The Internet as Social Media Connectivity and Immediacy essayEssay Writing Service

The Internet as Social Media Connectivity and Immediacy essayEssay Writing Service The Internet as Social Media: Connectivity and Immediacy essay The Internet as Social Media: Connectivity and Immediacy essay  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Does the availability and use of social media on the Internet really provide businesses with new and different useful information?   Social media can be viewed as an effective tool to promote business. YouTube and other social media platforms provide massive opportunities for advertising campaigns, which help to attract more and more customers. However, social media may have negative impact on businesses as well, especially on business reputation. According to researchers, â€Å"with the web, opinions, facts, truth and lies can spread across the world as fast as a rumor or piece of gossip might have passed among the inhabitants of a small town 100 years ago† (Newson et al., 2009, p. 171).   The case of Dave Carroll, a young Canadian singer, who travelled with his band from Toronto Canada to Nebraska, and faced serious problems with his baggage, hurt the United Airline s reputation to a great extent. Dave Carrol used social media to inform others about the United Airlines customer service, and he succeeded. Careless baggage handlers managed to break Dave Carroll’s guitar which cost $3.500. United Airlines refused to reimburse Dave’s repair bill of $1.200. Dave Carroll’s song â€Å"United Breaks Guitars†, which was posted on YouTube in the form of a humorous video clip, had more than 3 million viewers within two weeks. According to research, â€Å"by mid-2011the YouTube clip had accumulated well over 10 million views†(Fritz, 2012, p. 53). Today people have an opportunity to share their problems with others via social media platforms. Many customers use social media to voice their disagreement with customer services, hurting the reputation of many highly acclaimed companies. So, the availability and use of social media really provide businesses with new and different useful information, including negative comments and critical review about products and services, which may hurt the company’s reputation.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To start with, social media platforms play an important role in business communication, proving massive opportunities for customers to share their opinions about products and services. Social networking sites, YouTube, Twitter, blogging and other types of social media creates a serious threat to business reputation. The term â€Å"social media† is used to â€Å"describe online tools and utilities that allow communication of information online and participation and collaboration† (Newson et al., 2009, p. 49). Today social media tools make it difficult for businesses to monitor online reputation. Customers use social media to tell online users about their dealing with this or that business organization. According to researchers, â€Å"these online communications can be anything from a few comments to even a full scale campaign agai nst a business†(Newson et al., 2009, p. 172). There are many examples of negative impact of social media on businesses. 40 % of the well-known marketing brands had negative commentaries or critical reviews of customers, based on the online monitoring survey (Newson et al., 2009, p. 172).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Besides the above mentioned facts, social media platforms influence competitiveness of businesses on the market. Many companies have established and implemented effective strategies to become â€Å"first movers in social media and developed insights as how consumers think and behave about their products and services†(Rajagopal, 2013, p. 127). Many companies face certain challenges caused by social media power regarding the sustainability of market competition. Many companies used negative commentaries of consumers about their competitors’ products and services to become more successful on the competitive market. Competition is influence d by social position of businesses. In other words, social status among business organizations reflects their social position on the market, measured by business relationships among business organizations. Social media platforms may shape the way that the company’s competitors may use to become more successful on the competitive market.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In addition, negative word of mouth communication by means of social media platforms reduces sales rate. When consumers are not satisfied with some product or service, they have an opportunity to relieve their frustration, making efforts to convince others about the company’s failures (Beal Strauss, 2009). These consumers’ complaints about the quality of products and services may be crucial in the sales rate of businesses because consumers try to find other companies, more trustworthy and more competitive ones.   Many companies are concerned about the effects of the negative word of mouth communication because it can go global, influencing the overall productivity of the company on the market. The information on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other major social media sites requires the proper control and feedback (Fritz, 2012). Thus, some specific strategies and effective tactics are necessary to be focused on building business.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Nevertheless, some experts argue that the use of social media does not have a strong impact on the company’s reputation and competitive advantage. The success of any company on the competitive market depends on the level of customers’ trust. There are many ways to obtain good reputation and keep it without effort, e.g. powerful advertising campaigns on TV, radio, print media, reduced prices, employee benefits, etc. Social media tools, such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and some other well-known platforms will fail to completely destroy the company’s values (Fritz, 2012; N ewson et al., 2009).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   But despite these contradictions, social media may have a harmful impact with negative customer opinion regarding the company’s products or services, providing businesses with new and different useful information. Although many companies have developed their reputation management plans, which integrate the application of both offline and online procedures, social media platforms, like YouTube, create a serious threat to the company’s reputation. It would be better for any company that is criticized in the social media to give a prompt and adequate response (Rajagopal, 2013). Social media can teach a customer service lesson; therefore any company should be ready to respond adequately (Rajagopal, 2013).   Public relations should work with customer service department to ensure that the company is ready to give responses to consumers.Conclusion  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thus, it is necessa ry to conclude that the availability and use of social media on the Internet really provide businesses with new and different useful information. In many cases, this information is negative and has an adverse impact on the development of businesses. As a result, many companies have to develop and implement the proper strategies aimed at reducing the negative effects of the use of social media platforms by consumers. In many cases, consumers’ comments on blogs, YouTube video clips, and other negative comments about products or services are discussed by managers and the proper changes in strategic directions are made to address the issues of concern, e.g. poor customer services, low quality of products, etc.

Criminal Justice and Your Constitutional Rights

Criminal Justice and Your Constitutional Rights Sometimes, life can take a bad turn. You’ve been arrested, arraigned, and are now set to stand trial. Fortunately, whether you are guilty or not, the U.S. criminal justice system offers you several constitutional protections. Of course, the overriding protection assured to all criminal defendants in America is that their guilt must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. But thanks to the Due Process Clause of the Constitution, criminal defendants have other important rights, including the rights to: Remain silentConfront witnesses against themBe tried by a juryProtected from paying excessive bailGet a public trialGet a speedy trialBe represented by an attorneyNot be tried twice for the same crime (double jeopardy)Not to be subjected to cruel or unusual punishment Most of these rights come from the Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments to the Constitution, while others have come from the decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court in examples of the five â€Å"other† ways the Constitution can be amended. Right to Remain Silent Typically associated with well-recognized Miranda rights that must be read to persons detained by the police prior to questioning, the right to remain silent, also known as the privilege against â€Å"self-incrimination,† comes from a clause in the Fifth Amendment which says that a defendant cannot â€Å"be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself.† In other words, a criminal defendant cannot be forced to speak at any time during the detention, arrest and trial process. If a defendant chooses to remain silent during the trial, he or she cannot be forced to testify by the prosecution, the defense, or the judge. However, defendants in civil lawsuits can be forced to testify. Right to Confront Witnesses Criminal defendants have the right to question or â€Å"cross-examine† witnesses who testify against them in court. This right comes from the Sixth Amendment, which gives every criminal defendant the right to â€Å"be confronted by the witnesses against him.†Ã‚  The so-called â€Å"Confrontation Clause† has also been interpreted by the courts as prohibiting prosecutors from presenting as evidence oral or written â€Å"hearsay† statements from witnesses who do not appear in court. Judges do have the option of allowing non-testimonial hearsay statements, such as calls to 911 from people reporting a crime in progress. However, statements given to police during the investigation of a crime are considered to be testimonial and are not allowed as evidence unless the person making the statement appears in court to testify as a witness. As part of the pre-trial process called the â€Å"discovery phase,† both lawyers are required to inform each other and the judge of the identity and expected testimony of the witnesses they intend to call during the trial. In cases involving the abuse or sexual molestation of minor children, the victims are often afraid to testify in court with the defendant present. To deal with this, several states have adopted laws allowing children to testify via closed-circuit television. In such instances, the defendant can see the child on the television monitor, but the child cannot see the defendant. Defense attorneys can cross-examine the child via the closed circuit television system, thus protecting the defendant’s right to confront witnesses. Right to Trial by Jury Except in cases involving minor crimes with maximum sentences of no more than six months in jail, the Sixth Amendment assures criminal defendants the right to have their guilt or innocence decided by a jury in a trial to be held in the same â€Å"State and district† in which the crime was committed. While juries typically consist of 12 people, six-person juries are allowed. In trials heard by six-person juries, the defendant can only be convicted by a unanimous vote of guilty by the jurors. Typically a unanimous vote of guilt is required to convict a defendant. In most states, a non-unanimous verdict results in a â€Å"hung jury,† allowing the defendant to go free unless the prosecutor’s office decides to retry the case. However, the Supreme Court has upheld state laws in Oregon and Louisiana allowing juries to convict or acquit defendants on ten-to-two verdicts by 12-person juries in cases where a guilty verdict cannot result in the death penalty.   The pool of potential jurors must be chosen randomly from the local area where the trial is to be held. The final jury panel is selected through a process known as â€Å"voir dire,† in which lawyers and judges question potential jurors to determine if they might be biased or for any other reason unable to deal fairly with the issues involved in the case. For example, personal knowledge of the facts; acquaintanceship with parties, witnesses or attorneys occupation which might lead to bias; prejudice against the death penalty; or previous experiences with the legal system. In addition attorneys for both sides are allowed to eliminate a set number of potential jurors simply because they do not feel the jurors would be sympathetic to their case. However, these juror eliminations, called â€Å"peremptory challenges,† cannot be based on the race, sex, religion, national origin or other personal characteristics of the juror. Right to a Public Trial The Sixth Amendment also provides that criminal trials must be held in public. Public trials allow the defendant’s acquaintances, regular citizens, and the press to be present in the courtroom, thus helping to ensure that the government honors the defendant’s rights. In some cases, judges can close the courtroom to the public. For example, a judge might bar the public from trials dealing with the sexual assault of a child. Judges can also exclude witnesses from the courtroom to prevent them from being influenced by the testimony of other witnesses. In addition, judges can order the public to leave the courtroom temporarily while discussing points of law and trial procedure with the lawyers. Freedom from Excessive Bail The Eighth Amendment states, â€Å"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.† This means that any bail amount set by the court must be reasonable and appropriate for the severity of the crime involved and to the actual risk that the accused person will flee to avoid standing trial. While the courts are free to deny bail, they cannot set bail amounts so high that they effectively do so.   Right to a Speedy Trial While the Sixth Amendment ensures criminal defendants a right to a â€Å"speedy trial,† it does not define â€Å"speedy.† Instead, judges are left to decide whether a trial has been so unduly delayed that the case against the defendant should be thrown out. Judges must consider the length of the delay and the reasons for it, and whether or not the delay had harmed the defendant’s chances of being acquitted. Judges often allow more time for trials involving serious charges. The Supreme Court has ruled that longer delays can be allowed for a â€Å"serious, complex conspiracy charge† than for â€Å"an ordinary street crime.† For example, in the 1972 case of Barker v. Wingo, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a delay of over five years between arrest and trial in a murder case did not violate the defendant’s rights to a speedy trial. Each judicial jurisdiction has statutory limits for the time between the filing of charges and the start of a trial. While these statutes are strictly worded, history has shown that convictions are rarely overturned due to claims of a delayed trial. Right to Be Represented by an Attorney The Sixth Amendment also ensures that all defendants in criminal trials have the right â€Å"†¦ to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.† If a defendant cannot afford an attorney, a judge must appoint one who will be paid by the government. Judges typically appoint attorneys for indigent defendants in all cases which could result in a prison sentence. Right Not to Be Tried Twice for the Same Crime The Fifth Amendment provides: â€Å"[N]or shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb.† This well-known â€Å"Double Jeopardy Clause† protects defendants from facing trial more than once for the same offense. However, the protection of the Double Jeopardy Clause does not necessarily apply to defendants who might face charges in both federal and state courts for the same offense if some aspects of the act violated federal laws while other aspects of the act violated state laws. In addition, the Double Jeopardy Clause does not protect defendants from facing trial in both criminal and civil courts for the same offense. For example, while O.J. Simpson was found not guilty of the 1994 murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman in criminal court, he was later found to be legally â€Å"responsible† for the killings in civil court after being sued by the Brown and Goldman families. Right to Not be Punished  Cruelly Finally, the Eighth Amendment states that for criminal defendants, â€Å"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.† The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the amendments â€Å"Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause† also applies to the states. While the U.S. Supreme Court has held that the Eighth Amendment forbids some punishments entirely, it also forbids some other punishments that are excessive when compared to the crime  or compared to the defendant’s mental or physical competence. The principles the Supreme Court uses to decide whether or not a particular punishment is â€Å"cruel and unusual† were solidified by Justice William Brennan in his majority opinion in the landmark 1972 case of Furman v. Georgia. In his decision, Justice Brennan wrote, â€Å"There are, then, four principles by which we may determine whether a particular punishment is cruel and unusual.† The essential factor is â€Å"that the punishment must not by its severity be degrading to human dignity.† For example, torture or an unnecessarily long and painful death.â€Å"A severe punishment that is obviously inflicted in wholly arbitrary fashion.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"A severe punishment that is clearly and totally rejected throughout society.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"A severe punishment that is patently unnecessary.† Justice Brennan added, â€Å"The function of these principles, after all, is simply to provide means by which a court can determine whether a challenged punishment comports with human dignity.†

Human cloning should be permitted Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Human cloning should be permitted - Essay Example Moreover, couples experience physical and psychological painful processes for a very minimal chance of getting kids (Wiladsen). This is contrary to human cloning currently known as the only possible solution meant to deal with infertility and lead to either little or no side effects. The technology of human cloning has proved to be effective in dealing with the most of the life threatening diseases around the globe. For instance, patients suffering from kidney failure or leukemia rely on human cloning as the most effective solution to their respective conditions (Holland 146). This entails cloning the genetic as well as other bodily materials that constitute that particular organ, which then can be transplanted into a person suffering from the same disease. This technology eliminates the process of finding a donor match in case of kidney transplant among other illnesses for an ailing who might have waited for long. Similarly, this approach could also be utilized in rectifying other bodily dreadful diseases and conditions, hence an increased possibility of survival for many persons who would have died. Human cloning is always safe unlike surgery which uses some materials like silicone gels and saline among others cosmetic procedures that are known to cause immune diseases to the patients. The technology of human cloning involves growing cells, tissues and bones matching that of the persons receiving treatment hence avoiding use or injection of foreign components to the body (Khanna 376). Cloning technological knowhow ensures that victims of awful accidents who get deformations in some parts of their bodies or faces have hope for restoration of their problematic organs without undergoing any form of swapping. The same procedure is helpful in the treatment of other facial alteration, for instance, in acquiring one’s idea breast formations. All

Market Failure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Market Failure - Essay Example One real life example of market failure is immobility of labor. The main types of market failure include the presence of gaps in skills, immobility of labor and inequality (Riley, 2011). There are two types of labor immobility- occupational, geographical and industrial. There are some imperfections in the market for labor which might lead to failure of market. For occupational labor mobility the main causes of market failure is skills do not match for the new jobs that are available. Often new jobs are available in the market but the available skills of the labor do not match the requirements. The second cause for the occupational labor mobility resulting in market failure is long term unemployment can lead to loss of skills on the part of the labor. If workers are not involved in work for a long term may be due to unemployment or for some other reason, they may lose their efficiency and their skills can be lost. The third cause that can be accounted is barriers to entry into the market eg, professional bodies. Sometimes a labor may not have the required skills to enter into a market. In case of geographical labor mobility the causes include differences in the price of houses in different regions, social bonding and family and differences in the cost of living (Revision on Labor Market Failure, n.d.) The failure of labor market can lead to structural unemployment, inflexibilities in the market of labor, continuous shortage of labor supply in some areas while surpluses in the others, rising wage and inequality of income, widens regional disparity and unemployment which has both, economic as well as social costs (Economics online, n.d.). The government can divert investment in education and training of personnel. This will induce the human capital in the total labor force. Subsidies in employment can be provided in cases of

Shrek & Donkey Essay Example for Free

Shrek Donkey Essay In traditional fairytales Ogres are man eating beasts, the prince usually rescues the princess, they marry and live happily ever after. How do the makers of Shrek use presentational devices to reverse this tradition, to reveal the ogre as good and the prince as evil? Shrek is obviously not a stereotypical fairytale because of its language and the features of the characters. The characters arent what they seem to be. Shrek is an ogre who is supposed to be bad and cruel, they are uncivilised just like the ogre in Jack and the beanstalk; he chases Jack saying fee fie foe fum; I smell the blood of an Englishman. The princess is supposed to be in distress and desperate to be saved. They have a beautiful voice which is supposed to attract the prince and they are normally scared and not demanding at a stage of crisis. The prince which in this case is Lord Farquaad is supposed to be kind, charming and his main job is to rescue and marry the princess. In Shrek the whole idea of a fairytale has been turned around by making the ogre Shrek the good guy the Lord Farquaad the bad guy and Princess Fiona not a damsel in distress. The filmmakers use a different technique to make the ogre seem good and the lord seems bad. To make this successful they used language, camera shots at different angles and special effects such as sounds and light effects. The film starts of with a traditional beginning with the usual once upon a time, there was a lovely princess. But she had an enchantment upon her of a fearful sort that could only be broken by true loves kiss. She was locked in the highest room in the tallest tower, guarded by a terrible fire-breathing dragon. Many brave knights tried to free her from this dreadful prison, but none prevailed. So she sat in her tower and waited for true love, and true loves first kiss. and the soft slow music in the background. Shrek then rips that page and wipes his bottom saying, like thats ever going to happen, with a Scottish accent. He then bangs the toilet door and then you notice a change in music and atmosphere. There is a sought of rock and roll music which suggest to the viewers that Shrek is not going to be a movie that they had expected it to be like. This is the first clue given to us about what the story is going to be like. This opening breaks all the rules of fairytales because in Cinderella, sleeping beauty and snow white they all have a similar beginning. Once upon a time there lived a princess who the fairytale kept to a same rhythm and only if the princess sang then there would be a change in sound. They all had the same story line; the princess is either put to sleep or locked away by a witch or someone evil. The prince is handsome and is only there to fight the dragon or any evil creature to save the princess they kiss, marry and live happily ever after, the witch or the evil person is either killed or locked the end. But Shreks opening is original and something new for the viewers eyes. The part when Shrek says, like thats ever going to happen starts the turning point in this story. By the time the introduction music is over the viewers know that they are not fated for a conventional story. When the villagers come to attack Shrek he just stays calm and tells them, Now ogres, theyre much worse. Theyll make a suit from your freshly peeled skin. Theyll shave your liver, squeeze the jelly from your eyes. Actually, its quite good on toast. This bit tells us that Shrek is bad and that he will kill all these innocent people. But then we see a change in the character because he says, This is the part where you run away. This shows us that Shrek is good and this is quite odd because they are supposed to be evil. When the donkey approaches Shrek roars at him and tries to intimidate him, the donkey is not frightened but instead he laughs at him saying, Wow, that was really scary and if you dont mind me saying, if that dont work, your breath will certainly get the job done, cause you definitely need some Tic Tacs or something cause your breath STINKS. This shows that Donkey is not afraid of Shrek and that he has the courage to tell the big ogre about his negative things. Donkey is immediately liked by the audience because of his sense of humor. Donkey can see straight through Shrek and knows that he would not hurt anybody. The audience also finds this out when he saves Donkey from the guards, this shows us that Shrek has a heart and is not like normal ogres are; man-eating beasts. The Donkey irritates Shrek by following him to his house and then criticizing a place, Whoa. Look at that. Whod wanna live in a place like that? which is supposed to be Shreks home, That would be my home. Donkey then tries to reverse things around by saying, Oh and it is LOVELY. You know, youre really quite a decorator. Its amazing what youve done with such a modest budget. I like that boulder. That is a NICE boulder. This shows that Donkey would do anything to stay with Shrek and he is a funny character who can be loved by anybody. He then intimidates him by running in his house and peering in the window. After Shrek allows him to stay for one night he starts says, Thank you! Oh this is gonna be fun! We can stay up late, swap manly stories and in the morning, Im making waffles. But in the end he stays outside the house because Shrek does not want him to stay. This makes us feel sorry for Donkey and at this bit we sympathize on him making him feel venerable and not care for the ogre feelings. We think that Shrek is rude and selfish for not sharing his house for one day with Donkey.

Birth of A Nation :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Birth of a Nation: 1607-1815   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It has been said that the Declaration of Independence was more democratic and for equality and the Constitution was more for a republic that benefited only some people. The Declaration was idealistic the Constitution realistic. That 1776 gave us liberty and 1787 gave us order. Although as unfair as it may sound this seems to be true. After gaining liberty this country had to establish a system that would have order.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When declaring independence, the bulk of the people thought that would be â€Å"†¦to burn the last bridge, to become traders in the eyes of the mother country.† (Garraty 110). John Dickinson had stated, â€Å" ‘Torn from the body to which we are united by religion, liberty, laws, affections, relation, language and commerce, we must bleed at every vein.’ â€Å" (Garraty 110). The people were afraid to break away, they pondered â€Å" ‘Where shall we find another Britain.’ â€Å" (Garraty 110). Eventually independence was inevitable. There was a great mistrust towards both Parliament and George III when the colonists heard that the British were sending hired Hessian soldiers to fight against them in the revolution. The pamphlet written by Thomas Paine entitled Common Sense called boldly for complete independence. This reflected his opinions on George III, calling him a brute, and also attacking the idea of monarchy itself. à ¢â‚¬Å"Virtually everyone in the colonies must have read Common Sense or heard it explained and discussed.† (Garraty 110). John Adams dismissed it as something he had said time and time again. â€Å"The tone of the debate changed sharply as Paine’s slashing attack took effect.† (Garraty 110). A committee was appointed by Congress, consisting of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and many more. â€Å"The committee had asked Jefferson to prepare a draft† that would soon become known as the Declaration of Independence. (Garraty 112). It consisted of two parts: an introduction which justified the abstract right of any people to revolt and described the theory on which the Americans based their creation of a new, republican government, and a second part that made George III, rather than Parliament, look like the ‘bad guy’. â€Å"†¦The king was the personification of the nation against which the nation was rebelling.† (Garraty 112). â⠂¬Å"The Declaration was intended to influence foreign opinion, but it had little immediate effect outside Great Britain, and there it only made people angry and determined to subdue the rebels.

Journey To The Remnants of Early Christian and Byzantine Era Essay

For this cultural trip, we are going to traverse two continents namely, Asia and Europe. The places we are going to visit are representations of the art style during the period of early Christian and Byzantine which is characterized by the â€Å"love of beauty, orderly symmetry, and artistic form, in poetic conceptions and exuberance of imagination. † Also, it was during this period that Christianity flourished which influenced the supremacy of architecture (Oldandsold. com â€Å"Early Christian and Byzantine Sculpture†). Europe and Middle East are the regions where early Christian and Byzantine Art reached its peak. To get a closer glimpse of the beauty and to fully appreciate the aesthetic of this period, we are going to Israel, Turkey and Italy (See Illustration 9). In these countries, we will be seeing the different architectural prowess left by the early Christian and Byzantine era. We will be visiting the following landmarks: The Hagia Sophia Church and the Byzantine Hippodrome which are both located in Istanbul, Turkey (See Illustrations 1 and 2), Church of Holy Sepulcher and the Temple of King Herod which are both located at Jerusalem, Israel (See Illustrations 3 and 4), and Sant’ Apolinare in Classe and San Vitale which are both situated at Ravenna, Italy (See Illustrations 5 and 6), and Santa Sabina and St. John Lateran which are both located in Rome, Italy (See Illustrations 7 and8). Hagia Sophia Church was a former place of worship which turned into a museum that showcased the Golden Age of the Byzantine period. This architectural gem is designed with an extensive orange interior and a vast exquisite interior. Visitors can feast their eyes on the â€Å"Arabic calligraphic writings from the Ottoman empire, green and purple columns,† vibrant stain-colored glasses and intricate mosaics which are all over the place (Guideistanbul. net â€Å"Hagia Sophia Church†). Meanwhile, the Byzantine Hippodrome used to be the heart of politics and sports at the height of the Ottoman regime. Presently, this landmark had been transformed into a city park and was renamed as At Meydani which means Horse Grounds. A variety of structures can be seen in this place such as the â€Å"3,500 year old Egyptian Obelisk of Theodosius, spiral bronze base of a three-headed serpent sculpture, temple-like fountain constructed by Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and the Milion, zero-mile-marker at Mese which is the road between Rome and Constantinople† (Turkeytravelplanner. com â€Å"Byzantine Hippodrome, Istanbul†). Now, let us go to Israel. The first stop would be at Church of Holy Sepulcher. This is a Christian church erected on the area where Jesus was crucified and buried. Many have visited this place for pilgrimage and it â€Å"remains the holiest Christian site in the world. † The church is ornamented with crusader facades, â€Å"ancient crosses carved on staircases,† â€Å"Greek Orthodox Cavalry. † Another interesting fact about this place is that many believe that this is the location of the â€Å"actual tomb of Christ† (Sacred-Destinations. com â€Å"Church of Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem†). On the other hand, the Temple of King Herod had undergone two renovations. When the Second Temple was ruined, only the Western or Wailing Wall remained which is now deemed to be the â€Å"holiest prayer site for the Jews. † This site is also believed to be the place where Abraham offered Isaac, his son to God (Peck â€Å"King Herod’s temple quarry unearthed†). After Israel, let us now move to Italy. In Classe, a suburb in Ravenna, the Sant’ Apolinare Church can be found wherein the â€Å"mosaics in aspe is the main attraction. † Another church in Ravenna is San Vitale. It is considered the predecessor of the Hagia Sophia which was built 10 years before when the Roman regime was dwindling. â€Å"The series of arches, interlocking spaces, and mosaics† are some of the major features of this establishment that makes San Vitale an enticing place (VirtualTourist. com â€Å"Ravenna Travel Guide†). More so, Santa Sabina is regarded as the most prominent symbol of an early Christian church in the city of Rome. People go to this site to see the 5th century doors with carvings of biblical scenes, â€Å"two dozen Corinthian columns,† and a mosaic tomb from the year 1300 (Sacred-Destinations. com â€Å"Santa Sabina, Rome†). Another early Christian architecture in Rome is the Basilica of St. John Lateran. This structure is the â€Å"Cathedral of Bishop of Rome. † The â€Å"two-storied portico at the faced,† numerous statues of saints and Jesus Christ, â€Å"Roman central bronze doors,† â€Å"cosmatesque pavement in the nave† and â€Å"the graceful baldacchio at the altar are the highlight features of this magnificent architecture (Sacred-Destinations. com â€Å"St. John Lateran, Rome†). Works Cited â€Å"Byzantine Hippodrome, Istanbul. † 2008. Turkeytravelplanner. com. 31 July 2008 . â€Å"Church of Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem. † 2008. Sacred-Destinations. com. 31 July 2008 . â€Å"Early Christian And Byzantine Sculpture. † 1896. Oldandsold. com. 31 July 2008 . â€Å"Hagia Sophia Church. † 2008. Guideistanbul. net. 31 July 2008 . Peck, Sally. â€Å"King Herod’s temple quarry unearthed. † 25 September 2007. Telegraph. co. uk. 31 July 2008 . â€Å"Ravenna Travel Guide. † 2008. VirtualTourist. com. 1 August 2008 < http://www. virtualtourist. com/travel/Europe/Italy/Emilia_Romagna/Ravenna-145052/Things_To_Do-Ravenna-Churches-BR-5. html>. â€Å"Santa Sabina, Rome. † 2008. Sacred-Destinations. com. 1 August 2008 . â€Å"St. John Lateran, Rome. † 2008. Sacred-Destinations. com. 1 August 2008 .