Comparing Biblical and Denominational Christianity Research Paper

Comparing Biblical and Denominational Christianity - Research Paper Example Both types of belief systems ascribe to the basic Christian tenets, but the way in which they develop traditions and interconnections to each other through frameworks of belief, are constructed upon differing forms of guidance. In understanding the differences between Biblical Christianity and denominational Christianity, systems of belief must be examined and interpreted through meanings and from where those meanings are developed. Interpretation is the foundation of how the Bible is received, however. The Bible was written in languages with meanings that have changed, and has been translated into the common modern tongue of every written language. Therefore, the translation is used to determined interpretation. As an example, the shortened comment â€Å"spare the rod, spoil the child† is often used as biblical wisdom, but this phrase is a shortened version of several in the Bible. One of the verses that this phrase comes from the section that states â€Å"he who spares the rod, hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him (New International Version Bible: Proverbs 13:24). The word for ‘rod’ is ‘shebet’, which is a reference to the Hebrew for shepherd’s staff. The staff was not used to beat the sheep, but to guide them and to fend off predators when the sheep were vulnerable (Nicholson and Parker 217). As an example, the shortened comment â€Å"spare the rod, spoil the child† is often used as biblical wisdom, but this phrase is a shortened version.... The problem with the concept of Biblical Christianity is that it still depends on the interpretations of someone within the group in order to create beliefs and meaning. The belief in the superiority that is assigned by claiming to only use the Bible as a resource for worship is the first belief that connects the members of the groups. All aspects of life are informed through the wisdom that is provided in the Bible, with agreements on interpretation being taken as absolutes. Some interpretations of Biblical Christianity are based upon the idea that the beliefs are developed through believing what the Bible says and not making adjustments for the state of modern life. The concept of heresy is determined through assessing beliefs that are outside of the bible wisdoms, that are â€Å"held in opposition to the commonly received doctrine and tending to promote division or dissention† (Ridenour 15). Therefore, whatever falls outside of what is believed by those who adhere to Biblic al wisdom is considered heresy. Therefore, in believing that the form of Christianity that is being practiced is Biblical is to believe that all of the interpretations made by the group adhere to strict and literal references to the Bible. Another example can be found in Timothy I. The statement that â€Å"In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modes apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety: not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;† has been used to control the dress of women in some Christian groups (King James Version, I Timothy 2:9). In literal form, this suggests that wearing such items is an affront to God. However, once again, when put into context,

Progress Of Chinese Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Progress Of Chinese Economy - Essay Example China has experienced massive growth ever since the government has changed its agenda towards liberalization of the economy. Poverty has been reduced and human development has improved along with the other indicators which show that China is on the path to progress. However, this growth has clearly come from the private sector therefore support must be given to continuing growth while also getting the public sector to join in. Reforms in the financial architecture of the country would certainly help since they would allow the country to have a more flexible exchange rate and revamp the banking sector. These measures have to be taken since China is not without its own problems which are political, social as well as economic. Sustained growth for decades has certainly put inflationary and other pressures on the economy while the first moves towards a free market have certainly met with success. Further steps would require the government to essentially move out of owning parts of variou s companies and focusing their attention on more social issues such as the aging population of the country. It seems that the OECD is suggesting quite clearly to China that future development of the country is going to depend on the nature and the measure of human development experienced by China. While it is easy to agree with this position of the OECD, it must be kept in mind that the human development in China can be directly linked to the economic development of the country. Therefore, both have to become equally important for the state if sustained development is to be made in either of the two.

Critical Review Determination Of Accounting Standards Accounting Essay

Critical Review Determination Of Accounting Standards Accounting Essay Ross L. Watts and Jerold L. Zimmerman explore factors that motivate companies in lobbying on accounting standards and examine whether their opinion on certain standards are associated with their size. They use data from the companies which submit comments to the FASBs Discussion Memorandum on General Price Level Adjustment. The empirical evidence supports the argument that the firms tend to choose accounting standards which report lower earnings due to political and regulatory considerations. Their findings also confirm that big firms are more likely to be subjected to governmental interference. However, the paper might not be based on strong theoretical foundations. Moreover, some assumptions used in the paper could decrease the external validity of the research. I. Introduction Ross L. Watts and Jerold L. Zimmerman have written a remarkable paper in accounting research which attempt to provide positive theory about factors influencing companies in lobbying on accounting standards. The paper also discuss the question whether the size of the companies affect their opinion on certain standards. This paper is important because it makes contribution to the positive accounting theory development. It might be the first paper which attempt to provide empirical evidence on positive accounting theory about factors influencing management attitude on certain accounting standards. The data and the issues discussed were new in that period. It contributes to a literature that has uncovered empirical regularities in accounting practice (Holthausen and Leftwich, 1983 and Watts and Zimmerman, 1986 as discussed in Watts and Zimmerman, 1990 p 131). The literature has been developing since the publication of this paper in 1978 (Watts and Zimmerman, 1990 p 132). Though, the pape r also brought considerable debate among researchers. This essay intends provide critical review and highlights some important points from the paper by reviewing in four main areas: (i) research paradigm, (ii) theoretical framework, (iii) methodology, and (iv) research findings. The following section discusses about research paradigm used in the paper. The next section explores criticisms on the theoretical framework of the research. Section four reviews the methodology used in the research. Section five examines important finding from this paper. Finally, the last section presents some conclusion about the paper. II. Research Paradigm The researchers discussed an interesting topic in accounting theory. They use positivism paradigm in the research. This paradigm gets many criticisms when it is used in the social science research. According to Collis and Hussey (2009), positivism is criticized based on five main arguments. First, it is impossible to separate people from the social context in which they exist. Second, people cannot be understood without examining the perceptions they have of their own activities. Third, a highly structured research design imposes constrains on the results and may ignore other relevant findings. Fourth, researchers are not subjective, but part of what they observe. They bring their own interests and values to the research. Fifth, capturing complex phenomena in a single measure is misleading(Collis and Hussey, 2009, p. 56). Furthermore, Sterling (1990, p. 98) argued that Instead of trying to determine how to improve the present state of accounting we are told to try to determine the pr esent state of accounting. However, Watts and Zimmerman argued that they adopted the label positive from economics where it was used to distinguish research aimed at explanation and prediction from research whose objective was prescription (Watts and Zimmerman, 1990, p.148). Therefore, the evidence generated from researches using this paradigm will improve the development of accounting theory by providing explanations and predictions for normative research. Moreover, positivism as one of paradigm in research is used for many researches in social science today (Collis and Hussy, 2009). This paradigm is underpinned by the belief that reality is independent of us and the goal is the discovery of theories, based on empirical research (Collis and Hussy, 2009). III. Theoretical Framework The paper starts with the discussion about factors determining management attitudes toward financial accounting standards. The discussion based on two assumptions. First, individuals act to maximize their own utility(Watts and Zimmerman, 1978, p.113). This assumption means that management attitudes on certain accounting standards are based on its interest to maximize its own utility. Second, managements utility is a positive function of the expected compensation in the future periods (or wealth) and a negative function of the dispersion of future compensation (or wealth) (Watts and Zimmerman, 1978, p.114). The expected forms of compensation for management that are used in this research are incentive compensation and share price increase. The discussion then continues with the description of factors affecting management wealth. Those factors are taxes, regulation, political costs, information production costs, and management compensation plans. Each factor gives different impact on the way management chooses accounting standards. The researchers argue that management tend to choose accounting standards which report lower earnings (thereby increasing cashflows, firm value and their welfare) due to tax, political, and regulatory considerations than to choose accounting standard which report higher earnings and, thereby, increase their incentive compensation(Watts and Zimmerman, 1978, p.118). They also argue that this prediction depend on the political pressure on the firms and whether they are regulated or not. Another consideration that management should consider is the cost of information production as a consequence of the implementation of new standards. Based on the combination of factors affecting management wealth, they created two models that describe two possible conditions. The first model depicts the condition when the change in accounting standards will decrease the earnings of the firms and the second model depicts the condition when the earnings are increase. In short, the theory pronounces that there are three possible attitudes of the companies when the change in accounting standards decreases their earnings: submit favorable opinion, submit unfavorable opinion, or do no submit opinion. On the other hand, only two possible attitudes of the companies if the change in accounting standards increases their earnings: submit unfavorable opinion or do no submit opinion. The choice taken by the companies depends on the size of the companies. One of the important points explained in the paper is that the researchers omit some variables in developing the theory. Two of them are described in their paper. First, they realized that, generally, the factors influencing the regulation cost of utility companies is not only net income but also operating earnings. Second, they omit political sensitivity of the firms industry because there is no underlying theory to discuss this factor at that time. The theories used on this research got many criticisms. It needs verification and replication (Holthausen and Leftwitch, 1983 p. 100). The researchers should be able to understand and explained it well before conducting their research (Christenson, 1983 p. 20). Hines (1988 p. 661) suggested clarifying whether their theories were universal or probabilistic, and if the latter, explained on what conceptual grounds they should be held to be so. Therefore, it is better to test the theories first using another hypothesis before analyzing data using the theories (Hines. 1988 p. 661). However, Watts and Zimmerman argue that although the criticisms are relevant, those criticisms placed unreasonable demand on study (Watts and Zimmerman, 1990, p.149). In addition, their theories provide theoretical basis for other researches in accounting. For instance, Milne (2002, p.371) argued the theories provide the stated theoretical basis for a number of social disclosure studies. Moreover, this paper was probably the only paper which predicts corporate lobbying behavior as a function of firm-specific factors' (Holthausen and Leftwitch, 1983 p. 95). Another important point in the paper is that the researchers only focus on shareholders, creditors, and government in explaining some factors influencing management accounting choice. In fact, there are many users of financial statements have not discussed thoroughly in the paper. Those are employee, analyst-adviser, supplier and trade creditor, customer, competitors, and the public. The public includes taxpayers, consumers and other community and special interest groups, such as political parties, consumer and environmental protection societies and regional pressure groups. Each user has different interest on the firms. Therefore, they might influence the accounting choice. For instance, the accounting choice taken by the firm which has a significant impact on increasing its earnings will stimulate employees to ask for bonuses or even increase in their salaries. Conversely, if the accounting choice taken by firm has a significant impact on decreasing its earnings, it will make emplo yees worry about their job security. Then, it might increase employee the turnover in the firm. Finally, it would be interesting if the paper also discuss cultural differences between companies. It could be one important factor influencing management accounting choice. Each firm consists of groups of people who share their culture based on their top managements policies. This culture will also determine the firm accounting choice. The link between accounting value and cultural value (Alexander et all. (2009) discussed research by Gray (1988) based on Hofstede (1984) classification scheme) could be used to analyze the accounting choice of the firm. For instance, some firms might choose a more conservative accounting choice because their cultural characteristic is uncertainty avoidance. It might also explain why some big size companies did not submit their opinion on the discussion memorandum. IV. Methodology The researchers used voluntary disclosure regarding GPLA Statements for some companies that published such disclosure to predict the position of the companies on the new standard. For the others companies, they used the studies from Davidson and Weil (1975) and Davidson, Stickney, and Weil (1976) who develop an adjusting procedure which relies solely on published financial statements and GNP deflators. Furthermore, they also constructed proxy variables based on unadjusted depreciation and net monetary assets. They argue that these proxy variables can serve as a surrogate for the effect of GPLA earnings. One of main the problems is the dependent variable used by the researchers. They divided the responses into two categories, the companies which agree and disagree with the memorandum. This dichotomy does not represent the actual condition since some responses might consist of agreement on certain points in the memorandum but disagreement on other points (Holthausen and Leftwitch, 1983 p. 104). Another problem is the assumption that the companies which did not mention the compensation or reply the questioner assumed no compensation plans. This assumption may lead to the conclusion bias. The next important point is the use of firms size to proxy for political cost. The decision to use this method might be affected by condition at the time the paper was written. During the 1970s, oil companies dominated the largest of the US companies, and they were also subject to much public outrage and political scrutiny during and immediately following the oil crisis of 1973 (Milne, 2002, p.374). However, Hilnes suggested to avoid the use of crude proxies such as the use of firm size to operationalize the concept of political cost' (Hines. 1988 p. 661). Watts and Zimmerman (1990) as discussed by Milne (2002, p.377) finally realized that the size is too noisy as a proxy. Subsequent to their research, empirical studies have tended to use or suggest a wider range of measures to proxy for political costs (Milne, 2002, p.377). They may needs to elaborate the effect of firms stage of growth in accounting choice. The nature of managements solution (including the accounting choice) to each revolutionary period determines whether a company will move forward into its next stage of evolutionary growth (Greiner, 1972). The firm should choose the right solution (including accounting choice) in order to survive. Companies which are in the earlier stage of development will tend to maximize their profit while more mature companies will focus on sustainability issues. The focus on sustainability issues might stimulate companies to respond differently in order to survive in their environment. This argument could be an explanation why companies with different size have different respond to certain standards (Watts and Zimmerman, 1978). In terms of analysis, the focuses of the research on political cost especially on the effect of government intervention might reduce its external validity. The analyses conducted in isolation of other factors are inappropriate because accounting is used for many purposes (Fields et all. 2001, p. 300). The proposition that corporations will do anything to support the decision of accounting procedures that minimize reported earnings might not suitable for the companies with accounting-based debt covenants. The empirical evidence shows that those companies are more likely to choose income-increasing accounting methods (Begley, 1990 p. 138). Another research by Sweeney (1994) on the companies which violated debt covenants found that managers tend to do accounting change to increase the income figure in the years surrounding technical defaults. In summary, the researchers should be careful in using assumptions. They have to realize that their focus on political cost especially on the effect of government intervention might reduce external validity of the research. V. Research Findings Finally, the research provides important findings generated from this research. First, the empirical evidence supports the argument that the firms tend to choose accounting standards which report lower earnings due to political and regulatory considerations. Those firms are the firms that have contact with the government directly through regulation or indirectly through possible government intervention. Their findings also confirm that big firms are more likely to be subjected to governmental interference. The existence of costs generated by government intervention may have more fundamental and important effects on its investment-production decision if the potential costs of government interference become large. Based on this research, McKee et all. (1984. P. 658) then replicate the research using a larger sample. Unfortunately, the results from this research are not satisfactory. The evidences do not support the theories provided by this research. McKee et all. (1984. P. 647) argued that there are some problems regarding the test procedures and its underlying theories. However, the findings generated from this research are now become important consideration in conducting researches in accounting especially regarding earnings management. Research in this topic usually aims to find companies that tend to choose accounting standards which will affect their earnings. Therefore, most of researchers in this topic eliminate companies in regulated industries (utilities and financial companies) from their sample to minimize the effects of political and regulatory considerations (For example: Madhogarhia et all., 2009; Roychowdhury, 2006). Conclusion In summary, this paper is a remarkable paper in accounting research. It gives starting point in the development of positive theory in accounting. It might be the first research that investigates factors influencing management accounting choice. Though, there are some important points need to be improved in this research. The most important point is the improvement in theoretical framework. Based on the discussion on the paper, it could be concluded that accounting choice is a function of internal and external influences. Internal influences comprise some factors such as culture and stages of growth of the companies while external influences comprise changes in tax, regulation, information production cost, and management compensation costs. Combination of those influences affects the attitude of the company to certain changes, including the attitude toward the change of certain accounting standards. Iin order to improve the development of the theory in this topic, Fields et all. (2001, p. 299-300) made three recommendations. First, researchers should give more efforts to investigate the nature of the implications of alternative accounting methods rather than just testing the implications. Then, the research should not focus only to one accounting issue or one goal. Even though the tasks become more complex, they will give a better contribution to the development of theoretical framework in accounting. Finally, the researchers should develop more powerful statistical techniques and improve research design (Fields et all. 2001, p. 300). References: Alexander, D., Anne B., and A. Jorissen (2009) International Financial Reporting and Analysis, Cengage Learning, Hampshire, UK. Begley, J., (1990) Debt Covenant and Accounting Choice, Journal of Accounting and Economics 12, 125-139. Christenson, C., (1983) The methodology of positive accounting, The Accounting Review, Vol.58, N0.1, pp 1-22. Collis. J., and Roger H., (2009) Business Research: A Practical Guide for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students, Palgrave Macmillan, UK. Fields, T., Lys, T., and Vincent, L., (2001) Empirical Research on Accounting Choice, Journal of Accounting and Economics, Vol. 31, pp. 255-307. Greiner, L. E., (1972) Evolution and Revolution as Organization Grow, Harvard Business Review (July-August): 37 -46. Madhogarhia, P., Ninon K. S., and Theodor K., (2009) Earnings Management Practices Among Growth and Value Firms, Applied Financial Economics, 19, 1767-1778. Hines. R. D. (1988) Poppers methodology of falsificationism and accounting research, The Accounting Review, (October): 657-662. Holthausen. R. W. and R. W. Leftwich. 1983 The economic consequences of accounting choice: Implications of costly contracting and monitoring, Journal of Accounting Economics, (August): 77-117. McKee. A. J., Jr., T. B. Bell, and J. R. Boatsman (1984) Management preferences over accounting standards: A replication and additional tests, The Accounting Review, (October):647-659. Roychowdhury, S. (2006) Earnings Management Through Real Activities Manipulation, Journal of Accounting and Economics 42, 335-370. Sterling, R., (1990), Positive accounting: An assessment, Abacus, Vol.26, pp. 97-135. Sweeney, A. P. (1994), Debt-covenant violations and managers accounting responses, Journal of Accounting and Economics, 17, 281-308. Watts, R. L. and J. L. Zimmerman, (1978), Towards a positive theory of the determination of accounting standards, The Accounting Review, (January): 112-134. Watts, R., Zimmerman, J., (1990), Positive accounting theory: A ten year perspective, The Accounting Review 65, 131-156.

Immigration and Language in Call it Sleep Essay -- essays papers

Immigration and Language in Call it sleep Immigrant Allegory: Language and the Symbolism of Being Lost The symbolism of being lost is a universal immigrant theme that occurs throughout many immigrant literatures, particularly in Henry Roth’s Call it Sleep. Language, or lack of understanding it, has a profound contribution to the process of being lost. This contribution is shown earlier in the book, in a passage where David is lost trying to find his way home (Passage 1) and is mirrored later on in the book, when David and Aunt Bertha are lost in a museum (Passage 2). The restriction of the usage of language in both passages portrays to us the inevitable and ubiquitous immigrant dilemma: I talk, eat, and live like this new country with the intention of assimilation, but my lack of freedom with the language parallels my lack of freedom and acceptance in this new country – how can I overcome it? The similarities, differences, and dramatic ironic symbolism in these two passages will attempt to answer that question. The first obvious similarity between these two passages is that both of them deal with the superficial and latent meanings of being lost. In Passage 1, David is lost on the streets and is desperately trying to find his way to a familiar neighborhood. He asks a white gentleman (such an inference is due to the book’s description of the man having a blond moustache and his good command of the English language) whether or not he knows where Bodder Street is. Pronunciation differences between the two lead David on, what seems to be, a never-ending quest to find his house. The superficial meaning is that David is lost, trying to find his house. The latent meaning is that David is lost, trying to find a home: a place ... ...come the difficulty of belonging to this new culture because of his lack of freedom with the English language. It is this downfall that causes David to become lost in these two passages. In most cases, people who share the same language also share a similar culture, therefore forming a community. That community’s bond is in its language, which facilitates communication between its members. When a person who is not familiar with this community’s language is placed in it, that person will most certainly feel lost. David has shown us that the link between language and being lost is a universal immigrant theme that can be understood as follows: an immigrant can look, eat, and live like his new country but still feel lost, unless that immigrant learns to become completely fluent with the usage of his new country’s language. Bibliography: Henry Roth, Call it sleep

Children of the World †Romero Britto Essay

The art of Romero Britto gathers symbiotic elements of popular culture from Pernambuco – a state in Brazil -with sophisticated graphic composition, in the presence of the hybridism of the postmodern art and the â€Å"glocalization† (global and local) culture of the Contemporary. Romero started drawing very young, copying the works of other artists he saw in books. He used to articulate compositions in a way that was simplified and naive, but always in bright colors. When he was about twenty-five years old he had the opportunity to go to Europe and then he moved to Miami, in the United States. There, he was painting walls and selling his paintings through the streets to survive. His amazing compositions with cheerful colors were pleasing to the public of this city. In 1989, Michel Roux, American importer of Absolut Vodka, saw his work and hired him to do the advertising campaign of the drink. The three works created by the artist were broadcast in over 60 international publications, promoting the drink quickly on the world stage. From this event on he has not stopped. He was satisfying to universal desires to live happily. In 1995 he did the campaign for Pepsi and had his designs printed on 1. million cans of soft drinks. In 1997 he was hired to portray the stars of Disney within the context of his art. He has also developed projects for IBM and Apple. His works have been printed on various products from packaging to cars and even fabrics and accessories for the fashion industry. Romero Britto settled in Miami, married an American, and built the first gallery of his various galleries in Brazil, Europe and USA. In the United States the artist seems to have turned the country idol of Pop Art, with collectors and admirers in high places in Hollywood and American government. For example: Eillen Guggenheim, a descendant of the founders of the Guggenheim Museum, considers him as a Pop artist at the same level of Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Roy Lichtenstein. The themes depicted in his works are daily, with simple lines and colors that give the artist an aspect of fun and humor to the figures portrayed. The character of his works publicity and array of colors, shades, and lines put him in the pop art scene and some call it neo pop. The painting explored in this work, called â€Å"Children of the World†, was created in 2006, in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15). It was in exhibition in the Governor’s Gallery by Miami Beach artist Romero Britto. This exhibition was part of a statewide celebration initiated by Governor Jeb Bush to commemorate five centuries of Hispanic history, culture, and prosperity in Florida. The Colors The painting contains numerous colors. It is hard to define the predominant one, so a bunch of them will be defined to try to explain better the message of this painting. We can see the pink in different tonalities. Pink is the color of universal love. Also, pink is a quiet color and brings calm feelings, acceptance, contentment, relaxation, and neutralized disorder. This is one of the colors most evident in the painting, and those meanings define the purpose which is the celebration of a foreign culture (the Hispanic one) in the USA, in harmony with the American one. It wouldn’t be possible without the disorder neutralized, the acceptance of the differences, and mainly, love. Another color in evidence is the purple. According to Crystalcure. com, â€Å"Purple is the color of good judgment. Purple has been used to symbolize magic and mystery, as well as royalty. † Also, most children love this color. I believe that Britto used this color because it is well accepted by children, and they are one of the focuses in the painting. This color is also used because of the good judgment necessary to deal with the differences when you have opposite cultures. The yellow is also another evident color in the art. Yellow symbolizes wisdom, joy and happiness. This is the message that Romero Britto wants to show in all his paintings – the celebration of a happy life. We can observe a little bit of blue on the globe that the children are holding, which represents the ocean, but also we can observe it on the children’s body, with another meaning. The dark blue is the color of truth and moderation. The turquoise, found on the hair of the boy is the symbol of youth, and also the color of communication. It contains the growth quality of green with the blue quality of communication. Finally, the aqua is the color of high ideals. Brown and green are other colors found in the art. Combined, they represent wholesomeness and earthiness. They can signify growth and represent the simplicity, friendliness, dependability, renewal, and environment. The Shapes and Lines Talking about the lines, we can observe that the picture contains curves, parallel lines, and diagonal lines. Analyzing the shapes, we can find circles and organic shapes (for example, the flowers). Circles represent the eternal whole and in every culture are the form that represents the sun, the earth, the moon, and the universe. They have free movement, are warm, comforting and give a sense of sensuality and love. Their movement suggests energy and power. Their completeness suggests the infinite, unity, and harmony. Finally, they offer safety and connection. Circles suggest community, integrity, and perfection. The Organic shapes are irregular. They have more curves and are uneven. They tend to be pleasing, comforting and lovely. They are free and asymmetrical form and bring feelings of spontaneity. Organic shapes add interest and reinforce themes. In this case, the flowers reinforce the theme of purity, since children are one of the focuses in the art. Another organic shape found is the wing around the globe, which represents the freedom for people in the earth. The curved lines are softer than straight lines. They can be calm or dynamic depending on how much they curve. The less active the curve is the calmer is the feeling. In this art the lines are less active and represents calmer feelings and peace. The parallel lines are combined with the diagonal lines. Parallel lines of uniform width and spacing create a static and orderly effect. The diagonal lines are unbalanced though. They are filled with restless and uncontrolled energy. They can appear to be either rising or falling and convey action and motion. Diagonal lines are more dramatic than either horizontal or vertical lines. Light and Space The feeling of space in a drawing or painting is always an illusion. The artists combine the use of light and dark value with other techniques. One of these found in the art is the simple overlapping, with the globe on the children’s hand. This simple overlapping partially hides an object that’s supposed to be behind it. The globe and its wings are covering part of the hair of the children and their hand as well, so that makes it look like is closer to us. Also, the asymmetrical balance is used, so that means the patterns are placed an unbalanced way in the composition. It promotes feelings of stress, energy and excitement. The light reveals shape, texture, and color. A flat light attempt to eliminate all shadows of the image, and it’s what we can observe in the art. Romero Britto hardly uses Chiaroscuro’s lighting (this one creates strong shadows and is typically associated with emotion or suspense). His works are known mainly because of the brightness and live colors, which make his arts more happy and alive. Conclusion  This art was created by Britto to celebrate the National Hispanic Heritage Month. He decided to have two children as his focus, who were happy and in harmony despite their different culture (we can see by their eyes that one is oriental and the other one is not. The name of the art also brings this notion that they are from different parts of the world. ). The children are holding a globe, which has white wings. This action represents the world is moving toward peace and freedom, and the children can be the agents for that. The colors used combined bring harmony to the art. The pink represents the love, calm feelings, acceptance and contentment. If combined with the purple, good judgment becomes easier, which is the main meaning of this color. The happiness created by the yellow join with the youth and communication created by the blue, make the world a better place to live. The friendliness and the renewal represented by the green and the brown express the power that children have to have good relationships with everybody and make the next generation more harmonious. The circles represent the connection between people in the world, and the power that we have as well. We can find this shape everywhere in the art, so Britto wants to reinforce the idea of the integrity and community. That is the purpose of this art for this event in which it was exposed. The lines bring a contradiction though. At the same time that the parallel lines bring the order, the fact that they are in diagonal show restless and uncontrolled energy. That is exactly how the world looks. Right now it is not balanced and there are different forces coming from every direction. So, at the same time those children represent the next generation, the old one is still present and causing disorder. The soft curves balance the art bringing the peace and calm feelings to this conflicted world. The message passed by The Children Of The World went further than just a celebration of a month. It went further than a celebration of Hispanics living health in the USA. The message is that actually this new generation filled with love, energy, good feelings and friendliness has the power to change the future, and maybe one day all the world will be able to live in harmony and peace, not only this Hispanic community in the USA.

Wine Making

The differences between red and white wines include the kinds of grapes used, the fermentation and aging process, and the character and flavor of the wine. White wines are almost always made from white grapes, although they can be made from black grapes, since the juice in most black grapes is clear. When white wine is made, the skins of the grapes are separated from the juice when they are put into a crushing machine. After filtering etc, the wine is aged by storing it in stainless steel or occasionally oak containers and bottled after a few months. White wines, then, are made without skins or seeds and are essentially fermented grape juice. They have a light character and have crisp fruit flavors and aromas. They can be sweet or dry or somewhere in between Red wine is usually made from red or black grapes, although all the kinds of grapes usually have a clear juice. The process of making red wine is different from the one of making white wine. After the grapes have been in the crushing machine, the red grapes with their skins and everything sit in a fermentation vat for a period of time, typically about one to two weeks. . The skins tend to rise to the surface of the mixture and form a layer on top. The winemaker frequently mixes this layer back into the fermenting juice (which is called must). After fermentation is over, the new wine is taken from the vat. A little â€Å"free run† juice is allowed to pour and the rest of the must is squeezed into â€Å"press wine†. The wine is clarified and then is stored, usually in oak containers, for several months until it is ready to be bottled. The oak containers add additional wood tannins and flavors to the wine which help to intensify it and add richness to it. The result of this process is that red wines exhibit a set of rich flavors with spicy, herby, and even meaty characteristics. Late harvest ice wines are the exceptions in both hemispheres. The grapes are typically left on the vine to increase the sugar content and may be harvested up to a few months after the traditional harvest. An indigenous yeast fermentations starts by itself when wild yeast strains – originating in the vineyard – start fermenting. Wild yeast can take up to a week to begin the fermentation because their initial populations are small compared to an inoculated fermentation. But there is strenuous debate as to whether the wild yeast come in from the vineyard or are already present in the cellar on winemaking equipment.

Execute and Run Applications and Files From Delphi Code

Execute and Run Applications and Files From Delphi Code The Delphi programming language provides a quick way to write, compile, package, and deploy applications cross-platform. Although Delphi creates a graphical user interface, there are bound to be times you want to execute a program from your Delphi code. Lets say you have a database application that uses an external backup utility. The backup utility takes parameters from the  application and archives the data, while your program waits until the backup finishes. Maybe you want to open documents presented in a file list box  just by double-clicking on them  without opening the associated program first. Imagine a link label in your program that takes the user to your home page. What do you say about sending an email directly from your Delphi application through the default Windows email client program? ShellExecute To launch an application or execute a file in a Win32 environment, use the ShellExecute Windows API function. Check out the help on ShellExecute for a  full description of parameters and error codes returned. You can open any document without knowing which program is associated with it- the link is defined in the Windows Registry. Here are some shell examples.   Run Notepad uses ShellApi;...ShellExecute(Handle, open,c:\Windows\notepad.exe, nil, nil, SW_SHOWNORMAL) ; Open SomeText.txt With Notepad ShellExecute(Handle,open,c:\windows\notepad.exe,c:\SomeText.txt, nil, SW_SHOWNORMAL) ; Display the Contents of the "DelphiDownload" Folder ShellExecute(Handle,open, c:\DelphiDownload, nil, nil, SW_SHOWNORMAL) ; Execute a File According to Its Extension ShellExecute(Handle, open, c:\MyDocuments\Letter.doc,nil,nil,SW_SHOWNORMAL) ; Heres how to find an application associated with an extension. Open a Website or a *.htm File With the Default Web Explorer ShellExecute(Handle, open,http://delphi.about.com,nil,nil, SW_SHOWNORMAL) ; Send an Email With the Subject and the Message Body var em_subject, em_body, em_mail : string;begin em_subject : This is the subject line; em_body : Message body text goes here; em_mail : mailto:delphiaboutguide.com?subject em_subject body em_body ; ShellExecute(Handle,open, PChar(em_mail), nil, nil, SW_SHOWNORMAL) ;end; Heres how to send an email with the attachment. Execute a Program and Wait Until It Finishes The following example uses the ShellExecuteEx API function. // Execute the Windows Calculator and pop up// a message when the Calc is terminated.uses ShellApi;...var SEInfo: TShellExecuteInfo; ExitCode: DWORD; ExecuteFile, ParamString, StartInString: string;begin ExecuteFile:c:\Windows\Calc.exe; FillChar(SEInfo, SizeOf(SEInfo), 0) ; SEInfo.cbSize : SizeOf(TShellExecuteInfo) ; with SEInfo do begin fMask : SEE_MASK_NOCLOSEPROCESS; Wnd : Application.Handle; lpFile : PChar(ExecuteFile) ;{ParamString can contain theapplication parameters.}// lpParameters : PChar(ParamString) ;{StartInString specifies thename of the working directory.If ommited, the current directory is used.}// lpDirectory : PChar(StartInString) ; nShow : SW_SHOWNORMAL; end; if ShellExecuteEx(SEInfo) then begin repeat Application.ProcessMessages; GetExitCodeProcess(SEInfo.hProcess, ExitCode) ; until (ExitCode STILL_ACTIVE) or Application.Terminated; ShowMessage(Calculator terminated) ; end else ShowMessage(Error starting Calc!) ;end;

Women in Islam essays

Women in Islam essays Women play an important role in any society. In many cultures, a woman looks after the family while the man works to support them. Not all women look after the family, as many have full time careers. Womens education is encouraged almost everywhere, allowing women to better themselves. Education allows for better career opportunities. In most societies, the role a woman chooses to take for herself is often a choice rather than a restriction. In Islamic societies, however, women seem to be forced into certain roles and responsibilities. These restrictions often seem to elevate a mans status and importance in society while degrading a womans status. While the Koran and Islamic society state that the two sexes are equal in religious and legal aspects, the two sexes have very different roles within the society. These roles and responsibilities push women down, and create an unjust standard of living between the sexes. The Koran is meant to be the everlasting word of God, and is the text that guides Islamic society. According to Tove Dahl, women received through the Koran a religious status equal to that of men as believers, and in addition legal status as an independent subject . In pre-Islamic society, women were often considered the property of their men, and did not enjoy much freedom. Men would control the womens actions, often dictating their lives. As Islam and the word of Allah spread, a society was formed on religious beliefs, and based on the literal text of the Koran women were to be treated as equals. Given that the word of the Koran is the word of God, then women in Islamic society should be treated as equal with men. If women were granted equal religious matters and given independent legal status, then in a society which revolves around religion, women should have the same rights as men, and given freedoms to make their own decisions pertaining to most issues. ...

Biography of Dalton Trumbo and the Hollywood Blacklist

Biography of Dalton Trumbo and the Hollywood Blacklist â€Å"Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist Party?† It was a question asked of dozens of people brought before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in the 1940s and 1950s, and in October of 1947, it was put to Dalton Trumbo, one of Hollywood’s best-known and highest-paid screenwriters. Trumbo and nine others- dubbed the ‘Hollywood Ten’- refused to answer the question on First Amendment grounds This stand for principle came at a steep price: federal prison terms, fines, and worst of all, a place on the  Hollywood blacklist, a prohibition that kept them from working in their chosen profession. Dalton Trumbo spent much of the rest of his life climbing back to the top. The fall from grace was particularly hard for Trumbo, who had  struggled to establish a writing career  and had risen to the upper ranks of the Hollywood studio structure less than a decade earlier. Early Life James Dalton Trumbo was born in Montrose, Colorado on December 5, 1905 and grew up in the nearby town of Grand Junction. His father, Orus, was hardworking but struggled to achieve financial stability. Orus and Maud Trumbo often had difficulty supporting Dalton and his sisters. Trumbo became interested in writing early in life, working as a cub reporter for the Grand Junction newspaper while still in high school. He studied literature at the University of Colorado with the hope of becoming a novelist. Then, in 1925, Orus decided to move the family to Los Angeles in the hopes of finding more lucrative work, and Dalton decided to follow. Within a year of the move, Orus died of a blood disorder. Dalton got what he hoped would be a short-term job at the Davis Perfection Bread Company to help support the family. He ended up staying for eight years, working on novels and short stories in his spare moments. Few were published. His big break came in 1933, when he was offered a job writing for the Hollywood Spectator. This led to a job reading scripts for Warner Brothers in 1934, and by 1935, he was hired as a junior script writer in the B-Picture Unit. Later that year, his first novel, Eclipse, was published. Early Career For the next few years, Trumbo hopped from studio to studio as he mastered his new craft. By the late 1940s, he was earning as much as $4.000 a week- a major improvement over the $18 a week he had earned at the Perfection Bread Company. He wrote over a dozen movies between 1936 and 1945, including Five Came Back, Kitty Foyle, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, and A Guy Named Joe. His personal life also flourished. In 1938, he married a former drive-in waitress named Cleo Fincher, and they soon had a family: Christopher, Mitzi, and Nikola. Trumbo bought an isolated ranch in Ventura County as a retreat from Hollywood life. Joining the Communist Party Trumbo had a reputation in Hollywood as an outspoken critic of social injustice. Having been a member of the working class for much of his life, he was passionate about labor rights and civil rights. Like many of his liberal-leaning Hollywood peers, he was eventually drawn towards Communism. His decision to join the Communist Party in December 1943 was a casual one. While not a Marxist, he agreed with many of its general principles. â€Å"People joined the Communist Party for very good, humane reasons, in my view,† he once said. The early 1940s was the high point for Party membership in the United States; Trumbo was one of more than 80,000 â€Å"card-carrying† Communists of the era. He loathed the meetings, which he described as â€Å"dull beyond description and about as revolutionary in purpose as Wednesday evening testimonial services at the Christian Science Church,† but he passionately believed in the Party’s right to exist under a Constitution that afforded Americans the freedom to assemble and to speak. The Hollywood Ten Trumbo’s affiliation was well-known at the time, and he, like other Hollywood Communist Party members, was under FBI surveillance for several years. In September 1947, the family was at their remote ranch when FBI agents arrived with a subpoena to appear before the HUAC. Trumbo’s son Christopher, then seven, asked what was happening. â€Å"We are Communists,† Trumbo said, â€Å"and I have to go to Washington to answer questions about my Communism.† About 40 members of the Hollywood community were issued subpoenas. Most simply complied with HUAC investigators, but Trumbo, along with fellow screenwriters Alvah Bessie, Lester Cole, Albert Maltz, Ring Lardner, Jr., Samuel Ornitz, and John Howard Lawson, directors Edward Dmytryk and Herbert Biberman, and producer Adrian Scott, decided not comply. In a contentious hearing on October 28, 1947, Trumbo repeatedly refused to answer HUAC members’ questions on First Amendment grounds. For his intransigence, he was found in contempt of Congress. He was later convicted on the charges and sentenced to a year in prison. Prisoner #7551 It took three years for the case to work through the appeals process, but Trumbo’s actual punishment began as soon as he returned from the hearings. He and his peers were blacklisted from working for any of the major studios and shunned by many in the Hollywood community. It was a hard time for the family both financially and emotionally, as Cleo Trumbo told People in a 1993 interview. â€Å"We were broke, and we weren’t invited anywhere. People dropped away.† With legal fees draining his savings, Trumbo returned to his B-movie roots and began churning out scripts under various pseudonyms for small studios. He worked right up until the day in June 1950 when he shaved off his signature mustache and flew east to begin his year-long prison term. Trumbo, now known as Prisoner #7551 was sent to the Federal Correctional Institution in Ashland, Kentucky. After almost 25 years of ceaseless work, Trumbo said that he felt â€Å"a sense of almost exhilarating relief† when the doors closed behind him. His stint at Ashland was filled with reading, writing, and light duties. Good behavior won him early release in April 1951. Breaking the Blacklist Trumbo moved the family to Mexico City after his release, hoping to get away from the notoriety and to stretch their reduced income a little further. They returned in 1954. Mitzi Trumbo later described the harassment of her new elementary school classmates when they found out who she was. Throughout the period, Trumbo continued to write for the screenplay black market. He would end up writing around 30 scripts under various pen names between 1947 and 1960. In one two-year span, he wrote 18 scripts at an average payout of $1,700 each. Some of these scripts were very successful. Among his work during this period was the classic romantic comedy Roman Holiday (1953) and The Brave One (1956). Both won Academy Awards for writing- awards that Trumbo couldn’t accept. Trumbo often passed on work to other struggling blacklisters, not only out of generosity but also  to flood the market with so many black-market scripts that the whole blacklist would look like a joke. Later Life and Legacy The blacklist continued to weaken throughout the 1950s. In 1960, director Otto Preminger insisted Trumbo receive a credit for writing the script for the Biblical blockbuster Exodus, and actor Kirk Douglas publicly announced Trumbo had written the script for the historical epic Spartacus. Trumbo adapted the script from a novel by Howard Fast, himself a blacklisted author. Trumbo was readmitted to the Writers Union and from that point on, he was able to write under his own name. In 1975, he received a belated Oscar statuette for The Brave One. He continued to work until he was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1973, and died in Los Angeles on September 10, 1976 at the age of 70. By the time Trumbo died, the blacklist was long broken. Fast Facts Bio Full Name: James Dalton TrumboOccupation: Screenwriter, novelist, political activistBorn:  December 9, 1905 in Montrose, Colorado  Died:  September 10, 1976 in Los Angeles, CaliforniaEducation: Attended  University of Colorado and University of Southern California, no degreeSelected Screenplays: Roman Holiday, The Brave One, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, Spartacus, Exodus Novels: Eclipse, Johnny Got His Gun, The Time of the ToadKey Accomplishments:  Joined  nine other Hollywood figures in resisting the anti-Communist House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Worked for years under assumed names until he was able to rejoin the Hollywood community.  Spouses Name: Cleo Fincher TrumboChildrens Names: Christopher Trumbo, Melissa Mitzi Trumbo, Nikola Trumbo Sources Ceplair, Larry.. Dalton Trumbo: Blacklisted Hollywood Radical. University Press of Kentucky, 2017.Cook, Bruce. Trumbo. Grand Central Publishing, 2015.

The humanistic Tradition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The humanistic Tradition - Essay Example For example, early marriages were a normal phenomenon whereby, young teenage girls were married off to older mature men especially amidst the upper class families where marriage was a tool of reinforcing allegiances and expanding the family’s wealth (US History). In addition, only women from rich families had access to any form of education. However, it is important to note that gender differences predetermined the type of education one received; for example, scientific academic disciplines were only offered to males. In spite of these dire circumstances, some women remained determined to educate themselves. One such woman was Lavina Fontana (1552-1614) who rose to become a professional and highly sought after painter for the very rich. Her expertise transcended over her husband who was also a fellow painter. It was highly unusual at the time for a woman to be both married, a mother and working (Castiglione). Luretia Marrinella was to set a new standard for women as she neither saw herself as devious nor frivolous but as serious with the ability to think. She defied the negative perception that women were slow and soft, a presumption held even by humanists such as Alberti who the society considered to be ahead of the zeitgeist (spirit of the times) for they lobbied for equality. Marrinella, a poet wrote great quality pieces as she mourned her dead husband. This set her apart from other women in the society (Castiglione). The achievements of most modern influential women would seem unreal for women living in the predominantly controlled masculine culture in the past. Modern new day feminists like Gloria Steinem have taken fighting for women’s rights to a higher level through advocacy, politics, media, leadership, and of course the age-old art of writing in journals and newspaper columns (Marcello 5). Alice Walker popular for her novel â€Å"The Color Purple† is an activist and author

Final Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Final - Research Paper Example Various concepts of validity and reliability have been discussed to analyze the extent of accuracy of the measurements in the research. Other than that, the ethical aspects of using human subjects in the research have also been analyzed. Table of Contents Research Methodology 4 Criteria for Research Method Selection 4 Difference between: 4 a)Facts and Theory 4 b)Concepts and Variables 5 Use of Theoretical Perspective in Design Process 5 Validity and Reliability 5 Construct Validity 6 Measurement Reliability 6 Quantitative and Qualitative Research Design 6 Quantitative Research Design 6 Qualitative Research Design 7 Requirement of Ethics in Research 7 Comparative Study between non-experimental, quasi-experimental, and experimental research designs 8 References 9 Research Methodology The process of systematically solving the research problem is called research methodology. It can also be understood as a way to conduct research scientifically. The researchers study the problems and the logic behind them, with the usage of the right research methodology. The researchers not only have to assess the quantitative aspect of any research but also its qualitative dimension too. It is also necessary to analyze the assumptions that have been taken for various techniques and also the criteria by which the techniques could be chosen. In the virtual project management of oil and gas industry, the right methodology for conducting research is by mailing questionnaire to the respondents, conducting telephonic survey or through observation (Kothari, 2008, p. 7-8). Criteria for Research Method Selection As we have already studied, research methodology is the tool for scientifically approaching a research problem. So the success and the failure of the research are mostly depended upon the right research tool selected by the researcher. The criteria for selecting the research tools are not fixed, they vary according to the research problem, the issues behind such situation and the l ogic behind selecting the method of research. In this study the research is conducted to analyze the various issues that arise when companies utilize virtual project tools in the oil sector. These projects are usually undertaken by teams of people who work from different countries around the world. So in this case telephonic survey or questionnaire sent through mails would be the best method for data collection. Difference between: a) Facts and Theory The things which we can see, feel, touch or hear are facts as it can be verified and its existence is real for us. Even when we do not personally experience something, but the experiences of others are also counted as a fact. In research facts are those which can be tested and verified. For example in virtual projects, the virtual project tools such as the satellites show the picture of the oil wells, pipeline or oil spills to the project managers in their offices. This is also a fact. Theory on the other hand utilizes the fact and put forward the reason behind such occurrence. It is the logic behind the fact that took place. In research it is very important to identify the reason behind the problems; otherwise solutions cannot be formulated for the same. b) Concepts and Variables The point of difference between concepts and variables are the measurability. Concepts are perceptions that are created in minds

Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes Band Assignment

Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes Band - Assignment Example The song also received a positive welcome in the commercial arena. Following the good commercial reception, the song won a Grammy Award in 2004 for Best Rock Song title. Generally, the song explores the aspects of general life. What we see in the song is like-themed with some other songs in the album such as Blue Orchid. Though the song addresses some issues which the singer feels, it raises a feeling of self-worth and even more, a call to fight for one's rights. In analyzing this song, I will basically focus on the approaches aforementioned, that is; life in general and fight for freedom. Besides that, I will also analyze the video, musical as well as the lyrical structure of the song. To start with, the video is red themed. The video starts with a unique work by the producer. It then progresses to a kaleidoscopic view with three colors which are black, red and white. At some points in the video, there are scenes of skeletons holding shields which reflects the lyrics of the song that seven armies would not hold him back. The two Whites change roles with their instruments in harmony with the beats of the song. Still, in the video, there is an elephant citing which captures an association of the song with the title of the album. Back to the musical and lyrical analysis, the song starts with what sounds like bass, however, what sounds like the ass is actually a guitar to which an octave effect has been added that makes it sound like a bass. There is then the introduction of the drums’ this mixture of instruments, where all the instruments were used in the former years of the 1950s makes the music unique in its own. The song has three main stanzas. Each stanza s eems to be a continuation of the story in the former stanza; this gives the song a smooth flow from the start to its end. Every stanza has its own major idea but all in all, they sum up to form a masterpiece of a song.

Response Paper #3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Response Paper #3 - Essay Example Before delving into the niceties of legal theory, it will serve us to first review the components of the statute that appellant Omeira stands convicted of contravening and, thereafter, applying those same components to the facts of the case. Simply stated, section 901.34(1), Wessex Code, the Native Art Protection Act (or NAPA), forbids export of native works of art produced before 1920 and worth more than 100,000 pounds. The statute is quite specific. It does not address such matters as forgery—indeed a forged work of art (e.g., unlawful export of an ostensible work by the celebrated 15th century Wessex master Harpo that was actually produced in the studio of the less appreciated 17th century Wessex sculptor Groucho) might well satisfy the three desiderata of the Act. The Act, however, does establish three elements that must be present for the Act to be applicable in a specific case. First, the work of art in question must be of Wessex origin. Second, it must have been produced before 1920. And, third, it must be appraised at more than 100,000 pounds. We may apply these specific desiderata to the work in question, Seminole Falls, ostensibly the work of the 18th century Wessex master Decameron, but now known to be a modern forgery—the product of Belgian landscape artist Flammarion, to determine if the Act has been violated. First, Seminole Falls is not of Wessex origin. Evidence, bordering on the conclusive, points to its production in Flammarion’s Antwerp studio. Second, Flammarion did not establish himself as a prominent landscape painter until the mid-1960s. Therefore, Seminole Falls could not have been produced before 1920, a requirement necessary to implicate the Act. Finally, third, the value of the work has been established as less than 100,000 pounds. As our brother, Justice Newson, succinctly described it, â€Å"An expert from the Arts Council inspected the painting and

Argument essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Argument - Essay Example She also wrote the poem â€Å"I’m Nobody! Who Are You?†, a simple and straightforward poem. The aim of this paper is to analyze the poetic style used in this poem in the lights of broad and diverse academic resources. Furthermore, it would concentrate on analyzing the meaning of the poem. Overview â€Å"I’m Nobody! Who are You?† has been written by Emily Dickinson. It is short, simple and straightforward but has a deep meaning. The selection of the word â€Å"Nobody† in the title demonstrate that Dickinson was a nobody and she preferred to be that. It signifies that she loved to spent time in isolation and doing her house chores. It also demonstrates that she loved her gardens and she enjoyed reading as well as writing. The poem itself is considered to represent her isolated and secluded life. â€Å""I'm Nobody! Who are you?" is a direct reflection of Dickinson's ideals on life† (Habegger, 2001). â€Å"Are you—Nobody—too?† demonstrates the fact that Dickinson wanted to have another person, who would be just like her, that is, a nobody, with whom she can spent the rest of her life with. Majority of the poets and literary critics â€Å"have connected to Dickinson as being the "love" she spoke of in her poems are people to whom she corresponded with by letters, men and women alike† (Habegger, 2001).

Library Information studies- Research evaluation-Evaluation of sample Assignment

Library Information studies- Research evaluation-Evaluation of sample library questionnaire - Assignment Example re can not only effectively be used to gauge how to improve services and keep customers happy but it may also be used to provide powerful insights for the Library on how to keep their client base growing. Although there is no theoretical base for developing a good questionnaire, the success of any user survey can not be achieved without a properly well designed questionnaire. In this regard, the effectiveness of the survey questionnaires largely depends on how well they are designed, whether they have met the goals of the research, their appropriateness as well as their effectiveness in meeting the demands of the particular organization. This paper evaluates a user survey questionnaire that was designed used by Example Library during their user survey. The primary research goal of the user satisfaction survey used by the Example library is to collect data which will enable the library to evaluate how they would improve the quality of their Library services. With regard to the methods used, the researchers primarily used a set of customer satisfaction survey questionnaire that sought to determine the demographics, needs, interests as well as the expectations of their Library users. On the other hand, the expected outcome was that the user survey will be able to effectively measure the perceived customer satisfaction as well as their experience with the services and offerings of Example library. The appropriateness of questionnaire wording is critically important because it helps minimize bias in the results obtained from the respondents during the user survey. According to Grunlund (1993), poorly structured questions may lead respondents to answer the questions in a specific way. The questionnaire used by Example Library is appropriately worded and the authors have avoided the use of technical terms and jargons that may confuse the respondents. Similarly the researchers have effectively begun with a brief statement that was intended to explain the purpose of the

Argument essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Argument - Essay Example She also wrote the poem â€Å"I’m Nobody! Who Are You?†, a simple and straightforward poem. The aim of this paper is to analyze the poetic style used in this poem in the lights of broad and diverse academic resources. Furthermore, it would concentrate on analyzing the meaning of the poem. Overview â€Å"I’m Nobody! Who are You?† has been written by Emily Dickinson. It is short, simple and straightforward but has a deep meaning. The selection of the word â€Å"Nobody† in the title demonstrate that Dickinson was a nobody and she preferred to be that. It signifies that she loved to spent time in isolation and doing her house chores. It also demonstrates that she loved her gardens and she enjoyed reading as well as writing. The poem itself is considered to represent her isolated and secluded life. â€Å""I'm Nobody! Who are you?" is a direct reflection of Dickinson's ideals on life† (Habegger, 2001). â€Å"Are you—Nobody—too?† demonstrates the fact that Dickinson wanted to have another person, who would be just like her, that is, a nobody, with whom she can spent the rest of her life with. Majority of the poets and literary critics â€Å"have connected to Dickinson as being the "love" she spoke of in her poems are people to whom she corresponded with by letters, men and women alike† (Habegger, 2001).

Plagiarism Essay Example for Free

Plagiarism Essay Plagiarism is taking credit in terms of the words, ideas as your own without implicit or explicit expression of the owner or proper referencing. It can be defined in simple terms as presenting other peoples work including the work of fellow students, academicians, researchers, magazines, newspapers, whether electronic or non electronic as your own without proper citation. It involves use of ideas, opinion or facts may be taken from another source which is either oral or written but are not common knowledge. The issue common knowledge is subjective and debatable. Plagiarism takes many forms such as including words, opinions and ideas in academic paper without citing the source. This may be intentional or an intentional. In some instances it will be copying, cutting and pasting from electronic sources, borrowing a document without proper reference, presenting a research paper. A student may reproduce theories, formulas, opinions and ideas and without proper citing or acknowledgement of the original owners. It is always prudent for a student or any other person to worry of plagiarism since it waters down the purpose of the academic paper presented. Students always are caught with various forms of plagiarism such as; direct quoting of the actual work of a person without taking credit and this has serous repercussions. There are instances that Using somebody’s ideas as your own, forming opinions on somebody’s research and assuming that it is yours. It also takes the form of paraphrasing ideas opinions words theories as if you are the originator. Borrowing facts, statistics or any other materials can also amount to plagiarism. It may also take a form of careless use documents copying and poor citing. Attitude towards plagiarism Plagiarism is deception act that should be punished at costs. It is an immoral act that portrays the writers’ inability read and comprehends ideas, opinions, and other materials and inability to cite and reference. The level of plagiarism is not an issue when considering the ability of the writer to be able to write a good paper. What matters is ability to write a document independent In my opinion I feel plagiarism is part of piracy although it occurs in academic circles. Take an instance of a person presenting plagiarized papers to academic institution. American universities have many penalties for plagiarism. They range from expulsion to reaping the papers depending on the level of plagiarism. Some levels of plagiarism such as cut and paste, copying a colleague’s work, wrong paraphrasing, and quoting direct without citing the originator will carry different penalties. Strategies of avoiding plagiarism There are many strategies that can be used to avoid plagiarism. To avoid plagiarism one must give credit or acknowledge the originator of the opinion idea or theory that has been used. Issues like facts graphs drawings, graphs which are borrowed from a certain source must be acknowledged and the source be acknowledged. Speeches or paraphrases must also be taken care of. Taking credit may be in a form of citing which is an authority to allow one to use the information that is not his. It also ensures the future users of your documents are able to tress and locate the original data. Plagiarism is theft of intellectual property, I totally agree with this statement, taking some ones quality work presenting as if it belongs to you is same as stealing another person’s brain and use it to earn yourself fame and money. This is the most discouraging thing for writers and artists, it threatens the industry of art and can halt this interesting and important industry in our society. Most amazing is the way comedians steals each others lines and even some times even the listeners get bored, they just don’t want to come up with new words, song writers repeat the same lines too, and for along time we only listen to same words and similar lines sing with a different tunes. People just fall to use their intelligence and steal from one another, this should be ended if people want to grow intellectually measures should be put to curb plagiarism and people be warned of the dangers of plagiarism and its effects Plagiarism can be avoided by all means if we want intelligent work, this bad practice can ruin our generation especially through the internet , a lot of discipline can be installed in learning institution and make sure that whoever is caught plagiarizing is punished or even expelled from the institution, this will encourage student to work hard genuinely . Harsh penalties should be passed for anyone caught copying another persons work and especially those found to be selling it and these thieves should be prosecuted in court and let them be an example for others. This would instill fear and reduces cases of this illegal practice and at the same time encourage people to come up with original work and ideas of their own and ideas of their own, and in this way the will be a lot of quality work in the market and employment opportunities created as more work force will be needed when the market gets busy and the profits are high. Plagiarism can be avoided by all means if we want intelligent work, this bad practice can ruin our generation especially through the internet , a lot of discipline can be installed in learning institution and make sure that whoever is caught plagiarizing is punished or even expelled from the institution, this will encourage student to work hard genuinely . Harsh penalties should be passed for anyone caught copying another persons work and especially those found to be selling it and these thieves should be prosecuted in court and let them be an example for others. This would instill fear and reduces cases of this illegal practice and at the same time encourage people to come up with original work and ideas of their own and ideas of their own, and in this way the will be a lot of quality work in the market and employment opportunities created as more work force will be needed when the market gets busy and the profits are high.

Communication Models: Overview and Analysis

Communication Models: Overview and Analysis Digging deeper into communication models, the research done by theorist and communication experts alike has helped the future generation to at least have a brief idea of what a communication model is. In this era, whereby the world is getting smaller coined the Global Village (Marshall McLuhan) communication has risen to new heights due to its importance. The understanding of communication would further enhance a mans understanding of how to communicate with efficiency and efficacy. The rise of the Internet has also changed how communication works whereby the former and commonly used type was direct communication (face-to-face) and it changed into communication that was based more on writing as more and more people are hooked to the Internet. A communication model would help with discovery of the difference in relationships between the different types of communication and how manipulative variables change efficiency, reach etc. A communication model would also clarify complex understanding of communication into a more disciplined, order and simple form of communication. Though models of communication has its advantages yet because of its simple nature could lead to oversimplifications, such as quoted There is no denying that much of the work in designing communication models illustrates the oft-repeated charge that anything in human affairs which can be modeled is by definition too superficial to be given serious consideration. Duhem (1954) thus a model may attempt to mirror real life information but in reality it is impossible to truly model real life communication. Therefore, communication models are generally divided into two, linear model and non-linear model, the former neglecting feedback of receivers, external factors etc. The linear model adapted a mathematical approach to communication based on codes that are decoded and encoded. The model dictates communication is possible only if two people share the same code whereby in this case is the same language. Language is the bridge that connects human thoughts into strings of sound, syllables and words and like any other computer in order to translate it requires the same code system. This means, an example if a person wants to transfer his/her thoughts it would be encoded into language then the message is delivered through a channel that is later on decoded by the receiver/recipient. Thus the introduction to the encode-decode model of communication, the linear model though revolutionary in communication introduced by Lasswell and later on enhanced by Shannon-Weaver model (Shannon, 1948) including noise into the communication. The main defect of these models are that it is linear and robotic, dictating that communication has  a beginning and ending while in reality communication does not have such limited specifications under communication. Linear models do not generally take into account how humans interpret meaningsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the encode-decode model assumes that meaning is objective and can be captured in a fixed correspondence between aspects of the world and some system of representation (Lund and Waterworth) Thus, Schramm introduced the circular model that acknowledges communication is not linear and that emphasizes the circular nature of human communication, in which the roles of source/encoder and receiver/decoder interchange. In furtherance of a nalysis, the sample used is the Circular/Interactive Model of Osgood and Schramm. Wilbur Schramm and Osgood introduced the Circular Model, 1954 were one of the first to alter the mathematical model of Shannon and Weaver. The reason behind Schramm coming up with the circular model was to overcome the limitations of linear models. In fact, it is misleading to think of the communication process as starting somewhere and ending somewhere. It is really endless. We are little switchboard centers handling and rerouting the great endless current of information.(Schramm W. (1954) quoted in McQuail Windahl (1981). All communication process starts with a person that has a thought or information to pass on to other people. In the interactive model, that thought would first go through an element called the encoder, which will change our thought into codes. Encoding is actually an act of translating specific thoughts into codes (message) that is then transferred to another person, which will decode the codes (message), and interpret the meaning. The second part of the communication, is the feedback/response of the person to the particular code (message) that goes through the process of encoding, and then delivered back to the original sender. The difference here is that the circular model acknowledges the circular nature of human communication that is endless. An enhancement of previous linear models whereby the sender and receiver vice versa changes role depending on the communication. This helps improve the understanding of communication between two people rather then a one way linear model that does not represent the nature of communication in real life. The Circular Model is a dynamic model that shows how a situation can change and that communication is not generally one sided. The Circular Model also raises the importance of redundancy and that it is an essential part of communication, due to the fact that communication moves in a circular manner. Another advantage of the model is that it does not separate between sender and receiver, both sender and receiver is the same person. A more active communication models rather then the linear model that assumes passive receivers. The Circular Model emphasizes on the feedback feature to be central of the communication model, where models before failed to incorporate. The Circular model is not free from defects; one being the most highly criticized is that it does not incorporate the noise feature included in Shannon-Weaver model (Shannon, 1948). Noise is anything that influences effective communication and the interpretation of the code (message). Noise may have profound effects on interpretation of communication but is usually overlooked. Noise can be divided into three categories, which are Semantic Noise, Psychological Noise (internal noise) and Physical Noise (external noise). Understanding noise is essential in improving further the communication models. External Noise is anything outside the person that may distract the efficiency of communication, such as sight, sound, smell, and environment such as crowded environment. Whiles Internal Noise is anything that influences thoughts, feelings during communication such as hunger, headaches and fatigue. The final one is Semantic Noise which encoding errors by the sender which is not understood by the receiver such as writings in articles by the use of jargons or unnecessary technical language. Application of the circular model would most probably mirror communication limited to only 2 people. The Circular model is limited to that specific use since it fails to incorporate context and the surrounding nature and growth development of the individual. Room for improvement of the Circular Model (1954) has been made through the Helical Model (1967) attempting to show that the growth of communication is forever evolving and limitless. The extent of its growth depending on the development of the individual throughout his life and including individual factors such as environment, economic and relations change over time. As communication moves forward so does the form of such communication, therefore it is a need to take into account of the different for such as the epidemic growth of social media changing the communication as there is more reliance of the things said rather then the non-verbal messages sent in the past with direct communication. Based on extended reading, improvements of the Circular model taking into account present communication settings. Macintosh HD:Users:syafeeqz:Desktop:College:COmm:Templatechart.jpg Based on the Communication Model above, it clearly looks similar to the Circular model. The difference is the enhancement of noise in the middle section of the model. Message is changed into distortion; to infer that noise plays a part in the message sent thus naming it distortion. What this model represents is a more suitable approach to real life communication, as it incorporates the underlying factors of intention, perception, relationship and the context of communication while acknowledging all three types of noise. First of all, intention of the communication does have significance as if the intention was transactional it is specifically goal-oriented thus would affect interaction to achieve such goals. On the other hand, if the intention were of socializing purposes and demonstrating social intimacy with the receiver/counter-initiator thus the distortion (message) would be interpreted differently. As an example, the differences of response to sellers as compared to friends and family. The attention span/level is also based on such intentions. Intentions can also recognized as inference. Inference in this sense means humans communicate far more meaning than they ever encode linguistically. A perfect example is the use of the word Its gone, the ambiguity of linguistics fail to define the complete meaning of intention in language and the interpretation is inferred by the receiver/counter-initiator. Next, the relationship between initiator and receiver also governs the communication model such as symmetric power relationship between to friends, both with equal rights to speak as compare to a asymmetrical power relationship between and employee and employer would change the distortion (message) taking into measure the authority of the employer. Furthermore, the context is a combination of both the intention and relationship mixed with the location, time and noise during the communication thus turns into a major influence as how distortion (message) is received and the response given. An example to display such context, is the comparison of initiators/rebound distortion (message) during at work with a colleague compared too the distortion at home with a family member, while in both cases explaining the accident that took place while on the way to work. The context changes so much that the variables are limitless, while at the office the explanation of such event may be more dramat ized and exaggerated since it just happened, and also the fact that the receiver/counter-initiator is a colleague while at home the explanation of the same event would be shorter due to the redundancy, fear of the family members response and so fourth. The nuclear signed used was to signify the limitless boundaries of such context and the different combinations that may occur combined with the different types of noise that play a subtle role in influencing communication. The model incorporates all three types of noise that is semantic, external and internal. What differs from other models is it also features other major factors such as perception outwards toward the each other and perception inward of oneself. Example, if we perceive of what we are listening too in the radio is false thus the whether it is true we tend to ignore the distortion (message) this is called selective perception. Schramms model though outdated and has been improved with numerous other models; it remains to be the cornerstone of communication models, with the model centered on the theory of feedback. Schramms model is of use in todays social media lifestyle since social media relies mainly on the two-way circular nature of communication.

Aaron Copeland :: Biography

Aaron Copland was born on November 14, 1900 in New York City. His musical works ranged from ballet and orchestral music to choral music and movie scores. For the better part of four decades Aaron Copland was considered the premier composer of 20th Century American Music. Copland learned to play piano from an older sister. By the time he was fifteen he had decided to become a composer. His first composing steps included a correspondence course. In 1921 Copland traveled to Paris to attend the newly founded music school for Americans at Fontainebleau. He was the first American student of the brilliant teacher, Nadia Boulanger. After three years in Paris he returned to New York with his first major commission, writing an organ concerto. His "Symphony for Organ and Orchestra" premiered in at Carnegie Hall in 1925. Copland's growth as a composer followed the important trends of his time. After his return from Paris he worked with jazz rhythms in his "Piano Concerto" (1926). In 1936 he changed his musical style toward a simpler sound. He thought this made his music more meaningful to the music listeners being created by radio and the movies. His most famous works during this period were based on American folk lore including "Billy the Kid" (1938), "Rodeo" (1942), Fanfare for the Common Man (1942), and Appalachian Spring (1944). Other works during this period were a series of movie scores including "Of Mice and Men" (1938) and "The Heiress" (1948). After 1970 Copland stopped composing, though he continued to lecture and conduct through the mid-1980s.

Macbeth Is Not A Villain... :: essays research papers

MACBETH ESSAY The proposition that “Macbeth is a villain in whom there is little to admire'; is an inadequate judgement of Macbeth’s character. Macbeth is not consciously and naturally malevolent, and there are many aspects of his character and his downfall which serve to support this. Macbeth was not only a victim of his own actions, but also of the human condition and the extremely powerful forces of both his wife and fate. Throughout the play the audience undoubtedly experiences feelings of horror at Macbeth, but we are also driven, through an understanding of his character, to admiration and sympathy. This would not be the case if Macbeth was a totally vile and reprehensible villain, and thus the tragedy of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is clear. Macbeth was certainly no villain to begin with. He is introduced to us as a man of great honour, nobility and strength of morals. He is held in high regard by King Duncan, who addresses him as “valiant cousin, worthy gentleman';- so highly, in fact, that Macbeth is granted a promotion over Banquo (who seems to be of an extremely worthy and loyal character). But there is a fatal difference between Macbeth and Banquo- Macbeth’s ambition and lust for power. He is a man with an unsurpassable desire to advance himself. He himself identifies this quality while he contemplates an action that he is wholly repulsed by; “I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting Ambition which o’erleaps itself, And falls on th’ other.'; This “Vaulting Ambition'; is what makes Macbeth vulnerable and leads him to commit possibly the most vile deed he can imagine, setting him on a path of destruction. There is a temptation to use the fact that he could c omprehend the vileness of his deed as a reason as to why we should condemn Macbeth as even worse a villain. But this is a simple view that does not take into account Macbeth’s later torment or give credit to Shakespeare’s intention to create a true – to-form tragedy. Macbeth is not a ruthless, callous villain devoid of all pity and humanity, and there are several issues in the play that serve to illustrate this. Firstly, Macbeth had an extremely active conscience and recognition of human moral values. His conscience put up a great deal of resistance to the prospect of murder, and after the act it continued to torment him until his death.

Deception Point Page 9

Now she had gotten as close as anyone could get. Gabrielle recalled the night she had spent with Sexton in his plush office, and she cringed, trying to block out the embarrassing images in her mind. What was I thinking? She knew she should have resisted, but somehow she'd found herself unable. Sedgewick Sexton had been an idol of hers for so long†¦ and to think he wanted her. The limousine hit a bump, jarring her thoughts back to the present. â€Å"You okay?† Sexton was watching her now. Gabrielle flashed a hurried smile. â€Å"Fine.† â€Å"You aren't still thinking about that drudge, are you?† She shrugged. â€Å"I'm still a little worried, yeah.† â€Å"Forget it. The drudge was the best thing that ever happened to my campaign.† A drudge, Gabrielle had learned the hard way, was the political equivalent of leaking information that your rival used a penis enlarger or subscribed to Stud Muffin magazine. Drudging wasn't a glamorous tactic, but when it paid off, it paid off big. Of course, when it backfired†¦ And backfire, it had. For the White House. About a month ago, the President's campaign staff, unsettled by the slipping polls, had decided to get aggressive and leak a story they suspected to be true – that Senator Sexton had engaged in an affair with his personal assistant, Gabrielle Ashe. Unfortunately for the White House, there was no hard evidence. Senator Sexton, a firm believer in the best defense is a strong offense, seized the moment for attack. He called a national press conference to proclaim his innocence and outrage. I cannot believe, he said, gazing into the cameras with pain in his eyes, that the President would dishonor my wife's memory with these malicious lies. Senator Sexton's performance on TV was so convincing that Gabrielle herself practically believed they had not slept together. Seeing how effortlessly he lied, Gabrielle realized that Senator Sexton was indeed a dangerous man. Lately, although Gabrielle was certain she was backing the strongest horse in this presidential race, she had begun to question whether she was backing the best horse. Working closely with Sexton had been an eye-opening experience – akin to a behind-the-scenes tour of Universal Studios, where one's childlike awe over the movies is sullied by the realization that Hollywood isn't magic after all. Although Gabrielle's faith in Sexton's message remained intact, she was beginning to question the messenger. 10 â€Å"What I am about to tell you, Rachel,† the President said, â€Å"is classified ‘UMBRA.' Well beyond your current security clearance.† Rachel felt the walls of Air Force One closing in around her. The President had flown her to Wallops Island, invited her onboard his plane, poured her coffee, told her flat out that he intended to use her to political advantage against her own father, and now he was announcing he intended to give her classified information illegally. However affable Zach Herney appeared on the surface, Rachel Sexton had just learned something important about him. This man took control in a hurry. â€Å"Two weeks ago,† the President said, locking eyes with her, â€Å"NASA made a discovery.† The words hung a moment in the air before Rachel could process them. A NASA discovery? Recent intelligence updates had suggested nothing out of the ordinary going on with the space agency. Of course, these days a â€Å"NASA discovery† usually meant realizing they'd grossly under budgeted some new project. â€Å"Before we talk further,† the President said, â€Å"I'd like to know if you share your father's cynicism over space exploration.† Rachel resented the comment. â€Å"I certainly hope you didn't call me here to ask me to control my father's rants against NASA.† He laughed. â€Å"Hell, no. I've been around the Senate long enough to know that nobody controls Sedgewick Sexton.† â€Å"My father is an opportunist, sir. Most successful politicians are. And unfortunately NASA has made itself an opportunity.† The recent string of NASA errors had been so unbearable that one either had to laugh or cry – satellites that disintegrated in orbit, space probes that never called home, the International Space Station budget rising tenfold and member countries bailing out like rats from a sinking ship. Billions were being lost, and Senator Sexton was riding it like a wave – a wave that seemed destined to carry him to the shores of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. â€Å"I will admit,† the President continued, â€Å"NASA has been a walking disaster area lately. Every time I turn around, they give me yet another reason to slash their funding.† Rachel saw her opening for a foothold and took it. â€Å"And yet, sir, didn't I just read that you bailed them out last week with another three million in emergency funding to keep them solvent?† The President chuckled. â€Å"Your father was pleased with that one, wasn't he?† â€Å"Nothing like sending ammunition to your executioner.† â€Å"Did you hear him on Nightline? ‘Zach Herney is a space addict, and the taxpayers are funding his habit.'† â€Å"But you keep proving him right, sir.† Herney nodded. â€Å"I make it no secret that I'm an enormous fan of NASA. I always have been. I was a child of the space race – Sputnik, John Glenn, Apollo 11 – and I have never hesitated to express my feelings of admiration and national pride for our space program. In my mind, the men and women of NASA are history's modern pioneers. They attempt the impossible, accept failure, and then go back to the drawing board while the rest of us stand back and criticize.† Rachel remained silent, sensing that just below the President's calm exterior was an indignant rage over her father's endless anti-NASA rhetoric. Rachel found herself wondering what the hell NASA had found. The President was certainly taking his time coming to the point. â€Å"Today,† Herney said, his voice intensifying, â€Å"I intend to change your entire opinion of NASA.† Rachel eyed him with uncertainty. â€Å"You have my vote already, sir. You may want to concentrate on the rest of the country.† â€Å"I intend to.† He took a sip of coffee and smiled. â€Å"And I'm going to ask you to help me.† Pausing, he leaned toward her. â€Å"In a most unusual way.† Rachel could now feel Zach Herney scrutinizing her every move, like a hunter trying to gauge if his prey intended to run or fight. Unfortunately, Rachel saw nowhere to run. â€Å"I assume,† the President said, pouring them both more coffee, â€Å"that you're aware of a NASA project called EOS?† Rachel nodded. â€Å"Earth Observation System. I believe my father has mentioned EOS once or twice.† The weak attempt at sarcasm drew a frown from the President. The truth was that Rachel's father mentioned the Earth Observation System every chance he got. It was one of NASA's most controversial big-ticket ventures – a constellation of five satellites designed to look down from space and analyze the planet's environment: ozone depletion, polar ice melt, global warming, rainforest defoliation. The intent was to provide environmentalists with never before seen macroscopic data so that they could plan better for earth's future. Unfortunately, the EOS project had been wrought with failure. Like so many NASA projects of late, it had been plagued with costly overruns right from the start. And Zach Herney was the one taking the heat. He had used the support of the environmental lobby to push the $1.4 billion EOS project through Congress. But rather than delivering the promised contributions to global earth science, EOS had spiraled quickly into a costly nightmare of failed launches, computer malfunctions, and somber NASA press conferences. The only smiling face lately was that of Senator Sexton, who was smugly reminding voters just how much of their money the President had spent on EOS and just how lukewarm the returns had been.

Political Philosophy and Machiavelli Essay

â€Å"And if all men were good, this teaching would not be good; but because they are wicked and do not observe faith with you, you also do not have to observe it with them† (69). Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince is arguably the most famous and controversial political science book of all time. Many think of Machiavelli as synonymous with evil. The father of the idea that the ends will always justify the means, the term Machiavellian has become connected with selfish, brutal, or immoral actions. Machiavelli has long been associated with totalitarianism, conquest, and tyranny. But is this label deserved? Is The Prince a book that expresses evil? Many argue that Machiavelli is not a teacher of evil, but bases his teachings on a pragmatic realism that has long been a part of politics. He would certainly not be the first to have such a view, and he is certainly not the last. In promoting his realistic view of power and politics, Machiavelli does not teach evil, instead, he uses necessity and practicality as the criteria in which his thought is based on. In this way we see that he does not put the matter of good or evil as a priority in his actions, but uses practical methods to make his choice in each instance as to what is necessary and beneficial. Through the exploration of the basis for Machiavelli’s treatment of ethics and his agenda for writing The Prince we see that his teachings are not evil, but based on political pragmatism and necessity. He himself makes it clear as he advises the Prince on how to be able to do what is necessary whether it is good or evil. â€Å"And so he needs to have a spirit to change as the winds of fortune and variations of things commanded him, and as I said above, not depart from good, when possible, but know how to enter into evil, when forced by necessity † (70). Machiavelli treats morality and prudence not as guides for a Prince, but as tools to use for political gain. In this way we see that Machiavelli is not preaching evil, which would be to encourage the opposite of virtue and morality, but to use them in different ways depending on the situation. Virtue is a key concept when discussing moral living and actions, and vice is the opposite of virtue. The concepts of virtue and vice are age-old ideas ingrained within human society. But the traditional view of virtue and vice, laid out by such thinkers as Aristotle and Plato, is changed to fit the pursuit of power in Machiavellian’s The Prince. Classic virtue comes from a criterion based on just and beneficial interaction, while pursuing an end, within a civil society. This interaction can involve the impact of an individual on another individual, a citizen and a state, or even an impact an individual has upon himself. Thus a man who sacrifices his life to save his friend, city, or beliefs is thought of as virtuous. On the other hand the reciprocal of this action would be vice, a man who sacrifices his friend, city or beliefs to preserve his life may be viewed as possessing a vice. Virtue finds its anchor in morality and ethics, and upholds that, it is focused on preserving qualities like justice and harmony. The change in the Machiavellian code of morality comes as a result as result of an entire shift in what the foundation of this morality is built on, namely the ends being pursued. The Machiavellian concept of virtue not only divorces virtue completely from its ethical foundation, but places it on a foundation of ability to execute what is necessary in order to achieve what is desired. In this case what is desired is power, which is to be strictly maintained and used to achieve glorious ends, whatever they may be. From this foundation of the pursuit and maintenance of power comes the Machiavellian outlook on everything else, and is the reason in which he is able to separate ethics from politics. Morality in its classical sense would only serve to get in the way of power and prudence; it creates unnecessary dilemmas between what is politically necessary and morally correct, interfering with being a wise ruler. Therefore the Prince must take the necessary actions regardless of their moral ramifications. â€Å"? [If] one considers everything well, one will find something that appears to be virtue, which if pursued would be one’s ruin, and something else appears to be vice, which if pursued results in one’s security and well-being† (62). Machiavelli removes the foundation of prudence and virtue from morality, and reinterprets them in regards to necessity and power. Correct policy within The Prince is based on the Machiavellian conception of virtue and prudence. Stemming from this, Machiavelli at times refers to virtue and prudence in their classical definitions, pertaining to high morality, and just actions. But at other times in The Prince, he refers to them as directly pertaining to the proper execution of power. For example he often compares a ruler’s success, not morality, with virtue. No matter how brutal the ruler, if he is able to hold power well then he is virtuous. Prudence is thought of as being careful, observant and logical in the classical sense. But Machiavelli uses it to describe a ruler who is very sharp, decisive, and makes the correct choices. â€Å"A prudent lord, therefore, cannot observe faith, nor should he, when such observance turns against him, and causes that made him promise have been eliminated† (69). It therefore would be prudent for a ruler to massacre a rebellion, if it meant the ultimate preservation of power. In this case necessity calls for action, even if those actions go against classical morality. A ruler, who has correct judgment and knows what is the best course of action, would take the proper measures to stop the rebellion and pay no attention to the morality of his actions. The ends in this case change the conception of the codes in which the means are to be judged by; no longer is the end such universally beneficial ideas of peace and justice, but power and conquest. Virtue and prudence to Machiavelli hold meaning only in the sense of ability and accomplishment. To Machiavelli cunning would be a virtue, as would decisiveness while wielding power. A vice for a ruler would be stupidity, or ignorance of ones own subjects. Something that is virtuous in the classical sense would only be followed if it were deemed compatible with the situation, and did not in anyway undermine the ends being pursued. The Machiavellian view is based on and around a realism seen in politics and history, and is amoral. The entire intent of the book was to write a pragmatic and realistic approach to dealing with power, not a lesson in high virtue and morality. He states, â€Å"But since my intent is to write something useful to whoever understands it, it has appeared to me more fitting to go directly to the effectual truth of the thing than to the imagination of it† (61). He finds that necessity is what guides most actions. â€Å"? [Because] men will always turn out bad for you unless they have been made good by a necessity†(95). A military training manual written on the best way to execute killing would not go into a debate on whether or not killing is right or wrong. The manual would be almost amoral and not go into the debate, those who have already settled that debate in their minds would read it, and the same follows for The Prince. One should not associate the teachings of The Prince as something that Machiavelli himself feels is moral, just and proper, but rather what history has shown to be the ideal and efficient way to handle power. Survivor in the political world creates certain necessities, and forces individuals to undertake certain actions in order to ensure success. â€Å"? [for] it is so far from how one lives to how one should live that he who lets go of what is done for what should be done learns his ruin rather than his preservation† (61). The purpose of The Prince is not a guide to being a moral Prince, but how to abide by necessity and pragmatism. Just as a purpose of the war manual would not be the ethics of killing. The manual would not debate war as a just or unjust means to an end, but instead would accept it as reality, and try to approach it with the same harsh reality. In fact the entire purpose of The Prince was to serve as a guide to restore Italy to greatness, a path that can only be achieved by power. He uses examples from throughout history of rulers who acted successfully when faced with a situation, drawing from these examples he shows the correct actions that a Prince should follow. There is no room for being a virtuous and honest ruler, as it will be at odds with the reality of political life. Because he uses realistic examples from history, we see his true pragmatic nature; his ultimate goal is the achievement of his ends, not the correct actions. Machiavelli uses the actions of past rulers whether or not they are just, as long as they prove successful for the ends being pursued. Machiavelli himself states that he has taken a realist approach, and outlines the reason as to why he has taken this approach, as being necessary and efficient. If one were to examine the way in which Machiavelli looks towards allowing freedom towards his subjects, or the treatment of honesty toward his subjects, one would conclude that Machiavelli himself was not in favor of these things. It would be a mistake to reach this conclusion, it is not so much that he is against freedom or truth, but he realizes that these things will damage and undermine ones power – the goal and focus of The Prince. â€Å"For a man who wants to make a profession of good in all regards must come to ruin among so many who are not good† (61). Machiavelli is not favoring things that we would view as brutality, deception and in many cases evil; instead he is using them as tools in an act to obtain what he desires. Machiavelli spends much time on the behavior that a Prince should follow in order to be successful. Although Machiavelli goes through many different traits and practices a ruler should follow, the two that he deems very necessary are to be loved and to be feared. Machiavelli stresses that a ruler should seek to be loved, but above all make sure that he is not hated, because if he is hated it will ultimately be his undoing. This follows the Machiavellian line of pragmatism and necessity; it is not motivated by a lust for evil or deceit, but is something that many people who are appalled by his amorality would agree with. If Machiavelli were a teacher of evil he would never make such a statement. A leader who is feared will ultimately deter any action against him by his ability to control the actions of the people with his fear. . Morality will only serve to hamper a prince’s abilities. â€Å"This has to be understood: that a prince, especially a new prince, cannot observe all those things for which a men are held good, since he is often under a necessity, to maintain his state, of acting against faith, against charity, against humanity, against religion. And so he needs to have a spirit disposed to change as the winds of fortune an variations of things command him? † (70). The most efficient way to deal with a problem is usually not the moral way, and Machiavelli time and time again points to this as the reason in which he chooses the path he does. His book is not for idealists, and as he states idealists rarely accomplish what they want. His book is for the guidance of a Prince towards power, and the ability to maintain that power. All of these things follow the strict Machiavellian criteria of necessity for power. Whether these things are good or evil in our eyes is not the topic of discussion for Machiavelli, therefore it does not concern him, what he seeks is the necessary actions to gain and maintain power. â€Å"Hence it is necessary to a prince, if he wants to maintain himself, to learn to be able not to be good, and to use this and not use it according to necessity† (61). This doctrine of pragmatism within The Prince was not invented by Machiavelli, one can look at it as merely an expression of the practical political ideas of his time, and perhaps forever. We see that Machiavelli puts forth an ethics of political convenience. It does not hold to or allow itself to be hampered by morality, virtue, or Christian values, but allows them only when opportune and beneficial. The Prince’s doctrine supports actions including murder, deceit, and betrayal given that the Prince will benefit from it. The ethics found within Machiavelli is entirely based upon a realistic outlook upon the political world and caters to political convenience. To Machiavelli this moral code of convenience and pragmatism is a political necessity. He states that when it is politically necessary to act in accordance with a vice then one must do so in the interest of power. â€Å"And furthermore one should not care about incurring the fame of those vices without which it is difficult to save one’s state? â€Å"(62). He holds that the world will swallow up idealists, and that it is unrealistic to expect someone to exercise morality when dealing with a political situation, or their enemies. Through the exploration of the basis for Machiavelli’s treatment of ethics and his agenda for writing The Prince we see that his teachings are not evil, but based on political pragmatism and necessity. Machiavelli treats morality and prudence not as guides for a Prince, but as tools to use for political gain. By removing the foundation of prudence and virtue from morality, he reinterprets them in regards to necessity and power. The amoral Machiavellian view centers on a realism seen in politics and history. The entire purpose of The Prince is not a guide to being a morally, but a guide to necessity and pragmatism. This doctrine of pragmatism within The Prince was not invented by Machiavelli, but used masterfully by him to craft a powerful instructional book on power. The concept of morality is not attacked or thrown away, but put aside and only referred to or used when necessary. In the real world few will be honest, or moral, so it becomes necessary for one to also set these things aside as it will conflict with ones ends. This is the reality of politics and Machiavelli recognizes this and refers to it many times in the book as the reason to why he chooses the path he does and not out of evil or some wish for deceitful actions. Political reality deems his method necessary, thus it is a realistic and pragmatic way to approach the subject.