Johnstown Flood Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Johnstown Flood - Research Paper Example It goes without saying that the Johnstown Flood was both a human and economic tragedy. More than 2,200 Americans were killed in this flood and it caused a huge economic damage amounting to $17 million (Foote 94). One peculiar thing about Johnstown Flood was that it turned out to be the first of its kind disaster relief operation that was handled by the American Red Cross, under the leadership of Clara Barton. Not to mention that the support for these relief operation emanated from across the United States of America and many foreign countries. International Red Cross to begin with was essentially meant to be a battlefield relief organization that was designed to provide help and relief to the victims of wars (Ritter 15). The American Red Cross in consonance with the spirit of its parent organization, also primarily intended to be a war relief organization (Ritter 15). The founder of the American Red Cross that is Clara Barton though had some experience in the battlefield relief opera tions during the American Civil War, it was her heartfelt belief that the American Red Cross could also evolve to be a major instrument of help during the peace time catastrophes and disasters (Ritter 15). In that sense the Johnstown flood came as an opportunity for the American Red Cross to extend help, aid and relief to the victims of an unprecedented peace time disaster. Thereby, the role played by Clara Barton in these relief operations does deserve a salient mention. The 67 year old founder of the American Red Cross determinedly rushed to the scene of disaster, once she came to know of it (Burton 118). She not only helped organize the requisite supplies and material donations, but also beckoned the friends, acquaintances and the citizens of America to accompany her in this relief cause (Burton 118). As it happens in most of the relief operations, the American Red Cross did not act alone to extend relief and help. Before Barton and her crew arrived on the scene, a group of dedic ated Johnstown residents had already initiated a relief operation intended at taking care of a number of local necessities like clean up and repairs, food distribution, restoring the local government, arranging the necessary supplies, etc (Douglas 336). Help and funds poured in from various sectors and voluntary organizations like citizen groups, The Children’s Aid Society, Yellow Cross, and foreign relief organizations (Douglas 336). The primary contribution of the American Red Cross was that it extended the emergency relief and help to the impacted people, before more permanent and elaborate relief distribution could be initiated and organized by the government and voluntary organizations. The role played by the American Red Cross was not merely limited to the immediate aftermath of this disaster, but rather happened to be prolonged, dealing with the provision of shelter and household supplies to the victims (Johnstown Flood Museum 1). Going by the fact that at the time of Johnstown Flood, the American Red Cross was not the exclusive local chapter of the International Red Cross, the organization did much to help and aid the survivors of this disaster (Johnstown Flood Museum 1). It helped nearly 25,000 people and distributed goods and supplies worth $211,000 (Johnstown Flood Museum 1). The American Red Cross also built the Red Cross Hotels that sheltered large

PROJECT ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

PROJECT ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS - Essay Example This is must to have a clear mission and strategic plan, as well as annual objectives. These are the blueprints that validate and guide the ideas emerging from the process of change. Detailed and outward-looking research into the organisation and role in it, as well as larger economic, demographic, political and social trends, are also important. To bring about change via project management must be as thorough as a new business start up. Learning serves as a basis for a competitive project management. It is to make company capable of utilising and encouraging the development of knowledge and skills of all employees across all functional levels. The company must integrate the knowledge into each member of project management team, and "encourage and reinforce all modes of learning, and align all of this learning with the companys strategic business directions." (Smith, 2005) The changes in the contemporary knowledge are in the background of many of the emerging challenges in project management, human resource and employee relationship in organisations. The practices of project management in global firms have their own value and status to gain knowledge for their success. The speed and quality in addressing the needs of learning is deciding the winners of tomorrow. Hence, success of a project is now depending on the ways its project management team practices, gain and responds towards available knowledge. However to be effective player in this new environment organisations have to be more flexible dynamic and to create an efficient project environment. They need to master a wide variety of skills, and the strategy of success should move around the interdependent layers of organisational capabilities which will reinforce each other across all the businesses, functions and markets. The secrecy behind such success of a project implies in developing the people who can act from

Puppetry Theater In Pakistan Media Essay

Puppetry Theater In Pakistan Media Essay A couple of months back I attended the Karachi Literary festival, over there I saw puppeteers perform, a nostalgic feeling took over and reminded me of my childhood days when I enjoyed puppet shows with my parents at carnivals, birthday parties, entertainment in school and etc.In fact in primary school level it was almost necessary in our arts and craft class to make hand puppets with socks and develop stories and characters around them. I remember it being very popular even on television, characters like Uncle Sargam and the show Kalian were shown in the 90s on PTV.It was once a vibrant part of our popular culture but with the advent of technological changes, lack of funds and constant development this form of art and its popularity is retreating into darkness. In this dissertation I am going examine the rise and fall of theater puppetry in Pakistan with particular focus on reasons of decline of this industry in comparison to other countries in the subcontinent. I will provide an analysis of the downfall and the efforts of The Raafi Peer Theater to revive puppetry in Pakistan. Literature review: Puppetry captures the imagination and interest of young students and therefore used in many schools in the west and east as a medium to communicate and teach the children. Stories are told and retold through toys, gestures, animals and puppets using dramatic voices and theatrical effects. The popularity of puppets as a method for teaching can be traced for centuries. In the Flemish manuscript The Romance of Alexander, written in 1340, there is an illustration of glove pup- pets. Xenophon and Plutarch mention the use of marionettes. Medieval morality plays are performed by marionettes, and the pup- pets popularity is alluded to by Cervantes and Ben Jonson, Haydn, Mozart and Bach compose brief operas for marionettes in the wealthy court circles of the eighteenth century.  [1]   In Puppetry as an Educative Media Roberta Jane Confino reveals how puppetry can be transformed into an effective media by the educators today.Puppetery is often related to artwork and brings out the creativity in children as it mixes both memory with imagination, it seeks expression rather than true representation.  [2]  It becomes the educators responsibility to guide, encourage and build a rapport with child. The most important function of the teacher in an art room, and perhaps in every other school room also, is to create a creative atmosphere.  [3]   Puppets can be created from various objects such as finger puppets involve paper cut outs and material to fit over a child finger. Hand puppets involve movement of the entire hand with fingers and different areas. Shadow puppets are created when rod puppets are shown on a screen illuminated from behind. Marionettes, or string puppets may be simply worked with one or two strings or they may be made more complex.  [4]  Puppets may be made of materials found around the house or in nature. Painted branches or twisted scraps of wood are the beginning elements of characterization, paper-bag puppets, milk container puppets, puppets with simplistic design, and puppets with detailed color or features.  [5]  These puppets offer great opportunities for diversity, the possibilities are almost endless and Creativity and imagination can flourish  [6]   Technological advancements have also played a major role with animation and computer graphics. These days characters are made on the computer and shown on television catering to a larger audience. Steve Tillis in Art of puppetry in the Age of Media production questions if the figures made of the computer can be termed as puppets and if not what the reasons are for it. Is a person operating a puppet (tangible or virtual) in real-time is doing what puppeteers have always done; but a person working at a keyboard with a virtual puppet-despite the fact that one is controlling the movement of the puppet-does not seem to be engaged in the same activity, despite the fact that the result (i.e., movement of the figure) is the same.  [7]  One might say that the computer has freed the puppet from its dependence on conventional puppeteers, but computers have not freed the puppet from the necessity of human control of one sort or another. Steve Tillis brings the issue of tangibility as computer graphics figures are not tangible, they cannot be touched. However there are striking similarities in the creation of computer graphics figures and puppets: the creation of both involves the construction of a figure, in short, are artificial human constructs designed for manipulation (of one sort or another) by people.  [8]  Despite the similarities, I feel tangibility is a significant part that distinguishes the two. Puppets are as we have known them be thought of as tangible, while computer graphics figures are thought of as virtual puppets. The hands on experience of making the puppet, interacting with it, learning about it, integrating culture and history to it cannot be compared to a figure made on computer. There is a pleasure still to be found in the live performance of a tangible puppet, the direct confrontation between an audience and a living object that is distinct from the particular pleasures of media puppets. Rachel A.Bonney in her article on, Teaching Anthropology through folklore for the Anthropology Education Quarterly brings an anthropological view on the importance of folklore as an educational tool for children and the society as these stories hold value, cultural traditions that are passed on from one generation to the other. In this article Rachel A.Bonney focuses on how storytelling can be used for educational practices not only for children but at college level as well. She has been using this method for the past ten years as a teaching aid in both introductory and advanced anthropology classes.  [9]  She describes three separate uses of folklore: collecting folklore through fieldwork interviewing, analyzing themes in these stories and using folklore through puppetry and plays.  [10]  She points out how folktales are used as sources of information and insights on child-rearing and making them more aware of other cultures and on their morals, traditions and values. However, children are more familiar with their own culture and traditions than of others and therefore she used American or European cultures to analyze folklore material as it is easier and effective to identify and relate. For her study she used Grimms fairy tales such as Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood because these two stories are popular in the American culture despite Medieval European origins and cultural change.  [11]  Furthermore she tells us how these stories are dramatized with puppet plays where students make their clothes, give them a face and make the surrounding that are illustrated to make it is culturally appropriate. They may range from stick puppets to socks, scraps of cloth, paper plates etc, and are often performed in a small scale setting and therefore it is cost effective.  [12]  Often additional sounds effects are used for example music, back vocals that are taped to enhance the dramatic presentation. Through background research for script writing students learn about another culture in depth, for example if the students were putting up a puppet show about Ali Baba and the forty thieves they would have to look in to the historical background, the roots of the charactors, what they wore in that time and so on. Rachel A.Bonneys argues that folklore might be seen as high tech in modern America, but her approaches have successfully shown us how Western and non-western values can be integrated to a childs bringing up not only in the literate society but as an effective device in non-literate society  [13]  . She further builds her argument by saying that anthropology is not exclusively an exotic and esoteric discipline for the study of primitive society. Anthropology is not for a few elite, but for everyone.  [14]   Her study on folklore tales is not restricted to the western world but also relatable here in the subcontinent. Much of the puppetry in the sub continent is associated with folklore stories based on historical themes. They hold great pride in their stories as they have been passed on from generations through oral history and have become a central part of identity of tradition and culture. Common folklores in the sub continent are of Heer Rahja,Sassi Pannu and Laila Majnu, these characters are recognized and referred to in their everyday lives. For example when someone is madly in love he will be referred to as Majnu not Shakespeares Romeo. Shakespeareans characters Romeo and Juliet represent undying love such is the case with Laila Majnu. Many additions and subtractions have been made to the story over the years but what remains constant is Majnus love for Laila. Puppets are portrayed differently around the sub continent for example in India they are popular in Tamil Nadu,Orrisa,Andhra Pradesh,Asaam and the West Bengal. They portrayed unique features of the art and are operated through strings attached to the knees, hips, wrists, shoulders that make each and every part of the body move in different directions just as humans do. This method is practiced till today. Thyagaraja Sharma, an English Professor, said that the art dated back to Indus Valley Civilization.  [15]  Excavations of clay dolls from the site were an indication of this long tradition. A lot of information about puppetry was seen in Sangam literature too. They are often religiously portrayed from epics like Mahabarata, Bhuddas life and Raamayana.Besides dealing with religious themes, Indian puppetry also conveys useful messages from Panchat`ntra and other mythological and historical epics.  [16]  Started initially as a medium of entertainment, puppetry became the media for propagation of ideas, dissemination of information, and educating the masses.  [17]   Anna Sobel, a professional puppeteer and an activist was intrigued by a show put up by the Indian puppeteers in the Smithsonian gallery in Washington DC.She spoke to them later and found out that they use puppets for social awareness programs such as AIDS in villages back home. In September she went to India on a nine month Fulbright grant to study Indian puppetry as a tool for social change in the primitive society.  [18]   In her article Mutual respect: Re-examining puppetry in India, Anna Sobel discusses how the uneducated class in India respond to puppetry and how their behavior changes because of it. As mentioned above India has a rich cultural association with puppets and with the help of government funding educational puppetry in not a foreign concept. The puppeteers took this responsibility as a moral obligation to the public which includes adults and children.  [19]  Sobel observed that the children in the village would get up early as four in the morning to practice and recite the story of Ramayana which they performed for forty one nights straight. They took this opportunity to provide extensive commentary on healing properties of local herbs and discussed educational themes.  [20]  She further observed how puppeteers were able to adapt a show to in the local ambiance much better than what she saw at the Smithsonian, as the audience recognized the stories, songs and characters. In addi tion, the live performance of the puppetry allowed direct rapport with the audience allowing them to be involved directly, the likely hood of them to remember the message more than if they saw the program on the television for example. Live shows are more common in the rural areas in India because they do not have access to mass media, such as television or newspaper. This may be the reason why in the cities puppetry is not common anymore as media has replaced this source of entertainment. However, the Indian government has still reinforced this craft because they use this as a tool for religious education. In Pakistan Rafi Peer theater workshop(RPTW) is one organization that has revived puppetry through theater,dance,music that has provided a rich cross cultural experience to audiences in Pakistan and abroad. In a country where accessing early childhood education is close to impossible, those who attend dropout at a early stage due to financial and family issues.RPTW is a non-government organization which is doing pioneering work in the field of Arts is run by the Peerzada family. Headed by Usmaan Peerzada, Faizaan Peerzada, Saadaan Peerzada, Imran Peerzada, Tasneem Peerzada and Salman Peerzada.It has built a Museum of Puppetry. It runs the Universal Child Art Foundation, promoting child art and visual learning globally. Presently it is developing a Theatre Arts training Institute. RPTW most important milestone is the establishment of the Museum of Puppetry in 2004.Till now it has organized over 25 international performing arts festivals. Festivals are one of the most popular attractions of cultural tourism, have been a part and parcel of South Asian culture for a long time. Pakistan Children Television (PCT) can be considered a landmark when it comes to educating children who lack formal education opportunities. Through PCT they started a show called,Sim Sim Hamara, an educational series of shows for children. It is a adaptation of Sesame Street has been created by RPTW in collaboration with the Sesame Workshop, New York, and funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The project is the outcome of extensive research as it includes participants from different provinces .They worked with the government and other educational experts so that they can cater to the educational needs for the children. This TV series was set to provide high-quality early education resource for a larger audience. Their goal is to educate families and children and the fact that learning can happen in formal and non-formals means. They use examples from the real world for example reading prayers from The Holy Quran, buying vegetables from the local market, attending school, how to communicate with other people, measuring ingredients for roti as a basis for storylines and materials.

Game Consoles Comparison :: Video Gaming Games Game Paperes

Game Consoles Comparison Playing games is one of the most popular ways for people to release their stress from work, school, or from other family issues. However, there are a lot of varieties of games: Console games, PC games, Board games, and many more. One of the most famous types of games, though, is console game. Among all consoles, PS2 is the best one. This might be a little direct, but I have my reason for saying this. We will have a discussion regarding this later. But first, what is PS2? Why console games are so popular until now? Here is a little bit of history of why console games have been so popular since the first existing console, Nintendo Entertainment system (NES), by Japanese gaming company in 1985. Nintendo did a good job in marketing the first console game in the past in selling thirty million dollars worth of merchandise in the United States and ninety million dollars worldwide. This successful console game business changed the industry of gaming so that soon, Sony, another big Japanese electronic company, launched its first console called Sony Playstation in 1995. This console dominated the market so that Sony succeeded in selling more than ninety million dollars by 2002. As the battle of console games continued, there was one important fact that was inevitable called â€Å"period of excitement.† After a while, people will get bored with the same kind of machine with the same kind of capability. This is why Nintendo initiated the practice of releasing a new console every 5 to 6 years. It released the latest upgraded Nintendo console called GameCube (2000) following the release of Playstation two (PS2) by Sony in the same year. The popularity of these console games excited Bill Gates, the CEO of the huge Microsoft Company, to participate in the competition of console gaming by releasing the Xbox in the same year. These three consoles have battled each other for 4 years now, and people a lot of times are confused about which console is the best. This is why I am interested in comparing all three consoles based on these three categories: Game Play (the variety of available games, user friendliness, and user’s age orientation), specifications, and price. I put game play as the first priority because no matter how advanced the console is, if it is not playable, then there is no reason for it to exist.

Determination of Density Essay

Purpose: To determine the densities of aluminum and zinc cylinders Density is the relationship between the mass of an object and its volume. Sometimes density can be easy to sense. If two objects have exactly the same shape and size, the denser one may feel heavier. If their densities are close together, it can be hard to tell the difference. It gets really tough if you are dealing with materials that have very different sizes or very different shapes. The only way to decide the density of an object is to measure its mass and its volume, then divide. Ex. Density= Mass/Volume Procedure: For Aluminum: 1. Weigh the aluminum cylinders individually on the analytical balance to the nearest 0.0001g and record the weights 2. With a vernier caliper, measure the diameter of each cylinder to the nearest 0.01cm and record 3. Again, using the vernier caliper, measure the length of each cylinder to the nearest 0.01cm and record 4. Compute the volume of each cylinder by using the formula V= (3.14d2h)/4 For Zinc: 1. Weigh the zinc cylinders individually on the top loading balance to the nearest 0.01g, and record the weights 2. Place enough water in a 100mL graduated cylinder to cover the object. Record the volume of water to the nearest 0.1mL by reading the bottom of the meniscus 3. Place the zinc cylinder in the graduated cylinder. Read the new volume and determine the volume for each piece of zinc Data: Density of Zinc Mass#1 104.0168gVolume#1 18mLDensity#1 5.7780g/cm3 Mass#2 92.8178gVolume#2 15mLDensity#2 6.1876g/cm3 Mass#3 72.2115gVolume#3 10mLDensity#3 7.2215g/cm3 Mass#4 55.3077gVolume#4 9mLDensity#4 6.1453g/cm3 Mass#5 35.2653gVolume#5 7mLDensity#5 5.0379g/cm3 Average Density 6.079g/cm3 Density of Aluminum Mass#1 26.48gVolume#1 6.28mLDensity#1 4.22g/cm3 Mass#2 21.50gVolume#2 5.01mLDensity#2 4.30g/cm3 Mass#3 17.58gVolume#3 4.14mLDensity#3 4.25g/cm3 Mass#4 13.10gVolume#4 2.92mLDensity#4 4.48g/cm3 Mass#5 8.68gVolume#5 2.04mLDensity#5 4.25g/cm3 Diameter = 1.025cm Average Density 4.29g/cm3 Conclusions: The densities of both objects were successfully determined. The average density of the aluminum cylinders was 4.29g/cm3, and the density of the zinc cylinders was 6.079g/cm3. Both of these values seem reasonable, and the zinc seems to be slightly heavier than the aluminum. The density of the zinc cylinders was found using the volume by displacement method, and the volume of the aluminum cylinders was found by the formula method V= (3.14d2h)/4. Problems with the equipment may have possibly introduced error into the measurements. The 100mL graduated cylinder used to find the volume of the zinc cylinders was only marked in 10mL increments, requiring estimation for levels in between. The volume of the aluminum cylinders required the use of the vernier caliper to measure the diameter and the length of each cylinder. Improper use of the vernier caliper may have altered the measurements received for the aluminum cylinders. The error introduced by these problems was slight, however, and the calculated densities for both objects are probably quite reliable.

“Great Expectations”, “Romeo and Juliet” and “To Kill a Mocking Bird” Essay

â€Å"Great Expectations†, â€Å"To Kill a Mocking Bird†, and â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† are all very diverse pieces of literature. Each piece of literature is unique to one another, but they all share common characteristics and themes. All of the works include a key character that gains understanding of himself resulting from events in his life that caused confusions or prejudice. Pip, the main character of Great Expectations, learns a great amount resulting from confusion in his life. His confusion is caused by his love for Estella, a beautiful and proper girl of the upper-class. Pip becomes intrigued by Estella the moment Ms. Havisham, Estella’s guardian, has him over to visit. Ms. Havisham encourages and strengthens Pip’s feeling for Estella by always reminding him of Estella’s beauty and intelligence. As Pip grows older, his love for Estella never fades. Pip becomes confused when Estella makes him think that he may have a chance with her when in reality she doesn’t love him at all. Estella is incapable of loving because Ms. Havisham taught her to hide her affection and love and to never open up to a man. Once Pip realizes that he will never marry Estella he learns never to set his mind on one thing and that he must keep an open mind. Jem, the main character of To Kill a Mocking Bird, learns a lot from the prejudice he must experience in his life resulting from a trial his dad is involved in. Jem’s dad is defending a black man who was accused of raping a young girl in town. This is especially hard for Jem because he is growing up in a very racist southern town and time. Even though the majority of the people in the town know the black man is innocent, his color causes them to discriminate against him and accuse him as being guilty. The things Jem must experience as a result of the trial, such as getting beat up by a grown man, teach him many things about his life. He learns to give every person a chance no matter what their race, gender, or any other classifying features are. Most importantly, Jem learns to never cower down from what he believes in and to never give up. Juliet, the main character of the play Romeo and Juliet, also learns a lot from the confusion in her life. Romeo and Juliet fall in love at first sight. Unfortunately Romeo and Juliet must express their love in secret  because their families are arch enemies. Juliet becomes confused a number of times throughout the play because she is put in the position of choosing between her lover and her family. For example, when Romeo kills Juliet’s cousin, she doesn’t know who to side with. Juliet decides to go against her family and quickly forgive Romeo. She figures love is the most important thing. Juliet learns that to be happy you must follow your heart. Even though the play ends in tragedy, the only thing that would make Juliet happy was to be with Romeo, even if it was in the afterlife. As one can see Pip, Jem, and Juliet all learned important lessons from their experiences. The confusion in Pip and Juliet’s lives and the prejudice in Jem’s cause them all to come to conclusions about themselves and their lives. Overall, the lessons each character learned helped them to become a better person who was more aware of himself.