The History of Italian Renaissance

The Italian Renaissance was driven by a force of great strides in humanity. This was a time for a re-awakening of educated thinking, great artistic endeavors, and an empowering factor of humanism to use free will to govern one's future rather than allowing the church to dictate the correct path in life. The city of Florence became the center for much of this activity, where artists and scholars were sponsored royally by like-minded families of great wealth and social power. More emphasis was put onto education as a means of freedom from ignorance instead of a reason to serve God. There was a shift in power from the church to a general secularization in all areas of life, with the main focus being on the enhancement in the studies of the arts. The arts were looked at in a new way, using humanism as the new religion and the new way to achieve the greatest possible virtue. The actual term Renaissance means â€Å"re-birth†, which is essentially what was taking place overall, in Florence and other Italian states. â€Å"For Burckhardt this period consisted, broadly speaking, of the 15th century in Italy, a time and place in which â€Å"medieval† man became â€Å"modern† man. -Italy-History of, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2000. (1) This was a re-birth of ideas, learning, communication, artistry and beliefs. All of these factors were culminating together to prepare the world for the dawning of a new age, and a new direction for man to move in. The Italian Renaissance began finding it's niche among the elite in Florence in 1360, however, this was just the beginning. The Renaissance proved to be more established by the early fifteenth century among the rest of Italy, and eventually the rest of Europe. . The world was changing and ready for a new way of thinking. No longer were individuals prepared to accept the teachings of the church as their guidelines in life. Society wanted more from life than what the church had to offer. Italian culture, most noteably in Florence, was growing wealthier. With this increase of wealth came a need to pursue personal limits in achievement, education, and ability. â€Å"In their society, successful individuals, usually men, clearly were capable of doing more in this world than traditional religious views allowed. † – Modern European History I, 1992. (2) The humanists came forth from this need to learn. They were the intellect behind the Renaissance and brought to light a new view of what should be taught and studied. They embraced the classics; translating many from the ancient Greek and Roman script they were originally created in, and redefining how these works were originally interpreted. They looked upon studies in grammar, rhetorics, poetry, history and moral philosophy as a means of elevating their self-worth, and discovered that man can create his own destiny rather than follow a pre-ordained fate determined by the church. By using education to further themselves in society, the free-willed humanists were setting the standards for educated thinking, that current modern day life adheres to. â€Å"Humanism was the most important single intellectual movement of the Renaissance. † – Eugene F. Rice Jr, 1970. (3) Humanism was not only focused on education; this way of thinking also held power over other aspects of the Renaissance. 2 As much of the educational aspect centered in Florence, so did the growing desire for beauty and culture to be represented in art; another strong factor of humanism. With it's economic and social standing becoming rapidly elevated, and due to the strong tradition of democracy it held, Florence would prove to have the ideal surroundings for the birth of artistry in the Italian Renaissance movement. At the beginning of the Renaissance, Florence was a well-established, commercial city primarily controlled by the rich merchant class and some of the very wealthy and powerful families that resided there. Families such as the de Medici family, would commission artists to design and build enormous churches, palaces and other monuments to cement the families' position in Florence. Using this type of backing sponsorship, the growing artistic community was able to flourish and thrive, and produce a mutitude of glorious works, focusing on a new embodiment of their skill. The human body was looked upon and studied with more detail and realism than ever before. This lead to more accurate and life-like art work, both in painting and sculpture. Much of the art moved away from the old themes of portraying the world and humanity as perfectly as possible, and concentrated instead on capturing the actual likeness of the subject matter, no matter how unappealing or distressing it may have been. With enormous financial sponsorship behind them, artists were able to concentrate soley on their craft and expand it into the new, Renaissance style. They met great opposition from the church but were able to continue moving forward with the ongoing support of their benefactors. The infallible teachings of the church combined with the power of the Pope, were constantly challenged by the humanists and those that followed this new style of thought. Citizens were more and more frequently pledging allegiance to the crown rather than to the Vatican, creating a steady decline of power from religion. â€Å"The Christian truth that had been acknowledged as comprehending all phenomena, earthly or heavenly, now had to co-exist with a classical attitude that was overwhelmingly directed toward earthly life. – Humanism, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2000. (4) Knowledge began to undermine the position of the church. An ever-increasing amount of followers of humanism reaffirmed the fact that humans are individuals and not just souls passing through earth on their way to eternity in heaven or hell. As individuals, every human had the right to discovering his own destiny and potential. These beliefs and views were strongly frowned upon by the church, who tried in vain to reassert their influence on society. Much of the great wealth of the era was also looked at as un-Christian, but the humanists argued that wealth was only a means to achieve greater virtue. Money was needed to fund and support the arts, which provided the tools to further enlightenment in these areas. The church however, could only accept this wealth if it was used for the greater good of society. This was an argument to prevail throughout the Renaissance. From the re-evaluation of education and art, society has derived an opportunity to determine their own destiny, based on the knowledge they choose to empower themselves with. Humanists may have opposed the church and it's teachings in order 4 to move forward with free will and choice, but without that opposition, life would not hold the amount of wonderment and variation that exists today. The humanistic efforts that began during the Italian Renaissance paved the way for society to become more independent in their thinking, more realistic in their arts, and more educated in subject matter that had been too long denied. The Italian Renaissance shaped and altered the â€Å"modern† world, bringing society out of the â€Å"medieval† times and onto the path that stretched toward the optimistic future.

Paraguay Essay

Mushfika Chowdhury Ms. Vives Spanish Paraguay Paraguay is a country in South America. It is surrounded by Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia. Most people know Paraguay as Paraguay, but the country s official name is Republic of Paraguay. In 2011 it has said that Paraguay has approximately a population of 6,568,290. Most people are living in the oriental region. The country’s official language is Spanish as well as Guarani. The oriental eastern region has hills, waterfalls, exotic plants and the forest.This region makes up 40 percent of Paraguay. This part of Paraguay receives a large amount of rainfall. The region known as occidental also known as Chaco, is made up of grass, course tropical reeds and stunned trees. Some of Paraguay’s natural resources include forest soil, minerals, and the rivers. The rivers are important because tis how most people in Paraguay communicate, it also provides fish. The main industry is farming livestock, cotton, cane, corn, soybeans, potatoe s, bananas, oranges, wheat, beans, tea and tobacco. That was the farming and food recourses of Paraguay.When it comes to the government and money there’s not that many similarities. Some of you may or may not know that the former president of Paraguay was Fernando Lugo (2008-2012). It wasn’t that many days ago that a new president for Paraguay was elected, his name is Mr. Franco. The currency used in Paraguay is Guarani. One dollar in the United States is 4,095. 58 Guarani. One Paraguay Guarani equals to 0. 0002442 cents in the U. S. You also might be wondering what type of government Paraguay has. Well its constitutional republic. I would also recommend you taking a camera if you ever go there, the sites and scenery is breathtaking.

Middle Childhood and Adolescence

Changes in Peer Relationships in Middle Childhood and Adolescence Statistics say that in the stages in middle adolescence 30% of the child’s social life and interactions there are a great stage of peer pressure. These results were compared to the 10% that is experienced during the early childhood. They show that they are competent by demonstrating their behaviors in these peer groups. During the elementary years in school, children have to prove to others that they understand and that they are capable of handling the different situations they find themselves in. They must keep a certain criteria in order to have friends. The main concern during these peer groups is to be accepted and most of these concerns are experienced during middle childhood. Researchers have been focusing in the friendship among the children. Friendship is one of the most important parts of the social group between early stages of childhood. Friends fill that special need we have inside and for a child’s development that is one of the most important parts. They fulfill the special needs and they help with communication, interaction, acceptance, companionship and social skills. Peer is more related to the social and popularity status and its acceptance and friendship represents more that relationship that is built on appreciation, respect and most importantly being liked. When the child has reached its adolescence stage, they will experience support from their friends and this will help in their social skills. When they are younger, they don’t experience this as much. So, the more friends they have, the more acceptances they will feel from the larger peers. Adolescent Egocentrism Jean Piaget theory of cognitive development derived from concept of egocentrism. Adolescents Egocentric explains how a teenager feels about him or herself. During the development of adolescence the human body experiences several mental and physical changes. According to Elkind (1967), adolescent’s mental abilities heighten his or her self-consciousness. Adolescent egocentrism actually reflects a weakness in their thinking that is distinctive of early formal operations. Egocentric thoughts develops in two aspects which includes the awareness that an individual sees things in a different perspective and doesn’t seem to understand that others may hold thoughts, emotions, and views different form his or hers. Egocentric is a complex concept that encompasses a wide range of questions of early cognitive development. Studies have shown that female’s egocentrism is more prevalent during their early adolescent period and gradually slows down during their later period of adolescence. The main aspect of egocentrism is both social and cognitive because it reflects o more of how individuals want others to perceive them (Sanrock 2007). For example, many teen spend more time grooming themselves than any other factor in his or her lives. According to Elkind (1967) transitions of the formal operations stages involve its own differences about egocentrism. Personal fables also encourage the adolescent egocentrism that reflect on how an individual relates to others. Adolescence experiencing egocentrism is often seen as a non-positive aspect part of their thoughts because adolescents become taken in with who they are and are unable to function properly in society due to their bias translation of reality. Formal operational thinkers view things in greater complexity and to perceive many different aspects of a situation. Studies today have explained that egocentrism is not always present in the late stages of adolescence. However it depends a great deal on the environment whereas he or she was raised. Peer Pressure Adolescents are faced with a plethora of pressures during this crucial stage in their lives. They are exposed to the difficulties of peer pressure including drugs, alcohol and sex. Peer pressure comes from several different directions. It can come from the media, parents, other family members and friends. An adolescent’s self-esteem plays a critical role in peer pressure and often will set the stage for whether a teenager will succumb to their nagging peers or abstains. At this age, one of the greatest influences comes from older peers and their â€Å"experiences† with life. Older siblings and friends tend to pressure younger adolescents into indulging in activities that may be detrimental to their well-being, often using status to gain their trust. Status quo and acceptance are important to a young mind. If an adolescent does not have the much needed support from their parents and a positive self- image going into this stage of life, they may be more susceptible to peer pressure. Pressure to use drugs and alcohol are two of the most common forms of peer pressure hat an adolescent will experience. At this stage, when a child is coming into their own, they are very impressionable beings. When another peer offers up what sounds like an amazing experience many adolescents will follow suit and give in. Even with the knowledge that drugs and alcohol have a profound effect on the human body, some adolescents will still relinquish their better judgment to â€Å"look cool† in front of their peers. Again, status quo comes into play with substance abuse. Most youth aren’t really interested in the taste of cigarettes or alcohol, but because their friends are doing it, they ill at least try it. Just trying any substance can lead to addiction as the chemicals in the brain become heightened and the impressionable being indulging in them begins to feel a sense of â€Å"euphoria† or finds the substance allows them to â€Å"let loose†. It is very important that parents are aware of the dangers that face adolescence today. As with anything, communication is key. Parents must warn their children of the risks associated with substance abuse while also being compassionate and understanding to this stage of development.

God and the Philosopher Essay

Abstract Philosophers are known to be great thinkers.   The discipline itself is concerned with ethics, what things exist and their essential natures, knowledge, and logic.   Typically, when one is asked about his or her beliefs, the subject of God comes up. Whether or not God exist is the biggest and most ultimate question that people have ever asked. The topic of God is important to the philosopher.   He enjoys the contemplation of the subject. â€Å"Proofs of the existence of God† developed over the past 2,400 years by different philosophers. It is the foundation of most introductions to philosophy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Does God exist?   The existence of God can be compared to space.   We know that space does not have an ending.   God â€Å"has no beginning and no end.   He is eternal† (Cameron, 465).   Some people don’t believe in anything that is not visible to the eye (Cameron, 471). The link to God for most philosophers is the world.   Thomas Aquinas, a theologian, â€Å"specialized in the philosophical analysis of the nature of God and God’s relation to the world† (McCarty, 196). He refers to Aristotle as â€Å"The Philosopher†; â€Å"Aquinas uses Aristotle’s emphasis on the importance of empirical evidence to offer the creation of the world as proof for the existence of God as its cause† (McCarty, 197).   He saw the creation of the world as proof for the existence of God.   â€Å"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.   Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters (Genesis 1:1-2).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Big Bang Theory tries to disprove the Genesis account of creation by stating that the universe was formed from an explosion.   Usually an explosion produces disorder and chaos, not trees, flowers, and animals (Cameron, 418).   Also, in order for an explosion to occur, there must be something present to explode and a means to cause the explosion.   â€Å"You cannot create something out of nothing† (Cameron, 419).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Proofs of the existence of God† is a set of arguments that were developed over the past 2,400 years by different philosophers.   The purpose was to demonstrate that â€Å"there is, or exists, an infinite, omnipotent, omniscient, benevolent creator of the universe who goes by the name of God† (Wolff, 364).   The first and â€Å"philosophically weakest† proof is the Argument from Design.   William Paley presented his argument in his book â€Å"Natural Theology†.   He noted that man-made objects were designed to serve a purpose by its maker.    We can compare this to the creations of nature, like the human eye or the brain.   They are sophisticated and cannot be duplicated.   The conclusion is only God must be the â€Å"all-powerful Maker† (Wolff, 366).   The second proof is the Cosmological Argument, which is offered by thirteenth-century Christian philosopher St. Thomas Aquinas.   His first argument is that some things move in the world.   Secondly, there must be a first movement to precede other movements.   A â€Å"first mover† must exist.   That â€Å"necessary being is God† (Wolff, 373). The final proof and â€Å"the most famous, the most mystifying, the most outrageous and irritating philosophical argument of all time† is the Ontological Argument (Wolff, 378).   Saint Anselm writes about this proof in his philosophical work the â€Å"Proslogion†.   The concept of the existence of God was based on the idea of the perfect being.   Nothing greater than God is inconceivable (Wolff, 370).   Some philosophers, such as Immanuel Kant, have defended this proof over the past nine centuries.   On the other hand, it has also been rejected by other philosophers, such as St. Thomas Aquinas, and claimed as invalid because it cannot be proven. In addition to the Cosmological Argument, Aquinas argues his case using five proofs of his own (McCarty, 197).   The first proof is motion.   As with the Cosmological Argument, a â€Å"first mover† must exist to cause motion.   His second proof is causation.   â€Å"The natural world holds together through a tight chain of cause-and-effect relationships† (McCarty, 198).   For example, rain causes vegetation to grow.   The third proof is necessity/possibility. Aquinas argued that all events either have to be necessary or possible.   â€Å"A Necessary Being must exist that actualizes the possibility of the world as we know it† (McCarty, 199). The fourth proof is gradation. Some natural beings are more advanced than others.   Humans are at the top of the evolutionary chain.  Ã‚   â€Å"God has given him dominion (authority) over all the animals (Genesis 1:28) â€Å" (Cameron, 427).   This leads into the final proof of governance.   Humans are intellectually superior to animals and have priority over them (Cameron, 427). This is part of God’s Order (McCarty, 200). Most arguments for the existence of God start with some fact about the world and all of its components and activities (Morris, 243).   The topic of God is important because He is the backbone of any philosophical discussion. The Bible states that God is holy (Psalm 99:9).   Webster’s definition of holy is â€Å"sanctified†, which means to be free from sin. Ethics is a big part of philosophy. It embraces right conduct and good life.   â€Å"Ethical conduct is behavior that respects and nurtures truth, beauty, goodness, and unity, in our own lives, and in the lives of people we deal with day to day† (Morris, 111).   Good people struggle daily to resist temptations and pressures that they would not consider to be proper behavior.   â€Å"A good person is a person who shoots at the target of human happiness and flourishing for other people as well as himself† (Morris, 101).   On the other hand, there are people that don’t think about the consequences of their behavior. They act to satisfy their own selfish needs (Morris, 111). Philosophers view the concept of morality as a set of many rules (Morris, 112).   The Bible lists many of them.   Exodus 20 in the Old Testament lists The Ten Commandments.   The book of Leviticus contains many rules for work, worshipping God, and cleanliness. Another aspect of morality is The Golden Rule.   It states: â€Å"So in everything, do to others what you would have the do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets† (Matthew 7:12). In other words, treats others, as you would like to be treated.   â€Å"It captures the main attitude of an ethical person regarding the impact of his actions on others† (Morris, 114). In conclusion, the existence of God is a link for philosophers to the world. The topic of God is important when discussing ethics, morality, and nature to twentieth century philosophers as well as thirteenth-century ones. References Cameron, Kirk, & Comfort, Ray. (2004). The School of Biblical Evangelism.   Gainesville:   Bridge-Logos Publishers. International Bible Society. (1984). The Holy Bible.   Grand Rapids:   Zondervan Publishing House. McCarty, Marietta. (2006). Little Big Minds:   Sharing Philosophy With Kids.   New York:   The Penguin Group. Morris, Tom. (1999). Philosophy For Dummies.   New York:   Wiley Publishing Company. Wolff, Robert Paul. (2000).   About Philosophy (8th).  Ã‚   Upper Saddle River:   Prentice Hall.   

Custom Molds, Inc Essay

Case is about family business (father and son : Tom and Mason Miller), which began producing molds and later added production of plastic parts to main business. Although production is traditionally being focused on quality and design of both molds and plastic parts (mass production/ customization accordingly), total number of order is remained the same, but client’s desires have been shifted. 1). Custom Molds Inc. has faced the following major issues: Although the number of parts orders remained virtually constant, the volume per order for parts has increased significantly during last 3 years. These, has created bottlenecks and has led to late deliveries of parts. Two different processes (fabricating molds/producing plastic parts) take place in a single facility. Above-mentioned processes serve different customer needs. Fabricating molds requires more skill-oriented stuff, more flexible and qualitative process. Competitive advantage for finished molds (fabricating molds process) is based on delivery and low cost, and moreover this process has much more higher margin that for producing plastic parts. Sales mix changing has created excess capacity in mold fabrication. Changing electronics manufactures (Custom Molds`s major clients) strategies has influenced order needs in unexpected way. Difficult to predict â€Å"when?† and â€Å"where?†. 2). The competitive priorities for each of the individual processes are the quality, cost effectiveness and customer responsiveness. The changing nature of the industry was in the tendency of manufacturers to develop strategic partnerships with suppliers. Hence, more and more demand for responsiveness was laid upon suppliers to sustain the competition. In the Custom Molds’ case, as order for multiple molds began declining, the responsiveness of the  individual processes began suffering due to the capacity constrains (bottlenecks) at different stages of operations. This naturally entailed the lost sales to customers. (All the individual processes that are carried out at Custom Molds are shown on the flow diagram in exhibit t# 1). 3). Our team suggestions are: Mold fabrication- to focus on small capacity/ specialized machines, and include more workers in supervising process. Producing of plastic parts- to focus on little number, but large capacity machines with insufficient input (workers). Testing and inspection – to move this area in the centre of facility (to make movement of goods more efficient and to make easier communications between inspecting/testing workers and managers). Office- a) to make order placement more truthful (matching ability of order fulfillment with time promised); b) to identify customers` needs more precisely; c) compare changes and it’s influence on company’s finance (taking into consideration return on income); d) due to the market demand company should make strategic decision and conclude if it is better to concentrate on molds or plastic parts (this is the most appropriate alternative).

Contemporary Retail Marketing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Contemporary Retail Marketing - Research Paper Example The market will be segmented based on varied demographic factors and occupation of people residing in Whitechapel London, UK. In addition, the target customers will be the young group of people including both businesspersons and employed people. The rationale behind targeting these customers is that the services of corporate banking such as providing loans and financial services are highly demanded by this people group. Moreover, these sorts of target customers in the region prevail in a higher proportion as compared to others, which in turn will create better profitability position for the company in future.It is quite indispensable for Lloyds bank to adopt a sound strategy in order to attain the above-discussed objectives. This strategy will mainly include identifying the requirements as well as the demands of corporate banking services amid the young people residing at Whitechapel. Moreover, the strategy will also entail include appraising the services that are provided by the com petitors of the bank to the customers. In addition, the offerings of the company will be positioned in the target markets through making advertisements in newspaper and media. It is worth mentioning that the aspect of marketing mix will be organized through creating an effective distribution channel for the product or services that will be available to the customers in any situation. In relation to price, discounts may be provided on loans and new terms of payment will be introduced (Sharma, 2009, p. 122).

Operational part for Business plan Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Operational part for Business plan - Case Study Example It is necessary that the operational business plan needs to consider the following aspects before considering the various ramifications of the product line and how it could genuinely benefit the manufacturers, sellers and buying consumers or users. The supply chain needs to consider the following steps in terms of ensuring not only complete customer satisfaction but also building of loyalty and wider growing acceptability, among the customers who make up the clientele base of this product/service to consumers. It is seen that in the case of loyalty cards, the range of products/services that could be benefited by loyalty cards would be high since booksellers, DVD stores, supermarkets, etc., and almost all consumer products shopping centres in malls, or local stores could benefit from the use of loyalty cards. Next, in terms of variety, it could cater to wider coverage in terms of a wide range of product lines as "Smart cards enhance the productivity of transactions and nourish increased purchasing." (Benefits of Smart Card-based Customer Loyalty Solutions. 2008). The variation with respect to loyalty cards would depend upon the demand generated for each variety of cards, depending upon customer preferences for them. . Again, the visibility aspect would also be need to be build since high visibility is a must in order to attract and retain customers to collect percentage points, or get discounts. The company must develop the ability to manage the results of the customers' perception, about the benefits achieved from continuous usage of loyalty cards and the virtues of holding and utilising this card must be extolled to the customers.V's Type HighLow 1st V Volume 2st V Variety 3rd V Variation 4th V Visibility (Operations Management Study Guide. 2008). Manufacturing the product or outsourcing it This is an important question from point of view of the marketing of loyalty cards since the use of this card would significantly reduce the profits margins between 5% to 20%, by most conservative estimates. However, it is estimated that there would be definitely be enhanced turnover, due to use of cards over a period of time that could yield higher profits due to induction of new customers through loyalty cards scheme. It has been found that this scheme is more attractive to new customer than to existing ones . Therefore, it is necessary to keep the manufacturing aspects of this card at the lowest in order that maximum profits are