The C.I.A Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The C.I.A - Research Paper Example so coincided with the alleged UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico, causing many people to believe that the creation of the agency also had to deal with the probability of extra terrestrial visitors. The main task of the Central Intelligence Agency is to gather, process and analyze situations or people, both inside and outside of the United States, that can be threatening or harmful to the United States. If the agency comes upon any information that suggests that someone is doing something harmful at the expense of the United States, they take the proper actions to ensure that nothing comes of these actions and that the person is dealt with accordingly. The agency also looks for threats that may come to an interest that the United States has in the world. In essence, the Central Intelligence Agency seeks out threats and dangers to the United States and the world and does what need to be done to prevent both negative actions and the leaking of the threat to the general public. The CIA also monitors activities that have the potential of turning dangerous, such as a foreign country creating a new nuclear power plant to produce electricity. The CIA would monitor the progress of this plant to ensure that it really is being created for the intended purpose and not for something that can prove to be harmful. The Central Intelligence Agency, in their mission of protecting the United States and the places of interest throughout the world, also helps in making the important decisions surrounding national security. The agency does not make the policies, they simply provide foreign intelligence information for the agencies and groups that do make the policies based on the information provided (Weiner, 2008). At times the agency is allowed to suggest possible policies or changes to current policies as starting points for the groups actually able to make the changes. Their sole job is gathering the information needed to make the decisions that can help keep the United States and

A hero today and yesterday Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A hero today and yesterday - Essay Example Under both of these definitions, then, Spiderman can be considered a hero. Despite the fact that he’s a fictional character, Spiderman emerged in comic book form in the 1960s in just enough time to give adolescents a courageous figure to look up to at a time when definitions being provided in the news were delivering conflicting messages regarding real-life figures to admire. Re-makes of the comic book hero into motion picture form in the 1990s has again provided children with a role model in a changing world. Although the character of Spiderman of the 60s and Spiderman of the 90s share several common characteristics, there are some significant changes that have been made to his character to meet the demands of the more worldly audience of the modern city. Whether experiencing Spiderman in the 60s or the 90s, there are several fundamental characteristics and biographical notes regarding the character that remain unchanged. That Peter Parker is a somewhat socially inept teenaged bookworm that lives with his aunt and uncle is a common theme that serves to both humanize him and to make him an approachable figure for the adolescent crowd. His difficulties adjusting to society, making a living and struggling to come to grips with himself reveal how he is just as human as the next guy. He becomes a person they can relate to by his somewhat unconscious mumblings that reveal his thoughts and his own wry sense of humor at the trouble he gets himself into. He also doesn’t set out to save the world the moment he realizes his new talents. Instead, he sets out to make money and is somewhat dragged into helping others by his human sense of what is right. Although he has hyper sensitive hearing, vision and other senses, he is a hero not becau se of the things he can do, but because of the way he uses those talents to do the things that he does. There are a few fundamental differences between the

Religious Study Exam Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Religious Study Exam - Assignment Example Meat offered to idols: meat that had been sacrificed to pagan deities and offered in the Greco-Roman world where polytheism was the main religious practice. The gods were appeased through the animal sacrifices and in turn they protected the empire. Definition B: His letter to his nephew, commonly known as Tacitus. The letters made him to make friendship with Emperor Vespasian and his letters contributed to the letters the Romans wrote to Christ’s disciples. 2. TERM: Manumission Definition A: The technical term for freeing a slave, mainly by paying the owner. Christ Hymn (in Phillipians): the passage found in Phil 2:6-11 that may have originally been a hymn sung to (or about) Christ, who gave up his divine rights to become human, lowering himself to die on a cross before God exalted him even higher than he had before. Definition B: The feelings of benevolence help us in learning how Roman slaves paid wages and bought themselves hence liberation. 3. TERM: Paidagogos Definition A : A Greek word sometimes translated as "custodian" which refers to a slave in charge of the children of a household, who was expected to watch over their care and to keep them in line Definition B: This term helps us in learning about how the Roman in the New Testament were charged with supervising the boys belonging to the better class. 4. TERM: Partition Theory Definition A: Theories of literary composition that indicate a book is comprised of several sources or texts that have been spliced together (e.g. 2 Corinthians or Phillipians) Definition B: The partition theory helps us in understanding the chronological events that have happened in the New Testament 5. TERM: Christ Hymn Definition A: A six verse that is a collection from the bible and it is mainly used as a song. Christ Hymn (in Phillipians): the passage found in Phil 2:6-11 that may have originally been a hymn sung to (or about) Christ, who gave up his divine rights to become human, lowering himself to die on a cross bef ore God exalted him even higher than he had before. Definition B: Christ hymns are used in the New Testament as songs, which are not aimed to imitate the Christ but a call to believers to act in the ways that favors the lord. PART II: PAUL’S PARTICULARS. Short essay. Write a 4-paragraph essay that answers the following questions (10 points each; 40 points total): 1. What do we know about Paul before his call to be an apostle of Jesus Christ? 2. From what key New Testament texts do we learn biographical/autobiographical information about Paul (the names of the books will suffice)? 3. What compelled Paul to become an adherent of the Jesus movement? 4. As a â€Å"servant of Jesus Christ,† does Paul still think of himself as a Jew? To what texts would you appeal in answering this question? Your essay should be no longer than ONE, double-spaced, page (200-250 words)! Paul was known as Saul before his conversion. He used to persecute anybody that preached and talked about Ch rist. Not anybody found preaching about Christ like the disciples escaped Paul’s wrath and this compelled Christ to convert Saul into Paul and that is when he began to do God’s work. The book of Galatians gives us a detailed information about Paul. Paul devotes two chapters to an autobiographical account, including his conversion, which is meant to confirm the reliability of his gospel. He underwent

The African Art Influence on Pablo Picassos Work Research Paper

The African Art Influence on Pablo Picassos Work - Research Paper Example The paper "The African Art Influence on Pablo Picasso’s Work" discusses the ways in which African art influenced the art of Pablo Picasso. It also provides examples of his artworks to support this idea. His most famous work of art was the "Les Demoiselles d' Avignon"1907 that portrayed the proto cubist as part of the movement that he had cofounded with Georges Braque. His paintings were astounding pieces of art as he demonstrated his prowess at an early age. The paintings he did carried with them the realistic aspect during his adolescent years. While in Paris, he revolutionized his tact by incepting art expressions by African artists. Picasso described artifacts from Africa as forms that did not represent ideas that existed in the natural world. For him, this was the beginning of an untainted carrier as his works stood above those of his rival artists. His style was unique, as he became one of the first artists not to draw influence from the western art. Remarkably, he became the pioneer of the new aesthetic form of communicative art that dwelled on expressions and ideas from Africa. In essence, the European Scramble for Africa aided the growth of African art in France. Traditional art found its way to France through the travels of the Frenchmen across its vast territory as part of their expeditions. Essentially, Pablo first encountered traditional African art at the Musee d’ Ethnographie, which was a museum in central Paris that interred antiques from the African continent. To other scholars and artists, this form of art was primitive2 as the continent had not yet experienced any form westernization. Ironically, Matisse, a French artist also influenced Picasso to majoring in to African art. During one of the dinners at their friend Getrude Stein, Matisse showed Picasso a Congolese piece that he had purchased from a supplier of African artifacts who went by the name Emile Heymann3. Picasso could not have enough of the piece that evening, and even tually it led him into making apiece inspired by the artwork he had seen. Les Demoiselles d ’Avignon Les Demoiselles d ’Avignon became a painting that a French critic viewed as one which had erupted from an ever-blazing fire. For instance, the fire that the critic referred to was the constant artistic battle between Matisse and Picasso. By doing the painting, Picasso tried proved to prove to the world that he was better than Matisse was. It was a reply to Matisse’s painting Le Bonheur de Vivre which he unveiled during an exhibition for the emerging artists. During the exhibition, the spotlight was on him because of the Le Bonheur de Vivre enormous piece that had captured the entire audience. This stirred up emotions in Picasso’s mind as Matisse’s painting had utilized color and form to create an incredible blend of the two concepts. As a result, Picasso did Les Demoiselles d ’Avignon as a counter attack to Matisse. The Les Demoiselles d â₠¬â„¢Avignon painting involved two stages to complete it. The first stage had the original concept of women at a Barcelonan brothel that which he had visited. The second stage of doing this painting drew inspiration from his visit to the Trocadero museum of African art, which totally revolutionized the idea. He opted to use masklike faces that synchronized with a two dimensional plane instead of the initial attractive females who were nude. The Bakota people from Gabon inspired the figures while the Dan4 people from Ivory Coast

The Book of Nehemiah Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Book of Nehemiah - Research Paper Example The setting for the book of Nehemiah is originally the court of the king in Persia. The people of Israel are still captive in Babylon. Some individuals have returned to Jerusalem with the King’s blessing to rebuild the temple. But nothing has been done to the city walls, gates and other defensive structures. Nehemiah is granted permission to travel to Jerusalem to rebuild the defenses of Jerusalem while the work on the temple continues. In Jerusalem, there is an assortment of Jews that remained behind from the initial captivity, enemies such as Amorites and Arabs, and other Jews working on the temple. Many of the Jews in Persia still had dreams of returning home while others were becoming acculturated. All of this was happening at some time between 450 BC and 400 BC. The Book of Nehemiah follows a narrative for much of the length. It was written as a history of the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem and as a witness of God’s reward for diligent effort. The book begins with Nehemiah receiving word that the construction of the temple was going as planned but was dangerous because there were no walls to protect the workers and the inhabitants of the city. This troubles Nehemiah to such a degree that King Artexerxes can tell that something is troubling Nehemiah, his steward. Nehemiah courageously tell the king what is on his mind. The king grants Nehemiah permission to rebuild the walls and provides tools, equipment and food. Nehemiah arrives and finds much of the city in ruins. Great breaches have been knocked in the walls, many gates and towers are burned and streets are impassable. Nehemiah announces his plans and immediately become an object of scorn and contempt. Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite and Gehsem the Arab were his main detractors. They said the work could never be completed. Work does begin on the walls and progresses at a very rapid pace. The enemies of Israel are amazed. They begin to issue threats against the effort to r ebuild the walls. Nehemiah records that the work continued, that half of the people stood guard while the other half worked on the construction. These threats were just one of the challenges Nehemiah needed to overcome during the reconstruction of the walls of Jerusalem. Soon, a division among the local Jews arises. Many families are concerned that they need to support the workers on the walls and that the construction is taking away sons and daughters that are needed in the fields to grow crops. They threaten to stop giving to support the work of the walls and to withhold their labor. Nehemiah convinces them that this is not the right course of action. He encourages them to first of all, forgive the debts that exist within the community. That way no one needs to fear for losing his or her land. Once the locals agree to do this, they also see the wisdom in completing the walls. They continue to sacrifice to keep constructing the walls. With the construction of the walls complete, Ne hemiah makes lists of the families living in the town surrounding Jerusalem. He takes a census according to town and family, making special note of any Levites that can officiate in the temple. In the middle of the book, Ezra takes over, the narrative stops and there is a long account of how the people of Israel are taught from the books of Moses and reestablish temple worship once again in Jerusalem.

The African Art Influence on Pablo Picassos Work Research Paper

The African Art Influence on Pablo Picassos Work - Research Paper Example The paper "The African Art Influence on Pablo Picasso’s Work" discusses the ways in which African art influenced the art of Pablo Picasso. It also provides examples of his artworks to support this idea. His most famous work of art was the "Les Demoiselles d' Avignon"1907 that portrayed the proto cubist as part of the movement that he had cofounded with Georges Braque. His paintings were astounding pieces of art as he demonstrated his prowess at an early age. The paintings he did carried with them the realistic aspect during his adolescent years. While in Paris, he revolutionized his tact by incepting art expressions by African artists. Picasso described artifacts from Africa as forms that did not represent ideas that existed in the natural world. For him, this was the beginning of an untainted carrier as his works stood above those of his rival artists. His style was unique, as he became one of the first artists not to draw influence from the western art. Remarkably, he became the pioneer of the new aesthetic form of communicative art that dwelled on expressions and ideas from Africa. In essence, the European Scramble for Africa aided the growth of African art in France. Traditional art found its way to France through the travels of the Frenchmen across its vast territory as part of their expeditions. Essentially, Pablo first encountered traditional African art at the Musee d’ Ethnographie, which was a museum in central Paris that interred antiques from the African continent. To other scholars and artists, this form of art was primitive2 as the continent had not yet experienced any form westernization. Ironically, Matisse, a French artist also influenced Picasso to majoring in to African art. During one of the dinners at their friend Getrude Stein, Matisse showed Picasso a Congolese piece that he had purchased from a supplier of African artifacts who went by the name Emile Heymann3. Picasso could not have enough of the piece that evening, and even tually it led him into making apiece inspired by the artwork he had seen. Les Demoiselles d ’Avignon Les Demoiselles d ’Avignon became a painting that a French critic viewed as one which had erupted from an ever-blazing fire. For instance, the fire that the critic referred to was the constant artistic battle between Matisse and Picasso. By doing the painting, Picasso tried proved to prove to the world that he was better than Matisse was. It was a reply to Matisse’s painting Le Bonheur de Vivre which he unveiled during an exhibition for the emerging artists. During the exhibition, the spotlight was on him because of the Le Bonheur de Vivre enormous piece that had captured the entire audience. This stirred up emotions in Picasso’s mind as Matisse’s painting had utilized color and form to create an incredible blend of the two concepts. As a result, Picasso did Les Demoiselles d ’Avignon as a counter attack to Matisse. The Les Demoiselles d â₠¬â„¢Avignon painting involved two stages to complete it. The first stage had the original concept of women at a Barcelonan brothel that which he had visited. The second stage of doing this painting drew inspiration from his visit to the Trocadero museum of African art, which totally revolutionized the idea. He opted to use masklike faces that synchronized with a two dimensional plane instead of the initial attractive females who were nude. The Bakota people from Gabon inspired the figures while the Dan4 people from Ivory Coast

Build-a-Bear Summary Analysis Essay Example for Free

Build-a-Bear Summary Analysis Essay Build-A-Bear workshop stores were first established in 1996 by Maxine Clark whose influence came from former CEO of May Department Stores who had stated, â€Å"Retailing is entertainment and the store is a stage when customers are happy, they spend more money† ( Dess, c261). Build-A-Bear’s intentions were to differentiate themselves by giving people the feeling of bringing their teddy bear to life. You could give it a heart, a name, a wardrobe and many other personal touches. Build-A-Bear is about two things, â€Å"entertainment and customization† (c261). At the time of its introduction, following their differentiation strategy, there was not much competition for customized children’s toys. However, after the concept of customization caught on they faced competition from companies such as American Girl and Vermont Teddy Bear. American Girl was marketed to young girls who could make dolls that look like them and even buy matching clothes that the girls and the dolls could both wear. One advantage that Build-A-Bear had against American Girl was the fact that they marketed to all genders and appealed to a wide variety of ages. Parents would bring their young children, both boys and girls in to make dolls and teenagers would bring their boyfriend or girlfriends in to make customized bears as presents. You could even build a bear for your parent or grandparent. As the Build-A-Bear company grew they faced problems, such as a changing industry and a changing market which left them losing edge in their financials. Environmental Analysis. Build-A-Bear started with a handful of stores and it grew to 150 by the end of 2003. They capitalized on the upward trending consumer demand around the holidays when they would rent space in busy malls for their pop up stores. These temporary stores brought increased revenue and gave the company the idea for its current corporate strategies of expanding to more permanent stores. They had 344 stores in the US, UK, and Canada by 2010. They set goals that would allow a Build-A-Bear store to be within 30 miles of 75% of the US population. Though these new permanent stores usually paid for themselves within the first year their â€Å"wow factor† and financial performance quickly diminished time and time again. This no loss expansion worked while saturating the market but was not cutting it when their market further matured. A main reason for the growth is because new stores brought in greater profits which gave the impression that rapid expansion was a wise strategy. They may have expanded too fast though. They lacked the necessary ingredient in producing repeat customers and this was becoming a major problem while strict reliance on overexpansion seemed to be clouding the fact they needed another competitive advantage in the quickly changing toy industry to stay competitive. The real question was how to increase repeat customers and/or increase profitability of their current operating stores. We devised two solutions that could help BearFinancials alleviate the problem of their not so attractive earnings beyond the first years. Strategic Alternatives Alternative Solution #1. One option to get the finances in line would be a retrenchment/turnaround strategy in which the underperforming stores would be closed freeing up resources to explore other options for expansion into different markets. Very similar to Subway and Starbucks, Build-a-Bear wanted a store close to a large percentage of the population and expanded too far and the companies saw it hurt their finances. Build-A-Bear has the unique features to be a thriving, profitable company for a long time but it needs to be careful not to expand too far where it cannot maintain its current culture and core competencies and this can be done by reducing costs through restructuring. Closing underperforming stores and exploring destinations like international airports where people from all over the world will see their product would be a good starting place. Since people do not frequent the airport so much as other retail establishments they could continuously capitalize on the â€Å"wow factor† because new people would be subjected to their stores every day. By reducing fixed costs and exploring new marketplaces Build-a-Bear should be able to boost financials immediately with little investment. Alternative Solution #2. The next solution would be to fashion a new line of accessories and programs that promote repeat consumer visits. Build-A-Bear needs to be viewed as a collectible and something worth traveling for. This was not the case which was why stores started to lacking performance after being open a certain amount of time. Accessories and maintenance programs could be a way to get people to continue to give Build-A-Bear business even f they are not actually purchasing a new bear. Implementing new programs such as wardrobe changes, where people would come back to get Bear-makeover, would bring repeat customers. These programs could offer matching apparel for the bears and the kids who own them. Children and their bears could then wear matching t-shirts which could also first time sales from consumers ‘marketing’ the product. Another idea would be a BearWash. Children can be hard on their stuffed animals and sometimes they end up getting dirty. They could set up a â€Å"bear wash† where people would bring their furry friends in for a fur-flush and get it back all nice and clean. All of which would be geared at upselling the consumer upon return in order to maximize on that repeat visit. Initial investment would be substantial due to acquiring clothing line and additional costs to provide repeat programs. Recommendation Alternative solution #1 would be the best choice for Build-A-Bear at this time. By cutting underperformers they will save millions in fixed costs alone. They could then use this money to expand into locations such as airports and hospitals where it will be easier to maintain that ‘new’ appeal that made the company so much money in the first place. This solution requires the least investment in a monetary sense. Underperforming stores should be closed immediately upon identification and new stores should be in operating order by the end of this calendar year. Build-a-Bear has the right ingredients for continued success they just have to strategically place themselves in markets with the most exposure to non-repeat customers in order to maintain high operating margins beyond the first years. By reducing number of stores in operation they can concentrate on staying profitable and advancing into the future where they will then have the means to pursue other avenues such as improving repeat customer sales described in alternative #2. The focus now should be to stop wasteful spending on underperforming stores as soon as possible in order to open up more possibilities and greater flexibility in the future.