Biography of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 943 words. His family, childhood, and works are mentioned in this relatively short bio.

Biography of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 943 words. His family, childhood, and works are mentioned in this relatively short bio. Wolfgang Amadeus MozartWolfgang Amadeus Mozart is acknowledged as the greatest natural genius of music. Robert Schumann wrote, "There are things in the world about which nothing can be said, as Mozart's C Major Symphony, much of Shakespeare and pages of Beethoven." (Goulding, 1992, p. 115) Tchaikovsky called Mozart "the music Christ." (Goulding, 1992, p. 116)Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria on January 27, 1756. His full christened name was Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart. He commonly called himself Wolfgang Amade or Wolfgang Gottliet. His father, Leopold, was a composer, author, and a great violinist in the Archbishop of the Holy Roman Empire's orchestra. He taught him to play the piano at the age of four. By the time Mozart was six, he was a skilled musician.Mozart never had an ordinary childhood. He didn't attend school as most of us would today, but instead, his father taught them at home.The above is regarded by historians as the most ac...He is said to have been very good at mathematics and he could also speak seven different languages! He was lucky enough to visit Vienna in 1762, Paris in 1763, London in 1764, and Italy in 1769 at the age of thirteen. (TopBiography.com, 2001)As a young child in Rome, he wrote out the entire score of a nine-voice religious work after hearing it only twice! He wrote his first symphony at the age of eight, his first oratorio at eleven, and his first opera at the age of twelve. When he was fourteen, he conducted twenty performances of that opera. He was a recognizable person. The Pope decorated him and Empress Maria Theresa took note of him. (TopBiography.com, 2001)When he was fifteen, he entered the service of the Archbishop in Salzburg in a minor capacity and kept that job for about ten years only leaving...

Reyes Surname Meaning and Origin

Reyes Surname Meaning and Origin The surname Reyes was often bestowed as a nickname for a man who carried himself in a regal, or kingly, fashion, from the Old French  rey, meaning king. It could also have applied to one who plays the part of a king in a pageant (such pageants were popular in the 13th century) or someone who works in the kings house. Another possible origin is as a topographical surname for someone who  lived at a rea, a piece of hard ground within a marsh.   Reyes is the 19th most popular Hispanic surname and the 81st most popular surname in the United States. Reis is the Portuguese spelling of this surname. Also similar in origin to the German Reich, Dutch Rijk, and English ​King. Surname Origin:  Spanish Alternate Surname Spellings:  REYEZ, REIES, REIS   Famous People with the Surname Reyes Lucila J. Sarsines Reyes - Peruvian performerTurgut  Reis -  Ottoman admiral and privateerJohann Philipp Reis - German scientist and inventorRafael Reyes - former president of ColombiaDennys Reyes - Mexican professional baseball pitcher; former MLB pitcher Where Do People With the Reyes Surname Live? The surname distribution data at  Forebears  ranks Reyes as the 226th most common surname in the world, identifying it as most prevalent in Mexico and with the highest density in the Northern Mariana Islands. The Reyes surname is the 6th most common surname in the Dominican Republic, 7th in the Northern Mariana Islands, and 9th in Belize and Honduras. The Reis surname is most prevalent in Brazil, where it ranks 40th, and borne by the highest percentage of individuals based on population in Portugal, where it ranks 33rd. Within Spain, Reyes is found most commonly in the southwestern regions of Andalucia and Extremadura,  according to  WorldNames PublicProfiler.  Ã‚   Genealogy Resources for the Surname Reyes 100 Most Common U.S. Surnames Their MeaningsSmith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census? 100 Most Common Spanish SurnamesHave you ever wondered about your Spanish last name and how it came to be? This article describes common Spanish naming patterns and explores the meaning and origins of 100 common Spanish surnames. How to Research Hispanic HeritageLearn how to get started researching  your Hispanic ancestors, including the basics of family tree research and country-specific organizations, genealogical records, and resources for Spain, Latin America, Mexico, Brazil, the Caribbean and other Spanish speaking countries. Reyes Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Reyes family crest or coat of arms for the Reyes surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted.   REYES Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Reyes surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Reyes query. FamilySearch - REYES GenealogyAccess over 10 million free historical records and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Reyes surname and its variations on this free genealogy website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. REYES Surname Family Mailing ListsRootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Reyes surname. DistantCousin.com - REYES Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Reyes. The Reyes Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse family trees and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the last name Reyes from the website of Genealogy Today. Sources: Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development Essay - 1

Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development - Essay Example There is a wide variety of business forms depending on their size, management, as well as proprietorship; and ranging from public corporations, private companies to the smallest businesses that are singly owned. The operations of each form of a corporation may take several courses where some come together to operate as a group, while others remain singly operated (Smallbone, 2008). For successful enterprises operations, valuers and policy makers or even the proprietors always find it necessary to value companies according to the prevailing operations. Valuation is crucial for it assists the concerned parties in making appropriate decisions as well as laying the corporations on a scale, a factor that helps predict the future direction of the companies. More so, different techniques and approaches are employed in the companies’ valuations, which are carried out depending on the form of the company at hand. Private company valuations are thus deemed very important in the day-to-day running of the corporations. There is a need for employment of different techniques in the valuation processes to enhance a comprehensive cover, since each technique yields distinct Results. This paper is aimed at investigating into the valuation of private companies and several valuation techniques in details. Additionally, it will be crucial to establish the advantages and dis advantages of the several methods herein discussed as well as the other alternative methods that could as well be used in the valuation processes in regard to private companies (Bridge, et al., 2003). Company valuation is a process that entails the utilization of a sequence of procedures in estimating its value.

The Gender and the Nature of Enquiry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Gender and the Nature of Enquiry - Essay Example In this study, two pieces of research into issues in education are used to compare and contrast the approaches used in terms of establishment of a theoretical basis. Backgrounds on the Studies The first study is by Philips (2002, pp. 409-414) who investigated the underrepresentation of women in the engineering profession in the UK. The study identifies the imagery and cultural stereotyping affecting the educational decisions and choices made by girls and young women as being responsible for the issue. The researcher embeds his study in the social construction of gender as her theoretical framework and argues that domination of engineering practice by men results in the field becoming masculine out of societal perceptions. Citing criticism of positivist approaches to social research, the researcher uses a qualitative approach, undertaking an interview-based methodology to achieve inter-objective understanding. The study sampled 15 participants drawn from female engineers already train ing and working in the UK. The second study is by Archer, Halsall and Hollingworth (2007, pp. 165-180) investigating the disengagement from education of inner-city, ethnically diverse working class girls due to their construction of hetero-femininities. The researchers are of the opinion that construction of identity and values based on heterosexual femininities by girls contributes to their disengagement from education and schooling, and address the paradoxes that arise when such hetero-feminist constructions spill over to oppressive power relations. The study itself was qualitative, involving in-depth interviews, focus groups and some photo diaries. It sampled young people across 6 urban London secondary schools aged between 14 and 16. The interviews were undertaken 3-4 times in two years and involved interviews with the staff. Theoretical Frameworks of the Studies Gerring (2001, pp. 8-9) discusses the absolute importance of basing social research on sound theoretical frameworks. Social research without these bases is inconceivable as they provide the guidelines used by scholars to define and refine their studies. They specify interconnected questions and hypotheses that then guide the researcher in establishing his/her study. Philips (2002, p. 410) selects social construction of gender over feminist theories such as standpoint perspective in explaining that the predominance of males in the engineering profession as a main contributory factor to under-representation of females in engineering education and practice. A self perpetuating stereotypical perception is created among people that engineering is a masculine field due to the prominence of men in the engineering practice. The masculine orientation of the field and thus education is maintained by these prevailing social and sexual stereotypes, and confirm the views that science and technology are an essential aspect of masculinity in the modern day. Basing on this theoretical context, the under-represent ation of women in the engineering education is explained by the perceptions of young women that engineering is a masculine field and thus they chose not to study it. It is thus important to break the perception if at all gender balance is to be achieved in the engineering education and practice. In contrast, Archer, Halsall and Hollingworth (2007, p. 167) underpin their study on two

American Indians Today Essay Example for Free

American Indians Today Essay The Native Americans were the primary citizens of America long before white men set on foot in the area. When the Europeans conquered the American soil, an estimated 10 million Indians composed the Population of America. It is situated at the north of the country, present-day Mexico. According to history scholars, the Native Americans were believed to settle in the country approximately 20,000 to 30,000 years ago. (nativeamericans) The Native Americans were able to get into the country through the land-bridge situated from the northeastern Siberia into Alaska. The primary Indian cultures in North America is classified into Sandia, discovered in 15000 BC, Clovis in 12000 BC and Folsom in 8000 BC. The identification of the Native Americans should not be misguidedly understood as the Indians of Asia since the term was coined by Christopher Columbus when he mistakenly believe the Native Americans as part of the islands of America as part of the Indies in Asia. (nativeamericans) When the Europeans arrived in the country, the Native Americans welcomed them graciously and considered it a marvel to see white men. Considering also the technologies the European brought, the Native Americans were impressed with their conquering guests. However, as the Europeans started to degrade the forests inhabited by the Native Americans, the Native Americans realized the real intention of the Europeans that has consequently disturbed the balance in their nature. Aside from the natural resources employed by the European conquerors, even the Native Americans were seen as a commodity for manpower and labor. (Berkhofers) The Native Americans began to attribute the Europeans into soulless creatures that were in their territory to destruct their natural environment. Not only did the Europeans abuse the environment, they also brought diseases that were infectious to the Native Americans. This eventually led to several uprising of the Native Indians. (Berkhofers)The Europeans were accustomed to conquests, so the Native Americans responded against the Indian Wars and the Indian Removal Act which enabled the Europeans to have ownership of the country. It was a great disadvantage for the Native Americans because of their number, lack of weapons and unwillingness to cooperate even at their own expense. In a final blow against the Native Americans, U. S cavalrymen massacred Indian warriors, women and children in 1890. (Native America: Portrait of the People; Thomas) For many years, many have believed that the Native Americans are extinct cultures. That is why many American Indians are advocating their right to be known as a culture which fought hard and survived whatever they have experienced in their own native land. Many American Indians are still trying to establish their own identity in a country that has become to be white men populated.

Argument for Capital Punishment :: Capital Punishment Death Essays

Argument for Capital Punishment Since the 1970's, almost all capital sentences in the United States have been imposed for homicide. There has been intense debate among Americans regarding the constitutionality of capital punishment. Critics charge that executions are violations of the â€Å"cruel and unusual punishment† provision of the Eighth Amendment; while supporters of the death penalty counter that this clause was not intended to prohibit legal executions. In the 1972 court case of Furman vs. Georgia , the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that capital punishment was no longer legal. However, in Gregg v. Georgia (1976), the court allowed capital punishments to resume in certain states, and shortly thereafter, Gary Gilmore was executed by a firing squad in Utah. Since the reinstatement of capital punishment in the United States,a separate penalty trial has been required for some capital cases, at which time the jury reviews circumstances that suggest the need for capital punishment. In 1982, Texas became t he first state to execute a prisoner using lethal injection; other common methods of execution used in the United States include lethal gas and electrocution. In recent years, the Supreme Court has made it more difficult for death row prisoners to file appeals. Nearly 3 of 4 americans support the death sentence as a form of punishment. The other third has condemned it and their list of claims against it is long. Opponents challenge proponents on issues of deterrence, economics, fallibility, and rehabilitation. Their indifference to capital punishment is founded on constitutional and moral grounds. In societies best interest and for the safety of individuals, capital punishment is a respectable form of retribution for a crime being committed. More information on recent U.S. Supreme Court Death Penalty Cases Since 1990. History: The theory "a life for a life" is as old as civilization itself. Capital punishment, the execution of a criminal convicted of a crime, or the legal taking of a life has been in existence for many centuries. The death sentence has been applied since ancient times as punishment for crimes ranging from petty theft to murder. The earliest known recordings on the subject dates as far back as 2000 B.C., but it is clear that capital punishment more or less has existed since the birth of humanity1. A perfect example of this can be found in the Code of Hammurabi. The modern movement for the abolition of capital punishment began in the 18th century with the writings of Montesquieu and Voltaire, as well as Cesare Beccaria's Essay on Crimes and Punishments(1764).

Compare and Contrast two poems bringing out and explaining each poet’s attitude Essay

Compare and Contrast two poems bringing out and explaining each poet’s attitude to â€Å"London†, and commenting on the differences and similarities in the way they write. In this following essay I will be comparing, contrasting and analysing two poems written in the 19th Century by two poets. The two poems that I will be analysing are called â€Å"London† and â€Å"Upon Westminster Bridge† written by William Wordsworth and William Blake. William Wordsworth was an English poet painter, born on November 28th, 1757. Blake spent the majority of his quiet life on the Southern Coast of England from 1800-1803. The exception of which was a short visit to Felpham. He died in 1827 at the age of 70. Like Blake, Wordworth was an English Romantic poet. He was born on April 7th, 1770 Wordsworth spent most of his life in the Lake District. In â€Å"London†, Blake talks about his disgust for London and how he feels a certain amount of sympathy for its inhabitants. In the first stanza Blake says â€Å"I wander thro’ each charter’d street†. This gives the implication that the city is a hug maze of streets and alleys. By using the word â€Å"wander† to describe his journey, the implication this has is that it is as though he was walking aimlessly through the city. It makes the reader see London through the eyes of Blake. Using this with the pronoun â€Å"I† makes it so much more of a personal encounter, and as the reader sees it through his eyes it is for them too. The effect that all of this has on the reader is that they feel as though Blake thought that there was no-where in London that was worthwhile visiting, showing how negative his feelings were towards the city. The word â€Å"charter’d† is repeated, this is done to remind the reader of the commercial nature of the city in the way that everything is owned. This is also emphasised on the next line of the stanza when Blake says, â€Å"where the charter’d Thames does flow†. This is implying that even the river is owned. The river can be interpreted as a symbol-life. Following a path set out for us, but only he finds depression along his way, again, showing the reader that he has lost a certain amount of faith in the city. In the same stanza he says â€Å"And mark in every face I meet†, by this he means that he is able to see the depression in the city, caused by poverty, greed among other things, all of which are effecting the rich and the poor. He repeats the word â€Å"mark† to reinforce the point that everywhere he is looking he can see symbolic â€Å"marks†. The use of the term â€Å"mark† also has another meaning, one of impurity, sins and scars, (which can be linked with comments later on in the poem). In this Blake may be using his technique of language to tell how, in his opinion, everybody in London is to blame for the condition, which it is was in. He comes from a lower middle class background; the son of a hosier and the tone of this poem expresses his awareness of the poverty around him â€Å"marks of weakness, marks of woes. By using repetition in the first stanza, Blake makes the reader feel that as he walks â€Å"thro’ each charter’d street† he is viewing images that sicken him. In the second stanza, Blake is reminding the reader how the depression is affecting â€Å"every man†. Again he uses the technique of repletion to emphasise the word â€Å"every† reinforcing the idea of collectiveness and blame for the whole city. This reminds the reader that nobody is able to escape the conditions of the depression. In this stanza Blake talks about â€Å"ever Infant’s cry of fear†. This is suggesting that the children are afraid of what they have been born into, and fearing that there is no hope whatsoever for the future. Blake goes on to talk about this when he says that they have an almost certain chance of becoming chimney sweeps or prostitutes, before the age of twelve. By describing it like this Blake succeeds in shocking and depressing the reader. It is here too that he plays on the concept of childhood innocence. By mentioning the children here he evokes the concept of innocence but it is ironic that this poem contains no innocence of it’s own, at all. This suggests to the reader how truly desperate the children are, Blake suggests and blames the citizens of London for the state that it is in. He describes, â€Å"mind forg’d manacles†. This means that the only thing that is preventing the people from living happy lives is their negative and depressive ways of thinking. In the third stanza, Blake makes reference to the â€Å"Chimney-sweeper’s cry†. At the time he wrote this poem, young children, especially young boys, were sent up chimneys to clean them. Many got trapped and died there. By reminding the reader of these conditions he makes the reader realise how horrific these events were. In this he tries to emphasise what a terrible place London was. Blake links the sweepers to the church when he says â€Å"Every black’ning Church apalls.† He is saying that the church is tainting themselves by not defending the chimney-sweepers. By involving the church in this whole affair Blake brings to sight how deep this chain of corruption went with regards to authority. The coupling of the words â€Å"church† and â€Å"apalls† also has a similar effect, as they are two contrasting words. Blake simply means that the church is no full filling its role to comfort the needy and is instead turning a blind eye on the suffering. Blake believes that the church was part of the reason London was in such a state.

Byzantine and Roman Empire Art Essay

The Byzantine Empire was the new center for the Roman Empire, but did it directly inherit the art traditions from the Roman Empire? Give examples in your response. The Byzantine people considered themselves as the heirs to the Roman Empire (Online Lecture) so this also meant that they inherited the art traditions of the Roman Empire. Their sculptures stayed with the classical style of the ancient Greek art but a new aesthetic and iconic type art began to develop. The new aesthetic art was created by the Christians to fulfill their religious needs. Byzantine art favored a more symbolic approach to religion by depicting frontal figures against a gold background and the idea the subject(s) might be floating. The subject matters in this art consisted largely of the combined religion and imperial power. This can be seen in the mosaic below (Kleiner, 137) of Justinian and the Bishop Maxinianus. The mosaic depicts Justinian, ruler of the time, in a purple rob and a halo over his head. He also holds the golden paten, helping to emphasize the balance between religion and power. He is flanked by members of the clergy on his left with the most prominent figure the Bishop Maximianus holding a golden cross. To Justinian’s right appear members of the imperial administration identified by the purple stripe, and at the very far left side of the mosaic appears a group of soldiers, one holding a shield bearing the Christogram . The presences of icons, portable paintings portraying Christ, Mary or saints, were also important during this time. They were more religious than aesthetic in nature: especially after the end of iconoclasm, they were understood to mark the unique presence of the figure depicted by means of a likeness to that figure maintained through carefully maintained canons of representation. The Virgin (Theotokos) and Child between Saints Theodore and George (Kleiner,138) is a good example of an icon. This icon is created on wood, and represents the Virgin enthroned, supporting the Child Christ in her lap and flanked by two Saints, St. Theodore on the right and St. George on the left, both standing in formal pose. Two Archangels are pictured behind the central group, their wide-open eyes staring upwards to heaven. Portrayed frontally, on a slightly larger scale than the rest of the figures composing the icon, the Virgin is seated on a throne, dressed in a dark blue. Her feet dangle of the edge of the chair. Realism is reflected in the Virgin’s white and pink face, in her accentuated features and large dissimilar. The Christ Child is pictured seated in his mother’s lap. So the inheriting of the Roman Empire traditions of art only helped in the refining of the Byzantine esthetic and iconic art forms.

Word Choice Got vs. Gotten

Word Choice Got vs. Gotten Word Choice: Got vs. Gotten Both â€Å"got† and â€Å"gotten† are common terms in North America, but other English dialects do not use â€Å"gotten† at all. So why is this? And what is the exact difference between â€Å"got† and â€Å"gotten†? Check out our guide below to find out how to avoid errors when using these terms. Present and Simple Past Tenses of â€Å"Get† The present tense verb â€Å"get† has several meanings, including: Come to have or receive something (e.g., I hope we get a good reception) Attain, achieve, or obtain something (e.g., I get a newspaper every day) Reach a condition or state (e.g., He will get fat if he eats the whole cake) The simple past tense of this verb is always â€Å"got,† regardless of the context: We got a great reception from the crowd. I got the newspaper this morning. He got fat when he ate all the cake. This applies in all English dialects. So, if you are using the simple present or past tense in your writing, the only terms you will need are â€Å"get† and â€Å"got.† Past Participles: â€Å"Got† and â€Å"Gotten† in American English We use past participles to form the present and past perfect tenses, which both show that an action has been completed. This verb form will follow â€Å"have,† â€Å"has,† or â€Å"had† in a sentence. And American English uses both â€Å"got† and â€Å"gotten† as past participles: We use â€Å"got† when referring to a state of owning or possessing something. We use â€Å"gotten† when referring to a process of â€Å"getting† something. For example, if we were describing the process of â€Å"getting better† at something, we would use the past participle â€Å"gotten† in the perfect tenses: She had gotten better in the last year. But if we were describing possessing enough time for something, we would use â€Å"got.† For example: I have got enough time for a coffee before I go out. The same usage applies in Canadian English. However, the term â€Å"gotten† is much rarer outside North America. Past Participles in Other English Dialects In other English dialects, the correct past participle form of â€Å"get† is always â€Å"got.† For instance, if we were to rewrite the examples above for a British audience, we would say: She had got better in the last year. I have got enough time for a cup of tea. Notice that both sentences use â€Å"got† as a past participle. As such, if you’re writing for a non-American audience, you will not need the word â€Å"gotten.† In fact, the only time this term is used in dialects such as British and Australian English is in old-fashioned terms like â€Å"ill-gotten.† Summary: Got or Gotten? In American English, â€Å"got† and â€Å"gotten† can both be past participles of the verb â€Å"get.† The correct term depends on what you are describing: Use got when referring to a state of owning or possessing something. Use gotten when referring to a process of â€Å"getting† something. However, â€Å"gotten† is extremely rare outside North American (especially in formal writing). As such, you should always use â€Å"got† when you’re writing for a non-American audience. And if you want to be certain your writing is the best it can be, don’t forget to have it proofread.

A.D. (or AD) - How Christianity Underlies our Calendars

A.D. (or AD) - How Christianity Underlies our Calendars AD (or A.D.) is an abbreviation for the Latin expression Anno Domini, which translates to the Year of Our Lord, and equivalent to C.E. (the Common Era). Anno Domini refers to the years which followed the supposed birth year of the philosopher and founder of Christianity, Jesus Christ. For the purposes of proper grammar, the format is properly with the A.D. before the number of the year, so A.D. 2018 means The Year of Our Lord 2018, although it is sometimes placed  before the year as well, paralleling the use of B.C. The choice of starting a calendar with the birth year of Christ was first suggested by a few Christian bishops including Clemens of Alexandria in C.E. 190 and Bishop Eusebius at Antioch, C.E. 314–325. These men labored to discover what year Christ would have been born by using available chronologies, astronomical calculations, and astrological speculation. Dionysius and Dating Christ In 525 C.E., the Scythian monk Dionysius Exiguus used the earlier computations, plus additional stories from religious elders, to form a timeline for Christs life. Dionysius is the one credited with the selection of the AD 1 birth date that we use today- although it turns out he was off by some four years. That wasnt really his purpose, but Dionysius called the years that occurred after Christs supposed birth The years of our Lord Jesus Christ or Anno Domini. Dionysiuss real purpose was trying to pin down the day of the year on which it would be proper for Christians to celebrate Easter. (see the article by Teres for a detailed description of Dionysius efforts). Nearly a thousand years later, the struggle to figure out when to celebrate Easter led to the reformation of the original Roman calendar called the Julian Calendar into the one most of the west uses todaythe Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian Reform The Gregorian reform was established in October of 1582  when Pope Gregory XIII published his papal bull Inter Gravissimas. That bull noted that the existing Julian calendar in place since 46 B.C.E. had drifted 12 days off-course. The reason the Julian calendar had drifted so far is detailed in the article on B.C.: but briefly, calculating the exact number of days in a solar year was nearly impossible prior to modern technology, and Julius Caesars astrologists got it wrong by about 11 minutes a year. Eleven minutes isnt too bad for 46 B.C.E., but it was a twelve-day lag after 1,600 years. However, in reality, the main reasons for the Gregorian change to the Julian calendar were political and religious ones. Arguably, the highest holy day in the Christian calendar is Easter, the date of the ascension, when the Christ was said to have been  resurrected from the dead.  The Christian church felt that it had to have a separate celebration day for Easter  than the one originally used by the founding church fathers, at the start of the Jewish Passover.   The Political Heart of Reform The founders of the early Christian church were, of course, Jewish, and they celebrated Christs ascension on the 14th day of Nisan, the date of Passover in the Hebrew calendar, albeit adding a special significance to the traditional sacrifice to the Paschal lamb. But as Christianity gained non-Jewish adherents, some of the communities agitated for separating out Easter from Passover. In 325 C.E., the Council of Christian bishops at Nicea set the annual date of Easter to fluctuate, to fall on the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or next after the first day of spring (vernal equinox). That was intentionally complex  because to avoid ever falling on the Jewish Sabbath, Easters date had to be based on the human week (Sunday), the lunar cycle (full moon) and the solar cycle (vernal equinox). The lunar cycle used by the Nicean council was the Metonic cycle, established in the 5th century B.C.E., that showed that new moons appear on the same calendar dates every 19 years. By the sixth century, the ecclesiastical calendar of the Roman church followed that Nicean rule, and indeed, it is still the way the church determines Easter each year. But that meant that the Julian calendar, which had no reference to lunar motions, had to be revised. Reform and Resistance To correct the Julian calendars date slippage, Gregorys astronomers said they had to deduct 11 days out of the year. People were told they were to go to sleep on the day they called September 4th and when they woke up the next day, they should call it September 15th. People did object, of course, but this was only one of numerous controversies slowing acceptance of the Gregorian reform. Competing astronomers argued over the details; almanac publishers took years to adapt- the first was in Dublin 1587. In Dublin, people debated what to do about contracts and leases (do I have to pay for the full month of September?). Many people rejected the papal bull out of hand- Henry VIIIs revolutionary  English reformation had taken place only fifty years earlier. See Prescott for an amusing paper on the problems this momentous change caused everyday people. The Gregorian calendar was better at counting time than the Julian, but most of Europe held off accepting the Gregorian reforms until 1752. For better or worse, the Gregorian calendar with its embedded Christian timeline and mythology is (essentially) what is used in the western world today. Other Common Calendar Designations Islamic: A.H. or AH, meaning Anno Hegirae or in the year of the HijraHebrew: AM or A.M., meaning Year After CreationWestern: BCE or B.C.E., meaning Before the Common EraWestern: CE or C.E., meaning the Common EraChristian-Based Western: BC or B.C., meaning Before ChristScientific: AA or A.A., meaning the Atomic AgeScientific: RCYBP, meaning Radiocarbon Years Before the PresentScientific: BP or B.P., meaning Before the PresentScientific: cal BP, meaning Calibrated Years Before the Present or Calendar Years Before the Present Sources Macey SL. 1990. The Concept of Time in Ancient Rome. International Social Science Review 65(2):72-79.Peters JD. 2009. Calendar, clock, tower. MIT6 Stone and Papyrus: Storage and Transmission. Cambridge: Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Prescott AL. 2006. Refusing Translation: The Gregorian Calendar and Early Modern English Writers. The Yearbook of English Studies 36(1):1-11.Taylor T. 2008. Prehistory vs. Archaeology: Terms of Engagement. Journal of World Prehistory 21:1–18.Teres G. 1984. Time computations and Dionysius Exiguus. Journal for the History of Astronomy 15(3):177-188.

Special Interest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Special Interest - Essay Example The company was established in 1911 and has continued delivering the best for more than a century. IBM currently operates in more than 170 countries and has massive employee strength. Over the years it has been a lucrative place for the employees to get associated with this global brand. The figures as of December, 2010 suggest that IBM has more than 426, 751 employees all round the globe (IBM Research Locations, n. d). In 2011, IBM was ranked as the 18th largest firm in the United States of America by Fortune The global ranking of the organization is also very impressive considering the fact that Fortune has listed it as the top organization in terms of leadership qualities exhibited by the organization. (About IBM, n. d) IBM organizes various training program on latest advancement in technology to its employees. The training process undertaken by the employees motivates them as it helps in the overall advancement of the career by adding value to their skills. The employees also feel that they can achieve the professional goals within the organization and thus creates a job satisfaction among them and they start performing better (Winning the Battle for Talent, n. d) IBM also stresses on the various activities among the employees so that their social needs are addressed in a better fashion and even engages the employees in various social activities so that they can feel to a vital part of the society.. Whenever a new employee joins in the organization in any country, IBM provides extensive training to the employees regarding the organizational culture, values and also regarding the process for which the employees are hired. The training process helps the employee to adjust themselves with the environ ment of the organization and gets a clear view of the role which he has to carry out. At the end of the training session, an assessment of the newly hired employee takes place to find out how well he had