Coco Chanel Essay -- Fashion Designers Essays

Coco Chanel In his 1993 book, Creating Minds, Howard Gardner attempted to distinguish characteristics that were common to creative people. In doing so, he concluded that many factors were involved in the development of a creator. For instance, the relationship between the Individual, the Work, and Other People (i.e. family and colleagues) (Gardner 9) was elemental in predicting future successes. Likewise, part of his hypothesis focused around the fact that creators typically make their mark in one single genre. He divided the types of work that could be created into seven different areas: interpersonal, intrapersonal, visual/spatial, logical/mathematical, musical, verbal/linguistic, body kinesthetic (Gardner vii). Gardner's rubric for finding commonalties amongst creators, or those people who produce innovative, influential works in their particular domain, has become a highly regarded and widely used tool for identifying creative genius. Likewise, one key factors promoting creativity was the marginal status of the creator. Gardner briefly mentions the importance of the relationship between the creator and their society (Gardner 42). In my opinion, Gardner gives too little attention to the importance of one's marginal status. I intend to show, through the example of Coco Chanel, that marginality can have an imperative impact on the development of one's creativity. Therefore, I will fit Chanel into the prescribed rubric that Gardner outlined in his book, and show how her marginal status defined her as well as her work. Part One: The Personal History of Chanel Chanel was born in 1883, illegitimately (Charles-Roux 9/3) to a father that would soon desert her, and a mother who would die by the time she reached the age ... ... different perspective on things. Perhaps she was "creative" because she did not know how to be "traditional." Maybe what seemed normal to Chanel, what felt natural for her, was simply different from what was normal for others. In any case, I feel that Chanel's marginal status was the main catalyst for her success as a fashion designer. Gardner overlooked the degree of importance that should be attributed to a creator's marginality. For in the end, to create is to do something original, what has never been done before. And to do something unique should mean to be unique. And to be unique and creative means to be marginal. Bibliography Charles-Roux, Edmonde. Chanel and Her World. The Vendome Press: London. 1979. Gardner, Howard. Creating Minds. Basic Books: New York. 1993. Madsen, Axel. Chanel: A Woman of Her Own. Henry Holt and Co.: New York. 1990.

Montessori Quotes and Sensitive Periods

The sensorial materials â€Å"The senses, being explorers of the world, open the way to knowledge. Our apparatus for educating the senses offers the child a key to guide his explorations of the world, they cast a light upon it which makes visible to him more things in greater detail than he could see in the dark, or uneducated state. † The Absorbent Mind p 167, Chap 17 Montessori was very influenced by the work of Edouard Seguin. He specialised in working with mentally deficient children and had developed a series of exercises that helped to train the children's senses and to teach them the skills of everyday life.He also felt that the education systems of that time denied children the possibility to develop their individual potentials. â€Å"Respect for individuality†, he wrote, â€Å"is the first test of a teacher† and he contrasted it with â€Å"the violent sameness of most of education. † (Kramer, p 61, Chap 1). Montessori would also have been familiar with the work of Rousseau and Pestalozzi, both of whom emphasized the importance of the training of the senses. She started her career working with special needs children and had seen how effective the results of specific sense exercises were. Relevant materials: Practical Life Essay – MontessoriShe began to be curious about how working with such materials would effect normal children. Based on her knowledge of the earlier apparatus designed for this purpose, and on her observations of the children in her care, she began gradually to develop her own set of materials. It was always the spontaneous activities of the child that came first though, and the materials second. The need for order, exactness, self-correction and reflection – all were qualities that Montessori saw were needed in order for the children to develop as they should.When she saw that children were particularly drawn to certain activities she then concentrated on developing materials that would extend that interest. She carefully took each of the senses and thought how best she could help the children to clarify and expand their existing experiences. By isolating specific qualities in the materials and by grading each set in ever-refined serie s, she was able to give the children the ability to increasingly refine each of their senses. The sensorial materials comprise a series of objects which are grouped together according to some physical quality which they have, such as colour, shape, size, sound, texture, weight, temperature, and so forth. †¦ Every single group of objects represents the same quality but in different degrees; there is consequently a regular but gradual distinction between the various objects and, when this is possible, one that is mathematically fixed†¦ Every series of objects†¦ s graded so that there is a maximum and a minimum, which determines its limits, or which, more properly, are fixed by the use which a child makes of them. † The Discovery of Childhood p 100-101, Chap 6 Quotations â€Å"Our sensorial material provides a kind of guide to observation, for it classifies the impressions that each sense can receive: the colours, notes, noises, forms and sizes, touch-sensations, odors and tastes. This undoubtedly is also a form of culture, for it leads us to pay attention both to ourselves and to our surroundings. The Absorbent Mind, p 167, Chap 17 â€Å"To teach a child whose senses have been educated is quite a different thing from teaching one who has not had this help. Any object presented, any idea given, any invitation to observe, is greeted with interest, because the child is already sensitive to such tiny differences as those which occur between the forms of leaves, the colours of flowers, or the bodies of insects. Everything depends on being able to see and on taking an interest. It matters much more to have a prepared mind than to have a good teacher. † Ibid p 167, Chap 17 And if we look at the sensorial apparatus which is able to evoke such deep concentration (remarkable in very small children between the ages of three and four), there is no doubt that this apparatus may be regarded not only as a help to exploring the environment, but also to the development of the mathematical mind. † Ibid p 170, Chap 17 â€Å"In a pedagogical method which is experimental the education of the senses must undoubtedly assume the greatest importance. Experimental psychology also takes note of movements by means of sense measurements. † The Montessori Method p 168, Chap XII In order that an instrument shall attain such a pedagogical end, it is necessary that it shall not weary but shall divert the child. † Ibid p 169, Chap XII â€Å"The didactic material controls every error. The child proceeds to correct himself, doing this in various ways. † Ibid p 172, Chap XII quot;Indeed, it is precisely in these errors that the educational importance of the didactic material lies, and when the child with evident security places each piece in its proper place, he has outgrown the exercise, and this piece of material becomes useless to him. Ibid p 172, Chap XII â€Å"There is, therefore, no question here of teaching the ch ild the knowledge of the dimensions, through the medium of these pieces. Neither is it our aim that the child shall know how to use, without an error, the material presented to him, thus performing the exercises well†¦ Here instead is the work of the child, the auto-correction which acts, for the teacher must not interfere in the slightest way†¦ it is necessary that the pupil perfects himself through his own efforts. † Ibid p 173, Chap XII â€Å"Normal children repeat such exercises many times.This repetition varies according to the individual. † Ibid p 173, Chap XII â€Å"The education of the senses has, as its aim, the refinement of the differential perception of stimuli by means of repeated exercises. † Ibid p 174, Chap XII â€Å"Our didactic material renders auto-education possible, permits a methodical education of the senses. Not upon the ability of the teacher does such education rest, but upon the didactic system. This presents objects which, f irst, attract the spontaneous attention of the child, and, second, contain a rational gradation of stimuli. † Ibid p 176, Chap XII Experimental psychology has so far devoted its attention to perfecting the instruments by which the sensations are measured. No one has attempted the methodical preparation of the individual for the sensations. † Ibid p 216, Chap XIV â€Å"The stimuli, and not yet the reasons for things, attract his attention. This is, therefore, the time when we should methodically direct the sense stimuli, in such a way that the sensations which he receives shall develop in a rational way. This sense training will prepare the ordered foundation upon which he may build up a clear and strong mentality. † Ibid p 217, Chap XIV It is necessary to begin the education of the senses in the formative period, if we wish to perfect this sense development with the education which is to follow. The education of the senses should be begun methodically in infancy, and should continue during the entire period of instruction which is to prepare the individual for life in society. † Ibid p 222, Chap XIV â€Å"Aesthetic and moral education are closely related to this sensory education. Multiply the sensations, and develop the capacity of appreciating fine differences in stimuli, and we refine the sensitivity and multiply man's pleasures. Ibid p 223, Chap XIV â€Å"Beauty lies in harmony, not in contrast; and harmony is refinement; therefore, there must be a fineness of the senses if we are to appreciate harmony. † Ibid p 223, Chap XI â€Å"With the gradual emergence of knowledge and volition, it becomes imperative to establish some order and clarity within the mind and to distinguish what is essential from what is accidental. †¦ To satisfy this need, he should have an exact, scientific guide such as that which is to be found in our apparatus and exercises. † The Discovery of the Child p 100, Chap 6 Any object that we wis h to use for the education of the senses must necessarily present many different qualities such as weight, texture, colour, form, size and so forth. How are we to isolate from many qualities one single one so that attention may be focused on it? This is done by a series and its gradations; the objects are identical among themselves with exception of the variable quality which they possess. † Ibid p 101, Chap 6 â€Å"The perfection of this exercise consists in removing as far as possible all distracting factors.It enables a child to engage in an inner and external analysis that can help him acquire an orderly mind. † Ibid p 102, Chap 6 â€Å"A child is by his nature an avid explorer of his surroundings because he has not yet had the time or means of knowing them precisely. † Ibid p 102, Chap 6 â€Å"Every effort should be made to see that the materials offered to a child contain in themselves a control of error†¦ The control of error through the material mak es a child use his reason, critical faculty, and his ever increasing capacity for drawing distinctions.In this way a child's mind is conditioned to correct his errors even when these are not material or apparent to the senses. † Ibid p 103 Chap 6 â€Å"Another characteristic of the objects is that they are attractive. Colour, brightness and proportion are sought in everything that surrounds a child. † Ibid p 103, Chap 6 â€Å"Another characteristic of this material for a child's development is that it must lend itself to a child's activity. The ability of a thing to attract the interest of a child does not depend so much upon the quality of the thing itself as upon the opportunity that it affords the child for action. Ibid p 104, Chap 6 â€Å"Finally, there is another principle that is common to all the material devised for a child's education. It is one that has been little understood until now and yet is of the greatest importance, namely, that the material should b e limited in quantity. † Ibid p 104, Chap 6 â€Å"One should begin the process with a very few contrasting stimuli so that the child can later pass on to a large number of similar objects but with always finer and less perceptible differences. Ibid p 112, Chap 7 â€Å"In order to give an even more complete idea of the differences between objects, it is well to include identical objects along with those which are strongly contrasted. † Ibid p 113, Chap 7 â€Å"†¦ Montessori deliberately set about trying to help the child to make these abstractions more easily and more accurately. That is, in fact, one of the main purposes of the sensorial materials; each of which is designed to help the child's mind to focus on some particular quality†¦She has been able to do this by making use of the principle of the ‘isolation of stimulus'. † Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work p 161, Chap 7 â€Å"†¦ the function of the sensorial materials is not to presen t the child with new impressions (of size, shape, colour and so forth) but to bring order and system into the myriad impressions that he has already received and is still receiving. † Id p 161, Chap IX Study guide The Montessori Method – Chapter XII, XIV The Discovery of the Child – Chapter 6 Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work – Chapter 7 Journal articles

Food & Beverage Operations Management Essay

FOOD PRODUCTION It is a process of preparing food in which raw materials are transformed into ready-to-eat food products for human consumption in the home or in any food processing industries. Food production can be classified into various types which are: traditional, centralized, batch cooking, call order, Assembly cooking, sous-vide, cook-chill, cook-freeze. Traditional Cooking. It is the simple and fast way to cook food. This cooking is done mostly in clay pots as per our tradition. Cooking in clay pots maintains moisture, keeps food warm for hours and the flavor of the food is unique. Centralized. Centralized cooking is done in large kitchen units that have the capacity to cook up to 100,000 meals. This kitchen serves a set of schools, orphanages, etc†¦located around the unit. 3. Batch Cooking. In this, the cooking is done in large batches in advance to save time so that the work is done in speed on weekdays. 4. Call Order. It is produced specifically when someone requests the item so that the item can be made as per the desire of the customer. Most of the fast-food corners have adopted this method of cooking. 5. Assembly Cooking. It is also known as bulk cooking. It means cooking in advance which is then stored in the freezer for up to 2-3 days which can be cooked later and consume by the customers. It is a time-saving technique. 6. Sous-Vide. It is a method of cooking in which food is vacuum-sealed in a plastic pouch and placed in a water bath for longer than normal cooking times. 7. Cook-Chill. In this, the food is cooked and then chilled to 3 degrees C in a central kitchen. It preserves food for up to 4 days before it is reheated for eating. 8. Cook-Freeze. In this, the food is cooked and then frozen to -20 degrees C in a central kitchen. It preserves food for up to 8 weeks before it is reheated for eating. CITATION Loc l 2057 (Locus Assignments)Food and Beverage Service Systems. CITATION Sky l 2057 (Sky City Careers)There are mainly 5 categories of service which includes: 1. Table Service It is a style of food service where the diner sits at the table and the food is served by a waiter/waitress. This is the oldest form of service. This following service comes under this category: English Service French Service Silver Service American Service Russian Service Guerdon Service Snack Bar Service 2. Assisted Service In this category, the guest enters in the dining area and helps himself to the food from a buffet counter. This category of service includes only Buffet Service. 3. Self-Service In this type of service, the guest enters in the dining area, selects his own tray or from the food counter and carries food by himself to his seating place. This category includes Cafeteria Service. 4. Single Point Service In this category, the guest orders pay for his order and get served all at a single point. This following service comes under this category:- Take-Away Service Vending Machine Food Courts Kiosks 5. Specialized Service In this category, the guest is served at the place, which is not meant or designated for food & beverage service like guest rooms. This following service comes under this category:- Tray Service Grill Room Service Trolley Service Home-Delivery Lounge Service Room Service 1.2. DISCUSS FACTORS AFFECTING RECIPES AND MENUS FOR SPECIFIC SYSTEMS Factors affecting recipes and menus for specific systems are: Size of operation Objectives of the operation Quality of the operation Nature of the menu Quality of customers The budget of the customers Customer needs Availability of resources CITATION Loc l 2057 (Locus Assignments)1.3. Compare the cost and staffing implications for different systems. Self-service outlets and vending machines Costs implications -Food served is mostly made of readily available low-cost raw materials. Only minor storage requirements. Staff implications-Very low costs. Few or no kitchen staff at all. Service can be managed by one unskilled person. Cafeteria, pubs, bars and buffet services Costs implications- Low service costs. Food costs depending upon the business aims. Staff implications – Skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled kitchen and service staff. Fewer employees than table service restaurants. Restaurants(English and American table service) Costs implications – Ranging from low to high-quality production, material, and storage costs according to quality level of an outlet. Staff implications- Combining high-skilled and less-skilled assistants will help keep costs down. Restaurants (French and Russian table service), Gourmet restaurants, high-level event catering. Costs implications – High-quality raw materials, often seasonal ingredients. Staff implications – High-skilled kitchen and service staff. CITATION Nel l 2057 (Nelson College London)1.4. Justify the suitability of systems for particular food and beverage outlets. IN-FLIGHT CATERING CITATION runs l 2057 (RUS)TRAY SERVICE is done in airlines because of the following factors:- There is no place for the kitchen in flights. It is easy to serve. It is more hygienic. It takes less effort by the service staff. There are disposable utensils which are easy to clear. TASK 2; 2.1Discuss the use of financial statements in food and beverage operations. 2.2Demonstrate the use of cost and pricing processes. 2.3Analyze the purchasing processes. SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT RECORD SHEET Programme Pearson BTEC Level 5 HND in Hospitality Management Learner Name Keerti Krishna Ratnala Assessor Name Mr. Osden Dias Unit No. & Title Unit 5: Food & Beverage Operations Management. Target Learning Aims Assignment No. & Title To understand different food & beverage production and service systems with financial controls used in food & beverage operations. Issue Date Interim Submission Date Final Submission Date Target criteria Criteria Achieved Final Assessment Comments Summative comments Resubmission authorization* Resubmission Date: * All resubmissions must be authorized. Only 1 resubmission is possible per assignment. Assessor Signature Date: Learner comments Learner Signature sd1719hndh_keerti@ragc.in Date: INTERNAL VERIFICATION – ASSESSMENT DECISIONS Programme title Pearson BTEC Level 5 HND in Hospitality Management Assessor Mr. Osden Dias Internal Verifier Unit(s) Unit 5: Food & Beverage Operations Management. Assignment title To understand different food & beverage production and service systems with financial controls used in food & beverage operations. Learner’s name Keerti Krishna Ratnala List which assessment and grading criteria the assessor has awarded. Pass Merit Distinction INTERNAL VERIFIER CHECKLIST Comments Do the assessment criteria awarded match those targeted by the assignment brief? Y/N Has the work been assessed accurately? Y/N Is the feedback to the learner: Constructive? Linked to relevant assessment and grading criteria? Identifying opportunities for improved performance? Agreeing actions? Y/N Does the assessment decision need amending? Y/N Assessor signature Date Internal Verifier signature Date Lead Internal Verifier signature (if required) Date Confirm action completed Remedial action is taken Assessor signature Date Internal Verifier signature Date Lead Internal Verifier signature (if required) Date

How to break news to employees, Training Journal - Emphasis

How to break news to employees, Training Journal How to break news to employees, Training Journal Whether the message is good, bad or indifferent; now is no time for silence, says Rob Ashton. During the ancient wars, if you wanted to deliver a message you hired a messenger to hand over the scroll personally. But approaching enemy lines to pass on bad news was a high-risk job. The bearer of bad tidings is never popular and it wasnt unusual for the messenger to be killed out of rage. Delivering any news can be fraught with difficulties because you never know how the receivers will interpret it. But imparting news of recession-prompted change can place you right in the firing line. With the credit crunch still in full swing, workers have got used to a daily, media-delivered diet of layoffs, profit freefalls and horror stories of homeless executives living out of their briefcases. A climate of fear has spread throughout the business world. And many people have adopted the mantra that change is, quite literally, the enemy. But failing to update your team is a costly strategy. Employees are likely to become demotivated if they feel theyre out of the corporate loop. If a team cant turn to management when times get tough, they quickly begin to wonder if anyone is at the helm. The uncertainty may cause the best employees to submit their CVs to rival firms while others ride out the storm, vowing to jump ship once the outlook improves. The Association of Communicators in Business (CiB) have echoed this sentiment. They warned that organisations should redouble their internal communications efforts during uncertain economic times rather than putting them on the backburner. Broaching sensitive topics is never easy. But understanding your colleagues is to key to communicating effectively with them. Never be afraid to address the real issues, but communicate them in a style and manner that they will positively respond to. Whether the news is good, bad or indifferent, its got to be shared. Creating a culture of open communication, free of management speak, can make all the difference to company morale. Studies have shown that companies with high employee engagement levels have better financial performance. So, having an effective strategy for breaking news makes it more likely that youll emerge from the recession without nursing a lengthy corporate hangover. Communicating change Whatever industry you work in, the model for communicating change is the same. As soon as you know information, pass it on. Dont wait until you have every detail or your silence may breed distrust. And never communicate any information externally before youve told staff. Follow the six steps below to ensure that you are communicating strategically. 1) Explain the new direction In changing economic times, business goals have to be revised. Explain the direct impact of the recession on your industry and organisation and say what the firm will need to do to weather the storm. 2) Be honest and open Tell people about job or budget cuts as soon as possible, along with reasons and timescales. Having this open communication means that you need never worry about what youre telling people. 3) Create a vision Dont sugar-coat your message but paint a positive picture of the changes you are proposing. Be crystal clear about your message and its implications. 4) Keep communicating Keep up the information flow and make sure its two-way. Move quickly to correct any inaccurate information and make sure staff members fully understand the direction, vision and benefits of the news you are delivering. 5) Love the word change Energise the management team to make the word change the most positive word in the company. Explain to them the benefits of any changes and always associate positive emotional words with any changes. Constantly remind employees that change is not a one-off exercise. 6) Repeat the steps Changes will keep happening so repeat the steps as soon as any new information becomes available. Once people expect change, its a lot easier for them to deal with. The write way With up to 70 per cent of workplace communication taking place through writing, honing your writing skills can help you to break news with far more ease. By choosing your words wisely, you can help to calm your readers and energise them to embrace change. The first rule is to put people first. Remember that people act and react according to their own self-interest. So communicate news in terms of what employees want or what would benefit them, rather than focusing on the benefits to the organisation. Win over your readers by giving them information in the way they like to read it. For instance, you can still use your internal newsletter to explain the ins and outs of your corporate restructure, but make sure its format and style is appropriate to its readership. For example, if you know that the favourite magazines that your staff read are glossy celebrity weeklies such as Heat and Hello, you might want to create a question and answer type article or one that presents the information in bite size chunks. Information is much easier to swallow when its broken up. Just make sure that it still provides staff with the whole picture. Think of creative, interactive ways to communicate your news. The BBC internal communications team, for instance, uses Wikis. These two-way websites mean that as well as reading the content, employees can edit it and attach their own files. In addition, blogs and internet forums are a great way to share information. But if you feel a good old-fashioned report will say it best, make sure you include all of your recommendations or most important information at the beginning. No-one wants to wade through the corporate equivalent of War and Peace to get to the important stuff. Make sure that you translate information so that it is free from corporate speak. Leave phrases such as blue sky thinking and picking the low-hanging fruit well alone. Create rapport with your readers by using no-nonsense words and phrases that do exactly what they say on the tin. Simple is best. And dont be afraid to show your personality or inject life into your written communication. Your readers will thank you for it. Three steps to effective writing Before you put pen to paper, use the checklist below: Keep it short You may think that open, flowing communication needs to be wordy, but the opposite is true. Avoid flowery phrases and practise writing your sentences in the shortest, snappiest way. Aim for an average length of 15-20 words and stick to the rule of one sentence, one idea. Use active language Write We invested 130,000 in staff development last year, rather than last year an investment of 130,000 was made in staff development. The second version is livelier and easier to read because it says who before what. It also makes sure the company gets credit for the good things. Use verbs instead of nouns Make sentences shorter and easier to understand by choosing verbs over nouns We will consider proposals submitted by the end of July has more punch to it than proposals submitted by the end of July will be given consideration to. Email etiquette Email is best reserved for following up on face-to-face communication. If what you say affects peoples lives and jobs, allow a two-way dialogue to take place. Its also all too easy to send an email to the wrong person or dash off an abrupt angry message. If you wouldnt write it on a postcard, dont send it via email. Your email could end up being circulated far and wide with negative consequences. If youre just expanding on an already open dialogue, by all means send emails. But think carefully about what you put in the email subject box. Take inspiration from newspaper and magazine headlines and choose your words carefully. For instance, Now is no time for silence is much more effective than This months communication update. You can monitor who opens the emails, but its more difficult to measure how engaged people are with the contents. By honing your writing skills, you stand a better chance of connecting with your staff. 2009 Emphasis Training Limited, first British serial rights offered

25 Russian Words Used in English (and 25 More That Should Be)

25 Russian Words Used in English (and 25 More That Should Be) 25 Russian Words Used in English (and 25 More That Should Be) 25 Russian Words Used in English (and 25 More That Should Be) By Mark Nichol Many Russian words have been appropriated by the English language. Some, like mammoth and sable, are easily assumed to be from a more closely related language. Others were originally specific to Russian culture but can be applied to analogous Western concepts, such as a reference to an American politician retreating from Washington, DC, to his dacha, or to a comment about a troika of conspirators. Here is a list of well-known Russian words and their original meanings and later connotations, if any. Below that you’ll find another set, that one consisting of words known to few, if any, speakers of English who are not bilingual in Russian or familiar with Russian culture. The latter list is ripe for exploitation in English. (Try referring, for example, to an elite cohort as the nomenklatura or to a petty bureaucrat as a namestnik.) Either list can be mined for analogous meanings. Some require no annotation, while others should be introduced carefully in context or even glossed; which approach to take depends on the content and its audience. Familiar Russian Words (Absorbed into English) 1. Agitprop: artistic political propaganda, from a truncated form of the Russian forms of the words agitation and propaganda 2. Apparatchik: a Communist Party member and/or functionary, from the Russian form of the word apparatus 3. Babushka: in Russian, â€Å"old woman†; in English, a type of scarf commonly worn by babushkas 4. Beluga: a type of whale or sturgeon 5. Bolshevik: a revolutionary or radical, from name of the majority Communist faction in Tsarist Russia, ultimately from the Russian word for â€Å"majority† 6. Commissar: an official 7. Cossack: a Russian ethnic group associated in popular culture with military prowess and a nomadic society; the name, like the ethnic appellation Kazakh, derives from the Turkish word for â€Å"nomad† 8. Dacha: a country house 9. Duma: a legislative body 10. Glasnost: a policy of political openness and transparency, from the Russian word for â€Å"publicity† 11. Gulag: originally an acronym for a Soviet-era system of forced-labor camps; it now can refer to any repressive or coercive environment or situation 12. Intelligentsia: the intellectual elite of a society, from the English word intelligent 13. Kopeck: a Russian coin 14. Mammoth: a prehistoric mammal, and, by extension, a synonym for massive 15. Menshevik: the name of the minority Communist faction in Tsarist Russia, originally in power briefly after the Russian Revolution but defeated by the Bolsheviks 16. Perestroika: the Soviet-era system of reform, from the Russian word for â€Å"restructuring† 17. Pogrom: originally, violent persecution of Jews in Russia; now, any officially sanctioned attack on a particular group 18. Politburo: the Soviet-era primary source of government policy decisions, a truncation of the Russian forms of the words political and bureau 19. Ruble: the basic unit of Russian currency 20. Sable: a mammal related to the weasel whose sleek black coat was long prized as a clothing material, and, by extension, a synonym for black 21. Samizdat: prohibited literature produced clandestinely 22. Samovar: an urn for heating tea 23. Sputnik: a traveling companion; also, the name given to a series of Soviet-era satellites, the first objects launched into space 24. Taiga: the far northern coniferous forests of both Asia and North America, from a Turkish or Mongolian word 25. Troika: a carriage or sleigh pulled by three horses, or a triumvirate (a ruling or administrative trio) Unfamiliar Russian Words (Not Yet Absorbed into English) 26. Druzhina: a unit of bodyguards and elite troops 27. Glavlit: the Soviet-era government censorship agency 28. Izba: a log house 29. Knout: a whip used in punishment 30. Konyushy: an official responsible for horses used in ceremonies 31. Kulak: a well-off farmer 32. Lishenets: a disenfranchised group 33. Matryoshka: a set of Russian nesting dolls 34. Muzhik: a peasant 35. Namestnik: an administrator (from the Russian word for â€Å"deputy†) 36. Narkompros: a Soviet-era agency responsible for education and culture, later called the Ministry of Enlightening 37. Nomenklatura: the Soviet elite, holding prestigious government and industrial posts (from the Latin term nomenclature, â€Å"list of names†) 38. Okhrana: the Tsarist secret police 39: Oprichnik: Ivan the Terrible’s brutal bodyguards and henchmen 40. Prikaz: originally, a bureaucratic position; later, an administrative directive 41. Propiska: a Tsarist regulation requiring subjects to remain in their hometown 42. Rasputitsa: spring and fall periods in which, because of heavy snow or rain, unpaved roads are impassable (possibly related to the name of Rasputin) 43. Sambo: a form of martial arts 44. Silovik: the elite 45. Spetsnaz: special-forces soldiers 46. Tamizdat: prohibited literature produced outside the country 47. Tovarishch: a companion or fellow traveler; used as a direct form of address in the Soviet Union, equivalent to comrade 48. Ukase: a decree; refers specifically to a government proclamation or generically to an arbitrary command 49. Ushanka: a fur cap with ear flaps 50. Zek: an inmate Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Grammar Test 1Running Amok or Running Amuck?How Long Should a Synopsis Be?

Ancient Spartan Public Education

Ancient Spartan Public Education T. Rutherford Harley (The Public School of Sparta, Greece Rome, Vol. 3, No. 9 (May 1934) pp. 129-139.) uses Xenophons Polity of Lacedaemon, the Hellenica, and Plutarchs Lycurgus for evidence of the Spartan education system. The following is a summary of the relevant sections of his article with a few more recent references. Upbringing of Children to Age 7 A child deemed worth raising is given to its mother to be cared for until the age of 7, although during the day, it accompanies its father to the syssitia (dining clubs) where it sits on the floor picking up Spartan customs by osmosis. Lycurgus instituted the practice of appointing a state officer, the paidonomos, who puts children in school, supervises and punishes. Children are barefoot to encourage them to move swiftly, and they are encouraged to learn to withstand the elements by having only one outfit. Children are never satiated with food or fed fancy dishes. Schooling of 7-Year-Old Boys At the age of 7, the paidonomos organized the boys into divisions of about 60 each called ilae. These were groups of peers of the same age. Most of their time was spent in this company, according to Figueira. The ilae were under the supervision of an eiren (iren) aged about 20, at whose house the ilae ate. If the boys wanted more food, they went on hunts or raids. So seriously did the Lacedaemonian children go about their stealing, that a youth, having stolen a young fox and hid it under his coat, suffered it to tear out his very bowels with its teeth and claws, and died upon the place, rather than let it be seen.From Plutarchs Life of Lycurgus After dinner, the boys sing songs of war, history, and morality or the eiren quizzes them, training their memory, logic, and ability to speak laconically. The Iren, or under-master, used to stay a little with them after supper, and one of them he bade to sing a song, to another he put a question which required an advised and deliberate answer; for example, Who was the best man in the city? What he thought of such an action of such a man? They used them thus early to pass a right judgment upon persons and things, and to inform themselves of the abilities or defects of their countrymen. If they had not an answer ready to the question Who was a good or who an ill-reputed citizen, they were looked upon as of a dull and careless disposition, and to have little or no sense of virtue and honor; besides this, they were to give a good reason for what they said, and in as few words and as comprehensive as might be; he that failed of this, or answered not to the purpose, had his thumb bit by his master. Sometimes the Iren did this in the presence of the old men and magistrates, that they might see whether he punished them justly and in due measu re or not; and when he did amiss, they would not reprove him before the boys, but, when they were gone, he was called to an account and underwent correction, if he had run far into either of the extremes of indulgence or severity.From Plutarchs Life of Lycurgus Spartan Literacy It is not clear whether they learn to read. [For more on the issue of literacy in Sparta, see Whitley and Cartledge.] Physical Training The boys play ball games, ride, and swim. They sleep on reeds and suffer floggings silently, or they suffer again. Spartans study dance as a kind of gymnastic training for war dances as for wrestling. This was so central that Sparta was known as a dancing place from Homeric times. [For more on the importance of dancing in Sparta, see Dionysiac Elements in Spartan Cult Dances, by Soteroula Constantinidou. Phoenix, Vol. 52, No. 1/2. (Spring - Summer, 1998), pp. 15-30. ] Foster Sons Allowed in Spartan Schools Not only were the schools for the sons of the Spartiate, but also for foster sons. Xenophon, for instance, sent his two sons to Sparta for their education. Such students were called trophimoi. Even the sons of helots and perioikoi could be admitted, as syntrophoi or mothakes, but only if a Spartiate adopted them and paid their dues. If these did exceptionally well, they might later be enfranchised as Spartiates. Harley speculates that guilt may be a factor here because the helots and perioikoi often took in the children that the Spartiates had rejected at birth as unworthy of rearing. From Agoge to Syssitia and Krypteia At 16 the young men leave the agoge and join the syssitia, although they continue training so they can join the youth who become members of the Krypteia (Cryptia). Krypteia The passage from Plutarchs Life of Lycurgus: Hitherto I, for my part, see no sign of injustice or want of equity in the laws of Lycurgus, though some who admit them to be well contrived to make good soldiers, pronounce them defective in point of justice. The Cryptia, perhaps (if it were one of Lycurguss ordinances, as Aristotle says it was), Gave both him and Plato, too, this opinion alike of the lawgiver and his government. By this ordinance, the magistrates dispatched privately some of the ablest of the young men into the country, from time to time, armed only with their daggers, and taking a little necessary provision with them; in the daytime, they hid themselves in out-of-the-way places, and there lay close, but, in the night, issued out into the highways, and killed all the Helots they could light upon; sometimes they set upon them by day, as they were at work in the fields, and murdered them. As, also, Thucydides, in his history of the Peloponnesian war, tells us, that a good number of them, after being singled out for their bravery by the Spartans, garlanded, as enfranchised persons, and led about to all the temples in token of honors, shortly after disappeared all of a sudden, being about the number of two thousand; and no man either then or since could give an account how they came by their deaths. And Aristotle, in particular, adds, that the ephori, so soon as they were entered into their office, used to declare war against them, that they might be massacred without a breach of religion. Sources: The Public School of SpartaT. Rutherford HarleyGreece RomeVol. 3, No. 9 (May 1934) pp. 129-139.Cretan Laws and Cretan LiteracyJames WhitleyAmerican Journal of ArchaeologyVol. 101, No. 4. (Oct. 1997), pp. 635-661Literacy in the Spartan OligarchyPaul CartledgeJournal of Hellenic StudiesVol. 98, 1978 (1978), pp. 25-37.Mess Contributions and Subsistence at SpartaThomas J. FigueiraTransactions of the American Philological Association (1974-) Vol. 114, (1984), pp. 87-109

Business so Foreign Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business so Foreign - Essay Example This paper will briefly but sufficiently provide an explanation for this. China has long been dubbed as the sleeping giant. However, the past three decades saw its awakening as it experience unprecedented economic growth and development. From being a communist republic for a long time it had open its doors to globalization and new economic policies in 1979 (China 2005). This new economic system has paved the way for progress. Currently, China is the sixth largest economy in the world recording the highest growth in real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at 9.5% during 2004. China's GDP was recorded at US$1.96 trillion in during the same year which is equivalent to 1/7 of the United States' economy. China is now known to be the "new economic giant" (Gulob, 2003). A small business trying to break into the foreign market can well establish its operation in China. As one of the recently emerging and developing economy, China poses various business opportunities. Simultaneous with the rise in its GDP is the increase in the country's per capita GDP. This, in turn indicates a higher income for individuals and more money to spend. A small business entity can take advantage of this rise in income by offering the Chinese market new and innovative products. Another reason why China is considered is its relatively lower wage rate. On the average, a Chinese gets $0.40 a day (Hennock 2002). This vast pool of cheap worker can be utilized to the advantage of a small entity as it does not have a large resource to cover high amount of expenses. This implies a huge cost savings for entrepreneurs to invest in other capital needed in their operations. Philippines The Philippines is one of the world's developing economies in the Southeast Asia. Economically, the performance of the country is not impressive due to the constant devaluation of its currency and economic unrest due to political issues (Philippines 2005). However, this country is a promising destination for a start-up business entity. Foreign investments are highly encouraged in the Philippines. In fact, the Bureau of Investments offers numerous incentives such as: income tax holidays; exemption from taxes and duties on imported spare parts; exemption from wharfage dues and export tax, duty, impost and fees; tax exemptions on breed and genetic materials; tax credits; and additional deductions from taxable income to foreign investors (Fiscal Incentives 2005). Another advantage in doing business in the Philippines is its cheap pool of skilled workers. The average wage rate in the country is $3-$6 a day (Manpower Costs 2005). However, the country boasts of its over a million secondary school graduates and 350,000 college graduates annually. The Philippine market is also distinct for its highly Westernized way of living. A large factor which contributed to this is the long period of colonization under the United States. Filipinos are known to have colonial mentality and are very "Americanized." This has a good implication for a small firm as this indicates a large acceptance and preference for foreign products. India India lags behind the economic giants Japan and China in the Asian continent. India is one of the world's largest markets in the world with a population of 1.1 billion. The country continues its economic development following the market-oriented reforms in 1991. A small business trying to