Determinants of Elasticity Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Determinants of Elasticity - Assignment Example At the other hand, the focus of this document points out towards the growth in the prices of mattresses, sofas and beds, throughout the world. Rest is one of the basic human needs for sustainable existence (Mei-Se, Shu-Jung, & Hung-Ta, 2009), therefore people are forced to cope with rising prices of this important need, through forgoing other important desires. Mattresses and luxury sofa sets were luxuries during the course of past two decades, but in this modern era, they transformed into necessities for families to maintain their status symbol. At the same time, there is no suitable substitute available for them; along with this, there is a growing social pressure to acquire good to excellent quality sofa sets and mattresses to keep up with the changing trends. Therefore, it is wise to imply that, the demand of mattresses and other similar social necessities is not affected by the change in price largely. In parallel, it is recommended to the governments to provide firms producing these items with subsidies in order to, stabilize prices of their products, so that people can fulfill other desires as well. This paper focused on analyzing the price elasticity of necessities of human life, and painfully noticed that despite of their increasing prices, people are purchasing them. Therefore, governmental intervention is recommended in order to; control inflating price of mattresses and other similar

A Look At Greek Lyric Poetry And John Cage Essay Example for Free

A Look At Greek Lyric Poetry And John Cage Essay Music goes beyond language barriers; it speaks no language but that of the heart. However, like all art forms it has tenets and principles as to what is good music and what is simply noise. How about when artists claim that their works are music when it seems that these are perceived to be avant garde, not the kind of music that dominates the cultural period and worse, does not come from tradition? This paper seeks to take a look at the music in Hellenistic Greece, in particular a lyric by one of its known muses, Sappho, with her only surviving complete work, Ode to Aphrodite, and compare it with what is considered to be experimental composition from John Cage, his 4’33†. Both pieces were meant to be performed – although how these are performed also raised questions. Ancient Greece is revered to be a center of learning, where arts and culture flourished. It was one of the places where the earliest treatises on the different art forms were written, and they were keen to what constituted good and bad art, giving raise even to debates as to what is the function of art. Plato was known to promote the arts that will inspire people’s thinking, not their emotions, for he considered human emotions a weakness, and also because during that time musical scales developed from the study of the harmony in the universe, the mathematical equations used by the Pythagoreans (Henderson, 1957). It was because of this that he did not approve of the poets’ lyrics, because it deviated from the musical modes they were used to and relied on what sounded good to the ear, making music became accessible to the people (Anderson, 1966). Sappho was one of those poets whose lyric poetry when sung communicated the love and sensuality it contained, as with her work Ode to Aphrodite, deviating from their traditionally highly mathematically composed melodies where people were supposed to be quiet and listen to rigidly, for her lyric love poems were made to be felt and inspire emotion. In this way, Sappho, and her contemporary poets at the time helped create a turn for Greek music. Like Sappho, John Cage contributed to music with his compositions, characterized as avant-garde especially his chance pieces. However, his work that challenged perceptions and definition of music is his notorious 4’33†, a piece where for four minutes and thirty-three seconds the orchestra plays nothing. John Cage wrote this piece when he realized that there will always be sound, and deliberately wrote â€Å"Tacet†, to instruct the musician not to play. What Cage wanted for the audience to hear was the different sounds that occur during the interval the piece is played – all the various sounds that one does not pay attention to because they listen to something else. This is different from silence, unless the figuratively the sound of silence, since Cage’s point was that there is always sound if one listens intently (Cage, 1973). Both Sappho and Cage’s music differed from one another in that Sappho was expressing herself through her poetry, while Cage was making the listener turn to his environment. Although created in different environment and cultures, both musical pieces can be interpreted in a personal way, making it a unique experience. Sappho’s Ode to Aphrodite can mean something else to a modern listener than it used to in ancient Greece, and of course Cage’s 4’33† would always conjure something unique for each individual. What this shows us is that although music is made in a certain era, it can transcend the boundaries of time as long as it resonates with what is human and universal, as an appreciation for the sounds around us and those that speak of love, and that although music is governed by principles of what makes it good, it will always be a matter of personal experience. SOURCES: Anderson, W. (1966). Ethos and Education in Greek Music. Cambridge, HUP. Cage, John. (1973). Silence: Lectures and Writings, Wesleyan Paperback. Henderson, Isobel (1957). Ancient Greek Music in The New Oxford History of Music, vol. 1: Ancient and Oriental Music, Oxford, Oxford University Press. http://homoecumenicus. com/ioannidis_ancient_greek_texts. htm, Accessed on June, 15, 2009. http://www. greylodge. org/occultreview/glor_013/433. htm , Accessed on June 15, 2009.

The Non-Jewish Individual Essay -- Jewish History, Kafka

The Non-Jewish Individual Jewish history is a study of a people in exile. Since the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem, the experience of the Jewish individual in relation to non-Jewish society has often been that of an outsider looking in. In addition, the distinct Jewish culture, religion, and philosophy identifiably marked the Jews as a separate people. Although this demarcation exposed the Jews to many negative ideological trends, Isaac Deutscher’s â€Å"The Non-Jewish Jew† argues that this marginalization enabled the great thinkers of the 19th and 20th centuries to revolutionize the European continent. As the title suggests, the non-Jewish Jews were individuals that abandoned Judaism. Deutscher argues that the historical exclusion imbued Jewish people with the innate perspective of the external critic. When the individuals liberated themselves from the ideological shackles of Judaism this now double marginalization provided the perspective of the extreme outsider. Once freed from both the restrictions of Jewish and Christian ideology they were then able to reinterpret society and develop the theories that would revolutionize the world. Deutscher asserts that the famous non-Jewish Jews such as Spinoza, Heine, Marx, and others were representatives of this perspective. In essence, their independence from society enabled them to criticize and fundamentally change the ideological landscape of Europe in ways that other thinkers bound by Christian or Jewish ideology could not. However, with an analysis of Deutscher’s argument through Franz Kafka’s â€Å"A Report to an Academy† it becomes clear that his â€Å"Non-Jewish Jews† were not only dependent upon society, but also more importantly they were not actually Jewish. Initially, Kakfa’s â€Å"... ...by the subjects of Deutscher’s â€Å"The Non-Jewish Jew† are reflected and exhibited in Deutscher’s work. His assertion that Jews have a special ability to critically analyze society because of their historical isolation supports the same race based ideology that the historical figures worked against. Additionally, the association of Marx, Heine, and the others to this racially decided independence from society fails to acknowledge their deep connection to their non-Jewish culture. Therefore, through an analysis of Deutscher’s work through the context of Kafka’s â€Å"A Report to an Academy† it becomes apparent that Deutscher undermines his argument by failing to appropriately state the relevance of the historical figures connection to society and most importantly, by allowing racial inflections to manipulate his perspective of his subject revolutionary individuals.

Kant’s Views on Space and Time Essay

In his Critique of Pure Reason, Immanuel Kant wrote about the science of the transcendental aesthetic in which he argues that space and time exist as a priori intuitions in the human mind. Space and time, for Kant, are the pure forms of intuition that order our empirical intuitions or sensations and allow us to have them. Thus, the essence of his view in this regard is that space and time are subjective human conventions that our mind brings to the realm of experience. There is one argument of Kant’s for space being a pure intuition in particular that I find compelling. Essentially, Kant says that empiricists advocate that the concepts of space and time are derived from our sense experience. Kant argues however, that it would be impossible for space and time to be concepts derived from sense experience because of the fact that all of our sensory experience is already ordered spatially. Kant poses that there exists, a noumena other than phenomena. Reality can either be the empirical/phenomenal world, or the non-empirical noumenal world, or they could be both. The noumena may somehow house or emanate the manythat is in our minds in order to perceive empirical space and time. Kant points out that we can simultaneously view both the empirical reality of space as well as the transcendental ideality. As far as a whole or one whole, Kant posits that we cannot successfully conceive of the whole or entire entity of time, or space because it is supposed to be infinite as, in never-ending and formless. I can show you the finite shape or form of an object, whether felt, heard, felt, tasted, or shown, but I cannot successfully show you the shape or form of either space or time itself, only the objects and events that reside within them. Kant points out that we dream, yet dreams are not empirically spatial. We can only say, I had a dream at such and such a time, yet we cannot go there, as in going to an actual physical place, so dreams are only temporal. Yet, dreams are still part of reality. The same applies for time and space.

Economic Class

Economic â€Å"Class† † What barriers make it difficult for the poor to change their economic class? † There are several examples that can be given and this paper will outline some of the reasoning. Barriers can be anything from inherited social standings, to birth wealth, or even geographical locations, even to the amount of funding for extracurricular activity, racial and gender domination are also a barrier. There are many different things causing there to be barriers causing it hard for people to change the barrier of economic class.Keeping a good social standard is sometimes difficult to sustain, making it hard to change. Author Gregory Mantsios â€Å"Class in America† in 2003, has many different ideas on the way economic class is. Social standings and consequently life chances are largely determined at birth. Individuals who have gone from rags to riches abound in the mass media, statistics on class mobility show these leaps to be extremely rare (Mants ios711). Most economic success is because of the wealth that these individuals receive at birth. Over 66 percent of the consumer units with incomes of $100,000 or more have inherited assets (Mantsios711).In the stories that are read in most cases there is more wealth due to being born into it than earning it by hard work. Most people do not choose to be put into an economic class; rather it happens on its own. If someone grows up knowing only low income or having very little as a child, they seem to carry that on with them as they get older. It is hard to go from something you’re used to all your life to something so different. Poverty is a very difficult barrier to overcome, no matter where someone is from or where they now live. Author Diana George â€Å"Changing the Faces of Poverty: Nonprofits and the Problem of Representation†. 001 writes, â€Å"You don’t have to leave your own country to find third-world poverty. † (George623). Most groups that are asking for money to help the starving children are usually in a different country. As people see Children, Inc. showing photos of children that make people feel helplessness for. People want to help solve the hunger issues by sending money but sometimes feel uneasy with doing it because we are afraid that the money is not always going for what these people think it is. Habitat for Humanity helps individuals here in the United States to get back on their feet and try to overcome a barrier of no food or places to live.Habitat for Humanity aims to eliminate poverty housing from the globe (George 625). Being in small cities is also sometimes a barrier to overcome because there are not as many jobs or access to jobs. There are run down houses that people without jobs, find it hard to find the funding to do upkeep on them. Poverty condemns millions of people throughout the world to live in deplorable and inhuman conditions. These people are trapped in a cycle of poverty, living in places offering little protection from the rain, wind and cold (George 626). Living in run down houses causes many different illnesses and can cause death as well.It is hard seeing young people living in this situation as well as older people. Finding better housing is something most people strive for. It is just more difficult when not living in a better neighborhood with better housing. Author Peter Singer â€Å"The Singer Solution to World Poverty†, writes, an American household with an income of $50,000 spends around $30,000 annually on necessities, according to the Conference Board, a nonprofit economic research organization, (Singer 879). Therefore, for a household bringing in $50,000 a year, donations to help the world’s poor should be as close as possible to $20,000 (Singer 879).When living in run down areas, and communities with having no means to improve, makes it very hard to change. For some people seeing others doing things they would love to do and know they can not, makes some people feel hopeless and gives them thoughts of never being able to change. Approximately 12 percent of American population-that is, nearly one of every eight people in this country-live below the official poverty line (calculated in 2001 at $9,214 for an individual and $17,960 for a family of four). Among the poor are over 2. million homeless, including nearly 1 million homeless children (Mantsios 701). At last count, nearly 33 million Americans across the nation lived in unrelenting poverty (Mantsios 703). Having extracurricular activities make it hard for poorer people than more wealthy. Some people go to private schools, where they have many options for fun and activities after school. Having options like taking different language classes after, going to sleep away camps, some with sons of ambassadors and children of doctors. Going on family vacations regularly, two or three times a year is more than likely.They know ahead of time that they will most definitely g et into a very good college with or without scholarships with ambitions to be president. As for others, go to a small to medium public school where most options are very little. Going to a YMCA day camp is the most camping experience a lot of poorer people get to experience. They are children of hard working individuals in factory’s and school employees. This is how several of them get to do sports as well. They have ambitions to be presidents as well as school teachers.Racial and gender issues stop people from going farther in life than they would like as well. Racial and gender domination are other forces that hold people down (Mantsios 712). Women experience the effects of sexism whether they are well-paid professional or poorly paid clerks. As women, they face discrimination and male domination, as well as catcalls and stereotyping (Mantsios 712). Similarly, a wealthy black man faces racial oppression, is subjected to racial slurs, and is denied opportunities because of h is color (Mantsios 712). The experience of women and minorities are differentiated along class lines.Although they are subordinate positions vis-a-vis white men, the particular issues that confront women and minorities maybe quite different depending on their position in the class structure (Mansios 712-713). Class -oppressed men, whether they are white or black, have privileges afforded them as men in a sexist society. Similarly, class-oppressed whites, whether they are men or women, benefit from white privilege in a racist society. In today’s society, people would think that this would not be an issue anymore, but it seems to still be problems with it.Oppression is cumulative, and those who are poor, black, and female are often subject to all of the forces of class, race and gender discrimination simultaneously (Mantsios 713). It seems that if you are a black woman that you would be in a lower class than a white female. Being female and of ethnic race you would be considere d in the lower class and that causes many issues for someone to succeed. Being in a society that does goes by classes has caused many issues for several classes to succeed in a position that is very wanted.Americans judge too many people, and it does show that it can be a major barrier for someone to get past. No one likes for others to know their situations, people try to hide things from others so that no one know if they are in the lower class. Trying to fit in is something that most Americans allow themselves to do. Everyone wants to be considered in the same category of class. Why do people judge so much and why do they say and do hurtful things to people that are in a lower class than themselves? It is just how the human race is and more than likely will always be.It has been this way for many years and will continue to do so. Some people are raised in many different levels of human nature, and it grows with each individual as they become adults, but looking down on someone an d belittling them, all because they are not as rich as them, or have as many material things as they do needs to come to a stop. That causes too many people to stop trying to overcome obstacles in their way to make a better life for themselves and their families. Getting out of a rut is a hard thing to accomplish. This is a major barrier to overcome. Works Cited George, Diana. Changing the Face of Poverty: Nonprofits and the Problem of Representation. † 2001. The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings. Ed. Richard Bullock and Maureen Daly Goggin. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 2010. 622-33. Print. Mantsios, Gregory. â€Å"Class in America-2003. † 2004. The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings. Ed. Richard Bullock and Maureen Daly Goggin. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 2010. 697-717. Print. Singer, Peter. â€Å"The Singer Solution to World Poverty. † 2009. The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings. Ed. Richard Bullock and Maureen Daly Goggin. 2nd ed. New Y ork: Norton, 2010. 873-80. Print.

Van Goghs Use of Color

Van Goghs Use of Color The works of Van Gogh and his use of color have often been studied chronologically demonstrating the shift in his usage of colors from his early paintings, which were dark and pessimistic, to the paintings of his mature career, where he has used lighter tones and brighter colors.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Van Gogh’s Use of Color specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the later stage, Van Gogh made a distinct use of complementary color scheme, which was a definite shift from the classical treatment of colors. This paper will compare and contrast two paintings, The Sower and The Night Cafà ©, and demonstrate the distinct style Van Gogh followed to use color for his paintings. Expressive use of colors in distinctive complementary schemes has dominated many of the masterpieces created by Van Gogh. His correspondences to his brother during the 1882-85 demonstrate his obsession with the use of color in his work. They demonstrate that Van Gogh’s concern and distinction between shades, tones, hue, and brightness of color, which formed the psychological basis of colors and themes of his paintings. The use of complementary colors, which became the signature of Van Gogh’s style, helped to intensify the mutual effect of the color scheme in the paintings. Van Gogh used basic colors and contrasting hues to increase firmness and depth of his paintings: These things that are relevant to complementary colors, to the simultaneous contrasting and the mutual devaluation of complementary colors, are the first and most important issue: the second is the mutual influence of two similar colors, such as carmine and vermilion, or a pink-lilac and a blue-lilac. (Van Gogh Letter # 428, dated Oct. 1885. (Bekker and Bekker) The use of primary colors and the use of their complementary colors, also known as secondary colors, is a basic technique used for impressionistic painting. When a primary color is put against a complementary color, it creates a contrasting color scheme, creating a powerful effect. Van Gogh exploited this technique of creating a strong effect in his painting through juxtaposition of primary and complementary colors. Van Gogh’s fascination for complementary colors intensified as he shifted his focus from Dutch style to paintings that are more impressionistic.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Gayford (179) demonstrates Van Gogh’s heightened interest in colors, which created a symbolic language for the maestro. In another correspondence to his brother Theo, Van Gogh expressed his increasing obsession with colors: â€Å"Yesterday evening an extraordinary beautiful sunset of a mysterious, sickly citron color – Prussian blue cypresses against trees with dead leaves in all sorts of broken tones without any speckling with bright gr eens.† (Gayford 179) Thus, colors create a symbolic language for Van Gogh, which helped his to determine the effect that wanted to create in his paintings. Given this understanding of Van Gogh’s philosophy of color, the essay then moves on to analyze two of his paintings and the treatment of colors in them. The Sower demonstrates a man striding across a wheat field, with outstretched arms, appear in many of Van Gogh’s paintings and sketches. Philosophically, it has often been interpreted as the renewal of life; however, in this essay we will discuss the use of complementary color scheme of the paintings. The particular picture that is discussed in this essay was painted in 1888, which stands out from all other paintings of sowers and creates a unique impressionistic creation of the cycle life in full summer (The Sower is shown in figure 1 below). Figure 1: The Sower, 1888 The Sower, painted predominately in yellow and violet demonstrates the use of complementary colors by Van Gogh. Yellow is a primary color that is positioned against violet, one of its complements, and a mix of the other two primary colors, red and blue. Even though artists had knowledge of the effect two complementary colors could create, no one before Van Gogh experimented with it.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Van Gogh’s Use of Color specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Primary colors, when juxtaposed with complementary colors, create a vibration and magnificence that is otherwise unattainable. Hence, when yellow is used against violet, it creates greater brightness and pureness of color than when painted with any other colors. Similarly, violet seems more lively and vigorous when put against yellow. The Sower was painted when Van Gogh was living in Arles, in June 1888. The original Sower by Millet from which Van Gogh drew inspiration or his Sower believed that Millet created a painting in â€Å"c olorless gray† and wanted to create a painting of the sower with colors (Bekker and Bekker). In order to understand color contrast, consider putting orange against blue and orange against green. Orange is blue’s complement where blue is a primary color and orange is a secondary color created through mixing of the other two primary, red and yellow. Hence, the effect of brightness when orange and blue are used together is greater than when orange and green are used, wherein both are secondary colors. Moreover, the orange when put with green seem darker, almost a different color. Hence, it can be observed that colors can change their hue and brightness depending on the colors with which they are used. Moreover, colors cannot be used singularly, without considering the other colors that are used. Colors cannot be judged in isolation. Hence, it is important to understand what colors are used along with the others and what affect it creates in the paintings. Knowledge of colo rs becomes the most important factor while studying Van Gogh’s form so impressionistic painting. The painting of the yellow and violet together as an expression of light and darkness in the field is an extreme example of use of complementary colors in paintings. This helped in intensifying the brightness, saturation, and depth of the painting. Van Gogh described his 1888 creation inspired from Millet’s painting, in one of his letters, as â€Å"painting from Millet’s drawings is more like translating them into another language than copying them† (Metzger and Walther 272). The colors used in the painting became reminiscent of his emotions and feelings. The colors demonstrated the dominant mood of the painter. The Night Cafà © is a poetic expression through colors, which demonstrates the harsher realities of modern life. Van Gogh’s obsession with colors intensified from 1885 until his death in 1890, resonant in his letters to his brother Theo. Each o f the letters is evocative of the saturation, hue, and intensity of the colors from his palette. In describing the Night Cafà © (figure 2) in his letter to Theo, Van Gogh associates passion with the use of two complementary colors – red and green:Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More I’ve tried to express the terrible passions of humanity with red and green. The room is blood red and dull yellow, with a green billiard table in the middle; there are four lemon yellow lamps casting an orange and green glow†¦ In my picture of the night cafà ©, I’ve tried to convey the sense that the cafà © is a place where one goes to ruin goes mad, commits crimes. I’ve tried to express the powers of darkness, in a way, in this dive of a bar, through contrasts of delicate pink, blood red, wine red, and soft Louis XV green and Veronese green, in contrast with hard green-yellows and blue-greens – all this amid an infernal furnace of pale sulphur. (Letter#533, Bekker and Bekker) The above description of the painting as expressed through Van Gogh’s words demonstrate the use of complementary colors in the painting, and the reason for the sue of the colors in their complementary best. Life’s juxtaposition is expressed through the oppositio ns of color that makes life as well as his paintings so pulsating. In the Night Cafà © Van Gogh has expressed the struggle of life through the juxtaposition of the two complementary colors – red and green. The violet and blue used in the painting depicts sadness and dreariness of modern nightlife, and Figure 2: The Night Cafà © The painting shows maximum saturation of colors, where colors like red and green has been used without any hint of tint or shade. In the Night Cafà ©, Van Gogh used color in its purest form against its equally pure complementary. This is not seen in The Sower, where the colors were used symbolically, but not its purest hue. The use of original hue in the Night Cafà © sets is apart from other paintings, even though the technique used in both the pictures are similar. Nevertheless, both the picture reverberates with the infernal furnace of life though the use of yellow, which has been used to depict the sun in The Sower and the lamps in The Night Ca fà ©. The difference between the two paintings is that the first is a depiction of continuity of life while that of the cafà © describes a hellish existence. Bekker, K.G. and A.Y. Bekker. 2009. Color and Emotion - a Psychophysical Analysis of Van Gogh’s Work. 15 December 2009. PsyArt. Web. psyartjournal.com/article/show/bekker-color_and_emotion_a_psychophysical_analy. Gayford, Martin. The Yellow House.:Van Gogh, Gauguin and Nine Turbulent Weeks Provence. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006. Print. Metzger, Rainer and Ingo F. Walther. Van Gogh. Berlin: Taschen, 2008. Print.

The History of the Kaleidoscope and David Brewster

The History of the Kaleidoscope and David Brewster The kaleidoscope was invented in 1816 by Scottish scientist, Sir David Brewster (1781–1868), a mathematician and physicist noted for his various contributions to the field of optics.  He patented it in 1817 (GB 4136), but thousands of unauthorized copycats were constructed and sold, resulting in Brewster receiving little financial benefits from his most famous invention. Sir David Brewsters Invention Brewster named his invention after the Greek words kalos (beautiful), eidos  (form), and scopos  (watcher). So kaleidoscope roughly translates to beautiful form watcher. Brewsters kaleidoscope was a tube containing loose pieces of colored glass and other pretty objects, reflected by mirrors or glass lenses set at angles, that created patterns when viewed through the end of the tube. Charles Bushs Improvements In the early 1870s, Charles Bush, a Prussian native living in Massachusetts, improved upon the kaleidoscope and started the kaleidoscope fad. Charles Bush was granted patents in 1873 and 1874 related to improvements in kaleidoscopes, kaleidoscope boxes, objects for kaleidoscopes (US 143,271), and kaleidoscope stands. Charles Bush was the first person to mass manufacture his parlor kaleidoscope in America. His kaleidoscopes were distinguished by the use of liquid-filled glass ampules to create even more visually stunning effects. How Kaleidoscopes Work The kaleidoscope creates reflections of a direct view of the objects at the end of a tube, through the use of angled mirrors set at the end; as the user rotates the tube, the mirrors create new patterns. The image will be symmetrical if the mirror angle is an even divider of 360 degrees. A mirror set at 60 degrees will generate a pattern of six regular sectors. A mirror angle at 45 degrees will make eight equal sectors, and an angle of 30 degrees will make twelve. The lines and colors of simple shapes are multiplied by the mirrors into a visually stimulating vortex.

SAT 1 vs SAT 2 Whats the Difference

SAT 1 vs SAT 2 What's the Difference SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You might have heard of something called the SAT II (or SAT 2) and wondered what it could be. A secret, harder version of the SAT, perhaps? The reality is less dramatic: the SAT II is just an old name for the SAT Subject Tests. This guide will explain the current form of the SAT II, outline the differences between the SAT 1 vs SAT 2, and help you determine which of the tests you should take. Feature Image:Matthias Neugebauer/Flickr What Are the SAT 1 and the SAT 2? As I touched on above, these aresimply out-of-date monikers: the SAT I is now known as just as the SAT and the SAT II is more descriptively referred to as the SAT Subject Tests.Colleges sometimes still refer to the tests as the SAT I and SAT II, so don't worry if you see those terms. The SAT started out as a military IQ testand was administered as a college admissions assessment for the first time in 1926. Since then, it's undergone a series of changes to make it less focused on innate ability and more on testing concepts and skills students learn in school. It's weathered a few controversies, but it's still considereda decent predictor of how students will do in college. The SAT Subject Tests are almost as old as the SAT proper. Officially called Scholarship Tests but known colloquially as the Achievement Tests,the Subject Testsstarted in 1937and were basically the same thing they are now: one-hour tests on specific subjects,like biology andworld history. There are currently 20 different Subject Tests, and you can sign up for up to three per test date. Here is an overview of all SAT Subject Tests: Humanities Math and Science Literature Math Level 1 US History Math Level 2 World History Biology (E/M) Chemistry Physics Languages (No Listening) Languages (w/ Listening) French French with Listening German German with Listening Spanish Spanish with Listening Modern Hebrew Chinese with Listening Italian Japanese with Listening Latin Korean with Listening What’s the Difference Between the SAT 1 and the SAT 2? Originally, the SAT I was meant to test aptitude and the SAT II was meant to test achievement. That is to say, one tested what you were capable of, and the other tested what you knew. But when the College Board moved away from the idea of the SAT I testing innate ability, they reframed it as a reasoning test, making the difference between the two SATs less well defined. With changes in 2016, the SAT I (now just the SAT) is more focused than ever on testing knowledge rather than logic. At this point, I'd say that the SAT tests general knowledge and the SAT Subject Tests assess topical knowledge. There arealso some key ways the two tests differ in structure.For one, although the questions on both tests are primarily multiple choice, SAT questions have four answer choices, while SAT Subject Test questionstypically have five answer choices. This means that you'll have a slightly higher probability of guessing the correct answer on the SAT (25% chance) than you will on the SAT Subject Tests (20% chance). In addition, SAT Subject Tests have a guessing penalty for incorrect answers, whereas the SAT does not (though it used to). Note that you neither gain nor lose points for questions left blank on both tests. Here's how the guessing penalty works on the SAT II: 1/4 point deducted for every incorrect five-choice question 1/3 point deducted for every incorrect four-choice question 1/2 point deducted for every incorrect three-choice question Take a look at the chart below for a rundown of the basic differences between the two types of SAT tests in their current forms: SAT SAT Subject Tests Other Names SAT 1, SAT I, SAT Reasoning Test SAT 2, SAT II, SAT Achievement Tests Format 3 hr 50 min multiple-choice test (with one essay question) 1 hr multiple-choice test Subject Matter Reading, Writing, Math 20 different topics (listed above) Guessing Penalty? No Yes Which Schools Require It? Almost all colleges Only some very selective colleges Also note that because of the timing of each test, you cannot take the SAT and any SAT Subject Tests on the same testing day. How to Determine Whether You Need to Take the SAT, the SAT Subject Tests, or Both A good rule of thumb is that you'll almost certainly have to take theSAT I (or the ACT), but you'll probablyonly need to take the SAT II if you're applying to highly selective colleges. Nonetheless, you should check the testing requirements for each school you're applying to since they can differ quite a bit. The majority of collegeshaveone ofthree basic policies on the SAT Subject Tests. Let's go through them one at a time. Policy 1: They Only Ask For the SAT (or ACT) Most schools, including the majorstate universities, don't require applicants to submit Subject Test scores. However, some colleges will consider SAT II scores,so they can be a helpful way to show your mastery of a certain subject area (as long as you dowell). Policy 2: They Ask For the SAT (or ACT) and SAT Subject Tests A handfulofvery selective schools,includingHarvard and Rice,require applicants to submit scores from both the SAT I and between one and three (usually two) SAT II tests. Some collegeshave more specific guidelines regarding which Subject Tests you need to take. For example,MIT requires one Math SAT II and one Science SAT II. Other schools- including McGill, Tufts, and Duke- will waive the Subject Tests requirement if you submit ACT scores.These schools will still look at SAT Subject Test scores if you send them, however. Policy 3: They Ask For the SAT orSATSubject Tests A growing subset of schools have adopted atest-flexiblepolicy, which means they allow students to choose which scores they'd like to submit from a numberof different tests.Examples of schools that allow students to submit SAT II results in place of SAT I or ACT scores include NYU, Colorado College, and Middlebury. Recap: Should You Take SAT I or SAT II? The SAT I is the standard SAT test format, which you will need to take for most college applications. The SAT II tests are subject-specific tests that might or might not be required, depending on where you plan to apply. As you can see above, colleges' SAT II policies vary widely. Be sure to look up the testing requirements for every school you’re planning to apply to, and determine what you need to do well in advance. You might want to start by checking outour complete list of schools that require SAT Subject Tests. That said, don't forget to confirm colleges' policies on their official websites! What's Next? If you've determined that you need to take the SAT II,the next step is figuring out which Subject Tests you should takeand what scores you need to shoot for. You might also want to take a look at our SAT Subject Test study guides for US Historyand Physics. Ifyou're applying to Ivy Leagueschools,check out our guides on what SAT score you need, what their average SAT II scores are, and exactly how you can get in. Need a little extra help prepping for your Subject Tests? We have the industry's leading SAT Subject Test prep programs (for all non-language Subject Tests). Built by Harvard grads and SAT Subject Test full or 99th %ile scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so that you get the most effective prep possible. Learn more about our Subject Test products below:

Loss of Imagination and Magic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Loss of Imagination and Magic - Essay Example We arrived at the park just as the gates were being opened. My daughter jumped up and down, her face shining brightly with excitement. It was the last day of summer and the chilly air was already heralding in the beginning of fall. It was surprising to see the crowds that had gathered already, and a certain sense of panic overtook me. I took my daughter’s small, pink hand in mine and held on tight as the park opened and the visitors began to pour in. After purchasing our tickets, we walked into the park. My daughter squealed with delight when she noticed the bright red train that was the Walt Disney World Railroad. This attraction took the visitors all around the park, and it was one of the only attractions that didn’t appear to have a permanent line of people glued to its entrance at all times. My daughter began pulling me toward it. The distant sound of carnival-style music churned through the air, and only a few feet away, I noticed a person dressed as Pluto waving a t the children that passed by. The golden glint of the costume caught my eye, and I started to point this sight out to my daughter, but she was having none of it. All she wanted was to get on that train. It was surprising to see how much determination she had considering everything else that was going on around her. Any other child might be distracted by the overwhelming sights and sounds, but not her. We stood in line with twenty or thirty other people for the better part of a half an hour. Finally, it was our turn, and my daughter’s excitement had proved to be contagious. I knew it was only a train ride, but excitement rose in my chest, blowing up my heart like a balloon when we were finally able to take a seat at the back of the train. Not long after, the train pulled away from its station, and we were off for a jaunt around the park. I attempted to listen to the garbled, tinny voice of the conductor as it blared through the speaker hanging nearby, but it proved to be too much of a headache. Besides, listening to my daughter animatedly point at everything we passed was much more entertaining. In what seemed like no time at all, we ended up back where we started, but by now, my daughter was bursting to go on the other rides she had seen on our tour. With my stomach cramping and grumbling, I knew that I would need some sustenance before going on any more rides, so I took back the reigns and steered us toward the The Crystal Palace which is a buffet style restaurant where diners can eat with their favorite Disney characters like Winnie the Pooh. The smell of scrambled eggs and french toast wafted through the air making me slightly dizzy and sleepy at the exact same time. I grabbed a warm plate from the stack and piled it high with scrambled eggs. My daughter frowned at me slightly when we took a seat at one of the open tables. She was irritated by the dining detour, but she seemed to cheer up when I handed her a bowl full of juicy, green grapes. Her eye s continued to rove around the room, taking in every single sight possible, which gave me just enough time to shovel the eggs into my mouth. When my stomach was sufficiently stuffed, we took off again. There was no mistaking where my five year old daughter wanted to go next: Magic Kingdom. In fact, it was here that we spent the remainder of our day at Disney World. Of course, a

Global Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Global Strategy - Essay Example The company caters to The United States, Canada, Europe as well as the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The company on one hand provides the telecommunications services and on the other hand is the producer of the wireless telephones, cellular telephones as well as tablets. The company has dominant presence in the European Markets of Germany, Poland, Hungary, Australia, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Macedonia, Croatia and Montenegro. The company has a subscriber base of 150 million which makes it one of the largest players in the industry. The company is a publicly listed company and is being listed in all the stock exchanges of Germany and in one of the stock exchanges of the USA. T-mobile has an employee base of more than two thirty thousand and has many subsidiaries outside the region of Germany in the places mentioned. The company earned revenue of 58.2 billion euro in the year 2012. The history of the company dates back to the year 1985 when the first telecommunication services we re introduced in the country of Germany. The government postal services also conducted the telecommunication systems under the name of Deutsche Bundespost. The first GSM network of Germany started its operations from 1989. The company which was in those days controlled and operated by the government was privatised in the year 1996 under the name of Deutsche Telekom. In 2002 the company was renamed to T-Mobile by changing it German form and making it more anglicised. In the year 2010, T-Mobile started a joint venture with the subsidiary in France. In Germany however, the operations of the various subsidiaries of the company were merged. This gave rise to a new entity that mainly operated in the market namely Telekom Deutschland GmbH. Thus the T-mobile was no longer existent in the country of Germany. Corporate structure The corporate structure of the company has been built in such as way as to make the company sustain in the long-run. The company has to comply with the German Corpora te Governance Code because the company is based in this country. There are seven broad departments in the organisation that take the responsibility of the various areas of the businesses of T-Mobile. Some of the areas however are cross functional and are interlinked. There are the departments like the Marketing, Human Resources, Finance, Operations, Legal and Compliance as well as the Data Privacy Departments. Each of these Departments is controlled by Board of Directors. These boards are also segmented based on the geographical location and area of operation. These departments are Germany, T-Systems and Europe & Technology. The company had an internal focus all through the tenure of its business (Thompson, 2012, pp. 198-234). The managers and the chief strategists of the company ensured that the company maintained a good level of revenue and recorded a comfortable rage in the EBITDA of the company. These figures went down in the year 2012 because the company has to meet several fin ancial targets in the particular fiscal year. The company was able to meet the various kinds of

Financial and Human Resources Management - SEEN EXAMINATION Essay

Financial and Human Resources Management - SEEN EXAMINATION - Essay Example These documents seek to show the possible cost of successfully carrying out the construction project, if it is awarded. In contrast, tendering refers both to the refinement of conditions in order to arrive at the final and most rational price, and the, contractual terms that must be submitted to promoters or their representatives. The second phase (also referred to as bid adjudication), entails evaluation of the probable margins of error in established cost estimates, potential risks, as well as the likely financial impacts of completing the project. Decisions that are made by executive personnel in regard to bid adjudication are usually confirmed at a formal convention as Gray and Larson, (2003) notes. Such a formal meeting to make decisions in regard to bid adjudication occurs several days prior to placement of the final bid. This provides adequate time for clear assessment of bid credentials before actual tendering. The formal meeting also ensures that all the relevant information is taken into account before a contractor is chosen, thus avoiding selecting a contractor that cannot fully deliver on project requirements. The considerations made by managers include factors such as acute competition, uncertainty in cost estimates, inadequate or poor information regarding a particular project, and risks associated with production or project implementation. These aspects must be sufficiently analyzed, since, as Akintoye and Fitzgerald (2000, p. 164) suggest, â€Å"the most significant factors resulting in inaccurate estimates include insufficient time for tender preparation; poor tender documentation; insufficient analysis of the documentation by the estimating team and lack of review of cost estimates by company management.† Despite the wide assortment of challenges, executive personnel have to make appropriate adjudication decisions based on these factors. The aspects that influence management’s decisions during the crucial tendering process and ad judication in particular can be classified, according to Betts (1990, pp. 402-408), into three categories including job, market, and company related factors. The first class of job-related aspects, accounts for elements that are directly linked to the specific project or project type. Most of these factors are evaluated in the course of preparing bids and an analysis of these aspects is conveyed to relevant parties in the adjudication convention. Market-related decision making factors, account for the external influences, such as competition from other contractors. Analysis of aspects like external competition may enable the respective firm to formulate strategies that would aid in increasing competitive advantage. Finally, as Betts (1990, p. 403) states â€Å"company-related factors that influence decision making in the adjudication process, include: the business’ goals and objectives, as well as, its corporate policy on bidding.† Adjudicators, usually comprised of se nior directors or managers, are supposed, as Young, (2003), notes, to evaluate the aforementioned factors and related information, in reviewing project cost estimates and finalizing the price of the contract. As shown in the assessment above, there are numerous considerations in the tendering process. Therefore, decision makers must fully comprehend the stipulated objectives and goals of the process, in addition to estimated project costs, in order to ensure that tendering is fair and that it is aligned with the

Complexity of dual diagnosis treatment Case Study

Complexity of dual diagnosis treatment - Case Study Example osis: Because of an amalgamation of two diagnoses, it is often difficult to establish whether the problem is majorly due to substance abuse, mental illness, or both (Australian Drug Foundation, 2013). 3) Complex treatment: The treatment of dual diagnosis consists of multiple steps, namely, engagement of patient in a health care service, keeping him/her in service, intervention, and finally relapse preclusion and rehabilitation (Watson & Hawkings, 2002). Major issues with treatment are resistance to treatment/non-compliance, relapse of one illness leading to subsequent relapse of the other, and pharmaco-dynamics and pharmacokinetics of the prescribed medication and alcohol/drug affecting each other. Even normal dosages prescribed by the doctor can lead to adverse effects in such scenarios (Australian Drug Foundation, 2013). Lack of support from society and health care staff is also a problem (Graham, 2013).   Unfortunately, most regular health facilities are incapable of dealing with multi-problems like these. Health practitioners and nurses do not have the training or the expertise to recognize, investigate, and treat these disorders Stigma is a social construction that demarcates people on the basis of a certain property, and then isolates and humiliates them because of that demarcation (Bos et al, 2013). Stigma leads to inhumane behaviour towards the victim (Goffman, 1963). The phenomenon of stigmatization is very common in the field of psychiatry. Since time immemorial both mental ailment and substance abuse have individually been regarded worthy of contempt. Stigma is of many different forms and manifests itself in many ways. It can hinder delivery of proper treatment by health care staff, socially isolate a person, or stall him/her from disclosing his/her true problems (stigma article). All these effects result in delayed treatment when disease has become advanced or relapses, resulting in increased costs (Biernat & Dovidio, 2000) Since dual diagnosis is

Human Diversity and Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Human Diversity and Justice - Essay Example Another reason for exception is to give way for the cases in which the permissibility of abortion is in line with the argument. According to marquis, abortion is permissible if the continuation of pregnancy will endanger a woman’s life. Killing a fetus is wrong just as killing an adult human being. This is because killing denies us an opportunity to unleash our potential, achieve our dreams and reach a moment of self actualization. What makes abortion wrong is the fact that killing a human being deprives him/her the value of his/her future. There is what we value now, and what we would have to value later, so it becomes a serious issue to kill children and infants. The main objection to marquis argument is that fetuses do not have a desire to go on living and killing them is not wrong. He continues to argue that only victims can be wronged since they have sentience. An embryo is not a victim, it does not have sentience and, therefore, it is not wrong to have an abortion (Landa u, 2007). The most serious problem with this argument is the killing of embryos that do not have the sentience. Anti-abortionists claim that fetuses are both human and alive and human beings have a right to life. Therefore, fetuses have a right to life too. ... Abortion activists mostly appeal to the criterion of being human. In this sense, fetuses are clearly human; they do not belong to another species. A correct theory on the wrong of killing a fetus is similar to how it would be wrong to kill peaceful persons from outer space who come to pay a visit to our planet regardless of whether they biologically resemble us or not. If they are persons like us, they will have futures like ours so it would be wrong to kill them. For marquis, his stand against abortion is too absurd to be acceptable. His emphasis is on the value of life rather than a potential person. These arguments then are too absurd to be acceptable because they deem contraception as being wrong (Landau, 2007). Question 2 Most of Thomson’s arguments on the defense for abortion rely on the premise that a fetus is a human being - a human being from the time of conception. To her, the argument that the development of a human being from conception to childhood is not clear be cause there is no point for distinction between being a person at one stage and not a person on the other. Concluding that a fetus is a human being from the time of conception is not valid. She does not support the different stages of development of a fetus into a child. Her assertion is that the fetus is already a person well before birth. By the age of ten weeks, the fetus begins to acquire human characteristics like face, arms and legs as well as brain organs. A fertilized ovum is just like an acorn in an oak tree. Thompson gives an anecdote of a kidnapped person who wakes up to find himself attached to an unconscious violinist who has a fatal kidney failure. His circulatory system has been plugged to the victim for him to survive. Both have a right to life, but the victim’s

Assignmnet for marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Assignmnet for marketing - Essay Example cow being a sacred animal, he began to communicate well with them. 2. Todd could not adjust into Indian environment initially due to which he could not bring the success rate of call centre i.e. Minutes per incident rate, to the desired standard. However, the incident of Holi helped him understand Indian values (Outsourced, 2007). Once, he stopped resisting Indian norms and values, provided appropriate rewards to his employees and shared his success with others, things became easier for him. The movie also managed to illustrate that respect helped Todd gain support of his team members and also of other people that he encountered during his stay in India. For example, Todd encountered a difficult situation when his supervisor comes to assess the performance and due to poor infrastructure, the whole building is flooded (Outsourced, 2007). With the help of his staff, he manages to demonstrate exceptional managerial skills. Also, the children on the streets decorating his cell phone also shows that mutual respect is important for people to have a stren gthen relationship. 3. Todd tried correcting Puru various times however he later on realized that Puru is not much aware of American accent and correcting him every time will not help him. Furthermore, he was also very reluctant to be part of this new change that was imposed on him and wanted to invest little effort in every aspect of this new life. That is why he did not even try correcting his landlady when she called him ‘Toad’ (Outsourced, 2007). 4. The movie projects an idea that all human beings have basic needs and motivations despite belonging to different cultures. This notion was supported by the scene where call centre staff shared their queries with Todd if they can purchase some of the products that they have been selling to American consumers. Knowing that, Todd was amazed at

Human Diversity and Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Human Diversity and Justice - Essay Example Another reason for exception is to give way for the cases in which the permissibility of abortion is in line with the argument. According to marquis, abortion is permissible if the continuation of pregnancy will endanger a woman’s life. Killing a fetus is wrong just as killing an adult human being. This is because killing denies us an opportunity to unleash our potential, achieve our dreams and reach a moment of self actualization. What makes abortion wrong is the fact that killing a human being deprives him/her the value of his/her future. There is what we value now, and what we would have to value later, so it becomes a serious issue to kill children and infants. The main objection to marquis argument is that fetuses do not have a desire to go on living and killing them is not wrong. He continues to argue that only victims can be wronged since they have sentience. An embryo is not a victim, it does not have sentience and, therefore, it is not wrong to have an abortion (Landa u, 2007). The most serious problem with this argument is the killing of embryos that do not have the sentience. Anti-abortionists claim that fetuses are both human and alive and human beings have a right to life. Therefore, fetuses have a right to life too. ... Abortion activists mostly appeal to the criterion of being human. In this sense, fetuses are clearly human; they do not belong to another species. A correct theory on the wrong of killing a fetus is similar to how it would be wrong to kill peaceful persons from outer space who come to pay a visit to our planet regardless of whether they biologically resemble us or not. If they are persons like us, they will have futures like ours so it would be wrong to kill them. For marquis, his stand against abortion is too absurd to be acceptable. His emphasis is on the value of life rather than a potential person. These arguments then are too absurd to be acceptable because they deem contraception as being wrong (Landau, 2007). Question 2 Most of Thomson’s arguments on the defense for abortion rely on the premise that a fetus is a human being - a human being from the time of conception. To her, the argument that the development of a human being from conception to childhood is not clear be cause there is no point for distinction between being a person at one stage and not a person on the other. Concluding that a fetus is a human being from the time of conception is not valid. She does not support the different stages of development of a fetus into a child. Her assertion is that the fetus is already a person well before birth. By the age of ten weeks, the fetus begins to acquire human characteristics like face, arms and legs as well as brain organs. A fertilized ovum is just like an acorn in an oak tree. Thompson gives an anecdote of a kidnapped person who wakes up to find himself attached to an unconscious violinist who has a fatal kidney failure. His circulatory system has been plugged to the victim for him to survive. Both have a right to life, but the victim’s

Building Accommodation for Horses, Sheep and Laying Hens Essay

Building Accommodation for Horses, Sheep and Laying Hens - Essay Example It is a vital skill for farmers and, in some countries, a form of art. Other countries have strict laws on the qualifications needed to treat animals and ensure that scientific methods are used to care for them. The science of animal husbandry, called animal science teaches us to care for the animals in relationship of their nutrition, habitation and reproductive physiology. Historically, certain sub-professions within the field of animal husbandry are specifically named according to the animals that are cared for. The common features of these animals are measured from their utility point of view. Horses are mainly used for aristocratic sports in modern times. Sheep cater the need of our clothing as well as meat and indigenous milk. Similarly domestic; no mechanized hens give us natural egg and meat. They all supply chemical free natural manure to grow vegetation when reared in a single sight. They need enough air through ventilation, adequate food management, water and other medical care in the farm. Frequent grazing in the wilder pesture land for both horses and the sheep yield natural ambience of their development each horse need at least ten by two metre space for their housing with enclosed food stock. A domestic hen needs minimum of two square feet area with hey ricks for living and similar area for laying eggs and hatching. They need to be taken care from reptiles and cats through adequate fencing. An Ideal site of accommodation of Horses, sheep and Hens surrounded by open areas Partitioned storied baskets for hens to live in The half walled with light grilled airy home of the 500 laying hens in the common nestle Stable of 50 horses in individual rooms of half walled accommodation with separate doors for each through the out side walls There are contrasting views on the ethical aspects of breeding animals in captivity, with one debate being in relation to the merits of allowing animals to live in natural conditions reasonably close to those of their wild ancestors, compared to the view that considers natural pressures and stresses upon wild animals vindication for captive breeding. The production of livestock industry has been practiced for centuries but is controlled by legislation today. Animal rights groups are playing vital role in the protection, welfare and conservation of the ever needed friends of humans HORSE BREEDING Horse breeding refers to reproduction in horses and particularly the human-directed process of planned mating of animals. While feral and wild horses breed successfully without human assistance, it can be beneficial to domesticated horses. Humans can increase the chances of conception, a successful pregnancy, and successful foaling. The male parent of a horse, a stallion, is commonly known as the sire and the female parent, the mare is called the dame. Both are genetically important, as each parent provides 50% of the genetic makeup of the ensuing offspring, called a foal. The word "colt" refers to a young male horse only; "filly" is a young female. Though many amateur horse owners may simply breed a family mare to a local stallion in order to produce a companion animal, most professional

Role of Emotional Intelligence Essay Example for Free

Role of Emotional Intelligence Essay Summary: This article discusses the correlation of a leaders Emotional Intelligence (â€Å"the ability to understand and manage moods and emotions in the self and others†) (George) and how it plays a role in how effective that manager is. The author first relates how emotions, moods and feelings play a part in how humans deal with each other on a day to day basis. Ms. George points out that positive moods and emotions can have a positive effect on how we deal with life, and on the flip side how negative moods and emotions can have the opposite effect in our social and work lives. She states that â€Å"Feelings are intimately connected to the human experience. Feelings are intricately bound up in the ways that people think, behave, and make decisions.† Many people with the inability to show emotion find life difficult as even the smallest decisions are hard to make with no gage of how others may react or â€Å"feel† about your choices. The article is not so much about how leaders behave but more so how effective that behavior is in understanding their own and others emotions and moods. The author states there are four different attributes of one’s emotional intelligence; the appraisal and expression of emotion; the use of emotion to enhance cognitive processes an decision making; knowledge about emotions; and the management of emotions. The article explores each of these attributes and how having these skills can be useful to a leader in dealing with their peers and subordinates. In all the article points to evidence that good leaders also have a higher emotional intelligence (whether they are born with it or whether they learn it). It does not state that EI is the only determining factor when comparing a good leader only that studies show that there is a correlation. Behavioral Issue: The behavioral issue is how one can use their knowledge of moods and emotions to shape the way they and others react to any given situation. Emotional intelligence in leaders can therefore bring forth the desired results of the organization that they work for. The four different attributes of EI can be used to utilize leaders and those that they lead.  Leaders with EI can use the attribute of appraisal and expression of emotion, which â€Å"ensures that people are able to effectively communicate with others to meet their needs and accomplish their goals or objectives.† A leader who uses the knowledge of emotion, will understand what determines what a person’s mood might be (such as knowing that delivering bad news will probably bring on a bad mood) and what the consequences of these moods might be (moods may linger for some time increasing negative attitudes and poor results of the sought after goal). A manager with good EI skills can help enhance â€Å"cognitive processes and decision making† skills of others. If a leader can predict or imagine what the reaction of someone else could be given two different actions will have the ability to make a decision as to which action to go with to bring out the desired result for his company. A leader who can manage his own feelings may well be able to manage or evoke desired emotions from others (getting his team motivated and excited about a new project) and this can be instrumental in meeting deadlines and the projected goals of his team. In short, emotional intelligence can be very useful to a manager who is trying to be an effective leader. Opinion: In my opinion I think the article touches on a very interesting subject. I believe the idea of emotional intelligence is integral to one being an effective manager. This article states many instances when the ability to determine and understand your own feelings, emotions and moods as well as that of others can in effect shape the mood and actions of others. â€Å"Truly effective leaders are also distinguished by a high degree of emotional intelligence, which includes self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skill.† (Goleman, 2004) I have personally known managers who display good EI (one who seemed to know how to always motivate me to do the best job possible no matter how lowly the task) and those who are most definitely lacking in the same skills (one who would berate me in front of customers and co-workers). â€Å"Every businessperson knows a story about a highly intelligent, highly skilled executive who was promoted into a leadership position only to fail at the job. And they also know a story about someone with solid—but not extraordinary—intellectual abilities and technical skills who was promoted into a similar position and then soared†. (Goleman, 2004) I am finding that I am firm believer in the  use of EI tests prior to hiring is a solid business decision. That way, when social skills are needed for the open position, you are getting an employee that matches all of your needs not just the technical ones. Relevance to the Study of Organizational Behavior: All businesses or organizations need managers to help shape their employees attitudes and behavior to ensure their desired outcomes. Managers who possess emotional intelligence help to make this possible in the most effective way possible. This is relevant because it deals with employees and with that, employee emotions and how they will react to a manager with good emotional intelligence. Managers who can motivate, or actively manage the workforce by using EI whether natural or learned will ultimately make the company money. Although EI is not required for some types of jobs (jobs that require little to no human contact) there are still many jobs where a manager’s emotional intelligence can be utilized and can make a difference to the bottom line of the company, which is usually the desired outcome. References George, J. M. (n.d.). Emotions and Leadership: The Role of Emotional Intelligence. Goleman, D. (2004). What Makes a Leader? Retrieved from Harvard Business Review: http://hbr.org/2004/01/what-makes-a-leader

Computer Science Essays VB Net

Computer Science Essays VB Net Microsoft VB.NET is part of the .NETframework. Discuss the impact of VB.NET on the Visual Basic programmer. Abstract The impact of the introduction of the .NET framework withspecific reference to the effect on the Visual Basic programmer will beconsidered. A brief overview of the development of Visual Basic and the .NETframework will be given and a comparison of the two will be made withparticular focus on object orientation. Changes to web application developmentand database connectivity will be explored. Issues surrounding the portabilityof legacy Visual Basic code will be examined. Conclusions will be drawn onregarding changes to the role of the Visual Basic programmer. Visual Basic evolved from the Beginners All-PurposeSymbolic Instruction Code (BASIC) language created by John Kemeny and ThomasKurtz at Dartmouth College. BASIC began as compiled language and was used for asignificant amount of application development. A BASIC interpreter wasdeveloped by Paul Allen and Bill Gates of the Microsoft Corporation for theAltair. This was released in 1975 and began Microsofts long relationship withBASIC culminating in the release of Professional Development System BASIC.(Mack, G. 2004) In 1989 Bill Gates predicted, Futureversions of BASIC will increasingly provide support for this kind ofprogramming. The programs will look different from the BASIC were all used to.A visual BASIC program will be a mixture of code, programmer-written objects,and visually specified objects. (Jacobson, M) In 1987 Alan Worthcreated Ruby, a graphical programming environment that was combined with PDSBASIC to create Visual Basic. Visual Basic 1.0 was released in 1991 and wentthrough six incarnations leading to Visual Basic 6.0 in 1998. This marked thestart of a phase change in Microsofts programming architecture and six yearslater Visual Basic 7 was released as part of the .NET framework (Mack G, 2004,AddressOf, 2003). The purpose of the history listed above is to give contextto the installed base of Visual Basic code. Visual Basic has been extant for 14years and has remained unchanged for the last 6 of these. John Kemenys vision was to create a language of suchsimplicity that every computer user could write code. While this vision is yetto be realized Visual Basic 6.0 has the best claim on being its inheritor. Dueto its ease of use VB 6.0 has been used to create a vast installed base ofcode. This presents a number of issues to both the VB programmer and to theuser/owner of the system. VB 6.0 To address an issue like the impact of VB.NET on the VB 6.0programmer it is necessary to consider what purpose VB 6.0 serves. VB 6.0builds applications for the Windows environment. It is a fully-fledgedprogramming language with support for the standard control structures, datastorage and file I/O. VB 6.0 exhibits a degree of interoperability throughMicrosofts Component Object Model (COM) specification. VB 6.0 is object awareand can with careful programming be shoehorned into behaving as an objectorientated programming language (Deitel, H 1999). VB 6.0 is an appropriate language choice to support aproject team engaged in rapid prototyping or in the Windows environment. Theprefabricated components and drag and drop design tools allow GUI constructionin short time frames. VB 6.0 would also be an appropriate tool to supportprojects based Rapid Application Development paradigm for similar reasons. Inthe context of a RAD project other tools will either be integrated with VB 6.0or supplant it as some point in the project cycle. VB 6.0 has strong support for building web application andweb front-ends to server applications using sockets and TCP/UDP and HTTP. VBScript is supported in HTML. VB 6.0 would be an appropriate tool for e-commerceprojects. VB 6.0 may be an appropriate choice for SMEs attempting tocode a project in house given the simplicity of the language, the abundance oftutorial information available and the speed of development. SMEs that adoptthis approach may consider that having made the initial investment in VB 6.0technology and training continuing to support VB 6.0 makes good business senseparticularly if initial projects are successful. This attitude may continue,and involve VB 6.0 in project were it is not the most appropriate technologicalchoice. VB 6.0 excites a range of opinion among its users and thewider programming community. Supporters of VB 6.0 can reach evangelical fervourin its defence, to the extent that Microsofts decision to cease supporting VB6.0 resulted in a petition that has garnered close to six thousand signaturessince 8th March 05 including 243 Most Valued Professionals (MVPs)(Whitelist, 2005). Among such gurus VB is generally praised for its simplicityand is credited with encouraging non-programmers to become programmers. This isvery much in line with John Kemenys original vision. .NET .NET is heavily influenced by the ideas of portabilitygarnered from the Java project of Sun Microsystems. A Java program compiles toan intermediate bytecode that is then interpreted by the Java Virtual Machine(JVM) (Horstmann, C. 2001). .NET adopts a similar strategy of compilation ofcode to an intermediate language Microsoft Intermediate Language (MSIL). TheCommon Language Runtime (CLR) then compiles MSIL to native code. Where .NETbuilds upon the Java project is by including multiple front-end programminglanguages and giving them all the capability to build MSIL. With the .NET framework Microsoft has embraced ObjectOrientated philosophy. IL is fully OO compliant and fully supportsencapsulation, inheritance and polymorphism (MSDN 2005a). VB.NET Of the various front-end languages of the .NET frameworkVB.NET has undergone the most radical evolution. To take advantage of theinteroperability offered by the CLR (i.e. that code written in one language canfreely interact with code from another language) VB.NET has had to become fullyobject orientated. Comparing this with the previous method of achievinginteroperability, (i.e. COM, DCOM and ActiveX) a platform specific binarystandard, Microsoft considers the advantages of complete interoperabilitysufficient to warrant the wholesale change of the VB paradigm to OO. (Deitel, h1003) VB.NET introduces exception handling to the VB 6.0programmer. The advantages offered by exception handling are in improving thereadability of code and in improving the efficiency of code. This is in linewith Microsofts view that the .NET framework is designed for scalability. Theinline error handling of VB 6.0, particularly in large scale applications willcreate code that is difficult to maintain. The .NET framework Class Library makes concurrencyprimitives available to the .NET languages. VB.NET therefore allows thecreation of multithreaded applications. This capability represents asubstantial increase in the complexity of software that can be created by VB.NETover VB 6.0. The VB 6.0 graphics library has been supplanted by GraphicsDevice Interface (GDI)+ API. Although VB 6.0 is unlikely to be the graphicstool of choice it is worth noting that VB 6.0 graphics will not upgrade toVB.NET graphics, and will need to be rewritten in using the GDI+ vectorgraphics tools. These changes, while not syntactically or conceptuallyproblematic for previously object-oriented languages such as C++, have asignificant impact on VB. VB 6.0 can be described as object aware. It iscapable of creating classes and supports interfaces, but has no support fordirect method implementation inheritance. VB 6.0 is based on an event drivenprogramming model. In the previous section some of the difference between VB6.0 and VB.NET have been discussed. The following section considers the changebetween the two languages in the context of web development and databaseconnectivity. One of the most common uses of VB 6.0 was createapplications with database connectivity. Microsoft created a number ofconnection controls (e.g. DAO, RDO, ODBC and ADO). VB 6.0 supports each type ofconnection and the choice of connection is largely based on the supportprovided for it by the database. VB.NET includes a range of support for theseconnection types, with the exclusion of DAO and RDO data binding capability.VB.NET also includes support for ADO.NET. The changes offered by ADO.NET aresummarized in the following paragraph. The most significant change in ADO.NET the separationbetween the physical data model and the logical model used by the control.ADO.NET thus provides a disconnected programming model allowing for greaterscalability, which is particularly valuable for providing web access. ADO.NETis a rebuild of the ADO control incorporating XML support from the ground upwhich again contributes to its usability over the web. XML can be used to movedata between computer, which contributes to the interoperability of ADO.NETwith non-Windows platform and also solves the problem in ADO 2.0 of having tomove binary (COM) files across firewalls. The following paragraph considers theimpact of these changes on the VB programmer. (McManus, P. 2003) While ADO is separate from VB, it is included here due to itbeing a common use for VB programmers. The impact of ADO.NET as part of the.NET upgrade will be to allow VB programmers to continue building front-endapplications to databases with the added facility to support many moreconcurrent users and the added flexibility of XML. This provides an opportunityfor VB 6.0 programmers to continue their professional development with familiarsyntax and programming philosophy but at the same time begin to consider objectconcepts. Another area that has seen significant change with theintroduction of the .NET framework is web programming. ASP.NET now supportsVB.NET code rather than the older model where ASP add-ons would be written inVB Script, a subset of VB 6.0. This gives the VB.NET programmer access to allof the features of the language when running server-side applications. Additionally, VB.NET can be used to create Web services.These are class libraries that can be access via a Remote Procedure Call (RPC).The VB.NET programmer can therefore produce SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol- an open XML compliant standard) compliant services or consume them via theInternet (WC3, 2004, Buyens, J. 2002). VB 6.0 has been around for six years and VB since 1991. Itis arguably the worlds most popular programming language. There is therefore asubstantial volume of VB 6.0 code in use today. VB will continue withoutsupport for some years hence but Microsoft is encouraging users to upgrade toVB.NET. Part of Microsofts strategy to facilitate this upgrade is theprovision of a code conversion tool within the VB.NET IDE. Microsoft claimsthat 95% of code will upgrade without difficulty and for that which does notthey have provided a simple to use tagging system with dynamic help to allowthe programmer to refactor the code quickly. The issues raised by the code convertermay be trivial type conversion issues or non-trivial issues such as connectingto legacy COM files. The code converter assumes that the VB 6.0 programmer isready to work in the OO paradigm and leads to an oversimplified view ofconversio (Piquet, L. 2002). While the automated code converter is a useful tool forquickly arriving at code that will build and run, it does not address issuessuch as the refactoring required to make the original source comply with theprinciples of object orientated design, the extensive retesting of working(possibly mission critical) code that would be required before substitutioncould occur or the extensive retraining program required for VB 6.0 programmerswithout wider language exposure to be confident in using VB.NET (MSDN, 2005b). Conclusion For the purposes of this discussion VB 6.0 programmers arecategorised into the following groups; formally trained (Computer Sciencegraduates), work based trained (other graduates/non graduates using VB 6.0 in aprofessional context). For formally trained graduates in CS then the changes inVB.NET may not be significant. CS graduates are likely to be aware of ObjectOrientation and have had exposure to a variety of programming languages. Theseprogrammers are more likely to view VB as a tool and be using it for what it isbest suited for i.e. prototyping in RAD projects and building desktopfront-ends to other more powerful applications (e.g. databases). For the second class of programmers with exposure only to VB6.0 there will one of two reactions. Some will see the enhancement to thefunctionality in VB.NET as an opportunity to develop new skills, to integratemore effectively into project teams and to take on more responsibility withinprojects. Others may see the added complexity and conceptual jump to OO asbarriers to productivity, progression and job security. Microsoft has committed to the .NET framework and looks setto make object orientation the dominant programming paradigm for theforeseeable future. The impact of VB.NET on the VB 6.0 programmer will besignificant in the medium to long term. RAD will continue to be a widely useddesign methodology and VB.NET programmers with an understanding of OO will havea valuable skill set in rapid prototyping. Microsoft is expecting the marketfor Web services to undergo significant growth. VB.NET will remain a strongcontender for developing web applications and database front ends on thedesktop. The future of a VB 6.0 programmer is as any other programmerin their ability to adapt to new programming paradigm, learn new skills andfind new opportunities, so the impact of .NET will depend ultimately on whetherthe programmer sees opportunities or barriers. References and Bibliography AddressOf.com (2003) Timeline: BASIC to Visual Basic .NEThttp://addressof.com/blog/articles/VBTimeline.aspx(accessed 26/04/05) Buyens, J. (2002), Web Database Development Step by Step,Microsoft Press, Redmond, Washington Deitel, H.; Deitel, P. and Nieto, T., (1999), VisualBasic 6 How To Program, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey Deitel, H.; Deitel, P. and Nieto, T., (2002) Visual Basic.NET How To Program, 2nd edition, Prentice Hall, Upper SaddleRiver, New Jersey Horstmann, C. and Cornell, G. (2001) Core Java Volume 1 -Fundamentals, Sun Microsystems, Palo Alto, California Jacobson, M. A History of Basic, http://www.softexsolutions.com/crc/programming/historyOfBasic.doc(accessed 26/040/05) Jones, P. (2003), Visual Basic .NET A Complete Object-OrientedProgramming Course Including Unified Modelling Language (UML), Continuum,York Road, London Mack, G. (2004), The History of Visual Basic and BASIC onthe PC, http://dc37.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/compsci/gmack/info/VBHistory.htm(accessed 26/04/05) McManus, P. and Goldstein, J., (2003), Database Accesswith Visual Basic .NET 3rd edition, Addison-Wesley, Boston MSDN (2005a) Overview of the .NET framework, http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/cpguide/html/cpovrintroductiontonetframeworksdk.asp(accessed 27/04/05) MSDN (2005b) Migrating, http://msdn.microsoft.com/vbasic/using/migrating/default.aspx(accessed 27/04/05) Piquet, L. (2002), Abandoning the Fantasy of VB MigrationWizardry, http://www.devx.com/vb/article/16822(accessed 27/04/05) WC3 (2003), SOAP Version 1.2, http://www.w3.org/TR/soap12-part1/(accessed 27/04/05) (2005) A Petition For TheDevelopment Of Unmanaged Visual Basic And Visual Basic For Applications, http://classicvb.org/petition/(accessed 27/04/05)

Philosophical Pluralism in the Service of Humane Governance :: Philosophy Philosophical Essays

Philosophical Pluralism in the Service of Humane Governance ABSTRACT: In recent times, the American Philosophical Association has been exposed in a serious way to the issue of pluralism in philosophy curriculums in the departments of philosophy of American universities and colleges. This conversation brings to the fore the fact that what is at issue in the prospect of pluralizing American philosophy departments is not merely the matter of deciding the discipline's boundaries of intellectual formation relative to the current generation of students, but the unforeseeen consequences of pluralism which challenge both 'the American canon' and the profession's self-understanding vis-Ã  -vis a 'Western' intellectual heritage that distinguishes the 'essential' from the 'marginal' by privileging essential figures, problems, and time-honored methodological commitments. Yet, to the degree that there is a quest for relation of differences, this need not presuppose the universality of philosophical discourse, comparative philosophy moving inevitably with in a logic of opposition rather than a logic of mutuality. Our thinking is surely problematic if at this World Congress we find an occasion for a confrontation between 'the West' and 'the margin,' the latter construed negatively as a 'mute, growing and menacing pressure.' In recent time the American Philosophical Association has been exposed in a serious way to the issue of pluralizing the philosophy curriculum in the departments of philosophy of American universities and colleges. John Lachs, Philip Quinn, John Stuhr, and Kathleen Wright each contributed thoughtful discussions to the "issues in the profession" section of the November 1996 Proceedings and Addresses. (1) As Lachs observed, there are those who conceive pluralism to mean "due representation of the analytic, Continental, and American philosophical traditions". Others who have explicit concern with the developing "sub-discipline" of comparative philosophy conceive pluralism to include "work in the complex traditions of Chinese, Indian, African, Latin American, Islamic, Jewish, feminist, and Native American thought, as well". Quinn perhaps speaks for a majority of philosophers when he suggests that hardly anyone would deny that "it is a good thing to expose students to the many ways in which philosophy has been done in various places and at different times", that "it is a good thing to carry forward philosophical inquiry in the many traditions that have proved to be of enduring value". Thus Quinn favors a more inclusive pluralism, one which "would consist of a conversation that contains many more non-Western philosophical voices". Notwithstanding Quinn's hopeful remarks, Stuhr noted that today pluralism is not widely endorsed.

Customer Service and Company Essay

1. Is it easy to become enamored with a company when it has enjoyed so much success over the years? What are Wal-Mart’s weaknesses? Becoming enamored with a company should not depend on the amount of success it may or may not have had. I like a company that I can stand behind and support. The question isn’t whether a company is successful or not, it should be how did the company get to the level of success it is at. Wal-Mart’s name has recently been synonymous with controversy. Wal-Mart’s founder was known for his charismatic style, emphasis on customer service, and high esteem for Wal-Mart employees; however it can be argued that none of these exist within the company today. From personal experience, I can attest that there is no longer an emphasis on customer service, and employee morale is low. The company also has a negative corporate image amongst potential customers partially due to the controversy around the treatment of employees and the conditions under which many of their products are manufactured. Because of these factors, it is difficult for me to become enamored over a company who has had as much success as they have had. 2. Does Wal-Mart’s new neighborhood store format run counter to the cost-cutting emphasis that is at least partially responsible for the success of its traditional stores? Explain. Wal-Mart’s new neighborhood store format do not run counter to the cost-cutting emphasis responsible for the success of its traditional stores. Wal-Mart still offers the same low cost products at these neighborhood stores, with the only difference being they offer groceries in addition to their other low cost products. This new store format makes it more convenient for customers in the vicinity to shop at their stores versus local mom and pop shops offering products at higher costs.

Renaissance and Middle Ages

Historians call the period we live in Modern Times. Modern Times began with the Renaissance, one of the rare periods of genius in the world’s history. Beginning in the 14th century and reaching its height in the 15th, the Renaissance was a new age filled with remarkable accomplishments meaning â€Å"rebirth†. The Renaissance refers to the rediscovery by humanists of the writings of the ancient Greeks and Romans. The individualization of man began in this era, and it was during this period that man began to focus on the secular aspects of life rather than hierarchical Christianity, which was the stranglehold of the Middle Ages. The ordered, formalistic medieval society broke down and Europe emerged from the Dark Ages. The Renaissance was a period of discovery in many fields. Advances in science were numerous and contributed to the growth of the era. Beliefs and theories that were common during the Middle Ages were gradually being rejected and scientific investigation during the Renaissance lead to an increased understanding of the natural world. Along with discoveries in science, the Renaissance proved to be one of the great ages of fine arts, leaving a rich legacy. The art from the Middle Ages was revolutionized in the Renaissance and is one of the most prominent variances between the two eras. The intellectual energies of the Renaissance, however, came from the literature of many masters. Humanism was emphasized, which contrasted the church driven society of the Middle Ages. Advances and accomplishments in science, fine arts and literature made the Renaissance a golden period, which flourished far beyond the achievements of the Middle Ages. During the Renaissance, discoveries in science, particularly in astronomy, physics, and anatomy exceeded those of the Middle Ages. Vital to the growth of scientific investigation was a progressive rejection of astrology and magic, creed that was prevalent in medieval times. The scientists of the Renaissance rejected any sort of magic because observation and experimentation did not support it. Scientists of the Renaissance made many breakthroughs increasing their knowledge and understanding of the world. Important inventions were medieval in origin as well. For example, the magnetic compass that directed Renaissance explorers to Asia and the Americas was innovated in the Middle Ages. But it was the humanism that was brought out in the Renaissance, which separates it from the Middle Ages. Equally important to the development of science was humanism, for among the ancient writings that the humanists collected were those that inspired scientific research. Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus challenged the ideas of astronomy and forever changed the way Western civilization looks at the universe. At Copernicus’s birth, Europeans believed that the earth was stationary, at the center of the universe, and all other heavenly bodies, including the sun, revolved around the earth. Copernicus used observation and mathematical analysis to overturn this concept. After careful calculations and observations, Copernicus realized that the earth both revolves around the sun and rotates about its own axis. The importance of Copernicus’ discovery was not only that he provided future astronomers with groundwork; he challenged pervious theories on astronomy and the universe. Studying the heavens, however, was very difficult as the human eye could only see so much. Italian astronomer Galileo constructed a telescope for observing the galaxy. With this device, he discovered that the surface of the moon was covered with craters, mountains and valleys, and discovered other satellites orbiting the planet Jupiter. The rationality and reason promoted by renaissance researchers would become increasingly important not only to science but to Western thought. Those who came after this period would refine its methods and techniques and open up much more of the natural world to human understanding, but they would always be indebted to the pioneering work of these early scientific thinkers. The Renaissance was also one of the great ages of art. It was an era of artistic experimentation and discovery led by famous painters and sculptors whose works are perhaps more than any other accomplishments representative of the Renaissance in today’s world. The art from the Middle Ages differed tremendously from the Renaissance. During the Middle Ages, the arts had reflected that period’s deep interest in religion. Paintings for instance, were either portraits of Christ, the Virgin Mary, the saints or illustrations of scenes from the Bible. In the Renaissance however, art became less religious in nature. Much of it dealt with more worldly subjects: portraits, of living people, landscapes, and scenes of everyday life. Religious subjects did not disappear entirely. Some of the greatest religious art dates from the Renaissance, such as Leonardo da Vinci’s 1497 painting the Last Supper, and Michelangelo’s 1504 sculpture David. Yet, there was a more secular tone to Renaissance art than to medieval art. This artistic shift came in part because the patrons of artists were often nobles nd business and civil leaders rather than, as in the Middle Ages, the church. A second difference between Renaissance and medieval art was the supreme importance of architecture during the Middle Ages. To the medieval world, architecture was the most sublime of arts because architects were responsible for the design and building of the great churches and cathedrals of the period. At this time, both painting and sculpture were used a lmost exclusively to decorate these church buildings. Although architecture remained important in the Renaissance, painting and sculpture were the chief arts. Again this change in emphasis had a great deal to do with the rise of the private patron: few, like the Catholic Church, could afford to finance a building but any one of whom could pay for a statue. A third difference between medieval and Renaissance art was the latter’s emphasis on realism. Renaissance artists tried to represent the human figure as realistically and naturally as possible. To achieve this realism, both painters and sculptors studied anatomy and the world around them. They worked hard to portray their painted or sculpted subjects in authentic detail, for as Italian Leon Battista Alberti instructed in his 1435 Della pittura: â€Å"It will help, when painting living creatures, first to sketch in the bones, for they always occupy a certain determined position. Then add the sinews and muscles, and finally clothe the bones and muscles with flesh and skin. As Nature clearly and openly reveals all these proportions, so the earnest painter will find great profit from investigating them in Nature. Because of its close association with the observation of the natural world, this Renaissance realism came to be known as naturalism. Leonardo da Vinci is seen as one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance. Far more than just a painter, he was also an engineer, mathematician, inventor, architect, and writer. Moreover, he was a scientist, whose interests were in biology, physics, and chemistry. The aim of his studies, particularly those in anatomy, was to make his paintings better. He believed firmly that studying the paintings of others alone would produce only minor work. However, a painter who also studied nature would, in his opinion, produce great art. The art produced in the Renaissance was a rebirth of the classical Greek and Roman works. After centuries of stiff representation, artists began again to study Nature herself, and to work from the living model. New ideas of grace, harmony, and beauty were cultivated into classic works that revolutionized fine art of that period from a sacred to a secular tone. Parallel to the development of fine arts, was an awakening of the human intellect through written works. Innovation and invention were the hallmarks of Renaissance literature. As in art, humanism influenced its literature through both its ideas and its focus on classical writings. A contributing factor to the spread of humanism was printing. Until the Renaissance, books were produced by hand. In 1465, the printing press was invented in Germany. Although printing technology had been developed in China as early as the second century AD, the 15th century printing press was combined with another innovation: moveable metal type. With this invention, came a rise in literacy. Books became available to everyone, significantly speeding up the spread of classical knowledge and humanist ideas. During the Middle Ages, only the clergy and a few others could read, whereas Renaissance readers came from all social classes. By the 16th century, about half the population of London could read and write to some degree. One of the most important developments that took place in Renaissance literature was the expanded use in books and poems of such languages as Italian, French, and English, rather than Latin. Although Latin remained the international language of Europe, Renaissance authors increasingly wrote in their native languages. The rise of the vernacular made it possible for the middle classes of Europe to read and write in their own language rather than Latin. Many prominent writers of the time such as Petrarch (1304- 1374), and Dante (1265- 1321) saw the use of the vernacular as a means of passing on classical virtues and knowledge to a far wider audience than was possible with Latin. The scholars Thomas G. Bergin and Jennifer Speake note: â€Å"Petrarch’s determination that the classical ideal should permeate every aspect of life led to what has been called the â€Å"humanism of the vernacular†: the ennobling not only of the native tongue, but also of everyday experience under the influence of classical models. † Poets and other writers were generally enthusiastic about the use of the vernacular, feeling that their native languages brought their work alive i n a way no ancient, outdated language could. Writers in the Renaissance era began to experiment with new forms of literature. In France, the great pioneer in vernacular writings was the French humanist Francois Rabelais. He not only experimented with writing in French, but he also began a new literary form, the novel. The result was the birth of the French novel, which ridiculed the medieval church and way of thought during the Middle Ages. This new kind of literature contrasts the writings of the medieval times which were mainly church inspired. Most writings were during the Middle Ages were done by Churchmen and most of it was in Latin. Biographies of the lives of the saints were extremely popular. The printing press in the Renaissance led to a rise of literacy in Europe; therefore the middle class was better educated. The rise of the vernacular also revolutionized literature in the Renaissance, which made it possible for the rising middle class of Europe to read and write in their own language rather than Latin. These breakthroughs in literature separate the Renaissance from medieval times. Emerging from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance was a new age filled with impressive accomplishments. The Dark Ages was a time in which the Church was the center of economic, social and political life while the Renaissance was a period in which human affairs and the advancement of Man were emphasized. Scientific discoveries made by many scholars such as Copernicus and Galileo revolutionized medieval theories on astronomy. If one aspect of Renaissance culture differed noticeably from the Middle Ages, it was art. Artists of this time period strayed from the stiff, religious mold of art to a more realistic approach to art displaying great detail and a variety of emotions. Advances in literature reformed the Renaissance. Inventions such as the printing press and the development of the vernacular led to the rise of literacy in all social classes, which greatly differs from the Middle Ages where only the clergy and few others could read and write. The Renaissance era crackled with energy, filled with remarkable discoveries and advancements. Many would have agreed with the French physician Jean Fernel, who wrote in the early 1500s: â€Å"The world sailed round, the largest Earth’s continents, discovered the printing press sowing knowledge, ancient manuscripts rescued, all witness to the triumph of our New Age. †