Michael Baxandall's painting and experience in 15th century Italy Essay

Michael Baxandall's painting and experience in 15th century Italy - Essay Example The essay "Michael Baxandall's painting and experience in 15th century Italy" discovers the Painting and Experience in Fifteenth Century Italy By Michael Baxandall. The contracts were usually flexible, and there was regular contact between the artist and client during the production phase. The details of color were often specified, since the ingredients of some colors, like gold, silver, and blue, were either expensive or available in different qualities. Though the importance of gold diminished as the 15th century wore on, partly as a result of a general cultural movement away from ostentatious displays of wealth as well as a general shortage of gold and the Christian asceticism that was beginning to make its influence felt. However, as the use of blue and gold faded, something had to replace the gilding traditionally found behind the figures in the foreground. Thus, landscapes, angels, and other things were employed to fill the space, and the skill of the artist became more conspic uous and more important, as did the distinction between rates for the work of the â€Å"master† artist as opposed to his apprentices. Little reason existed to critique such works, and few written examples of such opinions have survived; those that have are somewhat unhelpful – what is meant by virile as opposed to sweet or angelic air? Changes in the visual skills of the members of the culture as well as their experience of everyday life were reflected in the paintings of the time much more quickly than under.

Land Power Versus Sea Power Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Land Power Versus Sea Power - Essay Example This dichotomy has not been limited to the perspectives of the Anglo-Americans on hegemonic power. Alexander Dugin, the geopolitical theorist from Russia, argued that this was core to international conflict, contending that these positions are the basis of cultural differences that will be in conflict all the time. This paper aims to discuss the two concepts and show whether they are relevant or obsolete in international relations. Mahan’s idea contends that the potency of a nation is dependent on unobstructed access to the sea in order to conduct trade. His interpretation of sea power was the total of factors and forces, geographical circumstances and tools, operated to attain sea command and secure it from enemies (Gray, 2009). In Mahan’s formulation, sea power included colonies, shipping, and domestic production. America, he said, had to build and maintain a massive combat navy to be fuelled by coal stations in the colonies. His argument was on the basis that the Uni ted States should become internationally competitive for the protection of itself. Mahan articulated ideas on sea power importance and the desire to see an expansionist philosophy for the American nation. Mackinder, on the other hand, extended his land power theory. He said the land surface could be subdivided into various parts. One was the world island that included Africa, Asia, and Europe interlinked together. This combination was the richest, most populous, and largest of them all (Kennedy, 2004). Another part was the offshore islands which included the Japanese and British Islands. Finally, he identified the outlying islands such as Australia, South America, and North America. It was the heartland which he saw as lying at the centre of the island of the world, extending from the arctic to the Himalayas and from the Yangtze to the Volga. During his era, the heartland was that controlled by the empire of Russia, later by the Soviets without the Vladivostok and the area around it . Mackinder predicted that the rimlands, as he called them, would become less relevant as industrialization caught on in the heartlands and as the inland became more accessible by the railway system. This would make land an asset rather than a barrier to communication. Eventually, Russia would tap the massive natural resources and manpower it had and overshadow its fellow powers in the west. Mahan’s theory remains relevant to date especially as far as its logic goes. America’s power in the sea has now turned on the ability of the navy to preserve access to the Eastern part of Asia, as well as the Middle East, which are the theatres of American maritime operations. The strategic gaze of the Americans now lies on Asia as its maritime target. However, costs for such projects are increasing while budget acquisition becomes stagnant. This, in turn, has led to downward pressure on the fleet size of the American Navy. The ability of the Sea Services to carry out the maritime strategy of 2007 is now becoming a doubt. The Chinese Navy, on the other hand, is on a quite different trajectory (Gilboy & Higginbotham, 2012). It now has new aircraft, submarines, and new ships. While these assets may not be equal to the American assets, their fleet is more focused on Asia. With the US placing more focus on a global scale, they could not apply adequate force at a theatre. An ASBM under construction

Commodities, mining, FDI, and the awakening Chinese dragon. Where next Essay

Commodities, mining, FDI, and the awakening Chinese dragon. Where next for China - Essay Example China’s open door policy does not only serve as the catalyst for the robust economic growth of China, it is considered as the primary impetus, strongest and decisive factor catapulting China as one of the most powerful economy in the 21st century (Chen 2012; Liu and Daly 2011; Yao 2006). This supposition is maintained on the premise that with the open-door trade policy of China, the country has become the preferred country of foreign investors and as such, recipient of numerous foreign direct investments (FDI) (Yao 2006). From 2000- 2011, China received the largest FDI inflows compared with other developing or transition economy (Davies 2012). In 2011 alone, China’s FDI inflows has reached US$124 billion compared with other countries such as Brazil with US$ 67 billion, Russia with US$ 53 billion, Singapore with US$ 64 billion, and India with US$32 billion (http://stats.unctad.org/fdi/). This shows the continued confidence of investors to China. China’s good perfo rmance in the 1997-1998 Asian crises and the recent global economic slump affirms the view that China’s economy is resilient and China offers a reliable risk-avoidance haven that is suitable for international investors (Davies 2012) as the country continuously moves towards becoming the world’s largest economy (Davies 2012). In this regard, the research will look into the impact of FDI in China with specific focus on the mining industry. This is important, as China is responsible for the net growth in world demands since 1995 (Evans –Pritchard 2012). In fact, just recently, China’s growth contributed to the appreciation of copper in the market (Rowley and White 2012).However, Rio Tanto has announced cost-cutting measures in operating costs across the business amounting to $ 5 billion by 2014, while BHP Billiton is diversifying its portfolio (Rowley and White 2012). In addition, there is apprehension across the mining industry since China is shifting to â €Å"modern, sleek, consumer and service driven economy† (Evans-Pritchard 2012,  ¶ 9). The slowdown in China’s economy and macro-volatility of the global market feed the apprehensions in the mining industry On the other hand, Vivoda (2011) argues China is mining industry continuous to lag behind other industries in terms of foreign investments. In fact, the government consistently reforms and rectifies foreign trade policies to attract investors in the mining sector of the country; nonetheless, foreign investors steer away from China because of uncertainty and lack of transparency within the mining industry (Suxun and Chenjunnan 2008). In the face of this dichotomy in position pertinent to China’s mining industry and FDI, the research may help in clearing some concepts that conflates the trepidation concerning China’s economic slowdown. In addition, some limitations are observed in terms of focus in existing literatures that deal with the issue (Vivoda 2 011). Most literatures tackle specific country/ regional concerns or undertake comparative studies (Vivoda 2011). In this regard, the study contributes to the existing literature, as it will try to explore the developments within China’s mining industry vis-a-vis FDI and understand the impact of the industry to the country as China moves towards bec

Creative Nonfiction Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Creative Nonfiction Film - Essay Example Prior to the actual Zaire fight, the two fighters proudly stated that each boxer will knock out the other opposing boxer (Denby 123). The film’s drama environment heightens as each boxer convinces the general public, especially the movie audiences, that the opposing boxer is no match for the other boxer. Just like the personal essay, the movie is filled with heated conversational element. Further, the film may contain themes of honesty, confession, and privacy. In the nonfiction film When We Were Kings, the film correctly centers on the theme of honesty (Lopate, Getting Personal: Selected Essays 197). Muhammad Ali originally keeps espousing that all Americans should be honest (Lopate 130). Muhammad Ali espoused that Americans should stand up for their beliefs. Muhammad Ali refused to join the Vietnam War. The boxer insisted that the United States should meddle with the internal affairs of another country, Vietnam. For refusing to be drafted into the Vietnam War, Muhammad Ali w as convicted and jailed for five years. Muhammad Ali theorized that the Vietnam people should be entitled to their privacy from being intruded by the United States army. Likewise, Muhammad Ali confessed to the people that he is willing to be jailed for his political belief on the encroachment of the United States on Vietnam’s political issues. Furthermore, the film may include issues that contract or expand the self. Specifically, the film may focus on the behavior of the person of film protagonists and antagonists. In the nonfiction film When We Were Kings, the film rightfully shows that Muhammad Ali consistently espoused that he can easily knock out the crowd favorite. The crowd favorite is the defending world heavyweight champion, George Foreman. Muhammad Ali proves to his critics that he was right. In the Zaire fight, Muhammad Ali was able to knock out George Foreman. When Foreman fell to the canvass, the boxing referee counted out the defending champion, the seemingly unstoppable George Foreman (Gast 1). The film clip starting from 1:01:08 to 1:08:02 time lapse correctly shows the real life boxing match between the two boxing gladiators. The audience can see how George Foreman unloaded several punches onto Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali leaned on the ropes to prevent falling onto the boxing ring canvass. After Foreman slo wed down his boxing pace, Muhammad Ali pounced on the unsuspecting Foreman. As expected, Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman while keeping the movie audiences on their feet awaiting the final outcome. As expected, the film correctly shows Muhammad Ali exchanging pleasantries with a girl. The Film clips also show the time frame of the activities from the 40:02:00 movie scene to the 40:39:00 time lapse film scene. The film captivates to audience by making the films more realistic. Moreover, the film may include challenging the status quo. In the nonfiction film When We Were Kings, Muhammad Ali correctly fought hard and long against the status quo. The status quo requires all able-bodied United States citizens to join the Vietnam War. The United States law punishes any American citizen from rendering the required services within the United States army. Muhammad Ali insisted that his new religion, Islam, prohibits him from joining the United States

Literary research paper on The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien Essay

Literary research paper on The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien - Essay Example This paper is a reflection of the literary analysis and in depth meanings of the characters and the circumstances they were thrust into. A number of famous stories make up the confines of the pages of this book – these include characters that keep reappearing every now and then. Each and every character is a justification towards some or the other feeling that every man suffers in his lifetime. For example, the main protagonist, Tim, is a soldier who finally admits that he was responsible for the death of Kiowa, tries to explain to others, and believes that not everything is explicable. This book is an amalgamation of the kind of experiences he shared with other soldiers. Jimmy Cross is a lieutenant and the platoon leader in the short story of the same title as the main book, The Things They Carried, and is also blamed for the death of Kiowa, a devout religious Christian soldier. Ted Lavender is one of the first to die in the book; he was a soldier with true grit but smoked ma rijuana and contained a great amount of anxiousness regarding what would happen next in the War. (Rafferty, Rebecca) The Things They Carried is a story full of symbolism; in this particular tale, O’Brien has marked a very vivid description of all the objects that the various soldiers carry with them. Incidentally, all these objects help the reader to understand the kind of people the soldiers are and the kind of relationship they share with others around them. He has written about Lavender’s obsession with tranquilizers and marijuana, Dobbins’ need to carry his girlfriend’s pantyhose around his neck as well as his extra rations, and Kiowa carrying a copy of the New Testament at all times. All this imagery helps to provide a stark understanding to the reader as per the needs and priorities of the soldiers. O’Brien has also described the kind of burden each man carries on his shoulders in the form of memories from their personal lives, for example, t he lieutenant’s obsession with Martha back home leaves him feeling very disgruntled and regretful. These thoughts eventually leave him questioning and wondering about Martha’s virginity and this eventually leads to distractions and death He also carried maps and compasses, giving a picture of the true leader that he was, always looking out for his soldiers. (Department) Physical objects like machine guns, M-16 rifles, grenade launchers and tents help to depict the harsh reality they were surviving in. Thus, with the use of these physical objects that the soldiers require during their stay in the War, the author has tried to explain the kind of dilemma they were being made to choose between – fantasy and reality. Cross begins to question himself for the death of Lavender and wonders whether or not it was his fault and negligence towards his duty because of his dark fantasizing about Martha that led him astray. (Moore, Julie) A literal meaning of the title and the background that the soldiers are in, the story speaks of a cross join between love and war. It tries to reflect, with the use of the everyday objects that each of the soldiers used (that made up their personalities) how it was unconditional but one sided love for someone that gave way to waging another war. This is a transition from Cross’

Accounting & finance Financial Ratio Anlysis Essay

Accounting & finance Financial Ratio Anlysis - Essay Example Prolong Limited’s gross profit margin decreased from 42.4% in 2009 to 37.5% in 2010. This can be due to the considerable increase in the cost of goods sold from $680,000 in 2009 to $750,000 in 2010. Prolong Limited’s net profit margin was 19.8 % in 2009 and decreased to 13.9 % in 2010. This was due to the increase in the operating expenses of the company. This rise in costs can be due to the rise in the inflation rate in the economy. Prolong Limited should take measures to control their costs of producing the goods. 60% of the current assets are tied up in stock due to which the liquidity position of the company is not very good. Prolong Ltd does not have ample cash to repay its creditors and due to this amount owed to the creditors have increased. Prolong Ltd should improve upon its liquidity position so that it can repay its debt on time. The overall liquidity of the company in 2010 has improved because of the bank loan taken by Prolong Ltd. But still, the creditors of Prolong Ltd are accumulating and it would be difficult for Prolong Ltd to repay its debt if the company does not generate ample cash through sales. Moreover, most of the cash of Prolong Ltd is tied up in non-current assets. Prolong Ltd can generate cash by selling off some of their non-current assets which will improve their liquidity position. Asset turnover indicates the sales that are generated from $1 investments in assets. Prolong’s Ltd asset turnover remained relatively stable in 2009 and 2010. Although the sales increased marginally by $20,000, the total assets increased by $99,000. The investment in the assets was not translated into the corresponding increase in sales revenue. Days inventory ratio of Prolong Ltd indicate that it took 79 days on average to sell the goods in inventory in 2009 and 93 days in 2010. The days inventory has increased in 2010 and this high days inventory figure is not very beneficial for the company. Days debtor ratio indicates

Identifying Salmonella Choleraesuis Essay Example for Free

Identifying Salmonella Choleraesuis Essay The purpose of this study was to determine what an unknown bacteria was using several different microbiology lab techniques including an API test, an oxidase test, a gram stain, a hanging drop slide, and morphology identification. The unknown bacterium, which was contaminated with Serratia marcescens, was isolated by streaking the bacteria solution to single colonies. The isolated unknown white bacteria, had the appearance of circular form, convex elevation, entire margin, elongated cocci. The tests than showed that the bacteria was gram-negative, non-motile, and was identified as a Salmonella species bacteria, Salmonella choleraesuis. Introduction When applying biology to real world cases, it takes numerous tests to be able to identify exactly what a type of bacteria an unidentified bacterium is, whether it is a bacterium that is causing a person to be ill or a bacterium that is being studied in a laboratory. Often times a bacteria is taken from a contaminated sample that may contain more than one type of bacteria and therefore the specific bacteria that is to be identified has to be isolated. This can often be done by streaking the sample to single colonies. The individual colonies can then be put through several different tests that allow one to identify distinctive aspects of the bacteria. Some examples of these tests are a gram-stain and an API test. These tests allow one to figure out what properties a bacteria strain contains, such as gram negative or gram positive with the gram staining test, or what bacteria an unknown is based on positives and negative of the API test. The results of API tests, will show extremely accurately what a bacteria is based on previous tests performed. One such bacteria than can be identified is Salmonella choleraesuis. There have been many studies done where the particular strain of Salmonella needed to be identified so that a vaccine could be found. In one such study, the strain of Salmonella Choleraesuis had to be identified in order to then use live Salmonella choleraesuis to reduce the seroprevalence and the number of Salmonella carrier pigs at slaughter (Schwarz et al, 2011). By being able to identify the specific strain of the species Salmonella, scientists were about to prevent Salmonella from being passed on through pigs because of the Salmonella choleraesuis vaccine. Identification of a specific bacteria can help scientists make so many improvements in getting rid of deadly bacteria. Materials and Methods This lab was performed over several different days in order to utilize several different techniques in identifying the unknown bacteria. A tube that contained a red species S. marcescens and a white unknown bacteria was streaked to single colonies onto an agar plate using an inoculating loop. The plate was placed in the 37Â ° incubator for 24 hours. Once incubation had occurred the single colonies were used for the different microbiology lab techniques. The first of these techniques used was to determine what the morphology of the unknown bacteria was. The second of these tests was a gram stain. This test was done in order to determine if the unknown bacteria was gram negative or gram positive. The third technique used was a hanging drop slide, which was prepared using another single colony and a light microscope at 100x resolution, in order to observe the bacteria’s motility. The fourth test used was an oxidase test, which was also performed using another single colony of the unknown bacteria. This was done by placing the bacterial colony on filter paper and adding drops of oxidase reagent. The filter paper was then observed to see if it changed blue or not, in order to see if the bacteria produced cytochrome c oxidase. The final test used in the experiment was an API test. To begin the API test, a solution with bacteria and 5 mL of sterile saline, had to be made with a turbidity the same as the McFarland No. 3 (BaSO4) standard. This was done by adding loopfuls of bacteria to the saline solution, mixing the solution on the vortex, and then comparing the turbidity to the McFarland No. 3 standard, until the tubes were both at the same cloudiness. This created solution was then used in the API test by adding specified amounts to each of the microtubes on the API strip. For each of the microtubes whose names were not underlined or boxed, the tubes were filled to where the microtubes met the capsule. In the microtubes whose names were underlined, the microtubes were slightly underfilled, and then the capsule was filled with mineral oil in order to create and anaerobic environment. The last of the microbes were the ones whose names were boxed. In each of these the microtube and the capsule were filled all the way up with the bacteria. The API test strip was then placed in the 37Â °C incubator for 20 hours. After this time, observations were made about each of the different microtubes based on a given summary of results chart for the API test. A select number of microtubes had to have a few reagents added such as 10% ferric chloride, Barritt’s A and B solutions, Kovacs’ reagent, nitrate test reagent, zinc, and hydrogen peroxide, in order to see how the specific microtubes reacted at that time. Once the API test was performed, the negatives and positives found for each of the microtubes was used to identify the unknown bacteria using an identification table that showed the positives and negatives of many known bacterias. Results In the first part technique used in the lab, the morphology of the unknown bacteria colonies was found to be circular form, convex elevation, and entire margin. The second technique used, gram-staining, produced pink bacteria, which had the appearance of elongated cocci. The pink color indicated that the unknown bacteria was gram-negative. In the third technique, the hanging drop slip, there was not true motility and instead only Brownian movement. In the fourth technique, the oxidase test, the filter paper did not turn blue. In the final test, the API test, the results (Fig. 1) shows that the unknown bacteria being studied was Salmonella species, or more specifically, Salmonella choleraesuis. (Fig. 1) The API strip results after 20 hours of incubation at 37Â °C Discussion Through the use of the API test, the results most accurately showed that the bacteria was Salmonella species. This is what the bacteria was, however, it was a specific kind of Salmonella, S. choleraesuis. In the results of the tests, there were four different microtubes that contained different results than in the identification table. In each of the these cases, the API test showed positive results when the table showed negative results. Just because these didn’t match exactly, didn’t mean that the experiment didn’t work right. Each organism is different and because of this will have different reactions at times. In each of the cases, there was a small percentage that the results would be different than the identification table said it would be. With that, the Salmonella species all together was able to be identified better because, in general the different strains of Salmonella each come from the same species. There could also have been slight error when the mi crotubes were filled up. There may have been times when the tubes were overfilled or underfilled or air bubbles may have gotten into the tubes changing the results. Overall, the results were fairly accurate since the Salmonella species was able to be identified. The other tests used in the experiment were also useful in helping identify that S. choleraesuis was the unknown bacteria. It can be shown through previous tests that S. choleraesuis and Salmonella strains have similar characteristics to those found from the techniques used in this lab. In several cases it is shown that Salmonella strains are gram-negative (Kempf et al, 2012). The fact that S. choleraesuis fit the characteristics of previous studies helps show that bacteria was found correctly when preforming the different techniques. References Agbor, T. A., McCormick, B. A. (2011). Salmonella effectors: Imortant players modulating host cell function during infection. Cell Microbiology , 13 (12), 1858-69. Schwarz, P., Kich, J. D., Kolb, J., Cardoso, M. (2011). Use of an avirulentlive Salmonella Choleraesuis vaccine to reduce the prevalence of Salmonella carrier pigs at slaughter. Vet Rec , 21 (169), 553.