Site visit report

Visiting theatre is always exciting and interesting. It gives a lot of new information and new expressions. In order to be organized well enough any cultural site must be created as well-developed, complex structure with its each branch accomplishing its own functions.The Royal Court Theatre is one of the most famous theatres all over the world. The newest high quality performances take place in this theatre. These plays are always interesting and exciting and always refer to the eternal problems of humanity.This theatre is famous by its actual works using the works of writers not only from UK but from all over the world. â€Å"Nee York Times† referred this theatre as â€Å"the most important theatre in Europe†.   But it would be helpful not to forget that besides being the place of art it is also a public place. So, what Royal Court Theatre is and what its facilities are?First of all it is necessary to pay special attention to the Web-site of the Royal Court Theatre. It’s a great web-place which differs from thousands of other cultural places’ web-pages by its original design and convenient guide system.   Would like to distinguish such sub-page of this site as â€Å"Visiting†. Very useful and in-time information is given there. The complete theatre address is given. The potential visitor can get here the detailed information regarding how to get to the theatre. The authorities have taken into consideration all the particularities and details.For example, such announcement as (Royal Court Theatre web-site, 2006): â€Å"Please note that the station itself is not accessible for wheelchair users† (n. p.) – it testifies the high level of the theatre services. The detailed information about parking all around theatre’s territory is given. For example it is submitted that the theatre has no car park but the information about the nearest parking is given. It is said that â€Å"there is on street parking aft er 6.30pm.† Each can also get the most convenient route how to get to the theatre. All the bus and subway routes are presented by the web-site.The history of the theatre in its not too long but very interesting version is also present on the web-site. From this information one can understand easily the very concept of the theatre performances and then to choose a play for visiting (their announcement is given on the main page).The other interesting thing: â€Å"Bar† – a special sub-page in which the visitor can get known about the eating facilities of the theatre(Royal Court Theatre web-site, 2006): â€Å"The Royal Court's BAR AND FOOD facilities occupy the nineteenth century auditorium ‘pit', the original vaults under the pavement and a completely new spacious hall built underneath Sloane Square† (n. p.). The schedule of coffee intervals is given. In the very bottom of the page it is pointed out: â€Å"Service is not included†. So, a visitor gets full information till the visiting theatre- that’s a very strong point in favour of the theatre.Special page for students is also created on this web-site with full description of full students events and so on. At first glance, the design and structure if the web-site is very simple but each sub-page contains other pages with very detailed information on each of them. For example, students’ page has such sub-pages as â€Å"Student events†, â€Å"Join hype†, â€Å"Bar and food†.It can be said that the Royal Court Theatre is a bright example of a well developed cultural structure. In order to analyze its functions efficiently it will be helpful to do that step by step. First among those is the advertising of the place. Once we got out from the bus in London we already saw a rather big billboard with the Royal Court Theatre advertising. So, from the very beginning of our visit to London we already knew that such theatre can be visited by us in t his city. That’s a very big point in favor of this establishment.While traveling all over the city other advertisings of the theatre have been noted by us as well. And in Sloane Square the booklets with the theatre’s advertising were distributed. In those leaflets the short information about theatre’s history and actual exhibitions was submitted. All these additional means of advertising were arranged professionally. Besides, there always exists some other kind of advertising – it is so called verbal advertising –from the parts pf people who have already visited the theatre. In other cultural sites which we visited in London many people gave us good calls on the Royal Court Theatre.So, if to estimate the advertising activities of the theatre by the scale of 10, it can be estimated as 10 points and that’s completely justified.The second point to be estimated is the visitor management. This activities start to be estimated when a visitor is in the theatre already. The staff of the theatre is composed by professional people and that can be noted as soon as one gets inside.   Both external and internal design of the theatre can compete with the most beautiful theatres of the world. When getting inside a beautiful hall arranged in somewhat old fashion with high walls and spacious upper side involves visitors into the atmosphere of theatre mystic.Marvellous French windows enhance even more beauty to the theatre premise.   Special premises for coffee brakes, toilets are situated in such manner that they do not distract visitors’ attention from the principle theatre attributes.Regarding the interpretation of the performances it can said that the author’s presentation never can be correct for all visitors as each of them has his own opinion. Nevertheless, the performance of the two plays I was present on impressed me and I was agree with the author’s vision. What’s more, I even have changed my se eing of certain problems after seeing plays. This fact testifies the high professional level of the theatre plays.

Male Identity and Greek Mythology’s Hercules in Films Essay

Famed for his mighty muscles, Hercules was the son of the mortal woman Alcmene and the god Zeus. Hercules performed many legendary feats of strength, the first of which came as an infant: when Zeus’s wife Hera placed two serpents in his crib, Hercules quickly strangled them. After he had grown to manhood Hera got revenge by driving Hercules briefly mad, causing him to slay his own wife and children. As penance Hercules performed his famous 12 labors (or tasks), which included killing the Hydra, capturing Cerberus the dog, and cleaning the stables of Augeas. Hercules appears in many ancient Greek stories and is one of mythology’s best-known heroes. Mythologies are fantasies that have the power to endure in people’s minds and culture through time. For this, mythological stories and characters have been part of substantial themes of films in the history of filmmaking. They have a significant place in the world of filmmaking because mythological stories and characters have the ample amount of mystery and magic that has the ability to capture the audience’s attention and imagination. Storylines may differ or be similar to the myths itself but the essence of the mythological character exudes. One such masculine and mythological character is the half-man half-god Greek hero, Hercules. This mythological character with extraordinary physical strength has been featured and appeared in numerous films in the big screen and television. With the different depictions of Hercules, this paper then is an assessment on how he was portrayed and presented in films. The materials considered for this study were Disney’s animated film â€Å"Hercules† released on 1997 and Roger Young’s miniseries entitled â€Å"Hercules. Half Man. Half God. All Power. † released on 2004 by the Hallmark Channel. Hercules on Disney’s Animated Film According to the Big Cartoon Database (n. d. ) â€Å"Hercules† was a â€Å"Disney update on classic mythology†, an animated film about his journey towards finding a place where he belonged. Here, Hercules, the son of Greek gods Zeus and Hera was born god-like strength in Olympus, the home of the gods. When Hades, the God of the Underworld, learns that his plan of domination in the future will be affected because of Hercules’ existence, he summons his two followers, Pain and Panic, de-immortalize the child Hercules and kill him in the mortal world. Pain and Panic, failed in their mission and only succeeds in making Hercules mortal. No mortal beings are allowed to dwell in Olympus, which leaves Hercules in the care of Alcmene and Amphitryon, the childless mortal couple who found him on the bushes. Hercules later grows into a misfit adolescent because of his extraordinary strength that always gets him in the center of chaos. His adoptive parents later tells him of his past and a medal found with him that is a link to Zeus, his father. Hercules then journeys to the temple of the gods. Zeus appears and confirms Hercules thoughts. Zeus tells him that the only way that Hercules can enter Olympus again is that if he becomes an earthly hero to gain his godliness. The adolescent Hercules then goes on a pursuit of a hero status with the help and instructions from the satyr, Philoctetes. He achieves the hero status later in adulthood but is perplexed because he still is not a god. When Hades learns that Hercules still lives, he orders his soul-bound follower Megara to deceive Hercules. Hades tries to block his path to being a God with calamities and creatures like the multi-headed, Hydra. Hercules becomes a God when he sacrifices himself for Megara. The animated film ends with Hercules choosing to stay in the mortal world to be with Megara. The most obvious difference of the animated film from the original Greek myth of Hercules is that the dreadful factors of his origins were revised and some components of modern day popular culture were utilized. According to Royalty. nu (n. d. ), Hercules was born to Alcmene, wife of Amphityron, but fathered by the Greek God Zeus. Zeus deceived Alcmene into thinking that he was Amphitryon on a night when the real Amphitryon was away. Hera, Zeus’ wife loathed Hercules and tried several times to try and kill Hercules, much unlike in the animated film, where Hera as Hercules’ mother doted on him. The animated film focused on Hercules’ early life; the famous ten labors of Hercules and the other half of his life was not included. The circumstances of the Greek myth characters like Megara, Zeus, Hera, Aphitryon, Alcmene and the rest included in the film were greatly modified to fit the storyline of the animated film. Apart from that Hercules’ twin brother, Iphicles was excluded in the storyline. Greek mythology portrays Hercules as a character with â€Å"low intelligence and terrible temper†(Royalty. nu, n. d. ). Although there was much difference from the original Greek myth, Hercules’ character as half-man half-god hero with weaknesses was still portrayed. Hercules’ character in the animated film was a bit naive but he was not quick to loose his temper. Audiences were also given a taste of Hercules’ famous battles with calamities and creatures. Hercules on Roger Young’s Miniseries According to FilmAffinity (n. d. ), this Hercules miniseries is about â€Å"the gifted child born of a blood greater than mortal who would become the most powerful of all gods†. Roger Young’s miniseries starts with how Hercules was conceived. Similar to the Greek myth, the dissolute God Zeus deludes the Princess of Thebes, Alcmene, into thinking that he is the princess’ husband, Amphitryon, and then forces himself on Alcmene on a night where the princess was awaiting her husband’s return. When Alcmene gives birth to twin boys, Hercules and Iphicles, Alcmene and Amphitryon are perplexed on which baby is fathered by Zeus and whose is Amphitryon. They later realize that Hercules is Zeus’ son when he kills the snakes with his bare hands an infant. Hercules develops into a lumbering young man, â€Å"rejected by his mother, envied by his brother Iphicles and loathed by Zeus’ wife Hera† (FilmAffinity). Similar to the Greek myth while Alcmene reserves no love for Hercules, he grows up with Amphitryon doting on him and teaching him. Hercules then falls for Megara but was rejected. Their brief connection results to a child. When he lost his temper and accidentally hurt his teacher Linus during a class, Amphitryon sends far away to be taught under the care and instruction of a centaur, Kiron. Hercules becomes an agile adult and more capable to handle his great strength. He then was married to Megara after he helps the king from the creature Hydra. Megara and her sons, turn out to be â€Å"tools of the vengeful Hera, plotting against him and initiating events that lead to his banishment from his people† (FilmAffinity). To atone the punishment that he deserved in killing his own children, Hercules agrees when he was given difficult challenges which were set out to destroy him. With his ally Linus, he travels the Stymphalian Swams to the River styx of the underworld, faced with challenges and monstrous creatures that was arranged to kill him. Hercules willingly continues on this journey that afterward made him a â€Å"legend on Earth and achieve immortality in the heavens† (FilmAffinity). With the storyline of the miniseries, it was clear that the filmmakers focused on the raging politics between the noble mortals and their want of power and control. It is important to note that this miniseries was one of the few productions that embarked on Hercules true conception with regards to the original Greek myth. Hercules’ character of recklessness and short temper was portrayed true to the original Greek myth during his younger adult days. There were slight alterations unto how certain events happened to the characters but the miniseries was in a way loyal to the Hercules’ myth. For example, Hercules develops a more profound thinking later on the miniseries but there was no hint of that according to the Greek Myth. The Gods Hera and Zeus were not given much attention during the miniseries and only appeared briefly. The supposed raging battle between Hera and Zeus was implied but not shown comprehensively. Conclusion In conclusion, both films were individual depictions of Hercules’ character as the legendary Greek hero. He is a paragon of action and masculinity, and thus embodies characteristics such as great strength, great courage, and great appetites, including erotic adventures with both women and boys or young men. These qualities did not prevent him from being regarded as a playful figure that used games to relax from his labors and played a great deal with children. Aelian, while he was a champion and a great warrior, he was not above cheating and using any unfair trick to his advantage. However, he was renowned as having â€Å"made the world safe for mankind† by destroying many dangerous monsters, and he was also held up as an example for never having attacked first, but for having conquered all merely by defending himself when attacked, and protecting the helpless and distraught. His self-sacrifice obtained him the ascent to the Olympian realms and he was welcomed by the gods. He represents a balanced, complete energetic principle of the masculine, partaking of both light and dark influences. Historically, the strong American presence in post-war Italy is evident in the very physical presence of Steve Reeves as Hercules. Moreover, the film’s masculinization of revenge also seems to reflect the ideals of post-war society. Instead, as the character of Hercules suggests, it is more important for the wandering male, and also the foreign influence, to be incorporated into the domestic sphere. Hercules preserves the morality at the centre of the family. Paradoxically, however the interference of Hercules also ensures continued dependence on foreign influence and protection. Each film represented the filmmakers approach on representing a storyline associated with Hercules’ myth. Disney may have chosen to emphasize more on Hercules’ journey to his fate in a more conducive way that was appealing since their audiences are young people. Roger Young’s miniseries took more of a similar likeness to the original myth although alterations were made on how events were played because the storyline demanded that it be so. Works Cited FilmAffinity. Hercules (TV). FilmAffinity – MovieAffinity. Retrieved November 2, 2006 from http://www. filmaffinity. com/en/film260353. html The Big Cartoon Database. Hercules Story Details. The Big Cartoon Database. Retrieved November 2, 2006 from http://www. bcdb. com/cartoon_synopsis/6-Hercules. html Royalty. nu. Hercules, Young Hercules. The Gordon Knot Webring. Retrieved November 2, 2006 from http://www. royalty. nu/legends/Hercules. html

Elicitation as One of the Most Critical Activities in Business Analysi Case Study

Elicitation as One of the Most Critical Activities in Business Analysis - Case Study Example The analysts need to be absolutely sure about the information collection tool as this will pave way for the analyst to formulate the necessary questions. It is extremely important for the researcher to ensure that the questions prepared for the elicitation encompass every crucial detail regarding the business. The analysts will also have to prepare a full list of stakeholders who are to be interviewed. Upon preparation of the stakeholder list, a schedule needs to be prepared according to the convenience of the participants. The analysts will also have to arrange for the transportation facility for the stakeholders in order to ensure that the information elicitation is conducted in a timely manner. The interview has been chosen as the primary data collection instrument for conducting the elicitation activity precisely because of the fact that it will provide the analyst as well as the stakeholders to counter question each other. The subjective research driven by an elaborate interview process will enable the analyst to create a learning environment. In that way, the analyst will be able to identify the needs and requirements of the stakeholders in details (Walters& Rainbird, 2011). One of the major advantages of the interview process is that it is a one to one communication. The analyst will be able to give equal emphasis on every individual stakeholder by adjudging their attitude towards a particular question. The interview will also allow the analyst to probe the participants in order to extract crucial information from them. By doing so, the analyst will be able to identify any weaknesses in the business model employed by Greens Electrical Store. In addition to that, the ana lyst will also be able to evaluate if the participants are satisfied with the business model or not. This, in turn, will enable the analyst to learn about the expectations that the stakeholders have from the organisational managers.  Ã‚  

Figurative Language versus Literal Language Essay - 4

Figurative Language versus Literal Language - Essay Example Below are some of the most commonly used figurative expressions: Idioms, analogy, metaphor, simile, clichà ©, amphiboly, flame word, hyperbole, euphemism, and colloquialism. All are figurative expressions that may cause confusion and even misunderstanding to the ones that aren’t familiar with them. An idiom is a group of words or phrase that means something else differently from what it says literally. Idioms can actually be considered oral literature. They are passed down from generation to generation as part of culture. Example is â€Å"kick the bucket†, as in Mr. Jones kicked the bucket just yesterday! It would be senseless if a man just kicked a bucket. But kicking the bucket, idiomatically, means to die. It should be avoided in formal correspondences to avoid misunderstanding as idioms are generally geographic in nature. Analogy is another figurative expression that can be confusing. Analogy can be confusing if you do not know the references that the speaker uses in a sentence, especially if the speaker uses pop culture references (I will be a Marshall to your Lily. – in reference to the couple in the TV show How I Met Your Mother). But generally, it is quite useful in simplifying complicated ideas. For example, The CPU of the computer is like the brain; it is the commanding center. For students learning computer, it would be easy to remember: CPU = brain, but the elements used in idioms should be universally known to prevent misunderstandings. A metaphor, on the other hand, is similar to analogy but it does not compare two things directly. In a metaphor, the comparison is asserted to an otherwise unrelated object although one can argue that a metaphor is a type of analogy. A famous metaphor by Shakespeare goes: All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, from As You Like

War on Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

War on Terrorism - Essay Example President Bush’s war on terrorism is counterproductive because it seems that the cost of freedom from terror is the freedom of privacy, It is questionable as to what the war on terrorism actually is. The Encyclopedia Britannica (n.d.) defined war as, â€Å"A conflict among political groups involving hostilities of considerable duration and magnitude† (War). Bush stated that war was declared on terrorism, but no specific countries or political groups were actually named in the declaration. The fact there were no specific guidelines set at the declaration of war has lead many to wonder if Bush’s war on terror is even legal. Now, in 2006, Bush’s continuing campaign leads many to wonder is this war on terrorism is to be a repeat of the Vietnam War. U.S. President Bush has utilized a series of legal loopholes and political strategies to keep a legally questionable war and freedom infringing policies going for almost 5 years. Lovinger and Scott (n.d.) stated that Bush’s war is illegal because: If so many aspects of Bush’s war on terrorism are illegal, how does he get away with it? Even though the Bush administration refers to its acts as part of the War on Terrorism, the campaign is not technically a war, but rather a Use of Force Resolution. The key difference in these two terms is the president’s ability to extend military force. In an article from Slate, Lithwick (2001) described the difference as, â€Å"While the wide-open wording of the joint resolution appears to give congressional approval to any act of war undertaken by President Bush, it contains several important checks on his powers† (What Sort of War, n. pag.). These checks were put in place to prevent a repeat of the Vietnam War by requiring the U.S. President to confer with Congress when implementing any new military actions. Before going into the details describing any negative impacts of the War on Terror, it is important to note that if there were no positive aspects, the U.S. would

Develop the skills of sustainability in the design of buildings in Essay

Develop the skills of sustainability in the design of buildings in Saudi Arabia - Essay Example his paper reveals the great benefits and the actual need for this type of construction to maintain the natural resources and to make our future cities friendly to the environment. Furthermore, this paper seeks to review the regulations of sustainability and design of green buildings in more than one country and organizations involved. Also under review are the plans that have been successful for the transition to sustainable construction, and the solutions that have been used for the development of sustainability in the cities both scientifically and practically. In 2012, at the third session of the Forum of Green Buildings, which was held in the city of Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah, King of the country adopted an initiative for green buildings and he set many recommendations to facilitate the business for those interested in this type of project which is friendly to both the humans and the environment as a whole. Also, he recommended for shifts to the practices and foundations of professional cognitive, and highlighted the business and investment opportunities in engineering creativity and innovation fields within the Kingdom. After this initiative, action plans have been processed by the Green Buildings Chapter of Saudi Council of Engineers, where the Green Buildings Chapter has got financial support to achieve the recommendations in regards to the Kings initiative. In this literature paper, there is an attempt to develop the sustainability skills in the design of the buildings by Architects and Engineers who work in Saudi Arabia. According to the Secretary-General of the King Abdullah’s Initiative for green buildings, Faisal A., (Alarabiya.net.2013) the total investments in sustainable buildings (green building) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which amounts to 100 billion riyals, was pumped in 76 projects. Out of the 76, 43 were in the city of Riyadh, which won the lions share, most notably due to the SABIC mining project. Also, he pointed

Project Management Challenges Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Project Management Challenges - Essay Example A project manager may have to perform extra hard in case of chains being spread across different parts of the world where different cultural values are in place. In a broadly segmented and international enterprises where the employees are appointed from different domains and locations, the factor of cultural context and other variables also becomes important with regard to the project manger’s tasks and duties. Cultural consideration is a subsequent challenge that comes along with the international Human Resource Management handling. Ensuring that the responsibilities are assigned to the people in the due manner without giving any one in the organization any compensation and leverage is also a core function of a project manager. The work so divided must be based on equal consideration and proportion and it must not put on employee under great stress in contrast to other enjoying relaxation from the decision making and responsibilities and duties fulfillment. The second most prevalent challenge that is faced by the software project managers in modern times is that of creating an actual relationship between the virtual world activities and the real world scenarios. Often the software project mangers suffer issues merging the two facets of the digital virtual world of software related projects. Too much virtual environment makes it easy to appear but in actual it gets further difficult to handle, co relating between the different variables and bringing them onto one table. In the real world businesses the tasks so performed are done so through the actual interactions and meetings. In the case of online multiple units spread out software enterprises that are connected online, it at times becomes a challenge taking them on board and gathering in a collective meeting. Hence the virtual nature of the applications, the softwares, the clients and stakeholders,