Thursday, November 28, 2019

The history of the Christian Church

Introduction The history of the Christian Church was an eventful process that was characterized by several periods marked by particular events and personalities. This paper looks at some of those events and personalities that shaped the Church as we know it today. The paper is divided into two sections. The first section (A) is concerned with the definition of some of the important concepts in the life of the Church. Section B provides a summary of some of the important events in the Church history.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The history of the Christian Church specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Definition of Terms Germanic Tribes These were Indo-European ethnolinguistic people whose origin could be traced to the northern part of Europe, and who were distinguishable by their Germanic languages. The word Germanic was coined during the classical by Roman authors to refer to certain tribal groupings considered ph ysical and less intellectual than the Romans. Carolingian Renaissance This referred to the era of cultural movements during the late eighth century. It was the foremost medieval Renaissance that happened in the course of the rule of Carolingian rulers. It was marked with a rise in the amount of literature liturgical changes and architecture. Scholasticism This referred to a technique of analytical thinking and defending dogma that governed the teachings in universities around Europe during the medieval period. It focused on acquisition of knowledge by deduction in resolving contradictions. Saint Francis Saint Francis of Assisi was a priest of the Roman Catholic Church who created the Order of Friars Minor for men. He also set up the women’s group of the Order of Saint Clare. Beguines These were people belonging to a grouping that originated in the medieval period. It was started by a group of single women and widows who dedicated themselves to a life of prayer and good deeds after they lost their men in battles and during the crusades. Petrarch Often referred to as the father of Humanism, Francesco Petrarch was a poet and an Aretine intellectual who existed in Italy during the Renaissance period. He rediscovered the correspondences of Cicero’s, which were credited for triggering the Renaissance during the fourteenth-century.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Marsilio Ficino Ficino was among the most prominent humanist academics during the early Renaissance in Italy. He was also an astrologer and was the first to translate the surviving works of Plato into Latin. Zwingli Huldrych Zwingli was one of the people who spearheaded reformation in his country, Switzerland. He was the only significant reformer whose movement did not metamorphose into a church. Anabaptists Anabaptists were a group of Christians who revolted against the system of baptis m during the sixteenth-century Radical Reformation in Europe. They advocated for re-baptism, and disputed the credibility of the baptism that was administered to infants. Avignon Papacy This term was used to refer to the period in the Roman Catholic Church when the papacy was centered in Avignon, in France. Martin Luther referred to this period as the ‘Babylonian captivity of the popes.’ Black Death This was one of the most disturbing pandemics that had ever been witnessed in human history. The plague was said to have been caused by the Yersinia bacteria and resulted in the deaths of over 100 million people. Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus was a Dutch Christian who was a scholarly authority in Europe. Though he advocated for and contributed to the protestant reformation, he took a strong stance against violence and criticized Martin Luther for his radical rhetoric.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The history of the Christian Church specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More 1517 C.E This was the period that marked the beginning of protestant reforms in the history of the church when Martin Luther wrote his ’95 Theses.’ In the theses Luther attacked some practices in the Roman Catholic Church. In 1521, he was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. Jesuits Also referred to as the Society of Jesus, it was a Christian grouping with an entirely male membership. The congregation was established by Ignatius Loyola upon his religious conversion after he was wounded in war. Spiritual Exercises These were a collection of Christian prayers, meditations, and mental practices designed by Ignatius Loyola. The exercises were distributed within one month, and were intended to bring the believer closer to Christ. Hernan Cortez Cortez was a Spanish explorer who headed a mission that instigated the collapse of the Aztec Empire. He was part of the initial group of Spanish colonizers who en tered the Americas. Lady of Guadalupe This was the title bestowed upon the Virgin Mary associated with a miracle in which she appeared to one of the natives of Mexico. Currently, there is a renowned image put up in the Basilica of Guadalupe. Old Believers This term was used in reference to a collection of Russians who rebelled against certain changes to the Orthodox liturgy. The reforms were forced on the Russian Orthodox Church by Nikon. 1492 C.E This was the period in church history that was characterized by a mass expulsion of Jews from Spain. Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain signed a document that saw the removal of all Jews from Spain on the reason that they were not willing to convert to Christianity.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Summary Christian Asceticism Christianity has brought to fruition every part of the various forms of ascetic practices. Though the New Testament Gospels do not discuss asceticism, the theme highlighted therein about following in the footsteps of Christ provided a good starting point for ascetic practice within Christianity. The chapters on asceticism traced asceticism to the first letter that Paul wrote to the Corinthians. In this communication, Paul uses the analogy of an athlete that needs to prepare himself regularly to win a race. The chapter also depicted how self-denial, vigils and abstaining from food were practiced in early Christianity. The authors also discuss some of the early sects of Christianity such as the Encratites, in which asceticism was practiced. In the early church, ascetics lived within communities and played their roles. Celibacy along with martyrdom characterized the lives of the first ascetics. In the late third century, monasticism, which was an ascetic pr actice, came from Egypt. It was also thought that bits of monasticism came from Mesopotamia. It was adopted into Christianity and was practiced in the form of cenobitism. It got prominence after Christianity was declared the official religion of the Roman Empire (Hastings 48). The chapter indicated that particular traits of asceticism surfaced in early Methodism, Puritanism and the Oxford Movement despite the fact that ascetic practices were discarded by those who were spearheading the Protestant Reformation. Calvinism and Pietism also showed traits of asceticism. The protestant work ethics could be seen as a form of asceticism that required a rejection of pleasures obtained from material things even when legitimately obtained. The Christian Empire Constantine’s conversion to Christianity played a big role in transforming the Roman Empire into a Christian Empire. The chapter on the adoption of Christianity in the Roman Empire highlighted some of the challenges the implementat ion faced including resistance from the traditional Roman cultures. Christians also faced a hard task of transitioning from a relatively unknown religion to the mainstream religion practiced by the emperor. The chapter also highlighted some of the institutions that had to be created to meet the increased responsibilities while retaining the essence of the message carried in the Gospel. Constantine was made the Roman Emperor in 306. His conversion took place during a battle that involved his brother-in-law who was called Maxentius. He claimed to have had a vision in which God instructed him to imprint a holy sign, which he would carry into battle. From the chapter, it was not clear when Constantine developed a liking for Christianity. What was clear was the fact that his mother, Helena might have exposed him to Christianity during his youth. However, the emperor did not obtain baptism until towards the end of his life. Making Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire was the biggest moment in the spread of Christianity and shaped the way Christianity under the Roman Catholic Church was practiced. Constantine became the patron of the early Christian Church, and under his leadership the church became more institutionalized. Constantine also instructed the supply of Bibles to Christians living in Constantinople. That action encouraged early publication of Bibles such as the Codex Sinaiticus. Reformation This chapter discusses the Protestant Reformation and the exodus from the Roman Catholic Church (Somervill 102). This chapter outlines the role played by Martin Luther and his ‘95 Theses’ in instigating the reform. It also looks at John Calvin and other influential figures during this period of church history such as Ulrich Zwingli and John Knox. Luther began his dissent of the Roman Catholic Church by condemning the corrupt practice of selling indulgences in exchange for absolution (Bainton 296). The debate later grew to involve other iss ues such as celibacy and the authority invested in the papacy. The Protestant Reformation began at a time when many groups of people were discontented with the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church. Most political leaders who supported the Reformation were unhappy with the amount of political power wielded by the papacy. Merchants also supported the Reformation since they did like the taxes imposed by the Roman Catholic Church. A major motivation throughout the progression of the Protestant Reformation was humanism. Erasmus was the most esteemed among the scholars that spearheaded the Protestant Reformation. He advocated for a restoration to the original Christian sources. Erasmus published his Treatise on Free Will in 1522. A reply by Martin Luther titled ‘On the Bondage of Free Will’ indicated how divergent their fundamentals regarding church reformation were. Though Luther, Zwingli, Melanchthon, Bullinger, Bucer, and Calvin founded their quest for reform on the pri nciples of the early church fathers, their radical views were characterized by their interpretation of the Bible. The Protestant Reformation resulted in cultural, political and social changes. Governmental structures that had been designed taking into consideration the Roman authority had to be realigned while groups who had hitherto been used to the Roman cultures and norms transitioned to new norms that resulted from the radical reforms. The Holy Russia Chapter The Christian faction that formed the Russian Orthodox Church was allegedly formed by Apostle Andrew while visiting Scythia and other Greek colonies (Garrard and Garrard 181). Legend has it that Andrew put up a cross at Kiev and predicted the growth a vast Christian city. It was in that spot that the Saint Andrews cathedral was built. The eastern parts of eastern Russia were under the control of the customs of the Roman Empire by the conclusion of the first millennium AD. The translation of the Bible into Slavonic that was done by Saint Methodius leveled the way for adoption of Christianity by the Slavs. The Eastern Orthodox Church parted ways with the Roman Catholic Church due to doctrinal differences and issues concerning the supremacy of the papacy. The Eastern Orthodox faithful accused their Roman Catholic counterparts of diverging from the teachings of the first seven ecumenical councils. The Russian Orthodox Church would also face its own division known as the Old Believer’s schism. Some members of the clergy and lay leaders of the church misunderstood the reforms that had been suggested by Patriarch Nikon and dissented from the mainstream church authority. Mysticism in the History of the Church Mystic practices of the Church generated increased yearning for God at a time when many church adherents were fed up with certain practices within the church leadership such as nepotism, corruption and selling of indulgences. Such Christians sought direct experience with God in order to avoid the doctrines they did not like in the Church. Mysticism was also in response to the intellectual workings of scholasticism where people’s doctrines were used in almost all aspects of worship. In response, mysticism sought to encourage a direct relationship with God through prayer and meditation. Known mystics in the history of the Church included Ignatius Loyola and Teresa of Avila (McColman 49). The void that was left during the Avignon Papacy and the Great religious Schism that happened during the last parts of the fourteenth century was an additional reason that encouraged mysticism in the early Church. While the pope was operating from France, some Christians felt that there was no actual leadership within the church. Due to this lack of direction, many Christians took to mysticism to communicate with God directly. The bubonic plague also played a major role in increasing mystic practices within the Church. The resultant uncertainty of life caused by the numerous deaths made people more spiritual and increased their hunger to improve their experience with God. The gender bias within the ranks of the Church also pushed some women faithful into mysticism. Christina of Markyate was one such Christian. She wanted to be a nun, but her parents disagreed with her decision and sent a man to take her virginity. She, however, managed to convince the man her parents had sent. She went to live as a nun under the guardianship of a monk called Roger. She became a nun in St. Albins and later became an important authority on England’s national issues. Catherine of Sienna, another female mystic, nursed people all through the bubonic plague. Therefore, she championed the notion of marriage to Christ. There were several similarities that existed between mysticism and the protestant Reformation. Like the protestant reformation that sought to do away with intermediaries in worship, mysticism sought direct relationship with deity. However, it was important to note th at mysticism was not in rebellion toward Church authority. Conclusion Christianity certainly has a rich history that involves the contributions of many influential figures. The state of Christianity is still undergoing metamorphosis and more changes can be expected in the future. Works Cited Bainton, Roland. Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2009. Print. Garrard, John and Carol Garrard. Russian Orthodoxy Resurgent: Faith and Power in the New Russia, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2008. Print. Hastings, Adrian. A World History of Christianity, United Kingdom: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2000. Print. McColman, Carl. The Big Book of Christian Mysticism: The Essential Guide to Contemplative Spirituality, Charlottesville, VA: Hampton Roads Publishing, 2010. Print. Somervill, Barbara. Martin Luther: Father of the Reformation, Minneapolis: Capstone, 2006. Print. This essay on The history of the Christian Church was written and submitted by user Josiah Miranda to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Rise of Hitler source study Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers

Rise of Hitler source study Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers Rise of Hitler source study Source 1 A 1924 right-wing German political cartoon showing Philipp Scheidemann , the German Social Democratic politician who proclaimed the Weimar Republic and was its second Chancellor, and Matthias Erzberger , an anti-war politician from the Centre Party, who signed the armistice with the Allies, as stabbing the German Army in the back Source 2 "The older section of the middle class, comprising artisans, small retailers and peasant farmers, formed the core of the support for Hitler, and were showing support for him before the Depression; theirs was a disillusionment with the structure and policies of the Republic itself. To these was subsequently added the weight of much of the new middle class- the non-manual employees, civil servants and teachers- who aligned themselves with Nazism as a direct result of the Depression. Stephen Lee, historian Using s ource one, explain how some German s view ed the Weimar Republic . 5 marks Using the sources and your own knowledge, examine reasons why some Germans believed the Weimar government had stabbed them in the back'. 10 marks Using the sources and your own knowledge, analyse reasons why Germans supported Hitler . 10 marks

Thursday, November 21, 2019

A Bad Time to Raise Children Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A Bad Time to Raise Children - Research Paper Example In the modern day, with the advent of technology and the prevalence of various risk factors, children remain exposed to a multitude of negative influences that hamper their development. Therefore, the present day is a bad time to raise children because there are several factors that could adversely impact the growing teenagers such as media, social environment and parenting deficiencies. With the advent of technology, various media contents are becoming easily accessible to people, due to which these have become very common place. Furthermore, in the present day, the concept of freedom of expression receives high consideration and, therefore, the process of censorship of the media content has become highly liberal. The public is being bombarded with various media content including movies, TV shows, print and web media etc. In this scenario, movies, TV shows, and video games etc contain a lot of sex and violence, which can negatively impact children. Research studies conducted on the topic suggest that â€Å"exposure to violent media early in life is a precursor to increased aggressive behavior later in life† (Kirsh 36). Similarly, video games, which are easily accessible in abundance, have become very popular among children and adolescents. These games also contain a lot of violent materials that excite youngsters. Thus, they remain engaged in this activity f or prolonged hours daily. This habit, apart from provoking violent behavior in children, presents the content that encourages them to remain engrossed in this activity, thus diverting their attention from core areas like studies, project work etc. Besides, the easy and cheap availability of computer and internet expose the children to harmful content. In today’s world, any child can view web content of any kind by using his or her personal computer. Thus, in the present day, parents have to exercise extreme caution to make sure that their children do not over-engage in

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Sickness and healing - An Anthropological Perspective Essay

Sickness and healing - An Anthropological Perspective - Essay Example Disease accounts; whereby the biomedicine’s recognizes the body as the cause and remedy of sickness and lastly, disorder accounts; whereby the imbalances are the main source of illness and means to cure. He refuses the concept of culture-bound syndrome because he believes that it is based on anthropological and psychiatric notions and; therefore, it is culturally biased. The cultural difference in health and illness presents and makes people understand the symptoms of the disease. He goes ahead to explain that the individual and social experiences of illness are termed as a complex process, and; hence, the physiological expression of these diseases are becoming the main concern among medical anthropologists and something needs to be done. Hahn also gives an example of sociocultural influences on low-birth-weight between black and white infants. He says anthropology and epidemiology are can make a conclusion on this social-medical problem. This evidence can illustrate how the t wo disciplines can make individuals understand the complexity of a disturbing problem. It serves as a powerful means that shows individuals the benefits of looking at sickness and heals from both sociocultural and biomedical perspectives3. There are different ways in which individuals respond to sickness from one society to another. Hahn concludes that anthropology is exclusively found on investigations of subjective States and expresses that sociocultural phenomena should be included in the medical epistemology and should be practiced4.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Marketing Theory and Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing Theory and Practice - Essay Example Consumers make varied decisions due to the fact that they have different needs and they view issues differently. However, there is a generality in behavior especially when it comes to decision making purchasing. This is the reason that makes it possible to attract the attention of many consumers with a single marketing strategy such as advertisement or attractive packaging and display. However, consumers usually tend to be predisposed towards tangible offers. There are several models that are used by marketers to identify the aspects of decision making process. This essay is a critical analysis of the aspects of the consumer decision making process. It begins with consumers identifying their needs whereby they recognize that there is a gap that requires to be filled in regard to their desires. Need identification can either be gradual or swift which depends on necessity of the commodity in question and the personality of the consumer. At this point, consumers exhibit individual characteristics that are dependent on their standards of living, awareness, feelings and stimulus (Clarke, D.B. 2003). Customers usually focus on past experiences and memories of the utility derived from purchasing particular commodities. They compare the present situation with that in which they will be in possession of the commodity. Socio-economic and cultural factors are also part of the issues that influence need identification. Need identification is usually dependent on the availability of financial resources to acquire goods or services. This means that the need for a particular item in the market may be suppressed by financial difficulties. Cust omers are influenced by social factors whereby they compare the necessity of a certain commodity with another in a family setting. They tend to arrange their purchasing needs in order of importance in to the family (Batra & Kazmi 2004). For example the decision to purchase a computer in the house may be

Friday, November 15, 2019

Field Programmable Gate Array based Digital Module

Field Programmable Gate Array based Digital Module Field Programmable Gate Array based Digital Module for Laser Frequency Stabilization A.Rastogi1, N. Batra, S.De2, S.Panja and A. Sen Gupta Introduction Frequency stabilized lasers are a crucial part in variety of atom-photon experiments such as atomic spectroscopy [1], laser cooling [2], probing the excited states of atoms [3] etc. Depending on the application, a stability in bandwidth from few MHz to sub Hz maybe required. It is therefore, essential to stabilize the frequency of a laser source to an absolute reference. Atoms or ultra stable fabry- perot cavities are used for this purpose [4]. Such stabilization schemes require electronic feedback / servo loops that allow for a correction in laser frequency deviation. At CSIR-NPL, we are developing the first optical frequency standard in India with a single trapped Ytterbium ion (171Yb+). The project aims at trapping a single Yb ion in a Paul trap, laser cooling the ion to about mK temperatures for a precise frequency measurement of the ultranarrow octupole transition at a wavelength of 467 nm. The 171Yb+ frequency standard will require a simultaneous operation of five lasers for photoionization (399 nm), cooling (369 nm), repumping (935 nm and 760 nm) and probing the clock transition (467 nm) [5]. All the laser lights for our experiment would be produced from extended cavity diode lasers (ECDL) which drift in their frequencies due to environmental factors as temperature fluctuations and mechanical vibrations. Such drifting renders them unstable and hence, incorporating frequency stabilization systems becomes an essential requirement for precise frequency standards. In general a frequency stabilization of a laser, as for example using saturated ab sorption spectroscopy [6], requires the use of a frequency synthesizer for scanning and modulation of the laser frequency , lock-in amplifier for phase sensitive detection, low / high pass filters, and servo electronics for feeding control signals to the piezo / current terminals of the laser. Instead of procuring these analog modules for each of the lasers used in our experiment, we have taken an effort of developing them indigenously with an all digital control using field programmable gate array technology(FPGA). Hence, the functionality of all the hardware components can be embedded inside a single chip. In this paper, we present an FPGA based laser frequency stabilization design and show some preliminary results of the performance of the FPGA design modules. An active laser feedback control loop mainly consists of a lock-in amplifier (providing phase sensitive detection) and a PID controller. As mentioned earlier, the controller generates correction signals that drive either a piezo attached to the laser cavity (as in case of ECDL lasers) or a current so as to adjust the laser frequency. Using FPGAs the entire functionality of a laser frequency locking system can be implemented in a single chip with an area of few mm2 . Moreover, the truly concurrent nature of FPGA processing algorithms results in the FPGA design modules behaving like dedicated hardware circuits. Minimal use of hardware leads to lesser probability of picking up noise from the surroundings and also reduces cost. The FPGAs could always be reprogrammed to incorporate extra adders, multipliers, filters i.e. they provide re-configurability. FPGAs are programmed using hardware description languages (HDL) such as Verilog-HDL or VHDL. We have implemented the laser frequency locking modules using VHDL. A schematic of various VHDL design modules implementing a laser frequency locking setup is shown in Fig.1. In our module, the FPGA chip (Xilinx Spartan 6 XCSLX16) receives an input signal either from an atomic spectroscopy or from a fabry-perot cavity[4] [6] .As shown in Fig.1, the acousto-optic modulator (AOM) does amplitude modulations of the laser signal resulting in variations in the intensity of light at the photodetector output. This modulated signal at the photodiode output is the derivative of the laser absorption signal i.e. proportional to the slope of a resonant feature. At a resonant frequency, the derivative signal is zero and on both sides of resonance, the derivative signal is 180 degrees in phase. This signal is the input to the FPGA systemwhich is then digitised using a 12-bit A/D converter (AD7476) and then passed through a high pass filter component. High pass filtering extracts the high frequency modulated features from the input signal. The filtered signal then goes to the input of the lock-in amplifier component (that implements phase sensitive detection). The reference signal for the lock-in amplifier comes from a VHDL component that implements a square DDS generator. A phase shifted version of this reference signal can be used by the AOM to amplitude modulate the laser signal. The lock-in amplifier component demodulates the modulated photodiode signal by multiplying it with the reference signal followed by low pass filtering thereby generating what is called an error signal. The error signal contains information as to which side of resonance, the laser frequency is. This signal is then processed by a PID controller component. The control signals generated by the PID component adjust the laser piezo and current signals in such a way so as to ensure that the error signal is always zero (which corresponds to a resonant frequency).Many a times, it is needed to just scan over the complete laser spectrum or to zoom in on a particular spectral feature. In this case, the PID action is disabled and a slow triangular scan signal (generated by a scan generator component) is fed to the laser piezo.All signals coming out of the FPGA are converted into the analog form via 12-bit DAC (DAC121S101). Moreover, to aid in the flexible tuning of locking parameters such as the lock-in gain, PID parameters, modulation frequency and phase, scan amplitude and frequency ; we are working on developing a graphical user interface (GUI) that would allow easy access to and modification of the parameters values inside the FPGA registers. Figure 1: A schematic of an FPGA based closed loop laser frequency locking system. The experiment (atomic spectroscopy setup) and the electronic feedback servo (implemented using FPGA) are shown separately. On the right is shown the image of our FPGA development board with the Xilinx based FPGA chip at the centre. All the feedback components have been implemented as programmable VHDL modules . Results of Some of the VHDL design modules Operation of the individual VHDL modules as well as of the entire system as shown in Fig.1.have been verified, as for example, by observing the physical signals generated from the software implementation of lock-in amplifier, high pass filter , square DDS , scan generator etc. Here we are showing some of these results from our prototype setup. Function Generation:We have implemented the functional behaviour of a square DDS generator and a triangular generatorby developing VHDL components for them. The output of the square DDS module is used as a reference signal for the lock-in detection stage and a phase shifted version of the reference signal is used in the amplitude modulation of the laser frequency by the AOM. The output of the triangular generator is used as a scan signal that drives the laser piezo for observing the laser absorption spectra over a wide range of frequencies. The signals generated from these VHDL components are shown in Fig.2 (a-b). Figure 2 : (a) Shows a square wave of 20 KHz. This would be used as a reference signal for lock-in detection and for modulation by the AOM. (b) Shows a triangular scan of 10 Hz. This would be given to the laser piezo for scanning over a huge range of laser spectrum. (c) A sine wave of 100 Hz (red) was distorted by a high frequency pseudo random sequence resulting in a distorted signal (blue). The high pass filter module filters out the low frequencies and only high frequencies remain (green). For the response shown, the cut-off frequency was kept at 1 KHz. High Pass Filter:Our high pass filter implements a first order IIR digital filter. As shown in Fig.1.the high pass filtering is needed to extract the high frequency amplitude modulations of the photodiode signal superimposed over the slowly scanned doppler absorption profile. As a way of verifying the functionality of this component, a low frequency sine way (100 Hz) was added to a pseudo-random number sequence (10-bit maximal sequence) which was generated at 1 MHz. The result is a highly distorted sine wave comprising high frequency fluctuations superimposed over a slowly varying sine wave. When such a signal is passed through the high pass filter component, the slow sinusoid is removed and only the fast fluctuations appear at the filter output. The cut-off frequency determines the signal at the output. The high pass filtering is shown in Fig.2 (c). Lock -In Amplifier(Phase Sensitive Detector):Software implementation of a lock-in amplifier constitutes developing a binary multiplier in conjunction with a low pass filter. The binary multiplier multiplies an input signal with a reference signal The product is then passed to the low pass filter of a suitable cut-off frequency such that only the portion of the input signal that occurs at the reference frequency remain while the rest are filtered out. Moreover, the output of the lock-in amplifier (i.e. the low pass filtered signal) is directly proportional to the amplitude of the input signal and inversely proportional to the relative phase difference between the input and reference signals. Hence, for a given phase relationship, theoutput increases with increase in input signal amplitude. Similarly, for a fixed amplitude of input signal, the output is maximum when the reference and input signals are in phase (0 degrees) ; minimum when the two are out of phase (180 degrees) and averag es to zero when they are 90 degrees phase separated. In Fig. 3, we demonstrate the amplitude and phase dependence of a lock-in amplifier circuit whose behaviour we have implemented in VHDL. The input signal to this component was an internally generated sine wave (5 KHz) and the reference signal was a square wave (5 KHz). From Fig.3 (a) , it is clear that as the amplitude of input signal (red) increases, the output signal (blue) shifts in the upward direction. For very small input signals (near to zero) , the output is also close to zero. From Fig.3(b), it is clear that the outputs of the lock-in amplifier are equal and opposite for phase separation of 0 (blue) and 180 degrees (red) between the input and reference signals. Moreover, the output signal averages to zero (green) when the corresponding phase difference is 90 degrees. Figure 3 : (a),(b) and (c)show the dependence of the lock-in amplifier output (blue) upon the input signal (red). As the input signal amplitude increases from (a) to (c), the output level also shifts up(d) The mean of the lock-in amplifier is minimum when the phase difference between the reference signal and input is 180 degrees (red), maximum when the two are in phase (blue) and lies in the middle of the two extremes when the phase difference is 90 degrees (green). Implementation of Frequency Locking Using Simulated Atomic Spectroscopy Reference frequency from the laser driven atomic spectroscopy is currently not available due to in- availability of the laser.Therefore, to overcome this practical situation and test the FPGA based frequency locking modules,we describe an elegent simulation scheme for testing the closed loop FPGA based frequency control by simulating the atomic spectroscopy experiment described in [6] inside the FPGA chip itself. Essentially, inside the FPGA chip , there would be two main modules : (1) An experiment module that simulates a saturated absorption spectroscopy setup and (2) A feedback module that implements lock-in detection and a PID control action. The experiment module would include three components : A laser piezo scan / control block that receives a voltage at its input and generates a frequency as a predetermined function of that voltage ; an atomic spectroscopy block which generates a derivative intensity profile as a function of the frequency from the piezo block . This in effect results in a derivative feature as a function of the input voltage to the piezo block. In addition , there is a modulation block that mimics an AOM driver. The block modulates the derivative signal in a certain algorithm such that the positive and negative cycles of the derivative signal are 180 degrees out of phase. The modulated signal then goes to the feedback block. The functions for voltage to frequency conversion and for frequency to derivative intensity conversion can be carefully chosen such that over one complete scan cycle , the derivative is zero at a particular voltage. The frequency corresponding to this voltage is the desired freque ncy and the feedback loop should effectively generate a voltage corresponding to this frequency by making the error signal zero. In this sense, the feedback module includes the basic components as high pass filter (for removing the slow doppler profile features from the modulated derivative signal) , lock-in amplifier (for phase sensitive demodulation of the derivative signal thereby giving an error signal) , a PID controller loop that fixes the error signal to zero and a scan generator that is used for observing the derivative over a complete scan range. Also, the reference signal for lock-in detection and the modulation signal from the AOM block are generated from a square DDS (implemented inside the feedback module). The output of the feedback module is either a scan voltage or a PID control voltage. In either case, the voltage signal goes to the piezo component of the experiment module. In this way, a closed feedback scheme is achieved as shown in Fig.4 At the time of writing th is paper, the experimental module has been successfully implemented and we are able to simulate both the scan and lock conditions. In the scan mode, PID loop is disabled and the error signal is observed over a defined sweep span. Under the locking condition, the PID loop is enabled which pins the error signal down to the zero value. In this way, the system gets locked to the frequency corresponding to zero error voltage. After the first order confirmation of frequency locking , we next plan to charcterise the lock quality , add facilities of scan offset and error signal offset to the existing simulation scheme as well as introduce noise into the system . Figure 4 :(Left) A closed loop scheme simulating an atomic spectroscopy experimental setup and a feedback system both implemented inside the FPGA chip. (Right) A falling edge of scan signal (blue) with an error signal (red) simulating a spectroscopic feature is shown. A mirror image of the feature is observed on the rising scan edge . When in lock mode, the error signal falls flat to zero voltage (green) demonstrating that the system gets locked to a particular frequency. Conclusion We have developed an all digital laser frequency stabilization module using field programmable gate array technology as against traditional bulky and expensive analog controllers. The VHDL design modules developed, imitate the functionality of typical hardware electronics used in a laser frequency locking system. The design modules were tested both individually as well as end to end through different testing methodologies. Some of the results were presented in this paper.Also, before incorporating the design modules into locking an actual laser, we have developed a scheme that simulates an entire atomic spectroscopy experiment with an electronic feedback system, both implemented inside the FPGA chip. We have successfully shown the frequency locking action of our feedback modules through this scheme and plan to test them more rigorously by making enhancements in the existing simulation scheme. Acknowledgement S. De acknowledges support from Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences (BRNS) for funding this project under the project code :34/14/19/2014-BRNS/0309. References [1] K.B. Mac Adam, A Steinbach and C. Wiemann, Am. J. Phys. 60 , 1098 (1992). [2] D. J. Wineland and H. Dehmelt,Bull. Am. Phys. Soc.20, 637 (1975). [3] Chien-Nan Liu, Toru Morishita and Shinichi Watanabe, 2009 J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 194 032014. [4] W. Z. Zhao, J. E. Simsarian, L. A. Orozco, and G. D. Sprouse, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 69, 3737(1998). [5] S. De, N. Batra, S. Chakraborty, S. Panja, A. Sen Gupta, .Current Science 106, 1348 (2014). [6] Hall,J.L.;Hollberg,L.;Baer,T.;Robinson,H.G., ApPhL,39,680 (1981).

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Boadicea Essay -- essays research papers

Boadicea was she a powerful ruler, or a merciless general? Many questions arise when you begin to explore her accomplishments or many would even say failures. Most of the information on Boadicea has been derived from myths and most of what is written about her is from the words of her Roman enemies. During the creation and rule of the Roman Empire, Rome would constantly be aiming to take over the entire known world. Consequently Boadicea and her people of Britannia clashed. Julius Caesar was the first to take over Britain; he forced 6 powerful barbarian tribes to become a part of the Roman Empire. Iceni was amongst them, which happened to be the tribe of the famous Boadicea and her husband Prasutagus. However, Caesar and his army left that same year because they found the conditions too cold. Later in 43 AD Claudius Nero came into power. A man who was both cruel and pitiless, in his lifetime he managed to not only kill both his wives, his brother, and his mother but was known to go around the streets at night killing random men. Nero who wanted so badly to earn the respect of his Roman citizens decided to retake Britain. Boadicea was born into aristocracy in the year 30 AD she then married the ruler of the Iceni tribe. She had two daughters during their marriage. When the Roman army invaded her city her husband Prasutagus agreed to leave all his accumulated wealth to the Roman Emperor. Prasutagus did this in the hope that his country would be taken in piece but Nero did no...

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Benefits of Hosting Olympics

The Olympic Games first started at Olympia in Greece in 776 BC. At that time, the games held were organized into festivals. There was a peace agreement called the scared truce between the city-states of Elis and Pisa. The reasons for hosting the Olympic Games at that time fall into three obvious aspects —— the honour of competing, the opportunity for trade and also, for peace. The reason why cities bid to hold the Olympics now are more complicated than in ancient time. But the main reasons remain the same. Cities may bid to host the Olympics to raise their International status by opening a door to the whole world, boost their economy, and enrich their culture and so on. All in all, cities want to promote the pace of their development by holding such a big event like the Olympics. Cities also have high expectations about the legacy benefits of the Games. Some of the main benefits will be identified later in this article. However, the benefits that are claimed in relation to hosting the Olympic Games are hard to measure. Those main benefits will be evaluated by taking the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games for instance. The legacy benefits of the Olympic Games can be indentified through four aspects —— political, economical, environmental and as the Olympic Games is a big sporting event, the last one should be sport. Politics had no place in the ancient games. The event was made possible in part by a truce that allowed visitors and competitors to travel to Olympia safely. During the truce there was no war, no executions, and no military action. However, although it is claimed that the modern Olympics have nothing to do with the political, many countries bid to host the Olympic Games for many political reasons under different circumstance. The best example to examine the relationship between sport and politics was the two German states during the cold war between 1945 and the early 1970s, in which period the two German states competed to host the Olympic Games in order to establish their own political authority. (Hughes, Owen, 2009). The 1972 Munich (Germany) Games was no doubt a good stage to show the rebuild Germany after the war. The Olympic Games are somehow a stage to relief the political conflicts and help the host cities change their International image. In terms of economy, it is the most important area when talking about the benefits of the Olympic Games. Cities always have high expectations to develop their economy after hosting the Olympics. Although the 1980 Moscow Olympics left a great amount of debt to the host city, the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic recovered people’s confidence. Matthewman (2009) indentified the legacy benefits of the Olympics’ economy benefits were included media exposure, employment and education training, infrastructure improving, increased trade, new investment and housing. However, the economic benefits of the Olympic Games are obviously much more than Matthewman described. There is a similar report printed by Price Waterhouse Coopers (2004) claimed that the long-term economy benefits would include: A. Improvement of city productivity (e. g. better transportation) B. Cultivate the city’s management ability to deal with International event. C. Olympic-related trade. D. Media exposure. E. New investment and more job opportunities. F. Training project. G. Tourism industry Another benefit of the Olympics could be the improvement of city environment. After the International Olympic Committee (IOC) make the environment the third strand in 1994, cities have made their efforts to deliver cleaner and greener Games. The eco-friendly event made the sustainable development theory spread all over the world. The Olympic Games make a good contribution to arousing the awareness of protecting our environment which could be beneficial to the whole human society. As the Olympic Games combined different sporting event, it is most closely related to sports in the host cities. Firstly, the sports infrastructure could be improved as cities want to hold the Olympics. This improvement can have a good impact on their athels’ training conditions, sports watching industries and provide their citizens of more sports sources. Secondly, a big sporting event can arouse people’s interest in sport. Additionally, it is good for promoting sport in the host cities as a guide to develop a health living style among its citizens. This is good for citizens’ health and their quality of life. To evaluate these benefits, the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games can be a good example. According to Cashman (2002), the Olympic Games would help the host cities acquire high international reputation in terms of politics. As Australia has a history of its nation conflicts between local residents and emigrations, the 2000 Sydney Olympic did not be supported by their citizens. However, the Olympic organisers came up with many ideas especially by designed a long-distance torch relay program in order to unit the people. This excellent torch relay project which included 11,000runners, successfully changed people’s attitude and built a conception that the 2000 Sydney Olympic is not just about Sydney, it is about Australia as a whole(Haynes, 2001). The economic benefits of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games are hardly measured because there are so many potential areas for long-term impact. However, a 2001 Price Waterhouse Coopers report showed that Sydney has benefited from the 2000 Olympic Games a large amount of profits, which included about $3 billion from new business, $7. billion was injected for infrastructure and promoting business of New South Wales, more than $6 billion from tourism and opening their door to attract International business projects. (Matthewman, 2009) In other words, the Sydney Games had not only gained more investments and improved the city’s infrastructure; it also developed the industry of tourism and gave the ability to manage large projects. The 2000 Sydney Olympi c Games was the first time the idea of the â€Å"Green Games† was adopted. Sydney had come up with five strategies before bidding to host the Olympic Games —— save energy, save water, reduce rubbish, prevent pollution and protect the natural environment (Cashman, 2002). As the benefits on environment are difficult to identify in a short period of time, it is not likely to attribute the environmental improvement to the â€Å"Green Olympic Game† only. However, the eco-friendly idea will surely make great contribute to the city’s environment. People’s awareness was established after the â€Å"Green Game†, and it was becoming more and more popular that individuals started to take environment their own responsibility. Sport itself has obviously benefited from the Games. Firstly, the Olympic Games appeared to contribute to the sports infrastructure. Sydney had built the high-level sport facilities which combined technology and art to host the events. These sports infrastructures would improve the athletes’ training conditions and provide large sports events among counties as well. Secondly, the Sydney Olympic Games tend to arouse local people’s interest in participating sports activities. The Sweeney Sport Report 2000/2001 showed there was a significant increasing trend of sports on TV viewing. According to Haynets’s (2001) report, it is claimed that this raised participation might also lead to some other benefits, such as heath and economic. However, it is hard to know whether the citizens’ interests can last for a long time. To conclude, cities bid to host the Olympic Games for their better developments. The Olympic Games have a great impact on many areas of the hosting cities, which obviously are not restricted to the four aspects above. The benefits of host cities can gain from the Games are quite different and difficult to measure. The 2000 Sydney Olympic Games are a good example because it has won a high reputation for its successes. However, as there are always diverse proposals in different cities toward hosting the Olympics, it is important to have a detailed plan before both bidding and hosting the Games and reasonable expectations. Reference list Jill Hatnes(2001) ‘Social –economic impact of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games’. International Chair in Olympic, Centre d’Estudies Olympics (UAB). 2001 from http://olympicstudies. uab. es/pdf/od013_eng. pdf Price Waterhouse Coopers (2004) ‘The economic impact of the Olympic Games’. European Economic Outlook, June, p. 18-19 Richard Cashman(2002) ‘Impact of the Games on Olympic host cities’. International Chair in Olympic, Centre d’Estudies Olympics (UAB). 2002 from http://olympicstudies. uab. es/lec/pdf/cashman. pdf Richard Matthewman(2009) ‘Economic impacts of Olympic Games’. July, 2009 from http://maasterpieces. com/Documents/Economic%20Impacts%20of%20Olympic%20Games. pdf R. Gerald Hughes, Rachel J. Owen (2009) ‘The Continuation of Politics by Other Means’: Britain, the Two Germanys and the Olympic Games, 1949–1972’. Contemporary European History, 18(4), pp. 443-474.

Friday, November 8, 2019

The 9 Most Inspirational Spanish Quotes About Life

The 9 Most Inspirational Spanish Quotes About Life SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips One of the best ways to practice a language is to read it. It’s even better when you read idiomatic phrases that don’t always translate directly into English. That helps you learn more than just vocabularyit teaches you to unlock the meaning behind the words, too. It’s definitely a skill you’ll definitely need to ace your AP Spanish Language exam or your AP Spanish Literature exam! (It’s also pretty great practice for the SAT Spanish Subject Test, too.) Today, we’re going to introduce you to 9 of the best inspirational Spanish quotes about life. Reading through these will help you practice your advanced reading and comprehension skills...and it might just give you some food for thought, too. For each quote, we’re going to give you: The Spanish quote The English translation of the quote A short discussion of why the quote is inspirational  ¿Listos?  ¡Bien, empecemos! Spanish Quote 1: A Quote About Courage Nunca sers capaz de cruzar el ocà ©ano hasta que pierdas de vista la costa. In English, it translates like this: â€Å"You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.† This quote is a great way to start learning some Spanish quotes about life...especially since you’ll need to have some courage while you’re studying. (It’s not easy, after all.) The quotation above also eases you into the process because you can translate it literally, which means that when you translate the sentence, it means exactly what it says! We love this quote because it’s a good reminder that sometimes you have to take risks to achieve your dreams. Even though it’s tempting to stick with what you’ve always known, success often means you have to sail over the horizon! Spanish Quote 2: A Quote About Money Just like in English, there are lots of great Spanish quotes about lifeand moneythat could have ended up on our list. But our favorite is this one: A los tontos no les dura el dinero. The literal translation of this line is â€Å"Money does not last for fools.† It’s the Spanish equivalent of the English saying, â€Å"A fool and his money are soon parted.† (Your parents may have told you this a time or two. Not that we’re speaking from experience or anything.) The truth of life is that money matters. This Spanish quote definitely reminds us that making money is only half the battle: being wise about our financial decisions is important, too. Spanish Quote 3: A Quote About Choosing Your Words La lengua no tiene hueso, pero corta lo ms grueso. This is an example of a Spanish quote where there’s a big difference between the literal translation and its meaning. Literally, this sentence translates to â€Å"The tongue doesn't have a bone, but it cuts the thickest thing.† What does that even mean?! But if you think about it, even idioms in English don’t make much sense. After all, if you’re not familiar with English, you’d be really confused if someone told you that you were â€Å"the pot calling the kettle black† or that you shouldn’t â€Å"throw stones at glass houses.† So in the case of this Spanish quote about life, we have to look past the literal phrasing to the meaning underneath it. Let’s break it down starting with the first part of the sentence. When you say â€Å"the tongue doesn’t have a bone,† it means that the tongue isn’t as strong as your arm or leg. You can’t physically hurt someone with your tongue! And yet, the second half of the sentence says that it’s somehow still able to cut through â€Å"the thickest thing.† In other words, our tonguewhich Merriam-Webster explains can also mean â€Å"language†has the power to do significant damage to other people. In other words, this quote is the equivalent of the English saying, â€Å"The pen is mightier than the sword.† Spanish Quote 4: A Quote About Willpower No existe gran talento sin gran voluntad. When you’re studying, you need lots of willpower to stay focused. That’s why we love this inspirational quote- in Spanish or in English! This quote translates to â€Å"There is no great talent without great will.† Sometimes we think that people are just born with talent, and if we aren’t, then there’s no way we can achieve our dreams. But this Spanish quote teaches us that’s not true. Willpower, and the drive and focus that comes with it, can help us develop our talents. Malcolm Gladwell, a Canadian journalist and author, determined that for some people, it can take 10,000 hours of practice to master a skill.That translates to 417 days of practice! Even the most talented person would need a lot of willpower to get through that amount of work. Consequently, this quotation explains that doing great things in life requires as much hard work as it does talent. Spanish Quote 5: A Quote About Going For It Lots of idioms rhyme to help it stick in our memories. (Two good English examples are â€Å"fake it ‘til you make it† and â€Å"you snooze, you lose.†) Science has shown that rhymes help our brains remember information. Given that, it makes sense that inspirational quotes in Spanish and in English use rhyming to make their messages to help us remember them. Here’s one of our favorite rhyming inspirational quotes: Despuà ©s de los aà ±os mil, torna el agua a su carril. Here, â€Å"mil† is pronounced with a long e sound. That means it sounds more like â€Å"meel† in Spanish. The same is true for â€Å"carril,† which would be pronounced â€Å"carreel.† So as you can see, the two clauses of the sentences rhyme perfectly, so people can remember it better. The literal translation of this quote is, â€Å"After one thousand years, returns the water to its track.† But more accurately, this quote translates like this: â€Å"In a hundred years we will be dead anyway.† That’s pretty morbid! But what this quote really means is that people’s memories are short, so you shouldn’t worry about what people think. Don’t let others’ judgements or a fear of embarrassment keep you from pursuing your passions! Spanish Quote 6: A Quote About Patience For many people, patience is a tricky thing. That’s why one of our favorite Spanish quotes has to do with the value of being patient. Here it is: Con el tiempo todo se consigue. This quote literally translates to, â€Å"In time, everything is acquired.† But more accurately, this quotation tells us that patience is key to getting what you want in life. Patience comes in many forms. For instance, when you’re studying Spanish vocabulary for your AP or SAT subject exam, it can be tempting to be impatient and move quickly through your flashcards. But that means that you might not have committed the definitions to memory, which can make a huge difference when you’re trying to ace the test. Being patient, however, helps you study more thoroughly. That can help you earn top test scores, which will get you into your dream school, which is a huge step on the path to achieving your dreams. In other words, patience pays off in the end! Spanish Quote 7: A Quote About Endurance This quotation is a little different. When you’re looking for Frida Kahlo quotes, Spanish versions are definitely the most accurate and authentic! Our favorite inspirational Frida Kahlo quote is this one: â€Å"Lo que no me mata, me alimenta.† In English, this means â€Å"What doesn’t kill me, nourishes me.† This is a play on Nietzche’s famous saying, â€Å"What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.† Frida Kahlo- one of the most famous Mexican artists of all time- would definitely know a lot about surviving tragedy. Despite her talent, Kahlo’s life was a difficult one: she was disabled by polio and, later, by a terrible traffic accident that also left her infertile. As a result, she struggled with depression as well. But she channeled that into her art, which she said â€Å"completed her life.† That’s why this is one of the best inspirational quotes in Spanish. It shows us how to turn our suffering into something good, which is one of the most important life lessons we can learn. Spanish Quote 8: A Quote About Perseverance Sin prisas, pero sin pausas. This quote literally translates to â€Å"without hurry, but without stopping.† In English, we might translate this to another common aphorism: â€Å"slow and steady wins the race.† This quotation goes really well with Spanish Quote 6, which is about patience. In this case, we’re reminded that moving forwardeven if it’s slowis the key to progress. In fact, slow progress can often lead to success! Consider the story of Angus Macfadyen. In 2007, he was in an accident that left his leg in a cast. But that didn’t stop him from running the London Marathon on crutches! It took him 7 hours and 13 minutes to reach the finish line...but he still finished the race. The best quotes about life help us better understand the hurdles in our way. In this case, overcoming obstacles might take time, but we can still succeed if we persevere. Spanish Quote 9: A Quote About Love Our last Spanish quote about life tackles one of life’s best parts. After all, Spanish is a romance language...so it’s not surprising that some of its best quotes have to deal with love! Quien bien ama, tarde se olvida. This is another quote where the literal translation is a little confusing. Word for word, this quote means, â€Å"He who loves well, forgets the afternoon.† But the idiomatic translation is actually, â€Å"True love never grows old.† This quotation makes us think of one of our favorite tear-jerking scenes of any movie: the opening few minutes of Pixar’s Up. iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F2bk_9T482g" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen/iframe In this scene, viewers watch a couple in loveCarl and Ellieas they celebrate life’s highs and lows. Unfortunately, Ellie passes away before she can achieve her lifelong dream of visiting Paradise Falls. But Carl won’t let her dream die, and he keeps his promise to Ellie by taking her scrapbook- and her house!- to Paradise Falls in one last, grand adventure. Carl may be old, but his love for Ellie never fades...which is maybe the best life lesson of all. (Who’s chopping onions in here?!) What's Next? If you’re studying Spanish, then you know conjugating verbs is half the battle. Irregular verbs can be tricky, though, since they don’t follow the rules. For those, it’s all about memorization! That’s why we’ve put together complete conjugation charts for the most common irregular verbs in Spanish. Why not start your studying off with our conjugation list for ser? And while you’re at it, you should take a look at our vocabulary lists, too. This one’s all about the parts of the body you need to know before you take an SAT or AP Spanish exam. We know you’ve heard of the Spanish Language and Spanish Literature exams, but what about the SAT Spanish Subject Test? Learn everything you need to know about the SAT Spanish Subject Test here. Additionally, this article gives you an insider’s opinion about how hard the exam really isso you might add it to your reading list, too!

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

The UK Conservative Government 1990-1997 and the UK Labour Government 1997-2002 Essay Example

The UK Conservative Government 1990 The UK Conservative Government 1990-1997 and the UK Labour Government 1997-2002 Essay The UK Conservative Government 1990-1997 and the UK Labour Government 1997-2002 Essay The Conservative Government of 1990 under John Major aimed to move urban politics in a new direction. The removal of Margaret Thatcher from office and the re-appointment of Michael Heseltine to the Department of the Environment signalled this change in direction. The policies of the 1980s were based on privatisation with respect to the redevelopment of deprived areas. The policies from the 1980s however received much criticism from the Audit Commission Report, as well as Conservative supporters alike. The Audit Commission had described Urban Support Programmes as a patchwork quilt of complexity and idiosyncrasy, and the economic decline, combined with changing patterns of economic growth led to poverty. During the 1990s however, the governments emphasis was placed on collaboration or local governance, which became more widespread. The need for a governmental change of view from the previous decade was realised in 1990 in the review of Action for Cities. The government called for a spirit of co-operation, of partnership between all of those involved in central and local government, including local businesses. The idea of partnerships between public and private sectors was introduced in May 1991. Much of the literature on the topic of urban regeneration policies is interested in the relationship between local authorities and businesses. The main reason behind this is the urban policy agenda established by the Conservatives in the early 1990s, which was principally about the pooling of resources between local government and businesses. The new Conservative Partys first urban initiative, City Challenge was set up in May 1991. This policy was designed by Michael Heseltine, and the emphasis was on partnership and competition. The government invited local authorities to bid and compete with each other for regeneration funds. City Challenge placed local authorities back at the centre of urban policy. In the first round of bidding, 21 authorities were invited to bid, of which 11 were successful. In the second, all 57 urban programme authorities were invited to bid, and 20 were successful. The City Challenge scheme had many critics who questioned the selection process. The policy had run for 18 months when the government announced in November 1992 that they planned to wind down the urban programme and City Challenge. In 1993, the Urban Programme was brought to an end in the 1993 reforms. The Urban Regeneration Agency was formed and brought about the Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) and English Partnerships (EP). EP was officially launched by the government in November 1993, and it brought together English Estates, Derelict Land Grant, and City Grant. It was designed to upgrade derelict land for redevelopment in partnership with local councils and the private sector. English Partnerships was given powers to override local authority planning restrictions, and used the funds to offer financial assistance as a means of gap funding for the areas deemed to be in greatest need. There was a lot of controversy over its role in the process of urban renewal. When the policy was launched, the government announced that there would be one senior regional director for each of the ten regional offices. This top-down implementation placed full control of the region with one senior officer, as oppose to the individual authorities being given more control as they were with the City Challenge policy. The SRB was launched in April 1994. It consisted of 20 existing programmes, which included City Challenge, and also brought about the integration of the regional offices of Whitehall. The budget they had to operate with was  £181million in 1994 and 1995, and  £ 220million in 1996 and 1997. The co-ordination of this policy was welcomed, but critics argued that instead of elected regional bodies, the government had increased central administrative powers. The SRB was considered to be the new flagship regeneration programme and consisted of three main strands: (i) partnership, (ii) integration of social and economic issues, and (iii) competition. Rounds 1 3 of the SRB were conducted under the Conservative Party, however the Labour Party was elected in the middle of round 4. The Labour Party in power (1997-2002): The Regional Development Agencies (RDA) Act was passed in 1998 and set out New Labours policy of delegating the task of urban regeneration to each specific region. The main purpose of the RDAs was to further economic development and the regeneration of the area in question. Other aims were to promote business efficiency, investment, competitiveness, and employment in the area, whilst also enhancing the development and application of skills relevant to employment in the area. The RDAs were officially founded in 1999 and eight were set up in each of the regions, and a ninth for London set up in 2000. The RDAs took over from English Partnerships in terms of the responsibility of regional development. The special functions of the RDAs include formulating a regional strategy in relation to their purpose, promoting regional regeneration, taking forward government competitiveness agenda in regions, and taking the lead on regional inward investment. Following consultation with regional partners, the RDAs presented the strategies to the government in October 1999, and in January 2000, the government responded by giving a broad welcome of the strategies. The governments response was to significantly increase the RDAs budgetary flexibility. New funding was brought together in a single cross-departmental budget by 2002-2003 of  £ 1. 7billion. Government Offices for the Regions were established in 1994, but under the Labour Government, were given an increasingly pivotal role at the heart of Government. The Government Offices (GOs) worked together with the Regional Co-ordinator Unit (RCU), which was established as the headquarters for the GO network in 2000, as a result of the Performance and Innovation Unit Report, Reaching out the role of central government at regional and local levels. Together, the GOs and RCU aimed to cut through bureaucracy and add value to delivery through its shared experience and best practice, bring together key stakeholders and local partners, and providing a high quality of service. This aim was to be provided by combining skills in the GOs at the local level, with the co-ordinating role of the RCU in influencing policy design and implementation in Whitehall. Regional Chambers (RCs) or as some are known, Regional Assemblies (RAs) form a partnership working between local authorities and regional partners. Each chamber has been formally recognised by the Government as being representative of the interests of the region in relation to the work of the regions RDA. Each RC is made up of 70% local authority members, and 30% from other sectors including industry, education, environment, NHS, and TUC. The RCs initial focus was primarily on the RDAs regional economic strategies, and they have also sought to build up effective working relationships with the RDAs, GOs and other regional interests and stakeholders. The Deputy Prime Minister announced a new role for EP in July 2002. The new role provided a fresh mandate and a clear strategy to support sustainable development and growth in England. As part of a mergence with the Commission for the New Towns, EP will work with the private sector, the Housing Corporation, and local authorities to help increase the amount of affordable housing. EP will aim to make best use of the nations supply of land by developing on brownfield land, and by using surplus land in the best way possible. EP will work closely with a range of partners in support of the RDAs regional strategies to try and achieve its targets. Another Labour policy to achieve urban regeneration is the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit (NRU). The NRU was set up to lead and oversee the national strategy for neighbourhood renewal, taking over this task from the Social Exclusion Unit in April 2001. The aim is to deliver economic prosperity, safe communities, high quality schools, decent housing, and better health to the poorest parts of the country. The overall aim is to bridge the gap between the poorest areas of Britain and the rest of the country. The NRU identified the 88 most deprived local authorities in the country and devised a best value programme, by which the Government are to invest a lot of money in improving public services in these areas. This strategy is being funded by the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF), which is  £300million in 2002/3 and will be  £ 25million for 2004/5. Another branch of the NRU is the New Deal for Communities (NDC). The NDC works in a similar way to the NRU, but it places local people at the heart of it. Local people, community and voluntary organisations, public agencies, local authorities and business are encouraged to work in partnership to deliver significant change by turning local peoples aspirations into action. The strategy is targeted over the next 10 years, and aims to develop a local strategy to tackle social exclusion in order to create vibrant and sustainable communities. Comparison and contrast between Conservative and Labour policies: The main difference between the various policies on urban regeneration between Conservative and Labour Governments is the socio-economic factor. The Conservative Party continued the 1980s theme of economic development, albeit with more cohesion and co-ordination. From the outset, the emphasis was placed on partnerships between local authorities and businesses to regenerate economic development, which would in turn provide more employment and bring about social improvements. The competitiveness encouraged local authorities to form partnerships with businesses as it gave a greater possibility of receiving a grant from the City Challenge fund. When the Labour Party first came to power, they formed the RDAs and to begin with, placed the initial emphasis on continuing the economic development. Whereas the Conservative Party only produced a transparent policy solely to increase partnership and competition, whereby local authorities only receive funding based on how well they can submit an application, the Labour Partys policy tied in a lot more objectives. Promoting business efficiency, investment, employment, and developing skills relevant to employment in the area is a much wider policy and the various regions will have different specific policies relevant to each region and sub-region. When the Labour Government integrated the Government Offices with the Regional Co-ordinator Unit, they highlighted the objective to cut through bureaucracy, a total contrast to the Conservative Government. It was the Conservatives policy to increase the level of bureaucracy with the SRB. The increase in administrative powers at the top followed by delegation of funding is a form of top down and trickle down implementation, the opposite approach to that of the Labour Party. It was Labours policy to bring together key stakeholders and local partners via the GO, and a much wider contribution was created in the form of the Regional Chambers. The RC took a bottom up approach in its purist form. It incorporated people from all corners of industry, the market place, and services to form a mixed composition, and worked hand in hand with RDAs to bring together the needs for the whole region. With respect to English Partnerships, the way in which the two governments implemented their policies varied significantly. While the Conservative Party focused mainly on economic growth and employment, the Labour Party dealt more specifically with the housing needs and social problems faced in Britains deprived areas, as they did with the NRU strategy. The Conservatives focused on the development of brownfield sites as a means of generating jobs and providing large flagship projects, as oppose to the Labour policy of providing affordable housing and building new communities. In general the two Governments used similar methods of integration of funds and resources as a means of generating the funding for urban regeneration. The amount of money invested in regeneration by the Labour Government was far greater than that of the Conservative Party and the programmes that the funds were invested in were different to. In conclusion, the Government of 1990-1997 took an economic viewpoint whereas the 1997-2002 Government placed their regeneration policies closer to home with social based policies.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Persuasive speaking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Persuasive speaking - Essay Example ch as we may express our humility to assist or sympathize with a child born to poor parents by giving medicine and providing healthcare services freely to them, we are not sure how our money will be used in solving this ethical issue (Ross 300). I do strongly disagree that there exists something like universal healthcare due to the fact that this kind of program will not reach everyone as the term implies and its effect will not be universal as the name suggests too. What is actually in the real American dream? Is it powerful military or reputation? I think American dream is based on universal right to existence, freedom, and contentment. This is the dream of every individual in the world and its pursuit is everyone’s responsibility. All these visions are based on an individual’s health hence proving the importance of a healthy body and mind. The reason there is no universal healthcare is the attitude that most people do have that healthcare is more like socialism, which do not imply democracy. The political elites have continuously disagreed on the importance of universal healthcare being that they do not even feel the pinch when faced by sickness and diseases due to their financial advantage. Do they really care for the common person? Lots of money is spent on wars than healthcare services (Sebelius Web). All the companies in the healthcare sector are clearly in the business of making profit without even thinking of the welfare of their clients thus making diseases and sickness big business. In fact, the US healthcare is the most costly due to the players in this fundamental sector thus making it unproductive to throw money in this system (Tanner Web). Demand for healthcare has since been limited by demand because it is provided in the market and any attempt to provide it freely can only be limited by rationing which happens in most countries practicing this system such as Spain, South Korea, France, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Most people would be given

Friday, November 1, 2019

Behavioural Finance in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Behavioural Finance in Business - Essay Example Tapping telephone calls, monitoring computer and internet usage, and screening e-mails are some of the common employee surveillance practices. This paper will critically discuss the influence of workplace surveillance on managing people at work from the perspectives of both employers and employees. The paper will particularly focus on three relevant issues such as performance management, employee privacy, and use of information technology. Performance management Productive performance management is the ultimate goal of workplace surveillance programs. In order to effectively manage workplace or employee performance, it is necessary to measure employee performance levels frequently. Management professionals claim that surveys or other studies may not be an effective way to measure employees’ work performance and productivity. Furthermore, workplace surveillance is the only potential mechanism in today’s business environment as it is an impossible task for line managers a nd other executives to monitor each employee separately. Therefore, a vast majority of management experts strongly support the use of electronic surveillance techniques in the workplace. According to the 2007 Electronic Monitoring & Surveillance Survey conducted by the American Management Association (AMA 2007), nearly 45% of business organizations monitor their employees’ computer, internet, and phone usage. The survey also indicates that a notable percent of employees were terminated for offensive language; excessive personal use of company properties; viewing, downloading, uploading offensive content; and breach of the firm’s confidential rules (ibid). These survey results support the top managements’ argument that workplace surveillance must be in operation to improve value chain efficiency and overall organizational productivity. From an employer’s perspective, the workplace surveillance system would put a moral check on employees and hence they may become more productive. In addition, if there is a workplace system in operation, employees would be conscious of future consequences in case of any workplace misconduct.Â