Wednesday, December 25, 2019
Billy Pilgrim Sane or Insane Essay - 1144 Words
SlaughterHouse-Five is a book about a man named Billy Pilgrim who is stuck in time, and constantly travels throughout different events in his life. Billy accepts different values and sees traumatic and morbid events differently than others. Billy accepts a way of life that is not perceivable to other humans. Many would argue that Billyââ¬â¢s experiences make him insane, but Billyââ¬â¢s experiences with the Tralfamadorians actually allows him to preserve his sanity, and stay a very intelligent man. Many argue that Billy is completely insane. Their position may include the fact that Billy never mentioned the planet Tralfamadore before he got into the plane crash. This is a great point because an event such a plane crash could very well leaveâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Veronica kept going towards the hospital anyway. When Barbara arrived at the hospital, she passed out from the fumes, and later died. Billy almost overlooks this tragic event. He just goes on with his life. This does not make him insane, he just believes in a different way of life and abides by that. Later in the book, Billy is describing to his daughter, Barbara, what it is like to live the Tralfamadorian way and what their ideals are like. Billy is explaining to her why we donââ¬â¢t know about them, and arguing with her. She snidely asks him that if he knew about the plane crash, then why didnââ¬â¢t he say anything? Billy simply replies ââ¬Å" I didnââ¬â¢t think the time was ripeâ⬠(Vonnegut, 38). Ripe is an interesting word choice. He uses it to imply that if he had done something about it, it would be like eating an unripe fruit, it isnââ¬â¢t meant to be done.The word choice really makes an impression on the reader. You think to yourself, ââ¬Å"when has the time not be ripe for me?â⬠Itââ¬â¢s an exceptional quote that makes you think about your own life choices.The Tralfamadorian ways teach that you cannot change the bad times, so just focus on the good ones. Billy is human, and he believes what the Tralfamadorians teach. Some may argue that a human, receiving information from super intelligent aliens, may cause insanity, and that no human is meant to live in four dimensions. Billy Pilgrim handles thisShow MoreRelatedBilly Pilgrims Presentations of Metal Illness in Kurt Vonnegutââ¬â¢s Slaughterhouse Five1286 Words à |à 5 PagesBilly Pilgrim, the main character of Kurt Vonnegutââ¬â¢s novel Slaughterhouse Five, would not be described as an ordinary person by any standards. Billy is an optometrist, prisoner of war, World War II veteran, a zoo display for aliens, and a frequent time traveler. The character Billy is a controversial subject, because readers cannot discern whether he is sane and has fantastical experiences or is insane and deserves to be in a mental hospital. Billy Pilgrim may be many things, but is Billy simplyRead MoreSlaughterhouse Five and Hamlet1701 Words à |à 7 Pageschallenging. When comparing two characters, it is harder to see the similarities than the differences. Hamlet and Billy Pilgrim are two different characters, from two different centuries, from two different countries, from two different worlds, and yet their search for the meaning of life was astonishingly similar. The search for the meaning of life becomes quite difficult for Hamlet and Billy Pilgrim. They both experience horrific adventures in their lives along with insanity which their personalities attractRead More Slaughterhouse Five Essay1088 Words à |à 5 Pagesinstitutions, Billy Pilgrim turns to the Tralfalmadorian concept of time. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Billy Pilgrim has been through many cruelties in his life. As a child his own father was cruel to him. They had gone to the Y.M.C.A. to teach Billy how to swim. A horrible, traumatic, event that would stay with Billy for the rest of his life. ââ¬Å"Little Billy was terrified, because his father had said Billy was going to learn to swim by the method of sink-or ââ¬âswim. His father was going to throw Billy intoRead More Kurt Vonneguts Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions3313 Words à |à 14 Pagesbook, would incorporate this idea of determinism into its theme. Slaughterhouse-Five is about a man named Billy Pilgrim who becomes ââ¬Å"unstuck in timeâ⬠(Vonnegut 29). His experiences in the Second World War ââ¬â namely, the fire-bombing of Dresden, where a generally peaceful and pretty German city was wiped off the map by an Allied aerial assault ââ¬â leave him mentally disjointed and not quite sane. Of course, nothing fanfares ine vitability and a predetermined state of existence quiet like the wild adventures
Monday, December 16, 2019
Harlem Renaissance Poets Langston Hughes, Claude McKay,...
The Harlem Renaissance was a time where creativity flourished throughout the African American community. At the time many African Americans were treated as second class citizens. The Harlem Renaissance acted as artistic and cultural outlet for the African-American community. The Harlem Renaissance, otherwise known as ââ¬Å"The New Negro Movementâ⬠was an unexpected outburst of creative activity among African Americans In the poems Harlem by Langston Hughes, America by Claude McKay, and Incident by Countee Cullen all use frustration and hope as reoccurring themes to help empower the African-American population and realize the injustices they face day to day. The Harlem Renaissance was a period marked by great change and forever altered theâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦In Langston Hughes poem Harlem, he discuses a ââ¬Å"dream deferredâ⬠throughout the whole poem. Hughes discuses what happens when people let go or forget about their dreams. In lines two and three, Hughes sa ys ââ¬Å"Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?â⬠. He is still talking about the dreams here trying to figure out what actually happened to it. A raisin starts off as a grape. Grapes are known as being juicy and colorful. When becoming a raisin, grapes are set out in the sun to dry out. When raisins dry out, they become brown and shriveled losing all their water. Although both are very nutritious for you, raisins contain no water and are not regarded as a fruit. They look dead. Grapes on the other hand are plumb and filled with water. They are colorful and are seen as alive. Langston Hughes uses a grapes, raisins, and sun symbolically. Grapes refers to peoples dreams, raisins stand for peoples ââ¬Å"deferred dreamsâ⬠, and the sun represents society. During childhood our dreams are colorful and full of life like grapes, but eventually society/reality dries them up like the sun dries up a raisin. The end product is our reality, other wise known as a raisin. During the 1 920s, many young African-Americans gave up on their childhood dreams because of society old them they could not do it. Langston Hughes seems frustrated with this and does not understandShow MoreRelatedPoetrys Influences on the Harlem Renaissance2031 Words à |à 9 Pagesjustice. Poets like Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, and Claude McKay wrote many poems that spoke on equality in society. African Americans felt betrayed after the civil war. They had given their lives and after the war nothing had changed (Cartwright, ââ¬Å"The Harlem Renaissanceâ⬠). They were still not treated equal and didnââ¬â¢t get paid as much as any other worker. During the 1920ââ¬â¢s they started a cultural and racial movement in Harlem, New York called the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was aRead MoreEssay on Journey to the Harlem Renaissance1282 Words à |à 6 Pagesthe Harlem Renaissance As America moves into a more cultural and diversified era, more people are taking the time to learn about the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was the foremost form of freedom for African Americans. It showed blacks that they were becoming equals in American society. The talents of African Americans soared in art, music, literature and especially poetry. The main writers embodying the Harlem Renaissance were Claude McKay, Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen. Read MoreA New Beginning For African Americans Essay1291 Words à |à 6 Pagesmovement became known as the Harlem Renaissance, which is also known as the ââ¬Å"New Negro Movementâ⬠. With this movement, African Americans sought out to challenge the ââ¬Å"Negroâ⬠stereotype that they had received from others while developing innovation and great cultural activity. The Harlem Renaissance became an artistic explosion in the creative arts. Thus, many African Americans turned to writing, art, music, and theatrics to express their selves. The Harlem Renaissance opened doors to the African AmericanRead MoreHarlem Renaissance: African American Culture Essay1181 Words à |à 5 PagesDuring the 1920ââ¬â¢s a new movement began to arise. This movement known as the Harlem Renaissance expressed the new African American culture. The new African American culture was expressed through the writing of books, poetry, essays, the playing of music, and through sculptures and paintings. Three poems and their poets express the new African American culture with ease. (Jordan 848-891) The poems also express the position of themselves and other African Americans during this time. ââ¬Å"You and Your WholeRead MoreEssay about The Harlem Renaissance1515 Words à |à 7 Pages à à à à à The Harlem Renaissance Poets consist of: James Weldon Johnson, Countee Cullen, Claude McKay, Jean (Eugene) Toomer, Langston Hughes, Sterling Brown, Robert Hayden, and Gwendolyn Brooks. These eight poets contributed to modern day poetry in thre e ways. One: they all wrote marvelous poems that inspired our poets of modern times. Two: they contributed to literature to let us know what went on in there times, and how much we now have changed. And last but not least they all have written poems thatRead MoreRacial Discrimination And The Harlem Renaissance2310 Words à |à 10 Pagesera of the United States. The reason why this film is so controversial is that it portrayed African Americans as not smart and also sexual violent, while portraying the KKK as a just and chivalrous force for good. This film influenced the Harlem Renaissance Poets because it illustrated how hate and discrimination existed against African Americans. That is why racial discrimination is one of the most important problems. Racial discrimination and stereotypes are important to consider in modern timesRead MoreHarlem And The Middle Of The 1930s1791 Words à |à 8 PagesThe Harlem Renaissance was the name given to the cultural, social, and artistic explos ion that took place in Harlem, New York between the conclusion of World War I and the middle of the 1930s. During this period, Harlem was a cultural center, drawing black writers, artists, musicians, photographers, poets, and scholars. Many had come from the South, fleeing its oppressive caste system in order to find a place where they could freely express their talents; this became known as The Great MigrationRead More Langston Hughes Essay670 Words à |à 3 Pages James Langston Hughes was born February 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri. His parents divorced when he was very small, and his father (who found American racism made his desires to be a lawyer impossible) left the family and emigrated to Mexico. Hughes mother moved with her child to Lawrence, Kansas, so she and he could live with his grandmother, Mary Langston. Langston Hughes mother moved to Topeka in 1907, leaving the five-year-old with his grandmother. Langston came from a family of African-AmericanRead MoreThe Modernist Period Of American Literature1155 Words à |à 5 PagesAmerican community through the Harlem Renaissance. Through the Harlem Renaissance we see a growth and expansion of opportunities in the African American community not only in literature but also in the arts through music and dance, especially jazz music. Major contributors to the harlem renaissance who we see writing a great deal about the limitations and expansion of opportunities of race include Langston Hughes through his work ââ¬Å"I, too, Sing Americaâ⬠, Countee Cullen through his work of ââ¬Å"Heritageâ⬠Read More Writers of the Harlem Renaissance Essay2535 Words à |à 11 PagesWriters of the Harlem Renaissance During the 1920?s, a ?flowering of creativity,? as many have called it, began to sweep the nation. The movement, now known as ?The Harlem Renaissance,? caught like wildfire. Harlem, a part of Manhattan in New York City, became a hugely successful showcase for African American talent. Starting with black literature, the Harlem Renaissance quickly grew to incredible proportions. W.E.B. Du Bois, Claude McKay, and Langston Hughes, along with many other
Sunday, December 8, 2019
Finding the Drive free essay sample
The exchange of free time for a passion proved a worthwhile trade. Over the past few months, I worked on a novella titled Drive, the story of a high school student whose suburban bubble unexpectedly bursts. This work is my first fiction piece to venture beyond eight pages, and the complex process was exhausting. Solid prose takes solid hours, and I gave many. Writing was squeezed in after late-night study sessions, on early weekend mornings and during recent trips. The past months were a time of prolific travel, taking me to New Mexico, New Hampshire, New Jersey, South Carolina and Italy, and in all these places, I spent hours plugging away, trying to form a sense of myself in fiction. While writing during my lifeââ¬â¢s margins, I fell in and out of love with the story countless times. Sentences were created, removed, reinstated, modified and then removed again. Paragraphs radiated brilliance upon their births and were the subject of editorial ridicule soon after, and throughout, thoughts about the work refused to give me leave until the story had been finished. We will write a custom essay sample on Finding the Drive or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Writing is an unstable marriage: strong emotions are dangerously volatile, constantly threatening to destroy the collaborative link. This basic relationship is hard enough to maintain by itself, so adding tight scheduling and a heavy workload pushed the process towards impossibility. But I finished the first draft, wearily concocting the last sentence at three-thirty on a weekend morning. My jubilation at completion was ineffable, beyond any sense of accomplishment felt previously. The draft is my security blanket; just looking at the thick stack of paper raises my spirits. Now, as I am relishing an intensive editing process with my favorite English teacher, my relationship with the work is closer to that of a mother to her newborn child. I ogle over my creation and dutifully nurture it. The point of Drive was to find myself in the story, to sum up life thus far, and with good editing, that goal will be accomplished. But through the writing process, I inadvertently summed up where my life should go. The contentedness of writing is where my future lies. Ideas are deceptively clear when lounging in the brain, and translating these ideas into words is what satisfies me. Be it as a writer, editor or teacher, involvement in finishing hard-won writing is what my profession must entail; I cannot walk away from the creative process. Though Drive is not yet complete, a new story is already waiting in the wings, and it will not let go until put to paper.
Sunday, December 1, 2019
Superstition in Huck Finn Essay Example For Students
Superstition in Huck Finn Essay In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, there is a lot of superstition. Some examples of superstition in the novel are Huck killing a spider which is bad luck, the hair-ball used to tell fortunes, and the rattle-snake skin Huck touches that brings Huck and Jim good and bad luck. Superstition plays an important role in the novel Huck Finn. In Chapter one Huck sees a spider crawling up his shoulder, so he flipped it off and it went into the flame of the candle. Before he could get it out, it was already shriveled up. Huck didnt need anyone to tell him that it was an bad sign and would give him bad luck. Huck got scared and shook his clothes off, and turned in his tracks three times. He then tied a lock of his hair with a thread to keep the witches away. You do that when youve lost a horseshoe that youve found, instead of nailing it up over the door, but I hadnt ever heard anybody say it was any way to keep of bad luck when youd killed a spider.(Twain 5). We will write a custom essay on Superstition in Huck Finn specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now In chapter four Huck sees Paps footprints in the snow. So Huck goes to Jim to ask him why Pap is here. Jim gets a hair-ball that is the size of a fist that he took from an oxs stomach. Jim asks the hair-ball; Why is Pap here? But the hair-ball wont answer. Jim says it needs money, so Huck gives Jim a counterfeit quarter. Jim puts the quarter under the hair-ball. The hair-ball talks to Jim and Jim tells Huck that it says. Yoole father doan know yit what hes a-gwyne to do. Sometimes he spec hell go way, en den agin he spec hell stay. De bes way is tores easy en let de ole man take his own way. Deys two angles hoverin roun bout him. One uvem is white en shiny, en tother one is black. De white one gits him to go right a little while, den de black one sil in en gust it all up. A body cant tell yit which one gwyne to fetch him at de las. But you is all right. You gwyne to have considable trouble in yo life, en considable joy. Sometimes you gwyne to git hurt, en sometimes you gwyne to git s ick; but every time yous gwyne to git well agin. Deys two gals flyin bout yo in yo life. One uv ems light en tother one is dark. One is rich en tother is po. Yous gwyne to marry de po one fust en de rich one by en by. You wants to keep way fum de water as much as you kin, en dont run no resk, kase its down in de bills dat yous gwyne to git hung. (Twain 19). Huck goes home and goes up to his room that night and Pap is there. In Chapter ten, Huck and Jim run into good luck and bad luck. The good luck was Huck and Jim finds eight dollars in the pocket of an overcoat. After dinner on Friday, they are lying in the grass, then Huck ran out of tobacco, so he went to the craven to get some, and finds a rattlesnake. Huck kills it and curled it up and put it on the foot of Jims blanket. Night came and Jim flung himself on the blanket and the snakes mate was there, and it bit Jim on the heel. Jim tells Huck to chop off the snakes head, then skin the body of the snake and roast a peice of it. He took the rattles off and tied them to Jim wrist. Jim said it would help him. Huck says I made up my mind I wouldnt ever take a-holt of a snake-skin again with my hands, now that I see what had come of it. (Twain 52). .uaf42d3ea37abe9f88ac7fef3040af6d1 , .uaf42d3ea37abe9f88ac7fef3040af6d1 .postImageUrl , .uaf42d3ea37abe9f88ac7fef3040af6d1 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uaf42d3ea37abe9f88ac7fef3040af6d1 , .uaf42d3ea37abe9f88ac7fef3040af6d1:hover , .uaf42d3ea37abe9f88ac7fef3040af6d1:visited , .uaf42d3ea37abe9f88ac7fef3040af6d1:active { border:0!important; } .uaf42d3ea37abe9f88ac7fef3040af6d1 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uaf42d3ea37abe9f88ac7fef3040af6d1 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uaf42d3ea37abe9f88ac7fef3040af6d1:active , .uaf42d3ea37abe9f88ac7fef3040af6d1:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uaf42d3ea37abe9f88ac7fef3040af6d1 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uaf42d3ea37abe9f88ac7fef3040af6d1 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uaf42d3ea37abe9f88ac7fef3040af6d1 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uaf42d3ea37abe9f88ac7fef3040af6d1 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uaf42d3ea37abe9f88ac7fef3040af6d1:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uaf42d3ea37abe9f88ac7fef3040af6d1 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uaf42d3ea37abe9f88ac7fef3040af6d1 .uaf42d3ea37abe9f88ac7fef3040af6d1-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uaf42d3ea37abe9f88ac7fef3040af6d1:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Howard Hughes EssayAs one can see Superstition plays an important role in the novel Huck Finn. Huck killing the spider which is bad luck, the hair-ball that tells fortunes, and the rattle-snake skin that Huck touched are examples that brought bad luck to Huck and Jim
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
How to Write a College Essay
How to Write a College Essay There are different thoughts on writing college essay and people have different thoughts on how to write a college essay. Principally, writing an essay for college is not a major problem if you have a natural flair for writing. College students often get confused in their initial college life when they get instructions from teachers to write a college essay. The reason is very simple, they have now no prior experience and they really donââ¬â¢t know how to write a college essay. Some simple steps may be of great use for the students if they follow these with an objective oriented mind. Write your topic on the first page and divide it into sub topics. Sub-topics are mainly sub headings and related issues that may appear in your completed essay as a finished product. This will give you a fair idea of main contents and thoughts involved. Now see what is the quantity required for that specific essay. Quantity should be considered in number of words and not in number of pages as number of pages may change dramatically with a slight change in layout, font, borders, or theme of the project. The next step is filling the contents in your proposed or planned contents. Always start from the main content idea or title discussion as it serves the purpose of an attention grabber for the reader. The more appropriate and impressive you prove here, more marks you get from your teacher in evaluation. Writing main theme paragraph in the beginning is also a good idea as it serves the purpose of both attention grabber and idea demonstration. Whenever the problem occurs during writing, never hesitate to look around for more innovative approach and examples. Environment itself guides you on how to write a college essay. Studentsââ¬â¢ discussions, teachersââ¬â¢ opinion, evaluatorsââ¬â¢ comments and libraryââ¬â¢s resources; all can be a good source in writing a college essay.
Friday, November 22, 2019
Commensalism Definition, Examples, and Relationships
Commensalism Definition, Examples, and Relationships Commensalism is a type of relationship between two living organisms in which one organism benefits from the other without harming it. A commensal species benefits from another species by obtaining locomotion, shelter, food, or support from the host species, which (for the most part) neither benefits nor is harmed. Commensalism ranges from brief interactions between species to life-long symbiosis. Commensalism Definition The term was coined in 1876 by Belgian paleontologist and zoologist Pierre-Joseph van Beneden, along with the term mutualism. Beneden initially applied the word to describe the activity of carcass-eating animals that followed predators to eat their waste food. The word commensalism comes from the Latin word commensalis, which means sharing a table. Commensalism is most often discussed in the fields of ecology and biology, although the term extends to other sciences. Terms Related to Commensalism Commensalism is often confused with related words: Mutualism - Mutualism is aà relationship in which two organisms benefit from each other. Amensalism - A relationship in which one organism is harmed while the other is not affected. Parasitism - A relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is harmed. Theres often debate about whether a particular relationship is an example of commensalism or another type of interaction. For example, some scientists consider the relationship between people and gut bacteria to be an example of commensalism, while others believe it is mutualistic because humans may gain a benefit from the relationship. Examples of Commensalism Remora fish have a disk on their heads that makes them able to attach to larger animals, such as sharks, mantas, and whales. When the larger animal feeds, the remora detaches itself to eat the extra food.Nurse plants are larger plants that offer protection to seedlings from the weather and herbivores, giving them an opportunity to grow.Tree frogs use plants as protection.Golden jackals, once they have been expelled from a pack, will trail a tiger to feed on the remains of its kills.Goby fish live on other sea animals, changing color to blend in with the host, thus gaining protection from predators.Cattle egrets eat the insects stirred up by cattle when they are grazing. The cattle are unaffected, while the birds gain food.The burdock plant produces spiny seeds that cling to the fur of animals or clothing of humans. The plants rely on this method of seed dispersal for reproduction, while the animals are unaffected. Types of Commensalism (With Examples) Inquilinism - In inquilinism, one organism uses another for permanent housing. An example is a bird that lives in a tree hole. Sometimes epiphytic plants growing on trees are considered iniquilism, while others might consider this to be a parasitic relationship because the epiphyte might weaken the tree or take nutrients that would otherwise go to the host. Metabiosis - Metabiosis is a commensalistic relationship in which one organism forms a habitat for another. An example is a hermit crab, which uses a shell from a dead gastropod for protection. Another example would be maggots living on a dead organism. Phoresy - In phoresy, one animal attaches to another for transport. This type of commensalism is most often seen in arthropods, such as mites living on insects. Other examples include anemone attachment to hermit crab shells, pseudoscorpions living on mammals, and millipedes traveling on birds. Phoresy may be either obligate or facultative. Microbiota - Microbiota are commensal organisms that form communities within a host organism. An example is the bacterial flora found on human skin. Scientists disagree on whether microbiota is truly a type of commensalism. In the case of skin flora, for example, there is evidence the bacteria confer some protection on the host (which would be mutualism). Domesticated Animals and Commensalism Domestic dogs, cats, and other animals appear to have started out with commensal relationships with humans. In the case of the dog, DNA evidence indicates dogs associated themselves with people before humans switched from hunting-gathering to agriculture. Its believed the ancestors of dogs followed hunters to eat remains of carcasses. Over time, the relationship became mutualistic, where humans also benefited from the relationship, gaining defense from other predators and assistance tracking and killing prey. As the relationship changed, so did the characteristics of dogs. Reference:à Larson G (2012). Rethinking dog domestication by integrating genetics, archeology, and biogeography. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 109: 8878ââ¬â83.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Whats wrong with the American School system Essay
Whats wrong with the American School system - Essay Example The paper will highlight those elements and related factors that are the ultimate cause of substandard teaching and flaws in American school system. In America, the school system is unable to meet the learning needs of students and the approach is outdated that is not helpful for them in this digital age. It is due to the fact that America in the past focused on schools systems to be producing a workforce that was limited in number. Therefore, it was not a big deal if not all children were getting their way into classrooms. It ultimately resulted in making half population going to school with the other half remaining idle thus participating in criminal activities and becoming drug addicts. It is unfortunate but true that only one-third of American population got a change to finish their high schools with a rise in dropout rates at the same time (Gates, 2005). These are the students that gets their way into college and are ready for work while other students are taught things that they cannot make use of anywhere. Gates (2005) argues that class difference is also there in American school systems where not all children are getting equal chance to surpass due to economic conditions. In an attempt to highlight the nature of problems that American schools face, Steffin (2011) discusses the key aspects that are important in terms of drawbacks of majority of American schools. These drawbacks include the inadequacy of learning that does not contribute to creating certain skills in students that they could use in future. Moreover, the learning materials are not up to the mental level of some of students. An ambiguity also prevails in students mind as to what they are learning and what is their aim in reading the subjects they do. It is also disturbing for the teachers as they themselves do not think they are being successful in teaching students
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun - contemporary artist Research Paper
Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun - contemporary artist - Research Paper Example The paper "Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun - contemporary artist" concerns the art of Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun. Now this kind of art is called propaganda. Many contemporary artists, though, are again turning to art as protest, incorporating political statements within the frames of their artworks and striving to encourage a more humanitarian, sustainable approach to modern life. Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun is no exception to this group of artists, although he may be considered more political than most. Like many artists at work today, a great deal of Yuxweluptun's art can be associated with the popular culture movements, but it is also heavily informed by modern politics and ancient legends. To understand Yuxweluptan's work, such as "The Impending Nisga'a Deal," it is helpful to know some background information about the artist and the event that inspired the work. Yuxweluptun is a Native American, his father is from the Cowichan Salish and his mother from the Okanagan, which had a strong i mpact on his art. He was born in 1957 and grew up mostly around the Vancouver area of Canada, giving him a very contemporary, modern viewpoint to his family's ancient roots as they were heavily involved in tribal issues. "He is deeply connected to his heritage as a man of mixed Okanagan and Coast Salish ancestry but cannot separate himself from the larger, non-Native society in which he now lives. He is an urban Indian, trained at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design, and his art partakes of conflicting traditions.
Saturday, November 16, 2019
Differences Between Pr and Advertising Essay Example for Free
Differences Between Pr and Advertising Essay Differences Between Advertising and Public Relations Advertising vs. public relations, these two industries are very different even though theyre commonly confused as being one and the same. The following ten properties just scratch the surface of the many differences between advertising and public relations. 1. Paid Vs Free Coverage * Advertising: The company pays for ad space. You know exactly when that ad will air or be published. For Example: Infosys gives an ad in The Hindu on Wednesdays in the Opportunities column. So it has the liberty and control to opt whether they want to give the ad on a particular Wednesday or not depending on their requirement. * Public Relations: Your job is to get free publicity for the company. From news conferences to press releases, youre focused on getting free media exposure for the company and its products/services. For Example: Tata Nano is the best example of this. Till now Nano was not advertised and all its publicity is through PR. 2. Creative Control Vs. No Control * Advertising: Since youre paying for the space, you have creative control on what goes into that ad. Any feature of the ad can be designed according to the way you want to portray the image of your company. For Example: Close-up portrays a youthful image through its advertisements, whereas Cadbury (which earlier had largely targeted the youth) has shifted its focus and now projects its chocolate as something for the whole family to enjoy during times of rejoicing. * Public Relations: You have no control over how the media presents (or misrepresents) information about your organization. For Example: Reliance did not have a control over the news which was published regarding the conflict between Mukesh Ambani and Anil Ambani and had to pay for it in form of loss in the share price (initially). 3. Shelf Life * Advertising: Since you pay for the space, you can run your ads over and over for as long as your budget allows. An ad generally has a longer shelf life than one press release. * Public Relations: You generally submit a press release about a new product once. You only submit a press release about a news conference once. The PR exposure you receive is only circulated once. An editor wont publish your same press release three or four times in their magazine. 4. Wise Consumers * Advertising: Consumers know when theyre reading an advertisement theyre trying to be sold a product or service. The consumer understands that we have paid to present our selling message to him or her, and unfortunately, the consumer often views the selling message very guardedly. * Public Relations: When someone reads a third-party article written about your product or views coverage of your event on TV, theyre seeing something you didnt pay for and view it differently than they do paid advertising. Where we can generate some sort of third-party endorsement by independent media sources, we can create great credibility for our clients products or services. 5. Creativity * Advertising: In advertising, you get to exercise your creativity in creating new ad campaigns and materials. Some jingles in the ad have a long bonding with the product. Few Examples: Surf comes with a series of new ads from time to time. Britanniaââ¬â¢s jingle is well remembered and is branded even in its website. * Public Relations: In public relations, you have to have a nose for news and be able to generate buzz through that news. You exercise your creativity, to an extent, in the way you search for new news to release to the media. For Example: Apple iPhone is an example of this. Apple created a huge buzz in the market exercising creativity to and extend and the result was a huge demand for the Iphone much before its release date. 6. Target Audience or Hooked Editor * Advertising: Youre looking for your target audience and advertising accordingly. You wouldnt advertise a womens TV network in a male-oriented sports magazine. * Public Relations: You must have an angle and hook editors to get them to use info for an article, to run a press release or to cover your event. . 7. Special Events * Advertising: If your company sponsors an event, you wouldnt want to take out an ad giving yourself a pat on the back for being such a great company. This is where your PR department steps in. Public Relations: If youre sponsoring an event, you can send out a press release and the media might pick it up. They may publish the information or cover the event. 8. Writing Style * Advertising: Buy this product! Act now! Call today! These are all things you can say in an advertisement. You want to use those buzz words to motivate people to buy your product. * Public Relations: Youre strictly writing in a no-nonsense news format. Any bl atant commercial messages in your communications are disregarded by the media.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Gray :: essays research papers
Gray's "The Epitaph": An Analysis In the Epitaph, Thomas Gray shows his discontent toward the way that life and death are categorized on this planet. He speaks of earth as a place which holds people for the time being that they are going through this grand cycle of what is called life. When somebody only "rests his head upon the lap of Earth" it is not a way of approving the way that people are laid down for their final resting. The Epitaph shows , properly titled, the lot about how people are being brought up and brought down in a dark sort of way. Someone's personal epitaph is just a place where their head rests and Even "Fair Science frowned" on the aspects of the person's life and now the incapacity that they have toward this world. Their one and only sole purpose in this world is to waste space in the earth and rot away for eternity. Gray's style is very intriguing. He speaks of god and how there are certain things around that are only now known as "frailties" of what used to be life. Gray speaks out against the way this person was treated in society which is symbolic of how people are being treated as a whole and the hollowness and shallowness of people in the world. Now the person is dead, there is no other help that you could give him. "Large was his bounty, and his soul sincere" was how the man lived, and although his soul was a true one, he was still a marked man, and now he is only marked with a stone that protrudes from the ground known as The Epitaph. God is a part of life which gray dispises. He goes against the idea of a belief in one immortal being who rules over people and casts judgments and leaves some people for broke. "The bosom of his father and his god" were those that were unhelpful in the dead man's life, because he ended up just as everyone else will, dead, it is just that he was not blessed with as much life.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Lee Valley Regional Park
Leisure is time off from the pressures of work to relax, enjoy life and go do things you normally cannot do at work. It seems that in today's society, it is hard for us to get away from the hectic schedules of work to enjoy life. We crave time for leisure, and value the time that we do get for leisure. Yet there are many different types of leisure such as Indoor- fitness activities, sports clubs, health farms, cinemas, pubs, and restaurants, as well as outdoor leisure such as sports, walking and enjoying the scenery, and parks. With the aid of different types of parks- national parks (located in remote areas), country parks (in urban areas, with havens of greenery), and regional parks (a mix of both national parks and country parks), the leisure moments are valued even more because it become more exiting and interesting. Regional and country parks allow people who live in the city to witness and enjoy leisure in the outdoor form. This is due to the countryside atmosphere, numbers of leisure centres, and the outdoors, natural environment. An example of a type of Regional Park is The Lee Valley Regional Park. The Lee Valley Regional Park is located on the lower Lee Valley River. The river creates a boarder between Essex and Hertfordshire. It also flows through several boroughs of London. The River Lee is a tributary of the River Thames During the Industrial Revolution, the River Lee was used as one of the many transport links. Consequently, the River Lee and its valley became polluted and then derelict. Then in 1963, ten authorities around the Valley discussed, in depth, the future of the Valley. The meeting was held because the pollution of the valley effected the neighbouring areas. The authorities discussed and agreed that the valley was a perfect area to develop into a recreational area. The parks governing body was set up in 1965, after a bill was promoted in parliament. On the first of January 1967, The Lee Valley Regional Park authority was established due to the Royal Assent. It is easy to access The Lee Valley Regional Park as the M25 cuts through the park. The park is ten thousand acres (approx.) in land. The regional park has various features such as holiday areas ââ¬â caravan parks and camping sights, water activities- fishing, swimming, etc., and other sights such as picnic areas, large sums of greenery, and fields for sports as well as sport centres. Due to certain water activities, reservoirs were developed around the region, to insure the usage of water. The Lee Valley Regional Park ââ¬Ëprovides leisure activities while conserving and enhancing the environment.' The purpose of the enquiry is to collect information and evidence, from a field study, to see if the hypothesis is true. I must agree or disagree with the hypothesis. From the field study I will understand if the park meets all it requirements as well as if the park conserves and enhances the environment. To prove the hypothesis is correct or not I will need to study The Lee Valley Regional Park carefully. I will take a map of the Lee Valley Regional Park and plot data such as assessments, economic activity, signs, facilities, damage and neglect on the map in code. Then I will note the data and what it means on notebook paper. I will assess and evaluate both sides of the river. Then, using the map on the trip I will create two maps. One will be for assessments and the other of economic activities, signs, facilities, damages and neglects. I will produce lists. With this information I will create evidence towards my answer of the hypothesis by producing pie charts and divided bars. Using the maps, pie charts, and divided bars I will analyse and conclude whether or not the hypothesis is correct. Analysis of Results To help me reach a decision about whether the hypothesis is true or not, I constructed pie charts, dividing bars, lists, and maps on the data collected on the trip. From the map of assessments, I have analysed that on the near bank, there are more assessments ranging from 1-5 while on the far bank the assessments range only from 3 and 4, mostly consisting of 3. The near bank consisted of 4% of assessment 5. The far bank consisted of 8% of assessment 5. Similarly the near bank consisted of 8% assessment 1 and the far bank consisted of 0% of assessment 1. On the assessment map, it seems to have large sections of the same assessments. There are long strips of assessment 3 stating that the landscapes around the Lee Valley Regional Park are very similar. Yet a 3 in assessments counted as a nothing special in the landscape for the public to enjoy nor is it enhancing and conserving the environment. Overall I had a 50% of assessment 3 (69% on the far bank and 38% on the near bank) Towards the end of the route, there seemed to be longer strips of assessment 4 on the near bank. There were also many facilities and economic activities at this point. For example there were car parks, picnic areas, and restaurants. Similarly, during the beginning of the trip, there seems to be many facilities and economic activities compared to the middle of the trip. Facilities Data collected and transferred on map 2 (Signs, Economic Activities, Facilities, Damage, and Neglect) shows that there are many facilities for the public at the Lee Valley Regional Park, yet these facilities are close together at each end of the route. These facilities include car parks, picnic areas, pubs, and restaurants. However, there are facility locations in the middle of the route. Yet these facilities are little thing such as rubbish bins. There also seems to be more facilities on the near bank, than there is on the far bank. Economic Activities Facilities such as The Crown Pub, the boat hire, and the caravan site were also economic activities. Yet privately owned economic activities such as the factory (E6) seemed to make the Lee Valley Regional Park polluted with rubbish. The economic activities were distributed evenly on the near bank, however this was not the case on the far bank. Neglects and Damage In total, there were 6 numbers of neglects that I recognised on the route. However there seemed to be no neglects after the first lock. This shows that some care has been taken to maintain the park, but not as much to conserve the environment. There was only one neglect on the far bank, which was the resurfacing and painting of lines in the car park. However there were 5 on the near bank. There were a total of 7 damages that I recognised. Damages such as graffiti, litter, noise, and pollution coming from buildings. Using the neglect and damage dividing bar, there are more damages that neglect. Signs Overall there were a total of 42 signs. Most of these signs were on the near bank, probably because most of the public uses the near bank. The signs are fairly distributed. There were a handful of signs, which were neglected, yet it did not seem that those signs were any help to the public. Some of the signs were really helpful and informative. These signs included maps, and lots of colour, which attracted a lot of attention. However, all the results, which I collected, were based upon a small bit of the park. This is because we only followed the near bank. The far bank was seen from a distance, so maybe if I had taken the far bank route, I would have found more assessments, signs, facilities, etc. Conclusion From the data that I collected on the trip, and the graphs and maps which I have created using the data, I have come to the conclusion that the Lee Valley Regional Park IS NOT up to the standard of its main purpose which is ââ¬Ëto provide leisure activities while conserving and enhancing the environment'. 50% of the assessments were 3. This means that there wasn't anything for the public in this area as well as that area wasn't conserving or enhancing the environment. If 50% of what I saw was assessed as a 3, than The Lee Valley Regional Park is failing its main purpose. ââ¬ËTo provide leisure activities,' is one of its main purposes. However, from the evidence collected, this does not seem to be the case. There are only 16 facilities that I recognised. Out of those 16 there are only the caravan parks, children's play area, and the picnic areas are leisure facilities. With only 3 leisure facilities, the rest of the facilities are not leisure related. Also the Caravan Park is very dirty, with a lot of waste from people who stay there. The authorities do not seem to take care of the environment around the Caravan Park. It seems that unless the authorities stop neglecting the Caravan Park, there will be a decline in people staying at the Caravan Park. Since the Caravan Park is an economic activity, The Lee Valley Regional Park will start to loose some money. Most of the facilities are close to the ends of the route. It seems to be like this as the authorities know that people will not walk a long distance, and so the will only walk a little further from the car park, where most of the facilities are. Yet if they are to provide leisure activities, it should be throughout the route. ââ¬ËConserving and enhancing the environment' is another purpose of The Lee Valley Regional Park. Yet with a lot of assessment 3, this purpose is not falling through. With private development such as Gravel Pits (E7) and Factories (E6), conserving and enhancing the environment is not possible. These types of developments cause pollution and destroy the environment. It is understandable that these are private developments. However, The Lee Valley Regional Park authority do have control and a say of whether or not they want these private companies developing on their land. With the air and land pollution comes sound pollution from these development areas. The noise disturbs the environment around it. For example, people will become irritated from the noise that a development area brings e.g. machine noises. Also the wildlife are effected, as they will move away from the noise. The Lee Valley Regional Park does need more land in order to create more facilities for leisure purposes. This is not possible if there are many private lands owned around the area of the park. For The Lee Valley Regional Park to meet its requirement, which is to provide leisure activities while conserving and enhancing the environment, it will have to invest money to buy private land, to increase facilities. They will also have to fix damages and neglect. They should also fix the route.
Saturday, November 9, 2019
Box Reliquary of the True Cross and Other Byzantium Devotional Art
This exquisite box, currently exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, was made in Constantinople (Byzantium, now Istanbul) in the late 8th or early 9th century. Such relics are said to have housed the pieces of the True Cross, which was allegedly discovered in the 4th century by Saint Helena, mother of the first Christian Roman emperor Constantine (New York Met Museum, 2005). During the time of the rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire, Constantinople was to become the largest Christian city in the Christian world.It managed to fend off attacks from the Arabs with its superior navy and Greek methods of warfare (Ellie Crystal, ââ¬Å"Byzantine Empire,â⬠1995 ââ¬â 2005). This box survived the Iconoclast Crisis in the 8th century, when Emperor Leo III banned all activity involving ââ¬Å"idol worshipâ⬠. All sculptures and icons containing images saints and other religious luminaries were ordered to be destroyed, and the only symbols allowed to be used f or religious reverence, were that of plants and birds or the Cross.Prior to the crisis, however, such reliquaries were very common for the safekeeping of pieces of the True Cross or the bones of saints, and were very common at the time. The iconoclasm was a very violent and turbulent time in Byzantium due to the zealotry of Leo III and his differences with the Patriarch of the time and according to various account, Leo III took a volcanic eruption on the island of Thera as a sign of Godââ¬â¢s wrath over idolatry in the Church (Wikipedia). It was during the ban of religious icons that the Patriarch of Constantinople, Germanus I, was removed or resigned his post.Meanwhile, in the West of Byzantium, Pope Gregory III condemned Leo IIIââ¬â¢s decisions and actions and held two synods at Rome, publicly denouncing the iconoclasm. In retaliation, Leo III seized papal lands as well as raided churches and seized altar cloths, reliquaries and plates (History of the Byzantine State and Soc iety, Treadgold, Helen, Stanford University Press, 1997). Following Leo IIIââ¬â¢s death, his son Constantine V continued the ban and here is where some interesting occurrences come to light: the monasteries began to protest publicly. One monk, John of Damascus, protested iconoclasm through his theological writings.Another monk, Theodore the Studite brought things to a head by writing a letter to Pope Paschal containing strong words against the emperor. This brought dire consequences and was considered a major political step in the wrong direction by Constantine V, who invaded the monasteries, seizing their relics and throwing them into the sea. The next move from Constantine was to ban the monks from invoking the saints. This terrible period came to an end upon the death of Constantine Vââ¬â¢s son Leo IV, whose Athenian wife Irene took position as regent for their young son, who would be the future emperor.She brought an end to iconoclasm and restored the ability of the artisa ns of the time to create icons depicting saints, Jesus, and the other figures of Christianity. It is difficult to imagine such violence over images used for the purposes of drawing upon the power of God being so violently opposed when icons and images of political figures were considered to be acceptable works of respect. Already it is easy to see that the survival of this box reliquary is almost a miracle in itself, considering the wanton destruction of such items, even as common as they were.Since this particular box is made of certain substances that are considered rare today, let us now turn our attention to the box itself. It is small, measuring 4 inches long and 2-7/8 inches across. The estimated date of creation of this box is the late 8th to early 9th century, which would be the period of iconoclasm discussed above (NY Met Museum). This box reliquary is constructed of cloisonne enamel, silver, silver-gilt, gold and niello. The fascinating things about the boxââ¬â¢s compos ition are the components of cloisonne enamel and niello, neither of which were native to Byzantium.Niello was commonly used in Europe until the Renaissance, but rarely used after that (Hillwood Museum & Gardens, n. d. ). Cloisonne enamel was very popular in China during the Ming dynasty, but appears to have its origins in Cyprus (Dr. Panicos Michaelides, 1989). It was during the Byzantine Empire that cloisonne enamel was perfected and put to wide use from the 6th to 12th centuries, with the methods being transmitted to China in the 15th century where the art of cloisonne was further perfected to such a degree that China set the standard for quality of this substance (ChineseMoods. com, 2005).The substance of cloisonne enamel is glass powder mixed with water until a paste is formed. The paste is then applied to the die-cast of metal such as gold, silver or copper. Each color used in the process is fired separately, making for a very labor-intensive construction of only one part of th e box decoration. There appear to be three colors used in terms of cloisonne enamel; blue, white and green. The metal in this case is gold, to which the cloisonne enamel was adhered. The lid of the box reliquary features Christ still alive on the cross in the crucifixion scene, accompanied by the Virgin and St. John at his feet.Bordering the crucifixion scene are the images of fourteen saints. The underside of the lid features descriptive yet somewhat primitive art depicting four scenes from the life of Jesus: the Annunciation, Nativity, Crucifixion, and Anastasis (or Descent into Limbo). Inside the box are five compartments arranged in the shape of a cross, where relics would be kept. The four sides of the box feature the fourteen saints found on the lid, and are also made of cloisonne enamel and the bottom of the box features a beautiful cross in gold. The other substance of interest is niello, which is a black metal mixture used for decorative purposes.It is truly a lost art, as niello is rarely used today due to technological advancements in goldsmithing replacing the ancient arts of engraving with tools and chisels (Prof. Dr. Erhard Brepohl, 2001). According to Dr. Brepohl, the making of niello involves melting and mixing silver, copper and lead, the use of borax and sulphur (which explains why niello is no longer popular, since its ingredients are highly toxic), After a rather tedious and noxious fume-producing procedure, the metal alloy is then quickly cooled so that it breaks into granules. The granules are then ground with a mortar and pestle and mixed with flux to create a paste.When struck with a hammer. The finished niello should be uniformly black and shatter like glass. The niello paste is applied into the recesses of the object to be decorated (in the case of this box reliquary it would be the etched lid), then fired and cleaned. One can only stand in awe of the meticulous care with which this little box and other reliquaries were made, with suc h precision and detail to last for centuries. In terms of how the Byzantine Empire gained these skills to become virtually unparalleled as extraordinary artisans, friendly exchanges with the West are the source.Through flourishing trade routes and the power of the Roman Empire, Byzantine religious art took on enormous proportions. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, ââ¬Å"From classical and ancient Christian art Byzantine genius derived a correct combination of the ideal with truth to nature, harmonious unity along with precision in details, as well as the fondness for mosaics, frescoes, and pictures on panels, in opposition to the dislike of non-Christian and sectarian Orientals to pictorial representation. â⬠The rich symbolism depicts reverence and devotion completely absent in modern art.The reliquaries were made in anticipation of what would be kept within them and crafted with utmost skill and care. Although many were destroyed during the iconoclastic crisis, enough of them remain today to view in museums such as the Met, hopefully to inspire people that view them and understand the enormous skill and even danger that went into making and keeping them. Other reliquaries are simpler in nature and construction, such as the box reliquary of the Sancta Sanctorum Treasure, which measures 27. 7 X 18. 0 cm (approx. 10. 9 X 7. 1 inches).This box is bigger than the box reliquary described above, but is less ornate. It is constructed of wood and tempura and is red in color. Gold leaf adorns the five scenes depicted on the lid, which are of the Nativity, Baptism, Crucifixion, Women at the Tomb and the Ascension, read from the bottom left to upper right (Gary Vikan, 1982). Housed in the Vatican museum, this particular box contains stones collected in the sixth and seventh centuries in the Holy Land, along with bits of wood and cloth. This particular box is considered to be the rarest among the Sanctus Sanctorum Treasures (Cleveland Museum Of Art, 1998).Whe n contemplating how these relics survived the destruction during the above noted Iconoclasm we must also look to Europe during the 8th and 9th Centuries, where Christianity was taking hold. One interesting fact is that beginning in the year 787, all new Christian churches had to have a relic in order to be consecrated. Since Christianity was spreading at such a rapid rate in Europe, the Church provided relics and reliquaries from her collection (Richard Jones-Nerzic, 2002). Relics were considered to be pilgrimsââ¬â¢ souvenirs and reliquaries were specifically crafted for the safekeeping of those relics.As reliquaries and relics began to spread to Europe, owning them became a symbol of status (Jones-Nerzic) because of their origins in Byzantium and the dangerous journey they made to get into the hands of the Europeans. Another form of Byzantine art was the carving of ivory reliefs, such as the Triptych Icon of Hodegetria, (Greek for ââ¬Å"She who shows the wayâ⬠) made in Con stantinople in the late 10th Century. This exquisite three-paneled piece shows wear due to veneration over time, and features the Virgin with the Christ Child as well as two unknown saints on the folding wings of the triptych.This triptych is 4-3/4 inches high and 9 inches in length (The Walters Art Museum, 2001). An outstanding and elaborate ivory triptych is housed at the Louvre; it is called the Harbaville Triptych after the last known owners and features the elegance and detail of the revival of icon use after the iconoclasm. This triptych is sunning, with the central panel depicting the Deesis (entreaty) of Christ enthroned on behalf of humanity (Louvre Museum, n. d. ). Flanking the Son Of Man is the Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist.Beneath the center panel and on the wings are the apostles, martyrs and soldiers. This piece is considered to be one of the finest from the imperial workshop known as ââ¬Å"Romanusâ⬠and combines several different techniques from the Orien t as well as classical antiquity and the Christian tradition. The reverse side of the central panel is embellished with a Latin cross featuring rosettes along with scenes from the Garden of Eden. Two cypress trees, one on either side of the cross represent Good and Evil, all under a starry background.The side panels depict saints with books or crosses. Traces of gold leaf can still be found on this triptych, and the Louve literature states that there are two other similar ivory triptychs, one being housed in the Vatican and the other at the Palace in Venice. All three are thought to have been carved around the same time, between the 9th and 11th centuries in Constantinople. One more example of these reliquaries is a cross reliquary featuring St. John Chrysostom, made in Constantinople around 920 ââ¬â 930 (Dr. Rozmeri Basic, 2000-2005).Made of gilded wood and painted, the scenes of this lovely box depict St. John Chrysostom on the underside of the lid, with the Crucifixion on the top. The scene inside the box is decorated around a cavity for the boxââ¬â¢s contents and features saints and angels in detail. Given the turbulent times and the rich history surrounding Byzantium and Europe during the medieval times, it is a wonder that pilgrims dared to cross into the Holy Land. But they did, driven by the desire to see and touch the very places and items associated with Jesus and the saints.Reliquaries were designed for this purpose, enabling pilgrims to bring back earth, bits of bone or cloth, anything that could be deemed something from a sacred place. Pilgrims often traveled in groups and were subject to robberies and even murder from roadside bandits and wild animals, including lions. Still, the faithful made their journeys and the reliquaries that made it back to their homelands were preserved and valued not only as pieces of art but also as items in contact with the Messiahââ¬â¢s surrounding. Some even were professed to have healing properties.Recrea ting these reliquaries in modern times would be considered labor-intensive and toxic; some of the ingredients used in the reliquaries certainly shortened more than one life span of an artist in the ancient days; still, reliquaries are being reproduced and copies are on the open market, still drawing an intrigue after more than a millennium. References Basic, Dr. Rozmeri. 2000 ââ¬â 2005, ââ¬Å"Early Christian and Byzantine Art. â⬠University Of Oklahoma. |Online|, available at: http://www. ou. edu/class/ahi4263/byzhtml/p05-04. htmlBrepohl, Erhard Prof. Dr. 2001, ââ¬Å"Nillo Workâ⬠, Brynmorgen Press. |Online|, available at: http://www. ganoksin. com/borisat/nenam/nillo-work-10-1. htm ââ¬Å"Byzantine Artâ⬠, 2003, Online Catholic Encyclopedia, K. Knight. |Online|, available at: http://www. newadvent. org/cathen/03095a. htm ââ¬Å"Cloisonneâ⬠, 2005, Chinese Moods. |Online|, available at: http://www. chinesemoods. com/cloisonne. html Crystal, Ellie. 1995 ââ¬â 2005, ââ¬Å"The Byzantine Empire: The Roman Byzantine Periodâ⬠, Crystal Links Encyclopedia. |Online|, available at: http://www. crystalinks.com/byzantine. html ââ¬Å"Decorative Arts: Middle Ages: The Harbaville Triptych. â⬠N. d. , The Louvre Museum. Online|, available at: http://www. louvre. fr/llv/oeuvres/detail_notice. jsp? CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673226172&CURRENT_LLV_NOTICE%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673226172&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=9852723696500778&bmUID=1133157145797&bmLocale=en Jones-Nerzic, Richard. June 2002, ââ¬Å"European Medieval Pilgrimage Project ââ¬â Relics. â⬠Virtual School History Department. |Online|, available at: http://194. 3. 120. 243/humanities/vs/pilgrims/relics. htmââ¬Å"Reliquary of the True Cross (Staurotheke), late 8thââ¬âearly 9th century Byzantine; Made in Constantinopleâ⬠, 2005, Metropolitan Art Museum of New York. |Online|, available at: http://www. metmuseum. org/toah/ho/06/eusb/hod_17. 190. 715ab. htm ââ¬Å"The first iconoclastic period: 730-787â⬠, 2005, Wikipedia. |Online|, available at: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Iconoclasm#The_first_iconoclastic_period:_730-787 ââ¬Å"The Medieval World: Triptych Icon of Hodegetria with Saints. â⬠2001, The Walters Art Museum. |Online|, available at: http://www. thewalters.org/html/collec_object_detail. asp? ID=2&object_ID=71. 158 ââ¬Å"Vatican Treasures. â⬠1998, Cleveland Museum Of Art, Past Exhibits. |Online|, available at: http://www. clevelandart. org/exhibit/vatican/ Vican, Gary. 1982, ââ¬Å"Byzantine Pilgrimage Art. â⬠Dumbarton Oaks, Trustees for Harvard University, Washington, D. C. |Online|, available at: http://www. doaks. org/PilgrimageArt. pdf Secondary Reference Treadgold, Helen. 1997, ââ¬Å"History of the Byzantine State and Societyâ⬠, Stanford University Press. Secondary resource contained within Wikipedia, cited above.
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Free Essays on Timeline
Timeline Is it possible to go back in time? If we could, who would we send? What time period would we go to? And would we try to change the past? Michael Crichtonââ¬â¢s Timeline is a science fiction novel that propels the reader into a world where time travel is possible, and itââ¬â¢s not as great as it may seem. The use of characterization, detail, and suspense keeps the reader intrigued and wanting more. In the novel, Crichton uses a variety of characters to add realism to an otherwise unrealistic story. The characters range from Robert Doniger, whose ââ¬Å"...harsh management style became famousâ⬠(24), to Chris Hughes, a graduate student in history. Another main character, Professor Edward Johnston, is described as, ââ¬Å"...broad- shouldered and fit...â⬠(48), and ââ¬Å"...giving the impression of vigor and energyâ⬠(48). After Professor Johnston is lost in the 14th century, a crew of his assistants are sent back after him. When their way back home is temporarily disrupted, they must ban together to take on knights trying to kill them, Sir Oliver de Vannes, known as ââ¬Å"...the Butcher of Crecy...â⬠(169), and a defrocked monk, called ââ¬Å"...the Archpriest...â⬠(170). Besides his use of characterization, Crichton uses detail to make the story come alive. He sends the reader into a world where chivalry and indescribable violence reign supreme. You can visualize the great hall as it, ââ¬Å"...sparkled like an enormous jewel. Sunlight streamed through high windows onto walls that gleamed with tapestries laced with gold, so that reflections danced on the red-and-gold-painted ceilingâ⬠(236). The killing of innocent people is common-place in this period of time, and Crichton describes it very well in the book: ââ¬Å"...inside, they saw a woman, hacked to death, lying face down by the fire; and a young boy of six, staring at the sky, his innards sliced openâ⬠(362). Along with characterization and de... Free Essays on Timeline Free Essays on Timeline Timeline Is it possible to go back in time? If we could, who would we send? What time period would we go to? And would we try to change the past? Michael Crichtonââ¬â¢s Timeline is a science fiction novel that propels the reader into a world where time travel is possible, and itââ¬â¢s not as great as it may seem. The use of characterization, detail, and suspense keeps the reader intrigued and wanting more. In the novel, Crichton uses a variety of characters to add realism to an otherwise unrealistic story. The characters range from Robert Doniger, whose ââ¬Å"...harsh management style became famousâ⬠(24), to Chris Hughes, a graduate student in history. Another main character, Professor Edward Johnston, is described as, ââ¬Å"...broad- shouldered and fit...â⬠(48), and ââ¬Å"...giving the impression of vigor and energyâ⬠(48). After Professor Johnston is lost in the 14th century, a crew of his assistants are sent back after him. When their way back home is temporarily disrupted, they must ban together to take on knights trying to kill them, Sir Oliver de Vannes, known as ââ¬Å"...the Butcher of Crecy...â⬠(169), and a defrocked monk, called ââ¬Å"...the Archpriest...â⬠(170). Besides his use of characterization, Crichton uses detail to make the story come alive. He sends the reader into a world where chivalry and indescribable violence reign supreme. You can visualize the great hall as it, ââ¬Å"...sparkled like an enormous jewel. Sunlight streamed through high windows onto walls that gleamed with tapestries laced with gold, so that reflections danced on the red-and-gold-painted ceilingâ⬠(236). The killing of innocent people is common-place in this period of time, and Crichton describes it very well in the book: ââ¬Å"...inside, they saw a woman, hacked to death, lying face down by the fire; and a young boy of six, staring at the sky, his innards sliced openâ⬠(362). Along with characterization and de...
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Building a Technology Resume
Building a Technology Resume One of the biggest trials for many job-seekers is creating the perfect resume. You can find a professional to do it for you, or you can use a template, but if you are a proponent of the DIY attitude (like most of us in IT), then you need to know how to include your IT skills in a clean and readable format. You also need to make sure to utilize important keywords. Whether your resume is already online or still in paper form, it is likely to end up in a database at some point and you need to make sure it comes up in the right searches. The first step to including your technology-related skills is to make a simple list. Write down the things you know enough about to be comfortable discussing in an interview. Keep the items with which you are most proficient near the top of the list.Step two is to categorize your skills. Do any of them fall under a general heading such as Network Security or Database Administration? If you can list several of these category-level skills, they can be used on the resume in a separate section. They can also be used as descriptions in your summary or objective section. For example: Skilled professional with over five years of experience as a Web Developer and Network Administrator. List your certifications. If you have more than two, include them in your technology section. If you have two or less, move them to an Education and Certification section. Your education section can be placed at the bottom of the resume if your experience outweighs your education, or towards the top of the res ume if you are a recent grad, new to IT, hold a graduate degree, or are currently working on furthering your education. Make sure to format the information so that it is readable, and very easy to scan at a glance. Bullets are great for this, but dont get too carried away and bullet ad nauseam. Using tables and strategic shading are also good ways to organize your information.Finally, take a look at some samples. They are relatively easy to find on the internet and I have provided a couple on a separate page.Show me the SamplesShow me a list of words and phrases for resumesShow me some general resume-writing tips Create a Career Outline Think of your resume as the story of your career. As such, it needs to be organized to best highlight your strengths. How would you answer if you were to be asked, what have you accomplished? or where would you start? If you are fresh out of school, use your education as your strong point. GPA, accolades, club participation, etc. will be your focus.If you have 20 years of solid experience, start defining your accomplishments during each job role.If you have five years of experience, divide your strengths between education/certification and experience. Introduce Yourself Always start with your name and contact information. From there, decide if you need an introduction or objective statement. This is a personal decision and should be worded carefully if used. If you use this section, do not get too personal and do not use I or the ever-popular Seeking to . . .. Be simple and straightforward: Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) with seven years of IT Consulting experience. Skilled at assessing project needs, training end users, and installing, managing, and configuring systems. Beef Up Your Vocabulary Throughout your resume use power words like maximize, dedicated, recognized, proficient, adept, capitalized, accomplished, motivated, decisive, strategic, etc. Show me more power words . . . Use Numbers Make sure to include numbers in the descriptions of your experience. Employers are notorious for wanting quantifiable achievements such as Decreased costs by 20% or Exceeded expectations by completing 4 months prior to deadline and lowering project budget by 10%. Show me more phrases . . . Use the Internet Sites like Monster.com have some great free resources devoted to helping you create a great resume. Resume Example Things to Avoid Do not use I or My. Do not say, references provided upon request. This is assumed and does not need to be stated.Do not list any skills that you are not proficient with. You may include a section titled Exposure To and list items that you have touched but not mastered.Do not let a single typo or misspelling get by you. Have someone else proof your resume before sending it out.Do not, without excellent reasons, include a section on hobbies. This information is not pertinent to your qualifications. Power Words Use the following words to accurately describe your experience and accomplishments. Break out your thesaurus if you are still stuck for the right verb or adjective. AdeptAdministeredAdroitAssessedAuthoredCapableChallengingCohesiveCollaborateCommunicationCompetentConceptualizedConductedConsistentlyConveyedDemonstratedDesignedDeterminedDevelopedDiligenceDrivenDynamicEffectiveEnhancedEstablishExceptionalExceededExpertExtensiveEvaluatedFacilitatedFocusImplementedInspiredInstrumentalIntroducedLaunchedLiaisonManagedMasteryMaximizedMentoredMotivatedNegotiatedOutstandingOversawPerformedPersistentPresentedProficientPromotedRapidRecognizedRecommendRecruitedSkilledSucceededSuccessfulSuperiorSupervisedTenaciousTrainedUniqueUtilized Phrases These are just a few examples of phrases that could be used in your resume. Use the power words above to create descriptive phrases such as . . . Solutions-orientedResults-drivenWell organizedHighly motivatedTop-ranked Use phrases such as these to describe qualitative accomplishments . . . Increased revenue by 200%Exceeded Goals by 20%Decreased costs by $1 MillionImpacted cost of . . . by $400,000Team ranked #1Exceeded quotas by . . .Exceeded expectationsImproved productivitySubstantially improved . . .by 40%Consistently ranked number one
Sunday, November 3, 2019
Trace the roots of conflict in Syria. Which theory of International Essay - 1
Trace the roots of conflict in Syria. Which theory of International Relations can be applied to understand this conflict Justify your answer - Essay Example It further facilitates to explain the ways in which an individualââ¬â¢s decisions have an influence upon other countries and people. International relations are considered to be a new as well as invigorating discipline and are considered to be the study of politics at the international, regional as well as global level. Although international relations are considered to be a modern field, it has gained importance in the present world owing to the term globalisation. It is a well known fact that positive international relations assist in stimulating effectual trade policies among nations. It is via international relations that determine the needs and the limitations of cross-border trade. International relations not only concentrate about reporting as well as monitoring the flow of activities or goods and services, they also serve as an important strategy for stimulating the growth of the human culture. It can be mentioned that the diversity in the culture of the world can be endor sed as well as shared via enlightened international relations policies (BBC News, 2012). The chief objective of the paper is to comprehend the main reasons behind the conflicts taking place in Syria. It shall also endeavour to identify the ways in which the theories of international relations can be applied effectively to comprehend the conflicts. The theory of realism shall be studied in details since it relates to the scenario of Syria. The study shall also take into account two different theories of international relations such as liberalism as well as international society and comprehend the ways in which they do not relate to the scenario of Syria. It has been recognised that an increasing number of people have died because of the conflicts that had occurred between the President Bashar al-Assadââ¬â¢s government as well as the revolutionary troops wanting him out (The Economist, 2011). As per the views of the International Red Cross, it has
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Introduction to american history Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Introduction to american history - Article Example Indeed, he has been writing about Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, and other historical aspects in America. He has a Ph.D. of the Highest Distinction from Johns Hopkins University and is the George Henry Davis 86 Professor of American History.1 James McPherson wrote the article, ââ¬Å"We Stand by Each other Always: Grant and Shermanâ⬠in 2007.2 The divided views on Ulysses S. Grantââ¬â¢s reputation and contribution in American history influenced the author and the political setting of the article.3 While some historians know him as a foremost general of the Civil War, others despise his significance as a biographical subject. The dwindling reputation of Grant as a major figure in American history also influenced the author and the political setting of the article. Moreover, the literature by Bruce Catton on Grantââ¬â¢s wartime achievements also influenced James McPherson into writing this article since they demeaned Grantââ¬â¢s reputation but did not reverse his populism as a major player in the Civil War. The eminent revival of Grantââ¬â¢s reputation, his influence on General William T. Sherman life, and his winning strategy against the Army of Northern Virginia influenced the political setting of the ar ticle.4 The intended audiences for the article include historians, history students, people interested in American history, and the general reading public. Notably, James McPherson discusses the historiography of his subjects, Grant and Sherman. The author considers Grant and Shermanââ¬â¢s life, early career, ascent, success, strategies, decisiveness, physical courage, image, and generalship in the Civil War.5 The author agrees with other historians who have written on this subject. Indeed, he agrees with historians who regard Grant as a drunkard and a foremost general of the Civil War. He addresses opposing arguments by appreciating them and offering his opinion. He recognizes historians who wrote about Sherman but asserts that
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Environmental Injustice Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Environmental Injustice - Research Paper Example Environmental injustice can be termed as the unequal distribution of hazardous substances in the environment and the inequitable implementation of environmental laws. For decades, minority groups in the United States have always grappled with racially-based environmental injustices. Numerous reports and case studies have pointed out that the United States government is biased in its implementation of environmental laws and policies, particularly in connection with the disposal of toxic wastes. This report seeks to examine the relevance of inappropriate dumping of toxic wastes as an environmental injustice in the United States. Who is most affected by the dumping of toxic wastes in the United States? According to Massey, the government deliberately targets colored people in the construction of waste facilities and sanctioning of poisons and pollutants in areas occupied by people-of-color, such as Alabama, Texas, and South Carolina, among others (5). Industries in the United States pro duce high volumes of hazardous wastes, and due to their hazardous nature, these wastes should be disposed in storage and treatment facilities. However, these materials still have the capacity to affect nearby residents, especially in case of explosions, leaks, and accidents brought about by ineffective management policies by the government. As such, Bullard, Mohai, Saha & Wright state that most residents, particularly those with political, legal, economic, and technical power usually oppose the erection of such facilities in their locale (50). Unfortunately, people-of-color do not have such powers thus it is common to find these facilities in the communities occupied by colored people. It is, thus correct to allude that the tendency to construct waste management facilities in areas inhabited by people-of-color is a racial environment injustice. According to Kibert, the government analyses the risk of putting up waste management facilities in an area, by calculating the number of â⠬Å"acceptableâ⬠deaths that can be caused by exposure (172). It, therefore, begs the question whether it is more acceptable for colored people in the United States to die of exposure, considering that these facilities are mostly constructed in their locale. Effects of dumping toxic wastes near human populations In analyzing the effects that toxic wastes have on people who are exposed to these wastes, it is important to understand that ââ¬Å"toxicityâ⬠is determined by the chronic effect that a substance can have on human health. People living in close proximity to facilities designated for the dumping of toxic wastes suffer from numerous health-related problems, occasioned by exposure to these wastes. For such communities, therefore, exposure to toxic substances leads to decline in health, which then translates to high mortality rates in the said populations. This means that there is a large discrepancy between the mortality rates of white American and colored Americans in as far as deaths related to toxic wastes exposure are concerned. One of the most dangerous effects of toxic waste contamination from Trichloroethylene (TCE), which according to Bullard
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Stakeholders Involved And Related Ethical Issues Information Technology Essay
Stakeholders Involved And Related Ethical Issues Information Technology Essay We also had on a local well known blog attacks and insults of a ferocity which would never have been gratuitously made in a face to face situation. We tend to feel more unconstrained on the net and often seem to revel in the support which fellow bloggers of the same thoughts tend to give us in an immediate thread response. Examine this situation in the context of the assignment specification especially from the defamation and virtual privacy invasion point of view. Introduction Unethical behavior over the internet is becoming more common. Ranging from private discrete stalking termed cyber-stalking to public defamation, it is becoming increasingly imperative to analyze the ethical issues at stake in these situations. For a personal gain, the stalker makes use of the internet to harass and defame his victim by publicly posting private sensitive information about his victim or spreading false rumors. Facts about Online Stalking Due to the spreading of the Internet across all institutions worldwide, it has become much easier for stalking to take place. Every person probably has personal data available on the Internet, either being on a personal web page or profile; or else being available to search for in government, institutes and organizations databases. Online stalking is much easier than traditional physical stalking due to various reasons: The person being stalked would probably not be aware of such a fact until the stalker initiates contact with the victim Cyber stalking can be done from the comfort of the stalkers home, or from anonymous locations such as a public internet cafà © or an office environment (1). The most crucial fact is that it is done remotely and not by confronting the actual victim. The ferocity and malicious intent would probably be greater as the aggressor feels more unconstrained on the net than in a face to face confrontation. Several online technologies can be used to stalk online (cyber-stalking). For a stalker to research about the victim, traditional search engine as well as profiles on social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace can be used. To make direct contact with the victim, the stalker may make use of Instant Messaging (IM) services, online forums, and chat rooms. Alternatively the stalker may try to elicit a response from the victim by using techniques such as publishing defamatory statements about the victim in public places such as a web site, message boards, or a fake blog run in the victims name (2). Cyber-stalking and cyber-bullying is much more aggressive than if done face to face. The term cyber-bullying is more commonly associated when teenagers are involved in stalking and bullying online, while cyber-stalking is used for stalking involving adults. Dr. Bamford in (3) explains that the anonymity of the stalker greatly reduces traditional social and contextual attitudes such as tone of voice used and relevant body language. Anonymity can be achieved either by submitting comments in public places such as forums without an ID to trace back to the poster, or else using an alias with the aim of masking the aggressors identity. Without these attitudes, social norms and constraints are neglected, and further like-minded people might participate with the stalker in harassing the victim. Anonymity can also be easily achieved by using an anonymous remailer service (4). This would be specialized software aiming to achieve anonymity in the sending of emails. It strips the originating address from an email message and forwards it to its intended destination. All header information that might be used to track the sender is removed. According to U.S. statistics in 2007 (5), the majority of stalking victims are female at 78%. On the other hand, the majority of stalkers are male at 87%. Victims of stalking can range from a single person to whole organizations. A previous failed relationship can be a motivator for harassing a single person for emotional gain, while possible financial gain is a motivator for harassing groups or an organization. It is to the stalkers advantage however if the victim is singled out, making stalking on a single person more common than harassing a group of people. The main motives of stalking, as identified in (1), are: Stalking an ex-partner of a sexual relationship even after the relationship comes to an end. This can be due to a certain party not willing to accept that the relationship is over. Stalking however also takes place during a relationship. In a research by Tjaden and Thoennes in (6), it was concluded that nearly 60% of females are stalked by their male partner, while 30% of males are stalked by their female partner. Stalking with the aim of vengeance on the victim. This type is the most dangerous as the stalker is probably premeditating a violent attack on the victim due to a previous grudge. It is to be noted that the majority of this type of stalker are male. Stalking due to mental illnesses, ranging from delusional stalkers suffering from depressions to harasser stalkers suffering from a certain attention-seeking personality disorder. After obtaining the necessary vital information, in most cases the stalker exposes it publicly to defame his victim. Such public places include chat rooms and more commonly community areas such as online profiles and forums. The stalker may assume the identity of the victim by posting inflammatory and probably fictitious information in the name of the victim to elicit a response from the community (5). This type of action, termed Masquerading, is discussed later on. There are several defamatory actions that are viewed as illegal and prosecuted, some of which, as mentioned in (4), include the sending of malicious and threatening private messages over the Internet to the intended victim, libel at the intended victim, as well as the publication of messages in public places such as on a web site that show malicious intent to commit acts of hate-motivated violence. Cyber bullying is common in adolescent teens. In a survey carried out in (7), it was reported that 43% of U.S. teens have experienced some form of cyber-bullying in the previous year. This may be due to a lack of knowledge about the reason and the ways to protect private information. The internet and virtual communication environments in general, provide a perfect medium for a cyber bully to defame the victim constantly, even after school hours. In June 2003, a twelve-year old Japanese girl ended up killing her classmate after the latter defamed her on the Internet by the posting of certain messages (3). An example of group bullying is what happened to Canadian boy David Knight (3), who was a victim of a hate campaign when school mates built an online web site entitled Hate David Knight. The website contained defamatory pictures and abuse towards the victim. The group also encouraged the global online community to join their hate campaign. Another form of cyber attacks that is common amongst teens is Masquerading (3). This term refers to either when the stalker/attacker poses as somebody else who is close to the victim, or as the victim itself. In the first case, one can make use of the victims closest friend mobile phone to send harassing messages in the name of the friend, for example. In this way, the harasser remains anonymous while at the same time confusing the victim. In the second form of Masquerading, the stalker may obtain the victims login details for personal places such as personal blog, webpage or Facebook profile. This exchange of passwords amongst teens is very common, as it is considered a sign of true friendship and trust (3). The stalker would then proceed to defame the victim by posing as the victim himself/herself, producing a creditable and real scenario for fellow online friends to witness. Suicides due to Cyber-Stalking and Cyber-Bullying The effects of cyber-stalking on the victim can be quite damaging. We analyze two such cases where victims ended up committing suicide after being stalked or harassed over the Internet. The first case is the suicide of Megan Meier, a thirteen-year-old teenager that committed suicide on 17th October 2006 after being cyber-bullied on MySpace, a popular social networking website (8). A fake profile was set up on MySpace in the name of a 16-year-old boy named Josh Evans who wanted to befriend Megan. On the day of the suicide, Megan and Josh had an argument online. Some other participants also joined in and in no time, there were messages and bulletins being sent to friends and schoolmates containing false accusations about Megan about her physique and sexual tendencies. This led to Megans suicide. From this case we can see how dangerous such a situation can be over the Internet, where like-minded people join with the stalker and behave unethically and inappropriately to the detriment of the victim. The second suicide case took place in Abu Dhabi when Emma Jones, a British teacher killed herself (9) after being defamed on the social networking site Facebook. The responsible harasser was her ex-boyfriend, who posted naked photos of Emma on Facebook. Allegedly he had obtained the photos illegally from Emmas computer. This public defamation coupled with the fact that she was working in an Islamic country that is very restrictive on such issues contributed to Emmas suicide. Stakeholders Involved and Related Ethical Issues At first glance, the stakeholders in cyber-stalking are mainly the stalker and the victim. However, it may not always be that clear to identify all stakeholders. The victims near family can become a stakeholder due to the victims possible actions, such as suicide, after being the victim of a privacy invasion or of public defamation. The controlling authorities of mediums that aided the stalker in retrieving sensitive information about the victim are also stakeholders. This however cannot be stated conclusively as legislations vary across various jurisdictions. In a certain jurisdiction, an action may be considered legal while in others it may not. In a case study of internet stalking (10), a twenty-year old girl named Amy Boyer from New Hampshire was murdered in October 1999. The murderer, Liam Youens, used to stalk her on the internet by searching for her personal information. Using search engine tools that are readily available to everyone, he was able to go through online databases and learn where his victim lived, worked and other personal details. He then set up two web sites, one of which publicly exposed all of Amys private details he managed to get hold of. On the other site he explicitly described his plan of murdering Amy. In this case, Amys immediate family members are stakeholders as they have to suffer her loss. The involvement of organizational entities as potential stakeholders is subject to ethical dilemmas. For example, the ISPs hosting the web sites might have a responsibility of monitoring the contents it hosts to avoid such cases. Also, the users reading the web sites might have an ethical obligation of informing the relevant authorities and assist the victims. We can therefore conclude that it is not always a clear-cut answer when identifying the involved stakeholders. They vary according to the case as well as what we judge as ethically right or wrong. In the case where the stalker is still an adolescent, the parents and teachers are also stakeholders as they are responsible for the development and education of the person in question. When they however see the deficiencies of laws and technology to deal with such issues, they realize they are quite powerless to avoid such a situation. As regards laws related to cyber-bullying, they are ambiguous and poorly put into practice (3). One reason for this is the lack of technical expertise and resources on the parts of the authorities such as the police, which would make it difficult to actually enforce the laws. The authorities would not have a clear understanding of a certain situation if necessary education and training has not been provided beforehand to deal with such situations. If we are to ethically analyze the shareholders in various situations concerning the internet, we first have to know who supposedly is in control of a situation and who has to take responsibility (11). Internet infrastructure companies such as Cisco and Oracle are considered as shareholders by some as they provide the internet network. However although these companies may provide the backbone structure, they would have limited interest in the content on their infrastructure. One can direct the blame on the ISPs, however these host limited content. Most newsgroups and chat rooms are nowadays hosted independently not by ISPs, and are not always easy to trace. It can be argued that a paradigm shift of Internet content has occurred from locally to globally (11). Whereas previously we had specialist ISPs hosting and providing all the content, we moved on to an era where the content is provided by the general end users. Examples of this are personal blogs and Twitter feeds. ISPs cannot be relieved of all the blame though. Even though one cannot expect them to pre-check content posted by their users, they should be willingly able to help should they receive a complaint or notification about particular content they are hosting or malicious users making use of their ISP services. Roger Darlington in (11) suggests that we first should understand what the word ethics means and represents in the context of the Internet before we can conclude who is a stakeholder or not. To have a better understanding of who is responsible for what on the Internet, he suggests that: We should accept that the Internet is not a value-free zone. We should act in a civilized manner as in the end it is us (the end users) who shape the Internet when providing content and services. Our actions on the Internet should be consistent with what we do in the real life. We should comply with laws when making use of the Internet in the same way as we do practically. The author suggests that we do not invent a new set of laws and values for the Internet; instead we apply the laws we are used to in the physical world for issues including discrimination, pornography and copyrights to name a few. We should be aware that the Internet is used by people from different cultures, religions and ethnicity. Where possible we should thus try to accommodate as much of the Internet society as possible. We should be responsive and accept feedback from the Internet user community. Ethical Issues One should make a discrepancy between what is legal and what is ethical. An action might be considered legal yet unethical. There is no law stopping a divorced man from setting up an online profile pretending to be a middle-aged woman who wants to befriend his ex-wife. Most people however would consider this behavior unethical. Although ethics are only moral guidelines and are not imposed on us like law is, they are more worldwide in judging if an action is right or wrong. As we already mentioned, various jurisdictions have inconsistent laws about similar issues concerning private information. In some countries, it may be legal to accumulate personal data on its citizens and store them in a public repository, while this practice might be illegal in other countries wishing to protect the citizens privacy. Ethical dilemmas arise in such a case. A stalker citizen living in a country that protects privacy can use a paid service that operates in a country where there is no privacy protection to obtain information about his victim that lives in the stalkers country. The service is not illegal as it operates from a different country, however such action borders on whether it is ethical or not. It is difficult to deal with such ethical issues due to a lack of technological understanding from certain authority parties. Political parties demanding that there should be more control on hosted content such as newsgroups and chat rooms would most of the time have limited knowledge about how these are hosted. Also they ignore the fact that it is a near impossible scenario to monitor and control all the information exchange that takes place. Even when laws are not in place, a responsible party such as a web hosting company should have a moral responsibility to control the content it hosts. For example, if a company hosts a web site about how to make or detonate a bomb, it should not walk away claiming to not be responsible if such information is made use of by members of the public for malicious purposes. Roger Darlington in (11) proposes some useful solutions to prevent ethical problems on the internet such as cyber stalking and cyber bullying. Laws should be modernized to reflect changing times and to make them in context with the use of the Internet. They should take into account new crimes that are not possible in the physical world such as grooming of under-age girls in chat rooms as well as cyber stalking to name a few. Such actions should be punished by crime fighters who are specifically technically trained for such high tech situations. These fighters should possess all necessary resources to tackle such cyber criminals. As already mentioned, most of cyber stalking and bullying takes place in open online communities, where the harasser can defame and expose his victim in front of a large audience. Due to this fact, these spectators witnessing such unethical behavior should be morally obliged to take action and help the victim. In the United Kingdom, the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) runs a hotline where Internet users can confidentially report such criminal behavior or contents. These foundations would be equipped with knowledge and techniques how to deal with such situations by judging the legality of the cases and identifying the culprits. If the content is deemed illegal and is hosted within the foundations jurisdiction area, they can issue a notice to the relevant ISP hosting the material to take action by removing the content (11). Maltese Law In 2002, the Data Protection Act (12) was amended in Malta to protect private data from getting into the hands of cyber-stalkers, cyber-bullies, harassers, and all those with a malicious intent to defame or invade the privacy of a victim. The document contains a number of clause articles that help protect private data. The seventh Article ensures that when data is processed, it is processed fairly and lawfully. The data collected should be specific and used for explicitly stated legitimate purposes. This clause protects the subject from revealing more data than is necessary or required. Article nine of the document clearly states that the subject must give consent before such data provided can be processed. The subject also has the right to revoke his/her consent to sensitive data processing providing legitimate grounds for the revocation. This is specified in Article 11. Cyber-stalkers wishing to learn personal information about a subject can illegitimately pose as a third-party company that makes use of this sensitive data for marketing purposes. Article 10 of the Data Protection Act specifically protects the subject from such third-parties by having the choice not to disclose his information with such parties. Article twelve focuses specifically on Sensitive Personal Data, and states that the processing of sensitive data can only take place if the subject gives consent or else has made this sensitive data public. This latter case is one which stalkers profit from, as they make use of already publicized data to defame an individual without any needed consent from the subject in question. They would not have obtained the information illegally as it would be publicly available, for example on the victims Facebook profile. One can easily view pictures of the victim and read personal information such as locality and workplace if the victim has not adjusted his/her privacy settings accordingly. Only in extreme cases, such as if a subject is being investigated or is an issue for national security, public security or the defense should secrecy restrictions be temporarily lifted. This is stated in Article 23. The Data Protection Act also prevents third parties with possible malicious intentions from processing and accessing personal data. In fact, Article 25 specifies which persons are authorized to process data. In the previous section, we discussed whether it is ethical if a stalker citizen living in a country that protects privacy can use a paid service that operates in a country where there is no privacy protection to obtain information about his victim that lives in the stalkers country. Article 27 deals specifically with such a case, whereby the transfer of sensitive data to a third country is subject to it having adequate levels of protection for this data. So if this third country does not protect the data as resiliently as the citizens country, then the third country would have no right in requesting for such information. Ethical Analysis: Consequentialist Theory A consequentialist ethical theory is a theory that focuses on the overall general consequences arising from an action. This type of ethical theory judges the rightness or wrongness of an action by analyzing the consequences of such an action. In fact it can be defined as a general normative theory that bases the moral evaluation of acts, rules, institutions, etc. solely on the goodness of their consequences, where the standard of goodness employed is a standard of non-moral goodness. (13) Utilitarianism is an example of a consequentialist ethical theory. In Utilitarianism, an action is considered ethically right if it results in the best consequences. Jeremy Bentham, an ancient philosopher and advocate of utilitarianism, defines a right action as that action is best that produces the greatest good for the greatest number (14).à However it is not always clear how a quantitative measurement of right or wrong due to an action can be defined. Also it is difficult to compare utilities as they are subject to individual interpretations. One can argue that harm done to a man and a tree should be treated equally as bad, while others argue that harm done to a human is more wrong than harming a tree. The utilitarian theory does not state that no wrong consequences can result from an action. It is only concerned with the greater good, so if a small minority of people suffers great harm while the vast majority enjoys a small benefit, the overall action is considered as ethically right. Apart from being concerned with the consequences from an action, Utilitarianism can also be applied to laws and rules. This type, called Rule Utilitarianism is concerned with the consequences from a rule. A rule is considered good if it satisfies the majority of the people. Applying this ethical theory to the concept of cyber-stalking and harassment over the Internet, we must decide if an action is morally right or wrong by analyzing the consequences it has on the respective shareholders. The amendment and enforcement of legislation against cyber-stalking is ethically right in a consequentialist view. It harms the minority that go against it, however the majority of the Internet society benefit from having a safer environment. The same argument can be applied to the already-mentioned ethical issue about whether ISPs should monitor the contents they host and act if a complaint is received. By controlling the content they host, ISPs would be punishing those who post malicious messages or information by banning them from posting for example. The greater good is ensured though, as the Internet society as well as the potential victims of such harassers would have a safer future experience on the Internet. Ethical Analysis: Duty Theory A duty ethical theory, or Deontology, is rather different from Consequentialism. In Deontology, an action is right if it satisfies a principle or moral rule, without any concern for the overall consequences. It is the acts that determine if something is ethically right or wrong, not the consequences as in Consequentialism. Morality is determined according to rationally recognizing ones duties towards others (15). Same as in Consequentialism, Deontology can also be branched into two types: a set of ethical theories concerning actions and another set concerning the rules (15). Both sets of ethical theories however state that the good comes from our own ability to carry out our moral obligations. Kantianism, or Kantian Ethics, is an example of a deontological ethical theory which falls under the deontological set of theories concerning rules. Kant states that for one to act morally right, he needs to act according to his duty, which must be good in itself. The motives of the action ultimately determine if an action is ethically right or wrong. In cyber-stalking, the stakeholders must act according to what their duty is. Taking the ISP ethical issue, the ISP must always seek to satisfy and protect his clients, providing that what they are posting on the Internet is morally correct. We discussed many cases where the stalker or harasser hides behind anonymity to attack the victim. It is the duty of the stalker to respect the victim over the Internet and act in a consistent way as he would when face-to-face with the victim. Failing to do so will result in unethical behavior according to Kantianism. All stakeholders must perform their duty to behave ethically correct. We shall take into example the already discussed case where a citizen makes use of a detective service operating in a third country to discover information about another person living in his country. Law makers and law enforcers in both countries should act ethically and perform their duty in protecting their citizens, by amending specific laws which protect a persons privacy even online. In this scenario, it would become illegal to obtain such information using this service, thus it will be the citizen requesting information who is behaving unethically. In the Amy Boyer case, the general public who read the websites set up by Liam Youens had the duty to inform the relevant authorities such as the ISP hosting the websites. According to the Kantianism view, the complaint by these users to the relevant authorities is the correct ethical action to perform. Conclusion Cyber-stalking and online harassment is a major issue that is ever increasing as more people make use of online facilities to disclose private information. Whether disclosing the data involuntary, by filling forms with sensitive data that ends up being shared with third-parties, or voluntary by posting it on personal profiles such as Facebook and MySpace, it is becoming increasingly likely and easier to stalk a person by obtaining all necessary personal information. Such stalking often has devastating effects on the victim. We discussed several cases where acts of stalking or defamation over the Internet ended up with the victim committing suicide. In most cases, this would be because of the public humiliation suffered by the victim when the harasser and similarly-minded people behave unethically over the Internet. We showed that such people feel more unconstrained when attacking from a safe and anonymous environment than when facing the victim in the physical world. Legislations need to be devised to minimize such cases as much as possible. Locally, the Data Protection Act is one such legal document that protects sensitive data of the citizens. The problem however lies with inconsistencies between various jurisdictions in accepting and implementing such legislations. Only when a set of unambiguous and consistent rules is devised can all the relevant stakeholders in such cyber-stalking issues know what the right course of action to behave ethically is. To help us in our moral and ethical judgment and how we should act in cyber-stalking issues, we discussed and contrasted the two major theories of ethics of conduct: Consequentialism and Deontology. While Consequentialism states that the right action is the one that produces the most intrinsic good for the majority of the stakeholders, Deontology states that the right action is to perform ones duty in the circumstances. For both ethical theories, we focused on Utilitarianism and Kantianism respectively as a practical example. For each, we evaluated how the stakeholders should act when faced with the ethical issues and cases that were discussed.
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