Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Futuristic Architecture An Overview

Futuristic Architecture An Overview Introduction Architecture is the discipline concerned with the design of buildings and cities. Architects make use of their professional skills to create buildings and spaces that can be utilized for various purposes. The field of architecture has witnessed significant changes over the centuries. Architects have adjusted their practices, form and material to take advantage of the technologies of the time. Even so, architects generally rely on history with the contemporary buildings having many features or styles from the old era.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Futuristic Architecture: An Overview specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A unique form of architecture, which emerged in the early 20th century, is futuristic architecture. This form of architecture represented a major deviation from the traditional architecture since it was strongly anti-historical and placed a great emphasis on technology and modernism. Advoc ates of futuristic architecture declare that this art form will positively affect society. They argue that in an era of diminishing resources and advancing of technology, futuristic architecture will improve building design efficiency. In spite of these positive impacts of futuristic architecture, it is considered by many to be an irrational type of art. This paper will set out to provide an informative overview of futuristic architecture and then proceed to highlight why it is considered an irrational type of art. Emergence of Futuristic Architecture The futurist movement emerged as a revolutionary concept that sort to deviate from the traditions and instead focus on technological development and daring experimentation. This movement was inspired by the great fascination with machines that the pioneers of the movement had. Daidalos reveals that the accuracy and speed of machines led to a cult of the machine age in the early 20th century (32). Artists therefore sort to incorporate t he aspects of the machine into building designs. Futuristic architecture can trace its beginnings to the Italian artist, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, who began the futuristic movement through the publication of his Futurist Manifesto in 1909. Marinetti advocated a move away from tradition and an embracing of modernity (Jensen 36). The movement started by Marinetti in Italy had a significant following of architects, artists, and engineers. The Movement’s Philosophy Futurism was based on the philosophy of modernism and a freedom of expression. It is strongly against sentimentalism and history and therefore adopts an opposing view of the past. Futuristic Architecture fights against the sentimentalism of the romantic era and embraces originality (Coleman 315). The futurism manifesto explicitly calls for the destruction of the adoration of the past or the obsession with history. Instead, technology and modernity should be exalted in place of the past (Ialongo 440). Since futurism is not restricted by the historical views, it allows a wider spatial thought for design. Architects are therefore able to come up with ideas that merge science and design. Advocates of this form of art claim that it will shape modern architecture and design in a wholly different manner. By accommodating bold imagination, futuristic architecture will allow artists to create forms that embrace ideas of science, technology and modernity.Advertising Looking for article on architecture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Key Figures in Futuristic Architecture The first key figure in futuristic architecture is the Italian Artist Filippo Tommaso Marinetti. Ialongo refers to Marinetti as the leader of Futurism and credits him for the movement’s early expansion throughout Italy and Europe (393). Marinetti founded the futuristic movement and published its manifesto in a popular magazine of the time. This exposed the concept of futurism to the wider public leading to significant attention by many artists and architects. The new concept advanced by Marinetti was characterized as a dynamic, energetic and radical movement that wholeheartedly embraced the modern and fought against the past. The Italian architect, Antonio SantElia is credited with having created the first elaborate set of futuristic designs. His drawings were of a futuristic city, which was highly mechanized and modern. It had visionary features such as aerial walkways and huge monolithic skyscrapers. SantElia was killed in 1916 while fighting in the First World War. His proposed futuristic designs were therefore never built and most were only exhibited in galleries. However, the clarity and authenticity of SantElias work exemplified the originality and boldness that the futurist movement wanted to promote (Coleman 316). For this reason, Sant’Elia’s work became a source of great inspiration for futurists. Architects all over Eu rope held his drawings in high regard and futurists consider his work the earliest example of futuristic architecture. The Italian architect Angiolo Mazzoni made significant contributions to futuristic architecture. After joining the futurist movement in 1933, Mazzoni designed a number of original and futuristic buildings in Italy (Jensen 40). One of the most notable works by Mazzoni is the heating plant and main controls cabin at Santa Maria Novella railway station. For its time, this technical facilities building was a masterpiece and ahead of its time. Mazzoni’s design was functional, complex, and highly efficient. It exemplified the ideals of futurism and therefore inspired futuristic designers for decades. Evolution of Futuristic Architecture Technology plays a central role in futuristic architecture. Leuth declares that technology as the vehicle of Utopia will supply the building blocks for the futuristic structures (319). It can therefore be expected that futuristic ar chitecture should change with changes as technological advances are made. Futurism began with the machine age where the futurists exalted the machine and its inherent attributes such as speed and sleekness.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Futuristic Architecture: An Overview specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Since its beginning in 1909, Futuristic architecture has undergone some significant evolutions. The first major evolution was after the Second World War. In this period, the world was introduced to the atomic bomb and before long, the Space Race between the US and the USSR was in progress. Futuristic architecture was therefore inspired by these two technologies. The designs made by architects who subscribed to futuristic concept in this era were greatly influenced by space and the atomic bomb (Leuth 320). The post WWII era was followed by the post-modern futurism era, which started from the 1960s. Prominent fut uristic architects such as Yona Friedmans and Arata Isozaki created impressive designs that were utopian. Arata Isozaki created the design for a space city in 1960 while Yona Friedman proposed a spatial city above Paris in 1963 (Daidalos 33). Over the decades, futuristic architecture evolved to focus on using innovative technology to create structures that were efficient and modern. Present day futuristic designs address issues such as climate change and resource limitation. They often accomplish this by proposing mega-structures that are built with sustainability in mind. Why Futuristic Architecture is an Irrational Type of Art Futurism seeks to replace human art form with non-human products. Cottom elaborates that for futurists, all nuances of the past such as sentimental love, museums, and libraries must be abolished and replaced with machines (87). The founder of futurism, Tommaso Marinetti, contends that the goal of this concept is â€Å"to create ‘non-human’ poet ry, as well as other arts foreign to humanity, by way of transformations that would follow from the mechanization of humans† (Cottom 87). Due to the rejection of history, futuristic architecture tries to create designs in an entirely different manner. For the futuristic architect, originality and detachment from the past is desirable (Coleman 344). In an attempt to fulfill this core component of futurism, architects create fresh designs that tend to be obscure or and lacking in aesthetic value. Rational art relies heavily on historical forms and human emotions. Artists are encouraged to study historical material and use this as inspiration for their own works. Most of the futuristic proposals by architects are based on technologies that do not exist. There are therefore more of a fantasy since the technology that would be needed to implement them might never be developed. Bradley admits that most artists make architectural proposals that can be viewed as science fiction due to their fantastical elements (45). To support their fantastical visions of futuristic houses and super cities, some artists point out that while internal combustion engines and coal-powered factories were not present 250 years ago, the two are not family technologies that have transformed the world (Bradley 45).Advertising Looking for article on architecture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is therefore plausible that humankind will develop the sweeping technological changes that will make the fantastical visions by todays artists realizable. While technological progress is assured, it is not possible for architects to accurately predict the path that this progress will take. Creating a design that is based on technology that might never be developed is irrational. Futuristic architecture is not always able to transform the futurist visions presented by artists into bold urban forms. As noted, futurism requires architects to come up with bold and revolutionary designs. These designs are functional in nature and often have a modern aesthetic appeal. However, in most cases the forms proposed are novel and exciting but impossible to implement (Coleman 344). The bold and often provocative ideas presented by futuristic architecture only exist as hypothetical designs. As such, while they do offer inspiring visions of a glamorous future, the designs cannot be realized at t he present time. A significant shortcoming of futuristic architecture is that it is too general in nature. Futurists present a vague idea of the forms that architects should create. Futurism provides broad terms such as emphasis of technology, reinforcement of original behavior, and destruction of sentimentalism and history (Bradley 46). However, no specific means of achieving these lofty ideals are provided. Without the availability of a clear means for achieving futurism, architects are often unable to create the dynamic and energetic art forms. Conclusion This paper set out to provide an overview of futuristic architecture and discuss by it is an irrational form or art. It began by acknowledging the significance of architecture and how this discipline has changed with technological progress by humans. It then traced the beginning of futuristic architecture in Italy under Filippo Tommaso Marinetti. The paper has shown that futurism seeks to transform futurist visions into bold urb an forms that are characterized by great imagination and a deviation from the past. A review of the most influential futuristic artists has been given and their contributions illustrated. The paper has then elaborated on why futuristic architecture is an irrational type of art. It has shown that while some futuristic designs are based on existing technologies, most of the novel designs are based on technology that is yet to be developed making them fantastical. Futuristic architecture plays a role by giving architects the chance to present their utopian visions. However, these visions are hardly ever realized and they only remain to be inspirations for other architects and designers. Bradley, John. â€Å"The Urban Remodeler.† Popular Science 277.1 (2010): 45-47. Web. Coleman, Nathaniel. â€Å"Utopic Pedagogies: Alternatives to Degenerate Architecture.† Utopian Studies 23.2 (2012): 314-354. Web. Cottom, Daniel. â€Å"Futurism, Nietzsche, and the Misanthropy of Art.â⠂¬  Common Knowledge 13.1 (2007): 87-97. Web. Daidalos, Bosman. â€Å"Form Follows Function.† Berlin Architectural Journal 74.1 (2000): 30-37. Web. Ialongo, Ernest. â€Å"Filippo Tommaso Marinetti: the Futurist as Fascist, 1929-1937.† Journal of Modern Italian Studies 18.4 (2013): 393-41. Web. Jensen, Richard. â€Å"Futurism and Fascism.† History Today 45.11 (2000): 35-42. Web. Leuth, Gabriele. Architecture in the Twentieth Century. Vienna: Taschen, 2001. Print.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

4 traits all great talent acquisition teams should have

4 traits all great talent acquisition teams should have Here’s a simple business truth: In any company, regardless of age, focus, or industry, you’re only as good as your talent- which also means that you’re only as good as your talent acquisition team.It’s true- talent acquisition is an essential aspect of any strategic, forward-thinking business, and with the intense level of competition among companies at all tiers vying to build the best teams possible, you better make sure that the individuals in charge of sourcing, vetting, and acquiring new candidates for your company are at the top of their games.While there’s no simple â€Å"one size fits all† formula for building a great talent acquisition team, there are some things that you should look out for when building your team, in an effort to stack the odds in your favor that you have effective recruiting professionals working for you. HR Blog recently published an article that highlights some of the qualities you should keep an eye out for whe n building your team. Consider the following to help guide your team-building efforts!Stellar communication skillsIt’s no surprise that great recruiters are usually great communicators who possess the skills to attract top-tier potential candidates, hold their interest and make them realize how important and valued they are, get them excited at the prospect of joining your company, and convince them that your company is the best choice for their next great professional opportunity. In today’s rapidly evolving work world, where top-tier talent has more options than ever before, the ability of your recruiting team to attract and acquire new talent is critical. If recruiters can’t sell you on the idea that they’re effective professionals, how are they ever going to sell candidates on the idea of joining your team? Make sure you hire individuals with top-notch communication skills to staff your talent acquisition team.The ability to self-manageGreat recruiter s are tireless professionals who seem to operate at higher frequencies than mere mortal employees, and must be experts at managing their own schedules and juggling their constantly rotating list of priorities. According to the HR Blog, â€Å"Recruiters are usually rather busy. Great recruiters are busy doing the tasks that will create the most value for the company. You have to be able to prioritize and manage your time. You need to know when to say no and where to go that extra mile. Of all the attributes you need as a recruiter, understanding what to prioritize might be the most difficult thing. This competency comes from experience in understanding all elements related to recruitment, and often takes some time to achieve.† When you’re staffing your talent acquisition team, make sure you hire self-directed leaders who possess the ability to manage both their time and your company’s needs.hbspt.cta.load(2785852, '9e52c197-5b5b-45e6-af34-d56403f973c5', {});Organ izational knowledgeIn order to effectively sell your company to potential candidates and address any and all questions and concerns that could arise on interviews and during recruiting calls, your recruiters will need to have an unparalleled and in-depth knowledge of your company- from its history to its organization and future plans and everything in-between. Bottom line: don’t send out any recruiter to represent your company who doesn’t have an understanding of your company and business down cold. Remember, in many instances recruiters will make your first impression to potential talent for you, and you always want it to be a good one.Great instinctsEffective recruiters have great innate instincts for talent- both obvious and not-so-obvious- which includes both the all-stars and oddballs who typically move the needle, disrupt the status quo, and lead to real innovation and growth. You should be operating with complete faith that the talent acquisition professionals o n your team will be able to unearth real talent and potential at all levels.Are you looking to build a killer talent acquisition team for your business? If so, then consider the qualities mentioned here when vetting recruiters. Good luck!

Thursday, November 21, 2019

What is Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

What is Art - Essay Example It was like art for me was ballet, Van Gogh, and those expensive pieces auctioned off at Christie’s. The keyword is â€Å"expensive† – a consumerist concept. The interactions within the lectures – those between teacher and students and students among themselves, gave me further insights. As I learned together with others, I came to understand the diversity of our perceptions, of our skills and the individual ability to construct meanings. So art may be different but it can also be universal. It is like the concept truth, in a way. I also discovered some of my personal biases and preferences and how they affect my understanding and interpretation of artworks. Having recognized this, I can say that I am now in a better position to appreciate art and identify what it is. One important principle that I learned was that in art, there is no one or single beauty because beauty is diverse. I have learned the dynamics behind this, which I believe widened my horizon and understanding so that I am able to appreciate art in its true

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Evelyn Hooker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Evelyn Hooker - Essay Example was that gays and lesbians are essentially maladjusted persons who need the help of society to be re-integrated and to have normal lives like most people. Her personal and professional life was influenced to a big extent by her mentor with name of Prof. Karl Muenzinger who encouraged her to pursue further studies on behaviorism, in particular the sub-topic of homosexuality. Her interest in this particular subject was due to her making friends with one of her students (name was Mr. Sam From) who was homosexual and challenged her to study him and other homosexuals to disprove commonly-held notions. Her various experiments disproved homosexuals as socially maladjusted people; her studies in effect showed this group to be well adjusted socially no different from the general population. Her studies were used by the gay rights movement to promote their own advocacies. Her personal life starting from her high school years, through college, to the masters program and eventually, the doctorate program influenced her research work because she saw all these as a way to get out of poverty and the drudgery of house work. She was quite lucky to be acquainted with professors who encouraged her to do groundbreaking research work but by her own admission, she did the research more out of curiosity and empathy. Her anonymous fellowship for a year of study in Europe gave her valuable insights to the events happening there at that time, specifically the persecution of the Jewish people at the hands of Hitler and Nazi Germany. She further traveled to Russia at around this time also and saw with her own eyes and through direct experience social injustices such as the rampant and overt discrimination against certain ethnic minorities. This gave her impetus to focus her studies on clinical psychology which gave birth to her almost exclusive concentration on the study of homosexuality in which this group of people are discriminated against as deviants. A turning point in her career

Sunday, November 17, 2019

L4 Reading Essay Example for Free

L4 Reading Essay What do listening and reading comprehension skills have in common? ?BOTH ARE RECEPTIVE SKILLS ?THEY PROVIDE INPUT FOR LLS (LLS NEED TO BE EXPOSED TO THE LANGUAGE THEY LEARN AS much as possible) ?LLS LISTEN AND READ BOTH EXTENSIVELY AND INTENSIVELY ?INPUT HYPOTHESIS (KRASHEN) – LLS ARE ABLE TO ACQUIRE LANGUAGE THAT IS SLIGHTLY ABOVE their level (i+1) ? GOALS OF LISTENING AND READING – SIMILAR ?IT IS NECESSARY TO FOCUS ON THE PROCESS, NOT ON THE PRODUCT ?THREE STAGES: PRE-, DURING-, AFTER- ?IN COMPARISON WITH LISTENING AND SPEAKING, READING IS A RELATIVELY EASIER SKILL. ?REASONS: ? THE READER HAS TIME TO PROCESS THE WRITTEN TEXT (HELP OF A DICTIONARY) ? WRITTEN TEXT CAN BE USED REPEATEDLY Bottom-up view of Reading ?PROCESSING IN READING FROM LETTERS TO SOUNDS, TO WORDS, TO MEANING (DATA-DRIVEN) ?COMPREHENSION TO PROCEED LINEARLY FROM THE ISOLATED UNITS (LETTERS, WORDS) TO HIGHER units of comprehension. Top-down view of Reading Reading texts 1. Literary texts (novels, short stories, plays, essays) 2. Specialized or technical texts (reports, reviews, textbooks) 3. Correspondence (letters, e-mails, postcards) 4. Journalistic literature (articles from newspapers and magazines, weather reports). 5. Information texts (dictionaries, timetables, signs) 6. Realia (tickets, menus, recipes) Different kinds of reading 1. Scanning – looking for a particular piece of information. 2. Skimming – looking for the main idea or the general gist of a passage. 3. Extensive reading – longer texts for pleasure, needing global understanding 4. Intensive reading – shorter texts, extracting specific info, detail Decide: skimming, scanning, extensive reading or intensive reading ?THE ‘WHAT’S ON’ SECTION OF THE LOCAL PAPER ?A NOVEL ?AN ARMCHAIR TRAVEL BOOK ABOUT A COUNTRY YOU HAVE ENJOYED VISITING ?A NEWSPAPER  ? A TEXT IN CLASS ?A SERIES OF ARTICLES, ONLY SOME OF WHICH WILL BE USEFUL TO YOU, FOR A REPORT YOU’RE writing ?A POEM ?THE TELEPHONE DIRECTORY ?A POSTCARD ?INSTRUCTIONS FOR KITSET FURNITURE YOU’RE ASSEMBLING (YOU’RE USUALLY NOT VERY GOOD AT doing this) ?A TRAIN TIMETABLE ?A RECIPE ?A TRAVEL BROCHURE WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO DECIDE ON A HOLIDAY DESTINATION Reading aloud ?FOR PRACTISING PRONUNCIATION AND INTONATION (CHILDREN) ?SHADOW READING: ? LLS FIRST LISTEN TO THE WHOLE TEXT (NOT BE VERY LONG, ONE PARAGRAPH) ?LLS LISTEN TO ONE SENTENCE, THE TEACHER STOPS THE CD AND LLS READ THE SENTENCE OUT,  paying attention to correct pronunciation and intonation ?WHEN THEY CAN DO IT WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS, THEY ARE ASKED TO READ THE TEXT TOGETHER with the CD ?AFTERWARDS, INDIVIDUAL LLS MAY BE ASKED TO READ THE TEXT OUT. Feedback on during-reading activities ?AFTER LLS HAVE READ THE READING COMPREHENSION TEXT AND WRITTEN THEIR ANSWERS, THEN check the answers in pairs ? LLS UNDERLINE THOSE SENTENCES – THE EVIDENCE FOR THEIR DECISIONS ?AFTER THE ANSWERS AND THE EVIDENCE HAVE BEEN CHECKED IN PAIRS OR SMALL GROUPS, THE T elicits the answers from the LLs ?ELICITATION – T KNOWS WHICH PASSAGES CAUSED PROBLEMS AND CAN HELP LEARNERS TO  analyse the particular section ? IF LLS’ ANSWERS DIFFER FROM EACH OTHER, T SHOULD NOT TELL THEM THE CORRECT ANSWER, BUT let LLs discuss their decisions and evidence and come to a conclusion Reading Strategies for Efficient Reading ?BE PREPARED FOR READING THE TEXT (ASK QUESTIONS FOR YOURSELF WHICH YOU THINK THE TEXT may answer; read the title, subtitles; look at pictures and other visuals to predict the content of the text) ? READ THE TEXT QUICKLY FOR THE GIST; ?YOU MAY HIGHLIGHT KEY VOCABULARY AND LOOK THE KEY WORDS UP; ?TRY TO UNDERSTAND THE MAIN IDEAS AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THEM; ?TRY TO FIND THE LINKING WORDS; THEY INDICATE THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN IDEAS AND MAKE the text coherent; ?IGNORE UNKNOWN WORDS OR TRY TO GUESS THEIR MEANING FROM THE TEXT; ?USE DIFFERENT READING STRATEGIES TO READ DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEXTS (SKIMMING, SCANNING, reading for detail) ? READ WIDELY Don’t!!! ?TRANSLATE THE TEXT; IT REQUIRES VERY CAREFUL READING WHICH IS NOT NECESSARY FOR understanding the main ideas and doing the tasks; ?TRY TO UNDERSTAND EVERY WORD, IT IS NOT NECESSARY FOR UNDERSTANDING THE MEANING OF THE text; ?READ ALOUD; IT SLOWS YOU DOWN AND IT MAKES YOU LOOK UP THE WORDS YOU CANNOT pronounce.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Physics of Color Vision and Color Blindness Essay example -- physics e

What is Color? To understand what color is, we first need to understand what light is. Light, as perceived by humans, is simply electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths between roughly 380 nm and 740 nm. Wavelengths below 380 nm and above 740 nm cannot be seem by the human eye. Electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength just below 380 nm is known as ultraviolet radiation. Electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength just above 740 nm is known as infrared radiation. The sun, black lights and fluorescent lamps are all sources of ultraviolet light. Heat is a source of infrared radiation, which is how thermal vision works. Electromagnetic radiation between the wavelengths of 380 nm and 740 nm constitute light and the human color-vision spectrum. There is evidence that other animals, namely insects and birds, have a color-vision spectrum that extends further into the ultraviolet range. Evolutionary factors greatly influence the development of color vision in different animals and species. Although the human color-vision spectrum is continuous, it can be broken down into discrete ranges of colors which are then labeled with specific names. Surfaces gain the appearance of color based on their reflection and absorption of different wavelengths of light. A surface that reflects all wavelengths of light appears to be white. Conversely, a surface that absorbs all wavelengths of light appears to be black (and also heats up as a consequence of absorbing this electromagnetic radiation). If a surface does not reflect all wavelengths of light equally, it will appear as a color in the human color-vision spectrum. Color Vision Color vision is a highly-debated gray area that lies somewhere between physics and psychology. As we h... ... apart. Be afraid to drive near me because I'm a bad driver. I didn't feel so smart in kindergarten. Between the color flash-card tests and the green suns I was apparently drawing with my crayons, kindergarten was not exactly the high-point of my life. Thank goodness for those little brown spots on bananas! They say that bananas go from being green to yellow when they ripen. To me, they go from being yellow to yellow, so I only trust the spots. Bananas rule! That one game of soccer... When I was a kid, I played in this one game of soccer where my team had green jerseys and the opponents had yellow jerseys. Somewhere in the middle of this game, the sun started shining in such a way that I could not tell the jerseys apart anymore. This was the worst game of soccer I've played in my life. I quit soccer and took up bowling. I showed them.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Language and Pragmatics Essay

Language is the common ground for everyone. It is the thing that links a society together because this is how they communicate and understand each other. It is common, therefore, that one culture can feel confused when dealing with other people from different cultures. This is due to the fact that even if they learn a certain language, they will still need to learn the culture of the people to be able to communicate properly. It is not enough that one learns the words. A person should be also knowledgeable of the ways certain words or phrases are used or what is proper or not to say during conversations for him or her to completely understand a particular culture. One of the things that I got interested in from the lecture was phatic communion, which is a â€Å"form of communication between people which is not intended to seek or convey information but has the social function of establishing or maintaining social contact. † This is very apparent in the American culture. People have the tendency to automatically ask how the other is doing and the other is expected to respond with just a simple answer. It is not meant to ask how a person is really feeling but it is just a polite way of acknowledging the person’s presence. I have experienced this form of communication since I started living in this country. It is hard to miss it because people use it everyday in the grocery store, at the mall, coffee shop, even at school. I can relate to the examples in the lecture notes because Spanish is my first language. I also had difficulty in learning the English language because of its complications like the phatic communion. At first, I thought that people were concerned about me and the things that are going on with my life. However, when I got used to the language, I came to realize that this was just some form of formality and that I am not expected to give a detailed response. Living in this country, I have also learned that it is not unusual for people to greet each other even if they are complete strangers. People say hello to each other when they pass them on the street. However, this is not being friendly for them. People have become accustomed to it and would feel uncomfortable if they did not acknowledge the other person. This is in contrast to other cultures where people would feel scared or uneasy if a stranger would say hello to them on the streets out of nowhere. They might think that the person has other intentions other than just to be polite. Personally, I think that people from different cultures talk fast because they are already used to the language and they have mastered it since the time they learned how to speak it. As such, fast-paced talking is not only applicable to the Americans but to everyone as well. Some cultures can only seem soft spoken because of their voices but they are still fast-paced if one listens carefully. Another interesting observation is the difference between men and women in terms of listening. As a woman, I can relate to the lecture notes where it is indicated that women tend to nod to show that they are listening to someone. I actually do this just to show appreciation to the speaker, especially when he or she is looking directly at me while speaking. It is a polite way of saying that I am listening although I may not be agreeing to what he or she is trying to say. This is different from what men do and I have noticed this in the way my husband reacts when someone is talking and he is in the audience. There is no indication that he is listening and will only be apparent when he nods his head in agreement with the speaker. I think that women’s reaction is better because if it were me speaking, I would like to know if my audience is listening or not even if they may not agree to what I have to say. It is encouraging to know that the audience is interested in my speech and that I am not being ignored. The last topic that I found interesting is the different ways on how to say no or refuse to someone. I agree with this because sometimes, people find it very difficult to say no in fear of offending the other person. As such, people find different ways to say no and this include offering an alternative, putting the blame on another, diverting the attention to another topic, or through postponement. Doing these things will make it easier to say no and will not make the other person feel bad about the situation. Personally, I do not have a hard time saying no to people, especially if I strongly feel that refusing is the right thing to do. However, it is still good to know how to say no indirectly because we have to realize that people react to things differently. One may be fine with accepting no for an answer while others may take this against you. I think that learning a language and the ways of a certain culture is essential in being able to communicate with the culture’s people effectively. This is the only for an outsider to become accepted and feel comfortable in using the language. It is also a way for a person to learn what is proper and what is unacceptable, which is important for some cultures because there are certain things that might offend them without the person even knowing. It can be said, therefore, that learning a second language is difficult, especially if the person learning it is not even living in the country or place where that language is being used. Exposure is needed for one to learn and acquire a culture’s language and customs. Without experiencing it first-hand, it is hard to practice the language and apply it to one’s everyday lives. It is also better to communicate with the people who use the language everyday so that the person can practice speaking it and using it much better. The person will be able to learn faster and easier if there is first-hand exposure.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

William Manchester

William Manchester gained his notoriety in a series of biographies based upon the life of Britain’s Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Through his writings in this work, Manchester made the colorful life of Churchill come alive as Manchester was able to capture an aspect and human aspect that had been missed by many of the other books on Churchill. The same is the case in this book: The World Lit Only by Fire. The book is divided up into three separate and distinct parts. The first part deals with the typical medieval European mind and all the impediments to free thought and learning that the Catholic Church had over the individual in his opinion. However, out of that time, according to Manchester, there was still able to emerge, some of the greatest minds, along with some of the greatest contributions, the world has ever known in the field of science, religion and philosophy. Manchester makes a list of twenty eight such individuals. Some of these would include Martin Luther, Copernicus, Machiavelli, Erasmus and his hero and the man to whom he will constitute the last third of the book about: Magellan and the great importance that Manchester feels, was the contributions that he gave to medieval Europe. The second aspect of the book deals with the Catholic Church and its role of importance and dominance in Europe during that time as well as the corruption of the Popes and the rise of humanism as a direct response to the Catholic Church. The Europe of the Middle Ages is a very large subject to tackle and Manchester does his best to encompass all of the major themes of that time as he sees it, into one comprehensive study. As the title suggests, Manchester attempts to show the relationship between the Medieval Mind and how it evolves into the Renaissance. This occurs through the evolution of religious thought into a more modern day aspect, a complete look at education and philosophy with major contributions to these fields occurring at this time along with the successes in exploration. However, this transformation would not occur overnight. At the beginning of the section entitled â€Å"The Medieval Mind† Manchester states that the age is plagued with the lasting effects of The Black Death, famine, illiteracy and common daily violence surrounding the courts of Europe. Manchester’s concept of the Medieval Mind also comes from the influence that the church has on almost every aspect of society, an influence that Manchester feels served as an impediment to learning. The example of Saint Bernard Clairvaux is given when he states that: â€Å"the pursuit of knowledge, unless sanctified by a holy mission†¦ Is a pagan act, and therefore vile.†[1] The medieval man or woman was left with nothing else than to contemplate God’s wrath and displeasure at their sin. Manchester stated that the only form of society that a typical man or woman felt was what was offered to them by the church. It is then that Manchester tackles The Reformation. In this, he credits both Erasmus, a moderate on issues of religion and which was ahead of his time in Christian thought and tolerance for other versions of Christian Faith, and Martin Luther, who took the Catholic Church head on and did all that he could to show the corruption of the church and dedicated his life to the education of the people. Due to the fact that the masses were not able and/or not allowed to learn how to read, the version of Christianity that was offered to the typical parishioner was typically void of Biblical truth in favor of Catholic Church doctrine which were sometimes in direct conflict with Biblical truths. Manchester goes into detail about the corruption of the church being allowed to flourish, due in part, to the masses inability to read and to know that what was being taught to them was not entirely true. In response to Pope Leo X who was in need of obtaining a large amount of revenue in order to finish the Basicilla at St. Peter’s, allowed Johan Tetzel to sell indulgences which offered eternal salvation to anyone willing to pay for it, Luther became outraged and sought to attack, possibly not the church as a whole, but this doctrine which was completely in conflict with Romans 1:17 which said that the righteous shall live by faith. The resistance that Luther offered to the Catholic Church eventually turned into the Protestant Reformation and as a result, there are more than 650 million Christians of a Protestant section. Another in the chief contributions that Luther gives to his German people, according to Manchester, is the completion of a German language Bible. In order to complete this, Luther had to be hidden away in a tower out of fear of retribution which would lead to death by agents of the Catholic Church, set on suppressing this which they saw the translation as well as the attacks that Luther made in response to the Catholic Church to be vile and wicked. Manchester, with regard to The Reformation, sees the entire process as being avoidable. Manchester sees the corrupt Popes during that time as well as the rigid rules that were put in place by the Catholic Church as being not only unnecessary, but also doing much to incite the masses against the church once an antagonist, such as Luther comes onto the world stage. However, since it did happen, Manchester sees The Reformation as not only a split between the church but also in history as much of Europe could now be split into one of two groups: persons belonging to the Medieval Mindset of superstition and absolute religious adherence, or a new consensus that allowed for the emergence of Copernicus and Galileo and above all in the mind of Manchester, the explorer Magellan. Manchester, in a continuation of his degradation of the Popes of this age, believes that their behaviors not only led to the religious reformation but also to the rise of the humanists. â€Å"Humanism†¦ led to the greatest threat the church had ever faced.†[2] The new inventions and ideas brought on my men like Da Vinci and Copernicus, according to Manchester, put into question â€Å" the certitude that knowledge had been forever fixed by God.†[3] The assertions by Copernicus as well as Galileo, brought into question the whole of idea of God’s omnipotence. Despite the fact that nowhere in The Bible does it claim that the sun revolves around the earth, since the Catholic Church asserted that this was the case and since the church had placed such a stronghold over the minds of the people, any blow to The Catholic Church and their faulty logic, also bought into question, the validity of Christianity as a whole. As a result, since some felt that God could not be trusted and that the inability to see him made the case for faith even harder, the only other logical source was to become a humanist and to believe in the capabilities of man since that is easier to see and to trust in the minds of the faithless. The corruption of the Catholic Church at that time, coupled with the inventions of Galileo and Copernicus, along with the huge popularity of Luther and Erasmus, a more secular and humanistic world view seemed to emerge and as a result, helped usher in the influence of The Renaissance. This brings us to the last section of the book which Manchester has entitled â€Å"One Man Alone.† A full 1/3 of the book is filled with the actions of the explorer Magellan and how Manchester gives a glowing review to the man and his accomplishments. According to Manchester, Magellan’s circumnavigation of the globe â€Å"was the crowning triumph of the age, the final decisive blow to the past.†[4]Manchester includes this accomplishment as not only the greatest of the Middle Ages but also as part of a bigger picture: the religious revolution brought on by Luther and to a lesser but still important degree, Erasmus, the increase of secular power that Copernicus brought on with his achievements towards science. The majority of this section is a glowing review of Magellan and it seems to be, as one critic said: â€Å" a hero worship of the man.†Ã‚   Of all the people of importance that   contributed to Medieval society, Manchester makes a list of the twenty eight most important people. Some of these include Luther, Copernicus and Erasmus. The man that is seated on the top of this list of notables is Magellan. Manchester regards Magellan as â€Å" the linchpin for the men of the Renaissance.† [5] Manchester does not go into detail concerning what he means by this but rather gives a general review of the age which included both high and low culture. Manchester praises Magellan’s handling of the mutiny aboard ship, overlooks his distance miscalculations and refers to Magellan as the era’s greatest hero. In this hero worship of Magellan, Manchester seems to overemphasize the importance of Magellan and ignored the explorations of others. However, for Manchester, Magellan is the quintessential definition of what a hero is. â€Å"The hero acts alone, without encouragement, relying solely on conviction and his own inner resources.†[6] For Manchester, Magellan has always come to define such ideals. Manchester’s ultimate argument is that Magellan’s voyage is directly connected to the shattering of what he had come to define throughout his book, as â€Å"The Medieval Mind.† That is to mean, in Manchester’s opinion, a world that is ruled by superstitions as well as not only the corrupt Catholic Church but seemingly, most or all organized religions combined. Many reviews of Manchester’s book, The World Lit Only by Fire, does not contain a scholarly opinion of the book as Manchester’s telling of the events and conclusions to those events do not seem to be objective. There is seen within the pages of The World Lit Only by Fire, a great deal of biases, anecdotes and humor that seems out of place in a scholarly work of history. Yet, the book, for fans of Manchester as well as those interested in a fascinating read, will find his book, advantageous to that endeavor. A World Lit Only By Fire is an informative read, yet as its purpose does not possess educational intentions, it tends to include humor, perspectives, biases, and anecdotes that readers may consider not to be objective. In what was supposed to be a forward on a friend’s book about Magellan, is turned into a separate work on the Middle Ages and all that is occurring at that time. Manchester gives a less than glowing opinion of the Catholic Church, from the Popes all the way down to the nuns and places full blame upon the corruption and the questioning of there ever being the need for a Reformation in the first place, if The Catholic Church had remained pure and free from corruption. However, The Middle Ages also saw the rise of the humanists which placed their faith in what they could see rather than in what they wanted to see or were told to see by a dominating force as in the form of the Catholic Church. The achievements of Copernicus, Da Vinci and Magellan helped to usher in the rise of scientific thought that was seen to a great degree in The Renaissance that was to follow the days and events that are portrayed in Manchester’s book. A newly educated class comes out of the Middle Ages which will turn into the humanists. And to an alarming extent, compared to their ancestors from the region, become disillusioned about religion to a degree that is seen still to this day in America and in much of The West. In this regard, Manchester points out, as he does in many of his books, the idea that History is not static. That its importance is not bottled up in a far away land and in a time that does not serve any purpose to contemporary society. Manchester works more like a novelist than a historian as he overlooks anything that could serve as evidence to the contrary of Manchester’s assertion that the average Medieval Mind was pathetic and weak. It seems that Manchester regards as much, anyone during that time that does not have the honor of being on his list of twenty eight notables who lived during the Middle Ages. For those who agree, A World Lit Only by Fire will serve to validate such opinions. For those who feel as though there always more occurring during that time than has the been the consensus among a small but consistent minority of historians, the book will have the reader responding out loud to some of the assertions that Manchester makes. But in the end, William Manchester is a entertaining and, for those that cannot forget his works on Churchill, a great writer. WORKS CITED Manchester, William.   The World Lit Only by Fire. The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance. [1] Manchester, William.   The World Lit Only by Fire. The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance. 8 [2] Manchester, William.   The World Lit Only by Fire. The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance p. 112 [3] Manchester, William.   The World Lit Only by Fire. The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance p. 91 [4] Manchester, William.   The World Lit Only by Fire. The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance p. 294 [5] Manchester, William.   The World Lit Only by Fire. The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance p. 33 [6] Manchester, William.   The World Lit Only by Fire. The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance p. 225

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Demasiado Spanish Word Usage

Demasiado Spanish Word Usage Demasiado is a common adjective or adverb that usually carries the idea of too, too much, too many, excessive or excessively. When used as an adjective, demasiado precedes the noun it refers to and agrees in number and gender with it. Demasiado can also appear in the predicate of a sentence following a form of ser. Tres partidos polà ­ticos son demasiados. Three political parties are too many. Hay demasiado azà ºcar en los cereales de los nià ±os. There is too much sugar in childrens cereals. Fue demasiada la tentacià ³n. The temptation was too much. Tener demasiados amigos en Facebook provoca estrà ©s y culpa. Having too many friends on Facebook causes stress and guilt.  ¿Se puede tener demasiado amor, demasiada fe o demasiada honestidad? Considero que no. Can one have too much love, too much faith or too much honesty? I think not. As an adverb, demasiado is invariable - that is, it doesnt change in form. It typically comes before any adjective or adverb it affects the meaning of but after any such verb. El verano llegà ³ demasiado rpido. Summer arrived too quickly. El expresidente habla demasiado y sus declaraciones son desatinadas. The former president talks too much and his statements are foolish. Dicen que los coches ecolà ³gicos son demasiado caros. They say green cars are too expensive. Soy demasiado inteligente para creer en esas cosas. Im too smart to believe in those things. Las reas brillantes pueden aparecer demasiado blancas en las fotos. Bright areas can seem too white in the photos. El problema es que mi marido trabaja demasiado. The problem is that my husband works too much. In popular speech, you may sometimes hear demasiado as an adverb made to agree with an adjective it refers to, but this is not considered grammatically proper Spanish. As an exception to the rule, however, it is correct to make demasiado agree with forms of poco: Pasan demasiadas cosas en demasiadas pocas pginas. Too many things happen in too few pages. Sample sentences are adapted from a variety of sources. Among those used in preparaing this lesson: Tiempo (Honduras), ABC (Spain), San-Pablo.com.ar, Bogo de la web, Actualidad Motor, Reina del Cielo, Ideeleradio, Sony.es, ForoAmor.com, Cinemascope.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

How to Bring Clarity to Business Writing

How to Bring Clarity to Business Writing Clarity in business writing allows your ideas to be easily understood, free of add-on words that make a sentence murky and convoluted. There are several rhetorical strategies to achieve clarity, but here are three techniques that best sweep away the bloat to let your ideas shine. Business Writing Clarity Strategy #1: Unsmother Your Verbs Focus on verbs.They are the action of a sentence, and the best opportunity to enhance clarity. Imagine watching a Bruce Willis movie that shows Bruce napping or knitting or whittling on a park bench for 90 minutes... Bored yet? So too are readers if your writing has little action or wimpy verbs. Unsmother your verbs. Smothered verbs are so common in business writing that they feel correct when you use them. However, a smothered verb adds nothing but bloat and the tone feels both timid and boring to a reader. This article will explain smothered verbs in detail. You will cut at least 25% of unnecessary words by simply unsmothering verbs. Let the verb do its job in a sentence without smothering add-on words. The impact on business writing clarity is amazing. Business Writing Clarity Strategy #2: Avoid Adverbs Choose powerful verbs that connote meaning, which don't need a second modifying word to do their job! For instance: "The attendant shouted loudly." "The attendant shouted," is a perfect sentence. "Loudly" is inferred and extraneous. "The executive ran quickly into the boardroom." "Ran quickly" is wasteful. Pick a better verb. "The executive sprinted into the boardroom" is concise, visual, and lively. Business Writing Clarity Strategy #3: Recognize the Power of Short Words. Years back, some business writers felt they conveyed their intelligence more by dropping long words, when short words actually worked better. Rhetorically, this has never been good writing. Long words don’t make you sound intelligent unless used very skillfully and judiciously. In the wrong situation they’ll have the opposite effect, making you sound pretentious and arrogant. They’re also less likely to be understood and more awkward to read. I've always loved Hemingway's response when Faulkner criticized him for his limited word choice: Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words? He thinks I don’t know the ten-dollar words. I know them all right. But there are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use. Example: Fine, but can be improved: It has never been a good writing practice to use big words indiscriminately. Better: It has never been a good writing practice to use big words needlessly. ("Needlessly" is shorter and simpler than "indiscriminately.") Best: It has never been a good writing practice to bloat with big words. (More powerful verb "bloat" instead of vague verb "use" eliminates the need for modifying adverb "needlessly.") Remember this maxim:Write to express, not to impress. Good business writers use short words well. Richard Lederer sings the praises of the short word to enhance clarity in his book, The Miracle of Language: Here is a sound rule: Use small, old words where you can. If a long word says just what you want to say, do not fear to use it. But know that our tongue is rich in crisp, brisk, swift, short words. Make them the spine and the heart of what you speak and write. Short words are like fast friends. They will not let you down. Read more about the power ofshort words. A clear business report allows an executive to easily understand a recommendation. A clearbusiness email allows all the readers to quickly understand. A proposal that clearly expresses your value wins the sale. Apply these clarity principles, and we're all able to understand each other better. Enjoy this article? Subscribe to this blog.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Ideas of Calculus III Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ideas of Calculus III - Essay Example Time as a vector value is used to study geometry of space curves and velocity of a moving object. Calculus III also teaches how to simplify the theories of derivative and integral to vector-valued equation (Ryan 15). Calculus also enables learners to model quantities like temperature on Earth surface, which changes from one point to another. Such quantities are expressed used tangent graphs which is a concept in calculus. The last part of Calculus III involves a 2-dimensional account of the Fundamental Theorem which is commonly called Greens Theorem. Greens Theorem is the mathematics behind potential energy and physical notions of work that is a major step towards understanding magnetic fields and electricity (Ryan 45). Calculus students ought to access computers in order to develop intuition and visualize on the concept they learn about the course. The computer lessons are part of the course work and they include programmed questions that students ought to solve by the help of the computer (Ryan 25). The main aim of Calculus III is to enable learners to develop critical reasoning skills and new problem solving techniques and prepare them for advanced study in physical science, mathematics and engineering (Ryan

Friday, November 1, 2019

Three parent in vitro fertilization research paper Essay

Three parent in vitro fertilization research paper - Essay Example The first step of the IVF is also called super ovulation and involves medicinal stimulation of the ovulation process in a woman. Contrary to the normal ovum production in a month, the stimuli initiate multiple ova production at the same time and technology helps to monitor the ovulation and the woman’s hormone. The second step of IVF however involves surgical operation that extracts the ova from the woman’s reproductive system. Pain reliever drugs are administered and ultrasound technology used to inform movement of surgical materials into the ovary for extraction. Once an ovary is dealt with, extraction is done from the other ovary. In case of a woman’s inability to ovulate, third party is involved in egg donation (Storck, 2014). Once the egg is obtained, it is mixed with a sperm and placed in a favorable environment for fertilization that occurs naturally after a few hours. Sperm may however be forced into the egg to increase chances of fertilization. Multiple fertilizations, from the many extracted eggs can be allowed. The third stage involves monitoring and evaluation of embryos and begins days after fertilization. Tests for genetic disorders and quality of embryos are the major activities. A preferred embryo is then selected and is planted in a woman’s womb. Plantation of multiple embryos means many expected children such as twins for two implanted embryos (Storck, 2014). People with infertility problems, reproductive system disorder and those beyond childbearing age use the I.V.F. This is because of the population segment’s inability yield desired traits of offspring. A blocked track that prevents passage of sperms or eggs is an example of complications that may force people into extraction of the elements for possible fusion. Unfavorable natural environment for fertilization in a woman’s fallopian tube is also resolved through a controlled laboratory environment. The procedure reports at most 43