Bigraphy on Michael Jordan essays

Bigraphy on Michael Jordan essays I recently read a biography on Michael Jordan by Mitchell Krugel. This book gives out accurate info on Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan know as the best player in the NBA recently. He retired with no specific reason. He was a phenomenal superstar with many extraordinary abilities. He was the most recognizable athlete in the world , not only the top player of his era, but was possibly the best player ever to wear the uniform of an NBA It all started as a young boy in North Carolina where he was born and raised by his parents. Michael Jordan grew up dreaming of being a sports star and with the love of sports in his heart. He grew up playing baseball when he was young. He was the MVP for his team when they won the championship. When he was in Junior High School he began to play basketball. He got a love for this game that persuaded him to practice hard and give it all he had. He practiced by playing with his big brother. His brother, with his height advantage, beat him majority of the time. And Michael with his competitiveness and the hate of being the loser tried even harder. He tried to make himself taller any way he could, one time he even went to some Monkey bars hung on them trying to stretch himself. Maybe it worked because he was short. When Michael attended Laney High School, he tried out for the Varsity basketball team. When he found out he didnt make it, he went running to his house, ran straight to his room and started crying. He kept on practicing and begging the coach to put him on the team but sadly the coach told him just to try out again next year. After practicing hard, Michael had experienced his first dunk as a freshmen in Highschool. When I finally became known as an outstanding high school player, I was known as a guard because I was 6-foot-6, Michael recalled. I didnt have the body of a forward, and I did have the skills of a guard beca...

Economy and Trade of the Ancient Mayans

Economy and Trade of the Ancient Mayans The Ancient Maya civilization had an advanced trade system consisting of short, medium, and long trade routes and a robust market for a range of goods and materials. Modern researchers have made use of a variety of methods to understand the Maya economy, including evidence from excavations, illustrations on pottery, scientific â€Å"fingerprinting† of materials such as obsidian, and examination of historical documents. Currency The Maya did not use money in the modern sense. There was no universally accepted form of currency which could be used anywhere in the Maya region. Even valuable items, such as cacao seeds, salt, obsidian, or gold tended to vary in value from one region or city-state to another, often rising in value the farther away these items were from their source. There were two kinds of goods commercialized by the Maya: prestige items and subsistence items. Prestige items were things like jade, gold, copper, highly decorated pottery, ritual items, and any other less-practical item used as a status symbol by upper-class Maya. Subsistence items were those used on a daily basis, such as food, clothing, tools, basic pottery, salt, and so on. Subsistence Items Early Maya city-states tended to produce all of their own subsistence items. Basic agriculture - mostly production of corn, beans, and squash - was the daily task of the majority of the Maya population. Using basic slash-and-burn agriculture, Maya families would plant a series of fields which would be allowed to lie fallow at times. Basic items, such as pottery for cooking, were made in homes or in community workshops. Later on, as the Maya cities began to grow, they outstripped their food production and food trade increased. Other basic necessities, such as salt or stone tools, were produced in certain areas and then traded to places that lacked them. Some coastal communities were involved in the short-range trade of fish and other seafood. Prestige Items The Maya had a bustling trade in prestige items as early as the Middle Preclassic period (about 1000 B.C.). Different sites in the Maya region produced gold, jade, copper, obsidian, and other raw materials. Items made from these materials are found at nearly every major Maya site, indicating an extensive trade system. One example is the famous carved jade head of sun god Kinich Ahau, discovered at the Altun Ha archaeological site in present-day Belize. The nearest source of jade to this monument was many miles away in present-day Guatemala, near the Maya city of Quirigu. The Obsidian Trade Obsidian was a precious commodity to the Maya, who used it for adornments, weapons, and rituals. Of all of the trade items favored by the ancient Maya, obsidian is the most promising for reconstructing their trade routes and habits. Obsidian, or volcanic glass, was available at a handful of sites in the Maya world. It is much easier to trace obsidian to its source than other materials like gold. Obsidian from a particular site not only occasionally has a distinct color, like the greenish obsidian from Pachuca, but an examination of the chemical trace elements in any given sample can nearly always identify the region or even the specific quarry from which it was mined. Studies matching obsidian found in archaeological digs with its source have proven very valuable in reconstructing ancient Maya trade routes and patterns. Advances in the Study of Maya Economy Researchers continue to study the Maya trade and economy system. Studies are ongoing at Maya sites and new technology is being put to good use. Researchers working at the Yucatan site of Chunchucmil recently tested the soil in a large clearing long suspected of having been a market. They found a high concentration of chemical compounds, 40 times greater than in other samples taken nearby. This suggests that food was extensively traded there. The compounds can be explained by bits of biological material decomposing into the soil, leaving traces behind. Other researchers continue to work with obsidian artifacts in their reconstruction of trade routes. Lingering Questions Although dedicated researchers continue to learn more and more about the ancient Maya and their trading patterns and economy, many questions remain. The very nature of their trade is debated. Were the merchants taking their orders from the wealthy elite, going where they were told, and making the deals they were ordered to make  - or was there a free market system in effect? What sort of social status did talented artisans enjoy? Did the Maya trade networks collapse along with Maya society in general around 900 A.D.? These questions and more are debated and studied by modern scholars of the ancient Maya. The Maya and Trade Maya economy and trade remains one of the more mysterious aspects of Maya life. Research into the area has proven tricky, as the records left behind by the Maya themselves in terms of their trade are scarce. They tended to document their wars and the lives of their leaders much more completely than their trading patterns. Nevertheless, learning more about the economy and trading culture of the Maya can shed much light on their culture. What sort of material items did they value, and why? Did extensive trading for prestige items create a sort of middle class of traders and skilled artisans? As trade between city-states increased, did a cultural exchange - such as archaeological styles, worship of certain gods, or advances in agricultural techniques - also take place? Sources McKillop, Heather. The Ancient Maya: New Perspectives. Reprint edition, W. W. Norton Company, July 17, 2006. Wilford, John Noble. Ancient Yucatn Soils Point to Maya Market, and Market Economy. The New York Times, January 8, 2008.

Lincoln Electric Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lincoln Electric - Essay Example Lincoln   Electric   follows   a   hierarchical   management   system. In   a   hierarchical   system, there   is   a   strict   distinction   between   the   different   levels   of   management   within   the   organization, with   each   level   or   hierarchy   concerned   with   the   functioning   of   that   level   only   (Armstrong, 2006). The   power   and   responsibilities   associated   with   the   management   of   the   organization   converge   from   the   workers   upward   toward   the   president   or   executives   of   the   company   (Armstrong, 2006), so   that   the   workers   are   at   the   lowest   stratum   and   the   president   or   the   managing   executives   at   the   highest   stratum   (Lincoln   Electric, 2010). This   holds   true   for   the   Lincoln   Electric   as   well, since   it   is   clearly   mentioned   in   their   company   description   that   there   is   a   well   defined   distinction   between   the   managers   and   workers   (Lincoln   Electric, 2010), and   although   open   communication   and   socializing   is   encouraged, the   fine   hierarchical   line   is   not   traversed   (Lincoln   Electric, 2010). The   company   has   workers, sales   representatives, supervisors, middle   managers, and   top   executives, with   each   level   functioning   within   its   own   boundaries   (Lincoln   Electric, 2010). The   management   of   the   company   provides   a   lot   of   incentives   to   its   workers   which   encourages   them   to   work   hard   and   with   sincerity   towards   producing   high   quality   products   and   increasing   the   yield   and   profits   of   the   company   (Lincoln   Electric, 2010). Since   the   total   profit   is   shared   among   the   workers   based   on   their   performance   and   merit   (Lincoln   Electric, 2010), it   is   only   in   the   interest   of   the   workers   to   work   hard   and   with   honesty   to   increase   the   profits. The   rewards   that   the   workers   get   are   substantial   (Lincoln   Electric, 2010). The   job   descriptions   and   requirements   are   clearly   and   precisely   defined   (Lincoln   Electric, 2010), and   given   the   capitalist   form   of   business   environment   in the   United   Sates   (Armstrong, 2006) as   opposed   to   the   labor   intensive   form   practiced   in   Europe   (Lincoln   Electric, 2010), this   system   has   proven   to   work   very   well   in   the   United States.