Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Argument - Essay Example They were able to do so because of their advance military and naval technology compared with the natives’. The natives didn’t have exposure to the viral or bacterial diseases the Spanish had with them this led to their dead in large numbers. The locals who resisted their rule were captured and sold as slaves in plantations (Todorov 30). The main reason for European invasion of Africa in the fifteenth to seventeenth century was trade and specifically human trade. By this time most of Africa’s traditional institutions were unaffected. Trade between the European and Africans led to the development of towns in the coastal regions. The Africans were also introduced to commodities like salt, weapons and clothes. The Dutch were the first to establish permanent colonies around1652 in South Africa. Later in the nineteenth century, European explorers discovered that Africa contained exploitable resources like gold, silver, iron and was fertile for agricultural production. This led to the Scramble of Africa. There was exchange of ideas, values and practices as a result of trade and colonisation. Missionaries had an important role to play in the integration of European culture into Africa and Americas. The colonisation of Africa and Americas led to the introduction of Christianity to these societies. The people were forced to abandon their cultural practices since they were considered primitive. There was the introduction of formal education. The natives were taught the languages of their colonial master, arithmetic and science (Cowen 145). The political systems of the Americas and African communities were disregarded. The Europeans also made boundaries that divided communities and even families. The natives were forced to accept the rule of their conquerors and pay taxes which were usually oppressive. The other consequence of European conquest was ecological destruction of the Indies and Africa. The settlers cut down the

Analyse the Strengths and Weaknesses of Spain by 1516 Essay Example for Free

Analyse the Strengths and Weaknesses of Spain by 1516 Essay There were considerable differences between the Hispanic kingdoms within the Iberian peninsula. It was divided by language and religion, governed by different political institutions and ruled by monarchs with conflicting foreign interests. Both Aragon and Castile had very little in common. The economies varied in strength in different parts of Spain, for example Catalonia was in decline whilst Valencia was in the recovery stage. The marriage of Isabella and Ferdinand in 1469 dramatically changed the course of Spain. The Queen was a determined and quick-witted woman, with a street-fighters instinct for survival. She guaranteed privileges to nobles and town authorities, promised to restore law and order and was the only claimant with an undisputed right to the throne. Ferdinand played a role in leading Isabellas troops against the Portuguese and French invasions and recaptured rebellious towns, all helping to stabilise the crown. His brother also aided Isabella by commanding the Hermandad meaning that although his father died, no Aragonese nobles contested the crown. Royal authority had declined during the weak rule of Henry IV and it needed to be asserted and there was also the problem of law and order (lots of disorder in Castile due to the 5 years civil war). There were still supporters of Joanna; a minority of the nobility had fought against Isabella e.g Marquis of Vienna. The Hermandad at least brought some justice to the countryside, which benefited Castilian towns as well as law-abiding landowners. Hermandades had never been controlled so extensively by the Crown, it significantly contributed to the improvements in local administration. Corregidores were also having an impact (administrators of cities and districts with both administrative and judicial powers). They were used by the Catholic Monarchs to strengthen royal authority rather than revive local responsibility Ferdinand and Isabella travelled extensively in Castile. They spent relatively little time in Aragon in his 37-year reign (7 years). This was a very important means of asserting royal authority by showing themselves to their subjects and establishing an effective working relationship with their nobility and to discipline any troublemakers. Ferdinand and Isabella visited every Castilian town at least once. Ferdinand tried to increase royal authority over Aragonese towns by trying to introduce new procedures for the election of municipal offices. His idea of sending royal governors to towns was rejected preventing royal authority encroaching. Isabella was able to have a greater effect on improving local administration than her husband. She tried to protect, by intervention, town people from impressive nobles and nominated jurados to sit on town councils. She persisted with the idea of Corregidores in towns, despite opposition, and the number of towns with them increased (Toledo for instance enjoyed a long period of peace largely due to Gomez Manrique, its Corregidore.). Their authority varied, some governed entire regions, and others had a limited impact. However, overtime they became more corrupt lowering the standards of local administration. The civil war left deep scars and required close supervision to work effectively. Both Isabella and Ferdinand dispersed justice personally. The Hermandad was unpopular and it demanded taxation on local people for its maintenance. It was officially dissolved in 1498 as nobles increasingly disliked it (didnt want too much crown influence). The crowns political strength lay into relationship with the nobility. Ferdinand and Isabella however, due to incompatible promises in the 1470s, were in a different situation as some families expected rewards for their role in the civil war. This often contradicted what Isabella had said about protecting the rights of the towns. Isabella decided to harness the power of the nobility and tried to regain land given out by Henry IV. Isabella and Ferdinand on a smaller scale in Aragon gave the nobles rights to collect sales tax and confirmed their exemption from direct tax. This guaranteed their social and economic position. Also nobles who had fought against Isabella in the civil war were given fair agreements such as the Marquis of Vienna in order to preserve social stability. Those on her side were awarded with for example dukedoms guaranteeing their continuing support. Although some nobles maintained control of regional politics, which was a big threat to the crown as they had no standing army, whereas most nobles kept retainers. An example of when the crown and nobility worked together to ensure the stability of the country was the Granada between 1482 and 1492. Some of the nobility actually served in the war and fought on behalf of the crown against the Muslims. The war helped to enhance royal prestige. However, outbreaks of civil disorder and violence in Castile in the early years of the sixteenth century suggest that royal administration was beginning to break down. Nobles became better educated and there was an emergence of letrados (lawyers). Most Castilian and Aragonese peasants enjoyed a period of relative prosperity, with wage rises, stable prices and plenty of employment in the countryside. Town life was changing rapidly, Castilian merchants experienced a dramatic increase in trade and commerce, which led to a growth in business and rising prosperity for those in work. However, due to an increase in population town authorities were faced with the problem of vagrancy where people wonder from place to place and dont usually have a home. The Catholic Monarchs intended to enhance the welfare of their subjects. They maintained the Mestas monopoly and continued wool trade, which was high in demand in the Low Countries. Taxes on wool and sheep and the establishment of trade links with America (gold bullion), proved extremely beneficial. Maintaining the quality of Castiles coinage and establishing a currency common to both kingdoms, monetary if not economic unity was achieved. Overseas trade was strengthened with Venice as a base, and the financial status and prosperity of Barcelona recovered from the effects of the civil war in the 1460s. However the Spanish economy had a number of weaknesses, poor communications (bad roads, mountainous), a network of internal customs duties and inland tolls and resistance to state intervention in effecting changes in agriculture, guilds and industry. Regionalism was a very powerful force and applied to the economy. There was no significant attempt to integrate the two economies, for example, trade with Americas was a Castilian monopoly (intensified hostility between two kingdoms, threat of inflation and decline in currency). The only measure that was taken was the standardisation of the currency in 1497. The Spanish Crown failed to protect and promote its native industries and focused too much on exportation of wool than developing its textile industry. Also, the persecution of the Conversos and Jews (many of them were skilled craftsmen) damaged wool trade, while the silk trade was damaged with war in Granada (mudejars were main producers of silk, many were killed while others emigrated). Spanish wealth and commercial gains from the New World could potentially fall through due to its lack of incorporation.

Computers and Speech Recognition: Techniques and Applications

Computers and Speech Recognition: Techniques and Applications Abstract Speech is the most natural and common way of communication between people. It would seem only natural that computer development would eventually progress to the point where people would want to extend the human-computer interface to include speech. Once this happened, numerous techniques were explored. The goals of speech recognition became more and more ambitious, and researchers today continue to push the limits of what computers can do with the spoken word. This paper examines the problem of computer speech recognition by looking at the steps involved in getting from a spoken word to the word's recognition by the machine. The difficulties of continuous speech recognition will be enumerated and examined, as will the most popular recognition technique used today. The analysis ends with a brief description of some of the applications of speech recognition. Introduction Simply put, speech recognition is difficult. A computer does not have a useful thing called an ear that enables it to hear sounds, or a brain to process those sounds into recognizable words and phrases. There are three main stages involved in speech recognition: preprocessing, recognition, and communication. Preprocessing involves taking the speech input and converting it into something the computer can use. During the recognition stage, the computer must identify what has been said. Finally, in the communication stage, the computer acts upon the translated input (Markowitz). There are many inherent difficulties involved in speech recognition. For example, human speech can span more than 20,000 frequencies. A computer would quickly become overwhelmed by data if it was supplied with eve... ...e applications where they could be useful. For many people in the past few years, speech recognition has moved from just being a novelty to becoming an important tool used in their everyday lives. References Books 1. Markowitz, Judith A. Using Speech Recognition. Prentice-Hall, Inc, 1996. 2. Keller, Eric. Fundamentals of Speech Synthesis and Speech Recognition. John Wiley & Sons, 1994. 3. Hollingum, Jack and Cassford, Graham. Speech Technology at Work. IFS Publications, Ltd, 1988. WWW Sites 1. http://www.linfield.edu/~dbrewer/speech/spchi.html College student's informative summary paper on speech recognition 2. http://www.speech.usyd.edu.au/comp.speech/FAQ6.html One of many speech recognition questions answered. FOR MORE INFORMATION http://www.speech.usyd.edu.au/comp.speech/SpeechLinks.html A large list of Speech Recognition links on the web.

Critical Analysis of Drugs Essay

Drugs and alcohol use has been a common and consistent problem in the United States for quite a long time. From the prohibition era in the 1920’s to the common drug use seen in the 1970’s, we have always seen a problem that needs to be addressed. An array of scholars, from all the disciplines, have each experimented and researched this topic in their own unique ways. The natural sciences take a purely scientific approach by hypothesizing and using the scientific method to research and made evaluative claims based on experiment and observation as shown in the article â€Å"Relationship between Vigorous Exercise Frequency and Substance Use Among First-Year Drinking College Students†. Social Science is similar because it also uses hypotheses and the scientific method to observe and evaluate experiments, but at the same time uses theory critique and discussion methods as seen in the article â€Å"Decisional Balance and Collegiate Drinking†. The Humanities take a very difference approach to experiments and research than the natural or social sciences. The Humanities utilize analysis and interpretation in their approach and provide very subjective results to their studies as seen in, â€Å"Associations Between Aspects of Spiritual Well-Being, Alcohol Use, and Related Social-Cognitions in Female College Students†. All of these techniques give us a better understand of the subject as a whole by exposing us to all the different views of a single topic. See more: how to write a critical analysis outline Drugs and alcohol use, particularly in college students, in a continuously rising issue in our current society and is gaining more notice in recent years because of the rise in college student awareness. It is a pressing issue that affects people’s health, lifestyle, and general well being and needs to be treated with attention and an open mind to help resolve its current issues. Part I. From the scholarly point of view, drug and alcohol use in the college setting is covered by all the disciplines with different attention on certain aspects by each respective discipline. A social science article, â€Å"Decisional Balance and Collegiate Drinking,† by Dr. Morgen delves into college students drinking habits, and why they act as they do. The articles purpose is to show the relationship between how students perceive their drinking and how bad it actually is. Dr. Morgen focuses on identifying the problem and evaluating it. This isn’t far off from the approach the Natural Science article, â€Å"Relationship between Vigorous Exercise Frequency and Substance Use Among First-Year Drinking College Students† by Dr.Moore and Dr. Werch. Their focus is to compare exercise habits among self identified drinkers and to come up with scientific explanations for their habits. Like Dr. Morgen, the study included asking questions about the students drinking habits and perceptions of their actions. But, unlike Dr. Morgen there is a more objective approach to the results and less room for interpretation. The Humanities article compares more with the Social Science article and contrasts with the Natural Science take on the subject. The article, â€Å"Associations Between Aspects of Spiritual Well-Being, Alcohol Use, and Related Social-Cognitions in Female College Students† focuses strictly on discussion and results to questions they presented to the women in their study. When comparing the Humanities article to the other two, you can see a difference in the materials covered and analyzed. The Humanities support its findings through their discussion and thoughts on the results, while the two science articles find support from empirical data. When looking at all three sources it is easy to realize how complex and broad drugs and alcohol are among the three disciplines. When we view the Natural Science article is it clear that the use of scientific sources are more prevalent than in the Humanities article. The Humanities utilize primary sources, where the Social Sciences use a mixture of methods found in both the Humanities and the Natural Sciences. All of these scholarly discussions demonstrate the complexity of the subject, while also exposing it from many different angles. Each article seems to approach the topic of drugs and alcohol by exhibiting several different opportunities for argument. Given that all three articles deal with three different disciplines it’s no surprise that each article comes to its respective conclusion by different rhetorical means. â€Å"Relationship between Vigorous Exercise Frequency and Substance Use Among First-Year Drinking College Students,† by Moore and Werch, works to indentify factors in college students drinking and exercise habits and link them together. Moore and Werch rely on logos to convey their results, given that the article is in the Natural Sciences it uses facts, statistics, and experiments to argue its results. This differs greatly from, â€Å"Associations Between Aspects of Spiritual Well-Being, Alcohol Use, and Related Social-Cognitions in Female College Students† by VonDras et al. because VonDras et al. make up the framework of their approach and argument by using credibility and reliable sources (ethos). The Social Science article, â€Å"Decisional Balance and Collegiate Drinking† by Dr. Morgen, is a combination of both approaches. The use of logical reasoning and experiments yield to logos, but at the same time the exploitation of reliable sources and trustworthiness demonstrate ethos as its rhetorical choice. The point of view of the three articles is first person because the authors are directly explaining the experiments methods, process, and discussion to the reader. Throughout the three sources there is a certain ethos connection because of the experimenters relying on honest input from their subjects in each experiment. Overall, all three articles state the importance of the positions they take, and relate their topics to some degree. All have in common a kind of moderation in how they appeal to an audience rhetorically. Each source uniquely represents its particular discipline through textual evidence, and its take on the subject at hand. The Humanities article, â€Å"Associations Between Aspects of Spiritual Well-Being, Alcohol Use, and Related Social-Cognitions in Female College Students† by VonDras et al. represents humanities perfectly because of its strong use of interpretation and analysis. This approach differs greatly from the â€Å"Relationship between Vigorous Exercise Frequency and Substance Use Among First-Year Drinking College Students† article, which uses more observation and the scientific method, which is very representative of the Natural Sciences. Once again incorporating some of both of the disciplines to represent its take is the Social Science article, â€Å"Decisional Balance and Collegiate Drinking†. There is clear use of scientific method and experiment, but you can also see interpretation and analysis in the conclusion discussion which talks about the students drinking habits and perceived benefits from consuming alcohol. The Natural Science article strays from its disciplines approach at times and seems to come across as a Social Science article. Its uses analysis and observation along with its hypothesis. The Social Science article, â€Å"Decisional Balance and Collegiate Drinking† is most typical to its specific discipline. It exemplifies traditional Social Science approaches to the experiment and discussion more wholly than the Natural Science and Humanities articles represent their topic. The least typical to its discipline is the Natural Science article, â€Å"Relationship between Vigorous Exercise Frequency and Substance Use Among First-Year Drinking College Students†. Though, as stated, it does use scientific approaches which represent the Natural Sciences, it also incorporates some Social Science attributes in its structure. This is dissimilar to the Humanities article, â€Å"Associations Between Aspects of Spiritual Well-Being, Alcohol Use, and Related Social-Cognitions in Female College Students† because as previously stated, VonDras et al. stuck to the proper methods in their research and represented the Humanities in a proper fashion. Taken as a whole, these three scholarly sources predominantly stick to their discipline and properly represent their respective disciplines. Part II. The importance of drug and alcohol use in the college setting has never been more important and relevant than it is now. Drug and alcohol use at the college level can have many detrimental effects on the future of our society. We, the college students in America, are the future of this country, and if we cannot be responsible enough to drink not in excess then how can we be trusted to continue to run this country smoothly. The three sources used from the three different disciplines all touch on important ideas related to the topic at hand. As stated in the Social Science article, â€Å"Decisional Balance and Collegiate Drinking† by Dr. Morgen, most of the college students that claim they have their drinking habits in control and receive lots of benefits from drinking fall into the DSM-IV-TR category for alcoholism. This is a relevant issue because it shows that college students who think they are responsible for their actions could easily have a disease and not even know it. We must strive to fix or at least help the issue that is in front of us by going straight to the matter. In the Natural Science article, â€Å"Relationship between Vigorous Exercise Frequency and Substance Use Among First-Year Drinking College Students† it states college students who exercise more are more likely to drink heavily. That seems highly counterproductive, but from the student’s point of view, they feel that if they work out and exercise they can drink as a reward for their efforts. This is a skewed way to look at it and should also be addressed. We don’t need to promote no drinking because that will simply not work, but we can push to inform people of the health risks and harm they do to their bodies by drinking heavily on a regular basis. This is a very relevant take on the subject because it alerts the reader of the things they found and provides unbiased, correct information on the topic of drinking amongst college students. The Humanities article, â€Å"Associations Between Aspects of Spiritual Well-Being, Alcohol Use, and Related Social-Cognitions in Female College Students† approaches the subject from a different angle but still covers useful and relevant material to use and discuss. Its main idea is talking about how religion and spirituality effect their views and habits of drinking. The study found that religious affiliation and aspects of spiritual well being are moderators of behavior that lead to alcohol prevention. The level of awareness of the issue of alcohol use of all three scholarly sources seems to be very high. They all selected their topic of research to find definitive results about the use of alcohol and its effects on the people who abuse it. There seems to be a suitable amount of attention given, which is good because it seems that a large group of people are unaware of the negative aspects on their lifestyle and health of heavy drinking and drug use. We should be focused strongly on the issue more than the discipline we are reading it from. All the disciplines have unique approaches to their discussions but they still head towards the same issue that we should be focused on. All three of the sources seem to stay focused and never stray from alcohol use as their main topic. The Social Science article, â€Å"Decisional Balance and Collegiate Drinking† seems to be most relevant because of its practical explanations. It includes input and thoughts from the Natural Sciences and the Humanities, and that’s what makes it a Social Science article. The practicality of its subject, why students drink, is easy to understand, but at the same time is very in-depth. We learn so much from it such as, why people drink, how much they drink, their perceived benefits from consumption, and the effects of all those things added up. As stated earlier, this issue is very important in our society at this moment. College should be fun, but at the same time we must learn to be responsible and focus on what we are in college to do. That is learn and get an education so that we can later because the leaders and innovators that push this country to greatness. Only so much can be done, but the first step to changing anything is raising awareness on college campuses. Overall, drug and alcohol abuse is portrayed in all the disciplines with each one having an important input on the matter as a whole. It is a pressing issue that affects people’s health, lifestyle, and general well being and needs to be treated with attention and an open mind to help resolve its current issues. We cannot stray from this pressing issue in the near future and must continue to research and experiment so that we may better understand drug and alcohol use from all different points of view. As stated in the Social Science article, â€Å"Decisional Balance and Collegiate Drinking†, students who perceive their consumption as normal have in reality worse habits than the average person. We have to strive to expose this issue and correct it as best we can in the future. From the Humanities article, â€Å"Associations Between Aspects of Spiritual Well-Being, Alcohol Use, and Related Social-Cognitions in Female College Students†, we can conclude that religious affiliation and sense of spiritual well-being seem to have a positive effect on drinking habits. Simply put, morals seem to have an effect on if a person abuses alcohol or drugs. Also, as found in the Natural Science source, â€Å"Relationship between Vigorous Exercise Frequency and Substance Use Among First-Year Drinking College Students† people seem to be negatively reinforcing themselves because it was found that people how exercise more reported consuming more alcohol than the average person. That finding is a sad thing because it is so counterproductive to the body. From the sources as a whole you can easily find the connection that this is a pertinent issue today and will continue to be in the future. Its importance cannot be stressed enough but even with that, people will continue to not listen and use substances more than is considered responsible. We will see the consequences of this in the coming years, and determine if the issue really is as big as it seems, or if people finally grow up when they get out of college and realize they can’t have such destructive behaviors and continue to contribute to society in a positive way. In conclusion, we cannon stray from this issue, but we must continue to research it and learn from it to help fix and explain it to coming generations. Moore, Michele Johnson, and Chudley Werch. â€Å"Relationship Between Vigorous Exercise Frequency and Substance Use Among First-Year Drinking College Students. † Journal of American College Health Vol. 56. No. 6 (2008): 686-690. Morgen, Keith, and Lauren Gunneson. â€Å"Decisional Balance and Collegiate Drinking. † Journal of Alcohol & Drug Education (2008): 18-36. VonDras, D. , R. Schmitt, and D. Marx. â€Å"Associations Between Aspects of Spiritual Well-Being, Alcohol Use, and Related Social-Cognitions in Female College Students. † Journal of Religion & Health Vol. 46 (2007): 500-515.

How Does Donatello Tell the Story of the Annunciation

Painting/Sculpture Essay- Ronan Carey Donatello, originally known as Donato, was given the name Donatello by his relatives and thus, wrote it that way on many of his works, was born in Florence in the year 1386. A gifted artist, he was not only an excellent sculptor and a marvellous statuary, but also prevalent in stucco, an able master of perspective, and a greatly admired architect who worked in virtually every medium possible during his long career, marble, bronze, low relief, pietra serena (dark stone), and even wood .And according to Vasari in his â€Å"Lives of the Artists†: â€Å"his works showed so much grace, design, and excellence, that they were held to approach more nearly to the marvellous works of the ancient Greeks and Romans than those of any other craftsman whatsoever. † The piece that shall be discussed in this essay is the work considered by many to be Donatello’s most important work in pietra serena, the â€Å"Annunciation (c. 1435)† fo r the Cavalcanti tabernacle, in the Santa Croce Chapel, Florence.The entire piece is 218cmx268cm, and is an architectural sculpture that takes the place of an altar in a family chapel, located in the right aisle of the Chapel following the renovation of the Original church and destruction of the original Chapel by Vasari. The Annunciation itself is a biblical scene that refers to moment in which the angel Gabriel delivers the news to Mary that she is to bear the child of Christ. In the Bible, the Annunciation is narrated in the book of Luke, Luke 1:26-38: Luke 1:26 and in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed ‘art' thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind wha t manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and ring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. It was the skill of Donatello to translate this scene into a sculpture so vibrant and powerful that generation after generation would look upon it and understand the power and significance of the depiction. According to Joachim Poeschke, author of â€Å"Donatello and his World†, like Leonardo da Vinci, Donatello felt that â€Å"the Distance between the viewer and the action had to be overcome in the emotional sense as well as the visual†.It is this mentality that causes the work of Donatello to sweep a viewer up and allow them to feel in the midst of the action, He did not have to â€Å"rely on realistic effects to create such brilliance but rather focus on his own imagination and creative control over his piece†. However, in this piece, Donatello does actually create a harmoniously realistic rendering of such a miraculous and often over-exaggerated scene. So how exactly does Donatello tell the story?Well the strength of the piece lies in its choice of subjects, their depiction, and the complex emotional brevity he applies to their story. The sculpture itself is carved from a single stone of pietra serena, a typically dark stone that is often avoided by sculptors for its monotony in tone and contrast but in the hands of Donatello he used exquisite gold gilding to create a rich and sensuous appeal to the carving. The gold would have glimmered high above the parishioners in the candlelight of the otherwise dark Franciscan church, notable for its one large external rose window.It is important to note the fact that the parishioners would have been looking up at the elevated sculpture as it plays a paramount role in our understanding of its depiction. Donatello used foreshortening in his rendering of Mary to the extent that on ground level, her right leg appears slightly shorter than it would be if it was anatomically correct. An article in â€Å"The Florentine† magazine by Jane Fortune discusses how this foreshortening allows the figures to stand out in what appears to be a much higher relief than one would expect. However, as Bonnie A. Bennett and David G.Wilkins say in â€Å"Donatello†, the use of a richly patterned and gilded background immediately behind the figures prevents the illusion of further depth, but this restricted spatial effect is very appropriate for Donatello’s annunciation as it architecturally justifies his omission of several iconic elements of the annunciation scene. If we look at the figures presented we see only the Angel Gabriel and Virgin Mary and her lyre back chair. It was common practice in the history of art in 15th Century t o depict Mary and surrounding with numerous symbols to increase the abject legitimacy of the art.Some of these elements include Mary reading or holding a book to display knowledge and wisdom, a lily for purity, a lectern for the word of God or a dove to show the Holy Spirit. In Donatello’s rendering of the Annunciation, however, there are none of these icons save for the Virgins’ book but there is also no loggia, no view into the virgin’s bedchamber, and no symbolic walled garden to represent her virginity. Florence’s museums and churches abound with portrayals that at times seem overcrowded with symbolism and icons to inform a viewer of the theological importance of the scene they are witnessing.Donatello has chosen to do with away with any imagery that may cloud the focus on the Virgin and Gabriel to allow a viewer to become swept up in the complex story at hand. These omissions only prove to make what Donatello has actually included all the more essent ial. If we look at how exactly he has illustrated the angel Gabriel we see that he has chosen the moment when Gabriel has literally just entered the room, his large, deep wings are still unfurled in manner that suggest he has only landed this very second to deliver his news.His drapery and ribbons are swept back behind him to accentuate this idea of swift movement and he appears to genuflect on one knee instead as he comes to a landing with his mouth slightly agape in the act of addressing the virgin. Donatello is transmitting the idea of the power and meaningfulness behind what Gabriel has to say. The Madonna herself is in a pose not usually seen up until that point in art history. According to Gerald S. Davies in the Burlington Magazine, â€Å"She is arrested at the precise moment when it expresses the most completely a condition of mental emotion†.She has been caught whilst reading a book; it is still held firmly in her grasp. We can tell she has just risen at the appearan ce of the angel as she has turned by impulse to leave, clearly taken aback by this miraculous apparition. Her right knee, already bent to take the first step, tells us this. Her left foot is planted firmly on the ground and is yet to be moved. With her right hand she is briskly yet still gracefully clasping for her mantle, which suggests it has fallen from her shoulders as she leapt up in commotion but also confirms that she is accepting of the Angel’s news as she places her hand on her heart.All of these subtle movements come together to express an emotional experience of hearing the message of an angel. Her face is turned downwards in a gracious pose reminiscent of Greek classical sculpture that places it almost completely in profile and away from the direction she is apparently walking. This one look, alone, tells us that what she is hearing is clearly an encapsulating and spellbinding message. In conclusion, Donatello has created something truly special in his depiction o f the Annunciation.His omission of several elements in this much re-created scene gave it its own individual appearance and personality, and although it is clearly indebted to the high-relief Greek classical sculptures of Donatello’s favour, it still remains utterly contemporary and even forward thinking in terms of renaissance sculpture. He has taken an otherwise difficult and unspectacular medium, pietra serena, and bent it to his will to create a spectacular piece of ecclesiastical sculpture.His contemporaries would have been so impressed by this work for its sheer courage if nothing else, Donatello did away with traditional conventions for the sake of expressing more genuine emotional in his art. His ability to allow the three essential elements of the story to occur simultaneously, that of the angel’s arrival and the virgin’s shock, his message being delivered, and Mary’s eventual acceptance, is what elevates this work of stone into another level of artistic expression for its time that would have amazed his contemporaries as well as the average citizens of Florence.References: Donatello- Bonnie A. Bennett and David G. Wilkins (pg. 32/147/148) Joachim Poeschke- Donatello and his world (pg. 32/56) Jane Fortune- Variation on a theme: Annunciation- The Florentine-published June 28, 2007 Giorgio Vasari- the lives of the Artists Tuscany Arts- Looking at Donatello’s Annunciation Gerald S. Davies – A Sidelight on Donatello’s Annunciation- The Burlington Magazine- published 1908

How to Find Adult Education and Earn a GED in Michigan

How to Find Adult Education and Earn a GED in Michigan You may be pleasantly surprised to find some refreshingly unusual education opportunities for adults on the Education page at Michigan.gov. It takes a few clicks to find these treasures. From the main landing page, click on the Education tab at the top, and then on Students on the left navigation bar. On the Students page, click on Adult Learning on the right navigation bar, under Timely Topics for Students. Here you will find links to wonderful and unexpected programs like Becoming an Outdoors Woman, getting work as a Seasonal Farm Worker, and help for the blind at the Commission for the Blind. There is also a link for the Michigan Historical Museum Volunteer Program/Docent Guild, a fantastic way for lifelong learners to share their love of history, knowledge of the local areas, and hard-earned wisdom. College Career Prep Under the College Career Prep heading, there are links for the more traditional kinds of adult education. Unfortunately, at the time of this publishing, the link for Adult Education Resource Center simply takes you back to the Education landing page. The Michigan Career Portal link does take you to a new site focused on helping Michigan citizens find jobs, from management careers to skilled trades. There is a counter that shows Michigan has more than 90,000 jobs available! Use the search box to find the jobs appropriate for you. On the Career Explorer tab on this page, youll find helpful tools for assessing and developing your skills, and a very interesting opportunity under the Career Jump Start tab to work with a liaison who can point you in the right direction. There are 10 of them, each assigned to a region of the state. Contact info for each is at the bottom of the Career Jump Start page. Earning Your GED in Michigan Sadly, the GED link at the bottom of the Education/Students page opens a PDF that does not appear to be current, and it is the only apparent link for GED information. The best way to find GED information at Michigan.gov is to search for GED in the search box at the top of the page. The first result is a link to the Michigan Workforce Development Agency, which oversees this aspect of adult education in Michigan. When GED and high school equivalency testing options became available in the United States on January 1, 2014, Michigan chose to continue its partnership with GED Testing Service, which now offers a computer-based GED test. Your best option for information is to visit GED Testing Service, where you can find testing centers in your own county. In March of 2015, the state transitioned from paper transcripts and certificates to a paperless, web-based credentialing system. Its an easier, much faster way to receive your credentials, and they can be easily forwarded to schools and potential employers in Michigan. This is a state credentialing service, not national. You can still get a paper copy if you desire. There may be a small fee. Registered Apprenticeship If you are looking to develop skills in a particular trade, you will want to be sure to visit the Registered Apprenticeship page, also found on the Michigan Workforce Development Agency site. Opportunities are available in skilled trades, energy, health care, information technology, and advanced manufacturing. If you participate in this program, youll receive extensive on-the-job training under supervision in addition to classroom education. Youll find addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses for the people to contact. Return to the list of states.

10 Tips for Website Organization and Flow †updated from 2009!

10 Tips for Website Organization and Flow – updated from 2009! I am almost ready to launch a new website for The Essay Expert, and I have learned a LOT along the way. I decided to write my blog on the topic, and, as a reference, went back to an article I wrote almost seven years ago about website organization and flow. I knew very little then, but did share a few important tips. While some things have changed, some things have stayed the same. Here is my updated list, and a preview of The Essay Expert’s new website! 1. Don’t have more than eight (8) top menu items in addition to the Home tab. With new menu formats, I’ve increased this number from six (6) in my original recommendation to eight (8). The menu items on my new site will be About, Testimonials, Services, DIY/eBooks, Media, Blog, FAQs, and Contact. They fit nicely and simply across the top menu. 2. You don’t have to make the top menu items clickable. This is a change in my opinion from years ago. I think people used to expect the menu items to be clickable. Now all you need is clickable dropdown items. 3. Make your logo (generally the top left corner of every page) a link to your home page. This is still a best practice. Do it! And don’t assume people know to click the logo to get to the home page. Put a Home tab on the top navigation too – you can use an icon of a house to save space. 4. Use creative solutions to help people navigate longer pages. While anchor links are an established option for helping users navigate, there are a lot more solutions available now. For instance, use tabs on a page to allow users to choose the category of information that interests them. I will be using this option on my Testimonials page, where users can click on tabs labeled Executive, Mid-Level, Entry-Level and Admissions to see testimonials relevant to that category of service. Another option is a pop-up window that provides information without lengthening the page. I will be using this option for items like â€Å"Where our clients have been admitted.† If you do choose anchor links, these links can look like buttons. Design them to be congruent with your site design! 5. Review your site regularly for broken links and fix or delete them. And for any broken links within your own site, create a unique 404 page. This advice will never change. Constantly check for broken links! For 404, I have created a page with a Mark Twain quotation! Here are some famously creative 404 pages for your reading pleasure. 6. Give your website viewers information about how the service or product works so they are educated before they buy, and before they call you. Here’s how I’m doing it on my new site: I’m also improving the descriptions of each of my services so site visitors understand what they will be getting when they make a purchase. 7. Don’t send people away from a page if you want them to purchase something on that page. On my new website, I offer a complete â€Å"Resume and LinkedIn Success Package† (see above) that I expect to be the most common product people purchase. I also so have â€Å"a la carte† options available. But I will not mention those items until the bottom of the page. Any buttons at the top of my executive services page will keep people on the page, either with a pop-up or a link to a service on the page itself. They will have to read through my most popular items before they find other options. 8. Whenever possible, offer a main product with optional add-ons. On my â€Å"old† (current) site, I have learned, there are way too many options to choose from and people get confused as to which service is best for them. In my effort to accommodate everyone, I went a bit overboard. The new site will offer one main package with add-ons. I’m excited to have created a streamlined experience for new customers! 9. Scatter testimonials throughout your website. People want to know what other people are saying about you. Personally, even if I don’t read the testimonials on a site, I want to know they are there. Make sure if you offer different products that the ones most relevant to each product are on that product page. Also offer the opportunity for people to write reviews directly on your site! On my new site, I will have testimonials on each page as well as a full page of testimonials for anyone who wants to read more. 10. Highlight certifications, awards, and media appearances. What qualifies you to do what you do? Put it up front and center to gain credibility and trust! There are many more recommendations and best practices for websites that I haven’t covered here. I’d love to hear your comments and suggestions. And stay tuned for the launch of The Essay Expert’s new website†¦ coming soon! Category:Web Site TipsBy Brenda BernsteinMay 23, 2016