Pre-Contract Cost Planning and Cost Controlling Assignment

Pre-Contract Cost Planning and Cost Controlling - Assignment Example Cost planning not only enables capital cost budgets to be set but also provides a structure to accommodate as well as manage transformations to the client’s brief and design (Murdoch & Hughes, 2007, p.80). An effective Cost plan enables a client together with the design team to understand where and how finances have been allocated towards the completion of a project. On the other hand, Cost control should be provided from start to completion of the project, ensuring that the estimated final cost is always known. However, Pre-contract Cost Controlling is quite different from the Post-contract Cost Controlling. Pre-Contract Cost Planning and RIBA Plan of Work As aforementioned, an effective construction plan is the foundation of the budget development as well as schedule for work. Pre-construct cost planning is thus crucial when preparing a construction plan. Even though construction costs can be pre-planned as well as estimated, it is quite possible for these to significantly change in the course of the actual construction (Chitkara, 1998, p.99). Pre-contract cost planning informs the owner when financial installments will be required to enable him/her keep current with the billings (Ferry, et al., 1999, p.55). When establishing a pre-contract cost plan it is important to create one that follows the RIBA Plan of Work. RIBA plan of work is one that tends to organize the process of managing as well as designing building projects while administering building contracts to a number of essential Work Stages (Potts, 2007, p.13). The Work Stages included in the RIBA Plan of Work are Preparation, Design, Pre-Construction, Construction and Use (Mi ncks & Johnston, 2004, p.109). Under the Preparation stage, identification of client’s needs and objectives is done. Feasibility studies as well as assessment of options enabling the client to make a decision is also prepared under this stage (Murdoch & Hughes, 2007, p.81). The contractor then develops an initial statement of requirements into the Design Brief as a way of confirming the main requirements and constraints. The Design Brief is then implemented, and additional information prepared. Under the Design stage, concept design is developed and includes updated outline specifications, cost plan and structural and building services systems (Ferry, et al., 1999, p.57). The Pre-Construction stage involves preparation of production information in full detail enabling tender(s) to be acquired. Further information for construction required under the building contract is also prepared after application for statutory approvals has been done (Chitkara, 1998, p.100). Identificatio n as well as evaluation of potential contractors for the project is then carried out, and recommendations submitted to the client. During Construction stage, the

Thousand One Nights

Thousand One Nights Do you see The Thousand and One Nights as essentially an entertainment? Antoine Galland was the man responsible for the introduction of ‘the thousand and one nights to the western world. This bizarre combination of magic, love, hate, evil and the uncanny did not begin its literary career based on its highly valued scholarly merit but rather on its ability to delight and entertain. This enormous collection of oriental tales whose origins range from Persia to Syria begin with the story of the wife of king Shahryar who in a bid for survival tells him stories in order to survive the night. This element of a tale within a tale runs throughout the whole of the Arabian night tales which at times creates confusion for the reader who finds himself struggling to keep up. Although eighteenth century readers merely saw the tales devoid of any substantial literary value one can see that from the very beginning of this massive volume of tales, certain allegories concerning life are depicted. Scheherazades way of talking herself through danger can be analysed in two different ways. The first being that Scheherazade, is merely depicting the most common and universal human trait when dealing with danger. This could be easily seen as ‘talking ones way out of trouble. The second would be that through Scheherazade, a certain statement is being made regarding the nature of a successful marriage. Communication, it is implied, is the key to the survival of a marriage. With such allegorical implementations regarding life conveyed in only the very beginning of ‘The Thousand and One Arabian Nights it is then only wise that the tales should be read keeping in mind that entertainment may not be their only contribution to the reader. One point that I believe should be made early on regarding ‘the thousand and one nights is that since the tales were introduced during the Victorian period they would have been ‘fumigated thus effectively removing any erotic and highly graphical offensive material from the text .The term ‘Lost in translation would not be out of place in this case, as not only would have offending material been dispersed but certain elements regarding life in the east would have easily become distorted or have lost their value during the process of translation. As in effect this would have created a loss of important material perhaps of high scholarly value. It is then perhaps not surprising that it wasnt till the beginning of the twentieth century that scholars and critics begun to recognise more than just mere entertainment within the pages of the ‘The thousand and one Arabian nights Stories if narrated well enough have always found ground to delight, yet rarely are they told with out the narrator implying a certain meaning. In that sense they become didactic. Scheherazade is not the only story teller within ‘the thousand and one tales. Many characters within the tales contribute towards this didactic theme. An example would be Scheherazades own father the Wazir who in an effort to warn his daughter against the foolishness of marrying the Sultan begins to tell the tale of ‘The bull and the ass. These extravagant tales that are a resort of wanting to deliver a certain kind of message are similar to those used in fairytales. One could suppose these to be the oriental fairytales equivalent and as heavy in social history as the western fairytales. Also by allowing different characters of different backgrounds to deliver these messages there is an underlying idea that all people, regardless of who they are have a contribution to make in this life. This is an example of how these Arabian tales are able to not only represent life and the experiences that surround life itself but to do so whilst at the same time managing to bypass any cultural and linguistic boundaries. These messages become universal, addressing all important aspects of human life such as love, death good and evil and the constant search for immortality. The repeative development of these values throughout the subsequent tales within the Arabian nights only helps to strengthen and highlight the weight they command on every aspect of human life. Other than parallel life the Arabian tales are rich in material regarding the life and beliefs of the Arabic world. The oppression of women is shown in the sultans ability to wed a virgin each day and then kill her in the morning. His actions are not judged nor to create any kind of opposition whatsoever showing both the immense power that was placed in the hands of the king whereas at the same time also portraying the notion that the fates and lives of women lay in the hands of their husbands. Even so characters like Scheherazade are crucial at conveying that a woman was not completely powerless .A womans power lay in her cunning and ability to successfully manoeuvre and shape instances so that to achieve her own goal. Scheherazades ability to remain alive night after night is a prime example of this. If we were to consider tales such as ‘The bull and the ass certain other motifs become apparent. There seems to be an ongoing repetition throughout the Arabian tales concerning the theme of wit. This would point to the belief that wit and cunning were valued highly as characteristic elements, able to allow survival in the cruelty people faced everyday in their lives. Such beliefs are shown through the advice the ass gives to the bull. The ass begins by advising the bull to feign madness in order to escape the harshness of the plough. Yet once the ass realises his actions have merely jeopardised his own happiness he reverts to wit in order to save his skin. Later on the words of the cockerel are crucial in saving the merchants own life as he realises his wifes stubbornness in wanting to know his secret will only lead to his demise. Other than the importance of cunning and wisdom there is also numerous religious references leading to the conclusion that religion was carried great value in the Arabic world. As the religious references are many and at times devised of lengthy quotations this would also point towards the notion that not only did religion feature daily in the Arabic world but that most people had an extensive knowledge of it, in fact so extensive that they were able to quote extracts on the spot. The ‘A thousand and one nights are written in a simple language, this leads me to believe that the religious proverbs must have been widely known and not restricted to ‘holy or ‘religious men. Such was then the hold of religion upon the eastern Arabic world. All the above themes as well as others can be seen through another tale within ‘A thousand and One nights this being ‘The Fisherman and the Jinni. Cunning and wisdom again are emphasised with the life of the fisherman relying on his abilities to outwit the Jinni. ‘This is a Jinni; and I am a man to whom Allah hath given a passably cunning wit, so I will now cast about to compass his destruction by my contrivance and by mine intelligence; even as he took counsel only of his malice and his forwardness Within the above quote the importance of intelligence is clearly seen as is also the theme of how brute force and malice are not always effective in overcoming another. Something else that can be perceived throughout the ‘Tale of the Fisherman and the Jinni is the same notion seen through Scheherazade, that good communication skills were regarded as vital within the Arabic world. So vital, that they could have secured your life. Communication and the at of language is a characteristic that sets us above the mere existence of beasts, for the ability to structure speech goes hand in hand with the ability to think. The themes of good and evil as also that of kindness and cruelty are seen clearly within his tale. There is the underlying message through the Jinnis harshness that cruelty breeds cruelty. The injustice and cruelty that the Jinni suffered in being imprisoned in a jar for thousands of years turns him cruel. This could be parallel to the belief that it is society in itself that breeds evil rather than a person being born evil. Something also seen in King Shahryar who is seen as a noble honest king at the beginning of the tales only to turn harsh and cruel once he experiences hurt and injustice. With such elements as the themes of justice, honour ,good and evil and the ability of the ‘A thousand and one Nights to parallel life in itself we cannot suppose them to be merely delightful entertainment for they provide much more than that. They are as mentioned before the equivalent of the western fairytales as they incorporate all the elements expected in a fairytale as is simple language, morality and magic they are also proof that the need for man to teach and relate morality and certain life values was not limited to what was supposed the western ‘civilised world but was a reoccurring phenomenon that stretched across the globe. Bibliography Primary Reading Sir Richard F. Burton, Tales from 1001 Arabian nights, Ed translated by F. Burton, Jaico Publishing house

Character Profile of Friar Lawrence :: English Literature Essays

Character Profile of Friar Lawrence Most movies portray friars as wise mentors, or strict religion-followers, that lead lawful, moral, and virtuous lives. But this tragic play of Romeo and Juliet begs to differ, as the friar does nothing but help achieve the forbidden plans of two star-crossed lovers. As Friar Lawrence gets involved more deeply into the schemes of Romeo and Juliet, he too begins to warp sly plans out of his head, such as the potion plan. Despite his conscience, Friar Lawrence reveals a potion that will put Juliet to a false death, in the â€Å"Potion Plan† scene. His motivation was caused by the weeping and tears of Juliet who was in the hands of a twisted marriage against her will. She had already been married to her love, but now that promise was in danger of being broken. From the few lines that the friar speaks, the audience realizes that this friar is certainly not the stereotype friar that goes around trying to live an impossible life of perfection. Though it may have been wrong to help children marry against their parents’ permission, and let them fake a death to run away together, Friar Lawrence did the exact thing. Friar Lawrence didn’t think of what was lawfully right, but of the destiny of two people, that were very important to him. He cared for them, and wished Romeo and Juliet well. He valued them as his own children. It goes to show that Friar Lawrence was human, also, and not perfect, since no one can be perfect. Friar Lawrence felt an internal conflict within him – the conflict of self against self. He knew in his mind that it was wrong to help a teen run away with her lover, who happened to be a murderer. But he also felt himself reach out to them, as he had known them as his own children for a very long time. He knew what a desperate situation Juliet and Romeo were in, and knew that he could prevent their lives from being ruined. But the problem was that the only way to solve everything, was to take a ‘wrong path’, that everyone opposed. In the end, he ends up helping his fellow children. But by this decision, he affected the whole plot of the play, and caused it to turn greatly. This plan would have turned out marvelously, but he made a few mistakes. Character Profile of Friar Lawrence :: English Literature Essays Character Profile of Friar Lawrence Most movies portray friars as wise mentors, or strict religion-followers, that lead lawful, moral, and virtuous lives. But this tragic play of Romeo and Juliet begs to differ, as the friar does nothing but help achieve the forbidden plans of two star-crossed lovers. As Friar Lawrence gets involved more deeply into the schemes of Romeo and Juliet, he too begins to warp sly plans out of his head, such as the potion plan. Despite his conscience, Friar Lawrence reveals a potion that will put Juliet to a false death, in the â€Å"Potion Plan† scene. His motivation was caused by the weeping and tears of Juliet who was in the hands of a twisted marriage against her will. She had already been married to her love, but now that promise was in danger of being broken. From the few lines that the friar speaks, the audience realizes that this friar is certainly not the stereotype friar that goes around trying to live an impossible life of perfection. Though it may have been wrong to help children marry against their parents’ permission, and let them fake a death to run away together, Friar Lawrence did the exact thing. Friar Lawrence didn’t think of what was lawfully right, but of the destiny of two people, that were very important to him. He cared for them, and wished Romeo and Juliet well. He valued them as his own children. It goes to show that Friar Lawrence was human, also, and not perfect, since no one can be perfect. Friar Lawrence felt an internal conflict within him – the conflict of self against self. He knew in his mind that it was wrong to help a teen run away with her lover, who happened to be a murderer. But he also felt himself reach out to them, as he had known them as his own children for a very long time. He knew what a desperate situation Juliet and Romeo were in, and knew that he could prevent their lives from being ruined. But the problem was that the only way to solve everything, was to take a ‘wrong path’, that everyone opposed. In the end, he ends up helping his fellow children. But by this decision, he affected the whole plot of the play, and caused it to turn greatly. This plan would have turned out marvelously, but he made a few mistakes.

Realism and Naturalism Essay

Throughout the history of theatre there have been many schools and styles. Theatre is ever changing as a reflection of society and what society wants. But out of all these styles, there are two which, when blended, produce a type of theatre that can always live and flow with society and not drastically alter to fit in with the world’s ever changing ways. These are Realism and Naturalism. When combined, they form a powerful, truthful and powerfully real theatre. The two men who have best managed to best combine these two elements are Konstantin Stanislavski with his â€Å"system,† and Anton Chekov with his dramatic writings and specifically, with his work in The Cherry Orchard The main beliefs of Realism and Naturalism are that the theatre needs to shun melodrama and spectacle and, instead, present something that is real and true to life. They believe that the most influential factors in a person’s life are heredity and environment, and they feel that the characters shown need to be more that two dimensional stock characters. They need to have real motives and emotions and possess all the complexities that go into making a true personality and a true person. Naturalists feel that plays should not be written in any sort of dramatic sequence or structure because that is not true to life. Realists embrace the desire for reality on stage, but also feel that dramatic structure follows the actual structure of life and structure and poetry should be integral parts of drama. Konstantin Stanislavski felt that same need for reality on the stage. He spent the majority of his life searching for how an actor can create truth on stage and, in doing so, he tapped into many of the same veins of humanity that Naturalists and Realists did. He expressed the same desire of Naturalists for a realistic theatre that shows life with its dramatic structure and intrigue. â€Å". . . I was beginning to look for genuine life in [the theatre], not ordinary life, of course, but artistic life† (Bentley, 220). And he went looking for it the same way that realists and naturalists did. He began to look for a natural order for things and to devise a systematic plan from that natural base. He went looking for truth. And, again, he found it in the same place as the Naturalists and realists did. He found that, for an actor to bring full life to a character and full reality  to the stage, he must both create a character with a real soul, and he must not rely on stage tricks t o do so. â€Å"An actor, [Stanislavski] thought, must have some sort of spiritual preparation before the beginning of a performance. Not only his body, but also his spirit must put on new clothes† (222). This type of acting blends perfectly with realistic drama, which contains characters whose souls are inherent to the script. He did not, however, feel that he was subscribing to either school of thought. He stated that he felt that realism and naturalism were not things that needed to be pushed onto the stage, but when a good actor takes on the role and fully builds his character from the inside out and truly lives the reality of the stage, reality will flow from it with out outside help. â€Å"As soon as [the realism] is justified, it becomes either unnecessary or it is not noticed at all . . .† (229). Stanislavski embraced the same ideas of the Realist and Naturalist thinkers, but he didn’t place the emphasis on them. Instead, he felt they would emerge as soon as the actor fully filled the role. And no one wrote better roles for this approach to theatre that Anton Chekov. Chekov was able to write plays that embodied the idea of true, artistic life, and The Cherry Orchard is a shining example of that. He takes a moment that has dramatic appeal and is emotionally charged, and recreates it in a way that is true to life and yet exaggerated at the same time. He creates a reality that is so real, it almost appears fake. However, it is this style of drama that is a perfect vehicle for Stanislavski’s system of acting. As Barrault says in his essay â€Å"Why The Cherry Orchard?.† â€Å"The Cherry Orchard is one of the few plays in which a whole cast could really get so profoundly lost as to cease to believe that they are in a theatre, and believe on the contrary that this family truly exists and that they are in real life . . .† That was Stanislavski’s goal for his actors. That was the ultimate peak to reach. So why is this not Naturalism if the actors create a full reality? Also, he creates this complete reality, yet it is a reality steeped in poetry and lyric. So why is it not Realism if he creates truth through poetry? As Barrault says, â€Å"This play belongs neither to the naturalism of the beginning of the century nor to realism, it belongs to truth, and truth always has two faces, a real one, and a poetic one.† And that is the true form that theatre should take. It doesn’t have to be one way or the other, as the Realists and the Naturalists seem to think. True reality is a blend of both. And Chekov was the master of that form. He so cleanly blended the two ideas that it is impossible to separate them into separate places. And through this masterpiece of dramatic writing, Stanislavski’s systematic method of creating truth can have a fighting chance at reaching the heights that it is capable of. So it is that through a mixture of the two schools of thought and the work of the two men who have mastered it that theatre can reach a point of beauty and truth and can display reality and drama in a way that doesn’t need to adapt with the changes of life because it is based in life. The theatre that emerges from this blend has its roots deep in the heart of humanity and what people truly want, and, consequently, will never die.

The Weather Underground

The 2008 U. S. presidential election brought the issue of domestic terrorism to national attention when it was reported that then-candidate Barack Obama was professionally linked to William â€Å"Bill† Ayers, co-founder of the Weather Underground. The Weather Underground was a militant faction of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), a national organization representing the New Left on college campuses. The American public was forced to confront the actions of the Weathermen, as they were known, and decide whether or not these former terrorists could be accepted as members of society.Although 60 percent of voters said that it was not a valid campaign issue in an ABC poll, another 37 percent felt that it was. The Weathermen are unarguably an interesting lot, and a subculture worth exploring. At the time of their founding in the early 1960s, the SDS was a group that advocated nonviolence and followed the ethos of the civil disobedience. By 1969, the SDS had over 100,000 m embers, and was a leading anti-war group. At its peak, infighting severely fragmented the group during their 1969 convention.In the midst of the infighting, a sect that called themselves the Weathermen took control. They got their name from a Bob Dylan lyric, â€Å"You don’t need to know a weatherman to know which way the wind blows. † They were a group of college students that were keeping up to date with the revolutions in 3rd world countries, and believed that a world revolution was imminent. Bernardine Dohrn, a former leader and cofounder of the Weathermen, said that â€Å"White youth must choose sides now. We must either fight on the side of the oppressed, or be the oppressor. She believed that the Weathermen should join forces with the Black Panthers, but a prominent member said that he viewed the Weather Underground as a â€Å"kindergarten revolution,† and didn’t take them seriously.In the same year, several hundred Weathermen moved into houses, w hich they called â€Å"collectives,† in lower income areas because they saw working class youths as more valuable than students. Meanwhile, the privileged students already in the organization began learning to use weapons. Laura Whitehorn, one member who lived in a collective, said that they would â€Å"eat noodles with garlic butter every day for months. This was an attempt to harden them and â€Å"force us to give up our bourgeois luxuries. † In these collectives, monogamy was considered repulsive and Weathermen believed they were breaking repression with group intimacy. The mission was quickly underway in the collectives, with a campaign to â€Å"Bring the War Home. † The Weathermen attempted to make violence visible in U. S. cities by breaking windows while distributing their leaflets. One of the first major demonstrations the Weathermen planned was called â€Å"Days of Rage,† an uprising in Chicago where they planned to confront police using violenc e.Inflated reports from the various collectives led leadership to expect varying numbers from the 1000s to the 100,000s to attend the demonstration. In a â€Å"hard collision with reality,† only about 150 to 250 showed up. Leaders began to realize that they could be held personally accountable for the riot, but the event had become out of their control. The mob trashed windows while moving through the city of Chicago. After this, the FBI began to seriously assess the Weathermen. Don Strickland, an FBI agent in the 47th â€Å"Weathermen† squad, started conducting constant searches of the collectives.December of 1969 proved to be a difficult month in the United States. At a Rolling Stones concert, the Hells Angels gang started a riot. Charles Manson’s family had become news. Violent films from Vietnam were all over. Fred Hampton, a Black Panther in Illinois, was killed while in bed during a police raid of his residence. The last event in particular affected Bill A yers, as he realized that the U. S. government would kill people in it’s own cities when their power was threatened. The group began to divide again, this time because of fear. One faction felt that the bigger the splash, the better, while the other feared for their safety.The more radical element began to seriously arm themselves, with the slogan â€Å"Piece Now. † One member reflected on this buildup, saying that â€Å"When you feel that you have right on your side, you can do some horrific things. † Arguably the first major black mark in the Weather Underground’s history occurred in a Greenwich Village townhouse, where members were building bombs and planning to detonate them at a noncommissioned officers’ dance. A short circuit in the wiring caused the bomb to explode, killing members Theodore Gold, Diana Oughton, and Terry Robbins.This is when the FBI began to devote a large amount of resources to bring the organization to justice. In response , the leaders truly went underground and severed all ties to their families. They met at a collective in Northern California in order to reevaluate their mission. It was here that the Weathermen realized that it was wrong to commit random violence against ordinary people in order to penalize society for the war in Vietnam. Bill Ayers in particular began to ensure that no one would get hurt in future bombings and only chose relevant targets.Starting with a police station in New York City, the Weather Underground began bombing various police, military and other government buildings. Every time they’d call in to insist that everyone evacuate the building. It was here that the members of the Weather Underground became idealized, as most didn’t expect them to get away with it for more than a few months. Living as outlaws, they were often compared to Bonnie and Clyde or Butch Cassidy. The leaders, at the time called the â€Å"Weather Bureau,† began making trips to the various safe houses, sharing information with members on a strict â€Å"need to know† principle.This secrecy helped them elude the FBI’s standard law enforcement techniques, but the FBI was quick to adapt. They infiltrated the Weather Underground using undercover agents. These agents were accused of spreading â€Å"divisive stories,† and even physically attacking members. A group called the Citizen’s Commission to Investigate the FBI broke into an FBI office in Media, PA, and stole documents describing COINTELPRO, which covered a wide range of covert law enforcement tactics designed to divide both the anti-war movement and the black power movement.They leaked the information to the press. These techniques were effective, and the New Left began to lose its steam. As black power and anti-war sentiment faded, the left broke up into various causes, including the Women’s Liberation Front and gay rights. When the Vietnam War ended in 1975, the Weather U nderground had entirely lost its sense of purpose. First, Mark Rudd turned himself in to the District Attorney in NY. Bernardine Dohrn soon followed. Eventually, the entire leadership turned themselves in, but very few were prosecuted because of the FBI’s proven misconduct.Works Cited Berger, Dan. Outlaws of America: The Weather Underground and the Politics of Solidarity. Oakland, CA: AK, 2006. Print. Rudd, Mark. Underground: My Life with SDS and the Weathermen. New York: William Morrow, 2009. Print. Varon, Jeremy. Bringing the War Home: the Weather Underground, the Red Army Faction, and Revolutionary Violence in the Sixties and Seventies. Berkeley: University of California, 2004. Print. The Weather Underground. Dir. Sam Green and Bill Siegel. Perf. Bill Ayers, Bernardine Dohrn, Mark Rudd. The Free History Project, 2002. DVD.