Healthcare in the US Essay Example

Healthcare in the US Essay Example Healthcare in the US Paper Healthcare in the US Paper Essay Topic: In the Us According to an article written by Utresky,   the US spends more of its GDP on healthcare than any other developed nation. In 2001, the US spent 13.9% of its GDP on healthcare, compared with 7.8% for Japan, 9.4% for Canada, and 7.6% for the United Kingdom. In the United States, the healthcare system is not fully-publicly funded but is a mix of public and private funding. Certain publicly funded health care programs help to provide for the elderly, disabled, military service families and veterans, children, and the poor. US has several types of privately and publicly funded health insurance plans that provide healthcare services. The US Census Bureau reports that in 2003, 60.4% of the population was covered by employment-based health insurance, 26.6% was covered by government-based insurance, while 15.6% had no health insurance at all. However the federal law ensures public access to emergency services regardless of ability to pay but a system of universal health care has not been implemented. Furthermore, Utresky points out that â€Å"the cost of care is the greatest patient concern, particularly for the elderly. Medicare (the program for patients over 65 and those on disability) has limitations and does not, in its basic form, cover prescription drugs. The United States along with South Africa is one of the few industrialized nations without universal coverage. There is currently an ongoing debate on the need to achieve universal coverage as well as the best methods for improving the U.S. health care system†. Healthcare in Japan In the Japanese health care system, according to Ward Piccolo, healthcare services, including free screening examinations for particular diseases, prenatal care, and infectious disease control, are provided by national and local governments. Unlike the US, payment for personal medical services is offered through a universal health care insurance system that provides relative equality of access, with fees set by a government committee. People without insurance through employers can participate in a national health insurance program administered by local governments. Since 1973, all elderly persons have been covered by government-sponsored insurance. Costs covered in part or in full by health insurance include in- and out-patient care, home care, and dental care; prescription drugs; long-term care expenses; home nursing expenses for the elderly; prosthetics; and cash benefits for childbirth. Ward Piccolo believes that like most industrialized countries, Japan is planning for fundamental reforms in their current healthcare system, including a review of the current drug pricing system, the system for covering medical fees, methods of evaluating medical technologies, and the ideal combination of fee-for-service and fixed-fee payment systems. : Ward, J., Piccolo, C., Healthcare in Japan. August 11, 2007 from medhunters.com/articles/healthcareInJapan.html Uretsky, S., Healthcare in the United States. August11, 2007 from medhunters.com/articles/healthcareInTheUsa.html

Travel Writing Resources

Travel Writing Resources Travel Writing Resources Travel Writing Resources By Sharon I love travel writing, but the strangeness of the internet marketplace means that sometimes I have to write travel articles about places that Ive never been to. Ive now done several of these, and heres what I have learned from the process. As a writer you can make connections between what you have done and what you are writing about. Okay, so you may not have visited a water park in Tenerife, but you might have visited one in Disneyworld. You can use your memories of that experience to add local color and a bit of excitement to your writing about the new location. No matter where you go in the world, water parks, museums, parks and other places of interest have many of the same features, which you can use as a way of getting started. Its essential to do your research. Normally, I dont recommend Wikipedia as a research resource, but I have found that their profiles of countries and cities are generally well researched, with verifiable sources. If you want a starting point for an overview of the history, climate, industry and main attractions, Wikipedia works well. I always double check the information there with information from the destinations city or country guide site. These sites are also great places to find out about local amenities and annual events. A site that provides a good overview of these is Eventguide.com. When it comes to describing the attractions and knowing what people really felt about them, you cant do much better than TripAdvisor.com. You get a capsule description of the attraction and lots of great reviews. If 300 people found the same location amazing or awesome, then you are on firm ground when using those adjectives in your travel piece. You can usually find links to the attraction websites to get more information. This site also helps with nightlife, eating out and other aspects of a successful trip. Other resources I find useful are Yahoo Travel and the Lonely Planet site. Once you have the right research resources, its relatively easy to put together a piece that will give readers information about the place of interest. Ive travelled a lot, so I can use that experience to create some excitement for readers who are looking for information about a particular place. And since I love to travel, I am interested in learning about new places and excited about what they offer, so I dont have to fake that fizz. Ive also found some great new destinations as a result. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Direct and Indirect ObjectsHomonyms, Homophones, Homographs and HeteronymsComment, Suggestion, and Feedback

Angelica Kauffmann PowerPoint Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Angelica Kauffmann - PowerPoint Presentation Example According to Sortais (1910): Angelica showed a great aptitude for music and singing, and some of her fathers friends strongly urged her to give up painting, but in vain. This episode in her life she has represented in a picture, showing herself, between Painting and Music, bidding farewell to Music. There was no question it was in painting that she showed much progress. And before she even completed her twelfth year, she had become a notability, with bishops and nobles for her sitters. The bishop of Milan summoned her to paint his portrait. Due to her immense talent and personal charms, Francis the III of Este, Duke of Modena and Governor of Milan, declared himself her protector. Also, Cardinal Roth invited her to Constance and commissioned her to paint his portrait (Sortais 1910). Kauffman lost her father in 1782; and in 1795, her husband. These blows to her personal life did not deter her to continue with her passion in painting and continued at intervals to contribute to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, the academy’s purpose of which is to professionalize the artists working for the French court and give them a stamp of approval, her last exhibit being in 1797. She has produced a few of her works after this time. On a fateful day, November 5, 1807, she died in Rome. She was honored by a wonderful funeral under the direction of Canova, an Italian sculptor who became famous for his marble sculptures. Numerous prominent personalities were in attendance during her funeral procession, following her to her tomb, including the entire Academy of St. Luke, several ecclesiastics and virtuosi, with two of her pictures carried in procession. Kauffman was an advocate of neo-classicism in her works. What neo-classicism depends on most fundamentally is a consensus about a body of work that has achieved canonic status, or that which asserts a compendium of the greatest works of artistic merit

Liability for Economic Loss Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Liability for Economic Loss - Essay Example Bar, U. Drobnig & Guido Alpa. â€Å"The Interaction of Contract Law and Tort and Property Law in Europe: A Comparative Study.† (2004). Rome: Guido Alpa 12 M. Schneier & American Bar Association. â€Å"Construction accident law: A comprehensive guide to legal liability and insurance claim.† (1999) Boston: American Bar Association 12 Shanley â€Å"Comparative negligence and jury behavior† New York: Rand Corp 12 L. McDougal, R. Felix & R. Whitten. â€Å"American Conflicts Law: cases and material† (2004) New Jersey: LexisNexis 12 Cullen I. & NSW Young Lawyers. â€Å"Civil Liability Act 2002† (2002) New York: NSW Young Lawyers 13 M. Drury. â€Å" Clinical Negligence in General Practice† (2000). Houston: Radcliffe Publishing 13 Todd A. DeMitchell â€Å"Negligence: What Principals Need to Know about Avoiding Liability† (2007). Washington: Rowman & Littlefield Education 13 Arthur Martin C. â€Å"Negligence: Instruction Paper† (2010). Ne w York: BiblioBazaar 13 Bob P. â€Å"Professional Negligence in Construction† (2003). New York: Taylor & Francis 13 Schrage E. J. H. â€Å"Negligence: The Comparative Legal History of the Law of Torts† (2001) Detroit: Duncker & Humblot 13 Lewis K., Linda D. â€Å"Negligence† (1995) Texas: Carswell 13 Tony K. â€Å"Negligence: Origins† (2009). ... arises pertaining to failure by a party to â€Å"exercise reasonable care and skill†1 Further guidelines stipulate that harm is any kind of harm laid upon damage of property or any harm that is inflicted upon damage of property. Therefore, liability for economic loss seeks to make judgment on the party that is to endure losses occurring from the loss suffered. Tort law assigns the liability for economic loss to either parties of the case, in accordance to the law guidelines and according to the damage suffered by either party. Cases arising from economic losses are far-reaching and go beyond a certain limit, regarding many entailments. A scenario example would arise due to a contractual obligation, a construction concern or negligence in meeting the requirements of guide. Construction defects arising from defective installation or derisory material will normally amount to breach of contract, and the economic liability will lie towards the contractor. Tort law however makes exc eptions for certain cases arising from negligence by the owner of the property to fulfill their obligation as a result of negligence. If the contractor made it known that the materials used by the contractor were faulty and that the owner submitted to the allegations, then the liability for economic loss will be awarded to the owner. Another attribute of the tort law is that a contractor may suffer liability for economic loss if the contractor makes appropriations limiting certain actions allocated by the contractual agreement. Cases relating to liability for economic loss are dynamic. They rely on a set of tort law, common law and case law. Case law answers the question of how it is applied mostly. Cases arising from prior disagreements suit a large part of the case law aspects regarding liability

Message to Garcia Synopsis Essay Example for Free

Message to Garcia Synopsis Essay The message to Garcia describes the average human mindset, action and reactions toward a given task. Many men and women from past to present want work, status, money and reputation; but feel work is not needed. It describes not all but many situations pertaining to people having lack of initiative. In this book Elbert Hubbard states people on average will ask one or many question about the task being given to them. How I do it, where can I find it, who can I get to help, what time does it have to be done; are all examples. People get lazy and complacent, instead of getting some initiative and finding out the answers to their questions themselves. Message to Garcia isn’t saying every task has to be accomplished but, rather ideations of how problems could be solved through statistics and opinions. Many situations Hubbard has explained have facts about men and woman in today’s society. How many times have we heard â€Å"Go take this to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and the person being tasked asks multiple questions about the task the he himself could very well find. By asking questions the employer or task giver is being held up from completing other tasks he has been issued, to explain to this person where, when, why, how. In a lot of cases today, by the time we have completed explaining the task; we ourselves could’ve completed it. By no means is Hubbard expressing to us readers we shouldn’t task out our subordinates but do our jobs as well. On the other hand he is also elaborating on his belief no matter the details, many or few, the task should be done when given to. I feel Message to Garcia was trying to get a point across to us readers; that many of us desire great things but, in order to achieve great things we must do great works. We cannot want and not give anything; little effort will bring little fortune. I don’t believe the book is trying to tell us how we should go about our business day to day, yet allowing us to ponder ideas on how to eradicate these issues. Make pragmatic decisions during tasks given rather than giving up early or not doing it at all. By giving our undivided attention to our job, and not stopping until it is complete or no other outcome is possible to accomplish it. I believe everybody plays a role in a job; it is everyone’s duty to do their part and not pass it to another person or not complete it. When we all do our jobs an elliptical motion continues, rolling smoothly.

Review of The Black Death Essay -- Papers

Review of The Black Death The Black Death discusses the causes and results of the plague that devastated medieval Europe. It focuses on the many effects it had on the culture of medieval Europe and the possibility that it expedited cultural change. I found that Robert S. Gottfried had two main theses in the book. He argued that rodent and insect life cycles, as well as the changing of weather systems affect plague. He claimed that the devastation plague causes is partly due to its perpetual recurrences. Plague ravaged Europe in cycles, devastated the people when they were recuperating. As can be later discovered in the book, the cycles of plague consumed the European population. A second thesis, which he described in greater detail, was that the plagues expedited the process of cultural change. The plagues killed a large percentage of each generation, leaving room for change. The Black Death covers the affects that numerous plagues had on the culture. The cycle of the plagues struck each generation. After a p lague ravaged Europe from 599-699, plague killed in 608, 618, 628, 640, 654, 684-686, 694-700, 718, and 740-750. In the early stages of the above series, intervals are apparent. These intervals demonstrate the cycles of the rodent and insect life. Robert S. Gottfried also argues, rightfully so, that plague may have hastened cultural change. Along with plagues came the need for a cure. Plague destroyed the existing medical systems, and was replaced by a modern heir. Previous to the plague, scientists based their knowledge on early scientists such as Hippocrates and Galen. Scientists knew little about what they were doing. The medical community was divided into five parts. These divisions were physicians, surgeons, barber-... ...r in the book. Gottfried also made it obvious that others supported his theories. At the end of each important point, he marked it with a number corresponding to the reference in the back of the book. In conclusion, The Black Death successfully proves that a great deal of tragedy in the 13th century had much to do with animals in the environment. It also conveyed that plague accelerated the progress of culture, bringing the need for modern medicine. Gottfried makes it apparent that man did not understand enough about the environment to prevent plague, maybe a message to the world today. Dense population, as Gottfried suggested, breeds plague. Early plague has educated us, and we should focus on this, plague seems to be inevitable with certain circumstances and lack of knowledge. Not only did Gottfried educate us on the past, but may have prepared us for the future.

Negative Impact of Advertisement Essay

Advertising is a tool widely used by businesses and the media to promote their products. Unfortunately, advertising is pushing America more and more into a quick downward spiral. Advertisement acts like a fish hook for consumers. They have baits about the interest and wants of their consumers. Then when consumers grab a hold of it, advertisers reel them in on buying the products. The majority of advertisements are alarmingly misleading. They also convey an unrealistic view of certain products. Companies pay millions of dollars a year on advertising and go beyond the limit to persuade their customers. Little do consumers know they are indulging in this unnecessary luxury with nothing to gain. Advertising is unethical due to its negative impact on children, false images, and unrealistic expectations; however, advertisements do perform an important role on providing services to society. Without a doubt children are affected the most by advertising. At a young age, a child allows their mind to be molded and constructed. They don’t have much understanding of all the negative effects of the media and its advertisements. Children grow up to be everything they are surrounded by, as they are very susceptible to all outside influences. In many cases, children are most likely tended to misinterpret the messages conveyed through the advertisement. They end up having misinformed beliefs about many issues, which creates a desire to own a particular product being advertised. Joseph McLaughlin, a researcher from Fordham University, stated that â€Å"Children younger than 6 are especially susceptible to television advertising because many of them can’t tell the difference between a commercial and a program.† Because they are not able to distinguish the difference, glossy images in magazines, billboards, or flashy advertisement on television only create the im pulse for excessive desire to buy. Eric Schlosseris a well-known journalist that wrote the article â€Å"Kids Kustomers†. Along with McLaughlin, Schlosser shares a similar statement about advertising toward children. He  says, â€Å"The aim of most children’s advertising is straight forward: get kids to nag their parents and nag them well† (521). This means that advertisers are trying to focus their attention to make kids want their products and nag their parents until they get it for them. Children are the future, and an important part of the present as well. With these kinds of effects of advertising on them, this only creates a very wrong impression on their young minds about living without the needs of materialistic joys. Above all else, advertising is unethical. It creates an unrealistic image that urges people to buy in on the product. It gives them a natural high from the initial â€Å"new† or â€Å"delicious† feeling and leaving them unsatisfied after the feeling has worn off. Fast food advertisements are well known for exaggerating their products. Katie Robbins from Delish, wrote an article called â€Å"Fast Food: Truth behind Advertising†. In the article she says, â€Å"It looked so juicy and hearty, piled high with crunchy pickles and onions and resting on a soft, pillowy bed of a bun. But the actual sandwich that greeted when we ordered it at the Golden Arches didn’t look quite like the images we’d been seeing on billboard. Tired and limp, it was the anemic younger brother of the plucky McRib of our dreams† (Robbins). This means that people invest in a product they believe they saw in the advertisement but in reality, it’s just a pathetic excuse for fast food joints to make money. False beauty in advertising and pressure to look good caused many women to strive for the ideal perfection. Like Robbins, Jo Swinson, a writer from CNNopinion also wrote an article about how advertising contains false images. She stated: For some, the desire to look as perfect as these models can become all-consuming, and a wealth of evidence suggests that people in the UK are experiencing serious body image problems — a trend undoubtedly replicated around the globe. People unhappy about their bodies can develop eating disorders, turn to diet pills or steroids, or try cosmetic surgery and Botox injections. This means that women everywhere are willing to starve themselves or go beyond the limit to get the perfect body, to make them look like their favorite celebrities even. Advertising create unrealistic expectations. Ads for prescription drugs aimed directly toward consumer have resulted in unrealistic expectations  about the effectiveness of the drugs and its side-effects. In these kinds of advertisements, the visual images only show healthy, happy people. It never truly shows the actual downside effects of the drugs. Beauty and health products share a similar component by not living up to their promises; therefore, resulting in wasting consumer’s money once again. Herman CP, a psychologist from PubMed stated, â€Å"The false-hope syndrome suggests that unrealistic expectations in advertising about dieting set dieters up for failure.† This shows that fitness and health ads set consumers up to failure when they don’t see a change in their body, thus lead them to lose hope and give up. Gina-Marie Cheeseman from TriplePundit, shares a similar argument with Herman about unrealistic expectations. She says, â€Å"One of the implicati ons is that is creates an unrealistic expectation about the product that the company is advertising. Airbrushing sure does create unrealistic expectations, and U.S. women are shelling out money to meet those expectations.† This means that women everywhere are spending money on products to enhance their beauty to look like the one they see in the advertisements. Little did they know, advertisers used Photoshop and airbrushing to enhance the look of their models. Advertising however, still plays an important role on providing services to society. It offers social benefits. Along with that, advertising can be used to promote free speech since it is free speech: â€Å"This is especially true in countries where free speech has been suppressed. Advertising there, especially when it comes from the Western world where free speech is embraced, can encourage the idea that free speech is important,† says by Miranda Morley, a writer from SmallBusiness. This shows that advertising can be influential to foreign country that doesn’t allow freedom of speech. Like Morley, John E. Calfee also talks about how advertising is useful. He says, â€Å"But advertising does much more. It routinely provides immense amounts of information that benefits primarily parties other than the advertiser. This may sound odd, but it is a logical result of market forces and the nature of information itself† (98). Through providing information, it gives it a reason for research, and that research is backed-up by a firm sponsor thus creates credibility through its products. Although advertising plays an important role in society, unfortunately it is one of the major reasons why America is spinning into a downward spiral, doing major harm with little positive intention. Murray Lunn, a writer from Helium says, â€Å" Deceitful advertising, over the years, have caused consumers to associated the majority of advertising as a â€Å"sleazy† attempt to make them buy a product or service; participating in these types of advertising methods can cause a â€Å"black eye† on a business to the marketplace.† This means that businesses may put themselves in danger in the marketplace if they participate in these deceitful advertising. An article written by Shelly Frost, a writer from SmallBusiness, talks about how advertising affects businesses. She stated, â€Å"The Company is sometimes charged a fine for both current false advertising and any future incidents of deceptive advertising. If the company is sued, additional expenses come in the form of legal fees and money that must be paid to consumers who filed the suit.† Companies could lose more many than what they spend on making the advertisements if they’re caught false advertising. Advertising has long been seen as a way to convince consumers to spend their dollars on products or services they may not truly need. It is unethical. Women, who would see beauty ads, would want to emulate the thinness and beauty of such models. Today’s society has become cultures of consumerisms, and it is teaching children the false sense of self-worth. Also those consumers that were given the false impression about a product through various forms of media tend to suffer the most from society’s portrayal of the perfect body. Advertising is unethical and if not monitor carefully, it can affect and individual more negatively than for the better. Works Cited Calfe, John. â€Å"How Advertising Informs to Our Benefits.† Common Culture: Reading and Writing about American Popular Culture. 4th Edition. Ed. Micheal Petracca and Madeleine Sorapure. Upper Saddle River, NJ. 2004. 97-109. Print. Lunn, Murray. â€Å"The Negative Effects of Advertising.† Helium. N.p., 03 Feb. 2011. Web. 04 Apr. 2013. Frost, Shelley. â€Å"Negative Effects of False Advertising.† Small Business. Chron, 05 June 2010. Web. 02 Apr. 2013. McLaughlin, Joseph. â€Å"Researcher Shows Negative Effects of Advertising on Children.†Fordhamn.edu. Fordham University College, 17 May 2010. Web. 08 Apr. 2013. Morley, Miranda. â€Å"The Positive Effects of Advertising.† Small Business. Chron. N.p., 11 June 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2013. Robins, Kate. â€Å"Food in the News.Fast Food: Truth in Advertising?† Delish. N.p., 16 Nov. 2010. Web. 02. Apr. 2013. Swinson, Jo. â€Å"False Beauty in Advertising and the Pressure to Look ‘good'† CNN. Cable News Network. 10.Aug. 2011. Web. 01 Apr. 2013. CP, Herman. â€Å"Effects of expose to unrealistic promises about dieting.† PubMed. National Center for Biotechnology Information, 25 Mar. 2009. Web. 08 Apr. 2013. Cheeseman, Gina-Marie. â€Å"British Regulatory Agency Bans Christian Dior Mascara Ad.†TriplePundit. N.p., 25 Oct. 2012. Web. 08 Apr. 2013. Schlosser, Eric. â€Å"Kid Kustomer.† From Inquiry to Academic Writing A Text and Reader. 2nd Edition. Ed. Stuart Greene and April Lidinsky. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012. 519-526. Print.

Introduction to Cultural Anthropology †Summary Essay

How does Language affect the meanings we assign to our experience? The Ideas of Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf demonstrate that the vocabulary of a language may direct perception to certain features of the environment, and the grammar of a language may encourage certain ways of looking at the world. The selection of metaphors also has an impact on the meanings we assign to experience. By taking language from one experience and applying it to another, we carry the meaning of one experience to the other. Robbins then explores the ways in which symbolic action reinforces a particular view of the world. Ritual, for example, symbolically depicts a certain view of reality in such a way that it convinces us of the truth of that reality. Examples include the Cannibal Dance of the Kwakwaka’wakw, which shows the values of Kwakwaka’wakw society and provides members with a way to control their lives, and the rituals of contemporary English magic and witchcraft, which convince persons of this society that mental forces can influence the material world. Walter Benjamin’s Surrealism essay explains how these competing political aims manifest themselves at the level of aesthetic form: â€Å"Here due weight must be given to the insight that in the Traite du style, Aragon’s last book, required a distinction between metaphor and image, a happy insight into questions of style that needs extending. Extension: nowhere do these two — metaphor and image — collide so drastically and so irreconcilably as in politics. For to organize pessimism means nothing other than to expel moral metaphor from politics and to discover in political action a sphere reserved one hundred percent for images. Only when in technology body and image so interpenetrate that all revolutionary tension becomes bodily collective innervation, and all the bodily innervations of the collective become revolutionary discharge, has reality transcended itself to the extent demanded by the Communist Manifesto. For the moment, only the Surrealists have understood its present commands. They exchange, to a man, the play of human features for the face of an alarm clock that in each minute rings for sixty seconds. † Benjamin’s analysis here provides the scattered fragments of a political-aesthetic diagnosis of surrealism which would differentiate this movement from conservative romantic traditions. While such traditions trade in â€Å"moral metaphor† and the â€Å"play of human features† — idealized human forms which are meant to serve as soothing allegories of the supposedly homogenous and unified social body — surrealists circulate what Benjamin elsewhere terms â€Å"dialectical images. † In his writings regarding the Cultural Industry, Adorno continues to emphasis the theories of the Frankfurt school and the concepts of Marx. The terms ‘mass deception’ and ‘social control’ seem to most accurately describe the ideas and theories that Adorno prescribe. He further suggests the notion that socially, we are conditioned to think rationally, reasonably and through a scientific approach, which when structured to appease the larger cultural industry, functions by disallowing the potential for human individuality, and re-emphasizing the myth that such individuality could even exist. According to the text we are conditioned to be obedient to the great social hierarchy, thus the opportunity for any social change is limited, is it not? The notion that culture is entertainment is also introduced, and that as individuals, we can only accept out work/roles knowing that pleasure will ultimately be rewarded. 2. Summarize what you consider to be the relationship between the assigned readings. How do the readings speak to each other? – All three authors I believe have a relationship with expressing metaphors in their texts. A thing regarded as representative or symbolic of something else, especially something abstract. Throughout each reading society, cultural, language, politics, thinking, and social change is present in all three readings and in all three these words are represented with symbolic meaning and/or have a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action. Through these metaphors I believe is the way that these texts speak to one another. Each text you can find similar symbolic meaning and a word or phrase that is attached to an object or action. . Identify one or more passages that you feel are especially provocative, suggestive, dubious or illustrative of the author’s argument. – In the Richard Robbins text one passage especially was provocative to the author’s argument in symbolic action reinforces a particular view of the world and the reality we as human beings live in. â€Å"Ritual, for example, symbolically depicts a certain view of r eality in such a way that it convinces us of the truth of that reality†. In the Walter Benjamin Text one passage especially was provocative to the author’s argument in explaining how competing political aims manifest themselves at the level of aesthetic form. â€Å"Here due weight must be given to the insight that in the Traite du style, Aragon’s last book, required a distinction between metaphor and image, a happy insight into questions of style that needs extending. Extension: nowhere do these two — metaphor and image — collide so drastically and so irreconcilably as in politics. † In the Theodor Adorno text one passage especially was provocative to the author’s argument in the notion that socially, we are conditioned to think rationally, reasonably and through a scientific approach, which when structured to appease the larger cultural industry, functions by disallowing the potential for human individuality, and re-emphasizing the myth that such individuality could even exist. â€Å"The notion that culture is entertainment is also introduced, and that as individuals, we can only accept out work/roles knowing that pleasure will ultimately be rewarded. Thus, must not culture and society be forced to change, as it was also interpreted that pleasure without change becomes a sort of work, and then our understanding/defining of pleasure must be constantly changing in order for the mass society to maintain social obedience. 4. Briefly compare the texts you have read or some aspect of it/them, with a previous selection or selections read in this course. – I reread â€Å"A Berlin Chronicle† in Reflections and then read the whole of Berlin Childhood around 1900. I thought about how he had not been able to return, and how he had written Berlin Childhood around 1900 precisely as a way of dealing with the irrevocable loss of the world of his childhood and its security. Benjamin knew by 1932 that he would never be able to return to Berlin his home again. Benjamin immortalized the cities that had rejected him, writing about his memories of earlier and safer times. Benjamin is recalling a lost world. He selects a variety of places and spaces that contain or prompt memories of his childhood and the high bourgeois world that nourished his fantasies and predilections. By 1932 this world was gone, or at least inaccessible to Benjamin and other Jews like him. Reading this text I can compare it to Richard Robbins chapter 4 material when he writes â€Å"demonstrate that the vocabulary of a language may direct perception to certain features of the environment, and the grammar of a language may encourage certain ways of looking at the world. † Reading this helped me understand â€Å"A Berlin Chronicle† and how Walter Benjamin’s language and vocabulary were in direct result of the environment he was living in and how that encouraged his view on Berlin. Also, Comparing â€Å"A Berlin Chronicle† to Theodor Adorno’s The Culture Industry I found a passage that directly relates to Walter Benjamin and his time in Berlin. â€Å"He further suggests the notion that socially, we are conditioned to think rationally, reasonably and through a scientific approach, which when structured to appease the larger cultural industry, functions by disallowing the potential for human individuality, and re-emphasizing the myth that such individuality could even exist. According to the text we are conditioned to be obedient to the great social hierarchy, thus the opportunity for any social change is limited. † After reading this passage you can relate this to the larger cultural as the Nazis as they were the ones disallowing the potential for human individuality against the Jews, while reemphasizing the myth that such Jewish individuality could even exist. 5. Offer a brief critical assessment of the texts and its ideas: Do you find that it opens up new avenues of inquiry or reveals new knowledge? What question does it raise for you? How would you evaluate them overall? -Out of the three texts I found an interesting passage out of Walter Benjamin’s Surrealism text that opens up new avenues of inquiry and reveals new knowledge for the reader. â€Å"There is always, in such movements, a moment when the original tension of the secret society must either explode in a matter of fact, profane struggle for power and domination, or decay as a public demonstration and be transformed. Reading this passage and the author’s use of the word illumination throughout the essay, the reader could easily open a new avenue on a secret society named the Illuminati. The author even stats â€Å"And the most passionate investigation of the hashish trance will not teach us half as much about thinking, as the profane illumination of thinking about the hashish trance. The reader, the thinker, the loiterer, the flaneur, are types of illuminati just as much as the opium eater, the dreamer, and the ecstatic. And more profane. Not to mention that most terrible drug –ourselves- which we take in solitude. With so many references or should I say hidden references I can only ask if Walter Benjamin is referring to this secret society the Illuminati. Overall all three texts had their strong points but from day one when I began Walter Benjamin’s readings he has captured me in ways other authors haven’t. It could be that he writes essays while intoxicated or how it seems there is always secret meaning in his writings. If not secret then definitely meaning that could be explored even further and spend a whole class just decoding this topic.

Analysis of Their Eyes Were Watching God - The American Dream essays

Analysis of Their Eyes Were Watching God - The American Dream essays This story's title come from the passage, "They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God" (God 151). Dreams are an important part of this book, and they represent the ideas, values, goals, and topics that are essentially American. The author shows that men and women often have different dreams and different goals, and that is why many relationships do not work. She believes that women's dreams symbolize truth, and men's dreams symbolize hope and often resignation. The author is saying that the American dream may come true right away, but often the dreams amount to nothing. She writes, "Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men. Now, women forget all those things they don't want to remember, and remember everything they don't want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly" (God 1). Ultimately, her theme and goal is to show that the American dream is the "truth" of the American spirit, and that dreaming of happiness and success is what keeps many Americans going every day. This is a very American theme, because it has happened repeatedly in America. People with nothing come here, become successful, and begin new lives, just as Janie earns her freedom and happiness by the end of the novel. She has lived a hard life, and that is essential in the American dream, too. Finding a dream is never easy, and Jamie's life shows that. However, she has persevered, and outlived two men who were not the ideal man, and she has learned about herself in the process. That is also a very American goal in finding happiness and fulfillment. Learning about yourself in the process is important and can make the success even more fulfilling. ...

J. K. Rowling - Biography of Harry Potter Author

J. K. Rowling - Biography of 'Harry Potter' Author Who Is J.K. Rowling? J. K. Rowling is the author of the hugely popular Harry Potter books. Dates: July 31, 1965 Also Known As Joanne Rowling, Jo Rowling J. K. Rowling's Childhood J.K. Rowling was born at Yate General Hospital as Joanne Rowling (with no middle name) on July 31, 1965, in Gloucestershire, England. (Although Chipping Sodbury is often mentioned as her birthplace, her birth certificate says Yate.) Rowlings parents, Peter James Rowling and Anne Volant, met on a train on their way to join the British navy (the navy for Peter and the Womens Royal Naval Service for Anne). They married a year later, at age 19. At age 20, the young couple became new parents when Joanne Rowling arrived, followed by Joannes sister, Diane Di, 23 months later. When Rowling was young, the family moved twice. At age four, Rowling and her family moved to Winterbourne. It was here that she met a brother and sister who lived in her neighborhood with the last name Potter. At age nine, Rowling moved to Tutshill. The timing of the second move was clouded by the death of Rowlings favorite grandmother, Kathleen. Later, when Rowling was asked to use initials as a pseudonym for the Harry Potter books to attract more boy readers, Rowling chose K for Kathleen as her second initial to honor her grandmother. At age eleven, Rowling began attending the Wyedean School, where she worked hard for her grades and was terrible at sports. Rowling says that the character Hermione Granger is loosely based on Rowling herself at this age. At age 15, Rowling was devastated when given the news that her mother had become seriously ill with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease. Instead of ever entering remission, Rowlings mother grew increasingly sick. Rowling Goes to College Pressured by her parents to become a secretary, Rowling attended the University of Exeter beginning at age 18 (1983) and studied French. As part of her French program, she lived in Paris for a year. After college, Rowling stayed in London and worked at several jobs, including at Amnesty International. The Idea for Harry Potter While on a train to London in 1990, having just spent the weekend apartment-hunting in Manchester, Rowling came up with the concept for Harry Potter. The idea, she says, simply fell into my head. Pen-less at the time, Rowling spent the remainder of her train-ride dreaming about the story and began to write it down as soon as she arrived home. Rowling continued to write snippets about Harry and Hogwarts but wasnt done with the book when her mother died on December 30, 1990. Her mothers death hit Rowling hard. In an attempt to escape the sorrow, Rowling accepted a job teaching English in Portugal. Her mothers death translated into more realistic and complex feelings for Harry Potter about his parents deaths. Rowling Becomes a Wife and Mother In Portugal, Rowling met Jorge Arantes and the two married on October 16, 1992. Although the marriage proved a bad one, the couple had one child together, Jessica (born July 1993). After getting divorced on November 30, 1993, Rowling and her daughter moved to Edinburgh to be near Rowlings sister, Di, at the end of 1994. The First Harry Potter Book Before starting another full-time job, Rowling was determined to finish her Harry Potter manuscript. Once she had completed it, she typed it up and sent it to several literary agents. After acquiring an agent, the agent shopped around for a publisher. After a year of searching and a number of publishers turning it down, the agent finally found a publisher willing to print the book. Bloomsbury made an offer for the book in August 1996. Rowlings first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone (Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone was the U.S. title) became hugely popular, attracting an audience of young boys and girls as well as adults. With the public demanding more, Rowling quickly got to work on the following six books, with the last one published in July 2007. Hugely Popular In 1998, Warner Bros. bought the film rights and since then, extremely popular movies have been made of the books. From the books, the films, and the merchandise bearing Harry Potter images, Rowling has become one of the richest people in the world. Rowling Marries Again Between all of this writing and publicity, Rowling remarried on December 26, 2001, to Dr. Neil Murray. In addition to her daughter Jessica from her first marriage, Rowling has two additional children: David Gordon (born March 2003) and Mackenzie Jean (born January 2005). The Harry Potter Books Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone (June 26, 1997, in U.K.) (called Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone in the U.S., September 1998)Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (July 2, 1998, in U.K.) (June 2, 1999, in the U.S.)Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (July 8, 2000, in both U.K. and U.S.)Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (June 21, 2003, in both U.K. and U.S.)Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (July 16, 2005, in both U.K. and U.S.)Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (July 21, 2007, in both U.K. and U.S.)

Stress and Academic Stress Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Stress and Academic Stress - Essay Example e stressful events that have inclined experts to consider stress as one of the major causes of deaths globally, as nowadays, stress is resulting in high blood pressure, headache, mental disorder, etc. In the result, a huge number of researchers are now putting efforts to analyze different factors of stress, in order to implicate their solutions to deal effectively with it. It is observation that youth or specifically, students are becoming the foremost victims of this phenomenon. Psychologists (Peffer, pp. 51-57) believe that extra load of studies and pressure of examinations has been some of the significant factors that put students in stress during their academic lives. In contrary to the motive of education, today’s students are endeavoring to acquire education to get good marks or grades in the examination that will ensure their job in the market. This pressure of failure and losing chances of getting a good job has resulted in experts to focus more on students. Nowadays, many organizations are offering stress therapies to young individuals that may help them in managing effectively with the stress. However, besides therapies, I believe that study techniques play a crucial role in the phenomenon of stress, and a student can avoid or reduce stress levels by planning and applying study schedules prior to examinations. It is an understanding that students usually do not study on daily basis, and examination schedules only bring them to the study tables that automatically showers a huge list of topics and subjects that becomes the cause of stress. In this regard, proper planning for studying surely makes a huge difference, and is beneficial in avoiding any effects of academic stress. In brief, water is another source that helps in dealing with stressors effectively. Thus, heavy intake of water during the whole day is another efficient way of staying healthier, and away from stress. In addition to study techniques, experts have identified and introduced four

Written Assignment #2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Written Assignment #2 - Essay Example Donatello’s version of David is estimated to have been created around 1440. It was a rather unique and famous statue owing to two facts; that one, it was the first unsupported bronze sculpture of the 15th century, and two, it was one of the earliest â€Å"nude† sculptures known to the Renaissance. It has the figure of a David who seems quite young, like a seventeen-year-old, wearing only a hat and some knee-height boots. The rest of his body is nude. He is holding a large sword (seemingly Goliath’s), in his right hand, and his left hand akimbo. Beneath his feet is Goliath’s head, badly severed. One of the Renaissance aspects of this work is in proportion. The Renaissance artists, focussed on realism, and that meant capturing their subjects accurately; as they appeared in nature. As is evident here, David is wholly proportional. The second aspect is texture. The body has been made smooth as should be in nature, and the hair has its texture simulated in a similar manner. The boots he is wearing also have the â€Å"leathery† appearance achieved through texture creation. The other outstanding Renaissance art feature is the capturing of fine details, such as his face in which one can see the smile on him. It displays a happy emotion. Finally, the body has been molded such that the light falling on it will create shading so some parts of David will be dark and others lighter; creating depth. Verrocchio’s David was created in bronze in the given period between 1473 and 1475. Similar to Donatello’s, it was commissioned by the Medici family for placement at the Medici Pallazo (Pallazo della Signoria). The David here is older than Donatello’s, seemingly in his early to mid-twenties. He has no hat on his head, wears a decorated battle vest, and a knee-length skirt. His hair falls freely and he is a little more muscular than Donatello’s David. The sword he holds in his right