Educational System Essay

The educational system has always been a topic to discuss. Whether for or against the argument, the educational system seems to be at the bottom of the nations priorities. Mainly the questions asked is where funding can come from, the participation needed, and the choices between educational systems. Since education is how a society must strive and expand in its knowledge and economy, the educational system for such should be at its forefront. Nevertheless, the educational system argument is one that seems to be overlooked and unnoticed. That is of course until now. In the opposition, some would argue that the education system does not pose a problem, suggesting that funding does not need to come from government and that we should spend more funds into law enforcement and military protection. They would argue that education for these individuals, such as military and police academies, does not come from our education fund. The opposition would discard the idea of participation needed from parents and loved ones and the emotional need for one to grow in an educational institute. This includes all camps and safety patrol that ensures children’s education beyond the classroom and the safety of children who do commute on foot. The opposing side would argue that there is no difference between educational systems and that all standards are the same. There is no difference between graduating from prestigious schools like Whitney or Woodcreek high, and graduating from a continuation school like Adelante high. Of course this would have no affect that persons ability to find jobs and employment opportunities, or the fact that year after year our country finds employees from other countries to do our jobs since we are not educated enough to perform ourselves. Not at all. Based off a study done by PBS, the total expenditures for education were about 7.5 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 1994-95. That means less than ten percent our our GDP was spent on educating our future members of society and ensuring economic strength. Expenditures for schooling is not the same from state to state. Each state spends a separate amount of money on education, all while being below ten percent of the GDP. There are more fundraisers and expenditures spent on law enforcement and entertainment than education across the states all together. The government should impose a mandatory minimum requirement of ten percent of the GDP earned by states to go to education. Schools would serve food for children that is not mediocre, while possibly providing students with school supplies instead of mandating students to bring class sets of tissues, spare sets of binder paper, and pens and pencils (a requirement of many classes i attended while in grade school). This would also mean new textbooks for students and education beyond the classroom such as camps or field trips. Participation is necessary for education. An educational statistic study was researched by Education.com, stating that mothers who did not finish high school struggle with reading and comprehension today. Only forty-one percent of parents read to their children everyday. While participation is not mandatory, it does help in a child’s growth. Students are unable to attend camps without volunteers like parents and volunteer instructors and staff. Field trips cannot happen without proper volunteering as well. Who remembers safety patrol? This program was composed of students and parent volunteers alike. Without them, students who commute on foot would not be safe from oncoming traffic that is unaware of their presence. Not just parent, but family participation is crucial to a child’s growth. The educational system has its own funding problems as well. There are multiple schooling systems to choose from and some have more funding than others. Private schools have a fee that is needed for tuition, so overall funding is fed by the students. Charter schools work the same way. Public schooling is completely dependent upon the state and federal government. There should be mandatory educational laws that should only differentiate based on location (like learning how to swim if next to an ocean). Each state has its own standards and the government has its own standard that needs to be met in the curriculum taught. The standard differences make some schools more prestigious while others are left behind. Would you rather have your child graduate from a community college or from a state university? Requirements for education should be the same throughout the country, not split up upon state or even county. With all these things depending on factors that some are unable to control, the battle for education is never won. While some may wonder where funding can come from, participation, and the choices between educational systems, there are some who look at the bigger picture. The education system today can be saved through societies efforts. We should use the education we have received to teach our offspring more than we were able to know. Striving as a country will not only benefit us, but will benefit the nation as a whole. The children of today are the future of today.

Education and Social Mobility Essay

Historically, due to our post-colonial background, that of the plantation society, education was only afforded to the white, upper class individuals. In order to establish and reinforce a hierarchy of power and ownership, wealthy capitalists ensured first-rate education for their children, while actively excluding members of the lower classes from this luxury. Due to the caste system, students or individuals are stratified, where individuals from non- traditional school have less opportunity for social mobility, solely due to fact that students or individuals from traditional schools are of such social class, that their opportunity is based on their ascribed characteristics, which influences them in a profound way. Nonetheless, it is my view that this is a fact, due to the differences in class and culture, students will have varied access to resources with regard to education, and therefore, there will be different opportunity for education and social mobility within our society. Firstly, while conducting the research on this thesis, it was found that the functionalist theory was not applicable, as the functionalist view studies the ways in which education aids society, as such, this sociological perspective did not support any of my points being made within this research paper. However, this research proved that the main views are supported by the Marxist conflict theory, which studies the ways in which education manages the imbalance of power in our society. Due to socioeconomic background of individuals, those from low-income backgrounds are less likely to graduate from high school, less likely to go to university and even if Comment [A1]: Very good they do graduate, they are less likely to complete university if they enrol. Consequently, the gap between children from the lower socioeconomic strata and those from the middle and upper strata tends to increase with the level of school. This relates to social class; where the higher the social class, the more likely parents are to hold high expectations, and positively influence the child to attain a high degree of education. This suggests that schools contribute to educational inequality, where children who are deprived by their social background when they enter school become even more disadvantaged as they progress through school, and as such at a greater difficulty for social mobility. Comment [A2]: Good This is supported by an article taken from the Jamaica Gleaner, by contributor Michael Waul, who agrees with this notion. Students from marginalised socio-economic backgrounds, giving rise to disparate educational experiences is greatly evident in the preparatory/primary and traditional/ non-traditional high-school divide. Where access to quality education remains largely determined by societal class, a fact evident not only in the differential resources available to schools but also the background of students entering better-resourced institutions. Comment [A3]: What does a conflict perspective say about this issue? This helps to perpetuates historical societal divisions, that of our post-colonial plantation society, where rewarding those from higher social classes while placing those from lower classes at an increasing disadvantage. This results in low CXC pass rates, increasing number of high-school dropouts in regards to non-traditional high schools, therefore leading to a decrease in the number of students attending university for tertiary education. Subsequently, with regard to primary and/or preparatory schools, a great majority of students are passing the GSAT examination; however with the majority of the passes, students are being placed into non-traditional high school, where only a minority of students are being placed in traditional high schools. This only proves to further the division between the upper class and the lower class, while other students are placed into non- traditional schools solely because of the environment in which they live. Even though some students may excel in their examinations, due to where they reside, they are placed in schools that are close to their homes, and as a result their chance for social mobility diminishes, as they are not able to have access to resources Comment [A4]: Issue of screening and facilities, that are available at traditional schools, and as such greatly disadvantage from the start of their education, and as such there is social inequality. This is supported from an article from the Jamaican Gleaner, by Michael Waul, noting that access to tertiary education is a difficult option for the poor. As such, poverty prevents economic freedom and choice, and so despite ones willingness, this circumvents many realities of their experience, where the poor is held in the vicious cycle of continuous poverty, and as such at a great disadvantage for social mobility for those students from non-traditional schools which are mostly individuals from the lower socioeconomic background. Another element which affects the social mobility of students from traditional school versus students from non-traditional schools is that of the neo-Marxist reproduction theory, which involves what is known as â€Å"tracking†. This involves the assignment of students according to class and basic work roles. This grouping by ability, or tracking of students, has been common in non-traditional schools. In fact, as students progress through school, they tend to take classes that ensure they will remain in the same track, where they are at a disadvantage for social mobility. So instead of promoting democracy, social mobility and equality, schools reproduce the ideology of the dominant groups in society. This is supported by theorist Pierre Bourdieu, where each individual occupies a position in a social space, by his or her habit, which include beliefs or mannerism and also by cultural capital, where belief and mannerism are in some cultural settings, however, not in some. This is evident between the cultures of traditional schools and non-traditional school. Similarly, another aspect which affects, and illustrates my notion of the inequality of traditional school versus non-traditional schools is referred to as the hidden curriculum. This system includes values and beliefs that support the status quo, thus reinforcing the existing social hierarchy, which include the books we read and various classroom activities that we participate in. On the other hand, theorist and other individuals will disagree with my argument, and contest that students from non-traditional schools do have a great opportunity for social mobility. Others believe tracking systems does allow for some mobility, and the effects of tracking depend upon the way the tracking is organised according to Gamoran. This view is supported by an article in the Jamaica Gleaner, by Micheal Waul where students in traditional schools, such as preparatory schools are not inherently more intelligent than the other students from non-traditional school. However, due to disparity in performance, what differentiates them is largely a matter of economics. This suggests that wealthier parents are better able to fund the private schooling of their children in institutions which are better equipped to meet the students’ learning needs. Likewise, parents who lack financial support are more likely to enrol their children in the non-traditional schools, which is limited to government-provided resources. However, this is not sufficient in allowing student from non-traditional school to acquire the necessary resources needed to be best able to perform at their maximum capacity. Contrary to this perspective, there are the rare occasions that occur when students from non-traditional schools strive against all the odds, and actually excel in their examination. Thus allowing them to be placed in traditional schools, which in turn provides them with the necessary resources needed to move upward on the social ladder. This is evident as I have read in the Jamaica Observer, that the top performing boy and girl in the GSAT examination in 2013, are from non-traditional schools, and as such are the rare cases. Another view, contrary to my belief, is from an article from the Jamaica Gleaner, by Robert Buddan, in which individuals from poorer or less-advantaged communities and households can achieve and while poverty hinders, as previously stated. Also individuals from lower class society and single-parent families can achieve given good personal and institutional guidance. However, the students have to be dedicated and committed, and teachers who have confidence in each other can make up for the lack of financial support and other disadvantages which may arise. This is evident in the case of traditional schools such as St. Georges College and Kingston College. The founders of the institutions could have established the school ‘uptown’ instead of ‘downtown’, as other institutions such as Campion and Ardenne High School have done. However, they built their school downtown, and as such the founders did the opposite in all respects. The schools were established downtown, and as such opportunities were offered to great numbers from all classes in order to make education affordable. However, contrary to the beliefs of the conflict theory, the interactionist theorists believe that students from non-traditional schools can achieve social mobility. This is possible through social interaction with peers. Due to the fact that not all upper class students are placed in traditional schools, there are the few that are placed non-traditional school. This allows a mix of social class, and as such, some children will push themselves to achieve more, to that of the standards of the upper class. This outcomes allow students from traditional school to be able to interact with other students from upper class society, thus the student would be shaped in such a manner. This intern allows the student to gather and grasps the different cultures and values from that of the elites of society, on how to behave in our modern society, and thus becoming more affluent in relating to individual from the upper class of society. This will allow them increased opportunity for social mobility, due the fact that student would interact with their peers from their school, allowing them the opportunity to different aspects of the social world, and thus have a different view from that of student from non-traditional school This is evident as students from a lower socioeconomic background, when placed in a traditional school, due to interaction with other students from that school, there attitude and values gradually tend to start changing. Due to this interaction, these individual strive to be similar to those higher economic background, and as such are at a greater position for social mobility. Nonetheless, it is evident that students from non-traditional school have increasing opportunity for social mobility, as our society is gradually changing, where the need for skilled labourer are becoming more necessary. It is in non-traditional school, where the more technical skills are being offered such as mechanical engineering and technical drawing. As such, these students from non-traditional schools are being offered more opportunities for social mobility, as the employment sector has become more diverse, and has changed from the past, where mostly teachers and government employees, had prominent positions for social mobility. However this has not bridged the gap in social classes in entering top level positions. In conclusion, with regards to my thesis statement, the most important sociological perspectives of this research are both the Conflict theory and Interactionist theory. The Functionalist theory did not support the points being made in this research, as the functionalist believe that education is equal, where my belief completely contradict this view. After detailed reading and research I found that the gap between social mobility between students from traditional school versus non-traditional school have greatly decrease over the last 40 years, and now traditional school, does not necessarily ensure social mobility of it students. However, there is still a great gap present, but it is gradually becoming closer. 12/15 While the functionalist theory does not support your point, it would have been good for you to mention some of their key issues and how education reinforces social norms and then you can then refute some claims. Very good attempt overall – very astute in your thinking and writing.

Guyana-Land of Many Waters Essay

Guyana (guy-anna),[6] officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana,[1] is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America. Culturally Guyana is part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana is one of the few Caribbean countries that is not an island. The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), of which Guyana is a member, has its secretariat’s headquarters in Guyana’s capital, Georgetown. Guyana was originally colonized by the Netherlands. Later, it became a British colony and remained so for over 200 years until it achieved independence on 26 May 1966 from the United Kingdom. On 23 February 1970, Guyana officially became a republic. In 2008, the country joined the Union of South American Nations as a founding member. Guyana, a member state of the Commonwealth of Nations, is the only South American nation whose official language is English. Historically, the region known as â€Å"Guiana† or â€Å"Guyana† comprised the large shield landmass north of the Amazon River and east of the Orinoco River known as the â€Å"Land of many waters†. Historical Guyana consists of three Dutch colonies: Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice. Modern Guyana is bordered by Suriname to the east; by Brazil to the south and southwest; by Venezuela to the west; and by the Atlantic Ocean to the north. At 215,000 square kilometres (83,000 sq mi), Guyana is the third-smallest independent state on the mainland of South America after Uruguay and Suriname. Its population is approximately 770,000. The name â€Å"Guyana† is derived from Guiana, the original name for the region that now includes Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and parts of Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the name comes from an Amerindian word meaning â€Å"land of many waters†. here are nine Native American tribes residing in Guyana: the Wai Wai, Machushi, Patamona, Arawak, Carib, Wapishana, Arecuna, Akawaio, and Warrau. Historically the Arawak and Carib tribes dominated Guyana. Although Christopher Columbus sighted Guyana during his third voyage (in 1498), the Dutch were the first to establish colonies: Essequibo (1616), Berbice (1627), and Demerara (1752). After the British assumed control in the late 18th century, the Dutch formally ceded the area in 1814. In 1831 the three separate colonies became a single British colony known as British Guiana. A map of Dutch Guiana 1667–1814. Since Independence in 1824, Venezuela has claimed the area of land to the west of the Essequibo River. Simon Bolivar wrote to the British government warning against the Berbice and Demerara settlers settling on land which the Venezuelans claimed was theirs. In 1899 an international tribunal ruled the land belonged to Great Britain. Map of British Guiana. Guyana achieved independence from the United Kingdom on 26 May 1966 and became a republic on 23 February 1970, remaining a member of the Commonwealth. The US State Department and the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), along with the British government, played a strong role in influencing political control in Guyana during this time. The American government supported Forbes Burnham during the early years of independence because Cheddi Jagan was identified as a Marxist. They provided secret financial support and political campaign advice to Burnham’s People’s National Congress, to the detriment of the Jagan-led People’s Progressive Party, which was mostly supported by Native American Guyanese. In 1978, Guyana received international notice when 918 members of the American cult, Peoples Temple, died in a mass murder/suicide. Most of the suicides were American and more than 300 children were killed; the people were members of a group led by Jim Jones in Jonestown, the settlement which they had created. Jim Jones’ bodyguards had earlier attacked people landing at a small remote airstrip close to Jonestown, killing five people, including Leo Ryan, the only congressman ever murdered in the line of duty in US history. In May 2008, President Bharrat Jagdeo was a signatory to the UNASUR Constitutive Treaty of the Union of South American Nations. Guyana has ratified the treaty.

Advantages and Disadvantages of using Open Source Software Research Paper

Advantages and Disadvantages of using Open Source Software - Research Paper Example Why prefer Open source software over proprietary software? In this text it is attempted to highlight the preference given to open source software for third world countries. As quoted by Nikesh Jauhari, besides having soaring prices the other key edges that are absent if a proprietary software is purchased are that the errors in it cannot be edited by anyone other than the developer, new features cannot be added to the software and the software cannot be scrutinized. This, however, is not the case with open source software. Third world countries are developing nations. Their per capita income is far lesser than that of the developed nations. The basic commodities that consume all the income of a person earning his livelihood in third world countries is on the basic needs like food and shelter. In order for persons to learn with technological advancements and excel in learning it is imperative that the newly invented advanced technological for them at very nominal costs. Open source so ftware plays a key role in assisting individuals in third world countries as it is AVAILABLE WITHOUT ANY COST. Moreover, organizations CAN MODIFY OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE in accordance with their modular requirements. Thus instead of purchasing a new proprietary software for each individual module open software serves the purpose with very nominal or no cost at all. This results in an over all increase in the proliferation of the economy of a country as a whole. The emerging aptitude of individuals and organizations towards open source software is clearly evident among those living in the third countries. Fredrick Noronha quotes in his article as follows: â€Å"GNU/Linux, and tons of useful software that comes along with it, is clearly attracting interest from a range of quarters. From... As quoted by Nikesh Jauhari, besides having soaring prices the other key edges that are absent if a proprietary software is purchased are that the errors in it cannot be edited by anyone other than the developer, new features cannot be added to the software and the software cannot be scrutinized. This, however, is not the case with open source software.Third world countries are developing nations. Their per capita income is far lesser than that of the developed nations. The basic commodities that consume all the income of a person earning his livelihood in third world countries is on the basic needs like food and shelter. In order for persons to learn with technological advancements and excel in learning it is imperative that the newly invented advanced technological for them at very nominal costs. Open source software plays a key role in assisting individuals in third world countries as it is AVAILABLE WITHOUT ANY COST. Moreover, organizations CAN MODIFY OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE in acco rdance with their modular requirements. The emerging aptitude of individuals and organizations towards open source software is clearly evident among those living in the third countries. Fredrick Noronha quotes in his article as follows: â€Å"GNU/Linux, and tons of useful software that comes along with it, is clearly attracting interest from a range of quarters. From Pakistan to the UNDP, from Africa to Malaysia, and even in the Philippines or Thailand and Nepal, GNU/Linux is being closely watched.†

The Fields case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Fields - Case Study Example La Petite Boulangerie (LPB) has 119 store outlets that specialize in selling croissants, breads, and other baked products (Ostrofsky and Cash 9). In 1987, Mrs. Field Cookies acquired the LPB as part of its diversification strategy. Assuming that LPB is a traditional organization in terms of giving more independence to individual stores and managers, this report will carefully examine factors that made the company experience net losses in 1988. As part of going through the main discussion, direct impact of Mrs. Field Cookies’ existing organizational vision, structure, culture, management style, overall business systems will be criticize based on the available academic theories. Right after acquiring LPB, Field’s initial action was to immediately reduce the subsidiary’s administrative staff from 53 down to 3 personnel (i.e. senior manager, operations, and R&D) (Ostrofsky and Cash 9). The main purpose of laying-off LPB’s existing employees was to absorb a list of overhead functions into Mrs. Field Cookies’ existing organization (i.e. accounting, finance, personnel, human resources, training and development). Instead of taking advantage of LPB’s existing employees, Fields were interested only in combining LPB’s existing products with Mrs. Field products aside from using LPB’s existing real estate (Ostrofsky and Cash 10). Considering the size of LPB, Mr. Field thought that owning LPB will help them create investment barrier to market competition. Since Mrs. Field Cookies were able to establish a strong brand in the market, Mr. Field thought that whatever product they add up to the company would easily sell (Ostrofsky and Cash 7, 10). Without taking into consideration of the current economic condition, Mr. Field thought that having a demographically driven growth is the key to their business success. Due to unsuccessful financing experiences in the past, Mr. and Mrs. Fields decided

The Role of Training in Employee Performance Improvement Essay

The Role of Training in Employee Performance Improvement - Essay Example Some were focused on the developmental aspect of learning while other theorists suggest learning in the behavioural context. In the constructivist view of learning, there are two important developments beyond the notion of an 'accumulation'. First, there is a flexibility in cognitive structure that allows change but without the influence of a third party to facilitate learning. Second, new materials are digested through the assimilation and selection processes.of learning (Moon 2004, p.17). Pavlovian conditioning theory asserts that learning is achieved if appropriate stimulus is given. Piaget has made major contributions to our understandings of the learning process, in particular through his emphasis on human beings as "active meaning-makers rather than passive 'recipients' of knowledge" (Moore 2000,p.30). Bloom presented the three domains of learning as cognitive (intellectual capability), affective (emotions) and psychomotor (skills). Bloom espoused the importance of progressive learning. As the student progresses and completes a level, the next level also increases in the degree of difficulty (Chapman 2005). Recent developments in learning techniques are introduced in the attempt to bridge the gap between theory and practice. But these are not new theories as explained by Moon (2004). For Dewey (1933), reflection is thinking about the self, his function as an individual. Reflective qualities focused on the strengths and weakness "typifies the holistic aspirations behind Personal Development Programmes. Kolb's (1984) "cycle of experiential learning" is a familiar concept. (Reflection n.d.) Elements of Effective Training and Development Programs Noe and Colquitte (2002) have four criteria so training and development programs are considered effective. The trainees must: a) be ready to learn; b) be motivated; c) learn the content of the training program; and d) transfer their training when back on the job. When organizations implement training and development programs, they must inform their employees about the purpose of the program and how it will help them perform their jobs better. The organization must also make it clear to the employees that the training program is meant to improve performance and not nitpick areas where they are deficient. The company can use technology like web-based applications to facilitate training so that it gives participants some degrees of freedom and flexibility. Finally, some testimonial from previous participants will encourage employees to join the training sessions. Determining Employee Training Readiness To determine training readiness of employees, the Human Resource Department will conduct an organizational meeting where parties involved are invited to participate in the discussion. Representative from various departments of the organization can aid in the discussion and analysis of the learning goals and processes. Important inputs must be gleaned about various operational procedures. Participants must maintain a broad perspective on the activity and avoid presumptions that would otherwise contaminate the results (Freeman 1993,

Smart Goals for Internship Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Smart Goals for Internship - Assignment Example During my time in the organization, I worked as a marketing research intern in the marketing department. The marketing department performed the task of conducting market research, advertising, website development, email marketing, blogging and public relations. As a marketing intern, my job involved a plethora of duties, such as conducting consumer, database and media research, participating in public relations, email marketing and product management. I was therefore responsible for communicating with potential clients, customer follow-up, responding to emails, studying the relevant demographic information regarding the customers amongst others. During my internship period in Aboutsla, I had three major goals. First, I purposed to understand how the organization advertises its products and services. This means that I would aid in product management and brand development. My second goal involved acquiring in-depth information based on the target market. The action taken to achieve this goal includes participating in consumer, and business to business market research in the company. My third goal involves acquiring the relevant skills for conducting both qualitative and quantitative market research. In order to achieve this goal, I would be required to actively participate in the departmental activities, for example, helping to compile and prioritize product features, conducting media research and participate in the formation of strategies geared at reaching the target consumers. â€Æ' The overall goal statement is to acquire the relevant skills and knowledge necessary to conduct market research, identify target consumers, product development and management of current consumers so as to achieve the organizations goals. As an intern, the achievement of the set goals will be determined by my proficiency in the carrying out of the responsibilities imparted on a market researcher. For example, when I am able to gather and analyse

Sermon Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sermon Report - Essay Example It has been written in verse four that in one body there are many members, and thus all these different members must be in harmony with each other to serve the body. The body as per the Scripture refers to Christ. Paul goes further to bid the people to be sober in their judgment. He urges them never to think so highly of themselves. However, he also encourages them not also to think so lowly of themselves. It is true to note that too much humility is vanity. In the book of Galatians, it has been written that whomever thinks he is what he is not, only deceives himself. Therefore, we must strike a balance between the two extreme ends and accord to ourselves what we deserve. The sermon is an accurate reflection on real life scenarios. It is human nature to point fingers at all other people except one person. We do not even realize that as we point one finger towards our neighbors, the other three fingers always point back at as. People love to be praised and adored for what they are not. Others think so highly of themselves. With power and riches, they portray themselves in a manner that befits a god. However, other who are so beaten by the harsh realities of their lives always think so lowly of themselves. Apostle Paul advises against the two extremes and explains that everyone should use their sober judgment. The diversity and difference between of different walks of life are striking. Everyone is different in their unique way. Despite the nature of all individuals, people still have to unite to achieve the set objectives. Everyone must do what they can and contribute to the welfare of the society. We must exercise a certain degree of patience and understanding. Our actions must show maturity and the ability to forgive one another. It is our sole responsibility to learn how to get along with one another. By so doing, we all serve the church in our small different ways and

Transitions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Transitions - Essay Example Particularly negative stress in life affects you the most. Some stress can have a positive effect. From a positive stress perspective, its individual's natural reaction to accept dealing with life's extraordinary challenges and fight against the odds. Stressful events can also bring out the best and actually increases ability to survive in side the individual. Many people experienced great energy boost when they are forced to deal with a stressful situation they came across. Positive stress can help with concentration and focus. An individual faces stress in sudden changes in life; includes death of parents, abandonment, serious accidents, natural disasters, demolition of home, war, physical and sexual assaults. They disrupt the life and cause of serious stress and pain. It includes, rush hour traffic, aggravating associates, long lines at the store or bank, too many things to do, and misplacing things. Over time, stress takes a toll on our health and well being. It can lead to feelings of hopelessness or high blood pressure rates and helplessness, low self-esteem, headaches, sleeplessness, and frequent illness Stresses in the urban life come with poverty, unemployment, single parenting, and overcrowding. The lives of street children are usually filled with long-term problems that are difficult to solve: poverty, denial of human rights, psychological difficulties, illnesses, and lack of educational and recreational opportunities. Rejection or a sense of rejection by family members, friends, school, health or other services, and society in general Adolescent developmental changes 2. Life transitions Transitions in life, such as moving neighborhoods or cities, changing peer groups, or beginning a romantic relationship, changing schools or switching over to new job are always stressful because they require people to behave in new ways.Meaning of Transition Life is full of transition, death and parting being a major part of life. Change happens frequently throughout life, and an individual will go through many transitions. Life transitions are predictable changes in lives. Transition means changing from one place, stage, or relationship to another and some will signal the start of a new set of ventures. As described in United Nations Economic and Social Council doctrine; "Political, economic and social changes in transition countries left large segments of society very vulnerable. People lost guaranteed employment, the security of old age pensions and free access to basic social services. Massive unemployment, underemployment, non-payment of salaries, loss of savings due to hyperinflation and fast rising costs of health and other services made them very susceptible to various risks. They suffered from the loss of self-respect, when their skills and knowledge were no longer in demand. Many people became marginalized, as they lost access to

Evaluate leadership as practiced in the life of Jesus Christ in the Essay

Evaluate leadership as practiced in the life of Jesus Christ in the light of 21st century context - Essay Example The paper will touch on Jesus’ ministry and its application in modern church leadership. The analysis will draw its facts mainly from the Gospels. From the start of his ministry, Jesus set out to mentor leaders that would lead the early church. He selected twelve disciples with different skills, talents, passions and personalities and mentored them to become a team. He taught them to use their varied strengths in order to support each other in the ministry. Christ shaped a leadership structure with a leader who had others supporting him. By the time he ascended to Heaven, he had built a leadership structure comprising Peter as the Head and the other disciples supporting him in a united team that worked together. This team of early church leaders had a unity of purpose to spread the Gospel to all nations. They went out preaching and in their deeds complimented each other’s works. From this early structure, the modern church can draw lessons on how to structure its leadership to attain better results in ministering the Gospel. Traditionally, the church used the hierarchy model of leadership. However, with the growth of the church, there have been changes that have necessitated a shift to an empowered team model of leadership. Many leaders have found they overwhelmed and overworked under the hierarchy model. With the empowered team model, the problem is solved as the leaders work with others in a team. This model emphasizes mentorship of new leaders and the development of a team spirit among the leaders to enhance good working relations to boost delivery of the vision of the church. Empowerment means that leaders drop bureaucratic structures so that people develop a sense of ownership and belonging in the leadership process. It enables them put into use their skills, experiences, energies and ambitions. Active participation by the different members of the team will make them accept the responsibilities that come with the leadership (Maxwell, 2005, p.

Types Of Supporting Materials Essay Example for Free

Types Of Supporting Materials Essay In this time and age, there is a rampant increase of price of oil which we all knew one our primary needs in our daily lives. This sudden augment of cost was set to give a bulk of changes in the lives of our fellowmen. This most controversial issue indeed affects a lot of people worldwide. Several crisis of price hike follows due to the chain of expenses brought about by this major instance of oil increase. To explore more about this issue of increase of charges, it is imperative to hear something from the experts to know what’s behind this phenomenon as well as how we can cope with these tremendous changes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Interviewing the head of the energy board, it is essential to know what is behind the circumstance of increasing the cost of gasoline and us to what extent we can prevent it. Do those in authorities can do something about this tremendous occurrence? Does the at hand clamor of election can cause a huge impact to the said ordeal? These were some of the queries that need to shed beam on to enlighten the minds of every people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As we negate with the expert, it is imperative to have a grip with the supporting materials to be able to have a successful interview session as well as to have in depth analysis towards the matter. Considering the common knowledge which is the â€Å"commonly shared beliefs or values of an audience and sometimes called social knowledge† we can start by asking the expert what is something in this oil phenomenon which make people in the realm endure? Having a grasp on observable facts, we could ask the spokesman also on how such dilemma affects the lives of the people. In support to the knowledgeable facts that was being shared by the expert, it is important also to keep the conversation documented by means of statistics or even graphical representation of studying the crisis which brought a colossal impact in the society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Indeed, the testimony that the person in charge who shared his knowledge deeply make clear to us with what we are experiencing at a moment, and truly this will serve as our guide to act in response to this increase of prices which caused hardships to some of us.

The Cold War in the 1960s Essay Example for Free

The Cold War in the 1960s Essay LBJ and the Escalation of the War * Credibility * Feb 1965: air strikes started * July 1965: ground troops * Why there was no military victory in Vietnam? * The strength of the enemy * The weakness of the South Vietnamese Government * Guerilla war in Vietnam * Limited war in Vietnam * Search-and-destroy vs. clear-and-hold * The media * A Multitude of Movements Student Rebellions, The New Left, and the counter cultural movement * SDS (1960) and its goals * 1964 UC Berkeley and student rebellion * Cultural radicals: the hippies * The Rise of Feminism * Betty Friedan and The Feminine Mystique * 1968: the year of upheaval * January: the Tet Offensive and the credibility gap * March: LBJ would not run again for president * April: MLK assassinated * June: Bobby Kennedy assassinated * August: the Democratic National Convention at Chicago became a street fight * Hubert H. Humphrey, Eugene McCarthy, Nixon, and the 1968 election * The challenge from George Wallace Troubles all around the world * NIXON, KISSINGER amp; DETENTE * Nixon, Henry Kissinger and geo-politics * Sino-Soviet split and the triangular diplomacy * Strategic Arms Limitation Talks I (SALT I) * Nixon’s war in Vietnam * June 1971, Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers * Paris Peace Treaty (1973) * The fall of Saigon (1975) * The Nixon Doctrine * Detente and the limit of US Power.

Family Involvement In Early Education

Family Involvement In Early Education The purpose of this research paper is to examine the effects family involvement has on the success of children and the ways families can get involved in their childs education. My literature reviews defines family involvement is when families get personally involved in education, their children do better in schools, get better grades, and grow up to be successful in life. Family involvement is one of the most overlooked aspects of American education. Today, many programs are designed without recognition of the role of families, and consequently many families remain unaware of the significance that their role can have on their childs education (NASA, 2009). Family involvement means that families work together with care givers and teachers to create an atmosphere that strengthens learning both at the program and in the home. Family involvement is an important component of the United Sates of America educational programs. The purpose of the family involvement component is to engage families as partners in the educational process. Family involvement programs was developed to give families, regardless of their own educational experience, the tools needed to become more actively involved in their childs day-to-day education (Knopf Swick 2008). Significant research over at least 25 years has demonstrated that family involvement is critical to the educational success of children (Bricker Casuso). To give more detail on the findings: When schools acknowledge the relevance of childrens homes and cultures and promote family involvement, they can develop a supportive environment for learning through meaningful activities that engage and empower families (Bricker Casuso, 1979). As our schools and programs become more diverse, that relevance of home and culture takes on greater importance and expands teachers responsibilities for collaboration with families. Families can get more involved with their childs education by, talking with their children, enhancing their childs self esteem, modeling social and educational aspirations and values and monitoring out of school activities (supervising homework etc.)(Battle, 2004). Activities parents can be more involved at school consists of: attending events, such as open house and school fairs, working in the school in support teachers such as helping with activities in the classroom, on trips and with sport activities, assisting with the governance of the school and meeting with teachers to discuss their childrens progress are all ways parents can get more involved with their child education while in school (Battle, 2004). I have seen a lack of parental involvement in Head Start due to lack of communication. I have volunteered for Head Start every since my son went there in 2006. I am a former parent and I have done four internships there. I have done two for Social Work and two for Early Childhood. Most families I have talked to use work, or they do not get grades or I am too tired to sit with those bad kids as an excuse but I try to let them know that if they dont get involved in their child education now they will regret it in the long run. When I lived in Chicago I went to a Head Start program called the Child Parent Center (CPC). My mom worked nights and had three other children to take care of. She made it her job to volunteer at my school at least three days a week. She assisted the teachers, she was even the President of the PTA. My mom got involved in what I was learning because she was a concerned parent. Parents today are not concerned about their childs education. Parents who are involved in their childs education develop more confidence in the school, and about helping their children learn at home and often enroll in continuing education to advance their own schooling (Measuring Up, 1999). Parents tend to be less involved in their childs education as their child get older. The United States Department of Education found that nationwide, as children grow older contacts between families and schools decline both in number and in the positive nature of such contacts. Although 52 percent of interactions are positive and 20 percent are negative in the first grade, by seventh grade positive contacts drop to 36 percent and negative increase to 33 percent (Measuring Up, 1999). The importance of family involvement is the environmental, social, and economic factors have the most powerful effect on student performance. The greatest factor of a child underachieving in school is growing up in poverty, inadequate learning opportunities, and exposure to drugs, lack of after school care, dysfunctional families, and inadequate health care, run down schools, neighborhood distress, few role models, poor nutrition and teen pregnancy (Measuring Up, 1999). Parents cannot always change these factors; they can always have great influence over many of these challenges. Epstein defines a school, family and community partnership as an approach that gives families and community members greater opportunities to determine options for school involvement, to participate in the wide range of involvement activities, and to assume key role and responsibilities in school-improvement efforts, including participation in the schools decision-making processes. If a partnership is to succeed, it must be based on mutual trust and respect, an ongoing exchange of information, agreement on goals and strategies, and sharing of rights and responsibilities. Schools must be willing to involve parents, families, and communities at deeper levels and to support their participation (Epstein 2002). Epstein six types of involvement consist of: Type1: Parenting: Assist families establish home environments to support children as students. Type 2: Communicating: Implement effective home to school and school to home communication practices. Type 3: Volunteering: Encourage families as volunteers in a variety of ways. Type 4: Learning At Home: Involve families in supporting learning activities at home. Type 5: Decision making: Include parents in school; decisions, developing parent leaders and representatives. Type 6: Collaborating With the Community: Coordinate resources and services from the community to strengthen school programs, family practices and student learning development. The problem with families not being involved in their childs education is laziness. A lot of younger generation parents have too many excuses on why they can and cannot get involved. The most common one is transportation problems. If you can get a ride to go clubbing on Friday and Saturday you can get a ride to visit your child Monday thru Thursday for a couple of hours. Majority of the younger generation families just dont care. Their children are being raised by a grandmother, aunt or a caregiver. They do not understand how critical parental involvement is and the effects it has on a child. From my own personal observations parents just do not understand why they need to get involved. It is my job as a professional student to address these concerns to all parents young or old. Teachers are very frustrated trying to involve parents and getting little to no response. Teachers complain that parents do not come to conferences or school open houses, check homework, or answer take home notes. This leads teachers to feel that parents just do not care about their childs education (Brown, 1989). There are many reasons to consider why parents do not get involved. For many parents, a major obstacle to getting involved is lack of time. Working parents are often unable to attend school events during the day (Brown, 1989). Evenings are more convenient and the only time they can be involved. Parents rather spend that time with family than be at an open house, which is understandable. Parental involvement during prekindergarten can promote childrens school readiness and is associated with higher academic achievement and fewer behavior problems through adolescents, at least in low income families (Basile Henry, 1996). It can also lead to greater parental involvement in elementary school, which is associated with higher achievement for children of all socioeconomic backgrounds (Basile Henry 1996). When families do not get involved in their childrens education they are more at risk of being exposed to drugs and alcohol, teen pregnancy and inadequate learning opportunities. The benefits of families who get involved in their childs education their child will get better grades, better attendance, and higher graduation rates, less or no drug or alcohol use, better self-esteem, and less violent. Parental involvement is important because it improves cognitive and social development in early years of education. Evidence indicates that parental involvement continues to have a significant effect on achievement into adolescence even adulthood. A survey in 2007 has found a variation in levels of parental involvement among different ethnic groups. African American parents are more than twice as likely as White parents to say they felt very involved in their childs education. Parents from non-White ethnic backgrounds are more involved in their childs school activities (including homework). Parents from non-White backgrounds are also less likely to say that a childs education is the school responsibility rather than the parents (17% of African American and Asian parents compared to 27% of White parents said that it was the school responsibility) (Harris Goodall, 2007). Parental involvement is easy as pie says McReynolds she came up with the pie program based on research and many years in the classroom. McReynolds states family involvement is a critical part of high quality education, a safe and disciplined learning environment, and student achievement. McReynolds PIE program actively pursues and involves parents as true and equal partners. She offers them five ways in which they can become involved. Decision making. McReynolds encourages parents to set goals for their children and for the teacher goals that reach beyond those goals she has already set. The goals are stated at the start of the school year in a contract between parents, teachers, and students. That contract lists everyones responsibilities and is signed by each of the participants. A parent is free to add to the contract specific goals for their child. The goal of the contract is a very simple one: Helping children to learn, says McReynolds. The contract is a tool to meet that end. It can change from year to year and even sometimes from child to child. If parents feel a need, we do whatever we have to do to meet that need as long as it helps the child learn. Supporting. Parents support their children in many ways, McReynolds says. They provide shelter, food, clothing, protection, and love. They also need to support the work that goes on in the classroom. McReynolds shares with parents the research that supports the need for their involvement in their childrens education at home and at school. Showing children that school is important can be done in many ways, and McReynolds offers parents many options and tools for doing that. Her next goal is to establish a parent library, a place in the school where parents can find and check out materials that will help them to help their children learn. Teaching. Parents are teachers too, says McReynolds, adding, Lets face it, children learned a huge amount from their parents before they even entered school. And a parents role as teacher doesnt end when the child enters school. McReynolds points to a number of ways in which teaching continues to be a parents responsibility and part of a parents daily routine. Providing time and a place for doing homework, reading with a child, making sure homework is understood and finished, talking about what is being done at school, and continuing to learn how to help are just a few of the ways in which parents teach. In addition, parents can get actively involved in the classroom as volunteer tutors, as lecturers sharing their own expertise, and in many other ways. Last year, McReynolds says, a small group of parents got kids interested in participating in the Valentines for Veterans program. That was just one example of a wonderful learning experience that came directly from parental involvement and it was proof that If its important, parents will help to get it done,' says McReynolds. Kids got to see their parents in action and, more importantly, they got to see themselves as contributors to the larger community. Learning. The more parents learn, the more they are able to help a child learn, McReynolds says. That means getting actively involved in finding out what is being taught, how it is taught, and how children learn and develop. Parents can take classes (offered through adult education programs, community colleges, etc.) on their own to demonstrate to their children how important learning is. Or they can take classes with their children; computer classes or hobby classes are two possibilities. McReynolds offers additional help and suggestions. She provides ideas for field trips that parents and children can take together to support classroom learning. And she holds a monthly in-service session for parents. In one recent session she focused on the childrens math curriculum. The sessions goal was to familiarize parents with the curriculum and to relieve the parents anxiety about it. Other sessions have included a science fair preparation night (where McReynolds familiarizes parents with th e scientific method through a fun airplane-making family activity); a session that explains the school grading system; and a field trip to a dinosaur exhibit at a nearby museum. Communicating. An open-door policy allows parents to come into the classroom at any time. In addition, McReynolds offers regular communication through two newsletters. Those newsletters include information about the concepts that are being taught, how those concepts can be reinforced and practiced at home, a schedule of after-school help sessions, and news about a special citizenship program in which kids earn points for positive behaviors. The newsletters also include news of upcoming in-service sessions and special projects parents might want to get involved in. Parental involvement programs, if they are to be effective, must include parents in all aspects of a childs education, Parents must be involved as teachers, learners, supporters, and advocates for their children (Hopkins, 2004). Families can get involved in their childs education by just overseeing their childs homework (time), Limiting time spent watching T.V., Providing support for educators and taking advantage of opportunities to become more involved with school administrations and policy development. Suggestion for teachers to get parents involved is to help parents understand why it is so important to their children school success. Give parents specific thing they can do to be involved. Take time to assess current practices in your school before embarking on a program for parental involvement. Develop a long term plan for a parent that includes evaluations of their childs success. Teachers need to communicate with parents and encourage parents to provide inputs on policies that affect the education of their children. 1) Teachers need parents help! Teachers are over worked and overwhelmed and in need of our help. Even if it is the smallest amount of help. 2) All parents should volunteer at least five times in a school year. 3) Parents also need to know school is a learning environment and not a day care. Parents need to remember even when their children are at school they are still your children, take responsibility in their education. 4) The more parents volunteer, the more educated you are about what is going on in the school. Parents should be an example to their children, show them the importance of education through your actions, not just your words. 5) Kids copy what they see you do, show your children how important it is to be involved parent by being one yourself. 6) All parents should know the old saying It is better to give than to receive. Giving always feel good. 7) Majority of the schools budgets are being cut, as parents we can help schools save money by donating our time, talent and treasures. 8) Parental involvement also gives you the opportunity to voice your opinions on school matters. Who said it is better to be seen and not heard? 9) With all the violence in school today being an involved parent will allow you to keep up with the issues and problems. Parents need to keep their ears and eyes open while at school and you will be surprised at what you will find out. 10) Lastly, parent need to know that their children are only young once. Do not miss out on the opportunity to create memories that will last a forever. Children will not remember that toy you gave them but they will remember all those times you became involved in their education. In conclusion, the most important person in parental involvement is the child. Anything that the parent can do to assist their child is worth it all. Special importance should be on producing ways of helping children, families, and schools work together to supply students with the advantages to put their best efforts forward. It is very clear that parental involvement is very profitable to a child learning environment.

Against Abortion Essay -- Abortion Against Pro-Life Essays Argumentati

Against Abortion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Why is it that by 21 days into the fetal development the baby's heart begins to beat, but yet in most people's eyes the baby is still not 'technically' alive' That heart beat means nothing, it doesn't represent a human person whom God has created in his own image and has had a plan for that baby ever since the beginning of time. To most people that statement isn?t allowing women and their families freedom of choice. And yet that baby isn't given any say in its freedom to live. This paper will give many supporting statistics towards the right to life, I am pro-life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  *Forty-nine percent of pregnancies among American women are unintended, half of these are terminated by an abortion. Each year, two out of every one hundred women aged fifteen- forty-four have an abortion, forty-eight percent of them have had at least one previous abortion and sixty-one percent have had a previous birth. This means that these women understand the joy of a baby being born, and still choose to take away their privilege to live. They?ve carried this children before and know the happiness of seeing their own healthy child in their arms for the first time. Why then, when they know they are creating new life inside of them, choose to deprive their child the right to live and experience everything life has to offer. They willingly decide to kill that child, certainly for their own benefit.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Each year, an estimated forty-six million abortions occur worldwide. Of these, twenty million procedures are obtained illegally.* Why are there stories on the news everyday of people being murdered and mistreated and the culprit being sent to jail of punished in some way for the crime they?ve committed. Yet I don?t think I?ve ever heard on the news of a women being sent to jail for the murder of her unborn baby. It?s still illegal, it?s the murder of a child, they are given no freedom, and the mother goes unpunished. *On average, women give at least three reasons for choosing abortion; 3/4 say that having a baby would interfere with work, school or other responsibilities; about 2/3 say they can?t afford a child; and 1/2 say they don?t want to be a single parent or are having problems with their husband or partner. A baby would interfere with their ?responsibilities?, one of the biggest responsibilities as a sexually active person is to use c... ...like to make a difference too, but the Supreme Court won?t allow him to. Partial-birth abortion is banned in certain states in the United States, its a horrible image to put in someone's head. However, some of the pictures I've seen really make people wonder how someone could destroy human life like that. Abortion all together should be banned, but some people are more pro-choice than pro-life. Senator John Kerry is pro-choice, if he is elected president there is virtually no hope in the end of abortion, and Roe v. Wade. President Bush is at least attempting to change the law, but is constantly being stuck down. John Kerry will do nothing in our country to stop the murder of unborn children. His concern is in Iraq, where a few people are dying each day, while every third baby conceived in America is killed by an abortion. Kerry wants to raise taxes for the wealthy, I wonder how they would feel about this tax raise knowing that some of it could be contributing to the murder of an unborn child. If Kerry wins the election basically all hope of ending abortion is crushed for another four years. Our worry won?t be on the Supreme Court, it will be on our pro-choice President.

Solzhenitsyn and Truth Essays -- essays research papers

â€Å"In the struggle with falsehood art always did win and it always does win!† Alexander Solzhenitsyn, a Soviet dissident, espoused this philosophy to the Swedish Academy. He spoke of the power of art in combating the tyranny and lies of a corrupt government, and as a medium for evaluating society. He was at various times, a soldier in the Soviet army, a political prisoner of the Soviet state, a celebrity for his literary works, and an exile from all of Russia. His fiery philippic against Stalin landed him in prison for eight years; his account of prison life made him immensely popular during the de-Stalinization years of the early 1960’s, and he was deported for his most famous work, The Gulag Archipelago. He has become a symbol of the higher power of artists and writers who have the courage to fight the status quo.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alexander Solzhenitsyn was born to Cossack intellectuals in 1918, but was raised entirely by his mother, his father having died before he was born. He went on to major in mathematics at the University of Rostov-na-Donuand and he learned literature from correspondence courses at the Moscow State University. He fought in WWII, and became a captain of artillery, but was arrested in 1945 for writing a letter criticizing Josef Stalin’s totalitarian government. He spent eight years in a variety of labour and prison camps and three more years in enforced exile. After his release, he settled in central Russia where he wrote and taught mathemat...

Autism Spectrum Disorders Essay -- Diseases,Disorders

Abstract— This paper discusses the potential of using technologies in the diagnosis, study and intervention treatments of autism. The first part of paper introduces background information on autism spectrum disorder. The second part deals with review of literature survey. The third part summarizes our proposed research work on the connected topic. The fourth part concludes our work as whole. Keywords— autism, discrete trail training, applied behaviour analysis, voice output communication aids I. INTRODUCTION The present paper addresses various innovative assistive technology used in diagnosis and treatment of pervasive developmental disorders such as autism. Autism is a developmental disability that is usually noticeable the present paper addresses various innovative assistive technology used in diagnosis and treatment of pervasive developmental disorders such as autism. Autism is a developmental disability that is usually noticeable in the early stages of life preferably in the age groups of one to three years. The common impairments found in the autistic communities are social interactions, communication, controlled interests and recurring behavior etc. The cause for autism is still mysterious. Scientists are working to find out various factors that cause autism. Some of them believe that the changes in environment and genetics might be the key cause. Till now there are no suitable medicines or treatments to cure autism, but using appropriate therapies such as applied and verbal behavioral analysis the impairments of autistic children could be eliminated or reduced to an extent. II. RELATED WORK In this subsection, a list of related works will be briefly described. Gregory D. Abowd, Julie A. Kientz[1] working at G... ...Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield, Herts AL10 9AB, UNITED KINGDOM, [Online] Available : http://homepages.feis.herts.ac.uk/~comqkd/ [8] Ben Robins, Kerstin Dautenhahn, Paul Dickerson, (2009), Proc The second international conferences on Advances in Computer Human Interactions, Cancun, Mexico [9] Megan Davis, Nuno Otero, Kerstin Dautenhahn, Chrystopher L. Nehaniv, and Stuart D. Powell, (2007), Creating a software to promote understanding about narrative in children with autism: reflecting on the design of feedback and opportunities to reason, University of Hertfordshire, Adaptive Systems Research Group, School of Computer Science, School of Education, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9AB, UK [10] William Farr Nicola Yuill, Hayes Raffle, (2009), Collaborative Benefits of a Tangible Interface for Autistic Children, ACM 978-1-60558-246-7/08/04, Boston, MA, USA.

Stock Market Assignment

Journal One – The Stock Market Game First submission Date 26/10/2009| Table 1|   |   | Company| Shares bought| Share Price| Change| 3i Group| 2000| ? 2. 95| ? 5,900. 00| BP| 2000| ? 5. 65| ? 11,300. 00| Prudential| 4000| ? 6. 33| ? 25,320. 00| Sainsbury’s| 2000| ? 3. 39| ? 6,780. 00| |   |   |   | TOTAL|   |   | ? 49,300. 00| CASH HELD|   |   | ? 50,700. 00| |   |   |   | Original amount|   |   | ? 100,000. 00| Profit/Loss|   |   | 0| I will undertake an analysis of 3i Group. I have already invested ? 5,900. 00 and have bought 2000 shares at the share price of ? . 39. I will be watching my shares closely so that I can make a choice to sell, buy or hold my shares 3i Group Established in the 1945, is one of the UK's biggest investors in private companies, it says its strategy is to go for early stage growth companies rather than the financial wizardry favoured by by other ventured capitalists. It has been a big investor in technology compan ies in the past. The reason why I chose this company is because I followed the advice given to me in lecture to not pick companies that I am familiar with.This chart shows the behaviour of the share price over 6 months. I will undertake an analysis of BP. I have already invested ? 11,300 at a share price of ? 5. 65. The Beta for this company 0. 89 which is less than 1. This means that the security will be less so I may not make a profit on my return so there is a bit of a risk. BP Oil giant BP moved into the bracket of oil companies in the late nineties, with the acquisition of US concerns Amoco and Atlantic Richfield. More geared to oil production and exploration than its main rivals.BP has moved into the former Soviet Union to secure future production as its current key asset in the North Sea and Alaska wind down. The reason why I chose this company was because petrol prices have been going up, at one stage the price for a litre was less than ? 1. So I am taking a risk with this o ne but I am hoping it will turn out that I have made some profit with the choices I have made. This chart shows the behaviour of the share price over 6 months I will undertake an analysis of Sainsbury’s. I have already invested ? 780. 00 at a share price of ? 3. 39. The Beta for this company is 0. 5 again this is less than 1. The security risk is going to be high with this company. I will keep a close eye on the share price if it falls I may have to sell my shares at the right time so I do not make a loss. Sainsbury’s J Sainsbury’s UK supermarket group was originally founded in the Drury lane in London 1869. The group began life as a listed company in 1973 which at the time was UK largest ever flotation the group have moved into financial servicesI chose to invest in this company because the public need to purchase food it is a need not a want. There are many competitors out there such as Tesco and Asda, which would have been an obvious choice for me, but again I thought I would take a risk and go for a company that I do not shop in. I logged on to www. digitallook. com and at the time Sainsbury’s was a top seller, because of this small bit of information I decided I was going to buy some shares from this company. I checked on another day and the shares had dropped, so I thought maybe Sainsbury’s is not the right company to choose.I chose it because it may be going up and down but may end up as a winner. Tesco, Asda and some other competitors were on watchdog about flat packed bikes; this program may affect their Christmas sales. In this entry I will undertake an analysis of Prudential. I have already invested ? 25,320. This is the largest investment I have made but I believe it is the best one and I will make a return on my investment. The Beta for this company is 2. 24 so this proves I will make a return on my investment nevertheless there will be more of a higher risk, that I am willing to take.Prudential Insurance Group P rudential is one of the UK largest life insurers. It has operations around the world, in the UK, US and Asia. As well as providing financial services under its own name the Prudential also owns M+G Investment. I chose this company because I thought it would be a good investment and I will make a profit. I have invested over ? 25,000 in this company as I am hoping to make a good return on my money. With all the companies that I have invested my money in I have set up a profile on www. digitallook. com.I was going to set up a spreadsheet in excel but I noticed on digital look that you can create a profile with how much shares you bought, the date and how much per share. Once this information is entered it will let you know how much money you have lost that day. For the second submission I will not continue with this as I would rather set up a spreadsheet in my reflective log and use different formulae to work out whether I have made a profit or loss. Second submission for the Fantasy Stock Market Game On the 12/11/09 I read in the metro newspaper that Sainsbury's has reported an 18. % rise in profits in the past six months but warned sales could slump in the next half. The grocery chain posted healthy profits of ? 307m after like for like sales rose 5. 7% in the October. Share price rose two percent after the profit figure bettered Sainsbury's emerged as a winner in the recession as it tempted customers away from Tesco and other competitors, this was led by the advertisers (fed family for a fiver). Sainsbury's confirmed that market growth was likely to slow in the future as sales surge comes to an end.According to researchers at Nielsen Sainsbury's sales increase was the lowest out of the big four chains. Sainsbury's face a tougher challenge to maintain the sharp rises in the sales seen over the past year as food prices ease back and are expected economic recovery curves. Sainsbury's are hoping to compete in other areas as food sales came under pressure. I was w illing to take a risk as risk is associated when investing money. On the BBC news Sainsbury's said they will not be able to generate sale growth like last year because of inflation.The share price on the 13/11/2009 was 339. 30p going down by 1. 40p which is 0. 03% decrease. With this information that I found out I decided to sell my shares, luckily I sold my shares on Thursday 12/11/2009 and the share price was again ? 3. 39. I bought 2000 shares this equals to ? 6780. 00. I haven't made a loss as when I originally bought my shares the share price was the same. The other three companies have been doing well since I sold my Sainsbury's shares, the have been up everyday. On the 18/11/09 I had made a profit of ? 380, which I was pleased about.One the 19/11/09 the share prices have fallen, nevertheless I am confident the three companies will make me a profit. Reflective Log Spreadsheet This is a part of my reflective log spreadsheet that I have been keeping so far to show I have been ke eping an eye of my shares, the share prices and whether I am making a profit or a loss. Looking at this Table I have made a loss of ? 240 (3i group) comparison with the original amount I have made a profit of ? 500 with BP and with Prudential I have made a profit of ? 720. Comparison of the chosen companies with their competitors BP CompetitorsChevron and Texaco merged in 2001 creating the 2nd largest US based energy company and the 5th largest in the world. BP have signed their first big oilfield development contract. This should improve their shares, even though they are doing okay, once this contract is finalised I think it will benefit the company in more than one way. Exxon and Mobil completed there merger in 1999 to form what is now the worlds largest publicly traded energy company. Exxon and Mobil is involved in the exploration, production, manufacture, transportation and sale of crude oil, natural gas and petroleum products.The group also manufactures and markets petrochemic als, packaging films and speciality chemicals in more than 50 countries. The company is best known by the consumers as Esso and Mobil brand. Royal Dutch and Shell Transport completed their formal unification under a single new parent company RDS in July 2005. Shell is best known for the exploration and production of oil and natural gas alongside its retail petrol stations across UK. Shell's other operations include petrochemicals that are used for plastic and detergents. The share prices to date for these companies are 26/11/2009Chevron Investment (CDI) $79. 64 Exxon Mobile $76. 47 Royal Dutch Shell (RDS)? 6. 50 3i Group Competitors This company has 2 top competitors Candover Investment and CVC Capital Partners Candover Investment Their objectives is to achieve above average growth in its net assets through capital gains from its investments and to earn satisfactory income for their shareholders CVC Limited This company provide investment is over 70 companies across all industries. This company was incorporated in 1984 and operates in Australia. The share prices to date for these companies are 26/11/2009Candover Investment(CDI)? 4. 95 27/11/2009 Candover Investment(CDI)? 4. 99 CVC Limited? 4. 18 (AUD A$7. 60) Prudential Competitors Prudential have three top competitors they are American International Group, AXA and Met life incorporated Their share to date are 26/11/2009 American International Group (AIG)? 21. 00 Converted this from $34. 68 AXA? 23. 95 Metlife inc. ?20. 96 By looking at this spreadsheet compared to the last submission I decided not to purchase any more shares. I have been continuing to keep an eye on my share prices not every day like when I started this assignment.Nevertheless when I do check them they have been progressively increasing. This boost my confidence that I have made the right choice when selecting the companies to invest in. I will not be selling these shares now. I have bought them and will keep them long term so that I make a p rofit. These three companies are a long investment. Time to time I have had a look at the Sainsbury's shares to convince myself that I made the right decision in selling them. By doing this, this has confirmed my decision as the shares keep falling. The last time I checked them they were standing at ? . 24. Submission 4 Reflective Log What have you learned about the financial markets and, particularly, the stock markets? What are the importances’s of these markets? After reading and research that I have done my understanding of financial markets is as follows; A financial market is a mechanism that allows people to buy and sell (trade) financial securities (such as stocks and bonds), commodities (such as precious metals or agricultural goods), and other fungible items of value at low transaction costs and at prices that reflect the efficient-market hypothesis.Financial markets have evolved significantly over several hundred years and are undergoing constant innovation for the improvement of liquidity. Both general markets (where many commodities are traded) and specialized markets (where only one commodity is traded) exist. Markets work by placing many interested buyers and sellers in one â€Å"place†, thus making it easier for them to find each other. An economy which relies primarily on interactions between buyers and sellers to allocate resources is known as a market economy in contrast either to a command economy or to a non-market economy such as a gift economy.Financial markets facilitate: The raising of capital (in the capital markets), the transfer of risk (in the derivatives markets) and International trade (in the currency markets); theses are used to match those who want capital to those who have it. Typically a borrower issues a receipt to the lender promising to pay back the capital. These receipts are securities which may be freely bought or sold. In return for lending money to the borrower, the lender will expect some compensation in the form of interest or dividends.A stock market is a public market for the trading of company stock and derivatives at an agreed price; these are securities listed on a stock exchange as well as those only traded privately. The stocks are listed and traded on stock exchanges which are entities of a corporation or mutual organisation specialised in the business of bringing buyers and sellers of the organisations to a listing of stocks and securities together. The stock market in the United States is NYSE while in Canada; it is the Toronto Stock Exchange. Major European examples of stock exchanges include the London Stock Exchange, Paris Bourse, and the Deutsche Bourse.The stock market I had to use for this assignment was the FTSE 100. What is the overall performance of your stock investment? Please critically review the variation of your portfolio’s constituent and value. Any particular events significantly affected your investment profits? I invested in 3i Group, Bp, Prud ential and Sainsbury’s. Once I submitted the third submission I decided to sell these’s shares as they kept falling; i did not want to lose any money at the time I thought I was making the right choice due to what was being reported in the news.Over the three months the share price fell/rose by x%. This compares with an overall rise of y% for the FTSE100. I made ? 2500 losses for the shares I invested, because BP petrol is expensive; because the price of petrol is more than ? 1 per litre consumers has not got money anyway because they have been made redundant. Consumers need petrol or diesel; if they can purchase this at a cheaper price but still get the quality then that is what they will do. The competitor is shell as there petrol is cheaper and of better quality. Prudential share price falls buy 20%. Reference (http://www. oneymarketing. co. uk/pensions/prudential-share-price-slumps-20/1007734. article). 3i Group Reference for Article http://www. thisismoney. co. uk The highest risers during the period were shares in hindsight such as; insurance,clothes and food industries. I can see that the company I chose might not have been going to perform as wells shares in other sectors; this is because unfortunately the companies I chose to invest one was getting taken over towards the end of the three months (Prudential) before this happened consumers sold there shares resulting in it falling by 20%. i Group is a smaa company that invests in new businesses that are starting out; obviously the businesses that 3i group have chosen haven’t taken off as much as 3i Group would have wanted them too. The recession is still recovering, therefore it will still affect some stocks in the stock market If I could start over again, I would have invested in the supermarkets that are more known than Sainsbury’s; such as Asda and Tesco. Then I would have bought shares in Cadbury’s and Next. I would have definitely have picked Cadburys as they are now owned by Kraft at one stage the share price increased up to 746p.I would have made a profit on the money I had invested. Suppose that you can do your stock investment again, what would you do differently this time? What kind of economic factors and investment techniques would you consider? And why? If I could do my stock investment again I would have looked at the different investment techniques to support my chose such as this website; http://stocks. about. com/od/evaluatingstocks/a/063009error. htm. It gives an explanation in details what techniques I could have used and what information it would give me so that i could make an informative decision.I am 100% sure that if i did this I would have made a profit not a loss on the company I chose. At the time I thought I made the right choice but now I think it was a gamble; I could have had a bigger loss than ? 2500. I know now there is more to it that picking some companies and buying shares. There was a variety of websites that I could have visit that would have made my stock investment profitable and different financial ratios I could have used; the tools of Fundamental Analysis Stock Market – Reflective Journal Started on Thursday 15th October @ 9. 00pmI logged onto Digital Look my first thought was the first company I am going to buy shares in will be Sainsbury's because they are at the highest in the FTSE 100 table. But then I thought I need to be smart, a lot of money could go down the drain so, I am going to do some more research look at what is happening in the 3 months or more, not just with Sainsbury's but with other companies as well. Friday 16th October 2009 @ 9. 00am Logged onto the Financial Times website to have a change from the first one. I still have not decided what companies I am going to choose, or how many shares I am going to buy.Today I have decided I am going to do some research and have a close look to see if there is any important information in the news and see if there ar e a any articles that are relevant and that could give me an idea what company not to go for as they may be in trouble. 3/11/2009 Watching BBC News Was watching the news when I got back from university. I heard something about share prices were down 10%. I was hoping it was not my four companies that I chose. Theses were Sainsbury's, BP, Prudential and 3i Group. Thankfully it was BGS group. Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Tsb are forced to sell off their branches.BGS group said some companies that have loads of money can borrow as much as they want, but the thing is there is no demand. This was the day I decided its times to keep an eye on my shares, to see what their doing, are they falling or increasing? Am I making a profit or a loss? Do I need to sell my shares? Buy more or hold on to them. I have invested ? 50,000 and I would like to make a profit on it, even if it is a small amount. 7/11/09 Today I looked at my four companies, 3i, BP, Sainsbury's were all down 3i group was i n the top fallers so I felt a bit disappointed but, Prudential was up today which I was pleased about.I have invested the most in this company and have taken on a bigger risk, I cannot afford to lose my money. What I have decided to do is set up a spreadsheet on excel and keep a daily track of what's going on with my shares up until the next submission date. With the other companies I was going to check my share price and make a decision. Today I will do some research and see what I can find about the companies I have chosen. I may buy the financial times and try to get an in depth understanding of what is happening in the market. I didn't buy the Financial Times but I looked on the digital look website and they said:The supermarket chain Sainsbury's half year results on Wednesday, having already worked out that it is unlikely to be able to maintain its impressive sale growth due to the effects of a reduction in inflation. After reading this on Monday 9/11/09 I am going to sell my s hares especially if they have fallen again. I will keep track of this in my spreadsheet. Monday 9/11/09 I checked the share prices today and I am pleased that all my share prices have gone up, even though I am still making a loss of ? 1180. This has improved from Saturday.I have lost a bit on Sainsbury's but not enough to sell my shares. Today I have decided not to sell my shares, I am still going to take the risk and hopefully make myself some money. I will check the paper and see if there is any information about my companies. I may be able to get an incline on what's going to happen. I will give my Sainsbury's shares a couple of days and check on Friday just to give this company a chance to improve. I believed Sainsbury's will continue to decline, so just to recap on Friday 13th November 2009 if Sainsbury's shares have gone down I will sell them. Tuesday 10/11/2009I didn't get chance to check my shares today, as I said yesterday I am giving Sainsbury's a chance and as for the oth er companies I may as well check them all together. Thursday 12/11/2009 I read in the Metro paper this morning I the business and finance section Sainsbury's has reported on a 18. 5% rise in the past six months but warned sales could slump in the next half. The grocery chain posted healthy profits of 307m after like for like sales rose 7% in the 28 week to October. Share price rose 2 percent after the profit figure increased, Sainsbury's emerged as a winner in the recession as it tempted customers away from Tescos and Asda.This was lead by advertisers feed for a fiver. According to Nielsen Sainsbury's sale increase was the lowest out of the big four chains. Sainsbury's faces a tougher challenge to maintain the sharp rises in sales over the past year as food prices ease back. Sainsbury's are hoping to compete in other areas. Friday 13/11/2009 I was willing to take a risk as risk is associated with money. In the news Sainsbury's said they will not be able to generate sales growth like last year because of a fall in inflation The share price today is 339. 30 its has fallen by 1. 0p which is a 0. 03% decrease, so I have decided to sell my shares. The information that I found out yesterday confirmed for me its time to sell my shares otherwise it will continue to fall I will continue to make a loss and eventually lose my money, that is a risk I am not willing to take. So I sold my shares today at a price of 339. 30 @ 2000 shares equals to ? 6780. 00. So I haven't lost any money on these shares because on the 26/10/2009 the share price was the same 339. 30p. Monday 15/11/2009 I now have 3 companies the shares have gone down but still continue to grow.I will not sell these shares but will continue to hold them until the end. I feel that I will make a profit on one of these three companies. 17/11/2009 Today all of my shares have increased except for BP they have fallen (0. 40% which is 2p so it isn't to bad) 18/11/2009 Great day all of my have gone up I'm not sure if I have made a profit yet as I need to refer to my reflective journal spreadsheet this is where I keep, well try to keep a daily record of my shares and whether I have made a profit or a loss. Did some research today as I wanted to know the reason behind Prudential, as it is doing so well.I looked at www. investcorp. co. uk Stock Market News and Share prices and they said: Insurance giant Prudential was one of the major risers after a price target upgraded from the Dutch broking group ING. They have upped its target price from 392p to 584p, but maintaining its `hold' rating for the shares. For me this proves my investment is a risk but its a great company choice. The saving grace of Prudential is its exposure to emerging markets through ING. This is reflective in the current share price. 19/11/2009 Checked my shares today and updated my spreadsheet.Had a look at Sainsbury's even though I sold my shares I still like to have a look to see what was happening, and also it makes me feel so much better if they continue to fall, that means I have made the right decision. I will be keeping Prudential I feel this company is the one that will make me a profit. BP and 3i Group is growing steadily. 20/11/2009 Checked my shares again 2 of the companies have fallen, Prudential has risen that I am pleased about hoping I will make a profit. 31/03/2010 I have sold my shares and made a loss of ? 2500.

Malthusian View Relevant Today?

â€Å"Malthusian views of the relationship between population and food remain relevant today. † Discuss this statement. According to Malthusian theory of population, population increases in a geometrical ratio, whereas food supply increases in an arithmetic ratio. This imbalance would lead to widespread poverty and starvation, which would only be checked by natural occurrences such as disease, high infant mortality, famine, war or moral restraint. However, this theory is wrong in circumstances now, because it only considered two factors—food and population. But these two factors can be overcome by different ways.Other factors such as improvements in technology proved him wrong. He was right at his time but development made him wrong. If it wasn't for outside influences on population growth and food supply, his mathematical reasoning which proved his theory and was right. Firstly, as I had just said, food production has increased in many different ways, unimaginable in M althus’ time. For one, food technology has rapidly improved. The emergence of Genetically Modified food (GM Food) has boosted food production greatly. GM crops can be planted even in the most undesirable places, in low developed countries like Africa and Brazil.GM crops are also enhanced so that they are pest resistant, hence increasing crop yield. From this you can already see that GM crops cannot only increase food production, living standard can also be increased. Food production has also been increased by draining marshlands, reclaiming land from the sea, cross-breeding of cattle, use of high-yielding varieties of crops, terracing slopes, growing crops in greenhouses, using more sophisticated irrigation techniques such as hydroponics, growing new food such as soya, making artificial fertilizers, farming native crop and animal species, and fish farming.From this, you can see that although population has maybe exceeded the â€Å"optimum†, there is no decrease in food supply and living standard. Moreover, concerning the aspect of population, there are actually many means of population control nowadays that weren’t there in Malthus’ time, resulting in a slowing momentum of population growth. Firstly, there is the use of birth control methods, such as condoms, contraceptive pills, and abortion. These methods are common and widely used, and also easy to access. This way, the population can be controlled through the number of births.There is also the increased education among people for safe sex, so couples will not conceive â€Å"surprise babies† and can effectively limit the number of births as well. Moreover, the status of women has changed. Women are now of a higher position than in Malthus’ time, and they will not be as likely as before have babies. This is because they have other things in mind, mostly their work, than raising a child or having a family. Migration is also made possible globally nowadays due to commu nication and technology (i. . transport), resulting in a more balanced spread of people and hence lowering the chance of a place having too few food and too many people. In conclusion, I do not agree with the statement above. It may have made sense in the time of Thomas Malthus, but it is not relevant in modern times because many things have advanced in a momentum that Malthus has not been able to predict, especially in terms of technology and gender equality. So to make it clear, I don't think the statement is correct.

Renaissance vs. Islamic Art

Mirriam Webster defines art as â€Å"the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects†. It is a broad definition, because nothing about art is specific. Art has many different meanings, takes many different forms, and achieves many different things. Culture, including religion, greatly influences art. The artistic works of a culture may reflect a lifestyle, language, religion, or belief of said culture. Some would consider the heart of art in our modern world to be Europe, specifically, Italy.This is logical, seeing as how Italy is famous for a time period called the Renaissance which was a vital turning point in the history of art in the world. The Renaissance period of time immediately followed the middle ages. During the middle ages, people had no concept of individuality, and there was no focus on mankind. Instead, the focus narrowly on God, celestial beings, and the afterlife. All things that happened were considered a mystery that only God could understand or be involved in. Because of the reliance on religion, people did not venture into thinking about science or how things really worked.The Renaissance was named as its own time period in order to signify the end of medieval thinking of the middle ages. Important aspects of the Renaissance include secularism and humanism, which were concentrations on human capability and a furthering from the all-encompassing spiritual norms. Art during the Renaissance sought to apply humanistic methods to Christianity. As people began to concentrate less on the ideal and more on what was realistic, they began to paint in a realistic fashion which included portraits, and human figures which were proportionate.What’s more is not only that they were painted realistically, but that average humans would be depicted in art in the first place. Although the Renaissance was secular, and concentrated on humans rather than deities, there are many Italian paintings with religious subjects. Italy didn’t live in a little bubble of scientific, humanistic advancement. While the Renaissance took place, Italian culture was somewhat challenged by Islamic culture when the Ottoman Turks made an attempt to conquer Europe.Ottoman rulers such as Mehmet and Suleiman are, in my opinion, responsible for the spread of Islamic art and culture from Persia to Algeria. As the Ottoman empire grew, its art and culture flourished under the rule of a select few rulers. Although the art grew and flourished, it still had its roots in Islamic faith, meaning it still followed the â€Å"rules† of the Muslim religion. The Ottoman empire’s occupation of South-east Europe and domination of the Mediterranean were tools which unintentionally spread Islamic culture to Europe, Italy included.When a group attempts to colonize an area, they (though sometimes inadvertently) spread their culture to said area. This is usually done through propaganda and artwork. The similarities between Islamic art and art in Renaissance Italy results from the fact that many elements of Islamic art spread to Italy during the spread of the Ottoman Empire into Europe. We can see many purely Islamic elements in European art in the Renaissance time period. To begin with, the Muslims are responsible for bringing glass, ceramics, and pottery to Italy.The development of glass and ceramics began in the Middle East. Using these mediums, they developed techniques such as gazing, gliding, qualities of color, and sparkle in order to add an artistic dimension to every day necessities. When the Muslims invaded Europe and held an Italian city, Italians learned to make ceramics, and then followed the Islamic way of adding sparkle to their glass and gold to their ceramic pieces. The Italians were influenced by, not only the artistic medium itself, but also the decorations on Islamic art.A cardinal characteristic of Islamic art is an inclination towards covering surfaces wit h patterns composed of vegetal and/or geometric elements. They valued sophisticated patterns and variety such as those found in Islamic artwork. They were fascinated by the intricate patterns, so much so that they began to imitate the designs on their own glass and ceramic artwork. They copied a certain design pattern, which was a sort of scrolling foliage, which they gave the term arabesque. Both Islamic and Renaissance art are greatly influenced by general religion, and even exhibit some of the same elements.Geometric figures in Islamic art are used to make said art perfectly symmetrical in any way possible. Even the arabesque scrolling foliage is more symmetrical and perfect than actual foliage. The geometric shapes in their works, are used to create a sense of superb balance and order, which is representative of Muslim ideals. Similarly, the artwork of the Italian Renaissance used realism to create balance, order, and proportion, which were fundamental ideals of the Renaissance. Aside from the designs and depictions in the artwork, what makes them similar is the way in which the artwork came to exist.The term â€Å"patron of the arts† was widely used during the Renaissance, and described those individuals who possessed the funds needed to aid the artists in creating their art. During the Renaissance, the patrons of the arts were able to use their wealth to achieve power and respect, by creating a work of art that proclaimed their devotion to themselves, their city, and their god. The most famous of the patrons during the Renaissance were the Medici family. During the height of the Renaissance, the Medici in power was known as Lorenzo the Magnificent.He held power in Florence by his involvement in gaining commissions for artists such as Sandro Boticelli and Leonardo da Vinci, who were both famous artists of their time. The Muslim empires had a very similar system. Certain Ottoman rulers are known for their positive contributions to the art and cultur e of their empire. Their contributions were not making the actual art, but providing the resources for the â€Å"professional† artists to do so. Suleiman the Magnificent is known to be one of the best and most influential rulers of the Ottoman empire.One reason he earned this title is that art and literature flourished under his rule. His artistic nature (reflected in everything he did), paired with his access to wealth made him an important patron of the arts, helping artists express original Ottoman ideas in a Turkish format. The interest of the patrons determine what kind of artwork gets created and released to the public. Because of this, the artwork of a time period may reflect the thoughts and ideals of the upper class because they were wealthy enough to commission certain works to be done.The patrons were the people responsible for the prospering and growth of art in both time periods, though they existed in slightly different forms. Although the Renaissance art was in fluenced by Islamic art, and both were influenced by religion and earlier time periods, there are fundamental differences between the two. These differences lie in the way each culture chooses to portray their religion in their art. The axiomatic dissimilarity between the two types of art, as far as paintings and tapestries are concerned, is that there are no physical beings depicted in Islamic art, and the opposite is true for the art of the Italian Renaissance.The reason for this goes back to the individual foundation and central ideas of each perspective religion and, for the Renaissance, the practices influenced by the time period. Renaissance thinking was secular, but Renaissance art was not about excluding religion altogether, it was more about including humanism in the depiction of religious figures and events. One can see the religious elements in works such as The Birth of Venus, painted by Sandro Botticelli in 1486. The nudity of Venus in this work is a suggestion of Eve b efore â€Å"the Fall† as well as the pure love of Paradise.Once arrived on the planet or â€Å"born†, the love goddess dons earthly, mortal sin, which leads her to become the New Eve, otherwise known as Madonna. The Madonna’s purity is represented by the nude Venus, and she has become a personification of the Christian church. What makes such a work specific to the humanistic aspect of the Renaissance is the ideals captured in it. Venus as the center of the painting represents a celestial being, but is painted very realistically in form, being accurately proportioned. This alone captures the characteristics of humanism, with its focus on realism, and roots in Greek and Roman myths and culture.Muslims do not agree with the way that Christians portray religion through their artwork for their own reasons, so they choose not to do the same in their own artistic practices. Muslims saw an intrinsic flaw in the Christian way and they did not want the message of their G od to be confused with the worshipping of the medium, or for anything to be mistaken for idols or idolatry. Therefore they did, and still to this day, do not allow any physical beings in their art, because such art might allow for attention to and worshipping of Mohammed rather than attention to the word of their God.By these interpretations, the Qu’ran is Midieval in the nature of its message in that physical beings have no right to be depicted in artwork because the word of God is all-important. Because of this Muslim view, Islamic art does not possess the same elements as the Christian art from the Renaissance. There are no people at all depicted in Islamic art, but that’s not to say that it still is not religious. A calligraphic panel by one Mustafa Rakim is a perfect example. The background is red, with beautiful gold characters which are arranged so that the outline appears to be that of a man with a turban who is praying.It reads â€Å"God, there is no god but He, the Lord of His prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the Lord of all that has been crated. The aforementioned is exemplary of how Islamic works of art could be religious, but approached in a different fashion than in the Renaissance. There could not be a physical depiction of their god, Muhammad, or a man praying, so instead calligraphy was used in a shape in order to further convey a message. In fact, calligraphy is the highest form of visual art, and the nly spiritually meaningful form of art because of its association with the Qu’ran, which Muslims worship every word of. Christians worshipped Jesus Christ, who was a human being, and simply a messenger of God. For example, atop Carcovado Mountain in Brazil, there is a statue entitled â€Å"Christ the Redeemer†, which offers a panoramic view of Rio De Janeiro. The statue is not only a major tourist attraction, but more of a source of religious solace for all who come to visit it. There are also many Christians who choose to worship at the feet of the aforementioned statue, and others like it.The Muslims think of the Christians as wrong for doing such things as worshipping at a statue of Jesus Christ because in their religion, the prophet Mohammed shan’t be worshipped because of his position as the messenger of their God. The Islamic focus is on the teachings of their God alone, and not on the medium through which they received said teachings. Art with physical depictions of religious figures would also go against the teachings of the Qu’ran, which by some interpretations suggests that Muslims should be against idolatry, meaning they should not believe in the worshipping of a physical object or person as a god.Physical depictions in religious art have also been known to change along with the time period, which could in turn change the mindsets of the followers of the religion. For example, in Christianity, depictions of Jesus Christ contributed to the influence of the church and rulers who associated themselves with and promoted Christianity. During the fourth, fifth, and sixth centuries, the image of Jesus changed from a humble shepherd to a richly robed and commanding persona—a fitting companion for the emperors whose images were also portrayed in mosaics on the walls of churches.Because the Muslims view the word of their god as all-important, they do not want interpretations of the religion to be further influenced by the time period, as what has happened with the image of Jesus. Art, in any form, has the ability to represent everything about a culture. In my opinion, it has the most impact on how we perceive certain people, religions, and cultures. He who is in control of the art is, in essence, in control of the opinions of future generations. Essentially, comparing the art of two separate cultures is comparing everything from their language and religion to trends and important societal topics.