Brief History of Istanbul Essay Example for Free

Brief History of Istanbul Essay Evidences obtained from archaeological remains indicate that people began to inhabit the proximities of contemporary Istanbul for approximately thousands of years ago. At about 5000 B. C. , a thick and sprawling population of individuals inhabited the fertile grounds of Istanbul. The Greek people all the way from Megara and Miletus started to rest upon the soils situated along the coasts of the Black Sea as well as the Bosporus back in the latter years of eight century B. C. The year 660 B. C. witnessed the colonization of Byzantium by Byzas, the founder of the colony whose origins trace to Megarian roots. As expected, the name of the colony was patterned after his name. Due to the strategic location of Byzantium, it easily gained dominance over the region in terms of economy which eventually led to the attention of numerous would-be conquerors. Along the path of the Golden Horn, Byzantium was founded which bestowed it with the most suitable harbour all-over the region. The agricultural prosperity of Byzantium can be largely attributed to the abundance of fish as well as the surrounding countryside which was fertile enough to support plants for agriculture. Next to Byzantium, a safe harbour was efficiently provided for by the inlet of the Golden Horn which was near Bosporus. This area was considered as a major maritime route back in those times as it linked the Mediterranean Sea to the Black Sea. Byzantium eventually found itself struggling amidst the powers trying to conquer and dominate over the city—Persians, Greeks, Spartans and Athenians all drew their swords and took away lives for the sake of taking the city under their control. Such was the major importance of Byzantium during those times where its prosperity was seemingly beyond imagination. Even the Gauls attacked the city during the third century and in 202 B. C. the city sought the help and protection from Rome after being taken over by Macedonians. Eventually, the city was absorbed as a vital part of the Roman empire back in 73 B. C. During 196 A. D. , the city was caught on the wrong side after the creation of a power struggle in the Roman empire. As economically powerful as Byzantium may seem, it was not able to respond and resist the struggle which eventually trickled down the capabilities of the cities as it paid dearly. A large number of the residents were murdered as well as a significant portion of Byzantium was obliterated through the leadership of the Roman emperor Septimus Severus. Apparently, the Rman emperor had to rebuild the entire city starting off with the ruins as the wake of the power struggle. In the process, Byzantium was able to manage itself and continue to progress amidst threats and occurrences of civil wars as well as rebellions which smothered all-over the Roman empire through the many years to follow. However, Constantine I routed his foe, emperor Licinius, on September 18, 324. Constantine I was able to unify the broad territory of the Roman empire and made it follow his leadership. The Roman empire eventually made Byzantium as the prime capital of the region which extended to as far as three continents. Byzantium eventually gained a new name—Constantinople—after being briefly known as the New Rome named in honor of Constantine who was the first Roman ruler to embrace the doctrines of Christianity. During its time, Constantinople gained much reputation and wealth making it one of the world’s most economically advanced cities. The city was almost untouchable in status, having the power to dictate the doctrines of the Christian religion and to amass huge amounts of wealth up until the eleventh century. As the meeting points between the East and the West became largely attributed to Constantinople, it was no surprise that all roads were now focused on the wealthy city of Constantine. In 395 A. D. the whole of the Roman Empire was divided into the West and the East especially after the death of Theodosius. The Eastern Roman Empire adopted Constantinople as its central city or capital which was later referred to as the Byzantine Empire as a reminder of its brilliant past. Through the course of time, Constantinople further advanced as the core of the Greek Orthodox Christian realm. With its immense financial resources, the wealth of the Byzantine Empire gave it the capacity to transform Constantinople as a beautiful city far beyond compare. The splendour and majesty of Constantinople is perhaps owed to the well-paid architects who designed majestic churches and splendid palaces as well as artists and sculptors also contributed a large fraction of the city’s aesthetic transformation. One notable structure ever to be erected is the hippodrome which could hold more than a hundred thousand spectators. Eventually, the walls of the city were further built into a seemingly impenetrable protective layer as threats of invasion from rivalling forces never dwindled. Almost half million citizens inhabited Constantinople under the rule of Emperor Justinian from 527 to 565 A.  D. The Emperor took full control of the creation of some of Constantinople’s most majestic buildings which include the Haghia Sophia, one of the largest churches during the height of the prosperity of Constantinople. The Byzantine empire’s capital reached its full blom under the helm of Emperor Justinian. Even though Constantinople continued to supplement its wealthy advancement with protective measures, enemies from the outside were inevitably attracted to the splendour of the city. A few years after, the city was devastated with a plague in 542 A. D. which claimed the lives of three of every five citizens. This, unfortunately, brought the beginning of the city’s fall. As the city weakened in terms of its population both in size and strength, the enemies of Constantinople took the opportunity to besiege the city. Apparently, the enemies were unable to successfully conquer the city as the walls of Constantinople proved impenetrable. Attacks on the city mounted between the seventh and eleventh century A. D. which include forces from Persian Sassanids, Bulgars, Avars, Russians, and Muslim Arabs. At the time of the Fourth Crusade, the Latins were able to break the walls of Constantinople and captured the capital of the Byzantine Empire in 1204 A.  D until 1261 less than a century of captivity when the Byzantine forces reclaimed the capital. At the height of captivity, however, Constantinople was greatly diminished in terms of wealth and infrastructure as the invading forces plundered precious jewels and any other item they deemed were of sufficient value. The entire population diminished to half a hundred thousand during that time, and the citizens suffered greatly from famine. In 1396, the Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople and built a fort on the Asian side of the Bosporus Sea in order to hinder aid from reaching the city. However, the capital would not fall for a few more years. On the 29th day of May, the Ottoman leader Mehmed was able to tear down the city walls and penetrate the city which ultimately signalled the fall of the era of Constantinople’s Christian church and the commencement of Muslim rule over the land. Apparently, the Muslims transformed the Haghia Sophia into a Muslim temple. In 1457, the capital of the Byzantine Empire was already known as Istanbul which later became the central point of the Ottoman Empire. Mehmed began to repopulate the city after the siege and within a few years time, Istanbul gained a considerable increase in population, roughly amounting to approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Ottoman Istanbul was able to achieve its peak during the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent, and perhaps the most notable buildings ever to be erected during those times, roughly amounting to 300 buildings, were the creations of chief architect Sinan. These efforts to restructure Ottoman Istanbul were significant as it signalled the dawning of a new Istanbul, one which is uniquely Ottoman in identity. Throughout time, Ottoman Istanbul opened its doors to the outside world in order to obtain a harmonious relationship with the other cities and states. This resulted to the expansion of the city’s population, now having a mixture of different races such as Jews, Christians, Armenians and other citizens. Influence on Ottoman Istanbul rule was apparently being influenced by many different forces from these races. Eventually, Istanbul became influenced with the modernization of the world. Europeans began to build a railroad system which connects the whole continent with Istanbul by the 1870s. As a result, the Ottoman empire became placed under the debt of European powers. These would later result to power struggles from within the empire, complicated all the more by the struggling influences from the Europeans to whom they were indebted with. In consequence, these developments in the Ottoman empire especially in Istanbul uring the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries would signal the downfall of the Ottoman empire and would mark the commencement of the Turkish Republic. Today, Istanbul remains as a fervent reminder of how a city once so powerful became so absorbed into the desire for power which led to its own subjugation and diminishment of power in the following years.

Dell Computers :: essays research papers

At age 13, Michael Dell was running a mail-order stamp-trading business, complete with a national catalog, and grossing $2,000 per month. At 16, he was selling subscriptions to the Houston Post. He enrolled at the University of Texas in 1983 as a premed student but soon became absorbed in computers and started selling PC parts out of his college dorm room. He bought random-access memory (RAM) chips and disk drives for IBM PCs at cost from IBM dealers, who often had excess supplies on hand because they were required to order large monthly quotas from IBM. Dell resold the components through newspaper ads at 10-15 percent below the regular retail price. By April 1984 sales were running about $80,000 per month. Dell dropped out of college and formed a company, PCs Ltd., to sell both PC components and PCs under the brand name PCs Limited. He obtained his PCs by buying retailers' surplus stocks at cost, then powering them up with graphics cards, hard disks, and memory before reselling them. His strategy was to sell directly to end users; by eliminating the retail markup, Dell's new company was able to sell IBM clones at about 40 percent below the price of an IBM PC. The price discounting strategy was successful, attracting price-conscious buyers and producing rapid growth. By 1985, the company was assembling its own PC designs with a few people. The company had 40 employees, and Michael Dell worked 18-hour days. By the end of fiscal 1986, sales had reached $33 million. During the next several years, however, PCs Ltd. was hampered by a lack of money, people, and resources. Michael Dell sought to refine the company's business model, add needed production capacity, and build a bigger, deeper management staff and corporate infrastructure while at the same time keeping costs low. The company was renamed Dell Computer in 1987, and the first international offices were opened that same year. In 1988 Dell added a sales force to serve large customers, began selling to government agencies, and became a public company ¡Xraising $34.2 million in its first offering of common stock. Sales to large customers quickly became the main part of Dell's business. By 1990 Dell Computer had sales of $388 million, a market share of 2-3 percent, and an R&D staff of over 150 people. Michael Dell's vision was for Dell Computer to become one of the top three PC companies.

Dickinson’s poem: “Because I could not stop for Death”

Emily Dickinson’s poem Because I could not stop for Death is her personal take on the mystical relationship between life and death. She addresses death from a somewhat cynical and very unique point of view, using metaphor and symbolic imagery to relay her main point, which is that eternity exists here on earth. To get to this point she contrasts the relationship between eternity and the present, and she poeticizes her personal assumptions pertaining to the afterlife. In the first two lines of her poem, she personifies death as a tall dark and civil man, whose flattering kindness causes her to be swept away.This is most apparently enforced through lines 6-8 when Dickenson says, And I had put away/ My labor and my leisure too/ For His Civility- (Dickenson, 6-8). Here it is easily identified to the reader that Dickenson feels no threat from death and she is even slightly honored to be in his company. The irony of this statement proposes that death is possibly a casual and antiqua ted part of life, and not as vile or harsh as some of the many methods through which we go about achieving it. A major motif used in the poem is the aspect of time.The contrast between the temporary and haste-full rush of the present with the open-ended nature of eternity is the main focus of the work, and the force that drives it. It can be seen throughout the poem in multiple ways. This contrasted relationship between the present and eternity is first initiated with the opening line, Because I could not stop for Death-/He kindly stopped for me- (Dickenson, 1&2). This motif is further used when Dickenson refers to immortality being in the carriage with her, and then when she says, We slowly drove- He knew no haste (Dickenson, 5).Death’s inclination to drive the carriage slowly is most likely due to the idea that time has no meaning in the hereafter. Time on earth is measured by the sun, but this time frame does not apply to death, nor to Dickenson anymore now that she is dea d. Her recognition of this fact is another pinnacle point of contrast between the present and eternity. She even acknowledges this value of the sun to signify time when she says, We passed the Setting Sun- / Or rather- He passed Us- (Dickenson, 12 & 13).Once she passes the sun, and the sun passes her, their relationship no longer has a bearing on her existence. From this moment on in the poem, all of Dickinson’s verses represent her personal assumption of the afterlife, and these lines attempt to find meaning in the unknown. As Dickinson settles into the reality of her own death, she uses phrases like Dews drew quivering and chill- (Dickenson, 14), and terms like Gossamer and Tulle referring to the thickness of her clothing, to point out that it is very cold where she is going and she failed to prepare for the trip.This is a very ironic notion considering that one main premise of this poem is that death is unexpected and waits for no one’s schedule to be clear. Dickins on then likens her soon to be grave to that of a house, which she says looks like the swelling of the ground (Dickinson, 18). Before she comes to her final realization, Dickinson makes her very last comparison to time and eternity when she says, Since then – ‘tis Centuries – and yet / Feels shorter than the Day (Dickenson, 20 & 21).Here she identifies that she no longer has the same concept of time, as when she was living. This corresponds with her last two lines and her realization that all along immortality had been right beside her. She realizes this through recognizing that the horses heads were facing eternity. I took this as another way of saying time is ever-changing and moving forward and like the children she sees playing, and all of the other surroundings, we are among this endless stream as well.In sum, Dickinson’s poem Because I could not stop for Death, becomes a critique on the way most view life. Few are given the possibility to know the exa ct moment of their death. Dickenson acknowledges this fact and turns it into a very mystical about entrance into the afterlife. With no more than 24 lines she tells a very saying tale, and where most stories begin with one living and then dying, her begins with her death and ends with her finding the truth behind immortality. This poem is a fable for the living.

Department store Essay

When we want to buy something, we go shopping. There are many kinds of shops in every town or city. Most people prefer to do their shopping at big department stores and supermarkets. Department stores offer a wide range of articles under one roof. Therefore, a customer can purchase all his requirements from a particular place. As a result, the time and labour of customers are saved because they need not go from shop to shop for purchasing different kinds of goods. Departmental store also offers a number of facilities and services like free home delivery, telephone orders, liberal exchange, etc. with courtesy and fair treatment. Sometimes they even offer to open a current account and buy something on credit. But you must think clearly before get into debt, may be you don’t actually need that and to cut down on such luxuries. What about placing a telephone order, it is better than online shopping, because you can go in the department store and touch everything you want to buy and decide if it is good value for money or truly fit for purpose and then order it by telephone or just reserve it. The availability of such services acts as a special attraction to customers. Also many owners want to limelight the customers with the help of their staff. So they introduce a kind of dress code. Sometimes the executives want their employees wear a special uniform, but usually they only forbid their people to wear revealing and light clothes, stiletto heels and order them to be well-groomed and on no account sloppy. What is more, the owners want their staff to be credible and polite with their clients. It is the first step to success! Furthermore, a departmental store is generally located in the heart of the city. Hence, many people visit such stores and make their purchases. Gradually, such stores develop a reputation of their own, by selling quality goods at centrally located areas and busy centres. This attracts a large number of customers. Departmental stores offer a stunning range of goods at different price levels. They also keep a variety of designs, colours, styles, etc. For example, you can buy designer label clothes from glossy magazines, which have been launched in new collections of famous designers and have already hit the high street. This is the proposal for someone who is interested in  high-street fashion and fashion victims. But also there are a lot of hugely popular clothes and other things for everybody! It enables the customers to make a better selection from a wide variety. The department stores generally purchase in bulk quantities. For that, they receive discounts and commissions. Such stores purchase directly from the manufacturer and hence avoid middlemen and so als o their commission. As a result, departmental stores are able to sell products, at prices lesser than other retailers. Thus, economies of large scale buying are transferred to the customers in the form of low prices. Speaking about less pleasant facts, we should speak about complaints and repayments. If you haven’t been provided an excellent service or your purchase turned out to be poor quality, you have all grounds for complaint and all these complaints should be taken seriously and handled promptly. Also let’s imagine such situation: you have bought the shoes, but after trying them at home you’ve realized them to be excruciatingly uncomfortable. Don’t give up, you will be right to return these shoes during 2 weeks and demand a full refund. All in all, nowadays the department stores are becoming more popular s where people can reserve time and find a necessary good. Due to the wide range of goods offered and various facilities provided by the departmental stores, they are able to make large volume of sales. It is really favorably to do shopping at the department stores i n order to save you money.

Commercial Drivers License Guide New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut

Commercial Drivers License Guide New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut If you live in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut, learn the guideline for getting your Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) below. For information regarding other states, TheJobNetwork has published a very comprehensive guide on how to apply for a CDL in all states. New YorkTo apply for a Commercial Driver License (CDL), you must have a New York state driver license (Class D, Class E, or Non-CDL C) or a valid CDL from another state.  When you apply for an original NYS CDL (Class A, B, or C) you must:Certify you have not held  a driver’s license in any state except New York or in the District of Columbia in the last 10 years orReport every state (or the District of Columbia) where you have held a driver’s license in the last 10 yearsProve your legal presence in the United StatesIf you are not U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident, your CLP or CDL document will have â€Å"NON-DOMICILED† printed on documents issued on it. The â€Å"TEMPORARY VISITO R† and the expiration date of your legal status documentation will continue to be displayed on the CLP and/or CDL document.The DMV will check for any open suspensions or revocations you may have in any state; your application will be rejected if you have an open suspension or revocation.What do I need to do to get a CDL?Obtain the New York State Commercial Driver’s Manual (CDL-10), which will have a section covering the type of CDL you need describing the classes, restrictions, and endorsements of CDLs.Apply for a CLP  at a DMV office. You must pass the written CDL test for your vehicle. There is $10.00  application fee, which allows you to take all written tests (knowledge and endorsement) required for your desired permit and license. There is a $40.00 fee to take the CDL road test (skills test), which you must pay before you can schedule your road test.Prepare for your road test and practice with a supervising driver who has a license valid to drive the commercial motor vehicle you use for practice.Schedule your road test using the Road Test Scheduling System; you must wait  at least 14 days from  being issued a CLP. If you do not pass the road test, you must pay $40.00 before you can schedule another road test.The following CDL restrictions may affect CLP holders taking a Skills Test in a vehicle without full airbrakes and/or a manual transmission:E- No Manual Transmission Equipped CMVL- No Airbrake Equipped CMVZ- No Full Airbrake Equipped CMV restrictionsIf the vehicle used for your skills test has:An automatic transmission, and CDL, and this is your first road test in a commercial motor vehicle (CMV), you will be given an E restriction.No form of airbrakes and this is your first road test in a CMV, you will be given an L restriction.Air over hydraulic brakes and this is your first road test in a CMV, you will be given a Z.If you have a CDL with an L restriction and you test in a vehicle with air over hydraulic brakes, you will be upgr aded from an L to a Z restriction.New JerseyCDL RequirementsBe at least 18 years oldHave a basic  New Jersey driver license  (Class D)Have 20/40 vision in each eye (with or without glasses)Be able to recognize the colors red, green, and amberBe physically fit.  Federal law requires commercial drivers to carry a medical examiner’s fitness statement at all times and renew it every two years.Application ProcessAfter preparing for the exam, you will   visit your local MVC Agency. You will be asked to:Pass the 6-Point ID VerificationPresent a Social Security card for an initial commercial permitPay $125 CDL permit fee (non-refundable)Take the CDL knowledge test and the CDL road test, as requiredNote: CDL applicants under 21 years old may only travel within New Jersey and may not receive HAZMAT or passenger endorsements.ExemptionsThe following do not need a CDL:  Taxi drivers (carrying less than eight passengers) and ride-sharing van driversFirefightersOperators of rescue or first-aid squad vehiclesFarmers hauling their own products and equipment within 150 miles of their farmsNon-civilian operators of military equipmentOperators of construction equipment not designed for operation on public roadsOperators of recreational vehicles, provided the vehicle is being operated only for personal useConnecticutThe Connecticut road test includes pre-trip inspection, an off-road course, and a road test.To  obtain a Connecticut CDL, you must  complete a written exam. The written exam is given on a walk-in basis at select DMV offices.  To prepare ,   study the  Connecticut Commercial Vehicle Operator’s Manual.You will need to bring the following items with you to the DMV office on your testing day:A CT driver’s licenseA  Social Security card or your most recent W-2 form.A physical examination dated within the last 2 years, reported on by a physician on an  Examination to Determine Physical Condition of Driver form  or a  Medical E xamination Report  (Form 649-F)A completed  Application for Commercial Driver’s License  (Form CDL R-229a).Printed confirmation of notice of self-certification with the DMV

A Synestia Is What Happens as a Planet Forms

A Synestia Is What Happens as a Planet Forms A long time ago, in a nebula that no longer exists, our newborn planet was hit with a giant impact so energetic that it melted part of the planet and the impactor and created a spinning molten glob. That whirling disk of hot melted rock was turning so fast that from the outside it would have been difficult to tell the difference between the planet and the disk. This object is called a synestia and understanding how it formed may lead to new insights into the process of planetary formation. The synestia phase of a planets birth sounds like something out of weird science fiction movie, but it may be a natural step in the formation of worlds. It very likely happened several times during the birth process for most of the planets in our solar system, particularly the rocky worlds of Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. Its all part of a process called accretion, where smaller chunks of rock in a planetary birth crà ©che called a protoplanetary disk slammed together to make bigger objects called planetesimals. The planetesimals crashed together to make planets. The impacts release huge amounts of energy, which translates into enough heat to melt rocks. As the worlds got larger, their gravity helped hold them together and eventually played a role in rounding their shapes. Smaller worlds (such as moons) can also form the same way. Earth and its Synestia Phases The process of accretion in planetary formation is not a new idea, but the idea that our planets and their moons went through the spinning molten glob phase, probably more than once, is a new wrinkle. Planetary formation takes millions of years to accomplish, depending on many factors, including the size of the planet and how much material there is in the birth cloud. Earth probably took at least 10 million years to form. Its birth cloud process was, like most births, messy and busy. The birth cloud was filled with rocks and planesimals continually colliding with each other like a huge game of billiards played with rocky bodies. One collision would set off others, sending material careening through space. Large impacts were so violent that each of the bodies that collided would melt and vaporize. Since these globs were spinning, some of their material would create a spinning disk (like a ring) around each impactor. The result would look something like a donut with a filling in the middle instead of a hole. The central area would be the impactor, surrounded by molten material. That intermediate planetary object, the synestia, was a phase. Its very likely that infant Earth spent some time as one of these spinning, molten objects. It turns out that many planets could have gone through this process as they formed. How long they stay that way depends on their masses, but eventually, the planet and its molten glob of material cool and settle back into a single, rounded planet. Earth probably spent a hundred years in the synestia phase before cooling. The infant solar system didnt quiet down after the baby Earth formed. Its possible that Earth went through several synestias before the final form of our planet appeared. The entire solar system went through periods of bombardmenet that left craters on the rocky worlds and moons. If Earth were hit several times by large impactors, multiple synestias would happen. Lunar Implications The idea of a synestia comes from scientists working on modeling and understanding the formation of the planets. It may explain another step in planetary formation and could also solve some interesting questions about the Moon and how it formed. Early in solar system history, a Mars-sized object called Theia crashed into the infant Earth. The materials of the two worlds mingled, although the crash did not destroy Earth. The debris kicked up from the collision eventually coalesced to create the Moon. That explains why the Moon and Earth are closely related in their composition. However, its also possible that after the collision, a synestia formed and our planet and its satellite both coalesced separately as the materials in the synestia donut cooled. The synestia is really a new class of object. Although astronomers havent observed one yet, the computer models of this intermediate step in planet and moon formation will give them idea of what to look for as they study planetary systems currently forming in our galaxy. In the meantime, the search for newborn planets continues.

Cash Reconciliation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cash Reconciliation - Assignment Example This error will result to the bank statement having highest figure as compared to the cash account by $ 150. This error is reconciled by adding the $ 150 to cash account. The third error the bookkeeper recorded a payment of $ 250 as $ 25 from customer, but the bank noticed the error and deposited the right amount. With this error the bank statement will reflect a high balance than what the cash account reflects. This error can be reconciled by the bookkeeper adding $ 225 which is the difference of she received and what she recorded. The fourth error was committed by the bank when they were clearing a check of $ 255 but instead cleared $ 225. This error will result to the bank statement reflecting a higher balance as compared to what is being reflected on the company’s books of account. This can be reconciled by the bookkeeper adding the difference of $ 25 to the cash account. The fifth error the bookkeeper wrote a check of $ 369 but recorded $ 396. This will have an impact on the cash account since it will reflect a lower balance to that reflected by the bank statement. This error can be reconciled by adding the difference of $ 27 to the cash