Global logistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Global logistics - Essay Example This paper will present a report to discuss various logistical issues and logistical procedures that should be considered by Middle East Division of MedicalCare International (MEDMI) before commencing the export of pharmaceuticals from Sao Paulo, Brazil and cosmetics from Bangalore, India. This report will discuss various modes of transport and destination ports that can be depended for MEDMI’s supply chain procedures. In order to develop and sustain effective global logistics, the management of MEDMI will have to address environmental issues apart from a number of issues related to logistics networks, inventory handling, organizational relationship, and performance measurement. These issues are discussed below: The global presence of MEDMI will certainly impact the channel structure it chooses for transportation between Jebel Ali and ports in Sao Paulo and Bangalore. Transportation between these ports involves longer distance leading to greater levels of risks, uncertainties and costs. Complexity of channel relations and costs for logistical operations will increase proportionately or more than proportionately when the firm’s network relation between global supplier, intermediary and customer expand (Gourdin, 2006). Severity of competition in global logistics is one of the main issues the management of MEDMI will have to address before starting exporting from Bangalore and Sao Paulo. Firms playing in global logistics compete with others through product differentiation or other strategies, and therefore, it is important to evaluate those factors that contributing to the competitive advantages of its competitors. Marketing strategies and distribution systems are normally interrelated. Well before arranging the export from Bangalore and Sao Paulo, managers of MEDMI have to take strategic decision regarding what type of distribution will be most supportive of its marketing strategies. There are three modes of distribution;

Topics Essay Example for Free

Topics Essay 1. Consider this situation: Alf and Bob rented a motel room. The room was rented under Alf’s name, and Alf paid for the first day’s rent; the second day’s rent was paid by Bob, and the third day’s rent was not paid. The motel manager, finding the appearance of his guests suspicious (long hair, colorful clothes, general air of disreputability), informed the police that he suspected them of being drug-users. The police raided the motel room on the third day and discovered Alf (but not Bob) asleep, and found considerable quantities of drugs and drug paraphernalia scattered about the room. They arrested Alf. Alf said that the drugs did not belong to him but to Bob (who was nowhere to be found), and that although he knew that Bob possessed and used marijuana, he himself never did. Alf was prosecuted for illegal possession of drugs (which happens to be a criminal offence). The question falls into three parts. Answer all of them. a) If you were prosecuting Alf, what arguments would you use to convince the court that the act-requirement had been satisfied in this case? b) If you were defending Alf, what arguments would you use to convince the court that the act-requirement had not been satisfied in this case? c) If you were the judge, what would your decision be regarding this issue? Give reasons for your answer. 2. Consider this situation: Charlie is drowning in a swimming-pool. Standing around him, not doing anything to rescue him, are the following persons, all of whom are strong swimmers: (i) Derek, who is the lifeguard on duty, (ii) Edwin, who is Charlie’s twin brother, (iii) Frederick, who is an off-duty policeman, (iv) Gavin, who had stumbled upon Charlie’s untied shoelaces, and, in trying to keep himself from falling, accidentally pushed Charlie into the pool; and, (v) Harvey, a man who had long intended to kill Charlie, who happened to be passing by the pool when he saw Charlie drowning, and stopped to watch. The question falls into two parts. Answer both of them. a) Which of these five witnesses to Charlie’s death should be held criminally liable for failing to rescue Charlie and which of them should not? Provide reasons to justify your answer. b) Would it make any difference to your answer if Charlie happened to a paraplegic confined to a wheelchair? If so, why, and if not, why not? 3. Consider this situation: Irvin and his girlfriend Jennie get drunk in their apartment and begin to quarrel. Jennie threatens to beat Irvin on the head repeatedly with a heavy cast-iron saucepan. Irvin, knowing that Jennie is fully capable of doing this, flees from his apartment and into the street. A policeman finds him running down the street screaming, and takes him into custody. Irvin is prosecuted for being drunk and disorderly in a public place, which happens to be a criminal offence. The question falls into three parts. a) If you were prosecuting Irvin, what argument would you use to convince the court that the voluntariness component of the act-requirement had been satisfied in this case? b) If you were defending Irvin, what argument would you use to convince the court that the voluntariness component of the act-requirement had not been satisfied in this case? c) If you were the judge, what would your decision be regarding this issue? Give reasons for your answer. 4. Kelly is a clinically diagnosed alcoholic and becomes pregnant due to a flaw in a contraceptive device. She does not refrain from consuming alcohol during her pregnancy, and her child, Larry, is born with severe mental retardation due to fetal alcohol syndrome. Kelly is prosecuted for having caused grievous bodily harm to Larry. Assume that mental retardation does in fact constitute grievous bodily harm, and that Larry’s mental retardation was in fact caused by Kelly’s consumption of alcohol during her pregnancy. The defence nevertheless argues, on behalf of Kelly, that (i) alcoholism is not an ‘act’ but a condition, (ii) Kelly’s consumption of alcohol during her pregnancy was not ‘voluntary’ because Kelly was an alcoholic; (iii) pregnancy is not an ‘act’ but a condition, and (iv) Kelly’s pregnancy was not ‘voluntary’ because Kelly’s contraceptive device malfunctioned. Therefore, says the defence, Kelly has not satisfied the act-requirement for a crime in this case.

Concepts of Money Measurement

Concepts of Money Measurement Business Entity Concept can also be known as separate entity concept. A business entity concept is the financial activities are record distinct from the people who finance it such as owners, creditors, customers, and employers. The accounting records reflect the financial activities of a specific corporate entity. So, the business should separately from the proprietor or investor. When the profit is return in to the business, the profit must be taken into account. For example, the sole trader invests available funds in the market share account. These available funds are not affecting the financial status of the business itself. Money Measurement Concept Money Measurement Concept is expressed in monetary term. Every transaction is records in terms of money. If the transaction cannot be measured in monetary term, then the transaction cannot be taken into account. Going Concern Concept Going concern concept is the business that expected that a business will continue to operate its business for the next 12 months or next accounting period. This concept assumes that the business is going on steadily training for year to year without reducing its operation. When an enterprise liquidates or scale down a part of operation of the enterprise, the ability of the enterprise to continue as going concern concept is not impaired normally. Materiality Concept This materiality concept is refers to purposes paying attention to important events and ignoring insignificant accounting items as well as suggests small aster purchases or improvements should be initially written off as an expense. Prudence concept Prudence concept is taking a proper caution in measuring profit and income. Prudence must be exercised when preparing financial statements because of the uncertainty surrounding many transactions. In this concept, income should not be anticipated at all possible losses should be provided for. a.) Give FOUR reasons why depreciation may occur. The definition of the depreciation is refers to noncash expense that reduces the value of an asset as a result of wear and tear, age, or obsolescence. Most assets lose their value over time and must be replaced once the end of their useful life is reached. The main reason of the depreciation is due to the physical wear and tear and the passage of time. For example, the value of the car is reduced over time as new model is introduced to the market, or the value of used motor vehicles is lower than a similar model but new motor vehicles. The second reason is obsolescence of the asset. For instance, the old machine in a factory is become more obsolescence due to time that the machine used. After many years, the value of the machine is depreciated because the residual or scrap value of the asset and similar new machine is come out in the market. The third reason is passage of time. Some assets diminish in value on account of sheer passage of time, even though they are not used. For example, the patent rights, copy rights and lease hold property. The forth reason is depletion of the asset. The depletion is to provide for the consumption on charge against earnings, based on the amount of wasting natural resources that are taken out of total available reserves during an accounting period. 2 b.) A firm buys a motor vehicles in January 20X5 for RM10,000. Calculate the annual depreciation for the first four years using. Reducing Balance Method, at an annual rate of 20%. Reducing Balance Method: Depreciation: Reduced Balance: Year 1 (20X5) 20% x RM 10,000 = RM 2,000 (RM 10,000 2,000) = RM 8,000 Year 2 (20X6) 20% x RM 8,000 = RM 1,600 (RM 8,000 1,600) = RM 6,400 Year 3 (20X7) 20% x RM 6,400 = RM 1,280 (RM 6,400 1,280) = RM 5,120 Year 4 (20X8) 20% x RM 5,120 = RM 1,024 (RM5, 120 1,024) = RM 4,096 Straight Line Method, if the vehicle is to be sold in four years time for RM2,000. Straight Line Method: Depreciation per year = = = RM 2,000 Dt Motor Vehicle account Ct ÂÂ   ÂÂ   ÂÂ   RM ÂÂ   ÂÂ   RM 20X5 20X5 Jan 1 Bank 10,000 Dec 31 Balance c/d 10,000 ÂÂ   ÂÂ   ÂÂ   20X6 20X6 Jan 1 Balance b/d 10,000 Dec 31 Balance c/d 10,000 ÂÂ   ÂÂ   ÂÂ   20X7 20X7 Jan 1 Balance b/d 10,000 Dec 31 Balance c/d 10,000 ÂÂ   ÂÂ   ÂÂ   20X8 20X8 Jan 1 Balance b/d 10,000 Dec 31 Balance c/d 10,000 ÂÂ   ÂÂ   ÂÂ   ÂÂ   Dt Provision for Depreciation on Vehicle Ct ÂÂ   ÂÂ   ÂÂ   RM ÂÂ   ÂÂ   ÂÂ   RM 20X5 20X5 Dec 31 Balance c/d 2,000 Dec 31 Profit Loss A/C 2,000 ÂÂ   20X6 20X6 Dec 31 Balance c/d 4,000 Jan 1 Balance b/d 2,000 Dec 31 Profit Loss A/C 2,000 4,000 4,000 ÂÂ   ÂÂ   20X7 20X7 Dec 31 Balance c/d 6,000 Jan 1 Balance b/d 4,000 Dec 31 Profit Loss A/C 2,000 6,000 ÂÂ   6,000 ÂÂ   ÂÂ   20X8 20X8 Dec 31 Balance c/d 8,000 Jan 1 Balance b/d 6,000 Dec 31 Profit Loss A/C 2,000 8,000 ÂÂ   8,000 Profit Loss Account ( extract ) for the year ended 31 December ÂÂ   ÂÂ   ÂÂ   ÂÂ   ÂÂ   20X5 20X6 20X7 20X8 Operating expenses : RM RM RM RM Depreciation of Motor Vehicle 2,000 2,000 2,000 2,000 Balance Sheet ( extract ) as at 31 December ÂÂ   ÂÂ   ÂÂ   ÂÂ   ÂÂ   20X5 20X6 20X7 20X8 Fixed Assets RM RM RM RM Motor Vehicle, at cost 10,000 10,000 10,000 10,000 Less : Provision for depreciation 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 Net book value 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 ÂÂ   ÂÂ   ÂÂ   ÂÂ   Calculate the cost of raw materials issued from the following data using : DATE PURCHASES SALES JAN 15 units x RM 10.00 FEB 10 units x RM 10.50 APRIL 20 units x RM 25.00 JUN 8 units x RM 11.00 AUG 10 units x RM 25.00 SEPT 20 units x RM12.00 NOV 13 units x RM 25.00 a.) LIFO method Date Purchases Cost of goods sold Balance Jan 15units x RM 10 15units x RM 10 = RM 150 Feb 10units x RM10.50 10units x RM 10.50 = RM 105 TOTAL 25 units @ RM 225 April 10units x RM10.50 10units x RM 10 10units x RM10.50 = RM105 10units x RM 10 = RM100 TOTAL 5 units x RM10 = RM 50 Jun 8 units x RM11 8 units x RM 11 = RM 88 TOTAL 5 units x RM10 = RM 50 8 units x RM 11 = RM 88 13 units @ RM 138 August 8 units x RM 11 2 units x RM 10 8 units x RM 11 = RM 88 2 units x RM 10 = RM 20 10 units @ RM 108 TOTAL 3 units x RM 10 = RM 30 Sept 20 units x RM 12 20 units x RM 12 = RM 240 TOTAL 3 units x RM 10 = RM 30 20 units x RM 12 = RM 240 23 units @ RM 270 Nov 13 units x RM 12 13 units x RM 12 = RM 156 Closing stock 3 units x RM 10 = RM 30 7 units x RM 12 = RM 84 10 units @ RM 114 Sales = ( 20 units + 10 units + 13 units ) x RM 25 = RM 1075 Cost of goods sold = (10units x RM10.50) + (10units x RM 10 ) + (8 units x RM 11 ) + (2 units x RM 10 ) + ( 13 units x RM 12 ) = RM 105 + RM 100 + RM 88 + RM 20 + RM 156 = RM 469 GROSS PROFIT =Sales Cost of Goods Sold = RM1075 RM469 = RM606 b.) FIFO method Date Purchase Cost of goods sold Balance Jan 15 units x RM 10 15 units x RM 10 = RM 150 Feb 10 units x RM 10.50 10 units x RM 10.50= RM 105 TOTAL 25 units @ RM155 April 15 units x RM 10 5 units x RM 10.50 15 units x RM 10 = RM 150 5 units x RM 10.50= RM 52.50 20 units @ RM 202.50 TOTAL 5 units x RM 10.50 = RM 52.50 Jun 8 units x RM 11 8 units x RM 11 = RM 88 TOTAL 5 units x RM 10.50 = RM 52.50 8 units x RM 11 = RM 88 13 units @ RM 140.50 August 5 units x RM 10.50 5 units x RM 11 5 units x RM 10.50 = RM 52.50 5 units x RM 11 = RM 55 10 units @ RM 107.50 TOTAL 3 units x RM 11 = RM 33 Sept 20 units x RM 12 20 units x RM 12 = RM 240 TOTAL 3 units x RM 11 = RM 33 20 units x RM 12 = RM 240 23 units @ RM273 Nov 3 units x RM 11 10 units x RM 12 3 units x RM 11 = RM 33 10 units x RM 12 = RM 120 13 units @ RM 153 Closing stock 10 units x RM 12 = RM 120 Sales = ( 20 units + 10 units + 13 units ) x RM 25 = RM 1075 Cost of goods sold = ( 15 units x RM 10 ) + ( 5 units x RM 10.50 ) + ( 5 units x RM 10.50 ) + ( 5 units x RM 11 ) + ( 3 units x RM 11 ) + ( 10 units x RM 12 ) = RM 150 + RM 52.50 + RM 52.50 + RM 55 + RM 33 + RM 120 = RM 463 GROSS PROFIT =Sales Cost of Goods Sold =RM1075 RM463 =RM612 c.) Average cost method Date Purchases Cost of goods sold Balance Jan 15 units x RM 10 15 units x RM 10 = RM 150 Feb 10 units x RM 10.50 10 units x RM 10.50 = RM 105 WAVCO 15 units x RM 10 = RM 150 10 units x RM 10.50 = RM 105 25 units @ RM 225 = RM 10.20 / units April 20 units x RM 10.20 20 units x RM 10.20 = RM 204 TOTAL 5 units x RM 10.20 = RM 51 Jun 8 x RM 11 8 units x RM 11 = RM 88 WAVCO 5 units x RM 10.20 = RM 51 8 units x RM 11 = RM 88 13 units @ RM 139 = RM 10.69 / units August 10 units x RM 10.69 10 units x RM 10.69 = RM 106.90 TOTAL 3 units x RM 10.69 = RM 32.07 Sept 20 units x RM 12 20 units x RM 12 = RM 240 WAVCO 3 units x RM 10.69 = RM 32.07 20 units x RM 12 = RM 240 23 units @ RM 272.07 = RM 11.83 / units Nov 13 units x RM 11.83 13 units x RM 11.83 = RM 153.79 Closing stock 10 units x RM 11.83 = RM 118.30 Sales = ( 20 units + 10 units + 13 units ) x RM 25 = RM 1075 Cost of Goods Sold = ( 20 units x RM 10.20 ) + ( 10 units x RM 10.69 ) + (13 units x RM 11.83 ) = RM 204 + RM 106.90 + RM 153.79 = RM 464.69 GROSS PROFIT =Sales Cost of Goods Sold = RM1075 RM 464.69 = RM 610.31 5a.) Explain clearly the difference between capital expenditure and revenue expenditure. Capital expenditure is acquired to be used in business operation to generate revenue for a period of more than one year. Capital expenditure is the money that spends on buying asset. For instance, office equipment and motor vehicle are the examples of the capital expenditure. Capital expenditure also can be considered as the useful economic life of the asset. Therefore, the expenditure incurred is allocated over the period it is used to match the revenue earned. On the other hand, revenue expenditure are incur in the current year in the business operation. The revenue expenditure is the expenditure on the wages, premises, and utility bills. Therefore, the revenue expenditure need to written off to the profit and loss account in the year in order to measure the profit or loss. This is an accounting concept termed matching and accruals concept. Revenue expenditure also is the money that spends to obtain the use of the asset and maintain the dairy operation of the business. b.) Classify the following items as capital or revenue expenditure. i .) Cost of new machinery Capital expenditure ii . ) Petrol and oil for the motor vehicle Revenue expenditure iii . ) Wages of office staff Revenue expenditure iv . ) Extension of factory Capital expenditure v . ) Repainting office Revenue expenditure vi . ) Cost of road tax and insurance for new van Capital expenditure vii . ) Cost of road tax and insurance for existing van Revenue expenditure viii . ) Repair and maintenance of existing van Revenue expenditure ix . ) Legal fees paid in connection with factory extension Revenue expenditure x . ) Cost of painting firms name on new van Capital expenditure Bibliography Internet sources Wikipedia 2009, Entity concept, 5 Dec, viewed by 3 July 2010 BusinessDictionary.com 2010, business entity concept, viewed by 18 June 2010 Tutor2u, accounting concept and conventions, viewed by 18 June 2010 Anil Kumar Gupta 2007, Depreciation, Causes of Depreciation, Need for Provision of Depreciation , 2 June ,viewed by 18 June 2010

Francis Bacon - The Portraits :: Visual Arts Paintings Art

Francis Bacon - The Portraits Francis Bacon was born in Dublin, Ireland to English parents. When F. Bacon grow up and was more independent he then travelled to Berlin were he spent most of his time there. He then moved onto Paris, before returning to London and starting out as an interior designer. Bacon never attended art school; he only began his work in watercolours about 1926 – 27. An exhibition of works by Pablo Picasso inspired him to make his first drawings and paintings. The influence of the biomorphic figures in Picasso’s work is apparent in Bacons first major painting of his mature period ‘Three Studies for Figures’ at the base of a Crucifixion 1944. This painting is also representative of some of Bacon’s methods and subjects. The Portraits influenced me because in my project ‘Journey’s’ I am looking at car crashes and what things lead to car crashes e.g. Drink driving. I wanted to see how drink affects the brain and how the brain reacts to the effects. As Bacon in this particular painting of this, distorted image of a face, I thought this would be a great image to use in my project. Using this image would help me to see what people, who drink drive, see while they are driving. So using this distorted image it showed me how incontrollable people are when drink driving. The image provides strong movement due to the harsh sweeps of paint. In the painting I noticed how Bacon used basic elements to give a distinctive image. He has used a thick paint brush and he probably only did about 15 brush strokes. The composition of the study is life-like and has made sure that he includes every detail of the face. By having the face on an angle and the thick brush strokes it shows me that this person maybe scared or has just seen some object that is distracting him, also it looks like he moved his face with some rapid force. Each of the colours contrasts well and gives a representation of a face. The shapes used in the composition of the painting are mostly round or even sphere shape. Bacon has used a lot of texture in the paint to show the different elements, e.g. the thick white brush stroke represents the cheekbone and the dark stroke for under the chin. The process of the painting that Bacon has gone through were sketching out the outline of the face and the facial features then I imagine he took the brush and with some force started to map out the face while

David Garrick :: essays research papers fc

David Garrick (1716-1779) David Garrick’s contemporaries felt it would be vanity to describe his acting (Stone and Kahrl 27). Vanity has never stopped Shane Davis from doing anything ! David Garrick was considered to be the most influential and skilled actor of his time. Garrick is credited with revolutionizing the portrayal of character. His concept of ‘experiencing’ the feelings of the character, is a concept that helped lead 18th-century theatre into a new naturalistic era. It was an approach to acting that was directly at odds with the theatrical philosophy prior to Garrick’s inception (Stone and Kahrl 35). Garrick’s innovative style known as naturalism, led the extremely popular and successful actor James Quin to remark " If this [method of Garrick’s] is right, then we are all wrong" ( Cole and Chinoly 131). The style that was so admired and later copied by Garrick’s peers was a combination of naturalism, classical representation of the passions, and exaggerated physicality. Garrick was not the originator of naturalism ,that distinction is Charles Mackilin’s, although he is credited with its success. Pure naturalism can be characterized by Macklin’s instruction of his players to ignore the cadence of tragedy, but simply speak the passage as you would in common life and with more emotional force (Cole and Chinoly 121). The term used to describe this new style of speech is called broken tones of utterance. It is a method of speech which concentrates more on the emotion in a verse rather than its meter. David Garrick was a opportunistic actor who borrowed from many different acting techniques (Stone and Kahrl 345). Garrick’s naturalism was concerned more with the feeling of true emotion , the uniqueness of character, combined with the physical representation of the passions. Representation of the passions was an accepted artistic convention for expressing emotion. Le Brun, a late 17th-century century artist , wrote a "grammar" of the passions from Descartes earlier work. In doing so he gives a formal explanation of the 17th and eventually 18th-century representation of emotion. Le Brun’s manual explains that Contempt is expressed by the eyebrows knit and lowering towards the nose, and at the other end very much elevate; the eye very open, and the pupil in the middle; the nostrils drawing upwards; the mouth shut, and the corners somewhat down, and the upper lip thrust out farther than the upper one. (Le Brun) Le Brun’s descriptions along with many suggestions of mannerisms which should accompany them were reprinted in the acting manuals of the time.

Mayans, Incas, and Aztecs

The Three Great American Cultures Central and South America is said to have been first discovered in the late fifteenth century; however, to say that the land before this time was unknown to all of humanity would be a fallacy and a great insult to the three great ancient cultures that ruled before their European conquest. The Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans were three distinct groups of people that thrived in the Americas prior to their â€Å"discovery† and all have a diversely rich background full of people, tradition, and culture. Recorded Aztecan history begins at the start of the twelfth century when the Aztec people first moved out in search of a new homeland. In 1325 they founded their new home with the creation of Tenochtitlan, a large city which is now the location of common-day Mexico City. The life of the Aztec people was multifaceted – filled with school systems, laws, clothing fashions, and traditional food. They had different scholastic buildings in place for children depending on their economic and noble rank among the people. Noble children would attend a school called a calmecac that would teach them history, religion, and the ways to govern. Meanwhile, the common children could go to a telpochacalli where they would learn aspects of war and trade work, but if a child showed enough promise and intelligence he or she could be sent up to one of the calmecacs to prepare for a higher future career. Crime and punishment was a severe topic for Aztecs; the breaking of many of their laws resulted immediately in death, some of which included: adultery, treason, theft, drunkenness, and even cutting down a living tree. Interestingly as well, if a commoner were to wear cotton clothing (something reserved only for nobility) they too would be put to death. Nobles dressed most lavishly among their people, opting for the brightest colors, and often used bird feathers to make headdresses that indicate their high status. The staple food for the Aztecs was corn. They also ate tomatoes, avocadoes, and tamales. Aztecs ruled for hundreds of years up until their peak in 1502 under their ruler Moctezuma II. The Spanish first arrived in 1519 with the conquistador Hernando Cortez, and by 1522 all the Aztecs once celebrated in Tenochtitlan was destroyed. Toward the south during the same time as the Aztecan people, the Incas were also in their peak from 1200 until 1535. They lived in what is now Peru and Chile, and before their fall had massed the largest Native American society. Part of the reasoning behind why the Incas became such a large tribe comes from their dominance in battle and their desire to conquer the neighboring tribes. During their peak, the Incan army had over forty thousand troops, patrolling in their lands. Living in the Andes mountain range also made for some interesting architecture. The Incas made large fortresses on the sides of steep mountains in order to protect their people and also see enemies if they were attacking from afar. Arranged as they were on the sides of mountains, Incan cities lead themselves to be hierarchically and religiously symbolic. The tallest point of their cities were reserved for religious practices, often in adoration for their sun god Along with their buildings, the Incas had advanced drainage systems used for irrigation to grow many of the crops the Aztecs did such as tomatoes, corn, cocoa, and cotton. Sadly the Incans shared more with the Aztecs than just their mutual crops; in 1535 they too were conquered by Spanish forces. While the Aztecs and Incas had much in common, perhaps the most different of the three great American societies were the Mayans found in the southern tip of common day Mexico and Guatemala. Unlike their neighbors to the north and south, the Mayans did not govern its people under a single ruler. Instead, the Mayans were comprised of smaller local city-states that ruled independently of one another. Each had its own ruler that was believed to be a descendant of the gods. But while they were independently ruled, the city-states all shared a common written language, religious beliefs, and a calendar system. The Mayans are the only known Native American culture that developed a written language, of which there are four existing books along with countless murals and wall writings. Much like the Aztecs and Incas, the Mayans practiced human sacrifices. Because they believed that their nobility were decedents of the gods, it was customary for a city-state’s ruler to partake in ritual bloodletting along with sacrificing rival neighboring nobles. They also followed their ritual calendar that was comprised of a thirteen month and twenty day cycle. It marked the passing of planets, stars, and allowed the people to know when the proper time was to plant and harvest. Perhaps these calendars helped them predict other things as well because unlike the Aztecs and Incas, the Mayans were never conquered by Spain because of their mysterious disappearance around the sixteenth century. Works Cited The Ancient Aztecs. Think Quest. 1999. Web. 1 February 2010. Criscenzo, Jeeni. The Maya. Jaguar Sun. 2000. Web. 1 February 2010. Inca. Minnesota State University. Web. 1 February 2010.

How accurate is the film Gladiator Essay

Gladiator is a wonderful story and won Best Picture in 2000. Even though the movie is so well done it does not mean that the story is historically accurate. The movie includes many historically accurate facts ranging from some of the characters to the society of Rome. However, Gladiator is for pure entertainment, and just like the real gladiator battles, it is for the enjoyment of the viewers. The film added to the cinematic categories such romance and intrigue but at the same time took away from many historical aspects. Even though the movie is on the whole historically inaccurate there are a few historically accurate details. In Gladiator, the hugeness of the Coliseum is very well and accurately portrayed. The Coliseum is larger then Shea Stadium, and that greatness and grandeur is shown correctly in the film. Also, the movie correctly portrayed the armory of the times. The breastplates were correct and so too were the facemasks and other such battle suits.( http://www.online-shrine.com) The movie shows these true details in order for the viewer to think that the other more amazing parts of the plot are true. Also, by adding the truths it makes sure that the movie will not seem neither phony nor cartoonish. The reason Gladiator can not be considered historically accurate is because of the glaring errors in the characters and the emotions and actions of the characters. Firstly, Crowe’s General Maximus Decimus Meridus is a total fake. He is not a real person nor is he very similar to any one else in history. Maximus is instead a hodgepodge of many other people. The one true person who is totally shown incorrectly is Commodus. Commodus is shown as a grownup that never outgrows his childhood. However, he in fact was not like that at all. In the film Commodus is shown killed is father because his father believed he wasn’t fit to rule. In truth Commodus did not kill his. Historians generally agree that, Marcus Aurelius died of the plague in Vienna on March 17, 180 CE (www.nmia.com). It is also untrue that Marcus found his son unfit to rule. He had Commodus named Caesar when he was 5 years old, and named Commodus as his successor when he was seventeen. As a Roman father he undoubtedly loved and spoiled his son terribly. Gladiator is not a historically accurate film and is filled with hogwash. The film can not be used to study that time period and can only be used as a great Hollywood film but nothing more. Gladiator deserved all of its accolades because of the film in its own right but not because of the history it used to tell the story. Gladiator 28 Feb. 2004 < http://www.online-shrine.com/reviews/gladiator.php> Is Gladiator true 28 Feb. 2004 < www.nmia.com/~pslock/r_glad.htm>