Hydro Power Essay Example for Free

Hydro Power Essay Worldwide, hydropower plants produce about 24 percent of the worlds electricity and supply more than 1 billion people with power. The worlds hydropower plants output a combined total of675,000 megawatts, the energy equivalent of 3.6 billion barrels of oil, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. There are more than 2,000 hydropower plants operating in the United States, making hydropower the countrys largest renewable energy source. In this article, well take a look at how falling water creates energy and learn about the hydrologic cycle that creates the water flow essential for hydropower. You will also get a glimpse at one unique application of hydropower that may affect your daily life. 1.INTRODUCTION The basic principle of hydropower is that if water can be piped from a certain level to a lower level, then the resulting water pressure can be used to do work. If the water pressure is allowed to move a mechanical component then that movement involves the conversion of the potential energy of the water into mechanical energy. Hydro turbines convert water pressure into mechanical shaft power, which can be used to drive an electricity generator, a grinding mill or some other useful device. 2.HistoryThe use of falling water as a source of energy is known for a long time. In the ancient times waterwheels were used already, but only at the beginning of the nineteenth century with the invention of the hydro turbine the use of hydropower got a new impulse.Small-scale hydropower was the most common way of electricity generating in the early 20th century. In 1924 for example in Switzerland nearly 7000 small scale hydropower stations were in use. The improvement of distribution possibilities of electricity by means of high voltage transmission lines caused fainted interest in small scale hydropower.Renewed interest in the technology of small scale hydropower started in China. Estimates say that between 1970 and 1985 nearly 76,000 small scale hydro stations have been built there! 3.Advantages and disadvantagesHydropower is a very clean source of energy. It does not consume but only uses the water, after use it is available for other purposes (although on a lower horizontal level). The conversion of the potential energy of water into mechanical energy is a technology with a high efficiency (in most cases double that of conventional thermal power stations).The use of hydropower can make a contribution to savings on exhaustible energy sources. Each 600 kWh of electricity generated with a hydro plant is equivalent to 1 barrel of oil (assuming an efficiency of 38 % for the conversion of oil into electricity). The main advantages of hydropower are: * power is usually continuously available on demand, * given a reasonable head, it is a concentrated energy source, * the energy available is predictable, * no fuel and limited maintenance are required, so running costs are low (compared with diesel power) and in many cases imports are displaced to the benefit of the local economy, * it is a long-lasting and robust technology; systems can last for 50 years or more without major new investments.Against these, the main shortcomings are: * it is a site specific technology and sites that are well suited to the harnessing of water power and are also close to a location where the power can be economically exploited are not very common, * there is always a maximum useful power output available from a given hydropower site, which limits the level of expansion of activities which make use of the power, * river flows often vary considerably with the seasons, especially where there are monsoon-type climate s and this can limit the firm power output to quite a small fraction of the possible peak output, * lack of familiarity with the technology and how to apply it inhibits the exploitation of hydro resources in some areas. 4.From water to WattsTo know the power potential of water in a river it is necessary to know the flow in the river and the available head.The flow of the river is the amount of water (in m3 or litres) which passes in a certain amount of time a cross section of the river. Flows are normally given in cubic meters per second (m3/s) or in litres per second (l/s).Head is the vertical difference in level (in meters) the water falls down.The theoretical power (P) available from a given head of water is in exact proportion to the head H and the flow Q.P=Q Ãâ€" H Ãâ€" c c = constantThe constant c is the product of the density of water and the acceleration due to gravity (g).If P is measured in Watts, Q in m3/s and H in meters, the gross power of the flow of water is:P=1000 Ãâ€" 9.8 Ãâ€" Q Ãâ€" HThis available power will be converted by the hydro turbine in mechanical power. As a turbine has an efficiency lower than 1, the generated power will be a fraction of the available gross power. Applications. Hydro power is also utilised by large scale companies as a private use. Many large mining companies or aluminium manufacturers use vast amounts of electrical so rather than buying from the state they can generate their own power by using hydro power generation.

Impact of imaginative play on young children

Impact of imaginative play on young children Play is a fundamental aspect of early childhood. Through play, young children can begin to explore and understand the world around them from an early age, whilst simultaneously gaining a sense of enjoyment from what they are saying and doing. Piaget (1962), cited in Ariel (2002), identified four general developmental stages of play; these increase in complexity as the child matures. These stages are, in chronological order: functional play, constructive play, imaginative play and games with rules. Therefore, it can be argued that imaginative play, as part of a sequence, builds on the skills learnt and nurtured through constructive play, and prepares children for play situations involving rules and other constraints. Bodrova (2008), however, disagrees with this notion by arguing that rules must be an integral part of imaginative play. These rules are not determined by the children themselves, but by the constraints of the imaginary roles that they are playing. It is therefore possible that, in many cases, imaginative play overlaps into other types of play and incorporates more advanced and regulated thought processes than may be superficially apparent when observing what happens during imaginative play. What happens during imaginative play? Vygotsky (1986), cited in Bodrova (2008), emphasises that three elements need to be present for a play situation to be defined as imaginative: an imaginary situation, the playing of roles and the formulation of rules intrinsic to each assigned role. Singer (1994) echoes this sentiment by stressing the point that one or more children playing roles does not, in itself, constitute imaginative play: this is a misconception held by many people, including early years educators. The use of the word imaginary is, however, misleading to a certain extent. According to observations by Dockett (1998), the majority of make-believe situations do not take place in fantasy worlds with fairies and monsters; rather, they are situations drawn from the childs own memories and experiences. These can be, but are not restricted to, examples of what they have seen and heard at home and school. Another view of what constitutes imaginative play is held by Ariel (2002), who regards it as a kind of mental activity rather than a genre of external behaviour. More emphasis is placed on the thought processes required to create an imaginary situation than the words and actions involved during its enactment. These involve a child bringing mental images to life and identifying how they are being represented in real life, but also acknowledging that they are doing it for fun. It is the simultaneous combination of these thought processes that differentiate imaginative play from other types of play such as functional and constructive play. It can therefore be argued that the child must have reached a certain level of cognitive functionality to be able to think in such an ambivalent way about the way they are playing. However, no specific mention of the manipulation of and interaction with objects is made in either of these definitions. Although the use of objects is not a prerequisite of imaginative play, they can play a major part in the visualisation and representation of a fantasy (Tsao, 2002). Such objects could include, but are by no means limited to: toys, movable objects such as chairs and boxes, immovable objects such as tables and beds, and costumes. Smith (1995) discusses the way that, in imaginative play, objects can be transformed into other things to perpetuate the fantasy. However, no recognition is made of the way in which objects, once transformed, can assume different properties, such as size and shape, depending on both the imaginary situation and the type of imaginative play taking place. What types of imaginative play are there? Imaginative play is one of the general developmental stages of play. However, there are substages within this level that are dependent upon the childs mental development. Ariel (2002) identifies three stages: firstly, solitary play, where the child enacts everyday experiences; secondly, parallel play, where the child starts to introduce other characters to their experiences (although the child always plays the central role); and thirdly, sociodramatic play, which is much more structured and less self-centred. Each of these substages is assigned to different years of the childs life, although it must be stressed that these are approximations based on Ariels view of how well developed the average child should be at each stage. Furthermore, these stages appear to be discrete; it is not made clear how one level develops into the next, and what internal or external factors cause this development. In contrast, Dockett (1998) states that there are only two types of imaginative play: simple and complex. According to his observations, there must be six distinct elements present for it to be considered complex play: imitative role-play; make-believe with objects; make-believe with actions and situations; persistence; interaction; and verbal communication. There are no classifications made between these two extremes; from this, it can be concluded that, if one or more elements cannot be observed, then it is simple play. Another important point to consider is that, unlike Ariels stages of imaginative play, no clear timescale is given regarding the age and developmental stage of the child with relation to these two stages of imaginative play. However, the two elements of interaction and verbal communication suggest that more developmentally advanced forms of imaginative play can only take place when a child is involved with other children, rather than playing independently. Imaginative play can take place with or without objects or props (Singer, 1994). Singer argues that non-toy objects, such as chairs and cardboard boxes, are used more frequently in all types of imaginative play than objects defined as toys, such as dolls and model cars. The reason for this is that toys are often limited in the number of functions they can serve in the childs imagination due to their close link with reality. Taking the aforementioned model car as an example, it looks like a real car (but is obviously considerably smaller). It would be difficult to transform it into any other object or creation. Similarly, it is limited in its functionality; it can be pushed or pulled around on different surfaces, but it cannot effectively interact with other objects in general. Conversely, the simple cardboard box provides a range of possibilities for transformation and interaction, as illustrated by an observation by Singer (1994): upon seeing the box, a child calls another to say, I ts the best toy ever! Its a fort and a space shuttle, a bus, a pirate ship, a sled, a clubhouse, and a castle. What is not clarified, however, is the authors opinion on whether or not the use of toys is beneficial, both to imaginative play itself, and to developing young childrens skills and attributes. What skills and attributes can be developed as a result of imaginative play? During the early years of childrens lives, it is important that they develop a range of skills and attributes that will further their development both in and out of school. Broadly speaking, these skills and attributes fall into three categories: social, emotional and cognitive. According to Tsao (2002), childrens participation in imaginative play can facilitate their integration into peer groups through the elements of collaboration and interaction, which are in turn underpinned by verbal and non-verbal communication. This benefit is, however, dependent on the child being at the stage where they choose to play with others rather than independently. Ariel (2002) builds on this concept of collaboration in particular by arguing that children often transfer conflicts to the realm of imagination. This involves resolving personal differences that may arise during imaginative play without breaking character or leaving the confines of the imaginary situation. By doing this, the children are able to continue playing together without the risk of altercation in reality. It can be argued that this type of interaction can initiate the development of rudimentary diplomacy and empathy skills, even at a relatively early age. A different view is held by Bodrova (2008), who believes that such forms of social development, whilst important in their own right, cannot be realised without the prior building blocks of emotional development. She argues that self-esteem and self-confidence are the two emotions that benefit the most through imaginative play, and the best way to start this process is to play independently with objects and toys rather than with others. However, no distinct link is made between the stages of individual and shared play: it is unclear how these emotions, particularly self-confidence, can be developed without some form of initial interaction. Singer (1994), on the other hand, takes the view that the most important aspect of imaginative play is the way in which it brings both pleasure and a large degree of emotional satisfaction to the child or children participating in it. This serves to highlight the issue that, above all, imaginative play should be fun. Through this sense of enjoyment, children will benefit emotionally without being aware of it. It can therefore be argued that the childs need for emotional fulfilment can be a reason for, as well as a consequence of, imaginative play. Opinions are divided regarding the most significant benefit to childrens cognitive development through imaginative play. Smith (1995) and Tsao (2002) emphasise the strong link between imaginative play and creativity. Although it could be argued that this connection is self-evident, due to the intrinsically creative nature of imaginative play, it is nevertheless important to acknowledge its existence. Another important point to note is the fact that children can also develop creativity outside the medium of play by, for example, writing stories and drawing pictures. Imaginative play, while important in its own right, is simply one part of the whole process of developing creativity in children. Conversely, Singer (1994) and Ariel (2002), whilst accepting the potential benefits to childrens creative skills, believe that the development of academically related skills is a more significant consequence of imaginative play. These include, but are by no means limited to, the enhancement of vocabulary by practising new words (Singer, 1994) and the advancement of basic decision-making skills (Ariel, 2002). In imaginative play, children need to identify what objects are (especially if they have been transformed to suit the imaginary situation), what different places and characters are called, and so on. These words will be used repeatedly throughout the play episode; therefore, it is not only good practice for children to say and hear them, but it also facilitates effective verbal communication and keeps the imaginary situation going. In addition, situations frequently arise where children, whilst playing a role, need to make choices regarding, for example, how to react to something someone else has said or done, what object to use, or where to go next. As before, this decision-making process, which is often quick and well improvised, according to observations by Ariel (2002), is another essential way to keep the imaginary situation going. These skills, along with many others, can be beneficial to the childrens holistic development, not only in an imaginative play situation, but also in other areas of their lives. Are these skills and attributes transferable to other areas of the childrens lives? The skills and attributes developed in imaginative play can also be beneficial both to the development of the childs state of mind and their behaviour, particularly with regard to what is required of them as they advance through the education system. Singer (1994) holds the belief that children can sustain themselves in periods of stress with the hope generated from such imagined explorations. This stress could be caused by any of a number of contributory factors, such as an increased academic workload or an unsettled home life. However, imaginative play allows children to detach themselves from reality, albeit on a temporary basis. According to research by Ariel (2002), this time out can have a calming effect on the child, by pacifying them and providing them with ways out of their emotional entanglements. What is unclear, however, is how long this calming effect continues. The question remains of whether the use of imaginative play for this purpose of emotional detachment is a long -term solution to stress-related issues, or merely a short-term fix. Revisiting an earlier theme, Bodrova (2008) states that rules, determined by the roles played by the children, are an integral part of imaginative play. She extends this point by arguing that this following of rules can contribute to a childs readiness for formal schooling, where they will have to abide by sets of class and school rules. During their participation in imaginative play, the child has to promote their intentional behaviours and follow the directions of others so that the imaginary situation can progress. According to research by Blair (2002), cited in Bodrova (2008), the practice of this self-regulation of behaviour by playing by the rules in imaginative play often transfers itself to non-play contexts where predetermined sets of rules exist, such as formal classroom settings. The child will be more inclined to follow these new sets of rules, and their behaviour will improve as a consequence. One other important behavioural aspect, particularly with regard to younger children, is paying attention and the ability to concentrate. Generally speaking, younger children have a much shorter attention span than older children (Dockett, 1998). It is important for children to be attentive and focused when they are faced with formalised situations later on in their schooling, such as assemblies and tests. According to research by Smith (1995), participation in imaginative play focuses childrens minds on the situation in hand, and they become totally immersed in the roles they are playing. One observation by Smith (1995) was of a group of children playing castles. One child was allocated the task of sentry duty: this involved keeping watch from the top of the castle while some other children played soldiers going about their daily business inside the castle. The sentrys role was to warn the soldiers if the enemy (played by three other children) was approaching. The child playing the sentry role considered his task to be highly important, and was able to maintain a high level of concentration throughout, pretending to look in all directions and scanning the imaginary horizon. Smith (1995) argues that these higher concentration and attention levels in imaginative play will permeate into non-play contexts. However, it can be argued that this will not necessarily happen in the case of all children, because acting in an imaginary role is one matter; behaving in real-life situations is another matter entirely. Much depends on the character and personality of the child, and the behaviour expected of the child by the adults in their life. What roles can early years practitioners, parents and other adults take in imaginative play? Imaginative play can happen in any setting, both in childrens school and home lives. According to the evidence gathered so far, the same opinion is shared: it is important for adults to play some sort of role in childrens imaginative play. However, opinion is divided on the issue in two key respects: the level and timing of intervention, and the purpose of intervention. With regard to the level and timing of intervention, Singer (1994) believes that parents and practitioners should initiate imaginative play and then step back and allow the children to play on their own. In effect, the adults give the children an initial idea, and the imaginative play stems from this stimulus. This is not necessary in all cases, however, as many children will formulate their own ideas independently. Conversely, Bodrova (2008) takes the view that all children, regardless of the development of their play skills, require higher levels of adult mediation if they are to benefit from imaginative play in any social, emotional or cognitive way. As a reasonable proportion of imaginary situations are drawn from the childs past personal experiences (Dockett, 1998), one possible way to address this issue is to take an active approach by introducing the children to new experiences (Bodrova, 2008). These can include field trips to suitable locations, and child-friendly books and v ideos that relate to suitable, interesting topics. This will give children a greater knowledge base from which to draw their imaginary situations and characters, thus increasing the variety of their imaginative play. With regard to the purpose of intervention, children can be advised, if necessary, on how to construct imaginary situations and enact imaginary roles. This often takes the form of the modelling of play skills (Ariel, 2002; Tsao, 2002), such as co-operation and the invention of characters. This is particularly important if the child has shown themselves to be less advanced in these areas. This is not necessary in all cases; sometimes, childrens play skills may have developed independently and instinctively. In contrast, Smith (1995) believes that the most important reason for adult involvement in imaginative play is to facilitate the achievement of particular educational and instructional goals. He argues that imaginative play has a better chance of nurturing key life skills if the adults in the childrens lives encourage it and participate in it whenever possible. One active way for adults to participate in this developmental process is to take the child out for walks in order to teac h them about the world around them, highlighting points of interest along the way, and answering any questions the child may have about what they can see, hear and so on. This will assist in the development of key life skills such as confidence and the awareness of ones surroundings. In addition, this helps to expand the childs knowledge base through questions and simple explanations. All of these qualities will be important in the childs home and school life in the future. Further research questions In what kinds of ways can objects in imaginative play contexts assume different properties? At what age or stage of development do children engage in simple and complex play? Is it preferable to use toys and other objects in imaginative play? If so, why? If not, why not? How effective is the participation in imaginative play as a long-term solution to stress-related issues? Do any theorists believe that imaginative play should have minimal or no adult mediation or involvement? If so, who and why?

Aids and its History :: Free AIDS Essays

For the fast several years an AIDS vaccine has been the key focus in AIDS research. While the government sees the vaccine as a termination to the disease, but a portion of the public along with many renowned scientists from around the world would argue against a vaccine. The United Nations and the US military have threatened to administer a mandatory vaccine to children at the age of 12 and all military employees. Reports predict a massive resistance to a mandatory AIDS vaccine in the US. (www.newsmax.shtml) The Committtee to Protect Medical Freedom warned that the vaccine would infact put more people at risk of contracting the deadly disease. AIDS is not like polio or smallpox, which can occur randomly without any warning; the public already knows how to avoid this disease.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Coverage of ‘promising’ vaccines is extremely misleading, and those being tested so far appear harmful and dangerous. (newsmax.com) Even with the disparencies surrounding these vaccines, the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases is sponsoring an HIV vaccine test on babies born to HIV-infected mothers. The program has admitted that a small percentage of their trial applicants have indeed become infected, but now have access to the best medical care available. The available data on such vaccines gives no basis for testing on humans. Scientists and Government officials have been debating on this issue for many years now. However, the divergence of AIDS and HIV has a long and tedious history full of twists and turns and dead end roads.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Little to nothing was known about AIDS when it first erupted in the late 1970s. When the epidemic finally reached noticeable proportions in the early 1980s, numerous hypotheses emerged. â€Å"Theories attempting to explain the origin of the disease ranged from the comic to the bizarre: a deadly germ escaped from a CIA laboratory: God sent the plague down to punish homosexuals and drug addicts: it came from outer space, riding on the tail of a comet.† (newdawnmagazine.com) Though some of the theories were outlandish, a few hold ample evidence. Among the theories dismissed and rejected by the government were those of covert human medical experimentation and primate viruses. The government ignored all the dangerous viral creations that were genetically altered for cancer research, vaccine research, and secret biological warfare. (newdawnmagazine.com) There are claims that the polio vaccine given to Africans in the late 1950s was prepared using chimp kidney cel ls that were contaminated with the ancestor virus of HIV.

Lawrences The Horse Dealers Daughter versus a Soap Opera :: essays research papers

D.H. Lawrence's "The Horse Dealer's Daughter" could be described as a story in which boy meets girl. Its plot, on the surface, resembles that of any number of traditionally romantic pastorals: a country boy saves a country girl from drowning, sees something in her that he never saw before, and, at the end of the story, proposes marriage. In this day, this story would get made into a soap opera, and would be called ?Mabel?. This story deals with everyday soap life and has the thick plot that only soap can hold a candle to. In this story, the horse dealer's daughter is a young woman named Mabel, who has recently discovered that her family has lost all its money, her brothers can go off and make their own way in the world, but Mabel has nowhere to go. There are a few options open to her -- going to live with a sister, becoming a servant -- but she has run her family's household ever since her mother's death and none of these options are acceptable to her. Her third option is introduce, while Mabel is cutting the grass around her mother?s grave. This option is what brings the soap form dry and boring, to a matter of ?life and death?, going to her mother literally, through death, rather than just figuratively through a sense of unity with the departed one. This is also the part when the man, who is Dr. Jack Fergusson, comes in and sweeps her off of her feet. Now logic would tell us that the reason Jack felt free to undress Mabel was that he is a doctor. Doctors do not look at naked women in the same way as, for example, a lover would, there is absolutely no reason to believe that he has ever looked at Mabel lustfully, or even lovingly, before. But Lawrence seems to argue that by plucking the doomed Mabel out of the water, by bringing her back into the world, Jack has assumed responsibility for her. The most traditional way for a young unmarried man to assume responsibility for a young unmarried woman is to marry her. Consequently Mabel assumes that Jack must love her, since he has brought her back to the world of the living and purports to take care of her. The fact that he has removed her clothes (as a husband would) only seals their compact.

Iranian Education Essay -- Iran Middle East

Iranian Education: From Modernization to Traditionalism An education system, because of its purpose as the shaper of the future, is a good indicator of what is going on within a country politically and culturally. The history of the Iranian education system showed change as the ideological values of the country shifted with each new regime change in the mid twentieth century. Iran, as a country, went from a country focused on modernization and secularization under the Reza Shah, to a country focused on traditional Islamic values under the new government established after the Islamic Revolution of 1977-791. These changes shifted the very purpose of education, its impact on women (in arguably negative or positive ways), and its literature. The shift in political focus from modernism to religious traditionalism can also be seen in how religion is taught in Iran, especially compared with different countries around the world. The history of the Iranian education system from 1907-1977 is one that is filled with problems. In 1907, Iran established a Ministry of Science and Art to control all areas of education, even religious education. In 1910, this ministry was reorganized and renamed the Ministry of Education, and given more power to set laws and guidelines for education, religious and secular. This body was not necessarily effective in setting new guidelines for Iranian schools. The main problem was overcoming was the lack of qualified, quality teachers (Szyliowicz 176- 7). After 1925, the Shah2 built many new schools and tried to revitalize the educational system. This effort was hampered again, by lack of qualified teachers (Szyliowicz 231), a lack of coherent ideology (Szyliowicz 232), and a program of edu... ...ern Iran. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1992. Rivard, Jean-Franà §ois and Massimo Amadio. â€Å"Teaching Time Allocated to Religious Education in Official Timetables.† Prospects 33 (2003): 211-217. Shavarini, Mitra K. â€Å"Misconceptions about Islam and Women’s Education: Lessons learned from the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI).† International Education. 33.1 (Fall 2003): 40(11). Gender Watch. Proquest. Univ Mass Amherst. 10 Feb 2006. . Szyliowicz, Joseph S. Education and Modernization in the Middle East. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1973. UNESCO. Integration of Technology and Vocational Education into Special Needs Education. Austria, Colombia, Iran, Tunisia. Geneva: Imprimeries Popularies, 1977. Zia, Rukhsana. â€Å"Religion Education in Pakistan: An Overview.† Prospects. 22 (2003): 165-178.

Aboriginal and Western Conceptions of Land

The Aborigines are historically considered as the indigenous people of the Australian continent because no other history about this race has been discovered except from their dwelling place. According to archaeological excavations, the Australian continent has been inhabited by human beings for at least 50,000 years and the Aborigines have always claimed that they have lived here since the era of creation.Although this belief gives room for Aboriginal oral traditions, stories have often occurred about ancestral figures that arrived here by canoe from overseas. For many years, the Australian Aborigines were able to live a hunter and gatherer type of lifestyle largely because such a lifestyle was not only suitable for this dry continent, but also because European –agricultural lifestyle was to fail drastically here.The pre-historic Aborigine population had food-rich habits such as large inland rivers, lakes and the coasts that enabled large groups of these people to live togethe r for a certain duration; a style of living that remained stable for over 50,000 years until 1788 when Europeans established settlement in this land and led to a near fatal impact on the Aboriginal way of life.This began a grueling battle of recognition and claim for ancestral land ownership among the Aborigines as the white settlers set out to acquire all the land that they considered unused or vacant (Jupp 2001, pp.4-5).Aboriginal Vs Western conceptions of landLong before the white settlers arrived in Australia, the Aboriginal people had very well-developed law systems that were underpinned by the people’s relationship to the land; a relationship that has been characteristic of Aboriginal spirituality for a long time. Through ‘The Dreaming’ or Aboriginal Customary Law, the law was prescribed for the land as well as its inhabitants. According to The Dreaming, the landscape originated from the activities of spirit beings and all the land was therefore a sacred si te.Traditional Aboriginal conceptions of land revolved around communal land occupation and use. Continuity of land ownership did not require any legal documentation and was passed from generation to generation through oral traditions. According to these people, control over land use has always been central to self-determination and this explains the reason why they have always demanded to be given the opportunity to have control over land use as the only means of sustaining their economic, social and community viability (Bourke et al,. 1998, pp.56, 81; Zimmer 2006).The year 1788 is significant in Aboriginal history though negatively; because it was the beginning of great loss and suffering for these people due to the invasion of their land by British white settlers. For about 2 centuries, Europeans held this prevailing idea that Aborigines were parasitically living off the land without making any investment in it.This concept was suited to the British legal system theory that unused or unoccupied land was there for the taking. Yet some European settlers had a different view that the Aborigines had for a long time been able to manage the country towards long-term agricultural productivity and suggested that it was the European strategies of land-use that were to blame for diminishing productivity. When the European settlers arrived in Australia, they developed the concept of distributing the Aboriginal population within several states.This notion of gathering together and moving the Aborigines became a central issue to the colonial as well as state government policies beginning from mid-twentieth century. Governments encouraged missionaries and private citizens to gather up the Aborigines and settle them into organized European-style communities. During the early 20th century, governments also engaged in setting up their own settlements to which they moved the Aborigines (Jupp 2001, pp. 9, 14)Early European settlers held a general view that they belonged to a c ulture that was more superior to the Aborigines and their acquisition of the unsettled land would apparently help to create a superior nation. Australia’s population was also quite low and to fully utilize the large tracts of agricultural land, the European settlers introduced the grazing of animals such as cattle and sheep on the landscape to substitute economic production for export.This created competition for land between the Aboriginal people and their indigenous animals and the newly introduced European animals. The piedmont plains, flood plains and foothills especially in Central Australia were most vital as a source of water and residence for the Aborigines. Competition fro grazing land drastically reduced the number of animal species on the land and subsequently interfered with the source of proteins for the Aborigines.European settlement led to dramatic and significant changes in Aboriginal population distribution and location through either forced migrations, or th rough moves that were instigated and enforced by the government (Jupp 2001, p.12; Bourke et al., p.5; Flood 2007, p.27).

Two Statuettes of Two Worshipers

â€Å"Two Statuettes of two worshipers†, from the Square Temple at Eshnunna (modern Tell Asmar), Iraq, ca. 2700 BCE. Ever since the beginning of time man has always had an eye for art. They have always been fascinated by what they see. For the most part art has to this day great meaning. Ranging from a person’s play toy to a sculpture opening people’s eyes to a flash back in time where Gods ruled. The art work I chose â€Å"two Statuettes of two worshipers†, from the Square Temple at Eshnunna (modern Tell Asmar), Iraq, ca. 2700 BCE. Gypsum inlaid with shell and black limestone, male figure approximately 2’6’’ high. This peace symbolizes something quite important it shows man’s transition from the wild to civilized society. These statuettes demonstrate how religion and social standings play a giant role in people’s lives and artwork. Man started off Living spot to spot following food whether in animal meat or plants. Never had they stopped and lived in a central place for a long period of time. The Neothithic Revolution came to be c8000-6000 BCE. Where people stopped there day to day nomadic lifestyle and actually set up a Civilization. This started in Mesopotamia known as the land between two rivers. With a civilization came Upper classes, Domestication of animals, and Specialization of labor. Unfortunately Mesopotamia had no natural defenses so large varieties of people lived there because of the takeovers from wars. Sumerians coming from Mesopotamia (now known as southern Iraq) were the people most known because of their invention of writing. The writing known as cuneiform, using pictorial language to keep track of transactions. Ancient Sumer was made up of a dozen or so independent city states so it was not unified. Along with civilization came religion and social classes. Who were early humans praising? They were praising the Gods. As for social classes it was rulers and priests at the top then laborers came under them. The Sumerians constructed ziggurats. The ziggurats acted as a place of worshiping the Gods. But the downside was that not just anyone was allowed inside. It was only available to the worshipped or the priests. At this period in time female goddesses were still worshipped. This was due to the fact that a female can reproduce and give life. The art I chose reflected an offering and sort of gift for the female goddess Inanna. The two sculptures were said to be given as a gift for divine bringing, these types of statues often came with the name of the donor and the God or specific prayers to the deity of the owner’s behalf. Looking at the â€Å"two Statuettes of two worshipers† before analyzing anything on them a person must first look at the art piece with no emotion, basically say everything you see on the surface. The man on the left has big eyes, his hands together, he seems to have no shirt on, he’s wearing a skirt reaching a little under his knees, he has a long beard, standing on his tip toes, and is made of what looks to be light brown. On the right side there is a woman with big eyes as well, she has much smaller hands then the male, she is wearing a hat, she’s wearing a fairly long dress, she is holding something in her left hand, is standing on a platform with a stick off to the right, is on her tip toes and seems to be light brown like the male. Looking at them both the women seems to have smaller features such as her hands, platform and overall size. The male has more of his body exposed such as more of his lags and torso. As for the sculptures they are both sculptures in the round. This means the artwork can be seen 360 degrees. When civilized society came to be, artwork no longer (as much as before) was only about animals or things in the wild. The philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel believed that art was a memory of man’s view of nature. Art is a kind of flashback to the original human in nature. When civilization came in people started to sculpt and make art of themselves, just like â€Å"two Statuettes of two worshipers† because people were no longer leaders of nature but leaders of themselves. This lead to self-painting/sculpting or of other people. Now viewing â€Å"two Statuettes of two worshipers† off the book Gardner’s art through the ages: The western perspective (12th edition). It states the statuettes are carved out of soft gypsum and inlaid with shell and black limestone. This was not known as a prized or sculptures of great meaning. These statues aren’t known to be that big. They range from under a foot to about thirty inches. The larger the statues simply meant how wealthy the person being portrayed in the statue really was. They have there arms crossed and are on their tip toes because they have to appear to be in a gesture of prayer because they were used for religious rites. The statuettes are not sculpted to be perfect but more rather body type and size. The exaggerated eyes are known to mean attentiveness necessary for fulfilling religious duty. From my point of view these statuettes demonstrate what males and females do in the society, their roles. I think the males’ larger features mean he is the laborer. He is in charge of going out for food and protecting his family. The smaller arms on the females suggests she is more fragile and is not meant to do hard labor. The males larger size does not necessarily mean superiority but it does mean he can be more powerful and dangerous. As for the big eyes it makes me feel scared of doing things because it seems their eyes are watching every move I make. It works like a police officer in a way because a person wouldn’t do bad things in front of a police officer. A person would feel like the police officer is watching and scare him/her into doing nothing bad, much like these statuettes. Long story short â€Å"Two Statuettes of two worshipers† were an example of man’s transition from the wild nomadic people moving place to place to a civilized society living in one place and being able to establish religion, social classes, and a home ultimately. These statuettes are very important to understanding the lives of early human. It’s amazing how people made and expressed their observations with art. People living in Mesopotamia (ancient near east) c8000-6000 BCE might have not known as much as we do now a days but they are some of the most intelligent people that have existed to this day.