The Reform of the Electoral College Essay example -- Political Reform

The United States, well known for its democracy, holds elections every four years to elect its President. Every American citizen over the age of 18 has a right to cast a vote in the presidential election. The voting process, although it seems easy and straightforward, can be very complicated. In the 2000 election, Al Gore captured the majority of votes, but George Bush won. The reason for this strange outcome and why Al Gore lost was because of the Electoral College. The Electoral College is voting system where different states are given a certain amount of votes in the election, and which ever candidate wins a state, is given that state’s votes. The Electoral College is out of date, and should be replaced by the Popular Vote system, which declares a president purely on who collects the most votes from the American people. The Popular Vote system is better than the electoral college, because it gives the American people a true say in the presidential election, and doesn ’t filter their votes out in so called â€Å"mini state elections†. The electoral college is too flawed to continue to run the presedential elections of the united states, it gives an unfair advantage to smaller states in the United States, it promotes the two party system, it restricts campainging process because of the way certain canidates are forced to strategically focuse on certain states, and finally it elects minority presidents into office. Why should america keep the flawed electoral college, and continue to see all the problems occur over and over agan, if there is a better way. Some people still feel that the electoral college is the best voting system to elect the president. They claim that if the electoral college was removed and replaced with th... .... New Haven: Yale UP, 1999. United States of America. The U.S. Constitution. 17 Sept. 1787. 15 Feb. 2004 . Keyssar, Alex. "It Pays to Win the Smaller States." The New York Times 20 Nov. 2000, Late ed., sec. A: 27. Plissner, Martin. "Bush by 537; Gore by 537,179." The New York Times 16 Nov. 2001, sec. A: 25. Knipp, Katie , and Stephanie Lazzaro. Electoral College -- Outdated or Valuable Asset to Election Process? 9 Dec. 2003. Digital Partners Network. 1 Feb. 2004 Dunham, Richard S. "Will History Repeat Itself in 2004?" Business Week 22 Dec. 2003: 51. Rothwell, Jenn T. "Prospects for the Electoral College after Election 2000." Social Education 65 (2001) Abbott, David W., and James P. Levine. Wrong Winner. New York: Praeger, 1991

Indonesia †Asia’s Stumbling Giant Essay

Indonesia is a country within Asia populated with nearly 220 million people. It has a strategic location astride major sea lanes and is an archipelago of 17,508 islands (globalEDGE, 2013). It is also deemed the world’s most Muslim nation where nearly 85% of the population consider themselves Muslim; while still remaining one of the most ethnically diverse countries. Indonesia is known for its natural resources such as: mining, oil and gas production, and forestry (Hill, 2013). From a political standpoint, Indonesia has a mixed economic system in which the economy includes a variety of private freedom, combined with centralized economic planning and government regulation (globalEDGE, 2013). Indonesia’s Central Issues Indonesia has experienced many political, economic and environmental disasters. Although economic growth was prevalent prior to 1997, the actions of the historical dictator Suharto influenced the beginning of the downward spiral of the country. The country accumulated major debt by what is referred to as â€Å"crony capitalism† as Suharto used his command of the political system to favor the business enterprises of his supporters and family (Hill, 2013). As a result the current economic front, while it has gotten better, Indonesia still lags behind its Southeast Asian neighbors. Other central issues that stem from the foundation of economic destruction are: poor infrastructure, high unemployment, slow growth in labor productivity, significant foreign capital has left the country, decline in public, private and foreign investment, endemically high level of corruption, and business activity is delayed significantly by â€Å"red tape† or greater scrutinized processing proc edures. While there are numerous issues that are occurring throughout Indonesia, all require attention in order to help stabilize the country. Indonesia’s Goals Indonesia has been known to share the same common goals as the United States as both countries firmly support a vast and diverse country. The three goals shared are: democratization, sustainable economic growth, and  territorial integrity (Gelbard, 2000). Democratic government and economic well-being are the most effective guarantors of domestic stability. Potentially, the success of these three goals in Indonesia could translate into greater stability in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region. Indonesia’s Constraints of the Central Issue Indonesia’s main constraint to a successful future is the corruption that occurs throughout the country. It is said that although the dictator leadership has been removed, corruption is still very much alive throughout the entire legal system, including the police and prosecutors (Hill, 2013). Corruption occurs most commonly in Indonesia through the form of bribery. Although Indonesia does have anti-corruption policies and procedures in place, it is reported that the politically elite are included in bribery schemes so frequently that the policies and procedures lack any follow through. Additional constraints to achieving the countries goals and alleviating the central issues are: poor infrastructure, environmental disasters, and red tape for businesses. Alternatives to Alleviate the Central Issue While there are many potential paths that can be used as alternatives to alleviate the central issues in Indonesia, the following must be addressed: eliminating corruption, bettering the country’s infrastructure, and promote internal and external investment into the country. Beginning with eliminating corruption, as an alternative to allowing it to continue and negatively affect the political and economic divisions as it does today, the ideal would be to align supporters of the anti-corruption drive to help strengthen the policies and procedures and also help push out the offenders that are still participating in corruption. It is key to have political and legal participants who believe in the anti-corruption laws and are willing to enforce them for the good of the country. The second alternative to help alleviating the central issues in Indonesia would be focusing on bettering the infrastructure of the country. The conditions of the country are poor at best with horrible road systems and little to no access to electricity or modern sewage. Furthermore, the tsunami that hit the coast of Indonesia in late 2004 only made these matters worse (Hill, 2013). As  public investments to improve the country’s infrastructure have declined, so have private investments. Indonesia must create a budget to allow the public investments to begin to increase again to help stabilize the infrastructure of the country, and in turn will draw in private investments as well to assist with rebuilding the infrastructure of the country. Best Alternative, Most Chance and Greatest Success Stabilization and development in Indonesia should remain the primary focus in order to help alleviate the central issues of the country. The main alternative to address would be the corruption that occurs within Indonesia and implement policies to help reduce the bribery while monitoring and punish those who are participating in bribery acts. As Indonesia stands now, although there is already a drive to alleviate corruption but the political offices that do not support them continue to participate in bribery and other forms of corruption. According to estimations by the World Bank, their organization lost $48 billion to corruption in Indonesia between 1977 and 1997 (Quah, 2011). As the country begins implementing and correctly practicing anti-corruption laws and properly punishing offenders, the economy will begin to see a fluctuation in excess cash flow with will create a waterfall effect to help rebuild the economy and infrastructure of the country. Once the country begins showing signs of economic and political reform, the country itself will open up more opportunities to rebuild relationships with foreign investors, such as private investors in the oil industry that could potentially help Indonesia restore its status as an exporter of oil. Implementation Plan In the case of Indonesia and their turmoil at this point in time, it has been evaluated that there is not safe road to economic and political stability except economic development; rather a development program must be launched which will permit signification increases in per capita consumption over a short period of time, while at the same time accumulating capital and changing the structure of production so as to provide a permanent solution to the balance of payments problem and to launch a process of continuous economic growth (Higgins, 1957). The following are key components that must be address and repaired before Indonesia has any chance at being a  successful prosperous country. Lack of Political Will Low Risk of Detection and Punishment Low Wages of Civil Servants Expansive Role of Governments in National Development Asian Culture of Gift Giving Separated from Political Policies (Quah, 2011) First and foremost, Indonesia must eliminate the issue of corruption at the source: within the political parties. Indonesia exists in an environment having established anti-corruption laws with a single anti-corruption agency, limiting the consequences and punishment for acts of corruption. Indonesia must implement an action plan such as Singapore and Honk Kong SAR as they have succeeded in minimizing corruption and rebuilding their economy. Again, this would entail commitment of political leaders, updating policy context to be more favorable, and impartial implementation of effective anti-corruption measures. As the corruption issues begin to be regulated and stabilized, further development can be focused on within the country. Cash flow will be greater as less money will lost in bribery and will be able to be rerouted to development of the coutnry’s infrastructure. As Indonesia begins to rebuild its political and economic front, the country will become more appealing for international organizations. As private investments increase, one can anticipate that public and international investments will also increase. However, the â€Å"red tape† for business that are in placed now will need to be evaluated and potentially redefined to help streamline new business development in Indonesia. As the necessary changes are implemented, Indonesia will also be able to strengthen the exports of their natural resources. They will begin to rely less on imports as they rebuild their manufacturability, in turn increasing their exports as well as profit from exports. This again will be a funct ion of opportunity for foreign investment and will help strengthen foreign relationships for international business. All in all, without these measures being taken, Indonesia will remain a country in debt, run by corruption with a failing economy. These changes are required for a successful future for Indonesia both internally within the country and externally within foreign international business. References Gelbard, R. (2000). U.S. and Indonesia: Common Goals. The New York Times. Retrieved on January 12, 2014 from http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/20/opinion/20iht-edgelbard.2.t.html globalEdge. (2014). Retrieved on January 9, 2014 from http://globaledge.msu.edu/ Higgins, B. Howard. (1957). Indonesia’s economic stabilization and development. New York: Institute of Pacific Relations. Hill, C. (2013). International business: Competing in the Global Marketplace. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Quah, Jon S. T (2011). Curbing corruption in Asian countries: an impossible dream?. Bingley, UK: Emerald Group.

The Change of Video From Analog to the Digital

DVD is an exciting new technology because of the following benefits: up to nine hours of studio-quality video and multiple channel surround sound simultaneous multiple language support and interactivity other digital video delivery systems, including direct broadcast satellite, wireless cable and digital cable Digital video changes all aspects of video production. Up to this point video has been recorded and transmitted as analog electrical system. Analog video transmitters and receivers can be built inexpensively but are very expensive to transmit and store. Also, today ¡s strong digital computers cannot process analog signals, so analog information cannot be easily searched, sorted or edited. The change of video from the analog to the digital domain changes everything. Digital video can be stored and distributed more inexpensively than analog, and digital video can be stored on randomly accessible media such as a magnetic disk drive (hard discs), and optical disc media (CDs). When stored on randomly accessible media, video can be used in other applications such as games, education, training, and other applications. Even movies can become interactive, allowing viewers to select their point of view, a plot path and the ending. Digital video also significantly increases transmission efficiency so that communications networks, everything from television systems to telecommunication satellites, are able to carry from six to ten times more channels of video programming than was possible before, thereby offering more consumer choice. The ability to transmit video over the public phone network will also allow video conferencing, accelerating the work at home movement that is changing the way people are employed. DVDs can hold 4.7 to 17 billion bytes of digital data on a 120-mm (4.75 inch) disc. This can mean up to nine hours of studio quality video and multi-channel surround-sound audio, highly interactive multimedia computer programs, 30 hours of CD-quality audio, or anything else that can be represented as digital data. A DVD looks like a CD. It is a silvery platter, 4.75 inches in diameter with a hole in the center. Data is recorded on the disc in a spiral trail of tiny pits, and the discs are read using a laser beam. DVDs hold more information because the pits are smaller and the spiral is tighter and can record data in as many as four layers, two on each side of the disc. Lasers that have a shorter wavelength beam of light are more accurate aiming and focusing mechanisms. These are used to read the DVDs. In fact, the focusing mechanism is the technology that allows data to be recorded in two layers. To read the second layer, the reader focuses the laser deeper into the disc, where the second layer of data is recorded. Not only are two-layer discs possible, but double sided as well. This ability of four layers gives DVD its 17 gigabyte capacity. Since a 135-minute movie fits on a single DVD layer however, single-layer DVDs will be the most common. Philips was founded in 1891 by Gerald Philips in Eindhoven, the Netherlands as a manufacturer of incandescent lamps and other electronics. From its small beginning, Philips has emerged as one of today ¡s global leaders in electronics. As a thirty-nine billion-dollar company, Philips successfully competes in a wide range of markets such as consumer products, lighting, semiconductors, professional products and systems. Philips currently has a workforce of more than 250,000. The company has 243 production facilities scattered throughout twenty-five countries. Philips sells and services its products in 150 countries and their stock is traded in 16 stock exchanges in nine countries. The company presently has seven different product divisions and one hundred businesses in value based competitive analysis. Philips ranked first worldwide in lighting, color picture tubes, shavers, and dictation equipment. They are second in laser optics and monitors. The company is third among consumer electronics and medical imagining equipment. To maintain leadership in global markets through innovation, Philips reinvests 5.3% of its sales into research and development and has research laboratories in six countries. Through its commitment in research, Philips has come up with at least ten thousand inventions in field of optical recording, digital audio coding, digital video coding and mobile telephony. The company is a holder of 60,000 patents and design rights and almost 30,000 trademarks registrations. Philips possesses key patents in optical recording (CD-Audio, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-Video, DVD-ROM), digital audio coding (MPEG-2 audio compression) and mobile telephony (GMS and CDMA). Philips Magnavox was formed in 1974 when the two companies decided to join forces. Along with the Philips brand, there are several other name brands including, but not limited to, Marantz and Norelco. Philips Magnavox released the DVD400AT video player on April 30, 1997 at a retail price of $549. The new device allows for richer sound and video quality that was found  ¡V until then  ¡V only in movie theaters. In 1960 Akio Morita began Sony ¡s first major overseas venture in the United States in New York City with a capital investment of $500,000. They employed six people initially but would grow into one of the largest components of Sony ¡s worldwide operations. Currently, Sony Electronics, Inc. in North America has one-third of Sony ¡s corporate assets worldwide. They are the largest geographical operation of the corporation. They rake in some $9.6 billion sales on a given year and roughly $1.3 billion in exports. The North American plants employ a total of 24,000 people whose job range from manufacturing to customer service to research and development and marketing and sales. During the 1995 Consumer Electronics show, Sony debuted the first prototype DVD player in the United States. On January 8, 1997, Sony Electronics released their first DVD player at a retail price of about $1,000  ¡V a big difference from today ¡s $400 price tag. John Briesch, President of Sony Electronics A/V Group said,  ¡Ã‚ §We have designed our first DVD player, model DVP-S7000, as a high-end product to deliver not only reference-standard DVD video quality, but state-of-the-art CD sound as well. ¡ Panasonic introduced its first products into the U.S. market in 1961. The founder of its parent company  ¡V Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Co.  ¡V Konosuke Matsushita believed that  ¡Ã‚ §Matsushita makes people before it makes products. ¡ He basically believed that valuing employees first would lead to better quality products. It seems that his successors have carried out his vision because Panasonic continues to sell high quality products in the U.S. and abroad. The company currently employs 19,500 people in factories, sales companies, service centers and research facilities in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Mexico and Canada. Divx is the latest technology to revolutionize DVD players. Divx movies are synonymous with movie rentals in the sense they can be viewed for a set period of time (48 hours from the time of the initial playing). Unlike traditional movie rentals, Divx doesn ¡t have any late fees tacked on to the price. In addition, there are no late night trips to the video store to return movies. A Divx movie costs an average of $4.50, which includes an initial viewing time of forty-eight hours from the time of pressing the play button. After that time is up, an additional forty-eight hours can be purchased for $3.25. It is done through the internal modem to an 800 number and information is uploaded back to the CD on a very small chip. This can be repeated as often as the user likes. Also, a person may decide a movie on Divx is worth watching over and over. During this case, a Dixv can be converted into a movie that has unlimited playing time and is like a regular DVD movie. Technological and social/cultural shifts: With the advent of the DVD, more and more data can be stored on a single disc. In addition, the DVD is far more interactive than the traditional VHS tape. For example, on a DVD two or more languages can be stored. That couldn ¡t happen on a VHS tape because of limiting recording time. Furthermore, people don ¡t have to leave their house to watch a DVD. With the emergency of e-commerce on the Internet an individual can order a movie off of the web and have it delivered to the front door within days. This takes away from the social interaction with people that occurs in a store setting. People are able to use the DVD to learn another language. Take for instance a DVD that has superstar French-Canadian Celine Dion singing her various songs. One option in the program is to change the lyrics that are displayed on the screen to French. As Celine Dion sings in English, the words matching up to what she is singing are displayed on the bottom of the screen. This is an excellent way to learn another language. There are many different ways that are now being developed to copyright protect the movies, programs and videos etc. that are on the new DVDs. The three most common ways that were found to be used already to protect DVDs are: Regional coding, Content scrambling system and the Copy generation management system (CGMS). When you buy your first DVD drive and install it, you now have to enter the zone in which you live. The world is divided into six sections, with Canada and the United States as zone 1. The DVD disc also has its own codes that allow it to be played in certain parts of the world and not in others. This forces people that buy DVD discs in Zone 1 to also have to utilize discs that are coded for Zone 1. This prohibits movies that are produced in other Zones from being used where they should not be. The code can however be changed on your DVD drive. The code can only be changed a couple of times, thus prohibiting people from changing the code constantly and abusing the protection. It allows the user to change the code a couple of times so that if they move to a different zone they will not be penalized. The second type of encryption is called the Content Scrambling System. (CSS) This is a key-based data encryption that  ¡Ã‚ §sets up a protocol whereby your drive and the disc exchange keys. ¡ The keys are legal, registered mechanism of the Content Scrambling System. Any hardware that is sold or brought into different zones must be registered. When the keys are found to be authentic, then the DVDs can be decrypted. The third type of protection comes from the VCR technology that we are all very familiar with. The Copy Generation Management System is the technology that makes it impossible to copy two videos between two VCRs with a good resolution and brightness. This system works by embedding a signal in a part of the video that is not usually seen by the user. This signal causes the brightness of the video to vary and for the picture to be unreliable. This same technology has been implemented for use with DVDs. Although it seems possible that some people may be able to overcome these copyright traps, the user has to have at least an 8, 10 or 17 GB hard drive.

Social Learning Theory and TV Violence essays

Social Learning Theory and TV Violence essays DON-RAY TV Violence on Children In the United States children watch an average of three to fours hours of television daily (Cantor and they identify with certain characters, good or bad. Therefore, extensive viewing of television violence by children causes greater aggressiveness (Rosenthal, 1986). Typically, children begin watching television at a very early age, sometimes as early as six months, and are fervent viewers by the time that they are two or three years old (Murray, 1997). The amount of time that American children spend watching TV is remarkable, an average of four hours a day, 28 hours a week, 2,400 hours a year, nearly 18,000 hours by the time they graduate from high school (Chen, 1994, p.23). In comparison, they spend a mere 13,000 hours in school, from kindergarten through twelfth grade (Chen, 1994). It appears children spend more time watching TV than any other activity. Studies have shown that children, in the hours between school and dinnertime, spend nearly 80 percent of the time watching television (Chen, 1994). Children living in poverty watch even more television than average some up to seven hours a day. By the time a poor child graduates from high school, he or she may have watched as many as 22,000 hours of TV (Chen, 1994). Bandura, (1973) indicates that sometimes, watching a single violent program can increase aggressiveness. Children who watch television shows in which violence is very realistic, frequently repeated or unpunished, are more likely to imitate ...

Russian Revolution ( Grade level 10) essays

Russian Revolution ( Grade level 10) essays Modern day Russia is sitll torn by the remineants of the its past. Before the recent establishment of the Republic of Russia, the land was controled by Soviet rule. However the Soviets within themselves were also fairly young as a governement. The Beggining of communist rule started around 1917, but had it roots since the turn of the century. The Czars of Russia had grown corrupt and inefficiant. While the working peoples were starving, the Upper classes were enjoying themselves despite the collapsing economy and governement. Eventually it all broke through and the Czar and his family were slaughtered along with other leaders. Even after that, though there was a Civil War wich would determine who would rule Russia for the next century. The main influencer of the Revoltuion was a philospher names Carl Marx who wrote the Communist Manifesto. The Communist Menifesto stated how c government could be ran in an ideal way with no class systems, where all people are equal and work just as as hard as another does. Marx envisioned a system were work was equally distributed as was the fruits and the enitre community contributed to every persons needs and welfare, this system was known as communism. However, idealolgy is not reality, corrutption and the need for leadership would often cause the rise of communist and socialist governments to become starving police states with no freedom. Russia was possibly an acception to this common rule. An industrial revolution shortly after the explusion of the empirialist leaders helped to launch the newly founded and reformed nation into a world power almost over night. The origins of the revolution date far back to be recored but were not influential until the few years before it started. By 1914, Russia was economically backwards only just beginning to industrialize while the rest of the world was already well developed. The vast majority of Russia's population were peasants and the political sy...

The Coffered Ceiling in Architecture and Your Home

The Coffered Ceiling in Architecture and Your Home A coffered ceiling is a pattern of indentations or recesses in an overhead surface. In architecture, a coffer is a sunken panel in a ceiling, including the interior surfaces of domes and vaults. If a surface is coffered, it is not smooth. The architectural detail has been popular since Renaissance architects imitated Classical Roman techniques. Modernist architects often play with the depth and shape of the coffer. Key Takeaways: Coffered Ceilings A coffered ceiling is a series of indentations or hollows on the surface of a ceiling. Coffered ceilings decoratively hide ceiling imperfections and create the illusion of height. Historically, the design is considered dignified and formal.Simple coffered ceilings are created by crisscrossing beams that create geometric patterns, usually squares or rectangles. The word coffer comes from the ancient Greek word kophinos, which means basket. The Latin word for basket, cophinus, was adopted by the old French to mean various types of hollowed containers. The words coffer, a chest or strongbox to hold money, and coffin, a box for the dead, are both French derivations. The Latin word capsa, meaning box, evolved into the words caisson (an ammunition chest) and casket (same as coffin). Caisson ceiling is another term used to describe this type of ceiling hollow. The Chinese name for this type of ceiling, zaojing, means a well for plants that grow in water. The Latin word lacus, meaning lake or basin of water, is also used for this type of sunken panel (lacunar) ceiling. Coffers have been used in ceilings for centuries. Sometimes they were used to disguise the architectural engineering, where one beam or brace would be structurally necessary but others were built neaby for visual symmetry and to hide the necessary beam. Although hollows are sometimes used for structural weight distribution, coffers have always been used decoratively. Historically, a coffered ceiling can make a room look larger and more regal, as it does in the Palace of Versaille. Coffered ceilings are sometimes called caisson ceilings, plafond caissons, lacunaria, cross-beamed ceilings, and zaojing. Sometimes the English refer to these ceilings as coffer ceilings but never cougher ceilings. Coffered ceilings are found throughout architecture, from the Pantheon in Rome to the mid-century modern residence called Sunnylands at Rancho Mirage, California. The architect of Sunnylands used coffers inside and outside, to visually connect interior spaces with the outdoors. Exterior Detail at Sunnylands. The Greater Southwestern Exploration Company via flickr.com, Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) cropped Coffers are not to be confused with latticework, a particularly important element in Islamic architecture. Like coffers, lattice is created with crisscrossed building materials, often pieces of wood, but lattice is arranged in decorative patterns to allow air through screens and windows, as in mashrabiya and jali. Coffered ceilings also should not be confused with the popular tray ceilings found in many large suburban homes. A tray ceiling is often a feature that enlarges a small kitchen or dining room without manipulating the footprint of the room. A tray ceiling has one, large sunken area in the ceiling, like one coffer, or an inverted tray. Creating Coffers Coffers are the sunken geometric areas in a ceiling, but most ceilings begin as a flat surface. Where do the coffers come from? Coffers can be created in at least two ways: (1) place a roof beam or crossbeam framework that naturally creates a space between the beams - the space appears sunken because the beams protrude; or (2) remove ceiling material, as you would carving a hole, or press into a flat surface to create an indentation, as you might create a sunken imprint into uncured concrete. Choosing the first method will take away ceiling height. Choosing the second method gains extra space for the rooms overall volume. Most coffered ceilings are created using the first method carried out in different ways. Unfinished Coffered Ceiling. Brian Moloney The Finishing Company Richmond via flickr.com, Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) cropped Creating the design framework can be handcrafted by a carpenter like Brian Moloney, owner of The Finishing Company in the Richmond, Virginia area. Maloney is a finish carpenter, but that doesnt mean he comes from Finland. In fact, he comes from Ireland. Finishing is just one of the many carpentry skills of a master carpenter. Coffered Ceiling Built by Brian Moloney, Finish Carpenter from Ireland. Brian Moloney The Finishing Company Richmond via flickr.com, Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) cropped An easier drop ceiling method is often used by commercial developers, manufacturers, and do-it-yourselfers (DIYs). Companies such as Classic Coffers can be hired to install a grid (sometimes beneath a fixed ceiling), then the panel coffers are placed within the grid. These arent the tacky looking drop ceilings of your grandmothers basement. A coffered drop ceiling can be created to look exactly like the wood finishing of a master carpenter. Only Brian Moloney could tell the difference. The DIY may buy a box of polystyrene foam tiles - faux tin like tiles - that purportedly can be installed right over Pop Corn ceiling. Its your choice. A less well-known method of creating coffers is offered by none other than Michelangelo. The Renaissance master manipulated the illusion of space with trompe loeil, a painting technique that tricks the eye into believing a certain reality. Michelangelo used his artistic skills to paint many of the three-dimensional moldings and crossbeams, creating the illusion of coffers in the most famous ceiling of all time, the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, Rome. Which is wood and which is paint? Detail of Sistine Chapel Ceiling by Michelangelo. Fotopress/Getty Images (cropped) Photo Credit Tray Ceiling, irina88w/Getty Images

Assignments 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Assignments 1 - Essay Example The company just arrived in North Sea fields several years ago. By the time LINK650 was setting up in North Sea fields, there was so much excitement about the arrival. This prompted many job seekers to apply for various technical and non-technical jobs within the company. One of the lucky people to have gotten the chance to work for LINK650 as a non-technical employee was Shaun O’Neil. Specifically, O’Neil was given a drilling job, which was dangerous but well-paying and with more time off. Having being selected among a pool of many applicants, O’Neil and his colleagues at LINK650 were so happy and enthusiastic about their new jobs. To them, this represented a great opportunity to showcase their talents, apply their knowledge, and gain some income. The new hires were initially pleased with the recruitment process that was used in selecting them. O’Neil was particularly impressed by the recruitment team because they showed concern about their welfare while working in the oil drills. It is only later on that it emerged that the recruiters were actually hired from a consulting firm with specialization in recruitment and hiring. Apparently, O’Neil and his colleagues had not actually met or interacted with any manager from the LINK Company during the entire recruitment and selection period. Just after a few months of starting work, real problems began to emerge. Although some of the new non-technical hires had previous experience on oil fields, they were shocked to find that the experience they found at LINK650 was not close to what they had anticipated. Their welfare and safety as employees working in dangerous conditions were not taken care of. They had to work under dirty and very cold conditions. This caused some of the employees to resign. As if that was not enough, the supervisors in the company were too harsh on the new hires. They treated the employees badly by being abusive blatantly