The Preatorian Guard Essay -- History, Emperors of Rome

Introduction Their name alone invokes many vivid images; from heroic men clad in Roman red iron to bloody battlefields, where they stand disciplined and ordered while chaos reigns all around, and even of the quiet corridors of the Emperors’ palace, where a change in power and leadership is only a blade thrust away. These fierce and hardy men formed the iconic symbol of the Ancient Roman Army: the Praetorian Guard. Rigid and unwavering, these soldiers were the bodyguards of the most powerful men in the ancient world: The Emperors of Rome. Formally created in 23 BC by Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus the Praetorian Guard Served as Bodyguards for the Emperors, About nine cohorts of five hundred men each formed the early Praetorian Guard; they were stationed right outside the center of Rome. The Praetorian Guard were recruited primarily from central Italy, unlike most of the Roman Army, the Guards were made up of all Italian citizens and they are referred to as â€Å"the true-born sons of Italy† by Piso the chosen heir of Galba. â€Å"The Praetorians therefore became the symbolic living descendants of the glorious Roman past† (Wasileski 32).The Praetorians were thought to be the Emperors’ symbol of power â€Å"The Praetorians were a visible symbol of that [Emperor’s] force in the Capital† (Wasileski 1). The transition from Bodyguard to Political Power gave the Praetorian Guard a sense of power, especially the Praetorian Prefects Most of the infamous stories surrounding the Praetorian Guards assassinating their emperors are in fact only about a few guards following a very ambitious Praetorian Prefect. Praetorian Prefects usually do not serve with Praetorian’s before taking command. They are mainly administrators for the Guard and most do not have ... ...ki 20). It also should be known that the Praetorian Guard was still a personal bodyguard and on most occasions they served their Emperors faithfully and they actually helped keep the peace and continued to do their duty to the Emperor overall. However with the realization of their political powers the Praetorian Prefects will use the Praetorian Guard to affect what happens behind the palace doors more frequently and more suiting to their own agendas. Those loyal and heroic men of the Guard are slowly being turned into infamous tools used to further corrupt ambitions and disloyal treasons. Though despite all of the bribes and corruption the Guard will always be that awe striking symbol for Roman might, they will always be remembered as the Emperor’s right hand. They will always take their place in the hallowed annals of history as the Emperor’s elite bodyguards.

Compaing Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Arks and Genetic Bottlenec

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Since the dawn of time, science has been in the minds of men. In the story, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, Victor deals with the creation of life as opposed to   "Arks and Genetic Bottlenecks" by Harold J. Morowitz which denies the scientific validation of Noah's Ark.   Science, in most cases, has interfered with human lives, especially in religion in the aspect of   human cloning. In reality, it is not just a question of science, it is a matter of science versus religion. How far will science go to allow human cloning which is a test of people's religious beliefs?   Both Frankenstein and "Arks and Genetic Bottlenecks" provide readers with some similar and some different answers.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   First, Frankenstein, and "Arks and Genetic Bottlenecks," deal with a similar issue that today people know as cloning. In   Frankenstein film, Victor creates life out of dead bodies by   reactivating the dead cells with chemicals and electricity, despite his professor's warning that "creation of life is only in God's hands." In "Arks and Genetic Bottlenecks," Morowitz also discusses genes and how all different organisms do not have the same assortment of genes with exception of identical twins (760), and that genetic diversity is essential for the survival of all species. Though, today, cloning is a big issue which people are afraid of, Mary Shelley, in her time, had an idea that scientists might attempt something similar to cloning which instilled fear in the hearts of men, and made her write Frankenstein.   A similar fear is generated by Dolly, the Sheep cloned in Scotland in 1997. According to the film, Human Cloning, this has made religious activists protest against cloning in fear that science would destroy mank... ...man.   The question still remains: Are scientists going to "learn . . .   how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge . . ." (Shelley 154), or are they still obsessed with proving Harold J. Morowitz   right?    Works Cited Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. A play by Nick DiMartino, Direct. Moses Goldberg. Narr. Professor McNamar. Global Stage Production. WLIW21 Presentation. Class Movie.   HSS 100-002. Fall Semester, March 22, 2002. Human Cloning: Investigative Reports.   Pres. Bill Kurtis. A & E Special Presentation February 4, 2002. Morowitz Harold J. "Arks and Genetic Bottlenecks." Fields of Reading Motives for Writing. Sixth ed.  Ã‚   Ed. Nancy R Comley et al. New York: Bedford, 2001. Shelley, Mary. "From Frankenstein." The Example of Science. Ed. Robert E. Lynch and Thomas B. Swanzey. Boston: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2000. (152-156)

The Pitfalls of Title IX :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

The Pitfalls of Title IX Living with a family that includes three very athletic sisters and me, I attend a number of girls/woman's sports and in a few cases, boy's sports. Nothing makes me happier than to see my 11-year-old sister tackle some little smart-ass boy who thinks that the only thing she should be doing is playing with dolls. Or to hear my other two sisters brag about how they both pinned boys in their younger years of wrestling, even though the kid probably never stepped on a mat again. I would like to see each of my sisters go on to have very successful careers in both athletics and in the economic world. I believe that Title IX is doing this job, but I am sure that this can be gone about in another way. What eurchs me the most is that in order for my dream of my sisters to become so successful in sports, men's sports have to be cut. This means that the opportunities that many young men have put so much time into are not available to them because of Title IX(every source that I have but one or tw o). In 1972, Congress passed the Educational Amendments. One section of this law, Title IX, prohibits discrimination against girls and women in federally funded education, including in athletics programs(Empowering). Since 1972, the number of women athletes that were attending college was represented by only 15% compared to a study taken in 1995 that showed that 37% were competing in college athletics while attending college. In the years 1992-1996 woman gained 23,166 participants in 17 different intercollegiate sports. In the same years, men only gained 12,518 in 21 different sports. The problem is that in many of these 21 men's sports there are a negative number of participants. In the same years and the same study, there was about 1,160 woman's teams added to college sports. In the same study there was a gain of 576 men's teams which again there was a negative number of teams added in many sports(Riley). There has been multiple men's sports cut while over the same period of time woman 's sports has done a nine fold. So, women are catching up to men's athletics, but they are doing it in the wrong type of manner. Men's sports are being cut to get this equity(Powers). In 1996, the Clinton administration

A Beautiful Mind and Disability Essay

A Beautiful Mind is a good movie by Ron Howard, about a man that has lost his grip on what is real and what is fiction. This started when he was in graduate school and no one really noticed until his wife had him committed to the hospital. John Nash, the main character of the film portrayed by Russell Crowe, is a great mathematician that became a victim to paranoid schizophrenia. At first he does not notice the problems, and being that we are seeing everything from his prospective we do not notice them either. Only after he is admitted to the hospital by his wife do we see that some of the main people in his life are just products of his mind. As was said in the movie, â€Å"What must it be like to realize not that those you treasure and hold dear are not lost or dead but have never been? What kind of hell would that be? † This is a true tragedy that is common with paranoid schizophrenia. I guess that in reality John Nash is a man that truly exemplifies the statement that there is a fine line between genius and insanity. This is probably why his problems were not addressed for as long as they were, people overlooked them because they would lose the benefit of that genius if they were to try and fix the erratic behaviors that he showed. John Nash suffered from many of the classic symptoms of this illness. He was paranoid that people were after him, which was healthy in his classified work. He had different friends and co-workers who did not exist anywhere but in his own mind. See more: Unemployment – problems and solutions essay   He started showing progressive erratic behavior towards his friends and family. In the end, right before the hospital, the fantasy realm was what was real to him and the real world just the work of fiction. I agree with the movie that he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. However, if he was forced to continue the treatments of the times I believe that he would have fallen even further. While on the medications you noticed that he was becoming depressed which ould have lead him to Manic Depression, and I can only imagine what continued insulin shock would have done to his mind and body. None of good I am sure. There were some major people in his life. The first was Charles Herman his Princeton roommate, William Parcher his boss with the Department of Defense, Alicia Nash his wife and Martin Hansen his main rival at school. He was close to Charles his best friend since college and worked well with William his boss at the Department of Defense, the only problem neither of them existed. Alicia became estranged from him because of his illness, but his brilliance was also what she loved about him as well. After his diagnoses his main true friend was the Dean at Princeton, his old rival Martin. When John stopped taking his medication and was looking to return to society he allowed him to use the library everyday to work on his problems and math in peace. Then once he thought he wanted to teach again he had the faith to talk the board into letting him teach. The two most helpful people to John Nash were his wife, Alicia and his old rival Martin. They believed in him when no one else would or thought they should. John was able to cope with his illness in the end because he had a break thru that his friend, Charles’ niece never aged; therefore she and they could not exist. This allowed him to start ignoring them and start functioning again in the real world without his medication. After dealing with my husband’s mother I believe that Russell Crowe should have won the Oscar, the SAG, and the Golden Globe for his realistic performance of a man that has lost his grip on the world around him. He not only showed you the ups and downs of this illness but he showed you that there is hope for everyone that has to deal with these problems daily. I also believed that this film helped bring to light how outdated some thoughts on mental illness can be and what is possible when you look beyond the surface and see the person underneath.

Behavioral Theories of Learning

Skinner’s terminology provides that positive reinforcers are any form of encouragement like rewards, awards and goals and positive reinforcement is the act itself of receiving the reward or achieving the goal (Skinner B. F. , 1969). The definitions of operant conditioning provide that negative reinforcement is a mode of behavioral theory that as a result of experiencing a negative condition, a particular behavior is enhanced, strengthened or emphasized. (http://www. mcli. dist. maricopa. edu/proj/nru/opcond. html, 1999).A good example of positive reinforcement inside a classroom would be a teacher giving extra credits for students who would achieve a certain high average. How is this positive reinforcement? Students will become motivated to excel and give extra effort to achieve the award and in the process they get to learn more ultimately benefiting them in the end. A pre-school teacher giving candy to the brave little girl who will not cry and back out of her first day in s chool is also an instance of positive reinforcement.The school board giving an award or an additional benefit for the teacher of the month, this is another example of a positive reinforcement. Why is that? By promising to give a little extra something, the school encourages the teachers to improve their over-all teaching performance and by doing so, they are encouraging a little friendly competition among fellow educators. The learning curve is sure to climb the charts if all the teachers and students are motivated. How will that be achieved? It is simple.The teachers will be inspired to think of innovative teaching methods that will be effective on students and in turn the students learn more. Some teachers are not as approachable as others that is the reason why students don’t ask questions even though they did not fully understand the subject matter, as a solution, they can make themselves available to students for consultation. As a result, the school’s educational framework benefits because of cooperation and communication. Everybody gets a special kind of something in the end.The key word in positive reinforcement is benefit. One way or another, everyone receives something beneficial to himself and to others as well. An example of negative reinforcement inside the four corners of the classroom would be a teacher who warns students that if they fail the exam they would get an automatic failing grade. This is negative reinforcement because if a student wants to avoid getting a failing grade, he would study. His studying habits will be strengthened as a consequence of being threatened of getting a failing grade.The application of negative reinforcement can be most usually seen in the fields of education and reform. The use of fines, imprisonment is one such example of the use of negative reinforcement to warn of the negative consequences of associating with social ills (Skinner,1953). Negative Reinforcement as compared to punishment strengthen s a behavior because a negative condition is stopped or avoided as a result of such behavior while the latter weakens a behavior because of the introduction of a negative condition as a result of the behavior (mcli. dist.maricopa. edu, 1999). An example of punishment is when a student is caught cheating by his professor, the consequence would be detention or suspension. Another demeanor of a student which is very suitable for punishment is bribing a teacher in order for him to get an â€Å"A†. This offense should be dealt with seriously because it can affect the educational system not to mention the character and reputation of the school. Punishment endeavors to make the person realize the intensity of the offense that was committed and for him to reflect on his actions.All these will be in vain if an important goal of punishment is not achieved, which goal is for the person not to repeat the same offense ever again. The application of these kinds of reinforcement depends upo n the situation and the individual upon whom these will be enforced. Imagine expelling a student for being caught littering inside the school grounds. The use of these types of reinforcements would vary not only because of a particular scenario but the attitude and intent of the person involved would have to be taken into consideration as well. In positive and negative reinforcement, the responses and effects are unpredictable.The effect would be of course either positive or negative as well. Positive outcome results when the desired response or behavior is achieved by using a certain kind of reinforcement, however, this desired outcome is not always achieved. For instance, in positive reinforcement, the aim is improvement and encouragement but the psyche of the person being motivated or encouraged does not depend on the positive reinforcer. For instance, no matter what benefit the teacher promises the student but the latter is not moved by it, there would be no positive result.The results in negative reinforcement, the aim of which is education or reform, will not be accomplished when the expected reaction or behavior is not achieved. As in the example given above, when a teacher suspends or sends a student in detention for cheating but the latter does it again, negative outcome results. In the field of education, positive or negative enforcement or even punishment may be associated with each other not only because they are modes to elicit a certain response from a student but because of the result they so aspire.The means may be different but the desired end to be achieved is the same; to maximize the learning potential and more importantly to mold the student’s behavior for the better. References Skinner B. F. , 1969, Contingencies of Reinforcement: A Theoretical Analysis, New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. Retrieved 04/03/09 from http://www. freeonlineresearchpapers. com/ Macopa Center for Learning and Instruction Retrieved 04/03/09 from http://www. mcli. dist. maricopa. edu/proj/nru/opcond. html Skinner B. F. , 1953, Science and Human Behaviour, New York: Macmillan. Retrieved 04/03/09 from http://www. freeonlineresearchpapers. com/

Financial perspective Essay

As seen balanced scorecards does not totally disregard financial measures of performance. Thus, timely and accurate data is essential to the successful implementation of balanced scorecard. This implies that handling and processing of financial data should be swift and centralize perhaps fully automated. The financial data should be integrated with corporate databases and especially data regarding risk assessment and cost benefit analysis (Stewart, 2000). Learning and growth perspective This category recognizes that people are the only repositions of knowledge i. e. people posses intangible assets of the company. In this information age intelligence is the heart of organization success and hence Ned to ensure continuous learning through employee training. This is because technology changes rapidly as aloes people exiting an organization for greener pastures. (Lipe & Salterio, 2000) As a result, corporations’ culture and attitude need to be shaped to ensure that people within the organization pursue self-improvement and reverse brain drain to other companies. The cost of recruitment and training people is usually high and measures of allocating the funds to reap maximum benefits need to be developed. Knowledge sharing is equally important. Notably not all training translates to learning but the most effective learning occurs, using mentors and group discussions and communication within the organization. Intranets may contribute towards facilitating communication and learning (Norton, 2001) Process perspective This category identifies two kinds of process within the business one, the mission oriented processes and two the support process. Support processes are repetitive in nature and nature and hence easier to measure on the other hand mission oriented involve government offices and hence difficult to measure. Attention to these perspectives enables managers to know how well the operations of the business are and whether they are in tandem with customer requirements and expectations. (Kaplan & Norton, 1996) Problems associated with financial measures. The move to adopt the balanced scorecard at Intel has been triggered by the inefficiency of financial measures to link corporate strategy and goals to measurement it ahs been difficult for Intel to link the strategies used in say marketing and advertising campaigns to the effects or anticipated results. Thus a shortfall in gauging performance has been experienced.. As pointed out, Intel faces strong competition from Microsoft and there has been to re-strategize its operations in order to gain competitive advantage and adopt with the changing technology. The previously used financial measures are outdated as the PC industry how shifted from the industrial age to become more knowledge based. White previously, Intel management of the company’s property equipments and plant was adequate to accord the company competitive edge, now a days the intangible asset i. e. the employee’s knowledge plays a great role in ensuring that Intel stays ahead of its game. The company’s income statements, and balance sheets are still used to capture revenues and profits but they still account very little to the company’s market value hence the need for balance scorecard. The balanced scorecard becomes handy for Intel to link its strategy i. e. deploying its intangible assets to the company’s goal i. e. dominate the PC industry. The problem of financial measures utilized at Intel is its failure to measure how effective customer relationship operating process product innovation skill of the workforce culture and other variables are in contributing to the company’s goal of maintaining lead in the PC industry. The financial measures i. e. balance sheets and incomes statements fail to assist management describe its asset and link it to strategy and goal. The pitfall of this measure is that without a clear description of the situation and the company’s possessions in terms of assets then it is difficult to know what to manage or measure. Recommended design and implementation of Intel’s balance scorecard Intel balance scorecard design will incorporate strategy aimed at increasing the company’s revenues by twenty percent in a period of 18 months. In order to do so the balance scorecard components will be used in designing the strategy. The invaluable contribution of the employees at Intel is recognized in this design. They contribute indirectly to the company’s revenue investment in the employees will improve their functional competence and hence lead to better quality products and innovations hence greater customer satisfaction. This satisfaction in turn will translate to higher sales and thus increase in revenue and profit margins. Rewards systems for hardworking employees will be given in form of cash incentives and recognition awards. More importantly, dead wood employees will not be retained in the company, as they are liabilities to the company. The workplace culture and climate will also be representative of the company’s goal; hence performance appraisals will also be used to boost hard work. The no-office policy at Intel will be retained in order to ensure equality among the company’s employees. Communication and knowledge sharing will be boosted by upping Intel intranets and using monthly meetings in departments to achieve this end. Intel will have to upgrade its internal processes to improve its customers and shareholders satisfactions hence achieve revenue. The way to do this will be by availing its microprocessors speedily to its customer’s at the time when needed. Intel will need to keep track of releases of operating systems by software hence increase sales and revenues. Intel should also develop new products and services that are relevant to meeting customers’ wants and needs. Perhaps, there is need to identify new markets in order to broaden its customers base also promote satisfaction among customers. Grievances and complaints will handle with immediacy and accuracy. Additionally, Total quality management and zero tolerance production techniques will be used in its manufacturing plant to ensure that consignment delivered to customers have zero defects. Intel will also ensure that it exercises social responsibility and that its activities benefit the greater society and don’t harm the immediate environment. The customers’ perspectives components of Intel balance scorecard will work towards creating a image of value and distinction in its customers. Intel will achieve this by incorporating a mix of different products and service that uniquely identify the customers to the company. Intel will sustain intimacy with its customers by being a representative of the customers’ diverse traits. It will ensure indiscriminate customers service to customers regardless of race, gender or religion its branding and advertisement campaigns will be acceptable to the customers. Intel will employ competitive pricing to attract and retain customers. At the same time Intel will assure great performance and auxiliary features in its products so that customers get value for their money, hence boost revenue. Delivery lead times will equally be reduced by half in order to encourage customers to buy more from them. The financial position of Intel will be influenced by the effects o customer’s internal process and the learning perspectives of the company’s workforce. Ultimately, if the positive changes on these sections are effected then the company will realize profitability and increased revenues. In effect, the company’s value in the eye of the shareholder will also improve, more to that; an increase in company assets value will be evident.

Importance of Louisiana Purchase to America

Louisiana Purchase was a historical land purchase agreement signed between former America President Thomas Jefferson and French ruler Napoleon Bonaparte, which transferred the French territory of Louisiane to the American republic. France wanted the presence of a growing power- America, to give stiff resistance to the British, while America wanted to get rid of Spanish and French control in its trade route along the Mississippi river. It was evident that the Louisiana Purchase would have a strong social, economic and political importance to the American republic and its future.DiscussionLouisiana Purchase of 1803 transferred the land from erstwhile French possession to the contemporary American federation, and this piece of land now comprises fifteen American states, namely, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Louisiana (â€Å"The Louisiana Purchase, 1803†). When the se fifteen states were incorporated into the American union, the new amalgamation was, predominantly, a white majority union with white landowners, who used slaves for performing various occupations.In the early years of its formation, voting was reserved only for those who paid taxes, and only those while males having ownership of property could hold public offices (â€Å"The Louisiana Purchase, 1803†). With a large influx of immigrants to this region of maritime importance, a multicultural society was soon flourishing as different ethnic groups started settling there. Since the newly formed states from Louisiana Purchase were bordered along the Mississippi river, America got a free access to trade both within the country and to the continental Europe.This major political development boosted the economy of the American region. Moreover, the vast stretch of fertile land in the prairie states of North Dakota, South Dakota as well as Kansas, facilitated the growth of revenue fr om agriculture. Also, the inclusion of the state of Texas gave America a rich source of oilfields. In 1920, one of the Texan oilfields produced 50 million barrels (â€Å"Oilfields in Texas†). With a history of territorial wars, slavery, and gradual evolution of democracy, this amalgamation of fifteen states has given famous Presidents to the American republic.Some of the former American Presidents, namely, Bill Clinton, Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, Dwight Eisenhower, Lyndon Johnson, and George Bush were born on the erstwhile land, which was acquired under the Louisiana Purchase agreement. Conclusion With the acquisition of land under the Louisiana Purchase accord, the American republic witnessed social, economic and political changes that impacted its development significantly.