History paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

History paper - Essay Example Children’s Rights narrates the story of the horrible neglect of children by responsible elders and the cruelty inflicted on them. It also tells us how the lawmakers finally realized the need to protect the children, both physically and mentally. Mary Ellen’s case in 1874 is taken in this book as a fine example of the extent to which child abuse can reach. Born to an immigrant woman, the baby Ellen’s fate was to grow under the carelessness of different mothers, finally ending up in the cruel hands of Frances Conolly. She could not know even the warmth of a kiss, or caress, her body carried the bruises of perpetual whipping, starved beyond imagination, and could not even see the sunlight. A social worker, Etta Angel Wheeler, who discovered the plight of Mary Ellen, failed to get help either from police or from any charitable institutions to rescue the child, as they wanted legal proof. â€Å"Though social workers often witnessed scenes of cruelty, poverty, and gri ef, Wheeler found Mary Ellen’s plight especially horrifying†, says the writer (Stevens). Finally it was the founder of American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Henry Berg, who came to her aid. The child was considered as a living animal, which was subjected to cruelty, and a case was registered with enough proof. Mary lived a decent life thereafter. Conolly was punished and the world opened its eyes to protect the children from abuses. Thus Children’s Rights reflects the utter ignorance of the society and the government on a very vital issue. The Needless War with Spain shows America’s greed for aggressive and expansionist policies. It is about America’s involvement in the domestic affairs of Cuba. McKinley was the President of America at that period. He was a very weak President. If he had possessed the sharp political will, the war with Spain could have been avoided. But,

European Attitudes Towards Benin Bronzes

European Attitudes Towards Benin Bronzes The Art of Benin Read Reading 2.3 On the British loss of antique works of art from Benin in AA100 Book 3, Chapter 2 and look closely at Plate 3.2.25 Display for Benin bronzes at the Horniman Museum, London, 2007 and Plate 3.2.26 Display of Benin bronzes at the Horniman Museum, detail, 2007 in the Illustration Book. Drawing on your understanding of these sources, discuss the ways in which European attitudes to the Benin bronzes have changed over time. To discuss the ways, in which Europeans attitudes to the Benin bronzes have changed over time, we need first to go back to the period when they first were discovered, in 1897, following the British invasion of the Benin kingdom. We will also look into how the Victorian viewed the bronzes, and their craftsmen. Since the discovery of the artefacts, the bronzes have caused lots of debates and different opinions. It has been debates who produced the bronzes, when and for whom, and as a consequence museums and anthropologists have debated how they should be displayed. The Benin bronzes were discovered in 1897, during the time period, when the great interest in the British empire was flourishing, and stories of the imperial adventures around the world were very popular by the people in Britain. In the 1880s and 1890s, when Africa was heavily and brutally colonised by the Europeans, a new trend developed back in Europe. The deeper the colonists expanded into Africa, missionaries, civil servants, capitalists were not far behind. Letters, pictures and unusual objects were sent home to Britain, to later be shared and reproduced in books, newspaper and museums. Tales of estranged encounters and experiences with the natives, in particular primitive rituals, involving sacrifices and cannibalism, were very much on the agenda at the time. When the Kingdom of Benin was conquered by the British in 1897, it resulted in a traumatic end of the centuries-old kingdom and their ruler, Oba, the god-king. The news travelled fast about the British invasion, and the frontline journalists arrived just a few days later after the conquest. The weekly illustrated newspaper The Illustrated London News (ILN) was particularly interested in reporting stories that created a sense of drama. Artists along with journalists were at the frontline to convey in pictures about the events within the British empire. There were lots of eyewitness accounts of the events around the conquest. However, it needs to take into consideration, that they are somewhat biased as they were written by the British for the British, which resulted in a style of reporting that portrayed scenes of savagery and brutality by the natives. In the extract from the ILN, written in March 1897, for example, Benin is described as a city of blood having its pit full of dead and dying; human sacrifices were strewn about on every hand (Reading 2.1 in Loftus and Wood, 2008, p. 79). Taking those eyewitness accounts into consideration, with the findings of the artefacts, it is not strange the bronzes were described as having the most grotesque appearance (Reading 2.1 in Loftus and Wood, 2008, p. 79), and that the Africans were seen as dark and dangerous people (Loftus and Wood, 2008, p.45), a stark contrast to the white civilised Europeans. As a result, the significance of the bronzes was somewhat tainted by the preconceptions of the primitive and uncivilised African culture that little attention was given how the bronzes had been displayed or used before they were removed from the scene as the photograph shows (Figure 2.2 in Loftus and Wood, 2008, p. 50). Afterwards, the artworks and objects were brought to Britain, to the frustration of Henry Ling Roth, anthropologist who wrote in his book; and sold for a few hundred pounds a large number of castings which had cost thousands to obtain, as well as much blood of our fellow countrymen. (Reading 2.3 in Loftus and Wood, 2008, p. 80). But, it did not take long for collectors, scholars and art historians in Europe and America to realise the pure craftsmanship and the value of the Benin bronzes, thus tried to obtain the finest pieces. Roth points out; From what I can ascertain, the bulk of these bronzes has been secured by the Germans (Reading 2.3 in Loftus and Wood, 2008, p. 81) suggesting if the British government have had the proper knowledge of the study of anthropology, the Bini articles would be represented at British Museum, instead of the Royal Museum for Ethnography, in Berlin where the largest collection of 580 Benin artworks was acquired. Art historians and scholars were at first somewhat dubious that the bronzes had been produced by the craftsmen of Benin. Instead they were looking for other explanations, even so far as whether there was a possible link between Benin and ancient lost civilisations such as the Gnostics. The British Museum had to rush and to produce research about the Benin artworks as the popular interest in the African culture corresponded with the growing debates about the history of the human race. The debate about the origin of the Benin bronzes was considerable. Questions were raised about how the aesthetic qualities shown in the bronzes could possibly been created by a society such as Benin, which was perceived backwards and primitive, with stories of human sacrifices and brutality. When the British Museum held an exhibition of the Benin bronzes in September of 1897, the Times wrote a report, that no evidence or links, between Benin and lost ancient civilisation had been found, and the report concludes unexpectedly, with a surprise, that the magnificence bronze work was made by negro craftsmanship (Reading 2.2 in Loftus and Wood, 2008, p. 79) and not by any ancient lost civilisations. Subsequently, this new information caused somehow confusion for the British Museum, as the Benin plaques did not fit into the chronology of events as first presumed, and therefore the choice to display the Benin bronzes in the Assyrian basement can only be seen as an alternative option, given the difficulty of placing them among already existing artefacts with established chronological narrative. The Times describes the choice of display; An exhibition of a remarkable kind has been arranged in the Assyrian basement in such uncongenial surroundings (Reading 2.2 in Loftus and Wood, 2 008, p. 79). Consequently, when the Benin bronzes entered museum collections, both anthropologists and museum curators had difficulty to explain how these uncivilised primitives could produce something equivalent, in technical mastery, like the sculptures from the Italian renaissance for example. The way the artefacts and objects are displayed and described in museums are important for communicating the skilled knowledge about history and art to the general public. However, it is always difficult for the historian to know how the material has been interpreted by the viewer. Even tough, the facts about the new knowledge of the Benin artworks had been presented, it did little to change the racists ideas. Artworks were seen as evidence of civilisation, something Africa did not demonstrate in terms of progress, and therefore was seen as backward by the Europeans. The ethnographic museums, were likely to put together the display of what we regard today as artworks, together with functional items; like tools and weapons and utensils, which used to represent ideas how the primitives lived. Non-western objects were seen as scientific evidence and provided cultural knowledge, but not as art. One of the biggest changes that the modern movement brought, was the way art was displayed. One can probably say for certain, that the change evolved naturally, as art is always receptive to outside influence. Ann-Christine Taylor says in the interview about the exhibition in Paris; French museums with large ethnographic collections, were deserted by the public. Nobody knew what to do with these collections anymore. (Taylor, A. speaking in The Art of Benin, 2008). The problem they had on their hand, developed into the idea, to create a brand new cultural institution. Their aim was to try to capture peoples attention and interest by using visually spectacular objects. Their idea resulted in the exhibition, Benin, Five Centuries of Royal Art, shown in Musee de Quai Branly, in Paris. The museum made use of space and lightning, to emphasise each of the objects artistic quality in its own rightful way. There is some anthropological information about the plaques, to not solely adopt an aesthetic route. Nevertheless, many anthropologists were angry, as the exhibition was presented as works of art, emphasising on the visual impact rather than testimonies of cultural diversity (Taylor, A. speaking in The Art of Benin, 2008) While the debate how to best display the Benin bronzes continues, many museums were adopting the cross-referencing, bonding the gap between art and anthropology. However, some museums, such as The Pitt River Museum in oxford for example, has resisted and deliberately kept the traditional way of displaying objects with explanatory labels in glass cases. (Figure 2.9 in Loftus and Wood, 2008, p. 72). The Horniman Museum on the other hand, decided to take a step further and changed their display of its Benin bronzes, and incorporated both anthropological and aesthetic aspects. (Illustration Book, Plate 3.2.25 and Plate 3.2.26) Most significantly, it does not stop at the moment of aesthetic contemplation, it continues deeper into the entire culture of Benin, in the past and present. Making use of a variety of texts and photographs with new information based on contemporary research by Joseph Eboreime, a Nigerian historian. (Loftus and Wood, 2008, p. 75) The controversial views of the Benin bronzes have undergone a natural evolution since the discovery in 1897. But it is not only the bronzes, it is the whole transformation of western views towards Africa that has taken place. The Benin bronzes were mystifying for the Victorian anthropologists, and not easy to fit into a racist representation of primitive ways of life. Later throughout the twentieth century, the works of art started to become almost solely of aesthetic admiration rather than as a kind of historical evidence. There are signs, like those, that can be seen in The Horniman Museum, that the world of art is in for a new movement. Primitive art has become world culture, and the Benin bronzes stands as evidence of a shared human history. (word count 1633) Bibliography AA100 Illustration Book: Plates for Books 3 and 4 Loftus, D. and Wood, P. (2008) The Art of Benin: Changing Relations Between Europe and Africa II, AA100 Book 3, Chapter 2. The Art of Benin (2008) AA100 DVD ROM

Fighting for His Dream :: Personal Narrative Essays

Fighting for His Dream      Ã‚   For the past several years Casey Martin has taken the golf world by storm, not only with his awesome golf game, but also with the lawsuit that he has filed against the PGA Tour. He is suing the tour for the right to play with the aid of a cart because of the deterioration of the bone and muscle in his knee, which impairs his walking abilities. The rare circulatory disease that Martin has is called Klippel-Trenanuary Weber Syndrome, and can lead to the total amputation of his leg, above the knee, in the near future (White). Therefore, if he is unable to use a cart he cannot pursue his dream of playing on the PGA Tour. Even though he has won the right to use a specialized cart at the present time, the PGA Tour has filed an appeal, which could once again deny Martin the use of the cart that is necessary for him to play (Ferguson). Because Casey Martin is an amazing example of courage, determination and perseverance, he should not be turned down with his request; th is man is a great person who could prove to be a role model to many people, especially children. I believe he should be allowed to ride a cart on the PGA Tour so he can chase his dream, and in the process possibly provide someone else with some encouragement to work harder in reaching their own goals or dreams in life when they see how driven Martin has been to reach his goal.    Casey Martin, The former Stanford teammate of Tiger Woods, has a game that is good enough to compete with the best players in the world. Martin has recently proved that he is one of the best golfers in the world and is good enough to play on tour because he finished 14th on the Nike Tour money list which earned him his year 2000 tour privileges (Ferguson). This is a major accomplishment considering many past tournament champions on the PGA Tour have qualified through the Nike Tour just as Casey Martin did this past month. Also, he has proved how mentally tough he is because of the extreme pressures he has faced and overcome when playing golf at the level at which he is competing, along with the constant stress of his court case.

Pakistan Culture

Here In this global world, people can be easily identified by their culture. People dresses, Behaves and live according to their culture. The culture is followed by our forebears and still it will be followed by our future generations. There are many cultures to talk, but this dissertation concentrates on the culture of Pakistan and America. Since both are different cultured the Pakistan culture follows many traditional ways than American culture. In Pakistan people like to live with join family in the reason that they adopted to that culture. They live in the same home until it becomes old and it is named dominated society. Women were not allowed to study and men go to work. In the Olden days they assumed that women were not allowed to study if so women will not respect them and social order will be changed. But in the modern world women also started to study and experience the life outside the home. Pakistani people strictly follow religious culture than American. The Pakistani people are called as Muslims. Pakistani culture gives regulations to men also than any other cultures in the world. People of Pakistani showcase their identity as Muslims through that women wear veil and Burga and men wear pajamas and grow bears.Many modifications are taking place in Pakistani culture because women get more freedom than earlier and many women writers are coming up like Malala. Pakistanis grandly celebrate Ramzan festival. American culture is enjoying more liberation and survives joyfully. They like to live nuclear life and do not mingle with family members. From teenage itself, they live their own life, take care of themselves and take own decisions. In Pakistan only Muslims lives, but in America many religious people live and follow their own religion without any hesitation. The American people are Christians and live a rich life with limited moral values, but Pakistan has strong moral values.

Filter Innovations Inc Case

2008 > John Dragasevich (president), small water filtration company based out of Toronto, Ontario, considering expansion, increasingly strict regulations on wastewater management implemented by government, invest in new technology (membrane biological reactors)? Industry: > increased demand for water and water treatment, trend expected to continue > market projections reaching $348 billion > demand growing for safe drinking water in developing countries > sustainability challenges and advancements in environmental regulation result in growth of demand for higher water treatment standards > 2008, 1. billion without drinking water, 2. 4 billion not connected to wastewater systems > 40% projected increase in water consumption by 2025, 1/3 of world population affected by water shortage > in Canada, more than $2 billion in sales > largest consumers – municipalities, both products and services > significant portion of market – industrial Competition: > dominated by 2 large mu tli-national companies ( Siemens water tech and Zenon membrane solutions) > competition targeted large users of filtration systems (corporation and municipalities) requiring over 1 million litres/day > Siemens – 2. million in revenue, 6000 employees (150 R&D), serve more than 90% of fortune 500 manufacturing companies, around 100,000 industrial consumers, parent company Siemens AG over 100 billion electronics and engineering company in over 190 countries with 428,000 people, leader in innovation > Zenon – owned by GE, provided a complete range of filtration processes, offered broadest product line in industry, over 100 years of experience, over 300,000 employees in over 100 countries, publically traded with 18 million in revenue > smaller competitors, specialize in niche market, offer sales and support on a specific type of filtration and treatment product Environment: have to meet provincial regulations based on standards set by federal legislation > some environmenta l legislation required wastewater treatment > discharge limits for sewer use, storm sewers, and groundwater seepage; limits vary regionally > wastewater dumped for use of a fertilizer must be treated > stricter legislation raising environmental standards required by companies > many companies require certificate of approval from ministry of environment and energy, validating compliance with all guidelines Filter Innovations Inc: > dragasevich studied marine biology, worked for major supplier of filter presses in NA > extensive experience in industrial process and environmental products, sales manager with GAF (industry leader for filter vessels and bag filters) > 1992, founded Filter Innovations Company: > small industrial water filtration company identifies and supplies treatment solutions for groundwater, wastewater, process water and air > evaluated client`s needs and design appropriate system to meet need, develop and build system, install it, monitor it regularly, offer product support > supplies wide range of environmental products to support filtration systems > goal – prioritize social and environmental responsibilities at all times to ensure that actions positively influence both the community and environment > ongoing R&D development of new technologies for new products and systems; important to be recognized as being at forefront of the leading technology > employs 14 people, sales representatives, technology engineers & technicians, administrative staff > alliance with firms acting as distributors of its products and systems across NA with few sales in Europe and SA > serves 500 clients, FII equipment operational in over 1500 business sites; 80% sales in Canada, 15% sales in US, 5% sales outside of NA > wants to be recognized as primary supplier of environmental equipment and products, offers simple, innovative solutions for air and water treatment; wants to be one-stop shop for all filtration needs, offering timely and cost-effective soluti ons Calco Group: > 2006, FII purchased by CEG (identifies and acquires environmental companies that were leading suppliers of its specific products) > membership with Calco allowed companies to share resources, networks, and knowledge > MLE (groundwater remediation) offers similar products as FII; MLE benefit from sales expertise; FII able to capitalize on MLE strong manufacturing focus Operations: high focus on sales/technical knowledge; high customer-centric outlook; flexibility in meeting needs of customer key to success; unique/comprehensive business structure (engineering, manufacturing, and distributing of various filtration products and systems > commodity products in inventory for quick sale (filter media, off-the-shelf filtration units), other products ordered from suppliers as needed (keep inventory investments and storage costs low) > advantageous membership with CEG and strong supplier networks > customized systems – engage in collaborative design efforts with cli ents and engineers; once designed, system built by manufacturing alliances then installed and supported by FII > offers rental and leasing option; three types interested in this – those who want to test a system before purchase, those who need it for a specific time period only, and those who want to finance system through regular instalment payments Sales: > about 65% of revenues from sale of individual products; customized products represent 35% of sales Consumers: 2 reason for demand – companies pollute above regulated level obligated to avoid environmental penalties; companies recognize opportunity to save money by cleaning/recycling wastewater by reducing disposal costs; demand ranges from short-term, quick-fix to long-term consultation/installation (ongoing monitoring and support) > tend to focus on projects requiring less that 1 million litres/day; able to provide personalized support; larger companies don’t find these projects profitable, less competitio n > customers in 2 equal groups – environmental consulting companies/distributors on behalf of their clients; end users (buy direct from FII) Environmental consultants: > analyse clients’ wastewater treatment needs, recommend solution and help implement it; after assessing need, issue request for RFP from each vendor, use industry expertise to recommend best option for client End user: > no internal capability, FII identify needs, build custom solution to fix problem (incorporating restrictions); if commodity products much more price sensitive choose vendor with lowest price, for custom products price less of a concern and willing to pay; learn through tradeshows, advertising, word-of-mouth, and industry reputation MBR: new, stricter government regulations meant that company’s existing wastewater treatment designs did not meet new guidelines; faced with decision of whether to expand into MBR market > MBR – new technology for wastewater treatment, allow fo r water re-use; different application than FII > MBR designed to treat biological wastewater, predict that MBR system will be used to add reverse osmosis to make water safe for portable water consumption > Europe leading in development > currently best environmental option; FII would benefit from MBR sales and advanced knowhow/expertise with respect to manufacturing, engineering, building, and supporting new systems Potential Customer base: MBR system would be important factor for FII’s profitability; treating wastewater under 10,000 litres/day means government approval to pass building code > testing costs (one time) $200,000; over that volume company only needs certificate of approval available at no cost as customer would pay fee based on percentage of system cost > FII fearful of competition, FII need to target and seek out contracts that would be profitable but not attractive to large competitors MBR competition: > Sanitherm (subsidiary of Peak energy services based in w estern Canada and direct competition with FII, provides turnkey solutions, built, installed and operate various products/systems, hold 3% of MBR market, sold water and wastewater treatment systems globally) > Enviroquip (division of Eimco Water Technologies, hold 30% of MBR market share in NA, operates in Texas, specializes in design and manufacturing, offers full range of equipment for water pollution control, advanced waste treatment, water treatment and sludge handling) Potential Expansion: reputation with MBR will take a while to build, expect sales to be minimal to start but will grow; sales could reach a high of $500,000 (before installation) in 1st year, reaching several million in following years > additional revenues (half of each system) for installation paid at beginning with allowance of 90 days COGS > MBR cost average of 35% f system sale (20% for membrane and 80% for fabrication) > membrane purchase from supplier (SGR AQUIRIS in Europe), minimum start-up membrane inven tory of $25,000 on hand and had to pay cash upon receipt > fabrication components bought from member of Calco, extended credit terms and alwys paid in 60 day, transportation paid for by FII and cost 5% of COGS Other Expenses: need to hire technology expert ($48,000), and support person ($38,000) > dragsevich and other managers have to co-ordinate with suppliers and customers to monitor new business in terms of R&D; 20% of time spent on MBRs ($30,000) > more space needed for inventory and personnel, operates in facility that allows for lease of additional adjacent units for expansion; $2,250/month/unit; utility $180/month > important to brand itself properly to gain recognition as reliable supplier of MBR business; planned an additional $6,400 annually MBR marketing > need to purchase software modelling program for $18,000, beneficial for 3 years and amortized using straight-line with zero salvage value > paid for advertising, attends tradeshows, provided articles; 25% of costs would directly relate to new MBR business; plan to subscribe to various publications, advertise and attend tradeshows that specialize in MBR; if sales reached 1 million would need to hire s MBR sales manager ($70,000) Conclusion: is it right time to get into MBR? Wise investment? Sales projection may be overly optimistic and it could vary highly depending on ability to brand itself