Saturday, November 30, 2019

The Presidential Election Of 1972 Essays - , Term Papers

The Presidential Election Of 1972 The Presidential election of 1972 had two strong candidates, President Richard Nixon and George McGovern. There were many issues which had a great deal of importance to the election. The Vietnam war and the stability of the economy at the time were two main factors. The election ended in one the largest political scandals in U.S. history, being the Watergate break-in, and cover-up, by President Richard Nixon. The Democratic party had a large selection of candidates from which to choose for the primary elections of 1972. There were many well known candidates who entered the race for the nomination. The leading contenders were Edmund S. Muskie of Maine, Senator George McGovern of South Dakota and Hubert H. Humphrey of Minnesota. Other candidates who didn't receive quite as much recognition were Alabama governor George C. Wallace, Mayor Sam Yorty of Los Angeles, Rep. Wilbur D. Mills of Arkansas, Sen. Vance Hartke of Indiana, former Senator Eugene J. McCarthy of Minnesota, Mayor John Lindsay of New York City and Rep. Shirley Chisholm of New York. Chisholm was the first black to run in a series of presidential primaries. (Congressional Quarterly, Guide to U.S. Elections, Third ed., 1994, pg.603-605.) 5 Governor Wallace had a devastating moment in his campaign while in Maryland. In early May a sick young man named Arthur Bremer altered the politics of 1972. As Governor Wallace campaigned toward certain victory in the Maryland primary, Bremer stepped forward out of a shopping-center crowd and shot him four times. Wallace survived, but at the cost of being paralyzed from the waist down. Maryland's voters surged out on election day to give Wallace a huge victory, his last of 1972. While Wallace recuperated, the millions who would have voted for him as a Democratic or independent candidate began to move in overwhelming proportions behind the candidacy began to move in overwhelming proportions behind the candidacy of Richard Nixon. (Benton, William. U.S. Election of 1972. Encyclopedia Britannica Book of the Year. pg.12-13, 1973 ed.)1 When the California primary was approaching, Humphrey tried to save the nomination for himself. Humphrey excoriated his old senate friend (McGovern) for his expensive ideas on welfare and his desire to cut the defense budget. It almost worked. But McGovern won all of California's giant delegation, and beat Humphrey 44.3% to 39.1% in the popular vote.5 That loss spelled out the end for Humphrey's Democratic nomination. Many felt Edmund Muskie was sure to win the Democratic nomination for the election of 1972. All political observers agreed on the certainty that Senator Edmund Muskie of Maine would be the Democratic party's nominee.1 As the front-runner, he wanted to snare the nomination early and so was committed to running in all of the first eight presidential primaries. Prominent Democratic politicians lined up eagerly to endorse him. Among them: Gov. John Gilligan of Ohio; Leonard Woodcock, President of the United Auto Workers; Iowa Senator Harold Hughes; and Pennsylvania Governor Milton Shapp.1 Muskie had many supporters, and a good chance of receiving the nomination, perhaps even becoming the next President of the United States. President Nixon knew that Muskie had a good chance of winning and felt he had to do something to get Muskie out of the race. Nixon had seven men who were loyal to him make up false press releases about Muskie, and his wife. These press releases claimed that Muskie had had affairs with both men and women, that he beat his wife, and then the topper which claimed that Muskies' wife was an alcoholic. These false statements destroyed Muskies' campaign and reputation of being a calm trustworthy candidate. Then one day mounting the bed of a truck parked outside the offices of the archconservative Manchester Union Leader, Muskie launched an attack on the paper's publisher, William Loeb. As he spoke of Loeb's unflattering remarks about Mrs. Muskie, the senator's voice cracked, and the crowd saw tears form in his eyes.1 This incident badly dented Muskie's image. After that event, people saw Muskie as a weak person. They didn't want a weak person running the country. Muskie had finished fourth in Pennsylvania, behind winner Humphrey, Wallace, and McGovern, and a distant second to McGovern in Massachusetts. He then withdrew with dignity. 1 Muskie later said of this incident: It changed people's minds about me, of what kind of a guy I was. They were looking for a strong, steady man, and here I was weak. (Congressional Quarterly, Chronology of Presidential Elections, Fourth ed. 1994, pg.329-330)6 After a long primary campaign, and all the primary elections, Senator George McGovern won the

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Heritage Tourism and its Peculiarities

Heritage Tourism and its Peculiarities Introduction Heritage tourism focuses on information and how the management contributes to the promotion of that particular tourism site. To this end, it assesses the strategic locations of the site and the importance of achieving the intended goal, which aims towards the revenue generation and culture preservation.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Heritage Tourism and its Peculiarities specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The employed methodology included personal interviews of the site administrators. Mr. Ivan Mercieca, the maintenance manager of three heritage sites in Rabat was the first one to be interviewed. The second interview was directed to Mr. David Cardona, the curator of three heritage sites. Moreover, the study employed different reports and journals to ascertain issues on the management of various heritage sites. St. Paul’s Catacombs (SPC) About Heritage Malta Heritage Malta was established in 2002 under the Cultural Heritage Act. This agency is concerned with the sites preservation and direct management to preserve the Malta people’s culture. The management of this site is focused on four broad categories. These categories are conservation, management, marketing and interpretation. In 2005, after the amendment of the law creating a heritage agency, all the activities related to culture and heritage preservation were given to this organisation (Heritage Malta Annual Report 2009, p. 76). As a result, 64, 000 and 100, 000 tourists were realized in 2008 and 2009 respectively (Heritage Malta Annual Report 2009, p.6). About St. Paul’s Catacombs St. Paul Catacombs are found in Rabat, Malta. They a significant part of a large cemetery field that is located in Malta. The cemeteries have graves of different religious backgrounds such as the Pagans, the Jews and even Christians. It was estimated that more than 25 of these people were dug in this site (Goh 2010, p.1). Accor ding to archaeological evidence, St. Paul has diverse religious background, because people from different faiths buried there. Some of the unique features include the circular tables, which are set in a specific manner that seems to show a couch. These are believed to have been used for meals during the old times. Core resources The core resources include catacombs, collection, information panels in the reception area, human/financial resources to offer transport facility/services, media, and small displays. Heritage visitor attraction (HVA) was developed into a museum by constituting information panels in 2004, especially after clearing the debris from the site. The historical value of SPC is evident from the St Paul’s shipwreck. In addition, there are glass paintings of St John.Advertising Looking for report on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Under the ERDF 032 framework, two sites wer e to be upgraded and conserved at a cost of 9,151,333 pounds (Heritage Malta Annual Report 2009, p.7). These included SPC Malta-catacombs (Heritage Malta Annual Report 2009, p.7). The project incorporated the construction of the Tarxien temples, Ggantija Heritage Park and St. Paul’s Catacombs (Heritage Malta Annual Report 2009, p.8). The work involved topographical survey, archaeological investigations, mapping, hydrological survey, environmental assessment, and structural survey (Heritage Malta Annual Report 2009, p.9). Products Tangible products St Paul’s Catacombs are a big complex with different attractions. There is only one guided tour scheduled for 1 p.m. The guided tour involves several groups. In addition, there are audio guided tours. These are usually six in number. In this regard, Kotler’s diagram/theory can be used in analysing SPC situation, as shown below (Kotler 1997, p.112). Fig1.0: Kotler’s Diagram Product Through improved information t echnology, SPC has provided a means of delivering new and unique products, which are intended to match many other available products. Place SPC can create a new interaction place for their tourists/clients so that the communication between them could be cordial, easy and with maximum efficiency (Kotler 1997, p.114).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Heritage Tourism and its Peculiarities specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Price Pricing of products that SPC intends to supply is very significant in determining the overall sales volume. Promotion Carrying out promotion is one of the means through which SPC can create consumer awareness (Kotler 1997, p.113). Augmented products Group visits are arranged to tour St Paul Catacombs, and they are accompanied by a licensed tour guide. There are gift shops selling some products. Moreover, the transport systems at St Paul’s Catacombs have walkways for both the normal people and the physically handicapped. A Heritage trail evening tour involves visits, which are organised under different themes. Under the same concept, the following can also be studied. People In this scenario, tourists are the most important aspect of the marketing mix, an issue that the SPC needs to recognise. For instance, the use of online tourism is capable of changing the dynamics on product/service delivery of the site. Process The issues relating to the process involve the channel through which SPC follows in delivering its products to customers. It also outlines the various ways through which the customer should follow to receive the products (Kotler 1997, p.114). Stakeholders Heritage Malta (HM) Heritage Malta plays important roles such as management, conservation, interpretation and marketing (Garrold, Fyall, Leask Reid 2012, p. 1162). Besides, it maintains the cultural heritage of the sites. Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) The Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) is a coordinator between itself and the population. It is responsible for conducting meetings regarding the sites’ promotion and to implement the culture preservation activities. They also have informative journals, which add crucial knowledge/ value to the sites (Visit Britain 2010, p.1). To this end, MICE scheme is held after the ERDF is finalised, and then the former is made available in SPC.Advertising Looking for report on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Tour Operators, MICE Section, Language Proper coordination between tourist operators and the Tourism Authority is also important, because it increases the number of visitors expected (Timothy Nyaupane 2009, p. 39).The tourist operators also act as advertisers for the attraction (Visit Scotland 2010, p.1). Visitors St. Paul’s Catacombs are visited by tourists that belong to different countries and cultures. These normally range from local to international visitors. Tourists who visited St Paul’s Catacombs were 71,380 and 71,461 in 2009 and 2008 respectively (Heritage Malta Annual Report 2009, p.86). For instance, sometimes school students visit the sites for educational purposes. The number of visitors stood at 1,043,643 and 1,068,420 in 2009 and 2008, respectively (Heritage Malta Annual Report 2009, p.86). Local Council and Neighbours The local council and neighbours were consulted to voice their opinions on services such as electricity and drainage. As a result, an a nnual event took place, Rabat Arts Festival. Focusing on the ERDF programme, the local council was meant to issue permits for holding events and work. The ERDF programme would analyse the effects on the community concerned. As part of the ERDF programme’s goal of increasing accessibility systems, St. Agatha School’s environmental censor/football ground would be used to access the catacombs. Media As part of the marketing and advertising programme, Heritage Malta uses its website for sales and promotional campaigns. Social media such as facebook, you tube and twitters are used as links for attracting tourists. These links also facilitate online shopping (Leask Yeomann 1999, p. 63). The website incorporates various information kiosks, panels in the museum, information guides, audio guides, and interactive CD, which are important media for online sales/marketing. Outsourcing Outsourcing is used to make sure that the services are delivered in a prompt and timely manner (K oetler 1997, p. 34). One of the areas where Heritage Malta has engaged outsourcing is cleaning. There is an outsource contract whereby cleaning is done for two and a half hours every day (Garrold et al. 2012, p. 1162). Heritage Malta has also engaged Keeron contractor to deal with security issues. The other advisory bodies are the Maltese Commission for UNESCO and the Scientific Committee for the Megalithic Temples (Heritage Malta Annual Report 2009, p.10). Indeed, it is important to increase enough surveillance for the sites (Hall McArthur 1996, p. 103). This implies that the EU funds can be sought under the ERDF programme to finance such project management costs. Key Management issues at SPC Lack of revenue Inadequate revenue is a challenge to the Heritage Malta attraction. Revenue is generated from admission fees, hiring, donations, and interactive CD. The collected revenue is apportioned among the marketing, media, experts, maintenance. Part of this amount is used for financing employee benefit expenses. For instance, 5,271,789 and 6,621,654 pounds for employee benefit expenses were incurred in 2009 and 2008, respectively (Heritage Malta Annual Report 2009, p.24). Other expenses include bank interests amounting to â‚ ¬1,715 for 2009 and â‚ ¬6,819 for 2008 (Heritage Malta Annual Report 2009, p.25). Moreover, the director’s fees amounted â‚ ¬13,974 for 2009 and â‚ ¬37,645 for 2008 (Heritage Malta Annual Report 2009, p.25). Therefore, it is evident that more revenues are allocated to expenses, thus putting the Heritage Malta in a financial distress. Conservation of Site Even though there are different modes of preservation used by the Malta Heritage, more needs to be done. The site receives a lot of visitors annually. This means that the large number of visitors increases the pressure on the soil and consequently it is deteriorated. Another issue that arises when it comes to conservation is the colliding values of the people who are involv ed. The best illustration of this is the fact that people of different religious backgrounds have been buried on that site; this includes the Christians, the Pagans as well as the Jews. Security Issues Security still remains a challenge, and partly the reason for this is the huge number of tourists that usually visit the place. The first security threat is posed due to the fact that some people normally go downstairs and even beyond the barriers. The next threat is derived from the fact that the wall that seeks to separate the school premises from being accessed by the tourists is not that effective. The security threat is further heightened by the fact that there aren’t any security or surveillance cameras within the attraction (Che Chen 2010, p. 33). This has opened doors to vandalism and other security issues. The number of security personnel mandated to do physical check does not match the perimeters and this makes some areas remain uncovered by these security personnel. Health and Safety The safety of the visitors at St. Paul Catacombs is not fully assured. This challenge is further heightened by the fact that the number of visitors has always been high (Falk Dierking 1992, p. 102). Since the number of visitors is high, it means that tour guides are not enough. Consequently, people have to guide themselves throughout the Catacombs. For first time visitors there is always a challenge of having proper mobility and balance while passing through the St. Paul Catacombs. This has the effect of putting people at risk (Fyall et al. 2008, p. 112). Another challenge is posed by the poor drainage systems that are not properly installed and they pass from surfaces, from the roofs without any proper installation. The delay in fixing the drainage system is caused by more bureaucracies in the government (Leask 2010, p. 54). Traffic Congestion The narrow roads cannot accommodate the large number of visitors. As a result, there is a huge traffic on these roads. T here are also some business premises which contribute to the narrowing of the road. A good example of such premises includes the grocery shops that are located just besides the road. These are normally supplied by vans. When these supply vans are transacting, they block the roads and cause traffic jams. Effective Management Tools Effective management as a process can be split up into three stages: the determining factors, measuring the effectiveness and finally establishing the effective management tools (Leask Rhiova 2010, p. 123). In Heritage Malta some of the determining factors include the ownership category. The type of ownership is inclined towards communal. The people of Malta tend to believe that through the site their culture is preserved. This leads to another determining factor which is the individual nature of the resource. In this case, the community members take an individual approach of ownership and equal levels are put in place to ensure that the culture is actuall y preserved (Leiper 1990, p. 380). In order to ensure proper and efficient management the following tools may be added: The use of Multimedia Technology in communicating with the visitors as well as monitoring the same is one of the core surveillance methods that should be employed (Pearce 2005, p. 76). Employing the use of an interactive Multimedia Technology will be very helpful to the visitors. This is because it will make it easier for them to gain access to some important features such as directions. This is important as it will also reduce the cost of hiring staff (MacCannell 1999, p. 45). Touch screens with info on them are also very attractive and will make many people use it. Guided tours are also important to facilitate the management process (Moore 1994). This is because the tour guides know well the terrain of the site. With their help the safety of the visitors increases. Another element that is helpful when it comes to the use of guided tours is the fact that the visit ors will have a chance to learn much more about the place. This is because the tour guides are fully aware of the history and the heritage of the site. Guided tours are also interactive and can be a very efficient method of collecting feedback from the visitors. Through this method the management can easily learn how to improve on their management as well as their service delivery. Groups with licensed guides from the MTA are also important when it comes to management in St. Pauls Catacombs. Groups help in coordination while with the licensed tour guide; such groups make it easier to maneuver through the site. Printed word storyboards as well as information boards are also an important way to convey messages to the visitors (Smith 2003, p. 88). The importance of this mode of conveying the message is that they are normally placed at very open places and many visitors get the chance to read them (Shackley 1998, p. 134). Apart from that, such printings can be done in a different langu age in order to be read by people from different backgrounds. Pictures and illustrations can be read by different people from different languages. Brochures are only kept on-site. Before brochures were presented on tourist information stands and other HM sites and museums, it was found that they were useless and this resulted in waste of money. Alternatively, such brochures can be availed to the interested customers at a fee. This fee shall be used to cover the cost of production. Gastronomy is important in developing the cultural aspect of the Malta. Websites such as ilovefood.com is dedicated to developing the cuisine of the Maltese people. Other interpretation tools can also be employed to enhance management. These could take the form of video and audio guidance machine. They help in conveying the message easily and efficiently to the visitors. Audio recordings can be used to show historical information. Recommendations for Management Tools Increasing the Number of Visitors There is a need to increase the number of people that visit the St. Pauls Catacombs. The average number of visitors in years 2008 and 2009 was 71420. This comes to an average of two hundred people per day. The capacity of the St. Pauls Catacombs is big enough to handle more people. In order to increase the number of visitors, a joint promotion should be undertaken. The most convenient and productive means to use is a joint promotion between different sectors and stakeholders who are involved. The joint promotion is specifically targeting the Malta Tourism Authority and the attraction train (TRAM) that passes through the streets of Rabat. Such promotion will enlighten the potential visitors and thereby the increase the number of visitors is expected. Use of Leaflets and Brochures to Promote Awareness Another important element in promotion is the use of leaflets to increase awareness of the heritage. This is particularly important as it will offer an informative description of the attracti ons that St. Pauls Catacombs have to offer. In the leaflets, pictures can be added to give the potential visitor a vivid image of what to expect. Proper coordination shall also serve as a very important tip on how to reach to St. Pauls Catacombs. Transport Services Transport and mobility within St. Pauls Catacombs is easy and convenient even to people with disabilities. This derives from the fact that the walkways are made in such a way that allows easy and free mobility for people with disabilities as well as normal people. Transport to the place is also not hard to get as there is a train that passes through. Improvement of Security Measures Improvement of security measures is also significant in order to enhance security within the Catacombs. Installation of surveillance cameras as well as hiring more security personnel is a proper way of improving the security status at St. Pauls Catacombs. The modern technology should also be embraced in enhancing security. Increased Involvemen t of the Local People Another recommendation is the increased involvement of the local people. Since Heritage Malta is concerned with the preservation of culture and heritage, support from the local people is important. This calls for educating the locals about the importance of preserving culture. Once the locals feel that their culture is appreciated and is being preserved, they might become interested in volunteering and investing more efforts in preserving own history and culture. This will result in reducing costs to hire people. Offering Ancillary Services Creating other institutions and premises that will offer ancillary services to the clientele at St. Pauls Catacombs is also recommended. For instance, hotels can be set up to offer accommodation for the visitors who have come from very distant locations. Such services as insurance are also important for the heritage attraction. This increases security and confidence in the stability of the heritage attraction. Conclusions Th e Heritage Malta plays a very important role in the preservation of the culture of the people of Malta. The St. Pauls Catacombs are also important attractions, because they have the historical and religious attachments. The challenges include security matters and the increased number of visitors. Therefore, it is necessary to implement the stated recommendations to enhance the achievement of the site’s intended goals. Effective tools of management are likely to yield fruits if the challenges mentioned in this report are solved. Effective management also includes creating harmonized goals between different stakeholders. This harmonization can be achieved if all the stakeholders communicate with each other and discuss the matters involved. The organization of these meetings and discussion on how to harmonize these goals is normally done by the Malta Tourism Authority. References Che, C Chen, F 2010, ‘Experience quality, perceived value, satisfaction and behavioural inten tions for heritage tourists’, Tourism Management Journal, Vol. 31 No. 1, pp.29-35. Falk, JH Dierking, LD 1992, The Museum Experience, Whalesback Books, Washington. Fyall, A, Garold, B Leask, A 2008, Managing Visitor Attractions, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford. Garrold, B, Fyall, A, Leask, A Reid, E 2012, ‘Residents as Stakeholders of the Visitor Attraction’, Tourism Management Journal, Vol.33 No. 5, pp.1159-1173. Goh, E 2010, ‘Understanding the heritage tourist market segment,’ International Journal of Leisure and Tourism Marketing, Vol. 1 No. 3, pp. 257-270. Hall, C M McArthur, S 1996, Heritage Management in Australia New Zealand, Oxford University Press, London. Heritage Malta Annual Report 2009. Web. Kotler, P 1997, Marketing Management- analysis, planning. Implementation and control, 9th edn. Prentice-Hall, New Jersey. Leask, A Rihova, I 2010, ‘The role of heritage tourism in the Shetland Islands. International Journal of Culture,†™ Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 4 No. 2, pp. 118-129. Leask, A Yeoman, I 1999, Heritage Visitor Attractions An Operations Management Perspective, London, Continuum. Leask, A 2010, ‘Progress in Visitor Attraction Research: Towards a more effective Management,’ Journal of Tourism Management, vol. 31 no 2, p 155-166. Leiper, N 1990, ‘Tourist attraction systems,’ Annals of Tourism Research, vol. 17 No. 3, p. 367-384. MacCannell, D 1999, The Tourist: A New Theory Of the Leisure Class, University of California Press, California. Moore, K 1994, Museum Management, Routledge, London. Pearce, PL 2005, Tourist Behaviour, Themes and Conceptual Schemes, Cromwell Press, Great Britain Renaghan, LM 1981, ‘A New Marketing Mix for the Hospitality Industry,’ The Cornel H.R.A Quarterly, vol. 22 no. 2, p 31-35. Shackley, M 1998, Visitor Management Case Studies from World Heritage Sites, Butterworth-Heinemann, London. Smith, M 2003, Issues in Cultural Tourism Studies, Routledge, London. Swabrooke, J 1995, The Development and Management of Visitor Attractions, 2nd Ed., Butterworth-Heinemann, London. Timothy, D Boyd, S 2003, Heritage Tourism, Pearson Education Ltd, Harlow. Timothy, D Nyaupane, G 2009, Cultural Heritage and Tourism in the Developing World: a Regional perspective. Routledge, Abingdon. Visit Britain, 2010, Tourism Insights 2010. Web. Visit Scotland, 2010, Visitor Attractions Monitor, 2010. Web.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Best banking choices for students

Best banking choices for students Important facts for students to select a bank Nowadays it is so great that we have such diverse choice of banks. The banking system and variety of options offer students a lot of possibilities that provide financial freedom. But the questions of that sort should be treated very carefully, since only one wrong step can result in big debts or higher interests. While making choice, one should work out his/her own strategy and think over what bank and what exactly options required. Of course, there are a lot of bank institutions, but you should identify those, which have the most favorable offers for you as a student. They have different options for various targeted groups, filtrate carefully those, which can be of your concern. Short term overdrafts to pay for your custom essays or long term cooperation with setting up a deposit account: decide what you need. We provide for you some other factors you should take into account, before getting involved into financial cooperation. Consider suggestions and free options carefully Attracted by favorable free options of some banks? Of course, they know what they are doing. But do not get trapped! Free short lasting suggestions soon end and you can be faced with less profitable variants of financial service. Thus, having made certain sum of money, you can be looking for the suitable circumstances of saving account opening. Do not forget to monitor the interest rate you will earn within certain period at several banking houses and select that one, which will bring you the biggest profit. Do not fall for free MP3 downloads or few-days free Wi-Fi options if you lose in the interest rate. That is not worth it. Overdraft: amount, limit and interest. Most likely reason people partner with bank is for sure overdraft. Find out what is the maximally possible amount of overdraft, which you can receive as a student. Also ask about the necessity of exceeding limit and the interest it results in. Discover all details and consider all facts. Thus, there are a lot of banks, which offer interest-free overdrafts for students for couple of years and it is really great opportunity for you. One more thing you should bear in mind is that banks will not certainly provide you with the maximal announced sum of the overdraft. Most often it is available only for students of the final year, who have eligible credit rating. So if they say that the maximal possible overdraft is up to  £2,000, there is no guarantee that you will obtain this sum. The repayment procedure It is great if you manage to return the overdraft in time within the interest-free period. But the time spins away and one day you can discover that you are obliged to pay interest charges. That is why before taking overdraft consider all details of the repayment procedure. You should know the exact date when you should return the money and confirm if it should be during the university studies or is supposed to be after graduation. Find out all the details for all the possible scenarios of this financial situation, so that you can be sure that you will be in an advantageous position in any case. Gain the credit rating Starting with small overdrafts, step by step you develop and elaborate your relationships with bank. Such kinds of relationships and partnering result in credit rating. Credit rating is an estimate of your income, borrowed amount and spending history. It is a score, which you receive from bank from the point of view of risk and your financial eligibility. Having trustworthy credit rating you can receive the bigger overdraft amount or gain other favorable options. Think, learn and make your choice being very attentive or even pedantic. We know that this is not much likely for students to give much attention to such boring questions, but the financial concerns are those which definitely should not be neglected.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Engineering drawing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Engineering drawing - Essay Example Drawing is considered as a vital part of the entire engineering assignment and is a major portion of the designing region of the field of engineering. There are several fields of engineering, including: mechanical, technical and civil engineering and all fields have placed certain amount of importance on the activity of engineering drawing. Engineering drawing has two meanings, firstly it is the act of drawing itself and secondly it is the output of drawing or a piece of art that is visible to others. Engineering drawing is considered as a language and this language even comprises of grammatical rules such as the grammatical rules invested in English language (Ve?n?ugo?pa?l V). There is a huge difference between both engineering drawing and artistic drawing although certain amount of people may use both the terms interchangeably. All engineers need to learn the proper way of conducting the act of engineering drawing as it can have devastating effects as any language if not used in th e proper manner can have devastating impacts. Body Those who are not related to the field of engineering may regard both engineering as well as artistic drawing as simply drawing; both engineers and artists may share similar traits as both are involved in the process of drawing images. But the purpose of both types of drawings differ, drawing that is artistic in nature is conducted with the purpose of conveying emotional messages, and the purpose of engineer made drawing is to spread information and provide insight (Madsen 11). Another major difference between both forms of drawing is that of understanding, in order to understand engineer made drawings, one needs to have knowledge of the field of engineering. The engineer has to pass through a particular possess and needs to obtain certain skill set in order to develop drawings for engineering purpose. This process is even regarded as technical drawing and is used in various disciplines of engineering and non engineering disciplines . Engineering is a very vast field and they may share certain common types of drawings and certain drawings are only limited to a particular field of engineering. For example in the case of metal engineering, the field specific types of drawings may include fabrication and casting and the fabrication part of metal engineering may further be divided into other forms of drawings. Engineer made drawings even act as legal documentation as this document interacts and transfers information regarding what resources and assistance is desirable for those will ultimately transform a drawing of an idea into a real end product (Choi 10). Engineering drawings are used as a means of creating a contract between two parties, there are parties involved when an engineering idea in drawing form is sold to someone, it even becomes a part of the purchasers and sellers purchase and sale order and is even a part of any changes made to the product. This drawing helps in saving a manufacturer from being hel d responsible if the manager had followed all the steps that were stated in the drawing and still failed to produce a successful outcome. In this scenario the drawing is analyzed and the engineer who drew the engineering drawing

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Basel III Rules Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Basel III Rules - Essay Example Australia also faced such type of economic recession and banks were exposed to market risk. Thus some more financial reforms are needed that can help the organizations to face the emerging new challenges efficiently. Hence, Basel III norms have been implemented by Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS). This essay will illustrate the opportunities to be created by Basel III norms that help in providing better financial risk management; it also will discuss the challenges or negative impacts of Basel III. Basel III emphasized on developing risk resilience mechanisms that can be practiced in financial institutions including banks. Basel III norms also called for controlling the financial irregularities by implementing strict regulations. It provided financial protection to banks by following minimum adequate cash reserves that can sustain their financial needs for minimum period of 3-4 months at the time of financial crisis. The risk bearing ability of the banks was also strengt hened through the major financial regulations that are sufficiently dynamic in nature to respond to the market changes positively from time to time (The Economist, 2010). According to the norms of the Basel III, the banks are required to hold a minimum of seven percent of tier 1 capital, namely cash reserves and common stock which is a good jump from present level of two per cent. This is very significant step to provide higher risk bearing ability to banks against the financial crisis. Similarly, the tier one capital is also a core measure of a bank's financial strength and by increasing this component, the risk bearing ability of the banks would be enhanced tremendously. Tier 2 capital will be regulated for its sustainable growth and tier 3 capital will be removed completely according to Basel III norms. In addition, they have to improve the capital requirements for counterparty credit exposures which provide them better cushion to withstand financial shocks. At the same time, as per the norms of Basel III, the risk management of counter party credit exposures and capital buffers have to be strengthened which would provide cushion at the times of financial stress. This would result in higher immunity for the banks against interest rate risk and market risk in future. In consequence, the successful implementation of all these measures suggested in Basel III would certainly enhance the financial stability of the banks and reduce the need for the government bailouts during the financial crises. In contrast, the implementation of some clauses of Basel III has some potential disadvantages and banks have to face new challenges. For example, according to Basel III agreement, the banks are required to hold higher amount of capital reserves with themselves as a protection against the financial risks involved with the longevity of their own debts and the risks that banks attach to different kinds of loans (Peston, 2010). This would certainly provide them better protec tion during the times of financial crisis, but at the same time, the profit margin of the banks and their investment opportunities will erode significantly (Black Swain Insights, 2010). This is because of the fact that the banks have little amount to disburse in the form of loans to the customers and hence they may have to charge additional interest rate. In other words, the

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Importance of a Warm Up Essay Example for Free

Importance of a Warm Up Essay A warm up helps to prepare the body for the physical exertion to come. It gently raises your pulse rate and therefore, your cardiac output increases and also your rate of ventilation. Your vasomotor centre makes sure that more blood is being distributed to the working muscles. This combined affect is to increase the amount of oxygen that is delivered to the muscle cells. This helps to reduce the oxygen deficit when you start carrying out the actual activity. A Warm up is very important as it helps to reduce the possible chances of injury. It raises your body temperature in your muscles as there is an increase in the blood flow which raises your body temperature in your muscles, making them more responsive. The elasticity of muscle tissue is increased and more oxygen can be carried to the working muscles. This will help to prepare the body for the activity to come. Throughout a warm up routine, it consists of stretching exercises and this increases your flexibility and so directly reduces the risk of injury. The reason for this is that; a muscle or tendon group with a greater range of motion will be less likely to experience tears when used actively. Stretching also helps to improve recovery and may enhance the participants performance. Additionally, increased flexibility of the neck, shoulders and upper back may improve respiratory function. The nervous system becomes stimulated which makes sure you more alert and aware and therefore it gets you psychologically prepared. This will help to increase your levels of motivation and determination to carry out your dance sessions. The benefit of a warm up is that the muscles torn most frequently from the neglect of a warm up are the antagonists (such as the hamstrings- Semimembranosus, Semitendinosus, biceps femoris) to the strong contracting muscles (such as the Quadriceps- Vastus medialis, Vastus lateralis, Vastus intermedius, rectus femoris). Cold antagonistic muscles relax slowly when the agonists contract, therefore free movement and accurate co-ordination is retarded. At the same time, the force of the contraction of the agonists and the momentum of the moving part exert a great strain on the unyielding antagonists. Without a warm up, this may lead to the tearing of the muscle fibers or the tendons. Stretching exercises I will stretch, moving a joint to just beyond its point of resistance. Flexibility is limited by the joint itself, ligaments and tendons acting upon it. I cannot change the bony structures or the type of joint, but I can stretch the soft tissue surrounding the joint. Neck (Sternocleidomastoid and scalenes) * Turn head to the left, then to the right. * Look up and then down. * 5 Neck rolls to the right and then 5 neck rolls to the left. * Shoulders, back and arms * I will Circle arms 10 times forward, 10 times backward and then rotate arms alternating. This will mobilise my shoulder joint. * I will Stretch my Trapezius by pulling one arm that is kept straight across the chest with your other arm supporting it in its position. This is a horizontal flexion movement. * I will stretch my triceps brachii by flexing my elbow and placing my hand behind my head on by back and my other hand puts pressure on the flexed elbow joint. Wrists and fingers * I will rotate my wrist joints, clap my hands together rapidly and then bend and mobilise my fingers. Hips * I will mobilise my hip joint by placing my hands on my hips and doing 5 hip rotations to the left and then 5 to right. Rotate my hips by raising my leg (with a bent knee so it is at 90 degrees to my body) then I will turn my leg outwards to the side of my body. Spine * I will stretch my vertebral column by crouching down onto my knees and placing my hands on the floor reaching as far as I can. Legs * I will Stretch the Vastus Lateralis, Vastus Intermedials, Vastus Medialis and Rectus Femoris by pulling the ankle with your hand on the same side of the body keeping the knees together while maintaining the correct spine alignment. My hips should be square (I will make sure they do not twist.) If I find it difficult to keep my balance I will hold onto my ear with my other hand and focus. * I will stretch the Semitendinosus, Biceps Femoris and Semi Membranosus by placing one foot in front of the other; bend your back knee while keeping my front leg straight. Raise the hips and lean your body slightly over. After holding this stretch for 10-15 seconds, I will slowly raise the toes of my front foot so that they point towards the ceiling (I will keep my heel firmly on the ground.) Doing this will produce a full stretch down the back of the leg, i.e. Semitendinosus, Biceps Femoris, Semi Membranosus and Gastrocnemius. * I will move my legs apart (wide stance), I will then bend forwards with my hands flat to floor. * Right foot behind left at 90 degrees right leg flexed, left leg straight, bend forward to left foot. Left foot behind left at 90 degrees left leg flexed, right leg straight, bend forward to right foot. * To stretch the Adductors Longus, Brevis and Magnus both feet will be flat on the floor and facing forward. I will lean over to one side keeping the other leg straight, bend the knee at the side you are leaning over to increase the intensity of the stretch. * To stretch my Gastrocnemius I will put one foot in front of the other and bend youre your front knee. The back leg will be kept straight and the rear heel will be kept firmly on the floor throughout the stretch. This stretch is often carried out against a wall. The Gastrocnemius is stretched by flexing your elbows and moving your body weight forward. Stretch forward until you feel a gentle pull in the lower leg. * To stretch the Soleus, the front knee is bent and is pushed towards the ground, while staying over and just in front of the foot. A gentle pull should be felt in the lower one third of the leg. The knee can then be directed medially and laterally to stretch different areas. Ankles * To mobilise my ankle joint I will move the sole of the foot inwards (inversion) and then turn it outwards (eversion). * I will then move the foot downwards (away from the tibia) which is known as plantar flexion and then I will move it upwards (towards the tibia) and this is known as dorsi flexion. This mobilises the Tibialis Anterior, Gastrocnemius and Soleus.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Paul the apostle :: essays research papers

INTRODUCTION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John Wycliff was a theologian and early proponent of reform in the Roman Catholic Church during the 14th century. He initiated the first translation of the Bible into the English language and is considered the main precursor of the Protestant Reformation. Wycliff was born at Ipreswell, Yorkshire, England, between 1320 and 1330. He died at Lutterworth December 31, 1384.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John Wycliff’s family was of early Saxon origin, long settled in Yorkshire. In his day the family was a large one, covering a considerable territory. 1324 is the year usually given for Wycliff's birth. Wycliff probably received his early education close to home. It is not known when he first went to Oxford, with which he was so closely connected till the end of his life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He was at Oxford in about 1345, when a series of illustrious names was adding glory to the fame of the university, such as those of Roger Bacon, Robert Grosseteste, Thomas Bradwardine, William of Occam, and Richard Fitzralph. Wycliff owed much to Occam. He showed an interest in natural science and mathematics, but applied himself to the study of theology, ecclesiastical law, and philosophy. Even Wycliff’s opponents acknowledged the keenness of his dialectic. Wycliff’s writings prove that he was well grounded in Roman and English law, as well as in native history. A family whose seat was in the neighborhood of Wycliff's home, Bernard Castle, founded Balliol College, Oxford to which Wycliffe belonged, first as scholar, then as master. He attained the headship no later than 1360. When he was presented by the college (1361) with the parish of Fylingham in Lincolnshire, he had to give up the leadership of Balliol, though he could continue to live at Oxfor d. His university career followed the usual course. While as baccalaureate he busied himself with natural science and mathematics, as master he had the right to read in philosophy. More significant was his interest in Bible study, which he pursued after becoming bachelor in theology. His performance led Simon Islip, Archbishop of Canterbury, to place him at the head of Canterbury Hall in 1365. Between 1366 and 1372 he became a doctor of theology. In 1368 he gave up his living at Fylingham and took over the rectory of Ludgershall in Buckinghamshire, not far from Oxford, which enabled him to retain his connection with the university.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was not as a teacher or preacher that Wycliffe gained his position in history; this came from his activities in ecclesiastical politics, in which he engaged about the mid-1370s, when his reformatory work also began.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Project Risk Management Plan Essay

First of all we identify our project risks, which are let us know what to expect in the future and how to act during the problem. 1) Risks identification – We highlighted couple categories of risks, which are most important to be ready against them. Procedural and technical failures – from failures of internal systems and control errors, organization, fraud, technical failures. Such as non- responding servers, any mistakes in the internal systems, broken servers, late updates, missing information, etc. Human – from individuals or organizations, illness, death. For example if the main IT person do not work cause the illness, we have to be ready to have any other backup to take action if needed. Operational – loss of control of organizational operations. Reputational – damage to reputation in the market. Such as customers dissatisfaction of the slow app working. 2) Qualitative risk analysis – prioritizing risks for further analysis or action by assessing and combining their probability of occurrence and impact. Our project idea related with the internet, servers and so on, so our main priority looking into probability of risks are to ensure a well-functioning app without any errors and failures. As a result we have priority of our risks. 1) Procedural and technical failures 2) Human 3) Operational 4) Reputational 3) Quantitative risk analysis – numerically analyzing the effect of identified risks on overall project objectives. 1) Procedural and technical failures – could bring dissatisfaction of customers. 2) Human – slower working of the app, errors and  failures of the app cause the misunderstanding information of the servers. 3) Operational – loss of control of the organization. 4) Reputational- dissatisfaction of the customers, stakeholders, suppliers, employees. 4) Risk response planning – developing options and actions to enhance opportunities and to reduce threats to project objectives To ensure well-functioning app we have to be ready for any risk and have a plan how to react. To reduce any threats we have to have professional IT specialists, have a great training system, that every employee would know basics how to react in any situation. The training system could lead to faster activities. Every department should be related with each other to get and know the newest information. Also we have to have backup specialists, which would help, if the other employee can’t work cause the illness. Also we can react using different strategies (depending on the risk situation) such as avoid-eliminate the threat entirely, transfer- shift the problem to the third party, mitigate – reduce the probability of occurrence or impact of a risk (adopt less complex processes, conduct more tests), or accept the risk before knowing all the details about that problem. 5) Risk control – implementing risk response plans, tracking identified risks, identifying new risks. Some employees have to be responsible for tracking identified risks, also identify new risks and be ready to act. Checking for newest information, threats and opportunities it is one of the way, how to control risks.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Art and Power Essay

When a sub-culture becomes dominant in society, it is said to have attained hegemony. A hegemonic subculture has the power to convince the vast majority of people that its ideas are the best right mainstream ones. It can also brand other subcultures and their ideas as deviant. Hence, a hegemonic power has control over ideas in society and shapes the way society thinks. They can come in the form of institutions in society, and hegemonic ideas tend to be those of the ruling class in society. Art which the ruling class favors comes to be known as high art. Because the ruling classes want to preserve their privileged social position, their attitudes tend to be deeply conservative. One feature of art sponsored by power factions in society is that it tends to be highly ornate and decorative. Art serves as a way for these people to show off their material wealth and power. This takes the system of patronage, where wealthy patrons of art sponsor skilled artists and commission works. Sub-cultures can also achieve hegemony without having real wealth, political power, or being at the top of the social ladder. However, they still tend to be affiliated with the ruling class in society (if now how are they to be influential?). For examples, art academies, such as the French Academy, Academie de beau-arts came to dominate the art world through the Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical periods. These academies receive government support and had the power to determine what constituted â€Å"high† serious, socially approved art. Art was therefore expected to conform to the rigid principles established by the academies. One reason for the founding of the French Academy was to distinguish ‘true’ artists from mere craftsmen. The crowning achievement for any artist at that time would have been to become a member of the Academy, an acknowledged expert with the power to dictate artistic principles. This is therefore an institution of the artworld.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Censorship of Pornography

Censorship of Pornography The Ethical Case For and Against Censorship of Pornography The controversy surrounding pornography is complicated not only by a lack of agreement on whether pornography should be allowed in our society, but also by a basic disagreement over what is included in the definition of pornography. Emotions run high and scientific rigour falls aside where it comes to studies of the effect of pornography, the use of these studies in mass media and in academic debates. Sifting through mountains of rhetoric can be confusing, when few entering the debate can even agree on what pornography is, much less what are its corrosive effects. The first task of this paper, therefore, shall be to begin at the beginning, and clarify the differing definitions or idea about pornography that are at play in recent academic debates. Secondly, we will examine the arguments for and against pornography, be it by way of censorship or not. We will want to pay particular attention to the way in which one argument (that of American feminist Mackinnon and Dworkin) are mischarac terized and misunderstood, and why. Finally, we will look at the underlying assumptions of ethical systems that are being used here as points of reference; I will argue that much of the disagreement about this issue is due to the fact that the various sides (and there are far more than two) are appealing to wildly different (and perhaps incompatible) ethical systems. On the one hand, there are those that appeal to utilitarianism, while others appeal to an individualistic, existentialist ethics. Let us begin, then, with the very different ways that pornography is characterized and defined. In popular parlance (and many of the arguments depend on this commonly held conception) pornography means materials that are sexual in nature, usually in a way that is offensive to one self or the mainstream public. Proof of this position, as well as of its hypocrisy, lies with the fact that much of art in the Western tradition that which is displayed in museums – depicts sexually explicit material. There is no question that this is art, not pornography. The second common distinction is one that is drawn between pornography and erotica. As described by Nettie Pollard in her article, The Modern Pornography Debates, qualifying as erotica are representations of a sexually explicit nature, but which are not violent or degrading to women; pornography, on the other hand is harmful because it is violent or sexually degrading to women. This distinction is murky, however, because sometimes the distinction is mean to signal the difference between visual materials (pornography includes the Greek term graphe, or visual representation), whereas erotica is then used to refer to written materials describing erotic acts. This last way of delineating the matter appeals to the belief that whereas pornography appeals to men because their sexuality is more visual, erotica appeals to women’s more internal and intellectual connection to sexuality. However, any feminist worth her salt would refuse both distinctions as being false. Why? Because in either case, the division between erotica (good) and pornography (bad) is just a way of distinguishing the erotic and sexually explicit materials that you find acceptable with that which you do not find acceptable. The problem is that, in trying to censor pornography, no one wants to have to ban any and all erotically or sexually explicit materials (we all think Michelangelos David is beautiful), but only some. But then, that means that someone has to make a call, draw the line between good and bad sexualities (and their representations). That we should be more preoccupied with punishing bad representations, not what they represent, seems to escape the debate; why you should not get flogged for producing boring or canned pornography? It is specifically in order to capture only the morally reprehensible depictions of sex that McKinnon and Dworkin carefully re-defined pornography as a practice of sex discrimination which sexualizes the subordination of women and which eroticizes violence against women: as a political practice of power and powerlessness which eroticizes dominance and submission. (As quoted in Pollard, 2). This definition is important, first of all, because it re-describes pornography as a practice. McKinnon, who is both a feminist and an attorney, understood what she was doing when she did this. She sought, specifically, to bypass the debate over pornography in terms of censorship, and claims to first amendment rights (in America). Even though Mackinnon and Dworkin are often misrepresented as being in the pro-censorship camp (such as in the article by Avedon Carol entitled The Harm of Porn: Just Another Excuse to Censor), they were explicitly and firmly against censorship, and saw this as a dead end in their attempt to curtail violent or harmful pornography. Their ordinance (proposed, passed, then overturned in Minneapolis, MN) took pornography to be a practice that produced harms to women in particular, harms that individual women were not able to mitigate against; secondly, their ordinance sought to make it possible for women to gain the right to litigate against the harms of pornography in a court of law– that is, to sue the producers and distributors of violent pornography for inciting or causing violence against them in particular, or as a class of people, in the case of a class action suit. If those impacted by violent pornography (and not just women) could show, in a court a law, a link between th e consumption of pornography and a crime committed against them. (I suspect that Carol understands this, as she leaves the matter vague, only implying Mackinnon and Dworkins support of censorship). MacKinnon and Dworkins strategy had other strengths built in: it was meant to bi-pass a generation of faulty scientific research on the subject, as described by Carol in her previously mentioned article. It sought to not have to have feminists making the call between what is good and bad pornography, by waiting to make this call on the effects of particular representations. Finally, it was meant to put financial pressure on the producers of pornography to make pornography that was not violent nor degrading to women. But the beauty of the ordinance was that it did not rely on gender specificity – under the same ordinance, producers of pornography putting minors or even men at risk would be liable to a negative judgment and (hopefully) resulting in bankruptcy. In any case, as many feminists pointed out at the time, there are already laws against the rape, torture, mutilation, and un-consented to acts against women; censoring their representations does little to address these pro blems. As the Americans say, the proof would have to be found in the pudding. This is not to say that there where not feminists who were rallying against porn in the late seventies and early eighties, and that they did not become the voice that came to represent the feminist position in mainstream media representations of the debate, such as is described by Carol. Arguable, the misrepresentation of McKinnon and Dworkin as being in the censorship camp is as gross a misrepresentation (serving the same interests) as the misrepresentation of the feminist position as naturally anti-porn. Perhaps the reason for both distortions has to do with the fact that it was this conservative (and liberal in the traditional sense) group of feminist who most resonated with the puritanical American mainstream – what Pollard calls the moralist position, or the traditional, conservative critique of pornography (Pollard, 2) that has sought scientific evidence as grounds for suspending the first amendment rights of some through censorship. The attempt to find scientific grounds for making the call between good and bad representations of sex is well explained in Avedon Carol’s piece on The Harm of Porn. She explains how a generation of right-wing, moralist men, beginning with Dolf Zillman and not ending with Edward Donnerstien, attempted to find a connection between violence and anti-social behavior, and the consumption of pornographic images. The story of Donnerstein connecting the higher pulse rates and skin temperature of young men viewing pornography (and here the irony that in order to work against it, these poor moralists had to expose themselves repeatedly to the corrupting materials!) to a preparatory towards committing violence (Carol, 2-3). The studies would be humorous, had then not been taken so seriously and cast such a long shadow. But then the question becomes, why did these studies stick; why do so many even today believe there is a link between pornography and violence (the link often being made through representations of S/M)? People believe what they already want to believe, and the mainstream of America and British people are puritanical. But perhaps there is more to it†¦. There always have been, and always will be, women whose relation to sex and their own sexualities makes it inconceivable to accept what others might enjoy, represent, and respond to sexually. They are often posited as opposed to libertarians and sex radicals, but in reality there is no clear cut opposition between these groups and positions. That is, it is possible for a radical lesbian separatist who feels it is her duty to violate societal norms of decency by not only sleeping with women, but by sleeping regularly with more than one , who nonetheless finds pornography loathsome, and who acts much like the Christian church lady in her activism around censoring mainstream pornography. So, now, lets look at the moralist position that pornography threatens the moral order. In the extreme, this position is like a no avatars position – sex should not be seen, period. This could be based on the view that sex is dirty and shameful, and that sexuality should only be in the service of reproduction within the context of monogamous heterosexual marriage, and these are usually reasons given. Or, more plausible to this writer, it could be that explicit representations of sex never looks like what it feels, and so carries with it a necessary air of corruption and falsity. (It follows that in order to truly represent sex, desire, or ecstasis, the last thing that you would represent would be sex acts, which means that a ban on the representation of sex and sexuality would take us far and wide indeed.) Not unlike the argument that Plato gives in The Republic against artists and playwrights, this is also the reason why some religions forbid the representations of God, as necessary falsifying.) Unfortunately, there representations are often produced by an for men, and are often used as a stand in for sexual education; when young men learn to value sex for what it looks like, and by extension to value women by what they look like, then I cannot deny that we have a problem. Additionally, there is the larger problem that the representation of sex is itself a sexual practice that cannot help but habituate and homogenize sexual behaviors. So, the charge of corruption sticks, but not for the reasons that are usually given; it is worth mentioning, however, that the rote reason given (that it threatens the social order) is grounded in these latter reasons, even if these reasons are assumed and not made explicit by those who see themselves as living a morally upright existence. The moral right tends to get lazy when it comes to having to actually make an argument. Still, many of the more conservative arguments from feminist have to do not with how pornography may corrupt human sexuality – women and mens but with the alleged hard it does to women – the view that is attribute to the British government by Pollard (Pollard, 1). The effect and impact of pornography (violent or not, degrading of women or not) on women is different than it is on men, yet no feminist has tried to make these differences explicit. Furthermore, that this harm is like the concept of race – no such thing exists, but it continues to shape our beliefs and behaviors – seems not to destroy the case of those who seek to censor pornography – both in America and Britain recent efforts have been stepped up to crack down on the makers of sexually explicit materials. We may want to ask, why not? It could be that the moralists can afford to be lazy with their arguments because they seem to have the strong arm of the law, and the force of long custo m, on their side. Andrea Dworkin and Catherine McKinnon’s re-definition of pornography in terms of a practice that causes harm, ironically, opened a new avenue for those who sought to censor lewd materials. The argument addressed by Andrew Koppleman (Does Obscenity Cause Moral Harm?) and Rae Langton and Caroline West (Scorekeeping in a Pornographic Language Game) goes like this: if pornography is a practice, and to practice something entails action, then pornography is close to action. (There are also arguments about the performative aspect of language that get aligned with this argument, e.g., pornography as speech, and more specifically hate speech.) Actions have consequences and effect, and the effect of pornography is generally harm to women who are degraded in and by pornographic representations; it silences and subordinates women in the way that racially hateful or homophobic speech affects those marked racially or by way of perceived sexual preference. As Langton and Rae point out, neith er the older theory that pornography rationally conditions violence, not irrationally has the same effect; but what is the point of this distinction when the harm caused by pornography cannot be proved by the means that we usually accept – that is, by scientific means. The best chance of proving and establishing this link may have been with McKinnon’s ordinance (by legal precedence), but this attempt was turned back by the court. And, if we are to look at effect, the effect of all this talk of censoring pornography has only led to its growth and popularity. Maybe the best way to beat the probably real but improvable harms of porn is to beat it – to make better, less harmful, maybe even empowering representations. Let the marketplace decide this issue, as it decides everything else. Perhaps it will not be surprising that those on the opposite liberal, left, or radical edge of the debate over pornography rely on assumptions so similar as those on the right as to be indistinguishable. One line of reasoning goes like this: sex and sexuality is at the core of individual identity, and the attempt to foreclose its expression, irregardless of how much we like or dislike any given expression, is dehumanizing. Some women may be exploited in the sex industry, or by their husbands, or by their bosses at work. The law recognizes limits to women being exploited. Ironically, what developed from the attempt to censor pornography in modern times has been a rather large discourse on pornography and sexuality that has only helped the industry grow by leaps and bounds, become less taboo and more accepted, and diversify into pornography made by women and for women. There is now consensus that the voices that used to dominate in the feminist movement, voices against pornography and in favor of censorship, have become less powerful; the new feminists are pro-sex and for its representation. This does not mean that any and all sexualities should be protected from censorship. We can still, as a society, disallow materials that are harmful to minors, or which results in negligent hard done to anyone in the course of its being made. Other than this, if you don’t’ like S/M, then you should not expose yourself to these materials. This debate over pornography strikes me as a lot of smoke and mirror, with sides talking past each other because they dont agree on what they are talking about to begin with, not seeing how much grounds there is for agreement, and each relying on faulty evidence and lazy reasoning. But in the end, it may be that the real differences may lie with the basic ethical assumptions behind the impulse to deal with pornography through censorship or by other means: Those who want to make the harm argument rely on a universal utilitarian paradigm that shows that he harms of pornography outweighs the need to protect the first Amendment Rights of pornographers, or vice versa (that pornography should not be censored because it is not worth the sacrifice in restricting freedom of speech). IF this is the case, then the debate becomes about the perceived harms and goods, and the means of measuring and balancing these. Those who enter into the debate on these terms assume that society has the right an d responsibility to create balance. (The libertarian believes the free market naturally restores and maintains the balance.) But the debate is also being had under completely different assumptions and on another plain. The existentialist and individualistic tendencies (of Americans in particular) lead to the assumption that id sexuality is a core around which individuals can come to define their identities, then to limit the expression of such by any means is to do metaphysical harm to the individual, who is the seat of morality (and not the government or society at large). The existentialist would not grant government or the market any role in the debate, only good and bad faith. It is a matter of scale: do moral questions get made by individuals who chose to participate in the pornography industry (be it as consumers, models, filmmakers, artists, distributors, etc.) or is morality a matter of social convention – or, of a yet higher force. In the end, the ethical case for or against censorship of pornographic materials comes down to this: to the incompatibility not of positions pro or con, but of ethical systems.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

How to Use the French Preposition Chez

How to Use the French Preposition Chez Anyone who has eaten at a French  restaurant  is familiar with the  French preposition  chez  since its often used with the name of the chef, as in  Chez Laura.  It is loosely translated as  at or in the  home or business place  of and can be used in a number of circumstances, including location or state of mind, as well as in common idiomatic expressions. This phrase has even crept into English, where its frequently used in restaurant names such as the iconic Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif. Uses and Examples Chez  is most commonly used to refer to a home or business, but it can also be employed to characterize someone or something or as part of an expression. For example:      chez mon oncle   at / to my uncles house  Ã‚  Ã‚  chez moi   at home, at / to my house  Ã‚  Ã‚  Carole est chez elle.   Carole is at home.      chez le mà ©decin   at / to the doctors (office)     chez lavocat   at / to the lawyers office      chez le boucher   at / to the butcher shop  Ã‚  Ã‚  chez le coiffeur   at / to the barbershop, hairdresser     une robe de chez Dior  Ã‚  Ã‚  a Dior dress,  a dress designed by Dior     (une coutume) chez les Franà §ais (a custom) among the French  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cest typique chez les politiciens.  Its typical of politicans.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ãƒâ€¡a se trouve souvent chez les vaches.  You often find that among cows.     chez les Grecs   in  ancient Greece / among the ancient Greeks     chez la femme in women / among women      Chez lui, cest une habitude   Its a habit with him.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cest bizarre chez un enfant.   Thats strange for a child.      chez Molià ¨re   in Molià ¨res work / writing     chez Van Gogh   in Van Goghs art       chacun chez soi     everyone should look to his own affairs      cest une coutume  / un accent bien de chez nous  Ã‚  its a typical local custom/accent  Ã‚     Ã‚  chez-soi at home     Ã‚  fais comme chez toi   make yourself at home     Ã‚  In an address:  chez M. Durand  Ã‚  care of Mr.  Durand  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  elle la raccompagnà © chez lui   pied   she walked him home        elle la raccompagnà © chez lui en voiture she gave him a lift / a ride home     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     rentrer chez soi  / rester chez soi to go home / to stay at home

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Strengthening of concrete using fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) Dissertation

Strengthening of concrete using fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) - Dissertation Example Further, the energy dissipation capacity increases in multiples of 10of the retrofitted column-beam joints under increased displacements, till failure at 0.4g for unconfined frame and at 0.5g for confined frame. Accelerations of the shake table at 0.2g and 0.4g are observed and it is found that the acceleration of the shake table is higher under 0.4g by at least a factor of 10. Comparing accelerations of the left and right joints of the first and second floors respectively, it is found that the acceleration increases by at least a factor of 10between the floors and also based on higher accelerations of 0.4g when compared to 0.2g. The relative displacements of the first and second floor joints are measured and it is found that the relative displacement of the second floor joint was high (almost 4 times) to the point of breakdown while that of the first floor joints was same as that of the shake table at 0.4g. ... elative displacements of the two floor joints with respect to shake table are observed for 0.4g and 0.5g for confined frame and it is observed that while the displacement of the shake table is almost same or slightly higher by a factor of 10 for 0.5g as compared to displacement at 0.4g, there is little difference in displacement at the two floors at 0.4g, it is noted that the relative displacements of the two floors remain almost the same at 0.5g when compared to the same with those at 0.4g. Stability of the frame is more at 0.4g than at 0.5g. It is also more for the second floor joints than at the first floor joints. As axial compression is more at the first floor joints than at the second floor joints, the torsional capacity and ductility are high for the square RC column-beam joints. Further, as the FRP is bonded at the tension zones, in this case, the joints of beam-column, with external mounting, the flexure strength is increased and the seismic behaviour is improved with TFCÂ ® composite bonding at the joints of both the