Classical Music in Pop Culture free essay sample

There may simply be a brief look at uplifting news for the music front. As of late I’ve heard various TV advertisements utilizing bits of old style music to show the message. Two of them, it must be expressed, were for a similar item, one of those purported day by day nutrients. One had a bit of Wagner the topic from Die Walkure †and the other emphasized a tune from Mozart’s Die Zauberflote. Real dramas, if it's not too much trouble note. And afterward another business for a table flavoring, set in a café, had Bach’s BrandenBurg Concerto No. playing out of sight. Would it be able to be that several publicizing individuals have discovered that popular music has lost a portion of its interest? I am lost in how these individuals approach figuring out what music to utilize, yet it appears to be glowing that they would need whatever they decide to help the item picture and not concede the individuals to whom they are attempting to sell it. We will compose a custom paper test on Traditional Music in Pop Culture or on the other hand any comparative subject explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page Indeed, it is altogether conceivable to utilize music wryly , and maybe that’s what is happening here. Be that as it may, to utilize a bit of Mozart mockingly is still to open the crowd to a bit of Mozart, which in the ordinary method of things they may not experience nywhere else. It’s difficult to perceive how great this is nevertheless it can’t be that awful. With the exception of a solitary twofold sided tape of Beethoven(which I accidently taped more than one day) there was no old style music in the house when I was coming up. Whatever of that sort of music I heard, I got notification from TV. What's more, by â€Å"television† I don’t mean any semblance of â€Å"Matlock. † No, my soonest prologue to music of the genuine sort was from the soundtrack of kid's shows. The movement studios of Walt Disney and Warner Brothers, among others drew unreservedly on the library of fine music as foundation and here and there even as frontal area, with respect to xample when Bugs Bunny or Elmer Fudd showed up as the director of an ensemble symphony. In any eve nt, when Bugs was the rebellious as opposed to the highbrow, the music came through. I didn’t hear a lot in school, either which is a disgrace. As I remember the melodic intermissions in school comprised of taking out little books of tunes and singing â€Å"Jack and Jill† and other comparative tunes. A few children played in the band and absorbed some music that way; being the class comedian and absence of enthusiasm at that point, rendered me unfit for that way. In any case, in the long run I grew an enthusiasm for the drums and angling music, and began viewing DCI(Drum Corps International), recordings on YouTube. Doesn’t it appear, however, that great music is something that may be incorporated into the school day? It doesn't need to be concentrated scholastically or officially â€Å"appreciated. † Just made accessible, as one may play youth baseball football. Start sufficiently early, and possibly young men won’t claim to be wiped out at the sound of a violin. I’ve seen two or three new ads and they do prevail with regards to making me pay heed. I’m not going to purchase those nut rient or the table seasonings, however I trust the individuals who are slanted to do so will shape an ositive relationship with some great music. Composing this paper I was truly compelled to consider old style music and not exclusively is pertinence in mainstream society yet in addition its commitment to mainstream society. So I began my examination and began seeing a ton about traditional music and treatment. Continuously traditional music is being joined into standard society. As indicated by an examination distributed in an elective treatment medication issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing, old style music can decrease mental worry among pregnant ladies. Analysts at the school nursing program at Kaohsiung Medical University directed an investigation in which they haphazardly appointed a gathering of ladies to old style music gathering and another to a blue grass music gathering. â€Å"the old style music bunch indicated critical decreases in pressure, uneasiness, and despondency after only fourteen days, utilizing three set up estimation scales†(Chung-Hey). Followed by â€Å"in examination, the down home music bunch demonstrated an a lot littler decrease in pressure while there tension and gloom scores indicated practically no improvement.

Comparing and Constrasting Jack and Algernon Essay -- The Importance o

Looking at and Constrasting Jack and Algernon In this Essay I will thoroughly analyze the characters of Jack and Algernon. I will do this by taking a gander at their conduct and mentalities towards f food, marriage, ladies, social class, training and cash. I will attempt to show that these characters are not unique as we may initially be persuaded. I will utilize both the content just as the advanced film rendition to demonstrate my thoughts. Algernon Moncrief lives in a costly level situated in Half-Moon Road. He is an emotive character simply like Wilde himself. Undoubtedly, opinion is my strength. We think he is rich, which, be that as it may, soon, particularly in the cutting edge film adaptation, is demonstrated to not be right. Directly toward the beginning individuals who he owes cash pursue him. Additionally his head servant Lane gripes about him not paying his solitary. Algernon originates from a rich family. His auntie, Augusta Bracknell, is rich. So as to keep up his live style and his place in the public arena he needs to eat with his auntie a reasonable barely any occasions. Over and over again as he would like to think. I ate there on Monday, and once seven days is sufficiently very It gives us that Algernon anticipates a ton, an exclusive expectation of living however isn't set up to successfully accomplish and to merit it. He needs it introduced to him on a salver. Feasting with his auntie is even excessively. Algernon isn't not kidding in any way. He adores looking at everything, offering remarks and expressions and communicating his sentiment to everything. He has a rich auntie and doesn't have to stress over anything, aside from what he will eat. Jack is likewise fortuned. He acquired some cash from the late Mr Thomas Cardew. A well off man who discovered him the cloakroom of Victoria station... ... being great constantly. That would be false reverence. Gwendolyn furthermore, Cecily are pulled in by the underhanded and unsavory foundations of Algernon and Jack and are not so much keen on who they truly are, the length of their name is Ernest. Cecily keeps a journal and in her journal she is as of now drew in to Algernon(Ernest) months before he has requested that her wed him. On the fourteenth of February last. Exhausted by your whole numbness of my reality, I resolved to end the issue one way or the other, and after a long battle with myself I acknowledged you under this dear old tree here Cecily abhors training. She wouldn't like to learn thus this shows that she wouldn't like to utilize or squander it. This can likewise be appeared, as she writtes a journal and says that she doesn't confide in her memory. She likes perusing and thinking of her journal which resembles her memory.

Reading Pathway Ethnobiologist Gary Paul Nabhan

Reading Pathway Ethnobiologist Gary Paul Nabhan Years ago I was introduced to  ethnobiologist, “internationally-celebrated nature writer, food and farming activist, and proponent of conserving the links between biodiversity and cultural diversity” Gary Paul Nabhan, through a class on writers from the Arab diaspora. I liked his books, from what I’d read, but the one thing that I will always remember, to my secret book-lovers shame, is that I really, really wanted to pilfer the copy of Gathering the Desert that my professor brought in a wonderful collegiate show-and-tell display. It is a beautiful book filled with hand-drawn renderings of desert plants and edibles, and is a continual delight to my gardeners sensibility. My obsession with Naban started from the Arab-American reading pathway, but he’s much more than that. Nabhan writes poetry, essays, nonfiction about food and culture and biodiversity and the slow-food movement, about growing and eating what’s natural to your time, place and genetic makeup, and why we should really pay attention to our landscape and what it’s telling us. It’s been particularly interesting to me as I go through long periods of drought in my native California, and try to keep a native plant garden growing using as much rainwater and minimal city water I really don’t want the Golden State to end up in a Mad-Max landscaped world. You need to read this, excellent,  educational, engrossing nonfiction. So here are a couple of recommendations as diverse as his body of writing to get you started. The Desert Smells Like Rain   Gathering the Desert These are Nabhan’s first two books, ones I had to track down at all costs through used bookstore channels, because something about owning an old, used book just appeals to the poet in me. In The Desert Smells Like Rain, Nabhan puts his ethnobiologist side on display as he writes about his relationship with and schooling from contemporary Papago Indians, “Desert People,” who inhabit Arizona’s Sonoran desert. The unlikely seeming title comes from a conversation Nabhan recalls with a young Papago boy, where Nabhan asked what the desert smelled like to him, and the boy replied: It smells like rain. Using an example of one planting season in the desert, the Papago patiently waiting for the rain to plant their crops and bring the desert to life, Nabhan illustrates how the group has stayed true to a centuries-old way of life despite the modern world creeping in at the borders. Papago don’t use sprinkler systems, don’t tap groundwater, they gather and sing, and wait for the rains to arrive in the desert, knowing that when that happens, and for however brief a time, their crops will blossom and grow and food will be plentiful. Can you imagine that? Waiting for something and not just creating a system of workarounds? I couldn’t really either, but this book had me convinced and the outcome speaks for itself. Along with the natural irrigation lesson, Nabhan tells tales about Papao harvesting the saguaro fruit of columnar cacti, and the wine feasts that accompany the ritual; about children growing up on the reservation; and making the earth good by your partnership with it. Gathering the Desert is, to me, a companion piece to The Desert Smells Like Rain: a display of twelve of the than 425 wild edibles from the Sonoran Desert, each one a symbol of the plant-to-people relationship that’s developed over the years. Nabhan, and illustrator Paul Mirocha, paint story-like pictures of mesquite pods, creosote plants and their many remedial uses, mescal, panicgrass, each section organized by season, so that outsiders can get a glimpse of the bounty of the desert. Like chiltepines from Mexico, actual palms and as an unlikely symbol of desert Palm Springs (they actually need quite a bit of water in their natural habitat) each chapter talks about one plant and features original drawings. Beautiful, educational and interesting. Sort of the perfect book. Why Some Like It Hot: Food, Genes and Cultural Diversity Before gluten free was a universally accepted and understood way of life, Nabhan explored our genetic interactions with food and, literally, why some people like and can handle hot foods, and some can’t. Among other conversations. It’s not just about the right food for the right person’s genetic makeup, Naban also explores why some communities are prone to alcoholism, or immune to diseases like malaria and conditions like diabetes and headaches. Reading Nabhan’s carefully researched stories about people, places and food, it all began to just make sense to me. Like when he writes in the introduction: “each ethnic cuisine reflects the evolutionary history of a particular human population as it responded to the availability of local plants and animalsto the prevailing histories of disease, droughts and plagues within each population’s homeland.” It takes the previous books, about people and plants and their joint survival in particular landscapes, to a whole new level.   Exploring island cultures on Hawaii, Java, Crete, Bali, where food traditions often remain unchanged due to the more static nature of island life, Nabhan writes cautionary tales of what happens when a people stray too far from their evolutionary homeland and diet, but also happy tales of sustaining foodie cultures through the centuries, and how old school celebrations with food are a driving force behind being just plain happy. And that’s something I can definitely understand.

How to Say Happy New Year in Japanese

In Japan,  greeting  people with appropriate Japanese words is very important. The  New Year, in particular, is the most important time of the year in Japan, equal to the Christmas or the yuletide season in the West. So, knowing how to say Happy New Year in Japanese is probably the most important phrase you can learn if you plan to visit this country, which is steeped in social custom and norms. Japanese New Year Background Before learning the myriad of ways to say Happy New Year in Japanese, its important to understand the significance the new year has in this Asian country. The Japanese new year is celebrated for the first three days—or up to the first two weeks—of  ichi-gatsu  (January). During this time, businesses and schools close, and people to return to their families. The Japanese decorate their houses, just after they do a complete house cleaning. Saying Happy New Year in Japanese can involve giving good wishes on Dec. 31  or Jan. 1, but they can also cover greetings for the coming year that you might express until mid-January, and they can even include phrases you would use when reconnecting with family or acquaintances after long absences. How to Say Happy New Year in Japanese Use the following phrases for saying Happy New Year on Jan. 1 through Jan. 3, and even up to the middle of January. The transliteration for the following phrases, which mean Happy New Year, is listed on the left, followed by an indication as to whether the greeting is formal or informal, followed by the greeting written in  Kanji, the most important Japanese alphabet. Click on the transliteration links to hear how to correctly pronounce the phrases. Akemashite  omedetou  gozaimasu.  (formal): 㠁‚㠁‘㠁 ¾Ã£ â€"㠁 ¦Ã£ Å Ã£â€š Ã£  §Ã£  ¨Ã£ â€ Ã£ â€Ã£ â€"㠁„㠁 ¾Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€šAkemashite  omedetou.  (casual): 㠁‚㠁‘㠁 ¾Ã£ â€"㠁 ¦Ã£ Å Ã£â€š Ã£  §Ã£  ¨Ã£ â€ Ã£â‚¬â€š New Years Celebration At the end of the year, on Dec. 31 or even up to a few days before, use the following phrases to wish someone a Happy New Year in Japanese. The phrases literally translate as,  I wish you will have a good new year. Yoi otoshi o omukae kudasai. (formal):よ㠁„㠁Šå ¹ ´Ã£â€šâ€™Ã£ Å Ã¨ ¿Å½Ã£ Ë†Ã£  Ã£   Ã£ â€¢Ã£ â€žÃ£â‚¬â€šYoi otoshi o! (casual): よ㠁„㠁Šå ¹ ´Ã£â€šâ€™ Seeing Someone After a Long Absence As noted, the new year is a time when family and friends reunite, sometimes even after years or decades of separation. If you are seeing someone after a long period of separation, you should use a different Japanese New Years greeting when you see your friend, acquaintance, or family member. The first phrase literally all translates as, I havent seen you in a long time. Gobusata shite imasu. (very formal): 㠁”ç„ ¡Ã¦ ²â„¢Ã¦ ± °Ã£ â€"㠁 ¦Ã£ â€žÃ£  ¾Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€š The following phrases, even in formal usage, translate as, Long time, no see. Ohisashiburi desu. (formal): 㠁Šä ¹â€¦Ã£ â€"㠁 ¶Ã£â€šÅ Ã£  §Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€šHisashiburi! (casual): ä ¹â€¦Ã£ â€"㠁 ¶Ã£â€šÅ  To reply to Gobusata shite imasu  use the phrase  kochira koso (㠁“㠁 ¡Ã£â€šâ€° 㠁“㠁 ), which means same here. In casual conversations—such as if a friend is telling you Hisashiburi!—simply repeat Hisashiburi!  or Hisashiburi ne. The word  ne  (㠁 ­)  is a  particle, which translates roughly into  English as right? or dont you agree?

Senate Bill 420 The Issue Of Prostitution And Separating...

Senate Bill 420 would recast provisions by clearly defining prostitution and separating the buyers from the sellers. This bill not only defines the crime of prostitution but it also divides the crime into three sections: the involvement of the buyer, the involvement of the seller, and/or the involvement of a minor. Senator Huff first introduced this bill on February 25, 2015 where it was first presented to a committee on RLS, waiting for the approval to print. Freshly off the printer on February 26, 2015, the bill was accepted and began its journey through the Senate. On March 5, 2015 the bill was referred to the committee on PUB. S (â€Å"Bill History-SB 420,† 2015). On April 6, 2015 the committee read the bill for a second time and amended†¦show more content†¦The success of the bill is that it has passed through the Senate. The failure is that the bill is currently held up in the Assembly. The Assembly is waiting to hear what the total budget will be for the bill before they make their decision. The Assembly seems hesitant to pass this bill because they do not think that the budget is worth a crime resulting in a misdemeanor. The bill has been modified so many times through its journey of the life cycle of legislation. Which makes us wonder why can’t the Assembly create a draft to somehow link prostitution to human tracking; therefore the crime would go from being a misdemeanor to a felony; therefore when factoring in the budget one gets the best bang for their buck. B. Scope of Issue: Human Trafficking is â€Å"considered a form of modern slavery† involving the recruitment, transportation, transfer and/or harboring the receipt of a person by either the means of force or coercion that is affecting thousands of men, women and children per year both abroad and locally. This is a crime in violation of human rights (â€Å"Human Trafficking/What is Human Trafficking†, 2015). Human trafficking is an umbrella term that is not quite defined and/or recognized by law. The three elements of human trafficking are the act (what is done), the means (how it is done), and the purpose (why it is done). The act includes recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, and the receipt

Inequlity in South Asia Free Essays

Efforts to solve inequality in South Asia have had no Impact. † How far do you agree? Explain your answer with reference to examples from both gender and caste inequality. In south Asia, there are critical Inequalities practicing, especially the gender and caste Inequalities. We will write a custom essay sample on Inequlity in South Asia or any similar topic only for you Order Now Realizing the harm that these Inequalities will bring, governments as well as non-government organizations are putting great efforts to improve this situation. However, based on what is happening right now in south Asian countries, these efforts did not really help. Although the disadvantages present much more in political positions compare to before, but the mind-set is still ingrained in people’s heart. Therefore, I agree to a large extend that efforts to solve inequality in South Asia have had no impact. Politically, situation is improving with the effort of the government. It is a government’s responsibility in a modern world to help the people been systematically oppressed. Governments can also promote their international image by helping the disadvantages, through reserving seats for lower caste for example. This does help in solving Inequality In amount of people who inning the government. Under the 73rd Amendment Act of the Constitution, India had proffered 33% reservation for women In rural and urban local bodies. The Parliament raised the percentage of women to 50% In local bodies in 2009. Currently, there are more than a million elected women representative in local bodies. At present, 22. 5% of places in government-funded academic institutions are set aside for Dalais and listed tribes who make up roughly 25% of the population. Therefore, there are some achievement in fighting against inequality in political Jobs. Governments also have good policy in solving the problem but they are not implemented well. Once It is out of the control of the government, it will be very hard to really be implemented. Since there are no obvious consequences, not many people will be willing to obey the rules. A state In India had committed $15,000 to construct a new school building, $900 for a new kitchen and $400 for new school benches. But only some of the money had arrived, so no construction had started a chairman of a village said $750 had been demanded of his village committee In exchange for building permits. N Pakistan, a young married woman, Samba Impair, as shot in the office of a lawyer helping her to seek a divorce which her family could never countenance, no government minister has condemned the killing, nobody has been arrested for Samba’s murder, no government minister has condemned the killing. Therefore, it is really hard to implement government’s good policy to solve the problems. T he most serious thing Is, public still have a strong sense of discrimination. The thousand years old mind-set is very hard to change once It is set up in people’s thinking. Moreover, since some people can still benefit a lot from these Inequalities, hey will not willing to change their mind and give up practicing these Inequalities so easily. For Instance, Harlan, a state In north India, Is notorious for frequent murders of young men and women who transgress. Caste is still an important criteria in Five women were buried alive in Pakistan ‘honor killing’ on 02 September 2008. Girl babies are killed by the mother and buried surreptitiously with the connivance of the elders in the family and some grooms are still asking for dowry. Unfortunately, education and economic development do not solve the problems: gender imbalance s more serious in richer area since more people can afford to do ultrasound check in India. Various examples around the world prove that, the ancient mind-set is wide spread in today’s world in South Asia. However, think of the achievement been made in politic, there is only a very tiny amount of women or the lower caste are able to enter government to work and the work they do might not necessarily important. While the policy not been implemented and the mind-set among the majority of Indian can actually influence a very huge number of the people. In rural area of India, even teachers practice fierce discrimination on lower caste students, without mass education, it is almost impossible to change the mind-set of the public. Thus, the achievement is still small compare to the problem. Perhaps the government need to be guaranteed to ensure its policy and correct education about inequality must cover the whole country. Yet, it requires time to improve the situation. In conclusion, there are a lot of efforts been made, and there are achievement, but the not many people can enjoy the achievement and effort been made has no much impact. Hence, I agree o a large extend that Efforts to solve inequality in South Asia have had no impact. Although the caste system, dowry, and honor killing are outlaw, a long time ago, people still have a strong sense of discrimination: they are not willing to change. Teacher practice Politically: Government works very to Women’s dalais percentage. Socially: mind-set examples: honor killing, cross marriage. Infanticide. Examining Equal voting right The parliament raised the percentage of women to 50% in local bodies in 2009 The provisional census for 2011 indicates a positive increase of 1 1. % in literacy rate amongst women. Protection of women from domestic violence act enacted in 2005 has given women a powerful tool. Anti-trafficking nodal cells adopting victims. Rescue, rehabilitation reintegration, repatriation. The government responsibility to ensure the laws being implemented, not changing mind-set. So the state government has offered to adopt abandoned babies as an incentiv e against killing them. In most cases, Nags say that the baby is killed by the mother and buried surreptitiously with the connivance of the elders in the family. In the last five months alone 47 babies have been received. How to cite Inequlity in South Asia, Papers

Role of Computers in Education free essay sample

Role of Computers in Education Computers have changed the way we work, be it any profession. Therefore, it is only but natural the role of computers ineducation has been given a lot of prominence in the recent years. Computers play a vital role in every field. They aid industrial  processes; they find applications in medicine; they are the heart of the software industry; they play a vital role in education. Theuses of computers in education are manifold. Here, we shall discuss the important facets of the role of computers in education. Role of Computers in EducationThe computer technology has a deep impact on education. Computer education forms a part of the school and college curricula, asit is important for every individual today, to have the basic knowledge of computers. The advantages of computers in educationinclude an efficient storage and rendition of information, quick information processing and very importantly the saving of paper. We will write a custom essay sample on Role of Computers in Education or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Know more about the   importance of computer education .Computer teaching plays a key role in the modern systems of education. Students find it easier to refer to the Internet thansearching for information in fat reference books. The process of learning has gone beyond learning from prescribed textbooks. Today, aspirers can satiate their thirst for knowledge by means of the Internet. It is easier to store information on computers thanmaintaining hand-written notes. To know more on the subject, read about   textbooks versus computer teaching .  Online education has revolutionized the education industry. The computer technology has made the dream of distance learning, areality. Education is no more limited to classrooms. It has reached far and wide thanks to the computer technology.Physicallydistant locations have come close to each other only due to computer networking. Computers facilitate an efficient storage and effective presentation of information. Presentation software like PowerPoint andanimation software like Flash and others can be of great help to the teachers while delivering information. Computers can turn out  being a brilliant aid in teaching. Computers facilitate an audio-visual representation of information, thus making the process of  learning interactive and interesting. Computer-aided teaching adds a fun element to education. Internet can play an important role in education.As it is an enormous information base, it can be harnessed for the retrieval of  information on a wide variety of subjects. The Internet can be used to refer to information on various subjects to be taught to thestudents. Moreover, computers facilitate an electronic format for storage of information, thereby saving paper. Homework and testassignments submitted as soft copies save paper. Electronically erasable memory devices can be used repeatedly. They offer arobust storage of data and reliable data retrieval. The computer technology thus eases the process of learning.A life without computers would seem almost unimaginable for many. The importance of computers is evident today and havingthe perfect know-how of computers can only propel one’s career in the right direction. Today, computers are a part of almost everyindustry. They are no more limited to the software industry. They are widely used in networking, information access, data storageand the processing of information. So why not introduce computers early in education? Introducing computers early in educationlays the foundation of most of the major competitive careers. Computers play a significant role in one’s personal and professionallife. Executive Summary Computers and related technologies are now in almost every school across thenation. State reform efforts include the integration of technology in curriculum standardsand sometimes make technology skills a separate standard for students to achieve. As thefocus on technology expands, policy makers and tax payers are asking researchers ineducational practice to provide the data for thoughtful decision making on the use of  technology for learning.At this time the decision-making is often hampered by the lack  of adequate research, although there is considerable work from previous years to guidefuture study. The evolution of technology use The computer was introduced into education in the 1970s and its first usehad teachers and students learning to program. Since that time there has been anevolution of best practices. As software gained in sophistication, the computer becamethe tutor or surrogate teacher. Students followed the commands on the computer screenreceiving rewards for correct answers. They also began to learn through playing gamesand simple simulations.Teachers of writing discovered the value of using a word  processor and soon students were writing more and revising with ease. Other teacherssaw the value of the computer in creating a rich learning environment and had studentsusing databases, spreadsheets, presentation and research tools across all subject areas. environments in which students can learn by doing, receive feedback, andcontinually refine their understanding and build new knowledge. ?Technologies can help people visualize difficult-to-understand concepts, suchas differentiating heat from temperature.

Applications for Canadian Permanent Resident Cards

Applications for Canadian Permanent Resident Cards Updated: 08/12/07 Who Should Apply for a Canadian Permanent Resident Card Canadian immigrants with permanent resident status who arrived in Canada before June 28, 2002 should apply for a Permanent Resident Card. The card replaces the IMM 1000 document. After December 31, 2003 all Canadian permanent residents, including children, returning to Canada by commercial vehicle (plane, boat, train or bus) must use the new card to prove their permanent resident status. Permanent Resident Cards are generally issued for five years, or in exceptional circumstances for one year. Permanent residents who plan to travel overseas should obtain a Permanent Resident Card before their departure. You should apply for a Permanent Resident Card at least two months before your departure. Processing times may vary, so check current processing times provided by Canada Citizenship and Immigration and adjust accordingly. Immigrants who became Canadian permanent residents on or after June 28, 2002 do not need to apply for a Permanent Resident Card. A Permanent Resident Card should have been mailed to you automatically. If you did not provide a mailing address to the Canada Border Services Agency when you entered Canada, you should do so as soon as possible. You must provide your mailing address within 180 days of entering Canada, or you will have to apply for a Permanent Resident Card and pay the appropriate fee. You can provide your mailing address online or by contacting the Permanent Resident Card Call Centre. Renewal of Permanent Resident Cards Since Permanent Resident Cards are issued for five years, or in some cases one year, permanent residents should check the expiry date on their PR Card if they plan to travel outside Canada. Five-year permanent resident cards began expiring in July 2007. Be sure to apply for a new Permanent Resident Card at least two months before you plan to leave the country. Permanent Resident Card Application Kits and Forms You can download the Permanent Resident Card application kit and forms from the Citizenship and Immigration Canada site. The forms must be completed, signed and mailed to the address given on the form. Detailed instructions on completing the form and the documents required to be included with the form are given in the application guide that comes with the kit. If you wish to have a printed application kit mailed to you, you can call the Permanent Resident Call Centre at 1-888-242-2100. Kits can only be sent to addresses in Canada. Allow at least two weeks for delivery. Application Fees for Permanent Resident Cards The fee for processing a Permanent Resident Card application is $50.00. Fees are subject to change. There are two ways to pay the application fee. Pay onlinePay your fee at a financial institution in Canada. To pay the fee, you must complete an original of the Fees Receipt Form IMM 5401, and take it to a financial institution with your payment. The bank will stamp the receipt form. You then attach the middle portion (Copy 2) to your Permanent Resident Card application. The fee is not refundable. Urgent Cases If you plan to travel outside Canada and do not think you will have time to get a Permanent Resident Card before you leave Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada may be able to process your application on an urgent basis. Check Information Regarding Urgent Cases to find out how to request that your application be processed on an urgent basis. Permanent residents wanting to return to Canada who do not have a Permanent Resident Card may contact the nearest Canadian visa office to obtain a limited use travel document to re-enter Canada at a cost of $50 each. You can download the application for a travel document (permanent resident abroad) online. Check the Status of Your Permanent Resident Card Application To check on the status of your Permanent Resident Card application, you can use the Canadian Immigration Client Application Status tool. Please note that the status of your application will not show in the Client Application Status tool until Citizenship and Immigration Canada has begun processing your application. To find out how long it may take to process your application, check the current processing times. There is no point in checking on the status of your application unless the specified processing time has passed. Questions About Your Permanent Resident Card Application If you have questions about your Permanent Resident Card Application, contact the Citizenship and Immigration Canada Call Centre if you are in Canada, or your local visa office if you are outside Canada.

All About the Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City

All About the Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City Located in the heart of Mexico City, Chapultepec Castle is a historic site and local landmark. Inhabited since the days of the Aztec Empire, Chapultepec Hill offers a commanding view of the sprawling city. The fortress was the home of legendary Mexican leaders including Emperor Maximilian and Porfirio Diaz and played an important role in the Mexican-American War. Today, the castle is home to the first-rate National Museum of History. Chapultepec Hill Chapultepec means â€Å"Hill of the Grasshoppers† in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. The site of the castle was an important landmark to the Aztecs who inhabited Tenochtitlan, the ancient city which would later become  known as Mexico City. The hill was located on an island in Lake Texcoco where the Mexica people made their home. According to legend, the other people of the region did not care for the Mexica and sent them to the island, then known for dangerous insects and animals, but the Mexica ate these pests and made the island their own. After the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, the Spanish drained Lake Texcoco to control flooding issues. On the grounds near the castle, at the base of the hill in the park near the  Nià ±os Heroes  monument, there are ancient glyphs carved into the stone during the reign of the Aztecs. One of the rulers mentioned is Montezuma II.   The Castle After the fall of the Aztecs in 1521, the hill was largely left alone. A Spanish viceroy, Bernardo de Glvez, ordered a home built there in 1785, but he left and the place was eventually auctioned off. The hill and assorted structures upon it eventually became the property of the municipality of Mexico City. In 1833, the new nation of Mexico decided to create a military academy there. Many of the older structures of the castle date from this time. Mexican-American War and the Hero Children In 1846, the Mexican-American War began. In 1847, the Americans approached Mexico City from the east. Chapultepec was fortified and placed under the command of General Nicolas Bravo, a former president of the Mexican republic. On September 13, 1847, the Americans needed to take the castle to proceed, they did, then secured the fortress. According to legend, six young cadets remained at their posts to fight off the invaders. One of them, Juan Escutia, wrapped himself in the Mexican flag and leaped to his death from the castle walls, denying the invaders the honor of removing the flag from the castle. These six young men are immortalized as the Nià ±os Heroes or â€Å"Hero Children† of the war. According to modern historians, the story is likely embellished, but the fact remains that Mexican cadets did defend the castle bravely during the Siege of Chapultepec. The Age of Maximilian In 1864, Maximilian of Austria, a young European Prince of the Habsburg line, became emperor of Mexico. Although he spoke no Spanish, he was approached by Mexican and French agents who believed that a stable monarchy would be the best thing for Mexico. Maximilian resided at Chapultepec Castle, which he had modernized and rebuilt according to the European standards of luxury at the time with marble floors and fine furniture. Maximilian also ordered the construction of Paseo de la Reforma, which connects Chapultepec Castle to the National Palace in the center of town. Maximilian’s rule lasted three years until he was captured and executed by forces loyal to  Benito Juarez, the president of Mexico, who maintained he was the legitimate head of Mexico during Maximilians reign. Residence for Presidents In 1876, Porfirio Diaz came to power in Mexico. He took Chapultepec Castle as his official residence. Like Maximilian, Diaz ordered changes and additions to the castle. Many items from his time are still in the castle, including his bed and the desk from which he signed his resignation as president in 1911. During the Mexican Revolution, various presidents used the castle as an official residence, including Francisco I. Madero, Venustiano Carranza, and Alvaro Obregà ³n. Following the war, Presidents Plutarco Elias Calles and Abelardo Rodriguez resided there. The Castle Today In 1939, President Lazaro Cardenas del Rio declared that Chapultepec Castle would become the home of Mexicos National History Museum. The museum and castle are a popular tourist destination. Many of the upper floors and gardens have been restored to look as they did during the age of Emperor Maximilian or President Porfirio Diaz, including original beds, furniture, paintings, and Maximilians fancy coach. Also, the exterior is renovated and includes the busts of Charlemagne and Napoleon that had been commissioned by Maximilian. Near the entrance to the castle is a massive monument to the fallen during the 1846 Mexican-American War, a monument to the 201st Air Squadron, a Mexican air unit which fought on the side of the Allies during World War II  and old water cisterns, a nod to Lake Texcocos former glory. Museum Features The National Museum of History includes pre-Colombian artifacts and displays about ancient cultures of Mexico. Other sections detail important parts of Mexican history, such as the war for independence and the Mexican Revolution. Oddly, there is little information about the 1847 Siege of Chapultepec. There are numerous paintings in the museum, including famous portraits of historical figures such as Miguel Hidalgo and Josà © Marà ­a Morelos. The best paintings are the masterpiece murals by legendary artists Juan O’Gorman, Jorge Gonzlez Camarena, Jose Clemente Orozco, and David Siqueiros.

Business Intelligence Dashboards in a Learning Organization Research Proposal

Business Intelligence Dashboards in a Learning Organization - Research Proposal Example The finest of business decisions are data driven. A learning organization has data coming from all departments, processes and employees. Business intelligence comprises of complex methods to convert organizational data into useful information and then converts this information into knowledge. Based on this knowledge the organization-wide decisions can be made after thorough analysis (Atre, 2011). Thus busdata-drivenligence improves the decision process of an organization. The top learning organizations have a deep-rooted implementation of business intelligence and analytics in their organizational design. Data mining tools such as data marts, data warehouses, dashboards, etc. mine large amounts of data to extract the useful information. These tools are used to improve the efficiency of the business intelligence processes (Nittaya and Kittisak, 2007). 1.1. Business Intelligence Dashboards Performance control is a vital aspect of organizational management. The efficiency and performanc e of an organization can only be increased through the cooperation of all its departments. When the organization is small, the management is straight forward and easy. Management becomes complex in large organizations comprising of numerous branches, departments and hundreds of employees. And sometimes these departments may even be located miles apart. Visiting them in person takes time. And if visited, the data becomes out-of-date by the end of the visit. The solution for management of big organizations is business intelligence dashboards which consolidate the management information for the entire company in one place. Business intelligence dashboard is an effective data visualization tool that uses metrics and the key performance indicators to display the current status of an entire organization’s performance against some predefined goals (Atre, 2011). In learning organizations, the culture is such that the information is shared and is accessible to all employees alongside the managers and executives. The employees are encouraged to try new ideas and make decisions (Hagen, 2011). So in a learning organization, the requirement of business intelligence penetrates deeper than merely the organization’s frontline i.e. the managers and executives (Gonzales, 2013). And therefore business intelligence dashboards can benefit everyone at an organization i.e. the employees too. 1.2. Constructing Usage Specific Dashboard Dashboards do not have the same role in all learning organizations. They can be customized. They can be constructed for specific executive roles e.g. CEO, CIO or they may display metrics targeting specific point of view or a department for the managers or they can give a high level as well as a detailed view of the organization’s performance based on its data which all the committed employees can gain benefit from. Based on the type of information presented by dashboards and how they are used, they can be classified into a variety o f categories. However, the three most common usage types are strategic, operational and tactical.

Five Common Bargains Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Five Common Bargains - Assignment Example Hence, I decided to buy a second hand car which would give me the opportunity to avail stylish comfort at a lower price. In this regards, I had fixed my budget at $ 15,000 which was accumulated with my savings, financial borrowing from my parents and a short-term bank loan. For the next few days I and one of my friends searched the internet, newspapers, and dealers to see where I could get a car that satisfies my aforementioned needs. Once I finished searching the internet, I found a car that I was looking for. It was from Hyundai with a quoted price of around $14,500 (Edmunds.com, 2012). After taking appointment with the dealer we went to see the car. Even though my accumulated budget was higher than the price charged I was quite concerned regarding the negotiation and testing of the quality of the product as it was an already used car. While negotiating over the price and the features of the car, I came to know that the actual selling price of the car that was quoted as $14,500 on the website, when include tax and insurance charges increased to around $ 17,000. However, as per the advice of my companion I decided to give another thought to the matter and inspect the other available dealers on the same car model. My survey results indicated that a Hyundai model was available at an average of $20,000 to $ 25,000 which was not significantly different from the quoted price for the used car. By the end of the day, I went back to the dealer for the final discussion and asked him to give a 10%-20% discount as the present market value of the same new Hyundai model was abou t $20,500 (Kelley Blue Book Co., Inc, 2012). Going through the service records of the car gave me enough information regarding the engine along with the details of how much the owner drove the car. I also took a test drive so that I can check the performance of the car. After having a test drive, my friend and I decided that we

Merger of Cadburys and Kraft | HR Analysis

Merger of Cadburys and Kraft | HR Analysis Cadbury being one of the top lead and almost 200 years old confectionery company having chocolate, gum and candy brands in the portfolio , with a power of making brands like Cadbury, Trident and Halls, that people love. John Cadbury, in 1824 started cocoa and chocolate selling shop in Birmingham. Since then the business kept expanding over time around the world, and today operates in more than 60 countries, with over 35000 direct and indirect suppliers and having more than 45000 employees Cadburys HR department Cadbury operates in more than 60 countries all around the world. Each of the factories has its own HR department that deal with the demand of the workers of the region according to their local situations and demands. Like all other HR departments, it deals with the efficient and effective utilization of resources available. The HR department actively takes care of the following: Recruitment of new staff that must have good skill level or past experience of working at factories of similar kind. Provision of training to new and existing staff so that they are fully equipped with knowledge of any new equipment or procedure brought in and will be able to use it efficiently. Helping the existing workers with problems that they may have at work place. The problems that Cadburys HR department is most likely to face are: Potential employees have in adequate skill or knowledge creating a skill gap. Other factories create competition among staff and creating a deficiency of new staff. Increase in staff turnover in different situation affect production GUEST MODEL: Through statistics and evidences we can easily identify the active management at Cadbury that not only seek betterment of its business but continuously strives for development for the people it holds and for the people that looks forward in joining hands with the company. In this way the Guest model fits in the best with the companys strategies and outcomes. The Cadburys powerful organizational policies can be understood by any good marketer through the managerial decision it takes in the market all over the world. The utmost emphasis on human resource development has helped Cadbury to gain the loyalty of its employees. The employees that are working with the company have created a good will of the company in market such a way that new graduates seek opportunity to work with the company. (Cadbury) The proactive approach of providing equal opportunities to the workers for their development and encouragement packages that the existing employees are enjoying helped to maximum decrease in the turnover and absenteeism percentage. The flexibility employees get during their tenure help them enjoy their work. The organizations communication system is well operated. The management gives a platform to its employees and not only that, they assure the employees that they have a devoted audience that will welcome whatever they place upon that platform. This strategy has helped tremendously that it has not only reduced the grievance level but have also again helped in the reducing the absences. Thus, all the statistics, feedback of employees and consumers and the well known companys market reputation indicates the companys conformance best with the Guest Model. KRAFT: ABOUT KRAFT: A US manufacturer, Kraft, being the second largest food company with approximately $ 50 billions revenue, doing business in more than 160 countries. A company that grew out of cheese whole sale and delivery business started in Chicago in 1903 by James L. Kraft. It later on incorporated as Kraft Bros, Co. in 1909. It acquired Philip Morris Cos in 1988 and later on renamed it as Altira Group Inc., in 2003. THE CULTURE: At Kraft, being open and inclusive a simple concept to follow that has became a part of their core company value in action and that guides their behavior. Being open and inclusive is critical to creating a delicious work experience for our employees and business partners. And its the foundation of our strategy to build a high-performing culture. (Krafts management) Their business style: Two words open and inclusive has become the core code of all the business Kraft do everyday, from training and development programs to the accountability in leadership objectives. THE HR PERSPECTIVE: The Kraft believe in attaining heights through their diverse workforce is one of the modern day technique. Krafts Human resource approach revolves around the same perspective. The management claimed to be providing equal opportunities and rights to different races and color people working at Kraft. At Kraft, following key points are emphasized and are followed religiously: Provision of training for every employee to value the diversity creating a sustainable culture of welcoming differences and values. Their diversity-focused council aligns objectives with the business strategies in order to enhance the impact. HARVARD MODEL: Kraft Foods Company fits in with the Harvard model for HRM. The reviews, feedbacks and statistics indicated that the company emphasis on the company as a whole with respect to its employees. The Kraft management is working with the situations of the worlds market in formulation of policies and making organization wide decision. It works in interest of all the members i.e. stakeholders, of the company. Although the model is weaker than the others and has a fair vulnerability to Unitarianism but it is a much more appropriate model of reference. The decisions the company have made over time had given us the idea that the company works in between constraints and choices that made the company a successful and still growing one. The influence of company itself on the unique contribution within the environmental and organizational parameters not only depicts the management as the real actor but also confirms its conformity with the model. The hr perspective also indicates the active HRM the company has that gives the 4 C outcome that is obvious enough through the employees feedbacks that have been reviewed. In the last the model gives three types of long term consequences i.e. individual based, organization based and societal level. At individual (employee) level, the psychological rewards a worker receives in exchange for efforts. At organizational level, increased effectiveness that ensures the survival and growth of organization. These two levels in turn, enable the societal level as; these two levels make its possible for fully utilization of human resource available and thus, societal goals like employment and growth are easily attained. STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: CADBURY: Strategic human resource management aims at the improvement of the way human resources are managed strategically within organizations, with the definitive goal of improving organizational performance, as judged by its impact on the organizations declared corporate strategy, the customer or shareholders. It is a philosophy of people management based on the belief that human resources are uniquely important to sustain the success of a business. It can also be defined as the process of linking the human resource functions with the strategic objectives of the organization in order to improve performance. Strategic human resource management involves the linking of HRM with the strategic goals and objectives of the organization in order to achieve a progressive business performance and achieve an organizational structure that promotes innovation and flexibility. Strategic HRM according to text published in 2004 has emerged as a major approach to improving the competitive advantage of the firm. The strategic management is concerned with policy decisions effecting the entire organization, overall objective being to position the organization to deal effectively with its environment. Strategic HRM aims to provide a sense of direction in an often turbulent environment so that organizational and business needs can be translated into coherent and practical policies and programs. It provides competitive advantage over the others. (Malik, 2009) The goals and objectives of HRM are aligned with the strategic objectives and plans of the organization. The case referred presents a clear picture of an organization that works with clear business objectives i.e. to deliver shareholder performance. The company works with the aim at dividends. The company policy works with the vision that the people it holds are the most important asset that not only works for the company but also integral in achieving the desired goals. Through different papers and journals we saw that the management is managing its human resources in a contingent manner. Thus, we can say that they are following the contingency approach.ÂÂ   Many advocates of the contingency theory of SHRM a company can only be effective if its policies and strategies align with the other key factors and strategies of the firm. According to journal HR must be closely integrated into the planning process of a firm. They also believed that a firm can achieve success if it is able to develop HR policies and practices that complement and support other HR policies and practices and other elements of the organizations strategic plan. (TME) Thus it is evident enough in the case that Cadbury considers its people as a source of competitive advantage and believes that they work as the main contributors to the companys success. The company also seeks and welcomes changes. The goals and objectives are clear and in order to achieve the goals and set objectives it must be aligned with the efforts of its people. The only way to observe such a trend is through Strategic Human Resource. As the company requires active and effective communication with its human resource and it plays the most important role in the companys approach, and in conveying all the policies, plans and strategies so that people at work can synchronize their efforts. The mere fact that Cadbury Schweppes has an HR director on the main board and that HR is represented at every regional business unit make it obvious that the company recognizes the strategic importance of human resources and takes HR issues and concerns seriously. (Cadbury) Cadbury is a resource based company. The company core competencies make it a resource based company. Cadburys unique strategies and policy, the working conditions and the development opportunities it provides to its employees that in turn becomes the key asset or its edge over its competitors. (TME) KRAFT: Kraft unique style of providing training and development opportunities at all level and point of time during an employees tenure makes it a best fit, best practice based company. Through analysis we can see that all the employees from top to bottom have a particular thing to be on that position. The core strategies that are followed at Kraft begin with the aim of building a high-performing organization (Kraft Foods). The provision of best fit entitles an employee for his reward in terms of promotion or training or even other means of rewards and appraisals. It also provides the top management the opportunity of enjoying a decentralized decision making power. The best fit eventually leads to best practice where a good healthy employee who is psychologically satisfied through rewards and encouragements strives to work for better tomorrow. All these practices are observed in Krafts foods operations making it Best Fit, Best Practice based company. LITERATURE REVIEWS: Kraft wins BBC Big Challenge Award for Gloucestershire (Kraft Foods, 2006) Kraft Foods today announced that it has won the BBC Big Challenge Health Works Award for Healthiest Large Employer in the BBC Radio Gloucestershire area. This award is presented to employers who have made health in the workplace one of their top priorities in 2005 and beyond. Kraft won the award for its commitment to creating a working environment that encourages and supports employees in their efforts to lead a balanced, active and healthy lifestyle. Since its launch in July 2004, Krafts employee wellbeing programme has offered advice on living a healthy lifestyle, supported activities that promote wellbeing such as pilates and yoga, provided healthy options in its staff restaurants, and offered all employees the opportunity to obtain periodical health checks through the companys occupational health team. The programme also demonstrates Krafts commitment to being a global leader in Health and Wellness, and its vision to Help people around the world to eat and live better. Christine Harrop, Occupational Health Sister at Kraft Foods won the BBC Big Challenge Unsung Hero Award for Gloucestershire an award presented to employees who have done something to inspire and encourage their colleagues to lead healthier and fitter lives. Christine won the award for her commitment to the health and wellbeing of Kraft employees, and her role over the past 18 years in participating and encouraging Kraft employees to take part in the annual London to Brighton Bike Ride. Christine regularly manages to recruit up to 60 employees to participate in the initiative and has raised thousands of pounds for the events chosen charity, the British Heart Foundation. Commenting on the two awards, Jim Beaty, HR Director stated Its a terrific achievement and recognition for the efforts of all employees who have contributed to the success of the employee wellbeing programme. Kraft Foods Names May to Global Human Resources Post. (Busniess Wire, 2005) NORTHFIELD, Ill. Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE:KFT), a global leader in branded foods and beverages, announced today that Karen May, 47, is joining the company in October as Executive Vice President, Global Human Resources. May will provide leadership for all of Krafts human resources disciplines, including benefits, compensation, diversity, facilities management, labor and employee relations, human resources strategy, safety and security, and talent management. She will report to Roger Deromedi, Chief Executive Officer of Kraft Foods, and join the Kraft Executive Team. May replaces Terry Faulk, who is retiring after more than 38 years with the company. She will work closely with Faulk to ensure a smooth transition, prior to his retirement at the end of the year. We will truly miss Terrys vast experience and sound judgment, said Deromedi. I want to thank him for his many significant contributions to Kraft throughout his long and distinguished career, and wish him and his family the very best in his retirement. Karens broad range of experiences and thorough understanding of the Human Resources function will serve her well in this role, Deromedi noted. Im confident that shell play a key role in driving Krafts transformation to a more consumer-focused, innovative and nimble company in the years ahead. May joins Kraft from Baxter International, Inc., where she has been Corporate Vice President of Human Resources since 2001. She joined Baxter in 1990 as Director of Corporate Audit and held several positions of increasing responsibility, including Vice President of Corporate Audit and Vice President of International Finance. In 1998, she became Vice President of Global Talent Planning and Staffing at Baxter and, prior to her most recent assignment, was named Vice President of Human Resources in 2000. May began her career in finance, with PricewaterhouseCoopers. She has a BS in accountancy from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Kraft Foods markets many of the worlds leading food brands, including Kraft cheese, Maxwell House and Jacobs coffees, Nabisco cookies and crackers, Philadelphia cream cheese, Oscar Mayer meats, Post cereals and Milka chocolates, in more than 155 countries. CONCLUSION: After all the research it can be concluded being key players of same consumer good category companies, and apart from the merger or acquisition, both the companies have their own unique set of competitive advantage over each other. Challenges in Highway Construction | Research Proposal Challenges in Highway Construction | Research Proposal Dissertation Proposal Challenges in Highway Road Construction in Nigeria. Research Questions: Why is there a high number of highway roads in poor conditions especially in the eastern part of the country? Why is there abandoned highway roads across Nigeria despite huge investments in highway construction? Why this there a poor maintenance culture of roads across the country? Hence, this proposed dissertation would aim to address this gap in knowledge by challenges facing the highway road construction, focusing more on the supervision of highway roads of indigenous construction companies. AIM To review and identify the challenges facing the construction of highway roads in Nigeria and to provide relevant recommendations for minimising these problems. The objectives of this research proposal are: To clearly identify the challenges facing highway construction in Nigeria through literature review. To conduct a questionnaire survey and interview of professional bodies and engineers and obtain their perceptions on highway construction challenges in Nigeria (particularly professionals with 30years and over of experience). Analysis of the survey data. To recommend possible changes in the supervision of highway construction in Nigeria. Background Introduction Nigeria is the largest country in Africa in terms of size and population of 174 million with landmass of 923,768 sq. km with diverse ethnic and cultures. It has 36 states with the Federal capital at Abuja with commercial states at Kano, Lagos, and Port Harcourt representing the northern, southern and eastern parts of the country. The Construction industry contributes about 7% of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in Nigeria annually and the GDP per capital was about $2,800 in 2013 and is made up of small, medium and large scale companies. It is dominated by foreign companies controlling about 95% of the construction works across the country with top construction companies namely Julius Berger, Dantana Sowoe, Borini Prono, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, etc. OVERVIEW OF HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION IN NIGERIA Nigeria has the largest road network in West Africa with a total of over 193,000km length which is generally funded and managed by government. Road transportation is the major means of movement in Nigeria and it accounts for about 90% of movement of goods and services (Akpogomeh, 2002). In terms of scale and value, the transport infrastructure sector is dominated by the roads and bridges which make up about 17.2% of the total construction industry in 2014. However less than 20% of the road network is paved. With the government’s commitment to development, large investments in highway roads has been awarded across the country and the sector is expected to grow. The road network in the South and eastern part of the country are denser than the other parts owing to the high population densities in the areas (Ubogu et al, 2011). For example, the population in Lagos is about 6 million which was the former capital state and is the commercial and production part of the country and hence the volume of usage of the highway roads to and fro Lagos is quite high. The total highway roads are separately owned with the responsibility for construction, maintenance, and rehabilitation.The Federal roads are about 17%, State owned roads 16%, rural and Local Government Areas (LGAs) about 67%. The funding of the construction of the highway roads comes from the allocation of budget and also revenues from excess crude oil sales. Also, some states generate funds through private partnering which is used in Lagos States. However, only about 27% of Federal roads are reported to be in good condition, of which a major cause is likely to be the instability of the country during the military regime, which later became civilian rule since 1999. Annual loss to the economy is estimated in the region of N175b (N75b due to reduction in asset value; N88b due to increased vehicle operating cost; N12b due to increased turn around and increased travel time). Due to the high cost of construction of highway roads especially in the southern part of the country characterized with poor soils, high cost of labour, the Federal government relies heavily on international aid especially from China and the World Bank. With the World Bank, funding erosion projects across the country worth over $500 million. In October 2012, in the Northern part, Kaduna State approved $176million for 31 rural and township roads, and the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreed a loan of $170million for roads as part of the Nigeria Agriculture Transformation Agenda (NATA), which targets rural development. Also, a 128km road contract in Zamafara state worth $43.47million was awarded in 2013. Over in western part of Nigeria November 2012, in one of the biggest road developments, Ogun state awarded four companies a share of $568million for road contracts. Borini Prono, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), Hi Tech and PW Construction will complete eight new roads by 2014, with a second phase of construction worth over $250 million. Also, the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is one of the major road projects under development. The Infrastructure Bank Plc. is to raise NGN117bn for the reconstruction of the 127km road. Over in the Middle part of Nigeria, Delta where the country gets its crude oil from, a road construction contract worth $1.07 billion has been awarded to China Railway Construction in Nigeria. The Ministry of Delta Affairs of Nigeria awarded the package of works for Section V of the A121 East-West highway to China Civil Engineering Construction, a division of China Railway Construction with a 5 years duration to connect the main North-South highways. ITS route runs from the A1 highway at Shagamu in Ogun State to the A2 highway at Benin City in Edo State. More recently, in 2014, the governments of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) of which Nigeria is strong member approved a $50million six dual lane road projects to link Lagos, Abidjan and Dakar together cutting across Benin, Togo and Ghana. Also, the African Development Bank is expected to provide $16million for the construction and rehabilitation of roads across Africa linking the major cities. In general, the present condition of the Nigerian roads require urgent attention, in terms of rehabilitation and had a negative effect on the cost of production, lengthy travel time and standard of living ((Ubogu et al, 2011). For example, travelling from Benin to Lagos normally should take 5hours, but due to the bad road, the journey takes 8hours. Table 1.0 showing highway construction projects, value in US dollars, capacity, contractors and status. Project Name Value(US$) Capacity/length Companies Status Benin-Sagamu Highway 156 9.93km NA Under construction from 2013 Edepie-Tombia road Reconstruction 63 13km Shell Petroleum Development Company Under construction Niger Delta East- West Highway 2,175.69 338km Setraco Limited Under construction from 2013 Akwa Ibom State roads reconstruction 726 266km NA Planning stage Six lane Rig road in Niger Delta Port Harcourt 1,000 125km Africa Finance Corporation, China Harbor Eng. Company Contract awarded in 2008 East-West Road Project 2,276.3 338km Setraco Nigeria Ltd, Reynolds Construction Company Ltd, Gitto Costruzioni General Nigeria Ltd. Under construction since 2012. 51% of work completed. Ibadan-Ilorin highway upgrade 292 52km Shikin Binui Housing and Construction Under construction awarded 2010 and includes new dual carriage with interchanging bridges. Lagos- Ibadan Expressway 1054 127.6km Julius Berger, Reynolds Construction Company Ltd. Awarded 2013. Concession awarded to Bi-Courtney Highway Services ltd and was terminated and granted to Messrs Julius Berger Plc, Reynolds Construction Company. Gbongan Akoda Omoluuabi Motorway widening 185.8 30km RATON construction Nigeria Awarded May 2013 Magami-Dangulbi Dankurmi, Sabon Birni, Bagega Anka road 94.91 128km Bonny Prono Awarded Nov. 2012 Charanchi Ganuwa-Rawayau road 8.18 17km Mothercat Under construction from Oct 2013 Kaduna roads 178.1 NA NA Project Finance Closure(Funding Approved) NA-Not Available Source- Nigeria Infrastructure Report 2014 (BMI key Projects Database) SUPERVISION IN HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION IN NIGERIA In Nigeria, supervision of highway construction is done by consultant engineers and middle level supervisors with few highway field experience, for example in the construction of say 10km rehabilitation in rural areas. A major factor affect supervision of highway projects is low knowledge of highway design and construction, understanding and interpretation of drawings, which is impossible to supervise what ones does not have knowledge of. Some processes in highway construction requires proper supervising such as the road alignment, soil tests, laying of asphalts or macadam as the case maybe. Also, the supervision should involve checking of quality of the material used for construction such as sand, laterite in accordance with the specifications in the highway drawings. In the awarding of highway roads contracts, the construction and supervision are awarded separately with competitive biddings. For example, Julius Berger, a foreign based company which specializes in highway construction which major works in Abuja city capital. The major issue is that for some construction works supervision contracts are awarded based on connection instead of actual knowledge of the supervision and hence there are no checks. But in general, most of the construction of highway roads by the foreign companies have stood the test of time. The case is not the same for home based construction companies who have limited resources and technical knowledge are awarded huge highway road contracts, with home based consultants supervising. Another issue is that the bill of the consultants supervising the construction is often times added to the entire contract and hence responsibility rests in the hands of the contractors and hence the consultants are often times forced to cut corners and save costs such as not putting a resident engineer to supervise daily and give reports. LOW KNOWLEDGE BASE. A major problem facing the highway construction is the lack of knowledge passage from the old and experienced engineers to the young, inexperienced engineers. Often times, due to the lack of availability of supervision works, most consulting firms do not employ and train engineers, engaging them in design and interpretation of drawings on site. Often times, when consulting firms get work, they employ contract based engineers to supervision leaving a huge gap of knowledge passage to the younger engineers and hence in Nigeria, most graduate Engineers have little or no construction experience. Also there is a lack of modern method of road construction especially the home based construction companies and hence many highway projects, such as highways and bridges, do not meet cost and time performance requirements. There is a poor maintenance culture of highway roads across the country and with the huge investments in highway construction, the average Nigerian lacks maintenance culture. In some cities across the country, some of the highways are constructed without the side drains and in some other cases only one side of the drains are constructed, which later causes failure of the roads. Also, litters can be seen in some of the highway roads especially in the eastern and western parts of the country which is a very serious issue which should be addressed. In the rural areas, most of the side drains are completely blocked especially in the eastern part which is prone to erosions. Another major issue within the highway construction in Nigeria is the failure of the Federal Government in paying contractors. For example, in the reconstruction of the 125km Lagos-Ibadan Expressway which was re-awarded to Julius Berger and R.C.C in which the construction is due to start due lack of payment by the government which is one of the reasons for abandoned highway projects across the country. Nigeria still uses the traditional contracting approach in which procurement is done through advertisement and bid processes has failed in performance in both the quality of construction and the management of the highways, in many developed countries adopting performance-based contract in road construction and maintenance. The Federal Ministry of Works which has branches across the 36 states with head office in Abuja the capital is responsible for all the federal highways construction which involves planning, design, construction, and rehabilitation. It is responsible for awarding for major highway contracts across the country. It also supervises and monitors construction and maintenance of the federal roads. In terms of quality, the choice of materials used, methodology and supervision are key in improving the quality and life span roads. In this regard, (Arumala 1987; and Akpododje 1986) investigated how the design standards, poor supervision and the failure of highways and found little or no evidence supporting it. Also, studies on road failure caused by use of sub-standard materials and knowledge on the geotechnical properties of the soils in which the roads are built (Ibrahim 1980; and Ola 1978). For example, the cost of road construction in the south and eastern part of the country is higher than that in the northern part mainly on the bad conditions of the soil, high cost of labour and availability of construction materials. The British code of Highway practice (BS codes) are still used in Nigeria for both in highway construction and buildings as it was a former colony of the Britain and currently a member of the Common Wealth. The Federal ministry also supervises the activities of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) which is responsible for carryout maintenance works on the federal and state highways across the country. Research Method My proposed research method would be a qualitative research (questionnaire and interview survey). Interview survey for consultant engineers who have over 30 years’ experience in highway construction and questionnaire survey for contractors in highway construction in Nigeria. The reason being that the research requires an in depth perspective and in terms of numbers there are few engineers with over 30 years’ experience I can meet. The structure of the interview would be semi structured to allow for flexibility for 3 consultant engineers home based medium scale firms. Possible Problems Potential Solutions Possible limitations to my proposed study is the firstly the time management and a timetable has been drafted as shown below. Also the responsiveness of the interview survey could be challenging finding professional engineers and consultants with over 30 years’ experience. The research limited to home based construction companies and professionals. Conclusion Hopefully, at the end of research work, solutions could be recommended in the highway construction industry in Nigeria especially in the supervision area which would help in future planning of projects. References Alaba Adetola, et.al (2011) A critical appraisal of road transport infrastructure management in Nigeria International council for research and innovation CIB, pp.77-95. Abdulkareem, Y. and Adeoti, K. (2003), Road maintenance and National Development available at unilorin.edu.ng Adams, O. (1995) Indigenous Contractors’ Perceptions of the constraints on Contractors Performance and Development Programmes required in Nigeria. Habitat International, 19(4), pp.599-613. Adetola, A. (2011) A critical appraisal of road transport infrastructure management in Nigeria. International council for research and innovation CIB, pp.77-95. Aibinu, A. and Jagboro, G. (2002) The effects of Construction Industry, international Journal of Project Management. 20(8), pp.593-599. Nigerian Infrastructure report, 2013; 2014. (2014). A.E Okezie (2013) A case for Performance based road maintenance in Nigeria available at www.nseph.org Odeh, A. and Battaineh, H. (2002) Causes of construction delays: traditional contracts. International Journals of Project Management, 20, pp.67-73. Okigbo, N. (2012) Causes of Highway failures in Nigeria. International Journal for Engineering Science and Technology, 4(11).

Love in the English Medieval Period Essay

INTRODUCTION The romance of Courtly Love practiced during the Middle Ages was combined with the Code of Chivalry. There were strict rules of courtly love and the members of the courts practiced the art of courtly love across Europe during the Middle Ages. The romance, rules and art of courtly love allowed knights and ladies to show their admiration regardless of their marital state. It was a common occurrence for a married lady to give a token to a knight of her choice to be worn during a medieval tournament. There were rules, which governed courtly love, but sometimes the parties, who started their relationship with such elements of courtly love, would become deeply involved. Examples of relationships, which were stirred by romantic courtly love, chivalry and romance, are described in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Chaucer’s Wife of Bath. Many illicit court romances were fuelled by the practice and art of courtly love. The most fertile field of the romance genre was the Arthurian rom ance. Closely related to the romance tradition were two idealized standards of behavior: chivalry and courtly love. Many modern people think of chivalry as referring to a man’s gallant treatment of  women, and although that sense is derived from the medieval chivalric ideal, chivalry includes more than that. Many modern people think of chivalry as referring to a man’s gallant treatment of women, and although that sense is derived from the medieval chivalric ideal, chivalry includes more than that. Broadly speaking, chivalry, derived from the old French term for a soldier mounted on horseback, was a knight’s code of conduct. There was no single set of chivalric rules, but the existence of popular medieval chivalric handbooks testifies that chivalry was a well-known concept. Knights formed a distinct segment of medieval society, which was often thought of as being composed of three classes: those who pray (the clergy), those who fight (the nobility), and those who work (the peasants). Most knights belonged to the nobility, if only because a knight’s equipment horses, weapons, armor, required considerable resources to fund. Violence, often bloody and horrific violence, was at the heart of what knights did. As highly skilled and well-armed fighting men, knights could be a force either for creating social chaos or for maintaining public order. Unit 1- Background research on courtly love and chivalry 1.1 Courtly love developed in the twelfth century among the troubadours of southern France, but soon spread into the neighboring countries and eventually colored the literature of most of Western Europe for centuries. It originated in the writings of the poet Ovid Ars Amatoria (‘The Art of Love’). Andrà © the Chaplain (or Andreas Cappellanus), took as his model, Ovid’s ‘Ars Amatoria ‘ (the Art of Loving). Ovid’s work concerns how to seduce a woman, and among its rules are appropriate forms of dress, approach, conversation, and toying with a lady’s affections, all designed to amuse. In the Ars Amatoria, the man is in control, and the woman is simply his prey. But Andrà © turned the Ars Amatoria upside-down. In his â€Å"Liber de arte honeste amandi et reprobatione inhonesti amoris† (â€Å"Book of the Art of Loving Nobly and the Reprobation of Dishonourable Love†), the woman becomes the mistress of the game. It is she who sets the rules and passes judgment on the hopeful suitor. In Ovid’s work the lover sighs with passion for his pursuit, but in le Chapelain’s Liber the passion is pure and entirely for the love of a lady. The rules outlined in Andrà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s work are in many ways far  from the reality of the times. In the medieval world, women rarely had any power to speak of. The nobility were warriors, and the arts of war, leadership and politics occupied their minds. More often than not, a noblemen thought of his wife, (or future wife) as a breeder, a servant, and a source of sexual gratification (his, not hers). Fidelity on her part was absolutely necessary to ensure the validity of the bloodline. Fidelity on his part wasn’t an issue. Under any other circumstances, le Chapelain’s Liber might have remained an interesting literary exercise (as Ovid’s Ars Amatoria was intended to be); or it might have been ignored or laughed out of serious literary circles. But with the historical background at precisely the right stage of development, in the court of Eleanor and under the guidance of Marie, Andrà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s ‘Art of Loving Nobly’ was literature to be lived. Two women who had a particular influence on the development of romance were Eleanor of Aquitaine, queen first of France and then of England, and her daughter Marie, Countess of Champagne (in Eastern France). Eleanor brought to the English court her interest in poetry, music and the arts, all of which were cultivated at the court of Aquitaine where she grew up (her grandfather William was the first known troubadour poet). In the vernacular narratives that were written for and dedicated to Eleanor-early ‘romances’-we find an emphasis on the sort of love relationship that is depicted in troubadour poetry, commonly known as ‘courtly love’ (fin’amors in Provenà §al, the language of troubadour poetry). The ‘courtly love’ relationship is modeled on the feudal relationship between a knight and his liege lord. The knight serves his courtly lady (love service) with the same obedience and loyalty, which he owes to his liege lord. She is in complete control of the love relationship, while he owes her obedience and submission (a literary convention that did not correspond to actual practice!) The knight’s love for the lady inspires him to do great deeds, in order to be worthy of her love or to win her favor. Thus ‘courtly love’ was originally construed as an ennobling force whether or not it was consummated, and even whether or not the lady knew about the knight’s love or loved him in return. The ‘courtly love’ relationship typically was not between husband and wife, not because the poets and the audience were inherently immoral, but because  it was an idealized sort of relationship that could not exist within the context of ‘real life’ medieval marriages. In the middle ages, marriages amongst the nobility were typically based on practical and dynastic concerns rather than on love. The idea that a marriage could be based on love was a radical notion. But the audience for romance was perfectly aware that these romances were fictions, not models for actual behavior. The adulterous aspect that bothers many 20th-century readers was somewhat beside the point, which was to explore the potential influence of love on human behavior. Social historians such as Eric Kà ¶hler and Georges Duby have hypothesized that â€Å"courtly love† may have served a useful social purpose: providing a model of behavior for a class of unmarried young men that might otherwise have threatened social stability. Knights were typically younger brothers without land of their own (hence unable to support a wife) who became members of the household of the feudal lords whom they served. One reason why the lady in the courtly love relationship is typically older, married and of higher social status than the knight may be because she was modeled on the wife of the feudal lord, who might naturally become the focus of the young, unmarried knights’ desire. Kà ¶hler and Duby posit that the literary model of the courtly love relationship may have been invented in part to provide these young men with a model for appropriate behavior, teaching them to sublimate their desires and to channel their energy into socially useful behavior ( love service rather than wandering around the countryside, stealing or raping women like the knight in the ‘ Wife of Bath’s tale). Ovid described the â€Å"symptoms† of love as if it were a sickness. The â€Å"lovesick† knight became a conventional figure in medieval romance. Typical symptoms: sighing, turning pale, turning red, fever, inability to sleep, eat or drink. Romances often contained long interior monologues in which the lovers describe their feelings. For the troubadours of 12th C France who introduced it into literature, Courtly love had two basic, essential characteristics: Love is irresistible and it is an ennobling force. No one is exempt from the service of the God of love who rules this world and extramarital sexual love, sinful to Christians, is the sole source of worldly worth and excellence. All the other characteristics of love that appear in the Canterbury Tales, for example, are simply trappings  decorations. These belong to the general body of love literature. Yet these trappings, so ludicrous when exaggerated, have caused courtly love to be confused with romantic love and have brought it into disrepute. Since love is irresistible, nothing done under its compulsion can be immoral; since humans are worthless unless they acts under this compulsion, the necessity of practicing love in incumbent on each person. Courtly love not only approves and encourages whatever fans and provokes sensual desire, it not only condones fornication, adultery, and sacrilege, but it represents them as necessary sources of what it calls virtue. Love is a union of heart and mind as well as body. Sensuality for its own sake, the enjoyment of fleshly delights of and for themselves, is contrary to courtly love. The wanton and the promiscuous practice such love. Hence, in the courtly love code fidelity is its greatest virtue and infidelity its greatest vice. Yet the Roman Church formally condemned both principles of courtly love. Archbishop Stephen Tempier at Paris condemned the irresistibility of love and love as the sole source of human worth on March 7, 1277. 1.2 What is Chivalry? Chivalry is a system of discipline and social interaction that is derived from the warrior class of medieval times, especially and primarily the class of trained warriors who participated in the Crusades (12th-14th centuries). Chivalry has a discipline because those ancient soldiers trained themselves daily through learning and practicing the arts of attack and self-defense. These arts gave rise to the idea of control of the body, mind, and speech in the Knight. Further, the idea of social interaction developed because the Knight originally followed carefully the orders of his superiors who were interested only in battle with those who were eligible to fight, that is, civilians were not to be engaged in battle. From this idea of engaging only other Knights developed the idea of treating enemies and friends fairly and equally. Men who excelled in battle were honored with Knighthood, an honor first granted by Knights only. Then, later, as the honor of being a Knight grew, both Monarchy and the Church (Eastern Orthodox as well as Roman Catholic) began to participate in the selection and creation of Knights. While the ideals of Knighthood were often violated by the Knight warriors themselves, yet the  ideals survived as Knighthood came to be thought of as an honor to be bestowed upon those who had proven themselves worthy. When the practice of the volunteer army and the need for Knights as warriors faded away, the concept of the honorable and self-disciplined Knight remained, and the rank and status of Knight began to take on aspects of minor Nobility that one could achieve (rather than having to be born into). As an honor and status that men sought, Knighthood became a valuable gift and boon for Kings and Church to grant, either individually as a ‘Knight Bachelor’ or as membership in an Order of Chivalry. Chivalry sets a standard of conduct that transcends era or culture. It maintains a code of conduct that traditionally [upholds] a practical guide to living in a changing world, and it provides discipline within an undisciplined environment. Chivalry embraces a spiritual path of personal development that combines bravery and gentleness with a fierce compassion for the welfare of others. The knight’s interest and goal in life is to protect those who cannot defend, be it physical, spiritual, or economical and to fulfill a desire for personal excellence. UNIT 2 – The chivalrous ideal and courtly love in ’’Sir gawain and the Green Knight’’ and ’’The Wife of Bath ’’ 2.1 A knight’s behavior toward women, at least in the romance tradition, was governed by another standard known as courtly love. Medieval writers did not necessarily use that term, but it is a convenient modern label for an idea that appears frequently in medieval literature. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the poet’s term for it is â€Å"courtesy.† Scholars have debated whether courtly love was a social reality or purely a literary fiction, but in either case, it was a pervasive and influential notion. The ties between the romance genre and the courtly love tradition were well established even at this time, for when Cappellanus offered his â€Å"rules of love,† he brackets them with a story involving a knight on the way to the court of King Arthur. The courtly lover was a man (often a knight) who devoted himself to the service of his beloved lady, making himself her servant; if he was a knight; all of his brave deeds were dedicated to his lady. Marriage to others was not a barrier to such love affairs, which were to be kept secret, with clandestine meetings and messages between the lovers relayed by go-betweens.  The lovers usually exchanged gifts or favors, normally a personal item such as a ring, glove, or girdle, all of which appear in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. True lovers became faint or sick with the strength of their love; sleeplessness, lack of appetite, and jealousy were all symptoms of true love. A lover was expected to have fine manners and display perfect gentility. As with chivalry, the tension between courtly love and Christian morality was unavoidable. Much of the courtly love tradition assumed that the lovers would consummate their relationship sexually, regardless of whether they were married. A more Christianized version of courtly love placed the lover in courteous but decidedly chaste service to his beloved. Like chivalry, courtly love may have been more of an ideal than an actual practice, but that did not lessen its cultural importance. At first glance, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight seem to be a relatively simple story about the quest of a knight in Arthurian Camelot. Upon further examination, however, it becomes clear that interwoven within the simple plotline is an intricate relationship between men and women with an emphasis on the values of the time. Throughout this work, we are privy to a variety of literal and figurative dichotomies including those between men and women, court values and church values, girdle and pentacle, the Green Knight and Sir Gawain, Guinevere and Morgan de Fay, and the Virgin Mary and Lady Bertilak. During the medieval period, the court and the church were of utmost importance – codes of chivalry in the court were substantial factors in dictating the etiquette and specific behaviors of people – as demonstrated through its literature. What seems to have happened in medieval literature is this: the pre-courtly love literature presented a fairly accurate portrait of women’s role in society. Then, with the advent of courtly love some authors felt the need to conform the role of women in literature to that which was assigned to them by the philosophy of courtly love. (Malcor). In a sense, the medieval work in question does not seem to draw exclusively from either the pre-courtly or courtly genres in its discussion of the role of women, rather we see a multitude of different women portrayed in clearly contrasting manners. Most notably, Lady Bertalik becomes a major figure of this work, as well as a symbol of knightly virtues, or lack thereof. In the third part of Sir Gawain  and the Green Knight, the story turns to Sir Gawain and Lady Bertalik; on three successive days, Lady Bertalik meets Sir Gawain in his bedchambers and attempts to seduce him. During the first two days, though tempting, Gawain manages to remain a model of both courtly and religious restraint and behavior; meanwhile, Lady Bertalik extends herself as the aforementioned ‘’fairly accurate portrait of women’s role in society.’’ While some women of the time succeeded in being entirely pure, it was not uncommon for damsels to try and seduce men as they traveled about the lands. The third morning, however, Gawain succumbs to his own fear of death and accepts the â€Å"lesser† of two gifts offered by Lady Bertalik on promises that the magical girdle will protect him from all harm. ‘’[The girdle] was wrought of green silk, and gold, only braided by the fingers, and that she offered to the knight, and besought him though it were of little worth that he would take it,’’ while in reality, Lady Bertalik is knowingly tricking the unsuspecting knight (Weston, Part III). In addition, Lady Bertalik’s gift is a strong symbol of womanhood and parallels both facets of pre-courtly and courtly literature. Like Lady Bertalik, the girdle is similar to the depiction of pre-courtly realism – in which women maintained their outward appearance, but also had inner, wild sexual desires that were often unleashed – as it is meant to be tied, but then removed to allow for free movement and expression. In slight contrast, the girdle may also illustrate the more courtly and idealistic viewpoint due to its restrictive qualities, which in theory, forces the girdle-clad to appear as a woman. The idea of the girdle enforcing a female faà §ade is lost, however, when Gawain, himself, dons the green article; thereby, excusing the idea that the girdle has any semblance of courtly qualities. For purposes of this argument – that Sir Gawain and the Green Knight entertains two separate depictions of society through literature, the realistic and the philosophical – it is Guinevere who plays Lady Bertilak’s opposite. Though she appears only briefly in this text, her role in courtly society is quite obvious. Seen at the opening feast given by her husband, King Arthur, Guinevere sits regally, but quietly beside her husband. While she expresses some momentary discontent – when Arthur first offers himself up to the Green Knight – it is almost entirely based upon her role as a  woman and the wife of the king. In this particular piece of Arthurian literature, Guinevere is defined by specific binaries; she is only what the king is not and she behaves the way that Lady Bertalik does not. Given this role, Guinevere exemplifies the pre-courtly disposition of behavior and remains the passive and silent, but â€Å"perfect† queen. As demonstrated through the actions and general social conduct of Lady Bertalik and Guinevere, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight displays a variety of women in several blatantly contrasting roles. While this, does substantiate the suggestion that the behavior of women has been projected differently throughout medieval literature. Like most medieval literature, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight participate in several important literary traditions that its original audience would have instantly recognized. Medieval poets were expected to re-use established source materials in their own works. Modern readers sometimes mistakenly take this as evidence of how lacking in creativity and originality the Middle Ages were. In reality, much of the interest of medieval literature comes from recognizing how one work of literature pulls against those that came before it, makes subtle changes from its sources, and invests old material with new meanings. One can read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as simply a rollicking tale of adventure and magic or, alternatively, as a lesson in moral growth. However, understanding some of the literary and cultural background that Sir Gawain and the Green Knight draws upon can provide modern readers with a fuller view of the poem’s meaning. 2.2 The Prologue and Tale of the Wife of Bath are among the most popular parts of The Canterbury Tales, and also cause a lot of trouble for critics. There are many various opinions about the character of Alison, ranging from utter individuality of the character to her being only a refined archetype of the old go-between. Many consider the disparity of her Prologue and Tale so problematic that there is need to explain the duality of her personality, and again many others focus on the common features of the Prologue and Tale. Probably the only thing about Wife of Bath’s Tale on which the critics agree is that its narrative voice and choice of topic is distinctly feminine, the  world of her tale is inhabited by women with occasional obedient men. Alison is a feminist of her own making. Although many say that in the end she still submits to the rule of the patriarchal world, they do not take into account the time of her creation. When Alison struggles for respect in her own household, there is absolutely no awareness of feminine desire for equality, and it will still need several centuries before the Precieuses movement starts in France, influencing the whole Europe. Alison lives in a patriarchal world with strict views of women, and her domestic revolution seems outrageous in her times. Yet, in her Prologue, she argues that there is need for a distinctly feminine voice and tradition. Judging by Alison’s Prologue, it seems extremely difficult for a woman to accept her position in the male tradition. In her Prologue, she therefore uses the traditional patriarchal ideas and expression, and yet she bends them to suit her purpose. When she argues for marriage as an equally important alternative to virginity, she quotes St. Paul, the major male authority that prefers virginity. But it is obvious that the educated account of texts she shows the reader is only knowledge acquired from her husbands, as the read er is later to realize. She is incapable of reading the texts for herself; otherwise she would not use Jerome’s interpretation of the encounter of Jesus and the Samaritan woman beside a well. She would use the source text to impeach Jerome’s interpretation. But the Wife of Bath lacks the knowledge that it was not Jesus but the Samaritan woman herself who said she had no husband. Although the mind of the Wife is captured in medieval paradigms about women, she would gladly argue with Jerome just like she argued with her clerk husband, had she the knowledge of the original biblical text. The Wife also draws a decisive line between the biblical texts, which in no way express any obligation concerning the number of marriages, and the Church tradition created by men with no experience of marriage. What St. Paul says is not a rule, it is only advice: â€Å"Advice is no commandment in my view./ He left it in our judgment what to do† (CT, 278). After her biblical lecture where the Wife uses many examples from the Old Testament to show there are no strict rules established about marriage, she moves on to what she promises at the beginning of her Prologue, to experience: If there were no authority on earth Except experience; mine, for what it’s worth, And that’s enough for me, all goes to show That marriage is a misery and a woe; (CT,  276) Yet, as she has also shown, women’s reputation for zealous confessing paradoxically opened up opportunities of empowerment, as a number of female sham mystics, working with their attend- ant priests, created a lucrative theatre of spirituality in which the woman was the center of attention. The Wife of Bath’s Tale itself is another genre-experiment, which enacts the Wife’s speculation: By God! If women had written stories, As clerkes han withinne hire oratories, They wolde han written of men moore wikkednesse Than al the mark of Adam may redresse. (III (D), 693–6) The Tale is the retelling of a fairy mistress tale in which a knight finds that he can save his life only if he can find the answer to the question of what women want most. He goes on a quest in search of the answer and meets a loathsome old hag who tells him that women most want to have control over men. The knight escapes death at the hands of his enemies, but in return must marry the old hag. In bed on their marriage night, she persuades him to face her, whereupon he finds that she has transformed into a beautiful young girl. She asks him whether he would prefer to have her beautiful by day or by night, but tired by now of trick questions, the knight leaves the decision in her hands. Because he has capitulated to her, she promises to stay young and beautiful always, and they live happily ever after. What a synopsis effaces is the way in which this story can be adapted to prompt various responses. In the anonymous Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the narrative framework is deployed to allow Gawain, as hero, to demonstrate extreme chivalric behavior and win audience approval. Chaucer’s adaptation is more radical. The hero is a rapist, forced into the bargain set by the ladies of the court to save his life. There is no indication that he is remorseful, nor that the quest is penitential. He comes upon the hag because he spies on some young girls dancing in a wood, and much less emphasis is put on the grotesque appearance of the hag than in other romance versions. The radical change, however, is that he walks into the bargain with the hag without knowing his part in advance. She accompanies him back to the court where the bargain is uttered in public. The quest is, therefore, manipulated so that instead of being morally enhanced, the hero is humiliated. He has no chance to dem onstrate Florent’s stoicism as all his opportunities for displaying bravery and chivalry are pre-empted by powerful and cynical  women. The values of chivalry are transposed ironically into a lecture given by the transformed hag to her husband on their wedding night in bed. The relationship between Prologue and Tale is not so much the simple matter of the Tale being adapted as the wish-fulfillment of the invented narrator; rather the two sit in parallel, drawing attention through their internal juxtapositions of authorities and lived experiences, to the gap between official society and its mores, as enshrined in textual traditions, and the operation of other behaviors and performances. Her struggle is not one for domination in the relationship, as both her Prologue and Tale show. It is a struggle for love. She wants to be treated like a beloved lady in the courtly tradition, and repay her loving husband with respect and obedience. The essentially better view is that â€Å"as a kind of special representative of Chaucer in the matter, she believes in harmony between partners, however it is arrived at† (Stone, 85). Of course, it is difficult to pass judgment on Chaucer’s personal views, as Chaucer was very careful about revealing his opinions, but the choice of the topic, and the portrayal of the shrewish wife as an understandable and rather likeable character might be a certain sign of Chaucer’s own attitude. For all the problems in her first four marriages, Alison does not lose hope yet. In her climactic marriage with Jankin, the only one that ends up as a success, she is looking for love. She already has enough money and a good social standing, she could be very satisfied as a widow, a woman no longer subjected to any man’s whim, and yet she decides to marry again. Alison needs her own money and the independence it gives. The General Prologue suggests that she also needs her own work and the status that goes with success. But she wants love as well and, in her relationship with Jankin, is romantic enough to believe that it will make money irrelevant .When Alison finds out she lost not only her money, which by the right of marriage now belongs to her husband, but also her integrity as her young husband tries to change her into an obedient wife with no life of her own, she starts to fight him. But before the physical struggle is described, Chaucer gives us a mental picture of Alison’s state, a picture of a tormented woman who lacks the words to defend herself, while her husband has all the available verbal weapons. CONCLUSION The poet positions Gawain at the center of the unresolved tensions between chivalry, courtly love, and Christianity. Gawain is famed as the most courteous of knights. In one sense, this creates the expectation that his behavior will be irreproachable; in another, it assumes that he will be the most delightful of lovers for the lady who can snare him. The Lady of Haut desert exploits this tension to the fullest as she attempts to seduce Gawain. But the poet has also made clear that the beloved lady whom Gawain serves first is the Virgin Mary. As a thoroughly Christianized knight, he is forced to walk a fine line in defending himself. He cannot offend a lady, but neither can he give his hostess what she wants, because in doing so, he would be committing a sexual sin, as well as breaking chivalric loyalty and honor by betraying his host. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight cannot, therefore, be called a straightforward romance. It makes use of most of the conventions and ideals of the Arthurian romance, yet also points out its contradictions and failings. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is not an anti-romance, however, nor is it a parody, despite its lightness and good humor. When Chaucer laughs at Sir Thopas, he is mocking a tired genre, but when the Gawain-poet laughs, it is the generous laughter of friendship. The poet’s conservative and traditional approach to his timeworn material is what allows him to make it so engaging: He understands and thoroughly appreciates the conventions of his genre. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight manages to highlight the weakest points of the chivalric tradition while still appreciating everything that makes chivalry so attractive, especially its uncompromising devotion to the highest ideals, even if those ideals are not necessarily attainable (accomplished). Andreas got the Christian world to accept his concept of love by the device of the â€Å"double truth.† Although Christian teaching and his De Amore are basically irreconcilable, they may exist side by side each in its own sphere. His main purpose was to provide a pseudo-psychological and logical basis for the ideas and ideals of the troubadours. Reasoning and building on the nature of love and of humanity, he showed that love is the greatest good in this world, that it constitutes earthly happiness, and that it is the place of origin of all earthly good. Andreas proposed logically that if humans are viewed solely as rational and natural creatures, subject  only to the laws of nature and reason, then they must enroll in the army of the god of love and seek the pleasures of the flesh so that they may be ennobled and grow in virtue and in worth. Aware of the immoral and heretical implications of his work, Andreas wrote On the Rejection of Love where he condemned Courtly love a nd implicitly retracted all he had written. A strong possibility exists that Chaucer knew of the so-called double truth. He would have been aware of the dangers involved in writing romances of Courtly Love, the risk of an accusation of upholding immorality and heresy. He possibly set out to meet these dangers: 1. He is not interested in giving Courtly love a logical and philosophical grounding; he simply uses it as a vehicle for his love stories. 2. Andreas suggests he writes from experience. Chaucer states again and again that he is not writing on love from personal knowledge from experience or from his own feelings on the subject. Chaucer’s status is always as a non-participant in love–a rank outsider. His relationship to love and lovers is to be their clerk, their servant and instrument to gladden them and advance them in their individual cause. He doesn’t participate because he is unsuitable. Chaucer did strive for religious orthodoxy when, in the words of the Parson’s Tale, he protests that he â€Å"will stand for correction.† If his repudiation is not in fear, it might be a salve to a Christian conscience revolted at the utter incompatibility of Courtly Love with the tenets of Christian morality and faith. SUFFERING Love brings with it love melancholy or suffering. This was studied and in fact written on at length during the Renaissance, but it was known and made part of the fictional lover during Chaucer’s time. All in all, Chaucer’s attitude to women in The Canterbury Tales can hardly be judged as anti ­feminist. His portrayals of women are splendid and still attractive centuries after. He does not assert the male dominance in all his tales but he realistically employs different narrators to express different attitudes. Some of the tales question the medieval system of authorities, yet none of them is openly subversive. Chaucer’s female narrators cannot be judged by today’s standards of feminism and when they are looked at from the medieval point of view, the undertone of feminism in their behavior and tales emerges. They are concerned with bettering the conditions for women; they challenge the authorities in their tales. And although the women of the male tales are no revolutionaries, they are still humane enough for a modern  reader to enjoy. Chaucer does not portray women’s struggle for self-assertion, he unfolds the complex web of his society. Chaucer’s attitude to women as shown in his works is more complex than that of his contemporaries, and at the same time remains within the borders given by the society. Chaucer is a very careful poet and as such may be found inconvenient by some modern feminists. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Primary sources: Sri Gawain and the Green Knight Wife of Bath Secondary sources: Umbetro, Eco. Cum se face o teza de licenta, Polirom, Bucuresti, 2006 Dutu, Carmen. Eseuri si dizertatii. Metodologia crearii unei lucrari stintifice, Editura Universitara Bucuresti, 2012 G. C. Thornley and Gwyneth Roberts. An Outline of English Literature, Longman, Essex, 2008 Chretien de Troyes. Arthurian romances, Penguin Books Ltd, Englad 1991 Andreas Capellanus, The art of courtly love, Columbia University Press, New York 1960 Bruce J. Douglas. Evolution of Arthurian romance from the beginnings down to the year 1300, Gloucester, Mass Peter Smith 1958 Michel, Pastoureanu. La vie quotidienne en France et en Angleterre au temps des chevaliers de la Table Ronde, Hachette, Paris, 1976 ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Courtly love. Modern term popularized by C. S. Lewis to describe the various kinds of love between man and woman described in the works of *trou- badours and others between the 11c and the 13c. The range of feeling ran from the dutiful respect owed a lord’s wife, to the adulterously sexual. One relationship was excluded, that between husband and wife. The genre first appeared in Provence and then spread through Europe. Appearing at much the same time as Arthurian tales, the two created a potent and memorable mix of *chivalry and romance. The French phrase amour courtois is a 19c coin- age. – Cf. Aubade; Pastourelle [ 2 ]. b. 43 BCE, Roman who wrote a parody on the technical treatises on loving. [ 3 ]. The Ars amatoria (English: The Art of Love) is an instructional book series elegy in three books by Ancient Roman poet Ovid. It was written in 2 AD. It is about teaching basic Gentlemanly male and female relationship skills and techniques. [ 4 ]. Andreas Capellanus was the 12th-century author of a treatise commonly known as De amore (â€Å"About Love†), and often known in English, somewhat misleadingly, as The Art of Courtly Love, though its realistic, somewhat cynical tone suggests that it is in some measure an antidote to courtly love. [ 5 ]. Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages . As well as being Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, she was queen consort of France (1137–1152) and of England (1154–1189). She was the patroness of such literary figures as Wace, Benoà ®t de Sainte-Maure, and Bernart de Ventadorn. She belonged to the French House of Poitiers, the Ramnulfids. [ 6 ]. Marie of France, Countess of Champagne (1145 – March 11, 1198) was the elder daughter of Louis VII of France and his first wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine. [ 8 ]. French bishop of Paris during the 13th century. He was Chancellor of the Sorbonne from 1263 and bisho p of Paris from 1268.He is best remembered for promulgating a Condemnation of 219 philosophical and theological propositions (or articles) that addressed ideas and concepts that were being discussed and disputed in the faculty of Arts at the University of Paris. [ 9 ]. Chivalry is as much about the skills and manners of a warrior class as with a literature derived from the deeds of those warriors, but presented in an idealized fashion which returned to define the manners of the warriors. Chivalry was a collocation of qualities made into a coherent ideal: skill and courage, and a craving for glory or fame acquired through knightly skills and its necessary courage. [ 10 ]. Linda Ann Malcor Ph. D is an American scholar of Arthurian legend. She was selected as an Overseas Associate Member of the Late Antiquity Research Group.