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.

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