Spartan Training - The Agoge

Most, if not all, of the reasons for Spartan dominance on the battlefield can be attributed to their incredibly strenuous and brutal training regiment, the Agoge. Even before beginning the Agoge, newborn Spartan boys underwent a highly in-depth physical scrutiny to make sure the newborn was without flaws. Any that did not pass the examination were left out in the country to die. Then, between ages five to seven, the boy was taken to begin training. There were no fond farewells, boys were simply taken to live in barracks as a "pack" or unit and encouraged from the start with competitive play against other packs.

By age 10 they had been taught to read and write and their physical exercise was increased. An important activity was dancing (of all things) with their weapons until all movement with the weapons became ingrained and natural. Movement was the key to the warrior's success and the ability to freely move was paramount. By 12 they would have learned all of the Spartan war songs and their military training would begin in earnest. The journey to manhood also meant they would have their hair cut short, their tunics would be taken away and instead they were given a cloak in its place to fend off whatever the elements threw at them.

To toughen their feet they would go barefoot at all times and to further the bestial mentality they would eat very little always keeping them aggressive and hungry for more. They were allowed to supplement this diet of course by testing their cunning by stealing, but with a heavy punishment if caught- not for stealing, but for being caught! Severely beaten for any reason the instructors could come up with, training was harsh and brutal. Many boys wound up dying during the course of their training due to its brutality. Those that survived, however, became true Spartan soldiers and were unstoppable in battle.

Finished with the Agoge at age 20, a young man still had to be selected by a group of older peers before he became a homoioi, a full Spartan citizen. From then on, his life would be devoted to the army. Either away at war or at home training and competing against his fellow soldiers for recognition, a Spartan man was always devoted to combat and bettering his ability to make war. Whereas other cities in Greece were noted for their advanced culture such as theater and philosophy, Sparta was famous for the personal fortitude, character, restraint, and moral fiber of people it produced.

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What Is Pop Art? Contemporary Artists

Over the past five decades Pop Art has necessarily evolved alongside of mass media and popular culture. Original artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Tom Wesselman brought art out of stuffy, high-end galleries and made it accessible to everyday Americans. Since then, Pop Art has experienced various waves of popularity. During the 1980's, a style developed called Neo Pop Art which featured pop icons, animal figures and contained embedded psychological evaluations. Today, three contemporary artists are redefining this art form with vibrant colors, bold outlines and playful themes.

Few realize that before Carlos A. Navarro became a celebrated artist, his original career path was in the corporate world. After years of spending long workdays in what he refers to as "too structured" of an environment, Navarro left the business world to rekindle his passion for art. In 1992 the artist was approached by a family friend who offered him work painting a mural for a hotel on South Beach. Although the job eventually fell through, Navarro had already developed various sketches, and decided to commit them to canvas. This was the humble beginning of what has developed into a phenomenal career. His work is a fusion of traditional Pop Art with Miami, Cuban, and other contemporary influences. His pieces have been featured in the Smithsonian, as well as various exhibitions and festivals.

Tim Rogerson describes his own work as a "jigsaw puzzle of color to form an image." Long recognized as a rising star in Pop Art, Rogerson is best known for his vibrant and detailed renditions of common Disney characters. This artist attended the prestigious Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida. He majored in Illustration, and was awarded the 2003 Best Artist Award, as well as the 2003 and 2004 Best of Ringling Award. When recalling his experience at the art school, Rogerson said "I was a very traditional art student and explored all the works from the old masters to modern art." Since graduating in 2004, Rogerson has contributed his artistic abilities everywhere from SS Designs to Disney. His style has been called prolific and inimitable. He is now considered one of the best Pop Art artists in the world.

Romero Britto began his career in Recife, Brazil. He grew up among eight brothers and sisters and had an extremely humble childhood. However, his innate creativity allowed him to fill his life with vibrant colors and images. Many of Britto's first projects are little known, but led to his discovery and notable mark on the art world. He is a pop culture phenomenon who's depiction of exultant and joyous figures have brought smiles to the faces of millions. When questioned about his inspiration for his work, Britto replied "I believe that every human being should try to do good for someone else. There are so many different ways to do it. My art can be an instrument for helping people... What a good feeling - that I can do that with my art..." He is one of the most iconic Pop Art artists of the past decade.

Together, Romero Britto, Carlos A. Navarro, and Tim Rogerson are forging a new style of Pop Art. They have definitively broken with the Pop Art of Warhol, Lichtenstein and Wesselman, and have instead created a more contemporary and widely attractive identity. However, they have preserved the original intent of making art more available to the masses. These artists have blurred the line between art and retail design, as they have licensed gift collections, house wares and jewelry. Their use of sharply contrasting colors and playful themes has garnered public adoration, while demanding the respect of the high-end art world.

Pop Art Miami is a Pop Art vendor and an information portal. They are the most complete online destination for Pop Art from Romero Britto, Carlos A. Navarro, and Tim Rogerson. They have retailers located in malls across the country, and offer unmatched $9.95 shipping on your entire order within the USA, as well as great low rates for international shipping. Visit them on the web at http://www.popartmiami.com/.

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NREGA Scheme and Its Current Status

NREGA stands for National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). This is an initiative by the Government of India to ensure compulsory employment opportunities are available across the country to all the citizens of India and is aimed for the welfare of the rural class in specific.

India is a country where majority of population reside in rural areas and for their development, the Government has to allocate funds and schemes. Thus, NREGA is an enactment specifically devised for ensuring the employment for all in the rural and backward regions of India.

The enactment was passed some time back by the Parliament but its implementation was delayed due to the inherent issues such as delay in payment of wages to the employees. The delay was observed to be for nine months to 1 year in cases reported from regions like Chattisgarh and Jharkhand. The delay was mainly due to poor monitoring system at the Government department. Also the bureaucracy in the Departments have strong foot hold coupled with the naxal affected areas that prevent the schemes of the government being reached to the ultimate user. The delay in payment of wages is the main problem as identified by the Ministers. Though the amendment in the NREGA cannot be carried out instantly, it was considered that necessary rules will be modified to simplify the existing guidelines. The issues of fake job cards and muster rolls are also being considered.

The poverty seems to be prevalent in spite of the attempts of the Government to carry out the welfare activities for the rural and poverty stricken citizens of India. For the proper NREGA scheme implementation, the IT stalwart TCS was approached to develop a IT-led execution of the program that has the data of all the employees and the phase wise implementation of the scheme is a proper manner. This flagship program is aimed at combating the poverty and it guarantees the poor to have the employment. The implementation of the NREGA scheme needs a reliable and transparent mechanism that should have the information right from the grass root level to ensure success of the program. The NREGA scheme implementation thus required an Information combined Technology solution which was automated by the TCS exclusively for the use by Government of India in Andhra Pradesh state. This is a computer based data centre that aids in monitoring and review of the scheme on online basis. The real time stream of data is web based and has the following features:

1. Visibility and clarity in all the transaction by the stakeholders.
2. Accountability is increased as all the details of the concerned officials and individuals are available.
3. The fraud as to fake employment card is ruled out as the system identifies the employees through biometric system.
4. Fraud is restricted as every information requires access through a secured HTTPS model.
5. The administrative costs associated with manual maintenance of data is reduced.
6. The biometric authentication of the employees ensures that the wages are disbursed timely.
7. The generation of reports at periodical intervals aid in effective monitoring and review.

I am a 24 years old enthusiastic and passionate blogger who likes to talk about current affairs, news, latest happenings around the world. I am more so interested in sports and bollywood but I never back down from any challenge put up to me. I am a determined writer and a self believer.

My Contact Information:

e-mail: mohit.maini29@gmail.com Facebook ID: Mohit Maini Twitter ID: mohitmaini07

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Paint Masking Tape: The Perfect Solution to Prevent Paint Bleeding

If you want clean edges when painting, paint masking tape is indispensable whether it is a DIY or a large commercial project. Nothing looks worse or more unprofessional than dripping, bleeding paint whether on an automobile or in a house around ceiling trim, baseboards, door frames, and windows.

What kind of paint masking tape is best?

Paint masking tape isn't expensive, but you don't want a tape that is so cheap that it's worthless. The following is what you should look for when purchasing masking tape:

• The tape should be made of paper that you can easily tear off the roll while using.
• The tape should have excellent tensile strength (meaning it can be stretched without tearing).
• It should be easily removable without leaving an adhesive residue.
• If using for large commercial jobs, use a medium-high adhesion tape.

Steps for using paint masking tape successfully

If you don't apply paint masking carefully, the job will not be clean. Just follow a few simple steps and your project will be a success.

It's important to take your time. Putting the tape on straight and tight on the wall is the trickiest part of all, so don't be in a rush when applying the masking tape.

Use short lengths of tape (no longer than 18" strips) or you will not have control of its application. It is critical is to apply the tape as close to the edge as possible to ensure you have a tight seal.

Once in place, apply as much pressure as you can to the tape with either a putty knife or your hands, smoothing away all bubbles and being careful not to add wrinkles to the tape.

You can now safely begin painting the unmasked part of your project. Leave the tape in place if applying a second coat. If applying more than two coats, you should apply new tape since the tight seal can be lost after too many paint applications.

The best time to remove the masking tape is immediately after you are finished painting or after the paint is completely dry. If you try to remove it while the paint is setting, you risk peeling off some of the paint.

Slowly and gently pull each section of the masking tape off in a horizontal position (at a 45 to 90 degree angle). The result should be a clean, professional-looking edge cut.

Paint masking tape may seem to be an unnecessary, time-consuming chore. However, if you do not use it, you will end up spending more time cleaning up all the places with unwanted paint on them. You will see that the little bit of time it takes to apply the tape will be well worth it once you see the finished results - perfection.

Jeffrey Adams invites you to take a look at Oriental Commerce. If you want clean edges when painting, paint masking tape is indispensable whether it is a DIY or a large commercial project.

http://EzineArticles.com/6511685

Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez

Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez is one of the most important paintings in western art history and has become a much discussed work with no true conclusions ever having being drawn. This article looks into the career of artist Diego Velazquez as well as the legacy of the classic Las Meninas oil painting which is now on permanent display at the Museo del Prado in Madrid, the Spanish capital which itself has an impressive history within art.

The painting features a great number of different people who are each captured in extraordinarily high detail, allowed by the fact that the artist used such a huge canvas which measures more than 3 metres by 2 metres. Much of the controversy which still surrounds this painting concerns the people within the painting, and many are still unsure as to who exactly they are. One thing for certain is that the artist is one of them, stood in the corner looking in. The others however may be notable people of the time, or simply inventions from the creative mind of this artistic genius whose contributions to the Baroque movement and adding new ideas to it was huge. Besides Las Meninas, Diego Velazquez also produced much loved Baroque paintings such as Old Woman Frying Eggs, Crucifixion, Forge of Vulcan, Infante Balthasar Carlos in Hunting Dress and Venus and Cupid amongst many others dating back all way to the start of a truly extensive career.

Beyond the career of Velazquez, other notable Spanish artists have included the likes of Salvador Dali who himself re-produced original Velazquez paintings in his own style, which was a huge complement to a painter who had inspired him so much.

We can conclude that Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez is a critical painting for any budding art historian because of the importance of it in the development of Baroque art which itself followed on closely after the periods of the Renaissance which started in Italy before moving on to the rest of Europe. Velazquez demonstrated exceptionally creative ideas which were to inspire many future Spanish painters but there was also great controversy about this particular work which makes it stand out from the rest of his prestigious and productive career, even in including a small portrait of the artist himself within the art work. Those fortunate enough to get to visit the Museo del Prado in Madrid should certainly take the time to check out this wonderful piece of art.

You can buy Las Meninas Velazquez paintings from Lasmeninasvelazquez.com.

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Franz Marc

Franz Marc was a German expressionist painter from the 20th century and this article looks into his career and paintings in great detail. Franz Marc was part of Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) alongside Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky and this became an influential group of sought to bring new contemporary ideas into the art mainstream and judging by the success of their careers, and the fact that their reputations are still very strong today, then they certainly succeeded in this ambition.

As a direct result of their experiences together within the Der Blaue Reiter, the two artist held relatively similar styles within their art which was both expressive and slightly abstract. Franz Marc and Kandinsky had started their careers with much more traditional approaches to art, covering landscapes and the like, before the outcome of their art research and new theories caused them to change path in their artistic development. Whilst Kandinsky became known for highly abstract representations of objects through simple shapes and colours, Franz Marc specialised in expressive depictions of animals. The artist commonly covered dogs, horses, cows and tigers in various ways and each follows a similar look in terms of style and colour, giving him an easily recognisable career of work.

The most famous paintings from the career of German painter Marc included Yellow Cow, Fighting Forms, Large Red Horses, Tiger and Large Blue Horses. Sadly for the artist and his many fans he was yet another highly talented and creative individual who whilst excelling within his own career, struggled to establish any kind of stability within his own private life. Franz Marc married twice in his twenties and seemed to regularly be attracted to situations which were clearly not advisable. In this case, Franz Marc is certainly not the only artist to have been embroiled in a challenging and turbulent private life, with others including the likes of Jackson Pollock, Amedeo Modigliani and Vincent Van Gogh.

We can easily conclude that the success of Franz Marc within the mainstream was his popular choices of animals within his paintings as well as the original style in which he covered them. Beyond the success of his work, he also played an important role in the development of contemporary art around the start of the 20th century thanks to his work with Wassily Kandinsky and other modern creative minds within the Der Blaue Reiter movement which is still considered highly influential even today.

You can read more on Franz Marc at Franzmarc.co.uk.

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Childless Mother And Other Poems

Childless Mother (Dedicated To The Mothers Of Norway)

A poem dedicated with all emotion and sentiments of sadness to the people of Norway and specially to those mothers and fathers who lost children in a most regrettable and despicable way.

Childless mother
adolescent red blood shed
morose act on the land
of peoples of the Norse
rage in savage flight of lead

Dread of mother
tears of silver fallen to the ground
mother weeps in silence's sound
child in slumber nightmare of the dead

Tragedy of mother
beauty of youth gone
sweetness in years stolen
generation of sorrow
to share grief of morrow

Starry Sky Over Amsterdam

A poem inspired by the first and last time I ate hash. This being in a place in Amsterdam which served what is commonly referred to as "space cakes."

Stars in bright light, sun in dark of night
as I make way in Amsterdam
eyes see not save shapes of luminosity
lines of shine in dark
mass in forms of surroundings
beauty about in mind or illusion
as canvas of Van Gogh illustration

sounds reach ears yet it be not clear
if laughter or cry do I hear
noise of street become symphony
delightful as fear's distortion
erotic Stravinsky composition
filled is my perception of inner creation
instinct as mind adorns all with emotions

Walk about be task as it be
each step to deliver vibrations
mind exploding impact of deliberations
stroll in the dark or light
be without wrong or right
as rain of sweat descend
as unclear be destination

Voice be not heard
does my word cry out
or echo in spirit through out
time force of motion compel all

Dry is all as desert
take hold in oasis of dream
oh, may I return to mind of reality
or stay in creation of fantasy
flight of beyond to desire's way

Romance Of Silesian Damsels On Summer's Grass

A poem inspired by the vision and photos I took of two lovely young ladies from Silesia on their visit to a park in Warsaw; where it was the music of Chopin to create romance on to all. It being their youthful beauty and sensuality which caught the imagination of my words and admiration.

Silesian damsels of youthful charm
ladies in duo of harmonious sensuality
golden delight of mane to fill light of sun
russet richness as chestnut in flowing tresses
manner of cotton flowers on dresses
Slavic blonde serving contrast be on to brunette

Silesian damsels of youthful ardor
bodacious as season of passion
ivory legs in fleshiness of desire
coquette shades azure to lilac
upon summer's lawn

Silesian damsels of youthful lust
fragrance of moist beauty
silks covers sensual roses
oh, sweetness of maiden glory

Silesian damsels of youthful romance
ladies painted on canvas of illusion
girls with eyes upon stormy nature
thine tender caresses stroke
smooth skin of thee
scene of beauty as ye garnish
in wishes of adolescence

My name is Gianni Truvianni, author of many an article to be found on the internet along with the book "New York's Opera Society." My works also include the books "What Should Not Matter," "Love Your Sister" and several others which still remain unpublished though I am presently looking to change this.

http://EzineArticles.com/6507740

Foreign Blueberries

Don't be timid
and don't be shy

Foreign blueberries
are good for you!

Pick them from a bush
put them in a bag
Roll them across your tongue
and feel free to remove them from your cold grubby hands;
But if you should choose to take them from the till,
I suggest that you keep them dangling forever,
from your delightful little itty-bitty blue velvet stash.
But keep in mind that it makes no difference what mama says
Someday she will learn that foreign blueberries
are good and there is no reason for you to be afraid at all

Served on an intrepid milky white monkey plate
they make such a tantalizing scene
Pretend you are smokey the bear because she knows how
stiff and sumptuous they can really be

So behold! Goldie Locks was no salacious sinner,
even though she had such a lovely cornucopian mane
So take them over to grandmother's house even before you decide
to walk down mockingbird lane. The porridge is so hot and the cookie
cutters have all been finely sharpened. Besides isn't it about time that you
had an enchanting summer evening date?

Braided hair and pony tails
bobby socks and chestnut snails
have all been set up upon the incandescent vodka still

Drink them down
with the power of a peanut freight
Chug along to the sweet memories of the tune
Open your eyes, smell the weed
and stand absolutely upright in the wicked wind tonight

A firm set of lungs is likely to put you in a festive mood
Annisette and eggnog go well with the lemon custard pie
and may be smeared upon her chubby adolescent thigh
But you must speak kindly of the mountain range
because it is fresh and new
Hold it in your hands and make it jingle like jello
For it is the logical thing for you to do
slurp it down slowly and rub the berries in a wide circular shift
Cocconut may add to the graphic design as there is an antler's rack
on a yellow rod park bus. But beware! You know that the belfry is after you
A short pleated skirt in traditional plaid will be the mark of a candy man's crescent,
as long as a Spanish quilt has some sort of legal right that will begin to make
some of this stand up just for you. And it should bring a subtle smile
to the pretty French cuticles of that insipid jester who is destined to become
an ungrateful, dissatisfied muculent crump.
But a sleek design should be an asset to this rambling rum. It could bring out the moon
in full season and dispell the notions of any young children who are just about to assault the kitchen floor
if they wake up just a tad too late

But if you must know the gingerbread man is still in Cleveland,
with his hands upon his hips and his heart upon a cold smoking
winter time grate

So shackle the horse
Wail the pine and let the alpine nectar flow
Sit up in a glass until it raises its dreary head
but avoid the plastic powder at noon

It might make all of us wish
that we weren't standing up in a sinking canoe

Or feeling the motion of a drunken pirate
who pretends that he is Napolean
even when he can't manage to keep his imminent pecker
high above the strait

Oh boy, oh boy

Gerald Marchewka is an American freelance writer currently living in Lviv, Ukraine. Gerald's most recent book, "Straight from the Heaven's: Li Bai's Poetry in Retrospect" featuring the Illustrations of Seb Fowler is now for sale on Lulu.com Questions about Gerald's projects may be referred to geraldmarchewka@yahoo.com

http://EzineArticles.com/6506000

Greece - Culture, Politics and War

The evolution of the political system in ancient Greece was closely mimicked by the evolution of war itself. When most people think of ancient Greece they think of their philosophy, theater, democracy, the hoplite soldier and so on. What most don't realize, however, is this view of ancient Greece only applies to a certain period: The Classical Age of Greece. The Classical Age is when Greek influence truly began to spread along with Greek culture. Greek warfare became focused around the hoplite and phalanx formation. Athens dominated the sea with their navy and Sparta dominated the land with their unstoppable army.

Before this age could develop, however, Greece went through the Archaic Age. This is the age of heroes and kings. Battles were hundreds or thousands of individual duels and nobles became known throughout the land for their battle prowess. Achilles and Hector, Ajax, and Odysseus were all heroes of the Archaic Age where they gained great prestige through their skill in battle or cunning and intelligence. There was no such thing as democracy. Kings and nobles ruled. As only the kings and nobles could afford the best armor and have the leisure time to train, it was these men that stood out in war. All things change with time though. A new kind of soldier and warfare emerged that would dramatically alter the course of Greek history and, arguably, the world.

The hoplite developed as the common soldier and helped usher in the Classical Age of Greece. A hero of ancient Greece may be powerful but a wall of men, each protecting each other with their shields, could present a great warrior with no opening to attack. Over time, the method of war composed of noble duels and nameless grunts gave way to the hoplite and phalanx (for more information on both the hoplite soldier and the phalanx formation, see corresponding document). During battle, each man in a phalanx was equally prepared to give his life and face the dangers of war to protect his family and home. As a result of this, each man began to see himself as equal outside of war as well. Nobles and kings could no longer claim the glory as they no longer contributed to battles. The common man grew in status and equality and over time, the concept of democracy was born.

Not only was the phalanx and armored hoplite able to defend Greece from Persian invasions, but, with the development of democracy and more equal status to everyone (at least to free men who owned property), the culture of Greece was able to bloom and prosper along with the cities of Greece. Sparta, however, was left behind in this bloom of culture. Ever traditional, Spartan law forbad all Spartan males from any profession other than that of war. This enabled Sparta to become incredibly powerful and influential on the field of battle and in Greek politics for a while but left them severely lacking in any developments of culture. As time went on and tactics evolved along with technology, Sparta's rigid structure became its downfall. Once it no longer had the military power to dominate Greece, its influence drastically fell and, eventually, so did the city itself.

The phalanx was the most powerful fighting formation in the world for several hundred years. When Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great upgraded and rearranged the phalanx it was able to help bring down the largest ancient civilization in existence, Persia. This opened up both Greece and the Middle East to each other and much of the known world, forever altering the cultures and civilizations of the peoples affected. Just like Sparta's rigidness, however, the phalanx's lack of ability to adapt became its downfall. Like much of the Mediterranean world, Greece was eventually conquered by the Romans whose highly flexible and adaptable battle formations defeated the rigid Greek formations. Greek culture, however, was so influential and advanced that the Romans incorporated most of it into their own culture and civilization. Over a thousand years later, Greek and Roman culture became the catalyst that propelled Europe out of the Dark Ages and into the Renaissance.

http://EzineArticles.com/6498081

An Introduction to the Akkadian Civilization

The Akkadians were a group of Semitic people from the Arabian Peninsula at the time the great Sumerian city-states were flourishing. These people eventually migrated north, where they encountered the Sumerians. Around 2350 BC, an Akkadian military leader, Sargon (Sharukkin-"the rightful ruler") conquered the Sumerian city-states and built an Akkadian Empire, creating the world's first empire. It included most of Sumer and stretched as far as Lebanon, Syria, Anatolia, and western Iran. Akkad (from Agade) was the capital, which became the basis for the name of the people and of the language.

The Akkadian Empire had a centralized government under the authority of the king, the royal court, and the high class of priests. Sargon was mostly responsible for this development. A strong economy was the empire's foundation and Sargon and his court were in the middle of the economic activity, unlike in Sumer, where the priests had more say on matters economic. Their economy was heavily dependent on agriculture; their farmlands were very productive because of an efficient system of irrigation. The productivity of their farmlands enabled the empire's population to increase. Their agricultural products were abundant, but the empire was short on everything else. Timber, metal ores, and building stones had to be imported. Sargon's military conquests, however, expanded the boundaries of the empire, eventually including the regions that were sources of these precious commodities. The king brought great wealth to the empire, which spawned a large number of bureaucrats and administrators, in the process creating the first bureaucratic organization. This bureaucracy enabled him to rule the empire more efficiently.

The Akkadian civilization was an extension of the Sumerian civilization; their society was similar to the Sumerians'. The status of women generally was similar to that of the women in Sumer, although the legend of the "sacred female" started during this period. Sargon even appointed his daughter Enheduanna as high priestess to the goddess Inanna. Incidentally, Enheduanna may have been the world's first published poet. Her poems, extolling gods and goddess, are estimated to be around 4300 years old.

Sumerian gods and goddesses were given Akkadian names. However, the role of temple priests and priestesses were diminished. Sargon became the mediator between the people and their gods and goddesses. These gods and goddesses had human form, and had human qualities; they could be foolish, intelligent, shy, humorous, jealous, or angry. These deities were derived from nature, which was understandable considering that life in Mesopotamia was controlled by nature. In trying to understand nature, they gave human shapes to the forces of nature. Thus, they had An, the god of sky, Enlil, the god of air, Nanna, the moon god, and Utu the sun god. The Mesopotamians believed that these gods created the universe and everything it contained, including, of course, humans. They also believed that men and women were created by gods to serve the gods-to make sacrifices to them, to clothe them, to honor and obey them. This religion, however, did not have any laws about ethics or morality. Good and evil were left for people to discover on their own. Humanity-according to early Mesopotamians-exists to serve the gods, who were responsible for the smooth running of the affairs of humanity and of the world in general. They ruled the world through their representative; in Akkadian civilization, this meant Sargon.

Besides having a comparatively sophisticated agriculture that included irrigation and the use of plows, Akkadians had also discovered a method of casting bronze. They also use mud bricks in building houses and temples, and had an advanced pottery industry.

Formal education during this era was practical and aimed primarily to train priests and scribes. Education started from basic reading, writing, and religion, then higher learning in law, medicine, and astrology. Upper class youths were usually prepared to become scribes, ranging from copyists to librarians to teachers. Excavations also revealed that schools for priests were as numerous as temples, indicating not only the importance of priests in Mesopotamian society, but also the thoroughness of priestly training.

Art of the Mesopotamian people including Akkadians had during this period attained a high degree of refinement; a bronze head of a king, which scholars think may be of Sargon, was excavated in Nineveh (ancient capital of Assyrian empire). It is thought to be around 2300 to 2200 BC. This head is considered as one of the great masterpieces of ancient art. Another example is the two cylinder seals that date back to the time of Sargon, which are among the most beautiful examples of its kind. A relief sculpture of Naram-Sin (Sargon's grandson) shows him in one of his military triumphs. Many clay tablets that were excavated in various places in Iraq contained the ancient Mesopotamians' literature, mostly poems and hymns to their gods and goddesses.

Sargon reigned for fifty-six years (from 2335 to 2279 BC) and his son Rimush, who was later killed in a palace revolt, succeeded him. Another son, Manishtushu was also killed in another palace revolt. The last king in the Akkadian Dynasty, which lasted about a century, was Naram-Sin, and was the first to claim kingship by divine right. His downfall, and that of the whole empire, was thought to be due to the invading armies from the east, called Gutians. Recent findings however found evidence that a drought that lasted for 300 years was the main cause of the empire's demise.

Scientists discovered evidence that the downfall of the Akkadian Empire started around 2200 BC. This civilization was heavily dependent on agriculture; a drought that occurred during this period severely weakened production, and subsequently caused the decline of the empire. People fled and moved south where agriculture was still sustainable. There was a revival of Sumerians' former glory, but it did not last long. Eventually, new conquerors followed the footsteps of Sargon, and united the city-states of the Fertile Crescent (Mesopotamia).

http://EzineArticles.com/6499201

Genetically Modified Crops May Be the Only Way to Feed 10s of Millions of Starving Africans

As the coordinator for a think tank which happens to operate online, we talk about the challenges that mankind faces moving off in the future. We also touch upon some of the challenges we are dealing with today. When folks think and talk about NGOs, and large nonprofit organizations on the African continent, generally folks talk about HIV-AIDS, water supply, farming, the need for jobs, and starvation. It's not always a pretty picture, and there are a tremendous number of humans living on that continent - a continent which can be rather unforgiving at times, and completely seasonally cyclical.

Indeed, I doubt there's anyone on this planet which wants to see other human beings suffer, and the United States has certainly been generous with food shipments, and monies to African nations. Almost to the point of causing unintended consequences because of our generosity and the abundance of the gifts we give. There are also economic forces afoot here in America which could likely curtail the monies that flow into Africa from our government.

That's completely understandable considering there are some folks there who are using our money flow to do bad things. Still, there is a lot of good being done too, and whereas, it is practically a proverb that; "beggars can't be choosers," we also see some of that too. For instance, there seems to be a rebellious nature against giving free Genetically Modified food to Africans or genetically modified seeds so they can grow their own food in abundance. Despite what you might believe about GM foods and GM seeds, you must also realize that when people are starving they need something to eat pretty badly.

There was an interesting news piece about NGOs and genetically modified crops on SciNev Net recently, posted on August 10, 2011 titled; "Drought persuades Kenya to import GM maize," written by Peter Kahare which stated;

"Kenya's government has made a controversial move to allow the import of genetically modified (GM) maize from South Africa to fight hunger and starvation, even though GM crops cannot yet be legally grown in the country. The UN estimates that 2.5 million people in Kenya are in urgent need of food, a figure expected to rise to three million soon. The government said that GM maize can be imported on condition that it is not used as seed; that products are clearly labeled; and that it is certified by the National Biosafety Authority."

It is good that finally some realization has come to this issue, and they are allowing the food in that they need to help them survive. GM crops may be the only way to get caught back up with this terrible starvation problem, at a time when the cost of food commodities has risen sharply, while the main donor nations of the world are cutting back their allotments of money, due to economic factors, to the giant NGOs which are feeding starving Africans. Indeed I hope you will please consider this, and understand the logic behind the GM debate, and why this is necessary.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes writing 24,500 articles by August 24th or 25th will be difficult because all the letters on his keyboard are now worn off now..

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