20 Expository Essay Topics Meet the Top Ideas on the History of Art

20 Expository Essay Topics Meet the Top Ideas on the History of Art If you need interesting expository essay topics for your next writing assignment on the history of art, there are many ideas from which to choose. That being said, if you need some help getting started, consider the following 20: Religious Influence on Artwork How Art Depicts Religion Art as Historical Documentation for Buddhism Late Renaissance Artistic Tendencies Baroque Artistic Tendencies How Art Emphasized Relationships Between Political, Social, and Economic Atmospheres Transitional Artistic Periods of Time The Utilization of New Components for Human Features and Natural Beauty Biblical Depictions Paintings Versus Statues Mannerism Influence in Italy The High Renaissance Influence for Italian Composers and Artists Ancient Greek Artwork Ancient Native American Art How New Artists Include Themes and Techniques of Older Generations History of African Art History of Asian Art Cultural Influence In Artistic Trends How Local Natural Elements Influence Artistic Design Around the World Changes in Historically Important Artistic Periods Aren’t those topics cool? To get a better idea of some interesting facts on the History of Art, plus additional guidance on how to write an expository essay about it check the hyperlinks. Below is a sample expository essay on one of the topics listed above to give you additional assistance: 10 facts, how to. Sample Expository Essay on Art as the Historical Documentation of Buddhism Art has a long history of serving as a record keeper for historical events and this is also true of Buddhism. There are three foundations or Jewels of Buddhism. The first is the Buddha, and the second is Dharma which is the teachings. The third is the Sangha - the community. Buddhists are generally distinguished from non-Buddhists through taking refuge in the third Jewel. Other facets of the practice include supporting the monastic community, becoming a monk, developing a mindfulness in meditation, practicing meditation, cultivating higher discernment and wisdom, studying the scriptures, practicing devotion, and practicing traditional ceremonies (Kohn 143). In early South Asian artwork, the four great miracles of the Buddha’s life are described along with his life cycle. It is encompassed by the aforementioned ideals through a combination of influential styles and symbols which were indicative of the political, social, and economic condition of the specified period. From this transitional time period of the Buddhism expansion came the four panels depicting the stories from the holy text pertaining to the life of the Buddha. The stupas are depicted in chronological order, focusing on the four great miracles in the life of Buddha (Saunders). The Buddha is represented in symbols of trees, pillars, thrones, and the wheel of Dharma. All until the moment when Buddha is shown as human and has reached the enlightenment. Greek and Indian combinations in terms of the iconology are demonstrated throughout the forms that Buddha takes in all four panels. Form of the Buddha in the first panels shows the perfect oval egg for the head, eyebrows which show an Indian bow curve, lotus bud eyes, ears which represent a Sanskrit symbol, and the embodiment of a lion through the wide breast and narrow waist. The head is meant to represent a bull while the arms are indicative of elephant trunks. The hands are lotus petals (Saunders). Early text suggests that the Buddha was born on the Indian subcontinent during the 5th century BC where his father was an elected chieftain. The Theravada text states that he was born in modern-day Nepal in the year 563 BC, raised in Kapilavastu. One of the four great miracles, depicted as one of the four great events was this birth. In the common artwork, the Buddha emerges from the right hip of his standing mother Maya with a halo. The halo is the symbol of divine radiance and is affiliated with deities and royalty in South Asian communities. The artwork borrows from Greek and Roman art in terms of the wreaths placed around the woman’s head, the people holding cornucopias, and the long-sleeved clothing (Dehejia). The second great miracle was the Buddha’s enlightenment. After the birth of this prince, it was prophesized by an astrologer that he would either be a king like his father or a holy man upon leaving the palace walls. It is clear that his father was against the notion of a holy man because he was forbidden to leave. Upon his departure, he encountered an old suffering man, a sick suffering man, a corpse, and an ascetic holy man which all encouraged the four sights and his spiritual quest. He began studying under famous religious teachers that day, first mastering meditation. Discovering that mere meditation did not end suffering, the Buddha continued on his path to fasting, holding his breath, and exposing himself to pain in order to end suffering, but this did not work. It was through this near death experience and closeness to the earth that he discovered the idea of moderation in terms of self-mortification and self-indulgence. When he was 35, he sat in a sacred fig tree to m editate in Bodh Gaya, India. He did not rise until he achieved enlightenment. The second piece of artwork shows the Buddha under a tree meditating while he is attacked by demons of Mara. After achieving enlightenment, a monastic order was instituted at the first teaching of his new band of followers. Teaching the path to awakening, he traveled and taught until his death. The third panel is the first sermon, which is meant to portray the humanity in the Buddha as he preaches to a crowd. The deer in the panel is used to describe the location of Deer Park at Sarnath. The two deer here are meant to demonstrate the willingness and appreciation of the earth and all creations of the enlightenment that the human Buddha attained. Between the two deer the dharma is placed which is an icon from Hindu indicative of kingship. While normally attached to Hindi gods to demonstrate their materialistic authority, in this case it is used to demonstrate the spiritual authority. This panel demonstrates the period which was the first Buddhist law (Dehejia). The journey to nirvana is the concept demonstrated in the fourth panel. On this panel his death in India is indicative of the entire Buddhist belief. The panel shows chieftains mourning the immense loss while looking over his body with grief and lack of understanding while the monks are at peace, enlightened by the idea that his passing is nothing more than a release from the endless cycle of rebirth. References: Dehejia, Vidya. Stupas and Sculptures of Early Buddhism. Asian Art, Vol. 2 No. 2 1989. Freedberg, David. The power of images.  Art History  15.2 (1992): 275-278. Kohn, Michael. The Shambhala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen. Shambhala. 1991. Gombrich, Richard. Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benares to Modern Colombo.  Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1988. Preziosi, Donald, ed.  The Art of Art History: A Critical Anthology: A Critical Anthology. Oxford University Press, 1998. Robinson et al.,  Buddhist Religions, page xx;  Philosophy East and West, vol 54, Williams,  Mahayana Buddhism, Routledge, 1st ed., 1989. Saunders, Dale. Murda: A Study of Symbolic Gestures in Japanese Buddhist Sculptur.e New York Pantheon Books, 1960 pl. 11.

Habits and Traits of the Asian Longhorned Beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis

Habits and Traits of the Asian Longhorned Beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis A recent immigrant to the United States, the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) made its presence known quickly. Accidental introductions, probably in wooden packing crates from China, led to infestations in New York and Chicago in the 1990s. Thousands of trees were chipped and burned to prevent its spread. More recently, Anoplophora glabripennis appeared in New Jersey and Toronto, Canada. What makes this beetle so dangerous to our trees? All four stages of the life cycle damage the host trees. Description: The Asian Longhorned Beetle belongs to the family of wood boring beetles, Cerambycidae. Adult beetles measure 1-1 ½ inches in length. Their shiny black bodies have white spots or markings, and the long antennae have alternating black and white stripes. The Asian longhorned beetle may be mistaken for two species native to the U.S., the cottonwood borer and the whitespotted sawyer. All other stages of the life cycle occur within the host tree, so its not likely you will see them. The female chews away a small amount of bark and lays white, oval eggs singly within the tree. Larvae, which are also white and resemble small grubs, chew their way through the vascular tissue of the tree and move into the wood. Pupation happens within the tunnels the larvae create in the wood. The newly emerged adult chews its way out of the tree. Usually, identification of this pest is made by observing damage to the host trees, and then finding an adult beetle to confirm the suspected infestation. When the female oviposits, it causes the sap to weep. When a tree has multiple wounds with dripping sap, wood borers may be suspected. As the adults chew their way out of the tree, they push large amounts of sawdust from their exit holes. This accumulated sawdust, usually around the base of the tree or piled in the crotch of branches, is another sign of the Asian longhorned beetle. The adult beetle emerges from an oval exit hole about the size of a pencil eraser. Classification: Kingdom - AnimaliaPhylum - ArthropodaClass - InsectaOrder - ColeopteraFamily - CerambycidaeGenus - AnoplophoraSpecies - A. glabripennis Diet: Asian longhorned beetles feed on wood of many common hardwood species: birches, common horsechestnuts, elms, hackberries, London planes, maples, mountain ashes, poplars, aspens, and willows. They show a particular preference for maples. Larvae feed on the phloem tissue and wood; adults feed on bark during their mating and egg-laying period. Life Cycle: Asian longhorned beetles undergo complete metamorphosis with four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Egg - Eggs are laid singly within the host trees bark, and hatch in 1-2 weeks.Larva  - Newly hatched larvae tunnel into the vascular tissue of the tree. As they mature, larvae migrate into the wood, causing extensive damage. Larvae may reach 5 cm in length when fully grown, feeding for at least 3 months.Pupa - At maturity, the larvae move near the surface of the tree (under the bark) to pupate. Adults emerge in about 18 days.Adult - The adult beetles actively mate and lay eggs throughout the summer and fall. Special Adaptations and Defenses: Asian longhorned beetle larvae and adults chew wood with large mandibles. Adults, especially males, display long antennae used to sense the sex pheromones of potential mates. Habitat: Areas where host trees are available, particularly where maples, elms, and ash are in abundance. In the U.S. and Canada, known Asian longhorned beetle infestations have occurred in urban areas. Range: The Asian longhorned beetles native range includes China and Korea. Accidental introductions expanded the range to include the United States, Canada, and Austria, hopefully temporarily. The introduced populations are believed to be under control. Other Common Names: Starry sky beetle, Asian cerambycid beetle Sources: Asian Longhorned Beetle, Canadian Forest ServiceAsian Longhorned Beetle, University of Vermont Entomology Researh Laboratory

Visual dynamic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Visual dynamic - Essay Example As a photographer, Brandenburg was well-known for being dissatisfied with the pictures that he took; out of hundreds of rolls, he would often only submit a handful for publication. In 1981, the United States Postal Service commissioned Brandenburg to come up with a set of wildlife stamps. Throughout his career, Jim Brandenburg has received much recognition from his peers and photo critics alike. In 1988, Brandenburg was named the Wildlife Photographer of the Year by BBC Wildlife and The Natural History Museum. Three years later, Brandenburg received UN recognition, the Global 500 Environmental World Achievement Award, and was presented the award by the king of Sweden. Outdoor Photography Magazine included Brandenburg in its list of â€Å"40 Most Influential Nature Photographers.† Brandenburg also used his popularity for to help others by establishing the Brandenburg Prairie Foundation in 1999. The purpose of this organization is to protect the prairie in Brandenburg’s home state of

Nonverbal communication in the classroom (between students and Term Paper

Nonverbal communication in the classroom (between students and instructor) - Term Paper Example All things communicate and this includes material, time systems and physical space. Whereas it’s easy to turn off verbal communication, non-verbal can’t be easily done away with. The purpose of this paper is to explore how non-verbal communication affects or relates to what is happening in the classroom especially between the student and the instructor and try and look at how it can be understood and have different meanings. There has been an overemphasis on verbal communication in the classroom and early research primarily focused entirely on the verbal interaction taking place between the teacher and student. However within a period of the last three and half decades, practitioners, researchers and scholars have realized the relevance that non-verbal communication has in the classroom. It has been researched and proven that non-verbal component part of communication is as crucial as verbal when it comes to instructor-student relationship(Ambady&Rosenthal,1993) However it is important to note that there is what works and what doesn’t when it comes to the typical classroom. Instructors or rather teachers have got various roles to play in the classroom so as to effectively impart their learners (students) with the pre-requisite skills and knowledge they require in a specific subject. Some of these roles include; the role of the teacher as a speaker, moderator, manager, trainer, coordinator, contro ller, supervisor and helper. To be effective in all those roles listed above, a teacher must be able to exhibit the right way of communication to the class or else s/he might be mistaken or rather misunderstood. Not only is the verbal communication critical, nonverbal communication too is extremely important and it has a very huge impact to the students. Nonverbal communication serves many functions such as repetition, contradiction, substitution, complementing, accenting and regulating verbal

Citizenship of organizations, nations and the planet- Rights and Responsibilities Essay Example for Free

Citizenship of organizations, nations and the planet- Rights and Responsibilities Essay Man is a social animal. The history of mankind is the history of evolving societies, civilizations and nations. These are the various levels of groups a person exists as a citizen of, where he cooperates with others to fulfil and increase his own needs and potential and therefore developing that group as a whole. Hence, an individual is tied to his social moorings which provide him certain rights for his own self development and also demand from him certain responsibilities for the well being and sustainability of the society as a whole. These rights and responsibilities are indispensable for any organisation to exist and develop. The rights have also evolved as society has progressed. Earlier in the days when democracy did not exist, a king or a dictator did not need to worry much about rights of his citizens. But democracy is based on will of people. In a democratic government, a citizen gets his rights which are fundamental to his well being and growth. Hence, in India our constitution makers provided us with fundamental rights which we did not enjoy when india was not a democratic nation. Similarly, when industrialisation had emerged in western Europe, the rights of the workers was not given much credence to. They lived in miserable conditions, with very long working hours and less leisure. But today, every organisation provides its workers safe working environment as a right. Today, as the twenty-first century enters its second decade the world has shrunk in a space becoming a global village.The ancient Indian notion encapsulated in the sanskrit dictum ‘vasudhaiva kutumbakam’( the world is a family ) has never been truer.Today, its not realistic to think only in terms of ones own country .The exchange of ideas and goods are taking place everywhere in the world with ever greater frequency,speed and ease.The safety of people everywhere not only depends on local security forces,but also on guarding against terrorism.What happens in other parts of the world affect other nations too. We are becoming citizens of a unified planet. Under this perspective, the united nations formulated the Human rights which  are fundamental for the existence of a citizen irrespective of race, gender or geography like right to live with security, right against slavery. If a government denies its citizens these basic rights for example in a genocide, UN can intervene to restore peace and a legitimate government. Likewise it sends directives to its member nations on how they can perform better so that the citizens have better life. A citizen needs to take full responsibility towards Organization, Nation as well as Planet.People everywhere increasingly connected through travel,trade and the internet. World is so closely knitted today that a fire that starts in a remote thatched in one corner of a village can melt the steel girders of the tallest skyscrapers at the other end of our global village. The impact of 9/11 was felt all around the world or the impact of recession that was felt all around the world in 2008 due to the failure of Lehman brothers and Bear stearns .The impact that one citizen, organization or nation creates around the world cannot be ignored in such an interdependent world .We can no longer afford the luxury of not thinking about the impact on the planet in anything we do . The problems that the world is facing today like terrorism ,of the proliferation of weapons of mass destructions,global warming ,contagious disease, poverty, mass illiteracy and massive displacement cannot be addressed by one or a group of country alone .Today nations around the world find them vulnerable to threats from beyond once borders counterfeiters of currency,drug smugglers,child traffickers,pirates ,credit-card crooks and even imported diseases such as swine flu. Such problems required solutions that transcends all boundaries and it can only happen when one think himself as a global citizen and realize their rights and responsibilities towards the planet. Citizenship is the status of a person recognised under the law of a state that bestows on that person the rights and the duties of citizenship. Rights and responsibilities complement each other.It has been rightly said with great power also comes great responsibilities.Rights and respondibilities both should be enjoyed actively .Active citizenship is the  philosopy that citizens would work towards the betterment of society through economic participation, volunteer work and other such efforts to improve life for all citizens. A right has not be enjoyed by an individual at the cost of other’s right. A right pertains to an individual’s liberty but to sustain and develop equality in a society, responsibilities or duties are must to be followed by the citizens. If we have a right to free speech, then it becomes our responsibility to moderate our speech so that it does not incite hatred between groups and communities. Keeping this in view, India incorporated fundamental duties as well in its constitution to complement the rights. Now corporates which thrive on lands and forests occupied earlier by other communities, they have to share their riches with those people in the form of corporate social responsibility. Mahatma gandhi had aptly said that the world has enough to fulfil everyone’s need but not enough to fulfil anyone’s greed. In today’s world where resources are scarce, these words of his have become highly relevant. In the name of development, we are polluting our air and cutting down our forests. We are threatening the livelihood of various communities which sustain on these lands. This has led to widespread social tensions resulting into violence. The corporates and other players are forgetting their responsibilities towards the society. Their rights to do business must be in harmony with the rights of citizens whose livelihood gets affected. Many Management literates have investigated the notion of Citizenship from three perspective-an Organizational Citizenship (where the efforts are undertaken by the employees to behave as good citizens within their organization); from a social perspective with the notion of Corporate Citizenship (where initiatives are undertaken by businesses to act responsibly in society in particular and the Nation in general) and last but not the least from the planet perspective with the notion of Environment Citizenship (where efforts should be undertaken by Individuals/entity to be responsible towards environmental protection). At the organization level citizens should strive for sustainable development . There should be effort towards a future state for human societies in which living conditions and resource-use meet human needs without undermining the sustainability of natural systems and the environment, so that future generations may also have their needs met. Central coalfield Limited(CCL) as a responsible organization in making citizens partner in progress. Major corporate social responsibility(CSR) activity of Central Coalfield Limited (CCL) 1. CCL has adopted 2 villages in the nearby vicinity in which Rs. 50 lac was provided for setting up a Solar Light Generating Unit. 2. CCL has organized 25 medical camps in the adopted villages, in which 2644 persons were benefitted. 3. CCL has constructed/ repaired 17 rural roads, built/ repaired 21 rural schools and 20 community centers have been constructed/ repaired. 4. 11 visually impaired girl students of Brajkishore Netrahin Balaika vidyalia have been adopted by CCL for their education and Health Care. 5. For providing the supply of drinking water, 84 works with respect to digging of hand pumps, installation of hand pumps, wells, ponds etc. were undertaken by CCL giving benefit to 105 villages. 6. 335 health camps were organized in different villages of CCL in which 52309 people were benefited. 7. CCL has started operation JYOTI to eradicate reversible blindness in command areas and 2511 persons have been operated so far. 8. An amount of Rs. 3.70 Cr. was provided to state Government for construction of Bridge on Ray-Tandwa- Khilari Road. 9. Rs. 81.38 lac was provided to Jharkhand state for De-Silting of Kanke Dam, Ranchi.

Death and Justice A Response :: essays papers

Death and Justice A Response In reading Mr. Koch’s article Death and Justice, I was quite impressed with his opinions and ability to articulate them. I must say that I too am a supporter of the death penalty and would be hard pressed to argue my point more convincingly than Mr. Koch. Mr. Koch mentions several points, but the three that are the most poignant are his arguments concerning the barbaric, murderous, and imperfect aspects of the death penalty. First, I do not feel that the death penalty is barbaric at all. As Mr. Koch points out, we have come a long way from drawing and quartering our criminals. Lethal injection is no more barbaric then a flu-shot. Many people are more concerned with the comfort and well being of our felons than our neighbors. What is barbaric is allowing a man to live after he heinously raped and murdered a young girl. I personally have no objection to the use of many long-forgotten methods, such as the guillotine, noose, firing squad, or headman’s axe. Specifically, murder is defined as the unlawful premeditated killing of a human being. Government-sanctioned executions, which follow the laws of the state, are not murder by this standard. Koch writes â€Å"The execution of a lawfully condemned killer is no more murder than is legal imprisonment kidnapping.† I feel this sums it up quite eloquently. The government is not an individual and is not limited by the rights and responsibilities of individuals. People who call the death penalty murder do so out of a sense of moral outrage rather then an intellectual consideration. While our system of government, just like all others, is imperfect, we have several checks and balances built into the system to help ensure accuracy. There are rare occasions when the innocent are punished, but until all the criminals come forward on their own to admit their crimes, we can only continue on. Those people who are convicted are given chances to appeal their sentences. We cannot, for fear of making a mistake, bring our justice system to a halt. I also believe in Karma and believe that if someone is wrongly punished, then it either is retribution for other misdeeds or it will be made up to them in another life.

Montessori VS Gibson: Education and Perception

Maria Montessori and Eleanor Gibson are two of the primary education theorists in the last 100 years.   Both are female, which was rare in their fields at the time, and both contributed to education and learning theories in ways that are still widely used today.   However, each has a different perspective on education, and a different and unique contribution to the field of educational research.   Overall, there are many significant similarities and differences in the educational theories created and implemented by Montessori and Gibson.Montessori was born in Italy in 1870.   She attended medical school there despite protests about her gender, and was the first woman to ever become a doctor in Italy.   After medical school, Montessori went on to work with poor children.   She noticed that many of these children could not necessarily benefit from medical care, but could benefit from educational opportunities that they did not have.   After noticing this, Montessori went on to teach children and develop a system of education that is used throughout the world today.Her early success in teaching was met with surprise, as even she had been skeptical that her methods would work.   The progress that these economically poor children showed was amazing to her, and to others who came to see what they could do.   In fact, efforts were so successful that Montessori went on to open up other ‘poor houses’ around Italy, and later, in other countries.   Towards the end of her life, she traveled around, teaching the ‘Montessori method’ to other teachers in countries throughout the world (Cossentino).Gibson was born in America in 1910.   As a child, she was discouraged from attending school because of her gender, but persevered and attended anyway.   After secondary school, she attended Yale and eventually earned a Ph.D. in developmental psychology.   Gibson then began to work with children and animals, doing experiments to see what babies knew from birth and what was learned.Her most famous experiment is the â€Å"visual cliff,† where a drop-off is set up and covered by glass.   Babies aged 6 to 14 months are placed at the edge and encouraged to crawl onto the clear glass.   However, all babies refused, suggesting that they could perceive depth from birth.   Gibson used the information she gathered from these experiments to investigate the way people learn and perceive their environment.   Gibson’s experiments are still being carried out by her students today (Gibson).Maria Montessori created a method for teaching children that today is used to educate children from birth through age 18, although it is mostly commonly used for ages three to six.   The general principle is to allow a child his freedom to work at his own pace, on the activities he chooses.   Several age-appropriate activities are possible, and the child chooses what he is interested in and investigates it thorough ly.   Children at work are never interrupted, and individual work takes precedence over group work.   Additionally, all groups are multi-age, with three ages in one group.   The most common age group is the three to six year old ages.   These groupings exist so the older children will teach the younger children, advancing both of their learning (www.montessori.edu).Gibson’s approach to education is different.   Her studies focused on perceptual development and innate knowledge in babies rather than education later in life, although her theories had implications for education later in life.   Gibson is known for starting the field of perceptual development in psychology, as little was known about it at the time.   Most doctors and psychologists assumed that to babies, the world was nothing more than a confusing buzz of sounds and sights, and that they could not make any sense of it or perceive it at all in the way of adults.These doctors assumed that babies learn ed to perceive as they aged and were taught about the world around them.   Gibson performed many experiments throughout her years as a researcher that disproved this view and brought about a brand-new view of perceptual development.   She wrote two books, one in 1967 on her research thus far, and one in 1991 that summed up what she had done in her lifetime (Gibson).The major difference between Montessori and Gibson is that Montessori was a doctor who specialized in teaching children based on their individual needs throughout their lives, while Gibson primarily focused on what children already knew when they were born and was not overly concerned with later life, as older children had already been studied more.   Gibson does, however, focus some on the processes of education throughout life, although primarily in what children know at birth and how this affects the way they learn later in life.They were similar, though, in their belief that children were different than others t hought.   Children were not stupid, were not blank slates, and did not need help in learning everything.   Children were born with innate abilities to learn and to perceive.   Gibson and Montessori both furthered this idea through their work.   Both women also helped to show that children could work seriously, even from a young age; that their attention spans are long enough and their perceptions are good enough to learn on their own.Gibson did further experiments, mostly with infants, and often with animals, as certain types of experiments are not ethical in humans.   One significant finding was in how human children learned to read and recognize letters.   Gibson theorized that children would learn by seeking out the features that are different about the letters, or â€Å"contrastive features.†Ã‚   She came upon this theory based on experiments with animals that showed this was how they learned to recognize colors, patterns, and other objects.   It turned out that this was, indeed, how children learned, by recognizing different features in the letters to distinguish one from another (Spelke).Also, Gibson was trying to focus on the ‘mechanisms which operate in all learning (Gibson).’   Her goal was to discover, through her research on perception, how exactly humans learned, and how figuring this out could benefit them in some way.   This research was crucial later to show how much people really knew and were capable of learning at all ages.Montessori did not focus nearly as much on how children perceived, but on how they learned (which is, in general, what Montessori and Gibson have most in common).   Montessori emphasized that all children learned differently and needed an environment which nurtured this.   Children who are put in an environment and allowed to learn what they chose tended to choose to learn as much as possible.   Montessori also emphasizes creativity through learning to do a number of different thi ngs, and to learn them correctly.   For example, music lessons can be a part of Montessori if a child chooses; but the teachers encourage the students to learn to play an instrument correctly, not to use it for an unorthodox purposes, like using a violin as a hammer (www.montessori.edu).Additionally, Montessori focuses on work, rather than play in her education model.   Most preschools believe that children learn through random play, while Montessori emphasizes purposeful work even from the young ages in order to investigate and learn about the world (Cossentino 63).Both methods are based on the premise that children know more than they are given credit for.   Gibson was sure that children could understand and perceive far more than psychologists thought they could, and her experiments showed that this was true.   In fact, Gibson did experiments on animals that proved even further what the experiments with babies began to show.   Gibson took newborn kids (baby goats) and p laced them on the visual cliff, and even at birth they would not go over it.She also placed kittens on the cliff once they were old enough to move and see, and they would not go over it.   Gibson reared some animals in complete darkness for awhile, and some would still not go over the cliff when they entered the light.   Kittens were an exception to this.   For a few days, they crawled across the whole surface and did not notice the cliff; after that, they, too, stopped going over the edge.   Gibson tried to place them on the cliff right away, so they would learn that crawling onto the glass was safe, but once kittens could see better, even though they knew the glass was safe from previous experience, they still would not go across it once they could see the cliff, suggesting that the perception of this drop is innate and not learned (Spelke).Innate ability is the key to Gibson and Montessori.   Both believed that children had innate ability to learn, to recognize, and to know.   Montessori built her schools on this premise.   In fact, many schools have children who are discovering and understanding subjects that adults think are far beyond their capabilities at a young age.   Elementary age students may teach themselves advanced mathematics or science concepts, ideas that are usually taught in high school.   The Montessori method encourages children to use their innate curiosity and ability to investigate to find out about their world and learn as much as they can about it (www.montessori.edu).Children are unusually intelligent and have strong capabilities.   They are not born with no knowledge, no skills, and no ability to learn.   Both Gibson and Montessori’s research showed that this is true.   Children are born knowing things, and born with a thirst to know more things.   Children learn by perceiving the world around them and continuing to try things out until they figure out how it works, and why.Montessori had an early i dea about how children learned, and created a system to teach them in that natural way.   Today’s Montessori schools are all across the world, at every age group, public and private.   Montessori still means that children learn individually, even when they are in high school.   Students who study by the Montessori method tend to score above average on standardized tests (despite a complete lack of teaching to the test) and tend to get into good colleges and succeed well in life.This is because students are given the opportunity to work individually from a young age, which leads to self-motivation.   Self-motivation is the most crucial part of the theory; children will learn far more if they are doing it on their own, based on intrinsic motivation, rather than extrinsic motivation.   The Montessori method promotes this intrinsic motivation from the beginning (www.montessori.edu).Gibson’s work, which came later, explained in psychological detail what Montessori seemed to ‘innately know,’ just as her students innately knew about the world around them.   Gibson’s experiments shed light on the way children perceived their world and how much they actually knew and understood before anyone taught them.Today, many people are still a bit skeptical about the ideas put forth by these two women.   However, many of the major educational and psychological movements are based on the work that both women did in their individual fields.   Gibson’s experiments have given way to a plethora of research in cognitive and perceptual psychology, specifically aimed at trying to figure out how infants and animals really think and understand.The result of all of these years of experiments and programs it that children are better prepared to learn about their world in a way that makes sense to them.   Children are better focused, better behaved, and learn more, better, and more quickly when their natural abilities are recognized and respected.  Ã‚   Children in Montessori classrooms or those with teachers who believe in their ability to think, learn, and perceive without explicit teaching thrive better than those who have teachers who think they are merely blank slates, empty vessels waiting to be taught to look, listen, think, and perceive.The educational world has both Gibson and Montessori to thank for their new insights into teaching young children.   Both women made significant contributions to the field at a time when women were not welcomed into medical fields.   Both women had to fight for their right to an education, and both women were intelligent enough and savvy enough to get their degrees and conduct their programs despite opposition.   Without them, education would not be what it is today.BibliographyCossentino, Jacqueline M. (2006).   â€Å"Big Work: Goodness, Vocation, and Engagement in the Montessori Method.†Ã‚   Curriculum Inquiry.   36, 1, 63 – 92.Gibson, Eleanor J. (1940). â€Å"A Systematic Application of the Concepts of Generalization and Differentiation to Verbal Learning.† Psychological Review.   47, 196 – 229.Gibson, Eleanor J. (1934). â€Å"Retention and the Interpolated Task.† American Journal of Psychology.   46, 603 – 610.â€Å"The International Montessori Index (2006).†Ã‚   Accessed December 18, 2006.   Website: www.montessori.edu.  Spelke, Elizabeth (2003).   â€Å"Gibson’s Work: An Extended Reply to Helmholtz.†Ã‚   Association for Psychological Science, 16, 4.

The Korean War started in the aftermath of World War II

The Korean War started in the aftermath of World War II.   When the Great War that ended all wars resulted in the defeat of Japan, a new power arose in the Pan Asian area, the specter of USSR.   Stalin’s tight rein on the country and its quick and vicious rise to superpower status caused Americans to fear that the Soviet Empire would attempt to spread communism throughout the world.   Eastern Europe had already been engulfed and President Truman was weary of the possibility of the rest of Asia falling into the grasp of communism. Therefore in Korea, America made a stand for democracy (Ridgeway, 15).   The United States called this policy â€Å"containment†, to contain the spread of communism because it attempts to encroach on America’s philosophy of democracy (Ridgeway, 15).   The very policy of containment arose out of fear from Secretary of State Kissinger that the Soviet Union’s eventual plan is to dominate the politics of the Pan Asian Alliance and eventually threaten the rest of Europe. The Korean War rose out of these circumstances as a battle against communism (Ridgeway, 15).   Northern Korea threatened Southern Korea through a series of hostile attacks, and after the South Korean Army with help from the US decimated the Northern Alliance, China’s quick intercession quickly changed the tides of war.   Korea was not an isolated two nation battle; rather it represented a political ideological struggle between westernization and communism (Ridgeway, 15).   Ã‚  China wanted to exert its presence following its own communist revolution as chose Korea as the testing grounds for its new army operations.   When Korea was finally split in half after indecisive battles, its role in history was forever termed as the â€Å"Forgotten War†. Vietnam occurred under similar circumstances.   The Soviet Union’s powers were at its peak during this time, having proved that they were now a nuclear power; this is the first time that these two nations met indirectly (Moise, 130).   Vietnam became the first major war in the post nuclear weapons era and it was motivated by the continuance of the theory of containment. Although large amounts of troop activity was already taking place during the John F. Kennedy era, President Johnson’s term saw the escalation of troops and combat within the region.   The North Koreans were constantly supplied via underground shipments from the Soviet Union and China, thus the war did not seem like it would end (Moise, 130).   The conclusive withdraw of US troops during Nixon’s presidency represented the first major victory and breakthrough for the communists in Asia.   As a result, the specter of the Cold War continued to loom over the world. The Iraqi war placed the United States in a unique position.   Since September 11th, the war on terrorism is very much different from the war on communism in that there are no tangible enemies.   Following unsuccessful attacks on terrorism in Afghanistan, the target of Iraq represented President Bush’s strategy of First strike defense, or preemptive strike (Roberts, 23)   This theory contends that as Iraq has an obvious hatred of the United States and has shown in that past to have harbored and still harbors weapons of mass destruction. Destroying it before it could target the United States either through direct attack or through helping terrorist cells (Roberts, 23),. This philosophy is very much motivated by a number of policies, among them was the previous attack on Iraq in Operation Desert Storm which severely weakened Saddam Hussein’s military power in the region.   However, since there was no eminent threat to the United States, there was no international consortium as large as the ones during Korea and Vietnam (Roberts, 23). Therefore, the war on Iraq is viewed by many in the international community as illegitimate and unsanctioned.   As such the political pressures from around the world are very much negative.   Even in victory, the Iraqi war now seems to have bear consequences that has harmed the United State’s position in the world political circle.   The current negotiations with the United Nations to aid in the Iraqi effort has met with resistance as the world community repeatedly contends they will not help George Bush clean up the scene of his crime.   The political undercurrents of this war may turn negative much like the results of the Vietnam resolution (Roberts, 23). Ridgway, Matthew B. He Korean War. Boston: Da Capo Press, 1988. Moise, Edwin E. Tonkin Gulf and the Escalation of the Vietnam War. North Carolina: UNC Press , 1996. Roberts, Paul. The End Of Oil: On the Edge of a Perilous New World. Seattle: Mariner Books, 2005.

Is knowledge justified true belief Essay Example

Is knowledge justified true belief Essay Example Is knowledge justified true belief Paper Is knowledge justified true belief Paper Epistemology is amongst the most important and most debated areas of Philosophy; Defining knowledge itself has proved to be one of the most pressing problems. Knowledge has often been described as justified true belief; This tradition can be observed to have been applied as far back as the times of Plato, and claims that there are three criteria that must be satisfied in order for an individual to possess knowledge. This is known as the tripartite theory of knowledge. Following the requirements of this theory, if we believe something, have justification for such a belief, and it is true, then our belief is knowledge. 1 The allegory of a ladder aptly describes the logic behind the tripartite theory of knowledge; the bottom of the ladder representing ignorance, and the top, knowledge. A belief must overcome each rung of the ladder, thus bringing it closer to knowledge. The first step is an unjustified belief. At the next step, the belief becomes justified, but may still prove to be true or false and therefore cannot constitute knowledge. The next step is an unjustified true belief; hereby truth has been found but there is no reasoning behind it. The last stage, when accomplished, establishes a justified true belief. The believer knows their belief to be true and has justification for this; hence the believer has achieved knowledge. 2This seems logical and straightforward, but it is debatable as to whether this can really be praised with describing the full extent of what knowledge is. Gettier most notably expanded upon why this theory is slightly dubious by pointing out that a justified true belief may not actually be what we would commonly refer to as knowledge by pointing out a number of examples of justified true beliefs that were not knowledge. 3 Thus, it would seem, the tripartite theory, fails. However, by expanding upon the notions of truth and justification it might be possible for find some way of agreeing with the tripartite theory post Gettier. On the basis of the tripartite theory, to be considered true knowledge, a belief must be justifiable4. If we take the meaning of a justifiable belief to be one we are within our rights of holding5 we must question our justification for such a conclusion. Therefore, it must surely call the benefits of defining a belief as justifiable into question, that is to say, it leads us to consider whether justifiable is really a term worthy of a rung on the allegorical ladder to true knowledge. It also means that, in fact, any justifications we might propose in search of certain knowledge, have to justify the means of their justification; therefore leading to a seemingly infinite regression. To avoid this, one might suggest that there must be some form of basis that we may rely on without questioning; This basis of beginning with a priori principles which we must believe to be true prior to experience is the stance taken by rationalists. However, many Empiricists have questioned whether such a priori principles can actually exist. Since our experience is so limited, it seems valid to suggest that, in fact, we can only ever say what has been the case as far as we and others may account for. For the Empiricists, our knowledge is based on reasoning, through a process of deduction7. Therefore, we gain knowledge from what we might call a common denominator perceived from a range of experiences. Hereby, for the likes of Aristotle, true knowledge is what we gain from our reasoning on the basis of our experiences in the world. However, this idea of basing knowledge, although partially, on perception, also seems to call many things into question. Surely, therefore, it seems safer to suggest that knowledge could merely be what one subjectively believes to be true even if such a proposition would deem the idea of knowledge as less worthy. Perception and observation can be understood as conveying information about what is inputted to our senses. The result of these processes, or output, is considered to be a belief; such a belief may constitute knowledge. However, it would seem that much of our knowledge does come to us through our senses, adding to the suggestion of it subjective nature. Although the way that we perceive the world may be, in part, determined by the world, it is also heavily determined by us. We are not able to receive information about the world passively, and arguably contribute much to our own experiences. Thus implying an unreliable basis for knowledge and leading to questioning of whether true knowledge can actually exist at all. The notion that knowledge or certainty can never be absolute has been entertained by philosophers for years; in particular, certainty of anything that is based wholly on sense experience8. Throughout the history of philosophy there have been numerous arguments portraying the unreliability of sense experience that are often hard to refute; one of the most memorable being that anything we gather from what we experience through our senses can never be deemed reliable as to what is actually beyond such appearances. Sensory skeptics have highlighted this fact that that any knowledge gained from perceptions is biased by how things appear solely to us and that we cannot know what causes those appearances. Thus, any explanation of knowledge that involves experience, or sense knowledge, is called into question. Throughout the history of philosophy, sensory skeptics have argued that we perceive only things as they appear to us and cannot know what, if anything, causes those appearances. Thus, if there is sense knowledge involved in a theory of knowledge from that stance of the skeptic, it will always be personal, direct and inconsistent as any conclusions we make from this very personal input are, therefore, subject to error as we have no way of knowing whether our inferences from our perceptions of the world are actually correct. This case could lead us towards Platos argument of true knowledge that states that it is to be found outside the realms of the physical world. However, in turn, surely we must question the worthiness of something outside our own experience as it can never be experienced and therefore has questionable value. It would seem a logical conclusion that all we can ever claim to know must be on the basis of our own experience. Thus we begin this deductive process of acquiring knowledge at birth where the mind is, what John Locke referred to as a Tabula Rasa,9 Therefore, knowledge could be more simply defined at the output of our reasoning on the basis of our experiences. In conclusion, knowledge, even if we are to question its certainty or its basis of what has been called assumption, is information that is both true and justified in as far as it is possible to draw any conclusions on the matter. In response to Gettier, if we have a belief that is true and we can find justification for it, even if the justification is false, we still, arguably come to the same truthful conclusion. We might add to the tripartite theory that true knowledge also requires that the justifications made to also be true, that is to say, there must be no errors is the reasoning of the individual. Although when subject to the challenges of skepticism as to the concept of knowledge itself, as far as we can understand, the tripartite theory does produce as adequate account of what knowledge is and logical way or establishing it. Therefore, knowledge is justifiable true belief that has been based on experienced and justified by human reasoning. Any definition of knowledge without these qualifying factors is beyond the realms of our experience and, therefore, arguably beyond our understanding and therefore of little value.

How to Make a Marijuana Tincture

How to Make a Marijuana Tincture Making a marijuana tincture is an easy way to extract THC and cannabinoids from Cannabis. A tincture is an alcohol-based solution, used to extract organics from herbs and other plants. Tinctures are useful because they isolate certain compounds better than soaking or boiling herbs in water, the alcohol acts as a natural preservative, and medicinal tinctures often take effect more quickly than other administration routes, like eating, drinking, or smoking. Marijuana Tincture Materials A typical ratio of plant matter to alcohol would be 1 gram to 1 fluid ounce (35 ml) of alcohol. Up to 6 grams of Cannabis can be used, depending on your resources and how concentrated you want the end product to be. Do not use any other type of alcohol besides ethyl alcohol or ethanol (e.g., isopropyl alcohol or methyl alcohol), as these chemicals are toxic. Cannabis sativa bud, fresh or driedHigh-proof ethanolFlavoring (optional)Small glass jar with lidBrown or blue glass dropper bottle Everclear is a popular source of ethanol because it is so high in alcohol. 151 rum also works. Be sure to use food-quality ethanol, not denatured alcohol. Denatured alcohol contains contaminants that make it unsafe to drink. Lower concentrations of alcohol will not be as effective for the extraction or preservation. Basic Steps To Prepare a Cannabis Tincture Place the marijuana in the bottle.  Pour alcohol into the bottle, making certain to cover the plant matter.Seal the bottle. Place it in a warm location, out of direct sunlight.Give the alcohol mixture at least a day, but preferably longer than a week to soak. You can shake the bottle from time to time to ensure a good extraction of  the THC and other cannabinoids.Filter the liquid through a coffee filter to remove the solids and reserve the liquid in a dark-colored glass dropper bottle. Avoid using plastic, as the liquid may leach some undesirable compounds from the plastic into the tincture over time. Flavoring may be added to improve the taste of the tincture, if desired.A typical dose would be 3-5 drops, depending on how strong you made the tincture. Start with the minimum amount and see what works best for you. Fast Marijuana Tincture Recipe While the classic tincture instructions are fine, you can prepare a tincture much more quickly if youre willing to put in slightly more preparation time. Also, this method uses less source material (although the tincture is also less potent). This recipe produces an effective tincture in as little as an hour. The disadvantage of the method is that it uses heat, which can damage some of the many cannabinoids in Cannabis if you get carried away. Dont exceed the recommended temperature. Dry about 4-5 grams of a Cannabis sativa bud.Grind the material to increase surface area (speeds extraction).Bake the marijuana is a 240 F over (set for just under 250 F) for 30 minutes. This decarboxylates the matter, improving the extraction of desirable compounds while helping to eliminate unwanted chemicals. Both heat and alcohol can convert  the THCA molecules in the plant matter into active THC.Place the marijuana in 2 ounces of alcohol. Make sure it is covered and seal the container to prevent gas exchange with air.Place the container in a cool, dark location. The longer you allow for the alcohol to extract the cannabinoids, the more potent your tincture will be. You can watch the extraction progress as the color of the liquid changes from clear to green. Once the color is stable (up to 2 or 3 hours), filter the liquid using a coffee filter or cheesecloth. Of course, you can consider the tincture done sooner, but you may lose potency.Store the tincture in a dark glass droppe r bottle. While the alcohol preserves a tincture at room temperature, its fine to refrigerate it to further reduce the chance of mold or fungal growth. How to Use a Marijuana Tincture The ideal way to use this tincture is to apply drops sublingually (under your tongue). Use a few drops and then wait to determine the effect. Cannabinoids are quickly absorbed across the mucosa of the mouth into the bloodstream for distribution to the brain and other parts of the body. If the desired effect is not achieved after the initial dose, a few more drops may be applied.

Finance Essay on risk management and investment

Finance on risk management and investment - Essay Example Different methods of analysis, reconstruction will be used. The process will involve majorly looking at the different kind of risks inherent in the portfolio and determining ways on how to reduce the risk. Executive Summary The investor seeks to come up with a well-structured portfolio that will serve him the purpose of better returns in the future. The investor has identified seven stocks namely: Barclays, BP, Lloyd Banking, European FTS, ISHARES CHINA, EFTS CMOD SECS, MSCI BRAZIL, and TUI TRAVEL. The investor intends on investing in stock shares as his major line of returns. The portfolio seems diverse as it entails stocks from different regions. The shares are all have a fair volatility ranging from a minimum of 4% -13%.This is a major strength in the portfolio as the investor will be least faced by shares that are quite elastic. However, in my view, the investor poses as one who is a traditional investor. He selects only share stocks and avoids investing in other securities such as bonds. There arises a risk in investing shares; one can never tell the exact time to sell them off as predicting when such shares will appreciate becomes a hustle. At the same time, all these companies issue out dividends. For investor companies, investors prefer that they maintain their levels of dividends so that such monies can be used in investing in other opportunities that would profit the company. In reconstructing the portfolio, I t will involve looking at the risk levels associated with the different kind of stocks and look into eliminating the least favourable ones either through statistical analysis or by going by what the market proposes. While analysing the portfolios past performance, it will entail looking at how the individual stocks performed. Our portfolio is composed of equity based investments. This will entail looking at how the individual shares performed in the industry and across other stocks. In our case, our cut-off date will be on January 1 ,2020 for th e purpose of buying stocks. Barclays With Barclay’s stock, the return on equity has decreased significantly over the years from 23.41% to 5.65% in year 2009 through to year 2011.This means that the company has been making low returns over the years or has very high operational costs. At the same time, the company could be having very high equity levels. The price per share for the company is quite low at 2.51, meaning that it is not a very favourite stock among investors or alternatively, the investors foresee a likelihood of the prices going up. It’s good to note that the company’s volatility is a bit high at 10%.This means that the stock is likely to affect a large investor upon any change in the market conditions. The earnings per share has also increased over the years from 25.1 to 35.9 from year 2010 to 2012.This is a very positive remark for the investor as over the years they experience value for their money. The stock also pays out dividends to its share holders at the end of every financial year. This would be a good indication to a normal investor who looks into trading with shares. However, for the investor’s portfolio this would not be a positive move as the investor would view the company as failing in investment decisions. Usually, investors prefer companies that look to invest their funds in the most profitable investments, companies that can manage to increase their asset base too. The company floats only 87% of its shares and has an