History of Table Tennis Essay Example for Free

History of Table Tennis Essay The sport got its start in England towards the end of the 19th century when, after dinner, some upper-middle class Victorians decided to turn their dining room tables into miniature versions of the traditional lawn tennis playing field. Several different every-day objects were employed in constructing the sport. They used a line of books as the net. Rackets were lids from empty cigar boxes, and a little later, parchment paper stretched around a frame. The ball would be either a ball of string, or perhaps more commonly, a champagne cork or rubber ball. Before â€Å"Table Tennis.† When the game first started it was called by a number of different names. â€Å"Whif whaf,† â€Å"gossamer,† and â€Å"flim flam† were commonly used to describe it. The words, as can be assumed, were derived from the sound that the ball made when hit back and forth on the table. In 1901 though, English manufacturer J. Jaques Son Ltd registered one of the more popular names, Ping-Pong, as a copyright. He later sold the trademark to the Parker Brothers in the United States. Then in the 1920s the name and the sport were revived in Europe as table tennis. Evolution The turn of the century brought many other refinements to the sport. Players started using celluloid balls after the English man James Gibb discovered them during a trip to the United States in 1901 and proved them to be perfect for Ping-Pong. In 1903, E.C Goode replaced parchment paper and cigar box lids with pimpled rubber on light wooden â€Å"blades† as rackets. And after the world championships in Prague in 1936, where two defensive players took over an hour to contest one point, the net was lowered to make the pace of the game-play faster. (In another effort to make the game more fast paced and entertaining, rules were again changed in 2001- see Rules). It Spreads Also around this time, the sport spread to other European countries and to the United States. Asian countries like China, Korea and Japan are understood to have learnt about it from British Army officers who held posts in those places. There was an unofficial world championship held in 1901, but the first official world championship was held in London in 1927 by the International Table Tennis Federation. The ITTF was founded in Berlin in 1926 by England, Sweden, Hungary, India, Denmark, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Wales. Asian Factor Although it may seem today that the sport, in the professional realm, is dominated by Asian countries like China and Korea, it wasn’t always that way. Before the late 1950’s and early 60’s, European players from Hungary especially, but also from France and Sweden seemed without competition. But in 1952, Japanese player Horoi Satoh introduced the foam rubber paddle. The paddle made the game faster and spinning the ball became an even greater factor. Japan became the main winner in the world competitions in 1960, and by the mid 1960’s China took over the reigns through to the early 1980’s. Their absolute domination of the sport was finally subdued with the entering of table tennis into the Olympic Games in 1988 and the participation of players from Korea and Sweden. Table Tennis and the Cold War On April 6th, 1971, the US table tennis team was invited on an all-expenses-paid trip to play in China. Four days later, nine players, four officials and two spouses crossed the bridge from Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland. They were the first group of Americans to be allowed into the country since the communist take-over in 1949. One of the first signs during the Cold war of improved relations between the United States and China, Time magazine called it â€Å"the pong heard throughout the world.† It was shortly followed with a visit to China by President Nixon. Facilities and Equipment The Table The playing surface, should be rectangular, 2.74m long and 1.525m wide, and shall lie in a horizontal plane 76cm above the floor .The playing surface should not include the vertical sides of the tabletop. The playing surface should yield a uniform bounce of about 23cm when a standard ball is dropped on to it from a height of 30cm. The playing surface shall be uniformly dark colored and matt, but with a white side line, 2cm wide, along each 2.74m edge and a white end line, 2cm wide, along each 1.525m edge. The playing surface shall be divided into 2 equal courts by a vertical net running parallel with the end lines, and shall be continuous over the whole area of each court. For doubles, each court shall be divided into 2 equal half-courts by a white center line, 3mm wide, running parallel with the side lines; the center line shall be regarded as part of each right half-court. The Net Assembly The net shall be suspended by a cord attached at each end to an upright post 15.25cm high, the outside limits of the post being 15.25cm outside the side line. The top of the net, along its whole length, shall be 15.25cm above the playing surface. The Ball The ball shall be spherical, with a diameter of 40mm.and weigh 2.7g. The ball shall be made of celluloid or similar plastics material and shall be white or orange, and matt. The Racket The racket may be of any size, shape or weight but the blade (wooden face) shall be flat and rigid. The covering material (rubber sheets) shall extend up to but not beyond the limits of the blade, except that the part nearest the handle and gripped by the fingers may be left uncovered or covered with any material. The surface of the covering material on a side of the blade, or of a side of the blade if it is left uncovered, shall be matt, bright red on one side and black on the other. Slight deviations from continuity of surface or uniformity of color due to accidental damage or wear may be allowed provided that they do not significantly change the characteristics of the surface. Rules of the game Serving The server shall project the ball near vertically upwards, without imparting spin, so that it rises at least 16cm and then falls without touching anything before being struck. The ball shall not be hidden from the receiver by any part of the body or clothing of the server or his doubles partner and as soon as the ball has been projected, the server’s free arm shall be removed from the space between the server’s body and the net. If the umpire is doubtful of the legality of a service he may, on the first occasion in a match, declare a let (see below) and warn the server. Any subsequent service of doubtful legality of that player or his doubles partner will result in a point to the receiver. Whenever there is a clear failure to comply with the requirements for a good service, no warning shall be given and the receiver shall score a point.

Half-Caste by John Agard How effective is the light-hearted ridicule :: English Literature

Half-Caste by John Agard How effective is the light-hearted ridicule in this poem? In the poem Half-Caste by John Agard the poet uses ridicule to put his point across, he uses this technique very effectively and many times and by the end of the poem you realise how stupid the fact of someone being a Half Caste is. The poem is about a man from the West Indies and is called Half Caste, which means of mixed race. The poem starts off with a verse off three lines all written in Standard English. Even in this very short part we can see the way the poet is using ridicule when he says ‘standing on one leg’, this is inferring that because he is a ‘half-caste’ he is only standing on one leg and that only one half the white half of him means anything to most people. It may seem like a ridiculous idea that he should stand on one leg but it does show how stupid the idea that someone can only stand on one leg because he is off mixed race. The poem then goes into a West Indian accent and it then makes another example like mixing colours makes him a half-caste. It then says ‘explain yuself’ again as it did at the start of the verse, this is repeated many times through the poem and becomes a sort of chorus. It is then always followed by an example, in this case comparing light and shadow to black and white. Light and shadow is a euphemism for black and white. The poem then goes onto a line, which really uses ridicule to get the point across, but whilst adding a little humour it shows an extremely vital point that we all as individuals should think about, it says about English weather being half caste. We all know the joke about English weather being bad and traditionally always cloudy and rainy. When we say that the weather is half-caste we are really saying it is not as good as it should be, do we also mean this when we call a person of mixed race a ‘half caste’. That line has double intentions as well as saying about English weather not being very good it also questions our thoughts on people of mixed race and whether we look down on them. The poet then uses light hearted ridicule again when he says about Tchaikovsky using the black and white key on a piano this is saying that he is not half caste but what about someone who only uses white keys does that make them a racist.

Performance Measurement Paper

Performance Measurement Paper LaVonda Jones MGT/437 6/30/2010 Dr. Kemit Grafton Performance Measurement Paper Project managers use performance measurement to help plan, initiate, execute, and close projects that they work on. Using measures like evaluating, controlling, and budgeting helps project managers and team members monitor progress on the project. In this paper, one will compare and contrast the above measurements and discuss the importance of each within a project. Evaluating a Project Using the evaluating measure helps the project manager improve the performance of the team.They determine what the team needs so that the team may accomplish the goals set in the planning phase of the project. When the project manager evaluates a project, the manager makes sure that the goals for the project are clear. The strategies and objectives are coherent for the team to understand how they should complete a successful project. The project manager must work with the team and agree on a p lan for the project. The team will use all resources that are available to them when evaluating their project. Clarifying ground rules are necessary so that all team members are working together in the same direction.Negotiations are necessary by the team as a whole and documentation is necessary to keep written proof of project ordeals. For a project manager to efficiently evaluate their project, the project manager should keep track of past projects and use them to set the standard or determine if things are moving along on track for the new project. 2. To Control How can managers ensure their subordinates are doing the right thing. Today managers do not control their workforce mechanically (measurement of time-and-motion for control as during Taylor) However managers still use measures to control, while allowing some space for freedom in the workforce. Robert Kaplan & David Norton) Business has control bias. Because traditional measurement system sprung from finance function, the system has a control bias. Organisation create measurement systems that specify particular actions they want execute- for branch employess to take a particular ways to execute what they want- branch to spend money. Then they want to measure to see whether the employees have in fact taken those actions. Need to measure input by individual into organisation and process.Officials need to measure behavior of individuals then compare this performance with requirements to check who has and has not complied. Often such requirements are described only as guidelines. Do not be fooled. These guidelines are really requirements and those requirement are designed to control. The measurement of compliance with these requirements is the mechanism of control. 3. To Budget Budgets are crude tools in improving performance. Poor performance not always may change after applying budgets cuts as a disciplinary actions. Sometimes budgets increase could be the answer to improving performance.Like purchasi ng better technology because the current ones are outdated and harm operational processes. So decision highly influenced by circomstance, you need measures to better understand the situation. At the macro level, elected officials deciding which purpose of government actions are primary or secondary. Political priorities drive macro budgetory choices. Once elected officials have established macro political priorities, those responsible for micro decisions may seek to invest their limited allocation of resources in the most cost-effective units and activities.In allocating budgets, managers, in response to macro budget allocations (driven by political objectives), determin alloactions at the micro level by using measures of efficiency of various activities, which programs or organisations are more efficient at achieving the political objectives. Why spend limited funds on programs that do not guarantee exceptional performance? Efficiency is determined by observing performance- output and outcome achieved considering number of people involved in the process (productivity per person) and cost-data (capturing direct cost as well as indirect)

Cxc Mutipe Choice Questions - 13016 Words

CXC SOCIAL STUDIES QUESTIONS MULTIPLE CHOICE The main reason for the origin of the Caribbean Community is: a) The need for economic cooperation b) The formation of Carifta c) The existence of one type of people d) The maintenance of the University of the West Indies. The first Heads of Government Conference was held in: a) August, 1962 b) May, 1961 c) July, 1963 d) July, 1974. The four countries that attended the first Heads of Government Conference were: a) Jamaica, Guyana, Grenada and Barbados b) Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago c) Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana and Belize d) Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica and St. Lucia. Carifta came into being on: a) May 1, 1968 b) July 1, 1968 c) August 1, 1968 d) May†¦show more content†¦Identify the odd one in the following statements: a) Caricom institutions are responsible for formulating policies b) All Caricom members signed the treaty in 1973 c) Associate members of Caricom are independent bodies d) Common Market Council in the principal organ of the Common Market. Caricom was established to a) Develop a common currency b) Encourage closer relations with the U.S. c) Promote regional cooperation d) Replace federation Identify the island below, which does NOT belong to CARICOM a) Barbados b) Trinidad c) Jamaica d) Cuba All of the following are organizations connected to CARICOM except a) Caribbean Examinations Council b) Caribbean Development Bank c) International Monetary Fund d) Common Market Council Which of the following groups does not consist mainly of Third World Countries? a) ACP b) EU c) OECS d) CARICOM Which of the following institutions is responsible for coordinating health services within CARICOM? a) Caribbean Ministries Of Health b) Caribbean Community Secretariat c) The World Health Organisation d) Pan American Health Organisation CARICOM is a Caribbean organisation of a) All the Caribbean territories b) The Caribbean territories that were colonised c) The independent territories of the Caribbean d) Caribbean territories that were British colonies Among our CARICOM partners is a) Venezuela b) Antigua c) Mexico d) Martinique

Network Security Policy Statements For Few Dimensions Of...

Contents 1. Overview 2. Purpose 3. Scope 4. Policy 5. Roles and Responsibilities 6. Appendix 7. References Overview: Network security has taken most important role in any organization functioning. Now a days, many organizations are largely dependent upon networks for their business operations. As networks gained importance, the protection of networks has become a huge challenge to organizations. Network security policy came into existence in order to protect the networks from intrusions, virus, and malware. In order to have a good level of network security in organization, the policy should focus on all the network extents. Furthermore having a proper network design and management, authentication and†¦show more content†¦Operational Policy: Network security policy should contain below policy statements. Authentication: Network security process starts with authentication concept, where user ID and password provided to authenticate a user. Specific authentication should be required for different areas of network i.e., servers, LAN, remote access, wireless communication etc. Because when user has only one username and password, it can be easily detected by hackers and having separate authentication credentials can decrease the threats. Organization has to follow appropriate authentication mechanisms, which includes tokens and cryptographic techniques when accessing the host applications, services and data through external connections .Network manager has to take responsibility of providing authorization to users. Network Addressing and Architecture: Effective management of potential threats are dependent upon network architecture. If network architecture security is not managed properly, then it can cause to raise the specific risks like loss of data, loss of data integrity and denial of service. Network architecture is a framework designed to meet its operational principles and requirements. Now a days, new types of devices are being introduced in organization to address the business needs, which may

Hector as the True Hero of Homer’s Iliad Essay - 2389 Words

Hector is the True Hero of Iliad In todays society, a mans mind is his most important tool. In the past, however, a mans courage and strength is all that he had to keep him alive. In Homers Iliad, courage is valued over honesty and even faithfulness to ones wife. If a hero is the most courageous man in the bunch, then Hector is more heroic than Achilles and King of the Myrmidons. Hector is the true hero of Homers Iliad. Although Achilles and Hector are both leaders of men, Hector leads with a mature sense that gives his men reason to respect him. In turn, Hector respects his men which gives fulfillment to both parties. Hector is not a man to sit around and mull over strategies and ideas - Hector is a man of action.†¦show more content†¦At first glance, god-like makes sense, because Achilles is descended from the immortals. As the book progresses, Achilles seems to drift as far away from the definition of god-like (as a beneficent being) as one can get. However, after considering the behavior of the gods/goddesses in Homeric times, Ive come to the conclusion that maybe god-like really is the correct description of Achilles. His ability to kill effortlessly and watch people die without mercy is in keeping with many of Olympus inhabitants. His fickle disposition is very god-like as well. The introduction to the Fagles translation describes a god as someone who is completely wrapped up in their own power, who sees others natures as obstacles to be overcome, and someone who is unable to question or criticize themselves. This is Achilles in a nutshell. Killing seems associated with being similar to a god. Hector is referred to as godlike only when he is triumphing over the corpse of a fallen Greek soldier. I found it interesting that the gods assist both Achilles and Hector in their respective battles. I would think that the gods would help Hector more, because he was a just man, but Hector is handed victory by Zeus only for a short time, while Achilles always appears to have divine intervention. This seems unfair, as Hector is the more godfearing of the two. He has more respect for the gods/goddesses, as weShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Homer s Iliad, Heroism801 Words   |  4 Pages​In Homer’s Iliad, heroism plays a major role in the two idols the reader will side with; Achilles or Hector. Society’s image of a hero demands for an altruistic, strong, and compassionate figure, but Homer refutes this idea of a hero. Homer’s Iliad demonstrates that in a realistic society, there is no such thing as a complete hero, and that true heroism does not exist. ​Achilles, the Achaean trophy soldier, was the creation of a mortal named Paleus and of a Goddess named Thetis. Because of his immortalityRead MoreAnalysis Of The Iliad 915 Words   |  4 Pagesas evidence to support this line. 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His Iliad and Odyssey both reflect the old Greek cultureRead MoreThe Iliad, By Homer1141 Words   |  5 PagesThe Iliad, along with the Odyssey, is one of two epics handed down through the Homeric tradition in the Greek Dark Ages, considered by many to be the Heroic Age. However, the key issue lies with the fact that ancient Greeks define a ‘hero’ very differently from what we would consider a ‘hero’ to be today. In ancient Greece, a hero is any human descended from the gods and bequeathed with superhuman abilities. By this definition, Achilles is immediately classified as a hero, no matter his actions.Read MoreThe Iliad Vs. Troy1692 Words   |  7 PagesSlater Poem vs Film The Iliad vs â€Å"Troy† Achilles and Hector fighting with Athena and Apollo on both sides of the Warriors Introduction Written by the ancient Greek poet, Homer, The Iliad was an epic documented on the nearly 10-year long war between the Trojans and the Greeks. Although the epic had occurred in 1194–1184 BC, the epic was passed down through generations, orally, until Homer wrote the Iliad 500 years after the Trojan war in 750 BC. An adaptation of the Homers’ Iliad is David Benioff’sRead MoreThe Era Of Homer By Homer911 Words   |  4 Pagessomewhere around 8th century BC and was possibly one of the first literate authors. Other theories suggest that he only spoke his epics and they were put into writing by others. Homer’s stories show us the first glimpse of documented information of Greek myth and religion. Most important was the creation of Homer’s writing style named the Homeric epic. He was the first author to write epics and his writing style held strongly as the first major literature of its type in western civilization.Read MoreIliad - Self image1193 Word s   |  5 Pagesï » ¿The Iliad Essay Prompt 1. Complete one take home essay. Provide textual evidence, specific lines and incidents from The Iliad that proves your thesis. You may also draw from The Odyssey. Use in text parenthetical documentation according to MLA standards. The style guide that many colleges use is DianaHacker.com. We will use this style guide for both MLA format and grammar and mechanics. If you have any questions about MLA format, refer to DianaHacker.com. This paper needs to read asRead MoreAchilles Slaughtered The Great Trojan Hero Essay1271 Words   |  6 PagesAchilles slaughtered the great Trojan hero, Hector and single-handedly changed the tide of the battle. He was a marvelous Greek hero, but his accomplishments paled in comparison to his friend Odysseus. In addition to accruing glory and fame in the Trojan War, Odysseus went on to write history in an epic journey all across the Mediterranean to return to his family. Odysseus acquired more kleos than any other Greek hero in Homer’s epics. 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Issue in Corporate Failure of Bank free essay sample

It also raised millions of revenue by accounting techniques to show false profits and hided their losses which occur in trading and bad debt. The biggest bank fraud in history According to Manhattan District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau, the BCCI scandal that came to light in 1991 was the largest bank fraud in world history. Perhaps no other criminal enterprise has involved or at least embarrassed so many prominent people, from billionaire Arab sheikhs to Third World dictators to present and former leading figures in the U. S. and British governments. Certainly none could match the international web of financial chicanery, political intrigue, and unsavoury figures with which BCCI was said to be associated. (Source: Encyclopaedia Encarta 2007) BCCI was engaged in four major frauds. One was a cover-up of $633m of losses on treasury trading. The second was the illegal acquisition through nominees of several banks in the US, in which it spend 6m. We will write a custom essay sample on Issue in Corporate Failure of Bank or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The third was a complex manipulation of accounts to prop up its largest borrower, the gulf shipping group of Pakistan, to which it lent more than $725m, which was over the limit set by banking regulations. The fourth was fundamental fraud by which BCCI allegedly acquire secret control of 56% of its own shares at a cost of over $500m. BCCI was a serpent eating its own tail. These sums add up to more than $2bn. But this is a minimum: it omits the enormous cost to BCCI of financing its secret losses. The manipulation to cover up the fraud involved another $2bn, bringing the grand total to well over $4bn. BCCI frauds were the main reasons for its corporate failure. The scale the fraud is breathtaking enough. But while most frauds involve the disappearance of real money, BCCI did the exact opposite. It manufactured billions of dollars out of nothing to conceal gaping holes in its balance sheet, like a giant game of ‘Double Your Money’. This involved extraordinary financial gymnastics and illegal loans on a huge scale. When BCCI finally came crashing down, it was not with a thud, but in a shower of paper. (Behind Closed Door: FT Publication) BCCI initiated every single route to excel its growth. In a first place its corporate structure was so complicated which involved uses of shell corporations frequently termed as satellites, bank confidentiality and secrecy. BCCI’s top management including nominees which also includes some famous personalities in politics were involved in corruption and made it a supreme atmosphere for crime. BCCI’s criminalities included, †¢Fraud by BCCI and BCCI customers involving billions of dollars; money laundering in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas; †¢BCCIs bribery of officials in most of those locations, †¢Support of terrorism, arms trafficking, and the sale of nuclear technologies; †¢Management of prostitution; †¢The commission and facilitation of income tax evasion, smuggling, and illegal immigration; †¢Illicit purchases of banks and real estate. Source: Walker, L. 2001) Abdul Basir, head of BCCI Pakistan operation, says: â€Å"We looked after clients in the most efficient, personalised manner. † The diamond market which is home to Lahore’s famous dancing girls, Prostitutes, who for centuries have provided entertainment for emperors and their cour tiers – and latterly for politicians, Arab Sheikhs and bankers. BCCI used these girls to treat Arabs rich businessmen and major shareholders. BCCI’s Zafar Iqbal, former chief executive, was in charge of managing prostitutes. Corporate Failure of BCCI There were two main reasons of BCCI’s corporate failure apart from their criminal activities. These were high risk loans and trading. A bank’s treasury plays a key role in managing its financial affairs by trading large amounts of money and currencies. Some if this dealing is done on behalf of clients. But bank treasuries also speculate on whether currencies will rise or fall, using their own money. BCCI was no exception. According to Price Waterhouse, the bank combined these two activities by trading huge amounts of clients’ money – but in its own name, and without their knowledge.