Greece: A Country with a Rich Cultural

Greece is a country characterized by a remarkable history and a rich cultural heritage.   In ancient times, Greece played a crucial role in early civilization that proved to be monumental in shaping both European and world history.   At present, it successfully maintains its distinct culture in the dynamic modern society.Greece is a country with the land area of 131, 957 square kilometers (â€Å"Countries† 302).  Ã‚  Ã‚   Its capital is Athens, which is also one of its major cities (â€Å"Countries† 302).   Other major cities include Thessaloniki, Piraeus, Patras, Iraklion and Larissa (U.S. Department of State).   In 2005, the Greek population was estimated at 11,104,000, ten percent of which consists of immigrants (U.S. Department of State).   Three million of the said population is situated in Greater Athens (U.S. Department of State).In terms of religion, the majority of the Greek citizens are members of the Greek Orthodox Church (â€Å"Countries† 302).   Other religions present in Greek society include Islam, Roman Catholicism and Protestantism (â€Å"Countries† 302).   Greece is characterized by an interesting and diverse culture which is established on customs and traditions, religion, food and wine, and music.   Religion and traditions are closely linked, since the latter is usually based and anchored on the former.   Ironically, the Greeks also believe in superstitions.One of the Greek traditions still honored today at is the name day celebration (Greeka).   The Greeks give more importance to name days than birthdays; those who share a name with a celebrated saint also celebrate in a particular day of the year.   During a certain person's â€Å"name day,† family and friends visit to give wishes and gifts.   At the house, the hostess provides food for the guests (Greeka).Another Greek tradition is the Carnival or the â€Å"Apokries† (Greeka).  Ã‚   This feast occurs within a two week p eriod; it starts on Sunday of Meat Fare and ends on â€Å"Clean Monday† or Kathari Deutera (Greeka). â€Å"Clean Monday† or Kathari Deutera is the first day of Lent; at this time, families usually gather for a picnic and kite flying.   The Carnival is believed to have originated from paganism, and is derived from the merrymaking associated with the god Dionysus (Greeka).   This tradition is characterized by people in costumes partying in the streets.   A Carnival parade is held in Patra, where the festivities take place from day until night (Greeka).Easter is also significant for the Greeks.   In fact, it is considered more important than Christmas (Greeka).   Easter is a celebration that brings Greek families together.   Greek women are tasked to color the eggs red using dye; Godparents also give the children new things, such as shoes and clothes (Greeka).   Even the houses and streets are prepared for this occasion, as both are whitewashed for Easter.   In addition, the Greek family gathers for a feast of roasted lamb, wine and appetizers (Greeka).Music also plays a crucial role in Greek culture.   Music in Greece began as early as Antiquity, as it was an essential part of Greek civilization (Greeka).   The best example would be that of Greek tragedy, in which music was one of its key elements.   The demise of Ancient Greece also resulted in the decline of Greek music.   Fortunately, Greek music reemerged in the 19th century (Greeka).Folk songs also play a large role in Greek history.   The folk songs originated from ancient times (Greeka).   These songs are categorized into two: akritic and klephtic styles of music.   The former originated in 9th century AD. This kind of music conveyed the experiences and hardships of the â€Å"akrites,† or the Byzantine Empire guards (Greeka).   The latter was produced by â€Å"kleftes† or those who fought against the Ottoman Empire.Even though music is an express ion of the gruesome period in Greek history, it also included love songs.   This style of music was believed to have originated between the latter part of the Byzantine era and the early part of the Greek Revolution (Greeka).   Instruments that accompanied the folk songs include the bagpipe, tambourine and lute, just to name a few.   Other important elements of the Greek musical tradition are cantadha, nisiotika and rebetiko (Greeka).Food and wine are also significant in Greek culture (Greeka).   Greece is known for their appetizers and wines.   Mezedes, or Greek appetizers, are crucial in Mediterranean culture, as it promotes friendship through the sharing of food.   Some of the recognized Greek appetizers include the Greek salad or Horiatiki Salata, Tiropitakia, Htapodi and Feta cheese.Greece also produces wines. It is therefore no surprise that Greek alcohol such as Tsipouro and Ouzo are a main component in Greek culture.   Also, meat is almost always present in Gre ek main dishes, while their soups are very much preferred during the winter season.   The Greeks are also famous for the herbs and spices used in their dishes (Greeka).The history of Greece is extensive and thorough.   Greek culture began in the classical era, and proved to be a crucial element in the development of civilization in general (Pounds 326).   The Greek island of Crete was the location for the Minoan civilization, the earliest in Europe (â€Å"Countries† 303).   Greece is also home to the city-states, whose prosperity brought the development of culture in aspects such as philosophy, literature, politics, architecture and art (â€Å"Countries† 303-304).   Greek civilization was at its peak under the control of Philip II of Macedonia and his son, Alexander the Great.   However, the Greek civilization declined when the Roman civilization emerged (â€Å"Countries† 304).Greek history also includes several wars. Civil War erupted following the occupation of German forces from 1941 to 1944 (â€Å"Countries† 304).   Then, under the leadership of Prime Minister Eleutherios Venizelos, Greece officially became a part of World War I in 1917 (Pounds 328).The history of Greece was also marked by the constant change in form of government.   From 1925 to 1935, Greece was a republic (Pounds 328).   Then, Greece became a constitutional monarchy (Pounds 328).   In 1967, the monarchy was deposed by a military coup (â€Å"Countries† 304).   The republic was restored in 1973, which lasted for only a year.   In 1975, democratic elections were held once again.   Six years later, Andreas Papandreou became the first socialist Prime Minister of Greece.   Then, in 1990, a Democratic Party member named Constantine Mitsotakis was elected at the same post (â€Å"Countries† 304).With its extensive historical background, Greece remains a crucial part of world civilization.   With its customs and traditions, Gr eece keeps its diverse and unique culture in modern day society.   Indeed, Greece remains relevant at present through its history and culture.Works CitedBateham, Graham, and Victoria Egan, eds. Illustrated Guide to Countries of the World. Australia: RD Press, 1996.Greeka. 17 March 2008 ;http://www.greeka.com/greece-culture/;.Pounds, Norman J.G. â€Å"Greece.† Lexicon Universal Encyclopedia. 21 vols. New York: Lexicon Publications, Inc., 1992.U.S. Department of State.   17 March 2008 ;https://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3395.htm;.

Flowers in the Dustbin essays

Flowers in the Dustbin essays The sixties were turbulent times in American culture. With war, racism, and a changing society, the nation needed a way to channel their thoughts and emotions. Music became this channel. Some of the best music in the history of the America came from this time of social insecurity. Creative minds seemed to unite to provide a voice for the people and comfort them in unsure times. With this creativity and social unrest came the use of drugs and the freedom of sex. Music in the sixties helped, hindered, and left us with perhaps one of the most memorable styles of music known to America. Music from the sixties helped the generation cope with many of the puzzling issues that plagued society in this decade. Music gave America motivation for social change, a form of expression, and boosted hopes and morale for our soldiers in Vietnam. The music of any specific era is like a mirror reflecting the concerns of a culture at that specific time. Sometimes it reflects these images in an indirect way, sometimes very directly. The decade of the sixties was a revolutionary and turbulent time for social and political change. The music and musical styles of the sixties reflected American culture and had an effect on the political activism for which the sixties are best remembered. Sixties music can be distinguished from other periods by three main characteristics. First, it reflected the new sexual permissiveness by including obviously sexy lyrics. Second, until the mid-1950's, popular music was aimed at both teenager and their parents. During the sixties, a "youth culture" formed that was distinct from the rest of society. "Third, until the mid-fifties, both popular music musicians and their audiences were overwhelmingly middle-class and white. During the sixties this changed when a number of divergent forces came together to create a new kind of music and a particular audience for that music. One major force was the mass migratio...

Ready, Set, Write!

Ready, Set, Write! Ready, Set, Write! Ready, Set, Write! By Erin One of the biggest problems people have with writing is getting started. A blank page (or computer screen) can be intimidating, but prewriting is a great way to overcome that intimidation. Here are some prewriting activities to help get the words flowing out of your brain and onto the page: Listing: Listing is one of the easiest things you can do to get the ideas moving. Assuming that you have a topic, just write down the topic and jot down any ideas that come to mind. Dont judge or censor ideas; just write them down. You can censor later! If you have a large or broad topic, listing can be a good way to break it down into categories or narrow the topic if necessary. Mapping: For the visually-minded, a concept map or web can be a great way to organize a jumble of ideas into something that makes sense. A concept map helps show relationships between ideas. Freewriting: Freewriting is one of my favorite ways to get the creative juices flowing. Give yourself a topic and a time limit (5 or 10 minutes usually works) and just write whatever comes into your head. Dont pay any attention to spelling or grammarjust write. When youre done, go back and pull out whatever ideas seem most useful. Freewriting is also a great way to get yourself unstuck when youve already begun but dont know where to go next. Prewriting works no matter what kind of writing youre doing. Just grab a piece of paper and a pen and go! Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:15 Terms for Those Who Tell the Future30 Baseball IdiomsThrew and Through

Powerful Ways to Open a Class Presentation

Powerful Ways to Open a Class Presentation Powerful Ways to Open a Class Presentation Many academic institutions require students to submit a slideshow presentation and discuss a topic in front of a group of people. The purpose is to help students improve verbal communication skills while providing information to several people in a single setting. While grading this project depends solely on the professor, a student who is able to deliver an informative and engaging presentation to the class has a better chance of getting a good grade. First impressions are key; the speaker sets the tone of the discussion. Audience members decide in the first minute whether they want to listen. To attract and maintain listener interest, here are powerful ways to open an introduction: Tell a joke. Start things on a positive note by making a non-offensive joke and engage your listeners. Propose a problem. To get attention, start by stating a current problem that most people can relate to and tie it into your discussion. Share a quotation. Choose a quotation from an important figure that relates to your topic. Recite it in a clear, modulated tone. Ask for a response. Start a discussion by asking a question like â€Å"How often do you use the Internet?† This question provides your audience the opportunity to participate before you continue the presentation. This also encourages them to later ask questions. Catch listeners off-guard. A radical statement or command can surprise people. For instance, if you are presenting a topic about conformity, first ask everyone to stand up. Then, ask why they did so. This opens the topic in an unexpected and unique manner. Tell a story. A personal anecdote or a tale can be used to set the tone of a presentation. Keep it brief and omit unnecessary details. This, ideally, helps listeners connect to you and your topic as they listen. Use a visual aid. When you begin your slideshow, allow your audience to comment on a photo or a video in the presentation to establish participation from the beginning. Choose the technique that works best for you when introducing your topic of discussion to the class. A slideshow presentation relies on both the careful construction of the conversation and its delivery. Capturing your listeners’ attention makes the presentation more likely to be active and engaging. No matter how interesting your topic, you may lose audience interest if you don’t make an effort to captivate them at the start. in Ontario provides a variety of services for all your academic needs. We are a team of professional writers who can help with presentations, including PowerPoint. Your slideshow will meet academic standards and save you time to practice your delivery.

Terrorism Influence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Terrorism Influence - Essay Example Terrorism is not a new term. It has been using since the time the human history is known. However, different organizations describe terrorism differently. The Department of Defense of US defines terrorism as any act which includes the use of violence or threat to use violence which is unlawful in order to cause fear or to coerce governments or societies to achieve their ideological, religious or political objectives.United Nations defined terrorism in 1992 as a method which inspires to perform the violent actions repeatedly by any organization, group or even by an individual for any personal political or criminal purposes. Another main aspect of terrorism identified in this definition is that the direct targets of the violence are not usually the main targets of such violence. But the main target is the government, organization or general public who got threatened by such acts. The definition describes all such violent acts as terrorism which causes a fear or threat in the society to achieve specific objectives. So in simple words, terrorism may be defined as the acts of inducing fear in public with the intention of achieving intended goals and objectives. CAUSES OF TERRORISM: There are many reasons for which terrorism occur. In order to devise anti-terrorism strategies, it is necessary to understand those reasons. 1. The main cause which induces the terrorists to execute terrorist activities is their dissatisfaction with social, political or government policies. The terrorist groups adopt the means which may cause violence and fear to the government and the society to change the existing position of the world and bring it into the position in which that group intended it to be. 2. Sometimes, the intended motive of the terrorists is to maximize the harshness and the time period of the fear and the psychological impact on the general public. In such a case, terrorist activities are done at public places such as busy roads, markets and public sites to affect huge population and cause great damages to the society which sometimes induces the government to accept terrorists’ demands. 3. Another reason of the terrorism is the oppression imposed upon such groups which actuated them to take steps for self-defense including armed struggle and using destructive weapons. In such a situation, a group that seems terrorist to a person may be a freedom fighter for some other person. Such groups do not think that they are performing evil acts. They believe that they are combatants fighting for their legitimate goal. AMERICAN REVOLUTION: American Revolution took place in the 18th century when thirteen colonies of North America united to get themselves free from the British Empire and named themselves as United States of America. However, the revolution was based on an ideological movement that highlighted the basic rights of Native Americans. These states rejected the authority of Great Britain Parliament and expelled royal officials. The British E mpire sent combat troops to impose their direct rule over these colonies but the states defended resulting in American Revolutionary War in 1775. The war ended in 1783 with the Peace Treaty of Paris. The British call the American Revolution a series of terrorism acts. Zalman, A (2012) explained that the event of Boston Tea Party which had roots in the American Revolution was considered by the British as terrorists act. The event took place in December 1773 when 150 men entered into the three ships which were ready to take tea to other British colonies. They dumped all the 342 boxes of tea in the harbor. On the other hand, the event is termed as a reaction against the unjustified British tax law imposed upon Americans. The Americans called the revolutionists such as George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson their heroes and freedom fighters who worked tirelessly for independence as mentioned on the official website of The American Revolution Organization. RUSSIAN REVOLUTION EFFECTS ON TERRORISM IN EUROPE: Russian Revolution took

Operation management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Operation management - Assignment Example Outputs are also unique to every business in terms of the type of product or service being offered. A company without a quality OM strategy can risk being topped by more able competitors. This report looks to Starbucks on Lincoln-High Street, a service company with very high demand and need to be efficient. Analysis looks to understand performance objectives, demand fluctuations, quality perceptions from customer groups and suggestions on how Starbucks can improve. Source: Drawpack. (2014). External and internal effects on the performance objectives. [online] Available at: http://www.drawpack.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=6326 (accessed 20 November 2014). For Starbucks, speed is the most key objective to be sure the business gains customer loyalty and meets with satisfying important paying customers. The Lincoln-High Street Starbucks is a very busy organisation. During observation, research saw that Starbucks serviced about 20 customers every thirty minutes. This cafe had an unstructured queue system with no clear markers or barriers set up that showed customers where they were expected to stand whilst wait for service. Physical barriers and signs in a structured system better control flow and create efficiency (Adan, Boxma and Resing 2001). This created a situation where customers were forming lines in various places and customers seemed unsure about their place in line. On several times, customers deferred their place in line to other customers, not sure about who was actually there first. Having a waiting line system with clear markers, signs and barriers is important as it creates environment of certainty and efficiency. Models for waiting lines directly affect customer feelings about service quality and costs of getting serviced. Tam (2004) says that customers have better views of services when perceived service quality is higher than the costs they have to pay to obtain the

Business Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business Strategy - Essay Example t size, market growth rate, market share as well as market segmentation, clearly, all these are the strength that are enjoyed more by Merck company as compared to the competitor. The company needs to reexamine the top-down aspect in relation to bottom up perspectives as it operation strategy. The decisions that are made by the organization from the top are very important for the company (Hynes, Michael, 23). In order to be able to set general direction for the company, and ultimately influence the overall strategy of the company, then there is a need to interpret clearly the functional areas of the company, including operations, finances as well as marketing. Another very critical area that needs to be explored by the Merck Company is to balance the market requirement and the operations resources. The strategy that has been adopted by Merck needs to examine and reflect on what the company is actually doing in relation to what the market requires. From the analysis, the company is much focused on cost than any other