Nicholas Romanov Essay Example for Free

Nicholas Romanov Essay Nicholas II was the last of the Romanov dynasty rule as the Czar of Russia. His rule began on 1st of November and finished on the 15th of 1917. During the time of Nicholas’s reign Russia saw him go from the great and powerful â€Å"little father† to a much more dishonorable and weak â€Å"bloody Nicholas†. Nicholas II was unsuccessful and the reason behind all of Russia’s many downfalls such as WW1 and the Russo-Japanese war. Bloody Sunday, The October Manifesto and the Russo-Japanese war were all events that support how unsuccessful he was as Czar and prove that he was the worst ruler of his time. The Russ-Japanese was the beginning of the on going failure of Czar Nicholas II. The war began over both Japan and Russia wanting control over Manchuria, Russia was defeated and shaken. The Czars people began lose their faith as it started the many strikes and demonstrations in St. Petersburg. Starting a war was Nicholas’s plan to divert the attention from the national problems of Russia, however created the original division between the Czar and his people. The war was fought in the far eastern reaches of Russia and most of the population lived in Moscow and St. Petersburg, so talk of the war created little enthusiasm for people to fell about the war, which Nicholas was hoping for. Bloody Sunday was an event that brought attitudes and opinions of hate towards Nicholas II and branded him with the new nickname â€Å"bloody Nicholas† which also creates a sense of how the working class felt about their Czar. Bloody Sunday was the massacre of innocent peasants holding a peaceful petition led by father Gapon, outside the winter palace and through the streets of Russia. Peasants marched unarmed and carrying religious symbols on flags hoping that their Czar would show compassion and help his people like a Czar should. This was not the case. The Imperial Guard fired 3 shots before shooting into the crowd killing over 200 people and injuring many more. Bloody Sunday provides clear evidence of Czar Nicholas failure and how unsuccessful he was at addressing the problems of Russia. The October Manifesto was a result of the horrible occurrences of Bloody Sunday in 1905. The October Manifesto was issued by Nicholas II to serve as a response to the Russian Revolution in 1905, but in fact, created an even bigger problem for the Czar to solve. The idea was to create a Duma and grant public liberties such as freedom of speech, assembly and religion. The plan was to bring back the bond between the Czar and his peasants but backfired and led to failure. The duma was unsuccessful as the Czar still had full control and was unwilling to share, which created an even bigger uproar among peasants as it was beneficial for the wealthier individuals of Russia more so than the working class. Nicholas II was now dealing with two gigantic holes in society that couldn’t be fixed, proving how unsuccessful he was as a ruler. In conclusion, Nicholas II was a highly unsuccessful ruler for the three major events of his reign bringing him failure and eventually leading him to his abdication. Bloody Sunday, the October Manifesto and Russo-Japanese are all stages of the Romanov Dynasty that prove Czar Nicholas was ineffective and distorted ruler, who was unsuccessful in solving the problems of Russia, which led to the downfall of the country and the end of an empire.

How Effective Is The Child Protection System?

How Effective Is The Child Protection System? Literature highlights some of the challenges for social workers assessing and making decisions about African children and families whose cultures differ from the majority of the white population in United Kingdom. The critical evaluation of knowledge and research in child protection and prevention of child abuse in black African children is important to the forming of social work policy, services and appropriate intervention. This is because there is need to provide appropriate intervention services which are culturally sensitive but at the same time preventing child abuse. It is important that black African children perspectives form part of policies and legislation. Several authors have critically analysed the evidence on service provision for black families in general. A pathologising approach to black families may lead to unnecessary coercive intervention and on the other hand a cultural relativist approach may lead to a non-intervention when services are required (Dominelli 1997 , Chand 2000). The purpose of the review is to explore if the child protection system is effective in preventing child abuse in black African children and their families. By child protection, the review will be referring to all the agencies and services involved in protecting and preventing child abuse. By relating to theory and research, there is hope to uncover gaps, themes and debates and also, raise questions which can be useful for future research. The literature review starts by setting the parameters that is, defining the terms that will be used, such as, child protection and child abuse. The literature review goes to set the historical and theoretical context because it is important to know how long literature and research has existed on the topic and what has been happening including research on culture differences, poverty, power issues and child protection. The review goes on to address the theoretical perspectives on the topic to analyse the theories that form the knowledge base in rese arch. The review goes on to look at the major findings in research and literature by exploring the key themes such as factors that impact African children that can result them in being involved in the child protection system for example, child rearing practices, poverty and limited knowledge in cultural practices by social work professionals. Finally the review will look at the anti-discriminatory practice and user-involvement to show how professionals can work sensitively and provide culture appropriate services. The literature search Child protection system aims to prevent situations that can result in a child or young person aged sixteen and under experience abuse that puts them in danger of not developing appropriately or losing their life (Save the Children UK, 2008). The abuse can fall under the category of child abuse which could be in form of neglect, emotional, physicals and sexual, (Woolfson et al 2009). The search involved these terms. After establishing the specific area to be reviewed; the focus was on black African children and the child protection system. The area of child protection and black African children is a controversial area that has been neglected in literature and research and there is need to analyse themes and identify gaps in literature. The sources selected were journals, books, government records and articles. Electronic search engines were used because they provided a readily available wide range of literature and research articles which have been accepted for publishing. These sourc es were used as evidence and source of information because they had been accepted for publishing hence they would not provide with false information. Review of the literature Historical Context In setting the historical context, the most important development in child protection is the formulation of the Children Act 1989 which was influenced by the public inquiries of the 1970s and 1980s child deaths, for example, the Maria Cowell. The Act stressed that the Local Authoritys duty is to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. However, research into how the Children Act was being put into action found that the child protection system was still focusing on single incidents of child abuse rather than planning to meet the wider requirements of children in need (DoH, 1995a). The studies also noted that many children and families received little or no support, the assessment of risk was low (Stevenson, 1998) and ignored the influences of poverty, unemployment and poor housing. This meant that a new way in thinking was needed about working with families. The result was publication of the Framework for Assessment of Children in Need and their Families (DoH et al, 2000) and Wo rking Together to Safeguard Children (DoH et al, 1999). A Common Assessment framework was also developed to promote more effective earlier identification of childrens additional needs and improve inter-agency working. A review into previous deaths of children indicates failures to listen to children, sharing of information, follow procedures and recognising indicators of abuse. The main response to the deaths of children due to local authorities failures has been to seek bureaucratic solutions such as introducing new guidelines, laws and procedures (Ferguson, 2005). However, the Laming 2003 enquiry into the tragic death of Victoria Climbie in 2000 is particularly significant because it pointed out the inter-agency approach established after Maria Cowells death in 1973 was not followed and it considered implications for the whole of the child protection system (Batty, 2003). Laming (2003) highlights the misjudgements made on the Climbies case based on cultural assumptions that led to a tragedy. However, Garret (2006) argues that the Laming report (2003) appears to detach a childs race from core assessments and this was echoed in the Every Child Matters which appears to mention very little about the needs of children from other races. After the Victoria Climbie enquiry there has been recent death of children known to social services such as, baby P (2007) and Khyra Ishaq (2008). This begs the question, where is the child protection system going wrong? There are debates on how to provide social work interventions and family support that are culturally sensitive and competent to African children and their families who are at risk of significant harm (Stobart, 2006; Holland 2004, Robinson 2007; Mama 2004). This was highlighted in the Laming Progress Report (2009) which set out challenges faced in safeguarding children such as: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ there is still need to improve knowledge and skills to understand children and their family circumstances. Also the laming report noted that despite the progress in inter-agency wor king there are still problems of day to day reality of working across organisational boundaries and cultureà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ , Laming Progress Report (2009). When reviewing literature it is important to note that there is a sparse of research on black African children and the child protection system in the Britain hence it is difficult to set out the historical and theoretical context. Where research and literature exists, the data is still not plausible because it is mixed with other research data from minority ethnic populations and their experience differs widely. Theoretical and research perspectives that shape knowledge Different theories and perspectives inform knowledge base in literatures surrounding African children and the child protection system. When researching this area there is need to look at experiences of African people and their involvement with child protection hence researchers can use the black perspective which is based on the notion of common experiences that black people share. The black perspective criticises repressive research and theories that are likely to oppress black people, (Robinson 2007). African families will always refer to their culture as frame of reference to their parenting capacities (Bernard and Gupta, 2008) and understanding and acknowledgement of the black frame of reference will enable social workers to come up with accurate and comprehensive assessments of African black children involved with the child protection system, (Robinson 2007). Other literature is based on the ecological perspective and highlights the importance to analyse the impacts of social ex clusion, poverty and immigration on black African children and their families, (Gibbs and Huang 2003). However, Robinson 1998 argues that there is a danger of over-generalising and stereotyping because individual members from the same culture can behave differently from the pattern that is typical of that culture. However, other researchers argue that postmodern theories have gained popularity in social work, (Pease and Fook 1999; Leonard 1997). Researchers have argued against postmodern theories who want a better understanding of identity, combining personal with structural elements of living (Dominelli 2002; Graham 2002), drawing on the idea of what holds people together, (Badiou 2001). The lack of appropriate preventative support services which are culture sensitive often result in social work operating against the interests of black children involved in child protection, (Barn 1993, Graham 2002). Social work has operated within a problem oriented framework which is characterised by deficit and dysfunctional theories of black families (Robinson 2008). Major finding in literature and research Research agrees that black African children and their families are disproportionately represented in child protection (Graham, 2006; Barn et al 1997; Bernard and Gupta 2008). When looking at experiences of black African children and their families and how best to offer them appropriate intervention it is important to acknowledge background in terms of religion, culture, language and beliefs (Bernard and Gupta 2008; Gibbs and Huang 2003; Robinson 2007). Research shows that black African families may experience oppression and discrimination within the child protection system (Chand, 2008). A lot of literature appears to draw attention to the parenting in African families and how their culture is neglected in a lot researches and there is little empirical evidence especially about African parenting in Britain (Bernard, 2002; Graham 2006). Parenting by African families is entwined into an already debate of what constitutes child abuse (Francis, 1993; Chand 2000). Barn, 2002 argues that c hild abuse is a socially constructed phenomenon and most of literature surrounding child abuse is based on western societys views and middle-class. This can lead to discrimination and stereotypes towards African families rearing practices and lead to unwanted intervention and social care involvement. There is well documented literature focused on how culture influence parenting of African families involved with child protection system, (Brophy et al 2003, Bernard, 2002; Graham 2006). However, the empirical research is limited but the little data that exists poses the notion that cultural practices appear to play some part in African children being involved in the child protection system, (Mama, 2004). Literature suggests that African families practice harsh punishment for children, however, Barn et al 2006; Thoburn et al 2005; Nobes and Smith 1997, challenge such stereotypes and in their study, they found no significant differences between ethnic groups with regard to physical punis hment. However, these studies cannot be generalised to African families easily because the majority of the participants where white parents. There is gap in research on the parenting by black African families and a recurrent theme in literature is the need to acknowledge cultural and social contexts of parenting and experience of African black families to make sense of child abuse and provide appropriate intervention for children and families involved in the child protection system, (Holland 2004, Robinson 2007, Stobart 2006). A focus on ethnicity or identity, preclude issues of power and oppression operating in the everyday experiences of childrens lives to be appreciated, (Graham, 2007). Research found that most black African families live in poverty and social exclusion and how this impacts on parenting, (Bernard and Gupta 2008; Gibbs and Huang 2003; Robinson 2007; Platt, 2007). A study of more than 7,000 children looked after by 13 Local Authorities found that children who were not of the white origin where more likely to be put into care due to poverty (Sinclair et al, 2007). Sinclair et als study is very important b ecause it is a comprehensive qualitative study which focuses on the needs of children in care systems involving their perspectives and investigates the outcomes for children. The study also suggests how the care system should function and managed which is important to social work professionals and policy makers. However, data produced cannot be easily generalised to the entire population of African children because their experiences varies. There has been research critically examining the treatment of asylum seeking children and the child protection system and there is argument between the Children Act 1989 and immigration legislation and policy and Jones (2001) argues that social work profession singularly failed to provide critical scrutiny on the status and relationship of immigration and child care law and the erosion of childrens rights. Other researchers agree with Jones, that vulnerability of asylum seeking children has emotional and legal aspects, (Woodcock, 2003; Chase, 2009). Kohli 2006, argues that legislation obstruct the provision of preventative services to vulnerable children and their families. Research has highlighted the fragility of African children who claim asylum such as having suffering trauma due to their circumstances that led them to claim asylum such as war and torture, (Hodes, 2000, 2002; Ehntholt and Yule, 2006; Dyregrov and Yule, 2006). Research shows that there is a gap in research on asyl um seeking children and social work to inform practice, (Kohli and Mather 2003; Okitikpi and Aymer 2003). Rustin 2005, states that there is a complicated interaction between social workers knowledge in asylum seeking children and the existing stereotypes regarding these groups of service-users, (Bernard and Gupta 2008; Robinson 2007; Barn 1993; Owen and Statham 2009). Bernard and Gupta (2008) go on to cite other factors that affect African children such as asylum seeking, AIDS, loss and separation and this is important because when providing intervention to African children there is need to comprehend their background to offer appropriate services which do not discriminate them any further. Young (1990) states that black children often experience multiple-oppression for example, they suffer from stereotypes from society and also they are invisible to the child protection system. Graham (1999) goes on to argue that intervention with African families is at the centre of wider debates and conflict; and evidence from research continues to show over-representation of African children and their families in child protection. The debates seem to focus on power imbalances and how to involve African families to gain control over their lives, (Graham, 1999; Young, 1990). Other researchers highlight the issues of language in child protection and the provision of appropriate intervention services, (Chand 2000, Ahmed et al, 1982). The use of children as translators in sensitive child protection issues is unethical and inappropriate, and also the use of an interpreter can distort the assessment process, (Chand, 2000). Bernard and Gupta (2008) go further to look at other factors that affect black African children that other literature seems to neglect such as how gender norms place women in an inferior position within African cultures and this can limit mothers to protect their children in the environment of domestic violence, however Owen and Statham (2009) argues that the is limited evidence to maintain or challenge this notion. Nevertheless, in Masson et al (2008) study, domestic violence was evidenced as a cause of concern in the court files of half the children of Black African mothers implicated in their study of care proceedings. Research and evidence from Climbie enquiry propose that social work professionals involved with black and minority ethnic families might not act in child abuse cases because of fear of being regarded as a racist (Scorer, 2005; Bernard and Gupta, 2006). Nevertheless, literature and research fail to provide a large amount of evidence to support this notion for example, Gordon and Gibbons (1998) in their study found no differences between ethnicity in terms of children being placed on the child protection register and factors such as parents mental health problems, criminal activities or the child not fitting in a reconstituted family were the reasons for involvement than ethnicity (Williams and Soydan, 2005). However, Selwyn et al 2008 found that social work professionals were more uncertain and occasionally puzzled regarding how best to promote the needs of ethnic children and they felt further self-doubting in their assessment. Recurring themes in literature is the significance of so cial work professionals to build up on culturally sensitive work with black and ethnic families (Gray et al., 2008; Sue, 2006; Laird, 2008; Stirling et al., 2009; Hodge, 2001). Anti-discriminatory perspectives and the incorporation of knowledge from service users Thompson, (2008) states that anti-discriminatory practice has been used in Britain to account for good practice in social work to counter structural disadvantages however, Graham 1999, argues that anti-discriminatory practice fails to provide a knowledge base for social work that is engaged in the collective development of the black community. Professionals can indirectly oppress African children and their families through practice for example, by imposing their personal values or power, (Dominelli 2007). Research and literature talks about the child protection providing cultural sensitive services and training social work professionals have the knowledge and skills in working with different cultures. However this can actually create further oppression and social divisions. The majority of the workers will have dominant Eurocentric views which encourage further social divisions for example, excepting the view that African families live in poverty and not fight and challenge this view by providing services that help families to counter these structural inequalities in society. Dominelli (2007) argues that there is need to address the systems that reaffirm racist dynamics rather than challenging them. Dominelli (1992) argues that black children and families are over-represented in the controlling aspects of social work and under-represented in the welfare aspects of social work. Problems with communication and working in partnership have been highlighted in literature. Chases (2009) study found that young people described complex relationships with social workers and other social care professionals and were also more mistrustful of the interplay between social care and immigration services. There is limited research that incorporates service user involvement (Buchanan 2007; Bernard 2002) taking in their lived experiences however, an important study by Chase 2009 found that young people often described complex relationships with social workers and other social care professionals and were also more mistrustful of the interplay between social care and immigration services. Recent policy has tried to enforce advocacy as a way of promoting social justice and incorporate disadvantaged groups views on the services that are appropriate for them. In Bowes and Sims (2006) empirical study, they found that black and minority ethnic communities gave support to advocacy s ervices, however, they were still marginalised by the services they were already using. There appears to be a need of qualitative research and literature that includes an extensive study of black African childrens perspectives and experiences, (Graham 2007) which forms a value base to inform practice in social work. Relevance to policy and practice Using the ecological approach the Framework For Assessment of Children in Need and their Families (DoH, 2000), places a requirement on social work professionals to take account of cultural background and socio-economic positions of families paying attention to power imbalances in relationships, (Dalrymple and Burke, 1995). Dalrymple and Burke (1995) argue that an understanding is needed of the association between personal experience and structural realism of inequality. Therefore service users perspectives should form part of policies and legislation respecting and literature highlights that childrens rights may still lack from policy and legislation, therefore, these notions challenge professionals to take childrens views seriously and appreciate their contribution to research, (Aubrey and Dahl 2006). Lots of research appears to focus on empowerment through cultural knowledge inviting new thinking about the challenges faced by black communities, (Aubrey and Dahl 2006). The complex s ocial circumstances experienced by many African families pose challenges for social work professionals working to safeguard and promote childrens welfare. In order to safeguard and promote welfare of African children acknowledgement of sources of discrimination and oppression, a commitment to human rights and social justice must be met. Several authors have critically analysed the evidence on service provision for black families in general. A pathologising approach to black families may lead to unnecessary coercive intervention and on the other hand a cultural relativist approach may lead to a non-intervention when services are required (Dominelli 1997, Chand 2000). Either way appropriate intervention is not provided for black and ethnic minority children. The quality of services in black communities is a focus for debate and raises important issues about the lack of policy initiatives based upon needs and aspirations of local communities (Graham, 2002). By drawing on strengths perspective professionals can illuminate how parents draw on cultures as a resource to parents in circumstance of adversity whilst not excusing behaviour that is harmful to children. Conclusions There is gaps in research on child protection and black African families and a recurrent theme in literature is the need to acknowledge cultural and social contexts of parenting and experience of African black families to make sense of child abuse and provide appropriate intervention for children and families involved in the child protection system, (Holland 2004, Robinson 2007, Stobart 2006). Research shows that there is a gap in research on asylum seeking children and social work to inform practice, (Kohli and Mather 2003; Okitikpi and Aymer 2003). There is need for research centred on black African children and there is also need to involve them in forming of policies, challenging the notion that only ethnicity causes the experiences faced by African children. This is because by having cultural sensitive intervention, there can be reinforcement of stereotypical services and discrimination ignoring other things such as gender, age and class.

Ann rule- Dead At sunset Essay -- essays research papers

This book is just one account of what took place on that fatal September 21, 1986 night. It was a warm and beautiful Sunday night on the Sunset High way in Oregon when Cheryl Keeton was brutally bludgeoned body was found in her van, in the fast lane by a motorist, Randall Kelly Blighton who just stopped to see if he could offer any type of help.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Randall Blighton saw a silhouette of an infant in the vans window which now he says was a car seat. He felt that he couldn’t just pass by after he had just dropped off his own children with their mother. When he first arrived by the van he set out flares to make sure that everybody knew that the van was there. He then went to open the drivers side door and found that a woman’s purse was jammed between the accelerator and the firewall, that would explain the continually motion forward. He could see that a figure was lying across the front seat and that the head was tucked into the chest just over the passenger seat. He could see that the figure had on one loafer type on one foot that looked feminine. As he searched to turn on the emergency flashers and was unable to find them, not knowing that they were over head. He felt the floor to see if there was a baby. However, as he felt around he realized that the floor and seats of the van and realized why it was so hard to see through the drivers side window that was splattered with something dark, blood. Nevertheless, he felt it was more important to keep searching to find the baby instead of stopping. He shuddered and didn’t get how there could be so much blood in the van if it hadn’t been hit by another vehicle. Randall then hopped in the drivers seat and moved the van on to the shoulder of 79th where it met sunset highway. Mr. Blighton then ran to the passenger side door, which was slightly open to see if the woman had a pulse when he could not feel one he then ran to get help. He finally came to a house and told them to call for help. Thomas Stewart Duffy Jr was on duty that night at Washington County Fire District Number One. The call came in roughly at 8:44 that night. They had many calls come in from the sunset highway and most proved fatal. They arrived to see the blue Toyota van parked facing north along 79th . The man was covered in dark spots and they weren’t sure just what they were getting into. When they arrived at the woman ... ...s fear. Brad later left the house and it was a mess Sara was unsure if he was ever to return and went to the house with a realtor only to find the locks and high tech security system had been changed. Did you know?  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This would be the second case to be tried in civil court for a murder with no weapons just circumstantial evidence.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cheryl Keeton could see that Brad would kill her and was warned by many close friends never to be alone with him but felt she had to go and get her children back that fatal Sunday night.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Brad Cunningham grew up in a divorced household where he was not wanted by his father and was never to see his mother or have any contact with her. After she had an affair with a Hispanic man and was caring his child.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He had a brother that never was able to have a relationship with a woman.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Been married 4 times before Sara, seemed not to marry for love but for control and to get what ever he wanted. Eight years after killing his divorced wife in Portland, Oregon, Brad Cunningham was finally convicted of her murder

Battle of the Divas :: essays research papers

â€Å"Kiss my Brass! I’m not retiring and you can’t make me.† Bette Midler is in the prime of her life, selling out her concerts entertaining millions with her amazing voice and witty sense of humor. For over thirty years, Bette has been in an everlasting competition with the other world wide known sarcastically blunt entertainer, Cher. These two divas have made their way to the top by producing numerous CD’s containing hit songs that will forever be remembered, and starred in hit movies earning the title as an actor/singer, which few have been able to do. Though they are in the same line of business and have accomplished similar things, they carry their weight in two opposite manners. Bette is a better entertainer for her amount of success, and way of performing in a decent manner. With four Grammys, three Emmys, two Oscar nominations and a special Tony to her credit (as of 1999), the self-styled â€Å"Queen of Trash† Bette Midler is one of the more honored multi-talented performers in American showbiz. Bette constructed the larger-than-life role of 'The Divine Miss M' (also the title of her 1972 debut album for Atlantic Records) and built her career as a red-haired performer with the wide, lovely smile. Bette's early 1970s act "nailed the nostalgia thing" with Andrews Sisters takeoffs 1973's "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and 1960s girl-group numbers, as well as including blues and show tunes in its broad musical spectrum. Midler formed her own production company, and made her first foray into producing with the successful "Beaches" (1990), an updated woman's picture which yielded her first Number 1 hit, "The Wind Beneath My Wings". Can anyone remember when Cher wasn’t around? She has gone from pop singer, TV and movie star, to a nobody: an infomercial queen and a laughingstock. She’s back at pop superstar, and all this occurred within approximately 15 years. Throughout it all, she survived in the public eye, something no one can take away from her. The best way to summarize Cher is to say that she has lived the equivalent of 5 lifetimes in one. The whole "I believe Sonny spoke to me beyond the grave" incident didn't exactly do anything to help her credibility, but Cher has never been afraid to be outspoken. She says what's on her mind, even though she might sound incoherent at times. She has received a lot of press for doing some wild stuff, and some people might feel that the media has always underrated her acting abilities.

Mathematics Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Mathematics In an attempt to express certain basic concepts of mathematics precisely, one should consider a handful of different accepted and developed conceptions. Pythagoras, in the Fifth Century B.C., believed that the ultimate elements of reality were numbers; therefore the explanation for the existence of any object could only be explained in number. Gottlob Frege stated, in an idea referred to as logicism, that mathematics could in some sense be reduced to logic. The views of Plato state that we "know" these rules of mathematics at the intuitive level rather than the conscious level. Plato also believed that these forms existed previously in their perfect forms; humans know them in their imperfect forms through concept and imagination. Humans did not invent mathematics, but rediscovered these transcendent but real forms. Almost a century ago, Bertrand Russell wrote in The Problems of Philosophy that "philosophy should not be studied 'for the sake of definite answers to its questions, since no definite answers can, as a rule, be known to be true.'" For the problems mentioned here, however, it seems possible to give and justify answers. Certainly the effort should be made. Perhaps, through Pythagorean ideas, logicism and Platonism, a firmer understanding can be known of the grasp that mathematics has on the world. Due to the secrecy of the society in which Pythagoras, it is difficult to distinguish between any original works of Pythagoras from those of his followers. However, it is not the author that is important, but rather the notions presented. According to the view of the Pythagoreans that "all is number," the first four numbers have a special significance in that their sum accounts for all possible... ...l proofs for someone who accepts the axioms from which they begin." Those axioms are continually being challenged, but if they are to be justified, it shall not be within the context of mathematical activities. Now we must turn to the philosophy of mathematics, "to the great debates between the formalists, the intuitionists, and the Platonists." These debates cannot be settled by mathematical proofs, however. The certainty of mathematics is merely conditional; it rests upon assumptions that cannot be proven within mathematics, but only within the philosophy of mathematics. Exactly the same problem applies with respect to the primary problems of philosophy. We can easily give practical arguments that seem very convincing, but when we analyze these arguments philosophically, we often find that the simple conventions of ordinary argument cannot be regarded as adequate.

Ib Theatre Ri Noh Costume Essay

Noh is known as the classical lyrics drama of Japan. Noh is a combination of serveral dance and drama forms that came before it. (Noh and Kyogen) It embraces the people’s love for the religious and cultral traditions that involve the mix of Japanese Dengaku and Sarugaku (which is a mix between a style of dance and mime). (Noh and Kyogen) Noh is fundamentally a symbolic theatre that focuses on the representation and appreciation of ritual traditions and the appreciation of culture. A tradtitional romantic play in Noh theater is Hanjo (Lady Han). The story of Hanjo is about a yujo named Hanago that works in an inn. A man named Yoshida no Shosho came into the inn for the night on his journey east. Hanago and Yoshida no Shosho fell in love and exchanged fans before he leaves for his journey. After Shosho is gone Hanago becomes nicknamed Hanjo becuase of her deranged and obsessive love for Shosho with the only memories of him being his fan. In this love story, the fans are a representation of the giving of their hearts to one another (connecting to the plot of which this story was derived from); in which the only memory that the women has of her lost lover is the fan. Throughout the play Hanjo constantly has Shosho’s fan in her posession and the more she waves the fan in the play, the more deranged she becomes thoughout the play. (Keene) One of the main aspects of Noh theater is the use of masks and to a Noh actor, the mask gives the actor behind the mask the responsibilty â€Å"to be the living embodiment of the qualities he is called upon to represent†. Toki) The masks in No theater that are commonly usedare the masks that were created between the fourteenth century and the seventeenth century and are prefered to be used in a performance rather than modern mask for the modern mask lacking in origionality compared to the classic. (Toki) In Noh theater, generally the Shite (main actor/ protagonist) actor is the only actor masked in the play, but in certain instances the Shitez-zure (assistant of the Shite) will also wear a mask but only when representing a female character. Toki) Even though the Shite is the only actor to be wearing a mask, the Shite will not wear a mask when representing a character in a earthly or a realistic piece of work and theatrical make-up is rerely and often not used during Noh performances. (Toki) The most common masks that are used are masks that represent female characters. The female mask are used to represent women of all ages and symbolize at times the beauty of the women or the ghost/ spirits of dead women. Toki) Different masks are used to represent the three main type of women, which are catagorized by age. (Toki) Young women are represented by ko-omote, magojiro, and waka-onna; the middle-Aged women are represented by Shakumi, Fukai, and Zoh; and finally the Old women are represented by uba and rojo. (Toki) Yet on occasion the Hannya mask is used in order to represent the vengeful women and conveys negative expressions and attitude. (Toki) When it comes to the costume design for Noh performances there are four different catagorities that the costumes can be organized into: costumes that are worn as undergarments, those worn over the under garments, costumes resembling skirts, and costumes that divide the actors upper section and the lower section of the body. (Toki) A Shite costume with five layers and outer garment of brocade creates an imposing figure on stage that can be even more imposing when a red or white wig is added. (Toki) A very typical gown style worn by women is the Karaori, which is woven with threads of gold, silver and other colors. Toki) Like most costumes in Noh theater, the use of color is major in determining the characters in the play. (Toki) Using red in the color scheme of any of the costume is best fit for a young character. (Toki) The most common costume for woman characters is the kinagashi (worn flowing), as well as the most common way of wearing kimono. (Toki) The outer robe over the under robe hanging from the shoulds to the ground and tied at the waist. (Toki) Another costume in Noh theater is the nuihaku (embroidery, foil) that can be used for both male and female characters. Komparu) A short-sleeved robed with a gold-â€Å"foil† or a silver- â€Å"foil† woven into the costume and â€Å"embroidery†, taking on the style of the satin-weave base. (Komparu) This costume is worn in the style of the koshimaki and includes the aslpects of being draped down from the waist, also resembling the nugi-sage. (Komparu) The nugi-sage (removed and draped) is a costume that will often symbolize a women that is mad. The right sleeve of the outer robe is removed and draped down the back, representing the decaying mind state of the women that is becoming mentally unfit. Komparu) Karaori (Chinese Weave), even though being influenced by the woven style of Chinese clothing is a good representation of Japanese Noh costumes. (Komparu) The robes can be manipulated in order to classify the different characters. It could either include the traditional color red in order to represent the young women characters or can be used without red in order to symbolise the middle-aged and older characters. In order to create the representation of a women’s skin, resort to the surihaku (foil applique). Komparu) Using the same style of the short-sleeved nuihaku with the gold-foil or silver-foil being woven into the costume with red indicates that the character is a woman. (Komparu) Another critical representation of women characters are the styles of katsura (wigs) supported by the katsura obi (wig bands). (Komparu) The narrow bands are long strands that are tied around the outside of the wig and are left hanging down the actors back. (Komparu) The bands still include the aspects of the gold-foil or silver-foil with the choice of red or not. The koshi obi (hip bands) can be used for both male and female characters. (Komparu) This resembles the mizu-goromo or is used with nuihaku in the style of koshimaki (draped from the waist). (Komparu) This costume is wrapped around the hips over a three quarter length. The tradtional styles of wigs that are used to indicate women character are the katsura, which is generally tied back or can be lengenthed to be the naga-katsura- (long wig) by attaching the long hair to a small square cloth and tied onto the actors head then rearranged for the performances. Other styles include the kasshiki-katsura (the religious wig), the midare-bin (untidy or disordered wig), and the uba-katsura (old woman’s wig). (Komparu) For the costume design for Hanjo there are certain aspects from each of the traditional costumes that could come together to create a beautiful costume along with conveying ,the character, Hanjo going mad without her lover, Shosho. The most fitting costume style would be the mugi-sage (removed and draped), which is generally known for symbolizing the concept of a mad woman with the disordanized and rugged look of the right sleeve of the outer robe slipped of and left to hang down the back of the character. The colors of the robe would include the same aspects of the nuihaku and the surihaku with the silver-foil woven into the fabric and the traditional red to indicate that the character is a young woman. The headress of Hanjo would include the idare-bin (disheveled tresses) style of wig in order to help convey the slow affect of Hanjo becoming mad without her lover; and the traditional katsura obi (wig band) with a red trim will support the headress itself and the concept of a female character. For props, Hanjo will hold bamboo grass in her hand which symbolizes a mad women. Along with the bamboo grass, Hanjo will hold a fan that will be a representation of Shosho’s fan that she recieved and will be used to be waved more rapidly to symbolize Hanjo’s madness.

Managing Non-Traditional Inventories Essay

Within the service industry, companies will typically have two types of inventory, traditional inventory and non-traditional inventory. For a restaurateur it is essential that they have certain management systems in place, which assist with the management of both types of inventory. These inventory management systems for traditional and non-traditional inventories are critical for a restaurant to be successful and profitable. When dealing with a restaurants traditional inventory, managers are focused on the challenges of dealing with a highly perishable product, food. Since the raw materials for restaurants have a limited shelf life and usually expire within the first week, restaurant managers must have active control systems that assist with food costs, the largest expense for all restaurants. If restaurants are able to successfully manage their traditional inventory, they are most likely a profitable business; however, restaurants could still be passing up opportunities if they do not manage their non-traditional inventories. The non-traditional inventories for restaurants are the â€Å"products available for sale†, which are the space for customers to sit at tables. Restaurant owners should consider each table space as their main product, because without the table space full-service restaurants will not exist. In order for a restaurant to be not only profitable, but also successful, managers should monitor their tables as if their customers were temporarily renting the space for a meal. For them to manage the tables, they should scrutinize the turnover rate of tables. This refers to the number of times a table is used to serve new customers, therefore, the higher the turnover rate of the tables, the greater the cash flow for the restaurant. This is the reason the fast food industry is a multi-billion dollar industry, as they have an exceptionally high table turnover rate compared to a fine-dining restaurant. For any full-service restaurant, restaurant owners should not pressure their customers to eat faster in order to improve their table turnover rate. Instead, restaurateurs have to properly manage their staff and the service that they provide to achieve a higher turnover rate. Owners should encourage their staff to work together as a team, so that they can improve the efficiency of the restaurant by assisting each other’s customer requests. The most effective practice for improving the cohesiveness between staff members is to encourage the servers to â€Å"pool their tips together and divide it up evenly† (Restaurant Guide). Apart from generating stronger teamwork between staff members, owners must ensure that the kitchen is fully optimized for speed and efficiency. By ensuring both the quality and the speed of the kitchen, restaurants can drastically improve the perceived service as well as the turnover of tables. In addition, staff members should be able to indicate when customers are ready to order, as well as finished with their dishes, since having fewer items on the table is generally a positive aspect of a good restaurant. Lastly, owners in the start-up phase of running a restaurant should avoid purchasing large tables, as small tables can help save space as well as seating capacity. If large parties were to request for a larger table, the restaurant will still be able to accommodate the varying sizes by combining small tables together. Therefore, if restaurant owners are able to manage their food costs, as well the table’s turnover rate and has the correct combination of sizes of tables; they can decrease the wait time for customers, maximize seating capacity, and increase profits (Petersen). Works Cited â€Å"How Better Inventory Management & Weekly Food Costing Can Lower Your Food Cost.† How Better Inventory Management & Weekly Food Costing Can Lower Your Food Cost. Restaurant Owner. Web. 27 May 2012. . â€Å"Managing Table Turns.† – Restaurant Customer Service. Starting a Restaurant Guide. Web. 27 May 2012. . Petersen, Kurt. â€Å"Tables: What Size Do You Need?† Tables: What Size Do You Need? Petersen Furniture, Inc. Web. 27 May 2012. .