Ancient Olmec Culture

The Olmec culture thrived along Mexico’s Gulf Coast from approximately 1200-400 B.C. The first great Mesoamerican culture, it had been in decline for centuries before the arrival of the first Europeans, therefore, much information about the Olmecs has been lost. We know the Olmecs primarily through their art, sculpture, and architecture. Although many mysteries remain, ongoing work by archaeologists, anthropologists, and other researchers has given us something of a glimpse into what Olmec life might have been like. Olmec Food, Crops, and Diet The Olmecs practiced basic agriculture using the slash-and-burn technique, in which overgrown plots of land are burned: this clears them for planting and the ashes act as fertilizer. They planted many of the same crops seen in the region today, such as squash, beans, manioc, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes. Maize was a staple of the Olmec diet, although it is possible that it was introduced late in the development of their culture. Whenever it was introduced, it soon became very important: one of the Olmec Gods is associated with maize. The Olmecs avidly fished from nearby lakes and rivers. Clams, alligators, and various types of fish were an important part of their diet. The Olmecs preferred to make settlements near water, as the floodplains were good for agriculture and fish and shellfish could be had more easily. For meat, they had domestic dogs and the occasional deer. A vital part of the Olmec diet was nixtamal, a special sort of corn meal ground with seashells, lime or ashes, the addition of which greatly enhances the nutritional value of the cornmeal. Olmec Tools In spite of only having Stone Age technology, the Olmecs were able to make several sorts of tools which made their life easier. They used whatever was at hand, such as clay, stone, bone, wood or deer antlers. They were skilled at making ​pottery: vessels and plates used for storing and cooking food. Clay pots and vessels were extremely common among the Olmec: literally, millions of potsherds have been discovered in and around Olmec sites. Tools were mostly made of stone and include basic items such as hammers, wedges, mortar-and-pestles and mano-and-metate grinders used for mashing corn and other grains. Obsidian was not native to the Olmec lands, but when it could be had, it made excellent knives. Olmec Homes The Olmec culture is remembered today in part because it was the first Mesoamerican culture to produce small cities, most notably San Lorenzo and La Venta (their original names are unknown). These cities, which have been extensively investigated by archaeologists, were indeed impressive centers for politics, religion, and culture, but most ordinary Olmecs did not live in them. Most common Olmecs were simple farmers and fishermen who lived in family groups or small villages. Olmec homes were simple affairs: generally, one large building made of earth packed around poles, which served as a sleeping area, dining room, and shelter. Most homes probably had a small garden of herbs and basic foods. Because the Olmecs preferred to live in or near flood plains, they built their homes on small mounds or platforms. They dug holes in their floors to store food. Olmec Towns and Villages Excavations show that smaller villages consisted of a handful of homes, most likely inhabited by family groups. Fruit trees such as zapote or papaya were common in villages. Larger excavated villages often have a central mound of greater size: this would be where the home of a prominent family or local chieftain was built, or perhaps a small shrine to a god whose name is now long-forgotten. The status of the families that made up the village could be discerned by the how far they lived from this town center. In larger towns, more remains of animals such as dog, alligator, and deer have been found than in smaller villages, suggesting that these foods were reserved for local elites. Olmec Religion and Gods The Olmec people had a well-developed religion. According to archaeologist Richard Diehl, there are five aspects of Olmec religion, including a well-defined cosmos, a shaman class, sacred places and sites, identifiable gods and specific rituals and ceremonies. Peter Joralemon, who has studied the Olmecs for years, has identified no fewer than eight gods from surviving Olmec art. Common Olmecs who worked the fields and caught fish in the rivers probably only participated in religious practices as observers, because there was an active priest class and the rulers and ruling family most likely had specific and important religious duties. Many of the Olmec gods, such as the Rain God and Feathered Serpent, would go on to form part of the pantheon of later Mesoamerican civilizations, such as the Aztec and Maya. The Olmec also played the ritualistic Mesoamerican ball game. Olmec Art Most of what we know about the Olmec today is due to surviving examples of Olmec art. The most easily recognizable pieces are the massive colossal heads, some of which are nearly ten feet tall. Other forms of Olmec art that have survived include statues, figurines, celts, thrones, wooden busts and cave paintings. The Olmec cities of San Lorenzo and La Venta most likely had an artisan class who worked on these sculptures. Common Olmecs likely produced only useful art such as pottery vessels. Thats not to say that the Olmec artistic output did not affect the common people, however: the boulders used to make the colossal heads and thrones were quarried many miles from the workshops, meaning that thousands of commoners would be pressed into service to move the stones on sledges, rafts, and rollers to where they were needed. Importance of Olmec Culture Understanding the Olmec culture is very important to modern-day researchers and archaeologists. First of all, the Olmec was the mother culture of Mesoamerica, and many aspects of Olmec culture, such as gods, glyphic writing, and artistic forms, became part of later civilizations such as the Maya and Aztecs. Even more importantly, the Olmec were one of only six primary or pristine civilizations in the world, the others being ancient China, Egypt, Sumeria, the Indus of India and the Chavin culture of Peru. Pristine civilizations are those that developed somewhere without any significant influence from previous civilizations. These primary civilizations were forced to develop on their own, and how they developed teaches us a lot about our distant ancestors. Not only are the Olmecs a pristine civilization, they were the only ones to develop in a humid forest environment, making them a special case indeed. The Olmec civilization had gone into decline by 400 B.C. and historians arent exactly sure why. Their decline probably had much to do with wars and climate change. After the Olmec, several clearly post-Olmec societies developed in the Veracruz region. There is much that is still unknown about the Olmecs, including some very important, basic things such as what they called themselves (Olmec is an Aztec word applied to sixteenth-century dwellers in the region). Dedicated researchers are constantly pushing the boundaries of what is known about this mysterious ancient culture, bringing new facts to light and correcting errors previously made. Sources Coe, Michael D. Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs. Ancient Peoples and Places, Rex Koontz, 7th Edition, Thames Hudson, June 14, 2013. Cyphers, Ann. Surgimiento y decadencia de San Lorenzo, Veracruz. Arqueologà ­a Mexicana Vol XV - Num. 87 (Sept-Oct 2007). P. 30-35. Diehl, Richard A. The Olmecs: Americas First Civilization. London: Thames and Hudson, 2004. Grove, David C. Cerros Sagradas Olmecas. Trans. Elisa Ramirez. Arqueologà ­a Mexicana Vol XV - Num. 87 (Sept-Oct 2007). P. 30-35. Miller, Mary and Karl Taube. An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya. New York: Thames Hudson, 1993.

The Philosophical Debate On Moral Responsibility - 1690 Words

Philosophical debate on moral responsibility has a long history. Thousands of years, many philosophers have debated on whether human beings are morally responsible for their actions. To answer this question, philosophers use terms like free will, determinism, compatibility and deservingness to help it. The question is still a major issue addressed today. To be morally responsible means to accept praise, blame, reward, or punishment for an act or omission in accordance with one s moral obligations. People could argue that they have free will or not. According to general knowledge of free will, free will can be defined as the ability to do things on ones own discretion. Thus, in this paper I will argue that humans are morally responsible for their actions. I will prove this by using the concepts of Free will and determinism. Free will in the sense that for humans to be morally responsible for an action, one has to be free and conscious of his or her decision. In the case of Determinis m, the presence of causation and external forces has minimal effect or no effect on moral responsibility. Free will Human beings are morally responsible for their actions because they posess free will. Free will is a choice or a desire to do something of ones accord. According to Paul Edward, a philosopher, when we call an action â€Å"free† we mean that the agent is not compelled or constrained to perform it. (Edward). One might argue that people act in certain ways because they have been drugged orShow MoreRelatedComparing Compatibilism Vs Incompatibilism : A Compatibilist View1332 Words   |  6 Pagesthat determinism implies no free will, or the compatibilists view that determinism still allows for free will. The incompatibilist philosophical thinkers have taken determinism as use of a scapegoat, identifying determinism to infer that human beings are unable to have any free will, thus no moral responsibility for taken actions. 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As a result of these often-heated arguments, many factions have evolved, the two most prominent being the schools of Libertarianism and of Determinism. Within these two schools of thought lies another debate, that of compatibilism, or whether or not the two believes can co-exist. In his essay, Has the Self â€Å"Free Will†?, C.A. Campbell, a staunch non-compatiblist and libertarian, attempts to explain the Libertarian argument. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;ToRead More The Free Will Debate Essay2989 Words   |  12 Pagesother vital philosophical issues: freedom of action and moral accountability, which is the main reason why the debate is so vital. Simply stated, a person who has free will refers to an individual’s ability to choose his or her route of action. However, animals also appear to suit this measure, further adding to the debate because free will is typically thought to only be possessed by human beings (Broad 1990). Over the years, there has been an extended running controversial debate as to whether

Understanding The Y2k Bug Free Essays

As the Millennial sun rose over human civilization, in the independent republic of Kiribati, a group of some thirty low lying coral islands in the Pacific Ocean that straddle the equator and the International Date Line, the reality of the Y2K bug became apparent. This long awaited sunrise marks the dawn of the year 2000. Kiribati’s 81,000 Micronesians observed nothing different about this dawn, they only received TV in 1989. We will write a custom essay sample on Understanding The Y2k Bug or any similar topic only for you Order Now (y2ksupply.com) However, those who live in a world that relies on satellites, air, rail and ground transportation, manufacturing plants, electricity, heat, telephones, or TV, experienced a true millennial shift, or not. We finally saw the extent of the networked and interdependent processes we had created. At the stroke of midnight, the new millenium closed the greatest challenge to modern society we have responded to yet. We didn†t experience this event, as chaos or social transformation. I am describing the year 2000 problem, known as Y2K (K signifying 1000). Nicknamed at first â€Å"The Millennial Bug,† increasing sensitivity even escalated the nickname to â€Å"The Millennial Bomb.† The problem begins as a simple technical error. Large mainframe computers more than ten years old were not programmed to handle a four digit year. Sitting here now, safely in the year 2000, it seems incomprehensible that computer programmers and microchip designers didn’t plan for it. Programmers did whatever was required to get a product up and working; no one even thought about standards. This computer bug has been predicted to impact the world anywhere from a minor problem to the end of a civilization. Whichever view you took on the subject it is clear that this bug had a definite impact on the economy. Whichever view anyone took on this issue, didn†t really matter because the point is that everyone thought about it and dealt with the issue in his or her own way. In order to understand the Y2K bug we must first understand what it is. For many years electronic storage was very expensive. In the early days of computing a Megabyte or a million bytes of information could have cost up to $100,000 to store electronically. This same amount of information storage can now cost around ten cents. (Barr) Many programs that are date sensitive will react to this bug in a negative way. A good example of a problem that could occur due to the bug would be that of banking software. In that case one of the software†s functions would be to bill all of its customers with outstanding loans. This program works by sending the bill progressively every month until the loan is paid off. If the computer were to think that it was the year 1900 then none of these loans would have even been made yet and the computer would become unstable or cease to function. Much of this software can be repaired or replaced with new versions, however, some of it is not as easily replaced. A great deal of the code that is causing worry at the moment is actually imbedded in automated machinery. This code can†t be repaired, except by replacing the machinery itself. This code is in many of the machines that run companies, public utilities, and are even in our homes in such appliances as VCRs. This calculation problem explains why the computer system at Marks Spencer department store in London destroyed tons of food during the process of doing a long-term forecast. The computer read 2002 as 1902. Instead of four more years of shelf life, the computer calculated that this food was ninety-six years old. It ordered it thrown out. A similar problem happened recently in the U.S. at the warehouse of a freeze-dried food manufacturer. In September 1998, Datamation magazine estimated that, on average, about 7% of all electronics are date sensitive and In November 1998, PCWeek, another leading trade journal, put the number at 5%. (Gibbons) The main emphasis seems to systems with many chips all working on real time clocks such as manufacturing plants. These systems were estimated at up to 30% not compliant with the Y2K problem. Companies with these systems have had trouble being ready for Y2K because in order to prepare for the problem the affected chips have to be isolated and repaired. In a system with thousands of these chips and little documentation on each one, this is an almost impossible chore. Replacing entire systems can cost millions of dollars and many companies can†t afford the cost of the repair. Billions of dollars were spent preparing for this event and much more will be spent in recovery. Most companies have been addressing the problem for the past few years. Very rarely do we get the chance to watch the entire industry lifecycle, from introduction in the early 90†³s and the decline and death of the industry in the early months of 2000. The entire industry has opened up just to deal with this problem. In the US most mission critical equipment was tested before 1999 and was either compliant or repaired. The systems that caused most concern were things like power grids, telephone networks, and air and land traffic controllers. These systems were of such great concern because some of these computers systems and networks have existed since the late 1950†³s. The fact was that no one could afford to entirely replace these systems, they had to be upgraded to be compliant. What was the impact on Government, Industry, and Small Business? There are several impacts to Government, Industry, and Small Business. Dates that can impact the leap year algorithms, boolean dates, fiscal year dates, calendar dates, and ASCII code dates. There are separate ramifications to the new dates. For the Government, the dates have a major impact across the board. Every Government agency, from Federal to City, will be impacted. The Federal Government uses computers on a daily basis and without them, the Federal Government is not able to operate. Some specific examples are in the Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, and the Department of Justice. The Department of Commerce utilizes computers to run the National Oceanic Atmospheric Association (NOAA) systems that are used to chase Hurricanes. The problem is that several of the computers are used to log different data and use date/time stamping with that data. This data is later analyzed to try and map hurricanes for the future. If the Y2K issues are not resolved, important data will be lost. The Department of Defense also uses computers to a very large extent. This is especially true for the DOD large complex machinery used to defend the country. There are very few parts of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines that do not use computers. Computers are the backbone to DOD and without them, there is a real fear that our armed forces would not be able to defend this country. (Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense) The Department of Justice has an even worse problem. They are charged with keeping track of criminals and federal indictments across the country. Because of the complexity of the laws, if the computers used to keep track of indictments and criminal records are not Y2K compliant, then the Justice system could have criminals cleared of any wrong doing because of a simple date issue. It is well known that if the date or address were wrong on an indictment or a search warrant, anything found because of the indictment or warrant could not be used in court. (Cohen) The Government agency that has had the most influence on the whole Y2K issue was the Internal Revenue Service. Basically the IRS has the greatest concern because they are charged with the duty of collecting revenue from the taxpayers in order to run the country. The theory is that the IRS, through Congress, could influence or scare business, banks, and individuals into awareness. (Chandrasekaran) This awareness translated into the hundred billion or so expenditures that banks, businesses, and individuals spent on being Y2K compliant. Industry had the same basic problems that the Government had. They rely on computers in almost every aspect of the business. From robotic assembly lines to employee payroll, all of industry relies on the computer to run its day to day operation. (Gwynne) The problem that both industry and Government have is that there was no contingency to the Y2K issue. Both industry and Government have several backup systems. The problem with small business is that they rely on the computer to do many of the tasks that employees used to do. In small business, people were employed to handle payroll, marketing, office management, files, record keeping, and profit/loss ledgers. These people were replaced with the advent of the computer. Now any small business could operate without minimal employees. The office manager could now handle payroll, marketing, files, records, and ledgers right on the computer. The computer became the key piece of equipment for the small business. Without the computer, small businesses could not stay in operation. Most small businesses have become dependent on the computer to replace employees. Without a computer, small businesses would need to hire additional personnel and return to paper and pencil to operate. An example may be Nations Bank; it may have its primary mainframe computer, for all its checking accounts, in one central place. There is a hot backup (a hot backup is a main frame computer that records the same exact information that the mainframe computer is recording, but it does not handle any transactions, just records the information) that is located in a different part of the country, say Colorado. In this way, if a major disaster were to devastate California, the hot backup would come on line take over the responsibility of the mainframe. (McMahon) In this way, vital information would not be lost. This was all thought out years before Y2K. Y2K would impact both mainframes (the primary and the backup) and all the data would be corrupted. What did Government, Industry, and Small Business do to combat the Y2K Issues? For both Government and Industry, it was not be a problem to combat Y2K. Both areas, through consulting agencies and internal working groups, developed a series of plans to combat the Y2K issue. The standard procedure is to first do an inventory and assessment on the agency. After the assessment is made, a renovation plan is developed to renovate the different systems. After renovation, a validation phase, where the renovation is tested using the different Y2K dates to ensure that no problems were encountered. The implementation phase is to implement the system into action, and begin watching the system during the actual crossover dates. The cost to perform all of the plans and phases are high. On most major DOD systems, the cost ranges from $100,000 to over $5 Million. For industry, their costs are about the same. It does not matter if the agency does it internally or hires consultants to perform the work. The consumer and/or taxpayer absorb the high costs in industry and/or Government caused by the expenditure on solving Y2K issues. Industry passed the costs to the consumer by increasing its price on the product. The Government modified the budget to get the necessary funds to ensure Y2K compliance. The real problem lies with small business. The plans and phases that were developed by industry and Government must also be accomplished by small business. The problem is that small business does not have the money to expend on the Y2K issue. Small businesses do not have the overhead or capital to afford to test its systems and ensure that Y2K problems do not exist in its machine. This is where the actual computer industry comes into the scene. Since most small businesses do not rely on consultants and do not have a computer expert on the payroll, then small businesses must rely on the software companies to ensure that the computer is Y2K compliant. Marketers quickly recognized the fact that many small businesses would be forced to purchase new hardware, software, and peripherals. Marketers were not afraid to sell replacement equipment that was not affected by this bug. Consultants profited on the fact that many individuals and small businesses were very ignorant on the issue at hand and how many individuals had little to no knowledge of what was occurring in the machine that they were using. Many of these machines could have been upgraded with a small BIOS chip that would allow the machine to function with the new date format. Application software that is used with Windows 98 may not be compliant, making the system non-compliant. Microsoft could not be held responsible for other software packages built by other software companies. In addition, most software companies will not support older versions of its software. An example is that Microsoft does not support Windows version 3.1. This is based on the availability of newer versions of Windows being available to the consumer. So where does this leave the small business? There is Federal and Local assistance available to help small business ensure that the Y2K issue is resolved prior to the actual dates. If the small business did not recognize that it has a problem, then it could not work to fix the Y2K issue in time. By combining their resources and working with the local support, a network of consultants could work together to fix the problem before the actual Y2K dates came. Here it is April 3, 2000, and the lights are on, there†s plenty of water, and the stock market is at a record high. There is widespread suspicion that the Y2K computer bug was no more than the media overreacting and getting people excited for nothing, and Y2K was a big dud. There may be some validity to this theory, but I think the fact is that the problem was reduced by our efforts in making all computers Y2K compliant. Some people believe that disruptions may still occur in coming days as government and industry resume full operations following the minor problems that either were overlooked or were unanticipated. I think the investment in Y2K upgrades, which totaled an estimated $100 billion just in the United States, kept the most important computer systems running. The most serious malfunction so far was when the Defense Department computers temporarily failed to communicate with a reconnaissance satellite. Officials did not acknowledge the breakdown to the media until seven hours after it was discovered, in order not to cause people to panic about one relatively minor Y2K related computer failure. Considering the seriousness with which not only the Pentagon but also almost all other companies took to the possibility of a Y2K malfunction, I doubt that it could have amounted from hype alone. Part of the Y2K panic, of course, came from the fear that computers would do bazaar things such as transfer all our money from our accounts into someone else†s account, or traffic lights would make errors and cause terrible accidents. I agree that that is hype that amounted from the media twisting and predicting the results of Y2K without basing their information on facts. How to cite Understanding The Y2k Bug, Essay examples

Leadership and Management of Early Years

Question: Identify and critically evaluate two or three key priorities essential to the Leadership and Management of Early Years (3-7 years old children) in practice. Answer: Introduction Leadership and management is the key factor to enforce development in the teen and young children. The effective leadership deals with influencing teens to do the right thing and in positive manner. The leader has the quality of leadership to encourage the people to motivate them and eject better productivity and efficiency from the people. On the other hand, the management of human and their behavior is complex issue which requires an effective leadership skill to control their behavior so that can seek higher benefit from education and learning (Page and Millar, 2009). Therefore, leadership and management if goes together then it can beneficial for the people and for the trainers. Moreover, the staff and parents can be able to achieve their goal by guiding and controlling the act of children through leadership and management. The current study will be focusing on the challenges faced in leadership and management in context to children aging 3-7 years. The leadership and management are important for the children to become a better person in future. Therefore, the study will be dealing with different key challenges that are mostly noticed in leadership and management. Further, conclusion will be proposed to sort out the issues in order to bring effective development in the children. Key Challenges Encouraging and facilitating parent partnership The learning provided by parents last forever among the children and it also helps in their development. On the other hand, Carpenter (2005) mentioned that if the parents fail in providing effective learning and guidance in the initial stage of the children then it can doom their life and the children may ruin their life in future. It is evident that due to low income of the parents they may not be able to provide effective learning to their children. Therefore, parent plays important role for the growth and development of the children by providing initial age learning. Thus, children are not able to receive basic learning and their childhood life can get hampered. On the other hand, Digman and Soan (2008) pointed that a teacher or staffs of school or kindergarten can act as a parent to build strong relationship or bonding with the children. Therefore, it can help the teacher to know the requirements of child and understand their mentality so that better learning can be provided. Apa rt from that, Paige-Smith and Rix (2006) opined that parent and teacher partnership is effective for the child growth but if there is lack of bonding then it can directly affect the child mentality or their future growth. Therefore, it can leave a child into depression due to collision and conflict between his parent and teacher. Hence, it can be understood that if there is a conflict then it will hamper child learning and health (Wheeler et al. 2009). Therefore, in my opinion the teachers and parents should try to make a cordial relationship so that a better future can be planned for the children. On the contrary, Ward et al. (2009) discussed that if teacher do not have quality of acting as a parent then they might not be successful in providing as effective as other. Therefore, according to me, the teachers should treat the children as parent, which helps the children to be active and give complete involvement in different activities of the school and develop their skill and knowledge. For example, if teacher act as parent then a child can be more open to them and they can share their thoughts and ideas and better environment can be build for children (Page and Millar, 2009). Moreover, Keynes (1991) stated that the parents are the most important part of the childs life and they can help the children to follow ethical norms of life. Therefore, the parents should develop their teaching and parental skills and learning to guide the children for better future career. For instance, the Pen Green Centre helps the families and their children by providing learning environment such as classes to parent for taking care of the child and understanding the needs of child. Further, it also provide wide array of service such as care and education to the families so that they can take care of their child in more better and effective way (Browne 2004). On the other hand, Holiday Play Scheme and After School Club is valuable for the children above 4 years to have better quality and learning time while playing or doing any other activities (Brooker, 2008). On the other hand, Theory of Wahanau assists in promoting families as a total unit rather than focusing on the individual family member. Therefore, it is effective in proposing a solution that is faced by the families regarding the health and wellbeing of the children (Howes et al. 2008). Thus, it can be concluded that parents and teachers can have great influence on the growth and development of the child. Distributed Leadership between staff Bush et al. (2013) opined that leadership is effective for the children growth and their future prospect. The staff of the school or other learning centre has to integrate their knowledge so that best knowledge and reading can be provided to children. Leadership is important to develop the learning and knowledge of the people that helps them to carry their work in productive way and build friendly environment. However, it has been found that in the recent study that staffs of the educational institution are not taking up their job seriously and their major focus is on earning high salary (Davies and Brent, 2009). Therefore, due to such act child has to suffer and they are not able to gain proper learning and education. The lack of interaction between the staff can affect the leadership practice and child may not be provided better learning environment (Robins and Callan, 2009). For instance, if the staffs of the school had fight for getting the morning shift to teach the children and due to that the negativity, environment of school can be hampered and it can show wrong image about school outside (Caroline and Linda, 2008). Therefore, it can be understood that if there is no interaction and communication between teacher and staff then they may not develop leadership skill to guide and direct the children (JanetMoyles, 2006). Thus, the distributed leadership can be effective for the staff to undertake work collaboratively and provide required learning and support to the children. Within primary school, teachers have to follow the guideline of distributed leadership style. Chapman (2013) acknowledged that it is the first and foremost in leadership practice instead of role, routines, structure and functions of leaders. Interaction with each other between the staffs is an immediate and most defined leadership practice in primary education. Regular interaction between the staffs helps in increasing teaching and learning method (Mullick et al. 2013). In primary schools, literacy co-ordination makes the teacher in providing higher level of learning to learners (Spillane, 2005). Interaction between the staffs helps in generating more functions. However, distributed leadership make the teachers interdependency in primary school environment according to their characteristic. If the staff interdependent with each other, they can delivers learning and teaching easily. Encouraging Reflection in Professional Practice (Staff) Majority of teacher in their profession faced common issues such as understanding of feelings and honesty. According to Kelly and Saunders (2010), entering into teaching professional especially in the 2 to 3 years childrens primary school is very much complex. However, in this framework, taxing is also a big issue in professional development. Nabhani et al. (2012) argued that reflection on the practice is supportive, challenging and structural. As asserted by Flessa (2012), these are the essential part of professional development process in teaching at primary school. Majority of teacher in their profession faced common issues such as understanding of feelings and honesty. These critical approaches identified in teaching and learning. Professional practice in primary school are the thinking and acting over stimulus reaction. From the point of view of social constructive practice, teaching and learning are the interrelated and required to change regarding primary school environment in UK. Southworth (2008) opined that experimental learning plays the major role in transformation the experience into knowledge. Core of learning process is the fundamental of scholar reflection in relation to professional development in learning institute especially n primary school at UK. Tay and Lim (2013) acknowledged that reflection is the way that helps in better understanding about the practitioners. Moreover, it helps in developing knowledge to the teacher in primary school via reconsidering the practice of learning. In the primary school environment in UK it has been often identified that concept of critical reflection regarding management education is now become the core as well as integral part of qualification of trainee teachers. Reflection in the action of primary teachers can be described as interaction which is the main problem that faced by the teacher in their professional practice in 2 to 3 years children primary school. Majority of professional in their teaching and learning in primary school faced challenges in using hidden or tactic knowledge. They are unable to provide safe learning environment to the learners via putting the rule based knowledge into action. Apart from that, development and judgment becomes negative for the teachers in the early aged primary school in UK. From my experience, teachers face complexity in covering the issues of learner due to lack of experience. Wood et al. (2012) argued that making sense is a problem for the teachers of primary school in UK. They are unable to involve their experience and professional knowledge in their profession. In teaching and learning education in primary school in UK, it has been identified that majority of teachers demoralized psychologically and unsound pedagogically (Thro, 2012). Apart from that, it is also found out teachers in primary school unable to meet everyone requirement due to varying degree of needs of the learners. Moreover, in the initial stage of teaching at primary school, some of the teachers missing to interact lot of important things such as primary learning, differentiation of various learning tools, etc. Different approaches sometime demotivate students and teachers were unable to instructions accordingly (Walker, 2010). Moreover, variability among the group of learners is also a key challenge for new teachers in primary school. Most of the teachers are unable to make proper planning for learning to their respected students in UK primary school. Woods et al. (2012) cited that differentiation in lesson is also a potential challenges in teaching and learning at primary school in UK. Lack of experience of teaching and learning in primary school is then major problems for teacher within the primary school environment in UK. In order to standardized teaching and learning, teachers have to develop flexible structure and provide innovative learning experience to the learners in both individual as well as group. Apart from that, constructive intellectuality will be the best technique in challenging learning in primary school. Development of numeracy, literacy and language will be the best methodology in primary school regarding teaching and learning to the children. Conclusion This study is mainly consists the three key priorities that essential in leadership and management of early years in a primary school. Early years learner has fresh mind. Therefore, teachers have to take care with more precious. From the above discussion it has been found out that teacher has great impact on effectiveness of early years in primary school. The dimension of this study identified that teachers has to pay more attention in their learning method and creating positive environment along with open communication. These are observed according to the three critical factors for challenges in primary school in UK. These findings help in emphasizing more to the teacher in their teaching and learning procedure. Thus, with this contribution, teachers in primary school in UK are able to develop higher level of school effectiveness. According to the result, it has been said that teachers training will be the best strategy for providing better teaching to early years learners in primary school in UK. In order to provide teaching and learning in better way, government has to provide training in building attitudes, practices, habits to something professional. It helps in achieving higher-level improvement in terms of teaching and learning to early years in primary school. Reference Browne, A., 2004. Parents and Teachers Working Together. In: Browne, A., and Haylock, D., eds. Professional Issues for Primary Teachers. London: Paul Chapman, pp 85-101. Carpenter, B. (2005) Early childhood intervention: possibilities prospects for professionals, families and children, British Journal of Special Education , 32(4): 176-183. Carroll, M. and McCulloch, M. (2014). Understanding teaching and learning in primary education. London, England: Sage. Chapman, C. (2013). Editorial. School Leadership Management, 33(2), pp.113-113. Dean, J. (2013). Subject Leadership in the Primary School. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis. Digman, C., Soan, S., 2008. Working with Parents. London: Sage Publications. Effective leadership and management in the early years JanetMoyles, R. 2006. Maidenhead: Open University Press. McGraw Hill Education. Flessa, J. (2012). Principals as Middle Managers: School Leadership During the Implementation of Primary Class Size Reduction Policy in Ontario. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 11(3), pp.325-343. Howes, C., et al., 2008. Ready to learn? Childrens pre-academic achievement in pre-kindergarten programs.Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 23 (1), pp.27-50. Involving parents in their children's learning - Whalley, M., and the Pen Green Team.,2007. London: Paul Chapman. 2nd Edition. Kelly, A. and Saunders, N. (2010). New heads on the block: three case studies of transition to primary school headship. School Leadership Management, 30(2), pp.127-142. Laar, B. (2014). Primary Heads. New York: Crown House Publishing. Leadership and management in the early years: from principles to practice - Caroline A, Jones.,Linda Pound 2008. Maidenhead: Open University Press. McGraw Hill Education. Leading and managing people in education - Bush, Tony, Middlewood, David 2013 Managing early years settings: supporting and leading teamsEditors- Alison Robins and Sue Callan.,2009. London Sage Mullick, J., Sharma, U. and Deppeler, J. (2013). School teachers' perception about distributed leadership practices for inclusive education in primary schools in Bangladesh. School Leadership Management, 33(2), pp.151-168. Nabhani, M., Busher, H. and Bahous, R. (2012). Cultures of engagement in challenging circumstances: four Lebanese primary schools in urban Beirut. School Leadership Management, 32(1), pp.37-55. Page. A., and Millar, C., 2009. School-parent partnership: a short guide, research and policy for the real world. London: The Family and Parenting Institute. Paige-Smith, A. and Rix, J. (2006) Parentsperceptions and childrens experiences of early interventioninclusive practice? Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, NASEN , 6(6): 92-98. Plowright, D. (2008). Using self-evaluation for inspection: how well prepared are primary school headteachers?. School Leadership Management, 28(2), pp.101-126. Southworth, G. (2008). Primary school leadership today and tomorrow. School Leadership Management, 28(5), pp.413-434. Spillane, J. (2005). Primary school leadership practice: how the subject matters1. School Leadership Management, 25(4), pp.383-397. Supporting transitions in the early years - Liz Brooker. 2008 (electronic resource). Maidenhead: Open University. Chapter-3 Bridging Cultures: home, pre-school and school. Pp. 55- 74. Tay, L. and Lim, C. (2013). Creating holistic technology-enhanced learning experiences. Rotterdam: SensePublishers. The essentials of school leadership - Davies, Brent 2009 Thomas, H. (2013). Steps in Leadership. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis. Thro, W. (2012). School finance. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications. Title: Parents and teachers together : partnership in primary and nursery education.Author: Mary Stacey. Publisher: Milton Keynes : Open University Press. Publication date: 1991 Identifier: ISBN0335094368 Walker, M. (2010). Choice, Cost and Community: The Hidden Complexities of the Rural Primary School Market. Educational Management Administration Leadership, 38(6), pp.712-727. Ward, U., Goodliff. L., and Goodliff, G., ed., 2009. Working with Parents in Early Years Settings.London: Sage Publications. Wheeler, H., Connor, J., and Goodwin, H., 2009. Parents, Early Years and Learning: Parents as Partners in the Early Years Foundation Stage. London: The National Childrens Bureau. Wood, P., Spandagou, I. and Evans, D. (2012). Principals' confidence in managing disruptive student behaviour. Exploring geographical context in NSW primary schools. School Leadership Management, 32(4), pp.375-395. Woods, C., Armstrong, P. and Pearson, D. (2012). Facilitating primary head teacher succession in England: the role of the School Business Manager. School Leadership Management, 32(2), pp.141-157.

effects of online gaming on students academec performance Essay Example

effects of online gaming on students academec performance Essay Running Head: EFFECTS OF ONLINE GAMING THE EFFECTS OF ONLINE GAMING TO THE STUDENTS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AT AMA COMPUTER COLLEGE PARANAQUE Noel Christopher O. Salmingo Joemarie M. Dacillo Lorenz Andrei B. Marquez Zehm E. Austria AMA COMPUTER COLLEGE PARANAQUE CAMPUS DECEMBER 2013 Introduction In the present time, most adolescents get hooked on to online gaming. Online games are video games played through a form of computer network. Online games can range from simple text based games to games incorporating complex graphics and virtual worlds populated by many players simultaneously. Gaming faces criticism y groups who point out that some of the programs contain objectionable content. As the children clicked together with spreading of online games, parents and instructors are alarmed, but researchers questioned whether these games can be harnessed into educational purposes. Purpose of the Research Paper The purpose of this research is to know the effects of online gaming to the students academic performance and what are its positive and negative effects. With this research, people will be able to comprehend on what the students are enjoying so much about online gaming and why they let it affect their academic performance. Statement of the Problem This study was conducted to determine the effects of online gaming to the academic performance of the students in AMACC-PQ. We will write a custom essay sample on effects of online gaming on students academec performance specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on effects of online gaming on students academec performance specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on effects of online gaming on students academec performance specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Specifically, it aims to answer the following questions: gaming help the students in their studies? 3. What factors of online gaming make students addicted to them? 4. How online gaming affects the relationship of the students to their professor and to their parents? 5. How online gaming changes or affects the behavior of the students? 6. Does online gaming help the students to gain more information about their studies? Importance of the Study This part will explain briefly the benefits it will bring to the community and the people to be benefited as well For the students who play online games this study will be able to help them understand the different effects of online gaming to their academic performance For the parents of the students this study will be able to help them the proper course of action depending on how online gaming affects their childrens academic performance. Scope and Limitation of the Study The researchers were given the timeframe of approximately 1 month which started from the last week of October up to the 2nd week of December. The respondents of this study are only for those students who are enrolled within the trimester in which this research was done. Surveys are to be used as a medium of gathering data, and the researchers will read articles or interview gamers and non- gamers alike to gather more information concerning this study. Review of Related Literature Videogames can change a persons brain and, as researchers are finding, often that change is for the better. (Hotz, 2012) According to Bowcott (2009), games being more visually enticing made therapists to encounter more people obsessed of being online.

Abstinence vs Condom Distributiom essays

Abstinence vs Condom Distributiom essays Sexual education was introduced to the American public school system in 1913. The superintendent of schools, Ella Flagg Young promoted the teaching of sexual education and implemented sex hygiene lectures in the Chicago, IL School system (Allen 17). The goal then was to reduce social problems such as venereal disease and prostitution by educating the public about sex. Now, in the beginning of the twenty- first century, goals are different, but the conflicting opinions on sexual education are still going on strong. Health promotion goals for teenagers include postponement of sexual activity until psycho social maturity and consistent use of condoms by those who do engage in sexual intercourse (Dillion 35). Most people agree with these goals to a certain degree. However, the tension arises when methods of meeting these goals are discussed. The following report explains some of the biggest issues dwelling around how the public schools should teach sexual education. The two ma! in options discussed are teaching abstinence and condom distribution. Throughout the US, school districts and states are basing their policies around these two ideas. The importance of this issue is very significant. Over last century, our statistics for teen health and sexuality problems have been getting worse and worse. The decision that we make now will decide if we: 1.educate and inspire our youth and the sexual health status of our youth improves for generations to come, 2. Overexpose the youth, and they get out of control, or 3. Suppress the youth, denying them knowledge and resources, and our situation continually worsens for the next generation of our youth (Blair 55). Our youth today face horrible odds in the area of health, and almost everyone, regardless of political positions or religious standing, agrees that the problem needs to be addressed. As of 1992, 54% of all US high school students were sexually experienced, and since then that rate...

Importance of organisational Values Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Importance of organisational Values - Essay Example The entire above are imperative for effectiveness in both private and the National Health Service organisations. I will discuss all these in depth to demonstrate their usefulness. The effectiveness concept is considered as one of the reform bills’ objectives such as tariff alternatives needed for long-term, non-elective and complex care. Pooled or delegated budgets, pushed payments and capitalized funds are some of these alternatives. Any mechanism of payment that is adopted needs to promote financial rewards. Secondly, system leadership is also essential at a regional level, which should be facilitated by clinically led multi-professional cabinets working together with the NHS commissioning board. Being appointed as the new manager of the patient’s care department, my report will not only be based on the above, but also on quality service that can sustain patient care in line with the above objectives of my care organization, to that proposed in the vision of the new h ealth and care reform bill. Health and social care needs should be done together in order to ensure population health issues are addressed, such as the needs of unregistered patients and health inequalities. G.P commissioning boundaries should as far as possible, be aligned to the local authority boundaries to support the above. In addition to support clinical integration and patient-focused care, anyone providing or commissioning NHS Care should share relevant information with patients. The reforms should also allow the evolution of new approaches such as integrated care partnership. Under this approach, the commissioning function is slip between a strategic commissioner and budget- holding, not-for-profit integrated care partnerships. These integrated care partnerships might include GPS and a relevant health and social care specialist. Organizational performance Organizational performance is essential in order to deliver quality service that is value for money, (which depends on m any factors). There are internal factors and external factors to be considered. Internal factors are organizational culture, performance management, staffing level and finance. External factors that can affect quality service could be cuts, recession and commissioning. Being the new manager, I would propose greater performance requirements and accountability, which are found in every jurisdiction. In certain provinces in Canada for example, regional health systems are required to gather and analyze similar metrics and report them to the provincial government and to the public on a regular basis. In England, the Healthcare Commission monitors standards and efficiency, and publishes performance ratings for indicators such as wait times (Bradford & Burke, 2005). Over the last ten years, the NHS has made a lot of progress in delivering cancer services. Since 2007, we have seen improvements on the number of situation’s patients being treated as day cases. A massive increase in res ources has contributed to these improvements. It was through clear leadership and strong performance management that led us to these achievements. In July 2010, NHS white paper on equity and excellence proposed putting patients at the heart of everything the NHS does, and focusing on continuous improvement of the critical things in healthcare. However,

Sensitivity analysis between three companies Term Paper

Sensitivity analysis between three companies - Term Paper Example Assessments at this level are those with inputs for both extreams oil prices, gas prices, percentage royalty and the NGL prices that are not grounded in real life market data. Trilogy Company has the highest upper limit values of oil price and gas prices than ARC and RMP respectively. Conversely, Trilogy has the highest percentage of income incurred, following the high level of royalty in the data sheet. The NPV for the underlying cash flows at a discount rate of 10% is equivalent to zero implying that the series of prevailing cash will yield precisely 10%. Moreover, as discount rates of Trilogy Company upturn higher than underlying 10%, the corresponding venture becomes less treasured. The net present value of ARC resources would be higher because there is no discounting rate applied to the project. Without discounting, it is economically approved that the project is possible and can be carried to term (Munier, Nolberto, Fernando and Diego 98). On the other hand, with a discount rate negligible amount correspondingly there is a rationalization for the project to be accomplished. Nevertheless, with a great discount rate of the costs offset the discounted benefits, signifying the project should not continue. Thus, in this situation of ARC, Trivoly and RMP, the case is viable to be continued to completion. Munier, Nolberto, Saez, Fernando, & Diego, Marta. Project Management for Environmental, Construction and Manufacturing Engineers: A Manual for Putting Theory into Practice. Dordrecht, NY: Springer,

The evaluation of the consequence to the UK economy for raising or Dissertation

The evaluation of the consequence to the UK economy for raising or lowering the inheritance tax rate - Dissertation Example Taxes are considered as the main revenue source of governments. The evolution of imposing taxes dates back during periods when most governments lack stability and structure. The main purpose of imposing taxes is to fund public spending and is supported by laws and statutes. In most countries, taxes are imposed on revenues obtained by firms and earning individuals. Other forms of taxes such as tariffs, and dues have further expanded the revenue generation activities of governments. The role that taxation plays is critical especially economies that are dependent on taxes. The imposition of taxes is also viewed as one of the ways that balances wealth inequity in countries and ensure better provision of social services. Income taxes serve as the main contributor to the total tax collections made by governments. But other forms of taxes such as sin taxes and estate taxes are also contributing to the coffers of governments. Inheritance taxes have become a popular form of tax in recent times because individuals have learned to invest in both properties and securities. The transfer of wealth because of death provides opportunities for the government to gain more revenues. The existence of inheritance taxes has been subjected to several debates in the United Kingdom. The past three administrations have been also contemplating on reforming the inheritance tax laws. The budget of the government is highly dependent on the amount of tax collected each year. There are countries that develop new taxes just to meet collection targets and prevent the states from running on a budget deficit. The succeeding discussions will tackle the impact of inheritance tax in an economy specifically focusing on macro-economic indicators and statistics. 1.1. Objectives of the Study The primary purpose of the dissertation is to explore on the effects of the increase

Liberation tigers of tamil eelam

Liberation tigers of tamil eelam The opposition group, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) recruited and used child soldiers throughout the 25-year armed conflict with Sri Lankan government forces. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was accused of recruiting and using the child soldiers as front-line troops. The recruiters of children under the age of 18 are mainly rebels of LTTE and the Karuna group, a break-away faction of LTTE working with Sri Lanka Forces. Forced recruitment of children under 18 escalated in the final months of hostilities during the conflict in 2008. Child-soldiers.org (2009) noted that children were used to perform a range of duties such as digging bunkers at the front line and to collect weapons from killed cadres and Sri Lankan Army (SLA) soldiers. Children were also among the tens of thousands of civilians forced to flee fighting since mid-2008 and were sent to military-run Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps deprived of liberty and freedom in the north of the country. In the east of the country, even in IDP camps, children were still at risk of recruitment and abduction. Child-soldiers.org (2009) stated that LTTE obtained lists of IDPs from a village officer and they used it to identify families with children for recruitment. Families attempted to conceal the children for the fear of their children being recruited as child soldiers but the LTTE cadres would return at night to search the houses for children. In the past, some families paid off the LTTE to protect their children against recruitment but LTTE no longer provided this option in the last months of conflicts. In March 2009, LTTE was said to have introduced a quota system whereby teams of six cadres needed to return with 30 conscripts or they will be subjected to severe punishment. Recruited children received minimal training as they were used as front-line troops to protect the senior leadership and because of that many children have been among the casualties during fighting. According to Tamil Centre for Human Rights (2006), the Sri Lanka government is responsible for the grave and systematic violations against the children as they sought to cover it up with misinformation and propaganda. They also benefited from the collusion of the unwitting international community, the people concerned about issues regarding child rights, which supported the government with neutrality since 1983. It was found that under aged soldiers were recruited with the help of bogus birth certificates that were manipulated by the government, showing them as over 18 years old. When the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflicts (OP/AC) was being drawn up, Sri Lankan government tried to reduce the recruiting age to 16 for states as there were more than 100,000 army deserters. Furthermore, recruits aged 18 and above did not come forward, forcing the government to recruit under aged children. The International human rights law protecting childrens rights had been selectively used by the government thus suppressing the people rather than protecting the rights of the children. The optional protocol was never tested for any child soldiers to find their real age, thus not helping and preventing the children from being recruited. Tamil Centre for Human Rights (2006) noted that even with the support of the international community, the Sri Lankan government could not suppress the Tamil resistance movement that garnered the support of the people. Therefore the government started raising the child soldier issue, with small groups which did not have popular support and with the so-called human rights organisations, with the intention of discrediting the resistance movement. After the ceasefire agreement between the Government of the Democratic Socialist Repuclic of Sri Lanka and LTTE in 2002, there was a significant decrease in recruitment of child soldiers. United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) was working with LTTE to develop an action plan to reintegrate the children, providing them with assistance to school. They also agreed to monitor and prevent child recruitment in the future. Under international pressure, the LTTE announced that it would stop conscripting child soldier in the 2003, but the UNICEF and Human Rights watch (HRW) have accused it of going against its promises, conscripting Tamil children orphaned by the tsunami. UNICEF claimed that LTTE recruited at least 40 children orphaned by the Tsunami. However, from the start of 2007 LTTE agreed to release all of the recruits under the age of 18. Up to 25% of the children have either one or both parents dead or displaced due to war. Victims of war in Northeast region were sent to â€Å"welfare centres† and around 175 000 Tamils were at the centres in 2000. 50% of the victims were children. A survey held in 2000 revealed that they were deeply traumatised. The suicide rate in these centres is threefold of the national average, hitting 103%. (Refer to Fig. 1) It has been proven by a survey done by The Butterfly Peace Garden in 2000 that children in Sri Lanka are exposed to too much war contents. (Refer to Fig. 2) Besides that, study has shown that 95% of the children attending The Butterfly Peace Garden suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For 92% of these children, the cause of PTSD is due to the conflict within Sri Lanka.

Essay --

W hile social media has played an integral role in many prominent international events, there is a clear drawback to the technology, which the world witnessed in the horrific events in the recent brutal terrorist attack in Kenya. The shooting at the Westgate Premier Shopping Mall in Nairobi, which began Sept. 21 and lasted until Sept. 24 and resulted in 72 deaths, appears to be a highly sophisticated undertaking, and social media was a significant component with Al-Shabaab, a Somali-based Islamist group, claiming responsibility for the attack in Kenya. As the attack began, and during the three days in which the gunmen held hostages in the shopping mall, there were regular Twitter dispatches from the terrorists. What’s more, the terrorists exploited Twitter in an attempt to explain the rationale for the attacks. In fact, Al-Shabaab has had a series of Twitter accounts over the years and each of them has been suspended under a clause in the terms of service that bars direct threats of violence. Still, the terrorist group simply – as is quite easily done – creates new Twitter accoun...

Evaluation Criteria and Information Technology Essay

 · Imagine you are a company controller.  · Identify the internal control reporting options.  · Create criteria against which the options may be evaluated. Include internal controls for IT. Run for a low level or uncontested office within the student government association in your sophomore year. Getting into the bottom rung easily can help you climb the ladder more your later years. Future employers are likely to never know who small your school was, but will love seeing that experience on your resume. This pack comprises ACC 544 Week 6 Reporting Options, Evaluation Criteria, and Information Technology Controls Business – Accounting  · Imagine you are a company controller.  · Identify the internal control reporting options.  · Create criteria against which the options may be evaluated. Include internal controls for IT. Run for a low level or uncontested office within the student government association in your sophomore year. Getting into the bottom rung easily can help you climb the ladder more your later years. Future employers are likely to never know who small your school was, but will love seeing that experience on your resume. This pack comprises ACC 544 Week 6 Reporting Options, Evaluation Criteria, and Information Technology Controls Business – Accounting  · Imagine you are a company controller.  · Identify the internal control reporting options.  · Create criteria against which the options may be evaluated. Include internal controls for IT. Run for a low level or uncontested office within the student government association in your sophomore year. Getting into the bottom rung easily can help you climb the ladder more your later †¦ To download this tutorial follow the link – https://bitly.com/12BvwtK Run for a low level or uncontested office within the student government association in your sophomore year. Getting into the bottom rung easily can help you climb the ladder more your later years. Future employers are likely to never know who small your school was, but will love seeing that experience on your resume. Business – Accounting  · Imagine you are a company controller.  · Identify the internal control reporting options.  · Create criteria against which the options may be evaluated. Include internal controls for IT.

Free Essays on Achilles

Although the very first line of the Iliad state that it is Achilles’ anger that costs the Achaians thousands of lives, it is actually the Trojans who suffer the price of his anger. The Achaians suffered because of his pride. When Agamemnon says that he is the most important warrior (1. 185-187), Achilles becomes angry, but his pride had already prompted him to threaten retreat rather than suffer the insult of having Briseis taken. â€Å"And now my prize you threaten in person to strip from me†¦I am returning to Phthia, since it is much better to go home†¦I am minded no longer to stay here dishonored†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (1. 161-171) When Agamemnon’s herald’s come to take Briseis, he vows not to fight until the battle reaches his own ships. (1. 335-342). As the Achaians’ losses mount, Agamemnon sends Odysseus to persuade Achilles to help. Once again, it is Achilles pride that stops him from accepting Agamemnon’s offering and joining the battle. Although he states other reasons - that he was truly in love with Briseis (9. 341-343) and that he’d rather live a long and obscure life (9. 411-420) - it is his still wounded pride that motivates his decision. His pride and honor must be restored, and only an apology from Agamemnon will do: â€Å"All the other prizes of hounour he gave the great men and the princes are held fast by them, but from me alone of all the Achaians he has taken and keeps the bride of my heart†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (9. 334-336) â€Å"†¦not if he gave me gifts as many as the sand or dust is, not even so would Agamemnon have his way with my spirit until he had made good to me all this heartrending insolence.† (9. 385-387) This need to have his wounded pride healed is made clear when he sees the injured Machaon driven past his ship. â€Å"†¦now I think the Achaians will come to my knee and stay there in supplication, for a need past endurance has come to them† (11. 608-609). Achilles makes it clear that it is not his fear o... Free Essays on Achilles Free Essays on Achilles Although the very first line of the Iliad state that it is Achilles’ anger that costs the Achaians thousands of lives, it is actually the Trojans who suffer the price of his anger. The Achaians suffered because of his pride. When Agamemnon says that he is the most important warrior (1. 185-187), Achilles becomes angry, but his pride had already prompted him to threaten retreat rather than suffer the insult of having Briseis taken. â€Å"And now my prize you threaten in person to strip from me†¦I am returning to Phthia, since it is much better to go home†¦I am minded no longer to stay here dishonored†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (1. 161-171) When Agamemnon’s herald’s come to take Briseis, he vows not to fight until the battle reaches his own ships. (1. 335-342). As the Achaians’ losses mount, Agamemnon sends Odysseus to persuade Achilles to help. Once again, it is Achilles pride that stops him from accepting Agamemnon’s offering and joining the battle. Although he states other reasons - that he was truly in love with Briseis (9. 341-343) and that he’d rather live a long and obscure life (9. 411-420) - it is his still wounded pride that motivates his decision. His pride and honor must be restored, and only an apology from Agamemnon will do: â€Å"All the other prizes of hounour he gave the great men and the princes are held fast by them, but from me alone of all the Achaians he has taken and keeps the bride of my heart†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (9. 334-336) â€Å"†¦not if he gave me gifts as many as the sand or dust is, not even so would Agamemnon have his way with my spirit until he had made good to me all this heartrending insolence.† (9. 385-387) This need to have his wounded pride healed is made clear when he sees the injured Machaon driven past his ship. â€Å"†¦now I think the Achaians will come to my knee and stay there in supplication, for a need past endurance has come to them† (11. 608-609). Achilles makes it clear that it is not his fear o...

Free Essays on Tennyson And Keats

In the early 19th century, the industrial revolution provoked a return to medievalism by the poets and painters of the age. They wrote about the medieval world as idyllic and harmonious – a contrast to their own turbulent century. Although these two poems aren’t entirely idyllic, they are set in the medieval age, and use many similar ideas. The focus was on stories of courtly love, chivalry and tragedy. The two poems I will be comparing are ‘Mariana’ by Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809 – 1892) and ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’, by John Keats (1795 – 1821). They tell of love and loss and explore the realm of unrequited love, but in very different ways. Tennyson’s ‘Mariana’ was a character taken from Shakespeare’s ‘Measure for Measure’. She is a young woman, deserted by her lover and left in a ‘lonely moated grange’. The Poem consists of seven 12-line stanzas; the last four lines of each stanza are always the same, with a slight variation in the last stanza. Thus, one third of the poem consists of a repetition of the last four lines. A lament for Mariana’s lost love. ‘She only said, ‘My life is dreary, He cometh not’ she said; She said ‘I am aweary, aweary, I would that I were dead!’’ Tennyson often uses repetition in this poem, not only in order to re-enforce the feelings and emotions of Mariana, as he does above, but also on a smaller scale, in order to make a visual image clearer and stronger. He describes the ‘glooming flats’ as ‘ the level waste, the rounding grey’, forcing the reader to acknowledge, that the gloomy, ‘dreary’ landscape echoes the dreary life that she is living. In his description of Mariana’s surroundings, Tennyson uses the exterior setting, to communicate Mariana’s inner self - to describe her life. This is a Victorian device, called a paysage interieur, the creation of an interior landscape. Alfred Lord Tennyson was one of the ... Free Essays on Tennyson And Keats Free Essays on Tennyson And Keats In the early 19th century, the industrial revolution provoked a return to medievalism by the poets and painters of the age. They wrote about the medieval world as idyllic and harmonious – a contrast to their own turbulent century. Although these two poems aren’t entirely idyllic, they are set in the medieval age, and use many similar ideas. The focus was on stories of courtly love, chivalry and tragedy. The two poems I will be comparing are ‘Mariana’ by Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809 – 1892) and ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’, by John Keats (1795 – 1821). They tell of love and loss and explore the realm of unrequited love, but in very different ways. Tennyson’s ‘Mariana’ was a character taken from Shakespeare’s ‘Measure for Measure’. She is a young woman, deserted by her lover and left in a ‘lonely moated grange’. The Poem consists of seven 12-line stanzas; the last four lines of each stanza are always the same, with a slight variation in the last stanza. Thus, one third of the poem consists of a repetition of the last four lines. A lament for Mariana’s lost love. ‘She only said, ‘My life is dreary, He cometh not’ she said; She said ‘I am aweary, aweary, I would that I were dead!’’ Tennyson often uses repetition in this poem, not only in order to re-enforce the feelings and emotions of Mariana, as he does above, but also on a smaller scale, in order to make a visual image clearer and stronger. He describes the ‘glooming flats’ as ‘ the level waste, the rounding grey’, forcing the reader to acknowledge, that the gloomy, ‘dreary’ landscape echoes the dreary life that she is living. In his description of Mariana’s surroundings, Tennyson uses the exterior setting, to communicate Mariana’s inner self - to describe her life. This is a Victorian device, called a paysage interieur, the creation of an interior landscape. Alfred Lord Tennyson was one of the ...

Jurisprudence Research Project Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Jurisprudence Project - Research Paper Example This essay covers the criminal perspective of jurisprudence focusing on a murder case and the death penalty. Historical development of capital punishment The death penalty came up after (18) eighteen years failure to execute convicts, arising from the Supreme Court’s moratorium as issued in the case of Furman v. Georgia 408 U.S 238 (1972) (Burton, 2007) where the learned justice held death penalty to be cruel and discriminatory applied to the poor, Negros and low class people. Thereafter, the supreme court reinstated the death penalty by imposing the death penalty, the case law of Gregg v. Georgia 428 U.S. 153 (1976) (Burton, 2007). In New York Court of Appeal in the case of People v. Davis 43, N.Y.2d 17 (1977) ruled that the death penalty violated the Eighth Amendment on Human rights this followed that, in the subsequent years, New York Legislature passed new capital punishment statutes every year only to be abolished by the ruling governors. Later in 1994 a governor who promised to bring back the capital punishment got elected to represent New York, after which the 1995 death penalty statute got passed, this saw many prosecutors oppose capital punishment as a mechanism of deterring violent crimes (Burton, 2007). Some declared never to infer death penalty. The people started challenging death penalty until the Court of Appeal in the case of People v. Lavalle 3 N.Y.3d 88 (2004) ruled that at the close of a penalty trial, the clause the judge should inform the jury that on failing to agree on the punishment, then death imprisonment would be effected, violated New York Constitution (Melvin, 1992). Despite the ruling in Lavalle’s case above, the prosecutor in the case of John Taylor continued pursuing the death penalty that the jury had not agreed on the punishment (Betty, 1995). The defense objected on the constitutionality of this provision on the jury’s agreement.

Shamoon incident at Aramco Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Shamoon incident at Aramco - Case Study Example This was the first malware used by the hacktivism front and hence the company’s network was not in a position to handle the complexity of this virus. Indeed, unlike other malware whose impact cannot overcome the antivirus set in the company’s network, the technology used in Aramco was way below that of the hackers. The network system in Aramco offers security to theft of data but has no capacity to handle annihilation manifested by Shamoon. In addition, the company’s anti-hacking and firewall software is incapable to deal with such technologically advanced malware like Shamoon. Moreover, the company’s IT and computer systems policies require a review. Sadly, the network system of Aramco allows multiple users to access both unclassified and classified information at the same time, which jeopardizes the security of the system as seen in the Shamoon attack. In addition, Aramco’s network allows its employees and expatriate employees to run information s ystems and then divulge such information that acts as leeway to cyber-attacks. Indeed, the company needs to review and update its IT policies and computer systems for purposes of dealing with such complicated malware as Shamoon (Mashat, 2012, p.1). Otherwise, the ease to access, lack of proper authorization, and use of ancient anti-hacking and firewall software, jeopardizes the security of Aramco’s network system. How the Attack Happened One group of hackers has claimed responsibility over the Shamoon attack on Aramco. The group, Cutting Sword of Justice asserts that the cyber-attack took place beginning Wednesday, Aug 15, 2012 at 11:08 AM and was complete within a few hours (Fisher, 2012, p.1). Although, this information is not certain, there are clear indications that lead to this assertion. Indeed, in the same day after Cutting Sword of Justice asserted this, Saudi Aramco confirmed that part of its computer system used by its employees is under cyber-attack courtesy of a c omputer virus. Alternatively, several antivirus vendors Kaspersky Lab, Symantec, McAfee confirmed the existence of such a virus and named it Shamoon or Disttrack (Higgins, 2012, P. 16). Indeed, the hackers took the virus from another computer package and dropped it off in the Aramco’s computer system. We may need to define the details of this virus to reinforce our understanding on how this attacked happened. Shamoon or Disttrack is a legitimate software driver with a digital signature inside its package. Specifically, the virus is referred to as W32. Disttrack and ha distinct security components. Indeed, W32.Disttrack has a dropper that played a major role in creating and providing the original infection. Subsequently, the dropper significantly dropped other modules in initiating the attack. In addition, the W32.Disttrack has a wiper whose main responsibility in the attack was to destroy the network of target system, Aramco. Moreover, the wiper has the capability to enable u ser-mode applications to read and write to disk sectors of other systems (Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta, 2012, n. p). As such, it is most applicable in overwriting the computer's Master Boot Record. Indeed, the wiper deleted all the existing drivers and overwrote the signed one in Aramco’s network. Most significantly, the W32.Disttrack entails a reporter, which was significant in reporting the success of the attack to the attacker. The reporter takes back all the details

Collecting Data Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Collecting Data - Essay Example It is not unusual for ethnographers to live in the culture for months or even years. The middle stages of the ethnographic method involve gaining informants, using them to gain yet more informants in a chaining process, and gathering of data in the form of observational transcripts and interview recordings. Data analysis and theory development come at the end, though theories may emerge from cultural immersion and theory-articulation by members of the culture. However, the ethnographic researcher strives to avoid theoretical preconceptions and instead to induce theory from the perspectives of the members of the culture and from observation. The researcher may seek validation of induced theories by going back to members of the culture for their reaction Ethnography is a form of research focusing on the sociology of meaning through close field observation of sociocultural phenomena. Typically, the ethnographer focuses on a community (not necessarily geographic, considering also work, leisure, and other communities), selecting informants who are known to have an overview of the activities of the community. Such informants are asked to identify other informants representative of the community, using chain sampling to obtain a saturation of informants in all empirical areas of investigation. Informants are interviewed multiple times, using information from previous informants to elicit clarification and deeper responses upon re-interview. This process is intended to reveal common cultural understandings related to the phenomena under study. These subjective but collective understandings on a subject (ex., stratification) are often interpreted to be more significant than objective data (ex., income differentials). Ethnography is a qualitative research method that is used by anthropologists to describe a culture. Culture has many definitions but usually consists of origins, values, roles, and material items associated with a particular group of people. Ethnographic research, therefore, attempts to fully describe a variety of aspects and norms of a cultural group to enhance understanding of the people being studied. Historically, anthropologists who performed ethnographic research often would live in the community being investigated. Ethnographic research has focused on various foreign cultures to gain understanding about native people who are isolated from Western civilization. One famous anthropologist who performed this type of research was Margaret Mead. Her classic study of three New Guinea cultures explored those cultures' gender characteristics and roles. By studying a variety of cultural norms, gender characteristics, and roles, this type of research can help scientists categorize nature versus nurture gender characteristics. Many ethnographic studies have documented cultural roles that challenge Western perspectives of innate gender characteristics.(1) In ethnographic studies, the orientation of the researcher is termed etic or emic. An etic orientation is a view from an outsider's perspective. For example, if an ethnographer studied the culture of perioperative nurses and had no perioperative nursing experience, that researcher's interpretations would be from an etic perspective. If a perioperative nurse studied the culture of the OR or the organization of AORN, those interpretations would be from an insider's, or emic, perspective. Ethnographic resea

Self-storage began in America Essay Example for Free

Self-storage began in America Essay The Shurgard concept of self-storage began in America in 1970 when cofounder of the company Chuck Barbo identified a gap in the market for both homeowners and businesses with a requirement for extra space. He came up with the notion of mini-warehouses for people with excess belongings and businesses with long forgotten records or documents. Twenty years later Shurgard began to expand into Europe and in 1995 the first European store opened in Brussels. Four years later the first UK store opened in South London and earlier this year the company was bought for $5bn by Public Storage, the world’s largest owner and operator of self-storage facilities. The challenge The growth and success of Shurgard in Europe meant that increasing demands and expectations were being placed on the company’s operations middle managers who were wrestling with a growing number of stores, an ever-larger geographic area of responsibility, increased numbers of employees, decentralisation of country and panEuropean support centres, greater autonomy and reorganisation of roles. Terry Whitney, European Learning and Development Manager of Shurgard SelfStorage Centers, said: â€Å"The business of self-storage was very different in Europe than it was in the US and there were different points of maturity in the market so there were many challenges to face. Most of our attention was focussed on buying property and building new facilities. Suddenly we realised we had a management team that was bright and hard working but had suffered from a lack of development focus.† â€Å"The best result of our partnership with SHL is that the district managers are now motivated because they know what is expected of them, how they will be held accountable and have focused training and development in place. Importantly, they also know what success looks like.† Terry Whitney, Shurgard shl.com Case Study | Shurgard Typical of many fast growing companies, Shurgard realised that it had no consistency of job titles, roles or responsibilities and no standardised job descriptions or job competencies for its staff. In addition there was no formal evaluation, training or development and no succession planning. What Shurgard wanted to create was a consistent layer of district managers across Europe. Some people already had this title but their job seemed little different to a market manager, operations manager or area manager. â€Å"We were promoting great operations people from store managers to more senior job titles with responsibility for profit and loss accounts for specific districts. We also wanted them to lead, inspire and motivate and the more senior roles had a completely different set of skills requirements which we had not measured or trained for,† said Whitney. District managers were identified as the operations critical layer with which to start work. Shurgard felt that if these people could not understand and accurately report on key occupancy and rates figures for stores, then shareholders would not have the confidence to invest money for expansion and more storage sites. The solution This client places people development high on its list of organizational priorities. With an agreed name for the role, the company needed to align the title with expectations and competencies that could be used across Europe and which would accommodate future growth of new stores. The people had to more effectively lead and manage an ever larger number of store personnel at a time of reduced centralised support. They were also required to operate at a higher managerial level than had previously been demanded. Faced with this challenge, Shurgard partnered with SHL – global experts in workplace assessment – to conduct a performance assessment of the mid-management team in Europe. The programme was designed to: †¢ Establish a benchmark of current managerial talents †¢ Undertake a gap analysis to determine the strengths and limitation of the management team against the new job competencies †¢ Recommend how the current managerial team could achieve the new expectations for the district manager role †¢ Assess the leadership potential of the current team †¢ Identify the ideal profile of a district manager for use in future recruitment. Supporting more than 10,000 customers every year Organisations that understand and maximize their people’s potential achieve outstanding results. SHL gives you the insights to make better decisions about your people. We call this People Intelligence, Business Results. â€Å"With SHL’s Universal competency Framework cards, we were able to define the critical behaviours required for the district managers role†, comments Whitney â€Å"This competency model was the hub around which SHL was able to design an appropriate development centre programme.† Individuals were invited to a one-day assessment at an SHL diagnostic development centre in order to see how they fitted the need and behavioural competencies of the district manager role. The assessment included exercises aligned to specific competencies, psychometric tests in local languages, management scenario role-play and numerical, verbal and abstract reasoning tests. Each attendee received feedback from a senior SHL assessor who took them through their results and talked about their development needs. The Results As a result of the assessment, Shurgard found that its mid-management team had a wide spectrum of skills and abilities but also specific patterns of managerial strengths and weaknesses. Recognising these areas enabled the company to target the appropriate training and development to address specific competencies and behaviours. â€Å"Shurgard really learned the critical importance of aligning the district manager job description, job competencies, hiring profile, training activities and performance management processes to create improved motivation and performance,† said Whitney. He added that using the competencies created by SHL also changed the recruitment and promotion process. New recruits are now given competency-based interviews focused on certain experiences whilst promotions are no longer based on length of service and performance alone but on potential against the required competencies. â€Å"For me it’s the competencies – everything ties back to them,† said Whitney. And he adds: â€Å"The best result of our partnership with SHL is that the district managers are now motivated because they know what is expected of them, how they will be held accountable and have focused training and development in place. Importantly, they also know what success looks like.† Case Study | Shurgard Shurgard’s need to focus on developing its managers was being hampered by a lack of consistency in job titles, roles, responsibilities and competencies for its staff. SHL worked with the firm to assess its midmanagement team in Europe and identify the ideal profile for district managers. Shurgard is now able to target management development and recruit more effectively for improved motivation and performance 25 million assessments every year. Organisations that understand and maximize their people’s potential achieve outstanding results. SHL gives you the insights to make better decisions about your people. We call this People Intelligence, Business Results.

Energy Efficient Building Design Strategies For Hot Climates Construction Essay

Energy Efficient Building Design Strategies For Hot Climates Construction Essay This research discusses energy efficient design strategies of traditional houses in Iraq (hot-arid climate), climatic design techniques and potentials for renewable energy systems that can be implemented in the contemporary residential design techniques in order to offset the absence of produced energy (due to current economic and political issues) and help decreasing demand for electricity, which is used extensively to overcome the indoor thermal discomfort during the harsh summer seasons. A comparison between traditional Baghdadi house (Hosh), which existed before the discovery of oil, and a contemporary house design option is to be made to evaluate the thermal performance of both options in this climatic zone in order to adapt more energy efficient design strategies; and also to integrate features for sustainable building design and potentials to implement renewable energy systems. A simulation modeling is to be used to conduct analysis of energy efficient design strategies, namely relating to building envelope, size and direction, ventilation, shading elements, and using renewable energy systems in order to present recommendations that helps in consequential energy offset while preserving comfort. Keywords: Introduction Examining the energy demand in such region, buildings, with particular reference to residential houses, are one of the most significant energy-sensitive entities (Al-ajmi Hanby, 2008). It is stated that buildings consume over half of all electricity and one-third of natural gas (Yilmaz, 2007). Reduction of energy consumption in residential buildings is a major aim worldwide and is a particular challenge in this region for the reasons mentioned previously (Al-ajmi Hanby, 2008). Therefore, sustainable design strategies are of great importance nowadays in order to reduce energy consumption in residential buildings. One may say that sustainability was already a driving force in the past, showing its validity in those days in different forms and techniques. Therefore, problems and precautions in design and construction did not change fundamentally, although a lot of development was seen in materials and technology. Of course, these developments may have had some negative effects (Yilmaz, 2007). Energy efficient design strategies for traditional houses in such climate are significantly different from each other as it can be easily seen in the traditional design (Yilmaz, 2007). Description of Problem Area Energy consumption is becoming more and more important in todays world because of a possible energy shortage in the future. Efficient use of energy has become a key issue for the most energy policies (Yilmaz, 2007). In regions where hot-arid climatic zone is prevailed, practically in Iraq, present economic and political circumstances have become the main reasons that led to a significant energy shortage although Iraq has a spare operational capacity of oil supply in comparison with other countries around the world. A significant need for new energy efficient design strategies and developed buildings construction standards in this area has become essential in order to offset the absence of produced energy and help decreasing demand for electricity, much of which is consumed in air conditioning systems, which is used extensively to overcome the indoor thermal discomfort during the harsh summer seasons (Al-ajmi Hanby, 2008). Conceptual Framework Figure (1) provides a diagram of the conceptual framework that has devised for this research. The proposed research study into traditional and contemporary building design systems will rely on an experimental research strategy in the positivist system of inquiry (developed design strategies). The research will attempt to establish a comparison (Groat and Wang, 2002, P. 254) between a treatment (independent variable) and an outcome (dependent variable) through the evaluation of measured results. Figure (1) Conceptual diagram of the research variables (Groat Wang, 2002) Research Questions Do traditional houses perform better than contemporary ones? Why? Is it feasible to use traditional design strategies in contemporary houses? How could we achieve a sustainable building design in such climatic zone? Do we need new or developed strategies in order to achieve sustainable building design in such climatic region? What if we integrate renewable energy systems into traditional house design? Project Goals and Specific Objectives The purpose of this research is to: Make a comparison and evaluation of thermal performance of residential houses (traditional vs. contemporary) in Iraq (hot-arid climate) in order to adapt more developed and energy efficient design strategies. Integrate new trends for sustainable design in residential houses in this area. Potentials to implement renewable energy systems. This research is achieved through the following: Extensive overview of the antecedent literature in the area of energy efficiency and thermal building performance in such climatic zone. Identify the most effective strategy from the literature that can be applied in order to develop more energy efficient design strategies. Un-wrap issues of energy efficiency, building performance and sustainable design systems. Use a simulation modeling as a tactical tool to make comparison between contemporary and traditional building design systems and energy performance in order to investigate the thermal characteristics and energy savings for both building designs using different strategies and also potentials to integrate sustainable features using renewable energy system. Test outcome results and write a research report accordingly which combines my understanding of the relevant theory and previous research with the results of my empirical research. Literature Review The literature review is structured around the key concepts of significance of energy efficient design strategies, thermodynamics of hot-arid climates, Inventory of traditional design elements in hot-arid climate and energy simulation methods. These key concepts have led to the research questions and the proposed methodology for this research proposal. See figure1 for the map of literature reviewed. Figure () Map of sources reviewed Figure () Research Literature Review Diagrammatic (Groat Wang, 2002) Building Design Strategies Climatic Building Strategies Research by Ochoa Capeluto (2008) states a quick review of design strategies for different climatic zones. This is necessary to examine when and how design strategies should be considered, particularly during design process. Climatic building strategies in hot climates differ from those of cold ones, For example, in cold climates heat collection and storage is essential, and ventilation must be limited for the same reasons. Short daytime and low radiation levels in winter make maximum penetration of natural light to be desired. On the other hand, in hot climates heat must be excluded, the amount of relative humidity controlled, and the thermal mass cooled usually through natural ventilation during the night. Daylight penetration must be carefully managed using control devices (see figure 1) (as cited in Ochoa Capeluto, 2008, Building and Environment, P.1830). Figure (1) Building strategies for cold and hot climates (Ochoa Capeluto, 2008). Optimized Building Envelope A building envelope is a skin that separates between the interior and the exterior of a building. It serves as the outer shell to protect the indoor environment as well as to facilitate its climate control (controlling heat transfer between building layers). The study by Danny Harvey (2009) reviews the literature concerning energy efficiency that can be achieved through optimized building envelope. According to Danny Harvey (2009), The effectiveness of the thermal envelope depends on: (1) The insulation levels in the walls, ceiling, and other building parts; (2) The thermal properties of windows and doors; and (3) The rate of uncontrolled exchange of inside and outside air which, in turn, depends in part on the air tightness of the envelope (infiltration/excitation) (Energy Efficiency, P. 141). Reducing the Cooling Load Energy conservation and climatic design techniques that can be implemented in residential houses in this area (hot-arid climate) are useful for reducing cooling energy consumption (Al-Temeemi, 1995). Danny Harveys (2009) research found the following: Reducing the cooling load requires: (1) Orienting a building to minimize the wall area facing directions that are most difficult to shade from the sun; (2) Clustering buildings to provide some degree of self shading (as in many traditional communities in hot climates); (3) Providing fixed or adjustable shading; (4) Using highly reflective building materials; (5) Increasing insulation; (6) Using windows that transmit a relatively small fraction (as little at 25%) of the total (visible + invisible) incident solar energy while permitting a larger fraction of the visible radiation to enter for daylighting purposes; (7) Utilizing thermal mass to minimize daytime interior temperature peaks; (8) Utilizing night time ventilation to remove daytime heat; and (9) Minimizing internal heat gains by using efficient lighting and appliances. The combination of external insulation, thermal mass, and night ventilation is particularly effective in hot-arid climates, as placing the insulation on the outside exposes the thermal mass to cool night air while minimizing the inward penetration of daytime heat into the thermal mass (Energy Efficiency, P. 141). Passive cooling techniques By using the above measures to reduce the thermal load of the building, other techniques requires small inputs of mechanical energy to optimize passive cooling processes (Danny Harvey, 2009). Danny Harveys (2009) research discussed the following major passive cooling techniques: Passive ventilation Passive ventilation reduces the need for mechanical cooling by directly removing warm air when the incoming air is cooler than the outgoing air, reducing the perceived temperature due to the cooling effect of air motion and increasing the acceptable temperature through psychological adaptation when the occupants have control of operable windows. Passive ventilation requires a driving force, and an adequate number of openings, to produce airflow. It can be induced through pressure differences arising from inside-outside temperature differences or from wind. Design features, especially traditional, that create thermal driving forces and/or utilize wind effects include courtyards, atria, wind towers, solar chimneys, and operable windows. Passive ventilation not only reduces energy use, but can improve air quality and gives people what they generally want. In buildings with good thermal mass exposed to the interior air, passive ventilation can continue right through the night, sometimes more vigorously than during the day due to the greater temperature difference between the internal and external air. Night time ventilation, in turn, serves to reduce the cooling load by making use of cool ambient air to remove heat (as cited in Danny Harvey, 2009, Energy Efficiency, P.142). Evaporative cooling Danny Harveys (2009) study further discussed the following in terms of producing evaporative cooling techniques: Evaporation of water cools the remaining liquid water and air that comes into contact with it. The coldest temperature that can be achieved through evaporation is called the wet-bulb temperature and depends on the initial temperature and humidity (the higher the initial humidity, the less evaporation and cooling that can occur). There are two methods of evaporative cooling the air supplied to buildings. In a direct evaporative cooler, water evaporates directly into the air stream to be cooled. In an indirect evaporative cooler, water evaporates into and cools a secondary air stream, which cools the supply air through a heat exchanger without adding moisture. By appropriately combining direct and indirect systems, evaporative cooling can provide comfortable temperature-humidity combinations most of the time in most parts of the world. Evaporative cooling is most effective in dry regions, but water may be a limiting factor in such regions. However, arid regions tend to have a large diu rnal temperature range, so thermal mass with external insulation and night ventilation can be used instead (Energy Efficiency, P.142). Influence of Energy Efficient Design Strategies on Design Stages The architectural design process is iterative and moves from the abstract (definition of massing, orientation, and image) to the specific (lighting control, mechanical ventilation type) (as cited in Ochoa Capeluto, 2008, Building and Environment, P.1830). At the design stage, key decisions taken by architects can significantly influence potentials to optimize building efficiency. These include decisions affecting the selection of building components. According to Ochoa Capeluto (2008), As it advances and more specialists are called in to solve details, earlier decisions, which could have an enormous influence on the building performance, are expensive and harder if not impossible to change (Building and Environment, P.1830). Other influential factors unrelated to climatic strategies must be taken into account. For example, a certain orientation that is bad for energy consumption might define how well the building performs (Ochoa Capeluto, 2008). However, it would require an Integrated Design Process (IDP), in which the design process optimizes the building performance by involving all members of design-making team from the beginning. The importance of an Integrated Design Process (IDP) on building systems approach Danny Harveys (2009) study found the following: The systems approach requires an Integrated Design Process (IDP), in which the building performance is optimized through an iterative process that involves all members of the design team from the beginning. However, the conventional process of designing a building is a largely linear process, in which the architect makes a number of design decisions with little or no consideration of their energy implications and then passes on the design to the engineers, who are supposed to make the building habitable through mechanical systems (Energy Efficiency, P. 140). The steps in the most basic IDP are: to consider building orientation, form, and thermal mass to specify a high-performance building envelope to maximize passive heating, cooling, ventilation, and daylighting to install efficient systems to meet remaining loads to ensure that individual energy-using devices are as efficient as possible and properly sized to ensure the systems and devices are properly commissioned By focusing on building form and a high-performance envelope, heating, and cooling loads are minimized, daylighting opportunities are maximized, and mechanical systems can be greatly downsized (Danny Harvey, 2009). Thermodynamics of Hot-Arid Climates Any consideration to energy efficiency applications or design strategies in any climatic zone requires examining of thermodynamics and human comfort. In his Text Natural Energy and Vernacular Architecture: Principles and Examples, With Reference to Hot Arid Climates, the author demonstrates properties of energy that must be considered in order to fully understand climatic phenomena. Heat, radiation, pressure, humidity, and wind, among other factors, interact mutually to establish microclimatic conditions appropriate to hot-arid climatic (Fathy, 1986). According to Fathy (1986), the following are some of these basic concepts applied to hot-arid climates: Thermal gain Solar radiation is the principal source of heat in hot-arid zones, and this heat can be transmitted during the day to the building interior in a number of ways. The most important is by conduction of the absorbed solar radiation through the walls or roof at a rate determined by the thermal conductance (or thermal resistivity) of wall components. (The relationship involving the incoming and reflected solar radiation absorbed and re-emitted heat and heat gain is shown in figure 2 below for the case of a typical white painted surface). Figure (2) (Fathy, 1986) Heat gain can also be caused by ventilation. The rate of gain is dependent on the ventilation rate. Ventilation heat gain can be avoided by restricting the size of openings, especially during the heat of the day. The other sources of heat gain are the inhabitants of the building themselves and household equipment such as electric lights and appliances. These sources, unlike the solar radiation, can contribute heat even at night (see figure 3) (Fathy, 1986). Figure (3) Modes of heat transfer (Fathy, 1986) Thermal loss Heat is lost by conduction through the walls, by exactly the same process that it is gained from the direct solar radiation once it has been absorbed by the surface or through the roof by a combination of convection and conduction. Ventilation is also another mode of heat loss. Evaporation from the surface of the building or from objects within the interior can produce a cooling effect on the building which acts as a source of heat loss. In hot arid climates, this can be a particularly effective cooling mechanism since the rate of evaporation in dry air is very high. Figure 3 also shows the modes of heat loss (Fathy, 1986). Cooling by evaporation Evaporative cooling is used for cooling in hot dry areas (such as in Iraq, where the people place against the windows panels of dried desert plants, which are kept moist by water dripping from perforated pipes positioned above them) (Fathy, 1986). Dynamic thermal equilibrium The heat gained by the building can be expected to be balanced by the heat lost and an internal temperature distribution thus established. These temperatures are dependent on the outside temperature and the ratio of the heat gained to the heat lost and can be adjusted by regulating the sources of heat gain and loss. Before examining the systems and devices that have been developed to do this in the hot arid zones, it is first necessary to have an idea of the heat-regulating mechanism of the human body and the microclimatic conditions for human comfort. Table (1) Heat gain and loss processes for the human body (Fathy, 1986). Mechanism Gain Process Loss Process Metabolism Basal heat production Digestion Activity Muscle tensing and shivering in response to cold Radiation From solar radiation-direct and reflected To surrounding air From radiation by radiators Conduction From air above skin temperature (increased by air movement) To air below skin temperature From warmer bodies in contact To cooler bodies in contact Evaporation From respiratory tract From skin covered with perspiration or applied water Conditions of human comfort A convenient standard for thermal comfort is required. Analysis shows that a variety of factors can be involved in situations of discomfort. For example, temperature alone does not determine discomfort. In Athens, 32  °C is quite bearable, but it is generally intolerable in Bahrain. The difference is due entirely to the relative humidity of the atmosphere. In Bahrain the air is very humid and perspiration evaporates slowly, decreasing the bodys ability to lose heat. In Athens, with its dry air, the evaporation rate is high and perspiration evaporates quickly lowering body temperature. The factors that have been identified as standard for thermal comfort within buildings are: air temperature, air humidity, rate of air movement, level of radiation, and rate of heat production by the bodies of people in the building [4]. Inventory of design elements for traditional housing design in hot-arid climates Building materials The materials surrounding the occupants of a building are of prime importance for protection against heat and cold. Considering an external wall exposed to a high outside air temperature and a lower inside air temperature (see figure 4), the rate of heat flow transmitted through the wall from the outside air to the inside air is proportional to the air temperature difference, area of the wall, and rate of global heat transmittance that can be determined from an analysis of the components of the total resistance to heat flow. The total resistance is composed of the resistance to heat flow through the material, the interfacial resistance at the external surface, and the interfacial resistance at the internal surfaces. Since the interfacial resistances are determined primarily by temperature conditions over which the builder has little control, his principal effect on the heat transmittance is on changing the resistance to heat flow through the wall material (Fathy, 1986). Figure (4) (Fathy, 1986) Table 2 lists the thicknesses of walls composed of various construction materials needed to achieve coefficients of approximately 1.1 kcal/hm ²C °. The mud brick is most appropriate for achieving thermal comfort in addition to being widely available to all segments of the population (Fathy, 1986). Table (2) Thicknesses of walls of different material (Fathy, 1986) Wall Material Wall Thickness Thermal Transmittance (in m) (in in) (in kcal/ hm ²C °) Hollow brick block 0.30 12 1.10 Double-wall brick with holes and 8-cm cavity 2 x 0.12 2 x 4.7 1.12 Brick wall with holes 0.38 15 1.03 Sand-lime brick 0.51 20 1.25 Hollow block sand-lime brick 0.51 20 1.16 Lime 0.51 20 1.10-1.35 Concrete 1.00 39 1.20 Orientation In hot climates, the sun is the major source of heat. The position of the sun must be determined for all hours of the day at all seasons as well as the direction of the prevailing winds, especially during the hot season. In addition, for an ensemble of buildings forming a sector, there will be reflection from adjacent buildings and wind screening by clusters of buildings, which contribute to a specific microclimate for each location in the sector. Wind movement and humidity also are important and should be considered simultaneously with the direct and indirect effects of the sun. The main objective is to establish the optimum orientation with regard to the sun and the prevailing wind (Fathy, 1986). Shading Generally, a building with a facade opening to the west is the worst case encountered in hot-arid climate, owing to the heat gain of the surrounding environment during the day and the angle of altitude, which allows the suns rays to penetrate into the interior. Openings Window openings normally serve three functions: to let in direct and indirect sunlight, to let in air, and to provide a view (Fathy, 1986). The venetian blind One device which can be added directly to the window is the venetian blind. This blind is made of small slats, about 4-5 cm wide, closely set in a wooden frame at an angle that will intercept the suns rays. The slats are often movable so the angle can be changed. This feature of adjustability renders venetian blinds very useful in regulating solar radiation and wind flow into rooms. Using the venetian blind, the suns rays can be blocked out without obstructing the breeze, which generally blows from the northwest in most hot arid areas like Iraq. As shown in figure 5a, changing the position of the blind alternatively by to block the direct sunlight, the wind is redirected uselessly over the heads of the occupants, as figure 5b illustrates. Also, if the slats are made of metal, they then absorb some incoming radiation and reradiate it into the room as heat (Fathy, 1986). Figure (5) (Fathy, 1986) The Shanshool or Mashrabiya This was a cantilevered space with a lattice opening, where small water jars were placed to be cooled by the evaporation effect as air moved through the opening. The name is used for an opening with a wooden lattice screen composed of small wooden balusters that are circular in section and arranged at specific regular intervals. The shanshool has five functions. These functions involve: (1) controlling the passage of light, (2) controlling the air flow, (3) reducing the temperature of the air current, (4) increasing the humidity of the air current, and (5) ensuring privacy. Its cooling and humidifying functions are closely related. All organic fibers, such as the wood of a shanshool readily absorb, retain, and release considerable quantities of water. Wind passing through the interstices of the porous-wooden shanshool will give up some of its humidity to the wooden balusters if they are cool, as at night. When the shanshool is directly heated by sunlight, this humidity is released to any air that may be flowing through the interstices. This technique can be used to increase the humidity of dry air in the heat of the day, cooling and humidifying the air at a time when most needed. The balusters and interstices of the shanshool have optimal absolute and relative sizes that are based on the area of the surfaces exposed to the air and the rate at which the air passes through. In addition to these physical effects, the shanshool serves an important social function: it ensures privacy from the outside for the inhabitants while at the same time allowing them to view the outside through the screen (Fathy, 1986). Table (3) Summary of architectural elements of traditional building in Iraq (hot-arid climate), as they have been common from the 13th to the end of the 19th century. Retrieved from http://www.brainworker.ch/Irak/architecture.htm Oda: the simple room Tarma: open balcony with pillars Ursi: most probably from russi, russian. The most important room of the house, as at the same time you may see, but not been seen as much as in a tarma, ivan or talar. Its separated from the tarma by a window-wall from colored glasses, without door. Those were the masterpieces of Baghdadi carpentry. Talar, a usable open room behind the tarma. The difference to the iwan is, that it cant be entered directly from the rooms beside it. Is separated from the tarma by additional pillars. Iwan(or Liwan), a room behind the tarma or adjacent tot the inner courtyard, that is on one side open. Hosh, the central courtyard, often with a fountain in the middle. sirdab, the cellar, that did not only serve as store, but   as cooling hall and for the provision of cool air through the badgir-sirdab-system. neem, a cellar that is only half buried. Mostly with one window. During the hot summer nights the roof was and is used in Baghdad for sleeping. The high value of privacy demanded, that no house was higher than the others, so that nobody was able to look down on his neighbors roof. kabishkan: The Penthouse, from where one is able to control all the house. Often those rooms have been placed like eyries in all four corners of the inner courtyard.   The roof If the outdoor air temperature is higher than the indoor temperature, the outer surface of the roof exposed to the sun is heated as it absorbs radiation, and, being in contact with the outside hot air, also is heated by conduction. The roof then transmits this heat to the inner surface, where it raises the temperature of the air in contact with it by conduction. At the same time, it radiates heat that is absorbed by people and objects indoors, thereby affecting thermal comfort. In hot arid countries, since the air temperature drops considerably during the night, the inhabitants have arranged the roof architecturally into loggias or open galleries and lightweight roof covers. These loggias and roof covers have the double function of shading the roof during the day and providing physiologically comfortable living and sleeping spaces at night (Fathy, 1986). Figure (6) Different types of roofing in hot-arid climates (Fathy, 1986) The wind-escape The technique of using the suction caused by low air-pressure zones to generate steady air movement indoors is used in the design of the wind-escape. The funnel and side tube used to illustrate the Bernoulli effect or Venturi action (see figure 7) are transposed into the structural elements of an architectural design in order to accelerate air movement and to create drafts in places with no exposure to the outside, such as basements in Iraq. This concept can be applied more advantageously in designs for use above ground. The wind-escape can accelerate effective ventilation and air circulation when used with other devices for air movement such as windows, doors, and the malqaf or wind-catch (Fathy, 1986). Figure (7) Bernoulli Effect (Fathy, 1986) The malgaf In hot arid zones, a difficulty is found in combining the three functions of the ordinary window: light, ventilation, and view. Therefore, it is necessary to satisfy the three functions ascribed to the window separately. To satisfy the need for ventilation alone, the malqaf or wind-catch was invented. This device is a shaft rising high above the building with an opening facing the prevailing wind. It traps the wind from high above the building where it is cooler and stronger, and channels it down into the interior of the building. The malqaf thus dispenses with the need for ordinary windows to ensure ventilation and air movement. The malqaf is also useful in reducing the sand and dust so prevalent in the winds of hot arid regions. The wind it captures above the building contains less solid material than the wind at lower heights, and much of the sand which does enter is dumped at the bottom of the shaft. In the areas of An-Najf and Al-Kufa in Iraq, where air temperature is very high in summer, people live in basements ventilated by small holes in the ceiling and a malqaf with a very small inlet. Figure 8 shows plans and the section of a residence with a basement from this region. However, as the airflow is small and the air circulation is insufficient, this design is unhealthy and a possible cause of lung diseases. In some designs, the drafts from the malqaf outlet are cooled by passing over water in the basement. Figure (8) The Malgaf (Fathy, 1986) The Bà £dgir-sirdab In Iraq (hot-arid climate)and the countries of the Gulf, a specific type of malqaf called the bà £dgir was developed. The system badgir-sirdab was a cheap, environmentally friendly and energy saving solution to create an acceptable cl