Ethical Responsibilities of Corporations Enron’s Downfall Essay Example for Free

Ethical Responsibilities of Corporations Enron’s Downfall Essay Ethical Responsibilities of Corporations; Enron’s Downfall Introduction            Enron, in the 1990’s was a premium company that had the much-coveted global stature that most company heads desire. It is considered the most innovative company in the United States of America. It was a change from the old industrial trend that other old and rusty enterprises and industries were used to; hard assets, in the favor of the much softer e-commerce business world. The company was a premium employer in the USA and the world, employing over 20,000 staff by the time of winding into bankruptcy, in 2001 (NPR). The company dealt in natural gas, electricity, pulp and paper and communication. A year before closure, the company was valued at $111 billion and had held the title-for six years running-of the most innovative company in America.            However, this valuation respect was based on falsehood. The company was discovered to have been operating a scandalous accounting fraud, orchestrated by systematic, institutionalized and creativity. Ironically, as it was named the most innovative company, which might have been true, but not in the upright way that it was perceived to be. This was but in underhand deals that its employees and management had mastered. What culminated into the ‘Enron Scandal’ has since become a frequently referred to a case of willful corruption and corporate fraud.            Companies and corporations, under the federal law, have a duty to their employees, consumers, the government and the environment in which they operate. To the government, corporations are supposed to ensure tax compliance and safety of production to citizens and environment. The firms and companies have a duty to protect their employees and provide safe work environment conditions for them so that all employees are always treated equitably and satisfactorily. Consumers have a right to accurate information regarding the products they purchase. The information is to provide at free will and is to guarantee consumer safety.            In Line with that responsibility as stated in the paragraph above, Enron management failed to safeguard their employees’ future and livelihoods in case their bubble burst. At the time Enron went bankrupt, Thousands of employees it had in its baskets were plunged into joblessness suddenly. This scandal involved even top government officials who were then shareholders. In the light of them knowing that Enron engaged in malpractices-they still were happy to take home the hefty dividends they got from the stock market gains.The Times Magazine talks about the top executives who enjoyed lots of privileges that even top CEOs envied. For example, Kenneth Lay, the Former Enron Chairman is said to have received a golden parachute worth $25 million and about $200 million in salaries since 1999 to its point of fall. Despite all that, he also enjoyed the access to about $7.5 million revolving credit line from Enron (Roston, 2002). Others who enjoyed such benefits include Jeffrey Skilling (former C.E.O), Duncan David (Former Anderson Partner), Nancy Temple (Anderson Lawyer), Thomas White (Secretary of the Army), and Sherron Watkins ( Former Enron Vice President).The government through the law has set up different commissions to ensure that these obligations are duly followed (example of one is the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)). FTC is charged with taking complaints about false business promises that turn out fraudulent, or cause harmful side effects to the consumers and forwarding them to investigation agencies for further action (Federal Trade Commission, 2014).            In the past, the things that brought down companies were far from cleverly crafted schemes such as what took place at Enron. The operation on the stock exchange while on a negative financial record and receiving probably more than their fair share of investments. Among other key ethical issues that had arisen in the past included racial profiling, product safety concerns, employee rights infringement and even environmental degradation. There have been lists each year of companies that should be shunned for disregard of ethics. For the past few years, companies such as ExxonMobil, Apple, Toyota, Trafigura, and recently Wal-Mart and Nestle had made headlines for breaking the crucial ethical rules.            The Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA), establishes mechanisms for compensation of employees who are injured, or get any damages in the line of duty (Office of the Secretary, 2014). In the case where an employee was hit by a truck and laid off without compensation, is very inhumane act of the company’s executives.            The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is set to be the benchmark for equitable pay distribution to all American employees. It provides guidelines for employment and wages to be paid to employees who are not exempted from work. Conditions have been set for certain jobs and age restrictions. These labor laws, for example, require that particular groups of people not work at certain times, and in particular professions, citing dangerous operations (Office of the Secretary, 2014). If the labor laws are followed to the letter, no employee will complain about unsatisfactory pay, as the minimum wage is set with all employees in mind and ensures a comfortable life away from welfare.            Kirk O. Hanson, a university professor at the University of Santa Clara, explains the ethical responsibilities of a corporate board. He lists five important points that are to be keenly upheld by any board of directors in order to ensure satisfaction from all quarters. Among other key assignments on a board, one of them is to understand the company’s ethical culture. Most board members are less involved with the day to day activities of their businesses, and to get feedback from employees, they rely on pro forma reports and complaint letters. It is their responsibility to investigate the validity of the reports and come up with disciplinary measures if need be (Hanson, 2014).            Business fair play is an important aspect of ensuring healthy and profitable competition among business people.            Such a supposition that they respect individual rights of association and expression and yet reject the idea of unionization is ridiculous. Under sections 7 and 8 of the National Labor Relations Act of the Federal constitution, employees are granted rights to make a join and take part in labor union activities. This is without any intimidation from employers, or punishments of any kind. All employees have a right to read, distribute and discuss matters of union membership during hours away from work. They are free to share the information with whomsoever they please. Once they decide on a group plan for whatever union, they have a right to ask their employer to recognize the specific union, bargain and complete any relevant requirements by the terms and condition. The employees have a right to display Union messages in whatsoever manner they please; be it caps, pins, T-shirts or whatever else available on the job or away from work.Company executives are not suppose d to profile any employees by forcible transfer, denial of benefits, pay rise or desirable assignments in effort to thwart employees’ quest to join or form a union. They are not to be harassed, threatened or dismissed from work if they support any union (Lisa Guerin, 2014). All in all, we do need quick solutions to problems such as these. It is not just an issue for the employees alone because it affects all American citizens, and per the house committee on education report.            General Electric, a company that was founded by Thomas Edison, has on many occasions received accused on several occasions of trying to monopolize the inventions by him. It is the current military contractor for war machinery. However, they have once been reported for facilitating the development of nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons have long since been banned and are regulated by the international bodies. The purpose of such an undertaking should be investigated, and due punishment administered.            The American public should check indicators of unethical codes of conduct and shun such businesses. It will be a significant boost in fighting such a vice as it will prevent oppression of fellow citizens. If people followed such a trend, companies such as this would lack a ready market and might be forced to change the practices or close shop.            All firms that are established in corporate agreements uphold certain fundamental duties. In order to solve this massive crisis of ethics, law should be passed forcing private sectors to publish their financial reports in detail in the public dailies. The public should be trained to watch for companies that uphold employee rights and safety. These statements should be audited by government agencies for any lies. If the reports are found to be untrue, government should snatch such operators their licenses.            Companies and corporations that evade taxation of any kind should be imposed with huge fines. In order to shun such practices, and in extension, be barred from operating for a particular period of time and board members is investigated. If any allegations of misconduct are proven right, all board members should be forced to resign and take responsibility for their ineptness. Enron was a culprit in this category, avoiding any financial obligation it would have to offset to the government or anyone, provided that it was able to cover its tracks well.            On an opinion proposed from the Financial Times magazine, the graph of performance shows that the downfall was carefully planned. It seemed that most of the top echelons had long planned the exit, but it did not happen in the most expected way. The stock price came crashing in a year, from a cost of about $80 in January, the year 2001 to a tumbling zero by January in the year 2002.            In the Film Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (Gibney, 2005), as based on the same name written by Bethany McLean, the Enron Disaster is the greatest disaster any company has witnessed in the whole of history. A crash in a year with more than seven corporate walking away from the mess with over 1 Billion US dollars. Investors and employees went down flat without any landing gear. This kind of corporate ethics gap left more Americans depending on the public for necessary handouts and relying on other meager means to survive. The Drama resembles a Greek tragedy and a show of the domino effect that could shape the face of the American ethical code and ultimately the economy for a long time into the future.Kenneth Lay, the company’s chief who had saved ib once before in the ‘80s and later taken over as C.E.O wielded so much influence In both the business and political circles. Probably out of the campaigns he had funded for the presidency among other le gislative dockets. In the Business circles, he was an enviable C.E.O, who was practically â€Å"untouchable†. But in the wake of the ethical backlash, all these attributes could not save his company from sinking to the bottom of the sea that is failed companies.            Ethics is more than just producing good products, supporting community initiatives and giving good salaries. Companies with a sound ethical background will go to extents to ensure consumer safety, business fair play and ensuring that employees who served diligently go home safe to retirement. Even after retiring, they will be entitled to the same happiness they had while working for the same company, and health.            All corporations that breach conduct on ethics should be nationalized in order to safeguard the interests of the public. Its owners should then be duly compensated and never allowed to start any other business within the country. Such a law will instill fear and caution among those who have a penchant for breaking the law.            Consumers and the government need to be careful about safeguarding the economic environments. Since any turmoil could lead to financial turmoil like it did with the instability of some few big companies in the early 2000s that lead to the 2007-2009 global financial crunch. The government can help by sealing off all loopholes that could allow any forms of corruption while the consumers could channel their money to the right businesses.            If we all stopped buying brands that do not have its people at heart, all companies and many other manufacturers would forcefully comply duly with laws of labor, taxation, and biosafety. We will have a better world where many Americans and people around the world can eat by their sweat, as opposed to having jobs but still relying on welfare for upkeep. References Federal Trade Commission. (2014). Bureau of Consumer Protection. Retrieved December 06, 2014, from Federal Trade Commission: http://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-consumer-protectionGibney, A. (Director). (2005). Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room [Motion Picture]. Hanson, K. O. (2014, August 14). Business Ethics in the News. Retrieved Dec 06, 2014, from Santa Clara University: http://www.scu.edu/ethics-center/ethicsblog/business-ethics-news.cfmLisa Guerin, J. (2014). The Right to Unionize. Retrieved December 06, 2014, from NOLO For all: http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/free-books/employee-rights-book/chapter15-7.htmlNPR. (n.d.). The Fall of Enron. Retrieved Feb 4, 2015, from http://www.npr.org/news/specials/enron/Office of the Secretary. (2014). Summary of the Major Laws of the Department of Labor. Retrieved December 06, 2014, from United States Department of Labor: http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/lawsprog.htmRoston, E. (2002, Jan 22). The Enron Players. Time . Source document

Megan Essay Example for Free

Megan Essay WORKSHOP-Make-up You must write a 100 word essay. You need to choice one or two of the following to write about. It must be typed. It must be turned in by May 2, 2013 in order to get credit. 1. Why do you want to get a college education? 2. Pick an experience from your own life and explain how it has influenced your development. 3. Describe your most meaningful achievements and how they relate to your field of study and your future goals . 4. Why do you want to be a _______? 5. How would you describe yourself as a human being? What quality do you like best in yourself and what do you like least? What quality would you most like to see flourish and which would you like to see wither? 6. Describe examples of your leadership experience in which you significantly influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time. Consider responsibilities to initiatives taken in or out of school. 7. Describe any special interests and how you have developed knowledge in these areas. Give examples of your creativity – the ability to see alternatives; take diverse perspectives; come up with many, varied, or original ideas; or willingness to try new things. 8. Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and steps you have taken to address this challenge. Include whether you turned to anyone in facing the challenge, the role the person played, and what you learned about yourself. 9. Explain what you have done to make your community a better place to live. Give examples of specific projects in which you have been involved over time. 10. Articulate the goals you have established for yourself and your efforts to accomplish these. Give at least one specific example that demonstrates your work ethic/diligence

Chemical compounds

Chemical compounds Introduction Chemical compounds can generally be classified into two broad groups: molecular compounds and ionic compounds. Molecular compounds involve atoms joined by covalent bonds and can be represented by a variety of formulas. Ionic compounds are composed of ions joined by ionic bonding, and their formulas are generally writtenusing oxidation states. Molecular Compounds Molecular compounds are composed of atoms that are held together by covalent bonds. These bonds are formed when electrons are shared between two atoms. The concept of chemical formulas was created to describe many characteristics of molecular compounds through in a simple manner. A normal chemical formula encompass factors about which elementsare in the molecule, and how many atoms of each element there are. The number of atoms of each element is denoted by a subscript, a small number that is written to the left of the element. In the preceding formula, the subscript â€Å"2† denotes the fact that there are 2 hydrogen atoms present in the molecule. Other types of formulas are used to display more detailed characteristics of molecules. An empirical formula represents the proportions of atoms in a molecule. It gives important information about a molecule, because itdisplays the ratios of atoms that are present within the molecule.However, itslimitations exist in the sense that it does not represent the exact number of those atoms that are present in the molecule, as do molecular formulas. In certain situations, the molecular and the empirical formula can be the same, but in other situations, the molecular formula is a multiple of the ratios of atoms indicated in the empirical formula.Since empirical formulas can be derived from molecular formulas,molecular formulas are generallymore useful than empirical formulas. To illustrate the difference between empirical and molecular compounds: C5H7O is a possible empirical formula, because a ratio of 5:7:1 cannot be simplified any further. In this particular case, the empirical formula could also be the molecular formula, if there are exactly 5 carbon atoms, 7 hydrogen atoms, and 1 oxygen atom per molecule. However, another possible molecular formula for this same molecule is C10H14O2, because while there are 10 carbon atoms, 14 hydrogen atoms, and 2 oxygen atoms present, theratio 10:14:2 can be simplified to 5:7:1, giving way to the same empirical formula. Additionally, C10H14O2is not the only possibility of a molecular formula for this molecule; anyformula with the same relative proportions of these atoms that can be simplified to a 5:7:1 ratiosis apossible molecular formula for this molecule. When given adequate information, the empirical formula and molecular formula can be quantitatively ascertained. A structural formula is written to denote the details of individual atoms bonding. More specifically, it clarifies what types of bonds exist, between which atoms these bonds exist, and the order of the atoms bonding within the molecule. Covalent bondsare denoted by lines.A singleline represents a single bond, twolinesrepresent a double bond, three lines represent a triple bond, and onwards. A single covalent bond occurs when two electrons are shared between atoms, a double occurs when four electrons are shared between two atoms, etc. In this sense, the higher the number of bonds, the stronger the bond between the two atoms. The above is a diagram of the structural formula of acetic acid, whose molecular formula is CH3COOH. A condensed structural formula isa less graphicalway ofrepresentating the same characteristics displayed by astructural formula. In this type of formula, the molecule is writtenas a molecular formula with the exception thatitindicates where the bonding occurs. The above diagram isthe structural formula of hexane. By referring to the structural formula and emphasizing where bonding occurs, one can ascertain a condensed structural formula of CH3CH2CH2CH2CH2CH3. All the representations discussed thus far have not addressed how to show a molecules three-dimensional structure. The two ways to illustrate a spatial structure are through the use of the ball-and-stick model as well as the space-filling model. The ball-and-stick model uses balls to spatiallyrepresent a molecule. The ballsare the atoms in a molecule and sticksare the bonds between specific atoms. The space-filling model is also a method of spatially displaying a molecule and its characteristics. A space-filling model shows atoms sizes relative sizes to one another. Ionic Compounds Ionic compounds arecomposed of positive and negative ions that are joined by ionic bonds.Ionic bonds are generally formed when electrons are transferred from one atom to another, causing individual atoms to become charged particles, or ions. Ionscan be referred as either monatomic or polyatomic. Monatomic ions such asCl−are composed of only one ion,while polyatomic ions such as NO3−are defined as polyatomic ions. A combination of these ions that forms a compound whose charge is equal to zero is known as a formula unit of an ionic compound. Formulas of ionic compounds can be written with reference to oxidation states. For further reference, please visit the ChemWiki article dedicated to oxidation states: Outside links Molecular compounds:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecular_compound Ionic compounds:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ionic_compound Determining the empirical formula of a molecule:http://www.chem.tamu.edu/class/majors/tutorialnotefiles/empirical.htm Determining the molecular formula of a molecule:http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/probsolv/stoichiometry/molecular2/mf2.0.html Using oxidation states to determine formulas of ionic compounds:http://www.fordhamprep.org/gcurran/sho/sho/lessons/lesson53.htm

Rawls Concept Of Justice As Political: A Defense Against Critics :: Philosophy Philosophical Rawls Essays

Rawls' Concept Of Justice As Political: A Defense Against Critics ABSTRACT: Rawls' theory of justice as fairness involves a central contention that principles of justice essential to the structure of a constitutional democracy must be viewed as political in contrast to more comprehensive moral, philosophical or religious doctrines. The concept of justice is not its being true to an antecedent moral order and given to us, but its being congruent with our self-understanding within the history of justice as political is not a mere modus vivendi, for it embodies an overlapping consensus that does have a moral basis. Critical reaction to Rawls has been that what is simply a consensus within a tradition of public discourse cannot afford an adequate criteria of moral justification, and that Rawls cannot define the moral basis for justice as fairness without some reference to a comprehensive theory of the good. But it will be argued that critics are missing what is central to Rawls' theory of moral justification as what he sees to be the outcome of a proce ss of "wide reflective equilibrium" in which principles of justice initially given within a tradition are weighed against rival moral theories and in relation to scientific theories of human nature and society in order to establish what seems "most reasonable to us." It is the central contention of Rawls that the principles of justice essential to the structure of constitutional democracy must be characterized as political in contrast to more comprehensive moral, philosophical and religious doctrines on which agreement is not possible within the pluralism of modernity, and that the concept of justice is not its being true to an antecedent moral order, but its congruency with our self-understanding within history and traditions embedded in our public life. But Rawls emphasizes that the concept of justice as political is not a mere modus vivendi, for it embodies an overlapping consensus by specifying the fair terms of cooperation between citizens that are regarded as free and equal. This consensus encompasses the concept of primary goods: basic right and liberties, powers and prerogatives of office; income and wealth; the basis of self-respect. It also encompasses the "difference principle": in which economic inequalities are allowed so long as thi s improves everyone's situation including that of the least advantaged. The overlapping consensus, Rawls further specifies, is not a consensus simply in accepting a certain authority, or simply as compliance with certain institutional arrangements.

Structure and Funding for the Educational Systems of Greece and Italy :: Education Educational Essays

Structure and Funding for the Educational Systems of Greece and Italy Greece In Greece students start their educational experience at age four.? When they are four they are entered into Nursery School.? They attend Nursery School for two years to develop better social, emotional, intellectual, and moral skills at both personal and group levels.? Another goal of the Nursery school is to prepare students for the next level of education: Elementary school.? Students enroll in Elementary school at age six.? Elementary school students are passed to the next class by teacher approval and meeting attendance requirements.? The goal is to continue to develop the same skills as in Nursery school while fostering the link between creative activity and the study of specific subjects, situations, and phenomenon all to promote the acquisition of knowledge.? After a student completes Elementary school they begin their secondary education.? ?The secondary school system has two parts, the Compulsory [mandatory] Secondary Education and Post-compulsory Secondary education.? Both institutions have public and private sectors.? Compulsory Secondary Education is provided by Gymnasium.? The Gymnasium cycle is completed in three years for pupils? aged 12 to 15.? Gymnasium schools exist to: Help pupils to widen the scope of their values, to supplement and combine the acquisition of knowledge with the corresponding social problems, to cultivate their powers of verbal expression, to achieve normal physical development, to familiarize themselves with the various forms of art, to develop aesthetic judgment, and to become aware of their abilities and skills, inclinations and interests (Eken, Secondary education). ?Student?s skill levels are assessed by participation, oral and written examinations, and a final exam at the end of the year.? Upon completion of the three levels within the system students are not longer required to attend school.? Unified Lyceum and Technical Vocational Schools provide the second phase of the Secondary educational system; both of which are voluntary.? Students who complete the three year Unified Lyceum program are equipped to find jobs in the market, apply for admission to the Universities, Technological Educational Institutions, or Vocational Training Institutes.? Students opt to attend the Technical Vocational Schools are equipped to be a licensed professional, enroll in a post-secondary Vocational Training Institute, or apply for admission to a Technological Educational Institute.? The third and final form of education that can be obtained through the Greek educational system is known as Tertiary Education. Structure and Funding for the Educational Systems of Greece and Italy :: Education Educational Essays Structure and Funding for the Educational Systems of Greece and Italy Greece In Greece students start their educational experience at age four.? When they are four they are entered into Nursery School.? They attend Nursery School for two years to develop better social, emotional, intellectual, and moral skills at both personal and group levels.? Another goal of the Nursery school is to prepare students for the next level of education: Elementary school.? Students enroll in Elementary school at age six.? Elementary school students are passed to the next class by teacher approval and meeting attendance requirements.? The goal is to continue to develop the same skills as in Nursery school while fostering the link between creative activity and the study of specific subjects, situations, and phenomenon all to promote the acquisition of knowledge.? After a student completes Elementary school they begin their secondary education.? ?The secondary school system has two parts, the Compulsory [mandatory] Secondary Education and Post-compulsory Secondary education.? Both institutions have public and private sectors.? Compulsory Secondary Education is provided by Gymnasium.? The Gymnasium cycle is completed in three years for pupils? aged 12 to 15.? Gymnasium schools exist to: Help pupils to widen the scope of their values, to supplement and combine the acquisition of knowledge with the corresponding social problems, to cultivate their powers of verbal expression, to achieve normal physical development, to familiarize themselves with the various forms of art, to develop aesthetic judgment, and to become aware of their abilities and skills, inclinations and interests (Eken, Secondary education). ?Student?s skill levels are assessed by participation, oral and written examinations, and a final exam at the end of the year.? Upon completion of the three levels within the system students are not longer required to attend school.? Unified Lyceum and Technical Vocational Schools provide the second phase of the Secondary educational system; both of which are voluntary.? Students who complete the three year Unified Lyceum program are equipped to find jobs in the market, apply for admission to the Universities, Technological Educational Institutions, or Vocational Training Institutes.? Students opt to attend the Technical Vocational Schools are equipped to be a licensed professional, enroll in a post-secondary Vocational Training Institute, or apply for admission to a Technological Educational Institute.? The third and final form of education that can be obtained through the Greek educational system is known as Tertiary Education.

Puritanism in The Scarlet Letter, Bartleby, and Daisy Miller Essay exam

     Ã‚   In today's society, it is infrequent that you turn on the television and are not bombarded with images of sex, violence, or other content that the Puritans would have viewed as being the work of Old Deluder (the name given to Satan in the time period). Yes, it is true; the society in which we dwell in today is no more remarkable than that of barbaric times. The only difference might be that we no longer kill out of primal instinct; we do it out of fear, or malice, or patriotism, or even pleasure. Thus, we are faced with the question of whether or not today's society would experience benefits if a conversion to Puritanism was made or drown in its waters. Because Puritanism conformed to such austere guidelines and beliefs that almost completely obliterated the individual's role in the social unit and because the foundation of the religion is to essentially "kill" freedom and liberty in order to create a social purity that is virtually impossible for humans to achi eve, I believe that Puritanism would only add to the degradation of society today. The books The Scarlet Letter, Bartleby, and Daisy Miller exemplify this theory. Puritanism's ultimate goal was to essentially establish a religiously pure and socialistic community in which everyone would work for the good of one another. However, Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter contradicts the belief that a society of this sort can ever exist. Rather, he theorizes that the suppression of this sinful behavior only leads to personal agony and social isolation. Hester, for example, who committed the sin of adultery, which society today frowns upon but does not punish for, became alienated enduring "three hours on the platform pillory, and then and thereafter, for... ...the realities of the "exemplary religion" known as Puritanism. It conflicts with both the natural rights of man in his existence (as the French philosophe Locke reasoned) and virtually denies men of his freedoms stated in the Constitution of the United States. Puritanism undermines the role of an individual in society and suppresses intellectuality. Puritanism destroys more than just ideas; it destroys people.    Works Cited Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "The Maypole of Merry Mount". (1836). Honors American Literature. Period 8. 1999. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. (1850) New York: Dover Publications Inc., 1994. James, Henry. Daisy Miller. (1878) New York: Dover Publications Inc., 1995. Melville, Herman. Bartleby. (1856) New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1990. Updike, John. "A&P". Honors American Literature. Period 8. 1999.

Michelangelo Buonarroti, the greatest of the Italian Renaissance artists

Michelangelo Buonarroti, the greatest of the Italian Renaissance artists, was born on March 6, 1475, in the small village of Caprese (Today, Caprese is known as Caprese Michelangelo or Tuscany, Italy). Michelangelo grew up in Florence, Italy. His Father was a government administrator and his Mother died when he was only six years old. After the death of his mother Michelangelo lived with a stone cutter and his family in the town of Settignano, where his father owned a marble quarry and small farm. Along with living with a stone cutter (where he learned to handle marble), Michelangelo's influences included da Vinci and Dominico Ghirlandaio. Michelangelo showed no interest in school, he preferred to copy paintings from churches and seek the company of painters. His artistic talents were noticed at a very early age. At the age of thirteen, Michelangelo was apprenticed to the painter Domenico Ghirlandaio. At age fourteen Michelangelo’s father persuaded Ghirlandaio to pay Michelangelo as an artist, which was unusual at the time. Demonstrating obvious talent, he was taken under the wing of Lorenzo de' Medici, the ruler of the Florentine republic and a great patron of the arts. For two years beginning in 1490, he lived in the Medici palace and attended the Humanist academy, where he was a student of the sculptor Bertoldo di Giovanni and studied the Medici art collection, which included ancient Roman statuary. At the academy, both Michelangelo’s outlook and his art was influenced by many of the most prominent philosophers and writers of the day. At this time Michelangelo sculpted the Madonna of the Steps (1490-1492) and Battle of the Centaurs (1491-1492). Lorenzo de Medici, the man who gave Michelangelo the tools and schooling to perfect his artistry, passed away in 1492. Michelangelo decided that it was time to return home to his family, but he continued studying on his own. Although the practice was forbidden at the time by the church, Michelangelo got special permission to study anatomy of the dead at a hospital in the church of Santo Spirito. He used his new knowledge of the human body to create some of his most famous works, including the famous statue of David (1501-1504), the sculptures in the Church of San Pietro, and the Creation of Adam on the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling, which there is a hypotheses that part of it is shaped like the human brain. Michelangelo’s love for sculpture continued to grow, and so did the attention of the world to his work. His demand as an artist grew, and he began creating some of the most famous works of his career. And then there is his architecture, where Michelangelo reordered ancient forms in an entirely new and dramatic ways. Michelangelo was principally a sculptor and always claimed that architecture was not his profession, but, with a sculptor's vision, he saw buildings as dynamic organisms – metaphors of the human body and he designed some of the most impressive architecture in all history. Among his best-known buildings are the Medici Chapel and the Laurentian Library in Florence and he finished the architectural work on St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Michelangelo renewed architectures potential for the next generation of architects, freeing them from the need to slavishly imitate models from the past and allowing them to arrive at their own forms of expression. Michelangelo, though best known for his sculpture, was also a poet. He composed over 300 pieces of poetry during his life time including the poem about the hardships of painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling. In his poems he discusses categories pertaining to love, death, evil and good, and beauty. His writing is similar to his art in that every word is carved into the realities of life. Michelangelo's art is his love of male beauty, which attracted him both by the nature of natural beauty and emotionally. Such feelings caused him great anguish, and he expressed the struggle between reality and desire for the male body in his sculpture and his poetry. The sculptor loved many youths, many of whom posed for him. His greatest love was Tommaso dei Cavalieri, who was 16 years old when Michelangelo met him in 1532, at the age of 57. Cavalieri was open to the older man's affection and Michelangelo dedicated many poems to him. Some say Michelangelo’s relationship with Cavalieri was only a deep friendship and not sexual. Even if Michelangelo had homo-erotic impulses, there is no evidence he acted on them. Cavalieri was not the only inspiration for Michelangelo’s poetry. Later in life he fell in love with Vittoria Colonna. She was a widow and friend to Michelangelo in his later maturity. Between Michelangelo and Vittoria Colonna a deep friendship developed, one might almost say an absolutely pure love, inspired by poetry and faith, out of which were to emerge some of Michelangelo's finest lyric poems, overflowing with admiration and devotion. She died at the age of 56 and Michelangelo was deeply affected by her death writing many commemorative pieces in her honor. Michelangelo worked until his death in 1564 at the age of 88. He caught a fever and a few days later he passed away. Michelangelo's revolutionizing artistic techniques altered the artist's method for centuries, and still effect how art is made today. His view on the world and its leaders changed the way artists portray their subjects and how bold they allowed their artwork to be. Michelangelo will always be known as one of the most influential artists the world has ever known. ttp://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Michelangelo www. sparknotes. com Several hypotheses have been put forward about the meaning of The Creation of Adam's highly original composition, many of them taking Michelangelo's well-documented expertise in human anatomy as their starting point. In 1990, an Anderson, Indiana physician named Frank Lynn Meshberger, M. D. noted in the medical publication the Journal of the American Medical Association that the background figures and shapes portrayed behind the figure of God appeared to be an anatomically accurate picture of the human brain. 5] Dr. Meshberger's interpretation has been discussed by Dr. Mark Lee Appler. [6] On close examination, borders in the painting correlate with major sulci of the cerebrum in the inner and outer surface of the brain, the brain stem, the frontal lobe, the basilar artery, the pituitary gland and the optic chiasm. [5] Alternatively, it has been observed that the red cloth around God has the shape of a human uterus (one art historian has called it a â€Å"uterine mantle†[7]), and that the scarf hanging out, colored green, could be a newly cut umbilical cord. 8] â€Å"This is an interesting hypothesis that presents the Creation scene as an idealized representation of the physical birth of man. It explains the navel that appears on Adam, which is at first perplexing because he was created, not born of a woman. â€Å"[9] Michelangelo was both highly literate and plain-spoken. He felt passionate toward individuals, both female and male (Vitoria Colonna and Tommasco Cavalieri in particular. Platonic love suited Michelangelo because the demands of his profession came first. Vittoria, who was independent and highly intelligent, was inaccessible. She was the woman who came closest to being his intellectual equal, and a person characterized by loftiness, nobility and virtue–all of which appealed to the poet. He turned to her for guidance and idealized her through the ecstasy of his religious mindset; Michelangelo was a deeply religious person who believed in prayer and all the accompanying Renaissance religious imagery characteristic of his era. She was a widow and friend to Michelangelo in his later maturity. She died at the age of 56 and Michelangelo was deeply affected by her death writing many commemorative pieces in her honor.