Photograph of the Demolition of the Crystal Palace, 1936 Essay

Photograph of the Demolition of the Crystal Palace, 1936 The Crystal Palace designed by Joseph Paxton stood for eighty-five years. It succumbed to fire "at six o'clock on the evening of 30th November 1936" (Beaver, 141). A fire was discovered in the staff lavatory, and within minutes the whole structure was ablaze. The spectacular building was engulfed in fire as it dissolved into just a skeleton of its former structure. Paxton used innovative methods of construction on the Crystal Palace, greatly influenced by the bridge and train shed construction of the day. With the introduction of iron elements, architects could be more creative, and more "modern" with their designs, straying from classical precedents. Paxton, with engineers Fox and Henderson, "created what amounted to a giant greenhouse, which was fabricated of little more then panes of glass and iron-and-wood framework" (Hyman & Trachtenberg, 482). It was predicted that the building would require a staggering amount of new materials: "900,000 square feet of glass," "3,300 iron columns; 2,224 girders; and 205 miles of sashbars" (Hobhouse, 39). The use of standardized, prefabricated materials helped to revolutionize architectural methods, prompting other designers to follow Paxton's lead. The Galerie des Machines and the Eiffel Tower built for the Paris 1889 Fair both implemented the light, airy method of iron construction. The grand exhibition building was constructed out of prefabricated elements that were easily erected and could be disassembled when the exhibition was over. The Crystal Palace was first built in Hyde Park, the site of the Great Exhibition of 1851, where it stood for one year. After the fair, it was decided that the building would be taken down and... ...ew of the sculptures added by Paxton and Cole to decorate the park (Beaver, 146). Thanks to personal photographs and private collections such as that of the University of Maryland we are able to get a glimpse of an architectural and social icon. Works Cited Beaver, Patrick. The Crystal Palace, 1851-1936: a portrait of Victorian enterprise. London, Hugh Evelyn Ltd., 1970. Cowper, Charles. The building erected in Hyde Park for the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, 1851. London: Victoria and Albert Museum. 1972. Hobhouse, Christopher. 1851 and the Crystal Palace; being an account of the Great Exhibition and its contents; of Sir Joseph Paxton; and the erection, the subsequent history and the destruction of his masterpiece. London, Murray, 1950. Hyman, Isabelle; Trachtenberg, Marvin. Architecture. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc. 1986.

Foster Care Essay examples -- non-parental custodians

Foster Care INTRODUCTION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An ideal environment for the social, emotional, and developmental growth of children does not always exist in today’s society. Family units that have become separated due to family or behavior problems often contribute to delays in these areas. In order to promote continuity in the social, emotional, and developmental growth of children who have been victims of family disruption, children are often removed from the home and placed in foster care. Placement in the foster care system affects children in a unique, individual fashion. The affects of child-care by non-parental custodians, though subjective in nature, have common parameters that must be addressed and examined. Understanding foster care placement is crucial in order to fully evaluate both its advantages and disadvantages. WHAT IS FOSTER CARE?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, â€Å"Foster care means 24-hour substitute care for all children placed away from their parents or guardians and for whom the State agency has placement and care responsibility.† Though this definition excludes children in privately funded foster care arrangements, placement in a facility not governed by a state agency is often sought for children. Placement with either a state agency or a privately funded program can either be short-term lasting several months, or extend for a period of years as in long-term placement. The duration of time spent in the foster care system is dependent upon the existing home environment and the ability of the caregivers in the home to provide a safe and nurturing environment for the child. An evaluation of both the present and pre-existing home environment is crucial in making the decision of whether to remove the child from foster care and reunite them with their parental custodians or to continue placement in the foster care system. FOSTER CARE PLACEMENT   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Though it is difficult to separate a child from his parental custodians, foster care placement is deemed necessary in situations of abuse or neglect. Severe behavioral problems on the part of the child as well as a variety of parental problems, including abandonment, illness (either physical or emotional), incarcerations, alcohol/substance abuse, and death, are also reasons deemed legitimate to warrant removal from the home. A child, who has been sub... ... has been victimized in his or her home environment. It can, however, with proper placement, provide a safe and nurturing environment that will encourage self-growth and self-achievement. The ultimate goal of foster care placement is reunification with the family. Plans must be implemented so that this goal can be achieved. The problems leading to foster care placement need to be rectified before a safe return home is possible. Failure to fully assess the situation will reap only negative results and problems may escalate. The welfare of the child must be the primary concern. BIBLIOGRAPHY Berrier, Selena. â€Å"The Effects of Grief and Loss on Children in Foster Care.† Fostering   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Perspectives. November 2007. Conn, R. A. â€Å"Developmental Issues for Young Children in Foster Care.† Pediatrics.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5 November 2004. Hueber, Ruth A. â€Å"The Effects of Foster Care on Children.† Child Welfare Research.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  9 November 2005. Marshner, Connie. â€Å"Reform the Nation’s Foster Care System.† Family Research Council.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  10 January 2008. Stewart, Gordon. â€Å"Safety and Stability for Foster Children: A Developmental   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Perspective.† Journal of Pediatrics. February 2007.

Respect for Tradition

Respect for tradition Cultural differences In order to respect the tradition of India, Union Carbide should have done an investigation of Indian cultural values (Robertson and Fadil, 1998). It is possible that firms even within the same industry develop different values and traditions and the analysis of cultural differences permit to decrease the number of misunderstanding (Donaldson, 1989). One of the most important traits of Indian culture is the fatalism. The Indian population is very spiritual with the notions of karma, fate or destiny. According to them, everything happen for a reason and this way of thinking is significant in decision making in their personal life or within an organisation (Elder, 1966). Fatalism has an impact on two Hofstede’s dimensions. Power distance is defined as a degree of inequality among people of the community (Thomas, 2008). Hofstede (2009) found that India is a country with a high power distance which means that they accept unequal power and wealth. Indians think that people on the top were destined to be on the top so they accepted their decisions due to the fatalism philosophy. However, the power distance in United States is relatively low (Hofstede, 2009). Uncertainty avoidance represents the extent to which people are frustrated by unstructured and unpredictable situations (Thomas, 2008). India has low uncertainty avoidance (Hofstede, 2009). In fact, they prefer few rules as possible and less structures activities. In addition, they are not scared of the unknown and want to take risks. Fatalism emphasises the belief that people do not have the control of every situations (Elder, 1966). United States is also low in uncertainty avoidance (Hofstede, 2009). According to Hofstede research, both India and the U. S are masculine which means that the society accepts values like assertiveness, performance, success and competition (Thomas, 2008). Individualism/ collectivism is defined as the degree to which people in a country prefer to act as individuals rather than members of groups (Thomas, 2008). India tends to be collectivist while United States are highly individualistic (Hofstede, 2009). After analysing Hofstede cultural dimensions between India and U. S, it is worth noting that there exist differences between the two countries. Union Carbide would have examined the Indian cultural values before doing business in the country. This could have avoided the Bhopal’s disastrous. According to Donaldson, it is important for communities to self-define the aspect of their business morality and in this case, Union Carbide would have been aware and accepted it in order to respect the Indian tradition. This is called the moral free space. Usually, business communities develop ethical norms which represent a collective viewpoint concerning deals and the right behaviour to adopt when making them (Donaldson, 1999). The respect of tradition could be in contrast with core human values Donaldson considers that companies have to respect traditions of country where they work; nevertheless, sometimes these traditions could be in contrast with the core human values. As already mentioned, India is a country with high power distance. For example, in Bhopal, the municipal authorities were against the continued use of the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) plant at its original location (Shrivastava, 1987). The plant site was for commercial or light industrial use but not for hazardous industries. However, as UCIL was a powerful company in India, the central and state government authorities rejected the city’s objection and authorised the company to stay at its location (Bennett et al. 2005). Everybody accepted it and this decision was final. Even if the hierarchical system is accepted in India, Union Carbide could not have respected this tradition because it is in contradiction with the respect of individual’s basic rights. The government did not protect the individual’s rights because the plant was about two miles from the Bhopal railway station, local commercial activities and two slum colonies were located across the street from the Union Carbide plant (Shrivastava, 1987). So, in order to support and protect the Indian’s right, Union Carbide could not have respected this tradition. Uncertainty avoidance is relatively low in India and it is worth explaining its consequences on the Bhopal plant. The working environment of the plant tolerated negligence and a lack of safety consciousness among workers and managers (Shrivastava, 1987). This behaviour is not only in contrast with the respect of human dignity concept but also with the individual basic rights. In fact, the employees’ low morale jeopardised the population’s health and safety.

A Look at Mr. John Oakhurst Essay

Most situations require a leader, like the Governor in New Jersey during the recent hurricane. The Governor made choices that he thought would help better the people. Overall the mayor just wanted to protect and lead the people of New Jersey. Another example of leadership like what occurred in Jersey was a simple man by the name of John Oakhurst. John was also put to the test having to make decisions trying to help lead and protect the other people that were with him. In Bret Harte’s short story â€Å"The Outcasts of Poker Flat,† John Oakhurst was a respectful gentleman, a truly unselfish man, and most of all a leader at heart all along. Mr. John Oakhurst was a very respectful gentleman in multiple situations. While the group was making their trek out of the town, John made an odd decision. He had a perfect riding horse name Five Spot and he gave it to the Duchess so she would have a better trip. Along the trail leading out to nowhere Mr. Oakhurst saw a young man he once won money from. â€Å"He then handed him his money back, pushed him gently from the room, and so made a devoted slave of Tom Simson† (Harte 509). This shows that he was trying to do be a nice gentleman and do the right thing. There was plenty of things that John did for the people that showed that he was truly unselfish. â€Å"When the body of Mother Shipton had been committed to the snow, Mr. Oakhurst took the Innocent aside, and showed him a pair of snowshoes, which he had fashioned from an old pack saddle† (Harte 513). This was a deed that probably took a good bit of time away from other needed chores. Mr. Oakhurst also knew that he was going to try and help get the boy out of there and that he wouldn’t be coming back. Since he knew that he wouldn’t be back he went around and got enough firewood to last a few days for the Duchess and Piney. He was just trying to do what any other unselfish and caring man would do to try and help someone. John really made some choices after they set off on their trip from town, that most people would be to unsure to make. When Uncle Billy decided to set off on the horses and leave everyone else to suffer. â€Å"He ran to the spot where the mules had been tethered—they were no longer there† (Harte 510). Instead of telling them the truth that he ran, John told them that Billy had just wandered off camp and stampeded the animals. John told them this so that everyone would stay calm and not worry. Mr. Oakhurst also ration the food supply to make it last as long as possible. John made sure to keep watch other them to protect them. John Oakhurst really was a true leader at heart. Many hardships were faced during the short story â€Å"The Outcasts of Poker Flat†. Most situations need a leader like the people in the story did. John was there to help them in any way he could. Mr. Oakhurst was there to protect and lead the fellow outcasts. John was trying to do the same thing as the Governor of New Jersey. They were both just trying to do the right thing. Helping the people in any way that they could was there prime concern, no matter if it hurt them in the end.

Research paper on Ethnomusicology Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

On Ethnomusicology - Research Paper Example The CD is one that fuses the Turkish pop scene into a sense of both cultural traditions and modern techniques to create a contemporary style to the rich culture of history. The instrumentation which is used to complete this style includes mandolin, large percussion sections, violins, guitar and a pop beat for the background sound (Putomayo Presents 2011). Musical Style The musical style of both CDs follows the traditional format of the origins of the groups while carrying influences by the rock and Western style of music. The style is then combined with specific sounds that are able to show the content attributed to each area. The attempt made by both artist groups working toward a fusion sound. For instance, in the song, La Difference, there is a fusion of the African and Western instruments. Electrical guitar is used throughout the piece, as well as a background of piano. There is also a pop-rock beat that is used as a secondary part of the rhythm to create stronger movement. The s ong also uses the phrase â€Å"Love is Serabande† in the chorus. This combines the culture of English, French and African cultures, all which are known in the region that Keita has recorded. All of the CD songs follow this same influence, similar to the group of The Middle East. The musical style of Turkish Groove shows the same contemporary influences. The violin serenades and background, mandolin which is used and the strong percussion line are all a part of the Turkish traditional music. This is the strongest part of the songs that are played. This is combined with the Turkish singing that is attributed to singing in the Turkish language. However, there is a back beat that is... The approaches that are now being taken with music combine the concept of fusion with a cultural context. The individual experiences, political and cultural approaches all make a difference in how artists are expressing their music. However, this is combined with a fusion of sounds that are influencing the globe and changing the approach many have to music. More important, there is the ability to have universal themes that artists are interested in, all which are displayed with the individual and political tensions that the artists are aware of and which creates the main similarities used in the music. When looking at the artists of Keita and Putomayo Presents, it can be seen that cultural influences drive forward the music. However, the themes of ending war, re-looking boundaries and of finding peace remain the same for both groups.

BlackBerry - Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

BlackBerry - Report - Essay Example In 2010, it had a market share of 43% in the United States of the American market. However, in the recent years, the market share of the company has dramatically faced a precipitous decline. The steep decline has been due to the intense competition from the Google’s Android and Apple’s iPhones. For this reason, the blackberry company’s market share in the United States personal consumer market only, was trimmed down to 3.8% in the year 2013. However, on other markets other than the United States private consumer market, the products have had a healthy market trend. In September, the same year, the company authenticated an intent letter to be acquired by the United States ($4.7 billion or US $9 per share). It was through a consortium led by Fairfax Financial that then announced its plan to take the company private. Later on November 4, of the same year, the deal was wiped in favor of US $1 billion. At the moment, the majority of the remaining value of the company lies in innovation. A number of different factors influence the company’s competitive position. However, the company’s greatest challenge in the coming months or years will be to prove to business and consumers that they can match the current Android, Apple and the coming up Microsoft juggernauts that seem to be evading into the distance ahead with their consumers. Reports by Marukawa (2010) detail that in the past months, Blackberry smartphones have gone from being the once dominant smartphones in the market to becoming marginal player in most markets. It has resulted to the company suffering significant losses. The company is losing out to the current iPhone and android mobile handsets. Blackberry launched its tablet, and the Blackberry playbook a year after the iPad, first generation. To blackberry, this was one of the moments that proved to be extremely disastrous. The playbook did not sell as

Monitoring Synaptic Function at the Neuromuscular Junction of a Essay

Monitoring Synaptic Function at the Neuromuscular Junction of a MouseExpressing SynaptopHluorin - Essay Example 5422). Selection of the neuromuscular junction of a mouse however came with a number of challenges for the researchers and this generally affected the tone of the research as the researchers were forced to â€Å"created a transgenic mouse (Bozza et al., 2004; Li et al., 2005; Wyatt and Balice-Gordon, 2005, 2006) that expresses spH at the NMJ† (Lucia et al., 2007, p. 5422). The researchers therefore based their work on the characterization of a number of hidden and unexpected properties of the phenotype of the synapse. Techniques used Four major techniques for data collection into the proof of the hypothesis set were used. These were vector construction, acute experimental conditions, generation transgenic of mouse and image analysis. Each of these techniques was used at different levels and for different purposes. This means that the techniques were not used simultaneously. With the vector constructions for instance, the transgenic vector known to be pThy1-SynaptopHluorin was obtained. The researchers used a method that had earlier been used by Ng et al., (2002), which subcloned a 1 kb EcoRI-SmaI fragment from pCiNeo-VAMP-superecliptic. This technique and the generation transgenic of mouse that followed it were important because it set the pace for the researchers to have an ideal clone that would perfectly fit the place of the transgenic mouse they created in terms of characteristics. Under the acute experimental conditions, the researchers made an attempt towards the actual goal by getting to the nerve-muscle of the mouse whereby they dissected the levator auris nerve–muscle (Lucas et al., 2007, p. 5424). The dissection was done based on the work of Katz et al., (1996). This particular technique was highly necessary in setting the pace for stimulus trains, which were delivered at 100 Hz. This was the work that had been previously done in conjunction with Bernard Katz. Through the work, they argued that ions became neutrally charged when combined with a lipid soluble carrier. This paradigm also predicted that any current that is incoming, has to be preceded by a flow of lipid carriers, which have to be outgoing. They therefore concluded that the justification of this is that the ions were being attracted through a charge-biased selective pathway, which, to overcome the membrane potential, had to perform work (Lucia et al. 5422). Data-base review of key findings The data collected from the experiment gave very new but equally important information on the neuromuscular junction of the mouse. This new information had to do with the fact that there is large size of the nerve terminals of the mouse that generally makes it possible to undertake spatial properties of exocytosis. A number of existing researches and findings were also confirmed in this research by Lucas et al (2007). For instance studies by Hodgkin-Huxley, which had earlier been conducted on the neurology of membrane current is largely confirms in the current resear ch. Scientifically, the Hodgkin-Huxley studies have been instrumental for the prediction of biological mechanisms, which would otherwise not have been detectable by the use of the contemporary techniques. Their original studies have triggered further research, as well as the development of simplified models of reaction diffusion. The studies by Hodgkin and Huxley awarded them a Nobel Prize in physiology in 1963. The study had both dependent and