How different was Sparta from other Greek states Essay

How different was Sparta from other Greek states - Essay Example It became one of the most prominent military-based lands in 650 BC. This is where the kingdom of Sparta was based. Sparta was the most skilful land for its well known military warfare. This essay explains the most significant differences of Sparta and other Greek states. Sparta was the prominent state which rose in Lacedaemon. The state was situated far from the coastline unlike other states, which were situated near coastline. The description includes the important factors that led the important states of Greece to rise with a different form of ruling by Sparta. Athens and Sparta were the two strongest states in Greece between 900 BC and 192 BC (Bremmer and Erskine, 2010, p.128). Both the states were located in city of Greece had completely different genres. Spartans came from the descendants of invaders of Dorian and Athens comprised its population from the Ionians. They had completely different life-style structure. Their governing system, educational system, trading methods and military structures differed in many ways. The most important factor which caused the difference between Sparta and other states was the governing system. Spartan government was an oligarchy; their ruling style was military based. They had very strong military base in the entire Greece. Spartan women gave birth to very strong child, they were taught to be tough unlike other states (Salisbury, 2001, p.330). The children were trained to struggle from a very small age so that they can be the strongest in a battle field. Spartan kingdom comprised a population of about 100,000, but the most important factor was all 100,000 had the skill of self defence and they knew how to fight. They cannot be referred as brutal because the entire population including men and women supported the way the government was set-up. For any deformed child or weak child there was no

LEGO Case Study - Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

LEGO Case Study - Strategic Management - Essay Example In the 80-year history of the company, the last fifteen years or so have been one of happenings periods in the history of company. From its peak in the mid 90s to a serious slump in the late 1990s and early 2000s and then from that to a period of recovery and dominance, the period of 1995-2009 has many stories to tell for Lego (Ireland, Hoskisson & Hitt, pp. 85-89, 2008). Problems for the company started somewhere in the 1990s but they did not made the headlines or even got the attention of the top management of the company till 1998 when the company incurred its first loss on its income statement in its entire history. Lego got back on the track of making profits during 2001 and 2002 but that was primarily because of the deals with Harry Potter franchise and when no Harry Potter movie was released during 2003, the company’s sales decreased by 26 percent and 20 percent in the subsequent year (The Lego Group, 2012). Furthermore, the company posted a record loss of over 240 mill ion US dollars and rumors started in the market that Mattel would soon takeover Lego (Lewis, pp. 21-23, 2011). There were many reasons behind the declining market share of the company. First, the toy industry was going through a similar revolution and competitive outburst as of the airline industry. Many competitors with low cost and claiming to be high quality, entered into the market to disrupt the equilibrium. For example, a Canadian toy company, Megabloks was instrumental in removing Lego toys from many shelves because not only it was of lower price to attract the customers but also even the retailers were paid with higher profit margins. Second, many of the customers of the company that were young boys were being more attracted to computer games and video games during that time thus decreasing the sales even further. Third, Lego’s main operations were in Denmark, which was high cost economy with long supply chains and many supplies. In fact, it at one point in time, Lego had more suppliers than Boeing had to build aircrafts (Ireland, Hoskisson & Hitt, pp. 85-89, 2008). Strategies In order to understand the strategies used by Lego during the period of 1995-2009, we will have to divide the period between two sub-periods of 1998-2003 and 2004-2009 since the company shifted its strategy during the period. First period (1998-2003) During the first period of 1998-2003 and even before that, Lego was following an aggressive policy of product development. Lego was constantly trying to improve its existing products with bringing new variations. The mindset of the company’s strategists was that by providing more product variations, they would force the customers to spend more and new variations would bring more and new customers into the loop (Bender, pp. 55, 2010). In fact, it appeared that somehow Lego was trapped in the product orientation, one of the five marketing orientations. In it, the prime focus and expectation of the company was on improving the current products, bringing more colour, designs and variations hoping that would make the customers stay and even become ready to pay a premium for Lego’s products (Ireland, Hoskisson & Hitt, pp. 85-89, 2008). Secondly, this was a period where Lego engaged in many strategic partners with Harry Potter, Disney and other franchises in an attempt to co-brand their products. In fact, this was the prime reason why Lego was able to show some profit during these years (The Lego Group, 2012). Second

An Activity For Enjoyment Children And Young People Essay

An Activity For Enjoyment Children And Young People Essay Play defined as an activity for enjoyment. Children and babies develop language and social skills through reading books and play. Through play and reading books, children develop maturity and socialization. These social activities will enhance their physical development, cognitive development and psychosocial development. I will be going to talk about how Dora the Explorer television program I have chosen helps the children to influence their physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development through play. How to read books to children enhances language development and language skills for children with using different reading strategies. Finally, I will be explaining the knowledge of play and language development for babies and children that may influence my future practice as a health professional. Child supporters must consider all factors that interfere with optimal development and provide circumstances that allow each child to obtain fully the advantages associated with play and r eading. Play is the most important part of the childs development. Play allows the children to enhance their physical development, psychosocial development and cognitive development. Most parents see cartoons with their children as a way to help their child learn. I have watched many children television program like blues clues, the go show, and Dora the explorer, to understand how these television programs get children to contact with aspects of life. Dora the explorer is an animated childrens television show. Dora the explorer show programmed to engage preschooler activities in a play-along, computer-style adventure. Dora the explorer is an example of physical development. Physical development focuses on the physical growth and the development of both gross motor skills (e.g. walking, jumping) and fine motor skills (e.g. Finger movements, eye coordination) control of the body. Dora the explorer on-screen character talking to the child encourage the child to take part, label objects, songs and dance actions allows for movements with control and coordination. Dora the explorer animated also influences the cognitive development theory, cognitive theory is a change and stability in mental ability such as learning, thinking, and memory. The Dora the explorer allows the children to think of a way to get to their destination so this helps children gaining knowledge and solving problem in daily life, which enhances their memory capability. Television provides the children with a valuable tool at home for great learning. Another theory is influences psychosocial development by Erik Erikson to get through the idea of personality. Watching and learning from on screen shows allow children to gain knowledge of social learning theory; this enhances their self-esteem, learning about the culture and society and teaches them how to interact with people. Children learn from TV shows how and when to show the emotions. These allow the children to encourage self-awareness about the world around them. Reading books to young children is the best way to promote language development and language skills like speaking, reading, and listening. Reading books to children at home can encourage their reading skills. Books should have something like shapes, short stories, pictures that children will find interesting, enjoyable, and fun. This will help develop a sense of reader appreciation. When children have books in their home, they are more likely to sit down and read them. Parents can and should encourage an appreciation for reading. When reading a book to child the reader needs to keep few things in mind for better result. The books you choose for the children need to be short and simple, attractive, use appropriate language, speak clearly, slowly, and use expression. Reading books to children that influence the social learning theory by Albert bandura. In social learning theory Albert Bandura (1977) states behavior is learned from the environment through the process of observational le arning. Children observe the people around them behaving in various ways (McLeod, 2011). Children learn many different ways, some learn quickly by visibly for example books that got colors, picture, and shapes with it and some learn verbally for example- imitating the expression and words. Using various techniques to enhance language development, tunes of the voice and getting them to turn the page that influences the theory of positive reinforcement. If imitated behaviors and consequence are satisfying so the child is likely to perform behaviors. If parents are encouraging and giving them positive feedback then the behavior is likely to repeat as it provides the child with strengths. Simply using booking reading tool at home helps them learn. Book reading is good for a childs development to gain imagination. Children are very sensitive. We need to handle them with care. So far, the information I have gained through the education of play and language development of babies and children provided me with a greater understanding that could influence my future practice as a health professional. Skills that I have gained from the knowledge of reading books to children are to create an environment that allows children to understand their personality, which will help children to be more interactive. As a health professional, I build a warm and open environment for children to bring out their ideas. In order to achieve my nursing practice do this use the techniques like distractions, communication, and education. Conversation with children, asking questions with slow pace and allowing them to answer. This will enhance their understanding while mine. The skills I learned from the play are that children are very attractive colors, toys etc. by using play to help nursing practice can enable you me to complete difficult tasks with children like taking medicine, I can get the child to cat like a super hero and be strong and asking them to stand straight like a strong soldier. These skills can help me to build a relationship when I am working or handling kids. Building a relationship creates an environment where children feel secure take risks. In my conclusion, play is a cherished part of childhood that offers children important developmental benefits and parents the opportunity to engage fully with their children. Influence their physical development, Cognitive development and psychosocial development. Play allows children to learn new things and to understand the world around them. Reading Books is another important aspect to enhance their development. Reading books to children will help children gain language skills. I have gained many skills that can be relevant or may influence my nursing practice as a health professional .The knowledge of children and babies and about their play and book reading. I learned many techniques that will make my nursing practice easier when I have to assess children and babies. Techniques like distracting children into something, communicating. Communicating likes having a conversation about their favorite shows and asking them questions.

Polyethylene :: Polymer Plastic

German Chemist Hans von Pechmann first synthesized Polyethylene by accident in 1898 by heating diazomethane. His colleagues characterized the waxy substance polyethylene due to the fact that they recognized that it consisted of long ethene chains. It was then first industrially synthesized by accident in 1933 by applying extremely high pressure to ethylene and benzaldehyde. Over the years, development of polyethylene has increased due to the additions of catalyst. This makes ethylene polymerization possible at lower temperatures and pressures.1 Polyethylene is a polymer that is made of a long chain of CH2 monomers bonded together. It is one of the most commonly used polymers in everyday items. Grocery bags, soap bottles, children’s toys, and even bullet proof vests are all made from polyethylene.2 This polymer is very versatile and can be used in many materials but this all depends on the way that the polymer is chemically made or enhanced. There are many different types of polyethylene classified by density and branching. 2 Higher density polyethylene is very linear and has no branching. Lower density polyethylene is a result of some of the carbon atoms bonding with other polyethylene chains instead of hydrogen atoms. Cross-linking is another way in which the polymer can be made stronger. This involves ultraviolet radiation that bombards the polymer with electrons and formulates bonds between the molecular chains of the polymers. This is like linear polyethylene but different in that it is more impact resistant, and it has a much higher density. This allows it to be stored or be used with different chemicals that would normally cause the polymer to desolve.3 This can start to become a problem because as the polymer continues to become chemically enhanced. So the ways of dissolving and recycling the polymer become more difficult. Other alterations such as dying the polymer are less cost efficient to recycle and can be more difficult as well. There are certain types of HDPE (high density polyethylene) that are blown into shapes such as bottles. Different chemicals are used in this process and therefore have to be separated into their own category when recycling. The reason people have moved away from landfill dumping and moved towards recycling is due to the fact that it is much more cost effective to recycle compared to paying engineers and environmentalist to designing landfills.4 The HDPE can also be mechanically recycled through curb side pick ups.

The African-American Odyssey Essay

The emancipation of the African slave who was now disconnected from their traditions and way of life after nearly 300 years, is seemingly a great gush from the dam to the ebbs and flows of the struggle. The end of slavery as we know it, presented a ball of mixed emotions among the nation; North and SOUTH. Some slaves were grossly ecstatic to be free. For example, when a slave girl named Caddy, from Goodman, Mississippi found she was free, went to her mistress, flipped up her dress and told her â€Å"Kiss my ass! † On the contrary, some slaves were apprehensive of being free. For example, one elderly slave woman reportedly said, â€Å"I ain’ no free nigger! I is got a marster and mistiss! Dee right dar in de great house. Ef you don’ believe me, you go dar an’ see. † Though most slaves were detached from their families, many managed to regroup and find their love ones after their emancipation and constructed close knit families. Land was an viable means of survival in the minds of newly freedmen and the government was eager to deem lands to the ex-slaves . On January 16, 1865, General William T. Sherman told the freedmen that they will receive the land they were in search of. They were granted the head of each family would receive â€Å"possessory title† to forty acres of land. Sherman also gave the use of Army mules, thus giving rise to the slogan, â€Å"Forty acres and a mule. † Similarly in 1862 the Union military set aside land in Port Royal, South Carolina, which became known as the Port Royal experiment. The freedmen bureau was created to aid newly freed slaves in the transition from bondage to freedom in 1865. After Lincoln’s assassination the succession of his Vice president, Andrew Johnson, to the presidency meant that the white owners of the lands, that were given to the freedmen, would be returned. Sharecropping became a sort of ebb in the river of the African-American progression as far as freedom was concerned. Presented as labor contracts by white land owners, the institution of slavery was extended under a cloud of debt. In which, the black family, oft times became debtors due to the lack of honesty on the account of their white lender. Aside from family, among African-Americans, the â€Å"black church† became the most important institution. â€Å"Not only did it fill deep spiritual and inspirational needs, it offered enriching music, provided charity and compassion to those in need, developed community and political leaders, and was free of white supervision. † With the end of slavery, blacks who then had to attend services with white parishioners who treated them as second class Christians, could now organize and attend their own churches. The advent of the black church definitely brought about a flow in the river of struggle for African-Americans. Education was another â€Å"flow† in the river of struggle and a critical means of survival amongst people of color. It coincided alongside freedom. All who were versed in education of all sorts were summoned to teach the freedmen and their children. Teachers from all walks showed. Classes were held in churches, old slave markets, stables, taverns, homes, and former slave cabins. Funding came from various religious and political organizations and the Freedmen’s Bureau. Although white teachers helped a bit, black teachers were praised throughout the negro community because, as Rev. Richard H. Cain said â€Å", We must take into our own hands the education of our race†¦ Honest, dignified whites may teach ever so well, but it has not the effect to exalt the black man’s opinion of his own race, because they have always been in the habit of seeing white men in honored positions, and respected. † Most colleges and universities for blacks taught elementary and secondary level curriculum. The introduction of the historically black colleges and universities was formed from the idea of a higher education for people of color. In the midst of the newfound freedom, religious organization, and education of Negroes which was an obvious â€Å"flow†, a reoccurring â€Å"ebb† presented itself in the form of violence. Justice for the black man was never considered in those times. Thousands of innocent African-Americans were heinously murdered without a single conviction of a white perpetrator whom committed the acts. Atop the murders, black towns, businesses, churches, and schools were destroyed at the hands of the angry white southerners. The Failure of Reconstruction For the first time ever in history, a group of black men had concurrently became politicians. They were joined by the carpetbaggers of the north and the scalawags of the south in the Republican constituency. â€Å"Of the 1,000 men elected as delegates to the ten state conventions, 265 were black. † Collectively, they drafted new, striking constitutions that, unlike the previous constitutions, allowed all men to vote; even the ex-Confederates. Although, the Republicans displayed compassion upon their dealings with their opponents, the unruly Southern ego rose once more against the ratification of the new constitutions. In due course, the majority did manage to ratify and in each state, black men were elected to offices. As time progressed, nearly 1,500 black men were in office around the throughout the south. Among those were the likes of Blanche K. Bruce, Hiram R. Revels, Joseph Rainey, Jonathan J. Wright, Francis L. Cardozo, Robert Smalls, and Ferdinand Havis. This was a â€Å"flow† that led to inevitable â€Å"ebb† in the river of fight for African-Americans. That ebb presented itself in the form of the gradual failure of reconstruction. Issues such as education, social welfare, civil rights, land, and businesses plagued the Republican frame of thought daily. The black leaders’ efforts to facilitate education throughout the black and poor white communities failed overall. Lack of funds is the greatest blame for the inconsistency. At the time, there were no segregation laws, but whites refused to let their children go to school with blacks. Though a valid effort amongst African-Americans was given toward civil rights, they did not receive the respect that every other law abiding citizen received. For example, they were not accommodated at hotels and on public transportation, nor were they served as paying customers at various businesses. The blacks who worked for the white landowners were being cheated daily as if they were still in captivity. White employers would either fire the worker before the harvest or make up outlandish fees and debts. Some just didn’t pay at all! Black leaders grew tired of the robbery and made laws to eliminate such happenings. The distribution of land amongst landless, yeomen, farmers didn’t happen in any other state but South Carolina. Over fourteen thousand black families and a few white families, received land. Black businesses, unfortunately, did not and could not flourish due to the lack of funds during the expanding of the railroad. Other businesses made handsome amounts of profit but the African-American business owners could not cash in. Black politicians laid the foundation for public assistance, education, criminal justice reform but, could not do anything that directly dealt with â€Å"their people. † Reason being, was that they were the minority in the Republican party and in fact, were not allowed to ratify their own agenda. Besides, they couldn’t agree on most things because they came from different walks of life. Bickering throughout the Republican party sparked a â€Å"high turnover in political leadership and the loss of that very economic security? This made for inexperienced leadership and added to Republican woes. † Opposition came to the party in various ways; Such as, the conservative Democrats who continued to heckle blacks who in any way participated in the political process and the Ku Klux Klan. The Klan, was founded in Pulaski, Tennessee in 1866, by ex-confederate soldiers who were â€Å"hell-bent† on eradicating and/ or terrorizing anyone who didn’t submit to â€Å"southern culture. † They used any means necessary to remove blacks from politics. The Enforcement Act of 1870 was passed to prohibit Klansmen from wearing their regalia in public and protected the civil rights of black citizens. The following year the Ku Klux Klan Act was passed and it made the interference of a persons’ right to vote, hold office, jury duty and equal protection a federal offense. The fifteenth amendment was passed in 1869, and later ratified in 1870. It clearly expressed â€Å"the right to vote† to all citizens but failed to address the literacy tests, property possession rule, or the poll tax that continued to plague voters. Radical Republicans and northern whites alike grew exhausted with the dependency of blacks, (as they saw it) and looked upon them as unfit to be involved in the political system. They thought that reconstruction had been a mistake. The Freedmen’s Bank was founded in 1865 and done well until the white board of directors foolishly invested in Washington, D. C. real estate. The Panic of 1873 brought about a significant loss in unsecured railroad loans. As a result, the bank closed in 1874. The Civil Rights Act of 1875 was an act of good intentions, yet it was ruled unconstitutional by U. S. Supreme Court Justice Joseph Bradley who, â€Å"wrote that the Fourteenth Amendment protected black people from discrimination by states but not by private businesses. † The end of Reconstruction was as brutal and contentious as the beginning. Blacks refused to vote in response to the terrorism inflicted upon them by the southern Democrats. The withdrawal of the federal troops that were to protect the rights of colored people left the black citizens with no means of defense and they therefore had to bow down to the numerous massacres that were to occur. The compromise of 1877, in which, Samuel J. Tilden and Rutherford B. Haynes, ran for the presidency, brought about more violence towards blacks and grew worse as time passed.

Comparative Religions Essay

Judaism began in Israel, 2000 BCE. Christianity began in the middle east it began about 2000 years ago. Christianity is the religion based on the person and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, or its beliefs and practices. Judaism is the monotheistic religion of the Jews, based on the laws revealed to Moses and recorded in the Torah. Christianity and Judaism are similar and different in many ways, Both Religions believe in Jesus, they have a lot different beliefs, Both religions have Bibles, Christians has the bible, Jews have The Torah. Both religions believe in Jesus. Both religions believed in him but the Christians believed he would come back and that he was very special, Jews did not think all the same as the Christians. Jews do not believe that Jesus was divine, the Son of God, or the Messiah prophesied in Jewish scriptures. He is seen as a â€Å"false messiah,† someone who claimed the mantle of the Messiah but who ultimately did not meet the requirements laid out in Jewish beliefs. Christians believe that Jesus will come back to Earth to save/protect them. Religions have their agreements and their disagreements. The religions have a lot of different beliefs. They have lists and lists of different beliefs of Christians and Jews. Some of those beliefs are, Judaism says that no human can ever die or atone for the sins of others and sins can only be atoned for by animal sacrifice or prayer and restitution. Whereas Christianity says that Jesus died for the sins of mankind. Judaism says that all humans are born pure, and innocent. Christians say that all humans are born with ‘original sin’. Jews say that no man gets a ‘second coming’ and the Messiah will not need one. Christians say that Jesus will have a ‘second coming’. These are only a few of the many different beliefs. Comparisons of the two religions are they both have books basically â€Å"Bibles†, but there not both called bibles. For Christians it is a Bible for Judaism it is a Torah. They both hold basically the same things, Their beliefs. Now the information in the books are not completely the same. Because of the different beliefs. But the books are used for the same reason so people who follow the religion can worship their religion. Christianity and Judaism are very close religions but yet very different. They are the same because, Both Religions believe in Jesus, Both religions have Bibles, Christians has the bible, Jews have The Torah. They are also very different because they have a lot of different beliefs.