Claudio Monteverdis Orfeo and the development of Baroque Op essays

Claudio Monteverdis Orfeo and the development of Baroque Op essays Any aspiring musician in this day and age should expect certain things from opera productions; drama, lyricism, and sensitive instrumental accompaniment. But if we observe operas written in the 16th century, we will find a very different style of vocal drama, a formality and dryness that has all but vanished in operas developing past the baroque, classical, and romantic eras. Then, is it possible to trace the seeds of expressive opera back to a specific work or composer at the dawn of the baroque? When asked to consider this question, the opera Orfeo, and its composer, Claudio Monteverdi, inevitably comes to mind, as possessing these seeds for future growth. But how can one justify giving credit to Orfeo, and to Monteverdi, for such radical change in the opera world over the years to follow? _____Before Monteverdi entered the baroque opera scene (which was early in the 17th century), opera was established as a lavish and extravagant, although not entirely refined art. Evolving from the intermedi and the madrigal-cycles of the late 16th century, opera was reserved for royalty and their special events, and was more theatrical than musical. Opera relied on costumes and scenery to bedazzle the audience, rather than the expressive lines that Monteverdi would later write into his recitatives (Grout 277-278). Instrumentation was sparse, and usually unspecified. Composers and scholars alike could not agree on the extent to which Greek theatre (almost exclusively emulated in opera and theatre at the time) should be sung, or performed. A Florentine scholar named Girolamo Mei theorized that the entire drama should be sung, in his books De Modis Musicis. Most of Mei's research took place in the 1560s, and was later discussed by an informal gathering of scholars in Florence kn own as the Camarata, lead by Giovanni Bardi (Grout 279-180). At the same time in Mantua, Cesare Gonzaga (Duke of Guastalla) founded the Mantuan Academy (the group...

Free Essays on Abortion During The 1920’s

Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus. Abortion has created the opportunity for women to abort unwanted, unexpected pregnancies, yet has created an exceedingly large amount of controversy. Medically trained doctors performing the abortion helps protect the health of those women obtaining abortions, but also upsets many people. Abortion has been legal since 1973, but before then, abortion was a very common, yet dangerous procedure; women often times turned to dangerous, illegal methods to terminate their pregnancy. Today abortion is common and safe procedure, and although it was common during the 1920’s, it was not always safe. Abortion, although illegal, was very popular. During the 1920’s many forms of birth control were not available for women. Unexpected pregnancies were common because of this and women were quick to turn to any alternative, whether it was dangerous or not. Surveys showed that during the 1920’s 10 to 20 percent of women had had an abortion (Reagan). During the 1920’s, abortion was most popular with middle to upper class women (â€Å"Abortion Facts†). The wealthy received abortions from actual doctors, despite the laws in effect (Johnson Lewis, Jone). However, all social classes were not as lucky. Middle class women were not as fortunate. During the 1920’s, women who did not have as much money usually made desperate decisions without thinking of fatal consequences. During the 1920’s some 15,000 women a year died from abortions (â€Å"Abortion Facts†). Illegal abortion created an impact on the women society. Even though some abortion procedures were considered to be safer than others, its effects were still negative. Women used all sorts of alternatives rather than having the baby. During the 1920’s there were illegal abortionists who performed these procedures, but only the wealthy were able to afford s... Free Essays on Abortion During The 1920’s Free Essays on Abortion During The 1920’s Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus. Abortion has created the opportunity for women to abort unwanted, unexpected pregnancies, yet has created an exceedingly large amount of controversy. Medically trained doctors performing the abortion helps protect the health of those women obtaining abortions, but also upsets many people. Abortion has been legal since 1973, but before then, abortion was a very common, yet dangerous procedure; women often times turned to dangerous, illegal methods to terminate their pregnancy. Today abortion is common and safe procedure, and although it was common during the 1920’s, it was not always safe. Abortion, although illegal, was very popular. During the 1920’s many forms of birth control were not available for women. Unexpected pregnancies were common because of this and women were quick to turn to any alternative, whether it was dangerous or not. Surveys showed that during the 1920’s 10 to 20 percent of women had had an abortion (Reagan). During the 1920’s, abortion was most popular with middle to upper class women (â€Å"Abortion Facts†). The wealthy received abortions from actual doctors, despite the laws in effect (Johnson Lewis, Jone). However, all social classes were not as lucky. Middle class women were not as fortunate. During the 1920’s, women who did not have as much money usually made desperate decisions without thinking of fatal consequences. During the 1920’s some 15,000 women a year died from abortions (â€Å"Abortion Facts†). Illegal abortion created an impact on the women society. Even though some abortion procedures were considered to be safer than others, its effects were still negative. Women used all sorts of alternatives rather than having the baby. During the 1920’s there were illegal abortionists who performed these procedures, but only the wealthy were able to afford s...

Intext Global Expansion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words - 1

Intext Global Expansion - Research Paper Example Having carried out a proper market research, I have concluded that we need to expand the business to three nations namely, China, India, and South Africa as a means of expanding our market scope, profitability, and brand globally. Intext Computers is a fast growing company in the technology industry, and the introduction of the software products is indeed a big boost to the organization. Blending the hardware and software aspects of a computer has increased our sales significantly in the past one year through an increase in customer base. Such an observation is indeed an indication showing that with proper strategies and effective marketing, Intext Computers could make it big in the global markets. From the preliminary research on the three nations namely, China, India, and South Africa, it is evident that Intext Computers stands a better chance of success by putting up appropriate and effective measures towards the realization of the company’s goals and objectives. Despite the positive attributes of doing business in another country, there are equally obstacles that limit the success of companies in other nations. One of the determinant factors towards the success or failure of a business in another country is culture, which refers to the particular beliefs, practices, and behaviours of a particular group of individuals within a particular society that distinguishes them from other societies1. Chinas economy is fast growing, and as such, provides a better market opportunity for market success. Despite the view of culture as an obstacle to successful business in China, on the contrary, culture remains a factor that if used appropriately, could yield sufficient results. U nder social customs, China’ culture embeds on building relationships, which usually start with shaking of hands and nodding of the head and fostered by status, and such work to benefits a business as good business involves the building of strong relationships with customers2. Chinese have strong family ties and for business, once you capture a customer, it is easy to get more especially from the strong family ties.  

Work life balance is increasingly used as a strategy to attract and Essay

Work life balance is increasingly used as a strategy to attract and retain employees. Argue the business case for and against implementing Work Life Balance initiatives - Essay Example This is where work-life balance steps in. Work life balance has many facets. Wood describes this as the adjustments that need to be made to ‘working patterns’ in order to allow people to manage other facets of their lives along with the work (2001). Furthermore, the same term is used by other experts to denote the difficulties or the problems that arise in the efforts to carry work life and personal life simultaneously. The ideal, actually, is to achieve a balance between the two. This balance should be unique for every individual as the work priorities and personal priorities of everyone are unique to him or her. However, companies offer a standard set of programs that fall in the work life balance initiative which may or may not satisfy an individual. Therein lies the dilemma that upends this balance and raises the question: is work life balance important after all? This is discussed in detail in this paper. The emergence of this concept has been resulted from a variety of factors which are described by Tausig and Fenwick: â€Å"The notion of a perceived time bind between work and family/personal life (an implied imbalance between them) stems from the changing nature of work and families—e.g., longer work hours, the proliferation of non-standard work schedules, flexible schedules, part time work, increased participation of women in the labor force and the increasing number of â€Å"non-traditional† families.† Having taken a look at the need for this balance, lets take a look at the pros and cons. Companies that offer work life balance are able to attract a growing pool of men and women who are actively seeking a balance in their work and personal lives. This is manifested through a range of work life balance initiatives that come in many forms and offer something to every age group and gender including work that is part time, telecom-enabled or adjusted working days. Furthermore, many companies now make a block

Foreign Policy in the Nixon Presidency Essay Example for Free

Foreign Policy in the Nixon Presidency Essay Richard Nixon is one of the most controversial figures in American history. His presidency is remembered most for the Watergate scandal and his subsequent resignation but some of his foreign policies forever altered American foreign diplomacy. One of the major policies that President Nixon was responsible for was changing the nature of the United States relationship with China. He did this by setting into motion covert diplomatic actions and cultural exchanges between the two countries. Nixon’s reasons for improving relationships with the Communist regime was to force the Soviet Union to be more accommodating to American demands and to also help end the war in Vietnam. Another reason for improving relations was very personal for Richard Nixon. He wanted to show his power as an international statesman to the world and American public. American/Chinese relations for many years were friendly and involved the trade of goods and ideas. American missionaries had gone to China to build churches and hospitals. The two countries were allies against the Japanese during World War II. After the war ended the United States was not an ally of China as a whole but one political group, the Kuomintang. The Kuomintang, led by Chang Kai Shek, were in battled in a civil war with the Chinese communists who would eventually win out. Chang Kai Shek would take his government to the island of Taiwan. After the civil war, the United States only recognized Chang’s Republic of China and kept the People’s Republic of China, led by Mao Ze-Dong, out of the United Nations and other international bodies. This led to an isolation of China by a majority of the international community. The only diplomatic relations the United States had with China were through intermediary countries. While relations with the United States were sour, the Chinese relationship with the Soviet Union had quickly deteriorated. Both China and the Soviet Union were communist countries but their ideologies were very different. Their relationship slowly became strained and both countries started to build up troops along their common border through the 1960s. After the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia and released the Brezhnev Doctrine, which stated that the Kremlin â€Å"had the right to correct deviationism in other communist countries by military intervention,† the Chinese no longer considered the Soviet Union as an ally. This led to violent border clashes between the two countries in March 1969. By the end of 1969 the Soviet Union had over a million troops stationed along the Soviet/Chinese border and missiles aimed at major Chinese cities. The year before, a former republican vice-president from California, Richard Nixon, was elected president. He had made a name for him self in Congress as a leading anti-communist and he went on to serve as vice-president under Dwight D Eisenhower. Even before he was elected president, Nixon had expressed interest in opening up relations with China despite his previous negative views of communism. In 1967 he wrote an article for Foreign Affairs magazine where he stated â€Å"We simply cannot afford to leave China forever outside the family of nations, there to nurture its fantasies, cherish its hates and threaten its neighbors. There is no place on this small planet for a billion of its potentially most able people to live in angry isolation.† After his election as President Richard Nixon decided to make China one of the primary focuses of his foreign policy. One of his primary reasons for doing this was to gain an upper hand in the now 20-year-old Cold War with the Soviet Union. The Soviets had taken over several Eastern European countries and turned them into communist states in an attempt to show the world the successes of Communism. Also by the late 1960s the United States was no longer confident that it could win a war with the Soviet Union since they had had the two decades since the Second World War to regain it military strength. This required the United States to have to change strategies in dealing with the Soviet Union. They now had to shift their focus to gaining China as an ally. The State Department in the summer of 1969 began to announce various unilateral gestures of reconciliation. Many restrictions on travel and trade were lifted. This would become know as â€Å"Ping Pong† diplomacy. It was so named after the United States ping-pong team was invited to the Chinese capital in April of 1971. During their visit the group was treated as though they were dignitaries or royalty. They played matches against the Chinese team but also visited important landmarks through out China. The American delegation was accompanied by members of the press and was closely watched by the American public. At a banquet for the visiting Americans, Chou En-Lai, the Chinese Premier told the group, â€Å"Exchanges between our two countries have been cut off for a long time but now, with your acceptance of our invitation, you have opened a new page in the relations of the Chinese and American people.† While the American ping-pong players were the talk of the media, behi nd the scenes Nixon was putting into action his plan to improve relations with China. He did this by employing his National Security Advisor, Henry Kissinger, to make covert communications with the Chinese government. Before the Ping-Pong players had ever set foot in China and at the beginning of his presidency Nixon had Kissinger prepare a study on the feasibility of improving American/Chinese relations. Originally Kissinger was hesitant about the idea of talks with China even being quoted as saying â€Å"this crazy guy really does want to normalize relations with China.† But even Kissinger knew that an alliance between the United States and China could shift the global political powers more in favor of the United States and away from communism and the Soviet Union. One of the biggest roadblocks to improving relations with China was the issue of Taiwan. Since the Chinese civil war ended the United States had only recognized the government of the Republic of China on the island of Taiwan. So even as Nixon is trying to improve relations with communist China there is still the issue that the United States does not officially recognize the People’s Republic of China as a legitimate government. To ease some of China’s concerns, Nixon instructs his administration to terminate navel patrols in the Straight of Taiwan. Also in a radio address that Nixon gave on February 25, 1971 regarding his congressional foreign policy report he reiterated both his intention to protect Taiwan but open up talks with China. â€Å"We will search for consecutive discussions with Communist China while maintaining our defense commitment to Taiwan. When the Government of the Peoples Republic of China is ready to engage in talks, it will find us receptive to agreements that further the legitimate national interests of China and its neighbors.† A visit to China was next on Nixon’s foreign policy agenda. He announced his intentions in 1970, taking much of the world by surprise especially the Soviet Union. He negotiated this visit first by secretly sending Henry Kissinger to Beijing in July of 1971. Kissinger made this covert trip by faking illness on a diplomatic visit to Pakistan and flying to China to convey Nixon’s intention to Premier Zhou En-Lai. It was decided that President Nixon would visit the following year. On February 21, 1972, Richard Nixon became the first United States President to visit China. The following week would become known as the â€Å"week that changed the world. † President Nixon would only meet with an ailing Mao Ze-dong one time during his visit but it would set in motion events that would lead to United States recognition of Mao’s government and an end to the Cold War. The visit ended with both countries issuing the Shanghai Communiquà ©. In this document both countries pledged to work towards normalization of relations. The United States also agreed to remove military forces from Taiwan. Shortly after the delegations return from their visit to China, Richard Nixon tasked Henry Kissinger with negotiating arms treaties with the Soviet Union. With the well-publicized visit closely watched by the Soviets the United States now had more bargaining power. In 1972, Kissinger negotiated the Strategic Arms Limitations Talks. The two Cold-War super powers agreed that they would begin limiting missiles, nuclear arms, and delivery systems. With his relative success in negotiating deals with both China and the Soviet Union, Richard Nixon was hopeful that he would have the same success in negotiating a deal with North Vietnam to end the Vietnam War. Going into his re-election campaign in 1972 the United States had been at war in Vietnam for 12 years, over 50,000 had been killed, and billions of dollars had been spent. His first major policy regarding Vietnam that Nixon put into place was the Nixon Doctrine. The Doctrine had three major tenants. First, the United States would honor all of its treaty agreements. Secondly, the United States would provide a shield if a nuclear power threatened an ally or a country the United States deemed to be vital to its national security. And, lastly, the United States would provide military and economic aid to countries under treaty agreements, but the requesting nation would be expected to bear primary responsibility to provide the manpower for its own defense. The Nixon Doctrine led to the withdrawal of ground troops from Vietnam and training the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) in defense of their own country. Nixon had also hoped that his new treaties with China would help to isolate the North Vietnamese and convince them to sign a peace treaty. In 1973, a cease-fire was negotiated at the Paris Peace Accords and ended United States involvement in Vietnam. However this did not stop the spread of communism to south Vietnam. Nixon’s improved relations with China were largely unsuccessful in there being a positive resolution of the Vietnam War. While the entire episode of the Vietnam War was seen as a blemish on Richard Nixon’s Presidency he was still very concerned about his image not only among the American public but on the world stage as well. He wanted to use his visit to China to draw attention to his expertise as a global statesman. Among the people that accompanied Nixon on his trip to China was White House Chief of Staff Bob Haldeman. While Nixon was meeting mostly with Chinese Premier Zhou and negotiating agreements, Haldeman and Nixon’s wife Pat toured factories and schools throughout China. Mrs. Nixon was followed by a large group of press. Bob Haldeman was in charge of making their visit look very positive to the American public. Margaret MacMillan writes in her book Nixon in China, â€Å"The images flowed back to the United States, targeted for prime-time evening television. It was a presidential election year at home and Haldeman wanted to make sure that Nixon shone out as the great leader and statesman.† From the very beginning of his Presidency Richard Nixon always wanted to be seen in a positive light especially his portrayal in the media. He tasked members of his staff with combating any negative comments said about him and manage any news about him. He bordered on obsessive when it came to public image. His first week in office he formed a task called the â€Å"Five O’clock† group that was responsible for monitoring television programs for any negative comments about the President or his administration and defending them. With the Vietnam War and the protests to the end the war at the top of most news stories, Nixon needed to do something to get his name back in the limelight. Many believe that this a major factor for his motivation to reach out to China and his subsequent visit. During his time in China he made sure the entire trip was highly publicized. He did numerous photo opportunities at such places like the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. The reception his visit received by the American public was very positive. This was their first view into the isolated nation in over 20 years. This view, however, was a carefully scripted play put on by the Chinese government. This was their attempt to show a â€Å"New† China, not one that was still suffering from th e isolationist policies of the Cultural Revolution. The Chinese officials responsible for showing China in a positive way had people picnicking outside of factories in the bitter cold listening to revolutionary music and then collected the radios they were listening to after the delegation left. These inconsistencies were noticed by a Canadian member of the press to which Premier Zhou had to quietly admit that this was wrong of them to do. But the idea of a â€Å"New† China would only help President Nixon portray to the world that America and China, even with such opposite political views, could come to an understanding. His visit took the entire worlds view off of Vietnam and on to him personally while he visited China. Kissinger had pled with President Nixon to not make his trip to China a media circus because of the impact it would have internationally with America’s allies and enemies. International reaction to the visit was mixed. The United States allies were mostly disappointed that they had been kept in the dark about the new relations. The British felt particularly offended that they were not informed before hand about the dealings going on between the Americans and the Chinese. Even with the somewhat cool reception in the international community about Richard Nixon’s visit to China it was still one of the most significant moments in United States foreign policy during the Cold War. Henry Kissinger wrote in his memoir On China, â€Å" The reward for Sino-American rapprochement would not be a state of perpetual friendship or a harmony of values, but a rebalancing of the global equilibrium.† Richard Nixon helped to accomplish this by improving relations with China in an effort to change the American relationship with the Soviet Union and end the Vietnam War. While his intentions were for both personal and professional gain, either way his foreign policies remain at the top of his successes as President. Nixon’s presidency is mostly remembered of one wrought with corruption and following the Watergate scandal, he is still the only United States President to resign from office. He became known as politician that would use any means necessary to accomplish his goals but this also led to his downfall. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bundy, William. A Tangled Web: The making of Foreign Policy in the Nixon Presidency. New York, 1989. Chang, Gordon H.. Friends and enemies: the United States, China, and the Soviet Union, 1948-1972. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 1990. Devoss, David A. Ping-Pong Diplomacy. Smithsonian . 33. no. 1 2002 Keilers, John G. U.S. Army Military History Institute, Nixon Doctrine and Vietnamization. Last modified 2007. Accessed November 14, 2012. http://www.army.mil/article/3867/Nixon_Doctrine_and_Vietnamization/. Kissinger, Henry On China. New York: Penguin Press, 2011. Print. MacMillan, Margaret. Nixon in China: the week that changed the world. Toronto: Viking Canada, 2006. Nixon, Richard. Miller Center, Radio Address About Second Annual Foreign Policy Report to the Congress . Last modified 1971. Accessed November 14, 2012. http://millercenter.org/president/speeches/detail/3875. Nixon, Richard M. Asia After Viet Nam. Foreign Affairs, October 1967. http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/23927/richard-m-nixon/asia-after-viet-nam (accessed October 18, 2012) Small, Melvin. The presidency of Richard Nixon. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1999. Walker, Anne Collins, John Eastman, and Elizabeth C Eastman. China calls: paving the way for Nixons historic journey to China. Lanham, Md.: Madison Books :, 1992.

William Goldings Lord Of the Flies :: Golding Lord Flies

William Golding's Lord Of the Flies Theme: Most people perceive children as being innocent, precious beings. Some believe that they are angelic. Put in the wrong situations though, they can become savage beasts. The innocence leaves their bodies and they are no longer precious. The survival of the fittest instinct kicks on and they can become killers. In the book Lord of the Flies the theme is that kids are not as innocent s they seem. At the beginning of the book the boys seem to have peace and order. They help one another out. They elect Ralph as their leader. They follow his orders when they need to work together. The conch shell is used to bring order within the group of boys. Soon these practices die out and the kids start to change. Jack and his group of hunters, began to get a thrill from killing pigs. Jack and the hunters also lose all respect for Ralph and the conch. They start their own tribe, who soul purpose is to hunt and have rituals. The killings of the pigs start to bore them so they began to find other things to kill. The hunters start forcing people to join the tribe through threats. Then the threats lead to the killings of two boys. The hunters first kill Simon , whom they think is a beast. Then they kill Piggy by rolling a stone on top of him. With the two killing under their belt they soon began to go after Ralph. They chase him all over the island but soon he is rescued. The naval officer witnesses how the children had turned from well-behaved boys to savage beast. Though children are not as innocent as they seem they still hold a close place in their parents heart. They are also human just like everyone else. They know the difference between black and white and right and wrong. The survival of the fittest instinct is something that every creature on this planet has. The weak one always loose. The book showed this well. Important Passages: "Ralph sat on a fallen trunk, his left side to the sun. On his right were most of the choir; on his left the larger boys who had not known each other before...before him small children squatted in the grass.

Life of Pi Analysis

Summary Piscine Molitor Patel – Protagonist in the story, also the narrator – also known as Pi Ravi Patel – Pi’s older brother by three years Santosh Patel – Pi’s father, owns a zoo in Pondicherry, India Gita Patel – Pi’s Mother Satish Kumar – Pi’s biology teacher in Pondicherry Father Martin – A catholic priest that introduces Pi to the catholic faith Satish Kumar – A Muslim mystic that shares the same name with Pi’s biology teacher Hindu Pandit – A man whom is never named, he becomes very angry at Pi for practicing religions other than his own Pi Patel, a Hindu boy from Pondicherry, India, narrates this novel.The novel begins with Pi going into great depth about the life of a sloth, which reminds him of a god. Pi explains how he got his name – from a swimming pool. This leads into Pi’s life story, which begins with his fond memories of his father’s zoo in India. Fo llowing this is a memory of a trip he took with his family, where he meets a catholic priest who introduces him to Catholicism. Later on this trip, Pi meets a Muslim mystic who introduces Pi to the Muslim faith.Pi is deeply intrigued with other religions and their practices, but his curiosity crushed when a Hindu Pandit informs Pi’s parents that he is practicing other religions than his own. Significant Quotes â€Å"I know zoos are no longer in people’s good graces. Religion faces the same problem. Certain illusions about freedom plague them both. † Page 21 This quote shows how closely related Pi sees animals and religion.People misunderstand the life of animals in the wild; they do not understand that life in captivity at a zoo might very well be a better life for an animal – just as people misunderstand what it means for someone to be free of a religion. Religion can take away the harshness of reality, just as the walls of a zoo enclosure can show one r eality, but not the one beyond the walls. Pi is trying to show how religion can make a life simpler and more enjoyable. â€Å"I can well imagine an atheist’s last words: â€Å"White, white! L-L-Love! My God! †Ã¢â‚¬â€and the deathbed leap of faith.Whereas the agnostic, if he stays true to his reasonable self, if he stays beholden to dry, yeastless factuality, might try to explain the warm light bathing him by saying, â€Å"Possibly a f-f-failing oxygenation of the b-b-brain,† and, to the very end, lack imagination n and miss the better story. † Page 70 This quote illustrates how closely religion is linked to creativity and imagination. How an atheist believes in the nonexistence of god, still believes in something and has the capacity to change their beliefs, where as an agnostics are uncertain, with no beliefs and therefore lacking imagination to devise a guide for their life.Without stories of beliefs in our lives -like in an agnostics life – lif e is ‘dry ‘ and ‘yeastless’ or flat and dull. â€Å"I couldn’t get Him out of my head. Still can’t. I spent three solid days thinking about Him. The more He bothered me, the less I could forget Him. And the more I learned about Him, the less I wanted to leave Him. † Page 63 This quote shows the depth of Pi’s faith at such a young age. He seeks God not only through his own religion, but also in religions that he adopts throughout his journeys. Pi’s goal is to love God – innocent but extremely powerful.

Emergence of Tele-education

Tele-education has a long history beginning with systems like that for teaching children in Australian Outback, the British Open University and other such organizations. These built on the idea of correspondence courses where course materials are sent periodically by post and augmented the experience with broadcasts either on radio or on TV. The problem of student isolation was addressed partially through techniques such as telephone access or two-way radio links with teachers. At the end of 1980s, the vest majority of distance education throughout the worlds was still primarily print-based. Technologies used for distance education are evolving from primarily ‘one-way† technologies and applications such as computer aided learning, computer based training and computer aided instruction, to more ‘two-way† technologies and applications such as computer mediated communications and computer conferencing systems for education. The significance of ‘two-way† technologies is that they allow foe interaction between participant and tutors, and perhaps even more significantly amongst participant themselves. This development has allowed and in some senses force researches to look more closely at the impact of educational environment, on the students learning experience. In the future, it is expected that the telecommunications-based technologies to become the primary means of delivery of distance teaching. The reasons for this are as follows: a much wider range of technologies are becoming more accessible to potential distance education participants the costs of technological delivery are dropping dramatically the technology is becoming easier to use for both tutors and learners the technology is becoming more powerful pedagogically education centers will find it increasingly difficult to resist the political and social pressures of the technological imperatives. The Emergence of Tele-education Radical changes in the computing infrastructure, spurred by multimedia computing and communication, will do more than extend the educational system, that is revolutionize it. Technological advances will make classrooms mush more accessible and effective. Today, classroom education dominates instruction from elementary school to graduate school. This method has remained popular for a very long time and will probably persist as the most common mode of education. However, classroom education has its problems, that is the effectiveness decline with increase in the number of students per class. Other pressures affect the instructors, many of whom are not experts in the material they must teach, are not good ‘performers† in class, or simply are not interested in teaching. The biggest limitation of the classroom instruction is that a class meets at a particular time in a particular place. This essentially requires all students and the instructors to collect in one spot for their specified period. But with the emerging technology, these problems can be overcome. Reasons for studying Tele-education The current Tele-education systems that have been applied in some countries are generally of multipoint transmission technique. It is found that, this kind of transmission technique having several problems or defects. Mostly, problems raised during the application of the system. One of the significant problems raised is that, for the multipoint transmission, the signals or information transmitted by the sender do not completely received by the receiver. This problem is might be due to error that occurs during the transmission of the signals or information. Another problem is lag of transmission. For this case, the signals or information transmitted do not arrive at all the receiver at the same time, for example, the question raised by the lecturer might not received by the students at the same time and this is not a good environment for Tele-education system. Some receiver receives the signals earlier than the others and some later or even not receives at all. Therefore, it is important to study the Tele-education technology from time to time to overcome these problems so that the Tele-education system could provide a more effective way of learning environment. In order to have a lecture from, for example, a very famous professor from other country would require him to come at our place. But the amount of money spent for paying him to give lecture would be very expensive and this also would cause troublesome for him. However, this problem can be solved with Tele-education system in which the professor does not need to go anywhere else to give his lecture. This would save a lot of expenses and time. Another reason is that, in normal classes the learning process would not be very effective if the number of students in a class is very big. This is because the lecturer alone can not coordinate such a large class. With Tele-education system, one lecturer could deliver his lecture to as many students as possible effectively in a way that a large number of students from different sites having the same lecture at once. The purpose of this research is to study the current Tele-education system that has been applied in some countries. This study covers the background of Tele-education; that is its definition, the publications of Tele-education; that is any papers that discuss about Tele-education as a whole, the performance of applied Tele-education, and also the technology of Tele-education; that is its network architecture. But the main purpose of this study is to understand the Tele-education system that have been applied in another country and try to implement it in our country. CCITT Committee Consultatif International Telegraphique et Telephonique ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network ISO International Standard Organization JAMES Joint ATM Experiment on European Services SLIP Serial Line Internet Protocol TCP-IP Transmission Control Protocol – Internet Protocol Since Tele-education is a very new technology that is popularly discussed today, it is quite difficult for me to find any books that discuss about Tele-education from the library. Therefore, the easiest and the fastest way to gather information relating this project is via the Internet. I have surfed and found many interesting sites that discuss about Tele-education. Besides surfing, I also have contacted several people who are involved in this area, Tele-education, by e-mail . But unluckily, this does not really help because most of them did not reply. Besides using the Internet, I also get the information for this project from the IEEE Database at the library of Universiti Telekom. What is Tele-education? Before discussing about what Tele-education means, lets look at what distance learning is. This is because Tele-education and distance learning are very related to each other. Distance learning is the acquisition of skills and knowledge through electronic communications that allow student and instructor to be separate in either in time or space. The to distance learning is ‘asynchronous learning† which can be defined loosely as learning at different time. It is a highly flexible method of training because the sender and receiver do not need to be synchronized in space or time. But Tele-education is more than that of distance learning. In Tele-education, not only asynchronous but synchronous learning is also made possible. In other words, Tele-education is the evolution of distance learning. As stated before, asynchronous learning environment is not real-time environment. It is a self-study-based application and is accessed via the Internet to a server. The requirement to the student is only an ordinary PC with standard software and Internet access. This application is applicable for a large amount of users who can access the course independent of each other. The combination of the lecture-part, group-work-part, and self-study-part is another type of Tele-education learning environment, which is synchronous learning. It is a real-time environment. In this environment, students and lecturers can interact with each other simultaneously. Tele-education use the technology of video teleconferencing that allows two or more parties at different geographical area to interact with each other or to have learning process together. But people usually get confused whether video teleconferencing can be considered as Tele-education as well. Tele-education is actually different with video teleconferencing in a way that Tele-education usually involve a large number of people as compared to video teleconferencing, that is, it is in video teleconferencing many people use a single monitor to see other people at other area but in Tele-education, students have their own monitor that can be used not only to see their lecturer and colleagues but also to send and receive educational materials. Emergence of Tele-education Tele-education has a long history beginning with systems like that for teaching children in Australian Outback, the British Open University and other such organizations. These built on the idea of correspondence courses where course materials are sent periodically by post and augmented the experience with broadcasts either on radio or on TV. The problem of student isolation was addressed partially through techniques such as telephone access or two-way radio links with teachers. At the end of 1980s, the vest majority of distance education throughout the worlds was still primarily print-based. Technologies used for distance education are evolving from primarily ‘one-way† technologies and applications such as computer aided learning, computer based training and computer aided instruction, to more ‘two-way† technologies and applications such as computer mediated communications and computer conferencing systems for education. The significance of ‘two-way† technologies is that they allow foe interaction between participant and tutors, and perhaps even more significantly amongst participant themselves. This development has allowed and in some senses force researches to look more closely at the impact of educational environment, on the students learning experience. In the future, it is expected that the telecommunications-based technologies to become the primary means of delivery of distance teaching. The reasons for this are as follows: a much wider range of technologies are becoming more accessible to potential distance education participants the costs of technological delivery are dropping dramatically the technology is becoming easier to use for both tutors and learners the technology is becoming more powerful pedagogically education centers will find it increasingly difficult to resist the political and social pressures of the technological imperatives. The Emergence of Tele-education Radical changes in the computing infrastructure, spurred by multimedia computing and communication, will do more than extend the educational system, that is revolutionize it. Technological advances will make classrooms mush more accessible and effective. Today, classroom education dominates instruction from elementary school to graduate school. This method has remained popular for a very long time and will probably persist as the most common mode of education. However, classroom education has its problems, that is the effectiveness decline with increase in the number of students per class. Other pressures affect the instructors, many of whom are not experts in the material they must teach, are not good ‘performers† in class, or simply are not interested in teaching. The biggest limitation of the classroom instruction is that a class meets at a particular time in a particular place. This essentially requires all students and the instructors to collect in one spot for their specified period. But with the emerging technology, these problems can be overcome. Reasons for studying Tele-education The current Tele-education systems that have been applied in some countries are generally of multipoint transmission technique. It is found that, this kind of transmission technique having several problems or defects. Mostly, problems raised during the application of the system. One of the significant problems raised is that, for the multipoint transmission, the signals or information transmitted by the sender do not completely received by the receiver. This problem is might be due to error that occurs during the transmission of the signals or information. Another problem is lag of transmission. For this case, the signals or information transmitted do not arrive at all the receiver at the same time, for example, the question raised by the lecturer might not received by the students at the same time and this is not a good environment for Tele-education system. Some receiver receives the signals earlier than the others and some later or even not receives at all. Therefore, it is important to study the Tele-education technology from time to time to overcome these problems so that the Tele-education system could provide a more effective way of learning environment. In order to have a lecture from, for example, a very famous professor from other country would require him to come at our place. But the amount of money spent for paying him to give lecture would be very expensive and this also would cause troublesome for him. However, this problem can be solved with Tele-education system in which the professor does not need to go anywhere else to give his lecture. This would save a lot of expenses and time. Another reason is that, in normal classes the learning process would not be very effective if the number of students in a class is very big. This is because the lecturer alone can not coordinate such a large class. With Tele-education system, one lecturer could deliver his lecture to as many students as possible effectively in a way that a large number of students from different sites having the same lecture at once. The purpose of this research is to study the current Tele-education system that has been applied in some countries. This study covers the background of Tele-education; that is its definition, the publications of Tele-education; that is any papers that discuss about Tele-education as a whole, the performance of applied Tele-education, and also the technology of Tele-education; that is its network architecture. But the main purpose of this study is to understand the Tele-education system that have been applied in another country and try to implement it in our country. CCITT Committee Consultatif International Telegraphique et Telephonique ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network ISO International Standard Organization JAMES Joint ATM Experiment on European Services SLIP Serial Line Internet Protocol TCP-IP Transmission Control Protocol – Internet Protocol Since Tele-education is a very new technology that is popularly discussed today, it is quite difficult for me to find any books that discuss about Tele-education from the library. Therefore, the easiest and the fastest way to gather information relating this project is via the Internet. I have surfed and found many interesting sites that discuss about Tele-education. Besides surfing, I also have contacted several people who are involved in this area, Tele-education, by e-mail . But unluckily, this does not really help because most of them did not reply. Besides using the Internet, I also get the information for this project from the IEEE Database at the library of Universiti Telekom. What is Tele-education? Before discussing about what Tele-education means, lets look at what distance learning is. This is because Tele-education and distance learning are very related to each other. Distance learning is the acquisition of skills and knowledge through electronic communications that allow student and instructor to be separate in either in time or space. The to distance learning is ‘asynchronous learning† which can be defined loosely as learning at different time. It is a highly flexible method of training because the sender and receiver do not need to be synchronized in space or time. But Tele-education is more than that of distance learning. In Tele-education, not only asynchronous but synchronous learning is also made possible. In other words, Tele-education is the evolution of distance learning. As stated before, asynchronous learning environment is not real-time environment. It is a self-study-based application and is accessed via the Internet to a server. The requirement to the student is only an ordinary PC with standard software and Internet access. This application is applicable for a large amount of users who can access the course independent of each other. The combination of the lecture-part, group-work-part, and self-study-part is another type of Tele-education learning environment, which is synchronous learning. It is a real-time environment. In this environment, students and lecturers can interact with each other simultaneously. Tele-education use the technology of video teleconferencing that allows two or more parties at different geographical area to interact with each other or to have learning process together. But people usually get confused whether video teleconferencing can be considered as Tele-education as well. Tele-education is actually different with video teleconferencing in a way that Tele-education usually involve a large number of people as compared to video teleconferencing, that is, it is in video teleconferencing many people use a single monitor to see other people at other area but in Tele-education, students have their own monitor that can be used not only to see their lecturer and colleagues but also to send and receive educational materials.

decline in union membership in essays

decline in union membership in essays Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in 2000, show that the decline in Australian union membership continues, despite the efforts of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), to stop the slide. The ABS reports that trade union membership has dropped to 28 percent of the total workforce, compared to 1992, where there was 40 percent. (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2000.) Previous ABS findings show that these recent figures are part of a general trend, with no slight recovery recorded in the past six years. Whilst it is evident that there is a decline in union membership, it is important to analyse why this is so and what the unions are doing to combat the downward trend. In attempting to tackle this issue, it is important to state the main objectives of a union that attract employees to join a membership and why the memberships are declining. Australian unions were established in the first half of the nineteenth century, with growth beginning in the post gold-rush era. It is from then that the fastest growth of the era seems to have been in the decade of the 1880s, where prosperous economic conditions and a tight labour market were forces making for union development (Dabscheck, Griffen, and Teicher, 1992). The primary objective of a trade union is to improve the well being of its members. They were formed to counter the superior economic power of the employers. It has long been recognised that the market dominance of employers could only be offset by workers acting collectively and establishing organisations to bargain on their behalf. The most important function of a union is to maximise the wages and salaries of its members (Deery, Plowman, and Walsh, 2000). Why do employees join unions? There are a number of reasons that an employee may join a union but three major factors are evident. They are; dissatisfaction with economic aspects of the job; a desire to influence those aspects of t...

About Vipers, Family Viperidae

About Vipers, Family Viperidae Vipers (Viperidae) are a group of snakes known for their long fangs and venomous bite. Vipers include true vipers, bush vipers, rattlesnakes, pit vipers, adders and night adders. Venomous Fangs The fangs of vipers are long and hollow and enable the snake to inject venom into animals that it bites. Venom is produced by and stored in glands located at the back of the snakes upper jaw. When the snakes mouth is closed, the fangs recede into a thin membrane and fold against the roof of the snakes mouth. When a viper bites its victim, the bones of the jaw rotate and flex so that the mouth opens at a wide gape angle and the fangs unfold at the last moment. When the snake bites down, muscles that encase the venom glands contract, squeezing venom out through ducts in the fangs and into their prey. Types of Venom Several different types of venom are produced by the various species of vipers. Proteases consist of enzymes that break down proteins. These enzymes cause a variety of effects in bite victims including pain, swelling, bleeding, necrosis, and disruption of the clotting system. Elapid venoms contain neurotoxins. These substances disable prey by disabling muscle control and causing paralysis. Proteolytic venoms contain neurotoxins to immobilize prey as well as enzymes that break down molecules in the victims body. Head Shape Vipers have a triangular-shaped head. This shape accommodates the venom glands at the back of the jaw. Most vipers are slender to stout-bodied snakes with a short tail. Most species have eyes with elliptical pupils that can open wide or close down very narrowly. This enables the snakes to see in a wide range of light conditions. Some vipers have keeled scales- scales with a ridge in their center- while others have smooth scales. 26 Types There are currently about 26 species of vipers that are considered vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. Some of the rarest vipers include the golden lancehead and the Mt. Bulgar viper. Like most snakes, vipers appear not to care for young after hatching. Most species of vipers give birth to live young but there are a few species that lay eggs. Vipers occur in terrestrial habitats throughout North, Central and South America as well as in Africa, Europe, and Asia. There are no vipers native to Madagascar or Australia. They prefer terrestrial and arboreal habitats. The range of vipers extends further north and further south than any other group of snakes. Vipers feed on a variety of small animal prey including small mammals and birds. Classification Vipers belong to the snake family. Snakes are among the most recently evolved of the main reptile lineages alive today. Their evolutionary history remains somewhat murky, though- their delicate skeletons do not preserve well and as a result, few fossil remains of ancient snakes have been recovered. The earliest known snake is Lapparentophis defense which is estimated to have lived about 130 million years ago, during the early Cretaceous. The viper family includes about 265 species. Vipers are classified into one of four groups: Azemiopinae: Feas viperCausinae: night addersCrotalinae: pit vipersViperinae: true vipers The Viperinae, also known as the Old World vipers, are short and stocky snakes. They have a wide, triangular head and rough, keeled scales. Their coloration is dull or cryptic providing them with good camouflage. Most members of this group give birth to live young. Pit vipers are distinct from other vipers due to a pair of heat-sensitive pits located on either side their face between the eyes and nostrils. Pit vipers include the worlds largest viper, the bushmaster, a snake native to Central and South American rainforests. The bushmaster can grow as long as 10 feet. Of all vipers, the rattlesnakes are among the most easily recognized. Rattlesnakes have a rattle-like structure at the end of their tail formed out of old layers of the terminal scale that do not fall off when the snake molts. When shaken, the rattle serves as a warning signal to other animals.

Think of an incident in your life when you felt pressured to go Essay

Think of an incident in your life when you felt pressured to go against your parents or religion. tell what happened, who pressured you and why, why you confirm - Essay Example Whether this is an all-powerful God, an uninvolved Creator or some sort of ‘alien’ life form I will not discuss here. Just suffice it to say that the same is some sort of a more powerful being which probably takes at least some interest in the actions of those that He has created or placed here on this Earth. The incident which I want to share with you is one that literally shook the foundations of my life. It brought a sense of going against my parents and more specifically my father. My issue was with my father who was an alcohol addict and for that reason I literally abhorred the very idea that I was his child. He has realized that he could have let go on this bad habit of his. Yet somehow or the other he found himself stuck in a quagmire of which he cannot find any solace. Alcohol addition has completely ruined his life and it has left him in shambles in front of one and all. The extent of his involvement was so immense that he did not have any knowledge of what was happening around him. He had some responsibilities to fulfill, some loving people surrounding him who had expectations from him but all this just went out of the window when he got himself into this bad habit. I was taken aback in the whole situation since everything was going against me and this sounded as a pretty pathetic circumstance for me, so to speak. This situation made me feel pressurized too much, so much so that I started losing concentration on many things that I used to do. I did not have my mind and energies towards different projects and activities that I did. The incident completely broke me from inside and the worst part of it was that I was not ready for all this. My pressure came from the different relationships in which I was tied. I had to take care of my father as well as my mother and siblings who were equally troubled by my father’s distress.

Trade Policy of Qatar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Trade Policy of Qatar - Essay Example Qatar’s economy has been growing in strength and resilience overtime and in fact it happens to be one of the fast growing and most dynamic economies of the world. The GDP of Qatar registered an impressive growth of 33.8 percent in the year 2005 (Qatar Economic Review 2006). The rapidly growing oil and gas sector is the cornerstone of Qatar’s economy and is contributing immensely to the target of reshaping the national economy through diversification. Though it is true to say that the overall economic strength of Qatar is primarily dependent on the oil revenues, the share and contribution of the LPG in the national growth has definitely increased in the past few years. In the year 2005, the total share of oil and natural gas in the domestic GDP was 60 percent (Qatar Economic Review 2006).  Ã‚  Ã‚   In terms of GDP growth, Qatar had performed unbelievably positively, recording an average growth of 19.9 percent in the period 2001-2005 (Qatar Economic Review 2006). The fu ndamental reasons that lie behind the formidable economic growth of Qatar are an exceptional growth in the exports of LNG, crude and petrochemical related products. This factor has been further bolstered by the rise in the prices of crude in the international markets. In the year 2005, the oil and natural gas industry recorded an overall growth of 46.3 percent (Qatar Economic Review 2006). In contrast, the non-oil sector augmented by 18.8 percent (Qatar Economic Review 2006). In the year 1999, the GDP of Qatar was QR 45.1 billion (Qatar Economic Review 2006).