Music And Its Influence On Art - 949 Words

People visit museums, observing and critiquing the different exhibits and pieces of art on display—paintings, sculptures, photographs. Often times, a person will spend longer observing a particular piece because some aspect of it resonates with them; it strikes some unidentifiable chord. Art is meant to evoke emotion by creating or portraying something the audience can relate to. Jazz music appeals to the ears, just as paintings appeal to the eyes. Music is like painting with sound. It contains different colors and strokes, which are conveyed through variations in notes, chords, and rhythms. Both skill and imagination are utilized when making art; art is an expression of emotions and ideas. It encourages freedom and liberates people from the constraints of â€Å"right and wrong.† Saying that jazz music is not art would contradict the main purpose of art. A defining characteristic of jazz music is improvisation. A jazz musician’s ability to improvise and compose on the spot provides them with an artistic freedom that not all other genres of music possess. At one point during the hard bop tune, â€Å"This I Dig of You,† all of the instruments besides the drums drop out and there is a drum solo (Mobley, â€Å"This I Dig of You,† 1960, 4:50). This moment enables the drummer with an opportunity to step outside of the ensemble and display his skills and whatever particular emotions he is experiencing in that moment. A solo serves as a moment of self-exploration for the musician. During thatShow MoreRelatedOur Mental Health is Based on Emotions, Moods, and Reactions Essay805 Words   |  4 Pagesto life†? We well know about the influence of art on our health, both mental and physical. Art has big effect on our mood(not only positive). Contemplation to artwork helps relieve tension, stress, break free from anxiety, and get rid of depression. The true art is harmonizing our inner world, helps restore mental balance. Art embodies greatest ability to develop human. Back in 1890, Vladimir Soloviev, in his work â€Å"General sense of Art† got to conclusion, that art of its ultimate goal should implementRead MoreIs Art And Music?1353 Words   |  6 PagesWhat truly is Art and Music? Is it something that an individual made just to express their imagination? The practice of Art in any form has created foundations of what is today a â€Å"society†. One may not know this but the aesthetics of â€Å"Art and Music† in Criminal Justice plays a vital role into the human psychology; allowing to regress the mind of a criminal or a detainee. In becoming a Homicide Detective, it i s imperative to have a calm atmosphere when someone is being interrogated in order to getRead MoreOpinion Essay929 Words   |  4 Pages Music is the best type of Art What is art? Everyone knows about it, but could you say a lot about music? May be yes, may be no. Music is the best type of art. Before proving it , let’s talk about what music means. Music is an art form which medium is sound and silence. In many cultures music is an important part of people. Music contains all their history. May be for someone music is just noise of instruments, but not for me. Music reflects history, people’sRead MoreFine Studio Arts and Music Essay1286 Words   |  6 PagesFine Studio Arts and Music Fine studio Arts is a discipline which incorporates the creativity of an individual or artist into both plastic and visual media. This field makes use of the traditional fine arts media such as sculpture, painting and drawing and it also utilizes upcoming modern media such as digital images, ceramics and textile. Other in the context of modern media is the maintenance and management of studios, perspective and composition and the theory of art and color (Colwell 56). SinceRead MoreFrancis Poulencs Short Piano Pieces952 Words   |  4 PagesFrancis Poulencs Short Piano Pieces Francis Poulencs music was considered avant garde, even in a time when art and expression focused on finding something new and different. Poulenc was a key member of the group Les Six, a French Group that wished to move music away from impressionism, formality, and the intellectual tendencies that had dictated creativity in the previous century (Rovi Corp, 2012). They wished to create conceptual music that was based on the expression of pure human emotion. UndoubtedlyRead MoreEssay on Renaisssance versus Baroque Periods967 Words   |  4 Pagesaccumulated along with views of art and music. Baroque era covers the period between 1600 and 1750 beginning with Monte Verdi (birth of opera) and ended with deaths of Bach and Handel. The term baroque music is borrowed from the art history. It follows the Renaissance era (1400-1600). It was initially considered to be a corrupt way of Renaissance by conservatives. The dominant trends in Baroque music correspond to those in Baroque art and literature. Some features of Baroque art included a sense of movementRead MorePros And Cons Of Censorship1590 Words   |  7 Pagesforms of art, music, speech, and expression. It can be seen as a means of suppressing free speech, especially in the case of musical lyrics and the impact music has on behaviors. According to Richard Taruskin, â€Å"It is all but irresistible kinesthetic response that music evokes that makes it such a potent influence on behavior, thence on morals and beliefs.† Therefore he justifies the need to censor music in order to prevent or reduce the negative behavior s associated with the influence of music lyricsRead MoreComparison/Contrast Renaisssance and Baroque Essay967 Words   |  4 Pagesaccumulated along with views of art and music. Baroque era covers the period between 1600 and 1750 beginning with Monte Verdi (birth of opera) and ended with deaths of Bach and Handel. The term baroque music is borrowed from the art history. It follows the Renaissance era (1400-1600). It was initially considered to be a corrupt way of Renaissance by conservatives. The dominant trends in Baroque music correspond to those in Baroque art and literature. Some features of Baroque art included a sense of movementRead More Hungarian Peasant and Folk Music Essay1562 Words   |  7 PagesHungarian Peasant and Folk Music I. General confusion about Hungarian folk music. Gypsy music Peasant music - the real Hungarian folk music - is not Gypsy music. Peasant music certainly had influence on the songs and playing of gypsies who lived in Hungary and performed in ensembles, though. Gypsy music used to be the basis of all generalizations about Hungarian music. It was Ferenc Liszts monumental error to state that Gypsy music is the creation of gypsies. The so called gypsy scale pointsRead MoreThe Concert Of Zac Brown Band922 Words   |  4 PagesThere’s no better feeling than being at a concert and jamming along to songs that you love while surrounded by people who share the same love for the music. Music concerts are majestic environments where a variety of different people come together in order to share their love of music. A few weeks ago I attended a Zac Brown Band concert for the first time and I was truly inspired by the band’s artistry and skill. The band was fully able to captivate their audience with their soulful tunes and obvious

Reflection On Diversity - 865 Words

Reflection I am a young black woman who is trying to pave the way to success through furthering my education. Everything I bring to the table adds to the spectrum of diversity. Growing up I always felt different. The elementary school I attended , I always could recognize where I differed from everybody else. My hair, my skin tone, my gap (before the braces), and especially height. It wasn’t easy but the older I became, I learned to embrace every aspect of me. Diversity to me is what you bring to the table (age, gender, sexual orientation, race, skills, etc.) that differs from everyone else. It’s what makes you stand out among the population. To me it means a lot because diversity brings positivity and it celebrates the special qualities†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Interacting with a health care professional is such a personal relationship that it’s important that the provider you have understands the values and beliefs of the individual with whom they are working, † Patricia Prelock, Ph.D., dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at the University of Vermont, ( explains. Thinking back to many of my doctor’s visits I don’t recall a professional that has understood or took the time to understand me. Even television realizes the disparities in the health care profession. I’m a very avid watcher of the series â€Å"Grey’s Anatomy†, that shows the everyday challenges of aspiring surgeons. The other day I watched an episode displaying the lack of diversity within the health care field. There was an elderly Korean woman who was very ill and didn’t speak a lick of English. The assigned doctor was clueless to where to start, obviously because of the language barrier. Of course, there is an on-staff translator, but she wasn’t available. The woman sat there for hours flustered and so did the doctor. Which this could happen to any professional and but it causes many dilemmas in the medical process. It isn’t providing quality care to the patient and disrupts the culturalShow MoreRelatedReflection On Diversity And Diversity867 Words   |  4 Pageshis or her diversity. Also, a leader needs to include every individual to participate in the activitie s or meetings. The chapter contains the explanation, the history, practice, and barriers of both diversity and inclusion. I will share my reflection about understanding and using diversity and inclusion to become a better leader. According to the article, diversity is the existence of different cultures or ethnicities within a group or an organization. So it telling me that diversity is that eachRead MoreReflection On Diversity827 Words   |  4 PagesA Reflection on the Analysis Diversity for me is central to having a successful, creative, dynamic education environment where everyone is welcomed. Without diversity, I think we are less creative individually and collectively. I can describe diversity as a collection of people who have their own unique qualities, who are different and sharing and embracing each other’s individual beliefs, cultures, and thoughts. The differences could be cultural, racial, or learning styles. According to ColemanRead MoreDiversity Analysis And Reflection On Diversity Essay2454 Words   |  10 Pages 3rd Diversity Summary Reflection The purpose of reflecting on others diversity presentation is to allow us students to learn how we compare to others and how we differ from others in the aspect of the internal and external dimensions. This summary will reflect the dimensions of religion, sexual orientation/identity, and disability. Others presentations allow us to be informed on other perspective per these dimensions. Not any two people in the world are completely the same. Everyone goes throughRead MoreReflection On Diversity792 Words   |  4 Pages In order to be inclusive on campus, and gain the most from your time at this University, you must become comfortable to engage with others who are unlike yourself and to extend your network. Through this video I learned what kind of diversity a person may provide to their community on multiple different levels, and how we create biases against others based on these traits which we observe. I am able to apply this to my personal life because it reminds me that when I meet new people I shouldnt beRead MoreDiversity Reflection976 Words   |  4 Pages1) The major question I feel like I didn’t answer well was my knowledge of culture and diversity. Specifically, I talked in depth about working with individuals with diverse ethnic backgrounds, but I did not think of diversity variables such as age, gender, SES, education level, etc. You should be prepared to talk about your clinical experiences (i.e., what they were, what your role was, were there any ethical issues that came up, etc.). For example, I worked as an in-home behavioral therapistRead MoreDiversity Reflection Essay896 Words   |  4 PagesDiversity Reflection Abstract The purpose of this paper is to reflect upon the diverse experiences that I have had in my personal and professional life. Fortunately, I have had a large mix of diverse friends and experiences in my life. This paper will discuss those diversities as well as the plan to expand on my current knowledge. Keywords: Diversity, culture, differences Growing up I always had the opportunity to interact with diverse groups. My father is a retired master sergeantRead MoreReflection Paper : Diversity Reflection Journal2144 Words   |  9 PagesDiversity Reflection Journal I had the pleasure of interviewing five great people that talk about their lives and how it all unfold before their eyes. Some shredded tears, laughed, took me on tours, and even shared photos of their lives. I had a great opportunity to share some background information about myself in so many ways, that most of them did not know that person lived in me. The five people that I interviewed were kept anonymous I have included their first initial, their full last name,Read MoreReflection On Culture And Diversity796 Words   |  4 Pages1. From my perspective, when I think of diverse contexts, I think of a great variety of influences and events interrelated to a particular situation. The relationship between culture and diversity is a great variety of groups represented within a community. These variety of groups are formed by race, ethnicity, age, ability, language, nationality, socioeconomic status, gender, religion and sexual orientation. As an African American who is aware of the d ifficult challenges (such as slavery and segregation)Read MoreMy Personal Reflection Of Diversity2205 Words   |  9 PagesDiversity This paper is going to cover my personal reflection of what diversity means to me. I will discuss the messages I learned as a child about various minorities and majorities, and how my views have changed since then. I will also describe a situation in which diversity directly influenced my life. This paper will also include reflections of the common read novel The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates. I will detail how the main characters experienced diversity. I will give examples of howRead MoreReflection Paper On Diversity1079 Words   |  5 Pages1. Diversity is defined as â€Å"the condition of having or being composed of differencing elements† (Webster Dictionary). Through my clinical experiences I have seen a lot of diversity whether it be different ethnicity, the family culture/make-up or students living with disabilities in the classrooms. Specifically, in my urban clinicals I saw more ethnicity and culture diversity differences between student to student and student to teacher relationships. However, in my suburban school clinical experiences

Recruitment and Motivation free essay sample

This paper focuses on successful recruitment strategies and the manner in which to motivate employees. An examination of a case study of Arthur Reed, the warehouse supervisor for Blue Grocery store who has been facing problems recruiting temporary workers during the months of summer when the regular staff wanted time off. The author analyzes the problem and gives various recommendations including, regular communication, timely evaluations, showing appreciation and asking employees for input. Employee motivation and retention are complex issues and superficial solutions just dont work. Companies that take the easy way out will pay in the long run with high turnover costs. As a warehouse supervisor for Blue Grocery store Arthur Reed has been facing problems recruiting temporary workers during the months of summer when the regular staff either wants time off. This has proved to be a dilemma such that the general efficiency of the business is being affected. We will write a custom essay sample on Recruitment and Motivation or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Arthur needs summer staff that is dependable, works for low pay and is temporary -not a very appealing combination for the prospective employees.

Powerful Presidents- Abraham Lincoln Essays -

Powerful Presidents- Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln is known to many as one of the strongest presidents of the United States. He used his presidential powers beyond the level of what other presidents had done before. Succeeding presidents after Lincoln had powers passed onto them because of how strong presidents just assumed them and acted upon their will and judgment. By doing so, presidents like Abraham Lincoln had strengthened the role of the executive branch and the president. Lincoln had strengthened his powers as president during a time when it was greatly necessary; he did so during the Civil War. It was a difficult time and despite what others, including his cabinet, thought, he made decisions that he felt were just and good for the country. During the Civil War, important decisions had to be made and Congress was not in session. Decisions had to be made to confront the many problems occurring during the Civil War. He suspended certain constitutional liberties in order to make the required decisions. He had spent funds that Congress had not appropriated and blockaded Southern ports. Also, he banned "treasonable correspondence" from the United States mails. Lincoln had done this under his title of commander in chief. His responsibility was to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed." Lincoln also did things, which can't be done by presidents today. He had officially declared war on the South without a formal declaration. The formal declaration would mean he would go through Congress and he would have to wait for them to approve. However, he went ahead and declared war on the Confederates. This act by Lincoln ultimately caused many deaths in the Union and the Confederacy but it was what was needed to end the division between the United States. Through his decisions, Lincoln had ended the Civil War and reunited the Union and the Confederacy. President Lincoln further showed how he showed and used his power by making actions involving his cabinet. His cabinet is formed of a group of advisors who help make Lincoln make decisions. However, in Lincoln's case, it seemed their advice was unnecessary. When Lincoln was reading the draft of the Emancipation Proclamation, he had convened his cabinet to do so. He showed his lack of concern for their opinion by telling them, "I have gotten you together to hear what I have written down. I do not wish your advice on the matter, for that I have determined myself." This showed how much authority and power Lincoln took. Also, when his cabinet had voted unanimously on a vote against it, Lincoln had simply gone against it with his sole vote. Lincoln was truly one of the strongest presidents of our nation's history. He took power into his own hands during what was possibly the most difficult time for the nation. When the country had gone against itself, the North against the South, the nation needed a leader with the aggressiveness to take lead. Lincoln did so by doing what he knew was necessary. He didn't always heed the advice from his cabinet and chose his thoughts over all others. His Emancipation Proclamation prohibited slavery and changed the history of the role of African Americans. Through his decisions, the nation could be reunited and problems able to be solved. Lincoln used his power wisely and set a path so presidents after him could have more power and do what is necessary when the country was in peril. Bibliography World Book West American Government Abraham Lincoln a biography

Head Start Teaching Project Essays - Emotions, Nursing, Play

Head Start Teaching Project Essays - Emotions, Nursing, Play Head Start Teaching Project March 15,1999 Implementation A. The communication skills used in this teaching project were geared toward ages 4 to 5 years old. In order to be effective I needed to keep the wording at a level that the children could understand. This was done by using word such as feeling sad in place of word like upset that could be misinterpreted by the child. By keeping the wording in a concrete manner that the children could relate to made my communication with them effective and I feel the communication between the children and my-self was very effective. B. To control the situation the children first need to known that I was going to give a teaching project. This was done by Mrs. Lisa the class teacher, informing then about my project. By having them sit on the floor and follow my direction we would play a game were I asked questions and let one child answer at a time giving me the control. When one child talk out of turn I would tell them that it was not their turn and have them wait until their turn came around. Also having been with the children the week before they knew I was a person of authority this played a major part in the respect that the children gave to me during the activity. I felt that control was never an issue in my teaching project and the real reason for this may have been do only to my gender. I hope this was not the case. C. Creativity and flexibility is always the case when trying to teach especially in this age group. The creativity I used was to use colorful and funny pictures along with hand puppets. Seeing that the children were loosing interest I let them use the puppets this work for a short time only. As I sensed the children growing tiered of this game I went to the second activity I planed in case the first did not work. This flexibility of choice seemed to work and this continued my project and maintained a fun learning experience for all involved. This alternate plan saved the theme of the project and kept the children engaged for the duration of allotted time. D. The application of nursing knowledge came in by knowing the importance of the emotional health and the impact that it has on a child. Emotionally healthy child can learn easier and perform better in all school activities. This area of wellness is one area school nurses have tried to bring out in the open for many years and only now is the educational establishment studying it very closely. By increasing the child?s emotional well being both the children and community as a whole will benefit by potentially keeping the child from engaging in crime and off drugs. Evaluation A) The results of this teaching project were evident by the children?s ability to identify the feelings of sadness, madness, and happiness. The students were also able to identify these emotions of sadness, madness, and happiness in other children. The children were able to communicate the situations that made them feel sad, mad, or happy. For example, the number one event that made the children mad is when another child takes a toy that they were playing with at that time. The other key point in judging the effectiveness was the children?s ability to know when they have caused other children to feel one of the above emotions. The prime example given by the children was again related to toys and noted that they totally understand that by take a toy away from a child that was playing with it at that time will cause the feeling of first madness then sadness. This understanding how ever did not stop the child from taking the toy and would usually end by ether the child crying after the toy was taken away or a physical confrontation over the toy which needs adult intervention. With the children?s ability to identify these emotion increased I feel that the objectives for this teaching project have been met. The feedback that I received from the children was reflected in their responses to the activity while

assess the arguements for and essays

assess the arguements for and essays Assess the arguments for and against a single European currency Britain has always been the troublesome partner in the relation with the rest of Europe, whether it is because of the indecisiveness shown in the leaders involved with the Union such as the refusal to enter in the initial stages or because of Margaret Thatchers reluctance to co-operate if decisions were not in Britains best interest. In 1969 Britain finally became a member of the European Economic Community after being vetoed twice by the French leader De Gaulle, as he was unsure of Britains commitment to the Union. This and the difficulties caused by leaders such as Margaret Thatcher for the rest of the E.E.C. suggests that there may be still some animosity between the leadership especially if Britain keeps on postponing any decisions about the Euro. Traditionally a nation of Euro sceptics, much of Britain is opposed to joining the single currency and is backed by a reactive Conservative leader and some sections of the party. The recent European election showed clearly the Conservative Partys opposition to Britain becoming too involved with Europe. The hype that the Conservative Leader has set around his campaign in these elections would have stirred public opinion against the Euro, as he continually argued about the loss of national identity. If Tony Blair continues with integrating Britain into the single currency against the majority of the publics wishes, it may be likely that he will lose the next election if the nation continues to be plagued with damning reports about the effects of the Euro. One of the main problems the Government will have to deal with is to convince the general public of the benefits of the Euro. As we this country seems to have a general sense of Britishness rather than Europeanism it may be difficult to convince them that being European is the way forward. Few people know of the overall benef...

Okay for now by Gary Schmidt Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Okay for now by Gary Schmidt - Coursework Example In the novel, we read about the relationship of Mr. Culross and Doug’s father. Although Doug’s father was working for Mr. Culross, he could terminate their relationship anytime he wanted. From this passage, we learn about Mr Culross’ character as a very cruel person who never cared about the rights of his workers. This character trait is also evident as Doug’s father could come home with a bandage on his face whenever he came from his boss working place, Culross Lumber Inc. (Schmidt, 2011, p. 5). At this instance, we are also able to learn about the character traits of Doug’s father. We see him presented as a humble person who has a lot of steadfast. He is able to work for Mr. Culross even though he receives poor treatments from him. From this passage, we can also understand the theme that develops from the relationship between Mr. Culross and Doug’s father. This is a relationship between the master and the servant or the between the employer and the employees. The theme that develops is that of poverty. Doug’s father is forced to work under a harsh condition in Mr Culross lumber industry because he was poor. It is poverty that makes him to withstand his boss’ cruelty. If he were rich, he could have quitted the job at Mr Culross Lumber Inc. and look for a different place. Another important part of the book is on page 21, the last paragraph continuing to the next page. From these incepts, we come to understand the role that Doug’s mother plays as a woman (Schmidt, 2011, p. 21). When Doug was coming down from the upstairs, he met his mother making some pancakes. From this statement, we learn about the trait of his mother. She is a responsible woman who takes care of the family. She would ensure that her husband have something to eat before he went to work. Apart from being responsible, she is also a hardworking lady

Coursework on Family Law Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

On Family Law - Coursework Example Sue can no longer tolerate such extreme levels of violence and wants Barry out of the rented flat. However, Barry is registered disabled after suffering a back injury a few years ago. His mobility is limited and the flat has been adapted to suit his needs; the couple were given a ground flat because Barry finds it difficult to climb stairs. Therefore, any legal advice to Sue in regard to her intention to have Barry out of the flat should consider the following; the couple are married or in civil partnership, they live in a rented flat (they do not own a home), the marriage is characterized by domestic violence, and Barry is a registered disabled. As such, Sue has several options regarding her attempt to have Barry out of the flat. However, there are some legal provisions that make this intention difficult to execute. Sue cannot have Barry out of the flat because they are married and as long as the status of marriage has not changed both partners have rights to occupy matrimonial or c ivil partnership dwelling- house. This right is granted under the Family Law Act 1996: Rights to occupy matrimonial or civil partnership home (section 31) (The National Archives, 2011). ... Legal actions against Barry can lead to two possible outcomes; Barry will be charged for domestic violence and may be fined or imprisoned, or both, and secondly, the court may grant a divorce if it establishes that Barry behaved so badly and the couple cannot reasonably be expected to live together any longer as decided in Yemshaw v London Borough of Hounslow.3 In the first scenario, she would have had Barry out thanks to imprisonment; in an event Barry is fined, he may have learned his lessons and stop drinking heavily hence not causing harm to his wife. Besides, Sue has another option which is out- of- court alternative; she can take Barry to rehabilitation centre or to counselling specialist to help him reduce or stop heavy drinking thus restoring normalcy in marriage, because apparently the violence is caused by Barry’s heavy drinking behaviour. Lastly, considering that Barry is registered disabled, having him out of the flat that has been adapted to suit his needs may pro ve inappropriate regardless of his wrongdoings. This is because the Disability and the Equality Act 2010 requires that the interests of the registered disabled be given utmost priority especially by the carer such as spouse or parent.4 It is therefore appropriate that Sue considers all these aspects and exhaust out-of-court options such as seeking counselling and rehabilitation services before resorting to court. Q2: Civil Partnership Act 2004 and its Implications on Same Sex Marriages The Civil Partnership Act 2004 is an Act that governs Civil Partnership in the United Kingdom. Most provisions of the Act govern the new responsibilities and rights conferred on couples of same sex and who are registered as

Aristotle on the Soul Essay Example for Free

Aristotle on the Soul Essay Aristotle’s notion differs from the usual conception of a soul as some sort of substance occupying the body, existing separately and eternally. To him, the soul is the essence of a living thing. The soul is what makes an organism an organism at all by actualizing its potential for life, and it’s constituted by its capacity for activities essential to that specific type of being. His investigation into the nature of the soul demonstrates basic principles of his philosophical theories at work, including Hylomorphism, potentiality and actuality, and his four causes. His use of these theories in analyzing and teasing out the complexities of the soul make for a cohesive and comprehensive study, easily amenable with his other works. In this paper I will analyze his notion of the soul as described in De Anima, recounting how he came to define the soul, the explanation of the soul, how the souls of different kinds of ensouled beings differ, and his unique concept of how the soul is related to the body. Aristotle begins Book 1 of De Anima by stating that since the soul is a principle of animals, and here I will interpret animals to mean more broadly beings, describing its essence has implications beyond its obvious scope. In unfolding the nature of the soul, it is possible to determine which attributes belong to the soul alone and which belong to the organism in virtue of having a soul (Aristotle, De Anima 402a). So besides exploring the nature of life, his analysis will also seek to answer the question of whether all mental states (of the soul) are also material states of the body, or whether some attributes of the soul are unique to it. In doing so, we are confronted with the interesting implication of Aristotle’s position on the mind/body problem, to which I will get to later on. Returning to the question at hand (what is the soul? ), Aristotle starts his investigation by use of his explanatory theory of Hylomorphism, which states that substances are compounds of matter and form, and change occurs when form actualizes matter (Shields). There are three sorts of substances; form, matter, and the compound of form and matter. Matter is potentiality and form is actuality. Form actualizes matter, which possesses the potential to be what it is. So using Aristotle’s example of a bronze statue, the matter, in this case the bronze, only actualizes it’s potential of being a statue when it acquires the form, or the shape and features. Of interest is the third kind of substance, compounds, which make up living beings. The body is the substance as matter, so the soul is the substance as form or shape. Here we get to Aristotle’s preliminary definition of the soul as the actuality of a natural body having life potentially (Aristotle, De Anima 412). It is in virtue of this form, the soul, that makes an organism alive. Without the soul, the body would only have the capacity for life potentially, and so the soul is the essence (the form) of living things. This preliminary definition is taken a step further when Aristotle identifies the soul as the â€Å"first actuality of a natural body that is potentially alive† (Aristotle, De Anima 412a). He claims that the actuality that is the soul is like the actuality that is knowledge, in that we speak of it in two ways. We can distinguish between a state of knowing x and a state of attending to the knowledge of x, where the latter is more of an active process. The passive of state of knowing x is the first actuality, first because it must necessarily come prior to attending or remembering that knowledge i. e. potential precedes actual. Similarly, the soul of a sleeping person is like the passive state, the first actuality, while the soul of an awake person is like the active state. The soul must be the first actuality, for if not we would be forced to say a sleeping animal lacks a soul, a conclusion we do not want to make (Aristotle, De Anima 412a-412b). First actuality seems to correspond to a capacity to engage in the activity of the second actuality, and in this way is a kind of potential to exercise some function, like the ability to engage in thought. Aristotle makes this clear when he states that, â€Å"If the eye, for instance, were an animal, sight would be its soul† (Aristotle, De Anima 412b). Sight is the capacity of the eye for seeing, where sight is the form and the eye is the matter. The first actuality is the capacity for seeing, and the second actuality is seeing, actively exercising the potential ability. So it seems that beyond defining the soul as the ‘first actuality of a natural body that is potentially alive’, we can say the soul is a set of capacities that characterize living things. These characteristic capacities are different in different beings, and we will see that it is by these that Aristotle creates his hierarchy of ensouled beings or the degrees of souls. I will return to this distinction later in this paper, when describing how the souls of different ensouled beings differ. At this point we have a definition of the soul, but as Aristotle stresses throughout his various works, we must determine the cause or explanation in order to truly grasp the essence, and therefore get at complete picture of his view of the soul. The definition just given explains the what, but a full account must explain the why. He states in the Physics, â€Å"for our inquiry aims at knowledge; and we think we know something only when we find the reason why it is so, i. . , when we find its primary cause† (Aristotle, Physics 194b). His criteria for an adequate definition, one that is sufficient for knowledge, rest on his theory of causation and explanation. The four causes include the material cause, formal cause, efficient cause, and final cause. Material cause is what something is made of, the formal cause is the form or pattern of which a thing is what it is, the efficient cause refers to the agent of change or rest, and the final cause is the intended purpose of the change or the reason why a thing is done (Shields). We must, therefore, determine why the soul is what it is in virtue of these four general causes. The soul is the principle and the cause of the living body, for it is in virtue of the soul that the body is alive, and thus it plays an explanatory role. It is the cause of the living body in three of the four ways, as â€Å"the source of motion, as what something is for, and as the substance of ensouled bodies†(Aristotle, De Anima 415), corresponding to the efficient cause, the final cause, and the formal cause respectively. It is the source of motion in that it causes growth and decay in the organism. The soul is also the cause of the living body by being the final cause, as the body is merely an organ for the sake of the soul, aimed at the soul. And finally, the soul is the formal cause of the living body for it causes life by being the form and actuality of what is potentially. The body makes up the fourth cause, the material cause, by being the matter that makes up a living organism (Aristotle, De Anima 415). I will use Aristotle’s example of the nature of a house as described in Book One, when he is discussing the importance of form, in order to better illustrate the necessity for analysis of a concept under his theory of causation and explanation. To merely define a house as stones, bricks, and timbers, is not to capture its full essence. A house is stones, bricks, and timbers (material cause), built into an enclosed structure (formal cause), fashioned together by a carpenter (efficient cause), in order to provide shelter from the elements (final cause). We can describe the what, but without further details about the explanation, we don’t really know the nature of a house. Similarly the soul is why, it gives the explanation for, the life activities of a living body. At this point Aristotle’s notion of the soul is quite clear; it is the first actuality of a natural body that is potentially alive, it is a set of capacities for life-giving and defining activities of organisms, and it is the form, the source of motion, and the means (it directs) to the end of the living body. Souls of different living beings are differentiated by their capacities to engage in the activities characteristic of that type of organism, which comprise their livelihood and survival. It is these differentiating faculties that make up the soul. Among these faculties are the nutritive and reproductive, perceptive, locomotive, and the capacity for thought and understanding. Aristotle claims, â€Å"the soul is the principle of the potentialities we have mentioned—for nutrition, perception, understanding, and motion—and is defined by them† (Aristotle, De Anima 413). There are three types of souls, arranged in a nested hierarchy, so the possession of a higher soul entails possession of all that are below it. The lowest, or most basic, in this hierarchy is the nutritive soul. All living things possess the capacity for self-nourishment, for without this they would not live. Next is the sensitive soul, which is possessed only by animals. The highest type of soul is the rational soul, belonging only to humans. These three souls are differentiated by their function, corresponding to the ensouled being in possession of the soul with the power to exercise that function. While the animal soul possesses the nutritive and the sensitive, and the human soul the rational as well, each has but one unified soul with a various sets of capacities (Shields). The nutritive soul is the potentiality held by all living things to preserve it and equip it for life. The function of this soul is the use of nourishment and generation, or reproduction. Generation is the most natural function, as it is a means for a living being to participate in the future (the â€Å"everlasting and divine†) by producing something else of its own sort. The use of nourishment allows the being to preserve itself, only existing while it is nourished. Nourishment allows an organism to grow as well as decay, according to its form. Since all living things possess the nutritive soul, all living things have the capacity for self-nourishment, growth, decay, and for reproduction. Further, since all nourishment involves digestion, and digestion involves heat, all beings contain heat (Aristotle, De Anima 415-416). The sensitive, or perceptive soul, distinguishes plants from animals. Perception is a type of alteration, in that a suitable sense-organ in perception is affected or changed by an external object. The external object acts as the agent, possessing the qualities in actuality that the sense-organ possesses potentially. Aristotle describes that it is through an intermediate condition, such as air, that sense organs receive the forms or qualities of the objects of perception, not the matter, when involuntarily acted upon by the external object. Thus, the sensitive soul has the capacity to receive sensible forms, resulting in perception. The sense-organs become like the agent after being affected, or receiving the qualities (Shields). Again, we can see Aristotle returning to his theory of Hylomorphism in describing perception as the change in the sense-organ as a result of the acquisition of form. The potential of the sense-organ is made actual in virtue of the external object which possesses the form in actuality. Aristotle states that every animal has the sense of touch, but not all possess the sense of sight, hearing, taste and smell. Animals are further distinguished along these lines; while each possesses a nutritive and a sensitive soul, there are various degrees of complexity of the latter soul corresponding to the activities of the animal. Aristotle continues further that the possession of the perceptive soul implies that the animal has the capacity to desire, and desiring includes appetite, emotion, and wish. He also determines possession of this soul entails the ability to feel pleasure and pain and it is in virtue of this soul that some animals possess the power of locomotion (Aristotle, De Anima 413-415). The rational soul, perhaps the most difficult section to interpret of De Anima, is essential and indicative of humans alone. It is in virtue of the rational soul, the intellect, that we come to know and understand things. The intellect is the seat of thought and thus reason. Thinking is similar to perception, as it involves the reception of form by a suitable capacity. However, while the object of perception is external and is the composite of form and matter, the object of thought is within the soul and is form alone (Shields). While hard to follow, I believe the objects of thought are the forms of forms; they get their intelligible forms in virtue of the sensible forms sensed in perception. Aristotle discusses the concept of â€Å"appearances†, which are different from perceptions and beliefs, for appearances exist while we sleep, with no external stimuli actualizing the ‘sensation’, and beliefs involve conviction, while appearances do not. Appearances are images resembling objects of perception (Aristotle, De Anima 428). It is helpful to think of appearances as the representation of reality we see in imagination. I believe Aristotle is claiming that it is these appearances that are the objects of thought. In intellection, the mind is made to be like the object of thought through reception of its intelligible form. The intellect is pure potentiality, it potentially has all of these objects of thought, and only in thought do these intelligible forms become actualized in the mind (Shields). As Aristotle’s philosophical worldview rests on a Hylomorphic principle, it is difficult to see how the alteration, bringing the intellect from potentiality to actuality in thought, comes about. In perception, this is in virtue of an external object that acts as an agent for change in the sense-organ. But what is the agent of change in intellection? Aristotle divides the intellect into the active and passive intellects. The active intellect acts as the agent of change; when the mind thinks the active intellect actualizes the intelligible forms in the passive intellect. The passive intellect stores the concepts of knowledge and intelligible forms in potentiality, to be recalled by the active intellect during thought. This means however, that the actual must precede the potential, contrary to what was discussed above. The nature of the active intellect is its activity, so it must be unremittingly active in order to cause the passive intellect to act and us to have thoughts and reason. If it is continuously active, this part of the rational soul must be eternal and thus stands in stark contrast with the rest of the souls Aristotle posits, but this controversial point is something I will not take up in this paper (Shields).

The Inquest :: essays research papers

Credibility and Conflict in Lem’s â€Å"The Inquest† â€Å"The year is 2029, and machines will convince us that they are conscious and that they have their own agenda worthy of our respect. They will embody human qualities; claim to be human†¦and we’ll believe them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - Ray Kurzweil Perhaps Kurzweil slipped up when he put a date in his prediction. Perhaps he intended it to be more of a challenge than a guess. Ultimately, it separates the theorists, like Kurzweil, from the storytellers, like Stanislaw Lem. Lem’s â€Å"The Inquest† takes a glimpse into the future to show readers what it may look like some day. He uses a futuristic setting to examine the possible role of machines in our daily lives. Conflict, credulity and human nature are at the forefront of this story, all of which allude to deeper meaning in today’s world. The level of robotics and AI in Lem’s â€Å"The Inquest† is not farfetched. That is to say, the story is not unconvincing, but simply exaggerated for our time. Though the events are assumed to be taking place in the future, Lem references no time period and forces the reader to blindly suspend disbelief. The premise of the story revolves around this fact, and gives the story its body as a work of science fiction. The most relevant instance of computer exaggeration is in the supporting characters we meet: the non-linear officers of the Goliath. The main character, Commander Pirx, is known to be human, and must command a mixed group of humans and robots, not knowing the true identity of each. Here we have the story’s biggest assumption about AI in the future; that robotics and AI will be indistinguishable from human abilities and intelligence. This colossal inference about computer technology is only acceptable to the reader when coupled with the lack of a given time period. Pirx is asked to command these two groups on a routine space mission, all the while making inference on their actions and interactions during a variety of real world tests. He is then to make a formal report to the creators of these machines to be used as a formal test result. The fact that Pirx cannot immediately distinguish between the humans and the robots implies that all the machines have passed the Turing test. Though this story is set in the future, this test is a standard by which we judge the intelligence of machines today, and gives us some insight on the level of AI that Lem implies.

Of Mice and Men Commentary

â€Å"Of Mice and Men† is a novel written by the 1962 Nobel Prize winner, John Steinbeck. It is an emotional tale of the extraordinary friendship between George and Lennie, who are traveling workers in the harsh depression years of the 1930s. George is a caring person whose love to Lennie is just like a father-son relationship, where Lennie, a mentally challenged man whose strength lies in body rather than brain, appears to be very dependent on George. â€Å"Of Mice and Men† teaches a universal theme about the nature of human beings that a person whose power exists over another turns corrupt.Steinbeck exploits the theme of power and control in his novel through the extensive use of sexism, racial discrimination, and the power of the strong over the weak. Sexism is the belief that one sex is superior over the other. In â€Å"Of Mice and Men†, Steinbeck undoubtedly shows that the power is centered on the majority sex, which is the males, against the minority, the f emales, where in this novel is â€Å"Curley's wife†. By simply keeping the character nameless and using the expression â€Å"Curley's wife† to identify her is a clear example of referring to her as an object without any respect rather than a person. Curley's wife† shows how women during the early 1900s were inferior under the men. She is merely the spouse of Curley as far as all the men in the ranch are concerned. â€Å"They are only forced to relate to her through Curley; if they fear him or want no trouble, the men will stay away from her. George, for example, has set goals in his mind that he is committed to, thus he will stay away from her in order not to get into any trouble. On the other hand, if they do not fear anyone, they can enjoy their time with the intention of forming a physical relationship with her.Lennie, whose childish mind cannot comprehend why he should stay away from Curley's wife, falls into the trap and gets severe consequences for doing s o. â€Å"She is simply a person living in the ranch with the purpose of only to obey Curley with no voice to complain to. All the men including Curley may go to the â€Å"cathouse† and enjoy their time; Curley's wife on the other hand, may not dare to do the same, along with Crooks. During the 1900s, racial discrimination was widely used throughout America, a land that is filled with various ethnic groups. Steinbeck portrays the cruel racist manner that is used throughout on the stable buck, Crooks.He lives a separate, isolated life under everyone in the ranch, and is incapable to protest, merely because he is black. He is terribly labeled with the epithet of a â€Å"nigger† from everyone else. Steinbeck portrays him as an unfortunate man for being born black with no power at all and may not do anything about it. He is not allowed to enter any white man's room, and to slightly raise his own degraded dignity, does the same, not allowing any white man to his room; altho ugh he only says so, it is not necessarily true as we later on see that George and candy enter.Crooks is a person where all the sorrows and miseries of another can be thrown on him because he is powerless to object. As soon as Curley's wife feels insulted from him and Candy, she threatens him verbally, using her superior social status as a white woman, â€Å"Well you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung out in a tree so easy it ain't even funny†. Although most people in the ranch appear to want friendship, they all live with hidden fear of each other.The years of the great depression left everyone trying to look stronger and better than the other, or otherwise the strong will get rid of them; the killing of Candy's dog is a great symbol for that which makes it clear. Candy's dog is ought to get shot and killed, even though it has spent its lifetime with Candy, because it is now old and useless. The stronger, in this case man (Carlson), mercilessly shoots Candy 's dog, who knew nothing of his grief fate. Candy then sees his reflection upon the killing of his dog, that he will soon get too old and therefore useless, which will then have him left alone.This pushes him into desperately asking George to permit him to join with him and Lennie for the pursuit of their own dream ranch, â€Å"Tha's three hundred an' fifty bucks I'd put in, I ain't much good, but I could cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some†. On the contrary, Curley is a man who takes advantage of his authority and power to oppress and mock others to make himself seem stronger and even more powerful. He uses his power and gender to boss around with workers of his ranch and his wife, respectively. However, when he chose to do so towards Lennie, Lennie reacts angrily and smashes his hand.Through the intense use of sexism, racial discrimination, and the power of the strong over the weak, Steinbeck successfully exploits the theme of power and control. Whether it is mentally, physically, or money wise, power seems to be moving from one person to another depending on the situation. Perhaps it really is the roots of evil; that occurs as a result of someone realizing his power over others, and then uses it for his own personal desires, while taking advantage of others. In other words, as the Arabic proverb professes, a person's power and freedom is corrupt when it limits the power and freedom of another.

A Study About Netherlands Architecture Essay

The civilization of Americans comes from a conglobation of many different civilizations that were either here or emigrated from other states. I have a big part of my lineage from Dutch heritage shacking the Netherlands. In researching how the Dutch people are I have found that a big part of the values that I have been taught are really Dutch ideals. These are values like humbleness, friendliness ( Although they are reserved publicly doing them sometimes seem unfriendly to foreigners. ) and understating being showy with wealth. They have a really high value on difficult being a difficult worker, and independent. Of the values that Dutch people are taught that have non been a focal point during my upbringing are honesty, and modestness. I was taught that it was acceptable to air your wealth and that it is sometimes necessary to be dishonest to acquire what you want. Dutch value promptness, privateness, and instruction which are all marks of a higher value of self-denial they posses. They sometimes come off as pushy because they have strong sentiments and will voice them. They will publically debate things they value as unfairnesss if they believe that the topic is of import plenty. I ‘m non certain why my Dutch ascendants left The Netherlands but research suggests that the ground most Dutch people left their place was because of the chances that were available in the United States. Often people left other states due to some kind of battle with the authorities or poorness, but the Dutch had a relatively good place in The Netherlands to some of the other states in Europe. Still? Most Dutch came to America merely because they calculated that the hereafter promised more prosperity for them and their kids in America than in Holland. The Dutch were of all time â€Å" household, religion, and farming † advocators. And the Dutch? as opposed to the Puritans? enjoyed the mercenary and animal amenitiess in life that their hard-earned money bought. I believe that if my ascendants left the Netherland due to some hardship, so my household would hold been able to state me about it. When thought of landmarks of the Netherlands the windmills the state is so celebrated for ever come to mind, but there are other landmarks excessively. Koninklijk Paleis ( Royal Palace ) another popular landmark was originally created to be used as a town hall in the mid seventeenth century. Koninklijk Paleis is now largely used as a tourer attractive force. European manners are popular in the Netherlands, and in maintaining with the high value of organisation the Dutch have normally wear neatly kept, fashionable vesture. The traditional wooden places are about ne'er worn any longer by anybody except husbandmans. Farmers wear them because they protect the wearer? s pess from wet and soil better than leather places do. Some of the more iconic features of the Netherlands geographics semen from the fact that? a big part of the land has been reclaimed from the sea. The Netherlands has a largely level geographics, and 27 per centum of it is below sea degree. ( hypertext transfer protocol: //geography.about.com/od/specificplacesofinterest/a/dykes.htm ) Of celebrated people from the Netherlands Vincent new wave Gogh is one of the most recognizable. Van Gogh is known internationally as a major subscriber to modern art. The Dutch pattern Agriculture in a figure of ways. Major Agricultural harvests include murphies, wheat, and maize. Potatos are grown in about all of the countries that have sufficient farmable land, and the husbandmans that grow murphies as a harvest usage big machines to make their agriculture. These machines include big tractors for ploughing the lands, monolithic reapers for when their harvests have grown and Shakerss to free the soil off the murphy harvests. Other engineering used to farm murphies includes the irrigation systems that H2O the harvests and manure spreaders to fertilise the land. The division of labour that is used on murphy farms is based on accomplishment. The proprietors of the farm, people who set up irrigation systems and big equipment operators are all skilled workers. The people who are unskilled do minor labour undertakings around the farm such as screening out quality murphies from bad 1s, and the people who clean the murphies. Industrialism exists in The Netherlands in the signifier of auto, vesture, chemical and electrical machinery makers. The engineering used in auto fabrication includes mills where they build them, which have automatons, forklifts, and computing machines that all combine in the procedure of fabricating a auto. The division of labour in auto mills is done by accomplishment. The skilled employees of the auto mills are the Directors that are in authorization, forklift mechanics, robotic plans, sellers, advertizers and computing machine information analysts. The skilled workers have experience in the field based on figure of old ages, and or the sum of instruction they have received. Unskilled workers in a auto mill include line operators, janitorial workers, and forklift operators. Some degree of gardening is practiced in the Netherlands. They are known for their flowers but they besides use gardening to reap grapes, apples and cherries. Flowers are the Netherlands most celebrated usage of gardening. The Netherlands really hosts the largest flower market in the universe in Aalsmeer. In 1995, Dutch agriculturists produced over 8 billion blooms and the flower auctions jointly traded more than 5.4 billion guldens ( about $ 3.2 billion ) in cut flowers and potted workss, lending over 4 billion guldens yearly to the Dutch balance of trade. When flower plantsmans in the Netherlands works their flowers they use shovels to works the seeds. It takes a few yearss work to acquire some of the largest flower gardens planted. When the flowers have bloomed they use manus held cutters to cut the roots of the flower the arrange them into pots and assorted cosmetic corsages. They besides have simple pails filled with H2O to H2O the flowers. In the flower gardens the division of labour is done by accomplishment. It is normally the proprietor of the flower store who does the combine of the different flowers into corsages. The proprietor is the most skilled worker in the garden. The unskilled workers in the garden would be the people who works the seeds with their shovels and trowels. The same people who works the seeds are normally the same 1s who gather the flowers once they bloom, and do so utilizing manus powered cutters so conveying them to the individual who is responsible for seting them into corsages. The Netherlands is known for their usage of sheep in their vesture, but other animate beings are raised excessively. The elevation of cattles, hogs, and caprine animals are other illustrations of pastoralism. The people of the Netherlands usage merchandises from animate beings in their vesture and for nutrient. They besides use the animate beings themselves as a nutrient beginning such as the usage of butchered cattles and hogs for their meat. The method of raising animate beings in the Netherlands is done utilizing pastoralism. When a sheep pastoralist is turning sheep they use fencings to maintain the sheep from running off, they besides make common usage of barns to protect the sheep from conditions when they are non on the grazing land. To hydrate the sheep they use troughs filled with H2O, and the sheep provender themselves with grass from the grazing land. The chief usage of sheep in the Netherlands is for their pelt. The pelt on a sheep is cut off by husbandmans by garnering a sheep with sufficient pelt growing so the pelt is cut of utilizing razors and scissors, cleaned with coppices that have metal pins that stretch the wool, so whirl into narration utilizing big machines. The division of labour on the wool farms is done by accomplishment. The individual who owns the farm is the highest skilled individual on the farm and is normally the most experient. The proprietor is the 1 who supervises the other workers on the farm as they tend to the more simple undertakings designated for less skilled persons. The less skilled workers on the farms do undertakings such as make fulling the H2O troughs and garnering sheep to hold their fur cut. As in many other countries of the universe the people of the Netherlands usage Electronic Information Technology as a major subsistence scheme. Electronic Information Technology is used extensively in the Netherlands to maintain path of information such as banking, in libraries, instruction records, and touristry. Banking makes a heavy usage of Electronic Information Technology. The Bankss in the Netherlands usage computing machines hardware, package, hard currency registries, debit cards, money counters, and the cyberspace. The Banking is done with electronic and physical mediums where people desiring to pass money and hard currency cheques can travel to a bank Teller who so counts the money utilizing their custodies or a money counter, inputs the sum of hard currency withdrawn or deposited into a computing machine which has package that keeps path of history balances. The computing machine is connected to the cyberspace which enables other Bankss in to maintain path of the individuals account. When the individual has the money deposited they can pass the money in their history at shops and their money will be withdrawn accurately from their checking history. The division of labour at Bankss in the Netherlands is done by accomplishment. The most skilled people in a bank are the Managers. These people have accountant grades and old ages of experience in the banking field. The unskilled workers of the Bankss are the bank Tellers who normally have a grade in accounting but lack the experience of the more skilled directors. Other unskilled workers include security guards that protect hard currency when it is being transported, or janitors that clean the bank. Unskilled bank workers normally have a limited instruction merely a few old ages experience. Every field I have discussed combines a few or all of the subsistence schemes I have discussed. An illustration of this is the murphy husbandmans who use agribusiness as their chief subsistence scheme, but they combine other 1s to a lesser grade. For case the murphy husbandmans will utilize Electronic Information Technology to maintain path of the sum of murphies that they grow for different seasons, so compare the different growings to seek and better their harvests for the following season. The Netherlands employs a Centralized political system because they yield their sovereignty to a centralised monarchy every bit good as a democracy. The monarchy of the Netherlands is given power by birth but is non a major force of power in the Netherlands, and is largely for ceremonial intents. The monarchy has a minimum sum of power over the legislator. The monarchy usually merely subject measures to the legislator. The holders of the power in the Netherlands are the household of the monarchy which is merely legitimized through faith. The democracy of the Netherlands is legitimized by elections which are done locally utilizing Electronic Information Technology. The people who are allowed to vote are all citizens of the Netherlands above the age of 18. The constabulary force of the Netherlands is divided into divisions that are run by a Head Commissioner who manages the forces. There are many Head Commissioners throughout the Netherlands that all run a individual territory. The territories are divided into parts. The sum of single constabulary forces in the country is comparative to the sum of offense and population in the country. There are about 55,000 constabularies employees functioning in the Netherlands. There is besides a royal constabulary force in the Netherlands known as the Royal Marechaussee. The Marechaussee force was created by King William the 1st to protect and administrate the will and people of the sovereign, but they are now used as boundary line constabulary, military constabulary and for guard responsibilities. The biggest type of reciprocality used in the Netherlands is negative reciprocality. This is done with a pecuniary system. The currency used in the Netherlands is the Euro, so money gained in the Netherlands is functional all over Europe. The Netherlands employs market exchange based on supply and demand, so when something is in demand the monetary value of it goes up. Fresh grapes in the off season are more expensive than they are in crop season because they are less available and harder to obtain. The Netherlands uses value added exchange in the economic sciences. An illustration of the usage of value added exchange is when a individual goes to the shop to purchase an apple the shop charges more for the apple than they do paid for it themselves. The shop is doing usage of negative reciprocality to derive a net income. There are some facets of socialism in the Netherlands. Thingss such as health care and route revenue enhancements are illustrations of socialistic patterns. The healt h care in the Netherlands is really high quality but most people buy their ain health care insurance, but there is subsidised health care for people who are considered low income. If you are traveling to make concern in the Netherlands it is of import for you to be on clip. The Dutch are organized so they feel that even being a few proceedingss tardily is highly unprofessional. The Dutch value their relationships over clip and anticipate honestness in people? s concern patterns. When person in the Netherlands does concern with you they are usually seeking to acquire trueness and repetition concern. Christian religion is the largest faith followed in the Netherlands, so most of citizens are monotheistic and believe in the individual God that Christianity does. The largest faith is Roman Catholicism, whose disciples make up to 31 per centum of the population. The Dutch pattern Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter with traditions of the vacations dwelling of spiritual rites. The honestness and humbleness that Catholicism encourages is evident in the cordial reception that the Dutch exhibit in a private environment in their places, every bit good as their concern patterns. Monogamy is the matrimony pattern that is supported in the Netherlands, this is a consequence of the Roman Catholic faith that is the largest faith in the Netherlands. When people get married in the Netherlands they choose their spouses by dating for usually old ages at a clip. They usually marry in their economic category, and ethnicity because they have a difficult clip meeting and relating to people from other categories or ethnicities. When people get married they do so because they are in love with each other and one time they marry they live in nonlocal homes. They still maintain contact with their drawn-out households but live with their atomic households. Normally the visit or are visited by their drawn-out households during vacations and particular occasions. Decent is traced through patrialiange because when people get married they get the name of the male line. Peoples refer to their family by gender where siblings are Brothers being male and Sisters being female. Parents are? Mother? which is female and? Father? which male. Peopless siblings kids are called Nieces for females and Nephews for males. In the Netherlands there are upper, in-between and lower category people who are divided by the size of their fiscal income. The largest category is the centers category which makes up more than half of the population of the Netherlands. The unemployment rate in the Netherlands is 4.2 per centum. I interviewed my brother who had spent a summer in Europe and visited Amsterdam for a weekend trip, and found that the most interesting thing to me that he talked about was the nutrient. He talked about how they cooked truly delightful home-style nutrients and that every eating house he visited tasted like he had a repast that was made merely for him. He said that the old edifice even houses added a batch of character to the architecture that you don t usually see in the United States. My brother was really able to see the Heineken Brewery in Amsterdam although he was non able to acquire a circuit. He said that the night life was really pretty urban which came as a surprise to me because I was anticipating to hold a more conservative attitude. My brother suspected that it was because of the metropolis and people he was remaining with that he had this experience. He besides noted that people ride their motorcycles far more frequently in Amsterdam than do here in the United States, whi ch he said was because they don? Ts have to worry so much about parking. He said that there were eating houses that you could order Pot in, and that it was acceptable and legal to smoke it. I found it interesting that a civilization that frequently characterizes itself with honestness and humbleness had such broad positions on drugs.Bibliographyâ€Å" Amsterdam Information Video Tour. † YouTube.com. 26 Dec. 2006. Web. 4 Apr. 2010. & A ; lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.youtube.com/ & A ; gt ; . â€Å" Amsterdamn Landmarks and Amsterdam Mounuments. † World Guides.com. Web. 6 Apr. 2010. & A ; lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.world-guides.com/ & A ; gt ; . â€Å" Economy of the Netherlands. † Wikipedia.com. Web. 7 Apr. 2010. & A ; lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page & A ; gt ; . â€Å" Floral Industry. † Wikipedia.com. Web. 7 Apr. 2010. & A ; lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page & A ; gt ; . â€Å" Geography of the Netherlands. † Wikipedia.com. Web. 1 Apr. 2010. & A ; lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page & A ; gt ; . Gormley, Myra Vanderpool. â€Å" The Duch Touch Upon America. † Genealogymagazine.com. Web. 1 Apr. 2010. & A ; lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.genealogymagazine.com/index.html & A ; gt ; . â€Å" Royal Marechaussee. † Wikipedia.com. Web. 3 Apr. 2010. & A ; lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page & A ; gt ; . â€Å" Vote in National Elections – the Netherlands. † AngloInfo. 8 Apr. 2010. Web. 5 Apr. 2010. & A ; lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //hollandsouth.angloinfo.com/ & A ; gt ; .

Free Essays on Problem Solving

Individual Assignment Compare and contrast two problem-solving methodologies, select one of these and apply it to a situation in your organisation. The latter should be written in a `case study` format Introduction – What is a Problem? In an individuals professional and social life, they will have objectives or desired outcomes that they aim to reach. These may be in preparing to take a family holiday or meeting a high sales target at work. During the course of attaining that goal they will encounter either an occurrence or obstacle that prevents the person achieving the desired aim or objective. This "circumstance" or "discrepancy" is a problem. It is preventing the individual from achieving their desired state of affairs in the manner that they had planned or had perceived it would be achieved. The problem solving methodology that an organisation will choose to attempt to solve these problems will determine their strategy and general approach to problem solving. It will determine what tools and techniques they use to assist in their processes. The comparison between a hard systems approach to problem solving and a soft systems approach provides us with two very different outlooks and are based on differing fundamental assumptions on how human beings interact. Hard Systems Thinking - Optimisation In the years after the Second World War, when lessons from military operations were applied to industrial companies and Government agencies, an interest in systems ideas developed in many fields. This interest was signalled by the formation of the Society for General Systems Research in 1954, a group of people who were interested in applying systems thinking in traditional disciplines. The basic principle that a hard system thinking emphasises is the use of quantification and measurement to understand systems. This strategy is intended to reduce the level of uncertainty that is associated with confronting problems and the possi... Free Essays on Problem Solving Free Essays on Problem Solving Individual Assignment Compare and contrast two problem-solving methodologies, select one of these and apply it to a situation in your organisation. The latter should be written in a `case study` format Introduction – What is a Problem? In an individuals professional and social life, they will have objectives or desired outcomes that they aim to reach. These may be in preparing to take a family holiday or meeting a high sales target at work. During the course of attaining that goal they will encounter either an occurrence or obstacle that prevents the person achieving the desired aim or objective. This "circumstance" or "discrepancy" is a problem. It is preventing the individual from achieving their desired state of affairs in the manner that they had planned or had perceived it would be achieved. The problem solving methodology that an organisation will choose to attempt to solve these problems will determine their strategy and general approach to problem solving. It will determine what tools and techniques they use to assist in their processes. The comparison between a hard systems approach to problem solving and a soft systems approach provides us with two very different outlooks and are based on differing fundamental assumptions on how human beings interact. Hard Systems Thinking - Optimisation In the years after the Second World War, when lessons from military operations were applied to industrial companies and Government agencies, an interest in systems ideas developed in many fields. This interest was signalled by the formation of the Society for General Systems Research in 1954, a group of people who were interested in applying systems thinking in traditional disciplines. The basic principle that a hard system thinking emphasises is the use of quantification and measurement to understand systems. This strategy is intended to reduce the level of uncertainty that is associated with confronting problems and the possi...

Plastic Architecture - Building The Biodome

Plastic Architecture - Building The Biodome By definition a biodome is a large controlled internal environment in which plants and animals from much warmer or colder regions than the region of the biodome can be kept in the natural conditions of their own sustainable eco-systems. One example of a biodome would be the Eden Project in the United Kingdom which includes the largest biodome greenhouse in the world. There are three biodomes at the Eden Project: one with a tropical climate, one with a mediterranean, and one that is a local temperate biodome. Large biodomes are architectural wonders, while the designs have much in common and take from the geodesic domes patented by Buckminister Fuller in 1954, there have been more recent innovations in building materials that have made the enormous light-friendly roofs in biodomes and other architectural projects possible. The Eden Projects biodomes are constructed with tubular steel frames with hexagonal external cladding panels made from the thermoplastic ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) replacing the use of glass, too heavy a material to use. According to Interface Magazine,ETFE foil is essentially a plastic polymer related to Teflon and is created by taking the polymer resin and extruding it into a thin film. It is largely used as a replacement for glazing due to its high light transmission properties. Transparent windows are created either by inflating two or more layers of foil to form cushions or tensioning into a single skin membrane. Plastic Architecture Lehnert, an avid yachtsman and three-time winner of the Admirals Cup, was researching ETFE for use as a possible material for sails. For that purpose, ETFE was not successful, however Lehnert continued to research the material and developed ETFE-based building materials suitable for roof and cladding solutions. These cladding systems, based on plastic cushions filled with air, have since pushed the boundaries of architecture and allowed the creation of highly innovative structures such as the Eden Project or the Beijing National Aquatics Center in China. Vector Foiltec According to Vector Foiltecs history, Chemically, ETFE is constructed by substituting a fluorine atom in PTFE (Teflon) with an ethylene monomer. This retains some of PTFEs qualities such as its non-stick self cleaning properties, as in non-stick pans, whilst increasing its strength, and in particular, its resistance to tearing. Vector Foiltec invented drop bar welding, and used ETFE to construct a small cable structure, originally made from FEP, which had failed due to the low tear resistance of the material. ETFE provided the perfect substitute, and the Texlon ® cladding system was born. Vector Foiltecs first project was for a zoo. The zoo looked into the possibility to implement a new concept whereby visitors would pass through the zoos in small confined pathways while the animals would be, according to Stefan Lehnert, almost living in broad areasâ€Å"†¦almost in freedom.† The zoo, the Burger ´s Zoo in Arnheim, hence also looked for transparent roofs, which were to cover a large area and at the same time would allow the passage of UV rays. The Burger ´s zoo project eventually became the very first project of the firm in 1982. Stefan Lehnert has been nominated for a 2012 European Inventor Award for his work with ETFE. He has also been called the inventor of the biodome.

Essay 4 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

4 - Essay Example The reading reminded Muslims that their religion was revealed by God through the prophet Muhammad. The five pillars of Islam, which are ritual duties that that must be observed by all Muslims, were also mentioned and these pillars are: confessing their faith, observing the five daily prayers, paying alms to the needy, fasting during the month of Ramadan and pilgrimage or hajj to Mecca ((Ellwood & McGraw 374). The authors also explained the importance of the hajj to Muslims and the significance of the mosque as the main place of worship to the Muslims. Several religious rites that are also practiced by Muslims were also mentioned in the book. The spread of Islam from the Middle East to North Africa were also discussed in the reading (Ellwood & McGraw). The two largest branches of Islam, Sunni Islam and the Shi’a Islam were also mentioned in the reading. The Shiites believed that the descendants of Ali, (Muhammad’s son-in-law) were divinely ordained by God and they are called Imams. On the other hand, the Sunnis believed that it was Muhammad’s intention for the Muslims to choose a successor amongst themselves by agreement and they are called caliphs. The difference between the Sunni and Shi’a Islam were made clear in the reading. Islamic mysticism was also explained in the reading and the tensions that it had with mainstream Islam. Islamic mysticism was explained as a factor that has deepened the life of Muslims. The role of Islam in politics was also explained in the reading in the history of Islam and their role in modern politics, especially in the region of the Middle East. The concept of jihad, a ‘holy war’ was also explained in the reading as Muslims actually see it as a means of converting Non-Muslims and drawing their hearts to God. The reading actually relate to my experience in the sense that, it expands my knowledge on the little understanding I have about Islam. The day to day practices of Muslims that were highlighted in the reading

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Summary - Essay Example And, of course, another thing is very obvious: the science has evolved since 1992, with additional research on issues including the nutritional content of foods and food consumption patterns.   In 1992 pyramid, some vague and ambiguous guidelines were developed in which major focus was put on the usage of grains as the first priority. However, the use of fats, carbohydrates and sugar related diets were least prioritized. On the other hand, the 2005 pyramid improvised the nutrition guidelines a bit in which first priority of food consumption is allotted to fruits and vegetables and then followed by grains. The similarity still lies in the form last preference related to the consumption of fat, oily and sugar related items. Other thing that is added in 2005 edition is that 12 versions are introduced as every person is different from other person in respect of eating and nutritional habits. So in order to fulfill every person’s most of nutritional requirements, a broad pyramid consisting of 12 versions is introduced. In the same news conference, Mr. Johanns introduced the media people with a fitness personality namely as Denise Austin to demonstrate the element of exer cise in the nutritional guideline. However, according to some of the critics, this pyramid does not add too much value as it lacks substance. According to Dr. Willett, Its somewhat disappointing that a lot of what was in the guidelines is not readily conveyed in what Ive seen so far. In the words of Dr. Marion Nestle, What theyve done is remove any of the eat-less suggestions. However, the new 2005 edition of pyramid showed significant convenience as the old 70-pages guidelines were summed up on a web portal in such a manner that the concerned consumer can easily find out the guidelines relating to his nutritional requirements. Another issue that is creating difficulties for Department

A report on application of technology in Operations Management Essay

A report on application of technology in Operations Management - Essay Example This forms the revenue-generating function of any business and thus based on five critical strategies such as speed, flexibility, dependability, quality and cost. All operations activities are carried out based on these strategies. In order to continuously enhance effectiveness of these strategies, various technology services are employed in operations management through advanced information technology and information service (IT/IS) systems. This report evaluates application of IT/IS in various operations activities and their impact on its core strategies. 2. Operations management and strategic objectives: The entire operations/production process is accomplished using resources such as money, raw material, equipment, manpower and finance. These inputs are processed in specific manner through a sequence of preplanned activities in order to produce desired outputs, which can be in the form of completed parts, products, chemicals, service to customers, completed paperwork etc. Operatio ns strategy controls the strategic position of the firm, and is aligned to the overall corporate strategy. This alignment is to ensure all policies and plans reinforce organizational effectiveness and aid in optimum production of goods and services. For example, Toyota’s operations strategy includes designing, assembling and marketing the finished products, but procures the rest from other suppliers (Feist et al, 1999). This strategy is aligned to its corporate strategy of producing defect-free products, in less time and occupy largest market share. In general, operations strategy involves decisions related to design of the process of production or service providing as well as facilities and/or infrastructure needed to support the process. To achieve such tough and complicated objectives, organizations make optimum usage of advanced information and technological services. The IT services form a part of their tactical planning approaches, which also include capital, human reso urces, technology, facilities; staffing and scheduling methodologies to achieve target productions; sales and service operations; inventory management of supplies and delivered goods etc. In addition, short-term operations planning activities such as capacity, quality control, inventory, manpower etc also require IT services for effective operations. 3. Practical applications of IT for objective achievement: The three major components of corporate strategy in any business include operations effectiveness, customer management and production process and innovation (Chase 2006). Information Technology (IT) provides strong platform to convert, store, protect, process, transfer and recover information related to operations, customer and production processes. IT and its systems are used in all operations management processes such as capacity planning, inventory control and management, quality control, human resources management, etc. All business processes such as taking orders from custo mers, handling returns, manufacturing, marketing, delivery of end products also require IT systems. IT finds effective application in all customer management activities such as evaluation of customer feedback, customer satisfaction, customer expectations etc. Application of IT for innovation in operations and production management is mainly through research and development activities. According to Slack et al. (2004) the main objectives of operations manage

Describe Gender Roles at Work and in the Home Essay Example for Free

Describe Gender Roles at Work and in the Home Essay Males and females have always had different gender roles and these roles have an impact on the workplace and home. However there are also some disadvantages for both of them. This essay will describe gender roles at work and in the home with reference to Japan. Firstly, many women are distressed by the balance between home and work. They face â€Å"role overload† ,which means trying to merge the roles of worker and mother or wife. When both spouses work outside, women tend to do the â€Å"lion’s share† of the housework. For example, an Australian research showed that working women do roughly 70 hours of housework while working husbands only do approximately 31 hours. In Japan many women work fulltime share the housework with their spouse. However there are still some women who work both at home and at the work place and still experience â€Å"role overload. † Secondly, many men also experience challenges with gender roles. While they are less likely to suffer from prejudice, there are more disadvantages than advantages. For example, many men tend to experience stress from the pressure to make money, the situation employment, and social expectations. In Japan, many men experience these problems as well as the responsibility to earn a good salary. However the current financial crisis makes difficult for them to keep their position and workplace. Thirdly, a lot of women are confronted with inequality at work. Nowadays their rights have become much better than in the past and therefore gender equality is guarded in many places by laws. As a result, most women can get higher salaries than before. However inequality at work still remains and even though men and women have the same qualifications or skills, women still earn lower salaries and have lower status. For example, many of their jobs are inferior to men’s jobs and they do not have opportunities to get higher positions because of the â€Å"glass ceiling. † In Japan, women’s rights have improved and many can get higher positions, like cabinet ministers in the Japanese government. However for some women this problem still continues. In conclusion, many workplace rights have become much better than in the past and many women can get good salaries and positions. However both spouses still experience â€Å"role overload† and pressure to earn money. When these problems are dealt with, people’s lives will improve in the future.

A Comparison And Contrast Between Flowers From Another World Ad Hi, Ar :: essays research papers

ENGLISH COMPARATIVE ESSAY ASSINGMENT II ‘A comparison and contrast between â€Å"Flowers from another world† and â€Å"Hi, are you alone?†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ This essay will attempt to compare and contrast two films directed by Spanish director actress Iciar Bollain. The films to be compared and contrasted are â€Å"Hi, are you alone? (â€Å"Hola,estas sola?†) and â€Å"Flowers from another world† (â€Å"Flores de otro mundo†). The most apparent reason for comparing and contrasting these two films is that both focus their attention on women’s affairs and behaviours in today’s Spanish society, both display similarities in their content but most important is the differences that one may find in the portrayal of women the director seems to be interested in. A) â€Å"Hi, are you alone?†: Trini and La Nià ±a are the same age: 20, and have the same uncomplicated way of going about things, they simply go ahead and do them. The two girls also share the lack of a mother. During their trip, they share everything, including Olaf, a Russian who knows not a word of Spanish and with whom La Nià ±a has an affair. They have a mutual letdown: Marilo. La Nià ±a finds love and loses it, finds her mother to lose her again, but also finds a friend, Trini, whom she is certainly not about to lose. This is film is regarded by many critics as an enchanting road movie about being a woman, being young, love and frienship is the first directorial work by Iciar Bollain. In this opera prima, Iciar shows her ability to direct actors, especially her two leading actresses, but it is in her handling of a story told so many times before (two girlfriends on the road has been the theme everywhere, who can forget Thelma and Louise!) and thus making look so fresh and original that her directorial t alent is revealed. She has managed to capture, not the loss of innocence, but the gaining of maturity, the moment when we learn which things we can change and which we cannot. In this film we do not find a false step since the fraternal relationship between the two young women is very cleverly constructed and transmitted to the audience. We also feel that the two leading actresses, Silke and Candela Pena are up to the level of the rest of the film. B) â€Å"Flowers from another world†: A bus load of women arrive at a bachelor ceremony in a dying Spanish village in hopes of marrying men that can support them and in some cases, their children.

Mercury Drug Research Essay

Mercury Drug Corporation is the Philippines’ dominant pharmacy group. The Quezon City-based company operates a national chain of more than 450 drugstores, including company-owned and franchised stores. Mercury Drug is estimated to sell as much as 60 percent of all medicines sold each year in the Philippines (the country’s hospitals sell about 12 percent of medicines). Mercury Drug’s pharmacies follow the American model, combining drug and medical equipment sales with over-the-counter medicines, personal care items, basic household needs, cosmetics and other beauty products, and the like. Most of the company’s stores also are equipped to store and sell serums, blood plasma, albumin, and similar biologically active medical products. In addition to its drugstores, Mercury operates a chain of Mercury Drug Superstores. Generally attached to the company’s pharmacies, the Mercury Drug Superstores extend the group’s assortment to include convenience store and fast-food items. By the mid-2000s, Mercury Drug Corporation operated more than 150 Mercury Drug Superstores. Founded by Mariano Que, who first sold pills from a pushcart in the 1940s, Mercury Drug Corporation remains a privately held company. Leadership of the company also remains in the family: The company’s president is Mariano Que’s daughter, Vivian Que-Ascona. Mercury Drug is a subsidiary of the Mercury Group of Companies, which governs other Que family interests, including the 10*Q convenience store chain and the Tropical Hut fast-food group. In 2003, Mercury Drug’s revenues amounted to nearly PHP 43 billion ($8.8 billion). Founding a Filipino Pharmacy Giant in the 1940s Mariano Que started his career working in a Manila drugstore in prewar Philippines. There he came into contact with many medications, including the newly discovered class of sulfa drugs, including sulfathiazole. These new drugs, developed by German scientists in the early 1930s, were quickly hailed as new â€Å"miracle† drugs. Indeed, the sulfa drugs enabled the treatment of many illnesses, such as pneumonia, gonorrhea, and other bacterial infections, that previously had been difficult, if impossible, to treat. Despite the fact that the sulfa drugs later were shown to have a number of undesirable side effects (they formed deposits in the kidneys, and bacteria quickly became resistant), they were credited with saving millions of lives around the world through World War II. The end of the war and the liberation of the Philippines by U.S. forces brought new business opportunities in the country. During the occupation, supplies of medicines had become scarce, and the immediate postwar period saw a surge in demand for sulfa drugs, and sulfathiazole, considered by many to be a virtual cure-all. With most of the country’s businesses, including its pharmacies, destroyed during the war, much of the country’s trade shifted to its busy marketplaces. Mariano Que, inspired by the new entrepreneurial spirit, used his drugstore experience to launch his own business. At first, Que bought and sold medical vials and capsules. After he had generated sufficient savings, however, he took PHP 100 (worth about $1.50 at the time) and bought a bottle of sulfathiazole tablets. Que brought the sulfathiazole bottle to Manila’s busy Banbang market and sold the pills—in single doses. The method of selling, known as â€Å"Tingi-tingi,† became extremely popular in the poverty-stricken Philippines, bringing life-saving medications within financial reach of many more people than before. Que invested his profits in purchasing more pills, and before long he had generated enough revenue to buy a pushcart, which he filled with an expanding assortment of pharmaceuticals. The unregulated nature of the country’s drug market, especially its pharmaceutical black market, led to abuses by sellers, who sometimes peddled fake or dangerous formulations, or sold medications long out of date, often at extortionist prices. Que, however, built a reputation for the quality and freshness of his products, and also for the fairness of his prices. Before too long, he had built up a steady clientele, and in March 1945, Que opened his first store. Que named the Bambang-located store Mercury Drug, after the Roman god and bearer of the caduceus, the symbol of the medical profession. Branching Out in the 1970s Mercury Drug remained a one-store operation into the 1960s. In the meantime, Que continued to drive innovations in the Filipino pharmacy sector. In 1948, for example, Que began a drug delivery service, becoming the first to use motorized vehicles for swifter delivery times. In the 1950s, Que expanded his store hours, introducing a 17-hour-per-day, seven-days-per-week opening schedule. Part of the motivation behind the move came in recognition of a Filipino tendency to auto-medicate their illnesses. By remaining open  longer, Mercury Drug responded to its clients’ demands for increased access to pharmaceutical products. Launched in 1952, the new opening schedule was expanded to 24 hours per day in 1965. Mercury Drug began its drive to become the Philippines’ dominant drugstore group in the next decade. At the beginning of the 1960s, the company was contacted by the Ayala Corporation, which was building a shopping center in Makati. Ayala offered to lease space to Mercury, in order to include drugstore services at the center. Mercury agreed, and once again revealed its penchant for innovation, opening the country’s first self-service pharmacy in 1963. Two years later, Mercury opened its third drugstore, in Quiapo, which became the company’s flagship and set the model for its further development. In 1967, the company opened a centralized warehouse to serve its growing store chain, introducing computer-guided temperature controls to safeguard its products. Then, in 1969, the company became the first to introduce biological refrigerators in its stores. This permitted the company to assure the quality of its life-saving medicines. Mercury Drug began building out its n etwork of drugstores, staying close to the Manila market for much of the early 1970s. The company also began branching out beyond pharmaceutical sales. A significant early purchase was that of Medical Center Drug Corporation (MCDC). Founded in 1946, MCDC focused on sales of pharmaceutical supplies, equipment, and basic surgical instruments. The purchase of MCDC, complementary to its existing drugstore business, led Mercury Drug to change its structure. In 1972, Que created the Mercury Group of Companies, Inc., which in turn oversaw Mercury Drug and MCDC. Both companies remained independent of the other; in 1980, MCDC changed its name, to Medical Center Trading Corporation (MCTC), in order to highlight its difference from Mercury Drug. MCTC then grew into the Philippines’ leading importer and distributor of medical, hospital, laboratory, and related equipment, with branches throughout the Metro Manila and surrounding region. MCTC was not the only venture by Que (who was joined by daughter Vivian Que-Ascona, later president of Mercury Drug) to expand beyond his drugstore empire. The introduction of the convenience store concept in the Philippines in the early 1980s represented both a new source of competition for Mercury Drug and a new opportunity. Mercury developed its own convenience format in response to the growth of competitors such as 7-11. Typically located next to its drugstores, the Mercury Drug Superstores expanded the company’s range of goods beyond drugs and into wider consumer categories, such as beauty and personal care products, fast-foods, and the like. Separately, the Que family added other interests, including the Q*10 convenience store format and the Tropical Hut fast-food restaurant chain. Nonetheless, Mercury Drug Corporation remained the focus of the family’s holdings. â€Å"Oligopoly† in the New Century Mercury Drug, meanwhile, continued to grow strongly. In 1976, the company expanded beyond the Metro Manila market for the first time, and over the next decades added locations in the Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao regions of the Philippines as well. Supporting this network was the implementation of a fully computerized warehousing, inventory, and order processing system, installed in 1985. Mercury Drug’s growth was impressive: By 1995, the company operated more than 270 stores. Less than ten years later, Mercury had expanded its number of branches to more than 450, giving it a near monopoly grip on the country’s drug sales. By 2004, Mercury controlled as much as 60 percent of all drug sales in the Philippines. Ironically, Mercury’s dominant position led the group, which had achieved its early growth based on its low prices, to be criticized for what many considered as its restrictively high prices. Indeed, as some critics pointed out, similar drugs could be purchased in India and other markets for as much as one-third the price Mercury Drug charged. In the early 2000s, the government began taking action to force the Philippines’ drug industry, including Mercury Drug, to lower prices on many life-saving medicines. As part of that effort, the country’s Trade and Industry and Health departments began encouraging the parallel importation of pharmaceutical generics from India, which had earned worldwide recognition for the quality of its generic equivalents. Company Perspectives: The company’s mission is continuously be the leading, trusted and caring drugstore. In 2004, the government stepped up its pressure. In September of the year, the government passed legislation expanding drug discounts for the country’s senior citizens. The country’s smaller independent drugstore owners protested the decision, in part because it was expected to serve only to increase Mercury’s dominance over the market—as the country’s largest retailer of pharmaceutical products, Mercury was easily able to negotiate discounted prices from its supplies. Also in that year, President Arroyo established the lowering of drug prices as one of the government’s priorities. In December 2004, the Filipino government announced a new plan to break what some were calling Mercury’s â€Å"oligopoly† on the country’s retail market. The Philippine International Trading Corp. (PICT), owned and run by the Filipino government, announced its intention to organize up to 300 of the country’s independent pharmacies into a new network of privately owned and operated drugstores, dubbed â€Å"Botika ng Bayan.† The new network would then sell drugs, sourced by PICT directly from drug companies, at prices as much as six times less expensive than â€Å"market†Ã¢â‚¬â€i.e., Mercury’s—rates. Despite these pressures, Mercury Drug Corporation remained a fixture on the Philippines pharmacy market. The company also remained one of the Philippines’ largest corporations, ranking in eighth place among the country’s largest corporations and third place among the corporations in the high-quality services/products br acket. Mercury Drug appeared to have discovered its own â€Å"miracle drug† for success. Principal Subsidiaries Mercury Drug Superstore. Principal Competitors Caltex; I-Mart International Corporation; Phils. Corporation; Easy Mart; Petron Corporation; Philippine Seven Corporation; Robinsons Convenience Store Inc.; Seaoil Philippines Inc.; Shell Philippines Inc.; Philippines Corporation. How did Mercury Drug Started? From its humble beginnings, Mercury Drug has gone beyond expectations. Shortly after the liberation of Manila from Japanese occupation, Mariano Que, realizing the need of the people for medicines, bought with his hard earned savings of P100 a bottle of 1000 tablets of Sulfathiazole and sold it â€Å"patingi-tingi† for P1.00 per tablet in the sidewalks of Bambang, Manila. Sulfathiazole is a wonder drug that cures all during that time. From pushcart – peddling and with his previous working experience in a drugstore before the war, he eventually opened his first small drugstore in Bambang Street. Mercury Drug has today grown into a vast network of over 700 company-owned and franchised stores nationwide. Mercury Drug Stores Success Mercury Drug believes that it owes its success to the millions of customers who have trusted and patronized the drugstore chain all throughout these years. Its feat could also not have been possible without its pool of professional and dedicated staff numbering close to 9,000 today. As a way of giving back to the people, Mercury Drug vows to bring quality, safe and affordable health-enhancing and life-saving medicines closer to the public. In the first place, it is what the name Mercury Drug stands for. In Roman mythology, Mercury is known as the god of commerce and manual skill. Being the messenger of gods, Mercury needed a winged feet for his swift flights. Mercury Drug remains committed to its name as seen on its corporate philosophy of total and speedy customer service: â€Å"To serve you, to have what you want, when you want it.† Aside from bringing its chain of stores closer to the homes of the people, Mercury Drug has constantly endeavored to reach the hearts of the customers. To achieve this, Mercury Drug has taken pride in the introduction of many firsts in the drug retailing business —all in an effort to satisfy, please and further serve the people. Mercury Drug Innovations In 1945, it opened a drugstore and one of its innovations is to sell â€Å"tingi-tingi† or piece by piece to those who could not afford to buy a whole bottle of medicine. Realizing that not everyone could go to the drugstore, Mercury Drug introduced the first motorized customer delivery service in 1948. Four years later, it commenced the 17-hour, 7 days a week drugstore service; in 1963, the country’s first self-service drugstore; in 1965, the 24-hour, 7 days a week service; in 1967, the first computerized temperature-controlled central warehouse; in 1969, the first drugstore chain to use biological refrigerators to preserve life-saving medicines and in 1976, the first drugstore chain to expand throughout Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Mercury Drug believes that quality and life-saving medicines made affordable and accessible are as important today as it was then. Now more than ever, it is committed to introducing enhanced services to better serve the customers farther and wider, whoever and wherever they may be. For instance, Mercury Drug makes certain the availability of less common but life-saving medical products such as serum, blood plasma, albumin and the like that are stored in a Bio-refrigerator. This would require Mercury Drug to invest on modern technology and to continuously upgrade its facilities in its head office, stores and distribution centers. Aside from pharmaceutical products, it now carries basic household necessities such as food, health and personal care products and others for the buying convenience of its customers. It has also incorporated value added facilities and services in many of its drugstores. More and more branches are open on a 24-hour service all days of the week. Aside from cons istently complying with the 20% discounts to senior citizens, Mercury Drug has also launched its †Suki† card, a customer program as a way of expressing gratitude to its loyal customers. As a drugstore with a heart, Mercury Drug has been conducting â€Å"Operation Bigay Lunas† every March 1, on their anniversary day together with its business associates. For the past decade, this annual and all-day free clinic catering to the less-privileged provides medical consultations and free medicines to indigent patients in selected cities and municipalities nationwide. This year alone, it served more than 130,000 beneficiaries in around 63 cities and municipalities. In 2002, Mercury Drug, in partnership with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), has launched a program that has been helping rural and urban marginalized communities nationwide to have access to potable water system within their communities through the Artesian Well Project. The installation of this potable water system helped improved the quality of life of the beneficiaries by promoting better health and sanitation practices. Mercury Drug Perspectives and its Struggles with the Philippine Government In 2004, the government stepped up its pressure. In September of the year, the government passed legislation expanding drug discounts for the country’s senior citizens. The country’s smaller independent drugstore owners protested the decision, in part because it was expected to serve only to increase Mercury’s dominance over the market—as the country’s largest retailer of pharmaceutical products, Mercury was easily able to negotiate discounted prices from its supplies. Also in that year, President Arroyo established the lowering of drug prices as one of the government’s priorities. In December 2004, the Filipino government announced a new plan to break what some were calling Mercury’s â€Å"oligopoly† on the country’s retail market. The Philippine International Trading Corp. (PICT), owned and run by the Filipino government, announced its intention to organize up to 300 of the country’s independent pharmacies into a new network of privately owned and operated drugstores, dubbed â€Å"Botika ng Bayan.† The new network would then sell drugs, sourced by PICT directly from drug companies, at prices as much as six times less expensive than â€Å"market†Ã¢â‚¬â€i.e., Mercury’s—rates. Despite these pressures, Mercury Drug Corporation remained a fixture on the Philippines pharmacy market. The company also remained one of the Philippines’ largest corporations, ranking in eighth place among the country’s largest corporations and third place among the corporations in the high-quality services/products bracket. Mercury Drug appeared to have discovered its own â€Å"miracle drug† for success. Mercury Drug Mission Statement â€Å"Continuously be the leading, trusted and caring drugstore.† In the years to come, Mercury Drug will keep on looking for opportunities to further enable customers to have more access to quality, safe and life-saving medicines, thus enabling them to have more meaningful, healthier and longer lives. It will always pursue its commitment to better and further serve its customers whose trust and loyal patronage has allowed Mercury Drug to be of continued service to the nation. Mercury Drug Official Website: https://www.mercurydrug.com Mercury Drugstore| â€Å"This drugstore as I believe have also started as a small pharmacy and they grew to be a big chain of drugstores†inquire| â€Å"I like the idea of what they have presented to their clients and customers, you can have this Suki Card and earn points as you purchase in the mercury drugstores†inquire| â€Å"The best thing about mercury drugstores is that there are branches, usually near residential areas that have extended operating hours†inquire| â€Å"Mercury drugstore branches are also strategically placed in some shopping malls that is convenient for customers†inquire| | | | People in the Philippines, especially those who live in the urban areas are very much exposed to the drugstores called Mercury Drug. This is a local drugstorechain in the country that has quite a number of branches throughout the country. This drugstore as I believe have also started as a small pharmacy and they grew to be a big chain of drugstores. I like the idea of what they have presented to their clients and customers, you can  have this Suki Card and earn points as you purchase in the mercury drugstores; these points are then converted to cash to be used for your succeeding purchases. Known for having the most complete varieties of medicines, even those that are not very common, mercury drug sure has made their way to the top of the pharmaceutical industry as a retailer. Just a few years back, they have also put up some retail products sold in their bigger shops which is also good, since you can use your membership card with supermarket items like household products, or bread s, and chips. The best thing about mercury drugstores is that there are branches, usually near residential areas that have extended operating hours. This helps a lot to those families who will have emergencies and would need to buy medicines during these hours. They open early too, for those who will be going to the office, so they can purchase what they need first prior to their work time. Mercury drugstore branches are also strategically placed in some shopping malls that is convenient for customers; not only that, aside from the usual medicine, and healthcare products, Mercury Drug also are selling some medical equipments common to hospital patients and practitioners. The first Mercury Drug drive-thru The company began in 1945 with a single store. Today, Mercury Drug has more than 700 stores. Even with a wide lead over competitors, Mercury Drug still aspires to reinvent itself. I happen to pass by Madison St. in San Juan Greenhills and was surprised to see a Mercury with a drive-thru. Terms of UseCLOSE Please read this agreement carefully before accessing or using this site and its mobile applications. By accessing or using this site, you agree to be bound by this agreement. The information and services on this site are provided by Mercury Drug and its suppliers, subject to your agreement to the terms and conditions below. Use of Information and Services. The information (including without limitation advice and recommendations) and services on the site are intended solely as a general educational aid and are neither medical nor health care advice for any individual problem nor a  substitute for medical or other professional advice and services from a qualified health care provider familiar with your unique facts. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider on any questions you may have regarding a medical condition and prior to starting any new treatment. Nothing contained in this site is intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. The information and services are provided with the understanding that neither Mercury Drug nor its suppliers or users are engaged in rendering legal, medical, counseling or other professional services or advice. Your use of the site is subject to the additional disclaimers and caveats that may appear throughout the site. Mercury Drug and its agents assume n o responsibility for any consequence relating directly or indirectly to any action or inaction you take based on the information, services or other material on this site. While Mercury Drug strives to keep the information on this site accurate, complete, and up-to-date, Mercury Drug and its suppliers cannot guarantee, and will not be responsible for any damage or loss related tothe accuracy, completeness or timeliness of the information. User Contributions Users who post materials to this site (e.g., bulletin boards or chat rooms) agree to abide by the following rules: (1) users may not post or transmit material that is libelous, defamatory, obscene, fraudulent, harmful, threatening, abusive or hateful, that violates the property rights of others (including without limitation infringing use of a copyright or trademark), that violates the privacy or publicity right of others, or that is in violation of applicable laws; (2) users may not interfere with other user’s use and enjoyment of this site; (3) users may not use this site to conduct any activity that is illegal or that violates the rights of others; (4) users may not use this site to advertise or sell products or services to others; and (5) users must immediately inform Mercury Drug if they have reason to believe that a user is infringing any copyrighted materials. A user posting material represents that such material is owned by the user. Mercury Drug has no responsibility for the content of any material posted by users, but Mercury Drug reserves the right in its sole discretion to (i) edit or delete any documents, information or other material submitted to or appearing on this site, and (ii) refuse access to the site to any user that  violates this agreement. Bulletin boards and chat rooms contain the opinions and views of other users. Mercury Drug is not responsible for the accuracy of any messages on bulletin boards and chat rooms, and you should always consult a physician or other qualified health care provider before relying on any information you find on these sites. By submitting any material to Mercury Drug, you automatically grant, or warrant that the owner of suchmaterials has expressly grantedMercury Drug the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive and fully sublicensable right and license to use, reproduce, modify, ad apt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, perform and display such any materials (in whole or part) worldwide and/or to incorporate it in other works in any form, media, or technology now known or later developed. Limitation of Liability IN NO EVENT SHALL MERCURY DRUG OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL, EXEMPLARY OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, BUSINESS, DATA OR PROFITS, LITIGATION AND THE LIKE, WHETHER BASED ON BREACH OF CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), PRODUCT LIABILITY OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. WITH RESPECT TO GOODS OR SERVICES PURCHASED THROUGH THIS SITE, MERCURY DRUG’S LIABILITY, IN ANY CASE, IS EXPRESSLY LIMITED TO REPLACEMENT OF DEFECTIVE GOODS, OR, AT MERCURY DRUG’S ELECTION, TO THE REPAYMENT OR CREDITING OF BUYER WITH AN AMOUNT EQUAL TO THE PURCHASE PRICE OF THE GOODS. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT THE LIMITATIONS SET FORTH ABOVE ARE FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENTS OF THIS AGREEMENT AND THE SITE WOULD NOT BE PROVIDED TO YOU ABSENT SUCH LIMITATIONS. SOME STATE STATUTES MIGHT APPLY REGARDING LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. Changes to Site Mercury Drug and its suppliers may make improvements or changes in the information, services, products, and other materials on this site, or terminate this site, at any time without notice. Mercury Drug may modify this agreement at any time, and such modifications shall be effective immediately upon posting of the modified agreement. Accordingly, you agree to review the agreement periodically, and your continued access or use of this site shall be deemed your acceptance of the modified agreement. Miscellaneous This agreement and the resolution of any dispute related to this Agreement or the site shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Philippines, without giving effect to any principles of conflicts of law. Mercury Drug’s failure to insist upon strict enforcement of any provision of this agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any provision or right. Any legal action or proceeding between Mercury Drug and you related to this agreement shall be brought exclusively in a federal or state court of competent jurisdiction in the Philippines. Mercury Drug Privacy PolicyCLOSE Mercury Drug Corporation understands the value of your privacy and the individual confidentiality and security of your personal information. Your online privacy is very important to us. Hence, we guarantee that we do not disclose or share your personal information in a manner not specified in our privacy statement or without your knowledge and permission. Mercury Drug values your trust with utmost importance, and we shall do our best to protect the confidentiality and proper use of any personal information you provide to us. Collection of Information We shall only collect personal information that you decide to provide voluntarily when using our web site. Notwithstanding this, you can always visit our web site without disclosing or sharing any of your personal information. Moreover, you can use our web site even without creating a personal account but if you desire to maximize and take advantage of some of our web site features such as Order Online, it will be more convenient if you create your personal account. You can also use our web site, without disclosing your identity and without revealing any personally identifiable information, to learn more about Mercury Drug Corporation including but not limited to our products and services, promotions, company updates, special product offers and customer feedback. The personal information you provide when using the Mercury Drug web site such as your name, password, age, civil status, gender, mailing address, email address, telephone number, mobile number, Suki Card number, credit card information and other personal details are necessary information to allow you to use certain features and tools in our web site and for us to respond individually to your queries, provide  your required service, inform you of special product offers, process your order, conduct surveys or administer contests, if any. Disclosure of information All your personal information is not shared with or sold to any other third party entity or individual. We will not share or intentionally disclose your personal information other than to you, Mercury Drug Corporation, its subsidiaries and affiliates, your authorized representative(s) and agents, including medical professionals and our agents who are engaged or hired to perform functions on our behalf. These functions may include sending postal mails and e-mails, delivering packages, fulfilling orders, analysing information or processing payments. Our agents will not use your personal information for any purpose other than in performing their legitimate functions for Mercury Drug. By way of exception, we may share information about you with a third party whenever mandated or compelled by law, judicial proceeding or valid legal process (i.e. court warrants or subpoenas) , or to prevent harm or injury (such as product recalls or other circumstances). Links to Other Sites Mercury Drug’s web site may have links to other sites. Please be reminded that if you decide to access these links, you will be leaving our web site. Thus, we highly recommend that you fully and carefully read the privacy policies of those sites since Mercury Drug Corporation shall not be responsible for their contents, links or privacy policies. Security In our steadfast efforts to protect your personal data and information, Mercury Drug Corporation has adopted capable security measures and protection to safeguard your personal information. We utilize generally accepted standards for safeguards including administrative, technical and hardware measures. We also ensure that additional protections are in place for privileged or highly sensitive personal information. These safeguards and security protections are constantly updated, maintained and monitored by our qualified information technology professionals. Mercurydrug.com utilizes 256 bit encryption technology, thereby offering the highest level of encryption and security possible. This means you can be assured that  communications between your browser and our site’s web servers are private and secure. Updating of Personal Information You can review and update any of the personal information you provide us by emailing us or calling (632) 911-SUKI (7854). Our customer service representatives will assist you in updating your personal information. Changes to Our Policy This policy was last updated in February 2013. We reserve the right to modify, change or amend this policy at any time. Please check this policy periodically for changes. The use of information that you provide us now is subject to the privacy policy in effect at the time of use. Use of this Mercurydrug.com web site after modification of this policy is deemed to constitute your consent to this policy as amended.