Benefits of a College Graduate

Ana Nunez Nunez (page 1) Ms. Waltman Assignment 6 Credit 5 College Graduate For my assignment on Credit 5 I had to interview a college graduate. I choose to interview my own sister Sandra Galaviz, she is the oldest of four children in my family. She is a college graduate with a four year degree.She has been a great role model to me and she has motivated me to go to college, so I will be able to succeed in my career choice I asked Sandra why she decided to go to college? She told me that she decided to go to college because she wanted to better her future. Have a wide spread opportunities and get a better education for herself. There was one teacher in particular that Sandra wanted to be like. She always looked up to Mrs. Ramirez her seventh grade teacher. Sandra saw teachers as a great role for children.The next thing I asked her was where did you go to college and why did she choose that school? University of Santa Barbara was the college of her choice. She choose this college beca use it was closer to home and she knew she would be homesick. UCSB offers great teaching programs for upcoming teachers. Sandra also knew this school would have great teaching opportunities and help achieve her career goals. Sandra majored in English. She always wanted to become an English teacher as a child. Sandra got her bachelor’s degree and it helped her in many ways.It also, opened up many opportunities and many career options for her future. I asked her what did she like about her college experience? Sandra replied that she got to learn new things, met new people and she got to explore her new interests. Without this experience she wouldn’t be able to be the person she is today. Nunez (page 2) In college you can face several problems. I asked my sister what challenges did she had to overcome in college? She said she faced procrastination and finical problems.Sandra got rid of her bad habit and started working part-time at Walmart to help her finical status. My s ister gave me some advice on looking to go to college. Sandra told me, â€Å"College is very important to better your education and find something your passionate about in life. † College can make you feel a lot of things. The major feeling is feeling stressed all the time. I asked Sandra how do you overcome stress in college? She replied manage your stress level and control your environment, by controlling who and what is around. Also, stay relax and enjoy yourself.My final question was is college worth the effort? Sandra answered college is a one time experience that can make a major impact on your future. To conclude, my sister has showed me that an education is very valuable and important. It allows me to reach my career goals. I would love to follow in my sisters footsteps in going to college. I want to learn what I want to learn and become what I love. Possibly being the second of our family to go to college would be a magnificent goal in my life. I want to succeed and be the best I can be.

VLAN

LANA which can communicate with each other as if they were all located in the same physical segment. PLAN allow us to group the devices into a single domain, which enable us to confine broadcast traffic to devices that needs the access, and also will reduce the traffic on the rest of the network. The benefits of PLAN are the following: It will provide us with higher performance. It will improve our manageability over the network. It will simplify the software configurations.It will increase our security options for the network. To improve the performance in these company, the possible implementation of switches to re-route people straight to the router instead of going through different hubs. In order to reduce the network congestion, we can divide the network logically speaking into broadcast domains which will add security to it. All the departments in the organization will be divided by their group function, given them their own segment. By having the network divided into four sec tions, the network will better secure by making each section compartmentalize.We can achieve this by having each section logically separated from the rest which will restrict the access from segment to segment. If we want to increase security on the network, this is the way to do it. In controlling the access to the individuals segment on the company, we can establish users groups based on their required function; allowing the segment to access the information needed and making sure that only those who need it, access it. The PLAN membership to use could be a port assigned based, this will facilitate the future reorganization of the physical network layout.The type of switch that we an use could be Layer 3. Layer 3 will give us the ability to have a greater control over the LANA, user assignments, and network which Layer 2 will failed to provide us with those benefits. We can use an IEEE 802. SQ trucking protocol; this protocol will help us to reduce the dependency on vendors regard ing the hardware we need to use, since this protocol is not proprietary. WAP (PLAN Trunk Protocol) will increase the speed as well as the efficiency regarding our network performance. It will lower the inconsistencies in configurations which would happen after any modification in the network.We can configure switches to work in different WAP modes. These modes are VT server mode, WAP clients, and WAP transparent. In the server mode, we can create, modify, and delete PLANS. In the client mode, it will behave like the server mode but it will lack the ability of creating, change or delete PLAN. In the transparent mode, forward WAP advertisements that they receive out their trunk ports in WAP Version 2. To avoid any possible malfunction of the PLAN network, we should make sure that the network is properly set to be layout as a star topology physically speaking. By Rudolf-Archimedes

Galsworthy – to Let

Ga John Galsworthy (1867 — 1933) TO LET (1922) This novel is the last volume of the Forsyte Saga. It marks both the end of the first stage in the development of the Forsytes and the beginning of the second, post-war stage in the chronicles of their doings. That final stage is the subject of Galsworthy's second trilogy, the Modern Comedy, where the younger generation of the Forsytes are depicted against the background of England's post-war decay. In the following extract the novelist holds up to ridicule the decadence of modem art.He puts his ideas into the mouth of Soames Forsyte whom he formerly satirized as the â€Å"man of property†. Soames's scornful bewilderment at sight of Expressionist paintings renders to a certain degree the feelings of the novelist himself. CHAPTER I Encounter Arriving at the Gallery off Cork Street, however, he paid his shilling, picked up a catalogue, and entered. Some ten persons were prowling round. Soames took steps and came on what looke d to him like a lamp-post bent by collision with a motor omnibus. It was advanced some three paces from the wall, and was described in his catalogue as â€Å"Jupiter†.He examined it with curiosity, having recently turned some of his attention to sculpture. â€Å"If that's Jupiter,† he thought, â€Å"I wonder what Juno's like. † And suddenly he saw her, opposite. She appeared to him like nothing so much as a pump with two handles, lightly clad in snow. He was still gazing at her, when two of the prowlers halted on his left. â€Å"Epatant†[1] be heard one say. â€Å"Jargon! † growled Soames to himself. The other boyish voice replied: â€Å"Missed it,[2] old bean;[3] he's pulling your leg. When Jove and Juno created he them,[4] he was saying: â€Å"I’ll see how much these fools will swallow†.And they’ve lapped up a lot. †[5] â€Å"You young duffer[6]! Vospovitch is an innovator. Don’t you see that he’s brough t satire into sculpture? The future of plastic art, of music, painting, and even architecture, has set in satiric. It was bound to. People are tired – the bottom’s tumbled out of sentiment. † â€Å"Well, I’m quite equal to taking a little interest in beauty. I was through the war. You’ve dropped your handkerchief, sir. † Soames saw a handkerchief held out in front of him. He took it with some natural suspicion, and approached it to his nose.It had the right sent – of distant Eau de Cologne – and his initials in a corner. Slightly reassured, he raised his eyes to the young man’s face. It had rather fawn-like ears, a laughing mouth, with half a toothbrush growing out of it on each side, and small lively eyes above a normally dressed appearance. â€Å"Thank you,† he said; and moved by a sort of irritation, added: â€Å"Glad to hear you like beauty; that’s rare, nowadays. † â€Å"I dote on it,† sai d the young man; â€Å"but you and I are the last of the old guard, sir. † Soames smiled. If you really care for pictures,† he said, â€Å"here’s my card. I can show you some quite good ones any Sunday, if you’re down the river and care to look in. † â€Å"Awfully nice of you, sir. I’ll drop in like a bird[7]. My name’s Mont – Michael. † And he took off his hat. Soames, already regretting his impulse, raised his own slightly in response, with a downward look at the young man’s companion, who had a purple tie, dreadful little sluglike whiskers, and a scornful look – as if he were a poet! It was the first indiscretion he had committed for so long that he went and sat down in an alcove.What had possessed him to give his card to a rackety[8] young fellow, who went about with a thing like that? And Fleur, always at the back of his thoughts, started out like a filigree figure from a clock when the hour strikes. On the screen opposite the alcove was a large canvas with a great many square tomato-coloured blobs on it, and nothing else, so far as Soames could see from where he sat. He looked at his catalogue: â€Å"No. 32 — ‘The Future Town' — Paul Post. † â€Å"I suppose that's satiric too,† he thought. â€Å"What a thing! † But his second impulse was more cautious. It did not do to condemn hurriedly.There had been those stripey, streaky creations of Monet's[9], which had turned out such trumps; and then the stippled school,[10] and Gauguin* [11]. Why, even since the Post-Impressionists[12] there had been one or two painters not to be sneezed at. During the thirty-eight years of his connoisseur's life, indeed, he had marked so many â€Å"movements†, seen the tides of taste and technique so ebb and flow, that there was really no telling anything except that there was money to be made out of every change of fashion. This too might quite well be a c ase where one must subdue primordial instinct, or lose the market.He got up and stood before the picture, trying hard to see it with the eyes of other people. Above the tomato blobs was what he took to be a sunset, till some one passing said: â€Å"He's got the airplanes wonderfully, don't you think! † Below the tomato blobs was a band of white with vertical black stripes, to which he could assign no meaning whatever, till some one else came by, murmuring: â€Å"What expression he gets with his foreground! † Expression? Of what? Soames went back to his seat. The thing was â€Å"rich†, as his father would have said, and he wouldn't give a damn for it.Expression! Ah! they were all Expressionists[13] now, he had heard, on the Continent. So it was coming here too, was it? He remembered the first wave of influenza in 1887 — or 8 — hatched in China, so they said. He wondered where this —this Expressionism — had been hatched. The thing was a regular disease! , ? -, , ? . . ? -, , ? . ? ? â€Å"†. ? , ? . â€Å" , – , – † ? , , ? . ? , . ? , , ? , . – ! – . – ! – . : – , ! . , , , : â€Å", †. ? ? . – , ! – . , ? , , , – ? . . : . – . ? ? . ? . , . . ? ? ? ? . – , ? . . . ? , ? . ? . – , – ?, , : – , ; ? . – ? , – . – ? , , . . ? , . ? ? , , , . – ? , . . , . . , ? , ? . , , , ? – , ! ? ?, , ? . - , ? ? , , , ? . , ? -, , – ? , . ? : N 32, â€Å" † – . â€Å", , – . – ? ! † . ? . – ? – ; ? , ? - , . , , â€Å"†, ? ? ? , ? : . , ? , ? , . ? ? , . - , , - : â€Å" , † , , , - ? : â€Å" ! † ? ? ? . †, – ? . ! , , . , , ? . ? , , , . ? , , ! Analysis In this description of Soames's impressions of a gallery stocked with pieces of modern art Galsworthy's realism is displayed to great advantage.Within a very few pages the reader gets a vivid notion not only of the new school in painting, but also of the man who is so indignant with it. On the one hand his disgust and his perplexity throw light on the fictitious masterpieces and their false standards of beauty; on the other hand those masterpieces become an efficient means of characterizing Soames himself. The same end is served by the contrast between the soundness of his judgement and the flightiness, the restlessness of those of the new generation who delight in such works of art.Abundance of thought and feeling in a short passage where nothing much actually happens, dislike of emphasis and pathos is an important feature of Galsworthy's quiet and restrained art. His intense contempt for the mannerisms of modern painting is not poured out either in withering sarcasm or in grotesque exaggeration, but finds an outlet in a tone of matter-of-fact irony. The supposed statues of Jupiter and Juno are to Soames just â€Å"a lamp-post bent by collision with a motor omnibus† and â€Å"a pump with two handles† respectively.Seen through the eyes of hard common-sense, brought down to the crudest elements, these statues appear particularly ridiculous. The same process of reducing a complex whole — a pretentious picture of â€Å"The Future Town† — to a number of primitive daubs serves to expose the futility of Expressionist art. However hard Soames tries, he can see nothing but â€Å"a great man y square tomato-coloured blobs† and â€Å"a band of white with vertical black stripes†. The very sound of the word â€Å"blob†, imitating the dripping of some liquid, is derogatory here and suggests that the paint was dropped on the canvas anyhow.This plain sensible view is comically opposed to the enthusiasm of other and younger spectators who seem to observe a wonderful picture of airplanes in the red blobs and a peculiar â€Å"expression† in the black and white stripes. The false pretences of the picture bearing the pompous name of â€Å"The Future Town† are the more clearly revealed as Soames anxiously does his best to go abreast of the times and make his taste sufficiently up to date. The harder the beholder's efforts to appreciate, the clearer the painter's failure to succeed.Soames's business instincts are well expressed in his fear to misunderstand the exhibits and so miss an opportunity for profit. Thus, even when Galsworthy does make a mou thpiece of his hero, the latter's utterances, however close they come to the author's opinions, are appropriate to the personality of the speaker and come convincing from his lips. It is Galsworthy himself who has no respect for Expressionism, but Soames voices that feeling in a way peculiarly Forsytean: he is afraid to trust his eminently healthy taste, his own sense of beauty, for, as he reminds himself, â€Å"it did not do to condemn hurriedly.There had been those stripey, streaky creations of Monet’s†¦Ã¢â‚¬  These words make part of a prolonged inner monologue, which in the later volumes of the Forsyte Saga and in the whole of the Modern Comedy becomes Galsworthy’s favourite method of characterization. The inner speech of the hero is indissolubly linked with the author’s comments, so much so, really, that when speaking of Soames, for example, Galsworthy resorts to expressions entirely suitable to Soames (â€Å"His second impulse was more cautiousâ₠¬ , â€Å"He remembered the first wave of influenza in 1887 — or 8 — hatched in China, so they said†).With Galsworthy the inner monologue is different from what it is, say, in Meredith's books. For one thing, the author of the Forsyte Saga uses it much more often. For another thing, he interferes with his comments much less than his predecessor. Lastly, the language of the monologues (particularly when they are Soamse’s) is much more concise and laconic, utterly devoid of sentiment. It is quite free of abstract terms, and is exceedingly terse, practical and full of idiomatic constructions commonly used in everyday speech (â€Å"painters not to be sneezed at†, â€Å"they had turned out such trumps† etc. . Soames the businessman makes himself heard when in the meditations on art practical considerations come to the top: â€Å"there was money to be made out of every change of fashion†, â€Å"lose the market† and others. Even his metaphors, when they put in an appearance, are few and definitely â€Å"low† – as, for instance, the comparison of Expressionism to influenza hatched in China: â€Å"He wondered where this — this Expressionism — had been hatched. The thing was a regular disease! These metaphors are born out of Soames ‘s disgust for what he considers a corruption of art and are therefore significant of his attitude towards painting: they prove that Soames had esthetic criteria of his own and was capable of disinterested appreciation. Besides the inner monologue and characterization through surroundings, Galsworthy, ever resourceful in his search for the realistic approach, makes ample use of the dialogue as an efficient means to let his characters speak for themselves without the author's interference.In the present excerpt Soames unexpectedly finds himself involved in a talk with young strangers, one of whom is an advocate of â€Å"extreme† innovation of art . Their speech might be described as a curious combination of vulgar colloquialisms (â€Å"duffer†, â€Å"to lap up†, â€Å"the bottom's tumbled out of sentiment†) with bookish and learned phraseology (â€Å"innovator†, â€Å"plastic art†, â€Å"to bring satire into sculpture†), of English and French slang (â€Å"old bean†, â€Å"to pull somebody's leg†, â€Å"epatant†) with solemn parody of Biblical constructions (â€Å"Jove and Juno created he them†).Exaggeration (â€Å"awfully nice of you†, â€Å"I dole on it [beauty]†) goes hand in hand with understatement (â€Å"I'm quite equal to taking a little interest in beauty†). Galsworthy perfectly realized, — indeed, he was one of the first writers to do so — that the flippant manner and the crude speech of post-war young people was the result of a severe shock of disillusionment: they were so disappointed with those fine words that, used to go with a fine show of public feeling that for them â€Å"the bottom had tumbled out of sentiment†, and satire both in art and in mode of talk seemed to be the only possible alternative.Their manner of speaking, cynical, affectedly coarse, substituting descriptive slangy catchwords for the proper names of things, is strongly contrasted to Soames's formal, plain speech with his habit of giving things their common standard meanings and never saying more than is strictly necessary. The contrast in manner and speach habits is of great importance in lending vitality to both interlocutors, in stressing the immense difference between the younger men’s irresponsibility and rootlessness and Soames's resolute clinging to property, his dogged hold on life.As a follower of a realist tradition, Galsworthy never fails in attaching special significance to the tiniest details: Soames approaches his handkerchief, that Michael had picked up for him, to his nose to make sure it is really his — with that suspiciousness that is so characteristic of the Forsytes.He raises his hat only slightly in parting from young Mont and looks downward at his companion, for he is naturally distrustful of new acquaintances and inclined to be no more than coldly polite (raising his hat ever so little) and supercilious — in looking down upon anybody whom he does not recognize as his equals and half expects to be troublesome. All these little things are very suggestive of that fear of giving oneself away that Galsworthy elsewhere described as a feature by which it is as easy to tell a Forsyte as by his sense of property.Galsworthy's realism does not only lie in his capacity for making his hero part and parcel of his surroundings and convincing the reader of his typicality: he is a fine artist in reproducing the individual workings of his characters' minds. Soames, the man of property, is also a man of deep and lasting feelings. Such is his devotion to his daughte r Fleur, who was â€Å"always at the back of his thoughts† and â€Å"started out like a filigree figure from a clock when the hour strikes†.Incidentally, this dainty simile, so utterly unlike the matter-of-factness that characterizes the usual reproduction of Soames’s prosaic mind, is expressive of the poetic colouring that Galsworthy introduces to render the strength of the affection Soames has for Fieur, As a general rule, the novelist, though following in the tracks of classical realists, breaks away from the literary polish, the fine descriptive style that was kept up to the very end of the 19th century.At the same time as Shaw, Weils, Bennett, Galsworthy starts a new tradition of bringing the language of literature (m the author’s speech, no less than in that of the personages) close to the language of real life. He does away with the elaborate syntax of 19th century prose and cultivates short, somewhat abrupt sentences, true to the rhythm and the in tonation of the spoken language and full of low colloquialisms and even slang. Tasks I. Translate into English: ) ? ; 2) -; 3) ? ; 4) ? ; 5) ; 6) ? ? ? ? ; 7) ; 8) -; 9) ; 10) ? ; 11) , ? ; 12) – , ; 13) ? ; 14) ? ; 15) ? ; 16) ; 17) ; 18) , , ? ; 19) , ; 20) , ; 21) ? . II. Answer the questions: 1) What does the description under analysis present? 2) How do Soames’s portrayal and the paintings’ presentation characterise each other? 3) What are the features of Galsworthy’s style? ) How is Galsworthy’s contempt for the mannerisms in art brought home to the reader? 5) How are the statues brought to ridicule by the author? 6) What view is Soames’s approach opposed to? 7) How are Soames’s business instincts expressed? 8) Is Galsworthy’s own view rendered through Soames’s voice? Do the views of the writer and his character comp letely coincide? 9) What is Galsworthy’s favourite method of characterisation? 10) How is the language of the monologues to be characterised? 11) How is the businessman revealed in Soames? 12) What are the specificities of the young strangers? 13) How are the two different manners of speech contrasted? 14) How does Galsworthy treat details? 5) How does Galsworthy reproduce the individual working of Soames’s mind? 16) What literary tradition did Galsworthy participate in starting of? ———————– [1] I ¬c ¬o ¬Ã‚ ­!  ­+ ­Z ­l ­o ­?  ­Ã‚ ¶Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ·Ã‚ ­e ­e ­i ­i ­n ­?  ­o ­  ®  ®Ã‚ ®Ã‚ ®5 ®A ®B ®eOAOAOAO «Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚ «? p? p? p? [F[F[F[)h{[email  protected]? yyB*[pic]CJaJmHphsH)h{uh  ¬@? yyB*[pic]CJaJmHphsH%h{uhAJaB*[pic]CJaJmHphsH%h{uh  ¬B*[pic]CJaJmHphsH)h{[email  protected] yB*[pic]CJaJmHphsH)h{uh  ¬@ yB*[pic]CJaJmHphsH)h{[email  protected]? [2]B*[pic]CJaJmHphsH)h{ uh  ¬@? [3]B*[pic]CJaJmHphsH)h{uheEpatant (French) – thrilling, wonderful [4] Missed it – here: misunderstood it [5] Old bean – old man (sl. ) [6] when Jove and Juno created he thern — a paraphrase of the Biblic story of he origin of man: â€Å"male and female created he them† [7] they've lapped up the lot — here: they have taken everything seriously [8] Duffer – fool (sl. ) [9] Drop in like a bird – come with pleasure (sl. ) [10] Rackety – light-minded, flightly [11] Claude Monet (1840-1926) – a well-known French painter of the Impressionist school [12] Stippled school – painters who painted in dots [13] Paul Gauguin (1843-1903) – French painter and sculpter [14] Post-Impressionists – painters who succeeded the Impressionists in 20th century art [15] Expressionists – artists belonging to one og the schools in art very popular in the first decades of the 20th century

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The Best Health Insurance Plan in the Market - Essay Example Shopping around for the best health insurance plan can be beneficial to both the insured and insurers competitors. However, many people dislike shopping around, and that â€Å"is not only harmful to them but it also detrimental to the competitors† (Frakt 2). Customer loyalty and availability of many insurance providers are the main cause of customer resistance to switching from one provider or plan to another. Customer loyalty can disadvantage consumers and the insurance market. For example, clients who are automatically re-enrolled to the previous insurance plan end up paying higher premiums for the similar services offered at a lower premium by other providers (Frakt 2). Also, it prevents insurance companies from attracting new customers. In addition, it hinders consumers from assessing better insurance packages that can suit various needs of different clients. It hinders innovation and superiority of services leading to services of poor quality (Frakt 3). However, having va rious alternatives in the market can disadvantage the consumers because it is hard to select the best plan among many alternatives (Frakt 3). It can make consumers stick to the previous plan in order to avoid the struggle of selecting an unfamiliar plan. Consumers can benefit from various alternatives when there is adequate information about the available products or service in the market (Frakt 4). In conclusion, having various alternatives for products and services can yield benefits to both consumers and the companies if adequate information is made available for effective decision-making. It promotes innovation among the companies and can lead to a reduction in prices.

Depression and Suicide in Older Adults Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Depression and Suicide in Older Adults - Essay Example Recognizng depression can be tricky because depressive symptoms manifest themselves differently in older people than they do in younger people. Health care workers need to be alert to the signs and symptoms of depression because untreated depression represents the greatest risk factor for suicide among older adults. Many people may believe that depression in older adults is simply a normal event that most people go through at one time or another; and that there is no real reason to be alarmed. It might be thought that these individuals should accept sad feelings and disinterest in life as a typical part of growing older. Nevertheless, depression is a very real disorder, and not just one that comes with age. Depressed individuals often cannot just 'snap out of' the problems they are facing. All too often, older adults end up taking their own lives when their depression becomes too painful for them and remains untreated (Brent, et al, 1997). Older adults have the highest rate of suicide in the United States, with over half of all suicides occurring in adult men, aged 25-65. Moreover, suicide rates steadily increase with age (Heisel, 2004). The rate of suicide among people 65 years and older is 50% higher than the national average. A senior citizen in the United States commits suicide every 90 minutes. Clearly, this is a problem that must not be ignored, particularly among older adults who are disproportionately impacted. Although older adults currently make up only 13% of the population, they suffer 19% of all suicide deaths. Persons who are 65 years and older have the highest suicide rates of any age group, and 84% of those who commit suicide are men. Population experts estimate that by 2030, older adults will comprise about 20% of the population, or about 75 million people. Thus, the problem of suicide, if left unaddressed, can be expected to increase. Heisel (2004) states, "There is a pressing need to identify vulnerability and protective factors associated with late-life suicidal ideation and behavior in order to inform assessment and treatment considerations with seniors at risk of suicide" (p. 50). Anyone working with elderly peopleolder adults must be aware of the scope of the problem and the potential ways to help. It is important, therefore, to evaluate ways to reduce the risks posed by depression in older adults, particularly the risk of suicide. With that goal in mind, this paper will examine the prevalence of depression among older adults, diagnosis, treatment, and risk factors for suicide. It will briefly examine depression's long history. Also, the literature dealing with various approaches to treatment of depression will be reviewed. Ultimately, this paper will thoroughly explore the question of why older adults choose to take their own lives. Diagnosis of Disorder Virtually everyone is sad from time to time, and this is generally not a cause for alarm. In many cases, a temporary negative change in mood is brought on by some specific loss, and corrects itself within a reasonable period of time. Losses late in life tend to become more common. For example, as people get older, they will likely know more

I need a conclusion statement (ppragraph) for Google Glass Research Paper

I need a conclusion statement (ppragraph) for Google Glass - Research Paper Example Google glass is a new application, and people are not familiar with its usability. It has applications that are different from those existing in mobile computers such as car navigation system, laptops, and cell phones. The Google Glass software is at the trial stages hence can be considered immature and difficult for people to apply. It is also not practical for the Google to physically train their customers on how to use the gadget. However, there are some programs that can be accessed via internet that can train people on how to use the Glass. The programs are also able to involve people from their convenient places such as their homes and workplace by giving feedback as well as asking questions (Kaufman 77). The fact that the Google Glass is a new technology, many users fear that their privacy may be jeopardized. Some think that the gadget may be used in monitoring their privacy in their workplace as well as their homes. People using the Glass scare others by making them think that the persons wearing the Glass is secretly taking photos and videos which can be shared to a remote server and be used for other purposes. It is as a result of the breach of privacy that people are barred from using the Glass in places such as casinos and other personal businesses premises. Though the gadget is used in sending and receiving text, e-mails, news updates and photos just like the phones, the Google has to address issues related to privacy. The fact that the technology is very new in the market, not much has been done to determine its safety on the users. There are reported cases where people without vision problem experience headache and eyestrains after using the glass for a short time. There is also an unknown risk to people with eye problems such as those who had once undergone a Lasik surgery after using the Glass. The use of the Google Glass is also not suitable for children under the age of 13

The Italian Renaissance and the Northern European Renaissance Essay

The Italian Renaissance and the Northern European Renaissance - Essay Example Commerce introduced the artistic ideas in the Northern Europe region.Both regions used the guild system, which was based on lessons on the craft. This involved painting and sculptures. According to Earls, the guild system was a regulatory system for any artistic work (34). In this regard, every artistic presentation had to be in agreement with the Guild. This is to make sure that the artwork produced was of high quality. Essentially, this meant that the rehearsals on various forms of art had to be tireless and time-consuming. After accepting the artworks, the Guild still continued to measure the artistic practices and standards. Another similarity is that both the north and Italy had unique artistic centers in their regions.   In this regard, the Italian’s center was the Republic of Florence while the center for the North was Flanders. This was a section of the Duchy of the Burgundy. The Florence City, which was the center of art for the Italian Renaissance was controlled by the Medici family. The members of Medici family were responsible for bringing wealth to Florence. According to Nici, Cosimo de’ Medici, established a library, which was full of the Greek and Roman manuscripts (Nici 47). This legend noticeably involved Italian artists and philosophers. This group helped in the changing of Florence to a cultural center. The Italian Renaissance was focused on individualism. An example of this was ‘Masaccio’s Trinity with the virgin’, which was highly recognized with the Italian Renaissance.   The other likeness of Italy and the North was their use of religion in their artistic works. Incidentally, religious scenes were always displayed to show the love of religion. The artworks of the religious scenes from the Italian Renaissance were â€Å"the last supper† and â€Å"the creation†. The northern Europe Renaissance examples are â€Å"Adam and Eve†, and the â€Å"Mystic Lamb†. Both renaissances were sharp in their artistic works.  

American History, Mind and Machine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American History, Mind and Machine - Essay Example In many ways after the divisiveness and devastation of the Civil War, the United States searched for order economically, politically, geographically, socially and racially. Select one of these areas, or suggest another, and make a case for the reasons why it was the most vital area that America needed to address. Some examples include the westward expansion of the nation, the reunification of a national political system in the north and south, the influx of immigrants, conflict with Native Americans, and an increase of racial segregation. It seems that the most vital area that the United States needed to address after the end of the Civil War was the reunification of a national political system since it established the United States as a unified state. While before the outbreak of the Civil War American used plural to speak about the United States (the United States are†¦), after the end of the war it became a norm to use the United States in singular (the United States is†¦). It means that the reunification took place on the highest constitutional level, with issues of secession as well as state veto power properly addressed. Specifically, the political unification meant creation of the central government that took under control all U.S. territory. In some way, the motto by the Founding Fathers â€Å"From many, one† eventually became a reality, but strong national government was â€Å"more powerful than even the most nationalistic Americans had imagined before the war† (â€Å"The Civil War, Results of the Civil War†, 2012, [online]). 1b-Most people have views that are strongly influenced and informed by philosophy, often without realizing it. Identify a view you have—whether on politics, religion, science, culture, or even the media and entertainment—that might be regarded as being related to philosophy. What kind of reasons do you have for holding that belief? What figure from the history of philosophy section do y ou think might have some views that are similar, or at least relevant, to your own? Explain why you chose that particular figure. Aristotle spoke of Socrates as of a philosopher who restricted his quest with ethical enquiries. Therefore, Socrates is generally known as â€Å"the first moral philosopher†. Indeed, according to the account of Xenophon, Socrates persistently discussed human affairs and did not stop asking questions like â€Å"what constitutes the character of a citizen?†, â€Å"what is the just?†, and â€Å"what is the unjust? † (Xenophon quoted in Aristotle, 2001, p. 161). This way of addressing the world – in a moral quest – is quite close to my understanding and my life philosophy. Similarly to Socrates I believe that one should rather concentrate on moral self-development than on amassing material wealth. In other words, developing virtues is seen as the primary objective. This position is quite close to Socrates who is known to have said â€Å"virtue was the most valuable of all possessions; the ideal life was spent in search of the Good† (Socrates quoted in Michael, 2007, p. 16). 2a-During a remarkable period of change from roughly 1865 to the early 20th century, the great cities that we know and love today expanded at an incredibly rapid pace and went through a fundamental transformation in composition and construction. Select one of the ways that the American city was changing and analyze its historical significance (explain why this topic is important to the study of the history of the nation). What short and long term effects did the transformation of American cities have on the nation? The decades after the end of the Civil War were the time of the move from the rural areas to the city. While these were initially migrants from small towns or remote farms that filled the cities, in the 1880s American cities were flooded with immigrants from overseas. Immigration became the major factor of p opulation growth in the cities like Chicago (Monkkonen, 1990, p.95). It ensured a constant supply of

A Green Environment for Now and the Future Essay Example for Free

A Green Environment for Now and the Future Essay In the past, the major need of people in this world was arable land. Man did not have to think about animate things. However, now the adverse effects on forests through over-population and the development of various chemical elements in the atmosphere have led to irregular rainfall and global warming. This global warming has brought changes in climate, including making perennial snow mountains melt, thereby adversely affecting not only human beings but also other living species. This dangerous situation is being taken very seriously by the world. In the past the perennial snow mountains of Tibet had very thick snow. Older people say that these mountains were covered with thick snow when they were young and that the snows are getting sparser which may be an indication of the end of the world. It is a fact that climate change is a slow process taking thousands of years to realize its effect. Living beings and plant life on this planet also undergo change accordingly. Mans physical structure too changes from generation to generation along with the change in climatic conditions. Because of the growth in the population, a large number of trees are cut for fuel, and to reclaim land for agricultural cultivation. In the case of Tibet, too, the Chinese have now destroyed its ancient trees in a similar way to shaving a mans hair off. This is not simply the destruction of trees but it also means harming what belongs to the Tibetans. Similarly, the continuing decline in forests in many parts of the world, including America, is adversely affecting the already changing global climate, thus upsetting the lives, not only of mankind, but also of all living beings. Similarly, the harmful effect on the atmosphere brought about by chemical emissions in industrialized countries is a very dangerous sign. Although this is a new thing for us Tibetans, the world is paying a lot of attention to this problem. It is the responsibility of us, who speak of the welfare of all sentient beings, to contribute towards this. Since I too have a responsibility in this matter, (i.e. to work for the protection of the environment and to see that the present and future  generations of mankind can make use of refreshing shade and fruits of trees), I bought these seeds of fruit-bearing trees with part of my Nobel Peace Prize money to be distributed now, to people representing different regions (all the continents of the world are represented here) during this Kalachakra gathering. These seeds have been kept near the Kalachakra mandala for purification and blessings. Since these include seeds of apricot, walnut, papaya, guava, etc., suitable for planting under varying geographical conditions, experts in respective places should be consulted on their planting and care and, thus, you all should see my sincere aspiration is fulfilled.

Civil Disobedience Essay Example for Free

Civil Disobedience Essay Historically, in your opinion, has civil disobedience been effective in changing the law? Explain why or why not. What laws do you disagree with or would you consider violating to change? Explain The act of knowingly breaking a law that one feels is morally or ethically unjust is termed Civil Disobedience. While we all have a perception of right and wrong, the guideline for this thinking is our moral compass. While many individuals may see inequalities or injustices in our society, only a few make a physical stand for what they perceive to be right. Some discourage the use of civil disobedience as a tool that should be used for change, the logic being that it directly contradicts our nation’s democratic system. Others support the peaceful act of protesting or challenging laws that are unjust. It is my opinion that while technically breaking the law, it is necessary as it brings immediate attention to an unjust law. As Martin Luther King Jr. stated and I quote â€Å"An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.† Perfect examples of civil disobedience used to change laws are the Ms. Rosa Parks incident, as well as the prolonged civil rights movement initiated by Dr. King. While the above mentioned incidents of civil disobedience assisted in bringing attention to and ultimately changing unjust laws, this change was slow and not complete. One of the laws that I do not agree with is pertaining to parental rights. I feel that in the courts of law in regards to custody and parenting responsibilities, the father always gets the short end of the stick. Never have I seen things being fair and just, unless in the uncommon circumstance where the mother is clearly not fit to be a parent. In many cases the mother has custodial rights, but the child or children are neglected physically, mentally and financially. The mother just used the child for a means to gain financial support.

Animals For Testing And Research Studies

Animals For Testing And Research Studies This report is based on the Literature Review about ethical dilemma that arises over the controversy of using Animals for Testing and Research Studies. We have tried to explain in brief about Animal Testing and discussed broadly with the Ethical Theories that support and argue about the Use of Animals. We have also tried to relate all the ethical dilemma with respect to PG, who over the past decade has been constantly facing the allegations over the use of Animal Testing to ensure that their consumers get Safe Products. We have tried to come to a conclusion on how Animal Testing can be reduced, if not completely eradicated. At the same time we have voiced our opinions on the use of various alternatives to Animal Testing. Overview of Animal Testing The Use of Animals for test observations and Experimentations for the greater understanding of reactions from a particular substance or raw material that goes into some goods or medicines that we consumers consume can be termed as Animal Testing. Or you can say the use of non-human animals experimentations to prevent pain and sufferings to human beings A number of companies that produced goods for personal and hygiene care have emerged from the mid to late nineteenth century and this resulted in the number of animal tests and experiments to grow exponentially. The main reasons for those tests were medical research, to cure illness and test chemical compounds used to develop new products. Those tests were conducted in medical schools, pharmaceutical companies, and even farms. The vast amounts of animals that are being tested on are mice, monkeys, cats, dogs and guinea pigs. However, certain types of animals are used for different types of research for instance mice for cancer research, dogs for transplant surgery and cats for psychological experiments. Moreover, most of those animals that are being tested on are purposely-bred and supplied by the specialists companies, others usually come from the pound or are just caught in the wild. Over 100 million animals in North America alone will be killed in animal tests this year. Animal testing has been going on for years, a lot of companies test their products on animals, some of these tests consist of restraining animals and dropping chemicals into their eyes, the scientists also forcefully pump the chemicals into the animals stomach though a tube to see how it reacts to the chemical. These experiments are sometimes carried without anesthesia which makes it extremely painful for the animal. After observing the reactions for a number of days the animal is either destroyed or re-used in other experiments, most experiments consist of burning, stabbing and drugging animals. The thing is that animals react to drugs differently than we do so the results cant accurately be applied to humans so why do scientists do it? Since we cannot legally conduct tests on ourselves as humans, we look at the creatures that are right below us, animals. However, some of us dont seem to notice animals have feelings and can experience pain just as we would. As Jeremy Bentham would ask, The question is not, Can they reason? Nor, Can they talk? But can they suffer? Testing Animal Testing and Ethical Dilemma Introduction The rise in the consumer dominance has led the organizations to adopt the use of various artificially derived chemicals for use in production of Personal and Hygiene Goods. At the same time, medical advances and pharmaceutical companies acknowledge the use of animals for research studies and experimentation. This has raised various doubts about our ethics. Testing on Animals for chemical substance reactions to ensure consumer safety and drive innovative techniques is believed to be inhumane by some, while others agree that Animal Testing saves LIFE. This research paper evaluates the ethical dilemma borne by us. Animal Testing Define The obvious questions that are raised here are about the whole concept of Animal Testing and why is it necessary? Most of us are made to believe that Animal Testing is simply the torture of animals, striping them of their rights and cruel treatment of animals. This Definition of Animal Testing might have derived from various organizations that do not support the idea of Animal Research Studies as a whole and demand ethical treatment of animals through unjust terrifying acts of demonstrations and protests. These are the organizations who believe Animals have RIGHTS. It was argued upon by Robert Goldberg (1990) at the Washington conference of Committee for Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal with top dignitaries of the Humane Society about the issue of euthanizing millions of stray animals in public interest, and why the ruckus of using the same animals for the use in lab-testing. It was also argued upon at the conference over how activists have been indulged in terrorist like activities, as demonstrated by various raids at numerous labs conducting experiments on animals. The irony is, we as humans, will never be willing to come up and accept the fact that if we dont test the substances on Us, Animals are the next best alternatives to ensure Safety. There has always been an argument that animal testing results are inaccurate and also it is expensive to perform tests, secondly, animal testing is inhumane, and thirdly, there are alternatives to animal testing. According to former scientific executive of Huntingdon Life Sciences, animal tests and human results agree only 5%-25% of the time. Then looking at Tony Pages Vivisection Unveiled it states that less than 2% of human illnesses (1.16%) are ever seen in animals. In the tests of LD/50 short for Lethal Dose 50 per cent, a test wherein the animals receive a continuous dose of a dangerous chemical until half of them die , the Humane Society of the United States states that LD/50 tests do not yield enough data on the following: the poisonous doses of a chemical or substance, the prediction of poisoning signs and symptoms, the prevention or correction of over doses, and the specific cause of death in laboratory animals. Finally, looking at PETAs fact sheets, they argue that In many cases, animal studies do not just hurt animals and waste money; they harm and kill people, too. The drugs thalidomide, Zomax and DES were all tested on animals and judged safe but had devastating consequences fo r the humans who used them. The cost of animal testing is about $136 billion each year. Ethical Dilemma : Corporate Assessment PG Despite the fact that reliable modern humane tests are available in these days, Procter and Gamble insist on testing on animals claiming that this is the last resort that makes sure of their products safety. Whether it is ethical or unethical for Procter and Gamble to test on helpless animals is the question raised in this ethical dilemma. The case is analyzed and ethically evaluated based on: Deontological Theories Teleological Theories Casuist Theory All of these ethical theories aim at a common set of goals which are the ethical principles and that includes Beneficence, Least Harm, Respect for autonomy, and Justice. Deontological Theories: Deontological theories focus mainly on duties, obligations and rights. One of the most common deontological theories is the Kantianism which is known of its two formulations the Categorical Imperative I and the Categorical Imperative II. PRO ANIMAL TESTING: A scientist at Procter and Gamble would raise the question: is it right for humans to test on animals to save human lives? The proposed rule would be that humans can and have the right to test on animals in order to save human lives. So if we universalize the rule: it is accepted for humans to test and experiments with animals in order to save human lives. Furthermore, According to Immanuel Kant- the German philosopher- the only thing with any basic value is a good will. Since animals have no wills at all, they cannot have good will; they therefore do not have any basic value. Hence, it is ethical to test on animals because it saves humans lives. Procter and Gambles scientist would argue that moral rights and principles of justice apply only to human beings. Morality is a creation of social processes in which animals do not participate. Moral rights and moral principles apply only to those who are part of the moral community created by these social processes. Since animals are not part of this moral community, we have no obligations toward them. But we do have moral obligations to our fellow human beings, which include the duty to reduce and prevent needless human suffering and untimely deaths, which, in turn, may require the painful experimentation on animals. CON ANIMAL TESTING: A scientist working at Body Shop raise the question: Can Procter and Gamble mistreat and torture an animal claiming that this is the only way to make sure of their products safety? The proposed rule would be that organizations and companies can torture animals and demonstrate hideous experiments on them just because they believe that human beings are superiors to animals by being rational and intelligent. So if we universalize the rule, then a person can apply scientific experiments on any irrational unintelligent creature. Hence, that would include babies and people with mental difficulties and this would definitely be considered immoral and unethical on so many levels. That leads to the fact that although animals are irrational creatures, they feel the pain and the torture exercised on them. Thus, Procter and Gambles testing on animals can be termed unethical. Categorical Imperative II implies that individuals should act in a way that leads to a mutual benefit, treating both parties as ends in themselves. According to the case, animals are being misused in a way that is only considered beneficial for the human kind by Procter and Gamble. In other words, animals are being used as means to an end. Therefore, Procter and Gambles actions towards animals are unethical. Other deontological theories focus on the rights rather than duties and obligations. This leads to the controversial question: Do animals have rights? Even though there is no law that clearly states that animal rights are equal to human rights, animal rights campaigners have stated that animals have the right to live free from human exploitation, whether in the name of science or sport, exhibition or service, food or fashion. Animals have the right to live in harmony with their nature rather than according to human desires. Injecting chemical substances into a rabbits eye for seven days to produce a Head and Shoulders shampoo deprive him from any of these rights. Applying cancer and toxicity tests on rats and mice of optical brighteners and other laundry detergent ingredients leave them with no rights as well. These are just examples of the various experiments applied on animals in Procter and Gambles laboratories. Thus, testing on animals is unethical. Teleological Theories: Teleological theories focus on the consequences and the results of an action. Both of the Utilitarianism theories are perfect examples of such theories. An Act Utilitarians main objective is to take the action or the decision that would maximize the benefits for most people regardless of constraints such as law. On the other hand, a Rule Utilitarian takes into consideration justice and fairness as well as beneficence for most people. PRO ANIMAL TESTNG: Those who argue for the continuation of painful experimentation on animals state that society has an obligation to act in ways that will minimize harm and maximize benefits. Halting or curtailing painful experimentation on animals would have harmful consequences to society. Indeed, pain is an evil to be minimized, and scientists at Procter and Gamble do work to minimize pain when possible. Contrary to sensationalistic reports of animal rights activists, Procter and Gambles scientists are not a society of crazed, cruel, curiosity seekers. But there are instances when the use of alternatives, such as painkillers, would interfere with research that promises to vastly improve the quality and duration of human lives. Animal research has been the basis for new vaccines, new cancer therapies, artificial limbs and organs, new surgical techniques, and the development of hundreds of useful products and materials. These benefits to humans far outweigh the costs in suffering that relatively few animals have had to endure. Society has an obligation to maximize the opportunities to produce such beneficial consequences, even at the cost of inflicting some pain on animals. CON ANIMAL TESTING: From an Act Utilitarian point of view, Procter and Gambles animal testing does not only harm the whole animal kingdom; it is harming the human race and the environment as well. Animal testing is one of the main reasons of having various animals such as chimpanzees, macaques and white rhinos under threat, the threat of extinction. And as clarified earlier, animal testing is not the adequate way to save human lives. On the contrary, it is putting their lives in danger as well. A Rule Utilitarian who takes into account fairness and justice would add to the previous points that there is neither justice nor fairness applied when human beings use animals as disposable machines claiming that this is the only way to save as much human lives as possible (which is of course not true). Thus, According to the Act and Rule Utilitarianism theories animal testing held by Procter and Gamble is unethical. Casuist Theory: The casuist theory compares a current ethical dilemma with examples of similar ethical and their outcomes. PRO ANIMAL TESTING: Comparing our current ethical dilemma of Animal Testing and contrast the same with use of Canines as human companions, or use of animals for human safety would raise more doubts about our sincerity and perseverance to the issues raised in our society. Do we fail to conceptualize the degree of our social environment that would create a clear ethical ground that justifies why we do what we do. Although most of the training is under acceptable standards, some safety patrol dogs need rigorous training which can be brutal and inhumane. CON ANIMAL TESTING: Looking at the issue from a casuistic point of view, a perfect similar ethical dilemma would be of human slavery. Caucasians used to believe that they are superior to others and therefore used to slave Africans and treat them in a very inhuman way claiming that by doing so they are maximizing the benefits for the whole world. This was considered one of the norms back in those dark times. Nowadays it is considered immoral, unethical and completely unacceptable in every nation and society to treat another human being in an inferior way. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights clearly states now that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and that everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. Peoples awareness for human rights has been increasing throughout the years and this was the reason behind this Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Unfortunately, scientists at Procter and Gamble are still unaware of the fact that animals are entitled to have their own rights. They are oblivious to the fact that we as human beings have no right to mistreat animals. They have no right as human beings to capture them, torture them and kill them with no mercy under the veil of saving human lives. On the contrary, animals should have the right to live peacefully with their nature and we as the rational creatures on this earth are obligated to defend the helpless kingdom and protect them from any harm. Thus, animal testing at Procter and Gambles laboratories can be simply ceased by declaring it unethical. Consumers First Looking at the whole idea from PGs point of view. According to PGs Human Safety Brochure and Sustainability (2009) overview, we have to first realize the fact that on an average about 4 billion people in the world use PG products every single day. This makes it their utmost priority that they reduce the risk of any type to the end-user. It has been for this very fact, that PG has been indulged in Animal Testing. The underlying factor here is that, we, as Humans, would be biased over the fact that if a particular product is tested on animals, and is guaranteed not to harm us or our children, we instantly change our opinion about the use of Animal Testing. According to Davis and Donald, we cannot have the ultimate assurance of the safety in the products we buy and use independent of animal testing. They specifically quote with present day technology, if the cost of achieving such assurance mandates the sacrifice of an occasional hairless mouse or rabbit or laboratory rat, then it is a price that we are prepared to pay. It is a delusion and a sham at this point to say we can achieve one without the other. Although the Ban on animal testing in various countries have given rise to various companies that are not indulged in Animal Testing, the Body Shop was one company that started off even before the ban with one view in mind Cruelty Free products. Many Researchers and Authors like Goldemberg and Robert (1992), believe that although a companys final product may not be tested on animals, but there is always a chance that down the line, some of the ingredients used were tested on animals by its suppliers or somebody else in the industry. Conclusion Medical Advances such as various vaccines, Insulin, treatment for kidney through dialysis, etc. Has been possible as a result of animal testing. At the same the use of various personal care products such has shampoos and cosmetics have been certified safe for human consumption as a result of constant development through Animal testing and research. During this journey, we have failed on many occasions to successfully justify animal testing when researches have gone wrong and caused harm and in certain cases death to Humans. Although we understand that Animal Testing has resulted in numerous data and statistics that would help generate computer simulation models and prove as a bench mark for further research, we can never stop Animal Testing as whole as it is fueled by our hunger for innovation. There is always room for efficiency and least harm. This can be achieved by the 3Rs theory developed by British zoologists William Russel and Rex Burch in 1959. The theory focuses on Replacement, Reduction and Refinement of animal testing and experimentations.

Functional areas of Cadburys and Sainsburys Marketing :: Marketing, Business, Customer Service

Functional areas of Cadburys and Sainsbury's Marketing Cadburys marketing is very important to them, for example; every now and then, they send a sales assistant round the stores to make sure that the store has a big clump of the world famous purple â€Å"home colours† so that the Cadburys chocolate is well sold. Cadburys have released 3 posters this summer on the new range of bars of dairy milk. In 2003 they have released 5 successful posters which raised their profit margin. Over the years the way Cadburys and advertise their products has seen many changes. They're very important to Cadburys because they affect the way you think about Cadbury and their products. Cadburys look at information that has already been collected and recorded. This is known as secondary data. Cadbury also have a big website pictured below in which people can be informed of the business. Sainsbury's Marketing includes their online shopping website above and posters around the shopping malls, Sainsbury's also have a television contract with Jamie Oliver with the slogan ‘Making life taste better’. Customer services Customer service is the part of Cadburys that tries to make sure customers are satisfied with the good or service they are buying. Without customers Cadburys couldn’t survive. Cadburys treat their customers is very important. Customer services can be: Pre-sales services – services for customers before customers have made a purchase; After sales Services – services which are available to customers after they have made a purchase. Staff working in customer services deal with matters such as making sure that products are delivered on time, providing help if the

McDonalds, what does it mean to you? Essay -- essays research papers

Marketing Management 3-4:30 Current Issues Paper McDonald’s, What Does It Mean to You?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  McDonald’s Corporation has held a prominent position in the fast-food market for much of its existence. A person would be hard pressed to find consumers who would not readily recognize the famous golden arches, as the company has expanded its market globally. However, as global consumer tastes shift to a more heath-conscious public which cares less about â€Å"super sizing† and more about â€Å"slenderizing† the popular burger chain has been experiencing a drop in sales. McDonald’s strategy for its globalization plan has included the concept of localizing their product (to a degree) for an international market; for example, local managers in British versions of the restaurant are able to make their own decisions that pertain to adapting to the current market. A difficult challenge for the corporation’s marketing team is how to reposition this wildly successful brand in a stagnant British market.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  McDonald’s, which has operated in London successfully for thirty years, has recently become aware of dropping sales which have been attributed to the country’s growing health concerns. The plan the British marketing team has developed includes sending the famous â€Å"golden arches† on hiatus while a new campaign will attempt to reposition the fast-food chain as a healthy choice for consumers. The theory is interesting, due to McDonald’s strong consu...

Essay example --

Ever since I was a child, I have been fascinated by science and have had a great enthusiasm for learning. â€Å"You understand something completely when you see it† – this is how I grew up with the passion for machines. I perused a course in Sandwich Mechanical program at PSG College of Technology, which is rated by the All India Council for Technical Education as the best industry linked college for Mechanical Engineering in India .The specialty of this course is that it integrates course work and industrial training which has given me ample hands on work. The curriculum was diverse and it provided me an opportunity to explore various avenues in the domain. Through the course of my college life, I have worked in several areas to realize nexus between engineering and statistics. In my third year when I took a course titled â€Å"Statistics and Quality Control†, I found myself being drawn very much towards the realm of numbers and their diversified applications. This interest drove me to an extent that I completed an online edX course in â€Å"Introduction to Statistics: Descriptive Statistics†, a course of study offered by BerkeleyX. Manufacturing continues to have become a commodity within the value chain and now the fact is indisputable. After some research and discussion with my Professors, I concluded that, higher the rate of manufacturing commoditization, greater the focus on optimization, which drives down product costs. Hence, I decided that Lean manufacturing would be the area where I want to work on. To understand the real life application of concepts, I attended a two week training programme at Larsen &Toubro, Pune. I worked with the design and manufacturing department responsible for developing modular bridges for army purposes. It wa... ...ply chain, lean manufacturing by itself is not enough for success and needs to be complimented with Six Sigma to address the causes of variability. The detailed study of Operations Research, Lean Manufacturing, Manufacturing Systems Design and Supply chain management has helped me visualize the scenario better. Leaner the system, the more susceptible it is to exceptions. I would like to work as a corporate leader in future, specializing in product development and management. . My immediate goal is to equip myself with the knowledge and the necessary skill required for an entrepreneur or smart manufacturing process. My long term career plan is to head a group of managers and directors who are as motivated and passionate as I, in an entrepreneurial setting, and to work on technologies and businesses that radically change the life of millions of people around the globe.

College Application Autobiography Essay

I mean, I came from this man’s dangly bits for Christ’s sake! As I look back now I realize that I probably even gave my dead/dying father a kiss and told him goodbye in his last moments. And when I say I told him goodbye I don’t mean goodbye as in ‘I love you Dad, rest in peace’, but goodbye as in, ‘be right back Dad! Man I’m hungry!’ as I ventured off in search of the hospital cafeteria in order to get some food suitable enough to be called breakfast. Honestly I couldn’t even tell you how the ride on the elevator with my younger sister and aunt went. I don’t even remember. It’s almost as though if something monumental happens to you, you only remember the really juicy, important details but pray to God no one asks you about what color your shoes were or what you ate for breakfast because you wouldn’t be able to remember. Trust me. But if you forced me, I mean really forced me to remember all that I could about the elevator ride I’d tell you that I knew something was off. It was my aunt. Something about her smile just wasn’t right. Even as a little kid I was sharp and I could tell something was off about the way her smile looked. But I had just chalked it up to pity clouding her smile just like it clouded everyone else’s. But you don’t always remember the so called â€Å"little stuff†. Take me for example. I kiss my father goodbye, leave his room with my sister and aunt in tow, locate the illusive cafeteria and sit down and eat something. Eat something. I don’t know why my lack of remembrance as to what it specifically was that I ate that day bothers me so much but I feel like I should remember everything. And I don’t know why but I really want to say it was eggs that I ate that day in the cafeteria†¦ or something in a little package. The longer I sit here and try to remember the more the image of the food on my plate that day switches. Now I think it was fruits. Yes, fruits. It definitely might have been fruits. I think if I remembered what I ate that day it would give me something to hate. Something that I could to direct all of my limitless fury to because I can’t blame myself for leaving my father that day to go to the cafeteria. I’m too conceited to place all of my blame upon myself and I can’t even place the blame on my mother for telling my aunt to take my sister and I down to the cafeteria because I was  all for the idea of stuffing my face at the time. Maybe if it was eggs that I ate that day I would have sworn off eggs for the rest of my life because in my father’s last moments I left him for eggs. Doesn’t that just sound awful? But I guess whatever it was that I ate doesn’t really matter because when we returned to the room my mother was sitting on the same window ledge where we had left her but she immediately told us to tell Dad goodbye. I think I would actually rather be hit with a ten ton elephant than have to go through that again. I think I’d rather take that absurd hit because getting walloped by an obese elephant is what it felt like had happened to me anyway. It was one of those moments that don’t actually happen to you in real life but you read about in books. That moment where your breath leaves you in one big gush and everything else around you fades because your brain has just short circuited and you’re waiting for it to right itself so that you can use it to properly grasp what is occurring around you. I remember that I had another ‘what I ate for breakfast moment’ here because when your brain is refusing to work like God intended it to it’s quit e difficult to remember things. Trust me.

Is the Best Yet to Come

When the problem inside is detected and removed than the external environment can turn back Into stable stage of development. The consultants at McKinney & Company suggested to analyses the organization using 7 key elements: ; Structure ; Systems ; Style ; staff ; Skills ; Strategy ; Shared values. [Pl] Source: http://www. Middleton. Com/pages/article/newest_91 . HTML As model includes next items: ; Structure: shows the way organization Is structured and Interrelation of business units with each other.It indicates how employees interact with each other within the organization. ; Systems: the practices in which employees participate day-to-day, e. G. Organizational systems, financial systems etc. ; Style: description of the general way of conducting business within the company. Style is rather top-down image than bottom up concerning the top-management ruling the company and analyzing the attitude of deferent level employees on It. ; Staff: refers to the employees within personal deve lopment. ; Skills: refers to gained professional abilities of employees within the company. Strategy: the general plan of company's management to induct its business currently and in the future. Strategy usually is made by corporate level managers to analyze the internal and external environment of the company and respond to changing demand within its specific industry. ; Shared values: refers to the core values of the company, for what it is created and what mission it has in society. In addition there are also ethics principles serving as the guidelines for the company. Now we will analyze Struck based on McKinney As framework. 1 .Structure The general structure of Struck is very diversified and functional, basically including marketing, HER, CARS, Legal, and Finance etc. Figure 2. Struck' structure [pick] Source: http://MBA. Tuck. Dartmouth. Deed/PDF/2002-1-0023. PDF Generally speaking, the structure of Struck doesn't have strict hierarchy and is rather democratic. According to t he case, full-time and part-time employees regarded as ‘partners of the company, and every one of them is granted a stock option in proportion to their base pay. In 1991 each partner was granted stock options worth 12% of base pay, and this continued then each October every year.In general the organizational structure is build in order to avoid high turnover rate and reduce staff retention as much as possible. The motivation of employees is high, and Struck' turnover for store management is about 25%, compared to about 50% for other retail channels. 2. Systems Struck developed outstanding system techniques which helped sustain the leading position in the world among coffee-makers. Its unique system includes: ; Licenses stores and specialty sales licensing agreement, which managed market and distributing whole-bean and round coffees in grocery and mass-merchandise channels across the U.S. At the same time Struck controlled how customers would perceive Struck when they encounter ed it in grocery aisles. The company also created its own sales group that provided its coffee products to restaurants, airlines, hotels, universities, hospitals, business offices, country clubs and select retailers. ; Purchasing system Struck personnel traveled to coffee-producing countries to build relationships with growers and exporters, searching the sources that would meet its demands on quality and flavor.Because coffee industry depends a lot on weather conditions and different harvests, Struck set up fixed purchasing price to protect itself and get the bargaining power. ; Employee training Struck really believes that reducing the staff retention will help it to build strong brand, because the longer employees stay with the company, the more loyal customers the company will get. That's why employees were trained and educated about coffee market, and afterwards shared their knowledge with customers. Thus Struck has developed system to build brand loyalty among its customers.Th eir raining covered also practices as set forth in the company's operating manual, information systems, and the basis of managing people. 3. Style The managerial style of conducting business in Struck is characterized as oriented on leadership (trust, collaboration, people development, and ethics), creating the opportunities for employees further career development (employees provided with coaching and feedback) and educating style (company raised employees according to personal needs giving them coffee knowledge and expertise seminars).In general Struck is perceived as innovative, team-oriented and strong rand company. 4. Staff As long as Struck expanded internationally, company launched special hired high-motivated people who shared its love for coffee and had strong interest in it along with top-management. This has made Struck really unique and distinctive from its competitors company. In addition employees were guided by three principles: 1) maintain and enhance self-esteem 2) listen and acknowledge 3) ask for help.Thus employees became one of key figures to take part in company's decision and empowered by top-management. The whole total care of employees has rough Struck reputation of well-respected company and helped it generate high-profit to satisfy shareholders' needs. 5. Skills The workers of company are quite high skilful due to intensive training and recognition. Every partner/barista received at least 24 hours of training on coffee history, drinks preparation, customer service, coffee knowledge and so on.Customer service: we can see from the case that due to the employee coaching highly knowledgeable staff brought benefit to the company using friendly attitude to every customer, who wanted to come again and again to enjoy a cup of coffee in Struck. Customizing drink to customer specifications: workers were able to prepare grinding beans, steaming milk, learning to pull perfect cup of espresso, memorizing the recipes of different drinks – l ed to winning the prize among the target market. . Strategy Struck strategy was set up in order to build brand awareness, brand recognition, and brand association among its customers worldwide. Hence main strategies were implemented: A. Employee's loyalty strategy: core strategy to win employee loyalty and commitment to company's mission B. Store expansion strategy: choosing the best action in large cities and suburbia, creating best retail team in the coffee bar industry.World expansion has spread to Europe, China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan by 2005 by choosing licensing rather than franchising to tight controlling over its operations. C. Coffee purchasing strategy: Struck relied mostly on direct suppliers from coffee-producing countries rather than on media-suppliers, that helped to reduce costs and make economies of scale D. JP and acquisitions strategy: partnering with famous brands as PepsiCo, Dryer's Grand Ice Cream Brands generated gross sales of over $8 million annually.P urchasing Ethos Water lead to expanding the line of beverages in the U. S. Overall operations has driven extremely high profit for Struck that achieved its strategic objectives. 7. Shared values Struck positions itself as contributing to the community and to the environment in which it operates. Along with care for employees, building trust and respecting techniques, it also set up one of the best valuable CARS strategy in the world, becoming an environmental leader in all facets of its business.For example using recycling material, avoiding genetically modified ingredients Struck has built a strong belief of customers in healthy products produced by the company. General As analysis shows that Struck doesn't have any gaps in every sector of McKinney model. The company has very good top-down and bottom-up strategies, ensuring well-being of top-managers, customers and employees. But this analysis is mostly suitable for internal analysis of a company that helps to understand problems, which might appear when industry environment starts to change.

FIN 370 Week 3 Learning Team Assignment Essay

Learning Team: Current Market Conditions Competitive Analysis This paper will give a short history and descriptions of Apple’s I Pad minicomputer. It will also give factors that affect demand, supply, and equilibrium prices in the market. Issues that Apple faces that affect its competitiveness will also be addressed. Lastly, this paper will identify the long term profitability of the iPad including, price elasticity of demand, technological innovation, and cost structure. Steven Jobs and Steven Wozniak were friends in high school, which shared like interested in electronics. They designed what would become the Apple and on April 1, 1976, Apple Computer was born. This is an American based company located in California. Apple specializes in design advancing, and the sales electronics, computer software, and computers. Apple is accredited for some of the most popular products of the modern world of technology such as: iPod, iPhone, iPad, and iTunes. Apple has expanded its retail stores to fourteen countries worldwide with 408 retail store not to mention their online stores, Apple Store and iTunes. Apple’s value as of March 2013 is $415 million, and it is the largest most publicly traded companies. The iPad is a tablet designed minicomputer that was released in 2010 by Apple. This device has equipped with Wi-Fi and has a multi- touch screen. There are five different versions of this particular tablet. Each has the capability to play music, record videos, a camera function, browsing the web, e-mailing. Games, GPS navigation system, and social networking can also be downloaded to the device. A market is as a collection of consumers and retailers of a specific merchandise or service. Demand is the actual volume that consumers are prepared and able to obtain. Quantity necessitated is the demand at a specific amount and is symbolized as the demand curve. The supply of a product is the quantity that manufacturers are prepared an d capable to convey to the market the sale of  the product. The market can be analyzed by matching the supply and demand curve. Equilibrium is the connection of supply and demand curves. The equilibrium amount is the amount where the number demanded matches the number supplied. A change in price does not necessarily mean that the demand will change. It is more likely for the quantity demanded will affect the price. If the price is changed the curve will move along the demand curve. When the price is reduced the quantity demand will be increased. When the IPad was released, it was the only product in that market at that time. Therefore, at that time it absolutely controlled the tablet division. Some corporations tried to contend with Apple, but recognized their position just could not compete. The competition combated Apple by creating smaller tablet that is an unfamiliar place for Apple. This creation worked and caused Apple to lose sales. The competitors rapidly established their place in the market. Price elasticity of demand is an issue th at our organization, Apple faces that affects our competitiveness and long-term profitability with regards to the iPad. â€Å"Price elasticity of demand and supply tells us exactly how quantity responds to a change in price. As elasticity increases, quantity responds more to price changes. Demand or supply is elastic, if the percentage change in quantity is greater than the percentage change in price†(University Of Phoenix, 2010, pp. 154-157). After reviewing data, specifically targeted to the three types of iPads; their pricing, capabilities and memory storage, it was determined that if the price of the iPads increased; then the consumers may not purchase them (â€Å"What Is An Apple Ipad’s Elasticity Of Demand?†, 2012). The price elasticity of demand tells us that although apple is very technological innovative, but as it relates to price elasticity of demand; the quantity does not matter (all the changes, modifications, additions, advancements, etc.) consumers will still purchase the cheaper iPad (cost efficient) Apple should not invest in making more iPads. Consumer(s) can’t readily identify / understand the importance /significance of having more capabilities, memory, stor age, etc. The consumer(s) would ultimately shop for and purchase the iPad that’s more conducive to their needs. Although apple has is very technological innovative, but as it relates to price elasticity of demand; the quantity does not matter (all the changes, modifications, additions, advancements, etc.) consumers will still purchase the cheaper iPad (cost efficient)  Technological innovation is an opportunity for our organization, (Apple) to face that affects our competitiveness and long-term profitability with regards to the iPad. Through technological innovation our organization will be able to make improvements to something that already exists; such as the Apple iPad. Is the improvement to something that already exists. Technological innovation will always have a huge impact on Apple Corporation. As it directly relates to the iPad, with the technological innovation, we are able to re-invest and re-invent the iPad. As with any product of this magnitude, the cost will increase, more features will be added, more storage, more variability, etc. As long as we are innovative and have a willingness to be creative we will consistently bring new items to the market that will steady intrigue the consumers and adapts to their technological needs. â€Å"Cost Structure (TC = FC + VC) is the costs of production, the identification of how costs associated with the production of a good or service are distributed throughout the process The cost structure consists of fixed costs, variable costs and total cost â€Å" (University Of Phoenix, 2010, pp. 283-285). According to â€Å"Internal Factors: Costs † (n.d.), † When analyzing cost, the marketer will consider all costs needed to get the product to market including those associated with production, marketing, distribution and co mpany administration (e.g., office expense). These costs can be divided into two main categories: fixed costs and variable costs†. Fixed costs are costs that are spent and cannot be recovered (rent, credit interest, maintenance costs, security and administrative expenses, often salary). The major factors affecting fixed costs are (1) Changes in business organization, (2) Changes in technology applied, (3) Sale of manufacturing equipment and (3) Decisions to undertake advertising activities, etc. Variable costs are costs that vary with production. Factors affecting variable costs, including productivity and others that change the supply of and demand for labor (internal factors), (1) Involve costs of items that are either components of the product (parts/packaging), (2) Directly associated with creating the product (electricity to run an assembly line), (3) Coupons and (4) Variable costs, especially for tangible products tend to decline as more units are produced. This is due to the producing company’s ability to pu rchase product components for lower prices since component suppliers often provide  discounted pricing for large quantity purchases (). Total cost the sum of all costs of inputs used by a firm in production TC = FC + VC Apple is one of the world’s most admired brands. Every year, as rumors about Apple’s products start to emerge web sites begin to speculate which suppliers are likely to win Apple’s business. Getting a contract from Apple can lift a company’s value by millions of dollars. On October 22 Apple released a variety of new hardware and software. Apple’s new iPad is clearly focusing on improving the iPad product profit margin, while also maintaining it strong market share. One of the ways Apple can maximize their profit is by reducing the price of the original iPad mini. Another recommendation that can maximize the profit for Apple is to also make radical improvements to the full-size iPad and the mini. Apple has four products in the iPad lineup. While Apple decided to keep the price of the iPad 2 at $399 Apple dropped the price of the IPad mini to $299. The newest iPad, the new full-size iPad Air is thinner and lighter than the previous full-size iPads and much more powerful. The new iPad Air will sell at $499, while the second new iPad tablet the iPad mini with Retina display will sale for $399. By Apple dropping the price on the iPad mini this move should help A pple maintain market share with it strong competition. Strong competitors like Google and Amazon have recently dropped the prices on their popular tablets. Android tablets such as Google and the Kindle Fire have been gaining on Apple over the past year with the lower prices and higher performance. The Kindle Fire HD sold for $139, this alone affected Apple’s revenue. The price decrease put Apple’s base iPad mini closer to the price of Google and Amazon’s top of the line tablets. Apple chose to drop the price of the original iPad mini tablets to maximize their profits with the competition. Overall by dropping the price, this will draw more individuals to the Apple iPad mini and increase Apple’s marginal revenues and profitability. This will keep Apple’s market share in competition with Google and Amazon without sacrificing too much profitability. Although, there are several competitors in this market; such as The Kindle Fire, The Windows Tablet, Galaxy Table, etc. none are able to uphold the standards that the iPad will carry. With all of our advancements in technology, research, investments, etc. we continue to be in high demand. If our corporation continues to be technological innovative and productive; then we will continue to grow and  c onsistently re-invent. We will be more profitable, growing and will remain cost efficient; when it comes to manufacturing and producing the iPad. Based on the current market conditions, our competitive market analysis concluded that the Apple iPad will be an extremely productive and very successful. References: Duhigg, C., & Barboza, D. (2012, January 25). In, China, Human Cost Are Built Into an IPad, p. The iEconomy. Internal Factors: Costs . (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.knowthis.com/pricing-decisions/internal- factors-costs Reisinger, D. (2013, October 22). IPad 2 Survives iPad Air, Still cost $399. CNET, p. . University Of Phoenix. (2010). Economics, Eight Edition. Retrieved from University Of Phoenix, ECO365 website. What is an Apple iPad’s Elasticity of Demand?. (2012). Retrieved from http://applecoeconomics.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/what-is-an-apple-ipads-elasticity-of-demand-9/

Art After Philosophy (1969) Joseph Kosuth Essay

The fact that it has recently become fashionable for physicists themselves to be sympathetic toward religion . . . marks the physicists’ own lack of confidence in the validity of their hypotheses, which is a reaction on their part from the antireligious dogmatism of nineteenth-century scientists, and a natural outcome of the crisis through which physics has just passed. –A. J. Ayer. . . . once one has understood the Tractatus there will be no temptation to concern oneself anymore with philosophy, which is neither empirical like science nor tautological like mathematics; one will, like Wittgenstein in 1918, abandon philosophy, which, as traditionally understood, is rooted in confusion. –J. O. Urmson. Traditional philosophy, almost by definition, has concerned itself with the unsaid. The nearly exclusive focus on the said by twentieth-century analytical linguistic philosophers is the shared contention that the unsaid is unsaid because it is unsayable. Hegelian philosophy made sense in the nineteenth century and must have been soothing to a century that was barely getting over Hume, the Enlightenment, and Kant.1 Hegel’s philosophy was also capable of giving cover for a defense of religious beliefs, supplying an alternative to Newtonian mechanics, and fitting in with the growth of history as a discipline, as well as accepting Darwinian biology.2 He appeared to give an acceptable resolution to the conflict between theology and science, as well. The result of Hegel’s influence has been that a great majority of contemporary philosophers are really little more than historians of philosophy, Librarians of the Truth, so to speak. One begins to get the impression that there â€Å"is nothing more to be said.† And certainly if one realizes the implications of Wittgenstein’s thinking, and the thinking influenced by him and after him, â€Å"Continental† philosophy need not seriously be considered here.3 Is there a reason for the â€Å"unreality† of philosophy in our time? Perhaps this can be answered by looking into the difference between our time and the centuries preceding us. In the past man’s conclusions about the world were based on the information he had about it – if not specifically like the empiricists, then generally like the rationalists. Often in fact, the closeness between science and philosophy was so great that scientists and philosophers were one and the same person. In fact, from the times of Thales, Epicurus, Heraclitus, and Aristotle to Descartes and Leibnitz, â€Å"the great names in philosophy were often great names in science as well.†4 That the world as perceived by twentieth-century science is a vastly different one than the one of its preceding century, need not be proved here. Is it possible, then, that in effect man has learned so much, and his â€Å"intelligence† is such, that he cannot believe the reasoning of traditional philosophy? That perhaps he knows too much about the world to make those kinds of conclusions? As Sir James Jeans has stated: . . . When philosophy has availed itself of the results of science, it has not been by borrowing the abstract mathematical description of the pattern of events, but by borrowing the then current pictorial description of this pattern; thus it has not appropriated certain knowledge but conjectures. These conjectures were often good enough for the man-sized world, but not, as we now know, for those ultimate processes of nature which control the happenings of the man-sized world, and bring us nearest to the true nature of reality.5 He continues: One consequence of this is that the standard philosophical discussions of many problems, such as those of causality and free will orof materialism or mentalism, are based on an interpretation of the pattern of events which is no longer tenable. The scientific basis of these older discussions has been washed away, and with their disappearance have gone all the arguments . . .6 The twentieth century brought in a time that could be called â€Å"the end of philosophy and the beginning of art.† I do not mean that, of course, strictly speaking, but rather as the â€Å"tendency† of the situation. Certainly linguistic philosophy can be considered the heir to empiricism, but it’s a philosophy in one gear.7 And there is certainly an â€Å"art condition† to art preceding Duchamp, but its other functions or reasons-to-be are so pronounced that its ability to function clearly as art limits its art condition so drastically that it’s only minimally art.8 In no mechanistic sense is there a connection between philosophy’s â€Å"ending† and art’s â€Å"beginning,† but I don’t find this occurrence entirely coincidental. Though the same reasons may be responsible for both occurrences, the connection is made by me. I bring this all up to analyze art’s function and subsequently its viability. And I do so to enable others to understand the reasoning of my – and, by extension, other artists’ – art, as well to provide a clearer understanding of the term â€Å"Conceptual art.†9 THE FUNCTION OF ART The main qualifications to the lesser position of painting is that advances in art are certainly not always formal ones. –Donald Judd (1963). Half or more of the best new work in the last few years has been neither painting nor sculpture. – Donald Judd (1965). Everything sculpture has, my work doesn’t. –Donald Judd (1967). The idea becomes a machine that makes the art. –Sol LeWitt (1965) The one thing to say about art is that it is one thing. Art is art-as-art and everything else is everything else. Art as art is nothing but art. Art is not what is not art. –Ad Reinhardt (1963). The meaning is the use. –Wittgenstein. A more functional approach to the study of concepts has tended to replace the method of introspection. Instead of attempting to grasp or describe concepts bare, so to speak, the psychologist investigates the way in which they function as ingredients in beliefs and in judgments. –Irving M. Copi. Meaning is always a presupposition of function. –T. Segerstedt. . . . the subject matter of conceptual investigations is the meaning of certain words and expressions – and not the things and states of affairs themselves about which we talk, when using those words and expressions. –G. H. Von Wright. Thinking is radically metaphoric. Linkage by analogy is its constituent law or principle, its causal nexus, since meaning only arises through the causal contexts by which a sign stands for (takes the place of) an instance of a sort. To think of anything is to take it as of a sort (as a such and such) and that â€Å"as† brings in (openly or in disguise) the analogy, the parallel, the metaphoric grapple or ground or grasp or draw by which alone the mind takes hold. It takes no hold if there is nothing for it to haul from, for its thinking is the haul, the attraction of likes –I. A. Richards. In this section I will discuss the separation between aesthetics and art; consider briefly formalist art (because it is a leading proponent of the idea of aesthetics as art), and assert that art is analogous to an analytic proposition, and that it is art’s existence as a tautology that enables art to remain â€Å"aloof† from philosophical presumptions. It is necessary to separate aesthetics from art because aesthetics deals with opinions on perception of the world in general. In the past one of the two prongs of art’s function was its value as decoration. So any branch of philosophy that dealt with â€Å"beauty† and thus, taste, was inevitably duty bound to discuss art as well. Out of this â€Å"habit† grew the notion that there was a conceptual connection between art and aesthetics, which is not true. This idea never drastically conflicted with artistic considerations before recent times, not only because the morphological characteristics of art perpetuated the continuity of this error, but as well, because the apparent other â€Å"functions† of art (depiction of religious themes, portraiture of aristocrats, detailing of architecture, etc.) used art to cover up art. When objects are presented within the context of art (and until recently objects always have been used) they are as eligible for aesthetic consideration as are any objects in the world, and an aesthetic consideration of an object existing in the realm of art means that the object’s existence or functioning in an art context is irrelevant to the aesthetic judgment. The relation of aesthetics to art is not unlike that of aesthetics to architecture, in that architecture has a very specific function and how â€Å"good† its design is is primarily related to how well it performs its function. Thus, judgments on what it looks like correspond to taste, and we can see that throughout history different examples of architecture are praised at different times depending on the aesthetics of particular epochs. Aesthetic thinking has even gone so far as to make examples of architecture not related to â€Å"art† at all, works of art in themselves (e.g., the pyramids of Egypt). Aesthetic considerations are indeed always extraneous to an object’s function or â€Å"reason-tobe.† Unless of course, that object’s reason-to-be is strictly aesthetic. An example of a purely aesthetic object is a decorative object, for decoration’s primary function is â€Å"to add something to, so as to make more attractive; adorn; ornament,†10 and this relates directly to taste. And this leads us directly to â€Å"formalist† art and criticism.11 Formalist art (painting and sculpture) is the vanguard of decoration, and, strictly speaking, one could reasonably assert that its art condition is so minimal that for all functional purposes it is not art at all, but pure exercises in aesthetics. Above all things Clement Greenberg is the critic of taste. Behind every one of his decisions is an aesthetic judgment, with those judgments reflecting his taste. And what does his taste reflect? The period he grew up in as a critic, the period â€Å"real† for him: the fifties.12 How else can one account for, given his theories – if they have any logic to them at all – his disinterest in Frank Stella, Ad Reinhardt, and others applicable to his historical scheme? Is it because he is â€Å". . . basically unsympathetic on personally experiential grounds†?13 Or, in other words, â€Å"their work doesn’t suit his taste?† But in the philosophic tabula rasa of art, â€Å"if someone calls it art,† as Don Judd has said, â€Å"it’s art.† Given this, formalist painting and sculpture can be granted an â€Å"art condition,† but only by virtue of their presentation in terms of their art idea (e.g., a rectangular-shaped canvas stretched over wooden supports and stained with such and such colors, using such and such forms, giving such and such a visual experience, etc.). If one looks at contemporary art in this light one realizes the minimal creative effort taken on the part of formalist artists specifically, an d all painters and sculptors (working as such today) generally. This brings us to the realization that formalist art and criticism accepts as a definition of art one that exists solely on morphological grounds. While a vast quantity of similar looking objects or images (or visually related objects or images) may seem to be related (or connected) because of a similarity of visual/experiential â€Å"readings,† one cannot claim from this an artistic or conceptual relationship. It is obvious then that formalist criticism’s reliance on morphology leads necessarily with a bias toward the morphology of traditional art. And in this sense their criticism is not related to a â€Å"scientific method† or any sort of empiricism (as Michael Fried, with his detailed descriptions of paintings and other â€Å"scholarly† paraphernalia would want us to believe). Formalist criticism is no more than an analysis of the physical attributes of particular objects that happen to exist in a morphological context. But this doesn’t add any knowledge (or facts) to our understanding of the nature or function of art. And neither does it comment on whether or not the objects analyzed are even works of art, in that formalist critics always bypass the conceptual element in works of art. Exactly why they don’t comment on the conceptual element in works of art is precisely because formalist art is only art by virtue of its resemblance to earlier works of art. It’s a mindless art. Or, as Lucy Lippard so succinctly described Jules Olitski’s paintings: â€Å"they’re visual Muzak.† 14 Formalist critics and artists alike do not question the nature of art, but as I have said elsewhere: Being an artist now means to question the nature of art. If one is questioning the nature of painting, one cannot be questioning the nature of art. If an artist accepts painting (or sculpture) he is accepting the tradition that goes with it. That’s because the word art is general and the word painting is specific. Painting is a kind of art. If you make paintings you are already accepting (not questioning) the nature of art. One is then accepting the nature of art to be the European tradition of a painting-sculpture dichotomy.15 The strongest objection one can raise against a morphological justification for traditional art is that morphological notions of art embody an implied a priori concept of art’s possibilities. And such an a priori concept of the nature of art (as separate from analytically framed art propositions or â€Å"work,† which I will discuss later) makes it, indeed, a priori: impossible to question the nature of art. And this questioning of the nature of art is a very important concept in understanding the function of art. The function of art, as a question, was first raised by Marcel Duchamp. In fact it is Marcel Duchamp whom we can credit with giving art its own identity. (One can certainly see a tendency toward this self-identification of art beginning with Manet and Cà ©zanne through to Cubism,16 but their works are timid and ambiguous by comparison with Duchamp’s.) â€Å"Modern† art and the work before seemed connected by virtue of their morphology. Another way of putting it would be that art’s â€Å"language† remained the same, but it was saying new things. The event that made conceivable the realization that it was possible to â€Å"speak another language† and still make sense in art was Marcel Duchamp’s first unassisted Ready-made. With the unassisted Ready-made, art changed its focus from the form of the language to what was being said. Which means that it changed the nature of art from a question of morphology to a question of function. This change – one from â€Å"appearance† to â€Å"conception† – was the beginning of â€Å"modern† art and the beginning of conceptual art. All art (after Duchamp) is conceptual (in nature) because art only exists conceptually. The â€Å"value† of particular artists after Duchamp can be weighed according to how much they questioned the nature of art; which is another way of saying â€Å"what they added to the conception of art† or what wasn’t there before they started. Artists question the nature of art by presenting new propositions as to art’s nature. And to do this one cannot concern oneself with the handed-down â€Å"language† of traditional art, as this activity is based on the assumption that there is only one way of framing art propositions. But the very stuff of art is indeed greatly related to â€Å"creating† new propositions. The case is often made – particularly in reference to Duchamp – that objects of art (such as the Ready-mades, of course, but all art is implied in this) are judged as objets d’art in later years and the artists’ intentions become irrelevant. Such an argument is the case of a preconceived notion ordering together not necessarily related facts. The point is this: aesthetics, as we have pointed out, are conceptually irrelevant to art. Thus, any physical thing can become objet d’art, that is to say, can be considered tasteful, aesthetically pleasing, etc. But this has no bearing on the object’s application to an art context; that is, its functioning in an art context. (E.g., if a collector takes a painting, attaches legs, and uses it as a dining table it’s an act unrelated to art or the artist because, as art, that wasn’t the artist’s intention.) And what holds true for Duchamp’s work applies as well to most of the art after him. In other words, the value of Cubism – for instance – is its idea in the realm of art, not the physical or visual qualities seen in a specific painting, or the particularization of certain colors or shapes. For these colors and shapes are the art’s â€Å"language,† not its meaning conceptually as art. To look upon a Cubist â€Å"masterwork† now as art is nonsensical, conceptually speaking, as far as art is concerned. (That visual information that was unique in Cubism’s language has now been generally absorbed and has a lot to do with the way in which one deals with painting â€Å"linguistically.† [E.g., what a Cubist painting meant experimentally and conceptually to, say, Gertrude Stein, is beyond our speculation because the same painting then â€Å"meant† something different than it does now.]) The â€Å"value† now of an original Cubist painting is not unlike, in most respects, an original manuscript by Lord Byron, or The Spirit of St. Louis as it is seen in the Smithsonian Institution. (Indeed, museums fill the very same function as the Smithsonian Institution – why else would the Jeu de Paume wing of the Louvre exhibit Cà ©zanne’s and Van Gogh’s palettes as proudly as they do their paintings?) Actual works of art are little more than historical curiosities. As far as art is concerned Van Gogh’s paintings aren’t worth any more than his palette is. They are both â€Å"collector’s items.†17 Art â€Å"lives† through influencing other art, not by existing as the physical residue of an artist’s ideas. The reason that different artists from the past are â€Å"brought alive† again is because some aspect of their work becomes â€Å"usable† by living artists. That there is no â€Å"truth† as to what art is seems quite unrealized. What is the function of art, or the nature of art? If we continue our analogy of the forms art takes as being art’s language one can realize then that a work of art is a kind of proposition presented within the context of art as a comment on art. We can then go further and analyze the types of â₠¬Å"propositions.† A. J. Ayer’s evaluation of Kant’s distinction between analytic and synthetic is useful to us here: â€Å"A proposition is analytic when its validity depends solely on the definitions of the symbols it contains, and synthetic when its validity is determined by the facts of experience.†18 The analogy I will attempt to make is one between the art condition and the condition of the analytic proposition. In that they don’t appear to be believable as anything else, or be about anything (other than art) the forms of art most clearly finally referable only to art have been forms closest to analytical propositions. Works of art are analytic propositions. That is, if viewed within their context – as art – they provide no information whatsoever about any matter of fact. A work of art is a tautology in that it is a presentation of the artist’s intention, that is, he is saying that that particular work of art is art, which means, is a definition of art. Thus, that it is art is true a priori (which is what Judd means when he states that â€Å"if someone calls it art, it’s art†). Indeed, it is nearly impossible to discuss art in general terms without talking in tautologies – for to attempt to â€Å"grasp† art by any other â€Å"handle† is merely to focus on another aspect or quality of the proposition, which is usually irrelevant to the artwork’s â€Å"art condition.† One begins to realize that art’s â€Å"art condition† is a conceptual state. That the language forms that the artist frames his propositions in are often â€Å"private† codes or languages is an inevitable outcome of art’s freedom from morphological constrictions; and it follows from this that one has to be familiar with contemporary art to appreciate it and understand it. Likewise one understands why the â€Å"man in the street† is intolerant to artistic art and always demands art in a tr aditional â€Å"language.† (And one understands why formalist art sells â€Å"like hot cakes.†) Only in painting and sculpture did the artists all speak the same language. What is called â€Å"Novelty Art† by the formalists is often the attempt to find new languages, although a new language doesn’t necessarily mean the framing of new propositions: e.g., most kinetic and electronic art. Another way of stating, in relation to art, what Ayer asserted about the analytic method in the context of language would be the following: The validity of artistic propositions is not dependent on any empirical, much less any aesthetic, presupposition about the nature of things. For the artist, as an analyst, is not directly concerned with the physical properties of things. He is concerned only with the way (1) in which art is capable of conceptual growth and (2) how his propositions are capable of logically following that growth.19 In other words, the propositions of art are not factual, but linguistic in character – that is, they do not describe the behavior of physical, o r even mental objects; they express definitions of art, or the formal consequences of definitions of art. Accordingly, we can say that art operates on a logic. For we shall see that the characteristic mark of a purely logical inquiry is that it is concerned with the formal consequences of our definitions (of art) and not with questions of empirical fact.20 To repeat, what art has in common with logic and mathematics is that it is a tautology; i.e., the â€Å"art idea† (or â€Å"work†) and art are the same and can be appreciated as art without going outside the context of art for verification. On the other hand, let us consider why art cannot be (or has difficulty when it attempts to be) a synthetic proposition. Or, that is to say, when the truth or falsity of its assertion is verifiable on empirical grounds. Ayer states: . . . The criterion by which we determine the validity of an a priori or analytical proposition is not sufficient to determine the validity of an empirical or synthetic proposition. For it is characteristic of empirical propositions that their validity is not purely formal. To say that a geometrical proposition, or a system of geometrical propositions, is false, is to say that it is self-contradictory. But an empirical proposition, or a system of empirical propositions, may be free from contradiction and still be false. It is said to be false, not because it is formally defective, but because it fails to satisfy some material criterion.21 The unreality of â€Å"realistic† art is due to its framing as an art proposition in synthetic terms: one is always tempted to â€Å"verify† the proposition empirically. Realism’s synthetic state does not bring one to a circular swing back into a dialogue with the larger framework of questions about the nature of art (as does the work of Malevich, Mondrian, Pollock, Reinhardt, early Rauschenberg, Johns, Lichtenstein, Warhol, Andre, Judd, Flavin, LeWitt, Morris, and others), but rather, one is flung out of art’s â€Å"orbit† into the â€Å"infinite space† of the human condition. Pure Expressionism, continuing with Ayer’s terms, could be considered as such: â€Å"A sentence which consisted of demonstrative symbols would not express a genuine proposition. It would be a mere ejaculation, in no way characterizing that to which it was supposed to refer.† Expressionist works are usually such â€Å"ejaculations† presented in the morphological language of traditional art. If Pollock is important it is because he painted on loose canvas horizontally to the floor. What isn’t important is that he later put those drippings over stretchers and hung them parallel to the wall. (In other words what is important in art is what one brings to it, not one’s adoption of what was previously existing.) What is even less important to art is Pollock’s notions of â€Å"self-expression† because those kinds of subjective meanings are useless to anyone other than those involved with him personally. And their â€Å"specific† quality puts them outside of art’s context. â€Å"I do not make art,† Richard Serra says, â€Å"I am engaged in an activity; if someone wants to call it art, that’s his business, but it’s not up to me to decide that. That’s all figured out later.† Serra, then, is very much aware of the implications of his work. If Serra is indeed just â€Å"figuring out what lead does† (gravitationally, molecularly, etc.), why should anyone think of it as art? If he doesn’t take the responsibility of it being art, who can, or should? His work certainly appears to be empirically verifiable: lead can do, and be used for, many physical activities. In itself this does anything but lead us into a dialogue about the nature of art. In a sense then he is a primitive. He has no idea about art. How is it then that we know about â€Å"his activity†? Because he has told us it is art by his actions after â€Å"his activity† has taken place. That is, by the fact that he is with several galleries, puts the physical residue of his activity in museums (and sells them to art collectors – but as we have pointed out, collectors are irrelevant to the â€Å"condition of art† of a work). That he denies his work is art but plays the artist is more than just a paradox. Serra secretly feels that â€Å"arthood† is arrived at empirically. Thus, as Ayer has stated: There are no absolutely certain empirical propositions. It is only tautologies that are certain. Empirical questions are one and all hypotheses, which may be confirmed or discredited in actual sense experience. And the propositions in which we record the observations that verify these hypotheses are themselves hypotheses which are subject to the test of further sense experience. Thus there is no final proposition.22 What one finds all throughout the writings of Ad Reinhardt is this very similar thesis of â€Å"artas-art,† and that â€Å"art is always dead, and a ‘living’ art is a deception.†23 Reinhardt had a very clear idea about the nature of art, and his importance is far from recognized. Because forms of art that can be considered synthetic propositions are verifiable by the world, that is to say, to understand these propositions one must leave the tautological-like framework of art and consider â€Å"outside† information. But to consider it as art it is necessary to ignore this same outside information, because outside information (experiential qualities, to note) has its own intrinsic worth. And to comprehend this worth one does not need a state of â€Å"art condition.† From this it is easy to realize that art’s viability is not connected to the presentation of visual (or other) kinds of experience. That that may have been one of art’s extraneous functions in the preceding centuries is not unlikely. After all, man in even the nineteenth century lived in a fairly standardized visual environment. That is, it was ordinarily predictable as to what he would be coming into contact with day after day. His visual environment in the part of the world in which he lived was fairly consistent. In our time we have an experientially drastically richer environment. One can fly all over the earth in a matter of hours and days, not months. We have the cinema, and color television, as well as the man-made spectacle of the lights of Las Vegas or the skyscrapers of New York City. The whole world is there to be seen, and the whole world can watch man walk on the moon from their living rooms. Certainly art or objects of painting and sculpture cannot be expected to compete experientially with this? The notion of â€Å"use† is relevant to art and its â€Å"language.† Recently the box or cube form has been used a great deal within the context of art. (Take for instance its use by Judd, Morris, LeWitt, Bladen, Smith, Bell, and McCracken – not even mentioning the quantity of boxes and cubes that came after.) The difference between all the various uses of the box or cube form is directly related to the differences in the intentions of the artists. Further, as is particularly seen in Judd’s work, the use of the box or cube form illustrates very well our earlier claim that an object is only art when placed in the context of art. A few examples will point this out. One could say that if one of Judd’s box forms was seen filled with debris, seen placed in an industrial setting, or even merely seen sitting on a street corner, it would not be identified with art. It follows then that understanding and consideration of it as an artwork is necessary a priori to viewing it in order to â€Å"see† it as a work of art. Advance information about the concept of art and about an artist’s concepts is necessary to the appreciation and understanding of contemporary art. Any and all of the physical attributes (qualities) of contemporary works, if considered separately and/or specifically, are irrelevant to the art concept. The art concept (as Judd said, though he didn’t mean it this way) must be considered in its whole. To consider a concept’s parts is invariably to consider aspects that are irrelevant to its art condition – or like reading parts of a definition. It comes as no surprise that the art with the least fixed morphology is the example from which we decipher the nature of the general term â€Å"art.† For where there is a context existing separately of its morphology and consisting of its function one is more likely to find results less conforming and predictable. It is in modern art’s possession of a â€Å"language† with the shortest history that the plausibility of the abandonment of that â€Å"language† becomes most possible. It is understandable then that the art that came out of Western painting and sculpture is the most energetic, questioning (of its nature), and the least assuming of all the general â€Å"art† concerns. In the final analysis, however, all of the arts have but (in Wittgenstein’s terms) a â€Å"family† resemblance. Yet the various qualities relatable to an â€Å"art condition† possessed by poetry, the novel, the cinema, the theatre, and various forms of mus ic, etc., is that aspect of them most reliable to the function of art as asserted here. Is not the decline of poetry relatable to the implied metaphysics from poetry’s use of â€Å"common† language as an art language?24 In New York the last decadent stages of poetry can be seen in the move by â€Å"Concrete† poets recently toward the use of actual objects and theatre.25 Can it be that they feel the unreality of their art form? We see now that the axioms of a geometry are simply definitions, and that the theorems of a geometry are simply the logical consequences of these definitions. A geometry is not in itself about physical space; in itself it cannot be said to be â€Å"about† anything. But we can use a geometry to reason about physical space. That is to say, once we have given the axioms a physical interpretation, we can proceed to apply the theorems to the objects which satisfy the axioms. Whether a geometry can be applied to the actual physical world or not, is an empirical question which falls outside the scope of geometry itself. There is no sense, therefore, in asking which of the various geometries known to us are false and which are true. Insofar as they are all free from contradiction, they are all true. The proposition which states that a certain application of a geometry is possible is not itself a proposition of that geometry. All that the geometry itself tells us is that if anything can be brought under the definitions, it will also satisfy the theorems. It is therefore a purely logical system, and its propositions are purely analytic propositions. –A. J. Ayer26 Here then I propose rests the viability of art. In an age when traditional philosophy is unreal because of its assumptions, art’s ability to exist will depend not only on its not performing a service – as entertainment, visual (or other) experience, or decoration – which is something easily replaced by kitsch culture, and technology, but, rather, it will remain viable by not assuming a philosophical stance; for in art’s unique character is the capacity to remain aloof from philosophical judgments. It is in this context that art shares similarities with logic, mathematics, and, as well, science. But whereas the other endeavors are useful, art is not. Art indeed exists for its own sake. In this period of man, after philosophy and religion, art may possibly be one endeavor that fulfills what another age might have called â€Å"man’s spiritual needs.† Or, another way of putting it might be that art deals analogously with the state of things â€Å"beyond physics† where philosophy had to make assertions. And art’s strength is that even the preceding sentence is an assertion, and cannot be verified by art. Art’s only claim is for art. Art is the definition of art. NOTES * Reprinted from Studio International (October, 1969). 1 Morton White, The Age of Analysis (New York: Mentor Books), p. 14. 2 Ibid., p. 15. 3 I mean by this Existentialism and Phenomenology. Even Merleau-Ponty, with his middle-of-the-road position between empiricism and rationalism, cannot express his philosophy without the use of words (thus using concepts); and following this, how can one discuss experience without sharp distinctions between ourselves and the world? 4 Sir James Jeans, Physics and Philosophy (Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan Press), p. 17. 5 Ibid., p. 190. 6 Ibid., p. 190. 7 The task such philosophy has taken upon itself is the only â€Å"function† it could perform without making philosophic assertions. 8 This is dealt with in the following section. 9 I would like to make it clear, however, that I intend to speak for no one else. I arrived at these conclusions alone, and indeed, it is from this thinking that my art since 1966 (if not before) evo lved. Only recently did I realize after meeting Terry Atkinson that he and Michael Baldwin share similar, though certainly not identical, opinions to mine. 10 Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language. 11 The conceptual level of the work of Kenneth Noland, Jules Olitski, Morris Louis, Ron Davis, Anthony Caro, John Hoyland, Dan Christensen, et al., is so dismally low, that any that is there is supplied by the critics promoting it. This is seen later. 12 Michael Fried’s reasons for using Greenberg’s rationale reflect his background (and most of the other formalist critics) as a â€Å"scholar,† but more of it is due to his desire, I suspect, to bring his scholarly studies into the modern world. One can easily sympathize with his desire to connect, say, Tiepolo with Jules Olitski. One should never forget, however, that a historian loves history more than anything, even art. 13 Lucy Lippard uses this quotation in a footnote to Ad Reinhardt’s retrospective catalogue, January, 1967, p. 28. 14 Lucy Lippard, â€Å"Constellation by Harsh Daylight: The Whitney Annual,† Hudson Review, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Spring, 1968). 15 Arthur R. Rose, â€Å"Four Interviews,† Arts Magazine (February, 1969). 16 As Terry Atkinson pointed out in his introduction to Art-Language (Vol. 1, No. 1), the Cubists never questioned if art had morphological characteristics, but which ones in painting were acceptable. 17 When someone â€Å"buys† a Flavin he isn’t buying a light show, for if he was he could just go to a hardware store and get the goods for considerably less. He isn’t â€Å"buying† anything. He is subsidizing Flavin’s activity as an artist. 18 A. J. Ayer, Language, Truth, and Logic (New York: Dover Publications), p. 78. 19 Ibid., p. 57. 20 Ibid., p. 57. 21 Ibid., p.90. 22 Ibid., p. 94. 23 Ad Reinhardt’s retrospective catalogue (Jewish Museum, January, 1967) written by Lucy Lippard, p. 12. 24 It is poetry’s use of common language to attempt to say the unsayable that is problematic, not any inherent problem in the use of language within the context of art. 25 Ironically, many of them call themselves â€Å"Conceptual Poets.† Much of this work is very similar to Walter de Maria’s work and this is not coincidental; de Maria’s work functions as a kind of â€Å"object† poetry, and his intentions are very poetic: he really wants his work to change men’s lives. 26 Op. cit., p. 82.