Thursday, September 3, 2020

Strengths And Weaknesses Of Treaty Of Versailles free essay sample

Germany angrily marked the most celebrated bargain ever, Versailles. Despite the fact that long stretches of rearranging the bargain followed, this exposition will concentrate primarily on the qualities and shortcomings of the 440 articles in 1919. The Treaty followed a gigantic war, with tremendous human penance. It should be the Treaty to put to shame all other wars and offer security to the nations in question. The staggering undertaking that laid ahead for Woodrow Wilson (America), Lloyd George (Great Britain), Clemenceau (France) and Orlando (Italy) was on a greater scale than any past agents had needed to manage. One of the greatest deciphered shortcomings was the financial matters and reparations. Right off the bat, it featured the shortcomings of the representatives shaping the Treaty, as they needed to tune in to open interest which had been misrepresented because of the scale and length of the war. A model was Lloyd George who was forced from moderates for brutal reparations, Geddes, a preservationist government official hailed the words ‘we will crush the German lemon until the pips squeak. We will compose a custom exposition test on Qualities And Weaknesses Of Treaty Of Versailles or then again any comparative point explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page Packer announced Lloyd George didn't put stock in cruel reparations [2] , however George added additional items to the first reparations, for example, war annuities to satisfy the traditionalists in light of the fact that the first sum dependent on war harm gave Britain a practically nothing. Kitchen appeared and I concur that there was little Lloyd George could do about the circumstance as ‘no government official would have endure in the event that he had recommended that Germany ought to be excused. ’ [3] However, Lentin dissented, feeling that general assessment made weight yet had no effect on the Treaty. He later repudiated himself by declaring that the one of the reasons for the postponement in reporting reparations in light of the fact that the representatives accepted that the general population could never be happy with the ensured sum. [4] Therefore, popular conclusion must be recognized and fulfilled to a limited degree. This implied the Treaty didn't generally achieve what was required, for example, lower reparations. The greatest shortcoming with the reparations was the aggregate sum (? 600 million) Germany needed to pay. Keynes, who harshly scrutinized the Treaty of Versailles, vigorously denounced the reparations as Britain relied upon the recovery of exchange, particularly with Germany, [5] yet Germany expected to build their fares and diminishing their imports. This would diminish exchange with Britain and lose Britain cash. Feldman, in spite of the fact that I deviate, bolstered Keynes accepting that the monetary and budgetary repayments were ‘horrendous disappointments. ’ [6] This was an extraordinary view and appeared to overlook the conditions the agents were managing. There were helpless choices yet Feldman over-overstated. Nicolson contended that it was not unreasonably unforgiving financially to Germany. [7] However, in spite of the fact that it was not unnecessarily brutal, I trust it was excessively unforgiving for Germany to try and start to grasp, particularly when domain and financial matters are joined. Germany lost 13. 5% of their region including 8% of German coal creation. Germany lost 10% of her populace just as 1. 7 million individuals in the war. Populace makes labor for industry. This probably won't appear to be a great deal in any case, when you include ? This shows another shortcoming of the Versailles Treaty, as no appropriate sum for Germany to pay was reached ruining the arrangement. Anyway it could be considered an unavoidable shortcoming as the reparations were diminished during the 1920s however the Germans despite everything felt it was out of line. Another shortcoming of the Treaty of Versailles was the demobilization deception. The League of Nation’s articles attested that any errors would be figured out the League and not by war. In this manner there was no requirement for any nation to have huge armed forces; anyway Germany had to incapacitate to a 200,000 volunteer armed force, demonstrating how the focuses were utilized specifically. During the revisionist time frame Germany griped about the vile idea of demobilization. Along these lines demilitarization can be seen as a shortcoming as it features the unjustifiable piece of the Treaty however it shows that Germany was continually going to return with vengeance. Germany was bound together in its pride in its military. Carr contended that Germany’s ascend in 1920s was inescapable as ‘it was preposterous to force a place of lasting inadequacy on an incredible force. This was valid, however unavoidable; France needed to realize that Germany couldn't assault them. In any case, in the event that the fraud recently referenced didn't exist, and everybody had incapacitated, at that point the circumstance could have been unique. Segregating Germany in demilitarization and the League of Nations was an ill-conceived notion, as they blamed it so as to break the Treaty later, which was one of the reasons for the Second World War. The Treaty had the point of delayed harmony, and the seclusion through demobilization was one reason it didn't satisfy its point. The disappointment of the League of Nations was a colossal shortcoming; it fizzled in light of the fact that America, Russia and Germany were discarded. The League couldn't settle on choices about the world without three of the most compelling nations. The League was circumvent when Italy seized Corfu, causing shame for the League as it demonstrated an absence of intensity. The League probably won't have been sure to succeed, however on the off chance that the League had put its nations convictions behind, and the overall issues first, it would not be considered such a shortcoming. The League of Nations had qualities as well, it was the first run through the thought have been tried difficult some ideologically and for all intents and purposes new to keep the harmony around the world. The League presented clinical estimates that had not been in states before 1914. This was a truly sound quality from the Treaty of Versailles. It truly was proof of the Versailles Treaty attempting to keep delayed harmony. The trade offs in the Treaty made qualities and shortcomings. These trade offs had left students of history to banter with respect to whether the Treaty would have been more grounded in the event that it had been harsher or gentler. Checks entirely portrayed the Treaty as ‘too delicate to control Germany†¦ yet too serious to be in any way adequate to Germans. ’ [9] It was seen excessively brutal regarding reparations, demobilization and region. The result of this was Germany persuading others it was too brutal bringing the revisionism perspective of the 1920s which had been embraced by Britain. Revisionism permitted the Germans to fix a portion of the Treaty’s primary statements, for example, self-assurance, reparations and demobilization. Revisionism has been connected to the ascent of Nazism and furthermore the Second World War. The Versailles Treaty expected to keep delayed harmony, the shortcoming of the trade off shows a disappointment of the Treaty. A delicate bargain would have been unthinkable, the after war feeling was to authorize a malicious harmony to help reestablish a portion of the hurt caused during the war that Germany was accused for beginning. Anyway , it appeared that regardless of how delicate the Treaty would have been Germany would have needed to transform it. I concur with Kitchen that ‘ultimately no measure of update would have fulfilled the Germans. ’ [10] The quality of the Versailles Treaty bargains was that the majority of the provisos were extremely just, particularly thinking about the conditions. A case of this would be the Rhineland, France needed to possess it, anyway different agents realized that it would just aim shock in Germany, and would strike vengeance, along these lines they made a trade off where the Rhineland would stay abandoned and disarmed. Another approach to see the trade offs as quality is taking a gander at Germany’s Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, a clearly excessively unforgiving Treaty forced on Russia after they pulled back from the war. This quality doesn't ignore botches in the trade offs and in the Treaty; anyway it features that inside the conditions it was an estimable understanding. Be that as it may, the qualities and shortcomings could be contended to be unavoidable. The Treaty paying little heed to its substance was never going to last. Mattrl called attention to the certain point that ‘before the ink had dried on the Treaty of Versailles, the development to demolish it†¦had started. ’ [11] Therefore the shortcomings referenced would not have been shortcomings had German acknowledged losing the war and the terms. The Treaty would not have been so intensely censured and covered with disappointments in the event that it had been implemented. The Treaty could have been fruitful however once the Treaty had been marked; the collusion had disintegrated, compounded by various thoughts on the most proficient method to implement the Treaty. France needed to ensure the provisions were forced on Germany as brutal as could reasonably be expected; anyway Britain started to modify the Treaty. Germany griped about the Treaty, trusting it was crooked, when in all actuality it was for the most part reasonable. For instance, if demobilization had been upheld, Germany would not have had the option to attach Czechoslovakia, which was a reason for the Second World War. Germany was likewise left to choose about whether they could bear the cost of the reparations, and clearly, as they would not like to have this article forced on them, they regularly circumvented doing it, to a standard that could without much of a stretch make shortcomings in the Versailles Treaty. Stamps effectively clarified that the representatives ‘erroneously accepted that Germany would maintain their decisions,’ [12] this featured one of the numerous reasons why requirement of the Treaty fizzled. Another purpose behind the absence of implementation was that the partners were not faithful to one another; they simply won a similar war that they battled for various reasons. In this manner, the Treaty could be contended to have presented shortcomings because of the absence of requirement instead of the first articles. It very well may be contended that there are less qualities than shortcomings in the Treaty of Versailles however it is frequently overlooked that the

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Impact of Climate Change on African Countries

Effect of Climate Change on African Countries The Effects of Climate Change on Volatile African Countries In the fall of 2015, United States Presidential competitor Bernie Sanders got a surge of analysis when he ascribed the ascent of fear mongering, and the arrangement of Paris psychological oppressor assaults that had recently left 130 dead, to environmental change. Quickly following the presidential discussion, various trustworthy political intellectuals, from Wall Street Journal’s Peggy Noonan, to Republican Senator and previous Chairman of Homeland Security Ron Johnson, voiced their conflicts with Sanders’ guarantee. Truth be told, not long after the discussion finished, Senator Bob Corker from Tennessee was talked with saying, â€Å"I get disillusioned when individuals see force around [climate change] and attempt to append a disconnected issue to it.†[1] (Henry, 2015) indeed, in December of that equivalent year, Foreign Policy magazine, a political diary venerated for its fair-mindedness, distributed an article named, â€Å"Stop Saying Climate Change Causes War† invalidating both Sanders’ guarantee, and others that looked to associate environmental change to the as yet continuous destroying Syrian Civil War. While Sanders’ circumstances and logical results relationship may have been overstated, the connection between extraordinary climate occasions, temperature abnormalities, and savagery is neither unmerited nor weak. Truth be told, in the course of the last half-decade, various examinations have been discharged validating the linkage between environmental change and furnished clash. In a recent report created by the Brookings Institution, creator Vesselin Popovski found that â€Å"a 1 percent expansion in temperature prompts a 4.5 percent expansion in common war around the same time, and a 0.9 percent increment in the accompanying year†Ã‚ (Popovski, 2017)  Just a year later, creator Robinson Meyer of The Atlantic found that out of the ten nations most much of the time referenced in environmental change w riting, six of them likewise hold positions in the rundown of the world’s most brutal countries. (Meyer, 2018) While there is still little proof to help Sanders’ self important case that environmental change set off the multiplication of fear based oppression in the 21st century, it is turning out to be progressively clear that environmental change won't simply marginally modify current ways of life. The ascent in temperature has accidentally started to advance common turmoil and viciousness in the absolute most immature locales of the world. So as to conjecture conceivable relief and adjustment methodologies, it is essential to perceive both the consequences of environmental change, and the job that industrialized nations have played in adding to this worldwide temperature increment. As indicated by creator Lynn Hewlett, whose part â€Å"Learning from Student Protests in Sub-Saharan Africa,† included in Fees Must Fall, clarifies just, â€Å"the consuming of coal, oil, and flammable gas makes carbon dioxide gas†¦ which traps the sun’s heart in the environment and makes the earth warmer†Ã‚ (Lynn Hewlett, 2015)  Although the Intergovernmental Panel on Environmental Change (IPCC) report of an every decade temperature increment of 0.2 °C may appear to be unimportant, the results of environmental change are hard to overlook. (IPCC Working Groups I-III, 2015) Escalating temperatures coming about because of ozone harming substance emanations not just exhaust common assets, for example, arable land, consumable water, and breathable air. The irregular temperature ascend over the past 50 years has additionally added to rising ocean levels, a worldwide biodiversity misfortune, and increasingly visit extraordinary climate occasions, from drawn out dry spells to relentless precipitation. In spite of the fact that there is still some discussion encompassing human commitment to environmental change, most environmental change specialists concur that people are in any event incompletely answerable for the distinct temperature rise. As indicated by an examination led by Yale University in 2013, over 97% of 12,000 peer-evaluated papers on environmental change contend that the temperature increment is without a doubt at any rate mostly owing to anthropogenic nursery outflows. (Marlon, 2013)  More stunningly, nonetheless, is the job that industrialized countries, for example, the United States and Germany, quickly creating nations counting India and China, and transnational organizations have all played in delivering this ecological disaster. As announced in the 2017 Carbon Majors Database, a friend assessed study which assembled and recorded organizations with the most ozone harming substance outflows, â€Å"over half of worldwide mechanical discharges since 1988 can be followed to only 25 corporate and state producers.†Ã‚ (Griffin, 2017) Notwithstanding the impact that industrialized countries and the right now modernizing BRICS nations have had on the current atmosphere framework, the brunt of atmosphere changeability has up to this point fallen generally on African shoulders. Common assets which were at one point abundant all through the mainland have decreased incredibly over the past 50 years, which has prompted desertification, far reaching crop disappointment, and indeed, even brutality. In his article, â€Å"’Who Wins from â€Å"Climate Apartheid?’ African Atmosphere Justice Narratives about the Paris COP 21† creator Patrick Bond focuses out that inland Africa is extraordinarily defenseless to environmental change, which is anticipated to warm 6-7 °C before the century's over, multiple degrees more prominent than the foreseen more prominent world average. (Bond, 2016) Author Christian Parenti offers comparative measurements to delineate African defenselessness to environmental change. As an individual from the Maasai individuals living in Kenya clarifies, â€Å"In the 1970s, we began having dry seasons each seven years†¦ Now they are coming consistently, directly over the country.†Ã‚ (Parenti C. , Chapter 4, 2011)  Yet, as Patrick Bond and others contend, incipient African nations are powerless against the impacts environmental change not on account of their area, yet rather as a result of the absence of the framework and assets that permit nations to confront continually changing ecological conditions. These issues are just escalated in Africa by inescapable government debasement and political unsteadiness. For instance, albeit cultivating is the primary wellspring of work for more than 60% of the continent’s occupants, African malnourishment has intensified with each spending year. (The World Bank, 2018) African ranchers just come up short on the assets to secure high-yielding procedures, and are not given sufficient foundation frameworks to deliver practical amounts of food in ominous atmospheres. Besides, African nations anxious to solidify their places in the worldwide economy frequently force star venture arrangements that organize global business agribusiness over little scop e resource cultivating. As the model above represents, numerous African nations embody what creator Christian Parenti calls â€Å"Catastrophic Convergence:† a wonder where political, monetary, and ecological calamities impact, compound, and intensify one another’s effects. (Parenti C. , 2011) In these â€Å"conflict systems,† environmental change produces savagery in numerous structures, for example, intrastate clash between contending clans, plundering and robbery of Transnational Corporations, and mass shows fighting naturally ruinous African governments. The drawn out ascent in worldwide temperature, combined with the ongoing prevalence of extraordinary climate occasions, has incited a characteristic asset hardship over the globe. Indeed, Parenti gauges that before the century's over, the extent of land in serious dry season will extend from 3% to 30%. (Parenti C. , 2011) Therefore, possession, allotment, and the board of these undeniably scant assets has become an issue absolutely critical for nations and clans over the globe. In defenseless African expresses that need essential infrastructural needs, in any case, this opposition over access to staying regular assets has ejected into furnished clash. In his 2011 book named, Topics of Chaos: Climate Change and the New Geography of Violence, writer Christian Parenti clarifies how environmental change can initiate viciousness by lighting up the current conflict between the Turkana and the Pokot, two contending bunches living in Kenya’s Pastoralist Corridor. For clans living in t he Pastoralist Corridor, a rugged and bone-dry area in Western Kenya, cows are the monetary and social focal point of life. However, without water and satisfactory touching area, Parenti composes, â€Å"the Turkana would vanish. â€Å"they would kick the bucket or move to urban areas and their way of life would exist just in the recollections of deracinated urban ghetto dwellers.†Ã‚ (Parenti C. , 2011) Due to the area’s ordinary dry seasons and glimmer floods, combined with insufficient adjustment arrangements forced by the Kenyan government, pastoralist bunches are left no decision however to strike their neighbors and take part in rough conduct just to guarantee their own future jobs. While it is hard to evaluate what number of men have fallen in the Pastoralist passage battling about constraining assets, Parenti’s meetings of Kenyan pastoralists feature the inescapability of atmosphere prompted brutality in these effectively turbulent African states. Previou s Kenyan pastoralist Lucas Airong lost the two his dad and companions when he was a little fellow by method of the Kenyan dairy cattle wars. Despite the fact that Ariong is currently a neighborhood NGO pioneer, and is far expelled from the Pastoralist Corridor, he despite everything claims â€Å"about 50 cows†¦ all held under the careful gazes of furnished men, his children, and employed hands.†Ã‚ (Parenti C. , 2011) Since the Kenyan government has demonstrated unequipped for giving adequate watering openings and satisfactory water system frameworks, nearby clans, for example, the Turkana and Pokot are left no other decision however to take part in violen

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Etiquettes of Writing a Wedding Announcement Card Essay Example

Manners of Writing a Wedding Announcement Card Essay Example Manners of Writing a Wedding Announcement Card Essay Manners of Writing a Wedding Announcement Card Essay Wedding declaration cards are one of the numerous different sorts of intermittent cards that are sent from or to the lady of the hour and lucky man for example, greeting card, all the best card, note to say thanks or a congrats card. Albeit numerous individuals, for this situation couples, need to report their wedding to their companions or companions wholeheartedly in any case, a large portion of them don't know how to compose a decent wedding declaration card, print them and mail to the individuals they need. With regards to making and printing such cards a large number of inquiries springs up in the psyche of the couples. For example, what they ought to write in the card or who they ought to send the card, and so on. Following are some useful decorum or tips of composing and sending wedding declaration cards. Wedding Announcement or Invitation Dominant part of the individuals wrongly accept that both the greeting and the wedding declaration card are sent to similar individuals, which is anyway false. Essentially, declaration cards are intended to send to just those individuals who you have not welcome to your wedding. Greeting cards, then again, are intended to send to the individuals who you need to welcome. It is a good judgment that why an individual ought to be given a wedding declaration when he/she is welcome to the service. Also, dissimilar to greeting cards, a declaration card doesn’t have a RSVP area. Wedding Announcement Card Receiver Numerous individuals overlook their associates and don’t send them their wedding declaration card, which isn't the best possible behavior. In the event that you truly regard them however can’t welcome them to the wedding, on the off chance that in the event that you have restricted the event to just family or dear companions, at that point you ought to at any rate send them the declaration card advising about your wedding. It is likewise legitimate decorum to send the card to those removed family members who can't go to the favorable event of your life. Easygoing associate may likewise be given wedding declaration cards. Time to Send the Wedding Announcement Card Given that the greeting card and the wedding declaration card both have various purposes along these lines such cards ought to be sent to the individuals in various timings. Along these lines the beneficiary will get the wedding declaration in the correct time and won't mistake it for the greeting card. It is additionally appropriate decorum to send the card to the beneficiary daily before the wedding service. It is prudent to send the card in such planning that the beneficiary gets the card upon the arrival of wedding. Nonetheless, sometimes the declaration cards might be sent after the wedding service day. Substance of Wedding Announcement Card Given that you don’t need the declaration card seem as though a wedding greeting card and you don’t need to confound the beneficiary thusly do exclude explicit insights regarding the wedding into the declaration card. These subtleties incorporate the location where the function is being held, the service time, gathering area, and so forth. Simply incorporate the date of the service and the lady of the hour and man of the hour name to the wedding declaration card.

Gun Control Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 6

Firearm Control - Research Paper Example Crime percentages have gone up radically because of simple access to all way of handguns, rifles, and programmed weapons. California has recorded an exceptional increment in medicate related violations, burglaries, and assault in the previous years because of weapon ownership. In addition, firearm proprietors feel they reserve the privilege to compromise, control, and misuse different residents utilizing their weapons. Along these lines, is it important to illegalize ownership of firearms in California since they cause superfluous passings, more violations and rebellion, and expanded viciousness in the general public. Abuse of weapons prompts half of firearm related occurrences as violations and firearm related disorder. In 2009, looters, thieves, attackers, and medication lawbreakers had simple access to weapons, prompting group viciousness, terrorizing, overstepping of laws, and controlling the others (Editorial 3). Residents lived in dread because of raucous crooks who can get to handguns effectively and compromise people’s lives. Enormous access to various sorts of handguns, programmed rifles, and automatic weapons, has made it difficult for police to stay aware of battling wrongdoing in the territory of California. Wrongdoings occurring in homes, schools, places, of work and in the city because of firearms expanded constantly under the watchful eye of implementation of weapon laws. Additionally, some firearm proprietors exploit the circumstance and accept they reserve the option to end someone’s life, cause hurt, and scare the individual on the scarcest incitement. Furthermore, when firearms are available for use, they end up in the ownership of wrong individuals who don't stop for a second to utilize them on blameless residents. Moreover, once possessing firearms, crooks gain control over their casualties and can perpetrate a wide range of damage including assault, and demise. This force additionally has brought about expanded sorted out wrongdoings as the lawbreakers exploit that they have weapons to ensure themselves and slaughter anybody against them. By and by, abuse of weapons has diminished quickly

Friday, August 21, 2020

Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Claims Backlog Research Proposal

Division of Veterans Affairs Medical Claims Backlog - Research Proposal Example The paper additionally features the potential answers for what can fortify the procedure of cases and lessen the cases excesses experienced in the Department of Veterans Affairs (Dawns, 2013). This is a result of the cases excesses the veterans experience because of a wasteful cases process. In the investigation, it is recommended that another working VA framework ought to be introduced to check the cases overabundance and accelerate the cases procedure. It is prescribed that new faculty to be recruited and prepared to utilize the frameworks that will be introduced. Articulation of the Problem In endorsing the cases, solid proof is required for veterans to approve their cases and be redressed. The VA should help the veterans during the time spent approving their cases for them to be redressed. The VA does this by recognizing and determining two significant things, which incorporate; regardless of whether a veteran has been hurt and whether the veteran was harmed in line of administra tion. One of the prime explanations behind excess is the issue of the unpredictability of following the records that would be utilized to demonstrate the connection between the mischief a veteran has suffered and in the event that he/she was in line obligation (Write, 2012). This investigation targets building up at how to increase and fortify the cases procedure and help the veterans be truly be made up for veritable harms they may have experienced in line of their administration. a. Nature of the Problem The procedure of cases has been debilitated to degree that veterans with veritable cases are now and again not remunerated on the grounds that the cases procedure neglects to set up the association between the injury the veteran acquired and whether the injury was brought about in line of administration. In a report gave in the United States, there are countless veterans despite everything sitting tight for their clinical cases. The veterans hang tight for over a year for them to be remunerated their health advantages utilizing the VA frameworks. Brought up by the United States Sen. Schumer Charles, the veterans need to hang tight for longer than a year, or more for their cases to be handled and they are redressed. This is on the grounds that the government PC frameworks are perfect and thus making the cases method to be long and wasteful. This procedure of cases influenced the Central New York where in excess of 2000 veterans to sit tight for an extensive period for the long cases procedure to end (North, 2012). This cases excess is fundamentally a direct result of the contradiction of the Defense Department PC framework with that of the Department of Veterans Affairs. b. Term of the Problem A long cases process has been of insult to the veterans who devote their life for the country to stand. This issue has been in presence for a serious extensive time, and the veterans have persevered through the torment of the long sitting tight periods for pay. By and l arge, a veteran with certified remuneration cases ought not sit tight for over a time of 30days for the cases procedure to be finished and his cases endorsed for pay (Herring, 2013). c. Evaluated Cost to Fix the Problem The assessed cost for a normal veteran was $1,100 each. The accumulations have prompted the loss of over $31,000 to be repaid to a veteran. The evaluated cost of introducing the framework is 500 billion dollars (Downs, 2013). Answer for the Problem a. Proposed Solution In an offer to explain the expanded accumulation of cases, U.S Sen. Schumer, saw the need to arrange and direct the push of new enactment planned for tending to the moderate cases

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Things to Do On Your Birthday Alone

Things to Do On Your Birthday Alone Social Anxiety Disorder Coping Print 10 Things to Do on Your Birthday Alone By Arlin Cuncic Arlin Cuncic, MA, is the author of Therapy in Focus: What to Expect from CBT for Social Anxiety Disorder and 7 Weeks to Reduce Anxiety. Learn about our editorial policy Arlin Cuncic Reviewed by Reviewed by Amy Morin, LCSW on July 01, 2019 facebook twitter instagram Amy Morin, LCSW, is a psychotherapist, author of the bestselling book 13 Things Mentally Strong People Dont Do, and a highly sought-after speaker. Learn about our Wellness Board Amy Morin, LCSW Updated on October 10, 2019 More in Social Anxiety Disorder Coping Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment and Therapy Work and School Related Conditions Finding things to do on your birthday alone might leave you feeling lonely. Birthdays are generally fun when you are a child. As you grow older, birthdays become a nuisance for some in that they are a reminder that you are getting older. For people who live  with social anxiety disorder (SAD), they can also be a reminder of the difficulty that you have with social situations.?? On the other hand, if youve never enjoyed birthdays, this day of the year may bring back bad memories. As a way of starting a new tradition, even if you find yourself alone on your birthday this year, try to make a special day for you?. If you start planning now, you will find it is not that hard. Verywell /  Nusha Ashjaee 1. Start Fresh Use this opportunity to start fresh in some area of your life. Go the traditional route and do a makeover on your outside: that might mean a new haircut, new outfit, or even something a little riskier like a tattoo. Choose styles that give you confidence and a new outlook. Or, go the less traditional route, and treat yourself to an internal makeover: read a self-improvement book, take a workshop, or start writing in a journal. Read books to work on coping with social anxiety so that you will not be alone on future birthdays. 2. Create Something Even if no one is coming over, you can still have a birthday cake. If youre not into baking, buy a store-made version. However, if you really want to enjoy your day, dont take this shortcut. Take your time and enjoy the process of baking a cake. Feel proud of what you have accomplished. Share leftovers with a neighbor and consider it an opportunity to make a new friend. 3. Be Generous Toward Yourself If you arent expecting anyone to give you gifts, treat yourself to something new. Choose a gift that might help you with your social anxiety such as chamomile tea, or buy an item for your home/dorm/bedroom to spruce it up. 4. Exercise Outdoors Exercise helps to clear your mind and hiking outdoors gives you a chance to connect with nature. Get outside and go for a hike, walk around your neighborhood, or a stroll along the beach (if you are so lucky to live near one). Feel proud about spending your birthday out of the house and being proactive about your physical and mental health. Bring your dog, if you have one, and let his natural joy and curiosity lead the way. 5. Take in a Movie Treat yourself to a night out at the movies even if you will be going alone. Lift your spirits with a comedy. Go at a time when you know the theater is likely to be full. Laugh out loud and dont worry what others think. Consider it a behavioral experiment to see whether people are really paying as much attention to you as you think that they are. 6. Volunteer Your Time Consider offering your services as a volunteer. Spend time chatting with people at a retirement or nursing home or offer to walk dogs at an animal shelter. You might even make new friends and become a regular volunteer. This is a perfect way to challenge your social anxiety and build your social skills. Be sure to call in advance to learn about any requirements prior to helping out. 7. Read a Book Your birthday is the perfect time to sit down with a book youve been dying to read. Start that novel or non-fiction book you have had on your list. Curl up with a good book and you might be surprised how quickly the day passes. You could even take this a step further and read a self-help book to work on overcoming your social anxiety. 8. Go About Your Routine Make your birthday just like any other day. Go about your usual routine. Dont mention to anyone that it is your birthday. This strategy works best if you are not much into birthday celebrations anyway. 9. Plan a Party for Next Year Start thinking about next year if you dont want to be alone on your birthday again. Are there relatives you could visit or friends that you could invite over for dinner? Take the year to make new connections so that you dont find yourself alone again this time next year. 10. Be Appreciative Birthdays are a reminder of how much time has passed and potentially how much time we have left. Take the time to appreciate the positive things in your life, even if you are alone on your birthday. If you have a roof over your head, food on the table, access to education, and running water, you are actually ahead of a good portion of the worlds population. Over time, this type of gratitude will become a habit and will serve you well in improving all aspects of your life. How to Cultivate Gratitude A Word From Verywell Occasionally finding yourself alone on your birthday should not be cause for concern. However, if this pattern repeats every year, and it is distressing for you, consider whether reaching out for help might be a better option. If severe social anxiety prevents you from making and keeping friends, treatments such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and medication may help.??

Sunday, June 21, 2020

Instructor Date Textbooks for Teaching Chinese as a Second Language - 1925 Words

Instructor: Date: Textbooks for Teaching Chinese as a Second Language (Essay Sample) Content: Name: Course: Instructor: Date: Textbooks for Teaching Chinese as a Second Language According to Oxford Dictionary of contemporary English, a teacher is defined as a professional with sufficient training to identify the most appropriate resource materials, design his or her approach to concepts and present the same in a manner that is best meets the student's needs. As pointed out in the introductory definition, therefore, a fundamental function of a teacher is looking for the most appropriate resource materials, and for the case of teaching Chinese as a second language, a textbook best befits the definition of the most suitable resource material. Since in most cases Chinese is taught as a Foreign Language, there are numerous books on the market, some written by competent and qualified persons while others have been hurriedly prepared to fill existing entrepreneurial gaps. It is, therefore, the responsibility of the teacher to choose a textbook that does not only present the best methodology and approach to teaching but also handles in detail all the fundamental cou rse requirements. This paper will in thus seek to compare two textbooks that can be used to teach Chinese as a foreign language. The first book is called "Teaching and Learning Chinese as a Foreign Language: A Pedagogical Grammar" written by Janet Zhiqun Xing and the second text is called "Reading and Writing Chinese: A Comprehensive Guide to the Chinese Writing System" written by William McNaughton and revised by Jiagen Fan. The comparison will majorly deal with the level to which the text meets students needs, alignment to course goals, teachers guide, and content organization, and order. "Reading and Writing Chinese: A Comprehensive Guide to the Chinese Writing System" written by William McNaughton and revised by Jiagen Fan a simplified version of the frequently used characters in the Chinese language in their traditional forms. As if not enough, the book the book has a collection of mnemonics to help students memorize Chinese sounds hence perfect in their spoken language. Finally, this text also introduces students to the standard Hanyu Pinyin Romanization. Although from an overview the book looks like ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s meant for beginners, it is a valuable and compulsory possession for all students of Chinese language especially those who want would wish to develop the most traditional and native accent of the language. The author of the book is aware that students of Chinese language often have pronunciation issues; one can effectively write in Chinese but fail to produce the tonal sounds of the language as required. As a result, therefore, the author of the t ext offers stepwise and practical approaches to help such students learn the Chinese language in a more simplified manner, often developing a curiosity to explore further. I chose this book particularly it teaches on how to speak and write in the Chinese language simultaneously. On the contrary side, "Teaching and Learning Chinese as a Foreign Language: A Pedagogical Grammar" by Janet Zhiqun Xing befits the definition of instructional material that can be used by both teachers as well as students. A fundamental concern of the test is that it recognizes and capitalizes on the relationship between and language and culture and goes on to present the teaching and learning of the Chinese language from a cultural point of view. According to the author, learning a foreign language becomes simplified once the learner understands and appreciates the native culture of the foreign language in context. The approach to discourse, characters and tonal aspects of the Chinese have been presented in a manner that can be understood by students regardless of their fluency in the Chinese language. My choice of this book was because the text does not only provide guidelines for teachers of the Chinese language but subsequently offers theoretical and most practical content such a s pronunciation and word order in a sentence; aspects that of the great essence when learning a foreign language. There is also a contrast between the two texts I chose in terms of content organization and structure. For instance, the book "Teaching and Learning Chinese as a Foreign Language: A Pedagogical Grammar" written by Janet Zhiqun Xing is divided into a total of 8 chapters with each chapter dealing with a particular aspect of the learning and teaching of the Chinese language. The first four chapters of the book are meant for teachers of the Chinese language. These chapters discuss the teaching methodologies for efficient content delivery, the actual content to be taught at different levels of fluency (beginners, intermediate, and advanced), and the most appropriate additional teaching resources to emphasize key concepts in speaking and writing in the Chinese language. The last four chapters are meant for learners as they majorly deal with how to understand the Chinese language. These sections give guidance on the pronunciation and sentence construction. Here, the author emphasizes that a sentence is the basic functional unit in the Chinese language and thus every sentence must make sense. The last chapter can be thought of as an evaluative chapter; it contains an overview of the entire book and seeks to establish whether the content in the previous chapters had been mastered. The arrangement and organization of content in the book takes a sequential order and thus beneficial to both teachers and students. For instance, depending on personal ability of the student, one can easily choose on which chapter to read so as to get certain information. Similarly, teachers can easily pick out certain chapters that are meant to impart particular pronunciation or writing skills and therefore prepare their lecture sessions basing on the key objectives intended. On the other hand, the text "Reading and Writing Chinese: A Comprehensive Guide to the Chinese Writing System" written by William McNaughton and revised by Jiagen Fan is divided into three distinctive parts. The first section of the book is specially meant for beginners as it deals with writing system and study methods. Here, the author introduces the learner to the "Chinese Alphabet" where each tonal sound of each character in Chinese is given. The last two parts are practical sections that present the learner with the various exercises and tasks while characters in the Chinese language alongside their pronunciation and how discourse is created in the Chinese language. Comparing the two textbooks, the organization in "Reading and Writing Chinese: A Comprehensive Guide to the Chinese Writing System" written by William McNaughton and revised by Jiagen Fan is not as logical as in the earlier text. Although there seems to be some organization in content, one can easily tell that the boo k is majorly concerned about training on how to speak and write in the Chinese language in all the three sections. Language isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t all about writing and reading but also involves an extensive understanding of the different structures and diction that constitute the language. In fact, since language is dynamic when viewed regarding context, confining oneself to only speaking and writing the basic characters might present a shallow understanding of the language. The organization of the content in the two books is what gives them the various pros as viewed from both a studentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s as well as teachers point of evaluation. "Teaching and Learning Chinese as a Foreign Language: A Pedagogical Grammar" is divided into eight chapters which can further be grouped into two broad categories: student centered and teacher centered. The major pro of this distinct order of content arrangement is that each of the users can easily pick out the sections that concern them as well as evaluate their level of understanding by assuming either role. By the earlier statement I tend to imply that on opening the content page of the book, both a student and the teacher can easily identify their area of concern. After that, a student, for instance, can assume the role of a teacher, turn to the section meant for the teacher and think of how best could he or she present such information if he or she were a teacher. Similarly, a teacher can also assume the ro le of a student and think of how students would understand the content contained in the book. This helps both the teacher and the students to think in tandem, a situation that significantly increases class participation and content retention capacity amongst students. Another pro of this text lies in the fact that the author appreciates the relationship between culture and language. Culture is defined by people and language and therefore, it is different to separate the two; culture and language. Presenting the two while trying to teach Chinese will help students understand certain aspects of the language that arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t inherently phonetic but rather have cultural attachments. The second text, "Reading and Writing Chinese: A Comprehensive Guide to the Chinese Writing System" has one major pro, the numerous practical and theoretical approaches to speaking and writing the Chinese language. Learning a foreign language seems so abstract without tangible and practical aspects of the language. Hence in this book, the author doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t only explain the difference between the alphabet in the English language and the characters in the Chinese language, he goes a notch higher in presenting practical examples to drive the point home. Using such illustrations doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t only make it easy and interesting to learn Chinese language but helps the learner to infer the difference...

Saturday, May 23, 2020

Fighting A War At Home And Abroad - 1643 Words

FIGHTING A WAR AT HOME AND ABROAD OSCAR AGUILAR CYPRESS COLLEGE PROFESSOR JOSE M. ZAMORA May 12, 2015 Introduction World War II was a pivotal moment in U.S history for men and women of all colors. Years of hatred and violence were now going to be over looked by racial groups in order to fight against an overseas enemy. Racial groups contributed to the war effort despite having their civil rights violated, oppressed and even removed. Segregation during this period of war was very much alive for these racial groups. Factories full of a specific color worked long hours with little pay, usually women. The Men of these racial groups who volunteered or where drafted to the war, where put in color specific military units. One of†¦show more content†¦All these were obstacles that needed to be overcome. Leaders from all four racial groups would fight the war back home against the U.S government, while Soldiers from all four racial groups fought the war overseas. The man power that these racial groups brought to the table was a key factor in eventually helping the allies win the war a nd back home the government noticed how valuable this was. Racial tensions would eventually be less of a problem because the more time white men spent with a racial group of people the more they felt at ease with racial integration. The Native American Fighting Spirit Native Americans played a big role during World War II. They either enlisted voluntarily or worked at the many war plants (The Role of Native Americans, 2013). Unlike the Indian removal act of 1830, this large-scale removal of Indians was by choice. It signified that the Native Americans would change their culture in order to support the war effort. On the home front Native Americans participated in many projects that directly supported the war overseas. For example an estimated 2,500 Navajos participated in the construction of the Ft. Wingate Ordnance Depot in New Mexico (The Role of Native Americans, 2013). While many Native Americans decided to stay in the reservations where poverty was common, others took advantage of the war time

Monday, May 18, 2020

Nelson Mandelas March to Liberty - 1440 Words

Nelson Mandela’s March to Liberty Throughout history, epic heroes, ranging from people of all different races and from all corners of the world shaped the world, to how it stands today. Most people look up to role models in their lives to model after, and strive to be one. Nelson Mandela, one such hero of his time in the 20th century, wanted to help his country of South Africa advance and not shut down, and fall into despair. During the 1960s, Mandela, overcame the wrathfulness of the white government officials of South Africa. He helped make the common man, into a resourceful person who desires to make his country a better place to live in. Epic heroes in literature often help their homeland to become better place to live in, even if it hurts them in the process. Mandela shortly after becoming a rebellion leader was arrested and jailed for twenty seven years after he tried to help his country against the South African government. He tried to help the common man because the go vernment took away most of the basic rights of freedom South Africans held. Mandela helped his country of South Africa by, staying strong for his country, becoming a national hero for the South Africans, and caring for them throughout the hardest parts of his life and their life too. When Mandela was born in July 18th, 1919, he was the son of a privileged chiefly son. He was allowed to go to school, and become educated, which only a small number of people had the opportunity to do so. Even thoughShow MoreRelatedNelson Mandela, A Brief History and Impact2207 Words   |  9 PagesMEETING THE GREAT MAN Nelson Mandela 1918-2013 â€Å"I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.† Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918 in a royal family of a tribe in a South African village in MvezoRead MoreA Comparison of Dr. Kings I Have a Dream Speech and Mandelas Glory and Hope Speech1347 Words   |  6 PagesI Have a Dream and Glory and Hope were two speeches given, respectively, by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela at times of great need; at times when ignorance and racially-based hubris intertwined themselves in the sparse gaps of human understanding. At first glance, the facets of humanity and blanket tranquillity seem to be in natural accord. Philosophers have struggled with the reason behind the absolute absence of peace as everybody, by definitions both classical and modern, longsRead MoreOpposition to Apartheid1631 Words   |  7 PagesSouth African Trade Unions, women, and select individuals such as Nelson Mandela, act as but a few examples of both active and passive resistance to the Apartheid which ultimately led to its downfall and the ushering in of a new era of cooperation amongst all South African peoples. The African National Committee, first established in 1912, campaigned on a platform of unity for all Africans for the sake of civil rights and liberties. After the rise to power of the National Party and declarationRead MoreSocial Movement Synopsis Of Mahatma Gandhi3401 Words   |  14 Pagespurify people. He felt that leading a simple life made up of labor, prayer, good health habits, and abstinence from worldly pleasures could change society for the better. Gandhi’s led a civil disobedience movement in 1930 that is known as the Salt March. This act of civil disobedience was unsuccessful in securing India’s independence, but was able to unite the people of India under the leadership of the Indian National Congress. It also assisted in the collapse of the British Empire in India and indicatedRead MoreInternational Management67196 Words   |  269 Pages70 percent of Facebook users are outside the United States. More than 70 translations are available on Facebook. †¢ †¢ †¢ Two-thirds of comScore’s U.S. top websites and half of comScore’s Global top 100 websites have integrated with Facebook. On March 15, 2010, Heather Dougherty of Hitwise Intelligence reported that Facebook outpaced Google to become the most visited website in the U.S. during the previous week. That same day, Daniel Nations of About.com released a ranking of the top 10 mostRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pagesmy decision became a headline in the local newspaper? Would I feel comfortable describing my actions or decision to a customer or stockholder? ⠝  Golden rule test: Would I be willing to be treated in the same manner? ⠝  Dignity and liberty test: Are the dignity and liberty of others preserved by this decision? Is the basic humanity of the affected parties enhanced? Are their opportunities expanded or curtailed? DEVELOPING SELF-AWARENESS CHAPTER 1 73 ⠝  ⠝  ⠝  ⠝  ⠝  ⠝  Equal treatment

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

The Pros of Being a Vegetarian - 1127 Words

Pro-Planet. Pro-Animals. Pro-Health: The Pros of Vegetarianism. Vegetarianism, is it just a fad, or will it continue to cultivate and grow more mainstream than it is today? All signs are indicating that it will, indeed, continue to grow. â€Å"As many as 3.2% to 6% of the U.S. adult population is a vegetarian† (Parker 1). If one loves life, why not try vegetarianism? Having a vegetarian diet not only saves animals, but also improves health and uses less of our planet’s diminishing resources. The earliest known practice of vegetarianism was in ancient Greece. Vegetarianism was encouraged by the famous Greek philosophers, such as Pythagoras and Socrates. They stated that it was unclean and unfair to the living animals around them (Driscoll†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Eating just one pound of meat emits the same amount of greenhouse gasses as driving an SUV for 30 miles† (Knopper 6). While it may seem small, but many people can truly make an impact on Earth in reducing wastes and various harmful effects. Perhaps the most associated reason by non-vegetarians are the rights of animals. It has been reported that the average American will consume nineteen thousand animals in his or her lifetime. There are many absolutely grotesque and gruesome stories of animals waiting to die, stories that I will not divulge here, but the magnitude of it is worthy of researching on one’s own time. The ethical treatment of animals a moral that many vegetarians believe and follow. This is largely reason enough to become of vegetarian, but combined with the many other reasons; vegetarianism is too hard to turn a blind-eye towards. Vegetarianism has become mainstream in many ways because of the many celebrities that practice it. Some of the more contemporary ones include, Carrie Underwood, Paul McCartney, Demi Moore and Ellen DeGeneres. Albert Einstein has been quoted as saying, â€Å"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. Another quote concerning vegetarianism that I personally found intriguing originates from Gandhi, â€Å"It is very significant that some of the most thoughtful and cultured menShow MoreRelatedThe Benefits of Being a Vegetarian896 Words   |  4 Pagesyour body type and lifestyle (Preyss Pro). Not being a vegetarian can lead to obesity, illness and harm to animals. These problems can be solved by more vegetarian foods being served in public places. While vegetarians live a healthy life, meat eaters are increasing their chance of becoming obese. David Graham interviewed Kathy Rayner, who says â€Å"Good health is not a coincidence, it’s a choice. You have to be intentional about it†. Daniel Hoy states that vegetarians are thinner and have a lower bodyRead MoreVegetarian Diet Vs. Vegetarian Diets891 Words   |  4 PagesA vegetarian diet is one that is defined as a diet that includes only plant foods, and does not include meat, fish, or, poultry. There are different variety of ways in which a vegetarian diet can be classified. Lacto-ovo-vegetarians include dairy products and eggs in their diets, while lacto-vegetarians include diary but not eggs. Vegans avoid eating any animal products (Edelstein, Sharlin, 2009, p. 229). These are not the end all be all of vegetarian diets, other types of vegetarian diets are macrobioticRead MoreWhat Does A Vegetarian Diet?1591 Words   |  7 PagesWhat does a â€Å"vegetarian d iet† mean? The term â€Å"vegetarian† is quite often misunderstood. Vegetarian simply means a plant-based diet. There are several kinds of vegetarian diets, defined by what types of foods are consumed. I for example am a Lacto-vegetarians which includes dairy products in their diet. Lacto-ovo- vegetarians also eat dairy products, eggs and some including me don’t eat fish either. My name is jenna and i will have been a vegetarian for three years this lent. Today. I will try toRead MoreAnalysis on Kilbournes Argument Essay1430 Words   |  6 Pagesacceptable in our society. PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, is known for having shocking advertisements. This pro-vegan and pro-vegetarian nonprofit organization has always been a topic of interest. Many of PETA’s ad campaigns are related to sexuality, violence, discrimination against how people look, and dominance over women. There are many pro-vegetarian and pro-vegan ads that do not degrade women and still are persuasive. Jean Kilbourne writes about violence and the degradation ofRead MorePros And Cons Of Vegetarianism941 Words   |  4 PagesIs a vegetarian diet healthier than a meat eating diet? Becoming vegetarian certainly has pros because of its potential health benefits. However, becoming vegetarian also has its cons because it can cause the human body to become deficient on some of the body’s needs such as iron. With that, there are many advantages and disadvantages to vegetarianism that could make or break the choice of becoming one. A vegetarian lifestyle is known to provide the body with many health benefits. According to â€Å"BecomingRead MoreVeganism And Vegetarianism, By Tzachi Zamir939 Words   |  4 Pageschoosing the fate of an animal. Zamir research is able to argue the perspective of Vegans and Vegetarians. Zamir’s fourth part of the argument uses evidence that a large portion of vegans are inconsistent with their â€Å"Veganism†, most of them are only Vegan when it’s convenient or for social acceptance. The final argument explains what it means to be a â€Å"moral Vegetarian†. Zamir writes that it is difficult for Vegetarians to purchase foods that don’t require the suffering on any animals. Zamir’s first partRead MoreNet Profit1479 Words   |  6 Pagesindustry in Dawkins. The city is in continuing growth and expansion, being ranked as the fastest growing number of vegetarians in the country. Currently Livoria faces a cash shortfall due to a lawsuit. The menu has to be adapted to the market demand fast to keep up with the changes. The owners expressed the desire of having 1.1M in net profit by 2015. The goal can be reached ONLY by changing and adapting the menu to a vegetarian one. Some loyal customers will be lost, because the veal cutlet sandwichRead MoreThe Ethical Implications Of Vegetarianism1614 Words   |  7 PagesVegetarians are people who do not eat meat, and for some, do not consume any animal products at all. Vegetarian has been along for a long time and with time has grown the controversy over the topic. The reasons that vegetarianism has grown into a controversial topic are mostly the human beliefs and health reasons associated with it. Vegetarianism has been around since as early as the seventh century B.C.E.. The civilization was the Indus Valley Civilization, they practiced tolerance towards all livingRead MoreVegetarianism for Dummies Essay897 Words   |  4 Pageswhat you eat† and if making good food choices makes you a healthier and happier person, why are healthy food trends seemingly misunderstood and becoming a thing of the past? This semester I will be researching the advantages of choosing to obtain a vegetarian lifestyle and why some individuals are making arguments that are extremely against the practice. This topic is appropriate for a semester of sustained research because there are multiple viewpoints on the issue (including people who have experiencedRead MoreAre Eating Meat Or Not Eat Meat?886 Words   |  4 Pagesmeat or not eat meat?† If someone were to choose not to eat meat, they would be considered a vegetarian or a vegan. There’s a lot of similarities and differences both ways and even though there are similarities and differences between the two, a lot of people don’t truly know what their diet has in it or how what they eat affects their bodies. Today I will be sharing those differences between a vegetarian and meat eater, their diets and about which lifestyle is best for you. Today about 95% of Americans

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Art in Our World Essay - 1078 Words

ll art is not only part of society, but is the product of the beliefs and values of the artist and the audience. I believe that the world is divided in the same manner as the human brain. There is the scientific side and the artistic side. Everything in the world can be placed in at least one of the two categories. Furthermore, I believe that neither side is dominant over the other. From this thought, I conclude that society is composed of both science and art, both expressing beliefs and values in their own respective, unique forms. Focusing on the artistic side, however, one can see a striking paradox. Even though art is more abstract than science, there is a more direct definition of art than science. While a scientist must explain his†¦show more content†¦His work called â€Å"Seeing Yourself Sensing† is called an art happening which is an interactive study which requires human participation to occur. To a person simply walking by, it would appear to be a wall of glass; but when informed that it is semi-reflective glass that shows the audience the effect he or she has on the surroundings, the â€Å"glass wall† becomes a window into wondrous realizations of self. However, even with the intent of the artist, each individual encounters â€Å"Seeing Yourself Sensing† as an ever-changing happening; therefore, it would be impossible for the author to write down the exact meaning of his work, because an exact meaning doesn’t exist. The exhibit takes on new meaning each day the doors of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City are opened to the public. I believe that particular work took a meaning never fathomed by the artist. One can only imagine what meaning many people took from â€Å"Seeing Yourself Sensing† on September 12, 2001. Surely, there was a broad range of emotions demonstrated that day. I conclude that on occasion, artist intent is necessary for some art to â€Å"happen†, but the meaning doesnâ€℠¢t exist on paper. Another aspect to understanding how society is reflected in the arts is to view the art with regards to its origin and to its audience. The term for this idea is a sociological phrase usually attributed to demographics: cultural relativism. An example of how this wayShow MoreRelatedThe Influence of Art on Our World Essay985 Words   |  4 Pages Art is not just a picture on a wall or in a museum, art comes in many forms. It can be a song you just heard, a video you watched, or a painting you saw in a gallery. Also, art can be just text. All forms of art grasp you in different ways and make your thoughts evolve to new distances. Art can bring you feelings you did not think you had. You can perceive the art in many ways and the creator wants it to influence you. I believe that yes, at can truly influence society and inform human behaviorRead More A Creative Classroom Essay1444 Words   |  6 PagesA Creative Classroom Art education is an essential part of a childs development through life, and much of their learning for life takes place inside the classroom. Those first few years are so incredibly important to the development of each child, and without the creative learning opportunities, children will lack the qualities they need to grow in this world. Art will be something that they will use throughout their life time, so it is imperative to introduce it into their lives early onRead MoreThe Modern Mentality Regarding the View of Art1008 Words   |  5 Pagesplace in the world? With their rows of letters and series of words, what could they represent? How do people see these bounded pieces of paper? In a very general sense, they represent a type of art. Art, as defined by the New Oxford American Dictionary, is the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination . . . producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. The majority of people would accept this as a good idea of what art is; but reallyRead MoreWhere Are The Great Women Artists?1559 Words   |  7 Pagestoken women artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe and/or Frida Kahlo in your list. Why do these lists generate more male names than female? Are females incapable of the becoming great artists? Do they have a different kind of greatness? Or, as the feminist art historian Linda Nochlin suggests in her ground-breaking article Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?, there are no great women artists; no female version of Picasso or Van Gogh, because they simply haven’t been allowed to be great. ThroughoutRead MoreArt Is An Important Part Of Education843 Words   |  4 PagesWhat is art? Is it just painting or can it be a number of creations, such as, music, dancing, theater, pictures, sculptures, poems, stories, or videos. When I think of art, I think of all of these different creations listed as art. Art is anything that can inspire a person, or create feelings from looking, touching, or hearing. The definition of art is â€Å"the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing worksRead MoreCan Art Change the Way We View the World1554 Words   |  7 PagesCan Art Change the Way We View the World? Susan Agee Classics in Philosophy of Art - P346 Gregory Steel Fall 2012 For centuries, art has been interwoven throughout the history of mankind. From primitive carvings on cave walls and ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, to the Sistine Chapel and the Mona Lisa, artistic creations have enthralled the human race. Art may be a window to the creator’s world; it has potential to instill desire in the viewer to do something they have never done, be somewhere theyRead MoreThe As A World Of Perfection And Reality1244 Words   |  5 PagesArt is a collection of artworks that reflects a message for the audience to interpret. Each piece of artwork is expressed in different forms that communicate an individual’s thoughts and emotions to another person. Every artist has their own individual style which makes them different from the rest. Although artists have similar styles, viewers have their own interpretation when they are analyzing a piece of art in depth. Philosophers claim the uniqueness of art comes from all the creative ideasRead MoreArt Is A Cata lyst Of Change1212 Words   |  5 PagesArt is a catalyst of change. It can confront both social and political issues as well as providing people with a creative outlet in which they can express their innermost thoughts and feelings - but what effect can art have on our society as a whole? Artists today have the unique ability to connect with people in a creative, innovative way that they can understand and interpret themselves. With this ability, artists are able to express their own views as well as influencing the views of others. ArtRead MoreJohn Keat s Line, Beauty Is Truth, Truth Beauty1568 Words   |  7 Pageslike movies, music, books, and so on, media seems to like the message that truth is†¦ solid. That truth is, in a way other things are not. That truth is concrete and that if we work and search, we will find the truth and all our questions will be answered. More ‘artsy’ art, things like paintings, poetry, sculptures, music, and such, seem to very much disagree. Truth becomes an almost illusory concept, searched for, aspired to, but never fully grasped. I believe John Keat’s line â€Å"Beauty is truthRead MoreWhat Are the Literate Arts Good for? Essay1229 Words   |  5 PagesAre The Literate Arts Good For? Miller asked a question in his text, The Dark Night of the Soul, which is asked on numerous occasions. ‘What might the Literate Arts be good for?’ Miller gives situations and reasons why we could say the Literate Arts are useless in today’s world. What might the Literate Arts be good for? I ask this question a lot nowadays too. When I go for an English class or see literary books, the question creeps into my mind unconsciously. In this modern world ‘reading and writing’

Pros and Cons using oil Free Essays

Pros and Cons of using oil I want to talk about advantages and disadvantages of using oil in our world, people can use it for different reasons. We use oil for cars, airplanes etc. In some countries it is very expensive but in other countries it is much more cheaper because today its harder to find that’s why its more expensive and may not be much left. We will write a custom essay sample on Pros and Cons using oil or any similar topic only for you Order Now Oil is very useful. For example, we can use it as an ingredient for our meal but also it used to accelerate the cars and how we also know doctors use oil in many medical reasons. I think advantages of using oil is that people can use it for different reason. People use oil for military reasons too. There are a lot of ways using oil. A lot of people now travel with plane, they couldn’t travel if there wasn’t oil. In war oil is used more because soldiers need to drive planes and cars and attack another country. People use oil to heat their houses. People use oil to get energy from it. When country is rich of oil its economy should be very good. Because other countries buy oil from them. In big wars such as WWW and WWW oil was the main thing that was needed to win the war. And the countries who started the war they wanted to capture the places where there is a lot of oil. Nowadays oil is very useful. In some places oil Is very expensive because they don’t produce oil but they buy it from other countries and they sell it expensive. But some countries sell oil much more cheaper because they produce oil in their countries. Disadvantages of using oil are that it makes pollution and a lot of people die because of that. People have used oil for centuries but using it made pollution. Pole used fuel smokes to kill another people. Usually they used It In wars. Burning oil produce carbon dioxide and It causes global warming. Passing near a car that brings out smoke,one starts to caught because the carbon dioxide that Is released from the car Is going to ones kings and It can result with serious problems to ones health. And used OLL Is hard to recycle and a lot of factories produce carbon monoxide by giving it out to the air. People start to breath with this air. I think In our time Oil Is very useful because without OLL we can not survive. People can not use electronically devices or we can not move without cars or planes. We would need more time to go to some places without planes. But It would be better because there would not be pollution and people could live longer. In some places oil is very expensive because they don’t produce oil but they buy it from other countries and they sell it expensive. But pollution. People used fuel smokes to kill another people. Usually they used it in wars. Burning oil produce carbon dioxide and it causes global warming. Passing near a car that brings out smoke,one starts to caught because the carbon dioxide that is released from the car is going to ones kings and it can result with serious problems to ones health. And used oil is hard to recycle and a lot of factories produce carbon monoxide by giving it out to the air. People start to breath with this air. I think in our time Oil is very useful because without oil we can not survive. People can not use time to go to some places without planes. But it would be better because there would How to cite Pros and Cons using oil, Papers

Criminal Justice Case Brief free essay sample

Maddox v. Montgomery United States Courts of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit 718 F. 2d 1033 (11th Cir. 1983) Kenneth Davis CJAD 405, Section A Professor Alesio June 08, 2011 Facts: Jimmy Maddox was convicted of rape in a Georgia state court and sentenced to life imprisonment. Having unsuccessfully pursued his direct appeal and the state post-conviction remedy, Maddox filed a federal habeas corpus petition alleging prosecutorial suppression of exculpatory evidence in violation of the doctrine of Brady v. Maryland. There are four types of situations in which the Brady doctrine applies; the prosecutor has not disclosed information despite a specific defense request, the prosecutor has not disclosed information despite a general defense request for all exculpatory information or without any defense request at all, the prosecutor knows or should know that the conviction is based on false evidence and or the prosecutor fails to disclose purely impeaching evidence not concerning a substantive issue, in the absence of a specific defense request. We will write a custom essay sample on Criminal Justice Case Brief or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Issue: Specifically, Maddox asserted that his right to due process was violated as outlined in violation of the doctrine of Brady v. Maryland by the states failure to disclose a photograph taken by the police shortly after the alleged rape showing Elders bed neatly made, the results of a police examination of the bedspread which revealed no blood, semen or other fluid, and lastly a written statement by another witness, Brenda Phelps, that Debbie Phillips had stated that she dropped her insurance with Maddox for financial reasons. Maddox appeals the denial of habeas relief. Decision of the Court: The United States Court of appeals ruled that if the suppressed evidence is purely impeaching evidence and no defense request has been made, the suppressed evidence is material only if its introduction probably would have resulted in acquittal. Given the relatively minor role of Phillips testimony and the limited impact that Phelps statement would likely have had on the jurys assessment of Phillips credibility, Maddox is unable to demonstrate that the undisclosed evidence probably would have resulted in an acquittal. Also, the evidence is immaterial under Blasco, and its suppression did not violate Maddox’s due process right. For the foregoing reasons, the district courts dismissal of Maddoxs habeas petition is affirmed. Reasoning of the Court: The United States Court of Appeals first determined that Brady doctrine did not apply because Maddox defense did not request the information be disclosed in a specific request. It was only after unsuccessfully pursuing his direct appeal did he bring up this post conviction habeas corpus petition. In the United States v. Agurs the Court stated that such a failure to disclose violates due process only if the omitted evidence creates a reasonable doubt that did not otherwise exist. Similarly the results of the police examination of the bedspread do not give rise to a reasonable doubt and again are immaterial under, Agurs. Lastly, the Court ruled that the information is merely consistent with Maddox’s version of the incident and scarcely contradicts the alleged victim’s testimony, and in view of the substantial inculpatory evidence in the record, the evidence at issue is not sufficiently material to render the state’s failure to disclose unconstitutional. Citations to Support Judgment: Brady v. Maryland, 373 U. S. 83 (1963). United States v. Anderson, 574 (5th Cir. 1978). United States v. Kopituk, 690, 1289, 1339 (11th Cir. 1982). United States v. Kubiak 1551, (11th Cir. 1983). United States v. Blasco, 464, U. S. 914, (1983).

Sunday, May 3, 2020

Fear And The Blues free essay sample

I was never afraid of anything. As an elementary school tomboy, I would pick up spiders, eat worms, and sleep without a nightlight. As I got older, I wore wild outfits and stuck to my opinion no matter how much ridicule I received. In high school, I signed up for the hardest courses I could, unlike my friends. Failure to me was not marked by bad grades but by doing less than my best. Now, nearing my last year of high school, I have finally found my vulnerability. It was a Wednesday evening in August. Wide-eyed, I entered a blues club with two friends and sat at the table with the best view of the stage. At 9: 30, most of the regular customers entered. They knew the waitresses names and the location of the bathrooms, the best dishes and the most comfortable seats. Cowboy boots scuffed the wooden floor and guitar cases hit the chairs; rough hands lit cigarettes and worn hats covered balding heads. We will write a custom essay sample on Fear And The Blues or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The first band set up their equipment on stage. Preoccupied with tuning, the bassist launched a series of harmonics that made fine ripples in my water. The guitarist adjusted the height of his microphone, a worn Stratocaster bouncing against his round gut. Like a child perfectionist playing with toys, the drummer constantly rearranged his set. Without warning, the band started. The bass provided a steady beat, the drums mixed complicated rhythms with necessary downbeats, and the guitarists fingers moved as fast as caffeine-injected lab rats. An experienced lead singer twirled flamboyantly on cowboy boot heels, the microphone in one hand and a drink in the other. My jaw dropped and whatever was left of my confidence dissolved. Were up next! I whispered, What are we playing? Lets do an A funk jam. Well trade off eight bar solos. Suddenly, I froze. I could handle playing, but soloing would be too much. I looked at the faces around me and imagined them grimacing at my wrong notes. They were all strangers, but their judgment mattered to me. The shield of familiarity that stood between my usual high school audience and me was no longer there. Before I could object, the audio technician topped the microphone and announced our names. After tuning our instruments, we were ready to play. The four count-off clicks of the drumsticks sounded like bone on bone, the first wailing guitar note sent a chill down my spine. I felt beads of perspiration drip down my face like tears. Pushing my fears aside, I started playing. My downbeats were steady, my upbeats pushed the song along, and my percussive harmonies danced with the hollow tom hits and chilling cymbal crashes of the drums. I felt my body relax as I fell into the groove of the song. All of a sudden, Greg was nodding to me to solo. In a rush to start, I forgot my nervousness. My right hand started slapping and popping; the syncopated notes drizzled onto the guitar chords like Tabasco on scrambled eggs. I floated into my paradise once more, trading solos with Greg for the rest of the song. As we played a few notes, I heard the audience roar with applause. I walked off the stage in a stupor, met by handshakes and words of congratulations. Sometimes the only way to get over a fear is to force yourself to endure it. If I had not been coerced into facing my fear of soloing, I would have missed out on one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. fl

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Madonna Essays (1454 words) - Madonna, Pop Ballads,

Madonna Madonna Born August 16, 1958 in Bay City, Michigan to a lower-middle class Italian-Catholic household, Madonna Louise Ciccone was the third eldest daughter born. Her father Chrysler engineer Sylvio (Tony) Ciccone and French-Canadienne Madonna Fortin, for whom the future superstar was named ?Veronica? was added to her name for confirmation. While at a young age of five, Madonna's world fell apart as her mother struggled to a long process of breast cancer on December 1, 1963. Gathering strength from the tragedious loss of her mother, Madonna took a role of the head female of the house. She constantly competed with her other siblings for attention and eventually became her father's loved one. Madonna turned her perfect self into a bitter one when Sylvio married Joan Gustafson, the family's housekeeper, three years after his wife's death. The child resented her father's betrayal and wouldn't accept her step-mother authority. While going through tough times, Ms Ciccone developed a passion for the arts. Madonna acted in high school productions, but ultimately dance became her interest in her childhood life. In addition to being a cheerleader, Madonna took up ballet classes while attending Rochester Adams High School. She found a mentor in dance instructor Christopher Flynn, who introduced her to the world of spunkiness and sophistication at Detroit gay clubs. Madonna's wild sexuality made her fly sky high! She went on dates with guys, had her first rape encounter at 14 and toyed with the idea of lesbianism and practiced mutual things with her female classmate. Having excellent academic performance in addition to her dancing skills, Madonna graduated early in 1976 with a dance scholarship to the University of Michigan, where she studied poetry and dance. There, she had her first acquaintance with Steven Bray. Bray was a black drummer in an R&b band , and she began to attend his gigs. Finally, after spending just five semesters at U of M and the encouragement of Flynn, the nineteen-year-old set off to realize her dream. Despite her fathers dreams, Madonna began her world wide adventure, looking for roles where she could not only dance but sing also. Later on back in Queens, the Gilroys started The Breakfast Club in the fall of 1979 with Madonna on drums. That failed when the lead guitarist stopped the band. Madonna went to write and record dance/disco-oriented tracks with Bray and performed them at downtown clubs. She was quickly spotted by DJ Mark Kamins at the latter club. Madonna presented a four-track demo to him, he immediately made a deal and signed contracts. Madonna's self titled debut album was a mixture of sexy attitude, and streetwise sass. Her bare midriff, weird costume jewelry, and her I-don't-care attitude helped to make her unique personality that the world would get to know her as. Her first version of Everybody, released as Madonna's first single at the end of 1982. Her second single camde from the debut album, Physical Attraction also proved to be a club favorite. In June 1983, Madonna had her 3rd club hit with the outstanding, Holiday, which was produced by her new boyfriend, dance pop mix-master John Benitez. The following month, Holiday became her first billboard Top 40 hit. After that happened, Madonna had been certified quadruple-platinum with sales 4.4 million units in the US and 3.3 million units internationally. By the end of 1884, Madonnas second studio album, Like A Virgin was ready to be released. This album featured her songs Material Girl and Dress You Up. The album scored her first #1 hit and gold single in Dec of ?84. To date, Like A Virgin has achieved 10 platinum certifications for sales exceeding 10 million units in the US. Late in 1984, Madonna began working on her first starring role in a film, Susan Seidelman's Desperately Seeking Susan, where she played a naive housewife. It was success in 1985 and brought out her musical talent to the world. In February of of 1985, Madonna made a brief appearance in Vision Quest as a nightclub singer, which scored her the second #1 hit and gold single for her career for the song Crazy For You, which also topped the charts in May. One of Madonna's highlights was meeting Sean Penn in 1985 shooting the video for

Friday, March 6, 2020

Free Essays on John Adams

JOHN QUINCY ADAMS Tyson tyhero@penn.com JOHN QUINCY ADAMS John Quincy Adams was born in Braintree (Quincy), Massachusetts on July 11th, 1767. His ancestry lineage was English. Adams’ religion was Unitarian. His father, John Adams, was born in Braintree (Quincy), Massachusetts on October 19th, 1735. He died in Quincy, Massachusetts on July 4th, 1826. He had three major occupations. He was a lawyer, a statesman, and the President of the United States. His mother, Abigail Smith Adams, was born in Weymouth Massachusetts on November 11th, 1744. She died in Quincy, Massachusetts on October 28th, 1818. John Quincy Adams had two brothers: Charles Adams who lived between the years 1770 and 1800, and Thomas Boylston Adams who lived between the years 1772 and 1832. He also had two sisters: Abigail Amelia Adams who lived between the years 1765 and 1813, and Susanna Adams who lived between the years 1768 and 1770. Louisa Catherine Johnson was born in London, England on February 12th, 1775 and she died in Washington DC on May 14t h, 1852. Louisa was the second daughter of Joshua and Catherine Johnson. John Quincy Adams and Louisa Catherine Johnson were married before eleven a.m. on July 26th, 1767 in London, England at the All Hollows Barking Church. They were married by Mr. Hewlett. The portrait on the next page is of Louisa Catherine Adams at age 43. It was painted by Gilbert Stuart in 1818. John Quincy Adams and Louisa Catherine Adams had four children. Their children were George Washington Adams (1801-1812), John Adams (1803-1834), Charles Francis Adams (1807-1886), and Louisa Catherine Adams (1811-1812). John Quincy Adams had plenty of education, which helped him in his election as President. He studied in Paris, Amsterdam, Leyden, and The Hugue. He received his Bachelor of Arts in 1787 from Harvard and studied law from 1788 to 1790 with Theophilus Parsons. His Pre-presidency occupations consisted of being a lawyer and a professor. Thes... Free Essays on John Adams Free Essays on John Adams JOHN QUINCY ADAMS Tyson tyhero@penn.com JOHN QUINCY ADAMS John Quincy Adams was born in Braintree (Quincy), Massachusetts on July 11th, 1767. His ancestry lineage was English. Adams’ religion was Unitarian. His father, John Adams, was born in Braintree (Quincy), Massachusetts on October 19th, 1735. He died in Quincy, Massachusetts on July 4th, 1826. He had three major occupations. He was a lawyer, a statesman, and the President of the United States. His mother, Abigail Smith Adams, was born in Weymouth Massachusetts on November 11th, 1744. She died in Quincy, Massachusetts on October 28th, 1818. John Quincy Adams had two brothers: Charles Adams who lived between the years 1770 and 1800, and Thomas Boylston Adams who lived between the years 1772 and 1832. He also had two sisters: Abigail Amelia Adams who lived between the years 1765 and 1813, and Susanna Adams who lived between the years 1768 and 1770. Louisa Catherine Johnson was born in London, England on February 12th, 1775 and she died in Washington DC on May 14t h, 1852. Louisa was the second daughter of Joshua and Catherine Johnson. John Quincy Adams and Louisa Catherine Johnson were married before eleven a.m. on July 26th, 1767 in London, England at the All Hollows Barking Church. They were married by Mr. Hewlett. The portrait on the next page is of Louisa Catherine Adams at age 43. It was painted by Gilbert Stuart in 1818. John Quincy Adams and Louisa Catherine Adams had four children. Their children were George Washington Adams (1801-1812), John Adams (1803-1834), Charles Francis Adams (1807-1886), and Louisa Catherine Adams (1811-1812). John Quincy Adams had plenty of education, which helped him in his election as President. He studied in Paris, Amsterdam, Leyden, and The Hugue. He received his Bachelor of Arts in 1787 from Harvard and studied law from 1788 to 1790 with Theophilus Parsons. His Pre-presidency occupations consisted of being a lawyer and a professor. Thes... Free Essays on John Adams John Adam’s fear that â€Å"Our struggle [the American attempt to gain independence] has loosened the bands of government everywhere† was based mainly on what he saw as the decline social hierarchy. Adams was afraid that the working people, including women, of America would gain just as much political liberty as they had with civil liberty; that is, they would have just as much right to participate in public affairs as they would to protect themselves and their property. He hoped to keep the wealthy, â€Å"independent† land-owners-the citizens, in political power, and keep a functioning hierarchal society where the working people would have only a moderate level of political liberty. The common person found self worth and self identity in society, by participating in the events of the revolution. Although political liberty did eventually grow for the common person, the elite land-owners still remained the sturdy authority of government. The first American patriots of the revolutionary war were the elite landowners, such as John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. They were part the conservative Whig party. These men brought forth the idea of independence from Great Britain with a Republican state, and there ideas would eventually be written in the Declaration of Independence. They envisioned a free nation in which â€Å"all men are created equal†. But, was this a literal meaning of freedom and equality? Adams was calling simply for new protections against abusive and tyrannical men (Brinkley p.134). These men realized that for the republic to survive the population would have to consist of sturdy, independent, property owners imbued with civic virtue (Brinkley p.136). In effect, these men wanted civil liberty for all, but only total political liberty for those with power and land. They soon had to examine the secondary effects of too much liberty for all. Their new form of government could not s urvive unless there was s... Free Essays on John Adams â€Å"By my constitution, I am but an ordinary man. The times alone have destined me to fame and even these have not been able to give me much.† This quote was written by John Adams into his diary, one quiet night after his presidency. John Adams was born on October 30, 1735, in Braintree, Massechusetts (which is now called Quincy, Massechusetts). He was born to John Adams Senior and to Susanna Adams. John grew up the son of a village preacher and a housewife. He went to the best private schools, and kept his grades up. He was a good kid who grew up to help lead the independence of all Americans everywhere. John Adams married Abigail Smith, and together they had five kids; Abigail, Susanna, John Quincy (6th president), Charles, and Thomas. He was one of the men who nominated George Washington as the 1st President of the United States of America. If John, along with Samuel Adams (his 2nd cousin), did not get involved in the Revolution, the U.S. might still be a set of colonies. John Adams didn’t just talk about independence; he did something about it. He was an inspiration to George Washington himself. His dedication to his country’s independence was part of the backbone of the Revolution, along with all the other great leaders including Thomas Jefferson. Much of his education of politics, that proved to be useful in his life as a Founding Father, was taught to him at Harvard University. John Adams did a lot more than sit around, he helped out by editing the Constitution with Ben Franklin, he became Vice-president to President Washington, and then became the 2nd President of the United States of America. Benjamin Franklin thought of Adams as a good man. He said this about him one day, â€Å"He means well for his country, is always an honest man, often a wise man, but sometimes, and in some things, absolutely out of his senses.† Many people saw Adams as a smart person who always spoke out. Had John Adams fo... Free Essays on John Adams John Adams was born in Braintree, now called Quincy, Massachusettes on October 30, 1735. He graduated from Harvard College in 1755, where he ranked fourteenth out of a class of twenty four people. Adams was the first vice-president and served under George Washington, our first president.Later in 1797, John Adams became our second president serving from 1797 to 1801 with his vice-president being Thomas Jefferson. Adams was the first president to reside in the White House, and the only chief executive whose son served as a president. John was the oldest son of John and Susanna Adams. They lived on a farm in Braintree where John had a deep connection for the family farm. When he was only sixteen years old, he attended Harvard College and graduated with a law degree. In 1758, he began to practice law and met many people who would later influence him as leaders of the Massachusettes Colony. In 1764, John married a lady named Abigal Smith, who he had been seeing for three years. She was the daughter of a minister and together they had five children. In 1818, Abigail passed away after fifty-four years of marriage. On April 30, 1789, John Adams took office as the first vice-president under the authority of George Washington. Adams served for eight years as vice-president even though he often thought it was the "most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived". In 1796, John won the presidental electon and was ignagurarted on March 4, 1797 at Federal Hall, Philidelphia. He served only one term, losing in 1800 to Thomas Jefferson. At the age of sixty-six, Adams moved back to his Massachusettes farm where he spent the last twenty-five years of his life. Even though he never participated in the public life again, he took great pleasure in the career of his son John Quincy Adams, who became president in 1824. John Adams died on July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of I...

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Implementation of Information System at Oman Company LLC Essay

Implementation of Information System at Oman Company LLC - Essay Example The essay "Implementation of Information System at Oman Company LLC" talks about the implementation of the information system at Oman Refineries and Petrochemicals Company LLC. It is a limited liability Company established vide the Royal Decree dated 23 September 2007 which stipulated the merger of Sohar Refinery Company LLC into Oman Refinery Company LLC. Twenty four years after the commissioning of the first Refinery in Oman, Sohar Refinery was commissioned in 2006 with a capacity of 116,000 bpd. Sohar Refinery was built with state-of-the-art technology to process the feedstock of long residue that is produced at MAF Refinery and blended with crude oil.The Government of Oman, represented by the Ministry of Finance, owns 75% of the Company’s shares, while the Oman Oil Company owns 25%. ORPC will continue to provide quality services and products, and with the two locations, it will take full advantage of the synergies and combined experiences in the business to benefit its cus tomers and all stakeholders.The Oman Oil Company has decided to update the traditional processing of the business operation. Here the business of the Oman Oil Company wants to establish better and effective technology regarding the management of the overall processing of the business information. Oman Oil Company has decided to establish and initiate the project of the Information system at the corporate processing plants. The main objective is to plan and manage the project in a way that the overall project turned out to be a success.

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Annotated bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Annotated Bibliography Example The author considers offering an insight on the roles of the organization towards addressing the interests of the market. The insights allows for the promotion of the virtues that enable the firm to emerge superior over its rivals. Apparently, the author argues that the desire to be productive and remain superior over its rivals is central in the organization. The author reflects further on detailed references that allow for the deliberation of the considered concerns and attributes. The prospective role of the respective organization remains accredited to the extent upon which they seek to utilize the available resources. The author considers marketable skills and knowledge as being critical to the performance of the organization. The prospective roles of the skills considered available in the respective fields or departments remains regarded as the strengths of the firm. The authors commence with the evaluation of the role of the trade shows have on the firms. They propose the participation in these events as an ideal marketing strategy for the respective firms. Apparently, the firms participating in the trade fairs or shows remain challenged with the concern of attracting persons of interests in their stands. The authors seem to relate to the challenge, and proceed to offer possible solutions that may assist in its mitigation. Additionally, they consider the possibility of sustaining these persons into the respective stands. The general argument remains vested on the attraction of the clients, and drawing a sense of interest in the offered solutions. The authors advise on the respective branding and product promotion techniques that may be envisioned in the trade show. The central interest may be described to be the attraction of the clients and the sustainability of the respective stands. The paper nests its focus in the role of managers in the promotion of the interests of

Monday, January 27, 2020

Top Management Style (TMS) | Case Study

Top Management Style (TMS) | Case Study Introduction: Cohesiveness in the teams especially in Top Management Teams (TMT) is one of the most significant factors that influence the Superior Performance (SP) and strategic competitive advantage of the organization. There are many factors that influence cohesiveness of teams and this essay is especially going to focus on an organizational factor, Top Management Style (TMS). Many researches proved that TMS is a crucial factor which influences the cohesiveness of the organizations, particularly new ventures. The literature review in this essay will explain how the TMT in new ventures can influence the cohesiveness and in turn the Superior Performance (SP) of the organization. Furthermore, this essay will analyze how practically TMT of my previous organization successfully established a highly cohesive team and made cohesiveness as a strategic asset of the organization. The essay also analyze how cohesiveness in TMT facilitate the successful decision making and on the other hand, how a highly c ohesive TMT experienced impaired decision making in few scenarios because of the concept of the group think and suggests what could be a possible solution to improve decision making in those scenarios. Research setting: My previous organization is UST-Global which is one of the most successful and young organization in the Information Technology (IT) services Industry. UST-Global was established on 1999 with only 14 members and currently spread across 4 regions (North America, Europe, South America and AMEA) and 15 countries globally with the employee count of around 7000.Comparitively the organizations growth rate in profitability, financial position and number of employees is phenomenal. In my observation, the TMT is the primary reason for this success. Recently the organization successfully established a joint venture with General Electric Company (GE) in Chile, South America. Established with strong culture and values the organization is build with high cohesiveness and as a result showing superior performance in the market. The organization achieved $500 million yearly sales mark with 15-20% net margin in few years after establishment and continues to growing better. Organizations head count an d sales is increasing by more than 15% each year which clearly shows the SP of the organization in the market. UST-Global is one of the best young companies in IT industry to analyse cohesiveness because of the culture and values established in the organization. Literature review: Cohesion: Cohesion is a multifaceted asset of a group and strong forecaster of the group behavior which has been defined and analyzed in many different ways by researchers. Cohesion can be defined as the measure of the ability of a group to exert a pull on its members and encourage them to remain as a part of the group. In essence, cohesion would serve as a strong centripetal force binding a team together in the presence of strong centrifugal force like conflicts (NV 371) Relationship between TMT and Cohesion: There are many factors that can influence the cohesiveness. These factors have been classified by (Rollinson) as group factors, environmental factors and organizational factors. According to (Homans 1950) there are many organizational factors like technology usage, management style and personal background of members are influencing the cohesiveness. Many researches show that especially the TMS can greatly contribute to the cohesiveness of the organizations. This section will explain how the TMT of an organization can influence the cohesiveness of the organization. A TMT is a group of high level managers accountable for devising and executing the firms strategies. The power to organize the direction and performance of the organization possibly makes TMT as most crucial and prominent team in the firm (LS 6). In particular, the new venture TMT consisted of those people identified as the CEO, president and critical line or staff function executives (NV 373). By establishing appropriate c ulture, member criteria, technology usage and work environment and other important factors, TMT has the ability to influence on group cohesiveness of the organization. (LS 5)Michael suggests that both task leadership and social leadership can provide positive contribution to the cohesiveness by keeping the team focused on the task and by maintaining good relationship and team harmony. In essence, effective leaders maintained group harmony and cohesiveness of the organization by attending both to mission-specific task outcomes and to the personal qualities of crew members. (LS 4) Relationship between Cohesiveness and Superior Performance of organization (SP) The cited references and many theories show that cohesiveness is positively related to the SP of the organization. According to Resource Based View (RBV), resources are key drivers of sustainable competitive advantage. The most precious resources referred to as strategic assets are concurrently valuable, rare, complex and costly to imitate and non substitutable. Resources are valuable when they permit the firm to take advantage of opportunities and/or neutralize threats in external environment. (LS 6).Thus in relation to RBV logic, the available empirical evidence converges to suggest that cohesion in teams especially in TMT should constitute a highly valuable resource to the firm (LS 7). In essence, cohesiveness in teams, particularly Top Management Teams (TMT) is positively associated with Superior Performance (SP) of the firms.(LS 8) Relationship between Cohesiveness in TMTs and SP of the organizations: In new ventures, Top Management Team Cohesiveness (TMTC) is especially important because of the complex and ambiguous nature of the teams task. (NV 368). This section will explain how cohesiveness in TMT associated with the conflicts experienced during decision making process and in turn relate with the SP of the firms. Studies shows that cohesion in the TMT related directly to ROI and sales growth which are main factors in SP of the organization (NV 372). Moreover, theories show that the cohesiveness in the TMT is related to the conflicts experienced in the teams during decision making. Recent research shows conflict to be multidimensional, the cognitive dimension of conflict is considered to be generally functional, this occurs when the team members consider a number of alternatives from variety of diverse perspectives in decision making. On the other hand, the affective dimension of conflict is generally dysfunctional and occurs when personally oriented disagreement focusing on in terpersonal dislikes and disaffections. (NV 369).Generally cohesion will relate positively to the level of cognitive conflict and negatively to the level of affective conflict experienced during decision making.(NV 370,371).Top Management Team Cohesion (TMTC) also have the potential to operate as an intangible strategic asset by helping the TMT to reach consensus on strategic direction and organizational controls, as well as by facilitating communication and commitment to shared organizational goals.(LS 2)TMTC appears to possess all the attributes of a strategic asset and thus according to the RBV and previous empirical findings, TMTC should be positively related to superior firm performance. Theories explain that, surprisingly another dimension of cohesion leads to shrink the level of cognitive conflicts in decision making process because of the concept of group think. As the groups become highly cohesive, and in the presence of dominant leader, group members, may in fact, with hold useful ideas that may contradict the popular opinion in order to maintain their positive status in the group (Janis 1982 NV382). As an essence, the literature review discussed that, especially for new ventures, Top Management style is one of the crucial factor significantly associated with cohesiveness in the organization, which in turn is significantly associated with sustainable competitive advantage and SP. Furthermore, high cohesiveness in TMT may also lead to group think which lead to impaired decision making and affect the SP of the firm. Analysis: Analyzing how the TMS influenced the cohesiveness in UST-Global: From my observation, the following are the important factors established by the TMT improved the cohesiveness of the firm significantly. The TMT established values and culture in the company which offers dignity to every employee and enforced the employees to treat everyone in an unbiased manner. We give respect to people and an opportunity to accomplish their maximum potential in an atmosphere where there is no fear and also initiative and creativeness are truly encouraged(Sajan). Thus the social leadership perspective (LS 5) of TMT in UST-global enhanced the cohesiveness in the organization by encouraging respect for team members and maintaining group harmony by clear behavioral norms and imposing these norms by rejecting deviant behavior.(Fedman 1984 LS 5).Moreover, the TMT formed a harder membership criteria to improve the cohesiveness. The organization attracts best talents from all over the world. The medium and high level management team consists of people from best business schools and knowledge workers are hired after four level of filtering interview processes. Competent people working in harmony will produc e the best results. Both competence and harmony are equally important (Menon). The TMT improved the communication and cooperation between team members by introducing highly interactive communication technologies. This shows the effectiveness of the TMTs Social leadership((LS 5). The TMT also created a world class task tracker software which improved the task management significantly which in turn explains the effectiveness of Task leadership(LS 5).we are setting an example by showing how heavily we are using IT for our own internal operations(Sajan).Furthermore, The TMT provide a working environment where people assist each other and able to perform in a team environment. This environment enables employees to deliver their best and at the same time get highest job satisfaction. IT employees are knowledge workers.If the environments supports the employees to use their creativity and ideas, that is what satisfies them and enables them to provide outstanding service to the client. Thus the Top Management Style (TMS) in UST-Global facilitated the cohesiveness throughout the organization by establishing appropriate culture, member criteria, technology usage, work environment and other important factors, and bring the firm highly successful with in a short span of time. Analysing how cohesion in teams especially TMT influenced the SP: In my observation, the Top Management Team (TMT) in UST-Global is highly cohesive and this fact was also accepted by my interviewee in TMT that, Job fulfillment is our key to attracting people and that is something we have been capable to accomplish because of our Values and Culture. Thats is the reason, UST-Global TMT has even CIOs of many firms not only joined but are in fact energized to be a part of the company(Sajan). Organization has built a powerful higher level team to focus only on clients which includes Robert D, former General Manager of Reebok IT department, Marsha B, former VP and CTO of safway, and Paul M, former VP of AIG Technology department. In my observation, the similarity between the team members in terms of background experience, TMT in UST-Globlal become truly a unique composition, where competitors lag behind a lot, especially harder for competitors to imitate. Also,It was accepted by my interviewee that The TMTC is a crucial strategic asset for UST-Global. Conflicts arising during decision making is an obvious one. Inevitably some disagreement will happen in decision making but, all of our team members consider the conflicts as a alternative solution in decision making. According to (NV 369) Those TMT are able to take advantage of the disagreements by keeping it task focused and constructive should outperform those for whom the disagreement becomes personally focused and destructive. So it is evident that UST-Global TMT is able to take advantage of disagreements in decision making which leads to the SP of the organization. Discussion Most of the decisions made by the TMT were highly successful. For example, the decision of fewer clients and higher attention gave the organization a high strategic competitive advantage in the service market.Fortune 500 clients of UST Global like the attention they receive when the companys priority is on client share as opposed to market share. To ensure relentless attention to its clients the company targets only a few clients in a year for a long-term business relationship and concentrates and invests on them fully. This was a conscious decision we made in the very early days of the company. Even if there is a short term opportunity for revenue we ignore it(Dan) Even though the organization TMT is highly cohesive and successful in decision making I can notice that in very few scenarios the decisions of TMT went less effective. I am explaining three of the ineffective decisions by the TMT which I have noticed below. In last six years the TMT has changed the organization name three times for several reasons. Although the TMT explained the reasons for the name change, this affects the recognition and brand value of the company in the market. Furthermore, the organization hired more number of people to achieve the expected growth and not able to manage the huge talent pool and end up with many HR related issues. Particularly, the TMT has announced to the media that it will go public by first quarter of 2009 but the TMT was not able to make it up until now. Sajan told that Going public is expensive, more expensive than ever before, so we want to get a critical mass(Article UST_Global)Although the TMT explains the reason of uncontrollable external environmental changes and other factors as reason, This affects the image of the company in the market and among employees. Even though only a very less decisions made by the TMT in UST-Global became ineffective and this will generally happen in every fast growing organization, the above issues explained are clearly because of the ineffective decision making in the TMT. Also, in my personal observation and with my interviews, it is clear that there was more cognitive conflicts happened in decision making process and helped the TMT to be more effective in decision making. So in my opinion, the effect of group think could be the possible reason which led the highly cohesive TMT to make the above impaired decisions which affects the performance of the organization. High Cohesiveness in teams is a competitive advantage to achieve the common objectives but while taking important decisions the TMT should highly reconsider the decision and make sure that the high cohesiveness doesnt led to group think and affect the decisions. Philosophical Concepts: What is real? Philosophical Concepts: What is real? What is real? Philosophy We live in a Universe that is infinitely enormous, upon a planet that plays home the only existing life forms that we know of. In the movie; The Matrix, our world is nothing more than a mere computer program, run through our brains while the world deteriorates from within. How can we ever know, that this is not happening to us at this very instant? This essay is obviously not condoning the idea that we are run by computers, however, it will attempt to take a deeper look into a question that is rarely thought about, but should perhaps be a more common one; What Is Real? This essay will analyze many different views of realism, from different places, at different points in time, considering each point of view, and seek to further the reader’s knowledge in this realm of philosophy. At the present time, we, as humans, have no direct way of knowing what is real. It is a mystery, far more complex than any computer or robot we possess. What is strikingly odd about this question is that if you ask a seven year-old what is real, it is probable that you will receive an answer. Clearly this answer will be very basic, and chances are that the seven year-old will not explain why they chose that answer, but is it not fascinating that in two minutes, a mere child is able to respond to a question some adults, can waste their whole life trying to answer? Many would argue that the child only gives that answer, because he or she is none the wiser, but is it possible that philosophers, or anyone who makes an attempt to answer this question, are none the wiser, for having overlooked the simple answer of a youngster? – Once again, this is from a completely un-biased point of view, and seeks solely to provoke thought in the readers mind. â€Å"If we’re good, we go to a heaven of some sort.† An answer many people around the world would give when asked what happens when we pass away. Is that possible? There is a theory that when we die, we lose 21 grams, and that these 21 grams represents our soul, either heading up, or down. Is this an actual possibility, that as we die, a part of us lives on? Is it possible anyone will ever know for sure? Another theory on afterlife; is that when we die, it’s the same as before we were born. This uncertain nothingness, of a dark or light blank screen. And as we wait in this dark/lightness, we are just sitting in line to be reborn. This theory leads to the argument of what is â€Å"nothing†? Is â€Å"nothing† possible? There is no clear definition of â€Å"nothing† in the dictionary, only vague attempts such as â€Å"a non-existent thing,† or â€Å"in no way; to no degree.† The idea of nothing being impossible is quite fascinating, as it is not possible to think of nothing, leading us further to believe that something, must be real, even if they are mere images, they are still â€Å"real images.† These real images are what we witness in everyday life, although they differ from person to person, we know that we are seeing something real, because we know that we cannot see nothing. We live in an unpredictable world. No one can tell for sure what’s waiting around the corner, or what’s going to happen tomorrow. Yet some people believe in something called destiny: The seemingly inevitable succession of events ¹. Destiny goes against everything logical. It is a truth, worldly known that nothing is provable by means of the technology, science, math or experiment, which we possess in our day and age. Furthering our question, to something more along the lines of; â€Å"How do we know what we think is real, if we have no way of actually proving it?† So is it possible that destiny does really exist, and that we may all be following a list of events that have already been thought out? Perhaps the determinists are right? As humans, most of us are blessed with five senses; touch, taste, sight, smell, and hearing. These acute senses vary from person to person. What may appear as an orange to one may appear as a banana to the next. One’s acquired taste for sushi might be considered disgusting to another. There is a saying that says â€Å"one mans garbage is another’s treasure.† This saying represents how not only senses vary from being to being, but how perspective does as well. It is arguable that perspective all depends on things such as background, beliefs, and perhaps most importantly, wealth, but these opinions are solely in the eye of the beholder. It is firmly believed that perspective is influenced by how one see’s an image, object, or person, primarily, and secondly by wealth etc. These varying perspectives can be captured in full motion at Stanstead College, where there is a clash of cultures. There are Mexicans who prefer their candy hot and spicy, to almost anyone else who frowns at first taste, and asks for something sweet instead. This does not only hold true for candy, it can be found in almost any other perspective of life; style, likes, sports (aside from soccer as it is known as the global language), and interest in the opposite sex. Where one boy might find a girl in his class to be the next best thing since sliced bread, the young man next to him might completely disagree. Another example can be found in the music industry, where one boy might find Mozart atrocious, and be madly in love with his favourite heavy-metal band. The guy in the room next to him that gets mad at this loud, satanic noise as he might refer to it, might fancy classical music and think it is amazing. All these reasons may lead one to believe that we are not all witnessing the s ame images, or hearing the same sounds, that tastes and likes are more than acquired, that perhaps it’s the way it comes through our ears or mouth that differs. These examples all lead to the next question; if people’s perspectives and tastes vary so heavily, how do we know which one is right, or real? Is their a wrong side of the bridge? Is there a way to determine this? No. Due to the limitations of reason and logical thinking, for now all we have is our opinionated guesses. These opinions have been known to get us in trouble as a race. Since the first religious wars, people have been fighting over beliefs, territory, and who the stronger is. Life would almost be much easier if a right answer was determinable. Exert from: From Socrates to Sartre: The Philosophic Quest: p. 207 Hegel’s Metaphysics: Absolute Idealism Reality as totality of conceptual truth† – Idea that total reality is an absolute mind, or the mind of god, which is an integrated and structured source of truths. â€Å"Reality as absolute mind† – reality is absolute conceptuality which reveals itself through human experiences in all aspects of life. â€Å"The real is the rational and the rational is the real† â€Å"Reality is knowable by its intelligible, rational structures† – Hegel is very against the principle that reality is unknowable, for he believes it is present for every human to attain through reason. Hegel, much like Plato, is a relativist, and a strong one at that. â€Å"Hegel is as confident a rationalist as Plato had been.† (From Socrates to Sartre, p. 209) He is a firm believer that reality, and what is real, is determinable through rational thought, something that is present in all humans. He feels that â€Å"what is real?† all depends on the person, and their personal experiences. Exert from: Philosophy, a Text with Readings – p. 178 â€Å"Let us settle ourselves , and work and wedge our feet downward through the mud and slush of opinion, and prejudice and tradition, and delusion, and appearance, that alluvion which covers the covers the globe till we com to a hard bottom of rocks in a place which we call reality.† –James Thomson. Thomson feels that for humans to have a solid sense of reality, furthermore, what is real, they must first put behind them their differences in opinion, tradition, appearance etc. This is found to be a very good point, as it makes sense. How can we expect a world to come to terms on things such as reality, when we cannot come to terms on smaller things such as oil prices? As a race, our attitude towards each other must change, and as a people, we must take into account everyone’s perspective in a respectful manner. Globalisation, as much as it is frowned upon by some, is believed to be a possible answer. Globalisation is allowing us to become more united as a world, making it easier to reach out to one another. â€Å"1st phase of globalisation(discovery of the new worlds in 1490’s) changed the size of the world from large to medium, 2nd phase(industrial revolutions) changed it from medium to small, the 3rd phase, which is taking place now, changed it from small, to tin y.† ***politics paper The Materialist View (â€Å"materialism: the metaphysical position that reality is ultimately composed of matter† definition from Philosophy, a Text with Readings) Eastern- Eastern materialism dates back to around 600 B.C.E, was a principle held by the Charvaka philosophers of India. They believed that the only form of reasoning was sense perception. They felt that other sources of knowledge, such as inductive, or deductive reasoning were invalid. They believed that the only reliable source of knowledge is what we can see, hear, touch, smell, or taste with our senses. Along with this belief, they argued that if we cannot know something, it is wrong to say it exists. They did not believe in spirits, nor did they believe in an afterlife, because it is not something we are able to perceive with our senses. â€Å"Human life begins in this world, and ends in this world, so people should try to get as much of the bodily pleasures of this life as they can.† Charvakaian Belief Western- Western materialism can be traced all the way back to 460 B.C.E. Much like the Charvakian philosophers, the early Western philosophers believed that reality could be explained in terms of matter. According to Democritus, everything in the universe, even the soul, is made up of atoms. Almost a millennium after Democritus came another great Western philosopher, Thomas Hobbes. Hobbes felt quite similar to Democritus, as he believed that measurable matter is all there is in the universe, that only matter is real. â€Å"The universe, that is the whole mass of things that are, is corporeal, that is to say body; and has the dimensions of magnitude, namely, length, breadth, and depth. Also every part of body is likewise body, and has the like dimensions. And, consequently, every part of the Universe is body, and that which is not body is no part of the Universe. And because the Universe is all, that which is no part of it is nothing, and consequently, nowhere.† exert from Hobbes’ Leviathan Objections to Materialism- The main objection to materialism is the fact that it is very neglectful in accounting for human consciousness. Many people feel that activities such as loving, wishing, dreaming, hoping and hating all come from nonmaterial spiritual entity. The Idealist View (â€Å"idealism: in metaphysics, the position that reality is ultimately nonmatter, in epistemology, the position that all we know are our ideas – definition from Exert from: Philosophy, a Text with Readings) Western Idealism- Western idealism dates back to the ancient Greek, Pythagoras (about 600 B.C.E). Pythagoras held the belief that â€Å"individual entities are merely shadows of reality.†( Exert from: Philosophy, a Text with Readings) This thinking can also be found with the Christian thought, developed by Saint Augustine. In The City of God, Augustine warns the reader to beware of the world, and flesh, as they are temporary. What was claimed as real is the spiritual world, or; the world without matter. Eastern Idealism- The most commonly known Eastern idealist, is an Indian philosopher by the name of Vasubandhu. He strongly believed that all we ever perceive are sensations within us. He is famous for saying â€Å"Only mind exists.† The other Eastern idealists held most of the same ideas as the Western ones, letting idealism to be quite similar all over the globe. Objections to Idealism- Almost all objections to idealism are based upon the fact that it is all based upon assumption. Idealists have also been accused of committing the fallacy of anthropomorphism (giving human attributes to nonhuman entities, mainly god). Nancy by Chuck Close | Overview and Analysis Nancy by Chuck Close | Overview and Analysis What can be seen as a beautiful work of art by one person may not appear that way to someone else. So much in the art world is subjective, yet when artists are able to come up with something revolutionary while showing technical prowess it tends to garner attention. Nancy by Chuck Close is one of those paintings that forces people to take notice. Creating portraits at a time when they were considered dead by many; Close was able to achieve success while overcoming diversity with his larger than life portraits. Nancy not only helped to vault Closes career into the mainstream, but also assisted in the rebirth of realism into American art. Close took the fame that came with his early portraits and later on adapted the style around his needs and feelings at the time. All of these reasons are part of why Chuck Close is one of Americas most influential artists today. Painted in 1968, Nancy was Chuck Closes second portrait belonging to his heads series. Measuring in at 108 3/8 x 82 1/4 in, Nancy is a black and white portrait painted using acrylic on canvas (Milwaukee Art Museum). It shows a woman from the neck up looking at the viewer with an empty almost emotionless stare. It is rather bland in the fact that there is no real focal point that stands out in the portrait. Instead he centers Nancy on the canvas with no background behind her. Close portrays Nancy with a lot of details. When first looking at it she seems unwelcoming. She has straw-like hair, which is shown unkempt; she has a bit of a cross to her eyes, and a slight snaggletooth. Close shows all of her wrinkles and age lines along with all of her freckles. Nancy does not appear to have any hidden symbols seeing as how it follows the photorealism style. Nancy is a portrait that does not hold anything back. Everything about her face is there for everyone to see. It is incredibly detailed having even the hair follicles on her face being visible. When you look closely it looks like a whole different picture than when you view it from afar. Up close one can become confused as to what they are looking at because of its enormous size. Since all the physical features of the face are so grossly enlarged it is difficult to determine exactly what everything is. Even though Close used a grid system to paint Nancy, just like all of his heads portraits, it is not as if the grid is actually visible to the naked eye (Dantos). He does a good job of smoothing everything out to look fluid. From further away Nancy has all the details seem to take shape together and it is possible to tell it is a portrait of a person. Again because of its colossal size, even when standing afar it is possible to see Nancy is an exceedingly detailed portrait. Chuck Close has done a lot of different types of work in his career but none are as famous as his heads portfolio which stems from his notorious self-portrait (OHagan). Nancy belongs to this famed portfolio and has an interesting background on how it came to be. Close started painting these close up portraits almost by accident when one of his previous projects seemed to be on the verge of failure. It started when Close decided to paint a giant scale 11 by 22 foot nude portrait of a woman rendered from a photograph. As he started to work on it he realized that while it certainly was big in size, it lacked certain flair. In the midst of this he decided to take a picture of himself and start experiment painting that on the same grand scale. His photo was of him from the neck up in a disheveled type of manner. The photo is taken in such a real manner that it seems very uncongenial and unexpressive. He took the photo and divided it up into a grid and from this grid he took the small sect ions of the photograph and one at a time transferred them over to the larger canvas (Gomez). This allowed him to concentrate on depicting all the little details in a large, almost photograph like fashion while still maintaining the big picture effect. The result as previously discussed is a very powerful portrait with a looming presence. From the success of this self portrait, Close then started on a whole collection of these close up portraits. The subjects were himself, his family, and his friends. One of these people was the artist Nancy Graves. One of the things that make Nancy different from some of Closes portraits is that most of Closes subjects were not known before the portraits and gained notoriety after; Nancy Graves however was already in the midst of making a name for herself with her own artwork at the time. He took the photo of her that the portrait was based off in much the same manner as the one he took for his original self-portrait. This means she was sitting there showing almost no expression, seemingly void of all emotions. Taking these kinds of photos requires a certain comfort level with the subject seeing as how they are essentially being shown with all their faults exposed. Robert Storr, an organizing curator for one of his exhibitions, describes the dynamic between Close and his subjects wel l when he says Close has an, extreme intimacy with his subjects which Close, as a portraitist, presumes would be impossible to sustain if the artist were genuinely indifferent to them (Johnson, Learning from Exhibitions: Chuck Close. 34). This might be the reason Close used friends and family with whom he had a strong relationship with, and therefore people who he cared for. Storr goes on to say the corresponding intimacy he establishes between a given sitter, locked in photographic permanence, and the view, who is at liberty to examine his or her every crease and follicle, as if he or she were a laboratory specimen, is predicated on a subdued yet powerful sense of mutuality. (Johnson, Learning from Exhibitions: Chuck Close. 34). Here he reaffirms the notion that his portrait subjects had to feel a sense of connection and trust with Close in order to be viewed by everyone in a kind of vulnerable state. Close has always had certain affection for photography, daguerreotypes in particular, and therefore loved working in this manner of portraits from photographs. Daguerreotypes are early photographs created by using the developing process of Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre (Craven 238). The daguerreotype had a huge impact on the world in the 1800s because they brought photography within the reach of the common population. People praised them for the accuracy in which they could represent things. While a very old technique, Close appreciated daguerreotypes and showed this by choosing them to be the things from which he painted from. Close has said Its like holding a book in your lap. When you look at something with a bunch of other people it is a different experience. I just love the object status of a daguerreotype (Beem). This is a viewpoint that visibly carries over into his work. He uses the photographs over actual models because he says the photographs give him something very specific to do that wasnt going to change (Beem). Another major driving force behind using photographs compared to the actual person is that Close suffers from a disease called prosopagnosia. This condition makes him unable to recognize peoples faces. According to him from an interview with Jeffrey Brown, taking the photograph and working from that makes things flatten out for him which allows him to establish it to memory. Close goes on to say that one of the reasons he does portraits of people who are close to him, such as family and friends, is because that is who matters and how he helps himself create their faces in his memory. This fact also goes back to relate to the previously discussed comfort level with his friends and family members as subjects. Close says this is the only way he has found to work around his condition with such detail and prowess. Working in photographs helps him recognize things as they are and create the images as well as portrays the message he wants to pass along. This methodology was common in a lot of his portraits and even underwent some evolution as his career went along. Nancy belongs in his early portraits from photographs in that it is in black and white and still uses the grid system of representing each grid square as an individual portrait that come together as a whole creating a very real almost photo like quality. He later took this method and expanded upon it to include the use of colors, as well as taking the grid system and making each square their own abstract in which they blend together to create a general portrait, almost having a mosaic quality. This has made his later works lose their photographic quality but they still take on a style of their own. This evolution has occurred due to a couple of different reasons but the biggest is due to the fact that he has been partially paralyzed from a spinal artery collapse in 1988, an occurrence in which Close calls The Event (Brown). He now paints using brushes strapped to his wrists but still maintains the same portrait from photograph style with the grid system. While Close himself does not like to classify his works as part of art movements (Brown), a lot of his works, including Nancy, fit into the pop art movement; more specifically the New Realism or photorealism style in the 1960s. The term photorealism was created by Louis K. Meisel in 1969 and became to be known by other names including super-realism, hyper-realism, new realism, and neo-realism. (Meisel 12) While it may have all these different names, the art works are very similar in format. They usually take a photograph of something to capture all of the little details and then recreate a painting of it on a grander scale. The end result is a painting that mimics a photograph but the viewer still views it as a painting. The attraction that brings people to view these paintings has a lot to do with the technical detail and in the way it is painted more than the subject matter itself (Genocchio). This can also lead to the paintings seeming a bit stale and seemingly devoid of life however. Due to the high levels of details in these works, the artist needs a high level of technical prowess to depict everything as it is. Genocchio goes on to compare photorealism to Trompe loeil in that it elicits the same response from people in the way that the painting may not be of the most important or beautiful subject manner, yet the viewers attention is grasped by the technical prowess and tricks it plays on your eyes. Nancy definitely falls into this category seeing as how the painting itself cannot be claimed as beautiful, but it still garners interest due to its realism and bluntness of detail. Another interesting aspect of Nancy, and all of his heads portraits, is the timing of their painting and release to the public. At the time Close, along with many others, thought portraiture was viewed as a bankrupt form, dead in the water (OHagan). Close called them heads for this reason so as not to attach a negative stigma to them. Tim Marlow, a British art historian, has said of Close that he was a main driving force in reinventing portraiture in America (OHagan). These portraits were so different from other things at the time that there was not a correct term in describing them. In this way one could say that Close did succeed in creating a movement by himself which transcends a traditional label such as photorealism. The reason I picked this particular work to write this paper on was because it had a shock value on me when I first saw it. It was interesting how such an unattractive portrait could capture my interest and force me to do a double take. At first glance I thought it was quite grotesque and did not recognize that it was actually a portrait of a real person; I thought it was some distorted idea of an ugly person. In fact as I was standing there more than a couple of people came along and commented on how hideous it seemed, further adding to the mystique. It also got my attention because the incredible detail levels make it seem as if it actually is a photograph instead of just a portrait. As I looked at it more it seemed to emit a sort of aura or presence due to its enormous size. I thought it was one of those painting that you can look at for a long time and still find small little nuances you did not notice before. It also has the ability to play tricks with ones eyes depending on how far away one views it. Up close it does not seem to be much of anything and it is possible to see all the intricacy that went into the portrait as it seems to come together all smooth. When gazed upon from further away one is able to see that it comes into focus and look like a detailed photograph. I went back home and researched Chuck Close, became engrossed by his style and story and therefore determined Nancy was the work I decided to write about. The feeling it gives me is almost unsettling in some regard. It is in such large scale that it almost takes a life of its own. Nancy also amazes me because it makes me think how confident Nancy Graves must have been to have her portrayed in such an unsightly manner with every flaw on showcase for people to see. It is almost as if she is making a statement with Close of that even though the human body is not perfect and can be ugly at times, that it still can be used as an art form. This seems to add an almost mystical quality that is hard to describe. The fact that Close can make something like this portrait and still make it a beautiful because of its detail is absolutely astounding to me. Typically when asked to think of famous portraits it is human nature to think of such greats as DaVincis the Mona Lisa or Gilbert Stuarts Portrait of George Washington. These are portraits which are much more aesthetically pleasing and follow closer to the thought of form that makes up portrait pa inting. While it seems as if no one thinks of Closes portraits in this same beautiful manner, I enjoy how Close makes them well revered and well heralded among art critics and general viewers alike. It makes me think when one takes anything and zooms in enough to expose all the little flaws and it becomes grotesque just as Nancy looks, how even grotesque things can still be subjects of great works of art. The fact that Close works with faces even though he cannot recognize them because of his condition also interests me. Coupling this with his paralysis suffered from the Event, along with him being wheelchair bound makes him a remarkable topic of study. From reading some interviews with him and looking at some of his quotes he seems very driven and passionate about his work which adds to the mystique of not only Nancy, but also his artistic career as a whole. He also seems to be quite the eclectic character and likes to do things his own way. Chuck Close accomplished setting himself apart while painting his heads series, including Nancy. By painting Nancy he created an awe striking portrait that captures the viewers attention. Nancy showcases Closes technical proficiency with all of its details, yet also manages to congeal all the details into one smooth image. Close not only started to set himself apart, but also helped bring photorealism into the mainstream in America with his larger than life portraits. These portraits exude a sort of mystique that is not easily ignored and it is one of the many reasons Close remains one of the most influential painters in the history of American art.