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Meaning of Winter Solstice in Geography

Meaning of Winter Solstice in Geography The time around December 21 or 22 is a very important day for our planet and its relationship with the sun. December 21 is one of two solstices, days when the rays of the sun directly strike one of the two tropical latitude lines. In 2018 at precisely 5:23 p.m. EST (22:23Â  UTC) on December 21, 2018 winter begins in the Northern Hemisphere and summer begins in the Southern Hemisphere. Why the Winter Solstice Occurs The earth spins around its axis, an imaginary line going right through the planet between the north and south poles. The axis is tilted somewhat off the plane of the earths revolution around the sun. The tilt of the axis is 23.5 degrees; thanks to this tilt, we enjoy the four seasons. For several months of the year, one-half of the earth receives more direct rays of the sun than the other half. The earths axis always points to the same point in the universe. When the axis points away from the sun from December to March (because of the relative location of the earth to the sun), the southern hemisphere enjoys the direct rays of the sun during their summer months. Alternatively, when the axis tilts towards the sun, as it does between June and September, it is summer in the northern hemisphere but winter in the southern hemisphere. December 21 is called the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and simultaneously the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. On June 21 the solstices are reversed and summer begins in the northern hemisphere. On December 21, there are 24 hours of daylight south of the Antarctic Circle (66.5Â ° south of the equator) and 24 hours of darkness north of the Arctic Circle (66.5Â ° north of the equator). The suns rays are directly overhead along the Tropic of Capricorn (the latitude line at 23.5Â ° south, passing through Brazil, South Africa, and Australia) on December 21. Without the tilt of the earths axis, we would have no seasons. The suns rays would be directly overhead of the equator all year long. Only a slight change would occur as the earth makes its slightly elliptical orbit around the sun. The earth is furthest from the sun about July 3; this point is known as the aphelion and the earth is 94,555,000 miles away from the sun. The perihelion takes place around January 4 when the earth is a mere 91,445,000 miles from the sun. When summer occurs in a hemisphere, it is due to that hemisphere receiving more direct rays of the sun than the opposite hemisphere where it is winter. In winter, the suns energy hits the earth at oblique angles and is thus less concentrated. During spring and fall, the earths axis is pointing sideways so both hemispheres have moderate weather and the rays of the sun are directly overhead the equator. Between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5Â ° latitude south) there really are no seasons as the sun is never very low in the sky so it stays warm and humid (tropical) year-round. Only those people in the upper latitudes north and south of the tropics experience seasons.

Write about creating success in college as well as successful Essay

Write about creating success in college as well as successful strategies that can help you create an extraordinary life. Include personal experiences or examples - Essay Example For others, what happens outside the classroom is what counts. The ideal situation is to strike a balance between the two. The first step towards achieving this is to â€Å"allow one’s self the full environment on college† (Bader 196). This entails being open to learning what is taught inside and outside the classroom. One can take a subject that is not his major just to widen the scope of his knowledge. Distractions can be evident as one tries to get used to college life. One should make sure they set aside times to study and complete projects Another step towards a successful college life is making the right decisions and choices. They have to be informed and truthful. Most decisions in college are guided by money and peer expectations. Knowing how to weigh on the decisions to make will help one outside college where there are even more complex choices to choose from. This follows the famous Chinese proverb that says, â€Å"A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows public opinion.† The results of right decisions and choices are acceptance of personal responsibility and increased self-motivation. Networking is another aspect of a successful life in and out of college. Getting to know the professors and fellow classmates will go a long way in determining one’s job prospects and cultivating a rich life with friends. Meeting someone, befriending them and then switching contact information are some of the initial steps. Then cultivate a good friendship. Mary O’Brian is an investment banker at Morgan Stanley. Back as a freshman at the University of Iowa, she met and befriended Joey Martin, a business administration classmate. Through Joey, Mary was able to meet Joey’s dad, a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley. Thanks to his recommendation, Mary was able to land a good job at the same firm. This is an example of

British Colonialism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

British Colonialism - Essay Example When a territory builds and maintains colonies in other territories, this is known as colonialism (Kohn, 2006). When the West or Europe pictured the Arabic and Asian states, they showed people living darkness and void (Kumar, 2007). They showed they did not want to grow and get updated. They showed that the people were simple and could be made to do anything. This is what was thought about South America and Africa when it was colonized (Kumar, 2007). This also brought these governments the support of their citizens (Kumar, 2007). When Europe wanted to conquer these "Oriental" countries, they passed a message to the people that they wanted to develop the territory to be colonized. They planned to strip the territory of its history and cultures and create a new one as they seem to be fit (Kumar, 2007). Orientalism was so depicted and explained as if it was a curse or a bad thing going on in the world. The true meaning of orient was hidden and in the shade of Orientalism, the West exploited and colonized the Asian and the Arabic countries (Kohn, 2006). Thus, Orientalism was one of the tools used by Europe to colonize the Arabic and Asian Countries (Kohn, 2006). ... Vathek (Salah, 2007) One of the examples of orientalism among the British colonial writers was Vathek (1782) by William Thomas Beckford. Beckford (1760-1844) was and English novelist (introduction to Beckfordiana). He was also a member of the parliament from 1784 to 1790. Vathek was originally written in French at a time when orientalism was entranced in the European population. The plot tells the story of the fictional ruler Vathek who falls from power and then engages himself in deplorable activities with his mother to gain supernatural powers. The setting of the tale is oriental, i.e., in the Arabic countries. The novel clearly shows how backward and downgraded the people of the East were considered. The story clearly shows the supernatural and superstitious beliefs and casts the image of the Eastern countries as those who live in the early ages when everything was considered to be supernatural and science and technology played no role. Kubla Khan (Library, 1999) Another example of orientalism among the British colonial writers is the poem Kubla Khan written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Coleridge (1772-1834) was an English poet and a romantic (Poetry Foundation). Kubla Khan is a poem describing about a king who claims to be Son of God and thus ascends to the throne on the grounds that God wants him to rule. He makes his subjects build him a house that is suitable for residence for the Son of God. This poem though short shows how the countries in the East are ruled through superstitions and that the British need to go and save the people from such superstitious beliefs of the people there. Thus they could potrait the image among their people that they are colonizing the territory to revive but instead destroy the culture and history of the

Under take a deep and wide Market (or industry) analysis for Heineken Essay

Under take a deep and wide Market (or industry) analysis for Heineken - Essay Example What therefore has been the key to success in Heineken? Well, it is the uniqueness of the marketing strategy and the industry analysis that has been adopted by Heineken over time. In a keen study of Heineken’s strategic platforms, one can simply notice why Heineken is destined for even a brighter future (Duetsch 2002, p. 78). This paper aims at analysing the beer industry, with reference to Heineken, being a key player in the industry. What makes the Heineken strategy unique and what are some of the marketing and analytical platforms pursued by this giant (Heineken) in the beer industry. David A. Aaker is credited for having come up with AAKER Marketing Analysis, a marketing strategy that puts emphasis and focus on the micro- external environment in which an organization operates. Most organizations today have adopted the AAKER Marketing Analysis in their market analysis, strategy so as to understand more their various immediate external environment (Bohrer 2007, p. 37). An analysis of the immediate external business environment is critical to the success of any organization. In the beer industry, specifically, Heineken has employed AAKER Marketing Analysis with the main aim of creating a competitive advantage over other industry players in the following ways: It is a policy at Heineken that any market ventured into must be fully exploited. In order to fully satisfy their customers, Heineken did their market analysis by first identifying the size of the market that they (Heineken) intended to operate into. In analysing the market size, Heineken put focus on the number of their consumers and potential consumers; followed the quantitative analysis with qualitative analysis of what can be the demands of those customers (Bohrer 2007, p. 43). With this analysis put into consideration, Heineken has been able to understand the needs of their customers, thereby working towards satisfaction of

Marx and Weber: Capitalism

Marx and Weber: Capitalism A comparison of Marx and Webers theories with respect to their ideas and interpretations on capitalism. Marxs view of the industrialist society he lived in was one of inequality and driven by capitalism. His ideas and interpretations of capitalism are based on historical precedent and industrialism. He calls the capitalist ownership class, the bourgeoisie, owning the means of production, whilst describing the working class, the proletariat, who provide the means of production. He viewed this capitalist system as being an unjust and unfair one which exploited the proletariat to provide profit and gains for the bourgeoisie. Marx saw capitalism as merely a progression of previous modes of production, such as slavery and feudalism, becoming a system of production of commodities which exploited the workers for the profitable gain of the capitalist bourgeoisie. In the feudal and slavery systems, however, the medieval lords and slave owners were responsible for the welfare of their workers. Whereas, in the capitalist society he saw the capitalists taking unfair advantage of the workers, with a minority owing and monopolising the ownership of the means of production, whilst gaining big profits at the expense of the workers. Wage labourers produce commodities, goods which are produced for exchange. The commodities are sold on the market, and the capitalist pays the labourer a wage. The capitalist gives up some of his capital to the wage labourer in the form of wages in return for the use of his/her labour- power. Labour-power is thus itself a commodity; it is bought and sold A labourer depended on the market value of his skills, or production, to earn a living which the capitalist would sell for maximum profit. However, this profit did not feed back down to the worker, instead it went into the pockets of the already wealthy capitalist. He believed that the workers were exploited for their labour in order to survive. Marx believed that society had progressed through stages of history with each stage providing its own destruction to allow it to progress to a new stage. He believed that every stage of history only progressed to the next stage through a social revolution of some kind and gave it the term Dialectical Materialism . He believed that the economy and materialism are the driving forces behind historical change. He saw the main difference between men and animals, as mans ability to produce his own living, in other words, man owns his own mode of production. However, he saw the workers ability becoming diminished in the factories and with manual labour, with the worker being alienated from his means of production by being given solely specific tasks to complete in a production line. Ultimately, he proposed that through the progression of history, capitalism would be overcome by a revolt of the working class in order for them to overcome their oppression by the capitalists, giving way to a f airer and equal society. He argued that economic structure should be planned to suit the people. Unfortunately in some cases, his theories were taken and twisted by others, giving way to an even more oppressive society, for example, communism in the Union of Soviet Republics (Russia) and the Republic of China, where the control of the working classes were still in the hands of the select few. In contrast, Weber believed that Marxist theories were too simple as he thought Marx saw mainly economic grounds being the driving force behind capitalism. Webers ideas and interpretations on capitalism are predominantly derived from his major work The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1904-05). From most of the readings done for this essay, it would appear at first sight that Weber views religion as the driving force behind capitalism. However, this is too simplistic a view. Weber was not only interested in the role of religion in capitalism; he was also very interested in discovering the values behind the individuals social behaviour. He saw workers doing what they do because of their commitment to their family, which is why people go to work although the work may not be great and the pay not very substantial. Weber is more interested in the actions of the individual and the affects of society on the individual; therefore, he defines sociology in a different way than Marx, believing that individuals are shaped by their own motives and desires. He liked to use categories and typologies, using three main categories, traditi on, charismatic and legal rational authority. Weber had a wide range of interests, class, social stratification, modernity and religion. Being interested in discovering why capitalism was a Western phenomenon and developed in certain European countries during the industrial revolution, he undertook a study of these countries. In his work The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1904-05), Weber makes a connection between protestant beliefs and the emergence of capitalism. Although religion did not bring about capitalism, Weber suggested that religion can cause social change, which in turn could fuel the process of capitalism. He uses Calvinism as an example of how change can be brought about. Calvinists believed that you were already predestined to go to heaven and were either among the elect or not, before you were born. Nothing that happened during your life here earth would alter this election. Calvinism was a puritan form of Protestantism, focusing on self denial, hard work and a predetermined selection for entrance into heaven. As Calvinists did not have any way of knowing whether or not they were part of the elect, they had to act as if they had been chosen; therefore, they lived good lives here on earth and worked hard. It was this ascetic work ethic that Weber believes drove capitalism as making a lot of money was a sign of hard work and no play. As they denied themselves any comfort and pleasures in life, the money they had over and above their meagre living expenses was ploughed into the business making them different from other money makers, in so much that, they made money for moneys sake which was not spent on the frivolities in life. Weber theorised that this Protestant ethic gave rise, encouraging and promoting modern capitalism. He argues that formal rationalisation (the rationale behind making money) would overtake religion and do away with it altogether. Weber saw capitalism as a process of rationalisation and argues that there are s ix factors which are necessary for capitalism to succeed : The appropriation of material means of production; Market freedom; Rational technology (principally mechanisation); Calculable law (forms of adjudication and administration which allow for predictable outcomes); Formally free labour (persons who voluntarily sell their labour-power but must do so to stave off starvation); And the commercialisation of economic life. All these conditions are necessary ingredients in the rise of capitalism in Webers view . Weber also saw bureaucracy as playing a major role in capitalism. Bureaucracy is the form of social organisation in and through which rational-legal authority is exercised and maintained. It is also the form which clearly takes hold with the advent of capitalist economic order. One does not cause the other to arise; they have a h3 affinity Where Marx felt that alienation of the workers from thier products by division of labour within the capitalist system allowed exploitation of workers for capitalist gains, thereby limiting their true freedom, Weber believed that it was bureacracies and rationalisaton that restricted human freedom. Marx believed that mans freedom under capitalism was deceptive and not true freedom. He believed that capitalist wage labour restricted the worker and was really a form of forced labour as the worker relied on his wage to live. The worker could only sell his labour for the price the capitalist would pay for this work or production and for Marx, capitalism was predominantly as system of commodity production and an economic driven system. Weber argued that workers lost control of their work through the forces of rational controlled production and believed that it was inevitable that the bureacracy of the capitalist system would change processes in labour and production order to gain the best profit. But capitalism is identical with the pursuit of profit, and forever renewed profit, by means of continuous, rational, capitalistic enterprise . Weber argued that in a capitalist society the individual join the organised structures and orginasations which are put in place to ensure an effecient structure to ensure the best profit. By joining these organisations, the individual loses their individuality and get cut off themselves and lost in the officialdom, and therefore, become alienated. Weber tends to be seen, or portrayed, as much more pessimistic than Marx. Weber sees society becoming locked in an Iron Cage through bureaucracy, rationality and authority. This order is now bound to the technical and economic conditions of machine production which today determine the lives of all the individuals who are born into this mechanism, not only those directly concerned with economic acquisition, with irresistible force. Perhaps it will so determine them until the last ton of fossilized coal is burnt. In Baxters view the care for external goods should only lie on the shoulders of the saint like a light cloak, which can be thrown aside at any moment. But fate decreed that the cloak should become an iron cage Marx was much more optimistic and saw the possibility of social change through a working class revolution, believing that social democracy is an alternative to capitalism.

The Big Bang(personal Account) (tragedy) :: essays research papers

The Big Bang   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My lesson about playing with fire was a hard one learned. That one summer day so long ago was one of the longest days in my life. The morning was a normal one. The afternoon was when things started to heat up. That night was one I thought would never end.That morning was one just like any other summer day. The sun was bright and warm. We also had family in from Colorado. My Aunt and Uncle were there with my two cousins. They were planning on staying with us the entire summer. My parents had just installed a 4 1/2 foot above ground swimming pool for all of us to enjoy that summer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  That afternoon every body was up and busy doing their own things. My brother and I were out in the neighborhood playing with our friends. When we came home for lunch my dad asked us to unload his truck and put everything in the shed. My parents, aunt and uncle were leaving to go out for the evening. They were leaving us in the care of my cousins who are several years older than us. After we had lunch and my parents had left, my brother and I started to unload the truck. I grabbed the first load and headed for the shed. I was in the shed putting things away for about ten minutes. My brother was still not back there with another load. I went around the front of the house looking for him when I saw a flash. As I reached the driveway I saw my brother just as he was throwing another match on the driveway. When the match hit the concrete a flare of fire leaped up about five foot and was gone just as fast as it appeared. I immediately forgot about unloading the truck and joined my brother. He explained to me how it worked. He handed me a five-pound can of gunpowder and told me to pour a small pile out on the driveway. After I did and back away he tore out another match from the pack, struck it and threw it on the pile of powder. Again the flash leaped from the driveway. We continued this way, with me pouring and him throwing the match, until we were down to the second to last match. We had to figure out a way to continue before we were out of matches. The Big Bang(personal Account) (tragedy) :: essays research papers The Big Bang   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My lesson about playing with fire was a hard one learned. That one summer day so long ago was one of the longest days in my life. The morning was a normal one. The afternoon was when things started to heat up. That night was one I thought would never end.That morning was one just like any other summer day. The sun was bright and warm. We also had family in from Colorado. My Aunt and Uncle were there with my two cousins. They were planning on staying with us the entire summer. My parents had just installed a 4 1/2 foot above ground swimming pool for all of us to enjoy that summer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  That afternoon every body was up and busy doing their own things. My brother and I were out in the neighborhood playing with our friends. When we came home for lunch my dad asked us to unload his truck and put everything in the shed. My parents, aunt and uncle were leaving to go out for the evening. They were leaving us in the care of my cousins who are several years older than us. After we had lunch and my parents had left, my brother and I started to unload the truck. I grabbed the first load and headed for the shed. I was in the shed putting things away for about ten minutes. My brother was still not back there with another load. I went around the front of the house looking for him when I saw a flash. As I reached the driveway I saw my brother just as he was throwing another match on the driveway. When the match hit the concrete a flare of fire leaped up about five foot and was gone just as fast as it appeared. I immediately forgot about unloading the truck and joined my brother. He explained to me how it worked. He handed me a five-pound can of gunpowder and told me to pour a small pile out on the driveway. After I did and back away he tore out another match from the pack, struck it and threw it on the pile of powder. Again the flash leaped from the driveway. We continued this way, with me pouring and him throwing the match, until we were down to the second to last match. We had to figure out a way to continue before we were out of matches.

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3 December 2012 Court Proceedings The best part about criminal procedures here in the United States is that criminal defendants have a lot of protections and guarantees. They have the guarantees of due process, equal protection under the laws, the right to have legal counsel present, the right to confront witnesses, the right to a jury trial, and the right to not testify against themselves. In the movie and in real life we see this all the time.For example the way due process was portrayed in the movie was the way that all the information that was against the boys they had the right to have the documents that had the information against them. All defendants get the same protection regardless of the acts they have committed, in the movie the boys had the right to have a lawyer, they just couldn’t afford one so that’s why Billy had to call his uncle.Confronting witnesses was the exact act that Uncle Vinny did when he was almost out of hope, he managed to cause doubts in t he jury’s eyes when he showed them that the old woman was nearly blind and when the other two men also began questioning what they had really seen. The boys also had the right to trial by jury, which just means that the judge doesn’t convict the defendant, the jury does instead.The last right defendants have is the right to not testify against themselves, in the movie that was the first thing the boys shouldn’t have done because right away they admitted to a crime that they did not do. Moving on to some of the key points and the purpose, criminal procedure deals with the set of rules which the government enforces law.

bio lab 6 essays

bio lab 6 essays Microscopy and the Electron Microscope Humans have been magnifying objects for centuries by using lens. Using lens to magnify objects has helped mankind know more about the cell theory and ways of life. Zacharias constructed the first compound microscope. Robert Hooke used the microscope to examine slices of cork. He noticed many little boxes and called them cells. Cells are the building blocks of life. We would not know as much about cells as we do with out microscopes. It is important to know about the different types of microscopes and how they function. CD player, Individualized Biology lab book, pen, and your brain. Objectives: (See page 2 of Individualized Biology Unit 9 Script.) Anton van Leeuwenhoek is considered to be the father of bacteriology. He used a simple microscope consisting of one lens to observe bacteria and other unicellular microorganisms. He grinded the lens he used, so that the lens had great curvature. He reached magnifications of 270 diameters. This was the most reached from his time. Magnification increases the visibility of what ever detail the objective lens can reveal. There is a significant relationship between wave length and resolving power. Wavelength is the distance between corresponding points on two successive waves. The shorter the wave lengths are used, the greater the resolving power is. Two objects that are closer together than one half the wave length of light used can not be seen as separate objects. There are several ways to increase the resolving power. You can use a shorter wave length, project on to screens, use quartz lens, use ultraviolet light, or use an objective lens that can accept a greater cone of light. The wavelength that would give the best resolving power for a light microscope is blue. Light source has a great effect on a microscope. The bright fi ...

The Causes of the Cold War essays

The Causes of the Cold War essays The Cold War lasted for over half a century, and many different factors fuelled the battle. All three major nations that were involved helped to escalate the Cold War farther. The Soviets actions in Eastern Europe, American, perhaps too aggressive actions against Soviet expansion, and Churchill and Britains ability to force America into an anti-Soviet stance, all aided in pushing the Cold War farther into a bitter battle. Post World War II the Big Three had agreed that all liberated nations would proceed to having free elections. In many of the liberated nations free elections did occur, but by 1947 Communists took control of government in Poland, Hungary and Romania. By the next year, all Eastern European nations had Communist governments. This rapid expansion of Communism into Europe helped to cause the Cold War. These actions also caused a fear of Communism within America. America then counteracted and President Truman initiated the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan. The Sovi ets interpreted these actions differently then Western society. The Soviets saw these actions as aggressive and then defended themselves. This caused a continuous escalation of the relationship between the Soviets and the USA. Winston Churchill and the British Empire also played their own roll in fueling the Cold War. Churchill openly accused the Soviets of having expansionist policies and stated that an alliance needed to form between Britain and the US to stop Soviet expansion. This allowed President Truman to make his anti-Soviet policy public. Also, Churchills proclamation forced America into an anti-Soviet policy. With all three, America, Britain, and the USSR, playing roles to further the Cold War, we can see that each nation and their leaders caused the Cold War. ...

Stock Market Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Stock Market Paper - Essay Example History of the Company After the success of Walt Disney Land in California, Walt Disney had the idea of creating an even bigger resort which would include all different kinds of fantasy worlds in which people could lose themselves. When it opened, just outside of Orlando, Florida it covered approximately 107 acres; the theme park portion of the resort was referred to as The Magic Kingdom. It featured Adventureland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Tomorrowland, Main Street USA, and about 5,500 cast members (#2). Resort planners intentionally scheduled the opening in October, as opposed to the summer months because they wanted the opening numbers to be small, having learned their lesson from the issues that arose with the opening of Walt Disney Land. Walt Disney World was to be so much larger than Walt Disney Land, and the planners wanted to ensure that Walt’s dream was realized without a hitch; if issues arose due to the increased size and cast, they would be easier to deal with and identify with a smaller amount of guests. They had 10,000 guests on opening day. In addition to The Magic Kingdom, there were two hotels that were included in the resort itself, the Contemporary and the Polynesian Village (#2). Product Lines Walt Disney World has several different product lines that are all incorporated around the resort and theme park itself, having expanded to include three additional theme parks, and two water parks, as well as numerous hotels; the theme parks now include The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The water parks now present are Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and Disney’s Blizzard Beach. This does not include the other branches of entertainment that Disney has added, like the Disney Cruise Lines (#3). Walt Disney World’s customer base includes â€Å"children of all ages;† they work to be geared towards all ages of clientele (though if you look too much lik e a Disney character, you may be kicked out of the park (#4).) Marketing Strategy There are many different marketing strategies employed by Walt Disney World, from the computer generated image of the park that is now present at the beginning of each and every Walt Disney film, to the commercials advertising Walt Disney World, all the way down to references to the theme park that are included in movies of all genres, but the marketing strategies of the park do not stop there. With a steep price tag to get into the park itself (over $80 (#5) per person, per day), there are many people who feel like though they may want a souvenier to commemorate their trip, but that the additional price tag is too expensive. Disney’s got the customer covered there too. They introduced three inch tall Vinylmation figurines for $10 each, everything from the characters themselves, to the attractions that are present in the park. The catch behind these souvenirs is that they come in unmarked boxes – consumers never know which one they will get (sort of like a souvenir grab bag); the nice thing about this marketing ploy is that if the consumer does not like the one they get, there are three opened figurines placed by the register, and the buyer may choose to swap out the one they got for one of the three present at the register itself (#5); this ensures that additional items are purchased, as people love the mystery, and offers them a semi-guarantee that they will

Civilizations of the Ancient Near East Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Civilizations of the Ancient Near East - Essay Example The life and loves of Cleopatra VII, the Queen of Egypt from 5 to 30BC (Shaw,2003,p.403) had been celebrated in numerous films starred by top actresses like Elizabeth Taylor, Vivien Leigh, Theda Bara, Claudette Colbert, Janet Suzman; in plays such as those written by Shakespeare, George Bernard Shaw and John Dryden; TV series; some 20 novels; a ballet choreographed by Martha Graham; hundreds of paintings the most memorable being that of Michelangelo's and sculptures (Streissguth,199,p.101-5). Indeed she is one of the most popular women figures in world history. Most importantly she acutely epitomizes the exalted position reserved for women in ancient Egypt. Together with such powerful Egyptian queens as Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, Nefertari and Tiye, Cleopatra VII's life was a testament of the power and equality granted by ancient Egyptian society to its women during those times when practically most societies relegated women to mere childbearing and other inferior roles in society. In these modern times, women also carry in their grasp the same power, equality to men and exalted position as women like Golda Meir, Indira Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher, Harlem Brundtland, Gloria Arroyo and Hillary Clinton among others. But the power they hold are not absolute unlike the queens of Egypt. Queen Hatshepsut ruled ancient Egypt with absolute powerAncient Civilizations 3 for 21 years and earned for herself the title (as ascribed to her by famed Egyptologist James Henry Breasted) "the first great woman in history of whom we are informed" (Joseph & Lewis,1986,p.87). She was also a warrior queen who vanquished the Nubians and then later established trade with them. She was considered "one of the most successful Egyptian rulers of either sex" (Weiss & Rinear,2001,p.24). Another Egyptian warrior queen who scratched and clawed her way to absolute power using her guile, charms and brains was Cleopatra VII who had to eliminate her brothers/husbands Ptolemy XII and XIII and sister Arsinoe to grab unopposed power. Historian Antonia Fraser described her as ascending to the throne of Egypt "through sheer genius for power" and was a master of "power politics" (Fraser,1989,p.1X) having enshrined herself to absolute power by beguiling Julius Caesar and Mark Antony with the use of her wit, beauty and charms. It is important to emphasize that while the great queens of Egypt were lording it over with unhampered power, women from most civilizations