Allegory Of The Cave Essays - Platonism, Analogy, Allegory

Allegory Of The Cave Essays - Platonism, Analogy, Allegory Allegory Of The Cave The Allegory of the cave The Allegory of the Cave, like most things in philosophy, can be deciphered in many different ways. It basically says that people are chained to the wall of a cave and they have nothing to look at but shadows on the wall that are provided by another. This is all that they know and have never been out of the cave. That tells nothing on the surface, but once one looks really hard a few messages or meanings can be interpreted from the Allegory. The main point of the Allegory of the Cave is to give an example of the way that we all live our lives. Except for a chosen few like Christ, Gandhi and maybe even Socrates, no one is really enlighten, or has seen what life is all about. The remainder of the Earths inhabitants see what we think is reality when actually it is, persay, the shadows of true reality. The Shadow makers represent the opinions makers, or the people that make us look at the world the way we do. An opinion maker can be anyone, a priest telling you how God wants you to live, ones parents teach them morals or the television. These shadows make us think that this is the way to live and that this is what is important in the world. As stated before, few can break the chains and escape the cave. When they do and find out what true reality is, most come back and want to spread the truth. In most cases these people are looked down upon for not conforming or for trying to poison the minds of others. Look at Christ, he was crucified for trying to teach as was Socrates. The main point of the Allegory is to illustrate the way in which we live and show how what we think is reality merely are shadows. I seem to think there is another meaning to the Allegory of the Cave. I agree with the interpretations of the story up to a point. The part where my believes differ is upon leaving the cave. I do believe while on Earth some do break their chains and escape the cave to see what reality is, however I believe that we all eventually break the chains some just do it while on Earth. What is meant by that is in death we break the chains. The Allegory says that it is painful to break the chains, and in most cases death is not pleasant but painful. Once out of the chains, there is indecision, what to do, where to go. Only when the sunlight is spotted from the cave entrance does one know where to go. Again death echoes this same pattern. Many say after death there is indecision until the bright light draws them toward it. The Outside of the cave, the true reality, then is a symbol of heaven. Both represent a better place, a sort of paradise where things can be more clearly understood. This interpretation may conflict with an earlier statement that suggests that some break the chains and become enlightened while on earth but it does not. Those who are lucky enough to have found true reality while on Earth were the exception. They did not have to die to find out what others find out after death. Digressing, the cave is an example of the Earth and the way we live our lives. The breaking of the chains represent death in the sense that we break free from our physical forms and now are an essence that is free to explore new worlds. Heaven is represented by the outside of the cave. It is what is strived for by all, to escape the cave and go somewhere better and become something better. The Allegory of the Cave is a direct comparison to that of the process of dying and accention into heaven. The Allegory of the Cave is and illustration of the way humans look at the Earth and what we fell is reality. Most do not escape this warped thinking until death. Few break free and see what true reality is while on

Agnostic

Agnostic Agnostic Agnostic By Maeve Maddox I thought I knew the meaning of the word agnostic until I read this in an article about the Common Core State Standards: Some teachers were angered, not by his pedagogical vision per se but by the fact that the author of the standards seemed to be telling them how to teach, even when the standards themselves are agnostic about pedagogy. Thomas Huxley (1825-1895) coined the word agnostic to describe his attitude towards God and religion. He felt he lacked sufficient knowledge to determine if God existed or not. He formed the word by adding the prefix a- to the word gnostic. The prefix added the sense of â€Å"without, not, -less.† Gnostic means â€Å"knowledge.† Agnostic means â€Å"lack of knowledge.† The word agnostic can be a noun or an adjective. An agnostic is a person who withholds an opinion as to whether or not God exists. As an adjective, agnostic means â€Å"relating to the belief that the existence of anything beyond and behind material phenomena is unknown and (as far as can be judged) unknowable.† The use of agnostic in a nonreligious context led me to uses I’d been unaware of. Here are some examples: Progressive adherents defend the Common Core State Standards Initiative as culturally and morally agnostic.   I had to [think of] a recipe that would be apple agnostic- it had to work no matter if they were sweet or tart, red or green, tender or crisp. Political agnostics are people who ignore politics and current events. The rescues I knew that did foster homes were mostly purebred rescues, like for collies or Persian [cats], says Wootton,I didnt know of any that just took dogs, or just took catsWe are breed-agnostic we dont discriminate. I am coming round to a sugar-agnostic position. The burgeoning use of the word agnostic in nonreligious contexts may derive from its use in the world of technology. A software program that will run on any computer operating system is said to be â€Å"platform agnostic. In extended use, agnostic can mean â€Å"not committed to a particular point of view, â€Å"non-partisan,† or â€Å"equivocal.† To me, the use of agnostic to refer to apples, sugar, and dogs seems more than a little inapt. And a word that can mean â€Å"equivocal† doesn’t seem the best choice to describe educational standards. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:30 Synonyms for â€Å"Meeting†Use a Dash for Number RangesDouble Possessive

Federal Reserve System, Interest Rates and Money Supply (SLP) Essay

Federal Reserve System, Interest Rates and Money Supply (SLP) - Essay Example By increasing the interest rates Federal Reserve attempts to condense the supply of money by making it more expensive to obtain. There is no immediate effect on market with the increase in interest rate. However what happens immediately is that it suddenly becomes more costly for banks to borrow money from the central banks pushing the banks to increase the interest rates for lending money to their customers. (Siddhartha Jha, 2011) Expenses necessary for the survival are called committed expenses. As these expenses are mandatory, there purchasing decisions are not affected by fluctuations within the interest rate environment. Further, such expenses are met against cash so interest expenses are not applicable. Committed expenses include rent, transportation, groceries, and health insurance, telephone and electricity bills. Expenses associated with consumer goods, which depreciate quickly and rarely add value to one’s bottom line are called discretionary expenses. Expenses on designer clothes, vacation packages, high-end electronics and memberships to exclusive clubs are discretionary expenses. With the rise in interest rates discretionary spending reduces sharply because higher interest rates increase financing costs and lower disposable income. (John Bates, 2011) Spending on big ticket items expenses like purchasing a car or financing a home is encouraged with stable incomes and low interest rates. The spending decisions for big-ticket items are more so affected by the overall economy because despite a low-interest rate environment, one would be unlikely to take on a mortgage to buy a new home, if one’s job is in jeopardy. On the contrary, a strong economy and impressive stock market returns encourage raising cash to purchase a luxury car. Lower interest rates on real estate loans are better for the real estate market in general because it

Application of the principles of health and safety to the operating Essay

Application of the principles of health and safety to the operating theatre environment - Essay Example The operating department practitioner (ODP) should be alert to any fears or apprehensions expressed by the patient and transmit such information to the surgeon (Lyons, 1997). The patient and his family should be encouraged to communicate freely with the physician. The preparation and care of the patient before surgery has one major goal to promote the best possible physical and psychological state of the patient prior to surgical therapy. To achieve this goal, the patient’s individual needs must be ascertained and his strengths and limitations evaluated. A plan of care can then be developed to assist the patient in adjusting physically and emotion ­ally to the surgical experience. Preparation for surgery should begin as soon as the patient is told that an operation is necessary. The anticipation of any surgical procedure will result in an emotional reaction  ­of some kind, and much can be done to allevi ­ate fears prior to admission as well as during hospitalization. The patient’s reaction will depend on many factors, including his person ­ality structure and his pattern of reaction to stressful events in the past. A surgical operation is a stressful situation in which the patient may believe that he is in danger of acute pain, serious damage to the body, disability, and death. In addition there is a fear of the unknown. This can be compli ­cated by fear of anesthesia or fear of separa ­tion from activities, family, and friends. The average patient also worries about financial problems, family responsibilities, and em ­ployment status. Anxiety will usually increase as the time for surgery draws near. The ODP can assist the patient, his fami ly, and surgical personnel by listening to the patient and helping him to verbalize his fears. Often the patient only wants the opportunity to acknowledge his fears to a caring, under ­standing, and accepting person (Saylor, 1975). The evening before surgery the

India Change over Time Essay Example for Free

India Change over Time Essay India is a country with a rich culture and many age-old traditions. Although some of these aspects of indian culture can still be seen today, India has changed greatly over the year. A major contributing factor to this change was British colonization of India in the early and mid-1700s; colonization had both short-term and long-term impacts on India. Prior to British colonization most of India lived in small villages and maintained a predominantly agricultural economy. In most regions of India there is a strong sense of family and community. There are many festivals and occasions for celebration, especially weddings. As each region of India has elements of unique culture, occasions and celebrations can vary widely. Before colonization, people lived in extended families. A son would not leave his parents home when he married. Instead, his new wife would live with her husbands family and work for and serve his household. Women had very few choices or rights. They were expected to obey their father until they married, then they would obey their husband. If their husband died, they would be expected to obey their father-in-law. Houses were built of wood, reeds, mud bricks and straw. People slept, ate and sat on the floor, and furniture in houses was not common prior to colonization. Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism are the three religions that are believed to have shaped Indian thought; religions that are practices world-wide. Many motivations pushed Europeans towards colonizing foreign lands. Primarily, nations established colonies to gain economic profits. In addition to a desire for economic profit, nationalism also served as a reason for colonization. Europeans used the ideas of the White Mans Burden to help justify their colonization of foreign lands. The White Mans Burden was the idea that as supreme beings, it was the job of the white people to spread their superior ways of living to the inferior people of other places. Britain discovered the Indian sub-continent when it was looking to expand its vast empire. In the mid eighteenth century, India became one of Great Britains most important colonies. Great Britain relied heavily on India as a source of raw materials. Britain profited from Indias vast supply of tea and cotton. Beginning in 1757, the East India Company, which was overseen by the British government, ruled India. Britain did benefit from the situation; however, notwithstanding the obvious injustices associated with colonization, India also experienced positive impacts. While Great Britain felt that they were being very generous to the Indian people in colonizing and modernizing the nation, the Indians did not always agree with this. Under British rule, many new roads, railways, and harbors were built, and a telegraph system was created. While the Indians were forced to do much labor in the construction of these things, they were often kept from enjoying and benefiting from the finished products. In fact, the Indian people were treated as second class citizens in their own nation. They were banned from many government positions, and had little rights. They often received lower wages than Europeans working in the same job, and their educations did little for them. The Indians eventually came together to fight against the way that they were treated influenced by the same sense of nationalism that had prompted the British to colonize India more than a century before. After much hard work, India finally gained independence from Great Britain in August 1947; however, although India gained independence all ties with the British nation were not cut. One of the first impacts that colonization had in India was the development of unity. When Britain first acquired India as a colony the country was divided. The British imposed system impacted India by bringing more equality to the country as the caste system which outlined social hierarchy was adapted. It is also significant that Britain accepted all of the religions of India which also allowed unity to prosper. India has also experienced positive impacts from the institution established and then left behind by the colonizers. The institutions established by the British Raj and then inherited by India helped lead to democracy in modern day India. The assistance of these institutions assisted India in becoming the world’s largest democracy today. It is also of note that Britain first introduced India to early capitalism through colonization. Britain transformed India into an agricultural based capitalist economy and established forms of private ownership. These actions led India into creating free trade and competitive business. Today India is the largest provider of services in the world in large part due to colonization; however, it is uncertain if without colonization this would be possible. The Indian population is able to compete in the service sector due to the positive impact of the English language being left behind post British rule. When colonization was occurring in India schools were established which taught and offered instruction in English. It is also of note that the East India Company had a positive impact by establishing some services such as rail throughout the country. The culture of India was also greatly impacted. As the English language spread, indigenous languages were diminished, and the culture, as a whole, began to take on a more European style. Under colonial rule India often depended on Great Britian for such things as technological advances and manufactured goods. Once it became independent, India slowly fell behind the rest of the world, as it had to learn to depend less on other nations and more on itself. India, even today, is considered a third-world country. The nations that were once under colonial rule, such as India, are for the most part the nations that are currently undergoing industrial revolutions. In addition to colonization changing the culture of India, it also affected that of the mother country, Great Britain. Colonization led to an increased diversity of culture in Great Britain. This was because many people from India began to move to Great Britain. Today, Great Britain is still home to many Indian people. The impacts of British colonization were huge and the changes made to India as a nation were great. However, not all of that rich culture was lost. Many of those original religions such as Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism are still practiced world-wide. Also, even though English is common in education and business, the official language of India today is Hindi. Indians continue to be proud of their culture and traditional Indian buildings, attire, and customs can still be seen throughout the country.

William Faulkner’s An Odor of Verbena †An Act of Courage :: Odor Verbena

William Faulkner’s An Odor of Verbena – An Act of Courage William Faulkner’s short story "An Odor of Verbena" is the tale of a young, Southern man, Baynard Sartoris, who must come to terms with his father’s sudden (but not entirely unexpected) murder. Because this murder takes place in the decade following the Civil War, young Baynard is faced with the South’s ancient honorary code. This code dictates that, as the only son of his father, he must avenge this death. Should Baynard fail to retaliate on his father’s behalf by confronting the murderer, Redmond, who once was his father’s business partner, both Baynard and his family would lose face within their community. Faulkner uses the two primary women of the story to represent the two options open to young Baynard—each is trying to pull him in an opposite direction. Drusilla, Baynard’s stepmother, and his Aunt Jenny represent the two conflicting views and solutions that Baynard must struggle with. Does he challenge Redmond to a duel? or merely walk away from the situation. Both women try to work on Baynard’s emotions and intellect in their attempt to sway him to their conflicting points of view. Either choice could have a lasting or fatal consequence for Baynard and his family. In this story Faulkner appears to be using Drusilla as the primary voice representing the old Southern honor system, an honor system that is distinctly masculine. As the grieving widow, it is Drusilla who seems to be pushing the hardest for retribution in the form of a duel—an option that would put Baynard’s life at risk. Baynard is barely home after his long ride back from college when Drusilla directs, not asks, him to take the dueling pistols (Faulkner 459). Drusilla expects Baynard to challenge her husband’s killer with "the long true [dueling] barrels true as justice" (Faulkner 459). She is inflamed and passionate about Baynard’s chance to kill and speaks glowingly of what so many Southern men in the same position must have thought: "to be permitted to kill, to be permitted vengeance, to take into your bare hands the fire of heaven that cast down Lucifer" (Faulkner 460). Drusilla expects that Baynard one day will be grateful for her support. She tells him that "you will remember me who put into your hands what they say is an attribute only of God’s, who took what belongs to heaven and gave it to you" (Faulkner 459).

Madam

Introduction to Roman Society and Culture Erik Gunderson (e. [email  protected] ca) TR10-12; Brennan Hall 200 Of? ce Hours at Lilian Massey 207: M 2-3; TR 9-10; and by appointment Description: Our goal is to become familiar with some of the key events, personalities, and themes of Roman civilization. We will examine in particular those issues that the Romans themselves emphasized as essential aspects of Roman identity. Evaluation: mid-term exam: in-class essay: ? nal examination: Texts: Required: Livy, Livy The Early History of Rome, Books I-V. Penguin) (ISBN: 978-0140448092) Petronius, Satyricon (Penguin) (ISBN: 978-0140444896) Course reader Suggested: Karl Christ, The Romans: An Introduction to Their History and Civilization (California) (ISBN: 0520056345) On-Line: http://antisigma. classics. utoronto. ca/classes/2011-12/cla233_wi2012/ [user: cla233; pass: wi2012] https://portal. utoronto. ca/ [check here in case there are problems with the above] 30% 30% 40% CLA233 Syllabus 1 We ek Date 1 10 Jan 12 Jan 2 17 Jan 19 Jan 3 24 Jan 26 Jan 4 31 Jan 02 Feb 5 07 Feb Theme Introduction Warriors ReadingLivy, History of Rome, Book 1 Livy, History of Rome, Book 1 Livy, History of Rome, Book 5 Livy, History of Rome, Book 5 Plutarch, Life of Aemilius Paulus Ruler and ruled Quintus Cicero, Essay on Running for Consul Plautus, Pseudolus Petronius, Satyricon, â€Å"Dinner with Trimalchio† 09 Feb Mid-term exam 6 14 Feb Speakers 16 Feb Quintilian, Institutes, Book 12 Tacitus, Dialogue on Oratory Reading Week 7 28 Feb 01 Mar Members of a family 8 06 Mar 08 Mar 9 13 Mar Social performers 15 Mar In-class paper 10 20 Mar 22 Mar 11 27 Mar Polytheists 29 Mar 12 03 Apr 05 Apr Conclusion Seneca, Moral Letters, Book 1 Suetonius, Life of Nero Livy 39. -19; Apuleius, Golden Ass, Book 11 Lucretius 1. 1-158; Plautus, Amphytruo, prologue Lucian, Alexander Sample declamations; Petronius, â€Å"Puteoli† + â€Å"Eumolpus† Cicero, Letters to his Friends, Books 14 & 16 Taci tus, Annales 13. 1-30; 14. 1-28 Plautus, Aulularia Pliny, Letters, Book 3 CLA233 Syllabus 2 Administrative notes: 1. If any member of the class is obliged to miss a test for reasons beyond his/her control, there will be no make-up exam, and the weight of the exam in question will be transferred to the next comparable element of the course requirements.Only illness, serious personal af? iction, religious obligation, and unforeseeable duties of family care will be considered good reasons for missing a test. Satisfactory evidence must be provided. If such evidence is not provided, the exam will be given zero as its score. 2. The instructor is happy to see individual members of the class to discuss any aspect of the course. But please note that this does not mean that the instructor will give private tuition to individuals.In particular, he cannot be expected to give tuition that merely repeats material covered in regular class time. Instruction is given in the classroom only. During th e of? ce hours indicated above members of the class should feel free to drop by the instructor’s of? ce without any need to make an appointment. If, however, these hours do not suit your timetable, please see the instructor at the end of class, or get in touch by telephone or email, to make an appointment at a time that suits both parties. . Members of the class are free to consult the instructor by e-mail where this is appropriate, but are asked to keep this to a minimum. Matters that need only a few moments' attention can be dispensed with more conveniently in a direct personal exchange at the end of a class. Members of the class should need no reminding that e-mail requests for individual tuition in the form of, for example, detailed questions on texts discussed in a class which a given individual did not attend will not be granted. 4.In cases of academic misconduct the instructor will assume that all members of the class are familiar with the Faculty’s codes of beh avior on academic matters and student conduct. See The Faculty of Arts and Science Calendar (http://www. artsandscience. utoronto. ca/ofr/ calendar/rules. htm#behaviour). If you are unfamiliar with these codes and the binding de? nitions of terms such as plagiarism, you are expected to become acquainted with them before submitting any work for this course. CLA233 Syllabus 3

John Donne as an Innovative Poet

John Donne's position as a revered and respected poet is not unjustified. The depth and breath of literary works written about him along with the esteemed position he held among his comtemporaries is evidence of his popularity. As a metaohysical poet his poetry was frequently abstract and theoritical and he utilised poetry to display his learning and above all his wit. He was most certainly an innovative love poet who moved away from the Shakespearian focus on form intensely literary style. He was an expert in argument and often used exr=tended conceits to put forward these arguments.The drama in his poetry and his use of language all serve to highlight his skills as an innovative and creative poet. In order to examine Donne's innovative style I will discuss five of his poems, A Nocturnal Upon St. Lucy's Day, The Flea, A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning, The Sunne Rising and The Anniversarie. Donne was frequently classed as the first and greatest of the metaphysical poets. This group of writers were classed together, not because of any historical connection, but largely due to their similiarity of style. The term metaphysical could be classed in a number of ways the work of these poets was both celebrated and criticised.For many metaphysics was a branch of philosophical speculation concerned with questions of our being and existence. It was often characterised by the se of inventive conceits and speculation on topics such as love or religion. For Samuel Johnson, who coined the term the metaphysical poets, they were overly comcerned with style and the demonstration of learning. He believed these poets, who included George Herbert and Andrew Marvel as well as Donne, were simply using this style of poetry to show off their intelligence, ‘The metaphysical poets were men of learning and to show their learning was their whole endeavour'. Johnson, 1876: 48]. The impact Donne and his innovative style made on his contemporaries is evidenced further when we look at the reaction of his contemporaries to his death. Such was their grief at his passing that a book of elegies dedicated to his was published two years after his death. Among these was Thomas Carew's An Elegie Upon the Death of the Deane of Paul's Dr John Donne. In this Carew laments the passing of Donne and believes that his death will hinder other poets as he was their inspiration. For Carew, Donne's inovation ay in his use of the English llanguage and he described him as having freed the English language from the ‘weeds' which had grown all over it. Carew also suggests that other poets are indebted to Donne as he created a style that was a source of inspoiration for many other poets. This stance in reaction to his death further reinforces the idea that Donne was an innovative love poet and not one who writes with an awareness of tradition of earlier love poetry. William Shakespeare was the Elizabethan era's most prolific love poet. He employed a highly literary style in his w riting and a rigid structure in much of his poetry.A comparison between Donne's work and Shakespeare's traditional love poetry effectively highlights Donne's innovation in the field. Shakespeare's poem Venus and Adonis and Donne's poem A Nocturnal Upon St Lucy's Day are love poems that employ similiar arguments to advance their themes. Donne's innovation becomes obvious however in the style and diffuculty of his argument. In Shakespeares's verse his heroine refuses to believe that her lover has died based on the argument that if he was dead then the whole world would be in chaos and she too would be dead, ‘to wail his death who lives and must not die/ Till mutual overthrow of mortal kind! [Shakespeare 1015 – 1020]. Once the point has been made the poem moves on. In Donne's poem on the other hand his argument on the liklihood of proving his death continues for many lines and utilises comparisons to many scientific points. For Donne it is not the logic of the argument tha t counts but the argument itself and he continues to press the argument until he can go no further. This poem is also evidence of Donne's focus on metaphysics. He uses the unfeeling language of philosophy and science to advance his arguments. Intellectual argument and attempts to persuade are a frequent feature of Donne's poetry.Many of them are exercises in the use and abuse of logic. His poem The Flea contains twenty seven lines of witty closely-knit argument on the significance for two lovers of a flea bite. The poem contains three connecteded arguments; the first it that the flea, who has bitten both the speaker and his lover, now contains the blood of each and so they are mingled withing the body of the flea in which they have effectively made their marriage bed. The second is that by killing the flea, she will be committing murder (killing him), suicide (killing herself) and sacrilege (destroying the ‘temple' which was their marriage bed).The final segment of the argumen t takes place after his lover has killed the flea. The speaker reasons that as neither he nor she has suffered from the death of the flea, if she yields to him, she will lose no more honour than when ‘this flea's death took life from her'. [Donne line 27]. Donne pursues his argument in a reasoned logical fashion and in this poem in particular the argument carries an irreverent tone and through its ludicrousness and wit Donne demonstrates both his intellect and ingenuity.Another of Donne's poem which employs a reasoned argument is Valediction: Forbidding Mourning. Unlike the irreverent tones of The Flea however this poem's argument is filled with emotional intensity as Donne assures his wife that the physical distance between them as he undertakes a long journey to Europe with his patron Sir Robert Drury will not alter their relationship. He makes the unusual argument that their separation is not only unimportant but in fact impossible. In the poem

Running From Beer Bottles and Rocks essays

Running From Beer Bottles and Rocks essays Americans have several different views on other countries. The people who seem to criticize these other cultures are mostly people who havent been to these countries and have the typical Im better than you attitude. Just because our country is one of the top military and political powers in the world, does not give us the clearance nor justify us thinking we should have special favors or unearned respect from the people in their own lands when we are the intruder. When those disrespectful Americans go to these societies they give our whole country a bad name. Just like Newtons 2nd law, every action has an equal and opposite reaction, the product of our insolence is our rudeness thrown right back in our face. The only reason the locals in far off places that have been so unlucky to have encountered some of our nations immature residence continue to tolerate our presence is mostly due to our money and all the useless wooden bowls, chincy necklaces, and other over priced ethnic cra fts that we oddly enough find interesting and will pay top dollar for. This attitude can be extremely dangerous shown to the wrong people. It was Christmas day 1999 in Sigonella, Sicily, all the officers and members of the maintenance crew had the day off to celebrate and have a feeling of togetherness since we could not be with our families that year. We drank wine most of the day and told sea stories of places weve been and what weve done. Most of these stories would not be something you would tell to your grandchildren or in some cases even to other sailors. After the sun went down, the crowd started to slowly leave their chicken bones, empty beer cans and wine glasses, and full ashtrays for the comfort of their quarters. Some of us younger sailors who thought we were invincible; Jason, Casey, Cal, and I wanted to experience the nightlife of Sicily. So with the help of the intoxicants we dran...

Futalognkosaurus - Facts and Figures

Futalognkosaurus - Facts and Figures Name: Futalognkosaurus (indigenous/Greek for giant chief lizard); pronounced FOO-tah-LONK-oh-SORE-us Habitat: Woodlands of South America Historical Period: Late Cretaceous (80 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 100 feet long and 50-75 tons Diet: Plants Distinguishing Characteristics: Quadrupedal posture; thick trunk; extremely long neck and tail About Futalognkosaurus Youd think it would be hard for a 100-foot-long dinosaur to keep a low profile, but the fact is that paleontologists are still digging up new genera. One of the latest examples is the oddly named Futalognkosaurus, 70 percent of whose skeleton has been reassembled from three fossilized specimens discovered in Patagonia (a region of South America). Technically, Futalognkosaurus is classified as a titanosaur (a type of lightly armored sauropod with a widespread distribution during the late Cretaceous period), and with 70 percent of its skeleton accounted for, some experts have hailed it as the most complete giant dinosaur known so far. (Other titanosaurs, such as Argentinosaurus, may have been even bigger, but are represented by less complete fossil remains.) Paleontologists have made significant process identifying the exact place of Futalognkosaurus on the titanosaur family tree. In 2008, researchers from South America proposed a new clade called Lognkosauria, which includes both Futalognkosaurus, the closely related Mendozasaurus, and the possibly even more gigantic Puertasaurus. Tantalizingly, the same fossil site where these titanosaurs were discovered has also yielded the scattered bones of Megaraptor, a meat-eating dinosaur (not a true raptor) that may have preyed on the juveniles of Futalognkosaurus, or scavenged the bones of adults after they perished.

Describe the relationship between the controlling function and other Essay

Describe the relationship between the controlling function and other managerial functions - Essay Example This essay will discuss the relationship between managerial control and other managerial functions, explain some of possible reasons why many people view controls negatively, and discuss the three primary steps involved in the control process. There is a very close relationship between managerial control and the other functions of management namely planning, coordinating, organizing, and directing. For instance, without proper planning, controlling activities in an organization can be baseless, while ineffective controlling can make planning a meaningless exercise. Proper management involves starting with planning or laying down strategies, organizing the available resources, coordinating the various departments in an organization, and finally implementing proper controlling measures (DuBrin, 2012). All these managerial functions reinforce each other and they can only be said to be inseparable. Employees in an organization usually view controls negatively with some going to an extent of claiming that managements should not exercise any type of control whatsoever. Most people claim that managements should be supporting employees’ efforts to be productive members of an organization, rather than imposing control systems for them, which they believe are counterproductive to both the employees and the general management. Research studies focusing on establishing people’s reaction towards the management control indicate that most people find management control as a way of dominating them, being coercive as well as heavy-handed (Daft, 2011). Setting performance standards is the first and most crucial step of any control process. In this context, standards refer to the targets or plans that have to be accomplished in the course of a business function, or the criterion for judging the overall performance in an organization. The standards set can either be measurable (tangible), or non-measurable (intangible) (Newton, 2011). Tangible standards refer to

Argument shows islamic banking is not only targeting people from Essay

Argument shows islamic banking is not only targeting people from muslim backgrounds or in muslim countires - Essay Example As a result of the strict lending rules, Islamic Banking is gaining popularity among Muslims and non-Muslims globally at a high rate. Although referred to as Islamic Banking, non-Muslims have currently been included in the system. Some observers have defined it as a sophisticated banking and finance structure that takes into consideration moral and social values, highly compatible with the modern financial needs, which make the bank, receive overwhelming support from all people. The incorporation of strict sharia economics and the modern lending economics have been the major contributing factors for non-Muslims’ indulgence in the Islamic banking system (Syed, 2012). Previously, Islamic Banking was attractive only to a limited number of Muslims whose main purpose was to avoid interest charged by the conventional banking system. However, the increased support it has received from the rich Gulf Muslim investors has increased its popularity, luring more people into the system. The rising demand for ethical investing and the need for less risky alternatives of investing have pulled more numbers of non-Muslims into the Islamic Banking. Additionally, the Islamic finance sector is yet to develop into a fully-fledged financial sector. Therefore, more people are required to chip in their little share so as to expand the market share. Driven by the vision of offering an alternative banking system to the conventional banking, designers of the Islamic Banking allowed non-Muslims to take part in order to accelerate its growth (Abdullah, 2012). The high potential shown by Islamic Banking has seen the introduction of classes based on the ideals of Islamic Banking system (Khan, 2013). In fact some of these institutions have greatly advocated for Islamic Banking to the extent of recommending it among their students. Harvard for example has set up an Islamic Finance Project since 1994 that is based on