Essay On The Journey In Heart Of Darkness - 769 Words

The movement in Heart of Darkness represents the journey in and out of literal and figurative darkness of the story. It represents the literal journey in and out of darkness because the main character describes the journey in and out of Mr Kurtz’ ivory cabin as the journey in and out of the ‘heart of darkness’. Another journey in and out of the darkness of the story is the moral darkness of the story when the main character makes more and more twisted decisions as the story goes on. The third journey in and out of darkness is in the reality of the story as the sun sets and the listeners can’t see the narrator, but they still listen to the story. The movement of the ship adds meaning to the story because it represents the literal journey†¦show more content†¦Hadnt he said he wanted only justice? But I couldnt. I could not tell her. It would have been too dark—too dark altogether. . . .† The last way movement adds to the meaning of the s tory is during the times when the actual narrator is describing what is happening while listening to Marlow’s story. Marlow’s story starts being told on a ship on the Thames in daylight. As the story is told, time passes (as it should) and the sun sets. By the end of the story, it is the middle of the night and the people listening to the story can barely see each other or Marlow at all and the ship that they are on hasn’t moved at all. The transition from day to night outside the story represents the listeners to Marlow’s story realizing how dark and twisted he actually is and the lack of actual movement on the ship in the Thames represents how Marlow has been this twisted since the beginning of the story. â€Å"Marlow ceased, and sat apart, indistinct and silent, in the pose of a meditating Buddha. Nobody moved for a time. We have lost the first of the ebb, said the Director, suddenly. I raised my head. The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed somber under an overcast sky—seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness.† In conclusion, movement in Heart of Darkness adds meaning to the story in several different ways. The amount of physicalShow MoreRelatedEssay on A Journey into Darkness in Heart of Darkness1439 Words   |  6 PagesA Journey into Darkness in Heart of Darkness      Ã‚  Ã‚   Joseph Conrad, in his story, Heart of Darkness, tells the tale of two mens realization of the dark and evil side of themselves. Marlow, the second narrator of the framed narrative, embarked upon a spiritual adventure on which he witnessed firsthand the wicked potential in everyone.   On his journey into the dark, forbidden Congo, Marlow encountered Kurtz, a remarkable man and universal genius, who had madeRead MoreMarlow Journey in the Congo in Heart of Darkness by Conrad Essay712 Words   |  3 Pagespast as well as all the future† (109). The basis of Heart of Darkness is Marlows physical journey up the congo river to meet Kurtz. The main character Marlow goes through many physical and psycological changes from the beginning to the end of the story. In the beginning, Marlow is fairly innocent as he goes up the river, he gets closer and closer to Kurtz, and he moves closer and closer he learns more and more about the hearts of men and the darkness. When he eventually reaches Kurtz, Marlows perceptionRead MoreEssay on journeyhod Journey Motif in Heart of Darkness and Jasmine1046 Words   |  5 PagesJourney Motif in Heart of Darkness and Jasmine  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      In Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness and Bharati Mukherjees Jasmine, the physical journey represents the setting for the psychological journey that both main characters undergo. Each stage of the journey is correlated to an emotional insight, and the implications are great enough to incur a change in the protagonists lives. Through the discovery of distant lands and foreign ideas, Marlow and Jasmine are prompted to look internally to findRead More Savage Journey in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness Essay927 Words   |  4 PagesHeart of Darkness:   Savage Journey  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Inherent inside every human soul is a savage evil side that remains repressed by society. Often this evil side breaks out during times of isolation from our culture, and whenever one culture confronts another. History is loaded with examples of atrocities that have occurred when one culture comes into contact with another. Whenever fundamentally different cultures meet, there is often a fear of contamination and loss of self that leads us to discoverRead MoreEssay on Feminist Theory in Heart of Darkness1199 Words   |  5 PagesMonsters in Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad’s varying depiction of women in his novel Heart of Darkness provides feminist literary theory with ample opportunity to explore the overlying societal dictation of women’s gender roles and expectations in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The majority of feminist theorists claim that Conrad perpetuates patriarchal ideology, yet there are a few that argue the novel is gendered feminine. Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar claim â€Å"Conrad’s Heart of Darkness†¦penetratesRead More journeyhod Journey into Hell in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness953 Words   |  4 PagesThe Journey into Hell in Heart of Darkness      Ã‚   In Joseph Conrads novel, Heart of Darkness the environment is often symbolic as well as literal. The novel contains both the frame narrator, an anonymous member of the Nellie, representing the dominant society, and more importantly the primary narrator, Marlow, who too, is a product of the dominant society. For the novels narrator, Marlow, the journey up the Congo River to the heart of darkness is reminiscent of Guidos journey into hellRead MoreHeros in Heart of Dakness763 Words   |  4 PagesSharlyce Jones English 1301 November 22, 2012 Research Paper Word Count: Is there just One hero in Joesph Conrads â€Å"Heart of Darkness?† In the story â€Å"Heart of Darkness† there are a series of characters, but two particular men stand out; Marlow and Kurtz. Who is the hero; Marlow or Kurtz? Clearly both Marlow and Kurtz are the protagonists of the story; however, protagonist and hero are not always synonymous. Marlow is the hero in the traditional sense of the word, while Kurtz is the more modernRead MoreThings Fall Apart And Heart Of Darkness Analysis910 Words   |  4 PagesSociological Approach to Compare Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart with Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness In everyday life, we are always comparing, even subconsciously with even knowing it. When we compare things, we look at what the similarities are in said items such as a popular brand or a generic one. Comparing things such as two literary works, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, and, Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, both have a lot of similarities that we will look at. In Things FallRead More Prejudice and Racism in Heart of Darkness? Essay872 Words   |  4 PagesHeart of Darkness: Racist or not?    Many critics, including Chinua Achebe in his essay An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrads Heart of Darkness, have made the claim that Joseph Conrads novel Heart of Darkness, despite the insights which it offers into the human condition, ought to be removed from the canon of Western literature. This claim is based on the supposition that the novel is racist, more so than other novels of its time. While it can be read in this way, it is possible to lookRead MoreHeart Of Darkness By Joseph Conrad1350 Words   |  6 Pagesyears, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad was a treasured classic, with many honourable themes and messages, as the author reveals the true nature of humanity by following an European sailor’s journey through the dark jungles of Africa and down the river Congo, all while watching as his own humanity changes. As society has evolved, however, Heart of Darkness has come under scrutiny, as the language is quite racist. Chinua Achebe, writer of An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness

The Health And Fitness Industry - 1217 Words

The Health and Fitness Industry generates over $80 billion globally with about 151.5 million members worldwide. Since 2009 the number of gym memberships have increased roughly 25% per statista.com. Due to these statistics combined with my past knowledge and work experience in the fitness industry I have decided to pursue a future venture idea in this industry. To help me further understand the ropes I reached out to celebrity fitness trainer and gym owner Gunnar Peterson. Although he doesn’t operate a large commercial gym location, Gunnar has made a name for himself as one of the most trusted trainers in the industry. Your Network is Your Net Worth Getting in contact with Gunnar Peterson is no easy task for most individuals; However,†¦show more content†¦Gunnar, sized him up to make sure he could keep up with his high intensity workouts. After agreeing to it, the individual asked how much he charges, Gunnar responded with â€Å"we will figure all that out when we get there.† Later that night he talked with his girlfriend and decided to take on the opportunity. Balancing his new client’s training sessions in-between his own personal workouts and work. A few days into it Gunnar started to receive more and more clients. It didn’t take long for Gunnar to realize that he was making more money training clients 3 days a week then he was making at the management company leading him to quit after just 10 days. Company Expansion and Pivots †¢ Started as a fulltime personal trainer working out of his car doing house calls. †¢ Client base expanded when a Chiropractor referred him clients. †¢ Decided that he needed to find a home base after he started to sing the jingle to KFWB news radio. †¢ Surveyed the area near his apartment for a gym to train his clients. †¢ Found a gym in Beverly hills to train his clients. 8 years later decided to train out of his home, after a year he purchased the home next door to turn into a gym. †¢ Purchased his first retail gym location with his wife. †¢ Lost his gym in a divorce, back to training clients at their homes. †¢ Found his current gym location and has developed a unique training environment bringing in highShow MoreRelatedA Study On Health And Fitness Industry1997 Words   |  8 PagesIn this article, I would like to touch upon a subject that is one of the most popular ones in the fitness industry. This post focuses on a macronutrient that enjoys a celebrity status in the fitness world and has definitely enjoyed the spotlight for a considerably long time. Yes, I am talking about PROTEIN PROTEIN The word protein is derived from the Greek word proteios which means primary or of prime importance. The name clearly shows how important this macronutrient is for us. ProteinsRead MoreCase Study : Health And Fitness Industry3211 Words   |  13 PagesRonak is a 25-year-old Indian American male with a bachelor’s degree in Finance and Operations Management. The current issue he is facing is whether to quit or stay in his current job as a National Sales Associate at a startup company in the Health Fitness Industry. Ronak reports a considerable amount of disappointment with his current job. The last few months have brought a lot of change in his life and his attitude towards his job. Not only are the working hours long but also, his boss has startedRead MoreFitness Industry General Information : Gym, Health And Fitness Club1451 Words   |  6 Pages Fitness industry general information: †¢ Gym, Health fitness club †¢ Personal Trainer service †¢ Sauna †¢ Meal and beverage Fitness industry trends: †¢ Yoga studio †¢ Technology system †¢ Clean foods delivery †¢ Mobile health applications Sources you used to find this information: †¢ articles and advertisements: Advertising on internet. Ex, Google searching fitness plan or YouTube searching fitness plan. †¢ clients and suppliers: †¢ Suppliers who can give you a useful information about diet. †¢ Ex, ClientRead MoreGym, Health Fitness Clubs in the Us Industry Report.P Essay13388 Words   |  54 PagesWWW.IBISWORLD.COM Gym,HealthFitnessClubsintheUS June 2011 1 Working out: Business will stay strong as demand from health-conscious consumers grows IBISWorld Industry Report 71394 Gym, Health Fitness Clubs in the US June2011 2 AboutthisIndustry 2 2 2 2 Industry Definition Main Activities Similar Industries Additional Resources 16 International Trade 17 Business Locations TaylorHamilton 30 KeyStatistics 30 Industry Data 30 Annual Change 30 Key Ratios 19Read MoreAn Analysis of the U.S. Health Club Industry in 2004 and the Role of Bally Total Fitness3120 Words   |  13 PagesAn Analysis of the U.S. Health Club Industry in 2004 and the Role of Bally Total Fitness Executive Summary Introduction The rise of the U.S. health club industry can be traced back to the 1980s and 1990s when the majority of health clubs emerged. By 2004, this $14 billion industry claimed 41 million members. Although the health club industry operated in a perfectly competitive market, several prominent key players gained largeRead MoreThe Usefulness And Limitation Of Porter s Five Forces Framework1523 Words   |  7 Pagesused in different industries for structural analysis and corporate strategy formulation (Wu, 2012). Porter’s five forces model is considered to be a basic idea to analyze the rules of competition in an industry and stress the important elements for the purpose of achieving a long-term competition attractiveness (Wu, 2012). The main purpose of this essay is to explain how Porter’s five forces framework for industry analysis determine the competition attractiveness of an industry through a case analysis:Read MoreFitness Industry982 Words   |  4 PagesIndustry Definit ion for Fitness Industry in Australia The fitness industry can be categorized into four fields which are fitness sites, fitness goods, fitness media and fitness services. These field elements do not work in isolation but in cooperation and competition. Hence, there are arrows interconnecting the various field nodes. 2.0 DENT-PC Analysis |Marco Force |Trend |Industry Impact |Opp or Treat Read MoreHealth Fitness924 Words   |  4 PagesHealth Fitness Industry Health and Fitness are a big aspect in the world today. This industry has had an incredible amount of growth over the past 30 years. The industry first became popular in the 1970 s, with the idea that it would not always be popular. Most Americans rate their physical and emotional health as a top personal priority. This industry has two major demographic groups; The Boomers and the Gen Y generation. The main reason why the Industry has grown and is still growing isRead MoreThe Usefulness And Limitation Of Porter s Five Forces Framework1445 Words   |  6 Pagesused in different industries for structural analysis and corporate strategy formulation (Wu, 2012). Porter’s five forces model is considered to be a basic idea to analyze the rules of competition in an industry and stress the important elements for the purpose of achieving a long-term competition attractiveness (Wu, 2012). The main purpose of this essay is to explain how Porter’s five forces framework for indust ry analysis determine the competition attractiveness of an industry through a case analysis:Read MoreThe Usefulness And Limitation Of Porter s Five Forces Framework1498 Words   |  6 Pagesused in different industries for structural analysis and corporate strategy formulation (Wu, 2012). Porter’s five forces model is considered to be a basic idea to analyze the rules of competition in an industry and stress the important elements for the purpose of achieving a long-term competition attractiveness (Wu, 2012). The main purpose of this essay is to explain how Porter’s five forces framework for industry analysis determine the competition attractiveness of an industry through a case analysis:

Design of a Hall Probe Pressure Transmitter Using Bellows Free Essays

Design of a Hall Probe Pressure Transmitter using Bellows as Sensor R. Sarkar, Animesh Ghosh, Lipika Ghosh and N. Mandal Asansol Engineering College Vivekananda Sarani, Kanyapur, Asansol-713305 E-mail: rajan_maa@rediffmail. We will write a custom essay sample on Design of a Hall Probe Pressure Transmitter Using Bellows or any similar topic only for you Order Now com, ghoshanimesh. ghosh63@gmail. com, nirupama_cal@rediffmail. com Abstract: Bellows, an elastic type pressure sensor is generally used as a local indicator. To transmit the signal of bellows to a remote distance some technique is needed. In the present paper a Hall probe sensor has been used to convert the bellows movement into voltage signal which can be converted into 4 – 20 mA current signal and transmitted to a remote indicator. It has been observed that the transducer and transmitter outputs against pressure have a very good linearity and repeatability. The necessary theoretical equations along with experimental results are reported in the paper. Keywords: pressure measurement, bellows, Pressure transmitter, Magnet, Hall Probe. I. INTRODUCTION Pressure is an important measuring and controlling technical parameter during industrial production process. In order to operate industrial production well, pressure should be accurately measured and controlled. Pressure can be measured in terms of absolute or gauge. The absolute pressure can be measured in terms of height of a liquid column in a manometer whereas the gauge pressure is measured by different types of sensors [1-4]. As for example bourdon tube, diaphragm, capsule, bellow element etc. operate as primary sensing elements for measuring positive or negative gauge pressure. The sensors like strain gauge, piezoresistance, LVDT, capacitive element, inductive element etc. ct as secondary sensors to measure positive or negative gauge pressure. The negative gauge pressure or vacuum pressure can also be measured by many other sensors like pirani gauge, ionization gauge, McLeod gauge etc. In industrial application it is required to transmit the measured pressure to a remote distance. Hence in a pressure transmitter, the change of sensor parameter due to the change of fluid pressure is co nverted into an electric or pneumatic signal by using a suitable transducer and that signal after amplification is transmitted to a remote receiver. Thus the pressure transducer is a vital part of any pressure transmitter and its performance determines the reliability of operation of the transmitter. Many works on development of reliable pressure transducer are still being reported by different groups of workers. B. Raveendran et al. [5] have designed and developed a MEMS based wireless modular pressure transmitter. A Bourdon tube based pressure transmitter unit using an improved inductance bridge network has been studied by S. C. Bera et al. [6]. Y. Ruan et al. 7] have developed a multipoint wireless pressure transmitting system composed of pressure sensor PTB203, A/D converter ADC0804, MCU STC89C52, wireless communication module CC1101, receiver module STC89C52, CC1101 and display module LCD1602. Zeng Mingru et al. [8] have developed a HART Protocol based intelligent pressure transmitter which is compatible with both analog and digital signals. K. Subramanian et al. [9] have developed MEMS type capacitive pressure sensor with s ensitivity of the order of few fF/ kPa. Universal frequency to digital converter (UDFC) technique has been used by S. Y. Yurish [10] to develop an intelligent digital pressure transducer. A multiplexed frequency transmitter technique has been used by R. Vrba et al. [11] to design a reliable pressure transducer using ceramic diaphragm. In the present paper, a hall probe based pressure measurement technique has been developed. In this technique a permanent magnet is placed on the tip of the bellows with the Hall probe sensor on the top of the outside fitting of bellows chamber as shown in Fig. 1. The movement of the bellows tip is measured by a hall probe sensor. With the change of pressure the distance between magnet and the hall sensor decreases and so the magnetic intensity at the sensor increases. The Hall sensor senses this increase of magnetic field intensity and accordingly its output voltage increases with the increase of pressure. This signal is nonlinearly related with the movement of float. But for very small movement of the bellows this voltage will be almost linear. The experimental results are reported in the paper. The block diagram of the proposed transducer is shown in Fig. 1. Necessary athematical equations have been derived to explain the theory of operation of the transducer as well as transmitter. A prototype unit along with the signal conditioner has been designed and fabricated. The experiments have been performed to find out the static characteristics of the sensor, transducer and transmitter. The experimental results are reported in the paper. A very good linearity and repeatability of results with adjustable sensitiv ity of the transducer has been observed. [pic] Fig. 1: Diagram of the proposed transducer along with float and hall probe sensor II. METHOD OF APPROACH In the present paper the pressure is sensed by a bellows. A magnet is placed on the top of the bellows. And the hall probe on the bellows chamber. The float movement of the bellows is converted into voltage by a hall probe sensor. Output voltage is amplified by an instrumentation amplifier INA101 and then converted into 4-20 mA current signal using signal conditioning circuit. This signal is then transmitted to remote station with negligible loss. Let the pressure is [pic] and the corresponding height of the bellows tip from reference is [pic]. In bellows the height of the tip is proportional to pressure and is written as [pic](1) where [pic] is the constant Now the distance of the hall probe from the magnet is [pic](2) where [pic] is the total length of the hall probe from reference. In the present work the magnet is selected to be a circular permanent magnet. Let the radius and width of the magnet be ‘[pic]’ and‘[pic]’ respectively. Hence magnetic field at the hall probe due to magnet is [pic](3) where [pic] is the constant depending on the pole strength of the magnet, its radius and permeability of air which are all constants. Since [pic] equation (3) is reduced to [pic] (4) [pic](5) The above equation is equally true for very low pressure also. Since at low pressure [pic], so equation (5) is reduced to [pic] (6) Now the output hall voltage [pic] of the hall sensor is proportional to [pic] if the current passing through the sensor be kept constant and hence it is given by [pic](7) where [pic] is the constant of proportionality. Hence from equations (5) (7) [pic] (8) or, [pic](9) where [pic] is another constant. Therefore from equations (1), (8) and (9), the output from hall probe is given by [pic](10) pic] (11) [pic](12) Therefore output is linearly related with pressure. III. DESIGN In the present design a cylindrical permanent magnet is selected of inner radius [pic], depth [pic], width [pic]. In our present design, [pic]. The output of hall sensor is amplified by INA101 based instrumentation amplifier. The gain of the instrumentation amplifier is set by external resistor R1. This output signal is first converted into amplified voltage signal [pic]in the range 1-5 volt D. C. and then into current signal[pic] in the range 4-20mA D. C. y a signal conditioner circuit as shown in Fig. 2. After calibration the output of the transmitter becomes 4mA when [pic]is 1 volt and pressure[pic]is zero psig and 20mA when [pic]is 5 volt and pressure[pic]is at maximum range [pic]of the bellows. Hence the transmitter voltage output[pic] in volt and current output[pic]in mA may be written as, [pic] (13) and [pic] (14) From (13) and (14), [pic] (15) where [pic]and [pic](16) [pic] Fig. 2. Block diagram of the proposed pressure transmitter using bellows element as sensing device pic] Fig. 3: Circuit diagram of hall probe based pressure indicator IV. EXPERIMENT The experiment is performed in two steps. In the first step, the proposed transducer was designed, fabricated and mounted on the outside cover of bellows chamber as shown in Fig. 1. The bellows with the above sensor was first fitted with a dead we ight tester and the dead weight of the dead weight tester was increased in steps and in each step the Hall voltage output is measured and the characteristics of the hall sensor based transducer unit is determined. The characteristic graph obtained by plotting Hall voltage against Pressure is shown in Fig. 4. Experiment was repeated both in increasing and decreasing modes for several times and the standard deviation curve for six observations is shown in Fig. 6. In the second step the output of the pressure transmitter is taken in terms of current signal and he characteristic is shown in Fig. 7. [pic] Fig. 4: Characteristic graph obtained by plotting Hall voltage against Pressure [pic] Fig. 5: Percentage deviation Curve of the Hall Probe based Pressure Transducer [pic] Fig. 6: Standard Deviation Curve of the Hall Probe based Pressure Transducer [pic] Fig. 7: Characteristic graph of hall probe based pressure transmitter V. DISCUSSION The characteristic of hall probe sensor is nonlinear in nature. But change of hall probe voltage is quite linear as shown in Fig. 4. The linear nature of the curve is due to the fact that the movement of the tip of the bellows for the entire pressure range is generally very small and hall probe voltage due to small change of distance between hall probe and magnet lies almost in the linear zone. The percentage deviation curves from linearity as shown in Fig 5 also indicate that the percentage deviation from linearity also lies within the tolerable limit. A very good repeatability of the experimental data was also observed as shown by the standard deviation curves in Figs. 6. The characteristic of the whole transmitter is almost linear as shown in Fig 7. The design of the system is very simple and the hall probe the permanent magnet are now available at a very low cost. Hence the cost of the pressure transmitter will be low. References: 1] J. P. Bentley, Principles of Measurement Systems, 3rd ed. Longman Singapore Publishers (pvt) Ltd. , Singapore, 1995. 2] E. O. Doeblin, Measurement System Application and Design, 4th ed. , McGraw-Hill, New York, 1990. 3] B. G. Liptak, Process Measurement and Analysis, 3rd ed. , U. K. Butterworth Heinman, Oxford, 1999. 4] D. M. Considine, Process Instruments and Control Hand Book, 2nd ed. , McGraw-Hill, New York, 1974. 5] Raveendran, B. ; Su bhash, K. M. â€Å"Design of modular pressure transmitter with wireless capability† IEEE Conference on Electrical, Electronics and Computer Science (SCEECS), 2012, pp 1 – 3 6] Bera, S. C. ; Mandal, N. ; Sarkar, R. â€Å"Study of a Pressure Transmitter Using an Improved Inductance Bridge Network and Bourdon Tube as Transducer† IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, Vol 60 , Issue 4 , Year: 2011 , pp 1453 – 1460 7] Yaocan Ruan; Minghao He; Shuran Song; Tiansheng Hong â€Å"Multipoint wireless pressure detecting system† 2nd International Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Management Science and Electronic Commerce (AIMSEC), 2011 IEEE Conference, 2011 , PP 4091 – 4094 8] Zeng Mingru; You Wentang; Qian Xin , â€Å"The development of intelligent pressure transmitter based on HART Protocol† IEEE Conference on E-Health Networking, Digital Eco systems and Technologies (EDT), Vol. , 2010 , pp 121 – 124 9] Kanakasabapat hi Subramanian, Jeffrey B. Fortin, and Kuna Kishore, â€Å"Scalable vertical diaphragm pressure sensors: device and process design, design for packaging† IEEE Sensors Journal. , vol. 6, no. 3, June 2006, pp. 618-622 10] S. Y. Yurish, â€Å"Intelligent digital pressure sensors and transducers based on universal frequency-to-digital converters† (UFDC-1), Sensors Transducers Journal. , vol. 60, no. 10, October 2005, pp. 432-438. 11] Radimir Vrba, Miroslav Sveda and Karel Marecek, â€Å"Pressure transducer with multiplexed frequency transmitter†, Slconi04 – Seoron for industry Conference, New Orleans, Louisiaiib, USA, 27th -29th January, 2004, pp. 07-10. How to cite Design of a Hall Probe Pressure Transmitter Using Bellows, Essay examples

Critical Evaluation on Performance Management Systems

Question: Discuss about theCritical Evaluation on Performance Management Systems. Answer: Introduction Performance management is a management tool that assists in the organizational strategy development with a futuristic long term focus. Performance management is applied to all employees with a vision to achieve maximization of both the future labor force potential and the current organizational potential (Hillgren Cheatham 2000). The need for effective performance management lies in the need of having a competitive edge over rival organizations in terms of productivity and labor force costs. The benefits of performance management range from the modeling of organizational human capital, talent development, channeling ability and competency to appropriate roles and creating value to employee skills. This paper is a critical evaluation on performance management system as a tool in the human resource field. The paper discusses on the effectiveness of various considerations that have to be considered in developing a performance management model for a 45-year-old not for profit organizati on that provides services to support groups, elderly citizens and young youths with disabilities. Critical Evaluation Job description plays a major role in the management and running of any organization. It becomes the point of reference when matters relating to performance are in question (Williams 2002). Job description and guidance also ensures that all the activities and actions that are to be carried out are done by the respective individuals and within the stipulated time. Additionally, this ensures that all the organizational targets are met using the stipulated outlines and channels. An organization handling young individuals with disabilities and also old members of the society has a dire need for a desirably structured job description for all the employees involved in the processes. It is clear that the organization has taken a good amount of consideration to provide all the staff employed with a detail breakdown of what they are expected of and the requirements they have to meet to perform the tasks to be assigned. Havin this in place ensures that only those individuals who are qualified in terms of educational achievement and practice experience are tasked to perform specific tasks (Ghorpade 2000). This also forms a strong basis through which hiring and promotional process are carried out. Besides this, all the staff develops an insight on how the tasks they perform has a connection to the organizational achievements on revenue and growth. Having the supervisors as guides and mentors to the employees is a strong strategy used by the organization as it ensures a seamless transfer of skills and experience to the junior staff from the more senior staff. This ensures a successful in job training process and delegation. Role profiling and matching within the organization is a sure way through which a perfect service delivery and performance is achieved throughout all its departments. Impacting a code of conduct among employees ensures that interactions between the employees and with the community that the organization serves uphold the image deemed fit for the organization. All employee and organizational interactions always have to be given both a legal and moral consideration (Cardy 2003). This is to ensure that there is a desirable professional relationship between the employees. The organization has adopted a strong strategy through which impacting the code of conduct and responsibilities on legal and moral concerns are achieved. Through the framework laid down by the organization, the employees ensure that they meet all that is required of hem. This ensures compliance with local and national regulations. In performance management, besides the targets that employees are given, how they meet the targets also have to be regulated to eliminate unscrupulous alternatives which the employees may engage in. According to Greguras et. al. (2003), performing risk assessments and having a laid down process for a risk management process is a strong way through which organization can impact on employee performance. Assessment on potential risks and their possible impact on the process has enabled the organization to formulate solutions in the event. It also ensures that such occurrences are arrested at the earliest notice possible. The organization has put down mechanisms through which risks can be assessed and be detected for amicable solution. This process ensures that in the event that a risk materializes, there is a well laid down framework that enables its management and eventual elimination. It also ensures that the organization has physical and structural firewalls to eliminate such. The organization has a laid down risk matrix for fast assessment and prioritization dependent on risk levels. There are risk levels laid down by the organization to assist in determining the procedures tha t are to be followed to determine the risk weight and subsequent steps to follow in addressing the risk. The regular review of the risk policies and procedures laid down on the schedules ensures proper and effective procedures for the risk potentials. The organization has laid down a process for talent and performance recognition among the employees to facilitate fair professional development and promotional purposes. The provision of professional development opportunities to the employees in the organization promotes on employee motivation and value due to the growth and development impacted on them. Performance reviews assists in helping individual employees identify their strengths and weakness for a given period to enable them improve on those particular areas and also to enable skills matching with the area of specialization (Shen 2004). It also enables the organization have the detailed picture of representation of all the employees in terms of skill set and performance index. Performance management systems enable the management to use such data gained from such activities to take decisive actions in line with performance levels. As such the organization acquires the desirable skill sets and mix to meet the needs it has in a ttending to the old and young youths with disabilities. In line, the organization is able to operate optimally while meeting all its targets and obligations. In job promotion is always a difficult task to achieve within organizations. It involves the assessment of all employees who have the potential to meet the requirements for the specific role and selecting the individual with the best skill set to fill the given position (Suutari and Tahvanainen 2002). This organization has ensured a seamless process through which employees are regularly assessed and the outcomes documented and backed up. The positions within the organization are also regularly assessed and updated. The process the organization takes in making use of the assessment information collected from the employees to perform appraisals ensures that the process is competitive and effective. Only the best individuals are promoted to occupy higher roles while the weaker employees are given time to improve and gain experience. The process eliminates favoritism and preselection which may in other words cause tension and discouragement among the employees. The employee is also consu lted to determine if he or she is comfortable with the proposed position. This makes the transition process very effective and fair throughout the various employment levels. The competitiveness nature of the process on excellence also encourages the employees to commit to their work to achieve better ratings. According to Walsh et. al. (2002), performance by employees are not always guaranteed especially where the number is large. Some employees always need to be placed on performance management plans and coaching programs to meet their performance targets and requirements. The organization has laid down a clear process through which the employees can access assistance and also ask for help from their seniors. This has been laid down to enable performance improvement by the employees. Through these process, the employees get a fair treatment to ensure attainment of the basic standards within their areas of work. The organization understands the need for constant mentoring and guidance for effective management and process execution. There are qualities that are driven and impacted on the employees on such processes to ensure success. In the event that an employee is not performing well having discussions with them enables the management identify problems which may be impacting on the negat ive performance. It also allows the management to come up with alternatives which can aid in the improvement in terms of performance by the individuals. In the event of persistence then the employee need to be monitored while placed on performance improvement plan to enable improvement in the performance which may be followed by dismissal if there is no sign of improvement. Having an employee representative in all these processes ensures that the employee receives a fair and equitable judgement while at the same time receive support. The organization in this manner eliminates the chances of employee victimization and misrepresentation which may cause unfair dismissal or warnings. The organization has ensured a complete participation of the employees in the construction of the employee development plan. In this manner, all the employees have a deep insight in to the development plan in line for professional growth. According to Weatherly (2004), through the participation, the management has been able to single out all the support and developmental needs that they need to provide the employee with. Strategies and courses which provide a clear means of meeting performance targets are also attained. The company also does regular feedback geared information collection to enable addressing emerging issues and also those that have changed to ensure in time control for all circumstances surrounding the organizational performance. Improvement on the employees are made a continuous process with trainings and team support provided at regular intervals. There are always cases of indiscipline and breach of codes of conduct which calls for disciplinary actions on the specific individuals. This calls for establishing guidelines and mitigations through which such occurrences are handled. The organization has put in place a counselling unit to assist with analysis and discussions in to different factors and issues which affect employee performance and behavior. The counselling units offer guidance and encouragements to the employees to lower risks of extreme pressure and emotional outbursts among the employees (Stanton 2000). The organization has also ensured that all employees who undergo the counselling process are provided with fair and natural justice principles in the process. In the event the condition is extreme and unacceptable, eventual termination is unavoidable. This occur in instance where an employee has breached ethics and conduct codes or in instances where the performance is poor even after further assistance. Prior dismi ssal, the alleged reason reported is investigated adequately while maintaining both equity and fair treatment of the employee. The employee has to be issued with a termination letter with a proper reason for termination. This safeguards the organization against legal reprimand on grounds of unfair dismissal. This also protects the organization in terms of compliance to employee social regulations. Documentation of employee performance records provides a number of benefits to an organization (Engelmann Roesch 2001). The documentation done assists in trend determination, challenge definition and goal setting for the employees. The management makes use of such documentations to enable improvement and determine weaknesses and strength for planning purposes. Driving people management among employees makes a process through which the management can model leadership skills, communication skills, culture and presentation skills. All these can be applied at different stages in the organization. Through these processes, organizations make an impact on performance and improvement while gaining control on the employee performance and behavior. Conclusion There are a lot of benefits that organizations engaging in people management gain as compared to those who do not. The practice has a great impact on performance both at the organizational and at the individual levels. People management also equips employees with the desirable skills and knowledge to enable the most desirable performance within their roles. An effective performance management system should be able to impact strong training, moral support, counseling and management practice to all employees in their specific roles. Performance management should not be limited to just employee assessment and monitoring (Lee et. al. 2004). It should have a long-term consideration on the employee professional development and growth including application of people skills in their roles. A performance management system should provide a clear structure of the leadership line in an organization while upholding teamwork among the employees. Where possible, the management need to develop profe ssional alignments which are geared towards promotion of collective organizational objectives and strategies. In this manner, development of effective improvements on team work and process efficiency can be attained. There is also a strong need to have a clearly laid down guideline on how the chain of command for the organization has been structured. This has provided all the staff with clear information on reporting and subordination process and promoting process accountability in an organization. Reference Cardy, R. L. 2003. Performance management: Concepts, skills, and exercises. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe, Inc. Engelmann, C. H., Roesch, R. C. 2001. Managing individual performance: An approach to designing and effective performance management system. Scottsdale, AZ: WorldatWork. Ghorpade, J. 2000. Managing the five paradoxes of 360-degree feedback. Academy of Management Executive, 14(1), 140-150. Greguras, G. J., Robie, C., Schleicher, D. J., Goff, M. 2003. A field study of the effects of rating purpose on the quality of multisource ratings. Personnel Psychology, 56, 1-21. Hillgren, J. S., Cheatham, D. W. 2000. Understanding performance measures: An approach to linking rewards to the achievement of organizational objectives. Scottsdale, AZ: WorldatWork. Lee, J., Havigurst, L. C., Rassel, G. 2004. Factors related to court references to performance appraisal fairness and validity. Public Personnel Management, 33 (1), 61-78. Shen J. 2004. International performance appraisals: policies, practices and determinants in the case of Chinese multinational companies, International Journal of Manpower, Vol. 25, No. 6: 54763. Stanton J. M. 2000. Reactions to employee performance monitoring: framework, review and research directions, Human Performance, Vol. 13: 85113. Suutari V. and Tahvanainen M. 2002. The antecedents of performance management among Finnish expatriates, International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 13, No. 1: 5575. Walsh P., Bryson J. and Lonti Z. 2002. HR capability and organisational agility in the New Zealand public and private sectors, Asia-Pacific Journal of Human Resources, Vol. 40, No. 2: 17792. Weatherly, L. A. 2004. Performance management: Getting it right from the start. SHRM Research Quarterly, 2, 1-10. Williams R. 2002. Managing Employee Performance: Design and implementation in organisations. London: Thomson Learning.

Theatre, Music and Cinema free essay sample

Theatre is a topographic point where you can see a drama staged. It is besides one of amusements. A theatre consists of two parts: the phase and the hall. They are separated by a drape and the orchestra. Actors and actresses perform on the phase and public the hall, the cavity, the dress-circles, the boxes and the gallery. If we made up our head to travel to the theater we should travel to the box-office to purchase tickets. Seatings can be reserved beforehand. There is a theater in our town. On the phase of this theater you can see such dramas as # 8220 ; Meetings in Vienna # 8221 ; , # 8220 ; Silva # 8221 ; , # 8220 ; The Princess of Circus # 8221 ; and others. The theater is really popular in the South of Russia. In jumping the histrion of this theatre played on the phases of Moscow. There are many gifted histrions in the theater and some of them are known all over the part. We will write a custom essay sample on Theatre, Music and Cinema or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They are Molchanova, Zaiseva, Smirnov, Aliev and others. I have seen the drama # 8220 ; Mister X # 8221 ; and I liked it really much. But we are to acknowledge that theater is non so popular now as it used to be. There are many people who prefer to sit comfortably in forepart of the Television and bask themselves without go forthing their places. Normally we see movies either in the film or on Television. But from clip to clip I go to the film. My favourite movie is # 8220 ; Romeo and Juliet # 8221 ; . The Italian manager Franco Zeffirelli, produced a chef-doeuvre in this version. The costumes are superb, the histrions are fantastic, the music by is perfect, and the lines are delivered attractively. The film starred Leonard Whiting ( a British histrion, who played Romeo ) and Olivia Hussey ( Juliet ) . They were immature when they filmed the Classic, 17 and 15 old ages, creditably. This film is one of the most realistic readings of William Shakespeare s Tragedy. It is hard to populate without music. We hear music everyplace: in the streets, at place, over the wireless, on Television, in the Parks A ; in concert halls. We can # 8217 ; t live without music. We like to listen to music, we play musical instruments. Music reflects people # 8217 ; s temper A ; emotions. As for me I enjoy several musical manners: dad, stone, blame, electronic and others. But I dislike metal, difficult stone, state and blues.

Timeline of Anglo American Essay Example

Timeline of Anglo American Essay Example Timeline of Anglo American Essay Timeline of Anglo American Essay Q1: Trace the history of Anglo American from 1917 to date in South Africa and other Businesses? Anglo American plc is a global mining company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is a major producer of diamonds, copper, nickel, iron ore and metallurgical and thermal coal and the worlds largest producer of platinum, with around 40% of world output. The following is the timeline of Anglo American: 1917Company founded by Sir Ernest Oppenheimer along with American J. P Morgan. Initial investment was 1 million pounds raised from various sources in UK and US. The company was headquartered in London, United Kingdom. 1926AAC became the major stakeholder in the De Beers company. 1928AAC began mining in the Zambian copper belt. 1945AAC moved into the coal industry by acquiring Coal Estates 1957Sir Ernest died in Johannesburg and was succeeded by his son, Harry Oppenheimer, who also became chairman of De Beers. Late 1950’sAAC focused on the development of the Free State goldfields (seven major mines simultaneously) and the Vaal Reefs mine. The success of the mines enabled the company to become the world’s largest gold-mining group. 1961AAC expanded outside of southern Africa for the first time and became a major investor in the Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Company in Canada. 1967Moved into the steel industry by acquiring Scaw Metals. 967 to 1975Continued to grow and established a number of ventures, including the Mondi Group (timber, pulp and paper), Amgold (later AngloGold Ashanti) and then Amcoal (through the consolidation of several of its mining operations in South Africa 1982Oppenheimer retired as chairman of the AAC and was succeeded by Gavin Relly. Anglo American Corporation merged with Minorco on 24 May 1999 to form Anglo American plc with its primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and a secondary listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange 2001In 2001, De Beers was privatized after being a listed company for more than 70 years.

Drug policy in Medix Production Plant Assignment

Drug policy in Medix Production Plant - Assignment Example The increasing level of drug use in the company premises poses the following challenges to the company. First, it leads to low work output. Employees working under the influence of the drugs are prone to mistakes. Conversely, the company has been failing to meet its targets. Second, the drug abuse in the company premises contravenes the work ethics. The situation predisposes the company’s management and the workers in conflict. The fear is that when the company implements it working code, it is likely to lose workers or engage in court cases with the workers union. The company has observed that prolonged period of drug abuse in the company premises would make the workers to believe that the act does not contravene the company’s operation codes.   The trend would expose the company to external attack especially from authority. Some employees show occasional abuse of drugs in the company’s premises. While the occasional uses may not view their conduct as a vice, it exposes the company to criticism from fellow workers and the public. Generally, drug use in the company is a threat to the company’s future. Factors that promote drug use Drug use among the employees stem from an individual choice made before joining or after the employee joined the company. Studies show that drug use has both biological and psychological effects (Wald & Hutt). The psychological effects influence the person’s cognitive ability thereby influencing the normal behavioral trends. Since the drug use leads to addiction.... First, it leads to low work output. Employees working under the influence of the drugs are prone to mistakes. Conversely, the company has been failing to meet its targets. Second, the drug abuse in the company premises contravenes the work ethics. The situation predisposes the company’s management and the workers in conflict. The fear is that when the company implements it working code, it is likely to lose workers or engage in court cases with the workers union. The company has observed that prolonged period of drug abuse in the company premises would make the workers to believe that the act does not contravene the company’s operation codes. The trend would expose the company to external attack especially from authority. Some employees show occasional abuse of drugs in the company’s premises. While the occasional uses may not view their conduct as a vice, it exposes the company to criticism from fellow workers and the public. Generally, drug use in the company i s a threat to the company’s future. Factors that promote drug use Drug use among the employees stem from an individual choice made before joining or after the employee joined the company. Studies show that drug use has both biological and psychological effects (Wald & Hutt). The psychological effects influence the person’s cognitive ability thereby influencing the normal behavioral trends. Since the drug use leads to addiction, employees using drugs find it difficult to live without consuming the drugs. The biological effects of drug use dictate the body activity thereby exposing the drug user to constant consumption. Scientifically, drug addictions influence the body functions. This tends to explain the employee’s choice to sneak and abuse the

Information System Hardware and Software Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Information System Hardware and Software - Essay Example They generally include databases, word processors, and spreadsheets. Microsoft Office Professional 2007 is a type of application software. It includes Access, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and word that are widely used as business application software. By using Office Professional 2007 business professionals can work faster, efficiently and effectively, stays organized, and manage contacts and customer information more effectively and in one place. It helps in producing professional-looking marketing materials, dynamic business documents, spreadsheets, presentations and databases with no prior experience or technical staff. Microsoft Office Excel 2007 can be used for analyzing business information for making better business decisions. It has features such as new tools for filter, sort, graph, and visualizing information so that business information can be analyzed more easily. Office Excel 2007 provides improved PivotTable and PivotChart views for advanced analysis and it is much easier to create. Microsoft Office Word and PowerPoin can be used for creating professional-looking documents and presentations in less time. Microsoft had included new templates and tools that make Office Word easier to reuse content, apply professional formatting, and quickly preview changes. Office PowerPoint makes it quicker and easier to create presentations that are more dynamic. Office PowerPoint has a wide library of customizable themes and slide layouts, and new graphic tools. It enables to create powerful charts, SmartArt graphics, and tables, and then instantly preview formatting changes. Microsoft Office Access helps in find, use, and manages information more effectively. By using it, new database can be created easily without any previous experience. Microsoft has provided a library of predefined database tracking applications for the most common business processes and

Art History Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Art History - Research Paper Example Works of art are meant to communicate a message and this is evident in The Happy Couple by Judith Leyster and The Gleaners by Jean-Francois Millet. Both artworks are a manifest of socio-economic events happening in the society and their overall influence on shaping thoughts and ideologies. For example, The Happy Couple is an embodiment of love and tenderness that Judith Leyster did in 1630 when she lived in Netherlands with her husband. It was painted using oil on canvas and its dimensions are 81.8?110.7 cm (32?43 in) and it can be found currently at the Louvre, France. On the other hand, for Jean-Francois Millet’s The Gleaners, it has interesting features worth noting (Weiner, 2000). The painting was done in 1857 in the wake of the French Revolution to encourage the lower-class workers. While using oil on canvas, Millet attempted to represent socialism as a means empowering workers over landowners who subjugate their interests. Interested persons can find the painting at Muse e d’Orsay, Paris for viewing and enjoyment. Its dimensions are 83.8cm?111.8cm (33?44 in) and it is a realism painting that narrates the struggles of the French people especially the lower classes in their endeavors to succeed. The main agendas of the two artworks are directly linked to the agitation for recognition in a society that was increasingly becoming exploitative to the lower classes hence making life hard for them. This is notable in The Gleaners, an apt example of realism with the display of peasant women who are tilling land to find a harvest of wheat. As a result, the painting’s depiction of real life implies that the lower classes were impeded by the upper group into entering the upward mobility (Walther, 2002). The inaccessibility was hence motivated by the growing gap between power and helplessness that characterized France after the French Revolution. In The Happy Couple, Leyster was revealing the various aspects of her family that eventually bore her f ive children prompting her to leave painting. It means the painting infuses the elements of realism and symbolism in communicating its message of bliss while also evoking a deeper sense of uncertainties and doubts in marriages. It is vital to compare The Happy Couple by Leyster and The Gleaners by Millet based on numerous reasons. They, for instance, represent vividly artistic periods of societies when art was a serious medium of communication unlike in the modern age. Comparing the two artworks also gives an understanding of realism and symbolism and how they apply in the context of disseminating messages to the ordinary human beings as witnessed with The Gleaners. This is unlike Leyster’s painting that echoed a graceful period when people yearned for good marriages and children to create families (Weiner, 2000). Therefore, the main idea of comparing the works is examine their significance today in the different structures of society especially the socio-economic and politic al factors. Leyster equally integrates brushwork to connect to a period of distress as she struggled to become a professional. For instance, her visual elements in The Happy Couple such as too much oil on the edges is another revealing representation of the surrealist period when art served for aesthetic purposes than as a tool of raising consciousness. It is also noted in The Gleaners by Millet where the central focus of the background attaches itself the physical abundance that cannot be

Ludwig Mies van der Rohes New National Gallery, Berlin

Ludwig Mies van der Rohes New National Gallery, Berlin The closest Ludwig Mies van der Rohe got to realising his vision of the column-free pavilion? Was this final expression of his ideas of canonical significance for 20th Century architecture? The New National Gallery in Berlin was Ludwig Mies van der Rohes last design. Throughout his career he had been employing the same central ideas he was concerned with to most of his designs, gradually developing and refining them. In order to understand his last building, said to embody successfully all the ideas he was most passionate about, it is important to see how these evolved from building to building over the years. Then one can consider this final expression of his ideas as a result of a lifetimes worth of work and assess it in terms of its significance in Modern Architecture. Since the 1920s, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe had been focusing on evolving two types of forms which could be adapted to a range of situations; the skeletal framed building with small cellular spaces ideally designed for office and apartment buildings and the single volume pavilion where a larger completely flexible space is needed. At a time of rapid and continuous change, it made sense for Mies van der Rohe to develop the latter, the infinitely flexible space. Contrary to the largely known notion by Louis Sullivan that form follows function, Mies believed that buildings should be designed with the least amount of fixed elements so as to be as flexible as possible and ready to adapt as their functional requirements change over time. His designs since 1921 are a demonstration of his quest for flexible space. He was pursuing open and flowing rather than closed and cellular. The New National Gallery is widely considered the most developed expression of such a space. In this project, Mies had the opportunity to create the infinitely flexible interior but also incorporate two more of his most important notions; appropriate and visible structure and fluidity between interior and exterior. Miess most central principles synthesized into a single pavilion of powerful scale and presence. Miess journey from his first buildings to the embodiment of his most significant ideas in the New National Gallery was anything but a straight line. However, there were significant steps that marked the development of his idea of the column-free pavilion. These significant stages were outlined by Miess pupil and future associate Peter Carter. The idea of an open and flowing space first materialized in the house designs of Frank Lloyd Wright where living areas are fairly open and interconnected. Wrights open plan designs excited architects all over Europe. However, it was Mies who took the idea of the de-cellurization of the building further. His sequence of space-liberating designs from about 1920 onwards changed the way in which architects thought. Miess Brick Country House was his first development of the free-plan interiors that Frank Lloyd Wright had introduced. It was a long way before the creation of the completely unobstructed interior space, but an important move in this direction, as in this project Mies started subdividing the interior by free standing walls rather than conventional ones. He only let walls to meet as L or T junctions to allow the interior space to flow freely from one room to the other and out into the landscape. Although this merely constituted the first step in his pursuit of open flowing space, Mies van der Rohe had already taken the concept of spatial continuity and fluidity much further than anything proposed by Wright. Though he had started removing interior walls, the exterior of the Brick Country House remained solid. The next step towards his open flowing space was abolishing the division between interior and exterior space. The opportunity to apply this was the Barcelona pavilion; one of the most influential designs of the 20th Century. In this project, Mies transformed practical, conventional walls into abstract planes freely disposed as in a De Stijl composition. In the De Stijl movement, artists simplified visual compositions with the use of primary colours and straight horizontal and vertical lines. In the Barcelona pavilion, walls are not functional in the conventional way. Instead of supporting the roof and separating specific rooms, these planes loosely define space. What is also unclear and undefined in this project, is the division between the interior and the exterior space, another important step towards his open-flowing space. After substituting load-bearing walls with slender columns, the next step to the Miesian transparent pavilion was to remove columns from the interior completely and placing them on the outside perimeter of the building. This would render possible the interior to be completely unobstructed from any fixed elements and theoretically make it totally flexible. This was first seen in his Concert Hall project in 1942. Lastly, in the Farnsworth House in Plano, Mies van der Rohe would dematerialize completely the outer walls of the pavilion so as to push the concept of transparency sandwiched between two horizontal planes. Mies van der Rohes long series of experimentation had as a result the development of a general architectural form, the column-free Miesian pavilion. The pure glass-walled version of the column-free Miesian pavilion would provide the parti for the New National Gallery in Berlin. The commission for a new art gallery in Berlin was an opportunity for Mies to finally build the single-volume clear-span pavilion in its purest form which he had never been able to build before. He was commissioned to construct a much needed permanent home for the modern art collection in the Western part of the then divided city. Though half the size and population of West Berlin, the Eastern part included most of the cultural institutions and the historic centre of the city. It was in this context that the Culture Forum was designed. It was going to be a cluster of buildings dedicated to culture and the fine arts to replace the institutions that had fallen in the eastern part of the post-war city. The New National Gallery was going to be part of it and would epitomize the integration of West Berlin and West Germany into the democratic capitalist system of the West. The site for the new gallery was Kemperplatz, an area between Potsdammer Strasse and the Tiergarten that had once been a busy centre of Berlin life before being destroyed by wartime bombing. Apart from the church of St. Matthews of 1846, nothing was left standing after the war and this unused land that remained would provide the site for the development of Berlins new Culture Forum. The driving idea behind the gallery was the creation of a minimalist, steel and glass, column-free pavilion which would stand as a noble monument in the townscape. In his pursuit for a monument-like feel and uncompromising symmetrical composition, Mies referred to ancient temples such as the Parthenon. The gallery would later on be aptly named and largely known as the temple of light and glass. Once built, it would create a dramatic contrast to the other buildings of the Kulturforum by Hans Scharoun. Whereas Scharoun was much more expressionist, Mies opted for austere geometrical forms that show the structure of the building and let it stand out from, but also connect to its surroundings. Amid the visual tumult of Berlins Culture Forum there reposes a single island of order and tranquillity, the New National Gallery. Mies may have wanted continuity and fluidity between the pavilion and its surroundings. Nonetheless, it was never meant to hide in Berlins busy life, but as previously mentioned, it had to have a monumental form. This prerequisite, along with the inclination of the land encouraged the idea of setting the gallery on a large open terrace. The experience of reaching the entrance further intensifies the gallerys monument-like feel. Wide steps guide the visitor who begins to feel slightly separated from the surrounding city. The feeling intensifies as the visitor walks towards the back and the sloping site starts to fall away on either side. By then, the pavilion sits well above street level, and almost has the tranquillity of the top of a hill and has therefore become psychologically detached from the everyday bustle beneath. This method of detaching a building from its surroundings and raising it as if on a pedestal was often used by Mies van der Rohe, starting with his first project, the Riehl house. This method also gives the building a sense of calm, again referring to the ancient temple on the top of a hill. Sitting on the large open terrace, surrounded by sculptural works of arts, is Miess minimalist pavilion. It is the pinnacle of Miess idea of free space. He eliminated interior columns completely to allow for a large unobstructed space for artists to exhibit their work without any limitations in terms of space. Mies van der Rohe followed the notion he introduced in Barcelona pavilion and any fixed elements in the interior space of the gallery have no load-bearing function. The Tinos marble-faced columns in the New National Gallery provide for ventilation and roof drainage and the gallery is supported by eight slender cruciform columns placed on the outside of the pavilion, two on each side. By completely removing solid walls, Mies wanted to symbolise that space extends beyond the boundaries of the interior. The large spans of glass are set far back from the edge of the roof thus creating the effect of a floating plane. The unique open space created on the upper floor is mainly used for temporary, travelling exhibitions, and is ready to be modified according to changing needs, whilst all the permanent collections are safely hidden in the lower level, away from natural light. The steel and glass podium sits on a colossal subterranean stone pedestal. Though not visible, the lower level is perfectly proportional to the podium above. The lower level, apart from accommodating for the whole of the permanent collection, also includes all of the buildings functional spaces including support and utilitarian rooms. Closed on three sides, the lower floor only opens on the west side, to reveal a quiet outdoor sculpture garden. The garden is enclosed by grey granite walls which separate it from the surrounding bustling city. The floor, paved in granite slabs is another example of Miess pursuit of a flexible space. The slabs are laid loosely on the gravel, ready to be moved into new arrangements if required. With the outdoor garden, Mies created an oasis of calm in a bustling metropolis. Mies van der Rohe firmly believed in appropriate structure. A building, he was convinced, should be a clear and true statement of its times and in the case of the New National Gallery its time was characterised by advanced industrialism. For Mies van der Rohe, a buildings structure should be true to the materials and processes of its time, but also poetic and visible through the building, rather than obscured behind decorative features. Like many architects after the First World War, he wanted to bring the advantages of industrialized production methods to his architecture. He was interested in finding a new material which would allow most parts of the building to be manufactured in a factory, to ensure better quality and eliminate on-site labour. One of the most important features of a design that hoped to achieve transparency sandwiched between two horizontal planes, was the roof. Mies van der Rohe designed a monumental roof which he wanted to have as if floating above the large spans of clear glass. The design was a difficult issue to be negotiated with engineers but also a chance for the architect to bring the post-war industrialised production methods in this project. The roof, being massive, was made in sections. Its thickness is constant and always visible. What varies between sections is the quality of the steel which changes according to the level of pressure sustained by each section. The roof is a fine example of Mies van der Rohes pursuit of true structure. The ceiling, with no false ceiling added to it, also incorporates a black grid of beams which is used as an exhibit surface when the gallery hosts light exhibitions. The colossal roof, 1200 tonnes of steel, was put together and raised in one day. As a whole, the gallerys sharp geometrical structure is a sharp contrast to Scharouns neighbouring Berlin Philharmonic, built only a few years before. Whereas Scharoun was much more expressionist and concealed his structure with organic shapes, eliminating any kind of symmetry, Mies van der Rohe opted to show the structure in every possible way. All these structural and compositional elements form Mies van der Rohes pavilion, his last great design and one of the most important buildings of modern architecture. The New National Gallery may succeed magnificently as a work of art in itself but it has been criticised widely as an exhibition space. In his pursuit of the column-free clear-span pavilion Mies may have compromised certain aspects of the gallery and its functionality as an exhibition space. Whilst the lower ground galleries and the sculpture garden fulfil their purposes admirably , the pavilion above disappoints in significant ways. In the upper floor, light floods the pavilion from its glass walls on all sides and can be regulated by white curtains on three sides. Theres also a lighting system in the roof with warm diffuse light. However, in exhibition spaces, diffused indirect lighting from above is more ideal, modifiable by blinds and electric light only if necessary. The sideways illumination in combination with the lighting from above fails badly. Pictures are inadequately lit and there is a strong glare compromising the visitors comfort in viewing the artwork. The curtains partially eliminate the glare but compromise the gallerys visual transparency which is its strongest feature therefore defeating the purpose of the large spans of glass walls. In his drive for the translucent pavilion, Mies seems to have compromised the viewers comfort and experience of viewing the exhibited artwork. Moreover, the upper pavilion which Mies was so determined to create as a multifunctional space, is not as successful. Though its large-scale is suitable for exhibiting large objects and the side-lighting lights such objects beautifully, the space is unsuitable for smaller paintings. Smaller paintings are lost in the grand scale of the pavilion. It seems that Mies van der Rohes vision of the column-free pavilion fails as an exhibition space. Ironically, the lighting and grand-scale of the upper floor seem to restrict the spaces use to certain types of exhibitions, rather than adding to the infinitely flexible space that Mies van der Rohe envisioned. As a result, this infinitely flexible space turned out to be unfriendly for exhibiting art but Mies was unapologetic. It is such a huge hall that of course it means great difficulties for the exhibiting of art. I am fully aware of that. But it has such potential that I simply cannot take those difficulties into account. He considered the gallery a closed form, perfect in itself and would not allow any modification that would alter its perfectly symmetrical form. For example, when it was proposed to extend the flower floor to gain functional space that was very much needed for the gallery, a change that would in actual fact be invisible, Mies van der Rohe refused to ruin the careful proportions between the two floors. The lack of substantial functional space, and the unwillingness to do anything about it, further demonstrates that Mies compromised the buildings functionality as an exhibition space in his effort to create the perfectly proportional Miesian pavilion. Though the upper floor may not be perfectly suitable for exhibiting and viewing paintings, it is the gallerys primary architectural expression. The building is the result of many gradual steps in Mies van der Rohes journey towards the column-free pavilion and is considered a shining symbol of modern architecture. Here is a 20th Century icon of timeless serenity and composure, its functional imperfections forgotten as one contemplated its majesty as a monument and symbol. The way it sits on its site, its simple yet careful composition, along with its visible structure and use of materials make it a true Berlin monument which expresses the spirit of the industrial time in which it was designed and built. From a must-see tourist attraction and symbol of Berlin in post stamps, to a home for 20th Century European art, Mies van der Rohes last project and all the ideas it embodies represents one of the most important buildings of 20th Century architecture. Buildings such as this will refresh us by awakening all the more mans deep desire for poetic serenity and structural honesty. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is largely considered as one of the pioneering masters of modern architecture. In every building his intentions are straightforward and his concepts of truth to structures, materials and harmonious composition are stated clearly. By this point in his career, he had developed the ideas he was most passionate about and incorporated them into the New National Gallery. It is with this project that Mies van der Rohe managed to create the column-free pavilion he had been striving for the most of his career. It stands as a monument in its context and embodies his most important principles, thus rendering it as a building of great significance for 20th century architecture.

The Positive Impact of Legalizing Marijuana Essay -- Drugs Legalize Le

The Positive Impact of Legalizing Marijuana For many years, the United States government has prohibited drugs such as marijuana from sale in the marketplace. Yet, with prohibition, marijuana use has decreased only minimally. Because of prohibition, the media has publicized only the bad aspects of marijuana use. What many people do not realize are the many positive aspects of marijuana legalization, including new medical cures, cleaner and more efficient industry, and reduced marijuana usage. Marijuana, as most people commonly know it, is really a plant called hemp, or 'cannabis sativa'. There are other plants called hemp, but cannabis hemp is the most useful of these plants. 'Hemp' is any durable plant used since prehistory for many purposes. Cannabis is the most durable of the hemp plants, and it produces the toughest cloth, named 'canvass'. The cannabis plant also produces three other very important products that other plants do not (in usable form): seed, pulp, and medicine. To understand why hemp is illegal, it is necessar y that we take a look at the law prohibiting hemp today. The law that prohibits hemp is called the "Comprehensive Drug Abuse and Control Act of 1970". The Comprehensive Drug Abuse and Control Act of 1970 (Public Law 91-513) overhauled the nation's drug regulation apparatus. Title II of the law, known as the Controlled Substances Act, established criteria for determining which drugs should be controlled, mechanisms for reducing the availability of controlled drugs, and a structure of penalties for illegal distribution and possession of controlled drugs. Marijuana, hashish, and THC are listed in Schedule I, the most restrictive classification. We also have to understand the reasons why marijuana, the drug,... ...dystonia can also attest to benefits derived from smoking marijuana. In 1981, it was reported that patients with idiopathic dystonia improved when they smoked marijuana. This is a group of disorders characterized by abnormal movements and postures resulting from prolonged spasms or muscle contractions. Animal studies confirmed that cannabinoids might have antidysotonic properties, and scientists undertook another human experiment in 1986 that showed the same results. There are many uses for marijuana, and many are unexplored. Actually, some are explored in depth because of interest, and others are left behind. There are probably many other uses that have not been found because of the lack of experimentation on the drug as a whole. If the drug is legalized, there will be much more research done on the drug, and hopefully the drug will begin to be approved for use.

Modernity/Post-modernity: has is brought more harm than good on institutions like the family?

According to Marshall Berman, modernity is a mode of vital experience of space and time, of the self and others, of life's possibilities and perils-that is shared by men and women all over the world today. To be modern, he suggests is to find ourselves in an environment that promises us adventure, power, joy, growth, transformation of ourselves and the world-and, at the same time, that threatens to destroy everything we have, everything we know, everything we are. Modern environments and experiences cut across all boundaries of geography and ethnicity, of class and nationality, of religion and ideology: in this sense, modernity can be said to unite all mankind. But it is a paradoxical unity, a unity of disunity: it pours us all into a maelstrom of perpetual disintegration and renewal, of struggle and contradiction, of ambiguity and anguish. To be modern is to be part of a universe in which, as Marx said, â€Å"all that is solid melts into air.† ( Marshall Berman, www†¦) Modern life has been characterised with great discoveries in the physical sciences, changing our images of the universe and our place in it; the industrialization of production, which transforms scientific knowledge into technology, creates new human environments and destroys old ones, generates new forms of corporate power and class struggle; (Marshall Berman, www†¦) According to Giddens, modernity refers to modes of social life or organisation which emerged in Europe from about the 17th century onwards. It is an era distinguished by discontinuities which separate modern social institution from traditional order. The characteristics of this era are; – the pace of change- rapid change in modernity i.e. technology – the scope of change – particular institutional forms (e.g. capitalism, nation state and the differences in the nature of institutions between modern and traditional ones. According to Giddens, the modes of life have moved us away from all traditional types of social order. This is because they have served to establish forms of social interconnection and they have come to alter some of the most intimate and personal features of our day-to-day existence, (reading). As we can gather, modernity is about change from traditional ways to modern ways of doing things. In this discussion, I discuss the impact of modernity on institutions most especially the family. Has modernity brought more harm than good? Traditionally as most of us believe, life at the very beginning evolved very much around Christianity and belief in God. This shaped people's lifestyles, ways of living and thus the society. Christianity and the belief in God is the tradition that has been abandoned as a result of modernity, as put by Kirk Thomas, â€Å"†¦the tradition which promised to become fruitful some 350 years ago proposed that the best hope for authentic human flourishing would come through diligent attention being given to two sources of truth; the word and the world of God. Human beings would understand their true destiny and be able to enjoy it to the full only as they read and lived on the basis of two books; the bible as both the record of both God's action within and the interpretation of the whole reality and nature as a source of human nourishment and pleasure, (K.T, www†¦). This tradition Kirk continues was ‘sabotaged from within and distorted from without'- from within, the tradition was vandalised by a ‘will to power' due to conflict between forces of the reformation and the counter reformation and from without, the tradition was deformed by the ‘will to independence', (K, Thomas). As time progressed, the word was not seen as the only source of knowledge or truth. Slowly there was the realisation that reasoning could occur without having to depend on faith- thus there was the development of scientific knowledge in the attempt by humans to separate truth from falsehood, reason from unreason and fact from fiction. This was seen as the way to examine causes of human problems and analyse them. As a result, human's dreams of the future dominated their imaginations- the dream of a society of social harmony free from oppression and ignorance. By contrasting such a bright future and the past- the dark ages to be overcome, it seemed development was irreversible, there was no turning back, (Catrell). Human's desire for reason made it become the sole action in society, then it became an autonomous power which carried other oppressive powers within its bosom- capitalism, colonialism, technology and state bureaucracy- this was the birth ob modernity. The book of the word was shut and the world became more important. Transition is ongoing, humans are striving to achieve more and more. What are the effects of this on modern society, institutions and the individual? Modern era exacerbates the changes triggered by the industrial revolution that mainly affect economic life, culture and the family. Postmodern life is characterised according to Peter Berg as; a) suffering from time- famine- this is because the requirements of capitalism are too demanding and occur at other spheres of life, i.e. leisure, spiritual life and the family b) because the other spheres of life become less important to man, he becomes hyper- individualistic where individual self- fulfilment is the life long quest and priority. Family therefore becomes less important than it was before ‘modernisation. As a result, it becomes more single headed as unwed parenthood becomes normal, where as during the pre- modern era, family was very crucial to people's livelihoods as they depended highly on each other. The community was much more important than the individual. People held close bonds in the beliefs they shared and the norms that they were careful not to break. Modernity therefore has been a complex cultural and social movement that has/is changing the shape of the society today. Let us look closely at the effects of modernity on the family. There is the dissolving of the nuclear family showing that people are not as highly dependent on each other as they were before modernisation. Today is mostly every man for himself, looking after mainly his immediate family because of the high demands the society has on the individual, the push it has for making the individual strive to better himself at all cost. Today there is an increase in the use of birth control and abortion. In the past, a young woman that fell pregnant had to be hidden from the society or chased from her home because she was seen as such a disgrace, but nonetheless, people, valued life so much that abortion even in the most difficult circumstances was not an option. Today in modern times, it is legal. Could it be because modernity has resulted into us putting such little value on children and family than our ancestors? The move from tradition to scientific has given a licence to man to play God. For example, there is the issue of cloning and an increasingly permissive attitude towards euthanasia. Whether these are ‘harms or good' brought by modernity, one has to decide. Modernity has provided us with a lot of choices that our ancestors didn't have. As put by Marshall Berman, â€Å"the promised land into which we have crossed flowing with rapid technological progress and endless consumer goods seems like a splendid world indeed- but is there an underside to the bewildering options before us? Does too much choice become unhealthy? Does choice ever become dangerous'. Our fundamental identities as men and women he writes are matters of choice and construction. He states that in our age, we have moved from fate or destiny to choice. Simply put, we have choices to make where our ancestors did not. We choose our education, our profession, our spouses and our places to live. ‘Modernity has made us turn our children into acquisitions. Modern technology has made a reality what the pre modern mind could only imagine as an utter oxymoron: planned parenthood and genetic engineering will soon manufacture for us the blonde- haired, blue- eyed designer child that we order. Modernity has seduced us into exploiting the institution of work and family to fuel the appetites of the self, but that appetite is impossible to satisfy'. The question therefore is, is it good or bad that the individual is slowly and rapidly achieving the perfection he strives for? He has so many alternatives than did our ancestors. It is clear that the family is one of the institutions that has been greatly affected my modernity. According to Gordon Anderson, in the modern era, four behavioural factors undermine the traditional family; * the distinction between primary and secondary groups- the former is the small intimate, effective group exemplified by the family and dominant in the pre- industrial society- the latter is the large scale, depersonalised, rational organisation illustrated by the modern corporation and modern state. Modernisation is essentially the progressive rationalisation of society and the gradual eclipse of primary by secondary relationships. Modern societies he states are planned economies. Bourgeois, capitalism and socialism are dominated by secondary groups and relations and in these case the family is less important. Family in modern times is characterised with low birth rates, high rate of divorce and abortion and weak family institution. * In the bourgeois society, family is also undermined because there is a drive to move private issues over to the realm of the public policy- that is deviant behaviour, personal relationships, family life and other areas of life that were private become objects of state concerns and involvement. * Anderson states that the weakening of the family in modern society stems from the growth of individualism- rather than group- centeredness * As a result of medical technology, demographic trends and the materialistic value of the system of modern society, sexual behaviour becomes less of a procreation activity and more of a recreation. For example, single women or gay people may choose to have children even without the attachment of marriage. Sex has become like taking a cup of coffee. Children today can start having sex as early as 12 years old whereas in pre modern times, courtship was the only thing to do before couples got married, ( Anderson) The causes of family change in postmodern era Technology and the economy- The family is changing because of the electronic transformation of the post modern era where information and misinformation are transmitted with increasing speed to increasing numbers of people thus also changing the nature of human communication. There is no need for families to stay together when they can easily communicate in a short time via emails telephone etc. Giddens also saw this in his characterisation of modernity under what he called the separation of time and space. He stresses on the difference between space and place. Place he says, refers to the physical setting of social activity as situated geographically and that unlike pre-modern societies where place and space coincide, the advent of modernity he suggests tears space away from place by fostering relations between absent others. In other words, modernity compresses everything; communication as a result is fast in reaching those people that one is not living with. Giddens also talks about time and space under the characteristic of modernity called, disembedding- this he says is the lifting out of social relations from local contents of interaction and their restructuring across indefinite spans of time and space. This he states occurs in two ways, through the creation of symbolic tokens and the development of expert systems. By symbolic tokens he means, the media interchange which can be passed around without regard to those that handle them. Expert systems, he states are systems of technical accomplishments or professional expertise that recognise large areas of test material and social environments in which we live today. All these only show us that the family will keep on changing due to modernity because the individual has other ways of getting by, i.e. through the use of symbolic tokens such as money, or through putting trust in expert systems. Another cause of family change is demographic, for example the decline in population of some countries I.e., Japan, Germany, Italy, etc. Even those countries that are over populated are also trying to reduce population by changing the structure of the family. Another cause in family change. In the realm of values the following transformations occur, these are; > The cultural and ideological elite of the postmodern world from old-fashioned economic politics to new identity politics. Social movements pursue psychological and cultural objectives such as gay pride and politically correct language. Feminism's goals increasingly combine economic equality and cultural equality > The search for self-fulfilment now assumes the forms of new age religious, environments and communal movements. All these transformations in society have resulted into changes in the family. Another cause is the reversal of home life and priorities. Due to the fact that in this era people are ‘time bind'- demands of work and parenting clash- the home becomes the arena for stress and work haven to which parents escape to socialise with friends and colleagues. As we can see, work which was once historically a survival necessity is turned into a good. In agricultural societies, work occurs at home on the farm, industrialisation and the rise of the factory pulls work out of the home thus causing a physical separation between home/family life and work/economic life, ( Anderson). Feminism in this era has also made the modern woman to see a job as not something to put up with, but something desired, a mark of liberation, a source of identity, meaning and self -esteem. Staying at home with babies and diapers is viewed as torture and oppression. Does this show the victory of corporate capitalism which seems to have taken over the working class and has triumphed finally over the family, the home and the private sphere? What are the consequences for the individual and society? When reality changes, humans have no choice but to redefine it, i.e. when the original concept family declines, other concepts are formed, i.e. families of gay parents and single parents redefine the family. The issue of whether or not changes of the family are good or bad is debatable. On one hand, one may say, pre industrial families in fact suffered from more severe pathologies that does modern evolving family including domestic violence, child abuse and marital rape- the patriarchy family was not kind to all its members, on the other hand to day, there is a lot of emphasis on individual freedom of choice. Consequences for children- less primary socialisation in the home as there is a lot of single parenting in the modern era and there is also a high emphasis on the importance of work and the increase in day care. Mothers also suffer as divorce causes them a decline in income and bad physical and mental health. What are the consequences of these for the society? The rise of mass society- where a society is polarised between a mass of atomised and alienated individuals on the one hand and an overbearing state on the other. In mass societies individuals pay allegiance to themselves and to their nation- nothing in between The rise of the nanny state- with high divorce rates, single parenthood and childlessness and increased freedom of choice, a substitute father emerges- the nanny. Decline of civility- Kirk suggests that the absence of effective socialisation agents will produce a stunted self, thus leading to a decline in civility because he states that the quality of an individual self depends on his/her socialization. The result of an increase in dysfunctional families is an increase in children with criminal activities and hobbies. Dysfunctional families he says produce stunted selves because they fail to do their job, (Kirk Thomas) Modernity and post modernity have brought a lot of changes to the family and the society as a whole. The major causes of family decline are deeply rooted in major social, cultural, economic and technological trends that have been underway for several centuries. However, whether the changes brought forward are positive or negative is up to the individual to decide.

Preventing Aboriginal Suicide essays

Preventing Aboriginal Suicide essays DOES A SHIFT IN THE DOMINANT SCHOOLING PARADIGM email: lloyd_ryan@nf.sympatico.ca It is with growing alarm, concern and compassion that we witness the continuing (and growing?) high rate of suicide in Canadas Aboriginal community. This phenomenon has numerous far-reaching and negative implications and, up to the present, few satisfactory explanations and fewer proposed solutions. It is, thus, imperative that aspects of contemporary Aboriginal personal and community living that have not yet come under sufficient scrutiny be examined and analyzed, not for anthropological or abstract sociological purposes, but for intensely personal and life purposes. It must be realized that, sometimes, it is that which is most ubiquitous and familiar which may be most ignored, the assumption being that what is common is not significant. An example is parasites borne by the river that has fed us for generations, or heavy metals in our staple food, both contributing to chronic health problems, and both ignored because we expect severe dysfunction to have exotic and unfamiliar dress. It is, thus, proposed that the existing predominant model of schooling, in this case schooling of Aboriginal children, come under careful scrutiny. Aboriginals, like most other Canadians, have accepted, now almost without question, the "principle" that education is the key to a secure and happy future. This principle may be as fraught with problems as the one-time equally-accepted principle that the earth was the centre of the universe and that the sun was just one of earth's satellites. Just as it was heresy to question the geo-centric universe, it is now similar heresy to question the "principle", the dogma, of the value of "education". This may not be merely a questioning of the value of "education" (whatever it is we mean by that). Indeed, Aboriginal communities have recognized that some elements of the schooling system have potential for negati...

Accelerated Science Program Helps Adult Students Find Healthcare Jobs Faster

Accelerated Science Program Helps Adult Students Find Healthcare Jobs Faster The older we get, the more aware we become of time remaining. We tend to become more efficient because there is less time to waste, less time to spend doing something we either a) dont want to do, or b) are capable of doing faster. If youre in the medical field, or want to be, and the above sounds like you, the Integrated Science Program (ISP) from Lifelong Learning Institute might be right for you. In a nutshell, the program focuses on one science for a full month, and then moves on to the next subject. So rather than taking four subjects at the same time for a full semester, you immerse yourself in just one subjectfocused attention on one topic. At Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU), for example, the ISP format involves face-to-face, full-day classroom time on Saturdays and Sundays, web-based learning from home during the week, and weekly tests. Its designed especially for adult students who work. With this format, theyre able to attend classes on weekends and fit the self-study portion of the class, which includes online discussion forums, into their lives whenever they can on weekdays. At SCU, the following courses are available in the ISP format: Biochemistry LabChemistry for Allied Health Professionals (Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry combined) Lab)General Chemistry 1 2 LabHuman Anatomy and Physiology 1 2 LabHuman Biology 1 2 LabMicrobiology LabOrganic Chemistry 1 2 LabPhysics 1 2 Lab Most ISP students at SCU are working toward completing science prerequisites for health science degrees for use in the following careers: ChiropracticDentistry and Dental HygieneMedicineNursing (LPN, LVN, CNA, ADN, RN, BSN, MS, PhD)OptometryOsteopathic MedicinePharmacyPhysician AssistantPhysical TherapyPodiatric MedicineVeterinary Medicine The ISP brochure from SCU states: Immersion learning enables ISP students to easily remember the earliest lessons of the curriculum throughout the entire duration of the course. ISP students report that never before have they grasped and retained the concepts of basic sciences so completely. The accelerated format is equal to the same credit hours as traditional semester-long programs, providing nontraditional students with one more option for fitting school into their already busy lives. If youre unsure about whether or not this kind of program is right for you, plan to attend one of the monthly open houses held on Saturdays in both Los Angeles and San Francisco. Youll also find the FAQ page helpful in answering questions you have, and theres a webinar you can take that explains everything about the Integrated Science Program, including how to apply. Testimonials are also helpful when youre trying to decide on an unconventional form of study. Be sure to read what other students have said about their success with the program. Allen Grove, Abouts Expert on College Admissions, has a nice profile on Southern California University, including info about the test scores youll need to get in, the number of applicants generally accepted, enrollment numbers, costs, financial aid available, most popular majors, transfer, graduation, and retention rates, and the schools mission statement. Thats a whole lot of info in one spot. Related science topics at About.com: BiologyChemistryHealthMathematicsPhysics