16th Century rebellions of the Netherlands Essay

Yet the Church still held the power to imprison, fine and even maim those who insulted the clergy. People deeply resented this and the Church’s extensive wealth, which many felt was undeserved. Not all the clergy behaved in this manner, but enough to disillusion many to the point where they abandoned the Church. The weakness of the Catholic Church was extremely important in the spread of Calvinism. Had people been entirely content with Catholicism, the Huguenots and other Calvinist influences would never have had such an impact. Once the country’s Calvinists had been converted, they were able to avoid detection and punishment successfully. The flourishing community of Jewish marranos based in Antwerp were able to advise them on such matters, as they themselves had experience of religious persecution. Their advice was warmly and freely given, as the marranos looked favourably upon any opponent of Catholicism. The country’s boggy marshlands also provided retreats for Calvinists that the authorities found difficult to uncover. However, many figures of authority did support the Calvinists. Gentry such as the Marnix brothers failed to implement Philip’s heresy laws and implicitly offered protection for Calvinists within their communities. – and – openly welcomed Calvinism, but these were exceptions. If Calvinists were facing persecution by authorities unsympathetic to their religion, then it was a simple process to simply escape to a more Calvinist-friendly province. As every state enforced its own laws, a punishment delivered in one state could be entirely disregarded in another. The refusal of the magistrates to prosecute Calvinists from the early 1560’s allowed the Huguenots to trigger the Revolt. The protection that Calvinists received from these magistrates, the marranos, the gentry and the geographical landscape all allowed the religion to largely avoid suppression by the authorities and continue to spread across the Netherlands. Another reason why the Netherlanders felt able to revolt in 1566 is that Calvinism advocates rebellion against a ruler if he upholds an alternative faith or rules unjustly. The Calvinists in the Netherlands regarded Charles V as guilty of both charges, and therefore felt supported by God in their revolt. Had the rebels been Lutheran or Anabaptist, some may have been uncomfortable with the idea of violent rebellion to achieve their religious aims. Yet as Calvinists, such rebellion was justified by God’s support. For those with no genuine Calvinist beliefs but a desire to revolt, this justification was convenient and led them to readily adopt the religion. However, the rebels were not motivated by purely religious concerns. Short-term economic hardship exacerbated their disillusionment with Philip, and bred such discontent with the ruler and their daily conditions that they longed to vent their anger in some way or other. The Iconoclast Fury was the easiest form for this anger to take, as the public’s religious and economic grievances blurred. The first economic difficulties occurred in 1563. Annoyed by increases in English duty rates and harassment by English customs officials, Philip imposed a temporary ban on the import of certain goods from England. The country responded by transferring all its wool and cloth exports to Germany, leaving thousands of Flemish textile workers unemployed. In the same year, the Baltic states became engaged in a war and subsequently sealed themselves off from the rest of Europe. This worsened the already severe unemployment in the Netherlands, since many relied upon work either with the raw materials produced in the Baltic or on the 2000 or so ships which sailed between the Baltic States and the Netherlands every year. This unemployment made it difficult for people to afford food, a problem severely exacerbated by the lack of grain imports from the Baltic- the Netherlands were reliant upon these to provide 15% of its national intake. Appalling weather ruined the 1565 harvest and made bread even scarcer and more expensive At Diksmuide in Flanders a hoet of wheat escalated from 150 groats in March to 440 groats by December. This price rise affected the nobility as well as the middle and lower classes. Shortly before the outbreak of rebellion, a government minister in Brussels noted that discontent with the economic situation was becoming synonymous with religious discontent: ‘The shortage of grain grows worse every day†¦ If the people rise up, I fear that the religious issue will become involved’. CONC -Compromise important because provided focus for public discontent -Segovia Woods equally important because compromise wouldn’t have happened without -All the reasons for bad relations between grandees and Phil equally important because SW wouldn’t have been written otherwise. Decide between. -Grievances of masses most important, because while revolt might have occurred anyway without nobility, could not possibly have occurred without the manpower that the middle and lower classes provided. Of these, Calv and economic difficulties equally weighted in importance. The Revolt occurred because opposition to Philip’s heresy laws existed among every class. The grandees’ discontent alone would have been powerless to effect an uprising had serious discontent not existed among the middle and lower classes. The nobility played an important part in the outbreak of the Revolt by providing the trigger, but the middle and lower classes were essential to its outbreak by providing the manpower necessary to carry out the Iconoclast Fury. The reasons for their discontent are thus reasons for the outbreak of the First Revolt. NEW CONC: Triggers impt, esp Huguenots as masses crucial to revolt, unlike nobles Neither trigger entirely essential. Eco difficulties had bred such discontent and Calv had spread so widely that ppl bound to revolt some time or other. Both equally essential- eco blackened mood, while fact that ppl Calvinist made them keen to rebel against laws threatening them (specifically) The grandees’ challenge to Philip’s authority in their 1564 was very important, perhaps even crucial, to the outbreak of revolt amongst the nobility. Had this challenge not been made, it is unlikely that the nobility would ever have felt safe or supported enough to form the antagonistic Compromise. However, revolt would still have occurred among the masses without this trigger. The influx of Huguenots into the Netherlands combined with the magistrates’ willingness to tolerate their openly ‘heretical’ preaching really triggered revolt among the ordinary people of the Netherlands. It is therefore the more important of the two triggers, because while the revolt could have occurred without the nobility, it could not possibly have occurred without the manpower that the middle and lower classes provided. Yet neither trigger was completely essential to the outbreak of mass revolt in the Netherlands in the 1560’s. Economic hardship had bred such discontent and Calvinism had spread so widely that people were bound to revolt at some time or other in protest at their conditions and in defence of their religion. These two essential motivations are fairly equal in their contribution to the First Revolt. The triggers merely provided a focus for their discontent.

Managing Information Technology Essay

Question #1: What would be your prioritized list of IT investments? Four IT investments need to be prioritized; 1. 2. 3. 4. Ecommerce & Web sales Aligning the various systems (legacy, SAP, ERP) together. Hire relationship managers Make IT a â€Å"partner† 1. After only 3 years, KL’s Web sales have reached $156M, equalizing its in store sales, and now represent 15% of total sales. This is very encouraging and exciting. KL needs to continue to invest in Ecommerce & Web sales in order to continue this great growth. Selling via the Internet should be a priority because it’s cheaper than your ordinary brick and mortar sales points, there is less overhead expense, and this market is growing exponentially. The company should work towards gaining the most market share possible developing an industry leading website, timely and dependable delivery, and customer service. Accomplishing the above means getting all the company sharing information and data more efficiently (see point #2). 2. KL has a complex IT infrastructure with various systems in use around the world. The result is a frustrated bunch of employees upset with the fact that communication data sharing is awful. To remedy this the company needs to invest more in training to get the whole company, including the USA, to use SAP as soon as possible. 3. Assign/hire relationship managers to improve information sharing, facilitate plans, priorities, communications, and relationships, and in turn get the whole system to work together. 4. To avoid such problems in the future, KL needs to make IT a â€Å"partner† in the decision making process. In other words, the company needs to better involve IT in company strategy and tactical planning. With the IT team, the company needs to develop and define an Enterprise Operating Model and Architecture that include business strategy, current IT assessment, IT strategy and IT plans. Question #2: Would your colleagues on the executive committee agree with your selection and prioritization? The above priorities should be well received because they solve or improve many of the frustrating employees around the company. This answer will look at each division (upper management, sales & marketing, order fulfillment and distribution, and ITS) and see why the four IT priorities should be well received by the executive committee. The KL upper management is on record stating that the company has IT challenges â€Å"†¦around coordinating the various, and at times conflicting, business priorities across the enterprise. We sure could use better IT tools for this as well as ready access to timely performance data.†, CEO Joseph Campbell. In addition, COO Jens McCreary stated that the company needs to improve global supply-chain management and leverage the expertise to outpace out competitors and cut our operating costs†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Considering these quotes it’s safe to assume that the CEO and COO should be accepting of these four IT priorities because will want to see IT provide better services in order to reach their goals. The products, manufacturing and distribution divisions of the company want to see SAP standardized and compatible across the company in order to better share information. Priorities #2 and 3 should please this division. Sales & marketing hope to see inter-operating unit and communications and coordination issues to be resolved and they need real-time data. Priorities #1, 2 and 3 should encourage the sales and marketing team. The order fulfillment and distribution divisions need capabilities to forecast sales and manage our product and cash flows need to be more competitive. They want to be able to deliver in a J.I.T. basis (optimize effectiveness) and have data integration between the legacy systems, SAP, Oracle, etc. These issues should improve with priorities #2 and 3 and this making these priorities acceptable to this division. Finally, the information technology services (ITS) claim that not spending enough on IT (more spent on production and sales), and Web and ecommerce should be priority. Priorities 1 to 4 all favor the ITS team, and therefore should be well received.

Governing Business Activity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Governing Business Activity - Essay Example Some argue that small businesses cannot exist without the help of big companies. Some others argue that small businesses can exist without any support from the big businesses. This essay makes an analysis of the given statement. For the purpose of arriving at a conclusion the given issues are concerned in detail. The main body of the essay will begin with an explanation of what a small business is. Further, an analysis is done about small businesses in terms of the range of industries where they operate. The next part will enumerate the extent of dependence of small businesses on the bigger ones. By detailed analysis of all these information in the main body, a conclusion is arrived at about the given topic. Small Business: There are several definitions for a small business. Small business is defined on the basis of ownership, nature of business and also the type of business that it performs. Some definitions state that small business is a privately owned business that operates in a very small market area. A small business contains relatively small number of employees. The sales volume of the business is usually small compared to that of the bigger counterparts. The mandatory requirements for a small business to be classified them as so, differs from one country to the other. The capital requirements for a small business in India will be completely different from that of China. Similarly, the employee requirements for a small business in US will be different from that of in US. Factors like quantum of sales, profit for a year, ownership, etc are other factors that define a small business. Small business contribute a large extend to the economy of a country. In some countries small busin esses are backbones of the economy. Small businesses are always found in close association with entrepreneurship for the very reason that many aspiring entrepreneurs begin their business as a small enterprise. What it means is that a small

Global marketing management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Global marketing management - Essay Example The researcher states that in the era of globalization, a company with a good financial and non-financial base will certainly think about the expansion of the company overseas. If they can expand their customer base, it would be more profitable for them, when the long run of the business is concerned. The companies have to design efficient strategies to ensure that their new venture in overseas country is generate a good return for them in a long-term basis. Hilton food group Plc is in the retail meat packing business in Europe. They are the supplier of the major food retailers of Europe who have global presence. The group has presence in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands, Central Europe, Sweden and Denmark. The group wants to expand its business in more countries and subsequently wants to broaden their customer base. Internationalization mainly occurs when a firm decides to expand its R&D, selling production and other related business activities in the international markets. A company expands the operation globally if the management feel it is viable for them financially or non-financially. If the management finds opportunity in a country then they opt for expanding its business there. At first, they identify the customer needs in the new country. If the company has the ability to meet the customer needs then they take the decision to expand their operations in that country. If they identify that, the labour cost is less in the new country is lower than the country where they are currently operating then they would like to expand their business in the country. ... If they identify that, the labour cost is less in the new country is lower than the country where they are currently operating then they would like to expand their business in the country (Tan and Mahoney, 2002, pp.20-24). When a company is trying to moving towards to some lower development country, then there is the chance to expand the product life cycle. The company will also get the chance to expand the customer base and as a result, the economies of scale of the company will improve. The vision of Hilton food group plc is continuing their global expansion as it is their strategic goal. They have done the expansion in the recent years also. In the year 2010, they have expanded their operations in Estonia (Hilton Group Food Plc, 2010, p.5). The company has subsidiaries in Ireland, Holland (Financial Analysis Made Easy-1, 2012). The idea of international expansion is as per the vision of the company. Their purpose of going global is increasing the customer base of the company so th at they can gain the economies of scale. Market Opportunities For analyzing their market opportunities, the researcher has to go through their products, which they offer. They are the suppliers of packaged foods to the retailers of Europe. The clients of Hilton food group includes Tesco Plc, Albert Hejin, Ahold etc (Hilton Food Group Plc, 2012), who are among the top players of the retail sector. They are specialist in non-vegetarian foods like meat products, fish products including the provisions of freezer (Financial Analysis Made Easy-2, 2012). They have no branded product, which means that they manufacture the products when they have not any recognition to the retail customers. It is concluded by the researcher that the clients of the

Nontraditional Families Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Nontraditional Families - Essay Example To begin with, non-traditional families are not entirely accepted in the first place; recognizing their adoption rights is an even bigger step. Therefore, this makes the following question a critical and an important one: Should Non-traditional families (including same sex, gay/lesbian couples) be allowed to adopt children Deciding whether or not non-traditional families should be allowed to adopt children is not a simple process. For example, consider a bisexual/homosexual parent, who is the biological father of a child. This parent may divorce his opposite sex spouse and take up living with another male partner. This does not change the fact that father is the biological parent, and that he has his rights to remain in touch with and look after his child. In cases where the divorce opposite sex spouse is incapable of looking after the child, there is little choice but for the child to live with his or her bisexual/homosexual male parent. Also, given that there are a number of people who live together as unmarried couples [heterosexual or homosexual] it is difficult to determine who should and who should not have the right to adopt (Waite, 1995, 483-507). Some states like Florida, for instance, pushed for married couples alone to have the right to adopt children, and this automatically meant that cohabiting couples and homosexual couples would not be able to adopt children. However, it appears that there is more emphasis now on banning homosexual couples as well as individuals from adopting children. Florida law had forbidden adoption by any "homosexual" person. [1977 Fla. Laws, ch. 77-140, 1, Fla. Stat. 63.042(3) (2002)]2. Loften challenged this law, and argued that homosexuals couples were just like unmarried couples [Lofton v. Secretary of the Dept. of Children & Family Services No. 01-16723 (11th Cir. 01/28/2004)]3. Loften was later omitted from the challenge, primarily on the grounds that Loften was not able to establish particular threats to already existing "family integrity" or "private sexual intimacy." States that Particularly Ban Homosexual Couples from Adopting Children: States that particularly bar homosexual individuals or couples from adopting children include Florida, as one can see from the above case, as well as Oklahoma, Mississippi, Nebraska, Utah and Virginia. These states have enacted laws that particularly prevent homosexual individuals or couples from adopting children4. Case Reference in Adoption Refusal to Homosexual Parents: Referring to cases similar to Lofton v. Secretary of the Dept. of Children & Family Services, states do not need to determine that homosexual individuals or couples have greater disadvantages on the upbringing of children, as opposed to heterosexual individuals or couples adopting children. It is thought that it is perhaps better to question the rationality of the decision of whether or not to rule in favor of homosexual individuals and couples wanting to adopt children5. Chances of Developing Married Households: Up till today, it has been widely stressed that it is rational to assert that heterosexual singles have a strikingly higher chance of developing a married household. This is why they are more than likely to provide adopted children with a firm and dual-gender parenting home (Horner, 2002, 472-474). However, it could be argued here that society

What are the factors that influence effective discharge from hospital Literature review

What are the factors that influence effective discharge from hospital of older people - Literature review Example The discussion aimed at analysing and investigating factors that influence effective discharge from hospital of older people. For this purpose, literature analysis pertaining to the research topic was conducted. After filtering more than 500 research papers of the period 2008-13; a total of 15-20 were selected with the criteria of focusing on the strategies related to the effective discharge of older people. Based on the results, it was found that effective discharge of older people depends on a number of internal and external factors. In this regard, system and healthcare environment, patients’’ knowledge, social factors, healthcare policies, effective communication, and planned policies play an important and decisive role. Additionally, it was found that hospitals need to focus more on understanding the needs and demands of older people and accordingly planning the assessment and discharge policies leading to mutual value. Finally, it was concluded that effective disc harge policies require proper planning, transparent assessment, and effective policies and communication for creating better results. Exclusion criteria were kept simple and precise and thus, articles, research papers, journals, and irrelevant academic books were excluded from the selection criteria. Articles accused of duplication and offering little understanding over the research topic were also not included. Additionally, studies conducted outside the UK and Western countries were also not included in the assessment and analysis process. Articles adding little value in terms of offering information on discharge policies of hospitals were excluded. Information through conferences and other proceedings were not used for the assessment process. 20 Stuen believed that effective discharge is a process used to decide the requirements of patients in terms of moving from one stage to another. In the healthcare industry, effective discharge of

Research proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Research proposal - Essay Example rticularly in the contemporary age, when the financial and emotional implications of unsuccessful marriage are numerous, many people tend to cohabit rather than marrying to avoid commitment and its implications. Marriage is a very sacred institution. Many problems in our society like negative birth rate and teenage pregnancy result from a decline in the trend of marriage. I am personally approaching the age of marriage in near future, and would like to have a detailed study of the pros and cons, conveniences and complexities of marriage. This imparts the need to carry out an in-depth analysis of both types of marriage i.e. love marriage and arranged marriage, so that the one that has conventionally been more successful and has yielded more favorable results for people can be identified. Determinants of successful marriage, be that a love marriage or arranged marriage vary across cultures. For example, a marriage is declared good in Japan in which the man is the bread earner whereas the wife does not work whereas the ability of a husband to financially support his wife is not the measure of a good marriage in the USA (Lee and Ono). â€Å"Education has a strong and consistent association with marital quality, indicating that the greater the education the greater the marital quality† (Allendorf and Ghimire 18). To find out the answers of the above questions, a detailed literature review would be conducted for the secondary data. People who have done either love marriage or arranged marriage will be interviewed. Since this topic relates to the field of sociology, the qualitative research would be more suitable for the data collection and analysis than the quantitative research. Responses of the research participants will be analyzed and conclusions would be drawn. Marriage is of two basic types; love marriage and arranged marriage. There are certain drivers of successful marriage that differ between the two. The two also differ in their level of success in the past.

Californias System of Public Higher Education Essay

Californias System of Public Higher Education - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that Californias higher education system will help define the state's future too. Before California always posted in the top states, however as of now, it already ranked at the bottom 10. There are many reasons why this situation happened. One of the reasons to blame is the recession. However, this does not mean that the state of California should give up the support to higher education. Time will come that there will be a new California. As Douglass describe it, â€Å"one less educated, and therefore less innovative, less prosperous and less dynamic.†It is important that California should be assessed to be able to know which area the state should focus and improve. Based on Measuring UP, the state of California did well. California made it to the top 10 for both the public and private 4-year post-secondary results of the comparison to other states. California was assessed and should be still be assessed in 3 different areas. It is als o essential for the state to be able to provide affordability to the students. The website of the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) provides State Higher Education Finance (SHEF) report to aid and assist officials and educators attend to public policy matters regarding financing higher education. California can be said to have done well in this area. When compared to Texas, California was able to post more than 2.5 million enrollees as compared to 1.2 million of Texas. The indicators used by SHEEO should be used by the state of California are presented in the paper.

Aging on women's sexuality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Aging on women's sexuality - Essay Example The following piece of writing is based on the article ‘The impact of aging on sexual function in women and their partners’. The author of this article is Sheryl A. Kinsberg. In this article the writer discusses how different physiological, psychological and social factors that are important in the sexual functioning of a woman are altered by age and how this alteration affects her sexuality. The writer also discusses how the changing sexuality of a woman affects her partner and vice versa. At the end of the article, the writer discusses the role of a healthcare provider in situations where an elderly patient comes with a problem of sexuality. This essay is a response to this article and discusses why a certain issue brought up by the writer in the article is of particular interest to me and how this information can be of use to me in my personal life. The particular issue that I find most interesting is the effect of psychosocial factors that affect sexuality in women a nd how they are affected by age. The impact of this information on my personal life is multi-faceted as I can adjust to the changes that will occur in my intimate relationships with time as well as understand what elderly people in my circle are going through right now. It also pushes me into understanding the patient in the light of her ethnicity and culture and develops a better understanding of the psychological component of her problem. After a thorough reading of the article, I feel that the area that grabs my greatest interest is the analysis of psychosocial factors that affect female sexuality. The writer uses several psychological theories to explain the changes that occur in sexuality when its psychosocial component is altered by age. Using the self-perception theory, the writer explains how older women may feel asexual because their partners show a lot more interest in sexual activity than them while in reality, interest in sexual activity varies from person to person and a person cannot be considered to be sexually dysfunctional as long as he/she enjoys sexual intercourse. Similarly the writer uses the over-justification hypothesis to explain how older people may relate sex to external benefits and decrease their interest in the act itself. This is further explained by the writer using the cognitive dissonance theory. According to this theory, if a person stops relating the enjoyment of intercourse to the enjoyment of external benefit derived from it, he/she may actually enjoy the act itself. The writer concludes this section that psychosocial studies need to be conducted in the light of the culture and ethnicity of the patient for an accurate assessment of the problem. The reason why I chose this issue is that it is the psychosocial well-being that is affected most due to sexual problems particularly in older women as they may feel insufficient, worthless or guilty due to not being able to match the performance of their partners during sexual inter course. If these psychosocial factors are studied in depth, it is possible to alter them by counseling the patient and saving her time and money. While medications and different treatment modalities can provide relief to several patients with sexual issues, eventually it is the psychological benefits that the patient is seeking. If a large part of the treatment is simply an understanding of these factors and putting them in correct order, not only can patients avoid drugs and discomfort but also adjust to their increasing age. Hence, they may start to see their increasing age as a transition rather than pathology. This understanding has to be coupled by the understanding of the patient’s cultural background. This may be unique for most patients and the alterations in lifestyle and thought process that are suggested to them may vary accordingly. Thus treatment may be several times more effective. This aspect of sexual problems in older women is of great importance to a healthc are provider. The information in this article about the psychosocial fact

Define and then compare and contrast the major goals of the Civil Essay

Define and then compare and contrast the major goals of the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Power Movement. Discuss their differences, similarities, and contributions to the Black freedom struggle - Essay Example The main difference between the two occurs where Civil Rights Movement focuses on the civil rights of black citizens while on the other hand Black Power Movement is about helping blacks achieve full equality with those of whites. There similarities between the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power Movement include equality for everyone and elimination of discrimination. The equality to people involved equal employment opportunity, education, the right to vote, and no discrimination while elimination of discrimination involved blacks and whites coming together to create a discrimination free environment. It is easy to find people confusing Civil Rights Movement with Black Power Movement because the Black Power Movement came from the Civil Rights Movement. The Black Power Movement is seen as turning point in the relationship between blacks and whites especially around 1950s and 1960s.1It helped the blacks achieve equality as those of whites with a group like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People that involved both blacks and whites in trying to get rid of discrimination. However, it was seen as a violent faction with the aim to divide the two races. Civil Rights Movement ensured the rights of citizenship by utilizing fourteenth and fifteenth Amendments that had been destroyed by Jim Crow Laws in the Southern part of America. This has seen the formation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People by blacks and whites in 1909 with the aim of eradicating discrimination. To conclude, we have seen that the Black Power Movement seems to have grown from the Civil Rights Movement with the aim of helping blacks achieve full equality with those of whites while the Civil Rights Movement has been seen to focus on civil rights of black citizens. Black Power and Civil Rights Movement have

Impact of Human Activities on Natural Hazards Essay Example for Free

Impact of Human Activities on Natural Hazards Essay Natural hazards are naturally occurring phenomena that have disastrous impact on humanity. These phenomena had been in existence even before the advent of humanity. The hazardous dimension of these natural phenomena are in the context of the impact that such a phenomenon would have on human population in the area affected by that phenomenon. In this essay, the effect that human activity has on these natural hazards would be analyzed. Some human activities may be exacerbating the factors that cause the natural hazard, like the impact of excessive and unplanned logging on floods and droughts. In certain other cases the human activities may cause subsequent or supplementary hazards to a primary hazard event, like building dams in earthquake prone zones may lead to flash floods and landslides in the event of a rupture. A hazard can be defined as an event that has the potential to cause harm. This potential may be on account of its unexpected timing of occurrence or the actual intensity of the event itself. Human societies can withstand these events within a normal scale of occurrence. However, human societies become vulnerable when these events occur unexpectedly or are of an intensity or duration that falls beyond that normal scale (O’Hare and Rivas, 2005). Natural hazards can be broadly classified under the heads of geological, hydrological, climatic and diseases. This essay would limit its scope to analyzing causal relationships, if any, of human activities on landslides, floods and drought and the secondary hazards triggered by those activities in the event of an earthquake. Of all human activities that have a direct or indirect impact on natural hazards, deforestation is by far the most significant. Deforestation is the removal or destruction of forest cover of an area. It may occur due to unscientific logging practices without regeneration and may be accompanied by subsequent conversion to non-forest usage like agriculture, pasture, urban, mining or industrial development, fallow or wetland. At a very broad level, it has been argued that deforestation is a major cause of global climatic changes. It has been predicted that removal of forest cover will lead to violent and unpredictable environmental fluctuations. At a smaller landscape, deforestation has a direct bearing upon the climatic, hydrological, edaphic and biological aspects of that area. Deforestation is associated with higher levels of soil erosion and landslides, sedimentation in river beds and changes in fluvial geomorphology (Haigh, 1984). Quite a few of these effects of deforestation have a direct bearing on the natural hazards that will be covered in this essay. One of the major functions of a forest is to maintain the humidity level in the atmosphere. Trees withdraw groundwater through their roots and transpire the excess water through their leaves. Forests return a major part of the rainfall received by them through evapotranspiration. Annual evapotranspiration in tropical moist lowland forests ranges up to 1500 mm per year, with transpiration accounting for a maximum of 1045 mm per year (Bruijnzeel, 1990). This process of evapotranspiration in the leaves of trees takes the latent heat of evaporation from the surrounding atmosphere. Thus evapotranspiration has a cooling effect on the atmosphere that aids precipitation. Deforestation denies the atmosphere of this cooling effect and is thus a contributing factor to lowering of annual rainfall in an area. Further, the effects of deforestation generally compound the severity of drought. Lack of trees translates to the lack of root fibers that hold the topsoil. In the event of a drought, the topsoil flakes and gets blown by the wind, leading to severe dust storms. This phenomenon had devastated the American Great Plains for close to a decade in 1930s. The dust bowl covered farming areas in Colorado, Kansas, north west Oklahoma, north Texas and north east New Mexico. The fertile soil of the plains was exposed due to lack of vegetation cover and actions of the plow. These farming techniques that led to severe soil erosion, coupled with prolonged periods of extremely low rainfall, led to a series of severe dust storms that ranged up to the Atlantic coast. Much of the fertile topsoil was lost in the Atlantic (Cartensen et al. , 1999). Direct causal relationship between human activity and drought is yet to be conclusively established. However, there are studies available that point to a positive correlation between the two. For example, climate-modeling studies have indicated that the 20th century Sahel drought was caused by changing sea surface temperatures. These changes were due to a combination of natural variability and human induced atmospheric changes. The anthropogenic factors in this case were rise in greenhouse gas levels and aerosols (GFDL Climate Modeling Research Highlights, 2007). The effect of human activities like deforestation is rather more direct and pronounced in case of hydrological hazards like fluvial floods. Fluvial floods occur when the discharge of a river exceeds its bankfull capacity. Forests create deep, open textured soils that can hold large quantities of water. When the forest cover is removed through logging, the soil becomes compacted. More rainwater is converted to runoff or near surface flow and less proportion percolates as groundwater. Research has shown significant increase in monthly runoff following logging activities (Rahim and Harding, 1993). The runoff rainwater carries with it considerable amounts of loose soil particles. Removal of vegetation cover through excessive logging activities or overgrazing leaves the soil bare. In such a situation, the upper layer of the soils becomes susceptible to erosion by surface runoff. These suspended soil particles are deposited on the riverbeds. The effect of this type of soil erosion by surface runoff is even more pronounced when the deforestation happens in the riparian zones as well.

Fruits And Vegetables Industry Of India

Fruits And Vegetables Industry Of India INTRODUCTION India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world after China. Since the 1980s the international trade in fruits and vegetables has expanded rapidly. The number of commodities as well as the number of varieties produced and traded has drastically increased during the past 25 years. There is an overall increase in the demand of fruits and vegetables for consumption both in fresh and the processed form. Also there is a wide diversification in production pattern globally. Income in this sector is increasing which is driving the supply. In spite of being one of the largest producers of fruits and vegetables in the world, the export competitiveness among the Indian producers remains low. But with new marketing initiatives, the post-harvest losses and wastage due to poor infrastructure facilities such as storage and transportation are reduced to a considerable extent, yet a lot needs to be done in this sector. Supply constraints, yield gaps and huge logistic costs affect our competitive and comparative advantage in world trade market. Rs 50,000 crore worth of produce gets wasted every year in the absence of a proper value chain for food processing. The government is working on 30 cold chain routes countrywide to enable integration of the sector from farm-gate to the retail outlet. Apart from these many private sector companies have taken initiative to bridge this gap, many among them are Safal, Pepsi, Bharti, Reliance, Bayer and etc. PROJECT TILL NOW DRAWING OF SUPPLY CHAIN OF INDUSTRY STUDYING VARIOUS INTERMEDIARIES IN CHAIN ISSUES AND CHALLENGES FACED BY INDUSTRY PENDING CONTENTS FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES CHARACTERISTICS FRUITS AND VEGETABLE SUPPLY CHAIN IN INDIA INTERMEDIARIES IN THE MARKET OTHER PLAYERS ISSUES AND CONSTRAINTS IN FRUITS AND VEGETABLE MARKETS COLD CHAIN FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES CHARACTERISTICS Perishability of products: Involvement of many bio-physic-chemical processes make its highly vulnerable to damages at short intervals and thus contributes to products limited shelf life. Seasonability of production: The inconsistent supply due to the close involvement of many biotic and a biotic factors of production break the cycle of the produce availability in the market throughout the year. Bulkiness of products: The bulkiness of the fresh produce adds to the transportation, handling and packaging charges. Along with makes its prone to pre and post harvest damages in the supply chain accounting up to the extent of 20-40 percent. Quality variation of products: No adherence to GAP practices leads to variation in quality Irregular supply of products: Seasonability and non planned insufficient production creates gluts and shortages in the market. Small Holdings size scattered production processing: As majority of the Indian farmers falls in marginal and small category. FRUITS AND VEGETABLE SUPPLY CHAIN IN INDIA INTERMEDIARIES IN THE MARKET Producers: Most farmers or producers, perform one or more marketing functions. They sell the surplus either in the village or in the market. Some farmers, especially the large ones, assemble the produce of small farmers, transport it to the nearby market, sell it here and make a profit. Middlemen: Middlemen are those individuals or business concerns which specialize in performing the various marketing functions and rendering such services as are involved in the marketing of goods. Village commission agent Market commission agent Wholesalers Village commission agent These are agent which directly purchase from farmers, these agents are appointed by marketing commission agent to purchase on their behalf. Marketing commission agent These agent are appointed by government to do purchasing, this is because to ensure that fair price in market prevails Wholesalers: In india government have prohibited wholesalers to directly purchase goods from farmer. They can purchase good from market commission agent. Whole selling is the one that covers activities of all individuals or businessmen, which sell to or negotiate sales with customers, who buy for resale or industrial use. His position is that of an intermediary between manufacturer and retailer. Wholesalers are classified as: Local wholesalers, who deliver their purchases to local retailer. Provincial wholesalers some time called as distributor selling to the retailers of a particular district or a state. National wholesalers located at a strategic place and distribute goods all over the country. Sub Wholesaler, are smaller wholesaler who purchase from bigger and larger wholesaler, generally concentrated in smaller markets. Retailers: He is the last link in chain of middleman, who sells directly to consumer. He takes title to goods, sells and sets up business usually amidst the consumers groups. He buys his requirement usually from the wholesalers. Retailers in producing areas may have direct contact with producers and buys goods from them for resale. Main function: Selling the product of members. They also undertake outright purchases. Provide storage facilities for storage and grading Save cultivators from exploitation by traders and help farmers in getting fair price for their produce. Performing functions of processing of raw produce. OTHER PLAYERS Pucca Arhatia: He is the real purchaser in the wholesale market. He his buying for his own behalf, or acting for some business, like firms in consuming markets. Big industries play them as their agent and order him to purchase certain quantity within a given range of price. When pucca arhatia trades on his own, he dispose of his produce brought by him through dealers in different parts of country. Katcha Arhatia: He also advances money to the cultivators and village banias on the condition that the produce will be disposed off through him alone and hence charges a very nominal rate of interest on the money advanced. Katcha arhatia charges commission for services rendered by him. Important link between the village cultivator or traders on the one hand. Village Merchants: He is an important agency in the collection of produce and more so when the mandi is situated at a considerable distance from the village. He advances from his shop either on credit or for exchange of food grain or so price given for cultivators produce. The quantities of agriculture Production collected is either disposed off in the mandi or retained for resale in the village in the processed forms, such as rice, flour, oil etc. Itinerant Traders: They are small merchants, who move from village to village and buy the produce from cultivators house. They give a lower price than selling in the nearby market and in setting transportation take into consideration, the factors such as cost of transportation, market charges and profit margin ISSUES AND CONSTRAINTS IN FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES MARKET: Lack of basic infrastructure for example cool chains, logistics and supply chain management. The infrastructural problems, pertaining to the cold storage facilities are dual as some places dont have the cold storage while some places have the problem of underutilization of the existing cold storages. The utilization is even lower than 30 per cent of the total capacity in many cases. Development of competitive international transportation, linked to domestic air transport or road and rail transport would help in reduction of post harvest losses. Presponderance of Intermediaries in the channel results in unfair and exploitative practices in marketing of fresh produce is very common. Lack of proper grading and quality control system. Scattered productions and sometimes in isolated places where even the transportation facilities and other infrastructure is not sufficient for the perishables. Lack of unity and organization skill among the farming community, which proves a major impediment in the formation of cluster groups and co-operatives. Inefficient Imperfect markets: Due to prevalence of many intermediaries and malpractices followed by them in the price fixation and auction of the perishables in between the marketing channel results in upraise of consumers price in the producers share. Concept of consumer packaging practically unknown in domestic markets : Improper pre and post harvest handling without any sound packaging leads to heavy loss ranging from 20-40 percent of the produce at the time when its reaches the final consumer. Lack of forward backward linkages: Absolute lack of the much needed quality inputs and extension backup at proper time and after harvest processes. Ignorance to new methods of cultivation and dependence on traders for extension knowledge. Perishability and Storability: Having limited shelf life due to its typical bio-physic-chemicals constitutions, fresh fruits and vegetables penetration is restricted to the certain niche markets and stakeholders. Besides the presence of insufficient numbers of storages and cool chain facilities adding to the woes. Low exports : Emergence of many competitive markets with comparative advantages in awake of the globalization and the imposition of different Tariff and Non-tariff barriers to save the domestic industry by the protection list nations using sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS) as their benchmark resulting in the limited exports of the perishable commodities. The window of international demand for the horticultural products is very small. Thus a planned strategy is to be made to target the markets during that period. Freight charges: High air freights are also hindrance for cost effective exports. For the exports large fluctuations in the production of fruits and vegetables causes problem in being a regular trade partners. Long marketing channel: Prevalence of many of the intermediaries in between the supply chain robbing the lions share of the producers by deeply penetrating the consumers pocket Non-functional AEZ: Even after 10 years of starting of the Agri-Export-Zones in deferent specific production pockets of different produces, full implementation is at its nascent stage due to many socio-political reasons. Thus the final benefit doesnt reaching to the destined. Poor Post harvest care handling of the produce: Improper pre and post harvest care and handling leads to heavy loss ranging from 20-40 percent of the produce. Absolute lack in co-ordination b/w production targets of concerned department action plan of the marketing directorate Prevalence of primitive methods of selling and price fixation like, secret sale, private negotiation, under cover etc. Meager involvement of Government other co-op. marketing agencies alike to the private agencies COLD CHAIN What is cold chain? Cold chain may be defined as a logistic system that provides a series of facilities for maintaining ideal storage conditions for perishables from the point of production to the point of consumption in the food chain. This is generally absent, but critical segment in Indian logistics infrastructure. Why are we suddenly talking about Cold Chain? We have realized that there is great amount of wastage happening post Harvest. This wastage is being estimated at 25% of total produce or approx Rs. 50000 Cr US $ 10 Billion. Indian Agriculture sector accounts for 26% of countrys GDP, produces 64% employment and 18% of countrys export. India is 2nd largest producer of Fruits Vegetable in the world. India is the 2nd largest vegetable Exporter. Indias share is only 1% of World trade. Why there are Losses in Post Harvest of Horticulture produce? Shortages of Cold Storage facilities and Refrigerated transport lead to inefficiency in handling perishables which manifest it into wastages. Some estimates say that the post harvest losses of fruits and vegetables alone in India is more than the total production of fresh fruits and vegetables in Great Britain.

Culture Sources Of Conflict Than Of Synergy Cultural Studies Essay

Culture Sources Of Conflict Than Of Synergy Cultural Studies Essay Cultures can be high context or low context depending on the ways of communication. Low context culture is the one which is more explicit, communication is direct and things are fully but concisely spelled out. People dont think about what other people are going to think of them if they behaved in a particular way. A high context culture is the one in which the communicators assume a great deal of commonality of knowledge and views, so that its less explicit. People act according to the situations in this culture, there is more emphasis on gestures. One has to read between the lines. Cultures can also be monochronic or polychoronic, monochronic is when the managers like to do one thing at a time, they value orderliness and sense of there being an appropriate time and place for everything on the other hand polychronic culture encourages multitasking and doing multiple things at a time. Then there is future, present and past oriented cultures. Past oriented societies are more bound by the traditional values and ways of doing things. These cultures tend to be more conservative in management and less adaptive. Present oriented societys focuses on the present, they prefer short term benefits over the long term goals. Future oriented societies have a great deal of optimism about the future. They focus on long term benefits, expansion and growth. Discussion: Communication can be greatly affected by the difference in cultures and the languages spoken, or unspoken? Well yes, we are talking about the silent language here which can impact international business. There are different languages which are non-verbal and are not communicated directly but communicate up to ninety percent of the meaning in the high context cultures, like the language of time, space, friendship, business patterns, etc. There are different unspoken languages just like there are different spoken languages. The unspoken languages are informal yet they can have a great impact. There is language of time which is different for people belonging to different cultures. For example, In the U.S. a delay in answering a communication could be because of the backlog of work, and a large volume of business causing the request to be postponed, but on the other hand, the person awaiting response might think that the matter has low priority on the part of the other person -lack of interest. A similar kind of delay in another foreign country may mean something altogether different. Like time, language of space has a different meaning everywhere too. Americans measure their importance or position in the organization according to the size of their offices. The president or the chairman has the biggest office, and so on down the line. French on the other hand are more likely to layout space as a network and often find a supervisor in the middle of his subordinates. Also body distance is very important factor of language of space, in countries like middle east, people get to o close ,crowd the physical being whereas in, UK people prefer being a little cold and distant. But at the same time it is important to know the extent to which people are acceptable about the distance. Though Saudi-Arabia is a high touch culture inappropriate use of touch in advertising messages may cause problems. For example, Drakkar noir perfume advert in Europe is a mans hand clutching the perfume bottle and a womans hand seizing his bare forearm, whereas in the Saudi-Arabian version a mans arm is clothed in a dark jacket sleeve, and woman is touching the mans hand only with her fingertip. The sensuality is toned down and made less explicit in the Saudi-Arabian version (Hollensen, 2007). So though these countries are high touch cultures, we should also remember that these cultures are also high-context cultures. Then there is also language of agreements between people in various countries wherein rules are legally bound and the executives are expected to have a basic awareness of the rules. These rules can be laws and regulations of a country or maybe a moral practice that is followed in that country as a tradition or the informal customs to which everyone confirms without being able to state the exact rules. (Hall, 1960). Culture influences various attitudes towards food, health, media, consumption, country of origin, lifestyle, values, sex and love related attitudes, etc The factors are very closely related and in turn affect the marketing strategies a company adopts like pricing of a product, advertising and promotions, choosing a target market, product adaptation (Hollensen, 2007). For example, In India, The Hindu religion doesnt permit to eat beef. Therefore McDonalds in India doesnt serve the big Mac, instead the product has been adapted to suit the Indian consumers renamed as the maharaja Mac consisting of lamb (Harding, 2000). These aspects influence the consumer behaviour. In many countries, colors represent various holidays; they are also used to express feelings. The language of colour can influence international business, if its not promoted properly. One example of this can be Pepsi, Pepsi cola lost its dominant market share to coke in south-east Asia when Pepsi changed the colour of its v ending machines and coolers from deep regal blue to light ice blue as light blue is associated with mourning and death in south east Asia. There also a need to be careful with the brand designs, product and package design, colour, brand name and symbols because the attitudes of people towards these symbols or names could be different in different countries. Some conventional brand names that communicate positive messages in one country might have a totally different meaning in another which may substantially damage the corporate image and marketing effectiveness. When Pepsi was expanding in china a few years ago, the slogan Pepsi brings you back to life was literally translated in Chinese which meant brings your ancestors back from the grave. The above mentioned parts of a culture are the most fundamental ones, yet other parts also have a large impact on the culture. Things such as tradition, customs, humour, and education are all components of a culture that, if studied and understood, will reduce potential misunderstandings. It is important for companies to engage in business abroad in order to stay competitive. Even though the decision to start trading with foreign countries may seem rational and unavoidable, for many companies there are obstacles that could and will affect the business Outcome. It is important to have a thorough understanding of all impacts the international Trade will have on the business and its performances and there are several ways to overcome these obstacles. One way is to educate and inform the workers about the cultural differences and the specific business procedures in the countries. Managers should also try to make use of the local employees that possess valuable knowledge about the market that is adopting a regiocentric approach. Also the managers should be less ethnocentric and more polycentric towards the foreign culture. A deeper economic integration through EU and ASEAN and other such trade agreements will eliminate tariffs among the member countries and harmonize business procedures and regulations. With this free trade liberalization, non-tariff barriers to trade will also be reduced as countries and cultures become more unified (Kogut Singh, 1988). For companies doing business overseas it is crucial to not only know your own companys Customs, but in addition compare these with the honouring countrys customs of behaviour. This applies, in particular, to companies which operate in countries where the home culture is that of a complete different nature. In order to understand different peoples behaviours it is imperative to look at the different levels of culture and how these affect the individuals in different scenarios. The different levels are national cultu re, business culture, organizational Culture and individual behaviour. The countrys national culture is directly impacting the business culture in the country. In turn, the business culture will have an apparent influence over each and every company within that country. All of these levels will ultimately affect the individuals behaviour. In countries where religion has a major impact on the business procedures, managers should prepare themselves and their personnel by collecting information about the religion and the typical behaviours and manners that are incorporated. By increasing the knowledge and familiarity with the specific religion, it will become easier to accept and understand why certain procedures are taking place, especially when doing business. The culture of a host country is sometimes completely different to culture in the home country. Thus, when striving to recruit the right people companies need to focus on internal training and trying to shape the person in respect to the corporate culture instead of finding the perfect match in an interview process. It is absolutely crucial that the companies start looking beyond the persons abilities at the early stage and instead try to sell the corporate culture as an alternative to changing the personality. Since the national culture and as well the business culture are directly correlated to how the individuals act, it is crucial to understand the individual behaviours in the specific country that the company is operating in. Cultures are embedded in every conflict because conflicts arise in human relationships. Though conflicts cannot be completely eliminated in an organization it can definitely be minimized. Forcing 100% cultural assimilation of those who fall outside the cultural norm is one path as well, but it breeds resentment and ultimate conflict. Sometimes the cultural diversity in an organization is seen as having no impact at all and the diversity is ignored also known as the parochial philosophy, but this results in the marginalization of people who fall outside the cultural norm (Mooij, 2003). Therefore, it is important to implement useful strategies that would reduce the conflicts rather than instigating them. Managers must be skilled at resolving and understanding cross cultural conflicts so that if at all conflicts arise managers are able to resolve the conflict without affecting the productivity. Employ people from the host country so that they have adequate knowledge about the culture and the language of the host country, these regional managers can thus provide further training to the employees from home country. When a company relocates to a new site abroad, relocation services offered by organization should go beyond moving and new community information as employees require orientation to the realities and opportunities of the new cultural environment. When an organization moves to a new place, quickening of the work pace can result in resentment and burnout, therefore involving employees in co-operative efforts to regulate and monitor change in the work environment would be a good idea. There are various cross cultural approaches which can be used by the managers. Cultural dominance, when one organization is in a more powerful position than the other, the more powerful one dominates, insisting on doing things as they are done in the home culture. Cultural accommodation approach, this is opposite of cultural dominance, this is when managers tend to imitate the culture of the host country, attempting to blend in. Cultural compromise approach, this approach is a combination of the two approaches mentioned above, with both the sides conceding something to work together more successfully. This approach can be used by the managers to minimise cultural conflicts and function efficiently. Cultural avoidance, this approach emphasizes on working and managing as if no cultural conflict exists, most often used by managers when the unresolved issue is less important than the final outcome of the situation or the negotiation. Cultural synergy approach, this approach develops new solutions that respect all cultures involved and often increases the chances fo r working effectively in a transcultural environment. For example, if a French firm insists that negotiations with a German to be done in French it is an example of cultural dominance approach, if Germans agree immediately then it is an example of cultural accommodation. If both parties decide to get an interpreter, it is an example of cultural compromise. However, if both German and French agree to negotiate in a third language, it is the cultural synergy approach. This third language can be a language known to both the parties so that none of the parties have a language advantage over the other But we can end the topic saying, what comprises of conflict in one culture is daily difference of opinion in another. A serious insult in one setting -crossing ones leg -is a matter of comfort in another. An arrogant challenge in one culture -putting ones hands on hips -is a sign of openness in another. Human boundaries are cultural creations; social boundaries, legal boundaries and emotional boundaries are all drawn according to each cultures value (Mooij, 2003). So culture can act as a catalyst in bringing people together if used appropriately and to the organizations benefit, but if disrespected and ignored can also create major conflicts eventually leading to failure of the business.

The Mythical Divine :: Art Artistic Architecture Essays

The Mythical Divine It is the mystery of the past which sparks the imagination of the future. The remnants of lost cultures, ever enticing with their fractured story, have continually piqued the interest of humankind. Ancient Egypt reflects 3000 years of splendor, serenity and mystery. This enigmatic civilization has become the focal point of scholarly study and artistic reproduction over the last 200 years. It has been unsurpassed in use and depiction as a model to convey many differing images. One, most unique, replication of dynastic Egypt is Pharaoh's Lost Kingdom amusement park in Redlands, California. It is a composite of ancient art and architecture used to recreate a world of mystery and intrigue in a modern day setting. The park rises seemingly out of nowhere just as the Giza pyramids project from a barren desert floor. As you enter, you embark on a journey from the monotony of everyday life to a sacred mystical landscape. In his book, Spiritual Path, Sacred Place, Thomas Barrie states: "The sacred place was never an impassive backdrop;... it was a dynamic place, often charged with emotional energy and experienced spatially and temporally as its users moved through its spaces or entered its sacred enclosures." (p.54) For the participant, especially children, this emotion of complete awe mixed with fantastic delight is evoked as soon as one gazes upon the central building of the park complex. The entrance to the park, the line separating what is real from the imaginary (the constructed), is guarded by a huge sphinx. Here, as in Egypt: "[Its] essential function has been to embody welcome and protection." ("Egyptomania" p.22) Yet the creators of the theme park have gone further. They have deliberately replaced the Pharaoh Khafre's head with the funerary mask of King Tutankhamun. This coupling is an attempt to immediately give the visitor two extremely recognizable images. The typical traveler is left mystified by the immensity of the statue, unaware of the mixed icons. In many types of building plans: "The demarcating of sacred ground was typically accomplished architecturally by the form and geometry of the sacred place." (Spiritual Path, Sacred Place p.56) The central building of Pharaoh's Lost Kingdom applies this ideal to announce the grandeur and monolithic proportions of its premises. Five large pyramids sit atop the rectangular building pointing toward the sky. Some are reminiscent of Djoser's stepped pyramid while the central one is a smaller version of the great pyramids of Giza.

Building Trust and Security in Web Services :: Technology Computers Internet Essays

Building Trust and Security in Web Services The yearning to componentize software development, where software is "assembled" like an automobile, where each component interacts with the other components in an unambiguous and streamlined fashion is very old and deep rooted. For, the most significant challenges in software development are maintaining and changing software pieces which perform redundant functions and integrating such components with one another. As the industry started to mature, significant research has taken place to find ways of architecting software components as building blocks that are seamlessly integrated, irrespective of where those components reside or how they are implemented. CORBA and COM arrived on the scene addressing these issues and providing a sound architecture for distributed computing. While these very interesting developments were going on, the Internet revolution took place simultaneously as more and more businesses started to register their presence on the web. E-business and e-commerce have seen tremendous growth in the past 7 years where major business functions are taking place through the medium of internet and some businesses are run entirely on the Internet. As a result more and more business software processes had to interact with their business counterparts over the Internet. The eventual convergence of these two paradigm shifts in the software development resulted in the birth of Web Servic es. Web Services are fundamental building blocks of software that are deployed in heterogeneous software and hardware platforms, that describe and publish their behavior to potential consumers (UDDI), based on a software contract (WSDL) interact with consumers by receiving and sending (XML) messages through a common protocol (SOAP). The scenario where a software component can dynamically detect, contract and utilize services provides a strong semantic connection to the web and may truly revolutionize the web. But the prospect of unprecedented inter-connectivity comes with huge challenges of security and raises serious questions on ethics and legalities. Some of the challenges are Security: How to prevent unauthorized access to critical information, code or a business process? Moreover the pertinent question is how to prevent misuse of critical information, code or a business process, gained by authorized access. Trust and Verification: What should be the parameters that enables establishing trust between a potential consumer and a provider? Even if 'trust' is established how can the consumer 'verify' the trust? Ownership and Responsibility: How to enforce ownership rights and accountability? When there is a software failure who owns up for it ?

Comparing Hamlet by William Shakespeare and The Killings by Andre Dubus

Comparing Hamlet by William Shakespeare and The Killings by Andre Dubus Losing a loved one to tragedy, especially two most brutal and malicious tragedies as these, will torture the minds of any and all men. Terrifying thoughts, even carefully planned acts of revenge will plow themselves into your brain. It is how we react to these situations that can and will forever define that man, his life, and his actions. In these two stories, Hamlet's father and Matt Fowler's son are murdered with jealous motives of romance, ambition, betrayal and rage. Revenge captures the hearts of both characters, but in different forms. Hamlet sees his fathers ghost and is told if he ever loved his father he is to ?[revenge his foul and most unnatural murder]?. The brutal slayer of Fowler?s son is out on bail and faces minimal jail time for the life of Frank Fowler, Matt?s youngest son. Matt decides to take the law into his own hands and with the help of a friend, plans and executes the murder of Richard Strout. With the killer of his son bar-hopping around town and his wife broken apart with grief, Matt Fowler loses himself in revenge. He begins to carry an unregistered gun hoping to confront Strout and kill him in ?self-defense?. He is defeated in his professional life, losing his nerve as a hard-working bank manager, unable to look his customers in the eye without shying away in fear and grief. Finally confessing himself to a poker buddy, his murderous intentions rush out onto the table. His friend, who?s sympothy and loyalty may be excessive, agrees to help Matt take his revenge on Strout. Hamlet, instead, seeks his revenge alone. When Horatio, Marcellus, and Bernardo take Hamlet to see the ghost of his father, he follows the ghost... ...n a dish served cold. Though he found the nerve to seek his revenge, I doubt he ever stopped replaying the events of that night in his head, wondering if he did the right thing, and if the pricetag for it was going to be hell or prison. Neither Hamlet nor Fowler forgive the men who wronged them, and their lives, consumed with the idea of injustice, were ruined along with almost everyone else?s. For Fowler, the answer was easy: Kill and don?t get caught. He thought only of the best way to get away with it, forgetting his morals and judgement. I question how hard he thought if he should do it or not. His instincts told him to kill, and that is what he did. Hamlet, on the other hand, fought with himself over and over about how to appropriatly handle his revenge, and opportunity presented itself, as it always does, with time. Regretfully, he was mortally wounded.

A considerate of contemporary management function Essay

A considerate of contemporary management function of the employer-employee relationship The six journal articles that have been looked at stem from the original Locke, (1982) article. Frederick W. Taylor popularised of scientific management. The essay will discuss 5 aspects of Taylor’s ideas about scientific management and show how understandings of contemporary management functions and the employer-employee relationship have been developed from Taylor’s ideas. What was Taylor’s idea about the management? Management involves coordinating and overseeing the work activities of others so that their activities are completed efficiently and effectively. The ideas about the relationship between employer and employee have been developed from a nother. Retain critical employees is important and necessary. According to the Fitz-enz(1997), the company average losses 1 million with every 10 people who is the managerial and professional employees. In addition, the total cost of least a former employee at least a year of wages and benefits, up to two years of unpaid salary and benefits. This is a huge economic loss with a company loses a number of critical employees. As a manager, we must give employees adequate physiological, safety, love, esteem. One of the advice is managers should look into a way to motivate employees to achieve a satisfactory and unmet needs through activities and exercises. Managers have a responsibility to create a suitable environment to inspire employees to their fullest potential. If no such right environment, will lead to a big difference such as lower job satisfaction, lower productivity, lower profit with a company. How to effectively improve the relationship between managers and employees? Taylor given 4 methods. (a) Scientific management: In Principles of Scientific Management (1911)Fredrick Winslow Taylor, the â€Å"Father† of scientific management utilises scientific methods to define th e â€Å"one best way† for a job to be done (b) Scientific selections. Taylor advocated selecting only â€Å"first class†(i.e., high aptitude) men for a given job because their productivity would be several times greater than that of the average man. (c) Money bonus. Taylor claimed that the money is what employees want most, he thinks employees should be paid from 30% to 100% higher wages for to do his job. (d) Management responsibility for training. Taylor thought that most contemporary managers should fully accept the notion that training new employees is their responsibility. My understanding about the  employer-employee relationship has also been shaped by these articles. I have learnt that (1) Scientific management can focus speed of production, low cost production and availability of an unskilled workforce. In addition, today’s use of scientific management can use time and motion studies to increase productivity, hire the best qualified employees and design incentive systems based on output. Equity theory is a theory of social comp arison effect on employees. This theory appears to be very common, but it is very important. Equity theory refers to the rate of employees with their work output and input compared with others. Time input includes the time of the work, work habits, work experience, work attitude, and so on. When they found unfair, they usually can’t change the rate of others, can’t change their input, so employees will find ways to change their output. This may mean that they will reduce their work time or effort to work. Then, the manager can use the equity theory to motivate employees. Managers can use a more open system of remuneration paid for employees to understand each position and every effort should position relative to how much salary can be get. (2) Scientific selections: Everybody have their own good aspects, based on each person strengths and rational allocation of work. As a result, not only can bring effectively produce but also can make person enjoy their work. According to the Wren (1979) notes that Taylor focuses on scientific selection can promote the develop ment of industrial psychology and personnel management and other areas. (3) Money bonus: How to influence people? The most common method is money bonus. Such as up wages, bonuses, benefits. These things are the most effective way to influence the work of passion and power of a work. Through the Vroom’s (1946) expectancy theory, we can find that an employee will play his better efforts when he is convinced that his efforts would be better evaluated. And these evaluations will bring him more rewards such as bonuses, salary increases. These rewards will meet staff personal goals. Individual employee attitudes and enthusiasm in their work will determine to a large extent a company’s performance. According to the Porter (1968) and Lawler’s expectancy model of motivation, this model proposes two factors that determine spending on a number of tasks energy. The first is the personal rewards from work to get. These returns will be the psychological perception of employees is their own work to be sure. The second is that these returns will be formed job satisfaction. (4) Management  responsibility for training: The staff training is an essential element of human resource management. Managers can’t ignore their training responsibilities. Understanding management system in staff training in this area can help you build an effective training system to help you prepare new employees for their work To sum up, from the six articles considered, scientific management can not only getting the most output from the least amount of inputs but also focus on those work activities that will help the company reach its goals. Taylor’s idea has shaped modern employer-employee relationships. Work is still specialised, personal are still trained. The quality of work is still rewarded in bonuses, as well as other. Reference: 1.Three chapters in The Ideas of Frederick W Taylor: An Evaluation’. 2.Wren, D. A. The evolution of management thought (2nd ed.). New York: Wiley, 1979. 3.Towards a unified model of employee motivation / Darren J. Elding, Andrew M. Tobias and David S. Walk [Chichester, West Sussex, England] : John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., 2006 4.Kotter, John P. What effective general managers really do / John P. Kotter Boston [etc.] : Graduate School of Business Administration, Harvard University, 1982 5.Managing in the new millennium : understanding the manager’s motivational tool bag / Patricia M. Buhl Burlington, Iowa, etc., National Research Bureau, etc.], 2003 6.A review of employee motivation theories and their implications for employee retention within organiz Hollywood, FL : Journal of American Academy of Business, 2004

Facebook considers opening site to children

Facebooks manager of privacy & safety had announced that the social network has â€Å"thought a lot† about opening up the site to children under the age of thirteen to get the opportunity to access on to Facebook. Similarly, Facebook had changed its policies that allow children under thirteen to put public post online that can be viewed by everyone in the world. Therefore, this may effect children's life. Opening the site to children under the age of thirteen is a bad idea due to many issues.First, it might cause cyber bullying on the social medias; second, it might effect the children and their families' communication; and third, it might cause kidnapping, rape or murder cases. Cyber bullying is an anti-social behavior and this is related to technologies and the internet. First, cyber bullying is referring any kind of aggressive behavior through social media. Cyber bullying could happen by text, Facebook posting, Tweet, Skype, or E-mail, but most constantly happen on Facebook .Cyber bullying usually resulting in trauma victim, can also cause low cademic achievement, interpersonal, alienation, there may even produce retaliatory attacks forced the victim or the victim turned to bullying others; it also has some impact in the offender, the offender adult crime, alcohol abuse is quite high, with the offender characteristics, 60% male perpetrators for crimes committed before the age of 24, non-male offender characteristics only 23%.So if Facebook do allows children under the age of 13, there might be a chance to increase the cyber bullying cases. Second, communication between the children and their family is very important, but f Facebook allows children to gain access to Facebook, it will affect the communication the children and their family. A family with good communication between each other might involve lots of technological activities; indeed, technology may become a tool or media for the communication between each other.For example, some people do not like to tell things face to face, but they open their heart through online chatting or messages (Facebook chatting); in this way, technology become a media to connect children and parents. Thus, it even improved the communication between children and parents. This will definitely effect the children and families' communications, by not communicating with each other. So if Facebook allows children access on to Facebook under the age of 13, it may effect the communication between the children and their families'.Third, allowing children of the age of 13 or under gain access to Facebook might cause kidnapping, raping and murdering cases. Now a day, a lot of teens have Facebook accounts, and they enjoy using it. Chatting online with strangers turned going out in real life and this will lead them to getting kidnaped, raped or murdered; the crimes creates a fake nternet profile on Facebook and start chatting to the innocent teen or children, after they got the teen's or child's trust, an d convincing them to go out together in real life.Thus, the crimes such as kidnaps, rapes or murders them during the time when they are outside. Because these cases already happened to a lot of teenagers, it will increase possibly of the teens and childrens getting involve will kidnap, rape or Facebook opening site to children under the age of 13 to get the opportunity to access on to Facebook is extreme dangerous, because it will effect children's life, etal health, education or the negative effects and causes above.Also, it takes up a lot of time on an online world and playing all the cyber games; instead in reality they may think it is not. Sometimes, people or things on the internet are fake and it is not trust worthy. Furthermore, the teenagers should be ware of the strangers on Facebook, must not share any personal information with them, or else they can find you and kidnap, rape or murder you. Due to many issues, Facebook should re-discuss and make an correct decision, becaus e this will cause or effect many things that no one will want to happen.

Book to Movie Comparison

The Beowulf legend has endured for centuries, having been retold time and time again. Dating back to the 8th century, this epic heroic poem employs many features that have long appealed to countless storytellers, authors, graphic novelists, and filmmakers. In Robert Zemeckis’s film Beowulf, modern technology allows a centuries-old story to be retold in a vivid, dynamic way. Still, in this day and age, it would be nearly impossible to translate a literal translation of the poem to the screen without making certain changes. Zemeckis’s film is no different. Some of these changes are obvious, while others remain curious diversions from the text.Whatever the case, each new retelling of Beowulf says as much about the time when it was created as it does about the narrative aspects that have survived throughout the centuries. Zemeckis, who has done similar experiments with computer-generated storytelling in his film The Polar Express, apparently believes that Beowulf is ripe fo r a contemporary facelift. While the actors and action are all animated, the technology is not the only thing that is advanced. The story has been updated as well, keeping some aspects intact while completely rewriting others.The film retains the complex family lineages and historical contexts that root the poem in reality. It also keeps most of the main characters (Beowulf, King Hrothgar, Grendel, Grendel’s mother) but explains their motivations in ways the poem did not. One of the major differences between the film and the original poem is the treatment of Grendel and Grendel’s mother; when Beowulf kills Grendel, the monster is reduced to a sniveling, frightened child. It is also worth noting that Beowulf fights Grendel in the nude, which is not described in the poem.The comparisons between Grendel and the Biblical Cain are completely thrown out as well, making Grendel more of a misunderstood Frankenstein’s monster than a true monster, ugly inside and out. The fifty-year gap between Beowulf visiting Grendel’s mother’s cave is also depicted in the film, whereas it is only alluded to in the poem. This allows the filmmakers to expand the poem into a feature-length film, in order to â€Å"fill in the gaps† with what they imagined occurred. This calls into question if Beowulf, who tells his story in the poem, is actually telling the truth.His relationship with Grendel’s mother is far different than in the story, wherein she is simply slain. Grendel’s mother is drawn as a strangely beautiful woman (Angelina Jolie) who seduces Beowulf. This change, like the others, is played for entertainment purposes. Like Beowulf’s physique, Grendel’s mother is his equal in physical form and advertising value. The film also makes a curious addition in that Hrothgar is the father of Grendel and Beowulf is the father of the dragon, which make sense in a Hollywood sort of way, but do not add anything new or powerf ul back to the original poem.These additions are simply to give characters more motivation, though it is difficult to say whether they gain any new depth. Most mentions of God and allusions to Biblical characters have been stripped away, despite the kingdom of Beowulf becoming Christian. It is as though Zemeckis has tried to make Beowulf as â€Å"un-literary† as possible. He has turned an epic poem into a comic book adventure. In many ways, the poem almost becomes secondary to the spectacle. Zemeckis desperately wants to render the world of Beowulf into one that fans of Lord of the Rings can identify with.The becomes more a springboard for special effects. The poem’s narrative is stretched so thin that it is impossible not to add to the original story, though the changes never add anything that matters. The story is sometimes as hollow and empty as the animated characters; it is all superficial. Beowulf never celebrates the poem as being truly great and proves that fil ms can never been grander than their source material. Works Cited Beowulf. Dir. Robert Zemeckis. Perf. Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Angelina Jolie. Paramount, 2007. Heaney, Seamus. Beowulf: A New Verse Translation. New York : W. W. Norton & Co. , 2001.

Effects and Information

There are multiple different health problems that may result from the presence of infectious microorganisms in recreational waters. Epidemiological studies have shown a number of adverse health outcomes such as gastrointestinal and respiratory infections, to be associated with fecally polluted recreational water. Evidence from the World Health Organization (2003), suggests that the most frequent adverse health outcome associated with exposure to fecally contaminated recreational water is enteric illness, such as self-limiting gastroenteritis.Most of the pathogenic water-borne organisms are acquired by ingesting contaminated water because they affect the digestive tract. Pathogenic organisms in feces such as Salmonella, Giardia, Campylobacter and Cryptosporidium are known to cause gastrointestinal illnesses, skin, ear, and eye infections can also result from contact with contaminated water (Peeples, 2007). There has been a documented association of transmission of Salmonella paratyphi , the causative agent of paratyphoid fever, with recreational water use.Also, rates of typhoid in Egypt have been observed in among bathers from beaches polluted with untreated sewage (WHO, 2003). Other illnesses associated with recreational waters in the USA are listed below (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007): Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium in the same family as those that cause cholera. It normally lives in warm seawater because they require salt. Cryptosporidium is one of the most frequent causes of waterborne disease (drinking water and recreational water) among humans in the United States and can be life threatening in persons with weakened immune systems.Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a bacterium in the same family as those that cause cholera. It lives in brackish saltwater and causes gastrointestinal illness in humans. V. parahaemolyticus naturally inhabits coastal waters in the United States and Canada and is present in higher concentrations during summer. Pseud omonas aeruginosa, often called Swimmer’s Ear, is frequently caused by infection with a germ. This germ is common in the environment and is microscopic so that it can’t be seen with the naked eye.Shigella bacteria may contaminate water if sewage runs into it, or if someone with shigellosis swims in or plays with it, Shigella infections can then be acquired by drinking, swimming in, or playing with the contaminated water. Noroviruses are a group of viruses that cause the â€Å"stomach flu,† or gastroenteritis (in people. Noroviruses are found in the stool or vomit of infected people and people can become infected with the virus by eating food or drinking liquids that are contaminated with norovirus. Giardia intestinalis , a microscopic parasite which causes Giardia.Giardia causes diarrheal illness, and is a common cause of waterborne disease in humans in the United States. Current recreational water-quality guidelines are based on studies conducted in the 1970s a nd 1980s (Cabelli et al. 1975, 1979, 1982; Dufour 1984). The customary method used to measure recreational water quality require at least 24-48 hrs to culture fecal indicator bacteria colonies, such as Enterococcus spp. or Escherichia coli. The culturing along with counting the colony-forming units, makes it impossible for beach managers to assess the quality of waterwithin a single day. A significant drawback is that microbial water quality can change rapidly (Boehm et al. 2002). Guidelines based on indicator organisms that require almost two days to develop, the great diversity of pathogenic microorganisms transmitted by contaminated water, and the difficulty in addition to the cost of directly measuring all microbial pathogens in environmental samples (Wade, Calderon, Sams, Beach, Brenner, Williams, Dunfor, 2006), are likely to result in both unnecessary beach closings and the exposure of swimmers to poor-quality water.Also, current indicator microbes are based solely on fecal co ntamination and may not accurately assess the risk of disease due to countless other potential pathogens that cause skin, upper respiratory tract, eye, ear, nose, and throat diseases. A study done in 2004, estimated that up to 40% of beach closures are in error (Kim and Grant 2004). Earth911. com(n. d. ) provides the public with specific information regarding the most recent water quality conditions at local beaches. Beaches911 provides information generated and uploaded directly by local government agencies to include the type of bacteria detected, or why the warning is in place.Independent analysis or historical reporting of water quality is not provided by Beaches911. The Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act (BEACH Act) required EPA to develop and publish a list of discrete coastal recreation waters adjacent to beaches or similar points of access that are used by the public that specifies whether the waters are subject to a monitoring and notification program. EPA's BEACON, Beach Advisory and Closing Online Notification has the latest information that states have sent to the EPA. BEACON is a breakdown of monitored and unmonitored coastal beaches by county and answers the following questions:†¢ How many notification actions were reported and how long were they? †¢ What percentage of days were beaches under a notification action? †¢ How do 2007 results compare to previous years? †¢ What pollution sources affect monitored beaches? States and local governments decide whether to open or close a beach. They report that information to EPA, but because the states vary in how quickly the information is sent, the EPA doesn’t always have real-time reports. If BEACON doesn't have up-to-date information, anyone searching for beach information would need to find their state's information by contacting the regional EPA office.Although there is a lot of information about which beaches are tested and when, the different monitori ng agencies do not give specific information regarding water test results i. e. – type of bacteria detected, warning information regarding those results, and information describing the health risks of any detected environmental hazard. References Boehm A. , Grant S. , Kim J. , Mowbray S. , McGee C. , Clark C. ,et al. (2002). Decadal and shorter period variability of surf zone water quality at Huntington Beach, California. Environ Sci Technol 36(18):3885–3892. Retrieved 12 January 2009, from http://pubs.acs. org/doi/pdf/10. 1021/es020524u? cookieSet=1 Cabelli, V. , Dufour, A. , Levin, M. , McCabe L. , Haberman, P. , (1979). Relationship of microbial indicators to health effects at marine bathing beaches. Am J Public Health 69(7):690–696. Retrieved 12 January 2009, from http://www. pubmedcentral. nih. gov/picrender. fcgi? artid=1619103&blobtype=pdf Center for Disease Control, (2007). National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-borne, and Enteric Diseases. Retrieved 10 Ja nuary 2009, from http://www. cdc. gov/healthyswimming/water_illness_a_to_z. htm Earth911. com(n. d. ), Beaches911- Beach Water Quality.Retrieved 12 January 2009 , from http://www. earth911. org/waterquality/index. asp? cluster=0 Kim, J. , Grant, S. ,(2004). Public mis-notification of coastal water quality: a probabilistic evaluation of posting errors at Huntington Beach, California. Environ Sci Technol 38(9):2497–2504. Retrieved 11 January 2009, from http://pubs. acs. org/doi/pdf/10. 1021/es034382v Peeples, B. (2007). Why did my favorite beach close today?. Retrieved 10 January 2009, from http://earth911. com/blog/2007/07/19/beaches-july/ U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA(n. d. ). Beach Monitoring and Notification.Retreived 12 January 2009, from http://www. epa. gov/waterscience/beaches/technical. html Wade, T. , Calderon, R. , Sams, E. , Beach, M. , Brenner, K. , Williams, A. , Dunfour, A. ,(2006). Rapidly Measured Indicators of Recreational Water Quality Are Predic tive of Swimming-Associated Gastrointestinal Illness. Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol 114(1): 24-25. Retrieved 12 January 2009, from http://www. ehponline. org/realfiles/members/2005/8273/8273. pdf WHO (2003). Guidelines for Safe Recreational Water Environments. Retreived 12 January 2009, from http://whqlibdoc. who. int/publications/2003/9241545801. pdf

If you had a second chance- The opportunity to do something over and Essay

If you had a second chance- The opportunity to do something over and do it differently- what would you choose to do over and wha - Essay Example If I would be granted an opportunity, I would wish to opt for the profession of medicine and to enter this field not for my own good but for the greater good. The professional career of a doctor revolves around the serving of the health of individuals and therefore to work towards the betterment of other people. It is a profession of dignity where an individual sacrifices his own personal luxuries for the sake of ensuring the quality of life of other individuals. A doctor works full time in the health care settings and his duty is the top most priority for him. Doctors are important parts of the medical teams that are required for emergency setups for disaster management. My inspiration for the profession increased following the work of the doctors for humanitarian relief in the disasters particularly the earthquake that hit Haiti. The way the doctors left the comforts of their home to move to an area where they might not even have access to clean water was really an impressive act. I would have opted for this profession for the greater good and for the purpose of serving humanity. It would have provided me with inner satisfaction.

Nature as a Construct in Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nature as a Construct in Art - Essay Example Since the beginning of time, nature always takes part and affects the way humans express themselves, and from its inspiration, nature becomes part of our culture and personal identity1. This trend of inspiration continues to survive and generation passes it onto the next generation where it gets improvement, or rather alteration, further distancing it from nature. Natural forests are disappearing, man no longer lives in the jungle, water masses are drying up, pure air is diminishing, wildlife getting extinct, and this authentic of world are being represented in a very new way2. Different regions of the world have embarked on trying to resurrect that diminishing era, which due to its rareness is of great value where found. Nature-man interdependence is at a risk due to the conflict brought by man as he sidelines nature in quest for his own gains, a gap that is widening with the day 3. The environment plays a great role in inspiring contemporary artists. Artists use or include elements of the environment such as naturally occurring stone or wood in coming up with pieces. For instance, Andy Goldsworthy, a famous environmental artist mostly uses ice, vegetation, or snow to create ephemeral artworks such as the Midsummer Snowball project in which large snowballs amounting to thirteen decorated the streets in 2001. Since it was summer, their melting held surprises inside; wool from sheep, pine seeds and berries, rarely seen elements in London streets4. Another artist, Rivane Neuenschwander, draws her inspiration from scenes in her homeland in Brazil where torrential rains mark its wet season and the people align to it. She has a work, Chove Chuva of 2002, where buckets with holes and containing water hang in mid-air letting the water drip into buckets below. This she uses to represent the rains. Sunlight as nature puts it literally dulls and fades color exposed to it- a situation one describes as destruction. However, sculptor Tonico Lemos Auad from Brazil did a piec e (Sunset Seven Seas) in 2007 where he exposes colored card to sunlight and lets part of it fade. The sunlight’s effect, in addition to helping him achieve his piece largely corresponds to his theme. In addition to nature’s role in helping him achieve the Sunset Seven Seas, Tonico directly collaborates with nature when he uses bananas to come up with unique pieces. He gets yellow ripe bananas and makes outlines on them using sharp pins. As the dented pores rot out resulting in black colored spots, they create illusions on the banana skins as per the outlines drawn. During live performances, the feeling of reality comes to life by use of backdrops with representations of real scenes painted or printed on them. For instance, when a play entails war, the backdrops usually have scenes like destroyed buildings, billows of smoke or military equipment. This engages the audience more; giving them the near reality of what a war scene looks and feels like. On the same, playing m usic or applying corresponding sound effects during the performance further brings the audience closer to the real events that occur there. Contemporary artists employ nature in achieving more sensational, realistic art that one can experience being within. Naturally occurring trees, water masses, and stones do not give the impression art to most people. However, some artists bring together naturally occurring elements such as vegetation and stones to create visually appealing scenarios. A good example is Robert Irwin’s maze garden in Getty Center that is a combination of stones, trees, and water that form a maze where visitors can ‘experience’ art. They can touch the elements and experience touchable art, the vegetation has color that appeals to the eye, and the flowers give off