Blog Smith is inspired by the myth of Hephaestus in the creation of blacksmith-like, forged materials: ideas. This blog analyzes topics that interest me: IT, politics, technology, history, education, music, and the history of religions.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
How to Track Obama
Islamists Attack Christians in Egypt
Americans Work Significantly Less Than in 1950s
Charts Showing Just How Much Americans Work Compared to the French, Germans and Chinese
Friday, August 30, 2013
Million Islamists to March to Celebrate Death, 9/11 Anniversary
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/08/19/muslim-scholar-goes-off-on-million-muslim-march-organizer-youre-a-stooge-and-a-frontman/
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Update: Christian Churches Destroyed by Islamists in Egypt
1. Franciscan church and school (road 23) - burned (Suez)
2. Monastery of the Holy Shepherd and hospital - burned (Suez)
3. Church of the Good Shepherd, Monastery of the Good Shepherd - burned in molotov attack (Asuit)
4. Coptic Catholic Church of St. George - burned (Minya, Upper Egypt)
5. Church of the Jesuits - burned (Minya, Upper Egypt)
6. Fatima Basilica - attacked - Heliopolis
7. Coptic Catholic Church of St. Mark - burned (Minya - Upper Egypt)
8. Franciscan convent (Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary) - burned (Beni Suef, Upper Egypt)
9. Church of St. Teresa - burned (Asuit, Upper Egypt)
10. Franciscan Church and School - burned (Asuit, Upper Egypt)
11. Convent of St Joseph and school - burned (Minya, Upper Egypt)
12. Coptic Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart - torched (Minya, Upper Egypt)
13 Convent of the Sisters of Saint Mary - attacked (Cairo)
14. School of the Holy Shepherd - attacked (Minya, Upper Egypt)
Orthodox and Evangelical Churches
1. Anglican Church of St. Saviour - burned (Suez)
2. Evangelical Church of St Michael - surrounded and sacked (Asuit, Upper Egypt)
3. Coptic Orthodox Church of St. George - Burned (Minya, Upper Egypt)
4. Church of Al-Esla - burned (Asuit, Upper Egypt)
5. Adventist Church - burned, the pastor and his wife abducted (Asuit, Upper Egypt)
6. Church of the Apostles - burned (Asuit, Upper Egypt)
7. Church of the Holy renewal - burned (Asuit, Upper Egypt)
8. Diocesan Centre Coptic Orthodox Qusiya - burned (Asuit, Upper Egypt)
9. Church of St. George - burned (Arish, North Egypt)
10. Church of St. George in al-Wasta - burned (Beni Suef, Upper Egypt)
11. Church of the Virgin Mary - attacked (Maadi, Cairo)
12. Church of the Virgin Mary - attacked (Mostorod, Cairo)
13. Coptic Orthodox Church of St. George - attacked (Helwan, Cairo)
14. Church of St. Mary of El Naziah - burned (Fayoum, Upper Egypt)
15. Church of Santa Damiana - sacked and burned (Fayoum, Upper Egypt)
16. Church of St. Theodore - burned (Fayoum, Upper Egypt)
17. Evangelical Church of al-Zorby - Sacked and destroyed (Fayoum, Upper Egypt)
18. Church of St. Joseph - burned (Fayoum, Upper Egypt)
19. Franciscan School - burned (Fayoum, Upper Egypt)
20. Coptic Orthodox Diocesan Center of St. Paul - burned (Gharbiya, Delta)
21. Coptic Orthodox Church of St. Anthony - burned (Giza)
22. Coptic Church of St. George - burned (Atfeeh, Giza)
23. Church of the Virgin Mary and father Abraham - burned (Delga, Deir Mawas, Minya, Upper Egypt)
24. Church of St. Mina Abu Hilal Kebly - burned (Minya, Upper Egypt)
25. Baptist Church in Beni Mazar - burned (Minya, Upper Egypt)
26. Church of Amir Tawadros - burned (Minya, Upper Egypt)
27. Evangelical Church - burned (Minya, Upper Egypt)
28. Church of Anba Moussa al-Aswad- burned (Minya, Upper Egypt)
29. Church of the Apostles - burned (Minya, Upper Egypt)
30. Church of St Mary - arson attempt (Qena, Upper Egypt)
31. Coptic Church of St. George - burned (Sohag, Upper Egypt)
32. Church of Santa Damiana - Attacked and burned (Sohag, Upper Egypt)
33. Church of the Virgin Mary - burned (Sohag, Upper Egypt)
34. Church of St. Mark and community center - burned (Sohag, Upper Egypt)
35. Church of Anba Abram - destroyed and burned (Sohag, Upper Egypt)
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2013/08/latest-tally-of-muslim-brotherhood-destruction-of-churches-.html#more
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Muslim Brotherhood torches Christian school, parade nuns through streets as "prisoners of war"
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2013/08/video-.html
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Does Obama know he’s fighting on al-Qa’ida’s side?
War Monger Obama Ticks Off Both China and Russia
Monday, August 26, 2013
Questions About Cruz and Natural Born Citizen
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Obama's Failed Egypt Policy
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Egypt Uproar
Friday, August 23, 2013
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Update: Christians Reading Bible at DMV, Not Guilty
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Muslim Brotherhood Attacks Christian Churches in Egypt
- Father Maximus Church
- St George Church | Burned
- Good Shepherds Monastery | Nuns attacked
- Angel Michael Church | Surrounded
- St George Coptic Orthodox Church
- Al-Eslah Church| Burned
- Adventist Church | Pastor and his wife kidnapped
- St Therese Church
- Apostles Church | Burning
- Holy Revival Church | Burning
- The Nuns School
- St George Church | al-Wasta
- St Fatima Basilica | Heliopolis | Attempted Attack
- St Mary Church | El Nazlah
- St Damiana Church | Robbed and burned
- Amir Tawadros (St Theodore) Church
- Evangelical Church | al-Zorby Village | Looting and destruction
- Church of Joseph | Burned
- Franciscan School | Burned
- Diocese of St Paul | Burned
- Father Antonios
- Atfeeh Bishopric
- Church of the Virgin Mary and Father Abram | Delga, Deir Mawas
- St Mina Church | Abu Hilal Kebly, Beni Hilal
- Baptist Church | Beni Mazar
- Deir Mawas Bishopric
- Delga Church | Attacked
- The Jesuit Fathers Church | Abu Hilal district
- St Mark Church | Abu Hilal district
- St Joseph Nunnery
- Amir Tadros Church
- Evangelical Church
- Anba Moussa al-Aswad Church
- Apostles Church
- St Mary’s Church | Attempted Burning
- St George Church
- St Damiana | Attacked and burned
- Virgin Mary | Attacked and burned
- St Mark Church & Community Center
- Anba Abram Church | Destroyed and burned
- St Saviours Anglican Church
- Franciscan Church and School | Street 23 | Burned
- Holy Shepherd Monastery and Hospital
- Good Shepherd Church (molotov cocktail thrown)- Relationship with Holy Shepherd Monastery unknown.
- Greek Orthodox Church
- House of Father Angelos (Pastor of Church of the Virgin Mary and Father Abram) | Delga, Minya | Burned
- Properties and Markets of Copts | al-Gomhorreya Street, Assiut
- Seventeen Coptic homes | Delga, Minya | Burned
- YMCA | Minya| Burned
- Coptic Homes | Qulta Street, Assiut | Attacked
- Offices of the Evangelical Foundation & Oum al-Nour | Minya
- Coptic-owned shops, pharmacy, and hotels | Karnak and Cleopatra Streets, Luxor | Attacked and Looted
- Dahabeya Nile Boat | Minya| Church-owned
- Bible Society bookshop | Cairo | Burned
- Bible Society | Fayoum
- Bible Society | al-Gomohoreya Street, Assiut
Cf. http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2013/08/list-of-the-churches-and-institutions-that-have-been-destroyed-by-muslim-brotherhood-supporters-toda.html
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
"The Butler" Distorts Race Relations
Director Lee Daniels: America More Racist Since Obama Became President
Monday, August 19, 2013
WH Presentation: World History 2 Romanticism and Realism
Beyond the Sound Bites
Should we go with our gut feelings or plan responsibly for the future?
Prudential: Feeling or Thinking: (In Marshmallows and in Life), 2:55
Prudential placed kids before a marshmellow to see if they would go with their gut and eat, or wait responsibly to get two marshmellows. What would you do?
Comments, questions, reactions?
Ch. 12 Sec. 4 Culture: Romanticism and Realism
Note Taking:
Identify Supporting Details
In-class assignment:
As you read and we cover the material fill in a table with details about the artistic movements in the 1800s.
Main Ideas
At the end of the eighteenth century, Romanticism emerged as a reaction to the ideas of the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment was seen as overly rational and head oriented whereas romanticism emphasized gut feelings, and the heart.
Nineteenth-century Romanticism—with its escape from an increasingly complex and industrialized world to the simplicity and purity of nature—is experienced through the literature of Hugo, Brontë, Shelley and Byron. In Les Miserables for instance, Victor Hugo views society as the force that makes men evil. Attitudes toward passions are typified in scenes from Wuthering Heights. Ideals of life and death are brought home in the reenactment of Shelley's funeral pyre on the beach, as his friend and fellow poet, Lord Byron, swims out to sea for a better view.
Video intro: a commentary on Realism and Naturalism.
Literary Realism and Naturalism, 2:53
In-class assignment: copy the formula to understand Realism.
Fate = C (chance) + E (environment) + H (heredity).
Key Terms
romanticism
Romanticism
Albert Bierstadt, Hetch Hetchy Canyon, 1875
realism
Objectives, at the end of the section the student should:
*Understand what themes shaped romantic art, literature, and music.
*Explain how realists responded to the industrialized, urban world.
*Describe how the visual arts changed.
People to Identify
Some initial examples will be identified.
Ludwig van Beethoven
William Wordsworth
Lord Byron
Louis Daguerre
This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons. It was taken by Daguerre in late 1838 or early 1839. It was captioned as follows:
English: Boulevard du Temple, Paris, IIIe arrondissement, Daguerreotype.This is a picure of a busy Parisian street thus the question arises: where are the people, carriages, and crowded streets? It looks empty.
In-class assignment:
Who is the first and only person photographed in the picture?
Complete Daguerreotype
More challenging, what are they doing?
The image shows a busy street, but because exposure time was over ten minutes, the traffic was moving too much to appear. The exception is the man at the bottom left, who stood still getting his boots polished long enough to show up in the image. Note that the image is a mirror image.
Boots polished
Claude Monet
In-class assignment:
Thinking Critically
1. Summarize
How did impressionism depart from tradition?
In-class assignment: paraphrase Wordsworth, in your own words, how is this a Romantic understanding of nature?
Sunset
In the 1800s, many writers turned away from the harsh realities of industrial life to celebrate nature. The English poet William Wordsworth described the peace and beauty of sunset (recited below, :52):
“It is a beauteous evening, calm and free,—William Wordsworth, Complete Poetical Works
The holy time is quiet as a Nun
Breathless with adoration; the broad sun
Is sinking down in its tranquillity.”
As I am suggesting, Romanticism does not refer to romance in the sense of an affectionate relationship, but rather to an artistic style emphasizing nature, imagination, freedom, and emotion. Romanticism was a reaction to the neoclassical writers of the Enlightenment, who had turned to classical Greek and Roman literature and ideals that stressed order, harmony, reason, and emotional restraint. In contrast to Enlightenment literature, the works of romantic writers included simple, direct language, intense feelings, and a glorification of nature. Artists, composers, and architects were also followers of the movement.
The Romantic Hero
Indiana Jones: The American Romantic Hero
This video considers Indiana Jones, and how he is portrayed as a true American Romantic Hero throughout, 7:29.
In-class assignment: in a word cloud, summarize the important characteristics of Indiana Jones as a Romantic hero.
A sample word cloud is suggestive of what you should understood at this point.
Romantic writers created a new kind of hero—a mysterious, melancholy figure who felt out of step with society. “My joys, my grief, my passions, and my powers, / Made me a stranger,” wrote Britain’s George Gordon, Lord Byron. He himself was a larger-than-life figure equal to those he created. After a rebellious, wandering life, he joined Greek forces battling for freedom. When he died of a fever there, his legend bloomed. In fact, public interest in his poetry and adventures was so great that moody, isolated romantic heroes came to be described as “Byronic.”
One of the first rebels in American post-war pop culture was Marlon Brando in "The Wild One."
The Wild One is a 1953 outlaw biker film. It is remembered for Marlon Brando's portrayal of the gang leader Johnny Stabler as a juvenile delinquent, dressed in a leather jacket and driving a 1950 Triumph Thunderbird 6T. Acting opposite of Brando was Lee Marvin as a rival gang leader. This low-budget production had Brando playing a rebel without a cause two years before James Dean.
The film version was based on a January, 1951 short story in Harper's Magazine "The Cyclists' Raid" by Frank Rooney that was published in book form as part of "The Best American Short Stories 1952." The story took a cue from an actual biker street party on the Fourth of July weekend in 1947 in Hollister, California that was elaborately trumped up in Life Magazine (dubbed the Hollister riot) with staged photographs of wild motorcycle outlaw revellers. The Hollister event is now celebrated annually. In the film, the town is located somewhere in California.
Deemed scandalous and dangerous, the film was banned by the British Board of Film Censors from showing in the United Kingdom for fourteen years. Its first UK public showing, to a mostly Rocker audience at the then famous 59 Club of Paddington in London.
In a famous exchange from the movie Brando's character is asked: "What are you rebelling against?"
Brando's character slyly responds: "What have you got?"
The rebellious pop image was thereafter popularized by James Dean:
Arguably the most famous Romantic, Byronic rebel was Elvis.
In a well-known scene from one of his first movies, 'Jailhouse Rock', 1957, Elvis' character, a former penitentiary inmate (also starring Judy Tyler), has a chance to meet the parents.
Elvis Presley - Scene from "Jailhouse Rock" (MGM 1957), 3:24
In this scene Vince joins his manager/girl-friend Peggy who's visiting a party at her parent's house. The people there obviously don't know what to think of Elvis and what he's doing. They're trying to get him involved into a conversation about music but on both sides there's a lack of understanding for each other's position. The only change in music they can imagine is actually a setback to Dixieland. They're instead discussing jazz music and things like atonality, something to which Vince only can reply: "Lady, I don't know that the hell you're talkin' about..." making the generation gap obvious.
When accused of insulting her family and friends by Peggy the only thing Vince can possibly answer is a quote that has become famous over the years: "Honey, that's just the beast in me..." Something untamed, different from what was possible until now. Youth was starting to go its own way. A new age was about to dawn.
The Byronic figure in pop culture can be seen in diverse figures from Jim Morrison, to Michael Jackson, and many others such as Tupac Shakur.
The romantic hero often hid a guilty secret and faced a grim destiny. German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (gur tuh) wrote the dramatic poem Faust. The aging scholar Faust makes a pact with the devil, exchanging his soul for youth. After much agony, Faust wins salvation by accepting his duty to help others. In Jane Eyre, British novelist Charlotte Brontë weaves a tale about a quiet governess and her brooding, Byronic employer, whose large mansion conceals a terrifying secret.
Music Stirs Emotions
Romantic composers also tried to stir deep emotions.
Ludwig van Beethoven
The passionate music of German composer Ludwig van Beethoven combined classical forms with a stirring range of sound. He was the first composer to take full advantage of the broad range of instruments in the modern orchestra. In all, Beethoven produced nine symphonies, five piano concertos, a violin concerto, an opera, two masses, and dozens of shorter pieces. To many, he is considered the greatest composer of his day.
An accomplished musician by age 12, composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) agonized over every note of every composition. The result was stunning music that expresses intense emotion. The famous opening of his Fifth Symphony conveys the sense of fate knocking at the door. "Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, which he began in 1804, was first performed in Vienna in December 1808 (Cf. Hickok, Music, p. 206)."
Beethoven wrote Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 between 1804 and 1808. It comprises four movements: an opening sonata allegro, an andante, and a fast scherzo which leads attacca to the finale.
This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons.
Yngwie Malmsteen, a Swedish musician, plays here in a 1985 rock version of Beethoven`s 5th symphony, 1:29.
Romanticism in Art
Painters, too, broke free from the discipline and strict rules of the Enlightenment. Landscape painters like J.M.W. Turner sought to capture the beauty and power of nature. Using bold brush strokes and colors, Turner often showed tiny human figures struggling against sea and storm.
Joseph Mallord William Turner RA (1775-1851) was an English Romantic landscape painter, watercolourist and printmaker, whose style is said to have laid the foundation for Impressionism. Turner was considered a controversial figure in his day, but is now regarded as the artist who elevated landscape painting to an eminence rivalling history painting. Although renowned for his oil paintings, Turner is also one of the greatest masters of British watercolour landscape painting. [Cf. Wikipedia]
Romantics painted many subjects, from simple peasant life to medieval knights to current events. Bright colors conveyed violent energy and emotion. The French painter Eugène Delacroix (deh luh krwah) filled his canvases with dramatic action. In Liberty Leading the People, the Goddess of Liberty carries the revolutionary tricolor as French citizens rally to the cause.
The focus here is "Liberty Leading the People," reimagined as a fictional Nintendo game. :)
Artwork: ‘Viva La Vida’
Here is a little background about this amazing work of art. It’s by Eugène Delacroix (French Romantic Painter) and was painted in 1830 titled “Liberty Leading The People”. Eugene Delacroix is numbered among the greatest and most influential of French painters. He is most often classified as an artist of the Romantic school. His remarkable use of colour was later to influence impressionist painters and even modern artists such as Pablo Picasso.
Liberty Leading The People; Painted on 28 July 1830, to commemorate the July Revolution that had just brought Louis-Philippe to the French throne; Louvre.
This painting, which is a sort of political poster, is meant to celebrate the day of 28 July 1830, when the people rose and dethroned the Bourbon king. Alexandre Dumas tells us that Delacroix’s participation in the rebellious movements of July was mainly of a sentimental nature. Despite this, the painter, who had been a member of the National Guard, took pleasure in portraying himself in the figure on the left wearing the top-hat. Although the painting is filled with rhetoric, Delacroix’s spirit is fully involved in its execution: in the outstretched figure of Liberty, in the bold attitudes of the people following him contrasted with the lifeless figures of the dead heaped up in the foreground, in the heroic poses of the people fighting for liberty, there is without a doubt a sense of full participation on the part of the artist, which led Argan to define this canvas as the first political work of modern painting.
Liberty Leading the People caused a disturbance. It shows the allegorical figure of Liberty as a half-draped woman wearing the traditional Phrygian cap of liberty and holding a gun in one hand and the tricolour in the other. It is strikingly realistic; Delacroix, the young man in the painting wearing the opera hat, was present on the barricades in July 1830. Allegory helps achieve universality in the painting: Liberty is not a woman; she is an abstract force.
Live performance of "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay in pop temple Paradiso, Amsterdam and was a secret gig for only 300 fans.
LYRICS:
I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own
I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemies' eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing
"Now the old king is dead, long live the king!"
One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castle stands
Upon pillars of salt, and pillars of sand
I hear Jerusalem bells a'ringing
Roman cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
Once you'd gone it was never
Never an honest word
That was when I ruled the world
It was the wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn't believe what I'd become
Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh...who would ever wanna be king
I hear Jerusalem bells were ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs were singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know St. Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world
Whoaaa
(Whoa) hear Jerusalem bells were ringing
(Whoa) roman Cavalry choirs were singing
(Whoa) be my mirror, my sword and shield
(Whoa) my missionaries in a foreign field
(Whoa) for some reason I can't explain
(Whoa) I know St. Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world
Oooh ooooh oooh ooooh.
The lyrics are reproduced here for educational purposes only; the original copyright remains with the lawful owners.
A New Age of Science
Karl Sims - Evolved Virtual Creatures, Evolution Simulation, 1994, 4:10
In-class assignment: describe how a computer can simulate evolution.
This video shows results from a research project involving simulated Darwinian evolutions of virtual block creatures. A population of several hundred creatures is created within a supercomputer, and each creature is tested for their ability to perform a given task, such the ability to swim in a simulated water environment. Those that are most successful survive, and their virtual genes containing coded instructions for their growth, are copied, combined, and mutated to make offspring for a new population. The new creatures are again tested, and some may be improvements on their parents. As this cycle of variation and selection continues, creatures with more and more successful behaviors can emerge.
The creatures shown are results from many independent simulations in which they were selected for swimming, walking, jumping, following, and competing for control of a green cube.
In-class assignment
The organic world – animals, plants, viruses – is the product of Darwinian evolution by natural selection. Natural selection expresses the idea that organisms (more accurately their genes) vary and that variability has consequences. Some variants are bad and go extinct; others are good and do exceptionally well. This process, repeated for two billion years, has given us the splendours of life on earth.DarwinTunes: a test-tube for cultural evolution
It has also given us the splendours of human culture. This may seem like a bold claim, but it is self-evidently true. People copy cultural artefacts – words, songs, images, ideas – all the time from other people. Copying is imperfect: there is "mutation". Some cultural mutants do better than others: most die but some are immensely successful; they catch on; they become hits. This process, repeated for fifty thousand years, has given us all that we make, say and do; it is the process of "cultural evolution".
However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. For example, how important is human creative input compared to audience selection? Is progress smooth and continuous or step-like? We set up DarwinTunes as a test-bed for the evolution of music, the oldest and most widespread form of culture; and, thanks to your participation, these questions will soon be answered.
Beethoven 5th Symphony 5 (7:38, graphical score animation):
Wikipedia on the composer Beethoven is instructive.
Chuck Berry - "Roll over Beethoven," 3:32, 1972 live on the Beat Club (German TV):
Lyrics:
I'm gonna write a little letter,
Gonna mail it to my local dj.
Its a rockin' rhythm record
I want my jockey to play.
Roll over Beethoven, I gotta hear it again today.
You know, my temperatures risin
And the jukebox blows a fuse.
You know, my hearts beatin rhythm
And my soul keeps on singin the blues.
Roll over Beethoven and tell Tschaikowsky the news.
Well if you reel and rock it,
Go get your lover, reel and rock it
Roll it over and move on up just
A trifle further and reel and rock it,
one another
Roll over Beethoven and tell Tschaikowsky the news.
Roll over Beethoven,
Roll over Beethoven,
Roll over Beethoven,
Roll over Beethoven,
Roll over Beethoven and tell Tschaikowsky the news.
(Instrumental)
Well, well,Well, early in the mornin Im a-givin you a warnin
Dont you step on my blue suede shoes.
Hey diddle diddle, I am playin my fiddle,
Aint got nothin to lose.
Roll over Beethoven and tell Tschaikowsky the news.
Roll over Beethoven,
Roll over Beethoven,
Roll over Beethoven,
Roll over Beethoven,
Roll over Beethoven and tell Tschaikowsky the news.
Electric Light Orchestra - "Roll Over Beethoven," 4:37
ELO performing on the Midnight Special in 1973.
The Romantics - "What I Like About You"
HW
Preview Questions:
1. What were the major features of romanticism and realism?
2. How did the Scientific Revolution lead to secularization?
3. You should finish reading Ch. 12 Sec. 4.
4. Reading Check, p. 389
Economics Presentation, Strayer University, 22 August 2013
Beyond the Sound Bites:
Paul Krugman States that the US Economy Is Not Strong And The Statistics Do Not Look Good
Comments, questions, reactions?
Chapter 3
Business Organizations, p. 60
Section 1 Forms of Business Organization, p. 61
Most businesses operate in search of profits. Others are organized and operate like a business, although profits are not their primary concern. There are three main forms of business organization. The first is the sole proprietorship, which is a business owned and operated by one person. The second is the partnership, which is a business jointly owned by two or more persons. The third is the corporation, which is recognized as a separate entity having all the rights of an individual. The proprietorship is the most common and most profitable form of business organization. The corporation is the largest and most visible.
One is a sole proprietorship which one individual, the sole proprietor, exercises complete control over the business. Another is a partnership in which two or more individuals combine their efforts and share the profits of the business. Under both business forms, the business is an asset owned by the owner or owner, it has no existence separate from them, and any financial or legal problems encountered by the business are their responsibility. All of the owners’ assets, even those not involved in the business, are at risk. Liability is unlimited.
Main types of business
Types reviewed and advantages and disadvantages
From your reading Homework on incorporation:
In-class assignment: what are the benefits of incorporation for the founder and for the shareholder?
Sole Proprietorship, p. 62
Partnerships
Forming a Partnership, p. 65
In-class assignment: notice how partnerships are formed by entrepreneurs and investors.
We will divide the class into small groups. You have two tasks: one, do you think the "sharks" will want to partner with the entrepreneur? If so, which one? Two, would you want to partner with the entrepreneur? Why or why not?
We will discuss as a class and students can offer their assessments.
1st Episode
Shark Tank - Episode 1 (Season 1)
1. Billionaire Mark Cuban, Owner & chairman of AXS TV & owner of Dallas Mavericks; 2. Real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran. 3. Queen of QVC" Lori Greiner 4. Technology innovator Robert Herjavec 5. Fashion and branding expert Daymond John 6. Venture Capitalist Kevin O'Leary.
Mr. Tod's Pie Factory
In the exciting conclusion we see the response of the two remaining sharks:
Barbara and Daymond
S1 E01 Part 2/5
The sole proprietor is confronted with cold reality. Would you give up a substantial part of your business? How much?
Advantages
Disadvantages, p. 66
Reading Check
Contrasting
What are the differences between a general partnership and a limited partnership?
Corporations, p. 67
Corporations & Stocks Overview In a Nutshell
Corporations are everywhere. You probably deal with thousands of them every day They're such a critical part of the American economy that you probably don't even notice or think about it.
But this wasn't always the case. When the United States was born, corporate charters were rarely granted. The benefits gained through incorporation were considered so great, they were offered only to businesses that served a broad public interest. A ferry company might receive a corporate charter, but an ordinary factory would not. If you proposed to build a canal that would link towns and expand trade, the state might grant you charter. But if you sought to incorporate your flour mill, you would probably be turned away.
Long story short: you could only incorporate if your business was going to do something very special to serve the public interest.
By the middle of the nineteenth century, however, these views had changed. Policymakers came to realize that the corporate form served all Americans by facilitating economic growth. For business owners, the corporation offered a way to increase both their capital and the stability of their businesses. For investors, the corporation offered a relatively risk-free way of taking part in emerging commercial opportunities.
Today, corporations bring in more than 80% of all dollars earned in America. Savvy stock investors participate in a global exchange worth more than $100 trillion. Corporations are here to stay, and they provide many of the best opportunities for individuals to get ahead in the world. Yet many people are left behind simply because they do not understand how to read a financial website. Are you one of them? Read on, and you won't be.
Why Should I Care?
Lots of people think corporations are defined by their size. They assume that they are gargantuan megabusinesses with thousands of employees and millions, maybe billions, in profits. But individuals can form corporations—your neighbor the accountant, your aunt the dentist, and your couldn’t-get-a-real job “life-coach” cousin Fred could all be incorporated. A corporation is just a type of business organization with specific legal and structural characteristics. Many corporations are among America’s largest businesses, but size is not a defining feature of the corporation.
So what are the defining features of the corporation? And what benefits do business people gain by incorporating? Perhaps most important—what’s in it for you? Read on and find out.
Corporations and Stocks game
Cf. http://www.shmoop.com/corporations-stocks/game.html
In regards to corporations, many people think that the financial websites that track the stock market are a confusing batch of secret codes. They are intimidated by the jumble of numbers and symbols clearly meant for only the most sophisticated analysts. But most of these numbers are little more than price tags—today's price tags compared with old price tags—so that you can see how the market has changed. The stock market is complex, and money can be lost—but it’s not too complex for most savvy consumers to understand what's going on... and perhaps to profit.
So what do all those numbers about the stock market really mean? And what does all the jargon—margin, short, put call—really mean? Read on and find out.
Main Idea
In-class assignment:
What is a corporation? What is it composed of? What sort of positions and functions are characteristic of a typical corporation?
http://glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/socialstudies/in_motion_08/epp/EPP_p68.swf
Forming a Corporation
A corporation is a very different type of business organization. Most significantly, a corporation is a business entity legally separated from its owners. When business owners decide to incorporate they secure a charter from the state government. This charter is like a birth certificate, establishing the existence of a new and separate legal entity. Once incorporated, the corporation can buy and sell property, enter into contracts, sue, and be sued... just like a living, breathing person.
In fact, that's what a corporation is: a legal "person." (The word "incorporate" shares the same root as "corpse"; it means something like "to give it a body.") The idea is that the corporation is a fictitious person, with many of the same rights under the law as a real person.
For the sole proprietor turned corporation, there are several benefits. Most importantly, his personal assets (home, car, boat, iPod) are no longer at risk should the corporation have problems. If the corporation is sued, only its assets are at risk. If the corporation goes broke, its creditors can only go after the corporation’s assets. As there is a legal barrier separating the corporation and its owners, the owners enjoy limited liability.
There are other benefits as well. To finance expansion, corporations may sell stock. Most corporations, in fact, do not sell stock to the public; all of the stock is privately owned. But if a company decides to expand its capital base by “going public” it issues an initial public offering or IPO. People buying the stock acquire partial ownership in the corporation. And the more shares they buy, the larger percentage of the corporation they own. Of course, this also means that the original owners also have to share profits. These may be distributed to the shareholders quarterly in the form of dividends.
Corporations may also raise money by selling corporate bonds. Like governments, corporations may issue bonds that promise repayment over a specified period at a certain interest rate.
Another benefit of turning a sole proprietorship or partnership into a corporation is that the business becomes more durable—that is, it is no longer so tied to the health of the founder. If the founder dies, the corporation lives on. Similarly, a corporation is less dependent on the talents of its founders. As corporations grow, they are governed by a board of directors elected by the shareholders. This board selects a president or CEO (chief executive officer) to manage the corporation. A sole proprietorship may have a technically brilliant but, from a business point of view, inept founder. He may turn the business over to his even more incompetent children. But the governing structure of corporations allows management to be handed over to professionally trained executives.
Summary and review
Proprietorship - owned and run by a single person.
Partnership - jointly owned by two or more persons.
Corporation - business organization recognized by law as a separate legal entity with all the rights of an individual.
Resources and HW
Thursday HW
1. p. 66, Reading Check, Contrasting, What are the differences between a general partnership and a limited partnership?
2. p. 67, What is the relationship between a dividend and a stockholder?
3. p. 67, How does common stock differ from preferred stock?
Barrett Strong - Money (That's What I Want) (with lyrics), 2:39
Barrett Strong recorded this in 1959 for Motown records, it reached number 2 on the R&B charts and 23rd on the US Pop charts making it Motown's first hit. Barrett Strong later went on to become one of Motown's most famous song writers.
Beatles, You Never Give Me Your Money, 3:26
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Friday, August 16, 2013
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Obama's Health Care Increases: Out of pocket expenses
Obama Played Cards During Bin Laden Raid
Bishop Thomas Tobin Leaves "cultural destruction" of Democratic Party
Hamas-CAIR Calling on Obama to Support Death
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Touchy, Sensitive Obama: Clown’s Obama stunt at Fair
Monday, August 12, 2013
Courses
HUM 106 Experience of Modern Art
Discusses aesthetic theory and provides critical analysis of examples
from modern art in poetry, painting and music. Also discusses the arts
of photography, dance, architecture, sculpture, theater, and film.
HUM 111 World Cultures I
Surveys the arts, literature, belief systems, and major events in the
development of cultures around the globe from ancient times to
the period of the European Renaissance.
HUM 112 World Cultures II
Surveys the arts, literature, belief systems, and major events in the
development of cultures around the globe from the European
Renaissance to the contemporary period.
HUM 303 Computers and Society
Studies the philosophical, ethical, psychological, and sociological
dimensions of information technology usage in society. Studies the
impact of computerization on the work environment, interpersonal
relations, knowledge acquisition, and power relations.
HUM 304 Science and Literature
Studies the impact of scientific ideas on the literature of nineteenth
and twentieth centuries. Addresses issues related to time travel,
artificial and alien life forms, medical and technological
breakthroughs, utopian societies, and the relativity of space and time.
HISTORY COURSES
HIS 105 Contemporary U.S. History
Surveys U.S. history from the end of the Civil War. Traces
socioeconomic developments following the First World War and their
impact on present American attitudes and policies toward domestic
as well as international affairs.
HIS 205 World History
Explores the history of the world, from paleolithic times to 1500,
which marks the end of the Middle Ages. Studies the emergence of
human beings in Africa and their gradual spread through Eurasia,
Australia, and the Americas. Examines the parallel development of
Chinese, Indian, Middle Eastern, and European civilizations, along
with an investigation concerning their interaction, especially through
such interregional historical forces as Hellenism, Christianity, and
Buddhism.
HIS 300 African-American History
Traces the history of the African people in the United States from
1619 to the present. Concentrates on key periods such as the Atlantic
slave trade and Reconstruction eras.
ECONOMICS COURSES
ECO 100 Principles of Economics
Presents a survey of basic macro- and microeconomic principles and
concepts. Reviews the economic dynamics of market forces affecting
competition, different economic systems, the role of government in
the economy, and economic aspects of international trade. Discusses
the labor market, interest rates and the supply of money, and
performance of a national economy. Examines the use of economics
in business decisions, considering such principles as opportunity
costs, diminishing returns, and the marginal principle.
ECO 101 Microeconomics
Examines economic decision-making process, theory of consumer
behavior, economics of the firm, and market structure. Discusses
major issues of welfare economics, comparative systems, and other
microeconomics topics.
ECO 102 Macroeconomics
Prerequisite: ECO 101
Examines the relationships of aggregate economic activity, output
determination, and national economic problems of inflation and
unemployment. Considers the appropriate use of fiscal and monetary
policy by the government to alleviate these problems. Discusses
economic growth, economic development, and the effects of
international trade.
ECO 250 Comparative Economic Systems
Prerequisite: ECO 100 or ECO 102
Analyzes the main economic systems operating today and their effect
on international trade policies. Compares economic internal growth
in centrally planned, mixed, and capitalist economics. Analyzes the
performance of various economic systems in today’s global economy
and discusses important problems and issues of economic transition.
Compares the basic theories of economic systems and various
models of economic transition.
ECO 301 Intermediate Microeconomics
Prerequisite: ECO 101
Examines economic theory of consumer behavior, production and
costs, the firm, price, distribution, general equilibrium, and welfare.
Deals with more advanced microeconomic theories and concepts.
ECO 302 Intermediate Macroeconomics
Prerequisite: ECO 101 or ECO 102
Covers systematic study of the theory of aggregate economics
including the level and growth of national income and employment,
the degree of utilization of productive capacity, and the general level
of prices.
ECO 305 International Economics
Prerequisite: ECO 100
Provides a comprehensive account of the theory and practice of
international trade and international monetary relations. Emphasizes
modern trade theory and applications, trade policies and
arrangements, and international factor movements. Covers topics in
international financial relations, including the balance of payments, exchange rate determination and regimes, international economic
policy, and international banking.
ECO 310 Economics of Labor
This course focuses on theoretical and policy issues that relate to the
operation of labor markets. Topics include labor demand, labor
mobility, unemployment, and the effect of various government
policies on labor markets.
ECO 320 Money and Banking
Prerequisite: ECO 101 or ECO 102
Discusses the role of financial institutions, the banking system, the
Federal Reserve System, and the nature and effectiveness of
monetary policy tools.
ECO 400 History of Economic Thought
Provides an analytical presentation of the origin and development of
economic theories and concepts in history, with special emphasis on
contemporary economic principles and thoughts.
ECO 405 Economic Problems and Issues
Applies conventional economic theory to national and international
economic issues and events. Utilizes the policy ideas and stances of
contemporary economists to provoke discussion of prevailing
economic issues. Applies economic tools to the business decision
making process.
ECO 410 International Environment of Financial Management
Prerequisite: ECO 305
Analyzes the world’s financial markets and institutions and the
international monetary system. Examines the considerations for
financial global operations including sources of capital, interest rate
analysis, tax considerations, trade finance, and working capital.
Evaluates the financial risks associated with transaction, operating,
and translation exposure in global markets. Reviews exchange rate
determination, inflation, and interest rate changes.
ECO 450 Public Finance
Prerequisite: ECO 100 or ECO 102
Covers economics of the public sector and analytical framework for
government involvement, official budgeting process, benefit-cost
analysis, taxes and their economic impact, national debt, fiscal policy,
negative income tax, and other current topics.
ECO 470 Econometrics
Prerequisites: ECO 102 and MAT 300
Examines applications of statistical techniques to economic data,
regression analysis, and estimation of economic models. Includes
violations of the regression model and analysis of variance.
ECO 499 Economics Capstone
Prerequisite: To be taken as last or next to last. A grade of "C" or
higher is required.
The course serves as the capstone for the economics program.
Current trends and contemporary issues are explored from both a
domestic and global perspective.
ECO 550 Managerial Economics and Globalization
Applies relevant economic theory to develop a framework of analysis
and techniques that business managers can use in deciding how to
allocate a firm’s scarce resources to achieve its objectives. Uses
economic analysis to support business strategy decisions that
promote competitiveness in an environment of changing domestic
and international market conditions, government regulations, trade
policies, and resource availability. Systematically analyzes how global
economic integration affects the production, input sourcing, and
pricing decisions of firms operating in different market structures.
Enlightenment
http://gmicksmithsocialstudies.blogspot.com/2012/06/chapter-10-revolution-and-enlightenment_10.html
Sunday, August 11, 2013
POEM PRAISING COMMON CORE ALLEGEDLY RECITED
Religion
How has the geography of religion evolved over the centuries, and where has it sparked wars? Our map gives us a brief history of the world's most well-known religions: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism. Selected periods of inter-religious bloodshed are also highlighted. Want to see 5,000 years of religion in 90 seconds? Ready, Set, Go!
A Time-Lapse Map of Every Nuclear Explosion Since 1945
Japanese artist Isao Hashimoto has created a beautiful, undeniably scary time-lapse map of the 2053 nuclear explosions which have taken place between 1945 and 1998, beginning with the Manhattan Project's "Trinity" test near Los Alamos and concluding with Pakistan's nuclear tests in May of 1998. This leaves out North Korea's two alleged nuclear tests in this past decade (the legitimacy of both of which is not 100% clear).
Each nation gets a blip and a flashing dot on the map whenever they detonate a nuclear weapon, with a running tally kept on the top and bottom bars of the screen. Hashimoto, who began the project in 2003, says that he created it with the goal of showing"the fear and folly of nuclear weapons." It starts really slow — if you want to see real action, skip ahead to 1962 or so — but the buildup becomes overwhelming.
Asylum Requests Flood Border
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Reid: Single Payer Health Care on the Way
Friday, August 9, 2013
Obama to Import Thousands of Islamist Refugees from Syrian Conflict
West Virginia University Marching Band Brings Tears to Our Eyes
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Obama Doesn't Know Where the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Are
Obama can’t remember Dr. Jill Biden’s name or where the Gulf of Mexico is
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
SHARIA PROMOTION IN FLORIDA LAW: HAMAS-CAIR TERROR SUPPORTER
Islamist Policies by Obama Attacked by Egyptian Popular Song
Monday, August 5, 2013
Citibank and Islamic, Sharia Finance
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Memphis Imam Preaches Jew Hatred
"Hitler never intended to mass-destroy the Jews... The Hoax of the Holocaust — I advise you to read this book, you'll want to write this down — The Hoax of the Holocaust, a very good book. All of this is false propaganda..."" — Yasir Qadhi, one of Ground Zero Mosque Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf's Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow
Imam Yasir Qadhi lectured at the Boston jihad bombers' mosque in April 2009, and has advocated replacing U.S. democracy with Islamic rule.
Christmas Day balls bomber Omar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who tried to blow up a transatlantic flight with a homicide bomb he had sewn into his underpants, studied under Qadhi. In 2008, Abdulmutallab attended a two-week program put on by the AlMaghrib Institute. Yasir Qadhi isAlMaghrib's Houston-based director of the 2008 program and national Dean of Academic Affairs. The AlMaghrib program offered "mainstream Islamic stuff," Qadhi told CNN, which did not challenge the claim.
Qadhi's hatred of non-Muslims, contempt for Western society, and glorification of jihad. Qadhi has alsostated that he "owed a lot to" Ali Al-Timimi, who was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of soliciting others to wage war against the United States. Even after Timimi's conviction, to Qadhi, he is someone "who I can say (with pride) that fifteen years ago, back in the early 90s, he played an instrumental role in shaping and directing me to take the path that has led me to where I am today."
While Qadhi professes to be part of the de-radicalization effort, CNN reports he enjoyed a starring role in the 2008 U.S.-funded Counter-Radicalization Strategy conference by the National Counterterrorism Center, his talks seethe with hatred for non-Muslims and the West. As part of a TV series named the "Fundamentals of Faith," which was broadcast on the popular British Muslim TV 'Islam Channel,' Qadhi showed his contempt for all other systems of thought besides Islam.