Han and Roman Attitudes toward Technology

From the around second century B. C. E. to the third century C. E. the Han and Roman attitudes toward technology were different in how they took pride in some of their inventions with the Han accepting the role of the craftsmen and their technology they created showed in documents 1-4. However, the Romans did not do as much of this and did not care as much about the technology and how it could be utilized. This was shown in documents 5-8. Both Han China and the Romans did show a similarity in how their technology, even though it was viewed differently, helped to develop their Empires. Throughout these eight documents, everyone one of these had male from the upper class writing the document. I think an additional document that could be useful in answering the question of what the Han and Roman attitudes toward technology were would be a person from the lower class. This document would be useful because that the upper class did not show interest about the technology that a commoner might have used such as hand tools and other common working items. The Han utilized their technology more to the fullest and took pride in what they invented. In Document 1 it shows that technology was not just used as a luxury, but was used a necessary way to help prevent disaster. In this case the Han were trying to prevent flood and had walls canals and pools. There were also people assigned to inspect and repair these technologies to help their people by preventing floods. The Han took pride in ability to keep their people safe from floods and other disasters. Document 2 focuses more on how the government monopolized the making of tools and made them more cheaply and with less quality than the actual workers themselves did. Then the government raised prices on iron and some of the poor had to digress to older technology. Two examples of this is iron became too expensive and wooden plows were now being used instead of iron. Another example is that salt was too expensive and they couldn’t afford to season their food. Huan Guan takes pride in the technology and feels that the government is not utilizing it proper and feels that the technology is going to waste. Document 3 shows pride in their invention of the pestle and the mortar and how it helped to create very useful technology where, â€Å"The efficiency was ncreased ten times† then later on, â€Å"Benefit was increased a hundredfold. † Document four commends the technology and its usefulness directly contrasting with Document three’s point of view. A reason this may be is that it is government-sponsored and the government is trying to make itself look good. The Romans, however, were not as interested and shows little regard with how technology can affect them. Document five shows this where Cicero shows no admiration of craftsmen or any of their inventions. He says, â€Å"All craftsmen spend their time in vulgar occupations. Cicero and the upper class don’t really have interest in craftsmen technology. Document seven suggests craftsmen did something that anybody could have done and does not really respect them. He is implying that if the upper class doesn’t need the technology, it isn’t important. Now, Plutarch, on the other hand, was very satisfied with the technology of the roads and how nice they are in document six. He brags of Mile Markers and how this technology can be used by eve rybody. Frontinus was also very proud of the technology in Rome. He specifically boasted of the aqueducts and said that they were better than the pyramids of Egypt. This opinion may be a little bias though, because he is the water commissioner for the city of Rome. Even though the Hans and Romans had different views on the use of technology, both of these empires benefitted greatly from the technology that was invented in this time. Plutarch was very excited about the roads in document six, and he had very good reason to be. The roads were kept in very good condition that allowed them to travel throughout their entire empire. This was useful for delivering food across the empire in time of famine and also helped them to travel easier and quicker in time of battle. The Han’s technology also helped them to grow as an Empire and keep their people safe as shown in document one. They had walls, canals, and workers specifically designated to prevent floods. What is shown in these documents is that the Han and Romans have different values placed on technology, but also shows how they view the craftsmen and the people that may benefit from the technologies. The Han valued their technology more and therefore placed more respect on the people who invented, whereas the Romans didn’t not value the technology or the craftsmen nearly as much.

The terms Indianization and sinicization Essay

The terms Indianization and sinicization when used to describe certain government administrations mainly refer to the incorporation of local elements into the government. It basically means that the foreign elements of the invaders or other foreign powers are gradually replaced by the indigenous peoples. This process can be used for any race or culture. Indianization and sinicization can therefore be considered as terms that can be used to describe a certain change in the composition of any administrative or government organization that has been established or controlled by any foreign or external power in favor of the local population. In response to this question, sinicization would refer to the process of becoming more Chinese. As a product of social science thinking, this refers to the assimilation of the non-Han Chinese people (Manchus) into the identity of the modern day Chinese. While it has been widely criticized as being a phenomenon which is not strictly cultural, it has been used widely enough to describe the event that occurs when local government administrations controlled by foreign powers are slowly handed over to the local groups. Indianization, on the other hand, refers more specifically to the process by which the British Empire, under control of the British Raj, gradually promoted Indian Officers to higher ranks within the British government in India. These positions, which were traditionally held only by Europeans, were now made accessible to the Indian officers under this movement. This process was introduced in the 1920s but was discontinued during World War 2. 2. What developments in Southern Song China resemble the Industrial Revolution of the West? Why were the emperors during the Song period so successful when their predecessors were not? The developments in Southern Song closely resemble the Industrial Revolution of the West due to the massive shipbuilding, harbor constructions and weaponry development that occurred during this era. After the Southern Song had been weakened and pushed along the Huai River, they were forced to find new ways by which to solidify their economy. Aside from the threat from the Jin Dynasty, the Southern Song also felt that they had to strengthen their defenses and as such, with the aid of Yue Fei and Han Shizhong, the government launched its initiative to improve its maritime interests. It was also during this period that trade greatly flourished due to the improvement of the local harbors, and warehouses that were able to accommodate international trade. This also led to the establishment of a permanent Navy that featured swift paddle-wheel sea-craft. The success of the emperors during the Song period was largely due to the fact that they were able to increase commerce and control the people through a strong central government. During the Song period, there was a growth in the arts and education as well. Another key to the success of the emperors of Southern Song was the military power that it was able to amass due to the modifications that were made to the weaponry since the discovery of gunpowder. Not only did this provide an advantage against the Jin Dynasty, it also allowed for the protection of the Song Dynasty from invaders from the sea. This combination of the improvements in commerce, defense and education allowed the emperors of the Song Dynasty to succeed in unifying China under a single rule. 3. What combination of Mongol attributes and Song weaknesses made the Mongol conquest successful? Please analyze it detail The success of the Mongol conquest was predicated upon the fact that the Song had already become weak due to the battles that it had waged against the Jin Dynasty. While the Song Dynasty was busy fighting the Jin Dynasty along the Yangtze River in 1161, the Mongols were slowly mobilizing their forces and creeping towards the northern regions. After the Song Dynasty held back the Jin Dynasty, the Mongols, who were then led by Genghis Khan, entered China and invaded the Jin Dynasty. The effect of the large raids that the Mongols had due to the military prowess they possessed on land soon led to the amassing of a large Mongol force in China. By 1276, most of the Song territory had now been controlled by the Mongols. This dominance over the Jin and Song Dynasties was made possible by the fact that these dynasties were not able to match up with the land forces that the Mongols possessed. While there were advancements in weaponry that occurred during this time, the Song army was much too inflexible to deal with the attacks of the Mongols. The versatility and swiftness of the attacks of Genghis Khan and his Mongol hordes made it impossible for the Song Dynasty to sustain any viable and successful counterattack. Factored with the fact that most of the spending on the military was used to upgrade the Southern Harbors and the Navy, the conquest by the Mongols became all the easier. Therefore, the combination of the land military strength of the Mongols and the weakness of the Song military enabled the Mongols to totally wipe out the Song Dynasty by 1279. 4. Why did Chinese culture become so popular and accepted in Japan? What are the major differences and similarities between the Chinese and Japanese culture. The influx of Chinese culture in Japan began with the introduction of Buddhist practices. During the Asuka period, Buddhism was introduced to Japan by Baekje. It was during this same perioed that Prince Shotoku also introduced the Chinese Culture. The seventeen-article constitution that was introduced during this era by the Prince greatly influenced the Japanese ways and the culture. This seventeen-article constitution was actually a Confucian style document that embodied the teachings of the Chinese with regard to the different kinds of morals and virtues that each and every of the government officials and the emperor’s subjects were expected to possess and to practice. This adaptation of Chinese teachings and philosophies paved the way for more interaction between Japan and China. Coupled with the interest that Prince Shotoku had with the Chinese Culture, most of Japanese society soon began to accept and practice many different aspects of Chinese culture such as music, arts and food. While there is a general mistrust in the relationship that Japan has with China these days, there are still major similarities that these two cultures possess. The practices derived from the seventeen-article constitution are still widely followed and this has even spilled over into the business world. Other similarities include the influence of Chinese architecture in certain towns in Okinawa. As for the differences, the major difference lies in the respect to etiquette and rules. The Chinese tend to be more lax with respect to their practice of etiquette and respect while the Japanese strictly abide by these rules and are generally more consistent with its practice even up to the present times. 5. What impact did Buddhism have on the development of Japanese culture and lifestyles? Give examples in both art and literature where Buddhism was a major factor. Buddhism was introduced to Japan by Prince Shotoku, who is credited with being the first to realize that the Buddhist teachings were different from the other religious cults that were numerous during these times. The impact of Buddhism on Japanese Culture and Lifestyles can basically be categorized in three different periods, the Nara, the Heian and the Kamakura. It was during the Nara period that the Japanese attempted to incorporate Buddhist teachings into local practices. In an attempt to improve the welfare of the state, a number of officials put the Buddhist teachings into practice. These were called the â€Å"Six Schools of Nara Buddhism. † The Heian period marked the progress of Buddhism as a practice reserved for the government into a practice that was now available to the people. The teachings given by Saicho and Kukai allowed for a deeper understanding of the Buddhist practices. Soon after, the Tendai School was formed and this was opened to the public. It was also during this period that concrete examples of the influence of Buddhism began to appear as in the relationship between Buddhism and that of the Shinto Pantheon. The Kamakura period was the height of the influence of Buddhism and its influence was reflected in much of the culture and arts that were produced during this era. Soon after, the Soto and Jodo Shinshu schools were formed during the Meji era and these became totally integrated as essential practices of Japanese life and culture. 6. How did a Japanese emperor differ from the Chinese emperor? Which would you consider more superior and why? The Japanese Emperor is different from the Chinese Emperor on many levels. For one thing, the Japanese Emperor is not considered as the Emperor of the entire civilized world but rather just the head of the entire Japanese empire. Today’s role for the Japanese Emperor has shrunk greatly from the role that he played since the title of Emperor was bestowed in the 6th century. The power, however, that the Japanese Emperor possessed enabled him, as the Supreme Sovereign, to own any piece of land that he desired within the empire and also allowed him complete control over the government officials and subjects. This power was curtailed during the Meiji restoration and is now just limited by the constitution. The Chinese Emperor is quite different and may perhaps be considered as the more powerful emperor due to the traditional belief that the Chinese Emperor was the â€Å"Son of Heaven. † As the absolute ruler of the entire civilized world, the Emperor of China could control any matter that he desired even if it was very minute. He was not considered merely the ruler of a single state but was considered as the only legitimate ruler of the entire world. Since the authority of the Chinese Emperor was derived from the heavens, the words and orders that were issued by the Chinese Emperor were called sacred edicts or â€Å"directive from Heaven. † The emperor had no equal and even the closest of family members had to address the Chinese Emperor with the utmost formality and respect. In practice, however, the power of the Chinese Emperor was held by the chancellors or regents that were appointed to attend to the other matters with regard to the administration and policies of the country. 7. What characteristics of the nomadic peoples made them `barbaric` to the civilizations of India and China? What characteristics of the nomadic peoples would you consider to be strengths? The main characteristics of the Nomadic people that made them seem â€Å"barbaric† to the established and flourishing civilizations of India and China comes from the fact that these people had no fixed settlements. Their nature as nomadic settlers and pillagers was abhorrent to the advanced cultures of India and China. The absence of any central infrastructure of power and of established religions made the nomads seem barbaric by the standards of the Chinese and the Indian civilizations. Another factor which led the Indians and the Chinese to consider the Nomads as barbaric was the culture that these people had. The lifestyles and even the warfare methods that these people employed was primitive, to say the least. The main source of food for these people came from pillaging, hunting and gathering what they could. This was unlike that of the Indians and Chinese who had learned how to cultivate and domesticate. One advantage that the Nomads had, aside from their foraging, hunting and survival skills, was their advantage in warfare. While India and China had the technological advantage, the Nomads were flexible and could adapt to all types of terrain. These Nomads soon became masters of the chariot and had also learned how to utilize certain weapons such as bows and arrows. This made them a very serious threat against any army that either India or China had at this point in history. 8. When did the Mughal dynasty rule India. What achievements occurred during this dynasty? What led to the decline of Mughal rule in India? The Mughal Dynasty was one of the most influential of all dynasties to rule India. Controlling the Indian subcontinent from the early sixteenth century until the early nineteenth century, the Mughal dynasty was widely considered as the pinnacle of the Indian Empire where it was said to have reached its greatest area under one of the Mughal emperors, Aurangzeb. There are many achievements of the Mughal Empire. Some of these include the efforts to unify the Hindus and the Muslims into one single Indian state. At the peak of the Mughal Empire, the population that it ruled over was at over 130 million people. This was over a territory that was estimated to be nearly 1. 5 million square miles. It was also during this period that the government of India was changed and made more centralized to consolidate the power that the emperor had. While the Mughal Empire had reached its peak during the reign of Aurangzeb from 1658 to 1707, it was also during this time that it declined. The intolerant rule that characterized the leadership of Aurangzeb was one of the greatest reasons for the collapse of the Mughal Empire. The pressure that was exerted by the rivalries that began to sprout up and the dynastic warfare that was waged as well as the invasion in 1739 of regions in Northern India all added up to lead to the collapse of what was once a great Indian Empire. 9. Ironically, while Europeans later fought wars over control of the sea routes in the Asian region, China abandoned its dominant position. Why did the Ming court decide to end the maritime voyages of Zheng He just as China reached domination of the Asian seas? Was this a poor decision or one that strengthened China? Please explain. The decision of the Ming Court to end the maritime voyages of Zheng He were borne from the fact that there was an internal conflict in court. Upon the succession of the Hongxi Emperor, there was an order to suspend the trips of Zheng He due to the influence that he had begun to exert upon the court. With the support of certain high ranking Chinese Officials, a policy was soon passed that prohibited the contact with people who were regarded as barbarians. While not directly referring to Zheng He, it was clear that this edict was meant to curtail the trips that he had with people the Chinese considered as having no benefit to China. Another factor that led to this decision was the fact that during this time China was also under siege by the Mongols. The mounting costs for the military that was needed to repel these attacks diverted much of the funds that were needed for the treasure ships that Zheng He controlled. Finally, with the construction of the Great Wall of China, there was not enough funding for Zheng He to go on his trips. This move led to a power vacuum in the Indian Ocean and left the Chinese control over this area vulnerable to other countries. In the end, this movement left China with no clear dominance over sea trade in the area. This also led to the shrinking military control that China had in the Indian Ocean. Since the attention of China was diverted from these sea conquests, there was no more funding that was needed to maintain the stronghold and dominance that it once had. 10. Who founded the Ming Dynasty and what were main characteristics of rule during this period? What were the major achievements of the Ming Dynasty? What is meant by saying that the `sprouts of capitalism` can be found in the Ming Dynasty? The Ming Dynasty is known as the last dynasty that was controlled by the Hans, who are considered as the main Chinese ethnic group. Ruling from 1368 to 1644, this was also considered as one of the greatest Empires of China. It was during this same period that China was able to create a vast naval force and also to amass a standing army of over one million infantry troops. The growth and prosperity that China experienced at this time due to the maritime explorations of Zheng He were also noteworthy. This was also the same time that China began ambitious construction projects such as the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City. It has been reported that the growth was spectacular during this era as China’s population reached nearly two hundred million people. Other major achievements of the Ming Dynasty include the creation of self-sufficient communities allowed China to grow even more during this time. A new class also emerged and was called the scholarly gentry class who had an impact on the traditional methods in Chinese Society. The â€Å"Sprouts of Capitalism† was sown by these seeds and also the increased maritime trade that China now had with the Portuguese and Spanish empires. China soon took advantage of the new global market that had emerged and was soon trading in numerous commodities with countries all over the world. The growth of trade and the establishment of international trading routes also prompted what is now considered as the â€Å"Sprouts of Capitalism. †

Kurt Cobain and Nirvana

Nirvana is seen as one of the most influential bands since the Beatles, and Kurt Cobain as one of the greatest songwriters of all time. Kurt Donald Cobain was born on the 20th February 1967. As a child he was hyperactive so he was prescribed drugs to help him concentrate but these drugs kept him awake until four am, so he was given sedatives to help him sleep. At the age of seven his parents divorced, this left Kurt shy and ‘difficult' to control. For this much of his young life he lived with various family members, once he even lived with his school headmaster for a few months. He was also homeless for some time. During this time he lived beneath a bridge. This period of his life is reflected in the song ‘Sliver' â€Å"Mom and dad went to the show, they dropped me at Grandpa Joe's, I kicked and screamed, said please and please, oh Grandma take me home†. In 1979 when Kurt's dad joined a record club, this exposed Kurt to legendary rock/metal bands such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Kiss. He also took an interest in British punk, especially Sex Pistols and The Clash. On Kurt's fourteenth birthday he bought his first guitar and spent a lot of time trying to develop his own unique musical style. He also spent much of his time going to concerts in Seattle and he was a roadie for a band called ‘Melvins'. Around this time Kurt went over to his friend Robert Novoselic's house where he met Robert's brother Krist, the future bass guitar player for Nirvana. Krist Anthony Novoselic was born on May sixteenth 1965 in Compton California. His parents were Croatian immigrants (Novoselic means ‘new settler' in Croation). When Krist was younger he and his younger brother Robert enjoyed vandalism, slashing tyres and throwing rocks at cars and houses. When he was fourteen his parents sent him to Croatia because they were worried about his depression, Krist enjoyed living in Croatia because there he started hearing different bands like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, The Sex Pistols and The Ramones. Eventually he was called home where he began to drink and smoke pot heavily. It is not definitely known when Kurt and Kris began making music, but they recorded the ‘Faecal Matter Demo† in 1982 at Kurt's aunt Mari's house. Kurt and Kris experimented with many different drummers during this time they settled on Chad Channing, he was their drummer on their first album ‘Bleach' and on their first single ‘Love Buzz' (which was originally released by 1960's Dutch group ‘Shocking Blue'). He left the band soon after their first European tour. Then the lead singer of ‘Melvins' introduced Kurt and Kris (by now calling themselves ‘Nirvana') to a drummer called David Grohl. Kurt and Kris were astounded at how good he was and immediately asked him to join them. He agreed. With Dave now behind the drums the true sound of Nirvana was released. They managed to combine loud distorted guitar riffs with smooth melodies while still producing a sound that, while totally original, was also a pleasure to listen to. The band moved their contract to Geffen Records and near the end of 1991 released their album ‘Nevermind'. It went to one hundred and forty-four on the album chart, but after an appearance on the MTV show ‘Headbanger's Ball' (MTV was the only music channel that had alternative music, and this show in particular was one of the most popular MTV programs ever) and a live performance on ‘Saturday Night Live', the album went straight to number one despite competition from Michael Jackson. This new album was revolution in music, and did what many other bands could not. The music on the album did not follow any traditional structures and was extremely distinctive from any other bands of the time. Typically the album had slow verses and faster choruses. This is true of such songs as ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit' and ‘In Bloom' which were both released as singles. ‘Smells like Teen Spirit' reached the UK top ten (Nirvana did appear live on Top of The Pops once, but that particular performance was extremely distorted and did not sound much like ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit'). This could be because Kurt did not like his new fame and wanted to rid himself of his new image as spokesman for a generation). At this time in his life Kurt began taking drugs more often, mostly heroine and morphine. On the January twenty-fourth 1992 Kurt married Courtney Love in Waikiki, Hawaii. Six months later their daughter ‘Frances-Bean' was born. At the time there was an article in the magazine ‘Vanity Fair' saying that Courtney had used Heroin while pregnant. Social services got involved and the Cobains were not allowed to be alone with their daughter for the first month of her life. Soon after, Nirvana began to record their album ‘In Utero', the working title was ‘I Hate Myself and Want to Die'. The aim of this album was to lose all of the ‘false fans' that liked Nirvana only because of the popularity of ‘Nevermind', and all of the people who only liked ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit'. This album was a return to the old days of ‘Bleach' (in fact many of the songs were supposed to be on ‘Bleach'). The album was a success, in that it did what the band wanted, it did not sell as quickly as ‘Nevermind' and many of their former followers stopped liking the band. While on tour in Italy Kurt fell into a coma after a mixture of champagne and a prescripted medicine. This was later revealed as an attempted suicide. When he woke up he asked for a milkshake and went back home. Courtney threatened to divorce him if he did not sort out his drug problems so he went to a voluntary rehabilitation centre. A few days later he escaped (jumping over a wall) and went to his house (he said the centre was â€Å"A place for retards†). When Courtney found out he had left she did not know where he had gone. She cancelled his credit card and expected him to phone her when he ran out of money. She also hired private investigator Tom Grant to track Kurt down. About a week later Kurt's body was discovered in the greenhouse above the garage. After a police investigation they concluded that he had taken a triple overdose of heroin and then put the barrel of a shotgun in his mouth, before pulling the trigger. In the suicide note (addressed to his childhood imaginary friend Boddah) he spoke of how he did not really enjoy performing his music. He wanted to be exhilarated like Freddie Mercury had been before playing a concert, but he couldn't do it. He also did not want his daughter to turn out how he did. In the end he says to remember â€Å"It's better to burn out than to fade away† which is exactly what he did.

A Closer Look at Nashville TN Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A Closer Look at Nashville TN - Research Paper Example As the discussion highlights  Tennessee infant mortality rate per 1000 live births was 7.4. This was a significant drop by 22% compared to 2003. Based on the 2011 records, the number of white infant deaths was 361 with a mortality rate of 6.0, whereas, the number of black infant deaths was 211 with a rate of 12.8 per live births. The leading causes of infant death in the state were birth defects, preterm birth and low birth-weight and accidents. The accidental deaths were majorly owing to strangulation and suffocation that tended to occur in bed. The 5th leading cause of death in infants is the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.This essay discusses that there are some identifiable risk factors contributing to the prevalence of the top five diseases. Environmental factors such as air pollution contribute to the prevalence of heart disease, cancer and lung disease. Other risk factors include smoking, obesity, physical inactivity and a poor diet. The risk factors identified in Tennessee ar e similar to national and local records. Since 2005-2013, smoking in the country remained fairly stable at 25% among adults with a 15.7% decline among the youths. Obesity also remained fairly stable at 35% in adults and 17% in youths. Similarly, also obesity ranks high in Tennessee across all ethnic groups and ages.  A number of epidemiological methods are used in the gathering of data. For example, the morbidity survey that focuses on the collection of morbidity data of both the sick and the well.

Philosophical issus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Philosophical issus - Essay Example Under the scrutiny of minimum conception of morality, Cultural relativism is critical as it serves the better part of group interest while at least capturing individual interests that are culture dependent. It is important to underline the ethical theory of utilitarianism which defines wrong or right in terms of the outcome of an action among the several alternative choices. In this concept, the aspect of utility emphasizes the right act as the action choice with the minimum bad results. In regard to minimum conception of morality, utilitarianism works outside the limits of individual interests and captures the interest of others. In other words, Utilitarianism seeks to govern conflicts between self-interest and common interests with the goal of optimal happiness of the greatest number(Rachels and James 116-9). For instance government decisions are based on the majority desire which may conflict with individuals with different wishes and such proposals vary across cultural framework of each country. This asserts that utilitarianism subscribe to the minimum conception of morality. According to Kant, some actions are wrong even if it would amount to more happiness than otherwise. In this moral theory concept, wrong or right consideration of an action is not dependent on consequences but individual obligation to do what is good for humanity. Kant attempts to answer the question of whether an individual’s action respects the goals of human beings rather than merely using them for personal purposes. In this respect Kant emphasizes consideration of other people’s interest in each individual’s action hence subscribing to the minimum conception of morality Social Contract Theory explains that morality constitute a set rules that govern behavior of people in the society such that rational persons will accept a given code of behavior on condition that others accept such standards as

Computer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Computer - Essay Example Key to a computer is an appropriate RAM, this is because it runs computer programs and store the relevant information and data. Dell Inspiron 15R laptop has a Pre-installed memory (RAM) of 6GB. In addition, it has a hard disk drive of 320-GB that can turn at 5,400 revolutions per minute. Nonetheless, operators have the option to upgrade it to the hard disk capacity to 500GB or to downgrade to 250GB. This is an efficient laptop, its other important features include; the optical drive of times 8-speed, DVD as well as CD burner that provides both minus or plus DVD recordable format support and dual-layer disc type. Dell Inspiron 15R laptop is powered with up to 4th Generation Intel Core processors system it’s operating system entail Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium. However, the windows version can be upgraded to the professional edition or be maintained depending on the preference of the users. Besides, the laptop has a LED Backlit display which measures 15.6 inch with special features like 1366 x 768 HD resolution and True-life. The Dell Inspiron 15R laptop processor system comprise of a proficient dual-core Intel Core i3-380M. Besides, it has a processing speed of up to 2.53GHz among other features. The laptop is considered more efficient because it is fitted because it is fitted with Ivy Bridge Core i5-3210M, processor which is paired with 6GB of system memory 3-MB. This enhances the performance since it provides high-speed access to computer data; and an Intel High Definition computer Graphics chipset for high graphics and quality video capabilities. The secondary storage system of The Dell Inspiron 15R laptop stores data for example, the Windows 7 operating system and other important user files. This system is determined by the existing volume of the hard disk. As mentioned in previous sections, Dell Inspiron 15R supports a hard disk volume of up to 500 Gigabyte (GB). This is

Art Criticism Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Art Criticism Paper - Essay Example It stimulates different parts of our brains to act in a particular way and it gives us a way to be creative and express ourselves.Basically, art plays a very significant role in our daily lives. It is a form of communication that uses the aid of symbols and pictures that depict various meanings in our social lives. A critical analysis of the first picture, (brothers of fire) depicts that there is an element of unity and love in various images shown. However, it must be noted that different meanings of symbols are culture specific. They mean different things depending on the cultural values of any given society. In the picture given, the images of clasping hands which are symbolic to different cultures are the most captivating and they depict different meanings. In most cases shaking of hands is a sign of greeting each other and is symbolic of love and affection. There is an element of unity and brotherhood whenever different people greet each other. People often greet each other in many different ways using their hands and it may vary from one society to the other. Greeting each other with a sign of bringing to contact clenched fists is typical of Rastafarians and is often associated with the notion of â€Å"one love† and â€Å"peace† which characterises their religion. There are however, different interpretations that are often associated with this gesture depending on the cultural background that often determine moral values of a particular group. Normally, in the world of Christianity, clasping both hands in the upward direction is a sign of offering a prayer to the lord while in some sections of the society it is a sign of paying tribute to someone. It is a sign of showing respect and honour. On the other hand, a sign showing only one finger and thumb pointing in the front direction is often associated with paying homage to someone and

Developing a Database System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Developing a Database System - Essay Example Retailers involved in the sale of PCs are also included for data source. Vendors are another source of data for designing of a database for PC Store. Sales reports kept in manual registers or files are the significant data source for PC Stores database design. Regarding the audience of the inventory management system linked to sales order system include the staff of inventory management, order placement staff, invoicing department, sales management, suppliers, manufacturers, and customers. Requests made by sales department on specific forms are verified by the inventory management staff. Required numbers of items or parts are processed by the order placement staff. Sales’ department collects the customers’ requirements on a specific order forms. Managers manage the day to day activities and analyze the reports and head the meetings to solve the issues. In order to build the inventory management system, information about every product of PCs, customers on every outlet are required to be managed. Customers’ information contains the attributes of name, address, phone number, email, and past transactions. Company can rank its customers on previous purchases of company’s products (Kotler et al., 2009). Product as an entity of database includes information about product name, date of arrival of product, color or model, price, and manufacturer information. It becomes easier to search the information about a product from model, price range, or date. When all data sources have been identified then a developer starts designing the database. Customer, vendor, sales department, suppliers, manufacturers, product, employees; staff and manager are necessary tables. These tables have relations such as customer to sales department, employees to sales department, suppliers to product etc. Some of the constraints like primary key, foreign key and candidate key are also used for tables. After all tables are created, and relations established, then a developer requires

English Exit Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

English Exit Letter - Essay Example My interest in writing suddenly came back and I realized it isn’t such a laborious task at all. One only has to put his thoughts into words until these words produce sentences and sentences form paragraphs. This I can accomplish quite easily when I’m in the mood. But when I’m not, I could just stare at the emptiness of my computer screen, wishing the hyperactive cursor to do the job for me. Writer’s block, they called it. Every writer, I believe, will have to deal with it time and time again. Putting thoughts into words is a piece of cake. To keep it structured though is another story – a skill a have yet to master. Happily, this problem seems to persist only in my informal essays. Formal is much more precise, topic clearly defined, making it easier for me to discern which information needs to be included and which one should be eliminated. With informal essays, it’s as if I’m just talking to someone about something so passionately that I tend to ignore unity and coherence within my paragraphs. I was told that, when used properly, this free flowing method in writing could actually become an asset, so it isn’t such a bad thing after all. I could hardly tell if my old writing process was in fact a process. For all I know, I simply wrote. I was adamant to follow my own style, which I liked to call a process, despite being aware that it’s not always recommended. Though this may not be such a dramatic change, this course taught me the formal discipline in writing which I consider to be a significant improvement. Planning, I learned, is indeed a very crucial stage in writing in order to come up with an effective output. This enabled me to explore other genres such as informative and compare and contrast

The influence of business tycoons such as Andrew Carnegie, John D Research Paper

The influence of business tycoons such as Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Jay Gould, and J.P. Morgan on modern history, Economy, and American lifestyle - Research Paper Example Until today, the economy and the living standards of people in the country are better than other countries. Andrew Carnegie supported Booker T Washington by giving money to an institute called Tuskegee, which was founded by Washington. American history celebrates the live of Carnegie, which transformed from a person who never owned a dime to a person who lead financial empires of great power. Currently, the individuals in American still remember Carnegie and the way he influenced the lives of Americans and the economy of the country. The kind of corporate that he was dealing with is the steel industry. He started the industry in the year 1865 and when he died, he was a multimillionaire like the other tycoons. Before becoming rich, he was running errands for a telegraph office. After the time of relatively unrestrained capitalism, the tycoon in steel had made great development of a powerful financial system that some individuals enjoyed (Net Industries). The rapid economic development made by the tycoon laid a foundation for the modern economic growth of the United States. Together with other tycoons, many discoveries were made during their era. Still today businesspersons follow their paths by being single minded when pursing financial achievements and power (Net Industries). The tycoon played a great role in the creation of the modern America. Because of him and others like him, he made the country to be the wealthiest and a country with a lot of creativity as far as business is concerned. The man was very determined in raising the economy by making America to be a state that actively participates in the economy. This was not happening before the tycoons’ time (Net Industries). The tycoon actions in the past still affect the American, lifestyle today. As a pioneering philanthropist, he has had major influence of the lives of many individuals. Since he helped in upgrading the financial system of the state, individuals in America have

Team Achievement Essay Example for Free

Team Achievement Essay This assignment looks at the important role that can be played by teams in successful organisations and businesses. You should explore the way in which the use of teams in a selected organisation may help that business achieve its strategic aims and objectives. You then need to describe key features of an achieving workplace team within a selected organisation. Resubmission When you resubmit your assignment, you MUST ensure that you TRACK YOUR CHANGES by pressing Ctrl + Shift+ E, or go to Tools, and Track changes. WHEN YOU SUBMIT THIS WORK YOU AUTOMATICALLY CERTIFY THAT THE WORK CONTAINED IN THIS ASSIGNMENT WAS RESEARCHED AND PREPARED BY YOURSELF. Plagiarism will result in the assignment not being accepted and marked ASSIGNMENT TASKS Task 1: P1 Describe ways in which the use of teams in a selected organisation may help achieve strategic aims and objectives To complete this task you will need to explain the following: * How does a team monitor progress and performance? E.g., identifying team objectives, monitoring performance to objectives? * How does the organisational structure and functions affect and support a teams achievement? * How does the role of a supervisor and manager contribute to the achievement of a teams objectives? Task 1 Monitoring progress and performance Monitoring the progress and the performance of a team is very important. As a team may be off track and heading for the wrong direction, a team under close monitoring would make sure this is not happening, Its the supervisors responsibility to monitor and assure that the teams performance is up to the best standards. Supervisors tend on passing on that responsibility to Team leaders as they are constantly working with the team members. Team leaders monitor the progress and performance by using appraisals. This helps to identify each member of the teams progress. Another way a team is monitored is by using Gantt charts. Team leaders and supervisors can look back to a Gantt chart to make sure they are on track and not falling behind as well as making sure all the tasks are complete. Without the constant monitoring of a team, it is very unlikely that a team would be successful at achieving their objectives and can very quickly head off rails. Organizational structure and functions The way organisational are organised creates an organisational structure; the type of structure depends a lot on the individual team. Companies that tend to have flat structures are generally quite small. They operate informally, in that everyone will know everyone else and there will be few formal procedures the staff will have to follow. When companies are relatively large they need to have a more complex structure than that of a flat structure; hierarchical organisations or pyramid structures are often what flat structure grow into being. They are taller than flat structures, with the senior employees at the top, and the lowest level of employee at the bottom, it is often that there are more employees at the bottom than at the top, hence the name pyramid structure. The final type of structure is the matrix structure; they are neither flat, nor hierarchical. They are generally found in one off projects, such as building a bridge or constructing a motorway. A matrix structure allows the project managers to have direct contact and support from the main functions of the business, such as finance, production and human resources. The project teams will work on the project until completion, when the team will be disbanded and a new team will form to work on the next project. Supervisors and managers A supervisors and a team leader is a strong pillar in to the success of a team. Without them would be like playing football with no ball, it just wouldnt work. They need to be role models of good working practice and show commitment and enthusiasm towards team objectives. They contribute to the achievement of a teams objective by: * Planning: This involves managers setting objectives, targets, and planning on how to achieve them. * Monitoring: Supervisors monitor and measure the level of work being inputted by the team members in order to ensure that the team is running smoothly. * Organizing: Managers need to ensure that all their team members are equipped with necessary tools and equipment needed to carry out the tasks * Commanding or directing: It is the team leaders responsibility to command and direct their team members by communicating instructions and delegating tasks. The business being used for this section is Thomas Cook air travel service. Thomas Cook Group plc is a leading international leisure travel group, created by the merger of My Travel Group plc and Thomas Cook AG in June 2007. It is a successful enterprise with a portfolio of market leading travel brands across Europe and North America. The companies business aims and objectives are stated within its mission statement. All businesses have aims and objectives these are its purpose this tells us why the business exists and what it wants to achieve, these will change over time as some will be achieved and others will not, this is how a business develops. Aim-A goal a business wants to achieve in the future for example increase market share and to become the world leaders. Objectives-steps the business needs to achieve in order to meet its stated aims for example make a profit this will help the business to develop and expand which could lead to them increasing their overall market share then gradually becoming the world leaders. These can also be found in the businesses mission statement that describes the businesses goals in a shorter and simpler way, so other people can understand them like the public. Thomas Cook PLC Mission Statement The strategy of Thomas Cook Group plc is to continue to deliver benefits from existing cost saving and margin improvement plans already adopted by MyTravel and Thomas Cook; to grow revenues in existing and new market segments; and to deliver efficiencies from being part of a larger group. Thomas Cook has a range of air travel teams to help them operate effectively. They help provide a pleasant, safe travel service to its customers. The teams consist of small groups with a number of individuals, put together to deliver and carry out different roles. There are two types of teams: Formal teams, these are created for a specific purpose. For example a marketing team is put together to research and obtain specific information for a business e.g. competitive behaviour. They will have set goals with a specific purpose to achieve. Informal teams, these are less structured and are developed instead of made for a specific purpose. For example, a group of friends decide to do something together, so they are known as a group as they are sharing the workload etc. The teams within the Thomas Cook air travel service include the following: ground floor staff, cabin crew, pilot and other flight crew (stewards). The role of the ground floor staff is to greet passengers once they are landing at the destination; they are there to guide passengers to and from the aeroplane in a safe and orderly manor and to help where needed. In addition, they provide information such as travel, exchange rates, currency etc and other relevant information they may be required to know. They help Thomas Cook achieve its strategic aims and objectives by providing excellent customer service as they are constantly dealing with the businesses customers and their issues and problems. In addition if customers find their staff approachable and useful then they will want to use their air line service again as they had a good experience with their staff, this would also help the business gain a good and positive reputation as customers will share their experiences with family or friends etc. There is a lot of inter-dependency within this team as they all have mutual responsibilities and share a common set of principles with other. The internal teams within the air travel service such as the cabin crew and pilot have different roles to ensure a safe and pleasant journey. The cabin crews have different roles for each individual. There is a front of house and back of house cabin crew. Front of house show passengers the safety equipment and how to use them in case of an emergency, make sure passengers are strapped in securely and guide them through health and safety procedures/positions for landing and departing. However the back of house team deal with the customer orders for food and drink, throughout the journey. They all have important roles to help achieve the aims and objective of the business. For example if the back of house got the food orders wrong or the front of house team did not cater for the passengers needs, then Thomas Cook would have a lot of unhappy customers due to having a bad flight because of their staff. This may result in customers going to their competitors for a better service and gain a bad reputation etc. The cabin crews are the main employees that deal with the customers directly for hours on flights to different locations, they need to support each other and respect one another in order to have an effective team, if the members of the group get on and feel involved then this will show through the companies performance overall. Effective teams mean an effective business which will overall help achieve the businesses goals. All of the different teams within the air travel service of Thomas Cook PLC all have a lot of inter-dependence. Because even though each individual have there own responsibilities they all work together as a group to help overall achieve the best outcome. Overall all the teams play a big part in making the business successful by helping achieve the businesses strategic aims and objectives, as they provide a safe, pleasant travel service to its customers so they enjoy their stay on the Thomas Cook airplanes, so they want to use their services again. Feedback Task 1: P1 Describe ways in which the use of teams in a selected organisation may help achieve strategic aims and objectives Task 2: M1 Analyse the contribution of a high achieving team to the accomplishment of strategic aims and objectives * Discuss the characteristics of a high achieving team. * How important are these characteristics to the achievement of strategic aims and objectives? * How does the performance review cycle help with this? In each case try and relate your answers to teams that you are familiar with. Task 2 In order to develop a good team an organisation must consider personal attributes when selecting individuals. If an organisation is to exceed they must select individuals with high technical skills which meets the skills of other members. Also in order to have a high achieving ream, you must have clear objectives and the right combination of people BELBIN. Belbins identified eight major roles, and argued that teams work more effectively when they consists of members who are able to play all of these roles. High achieving teams do not result from spontaneous combustion. They are grown, nurtured and exercised. Yes it takes a lot of hard work and skill to blend the different personalities, abilities, and agendas into a cohesive unit willing to work for a common goal. Behind every great team is a strong leader. A leader whose job is not to control, but to teach, encourage, and organize when necessary. Tuckman identified four stages in developing a high performance team, which I have spoken about in detail in the first assignment; these are: Forming ? Storming ? Norming ? Performing Each one of these four stages is vital to building an effective team; the stages must also be done in the order above. If one stage is not complete, it would be impossible to continue to the next. The idea of this is just like a chain, if one link is broken or not present, the chain would fall apart. That is exactly what it is like when building a team, if any of Tuckmans four stages links would not be carried out correctly, the team would fall apart or known otherwise as an under performing team. Teams play a big part in the effective running of an organisation. As a whole an organisations workforce needs to work together in order for information to be passed across and so there is a steady stream of communication through the business. This will help spot problems before they arise and will help each department to interlink with one another. However most large organisations are broken down into different functions (departments), so each aspect of an organisation can be handled and operated more effectively. Within each department, there are teams that work together to complete tasks and assignments to help meet their overall goals, which are normally set by the team leader or department manager. These aims and objectives will be different for each department but will overall help achieve the businesses strategic aims and objectives. High achieving teams will have all the key features required to perform at a high level and will be able to motivate one another to achieve their targets, one time and to a high standard. A well-established team leader is essential for a group to move forward and progress to the next level. As this person will be responsible for leading there team in the right direction. Establishing teams help an organisations workforce to share ideas and build relationships amongst one another. It takes less pressure off individuals as teams work together by putting forward knowledge to get the best possible outcome. On the one hand, high achieving teams are very effective in reaching their goals and working together to complete tasks. They help to motivate each other so that each member feels they are part of something so they contribute even more, so the final out come is at a high level. They will be able to smoothly move through the Tuckmans forming, storming, norming and performing stages, so they are effective and efficient in how they interact and communicate with one another. However on the other hand not all the teams within every department will be well established and be highly achieving, but on balance with more work and with an effective team leader an organisation will be able to form its workforce, so they are all trained and managed so every department have high achieving teams with all the key features and attributes required to perform well. This will overall lead to every team meeting their targets, so will result in the businesses departments meeting there set goals. The greatest effect this will have on an organisation is helping to effectively meet the strategic aims and objectives of the organisation. Simply because an effective team, means an effective workforce so means an effective business overall. Without high achieving teams an organisation will not be able to work together to achieve the individual aims and objectives as their will be no communication, so no co-operation. That will show in the failure to meet strategic goals of the company. An effective workforce is the key to an effective business. Feedback Task 2: M1 Analyse the contribution of a high achieving team to the accomplishment of strategic aims and objectives Task 4: D1 Make recommendations to raise the achievement of an under-performing team * What are the characteristics of an underperforming team? * How can these weaknesses be addressed? * What approaches and strategies can be used to raise achievement? Task 4 Following the previous section, this task will evaluate dysfunctional teams and analyses all the different aspects that may effect an underperforming team and provide detailed recommendations as to how it could be improved and how they can be resolved to overall help achieve there goals. I will do this by weighing out whether it is the team that is dysfunctional or whether the other factors are genuinely amenable to help improve team activity and progress. To have effective teams they need to have good interpersonal skills in order to grow and develop successfully, also these skills and qualities help teams to bond and build relationships so they all feel part of the group and co-operate together. However, it is not always teams interpersonal skills that help complete tasks or make a team dysfunctional. Other factors such as experience in carrying out certain tasks or knowledge in that field, do determine the extent of how successful a team will be or can be. The following is an analysis of different aspects of why a team may be dysfunctional and detailed recommendations as to how this can be resolved. Analyses of why a team may be underperforming. Task-relevant Experience: This has a big impact on whether a team may be able to carry out the task or to the best of their abilities. This is simply because a team with experience will be able to make a better contribution to the team were as a team with no experience will have to learn from the beginning so will need more time to learn and adjust to what is needed in order to be successful. This leads to the theory that most people feel more comfortable with what they already know than they do learning new skills or theory, especially in a group of individuals who may be still at the forming stage of their development. The extent of the impact depends upon how well developed interpersonally the team is, to stay focused on meeting their targets. On the one hand, this affects whether the team is able to do the task if they are new to it and what it requires. For example a team of engineers are asked to carry out research on the market in which they operate in, whether they are able to do this task effectively will depend on the knowledge they have in carrying research out and what methods are available to them. Without experience, they are more likely to produce a poor out come and co-operate less effectively and fluently as individually, they may be scared of getting it wrong. On the other hand if the group is at the norming stage, then the group will feel comfortable to accept criticism if they are wrong and may motivate each other to meet the challenge of doing something new and may enjoy learning new skills and knowledge to help meet their goals. So on balance there are two ways a team may accept the task if they have no experience and may be the cause to why a team may be underperforming. However if a team has excellent inter-personal skills they could overall overcome this problem and seek new opportunities from this task. In this scenario, I recommend that a team should look for solutions and better ways of completing their task to over come the problem. However having the right resource to carry out the task is equally important to be able to produce a high standard and to overall complete the work they are given. In addition, the team may not have definitions of responsibility between members. For example they may not have a team leader to lead them and organise the group to get a tasks done and on time. This could lead to members being left out and a feeling of tension within the group, which will result in less co-operation and less team work being done. Without a team leader the group will have no one to manage the project so will not operate effectively as their will be no leader to define the objectives to help meet them in the most appropriate, simplest and logic lest order The question to consider is whether a team is capable of achieving the task or whether they are able to for example may not have the resources needed to complete the assignment or may have a team leader with poor communication and interpersonal skills. Recommendations From the above information on the different aspect that can affect a team and make it dysfunctional the following are recommendations to help raise the achievement of an underperforming team. I recommend team-building techniques are used to help improve the productivity and interaction of the team members to help the group bond and feel part of something. Successful team building has far-reaching communication skills in an organisation. Improve the way team members interact and you improve their ability to solve problems. Better problem solving means better efficiency in general. Increased efficiency tends to boost morale and productivity. It also helps to decrease stress, turnover and operating costs. In addition, all of these improvements bolster the organisations public image. Once established an effective team becomes self-perpetuating. In addition, I recommend that a point scoring system that has prospects should be used to help motivate teams to achieve their targets so they have something to work towards, as they will want to get the highest score so they can be recognised for their hard work and rewarded. This will help the teams within an organisation become more competitive and work much harder to achieve their goals. This will encourage underperforming teams to be motivated to work together to get their tasks done so they can be recognised by the business for their contribution to their success. Also to scope for personal and professional development through training and international mobility. This will mean employees can continue to learn and gain new skills through their work. This will help motivate staff to do the most amount of work they are able to do to, to the best standard they can achieve. So they have a better chance of being promoted. This will help underacheiving teams to be motivated to do the work as they can learn how to do it if they done know how. In addition to the above recommendations, my final recommendation is to overall increase employee motivation by concentrating on the environment they work in and what can be done to provide a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere so the productivity can be increase and stress levels can be decreased. Techniques such as bringing plants into the work place have proved to reduce stress and bring a more calmed environment to the workforce. It is very important for any organisation/business to improve underperforming teams as they result in increasing levels of customer complaints, high staff turnover and incomplete tasks. So overall it leader to an under performing business as they will not be meeting their strategic aims and objectives. Overall action needs to be taken at the first signs of a dysfunctional team.

Perform an experiment Essay Example for Free

Perform an experiment Essay I am going to perform an experiment on friction and the variables of friction using a wooden block, a piece of string and a Newton meter. I will test 3 variables: weight, surface area and surface texture. Each test will be repeated 5 times to get a fair range of results. Friction is the force of two objects rubbing together and slowing and/or stopping each other. The amount of friction produced depends on the appearance of its surface for example: The surface of the sandpaper has deep slopes and the surface of the paper has to move up and down those slopes to proceed, causing friction. My first test will be done to measure the affect of weight on the amount of friction between the block and the table top. The block ill be placed on the table and the Newton meter tied to it. Then the Newton meter will be pulled until the block starts to move and as soon as it does the amount of Newtons required to cause that movement will be recorded. This will be done 5 times then averaged. To make sure it is a fair test I will: use the same Newton meter and the same wooden block to avoid introducing other variables; I will also use the same section of table using the same side of the block every time. I will be vigilant of how I pull the Newton meter, the moving force should be parallel to the supporting surface because pulling it up will lessen friction and pulling it down will increase friction. I predict that as the weight on the block increases so therefore does the down force, increasing the amount of friction because it becomes more difficult for the ridges to pass over each and so a block with less/smoother ridges would find its passage a lot easier. When the experiment was carried out, as I predicted, when the weight on the block increased so therefore did the Newtons required to move it from a fixed position. The test was done with 2 Newton meters over 2 days. Using the same Newton meter was impossible as it broke. My results were as follows: Weight of block = 2. 0N Weight T1(N) T2(N) T3(N) T4(N) T5(N) Average(N) Block. Block + 5N 2. 8 3. 5 4 3. 5 3. 6 3. 5 In the first experiment weight was tested and a set of results produced. In this second experiment the surface area in contact with the desk will be tested. To obtain my results I will use the following method, the block will be placed on two sheets of paper a measured distance apart with a Newton meter tied to it. The block will then be pulled and as it begins to move the amount of Newtons required to cause this will be recorded. Each test will be done 5 times then averaged. To make sure it is a fair test I will; as the same Newton meter ensuring non-introduction of new variables, use the same side of the block, use the same two pieces of paper and make sure the blocks movement is parallel to the supporting surface. I predict that as the surface area of the block exposed to the desk increases so will the amount of Newtons required to move it because there will be more sharper ridges to pass over therefore requiring more Newtons. My results were as follows: Exp mm2 T(n) T2(n) T3(n) T4(n) T5(n) Avg(N). My prediction on 1 or 2 of the results was correct or partially correct but on the whole I fear my prediction was incorrect as it seems the surface area (exposed to the desk) does not greatly affect the amount of Newtons that is required to move it, any affect it does have is not continual and seemingly erratic. The friction experiment has now been done with 2 variables: weight and surface area. I have now come to the third and final, surface texture. To test the affect of surface texture on friction, I will, Place the block on the surface with a Newton meter tied to it, the meter will then be pulled and as soon as the block shows signs of movement I will record the amount of Newtons needed. Each test will be done 5 times then averaged. To make sure it is a fair test I will: unless it breaks use the same Newton meter, I will use the same block and the same side of the block every time, I will use the same substance/type of substance for instance making sure the sandpaper comes from the same sheet. I will also keep the movement of the block parallel to the supporting surface. Although smoothness is hard to measure I predict that the smoother a substance is to the touch, the less friction will be produced, because the smoother a substance is to the touch the less sharp or outstanding the ridges are, therefore the less resistance they cause. Key Substances: Silicon based carbon paper: Si Emery paper: Bs Sand paper: S Table top: TT Plastic Bag: Pb Substance T1(N) T2(N) T3(N) T4(N) T5(N) Average S As I predicted the smoother a substance feels to be, the less it causes resistance, as shown in the results. I followed my method very strictly any variation caused by my hand is small to negligible, and would not greatly affect the results. I have come to the conclusion that for a substance to reach minimal resistance it can achieve this being light weight, smoothly textured and have minimal contacting surface area with the opposing surface. If a substance is required to have maximum resistance it would be the opposite. I feel the experiment was performed rather well but there is room for improvement, to have maybe got fairer more accurate results I could have maybe repeated the experiment once or twice on all of them, then I would have more data to analyse giving me a better chance at accuracy. In all the three experiments instead of using the human hand to pull the Newton meter use a machine which would be less prone to inconsistency and use a table top free of blemishes. In the second experiment the block could have been placed on previously constructed platforms each measured to have 4 sides the same and those sides to be the measurements used meaning the non need of paper and a lot more accurate readings.

Causes And Effects Of Domestic Violence Social Work Essay

Causes And Effects Of Domestic Violence Social Work Essay Abstract Domestic violence is a relationship between intimate partners in which one individual seeks to assert power and control over the other. The abuser may use many different types of abuse to assert this power. It involves physical, psychological, economic and sexual abuse as well as attempts to manipulate the victim through the use of his or her children. The abuser may also seek to isolate the victim from other people who may provide assistance. A number of studies have looked into identifying individuals who are most at risk for domestic violence. The most common feature is an imbalance of power and control. However, neither those who experience domestic violence nor the partners who abuse them fall into distinct categories. They can be of any age, ethnicity, income level, or level of education. The causes of domestic violence will depend on the abuser back ground such as: Witnessed abuse as a child, Was a victim of abuse as a child, abused former partners, and may be because of Unemp loyed or underemployed, Poverty or poor living situations. In addition, the effects of domestic violence depend upon the type it could be physical, psychological, sexual and economic. Causes and effects of Domestic Violence Domestic Violence is a type of abuse .It involves injuring someone; usually a spouse or partner but it can also be a child or other family member. The abuser doesnt play fear .Abuser use fear, guilt, shame and he wants to keep the victim under his or her thumb. The abuser may use many different types of abuse to assert this power, and the overall framework in which the abuse occurs may follow a pattern called the cycle of violence. Cycle of violence: Violent events may occur in a variety of patterns-the victim may experience ongoing, nonstop abuse, or the abuse may stop and start. One pattern of abuse often seen in a violent relationship begins with a tension-building phase, followed by the actual abusive act, and then calm, making-up phase often called the honeymoon phase. The tension-building phase includes increasing anger on the part of the abuser coupled with attempts by the person being abused to avoid violence. On the other hand, the victim may also attempt to bring on the vio lence to get it over with. The episode of acute abuse may include various forms of abuse and may occur for an indefinite amount of time.The honeymoon phase that follows the abuse often includes both excuses for the abusive episode and expressions of love for the injured party. The abuser may deny the violence or blame his or her actions on their own drunkenness or the behavior or drunkenness of the victim. The abuser may promise that the abuse will never happen again. Domestic abuse often escalates from threats and verbal abuse to violence. And while physical injury may be the most obvious danger, the emotional and psychological consequences of domestic abuse are also severe. It will lead to undermine the victims self-worth or self-esteem, or controls the victims freedom. Domestic abuse can lead to anxiety and depression, and make abuser to feel helpless and alone. It occurs in traditional heterosexual marriages, as well as in same-sex partnerships. The abuse may occur during a relationship, while the couple is breaking up, or after the relationship has ended. In 2001, domestic violence was causal in 20% of nonfatal violence directed against women and in 3% directed toward men. A 2002 study reports that 29% of women and 22% of men report having experienced physical, sexual, or psychological intimate partner violence during their lifetime. Nearly 5.3 million incidents of domestic violence occur annually among US women aged 18 years and older, with 3.2 million occurring among men. Of these incidents, most are relatively minor, such as pushing, grabbing, shoving, slapping, and hitting. Serious consequences certainly do, however, result. Every year approximately 1.5 million intimate partner rapes and physical assaults are perpetrated against women, and approximately 800,000 are committed against men (Burnett, 2009) This paper describes the causes and effects of domestic violence. To begin with a number of studies have looked into identifying individuals who are most at risk for domestic violence. The most common feature is an imbalance of power and control. However, neither those who experience domestic violence nor the partners who abuse them fall into distinct categories. They can be of any age, ethnicity, income level, or level of education. The following are examples of situations that are common among people who experience domestic violence. It is important to understand that anyone can be abused. Individuals at risk may who is Planning to leave or has recently left an abusive relationship, Previously in an abusive relationship, Poverty or poor living situations, Unemployed, Physical or mental disability, Recently separated or divorced , Isolated socially from family and friends, Abused as a child, Witnessed domestic violence as a child, Younger than 30 years and Stalked by a partner. Alth ough the abusers also share some common characteristics, it is important to note that abusers choose violence to get what they want in a relationship. Risk factors may point to an increased likelihood of violence in a relationship, but the person is not destined to become violent because of the presence of certain risk factors. Nor is the violence justifiable because it happened while the abuser was in a blind rage that he or she was powerless to control. The following factors may indicate an increased likelihood that a person may choose violence. Abuser risk factors: Abuses alcohol or drugs, the use and abuse of alcohol are strongly associated with a higher probability that the drinker will be involved in violence as victim, perpetrator, or both. Illicit use of drugs by household members increases a womans risk of death at the hands of a spouse, lover, or close relative by a 28-fold factor. Concomitant use of alcohol and illicit drugs is associated with a 16-times greater risk for suicide, a risk substantially higher than that observed for the use of either individual substance. In a small study (n = 46) examining the relationship between selected socioeconomic risk factors and injury from domestic violence, alcohol abuse by the male partner, as reported by the female partner, was the strongest predictor for acute injury. Approximately half of the victims stated that their male partners were intoxicated at the time of the assault. Whether male partner intoxication is a direct causal factor, an indirect factor, or a factor that modifies the effect of a causal factor has not been determined. On the day of the assault, 86% of assailants reportedly used alcohol, with 67% using the combination of alcohol and cocaine. The active metabolite of such a drug combination, coca ethylene, is more intoxicating, longer lived, and possibly more potent in its ability to kindle violent behavior than are the parent drugs. Abuse as a child, was a victim of abuse as a child, abused former partners and unemployed or underemployed. Furthermore, the effects of domestic violence depend upon the type of domestic violence. It could be physical ,emotional, sexual and economic .First, in physical abuse the abuser will use Witnessed physical force against the victim in a way to injures or endangers his or her or causes feeling of pain. Physical abuse includes hitting, slapping, punching, choking, pushing, and other types of contact that result in physical injury to the victim. Physical abuse can also include behaviors such as denying the victim of medical care when needed, depriving the victim of sleep or other functions necessary to live. Second, emotional abuse is defined as any behavior that threatens, intimidates, undermines the victims self-worth or self-esteem, or controls the victims freedom. This can include threatening the victim with injury or harm, telling the victim that they will be killed if they ever leave the relationship, and public humiliation. Constant criticism, name-calling, and making statements that damage the victims self-esteem are also common forms of emotional abuse. Often perpetrators will use children to engage in emotional abuse by teaching them to harshly criticize the victim as well. Emotional abuse includes conflicting actions or statements which are designed to confuse and create insecurity in the victim. These behaviors also lead the victim to question themselves, causing them to believe that they are making up the abuse or that the abuse is their fault. Emotional abuse includes forceful efforts to isolate the victim, keeping them from contacting friends or family. This is intended to eliminate those who might try to help the victim leave the relationship and to create a lack of resources for them to rely on if they were to leave. Isolation results in damaging the victims sense of internal strength, leaving them feeling helpless and unable to escape from the situation. People who are being emotionally abused often feel as if they do not own themselves; rather, they may feel that their significant other has nearly total control over them. Women or men undergoing emotional abuse often suffer from depression, which puts them at increased risk for suicide, eating disorders, and drug and alcohol abuse (Hopkins, 1999) reported that abused women are at higher risk of miscarriages, stillbirths, and infant deaths and more likely to give birth to low birth weight children. Third, in Sexual abuse is any situation in which force is used to obtain participation in unwanted sexual activity. Forced sex, even by a spouse or intimate partner with whom consensual sex has occurred, is an act of aggression and violence. sexual abuse includes Use of physical force to compel a person to engage in a sexual act against his or her will, whether or not the act is completed; Attempted or completed sex act involving a person who is unable to understand the nature or condition of the act, unable to decline participation, or unable to Communicate unwillingness to enga ge in the sexual act. Finally, Economic abuse is when the abuser has control over the victims money and other economic resources. In its extreme (and usual) form, this involves putting the victim on a strict allowance, withholding money at will and forcing the victim to beg for the money until the abuser gives them some money. It is common for the victim to receive less money as the abuse continues. To conclude, domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, friends or cohabitation. Domestic violence has many forms including physical aggression (hitting, kicking, biting, shoving, and restraining, slapping, throwing objects); it can also be sexual or emotional. The main causes of domestic violence will depend on the abuser back ground such as: Witnessed abuse as a child, Was a victim of abuse as a child, abused former partners, and may be because of Unemployed or underemployed, Poverty or poor living situations.

The Beanie Baby Craze :: Beanie Babies Obsession Essays

The Beanie Baby Craze â€Å"When you have something intended as innocent fun for children, you can count on adults to turn it into an obsessive, grotesquely over commercialized ‘hobby’† It all started with Cabbage Patch Kids, parents paying top dollar for those plastic headed and not so cute dolls. The next big wave to hit was the Tickle Me Elmo a character from Sesame Street, who you could squeeze and it would laugh and jiggle. And now we are in the midst of a tidal wave, that’s right, the Beanie Baby Craze. These small bean bag animals, which were first produced in 1994 by the Illinois based Ty Co., are a huge hit with children and adults alike. People of the Beanie Baby movement will go to great extremes, and pay an obscene amount of money for one of these small animals, taking this â€Å"hobby† past the line into absurdity. A couple years ago when I was at a BBQ picnic, a little girl came up to me and tossed me a fish beanie baby, having never seen or heard of them I looked it over for a bit, then I lobbed it back to her and she ran off throwing it up in the air and dropping it each time. At that time I would never have thought that people would go mad over them. I feel a certain obligation to shed some light on the strange even ridiculous behavior that some of you display while partaking in this madness. For instance, there have been stories of people following the UPS deliverers around town to see which store will be getting the latest beanie babies. When they do find a store that carries the new ones usually others have also, creating a mad rush to get the one that they want. Children have had these toys snatched right out of their little hands in this frenzy, arguments even fights have erupted. Some of you Beanie Baby followers will even try deception to get as many of them as they can. A clerk at a toy store recounts a day when they had received a big shipment of new beanie babies. To be fair, a three Beanie limit had been established. One customer had bought her three, went home changed clothes, put on make-up, and changed her hairdo and went back to get three more.

Classification Essay - PTA Personalities -- Classification Essays

PTA Personalities Many public institutions rely on the generosity and help of volunteers in order to run smoothly. One of the more important institutions is the school, and one of the most visible volunteers in the school is the PTA volunteer. These volunteers fulfill a necessary role, especially for the elementary schools, by augmenting the work of the principal and teachers with extras that the school ordinarily would not have. The people who do the volunteer work are varied, but the PTA seems to act as a magnet for three types of personalities: the power seeker, the eager beaver, and the dependable worker. Dominating Dora, the "power seeker," usually starts off as a committee chairman and almost always ends up as the PTA president. She feels she must run the PTA her way because only she knows the best way to do it. She calls board meetings often and is incensed and hurt if someone misses the meeting. All jobs must be done her way, and she frequently organizes half of the job before it is delegated. She then checks up to see if it is being done precisely as she organized it. On the other hand, she may not delegate anything at all, preferring to do most of the work herself. Not delegating the work ensures that it will be done properly, namely her way. Dominating Dora usually follows an unacknowledged personal agenda to gain status, prestige, influence, and authority; she often has no idea that she is following a personal agenda. The school personnel are wary of her since she is very bossy in her dealings with everyone. She even goes so far as to tell the principal and teacher s how to go about their own jobs. Dominating Dora also promotes programs within the PTA that the principal often ... ...ant to what she is doing. The "dependable worker" like Normal Nancy does not burn out because she paces herself, works steadily, and fills in the gaps where needed. Doras and Ritas may come and go, but Nancys "keep going and going and going." The interesting thing about the "power seeker," the "eager beaver," and the "dependable worker" is that they are all necessary to run the PTA organization. Their quirks are what make them important in getting the activities planned, the prizes made, the playground equipment ordered, and the book fair organized. Another noteworthy fact is that, when necessary, any PTA volunteer can become any one of these three types of people. The fact that a "power seeker," an "eager beaver," and a "dependable worker" can fit together like a puzzle to form a bigger picture is the miracle of the PTA volunteer organization.

College Admissions Essay: A Higher Understanding of Science :: College Admissions Essays

Achieving a Higher Understanding of Science    Surrounded by thousands of stars, complete silence, and spectacular mountains, I stood atop the Colorado Mountain Peak awestruck by nature's beauty. Immediately, I realized that I must dedicate my life to understanding the causes of the universe's beauty. In addition, the hike taught me several valuable lessons that will allow me to increase my understanding through scientific research.    Although the first few miles of the hike up the mountain did not offer fantastic views, the vistas became spectacular once I climbed above tree line. Immediately, I sensed that understanding the natural world parallels climbing a mountain. To reach my goal of total comprehension of natural phenomena, I realized that I must begin with knowledge that may be uninteresting by itself. However, this knowledge will form the foundation of an accurate view of the universe. Much like every step while hiking leads the hiker nearer the mountain peak, all knowledge leads the scientist nearer total understanding.    Above tree line, the barrenness and silence of the hike taught me that individuals must have their own direction. All hikers know that they must carry complete maps to reach their destinations; they do not allow others to hold their maps for them. Similarly, surrounded only by mountaintops, sky, and silence, I recognized the need to remain individually focused on my life's goal of understanding the physical universe.    At the summit, the view of the surrounding mountain range is spectacular. The panorama offers a view of hills and smaller mountains. Some people during their lives climb many small hills. However, to have the most accurate view of the world, I must be dedicated to climbing the biggest mountains I can find. Too often people simply hike across a flat valley without ascending because they content themselves with the scenery. The mountain showed me that I cannot content myself with the scenery. When night fell upon the summit, I stared at the slowly appearing stars until they completely filled the night sky. Despite the windy conditions and below freezing temperatures, I could not tear myself away from the awe-inspiring beauty of the cosmos. Similarly, despite the frustration and difficulties inherent in scientific study, I cannot retreat from my goal of universal understanding.

Goddesses of the Middle East Essay

The mythical legends surrounding the Goddesses of the Middle East date back to around 2500 B. C and form a part of some of the earliest recorded literature about ancient civilizations. These legends centre around the Divine Entities worshipped and revered in various sub regions in what was once known as the Ancient Near East but today is known as the Middle East. Though the religious beliefs in these regions were distinctive and each Civilization followed their own Gods and Goddesses most of these divine entities reacted to human conditions and were a product of the cultures that created them. As these cultures evolved over time, so did the Gods and Goddesses who protected and created them. Some of the prominent religions and civilizations who’s Divine Entities were revered and worshipped in the region known as the Ancient Near East includes: (Gordon 1965) †¢ Assyro-Babylonian religion followed in most of Mesopotamia include Sumer, Assyria, Akkad †¢ Ancient Egyptian religion followed in Ancient Egypt †¢ Canaanite religion followed in most of the Levant region including Canaan, Ugarit, Ebla, Mitanni †¢ Hittite, and Hurrian Religions originating in Anatolia and followed by the Hittite Empire including Assuwa, Arzawa †¢ Minoan religion followed by the Minoan civilization including Cyprus and Crete among others. The goddess in early classical mythology has traditionally played the role of a creator. She is believed to have existed before everything and has been credited with creating both heaven and earth as well as giving birth to both other gods and subsequently to human beings. In nearly all early civilizations the Goddess symbolized noble and basic concepts such as birth, death, honour, and justice. She was revered for her divine beauty and also for protecting her husband and children. While the male gods were relegated the duties of guarding the underworld, it was the goddesses who were given the responsibilities of providing comfort and standing guard over the dead until they were given a funeral and send to the underworld. Most of the civilizations depicted above sprung up around great rivers in the Middle east including, the Nile, Tigris, Euphrates, and Ganges. The presence of these rivers nourished a rich agricultural landscape and provided sustenance to agricultural gave civilizations which were predominantly matriarchal societies. (Sasson 1995) These civilizations were heavily influenced by both the blessings and ravages of nature. The rivers that they depended upon for sustenance would both give them abundant crops and wreck immense havoc and destruction in the form of devastating floods. People in these civilizations believed that there was a link between their lives and the pattern of birth –maturity death and re-birth that they observed in the plants and animals around them. The religious beliefs of most of these civilizations compelled them to worship or hold sacred what they thought provided them life and sustenance and also protected them from ravages and destruction the importance of goddesses in the myths and religious beliefs of these civilizations reflected this. The myths and legendary tales of powerful beautiful goddesses who had magical powers and controlled the various forces of nature helped t the people of these ancient civilizations understand the mysteries that pervaded their existence, birth, death, seasons, floods, harvests and drought all made so much more sense when they believed that there was a Supreme or Divine Deity who controlled it all and who they could appease through worship and prayer. In most of these matriarchal societies, this supreme deity was the Great Mother Goddess, who personified all the blessings and peculiarities of Mother Earth. Though there are countless Goddesses who were revered and worshiped in the ancient civilizations of the Middle East the most popular and common ones who were personified in the role of being creators, sustainers and the universal source of nourishment include(Christ 1998) Asherah –This is one of the names of the Sacred Goddess worshiped by the ancient Semitic Civilizations. Other names of this Great Goddess include Goddess of the Tree of Life, Goddess of the Grove. Wet-nurse of the gods. among many others This Goddess worshiped widely in Canaanite religion followed in most of the Levant region was symbolized by a multi branched tree and considered the very force of life that could be found in flocks of cattle and among groves of trees. This Goddess was often worshipped before childbirth and at planting time to grant sustenance. In popular mythology Asherah sometimes appears as curly-haired Goddess riding a sacred lion often holding lilies. Ishtar: Another very famous and popular Babylonian Goddess often known as Light of the World. Righteous judge, Forgiver of Sins and the Framer of all decrees are also few of her other roles and names that she was worshipped by. This Great Goddess is often depicted in breast-offering pose and is also known as the Mother of the fruitful breast. Inanna – was a very powerful Sumerian Goddess who was believed to provide earth with its source of life-water. Often called the Source of the Earth’s life blood it was believed by the ancient civilizations that this Goddess filled the wells, rivers and springs of the land with her own blood Isis- a very popular and powerful Goddess worshipped by the Ancient Egyptians Isis is perhaps the most famous of all Ancient Middle Eastern Goddesses. Some sources claim that her name means: â€Å"She of throne,† while other sources imply that her name means: â€Å"She of flesh. † Isis’s was revered for using her powers of magic and healing to help humanity Ashnan – She was the ancient Sumerian Goddess of Grain who controlled agricultural sustenance for the civilizations that worshipped her. Belit-Ilani – Worshipped by the ancient Babylonian this Goddess was often held in esteem as the Mistress of the gods. In popular depictions she is portrayed as a woman bearing baby on her left arm and blessing a child with her left. Anath – Worshipped by Canaanites, Amorites, Syrians, Egyptians, Hebrews and the Phoenicians. This Goddess symbolized the strength of Life and was the Queen of Heaven and also the Mistress of all the Gods. Anatu – She was the Great Mesopotamian Goddess, often considered the Ruler of the Earth and Queen of the Sky. Chaabou – was held in high reverence by the Semitic religion and relegated as Earth Mother responsible for sustenance and nourishment. Achamoth – Worshipped by the Early Gnostic Christians. She was the Mother Goddess, who was responsible for giving birth and was the effective creator of the material universe, Deborah – was the Sacred Goddess worshiped frequently in the Mycenae and Anatolia regions often identified with the Tree of Life. Erua – was the Babylonian Goddess often revered as the Queen of Heaven. She was responsible for controlling the birth of all creatures big and small in her land. Gula – was another popular Babylonian Great Goddess who was also known as the Fate Goddess and the Great Doctor who was believed to cure any kind of sickness or ailment . Lahmu- a famous Goddess in Akkadian mythology, who is considered to be the mother of â€Å"Anshar and Kishar,† who are credited to have fathered the first Gods of that great ancient civilization. Persian mythology which also plays a part of ancient Middle Eastern Mythology also held the Goddess. â€Å"Rudaba† in great esteem. This Goddess gave birth to â€Å"Rostam,† the greatest hero in Persian mythology. † Derceto –was the Babylonian Sea Goddess also known as the Goddess of Justice. Kadi –was a Babylonian Goddess believed to have the body of a Serpent and the head and breasts of a Woman. Mari –was revered as the Mother Sea, who gave birth to the gods, Shebat was worshipped as the Mesopotamian Moon Goddess responsible for bringing night after day. Tirgata – was revered as Fish Goddess of Syria who controlled the sea and all life within it As these Civilization evolved so did the role of their gods and goddesses. By 2400 B. C religious and devotional practices began to change as aggressive tribes with strong beliefs in worshipping a supreme male god began to invade the matriarchal communities whose supreme diets were Goddesses . New myths developed in which these goddesses were made evil, slain or made inferior to the patriarchal god of the conquerors. The goal in creating these myths was to defame and to dethrone the goddess from her traditional role of Creator and sustainers and to give this role to a new generation of patriarchal warrior Gods who ruled the world through valour and heroic endeavour. As a direct consequence the role of the Goddess in the Patriarchal societies underwent a change from being a loving supreme deity to a vengeful, spiteful Entity who had to be either slain or made subordinate to the male gods in order to control her powers. Many Ancient Babylonian and Mesopotamian Goddesses who were once revered as the Source of Life and Sustenance was discredited slain or made subordinate to a new patriarchal male warrior God. (Christ 1998) One example of how ancient myths of Goddesses changed in patriarchal societies is the legend of the Mesopotamian divinity Tiamat. Revered by the ancient Sumero-Babylonian civilization as a Serpent Goddess of the Watery Abyss a Mother, from whose formless body the Universe was born. She was believed to nourish all life and rule the ocean. Tiamat, in her role as Mother Goddess and Mother Earth, reflected the matriarchal civilization that created her. (Christ 1998) In a patriarchal society the role of Tiamat and the legend surrounding her changes drastically. According to these new myths The Goddess once credited with the creation of the Universe is upset when her husband Appu is slain and decides to destroy what she has created. She gives birth to a race of evil monsters to help in her quest. Together the Goddess and her army of monsters wreck chaos and havoc on all around them. There is no one who can stop Tiamat until Marduk accepts the challenge. In violent battle, Marduk manages to wedge open the mouth of the serpent goddess and fill it with winds of a horrible storm. While the serpent goddess is distracted he slains her by cutting her womb. After killing the Goddess the patriarch warrior feels glorified. He then desecrates the womb that previous mythologies and civilizations revered as the Source of All Life. The myth ends by establishing that the supreme deity is now male and that he and his cohorts of warrior Gods will now be responsible for protecting the civilization. In a patriarchal society the role of the God is relegated from giving birth and nurturing traditionally seen as motherly tasks to being the protector traditionally seen as fatherly tasks The roles of the goddesses in these societies were reduced to subservient status In the new patriarchal civilization, the myths regarding the Goddesses were recreated and often retold till they achieved credibility and became part of a new folklore designed to promote the religion of the new civilization. In this fashion countless legendary myths depicting the creative, nurturing and forgiving nature of the female goddesses were desecrated and in their place grew new myths propounding their evil deeds. In many of these myths the goddess is first discredited and then engaged in battle with the patriarch God. At the end the Patriarch God achieves victory over the Goddess and she is either slain or looses her powers. Another myth which was refashioned along these lines was that of Hathor an Ancient Egyptian Goddess. Hathor, in Ancient Egyptian mythology was revered as the goddess responsible for evoking emotions such as joy, love, dance and song. (Christ 1998) She is fabled to have provided her own nurturing milk to the living and also carried the dead to the underworld. But somewhere in mythology the Hathor who is revered for her very instincts of Love and joy is also painted as a demon that wrecks death and destruction on Humanity. Acting on the directives of the sun god, Ra, who was under the impression that some of his subjects were planning to Kill him Hathor was sent on a mission to destroy the plotters Hathor who also manifested herself in the guise of a lioness known as Sekhmet, attacked all the plotters killing them instantly. Ra was forced to intervene to stop the bloodshed by tricking Sekhmet into believing that she had killed a lot of people so by pouring a massive amount of pomegranate coloured liquid over the battlefield . Sekhmet mistook the liquid for blood stopped the slaughter and transformed back into her goddess form of Hathor. It is ironic in the least to observe that in cultures where the feminine spirit has always been seen as nurturing, loving and creative the role of goddesses of mythology is associated with evil deeds. Perhaps these mythologies have been restructured to assimilate in Patriarchal Societies where the god is associated with social order and discipline. But regardless of their role in mythology many famous Goddesses of the Middle East continue to live in popular imaginations even though the religions and cults associated with them have now been banished. Though the Middle East is now home to new religions such as Christianity Judaism and Islam and the age of idol worship and plural Gods is over, these deities have become part of the common folklore. The Worship of these Goddesses may now be defunct but their legend lives on and continues to pervade subsequent cultural practices in these regions. Works Cited Gordon, Cyrus. The Ancient Near East, 3rd Edition, Revised. W. W. Norton and Company, Inc. , New York, 1965. Christ Carol: Rebirth of the Goddess: Finding Meaning in Feminist Spirituality Routledge; 1st edition 1998 James. E. O. The Ancient Gods: The History and Diffusion of Religion in the Ancient Near East and the Eastern Mediterranean, 1960. Sasson Jack: Civilizations of the Ancient Near East. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1995. Morton Smith, The Common Theology of the Ancient near East, Journal of Biblical Literature 1952.