouraging all the staffs and customers to publish their ideas and experiences of lodging in 7 Days Inn. On the other hand, obsolete and deficient equipments in some guest rooms also make the customers unsatisfied with 7 Days Inn. I once complained th e small and obsolete TV set in my guest room, because I even could not find CCTV-NEWS channel.Among all the problems about deficient and obsolete equipments, the dullish and yellow lighting in some branch stores is most annoying. Lighting, whose aim is to temporarily receive guests and revivify the staffs, has to be designed for different purposes in different areas. However, in two branch stores that I lodged in, the lightings in corridors were so dim during days and nights, while the lighting color and intensity in the guest rooms was unchangeable. In a hotel, during the day, people are attracted by the interior design, by furnishings, shapes and colors.But at night the hotel has a second dimension, since the guest needs to stay in a safe, comfortable and protected atmosphere, but even relaxing, clean and efficient (Cui, 2007). So the lighting system in 7 Days Inn can be perfected by installing new type of lighting which can change its color and intensity, especially in the recept ions and guest rooms. The disadvantages I mentioned above have been complained by some other customers according to the evaluation records in its website. So, it is high time for the managements of 7 Days Inn to take actions. In 2011, 7 Days Inn’s market share was 12. 3%, the second among all the budget hotels in China. During the previous three quarters, it opened 838 branch stores, 95 more when compared with the year earlier (Li, 2012). With its rapid development, 7 Days Inn will surely occupy larger market shares. But, it has to insure the environment and services quality in every branch store. Nevertheless, improving its disadvantages is the main task for managements. References Boltan, R. N. (1991). A Longitudinal Analysis of the Impact of Service Changes on Customer Attitude. Journal of Marketing, 20(1), 1-25. Retrieved June 16, 2012, from http://www. jstor. rg/stable/25061184? . Cui, D. D. (2007). An Analysis of the Developing Prospects and Strategies of Chinese Econom y Hotel from 2000 to 2007. Journal of the Postgraduate of Zhongnan University of Economics and Laws, 5(3), 5-11. Retrieved June 16, 2012, from http;//dlib4. ehttp://dlib4. edu. cnki. net/kns50/detail. aspx? dbname=CJFDTEMP=ZNCZ200706018. Li, D. (2012). Analysis on Financing Development of Economic Hotel in Capital Market. Journal of Tourism College of Zhejiang, 9(3), 13-20. Retrieved June 16, 2012, from http://dlib4. edu. cnki. net/kns50/detail/=CJFDTEMP=LYXY20080212. Liu, M. Q.

Sei shonagon essays

Sei shonagon essays A contemporary court lady, Sei shonagons the pillow book was a compilation of miscellaneous notes and reflections that provides an excellent portrait of Heian aristocratic life, with its emphasis on elegance-always an important element of the Japanese aesthetic. The Pillow Book provides invaluable insight into contemporary court ceremony, intrigues, and politics. In addition to its historic interest, it is a literary masterpiece, displaying a sharp wit, deft expression, and spontaneity. Murasaki Shikibu was Japanese novelist, court figure at the height of the Heian period (795-1185). Known also as Lady Murasaki, she is celebrated as the author of the romantic novel Genji-Monogatari [tale of Genji], one of the first great works of fiction to be written in Japanese. It concerns the life of Prince Genji and his descendants and is a subtle and thorough delineation of a complex society. Selections from the Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu and the Pillow Book of Sei Shnagon combine to give a balanced picture of life among the aristocracy in Japan at the height of the Heian period. Sei Shnagon's sharp and witty descriptions of court life offer an astringent account of the manners of the age, while Murasaki's fiction expands on its ideals and attitudes with striking psychological insight. They are an important corrective to the warrior-dominated image we often have of premodern Japan, reflecting instead an earlier age when gentler arts were the most highly valued. The very fact that these two works, acknowledged as the greatest prose writing of a very rich period, were written by women is an important indication of the varieties of social organization in Japanese history. It was not until the later feudal period that women's status declined to the position of docile subservience familiar to us from samurai movies and modern stereotypes. At the height of the classical era, women had considerable...

Genetic Engineering In Food Production Essays - Biology, Free Essays

Genetic Engineering In Food Production Essays - Biology, Free Essays Genetic Engineering In Food Production Genetic Engineering in Food Production: Is it Safe, Wise, and Moral? Over the past couple of decades much debate has been going on about the use of advanced technology in the field of biology. Ever since the first gene was cloned in 1973, genetic engineers have been pursuing at break-neck speed the unlimited possibilities promised by biotechnology (Davidson 1993). Their excitement, which has generated billions of investment dollars for the industry, is understandable. Bioengineering allows scientists to identify specific gene sequences responsible for particular characteristics and then to transfer the genes and the specific trait into entirely different species. One of the more current and controversial issue in the field of biotechnology is the use of bioengineering in food production. Scientists are experimenting with many different plants, but the genetic engineering of the tomato, dubbed Flavr Savr has been the most highly publicized project by far. The new tomato is supposed to boast more flavor and be tastier due to its longer staying time on the vine, thereby giving it more time to accumulate sweetness; yet, it will not rot or spoil because of its new genetic makeup. (Davidson 1993). With this advanced technology scientists argue that it could offer the greatest hope in the aid to stop hunger in Third World countries. This new technology could be used to make bulk levels of food production more efficient and less costly. However, despite all of its advantages in creating better crops, many people are very skeptical about its safetiness and possible long-term health effects. Moreover, the social issue lies deep in the realm of ethical and moral concerns. Do people really want to eat meat that is leaner and tastier but contains genes from humans? Or, would individuals (like vegetarians) be able to eat certain vegetables that may contain genes from animals? Personally, I would not support the use of genetic engineering in food production based on moral and ethical reasons: I do not think that scientists should be able to use their knowledge and social prestige in society to be able to play the role of God in creating new or better living things even if their justification is for the purpose of serving mankind. Although we still have much to learn about genes, recently developed techniques have already given rise to a new technology of molecular genetics. Genetic engineering, also known as gene splicing/manipulation and recombinant DNA technology is a set of techniques for reconstructing, or deliberately manipulating, the genetic material of an organism. Operating at the molecular level, this process involves the addition, deletion, or reorganization of pieces of an organism's DNA (known as genes) in order to alter that organism's protein production (Arms et al. 1994). The use and applications of genetic engineering range from medical and pharmaceutical to industrial crops and food products. Its applications, today or in the future, includecreating improved strains of crops and farm animals (Arms et al. 1994). All of these applications rely on the ability to transplant genes into a cell's makeup, or genome. The new gene may come from another organism, of the same species, or it may contain DNA produced in the laboratory. One example, the new Flavr Savr tomato, developed by Calgene, a biotechnology company based in Davis, California, was subjected to years of scrutiny before the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) agreed that it was safe to eat. They found, copied, and rebuilt a gene that lets these tomatoes stay on the vine without softening and spoiling. That means that the fruit can develop more of the sugars and acids that make a home-grown tomato taste so sweet and rich. Conventional tomatoes sold in the stores are often hard and flavorless because they are picked while green and firm enough to transport, then 'ripened' by spraying with ethylene (Wood 1995). This turns the tomato red but does nothing to develop a riper flavor. Ethylene, a colorless, odorless gas that once kicks in, so do all the problems of perishability (Wood 1995). Since tomatoes have a softening gene, it produces RNA (Ribonucleic Acid) to help manufacture a protein that causes rotting. To stop the tomatoes going soft too soon, the researchers devised a

Is the UK economy out of recession Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Is the UK economy out of recession - Essay Example But this hope was to prove a mirage as the trend reversed in subsequent months. Though the UK took a little while to catch up with the crisis in the United States, at the beginning of the second quarter of 2008, the region’s economy was in acute recession. It has been close to two years since the onset of recession in the UK and the economic condition of the region remains weak and vulnerable. While some economists assert that the turnaround is already underway, others take a more pessimistic view. This essay will try to answer this important question, by way of perusing scholarly and news media resources. (Lynch, 2009) The recession that began in early 2008 gave no signs of recovery even after one full year. As the industry data for third quarter 2009 revealed, the economy shrank a further 0.4 % in during this period, which completed the sixth consecutive quarter in decline. As per the Office for National Statistics, by this time â€Å"output has slumped 5.9% since the onset of recession - almost as bad as the 6% slump seen in the early 1980s. The lingering decline came despite interest rates at a record low of 0.5% since March, additional Government spending and an unprecedented pounds 175 billion boost to the money supply through quantitative easing† (Lynch, 2009). But even as the UK was enduring this economic decline, neighbouring countries such as France and Germany have already shown early signs of recovery. While neighbouring countries in Europe were already into recovery, it was only during the heralding of year 2010 that the UK economy showed clear signs of recovery. Financial experts have declared that technically the UK economy has emerged from recession, but concerns still remain about the stability and strength of the pound against the dollar and the euro. Due to the internal economic turmoil, there is a strong possibility for deflation of currency during

Personal Action Plan Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Action Plan - Personal Statement Example The first thing scholars need to know how to do is an effective library and/or internet search. Before a search can be started the student needs to choose keywords which will narrow down the search criteria. For example, if a student is considering doing a paper on the Civil War and reconstruction then those would be your keywords. However, if you are given a broad subject area then you will need to narrow down your search. For example, you need to write a 10 page research paper in American History to 1877. That includes a large number of topics. During the course of the class you are drawn to the Jacksonian Era, so you decide to write a paper about Andrew Jackson. Next you need to narrow down even more because Andrew Jackson is just too big of a topic for a 10 page paper. So you decide to do your paper on his term as the President. That narrows down your time frame to just eight years, manageable but still too big for your assignment. Next decide on what aspect of Andrew Jackson Pre sidency you are going to focus on. You find yourself interested in the Nullification Crisis that involved South Carolina. Now you have a reasonable size topic for a paper and your keywords would be: Andrew Jackson, Nullification, and South Carolina. These keywords allow a student to perform an effective library and/or internet search. ... All students should know and understand the definition of plagiarism. My definition of plagiarism is using somebody else's ideas or words in your own paper without giving them proper credit. An example of a plagiarized quote would be if you were to use a direct quote without offsetting it with quotation marks and not giving the original author credit. Another thing that you cannot do is just replace two or three words and call that a paraphrase. The safest thing to do is to summarize an author's main point in your own words. Another area of upholding academic honesty is to not cheat. This means that you personally will not cheat on papers or test. Yet, it also means that if you find another student cheating you have a responsibility to report him or her. My personal action plan for upholding academic honesty is to follow all posted school rules regarding academic honesty. Developing effective study skills consists of finding what works for you and using it to the best advantage possible. The most important elements of effective studying are lecture notes, reading notes, place, and time. The lecture notes are important because they tell you information that will be on the test. Lecture notes should be read immediately after the lecture and again in preparation for any test, at a minimum. Reading notes are notes taken while you are reading your textbooks. Some classes use regular text books and other classes will use novels, fiction and nonfiction, so you need to learn how to take notes on booth types of books. The place you study is important also. It should be a quite place where you will not be interrupted by friends and family. It should be comfortable but not so comfortable you fall asleep. It