Factors that Triggered the Collapse of Communism in Poland in 1989 Essay

Factors that Triggered the Collapse of Communism in Poland in 1989 - Essay Example The economy, politics, cultural and social lives were controlled by the state, which did not allow the establishment of free enterprise. Agriculture was conducted collectively. The system was fully totalitarian with the state controlling all aspects of life. The regime used propaganda to pressurize the people to accepting the policies concerning social issues such as marriage and child bearing. Under communism, it was not easy to divorce, and abortion was illegal. This was not welcome for to the people since they were denied a chance to make their own choice concerning private life. Social education in schools was controlled by the regime in order to ensure that the information that was offered in schools was in line with the communist policies regarding social life. Fees in the upper classes had been designed to reduce the number of children who could go for higher education since only some parents could afford it. The government ensured that important information about it was kept away from the public (Ka-Loc Chan K pp. 66-71). One of the major factors that led to the collapse of communism in Poland was the method which the regime used to govern. Intimidation and force were the common ways that were used on the people, and therefore communism could never get support from the majority. This was a political failure that caused the decline. This is because generally, a political party that lacks public support is politically weak. The failure was amplified by the fact that communism adopted an undemocratic ways of acquiring power and continued using them to enhance its stay in power. The labor strike of 1980 formed the beginning of anti-communism in Poland. This was facilitated by the formation of the trade union whose members were drawn the anti-communist leftists and from the Roman Catholic Church, as some of the members of the Solidarity (The Daily News - September 1981). The union became strong due to the support by rebellious

Compassion Fatigue Essay Example for Free

Compassion Fatigue Essay ― Tahereh Mafi, Shatter Me The health care industry is made up of nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals who are dedicated to the care and healing of others. The modern medical field is a very fast-paced, stressful, and demanding environment. Often, the constant stress and demands of the job can adversely affect the healthcare provider. Not surprisingly, those who go into the healthcare industry, do so because they have a sincere desire to make a difference in people’s lives and provide care for a patient’s spiritual, mental, and physical needs. However, this type of career requires energy and dedication way beyond that of other comparable careers. â€Å"Compassion fatigue† is a common side-effect. â€Å"Compassion fatigue† can be defined as, â€Å"the gradual decline of compassion over time as a result of caregivers being exposed to events that have traumatized their patients (Cherry 497).† In fact, the damage that results from this condition has been linked to more sick days, high turnover rates, and decreased productivity. If left untreated, this condition can adversely affect patient safety, so it is vital that hospitals and healthcare providers are able to accurately recognize compassion fatigue and treat it early. (Landro, L. 2012) Compassion is an important and critical gift necessary for the care of others. Compassion can be defined as, â€Å"sympathetic consciousness of others distress together with a desire to alleviate it† (Merriam-Webster 2013). No one is immune to compassion fatigue. In fact, anyone caring for another person can suffer from it. However, compassion fatigue is more prevalent in the health care industry due to the extenuating nature of the work. The reality is that healthcare providers have an exhausting array of job duties that entail lengthy shifts, selfless service, endless dedication, love, and compassion. Due to the extreme demands, medical professionals often neglect their own personal needs for the sake of others. Every single day, healthcare professionals come face to face with disease, illness, decline in health, and death. Over time, it can be incredibly traumatizing. â€Å"Compassion is a verb.† ― Thich Nhat Hanh If not prevented or left untreated, â€Å"compassion fatigue† can negatively affect a caregiver emotionally, spiritually, cognitively, physically and behaviorally. Warning signs can manifest themselves in a variety of ways. The emotional effects of compassion fatigue can include mood disturbances, increased apathy, lassitude, irritability, discontentment, hopelessness, aggressiveness, hostility, numbness, and helplessness. (Eagan, T. 2012) Other signs may include oversensitivity, restlessness, depression, anxiety, and even substance abuse. (Lombardo, B., Eyre, C., 2011) The spiritual effects of compassion fatigue may often be harder to pinpoint. Warning signs may include subtle things such as starting to question one’s purpose in life, an increasing sense of disbelief or an increasing sense of aimlessness. (Ginter, C. 2010). The caregiver may start to question their personal religious beliefs, become increasingly skeptical and even question life’s meaning. (Portnoy, D. 2011) The cognitive effects of compassion fatigue can be easier to identify. It’s easy to observe when someone is having difficulty concentrating or is unable to focus on tasks and duties that are critical to the job. The work ethic and performance of the healthcare provider may also be affected, resulting in increased absences, low morale, decreased motivation, and overall negativity in the workplace. This not only affects the healthcare provider, but also their co-workers and patients. The physical effects of compassion fatigue can include, but are not limited to headaches, chronic pain, sleep disturbances, fatigue, and self neglect (poor diet, lack of exercise, poor hygiene). (Eagan, T. 2012) Other physical effects can include gastrointestinal complaints, hypertension, (Pfifferling, J., Gilley, K. 2000) muscle tension and cardiac symptoms (chest pain, tachycardia, and palpitations. (Lombardo, B., Eyre, C., 2011) Behavioral changes can include â€Å"isolating†, withdrawing, extreme hyper-vigilance, (Portnoy, D. 2011) apathy or extreme attention to work, avoiding, faking interest, blaming, restlessness, and even inappropriate humor (Ginter, C. 2010). â€Å"I would rather make mistakes in kindness and compassion than work miracles in unkindness and hardness.† ― Mother Teresa, A Gift for God: Prayers and Meditations Although compassion fatigue can be an easy problem to identify, the specific causes of this condition are often varied and harder to pinpoint. The stressful nature of a healthcare career can certainly create â€Å"the perfect storm†. Overall, health care professionals can feel stressed about things like control over workload, lack of recognition or appreciation of doing a good job. Lifestyle changes can also cause compassion fatigue. If the person is working too much without taking time off to relax, taking on too much responsibility with no help from others, not getting enough sleep, or not having a supportive relationship in their personal life, it becomes easier for compassion fatigue to develop. People with certain personality traits (pessimistic, perfectionist, those who do not delegate, and type A, and overachievers) are particularly predisposed to experiencing compassion fatigue or burnout. The constant exposure to negative situations, stress, loss, and giving more than receiving, in addition to having a more intense personality, can increase the risk of developing compassion fatigue. (Frandsen, B. 2010) â€Å"Compassion fatigue is caused by empathy. It is the natural consequence of stress resulting from caring for and helping traumatized or suffering people† (Portnoy, D. 2011). In the medical field, nurses, doctors, and other health care providers often witness pain, suffering and death first-hand. They play numerous roles with less time, resources and support. The increased demands and stress along with the constant exposure to negative and traumatic events can build up over time and put anyone at risk for compassion fatigue. â€Å"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.† ― Dalai Lama XIV, The Art of Happiness A caregiver is not so different from a patient. Both caregiver and patient have physical, spiritual, and emotional needs that must be met. When their own needs are neglected, caregivers are unable to properly care for their patients. In short, they’re hurting themselves as well as the patients. Maintaining regular exercise, staying hydrated, staying productive, eating healthy and taking time to rest and relax are critical ways to reduce the chances of developing compassion fatigue. Although spiritual beliefs may be different from person to person, it is vital to nourish and grow in one’s faith. Those needs may be different depending on beliefs and may include going to church on a regular basis, taking the time to pray or meditate, speaking with a church leader, reading scriptures, or having time alone to reflect and think. There are many different ways a caregiver can begin to focus on their spiritual health. (StopPain.org 2013) Emotional needs are another important area that should be nurtured. Emotional needs are just as important as physical and spiritual needs. A caregiver may need time to mentally unwind, have peace and quiet, laugh and cry, and â€Å"tune in† to their personal experiences and emotions. Taking short breaks to renew emotional energy and doing things that bring you joy and happiness are ways to increase and improve emotional health. (StopPain.org 2013) By making sure the needs of the caregiver are met, the caregiver, patients, and even the company will benefit from it. There are many ways to cope with compassion fatigue. Perhaps the most important way of addressing the needs of the caregiver is to acknowledge compassion fatigue when necessary and take aggressive steps to assist caregivers in finding supportive coping strategies. Some coping strategies according to Varner, J. (2004) include: asking for assistance and support from peers or other support groups, staying positive, smiling and talking to peers, using humor to decrease anxiety and tension, giving comfort through physical contact, taking breaks with peers and not alone, using problem solving tools, generating solutions, and focusing specifically on tasks at hand. Learning how to balance work and life essentially means learning how to invest the time and energy into taking care of oneself in order to effectively take care of others. Putting together a plan of self-care (journaling, yoga, meditation, exercise, proper diet, doing things that you find pleasure in, and doing non work related activities) as well as educating yourself and others on communication skills is vital in preventing compassion fatigue. Employers can aid in combating compassion fatigue by offering on-site counseling, support groups, de-briefing sessions, and bereavement interventions (Boyle, D., 2011) that all work together to give employees the tools and skills needed for prevention. Early recognition of compassion fatigue is vital to anyone in a caring profession. Maintaining and constantly improving self-care and creating optimal wellness are crucial in order to properly care for others. .†Caregivers need to be able to deliver excellence without compromising their well-being†(Portnoy, D. 2011). Caregivers often neglect their own personal needs for the sake of others and need to realize the importance of focusing on their own needs first. By taking care of their own needs and ensuring they have a life that entails supportive relationships, health care providers will be able to successfully care for their patients long-term.

I Remember :: Personal Narrative Nuclear Bombing Violence Essay

I Remember I remember Rick's face as he turned away from the window and came back toward his seat that day; it had a look of horror I was to never forget. His face expressed seriousness, disbelief, and sadness. We were all terror-stricken after we knew the awful truth, but Rick had seen it. He knew before all of us. Even before his eyes began to have problems, he was visibly affected by the bomb. I remember that day as if it were yesterday. It all started with more subtle things such as the small bomb at the World Trade Center, but then bigger disasters began to occur. When the bomb hit Idaho, everyone was devastated. . . . "What do you mean it's not an earthquake, Rick?" I asked. Before he could answer, we heard an announcement over the intercom telling all classes to get to a television. The newscaster's words shocked us all. "...what appears to be a bomb of nuclear origin. We are still trying to discover who dropped this bomb. All we currently know is that INEEL has gone up in flames as a result, and we have heard of no survivors so far." Everything began to sink in slowly . . . a nuclear bomb? INEEL? No survivors? What about radiation? I began to worry about everything at once. The school called an assembly ten minutes later. Many of us wandered into the gym in a daze. Some people didn't seem to know what was going on, or else weren't affected. As I looked around the crowded gym, the sea of faces reflected their emotions. Mr. Kyrel, a science teacher, looked extremely grim. He sat on a bleacher with his head in his hands. He wasn't paying any attention to the students passing by him. When he did look up his lips formed a tight line, his hair was tousled, and every wrinkle on his brow was visible. He sat in solitude with solemness etched into his eyes. A student on the other side of the gym was crying hysterically. Several people surrounded her. Her face was contorted by her anguish and sorrow. Those around her looked distressed as well, but they were focusing on calming her down. In another area of the gym a junior b oy was clowning around with a friend of his. He didn't seem to know what was happening. I Remember :: Personal Narrative Nuclear Bombing Violence Essay I Remember I remember Rick's face as he turned away from the window and came back toward his seat that day; it had a look of horror I was to never forget. His face expressed seriousness, disbelief, and sadness. We were all terror-stricken after we knew the awful truth, but Rick had seen it. He knew before all of us. Even before his eyes began to have problems, he was visibly affected by the bomb. I remember that day as if it were yesterday. It all started with more subtle things such as the small bomb at the World Trade Center, but then bigger disasters began to occur. When the bomb hit Idaho, everyone was devastated. . . . "What do you mean it's not an earthquake, Rick?" I asked. Before he could answer, we heard an announcement over the intercom telling all classes to get to a television. The newscaster's words shocked us all. "...what appears to be a bomb of nuclear origin. We are still trying to discover who dropped this bomb. All we currently know is that INEEL has gone up in flames as a result, and we have heard of no survivors so far." Everything began to sink in slowly . . . a nuclear bomb? INEEL? No survivors? What about radiation? I began to worry about everything at once. The school called an assembly ten minutes later. Many of us wandered into the gym in a daze. Some people didn't seem to know what was going on, or else weren't affected. As I looked around the crowded gym, the sea of faces reflected their emotions. Mr. Kyrel, a science teacher, looked extremely grim. He sat on a bleacher with his head in his hands. He wasn't paying any attention to the students passing by him. When he did look up his lips formed a tight line, his hair was tousled, and every wrinkle on his brow was visible. He sat in solitude with solemness etched into his eyes. A student on the other side of the gym was crying hysterically. Several people surrounded her. Her face was contorted by her anguish and sorrow. Those around her looked distressed as well, but they were focusing on calming her down. In another area of the gym a junior b oy was clowning around with a friend of his. He didn't seem to know what was happening.

Gamer: violent video games Essay

Everyone nowadays plays video games. From kids to adults, we all go through the phase of video games. Some are violent others aren’t. So which ones are good for you and which aren’t? Well I believe that video games in general are just games. They do not harm anything or anyone. Violent video games do not cause violent behavior. Just because you go around shooting people on a television doesn’t mean your going to run around the street killing people. This misconception is often misunderstood. It’s just a game. Your sitting next to your television pushing buttons on a controller. Let’s say your playing a violent war game like Medal Of Honor. This game is based off of World War One and World War Two. Of course there is a lot of killing involved, but during a war isn’t that what you expect? Besides the whole killing factor I personally believe that these kinds of games are benefitial. You get to learn what weapons were using during that time period, you learn key events, and most of all you get a historical background of the time period covered. To me this is a unique way of learning. The younger generation tend to play war-like games, which in my opinion is really good. Young kids like shooting and action, but what they don’t know is that they are actually getting more than just that. They are learning what made the United States today. People often look past all those details and just argue that violent video games cause violent behavior, but I am at disbelief. Another reason why I think violent video games don’t contribute to violent behavior is because there is actually no scientific proof. There is no proof out there that violent games cause violent behavior. So what’s wrong with a little bit of machine gun action? Nothing. Nothing at all. In fact some studies show that violent video games actually help with stress and help you relax. Lets say your coming home from work and you had a miserable day. Your boss made you angry because he made you stay late. So you turn on your video game system when you get home ,and decide to shoot some people in the game to help you deal with your stupid boss. So instead of fighting your boss you get to take it out in the video game. It helps you meditate and get your feelings out in an unrealistic envirnment. It’s just too much fun. Who wouldn’t want to run around in a game and blow stuff up? I mean it’s not like I can just go down the street to the store and ask if I could purchase an rpg. Violent video games don’t affect people that way. Ask someone next time, what is the difference between a violent video game and a violent movie? There is none. Only difference is in a video game you have more control than a movie. More control is more fun, and more fun is always good. Just think about how many people just purchased the new GTA 5. That game is probably the most violent game ever produced, and yet people are still staying sane. In my opinion, violent video games have nothing to contribute to violent behavior. Violent behavior is adopted from real violent experiences or encounters. If someone wants to go run down a street and kill someone they will. A video game does not determine that, and never will. We have plenty of pshycos in this world to worry about some video games. Let the people who want to play them. play them. Violent or not at the end of the day it’s just a game.

A Vivid Dream Zechariah 3:1-10

Introduction The book of Zechariah is full of vivid imagery and peculiar visions that all help in the conveying of God’s message. This paper will examine the specific vision described in Zechariah 3:1-10. The intent of this essay is to examine the message of this vivid vision that Zechariah received and also to determine the application for readers at that time and for believers today. Compare English Versions The first step in studying this passage had been to read it over and over in multiple English translations to get a feel for how it could be interpreted in English.While there is some difference in the wording of different English translations it does not seem to change what is being communicated in the text. Some interesting differences in v. 4b do appear when describing the new clothing that is given to Joshua, it is described as simply a â€Å"change of raiment† (King James) or more elaborately â€Å"pure elaborately† (ESV) and in the NRSV â€Å"festal apparel†. The following verse describes the charge unto Joshua from the Angel of the Lord as being â€Å"protested† (King James) or â€Å"gave his charge† or even â€Å"spoke very solemnly† (Living Bible) which all seem much different than â€Å"assured† (NRSV).There is obviously some discrepancy as to the tone of this charge. Overall, the different English translations all describe a very similar vision experience. Structural Outline 1. Clean clothes for Joshua (3:1-5) 1. 1 Set the scene (3:1) 1. 2 Rebuke of Satan (3:2) 1. 3 Removal of iniquity (3:3-4) 1. 4 Clean garments and turban (3:5) 2. Promises from the Angel of the Lord (3:6-10) 2. 1 Joshua’s Commission (3:6-7) 2. 2 Promise of a coming Servant (3:8) 2. 3 In that Day (3:9-10) Genre of the Text This section of text is from the Prophet of Zechariah which places it in the genre of prophetic literature; however it also resembles apocalyptic iterature like that found in the book of Revelati on. What distinguishes this type of literature as apocalyptic is the obvious vision that is being described here (Miller 134). The scene for this vision is a courtroom with Joshua being on trial before the angel of the Lord. The vision then concludes with some messianic prophecy referring to the Messiah as â€Å"the Branch† (v. 8) and a promise is made for that day when â€Å"every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and his fig tree†. This is apocalyptic literature in the form of a vision conveying a messianic promise to those who will listen.Research the Text When reading this genre of literature, understanding whom it was written by is important to fully interpret the text. Zechariah’s name means â€Å"the Lord remembers† and is one of the most commonly used names in the OT (Miller 135). Zechariah’s name, along with his message, consistently reminded the nation that the Lord had made a covenant with Israel† (Klein 20 ). It is also a priestly name which could indicate Zechariah was a Priest as well as a Prophet (Miller 134) but this could also mean that he simply comes from a line of Priests (Klein 21).The first two chapters develop Zechariah as a â€Å"young man† (v. 4) who has an ear turned toward God in a difficult time in Israel’s history. It is also essential to understand the historical context that this text was written into. The book of Zechariah would fit into the Post-Exilic era of Israel’s history, after the return of God’s people to the city and the re-construction of the temple in Jerusalem had started. The message was directed to the â€Å"struggling Jewish returnees† (Miller 134) who would have been largely affected by the time in exile in Babylon.The Babylonians had recently been conquered by the Persian Empire and so great change for the nation of Israel was happening once again. Haggai and Zechariah (written at the similar time periods) both em phasize the everlasting Kingdom of God and the coming of a Messiah. The people of Judah would have been concerned about how their nation would survive in a world of such large superpower empires like Assyria, Babylon and now Persia. Would God ever demonstrate his power and establish his people as the most powerful of nations? Have the people paid their dues in exile?Why had he allowed them to go and return to their land and rebuild the temple? These questions would have been on the minds of the people at the time when Zechariah received this vision. This vision describes a courtroom scene involving some specific characters. The first character is introduced simply as â€Å"he† (3:1). This would be the same he as is mentioned in the previous chapter as â€Å"a man with a measuring line in his hand! † (2:1), and this man continues to be a messenger declaring the coming of the Lord (2:10) from his Holy dwelling (2:13).It seems as if it could be the same angel who â€Å"c ame again† in 4:1. Other commentaries say it is more likely that â€Å"the Lord himself made the revelation since the fourth vision, unlike the former visions, does not identify an angelic interpreter† (Klein 131). It seems however that ch. 3 continues on from the vision in chapter 2 and all the visions so far have had an angel to guide Zechariah through what he is seeing not the Lord personally. The next difficult part of this text is the uncleanliness of the High Priest named Joshua.The rebuilding of the temple was occurring at this time in Jerusalem and the High Priest would have been needed to oversee the running of the temple when it was completed but here Zechariah receives the revelation that the high priest is not fit for this service. The scene is this; the Angel of the Lord is the judge, the High Priest is on trial and the ‘adversary’ or the persecutor is â€Å"Satan† who is accusing the High Priest (3:1). The mention of the â€Å"filthy g arments† (v. 3) was significant when referring to a Priest in particular as the clothing of the Priest was to be to very specific standards (Lev. 8:5-9).This indicates that Satan’s accusations would have proved true. Yet, the Lord rebukes Satan. It seems that the Lord is asserting his authority and making the statement that he is the one who declares purity and innocence, he is the judge not Satan or the enemy or the adversary (the word Satan could be interpreted with any of those words). One commentator comments on this section that â€Å"Satan was reminding the Lord of the nation’s past wretchedness (1:2,4-6) and its unworthiness† (Miller 163) another commentator emphasizes this point â€Å"If the high priest is so filthy, how much more the nation as a whole† (Klein 133).Klein goes onto describe how this Joshua figure played a key role in the restoration of the returning community at this time in history and would have served as an excellent symbo l to represent the returning remnant. So the beginning of this text paints a significant picture of the nation of Israel’s guilt and the Lord’s rebuking of Satan for being so audacious as to make such a claim. The Lord responds by declaring Joshua’s innocence. In v. 4 the angel who is standing as Judge (most likely the LORD himself as he has the divine authority to bring judgment) declares that the filthy garments shall be removed.This reveals not the innocence of guilt but the pardoning of guilt. There is a demonstration of God’s forgiveness happening in this vision. Another question that arises has to do with who the witnesses are that are surrounding this trial scene and assist with the redressing of Joshua the High Priest as his pure clothes (vv. 4&5)? They are also brought up in v. 8 as â€Å"your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign†. Klein refers to them simple as the â€Å"unknown angels† (139). The imagery of the Priest being dressed in clean garments is a common imagery and is used in Ps 132:9 â€Å"May your priests be clothed with righteousness†.The clean turban seems to be â€Å"the finishing touch. On the high priest’s turban was a plate of pure gold inscribed with the words: â€Å"HOLY TO THE LORD† (Exod. 28:36; 39:30). All of this is witnessed by the â€Å"Angel of the LORD [who] was standing by† (3:5b), adding to the legitimacy and importance of what is occurring. The Lord has sent his personal emissary to oversee what is occurring (Klein 141). The filthy garments have been removed and replaced with pure and clean clothes, now Joshua is ready to receive his commission. Now we arrive at the angel of the LORD’s commission of Joshua in v. . The discrepancy in the English translation of the description of this commission (described above) is not commented by Klein or Miller. The best translation seems to be â€Å"solemnly assured† (ESV) as it raises the importance on what it about to be said and that it will be a positive commission, an assurance. The commission has three parts. The first part is a call to be obedient, the second part is the reward if he is obedient which includes authority to rule in the temple, and the third part is the right to be included in the witnesses who surround them.Klein comments on this second reward, that it will allow Joshua â€Å"the high priest, whom the Lord exalts still higher, will have a direct access to the throne of God. Only the high priest could enter the holy of holies, and only once a year (Lev 16), but the declaration made to Joshua far surpasses this privilege by granting Joshua entry into the Lord’s heavenly throne room. † The scene in the courtroom has now moved from one of accusation to a scene of forgiveness and of honoring the high priest and therefore also the people of Judah.Next, the angel of the Lord prepares to make a promise (v. 8a) by calling Joshua to listen! â€Å"The verbal form mirrors that found in the Shema in Deut. 6:4, emphasizing the importance of the message to follow† (Klein 143). The message is to be directed to Joshua’s â€Å"friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign† (3:8a). It would seem reasonable that these friends of Joshua are fellow priests, or at least people who also hold a place of leadership among the returning community of Judah.Klein comments that this sign is that â€Å"Joshua’s fellow priests, however, symbolize good things the future will bring† (143). The future embodiment of this blessing will be in the servant who is the one called â€Å"the Branch†. These titles â€Å"servant† and â€Å"the Branch† are very common in the OT. The title â€Å"the Branch† links the messiah figure directly to the line of David (Miller 165) and the title of servant is reminiscent of the significant affirmation God gives to characters su ch as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Deut. 9:27) and the same Hebrew word (ebed) is translated as â€Å"servant of the Lord† (Klein 145).The messianic imagery continues with the imagery of the stone as it has elsewhere in scripture, â€Å"The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes† (Isa 8:13-15; 28:16). Other interpretation of this stone is that it is referring to the cornerstone that would be used to build the new temple (Klein 147). This entire passage however seems to be concerned with the messiah and continued representation of him seems to be more likely, especially when considering the temple was most likely already completed at this time (Klein 147).The seven eyes on the stone would then represent the all-seeing and all-knowing power of this messiah. The concluding verse of this text affirms that this Messiah figure will bring about the desired peace and continued relationship that his people desi re. The imagery of sitting under a vine and â€Å"his fig tree† seems related to the title of â€Å"the Branch† as well and links the time of well-being with the Davidic Messiah who is to come. The vision concludes with an image of peace, prosperity, community and relationship. Relate the Parts In the concluding image the main purpose of this vision seems to be captured.The opening scene acknowledges the guilt of the accused and then removes that guilt, rebuking Satan, declaring that no one but the LORD is the judge. It welcomes the community to come around and participate in the removing of the guilt and the placing on of purity. However, the second section reveals that there is a further command now to live a life worthy of these shiny new clothes. Then it all concludes with the revelation of the source of this forgiveness and acceptance, who is â€Å"the Branch†, servant and stone, the messiah. The Theology How does this text reveal the nature of God?The visi on sets God up as the Judge, but what kind of judge? One who sees the guilt of his high priest and the people of Judah but removes that guilt. What gives him this kind of power? The prophets serve to remind God’s people of the covenant that they have with God and this should be kept in mind when considering who this Judge is. He made the law that the people are guilty of iniquity against. They sinned against him. Just as a debtor is the only one who can release someone from their debt, so the lawgiver is the only one who can forgive the lawbreakers.What is the Judge’s reason then for pardoning his people? The iniquity of the priest would have prevented the coming of his people to worship at the temple. Here is a judge that longs to be part of his people’s lives. He will also provide the means for this to happen in the future with the coming of his servant, he wants to be directly involved, personally involved. The end result of all this sounds much like street p arty. Through the cleansing of our iniquity we gain the honor beyond or expectation and with our neighbor in a prosperous land (v. 10).This is God’s reason for pardoning his people; this is the God we worship. Application How often have I worn the filthy clothes around this week? I constantly believe in the accusations of Satan, that I am a terrible friend, a terrible boyfriend that I simply use the people around me. What happens then? I live like that. When I believe those accusations I lie in light of those accusations. The importance of believing that God has dressed me in clean clothes is undeniable; he has got me ready for a party and declared me worthy of that invitation.Now it is time to live like I am heading to that party. I am who God declares me to be. Another application exists communally. Now the church knows who the messenger who was spoken of here is. We know Jesus and in this text in Zechariah he is once again emphasized as the one who came from God to bring a bout the peace and love of community when he comes. Should not the church also live as people free to enjoy the community of each other and of God? That is why Christ came, that is why he was sent.

Knowing oneself Essay Example

Knowing oneself Essay Example Knowing oneself Essay Knowing oneself Essay Knowing oneself is the first step in becoming a fully functioning individual and recognizing that we have strengths and weaknesses that help us become better persons by building on what we are good at and by improving what we are not good at. As a worker and as a human being, we are required to interact and relate with other people. In any relationship, may that be of boss and subordinate or between parents and children or friends, we must be able to communicate effectively, and thinking that I am pretty good at this aspect, I was excited to take the assessment tests on communication to maybe validate what I believe is one of my strengths or to find out weaknesses that I may not be aware of. Moreover, we also took motivation skills assessment to test our level of motivation and our motivating skills in the workplace. The results are very important to me since I know that motivating others is not one of my greatest assets. What follows  Ã‚   is a presentation of my assessment result s in communication and motivation identifying my strengths and weaknesses and a plan of action that I would accomplish to become a better person, enhancing what I have and developing what I don’t have. Communication The communication assessment consisted of three subtests including communicating supportively, my personal use of supportive communication and my communication styles, as well as a role playing exercise that presented a communication dilemma. I discovered that I have a number of strengths in this aspect and have a few weaknesses as well. Strengths My communication style uses more of probing responses (86) which is an indicator of an effective communicator. I tend to ask people about what they feel and think about a situation or views on an issue and in the process clarify or gain a better understanding of other people. I do not use many advising responses (2) which actually may sound condescending to others and would make them feel incompetent. I try to let people know that I know that they are thinking individuals and I do not have to offer them any suggestions. In my supportive communication assessment, I tend to be problem-oriented, consistent, descriptive, validating and owned my statements (1a, 2b, 3a, 4b, 5a). I generally try to say to others what I mean and mean what I say, in the most diplomatic way and one that tells them that I understand their situation but that things have to be done and their cooperation is needed to get it done. Weaknesses I am not adept at reflecting responses (1), I seem to concentrate more on asking questions that makes the employee elaborate or clarify more on the issue or topic. I admit though that I do not make use of reflecting responses seems it feels redundant to me or just like repeating what the other person said. Generally though, it seems that I don’t have very good supportive communication skills. My total score is 69 which is almost half of the ideal score (120) and it places me in the bottom quartile. When I think about it I realize that I do lack the skill on coaching and counseling and I don’t know how to give negative feedback, I more often try to concentrate on the problem and what is to be done and usually end up doing it myself. In the role-playing exercise, I had difficulty communicating what I wanted to say and was also not attentive of my partners responses, hence I think I should develop more on this skill. Action Plan Based on the assessment results on my supportive communication skills and communication styles, I would strive hard to learn more about effective communication by reading books and following some of the tips in the lectures. I also need to work on my reflecting responses skills because I realize that this is the most effective style for supportive communication and yet I rarely use it. I also need to make a distinction between counseling and coaching and evidently I do not have any idea of how to do it properly, instead I might end up hurting other people’s feelings. Attentive listening is also a skill that I fail to use and must learn to use more often. What I learned from this experience is that no matter how good a communicator we are, but to actually b effective in it is a difficult to do, on that takes an honest assessment of my communicating skills and us it as a basis for further improvement. Motivation The second part of our assessment exercises involved measuring our level of motivation and our performance problems and our motivational skills. The results indicate that I do not have broad-based motivational problems at work but there are those that need to be looked into. While in motivating others, my score of 87 falls in the third quartile compared to the mean group and is not that far from the ideal score (120). Strengths I found out from the result of the assessment that I am good at motivating others by telling them that they are good at what they do (aptitude) and I expect them to successfully accomplish their tasks (expectations). It seems that this two approaches usually work for me and hence I repeatedly use it to motivate others. In the role-playing exercise I was able to reach a compromise with my subordinate, that when she shows an improvement in performance for the next week I will not put her under disciplinary action. This shows that I can actually settle conflicting views by being diplomatic about it and yet reaching an acceptable resolution to the issue. Weaknesses I had difficulty in motivating others by facilitating improvement of skills and by linking rewards to performance. I usually think that everybody is intrinsically motivated to become at what they do because it is self-gratifying, but I did not account for the fact that some people are not as driven as the rest of us. In the role-playing exercise, I realized that I did have a short patience for arguments and was almost becoming irritated thankfully I had the idea to reach a compromise rather than to insist in what I think should be the right solution. Action Plan I realized that there are more ways in motivating others and that I can learn it to become an effective motivator. There are a number of self-help books and the readings that the professor gave us can help me learn more about motivation and its many uses. I am also curious at how to Use effective punishment and reward because I might be unknowingly contributing to negative attitudes and behaviors in others. I also would like to learn more of my own levels of motivation and where it comes from and how to develop it more. I did understand that sometimes not getting what I want done is not a sign of failure, but finding ways to resolve and issue in the best possible means is more important.

7 Reasons Why You Dont Want to Miss Writing.ie

7 Reasons Why You Dont Want to Miss Writing.ie As a self-described complete online magazine, Writing.ie has a vast collection of writing resources for writers across genres and around the globe, although its seat of operations is in Dublin, Ireland. Additionally, it offers an events calendar that is absolutely free for authors wishing to announce a literary event or book launch. That, combined with a Resources Page updated often and weekly make the site a useful bookmark for any writer looking for tips, inspiration, marketing outlets, or even the chance to Tell your own story to like-minded authors who access the site daily.The site is established and run by Vanessa Fox OLoughlin, one of Irelands leading literary scouts and former consultant and presenter for WritersWebTV, bringing free, live, online workshops to writers worldwide.In case these details alone are not temptation enough to visit and bookmark the site, here are seven reasons why if youre a writer, you dont want to miss all that Writing.ie has to offer.Writing.ie is a website full of great blogs across several genres and topics related to the writing process and industry.#1. Kate Dempseys Poetic License blogAs one of many guest blogs published on the site, Kate Dempseys Poetic License blog has much to offer writers interested in the art of poetry. It primarily focuses on competitions and publishing opportunities open to poets across a scope of topics and highlights interesting calls for poems both in the U.K. and around the world. For example, this call for submissions for poems about scientists experience announces the opportunity for writers, who find themselves at that strange intersection of science and poetry, to submit their work to a paid anthology entitled Spectral Lines. Although the submission deadline has passed for this particular work, it highlights some of the fascinating opportunities for poets that the blog offers. If youre a poet, its incredibly helpful to know whos looking for your poems and where to send them. If youre a poet in the Dublin area, or the U.K., this is an opportunity you certainly dont want to miss.#2. Hazel Gaynors Carry On Writing blogAs an acclaimed New York Times, USA Today and internationally bestselling author of five novels, Hazel Gaynors debut post, A Beginning and an End, is a great taste of the kind of honest approach she takes in the blog. Heres a quote from it:Im starting to think publishing deals dont really exist, that theyre just myths, the stuff of legend; about as simple to track down as the Ark of the Covenant or the golden snitch.Being an aspiring writer is no easy thing, as any aspiring writer will tell you. Its a lonely, frustrating occupation, riddled with potential for disappointment and despair but – and heres the thing – with the benefit of hindsight, Ive come to the conclusion that the rejections and close-shaves have made me more determined than ever to succeed. Of course, Id be lying if I said I hadnt thrown the occasional strop on the way to reachi ng this conclusion, or curled up on the sofa in a deep rejected-author malaise, unable to speak to anyone, let alone turn on the laptop or pick up a pen, but Im pleased to have reached this conclusion all the same.Hazel Gaynor#3. Louise Phillipss Crime Scene blogIf you write crime or thriller novels, Louise Phillipss Crime Scene blog is for you. Ranging from her lists of Delicious Reads of Irish Crime Fiction books to calls for submissions for Crime novelists, this blog offers information about new books in the genre that have launched, writing conferences and courses, and tips for writers looking to sharpen their crime writing skills. She also offers writing tips and advice for the genre, which can be a great help for anyone looking to break into the industry with their own crime novel.#4. Olivia Hope and Niamh Garveys Flourish Blogs about writing for childrenWritten and curated by Olivia Hope and Niamh Garvey, Down the Rabbit Hole by Flourish and Blogs offers fascinating explorat ions of the genre for anyone interested in writing and publishing childrens books. As an example article, Uncomfortable Childrens Books is an examination of the question of what topics are safe for childrens literature. In it, Garvey writes:This is a generation where mental health problems are beginning younger and younger in children. Childhood anxiety, depression and low self-esteem are on the increase. There is a tendency to panic, to think we must protect our children and teenagers from any hardship, to helicopter around them dropping cotton wool at their feet and shaded glasses on their eyes in case they see something unpleasant. They mustnt read that book, where people starve to death, where people die violently, where families are ripped apart, because it will make them sad. And yet, those same children and teenagers are allowed online alone, where more real-life danger lies than the in woods down the road at night.Niamh GarveyIn addition to their thoughtful criticism, this w riting due include within their blog childrens book events, new releases, lists of must-reads, and more. As a parent and a writer, I found this blog to be an intriguing and thoughtful read, even though I dont plan to publish in the childrens book genre.#5. Tara Sparlings The Lighter Side blog offers satire and humorIn this blog about book humor, selling trends, marketing and character stereotype follies, Tara Sparlings writing lifts the spirits of her readers- often by stating the obvious on a not-so-obvious path to writing a bestseller. For example, in her post, Who Are You NOT Writing For This Year?, she takes a satirical approach to the all-important writers audience and offers a handy list of all the people you are definitely NOT writing for in 2019. Included on this list are: The cool kid in your class you asked out when you were 15, your ex-spouse, your current spouse, your next spouse, and book reviewers, among others.In another post, You Think 5-Star Reviews Are So Great? Th ink Again, she asks:Youre certain you want to award 5 stars to this? The highest accolade of them all? This is truly one of the best books youve ever read? Its better than the last 20 books you read and the 20 you read before that?No it isnt. Stop 5-starring like its the 1980s. Give it the solid and absolutely fine 3 it deserves.Tara Sparling#6. Derek Flynns SongBook blog about writing from a musicians perspectiveAs an Irish writer and musician, Derek Flynn has much to say about the connections and inspiration he draws from music, including an ongoing series like this one with interviews of various authors asking about how music has shaped and inspired their writing.Other articles approach literature and writing through music-related concepts, such as this piece titled Literary One Hit Wonders, which discusses famous authors known only by one book. He writes:Of course, when we mention literary one hit wonders, most people will think of Harper Lee and To Kill A Mockingbird, possibly the most famous example (and well ignore the dubious release of Go Set A Watchman). But there are some other- probably equally as famous- examples. There is, of course, JD Salinger, author of Catcher in the Rye, who subsequently wrote only a handful of short stories and novellas- no more novels- and gave his last interview in 1980.But while Lee and Salinger chose not to write any more novels, there are others who died before getting the chance to write more, leaving us wondering what might have been.Derek FlynnFlynn also writes of local publishing opportunities or jobs available in the industry, as well as competitions and anthologies seeking submissions.#7. Resources for writersFinally, and as mentioned earlier, the websites section for Resources for writers is packed with valuable information and links to sources writers can use throughout the drafting, editing, publishing and marketing phases of their writing journey.The Resources tab of the site offers links to sources writers c an use throughout the entire process of writing, from first draft to marketing the published work.In the Resources submenu, there are links to the following directories or sources, with additional submenus within each:Services for writersEssential guidesGetting publishedBetter fiction guidesBetter nonfiction guidesWrite for stage and screenBetter poetry guidesDeveloping your craftNational Emerging Writers Program (NEWP)Final takeawayWhile many of the literary events, book signings, and course offerings showcased in writing.ie are for the Dublin, Ireland and Greater U.K. area, there are parts of the site and blogs that provide great sources for writers around the globe. The section I found most helpful as a writer is the Writing Competitions under the Magazine menu. It was chock full of calls for submission, competitions, anthology notices, and publishing opportunities for writers of all genres, and included important information such as deadlines, how to submit your manuscript, and links to the main website for each entity seeking writers or submissions. Ill be using it in the coming months to seek out publishing opportunities and I hope youll be equally as excited about the excellent opportunities that are available.

Covalent or Molecular Compound Properties

Covalent or Molecular Compound Properties Covalent or  molecular compounds  contain atoms held together by covalent bonds. These bonds form when the atoms share electrons because they have similar electronegativity values. Covalent compounds are a diverse group of molecules, so there are several exceptions to each rule. When looking at a compound and trying to determine whether it is an ionic compound or a covalent compound, its best to examine several properties of the sample.  These are properties of covalent compounds. Properties of Covalent Compounds Most covalent compounds have relatively low melting points and boiling points.While the ions in an ionic compound are strongly attracted to each other, covalent bonds create molecules that can separate from each other when a lower amount of energy is added to them. Therefore, molecular compounds usually have low melting and boiling points.Covalent compounds usually have lower enthalpies of fusion and vaporization than ionic compounds.The enthalpy of fusion is the amount of energy needed, at constant pressure, to melt one mole of a solid substance. The enthalpy of vaporization is the amount of energy, at constant pressure, required to vaporize one mole of a liquid. On average, it takes only 1% to 10% as much heat to change the phase of a molecular compound as it does for an ionic compound.Covalent compounds tend to be soft and relatively flexible.This is largely because covalent bonds are relatively flexible and easy to break. The covalent bonds in molecular compounds cause these comp ounds to take form as gasses, liquids,  and soft solids. As with many properties, there are exceptions, primarily when molecular compounds assume crystalline forms. Covalent compounds tend to be more flammable than ionic compounds.Many flammable substances contain hydrogen and carbon atoms which can undergo combustion, a reaction that releases energy when the compound reacts with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water. Carbon and hydrogen have comparable electronegativies so they are found together in many molecular compounds.When dissolved in water, covalent compounds dont conduct electricity.Ions are needed to conduct electricity in an aqueous solution. Molecular compounds dissolve into molecules rather than dissociate into ions, so they typically do not conduct electricity very well when dissolved in water.Many covalent compounds dont dissolve well in water.There are many exceptions to this rule, just as there are many salts (ionic compounds) that dont dissolve well in water. However, many covalent compounds are polar molecules that do dissolve well in a polar solvent, such as water. Examples of molecular compounds that dissolve well in w ater are sugar and ethanol. Examples of molecular compounds that dont dissolve well in water are oil and polymerized plastic. Note that network solids are compounds containing covalent bonds that violate some of these rules. Diamond, for example, consists of carbon atoms held together by covalent bonds in a crystalline structure. Network solids typically are transparent, hard, good insulators and have high melting points. Learn More Do you need to know more? Learn the  difference between an ionic and covalent bond,  get  examples of covalent compounds, and understand how to predict formulas of compounds containing polyatomic ions.

Research and Discuss the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 Term Paper

Research and Discuss the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 - Term Paper Example Key Components and Primary Objectives of the Act: The basic matters identified and revised in the act included the creation of regulatory board to oversee the activities of the public accounting audit firms, revised standards for auditor’s independence and audit committee, requirement of certification of the SEC’s reports by the executives of the public companies, restricts the rules to prevent insider dealings by the directors and executives, increase in the liability for the non-compliance to the federal securities laws and imposes additional responsibility of the attorney to report non compliance and conflict of interests. (Lipman & Lipman. 2006) 1. Establishment of Public Company Oversight Board: Sarbanes Oxley Act established the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board to oversee the audits of the public listed companies. It was established to regulate the activities of the auditing firms including the issues of quality control, ethics and independence of auditor s. The aim for its establishment was to increase the confidence of investors and general public. 2. Auditor’s Independence: It focused on strengthening the auditor’s independence by prohibiting the provision of non-audit services (book keeping, internal audit, management, HR functions etc.) to the public companies by the external auditors, mandating the rotation of audit partners on a five year basis and rotation of registered public accounting firms and ensuring no ethical issue arises between the external auditors and the company such as conflict of interest. 3. Enhanced Corporate Governance Requirements: The corporate governance requirements were enhanced in many areas which included the role of audit committee which nave been responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of external auditors, who are required to directly report to the audit committee. Further the audit committee should be made up of independent non- executive directors. Sa rbanes Oxley Act further prohibits the maintenance of any credit or loan or extension of the same to directors or executives of the public companies. The Act even requires the executives such as CEO and the CFO of every public company to certify in each annual and quarterly report to the SEC that the reports have been reviewed and make the representation of the effectiveness of controls specified. 4. Enhanced Disclosure Requirements: Sarbanes Oxley Act enhances the disclosure requirements for the public companies which included increased reporting on the effectiveness of internal controls and financial reporting procedures, disclosures on codes of ethics and explanations in case of non-compliance and disclosures about the transactions by the directors, management and other stakeholders that can cause security concerns. 5. Commission Resources and Enhanced Authority: In order for the SEC to work effectively, provision of additional funding was ensured. Apart from that more power and authority was given to SEC and federal courts to be exercised on companies and individuals where prohibitions are required. It requires the federal regulatory bodies to conduct researches and make reports about the credit rating agencies, roles of investment banks and financial advisors, consolidation of accounting firms and some other matters etc. 6. Enhanced Accountability: The Act strict the rules and regulations and imposes stricter and larger penalties regarding the breach of law, exercising improper

Charolett Murder Case Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Charolett Murder Case - Assignment Example The couple has no children. They kept to themselves and did not have a social life. There is nothing relevant in their past that can be a reason for Tina Smith’s killing. The incident was reported to the police by the victim’s husband. He saw his wife lying on the floor when he came home from work. A search of the victim’s car came up negative for evidence regarding the crime. There was no information gathered from the couple’s computer/s as well. An interview with the husband revealed that he works as a Maintenance Supervisor for the local municipal airport. On the day of the murder, cell phone records show that the husband was in his area of work. Moreover, there was no entry recorded on his time sheet that he had left his workplace. A scan of his truck did not come up with any significant legal evidence. There are also no witnesses to verify if he had left work and had returned at any time. A check of his co-workers shows that none has a criminal background. No one from his place of work has ever been convicted of a felony. That he had killed his wife for the insurance money has been ruled out. Research has gathered that there is no significant amount of life insurance between husband and wife. Since there is also no evidence to place blame on the husband, I am not considering him as a suspect as of this time. A common reason for spouses to kill their partner is to claim insurance. With Tina and Tony, there is no large amount of insurance money waiting for Tony in the event of Tina’s death. Interviews with the apartment complex maintenance staff resulted in nothing significant. There are no issues tying them to the victim or her husband. A background check on the couple shows they did not have any problems with anyone before moving in the apartment complex. Because there is no evidence incriminating the maintenance staff, I do not believe any one of them killed Tina. If any one of the maintenance people wanted to kill

Business Appraisal in the Professional Services Sector Dissertation

Business Appraisal in the Professional Services Sector - Dissertation Example The study made use of secondary data garnered mainly from official reports and pronouncements issued by the company for its shareholders, consumer groups, and the government. Other secondary data were acquired from investment analyses and professional publications, while the financial data were taken from official online databases. Quantitative analysis were conducted to establish relationships between research and development metrics and the firm’s profitability indicators, to determine which measures in the firm’s financial reports relating to software development impacted upon how profitably the firm performance. Qualitative analysis provided an appreciation of the software development process and the value-enhancing strategies that improved Microsoft’s comparative advantage over its rival firms. The study found that the research and development efforts of Microsoft, which principally consists of software development, impacted on the firm’s profitabilit y within two years after the software development effort had taken place. Competitively, Microsoft had benefitted from a strategy of operational competence until the present, but Apple is gradually overtaking it with a more effective method of customer intimacy as its value discipline. Table of Contents Table of Contents 3 List of Tables 5 List of Figures 6 Chapter 1: Introduction 7 1.1Chapter overview 7 1.2 Background of the study 7 1.3 Significance of the study 9 1.4 Research aim and objectives 9 1.5Research questions 10 1.6 Brief description of the data and analysis 10 1.7 Conceptual framework 11 Chapter 2: Literature Review 14 2.1 Chapter overview 14 2.2 The conceptualization of the phrase â€Å"value of Microsoft’s software development† 14 2.3 The organizational dynamics of software development 15 2.4 Microsoft’s software development strategy 17 2.5 Discerning the rationale in code development at Microsoft 20 2.6 Accounting treatment of software development costs 23 2.7 The Conceptual Framework: The Treacy & Wiersema Value Discipline Model 24 Chapter 3: Methodology 29 3.1 Chapter overview 29 3.2 Research strategy 29 3.3Description of variables used in the quantitative study 31 3.4 Statistical model and treatment used in the study 34 3.5Data collection method 35 3.6 Sampling method and size 36 3.7 Data analysis 36 3.8 Scope and Limitation 37 3.9 Ethical considerations 37 Chapter 4: Data and Discussion 39 4.1 Chapter Overview 39 4.2 Microsoft’s Product Innovation and Momentum 39 4.3 Perceived implementation of Microsoft’s corporate strategy 41 4.4 Human resources management at Microsoft 43 4.5 Assessment of Microsoft’s operating performance 44 4.6 Competitive values dimension comparison among Microsoft, Apple and Google 49 4.7 Results of statistical correlation studies 54 Chapter 5: Conclusion 62 5.1 Chapter overview 62 5.2 Summary of the research findings 62 5.3 Conclusion 67 5.4 Limitation of the findings and conc lusion 68 References: 70 Appendices 74 List of Tables Table 1: Examples of incumbent and entrant software products 18 Table 2: Criteria to measure the disruptive potential of an innovation in software markets 19 Table 3: Comparison of â€Å"Waterfall† and Microsoft development processes 20 Table 4: Revenues and income per business segment 44 Table 5: Growth rates of Microsoft’s yearend revenues and operating income for 2011 46 Table 6: Direct competitor comparison 47 Table

Commercial law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

Commercial law - Essay Example Once the terms of an agency agreement have been made, it is important to draft a written contract that any of the parties involved can request, which would state the duration of the contract among other things. An agency agreement usually contains the fixed term of the contract, exists for an indefinite term that is terminable and lastly a fixed term that can be extended if agreed by both parties1. In relation to Rosie and Simon’s case, the parties did have a written contract or agency agreement that did not state the terms of their contract in detail. The implication of this is that it might be difficult for Simon to prove that Rosie went against the terms of the contract that they had agreed upon through the written agency agreement. Additionally, Rosie is in breach of the contract they agreed upon with Simon because she did not give Simon the 10% commission that they had agreed on when he sold a piece of work for her. In order for Simon to be safe, he would have made sure that he drafted a contract that captured much detail on how he was to make money out of the contract. For this reason, Rosie could be entitled to not pay Simon. On the contrary, the Commercial Agents regulation requires that either of the parties wishing to terminate an agreement entered for an indefinite period issue adequate notice to the other party, which Rosie did not comply. The regulation requires that a person provides notice of termination depending on the period they have been in the contract. For example, if they have been in the contract for a year, they should issue a one months’ notice, two years attracts a two months’ notice and so on. Therefore, Simon has grounds to seek compensation for the breaching of the contract that he had entered into with Rosie based on not being issued with proper notice. The regulation requires that a principal act dutifully to the agent and in good faith to which she did not

Czech Economy and European Union Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Czech Economy and European Union - Essay Example The conditions include: 2. Government Finance: This head contains limits for the Government deficit and the Government debt.Firstly, the ratio of the annual government deficit to the GDP should not exceed 3%(as reckoned at the end of the preceding fiscal year).Secondly, the ratio of the gross government debt to GDP should not exceed 60%(as reckoned at the end of the preceding fiscal year). 3. Exchange Rate: The aspirant countries should have been members of the Exchange Rate Mechanisms under the European Monetary System for two consecutive years and should and have devalued their currency during that period. E) The European Central Bank (ECB) is chiefly responsible for formulating the monetary policy for the 13 member states. The main objective if the ECB is to maintain price stability in the euro area. Additionally the Bank is bound to pursue the objectives stated under Article 12 of the Treaty of EU, ie; to achieve a high level of employment and sustainable economic growth. The banks functions by employing the following tools to achieve the aforementioned objectives: The ECB must fix a single interest rate as a part of the monetary policy formulation. The rate is set by the governing council of the ECB which meets twice every month. Once the interest rate has been fixed the National Central Banks must implement and maintain it in their countries.Thi is done by initiating the "open market operations". For the foreign exchange operations, the bank operates a minimum reserve system. The credit institutions in the euro area must keep a minimum reserve with the ECB which has been currently set at 26% of their total liabilities. Additional tasks include issuance of bank notes in the euro area and promotion of smooth payment system. F) Impact of Euro adoption: Fundamentally the adoption of the euro is the most important example of structured co-operation inside the EU and marks the full monetary integration of the 13 member states. A preliminary study by the European Commission indicates that the single

Stonefish Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Stonefish - Research Paper Example The stonefish belongs to the class Osteichthyes and the order Scorpainiformes under the Synanceiidae. There are different species in this genus totaling 28 and two of them are the most venomous fish known to man. The Synanceia horrida being the deadliest and the other, the Synanceia verucossa is also known for the harm it could bring. It can grow up to 40 centimeters in length and feeds mostly on fish and crustaceans. They mainly wait for food to come to them and almost never sting to catch prey. This means that their venom is for purposes of self-defense rather than for hunting food. A clear study of its reproduction habit and life span is yet to be explored while its birthing pattern is believed to be through planktonic eggs. Their habitat consists of the shallow sandy waters and reefs where they are often mistaken as rocks. Aesthetically, this fish has a wide head relatively not proportioned to its small tail but where there should be scale, a stonefish has warts and slime coverin g its body (Burton and Burton 2547-2548). Stonefish can be found mostly in the indo-pacific region, that is the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, and known to be common in these waters. Among them, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia is well-known as home for a number of different species of stonefish. They are usually in the colors of brown and green with different colored patches to camouflage in their surroundings. Their venom is released through the spines on their back which makes them deadly in rare cases. The trouble lies in the fact that they are difficult to see and most times it is only after a person has already had an unpleasant encounter with these creatures that they realize they are even there (Antill 4-5). Effects of envenomation differ significantly among reports which range from virtually nonexistent to deadly in a few rare occasions. The process starts with the breaking or wounding of the skin which makes it possible for the poison to be injected through it (Burton and Burton 2547). The experiences of hu mans with this animal are usually unpleasant which tends to create an atmosphere of legends around them and since most notable encounters are associated with pain, they have been regarded as nuisances and a cause for concern. â€Å"It is not widely appreciated that stonefish are plentiful in the sea, but because of their superb camouflage they are not commonly sighted†¦ Similarly, as records of stings show, stonefish stings are themselves not rare† (Williamson, Fenner, Burnett and Rifkin 374). The fact that they look just like stones or algae that form part of their most immediate surroundings make them invisible to the indiscriminate eyes. In the event that envenomation occurs, the best first aid treatment advised is to immerse the affected are in hot water to relieve of the pain. Preferably, anti-venom must be sought immediately in the nearest local medical facility upon confirmation that a person has been poisoned by a stonefish. Handling a stonefish must be with grea t care. It should not be carried by hand and a stick would come in handy if this occurs. Authorities even suggest that it will be best to just throw the fish back in the water and let it swim away. If one finds it necessary to handle it, the best way is to hold it by the tail which could most likely alarm it and thus raise its spines in defense (ibid 381). The prudent attitude is to steer away from them to avoid envenomation and logically to refrain from picking up or going near what may seem to be just an ordinary rock when in

Czech Economy and European Union Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Czech Economy and European Union - Essay Example The conditions include: 2. Government Finance: This head contains limits for the Government deficit and the Government debt.Firstly, the ratio of the annual government deficit to the GDP should not exceed 3%(as reckoned at the end of the preceding fiscal year).Secondly, the ratio of the gross government debt to GDP should not exceed 60%(as reckoned at the end of the preceding fiscal year). 3. Exchange Rate: The aspirant countries should have been members of the Exchange Rate Mechanisms under the European Monetary System for two consecutive years and should and have devalued their currency during that period. E) The European Central Bank (ECB) is chiefly responsible for formulating the monetary policy for the 13 member states. The main objective if the ECB is to maintain price stability in the euro area. Additionally the Bank is bound to pursue the objectives stated under Article 12 of the Treaty of EU, ie; to achieve a high level of employment and sustainable economic growth. The banks functions by employing the following tools to achieve the aforementioned objectives: The ECB must fix a single interest rate as a part of the monetary policy formulation. The rate is set by the governing council of the ECB which meets twice every month. Once the interest rate has been fixed the National Central Banks must implement and maintain it in their countries.Thi is done by initiating the "open market operations". For the foreign exchange operations, the bank operates a minimum reserve system. The credit institutions in the euro area must keep a minimum reserve with the ECB which has been currently set at 26% of their total liabilities. Additional tasks include issuance of bank notes in the euro area and promotion of smooth payment system. F) Impact of Euro adoption: Fundamentally the adoption of the euro is the most important example of structured co-operation inside the EU and marks the full monetary integration of the 13 member states. A preliminary study by the European Commission indicates that the single

Tom Clancy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Tom Clancy - Essay Example Tom Clancy is something else again. The flap jacket of Tom Clancy's first successful book, The Hunt for Red October, contains this anecdote: "He has had a private chat with President Reagan, and lunched with the White House staff. His maiden novel was a top seller at the Pentagon. Yet the author is neither a former intelligence nor a naval officer. Rather, Tom Clancy is an insurance broker from a small town in Maryland whose only previously published writing was a letter to the editor and a three-page article about the MX missile. He always wanted to write a suspense novel, and a newspaper article about a mutiny on a Soviet frigate gave him the initial idea for Red October. He did extensive research about Soviet-American naval strategies and submarine technology. Then in the time he could spare from his insurance business, Clancy sat down at his typewriter and wrote. The rest is history." This insurance man with very little writing experience invented the "techno-thriller" genre, a hybrid of military, spy, political and suspense thrillers which became part of popular American culture 20 years later (Greenberg, M., 1992). Clancy's suspense thrillers are political intrigues mixed with rich details of modern military technology, which are focused on the Cold War and take a grim view of the former Soviet Union. This struck a responsive chord among political conservatives. These novels are also distinguished by the intricacies of their plots, attention to detail, and technical accuracy in military and intelligence topics (Wikipedia). An amazing achievement for one who never had any training in intelligence or military affairs, which gives his popularity a dimension bigger than that of all the best-selling authors combined who are known to have some previous expertise in the fields they are writing on. As a result of the immense popularity of Clancy's books, he became the only author in history whose works have been "branded,' a new publishing phenomenon in which other authors publish books using his name to ensure brisk sales. These publishing ventures are called "Apostrophe Books" as in "Tom Clancy's Op-Center with Steve Pieczenik." (Britannica.com) Tom Clancy's initial attempt at novel writing, The Hunt for Red October, was modeled after authors he admired most. These include the British masters of suspense and spy thrillers - Frederick Forsyth, John le Carre, Alistair MacLean and Len Deighton. Martin Greenberg, who collaborated with Clancy on his Mirror Image series, recalls that Clancy worked on the novel from November 11, 1982 to February 23, 1983, or within a space of only three months. The novel concerns a prolonged sea chase involving high-tech submarines so he referred it to the Naval Press Institute, hoping to obtain the stamp of authenticity that he doubted from the start. As Clancy feared at the time, his knowledge of submarine technology and weaponry was found wanting in places by the Naval Press Institute. Thus, the manuscript was returned to him three weeks later, full of suggested rewrites. Clancy dutifully did the rewrites, learning from that experience as he did so. In November 1983, sometime after Clancy brought back the revised manuscript to the Naval Press Institute, the institute was impressed enough to make an offer to publish it on a $3,000 deal with the first-time author. The institute had never published a book before and it was a measly contract by industry standard, but Clancy

Management Information System Essay Example for Free

Management Information System Essay In this subject, we tackled about the information technology system. Based in our generation today computers is the one of the most important in our country to communicate other, to make process easier and to help the businessman/ investor, to make faster in their work. When using computer, people can know work together as if they were sitting next to each other today the internet is a networks of networks, with a millions of servers or permanent cable link, they can access a huge number from internet servers, to research, participate in electronics discussion, shop, make purchase and make payments. In an economy that produces and consumes so much information managers must know how to use information system and virtually every business activity without information none of these activities or the decision making that underlies management is possible. Practically the only tool to handle is important resource is information technology they also tackled all about the types of information system. There are the transaction processing system, supply change management system, customer relationship management system, business intelligence system, decision support and expert system geographic information system. This types of information system gives supports one or more of this activities to transacts business with other parties , to produce in a product or services because the information that provides supports planning of shipping resources such as personnel, funds, raw materials and vehicles. They also tackled about the telecommunication. Telecommunication is the transmittal data and information from one points to another also the data communication it is transfer of data between computer and another device. In management and information system you can create a new and unique products or services that many organization and individual need gives an organization a great competitive advantage. We also tackled about the difference between effectiveness and efficiency. Effectiveness is the degree to which a goal is achieve while efficiency is determine by the relationship between resources expended and the benefits gain in achieving goal. Example, when you efficiency in your class the teacher is an effectiveness just like in management information system. People require information for many reasons and in varied ways. In business, people and organization seek and use information specifically to make some sound  decision and to solve problems too closely related practice that form the foundations of every successful compa ny. The computer a convenient means to execute the for main operations of information system the input, data processing, output and storage. It in business computers have changed the face of our business and personal lives as few others modern devices we have because computer is an electronic device design to accept input data process data, output information and store data of information for future used. We also tackled the strategies of information system the word strategy originates from Greek word â€Å"strategos† meaning general. A strategy is a plan to gain an advantage over the enemy other discipline especially business have borrowed the term as u know from media coverage, corporate executive often discuss actions in ways that make business competition sound like war. Business people must device decisive courses of action to win just as generals do. In business, a strategy is a plan design to help an organization outperform is competitors. Many strategies do not and cannot involve information system but increasingly, corporations are able to implement certain strategies such as maximizing sales and lowering cost – thanks to the innovation use of information system in other words better information gives corporation a competitive advantage in the market place. The internet has been the most exciting development in the field of information system and telecommunications the combination of advance telecommunication technology and innovative software is revolutionizing the way we communicate shop, make contracts and payments, educate, learn and conduct business. With the introduction of graphical interface on the internet world wide web, numerous companies throughout the world have established a Net presence. The World Wide Web became the killer application of the internet the new application brought multimedia to the internet. If without management information system in our economy many investors and businessman cannot deliver a thing at the right time. The internet was a communications network connecting government agencies, universities, and research institutions and it could transmit only text. Management information system is a beautiful subject even if not easy because in this subject is you can learn about the purpose of information system, the components of information system, the four processing, information system in business function, careers in information system. I know that this subject  is not easy to learn because it is information technology, and how to make use a computer machine. So we are so lucky because in our generation we can use a modern technology. Ma’am you are SMART which means Specific and Contextual, Meaningful measures, Achievable within the resources, Realistic and Time- Targeted.

Comparing Little Women And Treasure Island English Literature Essay

Comparing Little Women And Treasure Island English Literature Essay You could consider the following questions. What is meant by the courage of children? Does this, in the Set Books, refer to physical or psychological courage, or both? Do the books present gender differences in their portrayal of courage and, if so, are these significant? How do differing authorial techniques, such as narrative voice, focalisation and intertextuality help determine the readers awareness of courage? You could also consider the historical context of both novels as part of your discussion. The critical articles in the Readers, DVD 1 and the DVD-ROM may all provide valuable material for this essay. Kimberley Reynolds suggests, of the nineteenth century, that much fiction was used quite consciously as a form of social control (DVD 1, no. 5). Investigate and determine how representative Little Women and Treasure Island are of this trend. Notes on a possible approach For this option, you might want to explore nineteenth-century ideological viewpoints of concepts such as family, gender, class and religion. It would be valuable to include some brief discussion of other contemporary texts. One possible approach would be to consider the following questions. How do the novels reflect their differing historical contexts? What evidence can be found for authorial intent, and how can differing prose techniques outlined on the DVD-ROM, including narrative voice, intertextuality and focalisation, help us establish authorial intent? You might find it helpful to revise the material in Activity 1.3 in the Study Guide as a starting point. Explore Peter Hollindales claim that Peter Pan retains its magical elasticity and its ongoing modernity (Reader 2, p.  159), with reference to different versions since its original production. Notes on a possible approach You could consider some or all of the following questions. Which aspects of the play can be described as particularly modern? How have these been adapted to suit specific productions since the plays original stage setting? How does Barries script present opportunities for alteration in relation to differing constructions of childhood? Why is Peter Pan often regarded as a pantomime? Compare and contrast the idea of fairyland in Peter Pan and in William Allinghams poem The Fairies. Notes on a possible approach It may be helpful to concentrate on a small number of specific scenes or extracts from Peter Pan for example, 1.1 (from line 315, Peters entrance to the end) or 3.1. You might want to consider the historical and generic context of each of the two texts. Does it matter that one text is a play and the other a poem, in terms of how differently they may have been presented and received? Activity 3.6 in the Study Guide could be a useful starting point when planning your essay. Childrens perceptions of, and perspectives on, the world around them are often represented by childrens writers as inevitably incomplete and therefore flawed. Evaluate this suggestion with reference to any three of the Set Books in Block 4. Notes on a possible approach You could consider some or all of the following questions: How does each author represent the worldview of their child protagonist(s)? How does the structure of each novel, including such aspects as time-scale, narrative voice, dialogue, and a sense of place, help establish this? How do your chosen texts present differing, or similar, approaches to realism and aspects of fantasy? Is there a link between the uses of realism and fantasy, and representations of childrens perceptions and perspectives? Why might it matter if a childs perceptions of, and perspectives on the world around them are represented as flawed? You may find it useful to revise Part 1, Section 1 Telling and Showing, and Section  2 Focalisation, on the DVD-ROM. Discuss David Rudds defence of the work of Enid Blyton (Reader 1, pp.  168-82), in relation to the prestige conferred on two of the Set Books for Block  4, one of which must be either Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone or Northern Lights. Notes on a possible approach You could consider some or all of the following questions: What evidence is there for differing assessments of the popularity and quality of both Enid Blytons work and your two chosen texts? How can the success of a childrens book best be quantified? What differing views on the nature of childhood can be observed in the chosen books, and do these necessarily represent the times in which they were written? How have the criteria for judging the merits of childrens literature changed since the eighteenth century? How does the postmodern picturebook set out to capture both the adult and the child readers interest? Notes on a possible approach You could discuss which characteristics of a picturebook might invite the description of postmodern to be applied to it, drawing on a few examples. You could explore how the elements of a picturebook, including text, images, and paratext, combine to create meaning for both the child and adult reader. Is it possible to identify any elements as seemingly designed to appeal to particular age groups With reference to The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Voices in the Park, explore and evaluate the assertion by William Moebius that the best picturebooks can and do portray the intangible and invisible [], ideas that escape easy definition in pictures or words (Reader 1, p. 314). Notes on a possible approach You could consider, firstly, examples of concepts that might be described as intangible and invisible that are demonstrated in these two books. How do all the elements of these books unite to help create this? How do these help us understand the views of childhood, and of child readers, presented by the authors? You might wish to include a comparison between the historical contexts of the two books and how to situate each one in relation to childrens picturebooks generally Rachel Falconer states that it is important that the books and films [young people] read and watch should address the reality of their lives (Reader 1, p.  375). Is this view borne out by contemporary writing for children? Discuss with particular reference to three of the Set Books in Block 6. Notes on a possible approach You could consider some or all of the following questions. What might the phrase the reality of their lives assume? Can the reality of contemporary life be explored by books set either in the historical past or an imagined future? Do any, or all, of the books you have chosen raise the ideological question of what is suitable for children (Hewings in the Study Guide, p.  259)? Does the provision of a convenient exotic background (Hewings in the Study Guide, p.  265) help child readers to confront difficult concepts, or perhaps hinder them? Peter Hunt argues that while [childrens] books reflect the underlying preoccupations of a culture, the most notable ones also challenge and subvert (Reader 1, p.  72). Discuss this statement, with reference to three of the Set Books in Block 6. Notes on a possible approach You might want to consider the following questions. How, if at all, do your chosen books reflect attitudes to childhood currently observable within society? What underlying preoccupations do you find reflected in them? How, if at all, might these books differ from other childrens books of their time? Can you identify evidence of the authors overt moral intention (Hewings in the Study Guide, p.  260)? How can authorial choices, such as the use of direct or indirect speech, help influence the ways in which readers respond to the text? EMA: the assignment Answer either Option 1 or Option 2. Your assignment should be a maximum of 3000 words in length, excluding your list of references. Option 1 Some idea of a child or childhood motivates writers and determines both the form and content of what they write. Consider how this statement, from Peter Hunts first article in Reader 1 (p.  13), applies to any three of the Set Books. Your essay must draw on materials from at least two blocks of EA300. Option 2 Discuss how the book that has most recently won the UK Carnegie Prize fits into the history and tradition of childrens literature. Your discussion should also refer to at least one of the Set Books

Essay --

Week 2: Discussion 1 – Bring Systems into Being Colorado Technical University CS672: Systems Engineering Methods Pooja Kattimani Instructor: Professor John King January 13, 2014 Bring Systems into Being What are some characteristics of human-made or engineered systems that distinguish it from natural system? The characteristics of human made systems which will distinguish from natural system are as follows: †¢ Human made systems are those systems which are brought into being by human intervention through components, attributes or relationships between them, whereas the natural systems are brought into being by a natural process. Example: example for human made systems is solution to flooding problem of Nile river, example for natural system are water cycle, food chain etc. †¢ Human made systems have some impact on natural world. Example: When Aswan Dam was built on Nile River, it had impact on the natural world. Problems such as rapid erosion of Nile delta, fishing industry was reduced in eastern Mediterranean etc. whereas Natural systems exhibit equilibrium and high degree of order Example water cycle. In natural system material flows are cyclic in nature. †¢ Human made systems are created by beginning with identifying the needs of customer and ending with phase out and disposal, whereas the natural systems have no dead ends and no wastes. 2. Pick a product, describe the enabling system that is required to bring it into being, and explain the importance of engineering the system and product together. Consider an automotive product to be developed in automotive industry. For most organizations lack of visibility of data, technology and people in the product development life cycle cause challenges to organizations. Use of... ...sons: †¢ Customer communication step in spiral model helps to know the needs of customer and gather complete requirements necessary to develop the system. †¢ In Spiral model there is avoidance of risk is enhanced because there is high amount of risk analysis. †¢ Software can be developed in the early stages of software development life cycle. †¢ It is good for larger projects because it is iterative process, when it proceeds through several stages of lifecycle, each time a different prototype is developed. Hence prototype can be evaluated for risk before proceeding to next step. †¢ Additional functionality can be added in later stages of development cycle if required. References Blanchard B. S. & Fabrycky W. J. (2011), Systems Engineering and Analysis, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Blanchard B. S. (2008), Systems Engineering Management, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons Inc.

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AMERICAN CULTURE Visual and performing arts 3. Arts and letters The arts, more than other features of culture, provide avenues for the expression of imagination and personal vision. They offer a range of emotional and intellectual pleasures to consumers of art and are an important way in which a culture represents itself. There has long been a Western tradition distinguishing those arts that appeal to the multitude, such as popular music, from those—such as classical orchestral music—normally available to the elite of learning and taste.Popular art forms are usually seen as more representative American products. In the United States in the recent past, there has been a blending of popular and elite art forms, as all the arts experienced a period of remarkable cross-fertilization. Because popular art forms are so widely distributed, arts of all kinds have prospered. The arts in the United States express the many faces and the enormous creative range of the American peopl e. Especially since World War II, American innovations and the immense energy displayed in literature, dance, and music have made American cultural works world famous.Arts in the United States have become internationally prominent in ways that are unparalleled in history. American art forms during the second half of the 20th century often defined the styles and qualities that the rest of the world emulated. At the end of the 20th century, American art was considered equal in quality and vitality to art produced in the rest of the world. Throughout the 20th century, American arts have grown to incorporate new visions and voices. Much of this new artistic energy came in the wake of America’s emergence as a superpower after World War II.But it was also due to the growth of New York City as an important center for publishing and the arts, and the immigration of artists and intellectuals fleeing fascism in Europe before and during the war. An outpouring of talent also followed the civil rights and protest movements of the 1960s, as cultural discrimination against blacks, women, and other groups diminished. American arts flourish in many places and receive support from private foundations, large corporations, local governments, federal agencies, museums, galleries, and individuals.What is considered worthy of support often depends on definitions of quality and of what constitutes art. This is a tricky subject when the popular arts are increasingly incorporated into the domain of the fine arts and new forms such as performance art and conceptual art appear. As a result, defining what is art affects what students are taught about past traditions (for example, Native American tent paintings, oral traditions, and slave narratives) and what is produced in the future.While some practitioners, such as studio artists, are more vulnerable to these definitions because they depend on financial support to exercise their talents, others, such as poets and photographers, a re less immediately constrained. Artists operate in a world where those who theorize and critique their work have taken on an increasingly important role. Audiences are influenced by a variety of intermediaries—critics, the schools, foundations that offer grants, the National Endowment for the Arts, gallery owners, publishers, and theater producers.In some areas, such as the performing arts, popular audiences may ultimately define success. In other arts, such as painting and sculpture, success is far more dependent on critics and a few, often wealthy, art collectors. Writers depend on publishers and on the public for their success. Unlike their predecessors, who relied on formal criteria and appealed to aesthetic judgments, critics at the end of the 20th century leaned more toward popular tastes, taking into account groups previously ignored and valuing the merger of popular and elite forms.These critics often relied less on aesthetic judgments than on social measures and wer e eager to place artistic productions in the context of the time and social conditions in which they were created. Whereas earlier critics attempted to create an American tradition of high art, later critics used art as a means to give power and approval to nonelite groups who were previously not considered worthy of including in the nation’s artistic heritage. Not so long ago, culture and the arts were assumed to be an unalterable inheritance—the accumulated wisdom and highest forms of achievement that were established in the past.In the 20th century generally, and certainly since World War II, artists have been boldly destroying older traditions in sculpture, painting, dance, music, and literature. The arts have changed rapidly, with one movement replacing another in quick succession. a) Visual arts. The visual arts have traditionally included forms of expression that appeal to the eyes through painted surfaces, and to the sense of space through carved or molded mate rials. In the 19th century, photographs were added to the paintings, drawings, and sculpture that make up the visual arts.The visual arts were further augmented in the 20th century by the addition of other materials, such as found objects. These changes were accompanied by a profound alteration in tastes, as earlier emphasis on realistic representation of people, objects, and landscapes made way for a greater range of imaginative forms. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, American art was considered inferior to European art. Despite noted American painters such as Thomas Eakins, Winslow Homer, Mary Cassatt, and John Marin, American visual arts barely had an international presence.American art began to flourish during the Great Depression of the 1930s as New Deal government programs provided support to artists along with other sectors of the population. Artists connected with each other and developed a sense of common purpose through programs of the Public Works Administra tion, such as the Federal Art Project, as well as programs sponsored by the Treasury Department. Most of the art of the period, including painting, photography, and mural work, focused on the plight of the American people during the depression, and most artists painted real people in difficult circumstances.Artists such as Thomas Hart Benton and Ben Shahn expressed the suffering of ordinary people through their representations of struggling farmers and workers. While artists such as Benton and Grant Wood focused on rural life, many painters of the 1930s and 1940s depicted the multicultural life of the American city. Jacob Lawrence, for example, re-created the history and lives of African Americans. Other artists, such as Andrew Wyeth and Edward Hopper, tried to use human figures to describe emotional states such as loneliness and despair. Abstract Expressionism.Shortly after World War II, American art began to garner worldwide attention and admiration. This change was due to the inn ovative fervor of abstract expressionism in the 1950s and to subsequent modern art movements and artists. The abstract expressionists of the mid-20th century broke from the realist and figurative tradition set in the 1930s. They emphasized their connection to international artistic visions rather than the particularities of people and place, and most abstract expressionists did not paint human figures (although artist Willem de Kooning did portrayals of women).Color, shape, and movement dominated the canvases of abstract expressionists. Some artists broke with the Western art tradition by adopting innovative painting styles—during the 1950s Jackson Pollock â€Å"painted† by dripping paint on canvases without the use of brushes, while the paintings of Mark Rothko often consisted of large patches of color that seem to vibrate. Abstract expressionists felt alienated from their surrounding culture and used art to challenge society’s conventions. The work of each art ist was quite individual and distinctive, but all the artists identified with the radicalism of artistic creativity.The artists were eager to challenge conventions and limits on expression in order to redefine the nature of art. Their radicalism came from liberating themselves from the confining artistic traditions of the past. The most notable activity took place in New York City, which became one of the world’s most important art centers during the second half of the 20th century. The radical fervor and inventiveness of the abstract expressionists, their frequent association with each other in New York City’s Greenwich Village, and the support of a group of gallery owners and dealers turned them into an artistic movement.Also known as the New York School, the participants included Barnett Newman, Robert Motherwell, Franz Kline, and Arshile Gorky, in addition to Rothko and Pollock. The members of the New York School came from diverse backgrounds such as the American M idwest and Northwest, Armenia, and Russia, bringing an international flavor to the group and its artistic visions. They hoped to appeal to art audiences everywhere, regardless of culture, and they felt connected to the radical innovations introduced earlier in the 20th century by European artists such as Pablo Picasso and Marcel Duchamp.Some of the artists—Hans Hofmann, Gorky, Rothko, and de Kooning—were not born in the United States, but all the artists saw themselves as part of an international creative movement and an aesthetic rebellion. As artists felt released from the boundaries and conventions of the past and free to emphasize expressiveness and innovation, the abstract expressionists gave way to other innovative styles in American art. Beginning in the 1930s Joseph Cornell created hundreds of boxed assemblages, usually from found objects, with each based on a single theme to create a mood of contemplation and sometimes of reverence.Cornell's boxes exemplify th e modern fascination with individual vision, art that breaks down boundaries between forms such as painting and sculpture, and the use of everyday objects toward a new end. Other artists, such as Robert Rauschenberg, combined disparate objects to create large, collage-like sculptures known as combines in the 1950s. Jasper Johns, a painter, sculptor, and printmaker, recreated countless familiar objects, most memorably the American flag. The most prominent American artistic style to follow abstract expressionism was the pop art movement that began in the 1950s.Pop art attempted to connect traditional art and popular culture by using images from mass culture. To shake viewers out of their preconceived notions about art, sculptor Claes Oldenburg used everyday objects such as pillows and beds to create witty, soft sculptures. Roy Lichtenstein took this a step further by elevating the techniques of commercial art, notably cartooning, into fine art worthy of galleries and museums. Lichtens tein's large, blown-up cartoons fill the surface of his canvases with grainy black dots and question the existence of a distinct realm of high art.These artists tried to make their audiences see ordinary objects in a refreshing new way, thereby breaking down the conventions that formerly defined what was worthy of artistic representation. Probably the best-known pop artist, and a leader in the movement, was Andy Warhol, whose images of a Campbell’s soup can and of the actress Marilyn Monroe explicitly eroded the boundaries between the art world and mass culture. Warhol also cultivated his status as a celebrity. He worked in film as a director and producer to break down the boundaries between traditional and popular art.Unlike the abstract expressionists, whose conceptual works were often difficult to understand, Andy Warhol's pictures, and his own face, were instantly recognizable. Conceptual art, as it came to be known in the 1960s, like its predecessors, sought to break fre e of traditional artistic associations. In conceptual art, as practiced by Sol LeWitt and Joseph Kosuth, concept takes precedent over actual object, by stimulating thought rather than following an art tradition based on conventional standards of beauty and artisanship.Modern artists changed the meaning of traditional visual arts and brought a new imaginative dimension to ordinary experience. Art was no longer viewed as separate and distinct, housed in museums as part of a historical inheritance, but as a continuous creative process. This emphasis on constant change, as well as on the ordinary and mundane, reflected a distinctly American democratizing perspective. Viewing art in this way removed the emphasis from technique and polished performance, and many modern artworks and experiences became more about expressing ideas than about perfecting finished products. Photography.Photography is probably the most democratic modern art form because it can be, and is, practiced by most Ameri cans. Since 1888, when George Eastman developed the Kodak camera that allowed anyone to take pictures, photography has struggled to be recognized as a fine art form. In the early part of the 20th century, photographer, editor, and artistic impresario Alfred Stieglitz established 291, a gallery in New York City, with fellow photographer Edward Steichen, to showcase the works of photographers and painters. They also published a magazine called Camera Work to increase awareness about photographic art.In the United States, photographic art had to compete with the widely available commercial photography in news and fashion magazines. By the 1950s the tradition of photojournalism, which presented news stories primarily with photographs, had produced many outstanding works. In 1955 Steichen, who was director of photography at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, called attention to this work in an exhibition called The Family of Man. Throughout the 20th century, most professional photogra phers earned their living as portraitists or photojournalists, not as artists.One of the most important exceptions was Ansel Adams, who took majestic photographs of the Western American landscape. Adams used his art to stimulate social awareness and to support the conservation cause of the Sierra Club. He helped found the photography department at the Museum of Modern Art in 1940, and six years later helped establish the photography department at the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco (now the San Francisco Art Institute). He also held annual photography workshops at Yosemite National Park from 1955 to 1981 and wrote a series of influential books on photographic technique.Adams's elegant landscape photography was only one small stream in a growing current of interest in photography as an art form. Early in the 20th century, teacher-turned-photographer Lewis Hine established a documentary tradition in photography by capturing actual people, places, and events. Hine photo graphed urban conditions and workers, including child laborers. Along with their artistic value, the photographs often implicitly called for social reform. In the 1930s and 1940s, photographers joined with other depression-era artists supported by the federal government to create a hotographic record of rural America. Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange, and Arthur Rothstein, among others, produced memorable and widely reproduced portraits of rural poverty and American distress during the Great Depression and during the dust storms of the period. In 1959, after touring the United States for two years, Swiss-born photographer Robert Frank published The Americans, one of the landmarks of documentary photography. His photographs of everyday life in America introduced viewers to a depressing, and often depressed, America that existed in the midst of prosperity and world power.Photographers continued to search for new photographic viewpoints. This search was perhaps most disturbingly embodied i n the work of Diane Arbus. Her photos of mental patients and her surreal depictions of Americans altered the viewer’s relationship to the photograph. Arbus emphasized artistic alienation and forced viewers to stare at images that often made them uncomfortable, thus changing the meaning of the ordinary reality that photographs are meant to capture. American photography continues to flourish.The many variants of art photography and socially conscious documentary photography are widely available in galleries, books, and magazines. A host of other visual arts thrive, although they are far less connected to traditional fine arts than photography. Decorative arts include, but are not limited to, art glass, furniture, jewelry, pottery, metalwork, and quilts. Often exhibited in craft galleries and studios, these decorative arts rely on ideals of beauty in shape and color as well as an appreciation of well-executed crafts. Some of these forms are also developed commercially.The decora tive arts provide a wide range of opportunity for creative expression and have become a means for Americans to actively participate in art and to purchase art for their homes that is more affordable than works produced by many contemporary fine artists. 4. Performing arts As in other cultural spheres, the performing arts in the United States in the 20th century increasingly blended traditional and popular art forms. The classical performing arts—music, opera, dance, and theater—were not a widespread feature of American culture in the first half of the 20th century.These arts were generally imported from or strongly influenced by Europe and were mainly appreciated by the wealthy and well educated. Traditional art usually referred to classical forms in ballet and opera, orchestral or chamber music, and serious drama. The distinctions between traditional music and popular music were firmly drawn in most areas. During the 20th century, the American performing arts began to incorporate wider groups of people. The African American community produced great musicians who became widely known around the country.Jazz and blues singers such as Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Billie Holiday spread their sounds to black and white audiences. In the 1930s and 1940s, the swing music of Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, and Glenn Miller adapted jazz to make a unique American music that was popular around the country. The American performing arts also blended Latin American influences beginning in the 20th century. Between 1900 and 1940, Latin American dances, such as the tango from Argentina and the rumba from Cuba, were introduced into the United States.In the 1940s a fusion of Latin and jazz elements was stimulated first by the Afro-Cuban mambo and later on by the Brazilian bossa nova. Throughout the 20th century, dynamic classical institutions in the United States attracted international talent. Noted Russian-born choreographer George Balanchine e stablished the short-lived American Ballet Company in the 1930s; later he founded the company that in the 1940s would become the New York City Ballet. The American Ballet Theatre, also established during the 1940s, brought in non-American dancers as well.By the 1970s this company had attracted Soviet defector Mikhail Baryshnikov, an internationally acclaimed dancer who served as the company’s artistic director during the 1980s. In classical music, influential Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, who composed symphonies using innovative musical styles, moved to the United States in 1939. German-born pianist, composer, and conductor Andre Previn, who started out as a jazz pianist in the 1940s, went on to conduct a number of distinguished American symphony orchestras.Another Soviet, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, became conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D. C. , in 1977. Some of the most innovative artists in the first half of the 20th century successfully incorporated new forms into classical traditions. Composers George Gershwin and Aaron Copland, and dancer Isadora Duncan were notable examples. Gershwin combined jazz and spiritual music with classical in popular works such as Rhapsody in Blue (1924) and the opera Porgy and Bess (1935).Copland developed a unique style that was influenced by jazz and American folk music. Early in the century, Duncan redefined dance along more expressive and free-form lines. Some artists in music and dance, such as composer John Cage and dancer and choreographer Merce Cunningham, were even more experimental. During the 1930s Cage worked with electronically produced sounds and sounds made with everyday objects such as pots and pans. He even invented a new kind of piano.During the late 1930s, avant-garde choreographer Cunningham began to collaborate with Cage on a number of projects. Perhaps the greatest, and certainly the most popular, American innovation was the Broadway musical, which also became a m ovie staple. Beginning in the 1920s, the Broadway musical combined music, dance, and dramatic performance in ways that surpassed the older vaudeville shows and musical revues but without being as complex as European grand opera.By the 1960s, this American musical tradition was well established and had produced extraordinary works by important musicians and lyricists such as George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Jerome Kern, and Oscar Hammerstein II. These productions required an immense effort to coordinate music, drama, and dance. Because of this, the musical became the incubator of an American modern dance tradition that produced some of America's greatest choreographers, among them Jerome Robbins, Gene Kelly, and Bob Fosse.In the 1940s and 1950s the American musical tradition was so dynamic that it attracted outstanding classically trained musicians such as Leonard Bernstein. Bernstein composed the music for West Side Story, an updated version of Romeo and Juliet set in New York that became an instant classic in 1957. The following year, Bernstein became the first American-born conductor to lead a major American orchestra, the New York Philharmonic. He was an international sensation who traveled the world as an ambassador of the American style of conducting.He brought the art of classical music to the public, especially through his â€Å"Young People's Concerts,† television shows that were seen around the world. Bernstein used the many facets of the musical tradition as a force for change in the music world and as a way of bringing attention to American innovation. In many ways, Bernstein embodied a transformation of American music that began in the 1960s. The changes that took place during the 1960s and 1970s resulted from a significant increase in funding for the arts and their increased availability to larger audiences.New York City, the American center for art performances, experienced an artistic expl osion in the 1960s and 1970s. Experimental off-Broadway theaters opened, new ballet companies were established that often emphasized modern forms or blended modern with classical (Martha Graham was an especially important influence), and an experimental music scene developed that included composers such as Philip Glass and performance groups such as the Guarneri String Quartet. Dramatic innovation also continued to expand with the works of playwrights such as Edward Albee, Tony Kushner, and David Mamet.As the variety of performances expanded, so did the serious crossover between traditional and popular music forms. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, an expanded repertoire of traditional arts was being conveyed to new audiences. Popular music and jazz could be heard in formal settings such as Carnegie Hall, which had once been restricted to classical music, while the Brooklyn Academy of Music became a venue for experimental music, exotic and ethnic dance presentations, and traditional p roductions of grand opera. Innovative producer Joseph Papp had been staging Shakespeare in Central Park since the 1950s.Boston conductor Arthur Fiedler was playing a mixed repertoire of classical and popular favorites to large audiences, often outdoors, with the Boston Pops Orchestra. By the mid-1970s the United States had several world-class symphony orchestras, including those in Chicago; New York; Cleveland, Ohio; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Even grand opera was affected. Once a specialized taste that often required extensive knowledge, opera in the United States increased in popularity as the roster of respected institutions grew to include companies in Seattle, Washington; Houston, Texas; and Santa Fe, New Mexico.American composers such as John Adams and Philip Glass began composing modern operas in a new minimalist style during the 1970s and 1980s. The crossover in tastes also influenced the Broadway musical, probably America's most durable music form. Starting in the 1960 s, rock music became an ingredient in musical productions such as Hair (1967). By the 1990s, it had become an even stronger presence in musicals such as Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk (1996), which used African American music and dance traditions, and Rent (1996) a modern, rock version of the classic opera La Boheme.This updating of the musical opened the theater to new ethnic audiences who had not previously attended Broadway shows, as well as to young audiences who had been raised on rock music. Performances of all kinds have become more available across the country. This is due to both the sheer increase in the number of performance groups as well as to advances in transportation. In the last quarter of the 20th century, the number of major American symphonies doubled, the number of resident theaters increased fourfold, and the number of dance companies increased tenfold.At the same time, planes made it easier for artists to travel. Artists and companies regularly tour, and they expand the audiences for individual artists such as performance artist Laurie Anderson and opera singer Jessye Norman, for musical groups such as the Juilliard Quartet, and for dance troupes such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Full-scale theater productions and musicals first presented on Broadway now reach cities across the country. The United States, once a provincial outpost with a limited European tradition in performance, has become a flourishing center for the performing arts. . Arts and letters The arts, more than other features of culture, provide avenues for the expression of imagination and personal vision. They offer a range of emotional and intellectual pleasures to consumers of art and are an important way in which a culture represents itself. There has long been a Western tradition distinguishing those arts that appeal to the multitude, such as popular music, from those—such as classical orchestral music—normally available to the elite of learning and taste. Popular art forms are usually seen as more representative American products.In the United States in the recent past, there has been a blending of popular and elite art forms, as all the arts experienced a period of remarkable cross-fertilization. Because popular art forms are so widely distributed, arts of all kinds have prospered. The arts in the United States express the many faces and the enormous creative range of the American people. Especially since World War II, American innovations and the immense energy displayed in literature, dance, and music have made American cultural works world famous.Arts in the United States have become internationally prominent in ways that are unparalleled in history. American art forms during the second half of the 20th century often defined the styles and qualities that the rest of the world emulated. At the end of the 20th century, American art was considered equal in quality and vitality to art produced in the rest of the world. Throughout the 20th century, American arts have grown to incorporate new visions and voices. Much of this new artistic energy came in the wake of America’s emergence as a superpower after World War II.But it was also due to the growth of New York City as an important center for publishing and the arts, and the immigration of artists and intellectuals fleeing fascism in Europe before and during the war. An outpouring of talent also followed the civil rights and protest movements of the 1960s, as cultural discrimination against blacks, women, and other groups diminished. American arts flourish in many places and receive support from private foundations, large corporations, local governments, federal agencies, museums, galleries, and individuals.What is considered worthy of support often depends on definitions of quality and of what constitutes art. This is a tricky subject when the popular arts are increasingly incorporated into the domain of the fine arts and new forms such as performance art and conceptual art appear. As a result, defining what is art affects what students are taught about past traditions (for example, Native American tent paintings, oral traditions, and slave narratives) and what is produced in the future.While some practitioners, such as studio artists, are more vulnerable to these definitions because they depend on financial support to exercise their talents, others, such as poets and photographers, are less immediately constrained. Artists operate in a world where those who theorize and critique their work have taken on an increasingly important role. Audiences are influenced by a variety of intermediaries—critics, the schools, foundations that offer grants, the National Endowment for the Arts, gallery owners, publishers, and theater producers.In some areas, such as the performing arts, popular audiences may ultimately define success. In other arts, such as painting and sculpture, success is far more dependent on criti cs and a few, often wealthy, art collectors. Writers depend on publishers and on the public for their success. Unlike their predecessors, who relied on formal criteria and appealed to aesthetic judgments, critics at the end of the 20th century leaned more toward popular tastes, taking into account groups previously ignored and valuing the merger of popular and elite forms. These critics ften relied less on aesthetic judgments than on social measures and were eager to place artistic productions in the context of the time and social conditions in which they were created. Whereas earlier critics attempted to create an American tradition of high art, later critics used art as a means to give power and approval to nonelite groups who were previously not considered worthy of including in the nation’s artistic heritage. Not so long ago, culture and the arts were assumed to be an unalterable inheritance—the accumulated wisdom and highest forms of achievement that were establis hed in the past.In the 20th century generally, and certainly since World War II, artists have been boldly destroying older traditions in sculpture, painting, dance, music, and literature. The arts have changed rapidly, with one movement replacing another in quick succession. a) Visual arts. The visual arts have traditionally included forms of expression that appeal to the eyes through painted surfaces, and to the sense of space through carved or molded materials. In the 19th century, photographs were added to the paintings, drawings, and sculpture that make up the visual arts.The visual arts were further augmented in the 20th century by the addition of other materials, such as found objects. These changes were accompanied by a profound alteration in tastes, as earlier emphasis on realistic representation of people, objects, and landscapes made way for a greater range of imaginative forms. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, American art was considered inferior to European art. Despite noted American painters such as Thomas Eakins, Winslow Homer, Mary Cassatt, and John Marin, American visual arts barely had an international presence.American art began to flourish during the Great Depression of the 1930s as New Deal government programs provided support to artists along with other sectors of the population. Artists connected with each other and developed a sense of common purpose through programs of the Public Works Administration, such as the Federal Art Project, as well as programs sponsored by the Treasury Department. Most of the art of the period, including painting, photography, and mural work, focused on the plight of the American people during the depression, and most artists painted real people in difficult circumstances.Artists such as Thomas Hart Benton and Ben Shahn expressed the suffering of ordinary people through their representations of struggling farmers and workers. While artists such as Benton and Grant Wood focused on rural life, man y painters of the 1930s and 1940s depicted the multicultural life of the American city. Jacob Lawrence, for example, re-created the history and lives of African Americans. Other artists, such as Andrew Wyeth and Edward Hopper, tried to use human figures to describe emotional states such as loneliness and despair. Abstract Expressionism.Shortly after World War II, American art began to garner worldwide attention and admiration. This change was due to the innovative fervor of abstract expressionism in the 1950s and to subsequent modern art movements and artists. The abstract expressionists of the mid-20th century broke from the realist and figurative tradition set in the 1930s. They emphasized their connection to international artistic visions rather than the particularities of people and place, and most abstract expressionists did not paint human figures (although artist Willem de Kooning did portrayals of women).Color, shape, and movement dominated the canvases of abstract expressio nists. Some artists broke with the Western art tradition by adopting innovative painting styles—during the 1950s Jackson Pollock â€Å"painted† by dripping paint on canvases without the use of brushes, while the paintings of Mark Rothko often consisted of large patches of color that seem to vibrate. Abstract expressionists felt alienated from their surrounding culture and used art to challenge society’s conventions. The work of each artist was quite individual and distinctive, but all the artists identified with the radicalism of artistic creativity.The artists were eager to challenge conventions and limits on expression in order to redefine the nature of art. Their radicalism came from liberating themselves from the confining artistic traditions of the past. The most notable activity took place in New York City, which became one of the world’s most important art centers during the second half of the 20th century. The radical fervor and inventiveness of t he abstract expressionists, their frequent association with each other in New York City’s Greenwich Village, and the support of a group of gallery owners and dealers turned them into an artistic movement.Also known as the New York School, the participants included Barnett Newman, Robert Motherwell, Franz Kline, and Arshile Gorky, in addition to Rothko and Pollock. The members of the New York School came from diverse backgrounds such as the American Midwest and Northwest, Armenia, and Russia, bringing an international flavor to the group and its artistic visions. They hoped to appeal to art audiences everywhere, regardless of culture, and they felt connected to the radical innovations introduced earlier in the 20th century by European artists such as Pablo Picasso and Marcel Duchamp.Some of the artists—Hans Hofmann, Gorky, Rothko, and de Kooning—were not born in the United States, but all the artists saw themselves as part of an international creative movement an d an aesthetic rebellion. As artists felt released from the boundaries and conventions of the past and free to emphasize expressiveness and innovation, the abstract expressionists gave way to other innovative styles in American art. Beginning in the 1930s Joseph Cornell created hundreds of boxed assemblages, usually from found objects, with each based on a single theme to create a mood of contemplation and sometimes of reverence.Cornell's boxes exemplify the modern fascination with individual vision, art that breaks down boundaries between forms such as painting and sculpture, and the use of everyday objects toward a new end. Other artists, such as Robert Rauschenberg, combined disparate objects to create large, collage-like sculptures known as combines in the 1950s. Jasper Johns, a painter, sculptor, and printmaker, recreated countless familiar objects, most memorably the American flag. The most prominent American artistic style to follow abstract expressionism was the pop art move ment that began in the 1950s.Pop art attempted to connect traditional art and popular culture by using images from mass culture. To shake viewers out of their preconceived notions about art, sculptor Claes Oldenburg used everyday objects such as pillows and beds to create witty, soft sculptures. Roy Lichtenstein took this a step further by elevating the techniques of commercial art, notably cartooning, into fine art worthy of galleries and museums. Lichtenstein's large, blown-up cartoons fill the surface of his canvases with grainy black dots and question the existence of a distinct realm of high art.These artists tried to make their audiences see ordinary objects in a refreshing new way, thereby breaking down the conventions that formerly defined what was worthy of artistic representation. Probably the best-known pop artist, and a leader in the movement, was Andy Warhol, whose images of a Campbell’s soup can and of the actress Marilyn Monroe explicitly eroded the boundaries between the art world and mass culture. Warhol also cultivated his status as a celebrity. He worked in film as a director and producer to break down the boundaries between traditional and opular art. Unlike the abstract expressionists, whose conceptual works were often difficult to understand, Andy Warhol's pictures, and his own face, were instantly recognizable. Conceptual art, as it came to be known in the 1960s, like its predecessors, sought to break free of traditional artistic associations. In conceptual art, as practiced by Sol LeWitt and Joseph Kosuth, concept takes precedent over actual object, by stimulating thought rather than following an art tradition based on conventional standards of beauty and artisanship.Modern artists changed the meaning of traditional visual arts and brought a new imaginative dimension to ordinary experience. Art was no longer viewed as separate and distinct, housed in museums as part of a historical inheritance, but as a continuous creative proces s. This emphasis on constant change, as well as on the ordinary and mundane, reflected a distinctly American democratizing perspective. Viewing art in this way removed the emphasis from technique and polished performance, and many modern artworks and experiences became more about expressing ideas than about perfecting finished products.Photography. Photography is probably the most democratic modern art form because it can be, and is, practiced by most Americans. Since 1888, when George Eastman developed the Kodak camera that allowed anyone to take pictures, photography has struggled to be recognized as a fine art form. In the early part of the 20th century, photographer, editor, and artistic impresario Alfred Stieglitz established 291, a gallery in New York City, with fellow photographer Edward Steichen, to showcase the works of photographers and painters.They also published a magazine called Camera Work to increase awareness about photographic art. In the United States, photographi c art had to compete with the widely available commercial photography in news and fashion magazines. By the 1950s the tradition of photojournalism, which presented news stories primarily with photographs, had produced many outstanding works. In 1955 Steichen, who was director of photography at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, called attention to this work in an exhibition called The Family of Man.Throughout the 20th century, most professional photographers earned their living as portraitists or photojournalists, not as artists. One of the most important exceptions was Ansel Adams, who took majestic photographs of the Western American landscape. Adams used his art to stimulate social awareness and to support the conservation cause of the Sierra Club. He helped found the photography department at the Museum of Modern Art in 1940, and six years later helped establish the photography department at the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco (now the San Francisco Art Instit ute).He also held annual photography workshops at Yosemite National Park from 1955 to 1981 and wrote a series of influential books on photographic technique. Adams's elegant landscape photography was only one small stream in a growing current of interest in photography as an art form. Early in the 20th century, teacher-turned-photographer Lewis Hine established a documentary tradition in photography by capturing actual people, places, and events. Hine photographed urban conditions and workers, including child laborers.Along with their artistic value, the photographs often implicitly called for social reform. In the 1930s and 1940s, photographers joined with other depression-era artists supported by the federal government to create a photographic record of rural America. Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange, and Arthur Rothstein, among others, produced memorable and widely reproduced portraits of rural poverty and American distress during the Great Depression and during the dust storms of th e period.In 1959, after touring the United States for two years, Swiss-born photographer Robert Frank published The Americans, one of the landmarks of documentary photography. His photographs of everyday life in America introduced viewers to a depressing, and often depressed, America that existed in the midst of prosperity and world power. Photographers continued to search for new photographic viewpoints. This search was perhaps most disturbingly embodied in the work of Diane Arbus. Her photos of mental patients and her surreal depictions of Americans altered the viewer’s relationship to the photograph.Arbus emphasized artistic alienation and forced viewers to stare at images that often made them uncomfortable, thus changing the meaning of the ordinary reality that photographs are meant to capture. American photography continues to flourish. The many variants of art photography and socially conscious documentary photography are widely available in galleries, books, and magazi nes. A host of other visual arts thrive, although they are far less connected to traditional fine arts than photography.Decorative arts include, but are not limited to, art glass, furniture, jewelry, pottery, metalwork, and quilts. Often exhibited in craft galleries and studios, these decorative arts rely on ideals of beauty in shape and color as well as an appreciation of well-executed crafts. Some of these forms are also developed commercially. The decorative arts provide a wide range of opportunity for creative expression and have become a means for Americans to actively participate in art and to purchase art for their homes that is more affordable than works produced by many contemporary fine artists. . Performing arts As in other cultural spheres, the performing arts in the United States in the 20th century increasingly blended traditional and popular art forms. The classical performing arts—music, opera, dance, and theater—were not a widespread feature of America n culture in the first half of the 20th century. These arts were generally imported from or strongly influenced by Europe and were mainly appreciated by the wealthy and well educated. Traditional art usually referred to classical forms in ballet and opera, orchestral or chamber music, and serious drama.The distinctions between traditional music and popular music were firmly drawn in most areas. During the 20th century, the American performing arts began to incorporate wider groups of people. The African American community produced great musicians who became widely known around the country. Jazz and blues singers such as Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Billie Holiday spread their sounds to black and white audiences. In the 1930s and 1940s, the swing music of Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, and Glenn Miller adapted jazz to make a unique American music that was popular around the country.The American performing arts also blended Latin American influences beginning in th e 20th century. Between 1900 and 1940, Latin American dances, such as the tango from Argentina and the rumba from Cuba, were introduced into the United States. In the 1940s a fusion of Latin and jazz elements was stimulated first by the Afro-Cuban mambo and later on by the Brazilian bossa nova. Throughout the 20th century, dynamic classical institutions in the United States attracted international talent.Noted Russian-born choreographer George Balanchine established the short-lived American Ballet Company in the 1930s; later he founded the company that in the 1940s would become the New York City Ballet. The American Ballet Theatre, also established during the 1940s, brought in non-American dancers as well. By the 1970s this company had attracted Soviet defector Mikhail Baryshnikov, an internationally acclaimed dancer who served as the company’s artistic director during the 1980s. In classical music, influential Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, who composed symphonies using i nnovative musical styles, moved to the United States in 1939.German-born pianist, composer, and conductor Andre Previn, who started out as a jazz pianist in the 1940s, went on to conduct a number of distinguished American symphony orchestras. Another Soviet, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, became conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D. C. , in 1977. Some of the most innovative artists in the first half of the 20th century successfully incorporated new forms into classical traditions. Composers George Gershwin and Aaron Copland, and dancer Isadora Duncan were notable examples.Gershwin combined jazz and spiritual music with classical in popular works such as Rhapsody in Blue (1924) and the opera Porgy and Bess (1935). Copland developed a unique style that was influenced by jazz and American folk music. Early in the century, Duncan redefined dance along more expressive and free-form lines. Some artists in music and dance, such as composer John Cage and dancer and choreographer Merce Cunningham, were even more experimental. During the 1930s Cage worked with electronically produced sounds and sounds made with everyday objects such as pots and pans.He even invented a new kind of piano. During the late 1930s, avant-garde choreographer Cunningham began to collaborate with Cage on a number of projects. Perhaps the greatest, and certainly the most popular, American innovation was the Broadway musical, which also became a movie staple. Beginning in the 1920s, the Broadway musical combined music, dance, and dramatic performance in ways that surpassed the older vaudeville shows and musical revues but without being as complex as European grand opera.By the 1960s, this American musical tradition was well established and had produced extraordinary works by important musicians and lyricists such as George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Jerome Kern, and Oscar Hammerstein II. These productions required an immense effort to coordinate music, drama, and dance. Because of this, the musical became the incubator of an American modern dance tradition that produced some of America's greatest choreographers, among them Jerome Robbins, Gene Kelly, and Bob Fosse.In the 1940s and 1950s the American musical tradition was so dynamic that it attracted outstanding classically trained musicians such as Leonard Bernstein. Bernstein composed the music for West Side Story, an updated version of Romeo and Juliet set in New York that became an instant classic in 1957. The following year, Bernstein became the first American-born conductor to lead a major American orchestra, the New York Philharmonic. He was an international sensation who traveled the world as an ambassador of the American style of conducting.He brought the art of classical music to the public, especially through his â€Å"Young People's Concerts,† television shows that were seen around the world. Bernstein used the many facets of the musi cal tradition as a force for change in the music world and as a way of bringing attention to American innovation. In many ways, Bernstein embodied a transformation of American music that began in the 1960s. The changes that took place during the 1960s and 1970s resulted from a significant increase in funding for the arts and their increased availability to larger audiences.New York City, the American center for art performances, experienced an artistic explosion in the 1960s and 1970s. Experimental off-Broadway theaters opened, new ballet companies were established that often emphasized modern forms or blended modern with classical (Martha Graham was an especially important influence), and an experimental music scene developed that included composers such as Philip Glass and performance groups such as the Guarneri String Quartet. Dramatic innovation also continued to expand with the works of playwrights such as Edward Albee, Tony Kushner, and David Mamet.As the variety of performanc es expanded, so did the serious crossover between traditional and popular music forms. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, an expanded repertoire of traditional arts was being conveyed to new audiences. Popular music and jazz could be heard in formal settings such as Carnegie Hall, which had once been restricted to classical music, while the Brooklyn Academy of Music became a venue for experimental music, exotic and ethnic dance presentations, and traditional productions of grand opera. Innovative producer Joseph Papp had been staging Shakespeare in Central Park since the 1950s.Boston conductor Arthur Fiedler was playing a mixed repertoire of classical and popular favorites to large audiences, often outdoors, with the Boston Pops Orchestra. By the mid-1970s the United States had several world-class symphony orchestras, including those in Chicago; New York; Cleveland, Ohio; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Even grand opera was affected. Once a specialized taste that often required extensi ve knowledge, opera in the United States increased in popularity as the roster of respected institutions grew to include companies in Seattle, Washington; Houston, Texas; and Santa Fe, New Mexico.American composers such as John Adams and Philip Glass began composing modern operas in a new minimalist style during the 1970s and 1980s. The crossover in tastes also influenced the Broadway musical, probably America's most durable music form. Starting in the 1960s, rock music became an ingredient in musical productions such as Hair (1967). By the 1990s, it had become an even stronger presence in musicals such as Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk (1996), which used African American music and dance traditions, and Rent (1996) a modern, rock version of the classic opera La Boheme.This updating of the musical opened the theater to new ethnic audiences who had not previously attended Broadway shows, as well as to young audiences who had been raised on rock music. Performances of all kinds ha ve become more available across the country. This is due to both the sheer increase in the number of performance groups as well as to advances in transportation. In the last quarter of the 20th century, the number of major American symphonies doubled, the number of resident theaters increased fourfold, and the number of dance companies increased tenfold.At the same time, planes made it easier for artists to travel. Artists and companies regularly tour, and they expand the audiences for individual artists such as performance artist Laurie Anderson and opera singer Jessye Norman, for musical groups such as the Juilliard Quartet, and for dance troupes such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Full-scale theater productions and musicals first presented on Broadway now reach cities across the country. The United States, once a provincial outpost with a limited European tradition in performance, has become a flourishing center for the performing arts.