Aztec Civilization Essay -- essays research papers

The Aztec Indians created a great civilization in Central Mexico, reaching its peak in the 1500’s. Being late arrivals to the area, and because of their strong neighboring nations, they were forced to live in the swampy western areas of the Lake Texcoco. Because of the swampy surroundings, the Aztecs used mud to create miniature islands in the swamps. These islands are called chinampas, or “floating gardens,'; and were used as farming lands. On these fertile islands they grew corn, squash, vegetables, and flowers. Being an agriculturally dependant empire, the Aztec’s religion was based highly on the forces of nature and worshipped them as gods. The god of war, Huitzilopochtli, was the most important deity. They had many other important gods, such as Tlaloc, the god of rain, Quetzalcoatl, the god of wind and of learning, and Tenochtitlan, the sun god. The Aztecs believed in order to appease these and many other gods that they needed to perform human sacrifices. The main purpose of the great Aztec pyramids was, in fact, human sacrifices. They also believed that there were “lucky'; and “unlucky'; days for baptism and to declare war on, which were decided by a priest. Most art and architecture in the Aztec civilization was based on their religion. There are many brightly colored murals and paintings on walls and on bark which depict religious ceremonies, along with large idols of gods. One of the most amazing and famous of the...

The Success of the Civil Rights Movement Essay -- 1960s Civil Rights M

Although there was significant improvement in the lives of black people through the Success of the civil rights movement by the late 1960s, there were also some failures and aspects that the civil rights movement had not achieved. These failures were social, economical, political and cultural. These failures included the fact that some laws were not upheld. Black people saw this as an injustice and inconvenience and as a failure economically. There was unemployment to a certain degree amongst the black community, as over 10% of black people were unemployed. This could be linked to poverty and poor quality of schooling and education Poverty and the condition of living and housing was a major issue in 1967, when one third of black families were living below the government's poverty level in comparison to under 10% of white people who were living below the government's poverty level. Economically, this was another failure. A cultural and social failure was the mortality rate of black babies, that being twice as high ...

Whole Food Nutrition vs. Vitamin Supplements

Whole Food Nutrition vs. Vitamin Supplements Whole Food Nutrition vs. Synthetic Vitamins which is healthier? Ever since I can remember my mom has been a health nut. We have always taken nutritional supplements and eaten organic food as much as possible. Over the years of taking vitamins supplements, I didn’t notice a change in my health. I did notice when I ate whole foods I felt better than when I ate chemically manufactured fast food. The fast food made my stomach burn. I can also remember not eating meat until I went to school. I think that vitamins are a waste of money. All they do is make my pee turn yellow. Whole food nutrition, which consists of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, seeds and nuts, is the only way to live. Fruits and vegetables contain essential vitamins, minerals and fiber that protect us from chronic diseases. Compared with people who consume small amounts of fruits and vegetables, those who eat more generous amounts as a part of a healthful diet are likely to have reduced risk of chronic disease (â€Å"Fruit†). Americans want to believe in vitamin and mineral pills. We spend an estimated $10 Billion on them in 2008, according to the Nutrition Business Journal (â€Å"One a Day†). Major health organizations for cancer, diabetes, and heart disease all advise against supplements in favor of healthful diet rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains and legumes. Unlike pills, those foods contain fiber plus thousands of health protective substances that seem to work together more powerfully than any single ingredient can work alone (â€Å"One a Day†). Eating whole food is the safest way of getting nutritional support for our bodies and immune system. Since food is not a pill, over dosing is never a problem. Over eating can be a problem, causing weight gain and other health issues. On the other hand over dosing on vitamins can be toxic if taken in high doses for a long time. For instance, beta-carotene can increase the risk of lung cancer in smokers. In addition, a government surveys found that more than 11 percent of adults take at least 400 units of vitamin E a day, a dose that has been linked to heart failure, strokes, and increased risk of death (â€Å"One a Day†). There are foods that provide nutrients that our bodies need instead of having to swallow so many expensive pills. There are foods that provide natural energy for our bodies, foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and beans. People who want to spice up weight loss add cayenne and other spicy peppers and salsas to their diet. Studies show that very spicy food temporarily increase that rate which fat is burned (â€Å"Total†). So instead of taking a fat burning pill, eat fat burning foods. Here is so information on how to spot whole food. Look for foods as close to their natural state as possible. For an example think of the continuum from whole apples to applesauce to cider to apple juice. Be sure you can identify the real food in a product. If you can’t tell what the original source is, then a product has probably strayed too far from its natural state. Experts believe that nutrients likely act differently when they exist in the unique combinations that occur naturally in foods. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds contain a virtual symphony of vitamins, minerals and fiber that likely work together to shore up health and help protect against chronic disease. When you ingest whole food instead of a single nutrient, it’s like walking through an entire forest rather than looking at a single leaf (Palmer). Vitamins have lost their sheen, and there are more doubts than ever about taking them in pill form. Large doses of single vitamins aren’t a good idea, the benefit is doubtful, and some can cause harm (â€Å"Vitamins†). It’s so funny when I walk into a vitamin store and the sales associates run up and offer all the latest vitamin supplements that help this part of the body and that keep you from contracting this disease. I wasn’t looking for vitamins in the first place. I go to vitamin shops for protein powder. Here are some other reasons why I’m not interested in beefing up on vitamin intake. The Physician’s Health Study II, which followed more than 14,000 male physicians for 10 years, found that supplementing with vitamins C and E did not reduce the risk of prostate cancer, cancers in total or major cardiovascular events. And the Women’s Health Study, which evaluated nearly 40,000 female health professionals for 10 years, showed that vitamin E supplements did not prevent cardiovascular disease or cancer (Palmer). Scientist believe that folic acid protects the body from developing cancerous tumors by repairing errors in DNA. Yet too much may actually nurture the growth of tumors once they form. What’s important to note is that this delicate balancing act is mostly a problem with supplemental folic acid, the form of the vitamin added to supplements and fortified foods. Not with foliate, the natural form of the vitamin found in foods. Whole foods first! Manufacturer’s of vitamin supplements make us think that food doesn’t have all the nutrients we need. So they push vitamins for all kinds of things to make us healthy, so they like us to think. After researching, I have found out that B vitamins don’t prevent heart attacks. Vitamin E doesn’t benefit people with Alzheimer’s disease. Vitamins A, C, and E do not offer any cancer protection. But nutrition experts say that getting crucial nutrients from food, when possible, is better than popping pills. The American Dietetic Association, in fact, has updated its guidelines on nutrient supplementation and now stresses that eating a wide variety of nutrient-rich foods is the best way to get needed nutrients and reduce the risk of chronic disease. The update comes at a time when nutrient supplementation continues to be a growing trend in the United States. Americans spent more than $23 billion on dietary supplements in 2007, according to the association's report, and one-third of adults use a multivitamin and mineral supplement regularly. Others use a variety of supplements, which prompts worry among health experts about the potential negative effects of mega doses (Healthday) . So what makes it better to get nutrients from foods rather than pills? â€Å"Foods are special,† said Andrea P. Boyar, an associate professor of dietetic foods and nutrition at Lehman College of the City University of New York. Foods are complex, and the nutrients within them interact in different and more beneficial ways than they would in supplements. Also, many foods contain healthy dietary fiber, which isn't part of a multivitamin supplement, she said. â€Å"Food is still the ideal,† Boyar said, stressing that she means â€Å"whole foods† — those that are not processed or are as minimally processed as possible. Yet Boyar and other nutrition experts concede that supplements can often fill dietary gaps. That's particularly true, she said, for vitamin D and calcium, especially as people age. She also cited iron, which is often needed by premenopausal women, who lose it with their monthly periods. And, for women of childbearing age, folate supplements have been shown to help prevent birth defects. Overuse of supplements, though — and particularly megadoses — worries health experts. Mega doses of vitamin E, for instance, are particularly hazardous, Boyar said. As for the ideal food-supplement balance, Penny M. Kris-Etherton, a nutrition professor at Penn State University, said that â€Å"ideal† depends on the individual but, in general, think healthy whole foods first. â€Å"Food does not just provide one nutrient but a lot of nutrients and collectively helps individuals meet their nutrient needs,† Kris-Etherton (Healthday). Whole Food Nutrition vs. Vitamin Supplements. That’s what medical scientist and research professionals are trying to determine. More and more, medical doctors are seeing individuals who practice whole food nutrition maintain a lifestyle of health, healing and vitality. Medical doctors, medical scientist and research professionals want to know why and how whole food nutrition accomplishes this. They also want to know what effect whole food nutrition has on improving the health of individuals with certain diseases, such as cancer. Medical/Scientific research is presently being conducted at various hospitals throughout the United States to see what, if any, health benefits whole food nutrition, (i. e. fruits, vegetables, berries) has on individuals with certain types of cancer. This is being done through the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute. This medical research is â€Å"gold standard†, that is, peer reviewed and will be published in medical journals. This research is exciting and the results are highly anticipated. As shown, we as a nation, spend a great deal of money trying to improve our health with vitamin supplements, when, what we might just find from this research is what Hippocrates, (300 BC), the Father of modern medicine, said: â€Å"Let medicine be your food, and food be your medicine. Words: 1,598

The Pros and Cons of Using E-Tendering in Singapore

THE PROS AND CONS OF USING E-TENDERING IN SINGAPORE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY First names YAP Last name YEE THARM Abstract: E-tendering is a relatively new and modern technique of tending system. The transaction can be done from business-to-business, business-to-consumer or Business-to-government buy and sale of goods, works and services through the Internet or other networking systems. This paper examines the pros and cons of using E-tendering in the Singapore Construction Industry and the future trend of E-tendering in Singapore.Although E- tendering has been used by the various Singapore Government departments for many years on their procurement of materials and services for local and global with great success, however the private sector in Singapore is still slow in using it as a tendering system. As e-tendering is recognized as a state-of-the-art for procurement which is proven to be efficient by the local Government and other advanced countries (eg. US, UK, China, Hong Kong, Canada etc. ), however the low usage by the private section in Singapore shows that there must be some limitation or disadvantages in using it.May be there are some problems on software and the user not competent to use it for this purpose. Or maybe in Singapore there is a need for the government or a private company to lead and provide a national wide scale of centralizes e-tendering system to cater for all the private tenders in Singapore Construction Industry. Whatever it is, the advantages of E-tendering are far exceeding the disadvantages and it has shown greater potential in the improvement of efficiency to replace the traditional tendering system.Therefore a study to look into the pros and cons of this tendering system is worth the effect. As eventually E-tendering has great potential in increasing efficiency in construction sector in Singapore-tendering by cutting down the-tendering cost and time and reduce the bureaucratic processes in the traditional tendering process. Keywords: E-tender, Singapore’s GeBIZ, E Submission, Information Systems, Pros and cons, Cloud computer, construction. 1. 0 Introduction The use of computer technologies in the world today has revolutionized the processes in the construction industry.The construction industry in Singapore has also faced the same radical and speedy changes in the use of Information Technology (IT) in almost every part of the process of the construction (from pre-tender estimating, tendering, and construction to post tender analysis). Procurement and tendering are an important function for every organisation including construction industry. It is a vital and important activity for a company to gain profit and continue to survive. Especially in Construction Industry, every job is on contract basis, construction company need to secure jobs through tender in order to continue its business.The traditional tendering practices used by Construction Company are largely traditional and involve managing papers or using email to send and receive documents, addenda, correspondence, bid submissions and award notices. With the introduction of submission of tender electronically, time and effort has been shorten tremendously. Other part of the world however electronic tendering has been getting popular over the past few years and is now being commonly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New South Wales, India, Hong Kong, United States and in China. (The PRC China has been using e-tender for more than 10 years.This year China is celebrating the 10th anniversary of E- procurement rule, their website is www. ccgp. gov. cn). Singapore is a developed country with very good coverage of wireless network and fibre optic cable. The use of computer is very much the common practice of government department and private company. However the use of e-tendering so far in Singapore has been limited to government department procurement. For private construction industry the usage of e-tendering is still limit ed. This paper explore into the pros and cons of using e-tendering in Singapore construction industry and its future development. . 0E-Tendering in the Singapore Construction Industry †¢ E- Tendering in Singapore Private construction: The government department of Singapore has been using E-tendering for more than 10 years, the Singapore Economy Development has also been giving incentive to encourage developers and contractors who are keen in using IT for their business. However up to today the private construction sector in Singapore is still limited in usage of E-tendering. Many Developers and Contractors in Singapore are still finding it more comfortable to use traditional tendering system. †¢ E- Tendering in Singapore Government:The e-tendering used by the government of Singapore is called GeBiz, which come from the word Government Bidding. The GeBIZ, or the Government E tendering, was set up in June 2000. The main objective of this system is to simplify government proc urement and tender activities. It was part of the programme for businesses under the e-Government Action Plan (2000–2003) in Singapore. GeBIZ is a one-stop centre for suppliers to have access to all procurement opportunities in the public sector and to trade electronically with the government departments. The Singapore government E-tender website address is at http://www. ebiz. gov. sg/. Now 100% of the Singapore government Tenders or Quotations are using GeBIZ as a platform for procurement for good and services. As of today, Infocomm Technology (ICT) has become a major part of the Singapore public sector's DNA for public administration and service delivery. Due to the result of Singapore e-government efforts, Singapore has been consistently recognised as a leader in major international benchmarking studies. Our Singapore Government’s innovative efforts in using ICT have also gained local and worldwide recognition and awards.More importantly, the citizens and businesse s have embraced in e-government service. In 2010, almost 9 out of 10 of Singapore citizens and businesses expressed satisfaction with the overall quality of government e-services. (http://www. egov. gov. sg/about-egov-introduction) The process of using Singapore’s GeBIZ: Company who wishes to tender for government job need first to apply as a member of Singapore’s GeBIZ. Upon approved as a member, a password for log in to GeBIZ is given to the company. There are two categories of E-tendering in the GeBIZ. Tender – Goods or services estimated to be valued above $7,000 Singapore dollar. †¢ Quotation – Goods or service estimated be valued below $7,000 Singapore dollar. Once a member log on the GeBIZ, the searching for specific notice can be done by indicating the search condition as shown below by clicking on the â€Å"GO† button. [pic] Figure 1 – searching for a tender (source from http://www. gebiz. gov. sg/. ) For viewing of the details of the-tender and quotation notice, simply click on the â€Å"GO’ button of the screen below. [pic] Figure 2 – viewing of posted tender or quotation. source from http://www. gebiz. gov. sg/. ) The constractor can download or view directly the drawings and specifications posted in the GeBIZ to estimate the-tender price. Tender price can then be submitted to the website electronically. Once the-tender is closed, the-tender will be evaluated by the relevant governmant authority (who post the tender) and the result of the-tender will be announced on the GeBIZ for public information. Hardware and Software requirement for GeBIZ tendering in Singapore. The following are the required hardware and software for a contractor to use the Singapore GeBIZ.In order to use the Singapore Government e-tendering GeBiz, A contractor needs to have a computer meet the following recommended system requirement. The computers which do not meet these requirements might not be compatible and un able to use the system for tender. Hardware – Computer must have a minimum 500MHz processor or higher with a hard disc at least 64 MB RAM, the internet connection to be minimum 256kbps or higher. Software – Computer with a Windows Operating System consist of Windows 2000, Windows XP or Window 7. As for Internet Browser, having a Internet Explorer 6. , 7. x, 8. x and 9. 0 will be enough. 2. 1How E-Tendering works E-tendering is an electronic tendering solution to facilitate the complete-tendering process from the advertising of the requirement through to the signing of the contract. This includes the exchange of all relevant documents (drawing, specifications etc) in electronic soft copy format. In other words E-tendering is a process of carrying out entire-tendering Cycle Online including submission of Price Bid in such that Efficiency, Economy, Speed of Internet can be achieved without the use of paper form of hardcopy.It also eliminates the need to transfer of docume nts between the Client and bidders. E-tendering Cycle can be broken in key modules as the figure below: Figure 3 – The E- tendering cycle 2. 2Traditional Tendering System vs. E tendering The advantages of traditional tendering compare to E-tendering System can be summarised as below: Traditional Tendering System †¢ Longer Procurement Cycle More time needed to print tender documents for all the contractors requesting for tendering. A normal construction tender using traditional tendering system can take up to 2 to 4 months for a cycle. †¢ More ExpensiveThe printing of tender documents such as drawings and specifications are costly and a lot of money is spent for plants and labour for transportation of the documents. †¢ Paper Based Procurement Traditional tendering basically is paper based procurement, documents such as drawings, specifications and forms are printed on paper, which is not environmentally friendly. †¢ Restricted Mobility Paper based tender do cument is not mobile and inconvenient to bring it along for reading and estimation. These documents also require large storage space and it is labour intensive to handle. †¢ Can’t do work on HolidaysThe-tender documents are usually placed at the office and the working hour for office is usually 9am to 5pm. No work can be done after these hours and during weekend and public holidays. †¢ Prone to Human errors Paper documents are prone to human errors, as missing of pages or printing errors. Blur print due to low ink or no ink for some pages can happen. †¢ Content not sharable Tendering documents such as specifications are usually A4 size and can only viewed by a person alone, unlike e-tender document which can be projected to a big screen and shared by as many people as possible for group discussion and meeting. †¢ Physical SecurityTender documents stored in the office especially those documents which have sensitive cost information, e. g. Filled up Bill of Quantity. These documents can pose a business security threats as they are valuable to the competitive contractors. †¢ Wastage of space to store bids Unlike e-tender the documents, the document for traditional tenering need physical space for storage. E – Tendering System †¢ Shorter Procurement Cycle E – Tendering system is computer based; the cycle is much shorter as compare to traditional tendering system. One major saving of time comes from the cutting down of transporting of documents. Economical Due to the fact that hard copies of the documents are expensive, it is very much economical to store and use the soft copies in the computer and website. The cost of using the computer and software are quite fixed. †¢ Environmentally Friendly As compare to traditional tendering system, E-tender consumes almost no paper. Hence it is very environmentally friendly. †¢ Anytime – Anywhere Bidding E-tendering can be conducted any time anywhere i. e. 24 hours a day, 360 days a year and globally anywhere as long as there is Internet connection. †¢ Bidding is possible on HolidaysBidding is possible even during weekend or Public Holiday, as long as before the tender is closed. †¢ Automated & Accurate process As e-tender is automatically carried out by the computer, hence it minimized the human. The process will be accurate and almost instantly done. †¢ Shareable Content The content for E-tender documents is easily shareable among the company staff, as long as they have a computer or laptop and a given a password. The content also easily shared in a group meeting with a projector, which is a conducive environment for group discussion. †¢ Fool-proof SecuritySecurity for the documents is fool-proofed as only authorized people with the password can access to the virtue documents. †¢ Lifelong storage on CD Document stored in the CD or hardisk for e-tender can last for eternity (provided that the CD and hardisk wil l last as long) as compare to paper documents. It is also easy retrievable. †¢ One click access to bids When all the calculation for the-tender sum is done, it is only one click away from bidding. 2. 3Pros and cons to call for e-tenders. Pros to the Suppliers/Contractors †¢ Anytime & Anywhere Bidding Due to the development of wireless communication, E-tendering is globalized.Everywhere in the world as long as you are connected in the website, bidding is possible. †¢ Fair, Free and Fearless participation for vendors. As all vendors registered are treated as equal, the competition is fair, free and no barrier. †¢ No dependence on Newspaper, Courier. All posting is website base, hence the publicity does not require Newspaper or Courier service. †¢ No Administrative hassle The administrative is very much simple and simplified as all documents can be view through the computer screen. †¢ Can carry out all tendering process from any computer E-tendering is web based.Hence any computer, laptop or even I phone can do the job. †¢ Economical Saving on traveling cost is tremendous. As the link between the Client and contractor is through internet, it minimizes the physical travelling. †¢ Reduces efforts & cost of bidding The efforts for each individual staff and the manpower required for preparation of tender is reduced, hence the over cost of bidding is less. †¢ No tenders can be missed because of distance The bosses of the client or contractor may be travelling overseas, but they can access to the E-tender website anytime anywhere in the world. Miss viewing of the tender has become the past. Can submit bid at last minute The closing of E-tender is link to the time. As no travelling is needed to the client’s office to submit a tender, contractor can always clip the submit on the last minute/second. Pros to the-tendering Authorities/Clients †¢ Completely Automated Process The E-tender process in clients’ comp uters are all automated, the list of bidding contractors is sorted out in the ascending order from lowest price to the highest. †¢ Shortens Procurement Cycle Most of the clients hope that the procurement cycle be short, the E-tendering is best able to achieve this requirement. Economical and Environment Friendly As E-tender system required minimum paper, all information is stored in the computer for processing and retrieving. A computer can be used for 3 to 5 years, as for traditional tendering documents it is disposed once it is used. †¢ Greater Transparency The E-tendering website is open to all the authorized and registered members; hence all of them are able to see the data posted in the website with great transparency. †¢ Improvement in work culture in the departments It create a more friendly and conducive working culture in the departments, as less miscommunication between staff occur. System aided Evaluation process After the closed of tender, the E-tender sys tem will automatically aid in evaluating the most suitable tender. It cut down the time for evaluation. †¢ Minimize Human errors Most of the process is carry out in the computer, hence minimize human errors. †¢ Minimal Storage Space A computer is all you need for storage of all the tendering document. Printing out of hard copy is only needs required. †¢ Change in Perception The perception of a company will be changed as E-tendering is implemented for a Client. It will become a more progressive and proactive organization. Lesser hassle of communication and administration Communication between client and contractor, among staff will be much easier through computer and administration will have lesser hassle. The cons or disadvantages of using e tender †¢ Cost The initial cost to set up the computer system can be quite costly. As E-tender required the purchase of expensive hardware and the necessary software. †¢ Staff The company need to employ staff competence in the use of e-tendering system or train up their existing staff to use the e-tendering system.Security of the e-tendering system – An effective and secure e-tendering system needs to make sure that any communication that passes through the system is secure and safe. As all the data are passing through the open networks such as the internet. Care must be taken to ensure that all the information passed between tenderers and the Client be treated as confidential. The major risks are that confidential information transmitted over opened networks may be exposed to or altered by malicious parties. There is also the risk of malicious parties generating false messages, impersonating other parties or denying that messages have been emailed. . How to overcome these limitations †¢ Cost Construction Company can get a loan from bank to purchase the e-tendering system, through the saving of the e-tendering process; soon the cost would be recovered. †¢ Staff Company can directly employ e-tender system competence staff to from the employment market; alternatively can send their staff to be trained to use the system. Security – One of the major problems of e-tendering is to prevent the unauthorised usage of the e-tender account. The following are a few new computer technologies in the market which are capable of overcoming these problems. †¢ BiometricsBiometric verification of two authorized users can be used in for tender opening process. This method is using finger print of any two authorized individual; the web page will not be able to open if two fingers print doesn’t match. This appliance also helps to establish that user remains physically present when Tender opens. [pic] Figure 4. – Biometrics appliance †¢ Role Base Access This will only allow access to website on the basis of rights allocated to an authorised User or Group of Users. This ensure that Tampering by unauthorized person become not possible. The existing Orga nization hierarchy also can be mapped into the system. pic] Figure 5. – Role Base Access appliance †¢ Time Based Access The system ensures that no activity can be carried out before due date & Time for e. g. Tender cannot be opened even by authorized User before due date. Server Time cannot be tampered as it is mapped to National Standard Time Server. [pic] Figure 6 – Time Based Access Security System With all these security tools in place to ensure security of the website, the usage of e-tendering is getting more and more secure nowadays. 5. Scope of future of e-tendering – Cloud computing The future e-tender is by using Cloud computing. Just what is clouding computer?It is not sitting among the cloud to do the job, it is instead of using our own server to store data, cloud computing is using cloud server for storage of data and retrieving from them. The focus is on the website and not the computer hardware. When the data is needed for large processing, it can be scale up as much as one can instantly and once work done it is released back to the cloud. The working principle is like using the computer power from the cloud instead of using the company’s own computer hardware. It is just like payment for paying for electricity and gas instead of having our own generator and having a large gas storage tank.Cloud computer is also like hiring a car to travel instead of buying a car. The advantages of using cloud can be listed as below: †¢ Scalability – Glow and shrink as and when you wanted. †¢ Instant – It can be turn on and off anytime any place you like. †¢ Economical – Pay for the time you use and there is no need for the hardware and it is time saving. In other words it is pay as you use [pic]Figure 7. – Cloud computing system (Source from Google cloud computing image) 2. 6 Types of Cloud computing There are three types of cloud computing in the market: namelyInfrastructure as a servic e (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS), it has his advantages and disadvantages. †¢ SAAS-Software as a server – Each offers a different level of user flexibility and control. Saas allows users to run existing online applications. It is the easiest way of using, where off-the-shelf applications are accessed over the Internet. The advantages are Free or paid via subscription, it is accessible from any computer and able to facilitates collaborative working. However its business generic applications may not always suitable for their own business use. PAAS- Platform as a server – Allows users to create their own cloud applications using supplier – specific tools and languages. It provides environment and tools for creating new online applications. Eg. Google has Google App Engine which enables a user to build and host web application on the same system, which no need to worry about hardware. Micro soft has a Window Azure Platfor m. Salesfore has a website called Force. com which can build up and host for free. The system can be rapidly development at low cost and used Private or public deployment.However it limits developers to provider languages and tools and it also have the risk of vendor lock-in. †¢ IAAS- Infrastructure as a server – Allows users to run any applications they are please on cloud hardware of their own choice. Figure 8 – The interrelationship between the Cloud Clients and the three types of cloud computing Cloud computer deployment models [pic] There are four forms of Cloud computing applications: Public cloud Public cloud applications, storage, and other resources are made available to the general public by a service provider. These services are usually free or offered on a pay-per-use model.Generally, public cloud service providers like Microsoft and Google own and operate the infrastructure and offer access only via Internet. Other means of direct connection is not po ssible. Community cloud Community cloud shares infrastructure between several organizations from a specific community with common concerns for example security, compliance, jurisdiction, etc. , whether managed internally or by a third-party and hosted internally or externally. The costs are spread over fewer users than a public cloud, but it is more than a private cloud, so only some of the cost savings potential of cloud computing are realized.Hybrid cloud Hybrid cloud is a composition of two or more clouds; it can be private, community or public. It can remain unique entities but are bound together, offering the benefits of multiple deployment models. By utilizing â€Å"hybrid cloud† architecture, companies and individuals are able to obtain some degrees of fault tolerance combined with locally immediate usability without dependency on internet connectivity. Hybrid Cloud architecture requires both on-premises resources and remote server based cloud infrastructure.The disadv antage of Hybrid clouds is that it lacks the flexibility, security and certainty of in-house applications. Hybrid cloud provides the flexibility of in house applications with the fault tolerance and scalability of cloud based services. Private cloud Private cloud is cloud infrastructure operated solely for a single organization, whether managed internally or by a third-party and hosted internally or externally. Undertaking a private cloud project requires a significant level and degree of engagement to virtualize the business environment, and it will require the organization to re-evaluate decisions about existing resources.When it is done right, it can have a positive impact on a business, but every one of the steps in the project raises security issues that must be addressed in order to avoid serious vulnerabilities. The major disadvantage is because users â€Å"still have to buy, build, and manage them† and hence do not benefit from less hands-on management essentially the economic model that makes cloud computing such an interesting concept. 3. 0 Conclusions In conclusion, this paper finds that e-tendering has many pros and cons in the system. However we can see that the pros have exceeded the cons, i. e. he advantages are far more than disadvantages. With the breakthrough in computer technology and the advancement of science, the various problems face by the user in e-tendering now will be easily overcome very soon. As the construction industry in Singapore is one of the major industries that contributed to the nation building and giving the most impact to the economy, the benefits that brought by the e-tendering will definitely benefit the Construction Industry and Singapore national economy as a whole. However new problems may also appear and these need to be overcome continuously to bring about advancement of the system.Eventually all the other industry will be able to benefit from the achievement. 4. 0 Recommendation In view of the current situ ation in Singapore construction Industry, only the government is using e-tendering in a wide spread scale. I would like to recommend the government to initiate and set up an e-tendering system similar to the current GeBIZ system to serve the Singapore private Construction sector. The Singapore government has more than 10 years experience in the e-tendering system, they should have no problem in setting up an equal if not better e-tendering server than the Government e-tendering GeBIZ.Since setting up an e-tendering need a large initial capital investment, as a financially strong Singapore Government this should not pose any problem, moreover it will eventually benefit the economy of Singapore. In order to fully harness the benefits of e-tendering system, the main contractors must adjust and make changes to their company itself to equip with the necessary skills and resources for the e-tendering system. Contractors are recommended to train their staff to be competent in the use of e- tendering system. Companies may also engage professional consultants or experts to set up e-tendering in their company.As e-tendering has proven to be an advantage for the Main contractor to be the better competitor and increase their productivity and profits, I strongly believe that in the years to come, e-tendering will be used both by the private and government construction tendering in Singapore. 5. 0 References Bett. D. Black. P. Christensen. S. Dawson, E, Du, R. , Duncan. W. , et al. (2006). Towards secure and legal e-tendering. Journal of Information and Technology in Construction, XI. 89-102 Bourn J. (2002). Better Public Services Through e-Government. London, National Audit Office (NAO). http://www. nao. org. uk/news/0102/0102704. aspx Baldwin, A. N.Thorpe, A and Carter, C (1999). The use of electronic information exchange on Construction alliance projects. Automation in Construction. 8(6). 651-662 CRC Construction Innovation, 2006. e Tendering: Security and Legal Issues Ti ndsley G. & Stephenson P,. 2008 E-Tendering Process with Construction: UK Perspective Tsinghua Science & Technology, Bol. 13, 273-278 B. Kumar and J. C. P. Cheng (2010), Cloud Computing and its Implications for Construction IT, Computing in Civil and Building Engineering, Proceedings of International Conference. W. TIZANI (Editor). 30June – 2 July, Nottingham, UK, Nottingham University Press, Paper 158. P. 31Akintola,A. A. (2011). A survey of the State of the Art of E-tendering in Nigeria. Journal of Information Technology inConstruction, 16. 557-576. Al-Maadeed, S. (2011). Multi-evaluatins of Tenders in E-tendering System. Internatinal Conference on Technology and Business Management. 3. 201-207. Singapore government's one-stop e-procurement portal http://www. gebiz. gov. sg/. Central Government Autumn 2001 – Paper free-tendering – a 21st Century alternative – Public Service. Website http://ww. publicservice. co. uk/article. asp? publication=Central%20Go vernment (Accessed 25/06/2012) Building and Construction Authority Singapore http://www. bca. ov. sg/ ———————– 12. Tender Audit & Storage 11. Vender Registration & Rating 1. Tender Notice 10. Tender Award 2. Tender Promotion E-Tendering Cycle 9. Negotiation 3. Tender Document 8. Tender Evaluation 4. Pre Bid Meeting 5. Bid Submission 7. Tender storage & Opening 6. Payment Gateway Cloud Clients Web browser, mobile app, thin client, terminal emulator, SaaS CRM, Email, virtual desktop, communication, games, †¦ PaaS Execution runtime, database, web server, development tools, †¦ IaaS Virtual machines, servers, storage, load balancers, network, †¦ Figure 9. – The cloud computer models (Source from Google cloud computing image)

Review of Hamlet, performed in the lowry, salford quays Essay

On Wednesday 3rd of November, the A-level drama groups from Queens Park High School went to see a version of Hamlet performed in the Salford Quays Lowry theatre. Directed by Japanese Yukio Ninagawa, he has added Japanese influences into the traditional Shakespearean tragedy. The design of the set used artistic impressionism: The barbed wire represented the conflict present within his mind. As well as this it was a useful medium to cordon certain areas of the stage. The light bulbs also representing conflict, which are regularly used in Shakespearean plays; in this case used (as with the barbed wire) to evince the conflict beginning in Hamlet’s mind. The light bulbs would alight and sway to signify a monologue, and were also a type of imagery demonstrating the mind- the light bulb is commonly used to mark an idea. The doors around the edge of stage were used to replicate the idea of an open space, and gave the stage an incredible sense of vastness. By using these doors and certain lighting, the director was able to indicate different times of day: during the scene with Hamlet and the ghost, the light gradually moved around all of the doors and successfully created the feeling of a rising sun. The costumes worn by some characters appeared unusual; the ghost king (although written to be Norwegian) wore a Samurai costume, and the entertainers wore costumes relating to the native kabuki or no theatre of Japan. Shakespeare would probably have used clowns or a similar type of act to demonstrate the murder of Hamlet’s father. The reason for this stems from the Japanese director, Ninagawa, who used his own culture to influence some aspects of the play. This was interesting when it came to the setting of the play, as it did not tie with the written adaptation which -as mentioned earlier- was supposed to be based in Norway, and there were no references to this. Other costumes were used well to represent different circles within the play- royalty and those associated were dressed in red: a royal colour. Ophelia and her family originally dressed in white, possibly symbolising purity and truth, until Polonius joins the King and Queen and also dresses in red. Horatio dresses in similar plain black clothing to Hamlet, but wore a blue scarf that could have been used to differentiate him from the royal family. The two scholars that appear at the King’s request both wear grey, high-class outfits and look very much like scholars. The final groups of people to explore are the Polish army, the leader of which wore a very modern leather coat- a mark of high status and power. The major costume changes that occur are when Gertrude asks to speak to Hamlet- at which point she wears a light blue, flowing gown, representing her purity and innocence, and the underwear worn by Ophelia, showing her in a dishevelled and unkempt state. The main sound effects occurred at the beginning of each act; rolling thunder, which accompanied the swaying lights. Music was used namely in the performance by the Kabuki theatre. During Ophelia’s madness, she vocalises some sonnets written by Shakespeare. Songs are also sung by the gravediggers, although they feature only for a short while and do not contribute much to the play as a whole. Overall, the design of the play was well thought out, and the director was able to use the space, lighting, sound and costume to create a well-devised and creative atmosphere. In comparison the setting and design of the play, the acting did not contribute in such an involving way. All characters were able to project their voices, which made the audience able to competently hear what the characters where saying. But emotion and expression were lacking in many of the characters e. g. one of the most well known lines of the play ‘dear Jochum, I knew him well’ -spoken by Hamlet- was rushed and miscued. In a similar way, the characters of the King and Gertrude were greatly over-acted. The actors who demonstrated the best character development and realism were Polonius and Horatio. During the scene where Polonius ‘forgets what he was going to say’, many members of the audience believed that he had forgotten his lines, inducing laughter and amusement; exactly the reaction that Shakespeare intended. Horatio gave an excellent performance at the end of the play, producing ‘real tears’ and a very convincing sadness at the death of his best friend Hamlet. The performances of both of these characters were consistent throughout the play. Due to the barbed wire on the stage, some of the movement seemed restricted, such as the sword fight between Hamlet and Laertes, where it appeared that they accidentally knocked the wire causing it to shake and distract the attention of the audience. The body language of each character was questionable: Gertrude and the King both had over-exaggerated arm movements, whereas Hamlet appeared not to over-use large movements such as pointing and flailing arms. Polonius had an interesting twitch in his right arm, which at first appeared to be nervousness of the actor, but on further investigation, was an intentional manoeuvre used to depict his slightly psychotic character. Ophelia created madness in her character after the death of her father by moving in a lyrical fashion, as though not really aware of her motion – a successful tactic. Directors will use the versatility of the Hamlet script to create different relationships between characters, either successfully or unsuccessfully. Ninagawa made the following choices: The relationship between Polonius and Ophelia was interesting, because although at the beginning of the play Polonius chose to treat his daughter with disdain, Ophelia was quite obviously very disturbed and depressed about his death. This was perhaps conveying the true to life concept that one will love family no matter what the situation. Another relationship including Ophelia is the intimacy between herself and her brother – without knowing the characters, the audience may have been fooled into thinking that Ophelia and Laertes are lovers, as they kiss. The kiss appears to have a romantic nature rather than the kiss the audience would expect within a family kiss. This could result in the audience being ambivalent about the relationship between Ophelia and Laertes. Ninagawa does not pursue the romantic relationship between Ophelia and Hamlet or Claudius and Gertrude, which the audience would expect to see some evidence of- at one point, the actor of Gertrude tried to embrace Claudius who pushed her away, and there was very little contact between Hamlet and Ophelia. Hamlet is an interesting character within himself, showing signs of contempt towards other characters, being indecisive and uncaring. It is within the monologues that the audience is exposed to the real Hamlet, which Ninagawa has chosen to portray as acting madness, as opposed to becoming crazed. The final relationship being considered is that of Hamlet and Gertrude. At the beginning of the play, the actors did not express sort of bond, and the first contact they appear to have is in Gertrude’s closet, where she is moderately sexually harassed by Hamlet. This could have been executed in a much more perverse way, which fortunately the director did not choose to do. The acting in this version of Hamlet leaves a lot to be desired as lines were forgotten, words were misused and the some actors seemed lacking in direction. I feel that having heard the story of Hamlet after having seen the play, there was much that I misunderstood from watching and listening to the characters. Although true to the text, some of the words were spoken without expression and misinterpretation became easy attention lapsed. Having spoken to other audience members, certain key characters became easy to listen to – despite the difficult context – and even enjoy. The set and costume was admired for the provocative nature and was a success in almost all aspects. Overall, the play captured most moments that were significant either with the use of design or the skill of the able and talented actors.

Income and Substitution Effects of a Price Change Essay

Income and Substitution Effects of a Price Change - Essay Example Complete, reflexive and transitive are the axioms of consumer theory. The theory of consumer preferences can be formulated on the basis of the above axioms (Samuelson, 1956. p.3). The two axes represent a typical consumption of a consumer of goods 1 and 2. A consumption bundle (x1,x2) is taken along with the other consumption bundles that are preferred weakly to the selected bundle. This is what we mean by a set that is weakly preferred. The indifference curve is formed by the bundles forming the boundary of the selected set i.e. the bundles that will provide the consumer as much satisfaction as the selected bundle. The indifference curve can be drawn through any consumption bundle. One of the disadvantages in using indifference curve analysis is that it shows only the consumption bundle perceived by the consumer is indifferent. It fails to capture the bundles which are better or worse. One of its characteristics is indifference curve that represents distinct preferential levels cannot cross. The rate at which the consumer likes to substitute goods is called the marginal rate of substitution. MRS is derived from the slope of the indifference curve The budget constraint of the consumer is p1x1+p2x2=m. The consumption of good 1 is taxed at a rate of t. The new budget constraint will be (p1+t)x1+p2x2=m. The effect of the change in price on the demand conditions is shown in the figure below. The set of bundles that are preferred by a consumer to the optimal choice is above the indifference curve and the set of bundles that is against the affordability is above the indifference curve. Hence the optimal choice is the best bundle that can be chosen by the consumer. Now, an income tax is taken into consideration which raises the revenue by the same amount as the tax. The form of that budget constraint will be p1x1+p2x2=m-tx1*, where tx1* is the rise in revenue because of tax.

Comprehensive Designer Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Comprehensive Designer - Article Example A comprehensive designer, according to my belief has to be a designer by profession. This is necessary since involvement in various designing tasks needs to be principally based on the fundamentals of the profession such as stability and safety. In addition to having the credentials in the designing field, they should be able to handle or propose solutions to any design problem. In addition to solving the problem via scientific means, the proposed solutions should be economically viable, which means that solutions should be arrived at with regard to the available skill, material, space and durability. Although the designer may not be specialized to a given field, he or she should have some knowledge that can be passed to the nonprofessionals or students of the career. The comprehensive designer should thus be capable of applying scientific, mathematical, physical, economic, social and practical experience towards solving a problem in the discipline, regardless of the time span the solution is expected to serve (Faste, 2001). It is the designer’s responsibility to link the conceptual and physical worlds, and comprehensiveness is brought about by ensuring the resultant idea is wholesome and in accord with the criterion