Black Naturalism and Toni Morrison the Journey Away from...

Although my students were unaware of it, in a sense what they were questioning from the standpoint of literary criticism is not only the theory of postmodernism with its emphasis on race, class and gender, but the theory of naturalism as well: the idea that one s social and physical environments can drastically affect one s nature and potential for surviving and succeeding in this world. In this article, I will explore Toni Morrison s The Bluest Eye from a naturalistic perspective; however, while doing so I will propose that because Morrison s novels are distinctly black and examine distinctly black issues, we must expand or deconstruct the traditional theory of naturalism to deal adequately with the African American experience: a†¦show more content†¦The novels may focus on individual characters like Milkman and Jadine, but the salvation of individuals is not the point. Rather, these individuals struggling to reclaim or redefine themselves, are portrayed as epiphenomenal to community and culture, and it is the strength and continuity of the black cultural heritage as a whole that is at stake and being tested. (93-94) What is at stake in Morrison s novels and in black fiction in general is a consistent emphasis on the need to resist forces stemming from society which may serve to destroy continuity of the black cultural heritage by a conscious embracing of the past combined with a concurrent quest for identity. When analyzing this pattern of creative reSistance of outside forces and rebuilding of the self in Morrison s novels, one can perceive a distinct echo of naturalism. The word echo is significant because Morrison s novels are not strictly naturalistic. While Morrison s works do exhibit naturalistic tendencies, she presents them in a new way, illustrating different challenges specific to minorities and offering alternate ways of dealing with these challenges. Morrison s protagonists face a world that is more complex, oppressive, and destructive than either Theodore Dreiser s Carrie or John Steinbeck s Tom Joad because Morrison sShow MoreRelatedThe Bluest Eye Toni Morrison Essay2185 Words    |  9 PagesSociety, especially western, conceptualizes beauty through the use of publicity and cinema. We are under constant bombardment from consumer related magazine ads, billboards, television commercials, and movies about what â€Å"beautiful† people look like and how we should imitate them. This standard is overwhelmingly portrayed as white beauty. Starting from a young age this standard of beauty is forged in our minds; we want to look like these actors and models; we want to be thin, fit, youthful lookingRead MoreEssay on Self-Hate in Toni Morrisons The Bluest Eye2405 Words   |  10 Pages At a time when blue-eyed, pale skin Shirley Temple is idolized by white and black alike, eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove desperately seeks out beauty for herself. In order to attain beauty in her culture, Pecola must do the impossible: find white beauty. Toni Morrison shows the disastrous effects that colorism and racism can have on a whole culture and how African- Americans will tear each other apart in order to fit into the graces of white society. The desire to be considered beautifulRead MoreBrief Survey of American Literature3339 Words   |  14 PagesBrief Survey of American Literature 1. Beginnings to 1700 Great mixing of peoples from the whole Atlantic basin Bloody conflicts between Native Americans (or American Indians) and European explorers and settlers who had both religious and territorial aspirations - Native American oral literature / oral tradition - European explorers’ letters, diaries, reports, etc., such as Christopher Columbus’s letters about his voyage to the â€Å"New world†. - Anglo (New England) settlers’ books, sermons

Supporting Babies Free Essays

Emotional Soft teddy’s Helps to comfort babies when they are sad Intellectual painting Helps children feel different textures and materials. It allows them to use their imagination to create pictures. Language Reading books Helps babies learn new words, sounds and socialism with people. We will write a custom essay sample on Supporting Babies or any similar topic only for you Order Now Please remember a baby is Birth to 15 months old How a babies individual needs and interests can be supported through play. Babies play can be supported by giving the right equipment and activities for their age group. E. G. Hand/finger painting, building blocks, play mats, colorful picture books, rattles and nursery rhymes. Talk to the babies about their activities colors of pictures, shapes, textures and ask questions (even if they not understand) to show them that you’re interested. Give babies eye contact to show them you are responding to them. Join in and talk to them. Encourage babies to say familiar words, listen to different sounds, explore different things and support their needs. Some babies may need more support than others due to a disability. Praise is very important because it helps their self-esteem and confidence. Play mats and mobiles which are great for children to reach out to and play with the toys there. Encourage babies to explore with different toys by putting interesting things beside them e. G. Soft materials, toys with lights and sounds, crinkle paper so they can feel different textures. Sing nursery rhythms to babies so they can copy the actions and facial expressions. Provide activities such as hand/sponge painting, playing with balls, building blocks and baby walkers. It stimulates creativity and imagination. These activities are good for developing their fine/gross motor skills and learning other new skills e. G. colors, textures, counting and helping babies to learn to walk. With any activity your baby does join in with them, talk to them, make it interesting and fun and always praise them. Babies learn by exploring with their hands, feet and mouth. They bang, throw, drop, shake and put items in their mouths. Babies are very alert, they follow adults with their eyes and head. Talk to babies about family members and names of family so they can recognize words and who family members are. Provide colorful books with lots of pictures and touchy-feely books this gives babies tactile experiences which leads to brain development. Point and talk about the pictures in the books. Ask them questions about the book e. G. What color is the sky. Get them involved let them turn pages of the book. Make Sure you give the baby lots of praise and encouragement. La engage Babies enjoy finding their nose, eyes or tummy as part as a naming game. You can place mirrors to see their own reflection and talk with them about what they see. Babies express their feelings and needs by crying, gurgling and babbling. When babies try to say words repeat it back to the baby and encourage them to say more. Singing nursery rhymes with babies is a great help for them to recognize words, learn new words and actions. This helps them to develop their language skills. Use sounds in play e. G. Brim for a car. Also use actions to support your words e. G. Waving your hand when you say bye bye. Give the baby praise by clapping and using facial expressions. Give he baby your full attention as this gives them confidence to talk more and communicate with others and they feel happy and proud they have learnt something new. Babies are just starting to learn to recognize and manage their feelings. Babies experience a wide range of emotions such as affection, frustration, fear and sadness. Babies have tantrums when they are tired we can help to control their emotional expressions by giving the baby a teddy bear or another comfort object when upset so the baby can calm down. Listening and comforting babies to their needs helps the babies feel secure. The baby miles and giggles when they want more of something or turn their heads shut their eyes when they want less of something. Social Babies are aware of others. They build good relationships with people that are close to them. By giving your baby lots of love and attending to their needs you establish a bond with your baby, which allows them to grow in a comfortable, confident and socially healthy atmosphere. Encourage babies to interact with others put out activities that other babies can get involved in e. G. Ball pool, sand and water and painting this helps babies build their confidence and self-esteem to play with others.. How to cite Supporting Babies, Papers

Forecasting Notes free essay sample

Qualitative models incorporate subjective factors into the forecasting model. Qualitative models are useful when subjective factors are important. When quantitative data are difficult to obtain, qualitative models may be appropriate. 2.? Approaches are qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative is relatively subjective; quantitative uses numeric models. 3.? Short-range (under 3 months), medium-range (3 months to 3 years), and long-range (over 3 years). 4.? The steps that should be used to develop a forecasting system are: (a)? Determine the purpose and use of the forecast (b)? Select the item or quantities that are to be forecasted (c)? Determine the time horizon of the forecast (d)? Select the type of forecasting model to be used (e)? Gather the necessary data (f)? Validate the forecasting model (g)? Make the forecast (h)? Implement and evaluate the results 5.? Any three of: sales planning, production planning and budgeting, cash budgeting, analyzing various operating plans. There is no mechanism for growth in these models; they are built exclusively from historical demand values. We will write a custom essay sample on Forecasting Notes or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Such methods will always lag trends. .? Exponential smoothing is a weighted moving average where all previous values are weighted with a set of weights that decline exponentially. 8.? MAD, MSE, and MAPE are common measures of forecast accuracy. To find the more accurate forecasting model, forecast with each tool for several periods where the demand outcome is known, and calculate MSE, MAPE, or MAD for each. The smaller error indicates the better forecast. 9.? The Delphi technique involves: (a)? Assembling a group of experts in such a manner as to preclude direct communication between identifiable members of the group (b)? Assembling the responses of each expert to the questions or problems of interest (c)? Summarizing these responses (d)? Providing each expert with the summary of all responses (e)? Asking each expert to study the summary of the responses and respond again to the questions or problems of interest. (f)? Repeating steps (b) through (e) several times as necessary to obtain convergence in responses. If convergence has not been obtained by the end of the fourth cycle, the responses at that time should probably be accepted and the process terminated—little additional convergence is likely if the process is continued. 0.? A time series model predicts on the basis of the assumption that the future is a function of the past, whereas an associative model incorporates into the model the variables of factors that might influence the quantity being forecast. 11.? A time series is a sequence of evenly spaced data points with the four components of trend, seasonality, cyclical, and random vari ation. 12.? When the smoothing constant, (, is large (close to 1. 0), more weight is given to recent data; when ( is low (close to 0. 0), more weight is given to past data. 13.? Seasonal patterns are of fixed duration and repeat regularly. Cycles vary in length and regularity. Seasonal indices allow â€Å"generic† forecasts to be made specific to the month, week, etc. , of the application. 14.? Exponential smoothing weighs all previous values with a set of weights that decline exponentially. It can place a full weight on the most recent period (with an alpha of 1. 0). This, in effect, is the naive approach, which places all its emphasis on last period’s actual demand. 15.? Adaptive forecasting refers to computer monitoring of tracking signals and self-adjustment if a signal passes its present limit. 16.? Tracking signals alert the user of a forecasting tool to periods in which the forecast was in significant error. 17.? The correlation coefficient measures the degree to which the independent and dependent variables move together. A negative value would mean that as X increases, Y tends to fall. The variables move together, but move in opposite directions. 18.? Independent variable (x) is said to explain variations in the dependent variable (y). 19.? Nearly every industry has seasonality. The seasonality must be filtered out for good medium-range planning (of production and inventory) and performance evaluation. 20.? There are many examples. Demand for raw materials and component parts such as steel or tires is a function of demand for goods such as automobiles. 21.? Obviously, as we go farther into the future, it becomes more difficult to make forecasts, and we must diminish our reliance on the forecasts. Ethical Dilemma This exercise, derived from an actual situation, deals as much with ethics as with forecasting. Here are a few points to consider:  ¦ No one likes a system they don’t understand, and most college presidents would feel uncomfortable with this one. It does offer the advantage of depoliticizing the funds al- location if used wisely and fairly. But to do so means all parties must have input to the process (such as smoothing constants) and all data need to be open to everyone.  ¦ The smoothing constants could be selected by an agreed-upon criteria (such as lowest MAD) or could be based on input from experts on the board as well as the college.  ¦ Abuse of the system is tied to assigning alphas based on what results they yield, rather than what alphas make the most sense.  ¦ Regression is open to abuse as well. Models can use many years of data yielding one result or few years yielding a totally different forecast.

Jazz Essays (1743 words) - Music, Entertainment, Jazz Genres

Jazz History of Jazz and Classical Music Upon entering a modern record store, one is confronted with a wide variety of choices in recorded music. These choices not only include a multitude of artists, but also a wide diversity of music categories. These categories run the gamut from easy listening dance music to more complex art music. On the complex side of the scale are the categories known as Jazz and Classical music. Some of the most accomplished musicians of our time have devoted themselves to a lifelong study of Jazz or Classical music, and a few exceptional musicians have actually mastered both. A comparison of classical and Jazz music will yield some interesting results and could also lead to an appreciation of the abilities needed to perform or compose these kinds of music. Let's begin with a look at the histories of the two. The music called classical, found in stores and performed regularly by symphonies around the world, spans a length of time from 1600 up to the present. This time frame includes the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Contemporary periods. The classical period of music actually spans a time from of 1750 to 1800; thus, the term Classical is a misnomer and could more correctly be changed to Western Art Music or European Art Music. European because most of the major composers up till the 20th century were European. Vivaldi was Italian, Bach was German, Mozart and Beethoven were Austrian; they are some of the more prominent composers. Not until the twentieth century with Gershwin and a few others do we find American composers writing this kind of art music. For the sake of convention, we can refer to Western Art Music as Classical music. Jazz is a distinctively American form of music, and it's history occupies a much smaller span of time. Its origins are found in the early 1900s as some dance band leaders in the southern U.S. began playing music that combined ragtime and blues. Early exponents of this dance music were Jelly Roll Martin (a blues player) and Scott Joplin (ragtime). The terms Jazz and Jazz Band first surfaced in the year 1900. Some say this occurred in New Orleans, although similar music was played at the same time in other places. The most prominent exponents of this early music, called Dixieland Jazz, included Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet. After World War I, Jazz music had evolved and was aided by the development of the recording industry. The small dance band ensemble grew into the larger orchestra known as the Big Band. The music of the Big Bands became known as Swing. Two of the more famous Swing band leaders were Tommy Dorsey and Harry James. In the late 40s and through the 50s, a different kind of Jazz became popular. This music, played by a very small ensemble, was much more sophisticated and complex . Its rich harmonic changes and melodic counterpoint were not conducive to dance. It became known as Bop, with Charlie Parker and Dizzie Gillespie being the early proponents. In the last twenty years there has been a combination of Jazz with popular music of the US and Latin America. This modern Jazz music has been called Fusion. Present day exponents include Pat Metheny and Chic Corea. There has also been a return to the sound of Bop in the last ten years by such musicians as trumpeter Winton Marsalis and his brother Branford, a saxophonist. Let's focus on the instrumentation of the two kinds of music. In Classical music, both large orchestras and small ensembles are used. But generally, the greatest and most prominent compositions are for the larger symphony orchestra. The largest part of the orchestra is the string section consisting of violins, violas, cellos and string basses. These instruments were invented very early in medieval times but really matured into their present form during the late 18th century. The wind instruments, comprised of brass and woodwinds, took longer to mature. The brass section in particular did not posses the ability to play chromatically (in all keys) until the advent of valves which allowed the length of the instrument to be changed while playing. This occurred around the middle to late 19th century. Consequently, the brass instruments

Italian Renaissance essays

Northern/Italian Renaissance essays Northern Vs. Italian Renaissance Art The characteristics of art that seem the most prevalent during the Renaissance are Classical Revival (going back to Greek and Roman times for subject matter and inspiration), Humanism (the idea that humans are focus), Window of Nature (the idea of including nature in the pieces), Syncretism (including Greek and Roman mythology and/or characteristics in Renaissance art), Cult of Beauty (Plato's notion of ideal beauty and love), Empiricism (making the work look as real as possible), Individualism (individuals are important, and become a focus of art), and Idealism (humans and religious figures are painted in their most ideal form). Raphael's fresco The School of Athens and Brueghel's oil painting The Wedding Dance. Although both pieces contain the characterizing elements of Renaissance art, they are different in many Raphael's fresco stands 26 feet by 18 feet and is a model of Italian Renaissance art, containing obvious examples of each of the components of Renaissance art. The School of Athens is a prime model of the Classic Revival. The school portrayed is a school of philosophy in ancient Athens. The people are wearing Greek loose fitting robes for their garments. The architecture of the building is primarily Greek with the columns and arches representing those of the times of Aristotle and Plato, whom are also represented. Humanism and Individualism can be seen in the fresco because humans are the subjects of the painting. Individual people are the focus of the piece, and each has been given their own personality and identity. Raphael has done a phenomenal job depicting each person's facial expression and body movement. The Window of Nature is evident (although not as prevalent as in other works of this time period) in the background of the work in the clouds painted over the heads of Aristotle and Plato. Raphael h...

What to See at the 10 Best London Museums

What to See at the 10 Best London Museums SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips London has many attractions, but almost all visitors to the city will carve out time for its world-class museums. Many of London’s museums, spanning history, art, science, and more, contain some of the largest collections in their field, as well as many historical and priceless pieces. Other museums are smaller and more intimate, showing individual stories of Londoners through the ages. This guide explores the ten best museums in London. It’s organized into history museums, art museums, as well as off-the-beaten-track museums. In addition to describing the museum’s collections and standout pieces, the descriptions include each museum’s hours, costs (most of the museums on this list are free!), and the closest tube station to help you get around. London truly has a museum for all types, and this list contains museums that will appeal to history buffs, art aficionados, science geeks, garden lovers, and more. The Best London History Museums London has one of the richest histories of any city. The collections of these museums span prehistory to the modern age, and they showcase artifacts from London, the whole of the United Kingdom, and places, past and present, around the world. Entrance to the Natural History Museum The British Museum Hours: Open daily from 10AM-5:30PM and until 8:30PM on Fridays Cost: Free (Some temporary exhibitions charge a fee) Closest Tube Stations: Tottenham Court Road and Holborn If you can only visit one museum in London, make it the British Museum, the most visited museum in the city and one of the world’s great museums. With roughly 8 million pieces, the British Museum’s massive collection includes works from Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Oceania, and the Americas. The British Museum specializes in ancient history and has some of the world’s most extensive collections from ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, ancient Rome, Assyria, and Mesopotamia. Two of the museum’s most famous pieces are from their ancient history collections. The first is the Rosetta Stone, used to decipher the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic language, a huge moment in the historical world. The second is the Parthenon Marbles, also known as the Elgin Marbles because they were brought from Greece by the Earl of Elgin. These marbles once adorned buildings on Athen’s Acropolis such as the Parthenon, and there is a longstanding debate on whether they should be returned to Greece. Despite the controversy, the huge marble friezes, adorned with classical Greek sculptures, are beautiful to see. This large museum spans three floors and contains nearly 100 galleries. There are maps inside, but it can be helpful, especially if you’re short on time, to review floor plans of the museum so you know where to go and what to see once you arrive. The British Museum was established in 1753, and in many ways it’s an old-school museum. There are not many interactive exhibits, and most pieces are exhibited in standard glass cases with labels describing their history and importance. This can cause children and non-museum people to get bored after awhile. However, many of the museum’s pieces are so historically important and beautiful to see that every visitor to London should at least stop by for an hour or so to marvel at pieces from all over the world. Additionally, entrance to the museum is free, although some temporary British Museum exhibitions do charge a fee; you can book tickets for these online. Also, the British Museum’s hours are extended on Fridays if you’re looking for something to do in the evening. If you’d like help navigating the museum, there are regular tours held throughout the day focusing on different parts of the collection. Some of these tours are free while others you have to pay for and book online ahead of time. The British Museum’s website has information on all tour times and prices. Museum of London Hours: Open daily from 10AM-6PM Cost: Free (Some temporary exhibitions charge a fee) Closest Tube Stations: Barbican and St. Paul’s For those who want their museum to have a narrower focus, the Museum of London does an excellent job of chronicling the history of the city from the prehistoric age to modern day. The museum has a large collection, with over 6 million objects, but because it only focuses on the history of London, as opposed to the history of many world regions, it can feel more straightforward and less overwhelming to visit. There is only one route through the galleries which take you in chronological order through London's history. The exhibitions start with prehistoric London and include part of a 200,000-year-old mammoth jaw, a 6,000-year-old axehead made from jadeite, and an Iron Age chariot decorated with intricate Celtic-style designs. The galleries then continue through the history of London, covering the Roman era, Medieval London, the Black Plague, the Great Fire of London, the Victorian era, the Industrial Age, modern London, and more. Each gallery contains numerous artifacts from the time period it covers. In fact, the Museum of London contains the world’s largest urban history collection. Some highlights of the museum include a large collection of Medieval jewelry, the death mask of Oliver Cromwell, and the Lord Mayor’s State Coach from the 18th century. The Museum of London is highly interactive with quizzes, touchscreens, props to try on, and recreations of Victorian streets and pleasure gardens that visitors can walk through. Appropriately, the museum is located within one of the oldest parts of the city, a few blocks from St. Paul’s Cathedral. The building (which has plans to move within the next few years) is flanked by the remains of a Roman wall, so you’ll be looking at historical objects before you even set foot in the door. Imperial War Museum Hours: Open daily from 10AM-6PM Cost: Free (Some temporary exhibitions charge a fee) Closest Tube Stations: Waterloo and Elephant Castle Spanning the start of World War I to present day, London’s Imperial War Museum puts a human face on the impacts of war and armed conflicts. Though the museum now has exhibits on all modern armed conflicts Britain and the Commonwealth have been involved in, it originally only covered World War I, and this period is still a major focus of the museum. When you enter the museum, you’ll be greeted by multiple large military artifacts, including tanks, guns, and aircraft hanging from the ceiling. The most extensive galleries in the museum, on the first and second floors, cover World War I and World War II. To show the effect war had on individuals and to make its impact more personal and relatable, the museum presents stories and artifacts from individual people instead of focusing primarily on strings of numbers or lists of battles. Individual stories from both the front lines and the home front are included. The collection includes letters written to and by soldiers, trench art, souvenirs brought home from battles, and historical photographs, as well as large collections of badges, weapons, and uniforms. Highlights include a rifle owned by Lawrence of Arabia, a pistol of Winston Churchill’s, and a Union Flag recovered from the wreckage of the World Trade Towers. As you move to the upper floors, the tone gets noticeably darker. Galleries cover atrocities of the Holocaust, the history of antisemitism in Europe, and modern warfare and ethnic violence. This is not a museum for children (the Holocaust exhibition is restricted to visitors ages 14 and older), nor is it a museum for people looking for a light and cheery way to spend an afternoon. However, the Imperial War Museum does an extremely moving job of covering some of the most important periods in world history. Natural History Museum Hours: Open daily from 10AM-5:30PM Cost: Free (Some temporary exhibitions charge a fee) Closest Tube Station: South Kensington It’s famous for its dinosaurs, but the Natural History Museum covers nearly the entire breadth of the world of science. It has over 70 million specimens organized into five main collections: botany, entomology, mineralogy, paleontology, and zoology. The Natural History Museum is one of the most eminent science museums in the world, and its collections include specimens collected by Charles Darwin, exhibitions of dinosaur fossils, and a life-size model of a blue whale. Within the museum’s 36 galleries, visitors can view thousands of specimens, learn about the human body, study geologic forces that shape the Earth, and marvel at dinosaur fossils and full-size models. The Darwin Centre Cocoon, where guests can watch scientists at work in the labs, is also a popular spot to visit. The museum is housed in a large, ornate building dating back to the mid-1800s; some visitors simply drop by to marvel at the architecture. With such an expansive collection spanning several centuries, the Natural History Museum can provide a bit of an inconsistent experience. Some of the older exhibits, like some of the taxidermy and animal models, have a slightly dated look. Newer exhibits, particularly those on dinosaurs, human biology, and volcanoes and earthquakes, are much more modern and interactive. In general, though, the Natural History Museum is a favorite among visitors to London. If you’re tired of reading labels, it’s easy to simply walk through the galleries and admire the specimens. Kids in particular are always impressed by the large models of animals that are a standout attraction at the museum. The Best London Art Museums London's museums are a mecca for art lovers. These three art museums each have some of the largest and most prestigious art collections in the world. From traditional galleries lined with paintings to avant-garde fashion exhibitions, these museums have it all. Ophelia by John Everett Millais, on display in the Tate Modern The National Gallery in London Hours: Open daily from 10AM-6PM and until 9PM on Fridays Cost: Free (Some temporary exhibitions charge a fee) Closest Tube Stations: Charing Cross and Leicester Square Housed in a large Classical building that dominates Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery of London is the city’s most-visited art museum. The museum displays over 2,300 Western European paintings dating from the 1200s to 1900. The collection includes masterpieces from numerous periods including the late Medieval period, Renaissance Italy, and French Impressionism. Museum highlights include Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh, The Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo da Vinci, and The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck. There are also pieces by Botticelli, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt, Goya, Monet, and Renoir, among many others. The National Gallery follows standard art museum conventions: priceless paintings displayed attractively in different galleries without a lot of extra frills. Art enthusiasts will love the variety and quality of the works displayed and could happily spend a week viewing the collection, and even people not normally interested in art should stop by to check out the highlights. This museum contains London’s (and one of the world’s) most prestigious collections of art. However, if the thought of spending hours looking at centuries-old paintings doesn’t inspire much excitement, you may want to keep your visit short and move onto other activities after you’ve viewed the most important pieces. The National Gallery also hosts regular lectures, holiday events, and concerts, as well as guided tours (most of these charge an admission fee). Victoria and Albert Museum Hours: Open daily from 10AM-5:45PM and until 10PM on Fridays Cost: Free (Some temporary exhibitions charge a fee) Closest Tube Station: South Kensington If the National Gallery represents the apex of what a traditional art gallery can achieve, the newly refurbished Victoria and Albert Museum (the VA) is a much more modern take on an art museum. The VA is dedicated to decorative arts and design, and its collection spans seven floors and 150 galleries. Works include paintings, photographs, textiles, jewelry, architecture, ceramics, and glass. The museum includes pieces spanning 3,000 years and multiple continents. There’s a huge breadth of pieces here, and you may find yourself wandering past Japanese suits of armor, 16th-century Persian rugs, gilded German writing cabinets, newly created glass pieces commemorating the British Antarctic expedition, and a collection of over 2,000 miniature paintings, to name a few. The VA is a great museum to visit if you’re not interested in the traditional oil painting-filled art galleries. Its diverse collection means each gallery has something different, and the museum’s extensive renovations have given it a clean, modern look. In addition to the works in the galleries, other pieces of interest include a massive glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling in the entrance and a courtyard with a fountain and wading pool. If you have an entire day (or week) to spend at the museum, you may be content to wander the galleries and see what you discover, but many visitors may want to scan an overview of the museum’s collections beforehand so they know what they want to see when they arrive. Tate Modern Hours: Open daily from 10AM-6PM and until 10PM on Fridays and Saturdays Cost: Free (Some temporary exhibitions charge a fee) Closest Tube Stations: Southwark and Blackfriars The Tate Modern is London’s standout gallery for modern and contemporary art. Situated along the bank of the Thames, the Tate Modern picks up where the National Gallery leaves off, showcasing works of art from 1900 to the present day. Unlike the National Gallery; however, the Tate Modern doesn’t only contain paintings. There are also photographs, sculptures, videos, mixed media, and architectural pieces. Some of the most popular pieces include a looming spider sculpture by Louise Bourgeois, Ophelia, a painting by Sir John Everett Millais, and works by Henri Matisse, Andy Warhol, and Georgia O’Keefe. The museum is housed in a former power station, and the building retains much of its original industrial feel. In stark contrast to the Classical buildings of many other London museums, in the Tate Modern visitors will make their way past massive former oil tanks and a soaring turbine hall. While admission to the permanent galleries of the museum is free, the Tate Modern also has frequent temporary exhibitions and performances which do require an admission fee. Visitors who aren’t particularly fond of modern art may find some of the Tate’s pieces confusing or boring. However, come with an open mind and this is one of the best museums in the world to get a taste of the breadth and quality of what modern and contemporary art can offer. You may leave a newly-converted modern art lover. Best Off-the-Beaten-Track Museums in London These are less-known, typically small museums that provide a very different experience than the most famous London museums. They generally focus on how individuals lived in London and, unlike the above museums, some of them charge admission fees. The entrance to the Geffrye Museum Leighton House Museum and Art Gallery Hours: Open Wednesday-Monday from 10AM-5:30PM. Closed Tuesdays Cost:  £7 for adults,  £5 for concessions (discounts) Closest Tube Stations: High Street Kensington and Kensington (Olympia) It’ll be hard to get an audience with the queen while you’re in London, but anyone can get a glimpse of one of the city’s most opulent interiors if they visit Leighton House. The building was once of the home and studio of Victorian artist Lord Frederic Leighton, who filled the house with his own pieces and works of art he gathered during his travels. Though it looks fairly ordinary from the outside, the interior of the house is so sumptuous it’s like walking around a jewelry box. While there are Victorian elements such as gilded and carved columns, antique wooden furniture, and marble work, the highlight of the house is its bold Middle Eastern decorative style. The house’s showpiece is the Arab Hall, a two-story extension decorated with glittering Middle Eastern tiles collected by Leighton. The house also contains stained-glass windows, an extensive collection of paintings and sculptures, elaborate paintwork, a gilt-painted dome, and, to top it all off, a fountain in the middle of the house. If you’re tired of seeing art displayed individually in plain glass cases, this is a great museum to see how one of London’s elite incorporated works of art into his home. Geffrye Museum Hours: Open Tuesday-Sunday from 10AM-5PM. Closed Mondays. Cost: Free Closest Tube Stations: Hoxton Station (London Overground) Located in Shoreditch, London, and easily reached by taking the Overground (as opposed to the tube), the Geffrye Museum is housed in a series of attractive 18th-century almshouses. Like the Leighton House, it’s a former home converted into a museum, however; instead of focusing on one man’s expensive tastes, the Geffrye Museum explores the history of typical middle-class homes from 1600 to present day. The rooms go in chronological order so visitors can see how houses have been decorated throughout the centuries. However, the highlight of the museum is outside. The grounds of the museum are surrounded by period gardens that showcase the changes lawns have undergone during the same time period the museum’s rooms cover. There are also herb gardens and walled gardens to see. Scattered throughout the gardens are benches and chairs for visitors to relax in, as well as an onsite cafe. Unlike many museums, the Geffrye Museum doesn’t have a â€Å"must-see† piece. Instead, take in the homey experience the entire museum offers. The gardens are best from April to October and, during this time, the Geffrye Museum is a great place to enjoy a rare sunny day in London and take a break from spending time indoors. Foundling Museum Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday from 10AM-5PM and Sunday 11am-5PM. Closed Mondays. Cost:  £8.25 for adults,  £5.50 for concessions (discounts) Closest Tube Station: Russell Square For an in-depth look at one of the more unique and poignant sides of London’s history, check out the Foundling Museum. This museum tells the history of the Foundling Hospital, which was founded in 1739 as England’s first hospital for abandoned children. It covers the founding of the museum, the circumstances of mothers who had to abandon their children, how they handing-over process worked (each mother left their infant with a token, such as a button or piece of cloth, to later identify the child if she ever returned), how the children were cared for, and the museum’s current charity work. Visitors to the museum will see record books used to record children who came into the hospital, notes on which mothers were deemed â€Å"acceptable† to leave their children there, schoolbooks and uniforms used by the children, and tokens left behind by children whose mothers never returned. The museum also contains a diverse art collection, with numerous paintings and sculptures lining the rooms and hallways. Most of these were done by 18th-century artists who donated the works themselves to help support the hospital. Visitors can also see the preserved 18th-century interiors from the original hospital, period furniture, and a collection of Handel memorabilia (Handel was a prominent fundraiser for the hospital during his lifetime). Additionally, the museum frequently has temporary exhibitions that show art related to women and children. The Foundling Museum movingly tells the story of one of the less-discussed parts of London’s history, and it’s an excellent place to visit for people interested in learning about both art and history. This is a small museum that can be visited in an hour or two. However, there is a lot of text to read within the rooms if you want to get the complete history of the hospital, so if you’re looking for an easy stroll through exhibits, it may not be the best choice.

Revolution of the American Health Care Industry Research Paper

Revolution of the American Health Care Industry - Research Paper Example From this discussion it is clear that  America has undergone six eras of healthcare reforms namely the charitable era, government era, consumerism era, educational era, insurance era, and the managed care era. The health care of the United States began evolving even before the America was founded, particularly the charitable era. During the charitable era, healthcare institutions such as hospitals and dispensaries were non-existent. Most of the patients depended on well-wishers and charity organizations to take care of their medical needs.This essay discusses that  the physicians used primitive medical procedures in treating patients and they often offered free services. Then came the dictation era during which the United States introduced medical education as a way of equipping the health physicians with the requisite medical skills. America underwent major revolution during this era in terms of the institutionalization of the health care industry Ehrenreich, B., & English, D.  The federal government had provided leeway for organizations and health care insurers to operate. In essence, such organizations operated without any plan and the dispensaries available faced many challenges along the way.  From the late 20the century onwards, the managed care movement advocated for the reduction of the cost of providing health care services in the United Sates. In addition, managed healthcare has seen the improvement of the quality of health care services in America.

Pollution by CO2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Pollution by CO2 - Essay Example Therefore, concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is being monitored closely in order to prevent effects of global warming (Ramseur & Parker2008, p.27). The need to curb the effects of global warming due to increased greenhouse gases has led to the development of novel devices, which can monitor air pollution by CO2. However, it is worth to mention that some of the methods in use for the monitoring of CO2 tend to be highly sophisticated, and can only be used under exceptional circumstances. Today, majority of the devices that are in use for monitoring of atmospheric CO2 are constructed using Non-Dispersive Infrared gas analyzers. However, there are several other techniques, which use chromatographic and spectrum techniques. It is necessary to note that there is an internationally accepted calibration system that helps in giving a global standard for CO2 measurements (Nowakb & King 2002, p.246). Devices for measuring CO2 pollution Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) This is one of the methods widely used for monitoring atmospheric pollution by CO2. This technique has been in use for decades, and its working principle is based on the identification of the absorption spectrum for different gases. Therefore, FTIR operates by monitoring the whole infrared spectrum in order to identify the different absorption spectrums for gases present. Infrared spectrums produce absorption spectrums for samples that have absorption peaks that correspond to frequencies of bond vibrations within an atom. Every material has a unique combination of atoms, hence the uniqueness in the infrared spectrum produced. Therefore, the use of infrared spectroscopy can help in the quantitative analysis of a material (Xinyi 2012, p. 225). The size of peaks produced by infrared spectrums provides a direct measurement for the quantity of substance present within the test sample, which goes to extents of 10% of CO2 concentrations in the sample. The use of software algorithms has made use o f the infrared spectrum a vital tool for quantitative analysis. The use of FTIR has a number of advantages over other techniques that were in use earlier. These advantages include its nondestructive nature; it also gives precise measurements that do not need any external calibration, has a high operating speed and is of a high sensitivity. Other advantages include its high optical throughput, and its mechanical simplicity.With the help of an interferometer, FTIR measures different infrared frequencies simultaneously. Therefore, this technique is reliable for the identification of air pollution by CO2 based on its unique absorption spectrum (Griffith &Stephen 2000, p.218). Advantages FTIR provides the advantage of measuring up to 50 determinants. The other advantagesincludethe reduced number of interferences, lack of frequent calibration, and a typical range of 2.5-25Â µm. Disadvantages The main disadvantage associated with the use of FTIR is its potential to generate a large amount of data from inferograms, which makes data analysis process cumbersome. The other disadvantage relates to difficulties in obtaining a representative background. Gas chromatography This is an analytic technique that is used in the analysis of a number of gaseous substances. Analysis of gases using gas chromatography requires the gaseous compounds under analysis to have thermal stability and sufficiently

Cebu My Hometown Essay Example for Free

Cebu My Hometown Essay Cebu is located in central visayas approximately 1 hour from manila via airplane, Cebu is known for delicious roasted pork and famous in the works of guitars and delicious pastries. Cebu is one of the famous cities around the country as Famous Places in Philippines by ShareRanks three years ago. I will tell you the beautiful sights and relaxing places located in Cebu but not all. First is the Trans-central Highway a 33 kilometer long road from barangay Lahug Cebu city to Balamban(my home town). Some views in Trans-central are breath taking, and it is a 930 ft. above sea level highway. Island in the Sky is one of the best place to visit in Trans-central Highway, they have a small swimming pool and a short hanging bridge, and cottages that you can hang out and eat with your family and friends. Adventure Cafe also located in Trans-central Highway, walking distance from Island in the Sky, and good thing about Adventure Cafe is their adventure base activities such as zip line, wall climbing, rappelling, and stress walk, but honestly haven’t tried their activies, maybe when I go back. There are more place to visit in Trans-central Highway, buy i can only mention two places you can visit. And the last place I want to share is the Whale shark watching, it’s not in Trans-central Highway, there is no whales in 930 ft. above sea level. (haha) It is located in Tan-awan, Oslob, Cebu, 2-3 hours travel or around 177 kilometers south from the Cebu City. There are beaches that offers a tour and rentals for motor banka, but it is very expensive for non-Oslob residents. Whale shark watching is not only available in south side Cebu, but also in north side Cebu. So today I told you the beauty that you can find in my home town, But that’s not all, there are plenty of places you can discover by yourself.

Analyzing TM Berhad using Bolman and Deal’s Four Frames :: essays research papers

Bolman & Deal’s Four Frames: Case Report 1.0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Introduction The purpose of this paper is to analyse TM Berhad using Bolman and Deal’s four frames, as per figure 1 below. Bolman & Deal suggests that ‘Leaders like everyone else, view their experiences through a set of preconditioned lenses and filters’ (Bolman and Deal, 1991, p 510) (Adapted from Bolman & Deal, 1997) In this paper, we have examined our company of choice, TM Berhad, utilizing each of these four frames as a â€Å"spectacle† to determine the leadership approach of its management, and then detailing the more prominent of the frames used. TM Berhad was chosen for our case analysis, due to availability of data from significant coverage on the company awarded by the media. 2.0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Telekom Berhad (â€Å"TM†)- Profile TM is a government-linked corporation, through its substantial shareholder Khazanah Malaysia (Khazanah), the Malaysian Government’s main investment vehicle. It is a major component of the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange Berhad Composite Index. In 2004, a new Group Chief Executive Officer, Dato Abdul Wahid bin Omar was appointed by Khazanah under a general revamp exercise of the GLCs. TM is the main nationwide provider of telecommunication services. It has x no of subsidiaries and operates in three core operating areas of: †¢ Telco- Its core telecommunication business †¢ Telekom Multimedia- Develops new media businesses †¢ ServiceCo- Oversees operational activities such as fleet and property management. The fixed line business and residential telephone services remain the core business of TM. TM’s organization chart is depicted in figure 2 below: Figure 2 3.0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Four –Frame Analysis Our four-frame analysis (Figure 3 above) reveals that TM, like any other modern large corporation, places heavy emphasis on the structural frame. Other frame elements are also present, for example, career development and training programmes are evidence of HR frame use, as well as deployment of a re-branding exercise and other symbolic rituals to provide symbolic frame elements. We may also make inferences that the political frame is also in play from agenda-setting, ambiguity and uncertainty caused by the rationalization and reorganization leading to scarcity of resources and internal conflict, and signing of a collective agreement to denote bargaining and negotiation. We have chosen to focus our detailed analysis on the more prominent structural frame. 4.0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Structural Frame Analysis Bolman & Deal list six assumptions behind the Structural Frame. 1) Organizations exist to achieve established goals and objectives. 2) Organizations work best when rationality prevails over personal preferences and external pressures. 3) Structures must be designed to fit organizational circumstances.

Qualities of a Good Manager

A manager is defines as a person who controls an organization or part of an organization. Today, big companies are searching high and low for a person who is qualified to be a good manager. A normal manager only takes the responsibility of leading and guiding his employees on a daily basis. However, a good manager ventures into opportunities and bring the best in others.In my opinion, a good manager should be implemented with a few certain qualities. First of all, a manager should have the quality of intelligence. He or she must prepare themselves with every aspect of knowledge about their work field. This is to overcome the problems that he might face in the future.A company has rules and regulations that the employees have to follow. A good manager should have the quality of obedience. This is because a good manager is an example towards others. He or she must understand that as he leads by example, his employees are likely to follow him. For instance, if a manager always submits h is paper works late than his employees will also do the same. This can cause lack of productivity for the company.The next quality a good manager should have is integrity either towards themselves or others. A good manager should avoid unethical behavior such as bribery, stealing company’s money or even selling confidential information about the company towards the opponent company. A wise man once said that a manager is like the base of a tower, if the base is broken, the tower will topple down. A good manager should be honest and trustworthy so that the employees can work together to bring the best in their work.A good manager should also have the quality of caring. A good manager views himself as part of the team and treats his employees with respect. This proves that a good manager should concern about his employees’ lives, inside and outside the workplace but that does not mean, the manager should be bustle into the employees’ personal business.Last but not least, a good manager should oppose the quality of hard-working. A bad manager occasionally stalling to send his worksheets, does not give full commitment in his work and prefer easy tasks assigned to him. Thomas Edison once said that â€Å"There is no substitute for hard work†. This proves that a good manager should implements hard works in his work in order to produce outstanding results.In conclusion, a good manager should incorporate with these qualities to perform well in their job. Although nowadays, it seems hard to keep up with these ethics demands but sometimes a person should take big risk to achieve big success.

A Quality Leader Essay

Dr. Karoru Ishikawa is one of the world’s idolized leaders in quality control. His famous quote† Through total quality control with the participation of all employees, including the president, any company can create better products (or service) at a lower cost, increase sales, improve profit and make the company into a better organization† ( Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa) . Ishikawa joined the Union of Japanese Scientist and Engineers, a quality research group back in 1949. The Japanese was concerned about their industry sector since it was known that American manufacturing was producing cheap toys and defective cameras. This group took on the responsibility of Japan’s quality-improvement; that was when Ishikawa took the initiative to build on Feigenbaum’s concept of total quality and promoted greater involvement by all employees, from the top management to the front-line staff, by reducing reliance on quality professionals and quality departments. He advocated collecting and analyzing factual data using simple visual tools, statistical techniques, and teamwork as the foundations for implementing total quality. Like others, Ishikawa believed that quality begins with the customer and therefore, understanding customers’ needs is the basis for improvement, and that complaints should be actively sought. (Evans, 2010 pg 110) Background Kaoru Ishikawa was born in 1915 in Tokyo. He graduated from Tokyo University in 1939 with a degree in Applied Chemistry. In his brief tour in the military as a Naval Technical Officer In charge of 600 workers to construct a factory he quoted â€Å"This experience he says was invaluable to Quality Control activities later on. †, (Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa) He worked for Nissan Liquid Fuel Company from 1941-1947 before he was appointed associate Professor of the University of Tokyo. In 1949 He joined the Union of Japanese Scientist and Engineers because he wanted to change the way people thought about work and help management improve the quality of their product. In 1970 Dr. Ishikawa started conducting quality control training seminars. Around 1978 Dr. Ishikawa became the President of Musashi Institute of Technology. Upon Ishikawa’s 1989 death, Dr. Juran delivered this message: â€Å"There is so much to be learned by studying how Dr. Ishikawa managed to accomplish so much during a single lifetime. In my observation, he did so by applying his natural gifts in an exemplary way. He was dedicated to serving society rather than serving himself. His manner was modest, and this elicited the cooperation of others. † (Dr. Joseph M. Juran) Primary work and significant accomplishments Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa accomplishments have include helping thousands of companies, like IBM, Bridgestone, and Komatsu, to turn out higher quality products at considerable lower costs. His book,†What is Total Quality Control? The Japanese Way†, Prentice Hall, Inc. was a best seller in business books. He has been awarded the Deming Prize and the Nihon Keizai Press Prize, the Industrial Standardization Prize for his writings on Quality Control, and the Grant Award in 1971 from the American Society for Quality Control for his education programmer on Quality Control. Process Improvement Japan, 2012). His creation of the fishbone diagram, the user can see all possible root causes of process imperfections. There are many other accomplishments that Dr. Ishikawa has made, which you can find in books and online. These were deserving awards due to his unselfish work ethics and have truly made him a quality genius. Conclusion Through total quality control a company of any type can stay in business, make products at lower cost, and endure great productivity from its workers. Dr Ishikawa wanted to change the way workers and management do business. Quality should start with the customer and it can be done using his writings, fishbone diagram, and other tools like control charts, run charts, histogram, scatter diagram, Pareto charts, and flowcharts. His knowledge was needed in a time when people wanted a product that will last and was supported by the company who makes it. His many accomplishments and strong work ethics influenced many companies to change and many of those companies are still in business today. Dr. Ishikawa is truly a leader in quality control.

The Untenable Developmental State Economic Model

The Untenable Developmental State Economic Model Introduction The developmental state is a term used to describe industrialised and rapidly developing economies. In these economies, policies that bring rapid economic change are formulated and implemented by the governments concerned.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Untenable Developmental State Economic Model specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Previously, the term developmental state was used to describe the East Asian economies such as South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and even Japan and China, where governmental policies played a vital role in the exponential economic growth of these countries from the early eighties. Chalmers Johnson, an eminent Political scientist who did large quantities of research on Asian economies, first used â€Å"Developmental State† as a term in his book MITI and the Japanese Miracle (Stubbs 2009, p.4). However, the term has lately been used to describe states outside A sia that have similar development styles, such as Botswana in Africa and some Latin American countries. The rapid industrialization and economic growth that characterised the East Asian economies were of much interest to western scholars. According to Hayashi, there exists two types of criticism for the developmental state (2010, p.46). The first type states that, developmental states are not a decisive factor in economic growth and that other developing countries would do well to forgo the form of economic growth exhibited by development states. This is because, according to economists like Paul Krugman, development states had exhibited a sham growth that did not take into account a concept known as total factor productivity, where all variables that play a part in economic growth are included in the calculation of growth and GDP. According to Krugman therefore, these developmental states would soon crumble under illusionary the weight of the deceptive economic growth. The second c lass of criticism states that, although a slight level of growth was achieved by the developmental states in the eighties and nineties, such a model of economic growth is no longer viable in today’s globalized world.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The emergence of the developmental states of East Asia was in a sense a rebellion from the economic models practiced by the former colonial masters of these countries. According to Kim, these East Asian states desired to pursue unique economic strategies that were customised to fit the cultural, political and economic realities of East Asia, distinct from the policies advocated by fly-by-night western economists (2009, p.383). These countries felt that the economic practices proposed by their former colonial masters were far-removed from Asian realities, and purposed to chart their own paths towards industrializat ion and economic growth. The Asian economic crisis of 1997-1998 affected most countries in Asia. Those severely affected were Thailand, South Korea, Indonesia and Malaysia. Other countries affected were The Philippines and Laos. India, Japan and China were less affected, but suffered a loss of confidence in their markets. Therefore, the crisis’ reach spanned the entire Asian continent. Eventually, as the crisis deepened, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had to step in and bail out some of these economies. During the years when the model of the developmental state was being touted as one of the best models that a country in need of rapid industrialization and economic growth could adopt, the East Asian countries served as the prototypical examples. The general belief was that these countries had sound fiscal policies and the high-capital flows into these countries were evidence of investor confidence in the said policies. However, when the crisis began, the model of the d evelopmental state, especially when juxtaposed with countries in the west with differing economic policies, did not appear as reliable and stable as earlier thought. Additionally, because of the intervention of the IMF, and the subsequent actions by these countries in adopting policies proposed by the IMF, the developmental state as a model of growth for developing countries needs re-thinking. In light of these developments since the East Asian financial crisis of 1997-1998, the notion of the developmental state, as a model for growth, is economically nonviable. Moreover, the concept of globalization has rendered governmental influence on economic progress unfeasible. Additionally, because in the aftermath of the financial crisis the Asian states affected adopted western economic structures and policies, the notion of the developmental state as a model for rapid industrialization is unsustainable.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Untenable Developmental State Economic Model specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Prior to 1997-1998 Financial Crisis During the 1980s and early 1990s, Asian countries attracted foreign investors in droves. Countries like Indonesia, Thailand and South Korea posted double-digit growth rates for many consecutive years (Stubbs 2011, p.155). This seeming economic boom saw high interest rate returns for investors, and capital inflows to these countries increased. These Asian countries, especially South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore earned the admiration of the IMF and the World Bank, and were given the moniker â€Å"Asian Tigers† to describe their successful and aggressive growth towards industrialization. The 1997-98 Asian Financial Crisis The 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis began in Thailand, where due to the country’s massive foreign debt, its currency was rendered valueless. Soon the effects of Thailand’s currency collapse spread to other Asian nations, and countries such as China and Japan, though relatively less so, were also affected. Because of the significant investments made by international and foreign investors in these economies, the IMF had to step in to pre-empt a worldwide financial crisis. The IMF started a bail out program for the economies of South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand and other affected nations. South Korea As one of the countries that was most affected by the crisis, South Korea accepted the IMF bail out funds in order to restore its economy. The immediate aftermath of the crisis was an increase in the level of unemployment in the country; the IMF request to reduce public spending and downsize workers in the public sector only worsened matters. Additionally, many of the large corporations in the country had chalked up astronomical debts and were nearing insolvency when the crisis began. Government efforts to shore up the activities of conglomerates such as Kia motors, the country’s large st car marker at the time, had served to laden the company with poor debt. Typical of developmental states, the South Korean government had made efforts to bail out the company prior to the crisis.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Jung and Clark, many South Koreans believe the IMF intervention worsened the crisis, with some going as far as blaming the IMF for instigating the crisis (2010, p.30). Indeed, even though South Korea accepted the bail out money from IMF, it did not strictly adhere to the conditions set by the monetary institution (Su-Hsing Ming-Jang 2010, p.175). For instance, the government rejected the condition of reducing its public spending, and on the contrary offered welfare funds to the needy and others most affected by the crisis. In the long term, the stance of the government bore fruit, and by the year 2007, the South Korean economy was again recording consistently high levels of growth. Thailand Thailand’s economic growth prior to the financial crisis of 1997-98 was one of the highest in the world. As the epicentre of the financial crisis, panic began through investor speculation on the strength of the country’s currency. The central bank, in the face of massi ve lay offs and loss of jobs and businesses, refused to devalue the currency. Thereafter, many of the country’s financial and industrial institutions collapsed, and more workers lost their jobs. A high number of expatriate workers also left the country. By December 1997, the government of Thailand accepted bail out packages from the IMF, and implemented the conditions that the IMF set for granting the funds. These conditions included limited government spending, high taxation, and maintaining high interest rates. Additionally, all institutions and firms that could not sustain themselves and were insolvent were not to be bailed out. Within seven years of implementing these measures, Thailand was firmly on the road to economic recovery, and paid its IMF debt within the stipulated period. Indonesia Indonesia’s financial crisis was least expected amongst the Asian nations. Indonesia, unlike other East Asian nations that were affected by the crisis, had low inflations, a st able currency, adequate foreign reserves, and its currency’s exchange rate to the dollar was stable. However, financial contagion stemming from Thailand’s collapse led to speculative ambushes on the rupiah, Indonesia’s currency. Soon the country’s premier stock exchange reached its lowest points in history, and the political class, led by the president, decided to accept IMF’s bail out funds of $20 billion dollars. The crisis claimed several political scalps, including that of President Suharto. The president, in an attempt to contain the crisis, had earlier sacked the central Bank governor whom he accused of formulating defective policies that failed to arrest the economic decline that was plaguing the country. Malaysia Prior to the crisis, Malaysia attracted large foreign investment. Like other developmental states, government hand in promoting the country as an investment hub was significant in attracting high numbers of foreign investors. The K uala Lumpar Stock exchange at the time was the most active in the world. However, in 1998, due to the effects of the financial crisis in other East Asian nations, the Malaysian economy went into recession. Industrial sectors like the construction industry, one of the foremost industries in the country, shrunk massively. Massive lay offs and downsizing of staff followed. The government intervened to slow the currency’s decline against the dollar. Malaysian economic authorities formed task forces to oversee he stabilization of the economy, and Malaysia was the only country to decline aid from the IMF. By the year 2005, measures to contain the crisis had taken effect, and the Malaysian currency was de-linked from its previous fixed exchange status. China, Japan and the USA China was not intensely affected by the financial crisis. Its currency, at the time, traded at about 8 RMB to the dollar. However, due to the decline in the relative value of most Asian currencies occasioned b y the crisis, China was faced with the need of devaluing its own currency so that its exports could remain competitive. Chinese authorities decided not to devaluate the currency, and in the end, China was able to survive the financial crisis with the barest of losses to its economy and prestige. Japanese investments in other Asian nations suffered because of the collapse of these economies during and after the financial crisis. Additionally, in 1998 the economy suffered a recession due to low foreign exchange occasioned by competition from cheaper sources of goods from other Asian nations. In the US, although the economy did not undergo a recession, fears of collapse fuelled by the crisis occurring in Asia led to the brief suspension of trading at the New York Stock Exchange. Similarly, the country experienced reduced consumer spending amid speculation of the outcome of the Asian financial crisis. Lessons Learnt Prior to the financial crisis of 1997, these East Asian economies were believed to have implemented sound fiscal policies that would forestall the occurrence of a financial crisis. Therefore, even the most ardent sceptics of the â€Å"Asian miracle† like Paul Krugman could not predict the scope and intensity of the crisis. According to Ka Ho, Lawler, and Hinz, the Asian financial crisis worsened the existing social gaps that existed priors to the crisis (2009, p.146). Educational opportunities for the poor became limited, and access to social services was hindered by the lack of funds in government treasuries in these Asian nations (Ramesh 2009, p. 80). The IMF intervention was conditional, and the nations affected had to pursue frugality measures crafted by the IMF in order to reduce public spending, increase revenue and restore investor confidence. The Role of the IMF As earlier stated, one of the main reasons that the Asian states pursued the developmental state economic model was a desire to curve out economic paths that remained true to Asi an conditions. For many of the countries in Asia, simply following western models of economic growth was not tenable. Therefore, adoption of the developmental state model by these countries was, as much an act of defiance, as it was a pursuit of a unique economic growth model. The IMF’s role in reducing the effects of the financial crisis through bailing out these economies took several angles. The conditions set by the IMF served to achieve certain purposes, which many in the Asian region felt was a form of neo-colonialism, and a movement towards a form of economic models many Asians countries had strived so hard to disassociate with – the western model. Westernized Financial and Banking Institutions Ultimately, the IMF wanted the Asian nations affected by the crisis to adopt financial models moulded in the form of those found in Europe and the USA. As far as the IMF was concerned, the developmental state models had failed at its most critical point. The financial cri sis that plagued Asian nations, which until the actual crisis began were believed to be examples in sound financial and economic management, was proof of failure of the developmental state model for the economic growth. Therefore, the IMF facilitated bail out funds with conditions that required these countries to restructure their economic and financial institutions, industries and policies. According to Pettis, emerging economies that pursue aggressive policies aimed at industrialization have to be aware of imminent collapse wrought by unstable institutions (2001, p.17). Pettis states that, countries that industrialize over a long period are better placed to deal with sudden economic shocks because the economic industries in these countries usually stabilize over long periods, enough to withstand sudden economic shocks. Therefore, the IMF’s role was to steer these economies away from the developmental state model and towards a more western economic orientation. Transparency A strong feature of the developmental state is a lack of financial openness to foreigners or the outside world. Whenever government is involved in economic matters, many times the need to pursue genuine economic policies and the desire to placate the electoral masses usually conflict. Subsequently, many developmental states find themselves issuing economic data that the masses and the electorate will find pleasant, while hiding or failing to disclose economic data that may place the government in a negative light (de Boyrie 2009, p.5). Indeed, developmental states tend to have minimal democratic practices, and sometimes need to maintain a positive economic image for the public and investors overrides the need for full disclosure (Pempel 1999, p.14). Some analysts believe that one of the reasons that remarkably few economists predicted the Asian financial crisis of 1997-1998 was because the data that the economists worked with was not comprehensive. Therefore, while these economies w ere given a clean bill of health in the economic books of western scholars as late as 1996, the real data or economic trends that would have allowed for some sort of prediction was overlooked, or simply unavailable for outside scrutiny. Therefore, one of the conditions set by the IMF was that the financial institutions that were to be given the bail out money would disclose all their financial activities, and such activities should henceforth be subject to public scrutiny (Best 2010, p.30). As shown in the economic data of the countries that were affected by the Asian financial crisis of 97-98 in this paper, all of these countries showed healthy economic data prior to the crisis. Even Thailand, the country that precipitated the crisis, enjoyed an economic growth rate of 9% in the year preceding the financial crisis. The belief that the governments of these countries had withheld crucial data that would have pre-empted the crisis thus holds water. Restoration of Confidence in Asian M arkets In order to facilitate quick economic recovery and restore investor confidence in the Asian markets, the IMF proposed measures to realise the same. In countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, and South Korea, the beginning of the financial crisis saw them hold remarkably little in foreign reserves. Therefore, the IMF instructed these countries to maintain high interest rates to ensure that their respective domestic currencies remained in the hands of locals, thereby maintaining confidence in these currencies. Similarly, the crisis led to a reduction in capital flow to the Asian region, and fearful of speculative buying and withdrawal of investments that would bring a global crisis, the IMF sought to restore investor confidence in the Asian markets as soon as was practically possible (Kaufman, Krueger, Hunter 1999, p.35). In the pursuit of restoring investor confidence, the Asian economies that accepted bail out money from the IMF resorted to adopting financial practices simila r to those of western societies like the US. Vindication of the Western Model over the Developmental State Model Ultimately, the fact that these Asian states accepted bail out funds in order to restore their economies points to a victory of the western route towards economic progress and industrialization over the developmental state model. The policies pushed by the IMF, and adopted by these countries, ultimately worked. In essence, the developmental state model failed when it mattered most. Globalization and the Notion of the Developmental State The Asian Financial crisis of 1997-1998 had profound effects on the social, economic and political sectors of the East Asian economies. The immediate aftermath of the crisis saw these states grapple with massive unemployment, lack of access to social services and increased poverty rates. Since the crisis, changes in the modus operandi of world economies, precipitated by technological advances, have ushered in global markets for national ec onomies. Through globalization, traditional country boundaries that restricted trade have been eliminated, and business transactions across national barriers are common and necessary. According to Green, globalization is changing the way countries run their economies and industries in Asia (2007, p.25). Outsourcing of labour across national boundaries, exchange of goods and services over the Internet and technological transfer have all contributed to creating economies that rely less on governmental policy and more on the individual innovativeness of citizens. Conclusion Certainly, the East Asian developmental states prior to the East Asian financial crisis of 1997-198-98 were models on achieving high economic growth and rapid industrialization. Variously called the ‘Asian miracle’, â€Å"Asian tigers’ and other such epithets, analysts of these economies prior to the crisis were confident in the model as a vehicle towards economic progress. However, the financia l crisis of 1997-1998 calls for a re-think concerning the efficacy of the developmental state as a model for economic and industrial growth. As discussed in this paper, the financial crisis called into question various attributes of the developmental state. Overall, the inability of these developmental states to secure their economies by themselves and only doing so through the assistance of worldwide monetary institutions such as the IMF indicates a considerable failure of the development state notion (Muchhala 2007, p.45). The intervention by the IMF, and the subsequent policies adopted by these states, point to the weaknesses in the development state model. Firstly, in order to recover from the financial crisis, these states had to acquire financial models similar to those of the western world. This indicates a failure of the financial model espoused in developmental states. Secondly, these states had to pen up their economy for more intense international scrutiny. Thirdly, these states had to restore confidence in their markets by practicing policies such as implementing high interest rates, an idea prevalent in western economic policies. Ultimately, because these states had to forgo their developmental state models in order to recover from the financial crisis, the developmental state model thus becomes effectively redundant. Finally, as discussed in the paper, the changes in world economic practices have served to obviate the need for adoption of a development state model for economic growth. Globalization has shattered traditional trade and economic activity beliefs. In the present day, economic transactions rely less on governmental regulation, and more business activities are carried out across national and international boundaries than ever before. Such open, quick and innovative transactions carried out over the Internet and through technological transfers have placed market forces firmly out of the hands of governments. The notion of the developmen tal state thus belongs to a bygone era. Reference List Best, J., 2010. The Limits of Financial Risk Management: Or what we didn’t learn from The Asian Crisis. New Political Economy, 15(1), pp. 29-49. de Boyrie, M., 2009. Structural Changes, Causality, and Foreign Direct Investments: Evidence from the Asian Crises of 1997. Global Economy Journal, 9(4), pp. 1-38. Green, A., 2007. Globalisation and the changing nature of the state in East Asia.  Globalisation, Societies Education, 5(1), pp. 23-38. Hayashi, S., 2010. The developmental state in the era of globalization: beyond the Northeast Asian model of political economy. Pacific Review, 23(1), pp. 45-69. Jung, C., Clark, C., 2010. The Impact of the Asian Financial Crisis on Budget Politics in South Korea. Asian Affairs: An American Review, 37(1), pp. 27-45. Ka Ho, M., Lawler, J., Hinz, S., 2009. Economic Shocks in Education: Analysis of the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis and Lessons for Today. Global Social Policy, 9(2), pp. 145-173. Kaufman, G, Krueger, T, Hunter, C 1999. The Asian Financial Crisis: Origins,  Implications and Solutions. New York: Springer. Kim, W., 2009. Rethinking Colonialism and the Origins of the Developmental State in East Asia. Journal of Contemporary Asia, 39(3), pp. 382-399. Muchhala, B., 2007. Ten Years After: Revisiting the Asian Financial Crisis. Washington, DC: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Asia Program. Pempel, T., 1999. The Politics of the Asian Economic Crisis. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press. Pettis, M., 2001. The Volatility Machine: Emerging Economies and the Threat of  Financial Collapse. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Ramesh, M., 2009. Economic Crisis and its Social Impacts: Lessons from the 1997 Asian Economic Crisis. Global Social Policy, 9(2), pp. 79-99. Stubbs, R., 2009. What ever happened to the East Asian Developmental State? The Unfolding debate. Pacific Review, 22(1), pp. 1-22. Stubbs, R., 2011. The East Asian developmental state and the Great Recession: Evolving contesting coalitions. Contemporary Politics, 17(2), pp. 151-166. Su-Hsing, H., Ming-Jang, W., 2010. Did IMF Put Out the Fire or Start One when the Financial Crisis Struck Asia? International Research Journal of Finance   Economics, 40(6), pp. 172-183.

JavaScript Execution Order Code and Guide

JavaScript Execution Order Code and Guide Designing your web page using JavaScript requires attention to the order in which your code appears and whether you are encapsulating code into functions or objects, all of which impact the order in which the code runs.   The Location of JavaScript on Your Web Page Since the JavaScript on your page executes based on certain factors, lets consider where and how to add JavaScript to a web page.   There are basically three locations into which we can attach JavaScript: Directly into the head of the pageDirectly into the body of the pageFrom an event handler/listener It doesnt make any difference whether the JavaScript is within the web page itself or in external files linked to the page. It also doesnt matter  whether the event handlers are hard-coded into the page or added by the JavaScript itself (except that they cant be triggered before they are added). Code Directly on the Page What does it mean to say that JavaScript is  directly in the head or body of the page?  If the code is not enclosed in a function or object, it is directly in the page. In this case, the code runs sequentially as soon as the file containing the code has loaded sufficiently for that code to be accessed. Code that is within a function or object is run only when that function or object is called. Basically, this means that any code inside the head and body of your page that is not inside a function or object will run as the page is loading  -   as soon as  the page has loaded sufficiently to access that code. That last bit is important and impacts the order in which you place your code on the page: any code placed directly in the page that needs to interact with elements within the page must appear after the elements in the page on which it is dependent. In general, this means that if you use direct code to interact with your page content, such code should be placed at the bottom of the body. Code Within Functions and Objects A code inside functions or objects is run whenever that function or object is called. If it is called from code that is directly in the head or body of the page, then its place in the execution order is effectively the point at which the function or object is called from the direct code. Code Assigned to Event Handlers and Listeners Assigning a function to an event handler or listener does not result in the function being run at the point at which it is assigned -   provided that you are actually assigning the function itself and not running the function and assigning the value returned. (This is why you generally do not see the () on the end of the function name when it is being assigned to an event since the addition of the parentheses runs the function and assigns the value returned rather than assigning the function itself.) Functions that are attached to event handlers and listeners run when the event that they are attached to is triggered. Most events are triggered by visitors interacting with your page. Some exceptions exist, however, such as the load event on the window itself, which is triggered when the page finishes loading. Functions Attached to Events on Page Elements Any functions attached to events on elements within the page itself will run according to the actions of each individual visitor - this  code runs only when a particular event occurs to trigger it. For this reason, it doesnt  matter if the code never runs for a given visitor, since that visitor has obviously not performed the interaction that requires it. All of this, of course, assumes that your visitor has accessed your page with a browser that has JavaScript enabled. Customized Visitor User Scripts Some users have installed special scripts that may  interact with your web page. These scripts run after all of your direct code, but before any  code attached to the load event handler. Since your page knows nothing about these user scripts, you have no way of knowing what these external scripts might do  -   Ã‚  they  could override any or all of the code that you have attached to the various events to which you have assigned processing. If this code overrides  event handlers or listeners, the response to event triggers will run the code defined by the user instead of, or in addition to, your code. The take home point here is that you cannot assume that code designed to run after the page has loaded will be allowed to run the way that you designed it. In addition, be aware that some browsers have options that allow disabling of some event handlers within the browser, in which case a relevant event trigger will not launch the corresponding event handler/listener in your code.

Financing New Ventures Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Financing New Ventures - Assignment Example With such bans being effected by various airlines throughout the world, it translates to the loss of investment revenues. This bans implemented by airline also have serious consequences on crucial trade flows thereby making the prices of medicines and foods. To the investors this marks the beginning of hard times since their businesses both locally in the area that have been affected and abroad in the areas that have ban flights. Both direct and indirect consequence of the outbreak of Ebola has also contributed to the diminished tourism in the areas. The impact of Ebola outbreak is great, but its effect is will not last for long even though its impact will be felt. CDC is working to ensure Ebola outbreak is contained and controlled. With this great steps being taken by the necessary authorities, the fight against Ebola will win ion n the end. As an investor, even though the impact of this deadly disease has been felt worldwide, the process of investment has to continue. The outbreak of the disease is short term hence as an investor I will not pull out and will consider proceeding with my