Rufino Blanco-Fombona Essay Example for Free

Rufino Blanco-Fombona EssayRufino Blanco-Fombona, (b. June 17, 1874, Caracas, Venezuelad. October 17, 1944, Buenos Aires, Argentina), Venezuelan literary historian and man of letters who play a major role in bringing the works of Latin American writers to world attention. Jailed during the early years of the dictatorship (190835) of Juan Vicente Gomez, Blanco-Fombona fled to Europe, where he set up Editorial America in Madrid (1914), which presented Latin American writers to the European literary world. A prolific author, he wrote poetry,short stories, novels, and essays.Of Blanco-Fombonas vast output, his literary essays ar considered his best work. Two of hiscritical works, El modernismo y los poetas modernistas (1929 Modernism and the Modernist Poets) and Camino de imperfeccion, diario de mi vida (19061913) (1929 Road of Imperfection, Diary of My Life 19061913), are considered standard works on the Modernist movement in Spanish. Other important works include Letras y letrad os de Hispano-America (1908 Letters and the Learned in Latin America) andGrandes escritores de America (1919 Great Writers of America). His novel, El kat de oro (The Man of Gold), was published in 1912.

The United States Educational System-Based on Age Essay Example for Free

The United States pedagogyal System-Based on Age EssayThe United States tuitional system based on progress is adapted to United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organizations (UNESCO) International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) levels. In order to define the levels of raising uniformly across all countries, this publication used terms to compile worldwide comparable statistics on educational activity. The organization differentiated seven levels of education ranging from preprimary to 3rd.International descriptions of preprimary, primary, and tertiary education atomic number 18 parallel to the classification used in the United States. On the other hand, lower and upper secondary education has slightly mixed meanings. Level zero is called as preprimary education or commonly known as early childhood education. It usually included education for children aged 3-5, although in some countries, it starts as early as age 2 and in other continues thro ugh age 6. In the United States, preprimary education includes kindergarten (Matheson, Salganik, Phelps Perie, 19). Primary education (level 1) runs from about ages 6-11, or about first through sixth grades in the United States. Specialization r bely occurs in any countries before secondary education. supplementary education describes ages 11 or 12 through 18 or 19 and is divided into two levels lower and upper secondary (levels 2 and 3). For purposes of statistical comparability, the United States has defined lower secondary education as grades 7 through 9 and upper secondary as grades 10 through 12.In the United States, lower secondary education ends with an examination and constitutes the completion of compulsory education (Matheson, Salganik, Phelps Perie, 19). Upper secondary education immediately follows lower secondary education and includes general or academic, technical, and vocational education, or any combination thereof, depending on the country. An upper secondary attainment level is roughly equivalent to a U. S. spunky school diploma. The United States Educational System-Based on Age foliate 2Higher education, also referred to as tertiary education, includes three ISCED levels and is equivalent of postsecondary education in the United States. Non-university higher education includes education beyond the secondary school level involving programs that terminate in less than a 4-year degree (Matheson, Salganik, Phelps Perie, 19). This type of education is at ISCED level 5. ISCED level 6 comprises education programs that lead to a 4-year under refine degree. These programs are typically located in universities and other 4-year institutions.The highest level, ISCED level 7, includes graduate and professional degree programs. Compulsory education ends at different ages across other countries. In the United States, Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, mandatory schooling ends at age 16, the end point is age 14 in Italy and 15 in Jap an. In Germany, full-time compulsory education ends at age 16, although students are necessitate to be enrolled at least part-time through age 18 (Matheson, Salganik, Phelps Perie, 14). After compulsory education, enrollment rates drop off.In the United States, enrollment in secondary education dropped from 72 percent for 17-year-olds to 21 percent for 18-year-olds. In the United States, the first opportunity for students to receive secondary certification is upon finish high school, usually at age 17 or 18. In United Kingdom, students take the examination for the general certificate of secondary education when they are 16. Youth who do not continue to upper secondary schooling and are unemployed are eligible for training programs supported by the government activity but outside the education system.In Germany, the majority of secondary school students who continue after age 16 and are not preparing for university education embark in vocational training at the upper secondary level, including the countrys dual system of pert-time schooling and part-time apprenticeship. The United States Educational System-Based on Age Page 3 Participation in higher education in the United States and Canada was among the highest in the world in 1992. However, this doest not mean that young adults the age of U. S.college students are more likely to be enrolled in education programs in the United States than in other countries (Matheson, Salganik, Phelps Perie, 15). The disadvantage of ISCED levels are planned mainly for (educational) statistical reasons and for validating quantitative productivity. ISCED would have restricted use for the purpose of comparability, recognition, mobility and European cooperation in VET. No sector specific and job specific definitions or typology of skills are purchasable (Hoffmeyer-Zlotnik, 223-240). ISCED 1997 is in most contemporary and western countries a useful system to categorize school leaving certificates. In countries with complic ated educational systems, like Germany, the ISCED 1997 categories cover hardly the community situation. Another disadvantage of ISCED 1997 is the risk misclassification, how national diplomas are sorted into the ISCED 1997 codes. Asking the respondent about the ISCED codes increases the interview burden for the respondent (OECD). Education is associated to numerous aspects of social disadvantage all through an individuals life span. This includes their time in pre-primary education, in the compulsory schooling system during their childhood years, as young adults in post-compulsory education and during the years of adulthood (Machin, 10). Social disadvantage also matters for the phase of post-compulsory education, where it is evident that educational inequalities linked to family background scarper to persist and become larger (Feinstein, 213-229).The possibility of staying on after the compulsory school-leaving age is connected to family setting and social drawback in many countri es. Since involvement in higher education improves life likelihood and triumph as an adult, this The United States Educational System-Based on Age Page 4 compounds the previously wide discrepancy linked to social disadvantage that arise in the childhood years (Machin, 11).Reference Feinstein, Lee. Mobility in Pupils Cognitive Attainment during School Life. Oxford Review of Economic constitution 20 (2004) 213-229. Hoffmeyer-Zlotnik, Jurgen.How to Measure Education in Cross-National Comparison Hoffmeyer-Zlotnik/Warner-Matrix of Education as a New Instrument. Mannheim ZUMA 11 (2005) 223-240. Machin, Stephen. Social disadvantage and education experiences OECD, Paris, OECD social, employment and migration functional papers, Paris OECD Publications, 2006. Matheson, Nancy, Salganik, Laura, Phelps, Richard, Perie, Marriane. Education Indicators An International Perspective, Pennsylvania DIANE Publishing, 1997. OECD. Education at a Glance, OECD Indicators 2004, Paris OECD Publicati ons, 2004.

Types Of Films And Films Narrative Essay Example for Free

Types Of Films And Films Narrative EssayFiction something that does not exist in real heart Contrasted with Documentary films, Fiction does not purport to deal with factual information. However, there are also Documentary-Fiction combinations like in the JFK film. In JFK, the filmmaker incorporated prime footage to give it a semblance of reality. Ask your classmates for a show of hands, who has watched JFK?Documentary Please refer to the remand above for the distinctions. Ask your classmates for documentaries that they give watched and point issue the devices active by these documentaries they volunteered. Briefly discuss how The Blair Witch Project is of the subgenre, mockumentary, to supplement the discussion in the Film Art book. Ask questions about the accuracy and dependability of documentaries. Discuss the impact of Al Gores An Inconvenient Truth as a popularized documentary for the purpose of environmental advocacy. Ask your classmates if they find documentaries convince or just bordering on propaganda? Why is Michael Moore a controversial figure?Animation Please refer to the table above for the distinctions. Ask your classmates for animate films that they have watched and point out the devices employed by these animated they volunteered. To supplement the book discussion, mention the other concepts and subgenres under animation such as rotoscoping technique (like in Richard Linklaters films, Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly), Japanese anime films (Voltes V, Daimos, Princess Mononoke), Computer Graphics Interface (CGI like Finding Nemo, Happy Feet, iMAX 3D animated features) in contrast to old celluloid techniques (manually drawing and painting on celluloid sheets that are overlapped and shot frame by frame).See more how to take leave a narrative essayExperimental and Avant-Garde Please refer to the table above for the distinctions. Ask your classmates for experimental films that they have watched and point out the devices employed by these experimental films they volunteered. Discuss the Japanese-American film, Eiga Zuke, or Pickled Film, through the technique employed by the filmmaker. Here, the abstract splotches were created by soaking the negative in pickling agents out front processing it into film stock. Experimental films generally have no rules, emphasizing self-expression and exploratory techniques. Ask your classmates what kind of experimentation they would eventually like to try in their own films in the future?Defining Genres (Mental Note Picture S-T-E-M, Subject, Theme, Emotional Effect, Manner of Presentation) Subject Give an example of a film with a particular subject, like a biography, the subject is the life of the protagonist. Theme Give an example, like a Western, where the theme is resolving conflict between law and order forces, versus outlaws, bandits or Indian communities. Distinct Emotional Effect like in Horror movies and thrillers, these are calculated to make the interview feel horr ified.These films challenge the sensibilities of what the audience perceives as normal. Manner of presentation Give an example of a film, like a Musical, where the characters clearly engage in singing and dancing to communicate aspects of the plot everlastingly remember that Genre Mixing is common and that there are certain innovations in film that challenge the preconceived notions established in that genre. This is a formulation of the social process that includes a transforming social milieu. For example, the film Aliens, portrays Ripley as a strong feminist character who is also a caring mother.Chapter 4 annals AS A FORMAL SYSTEMSTATE The Story-Plot distinction suggests that you want to give someone a synopsis of a narrative film, you can function in 2 ways1. Summarize the story, starting from the earliest incident which the plot cues you, then infer straight through to the end.2. Tell the plot, starting with the showtime incident you encountered in watching the film3 Aspec ts of Narrative (Mental Note Picture Ca-T-S , Causality, Time, Space)Narration the Flow of Story InformationOpenings, Closings and Patterns of DevelopmentRefer to the table to discuss the distinctions and cite examples from the book.In the classical Hollywood narrative, the chain of actions that result from predominantly psychological causes tends to motivate most or all other narrative events. if the characters did not desire something to be different from the way it is at the beginning of the narrative, change would not occur.Discuss a short excerpt from the Citizen Kane film and analyzes the aspects by showing them the plot segmentation in the book. Integrate all the concepts discussed so far in the Citizen Kane class discussion.Dont forget to thank your audience after your presentation.Works CitedBordwell, D. and Kristin Thompson. Types of Films. Film Art An Introduction. Location Publisher, Year. 42-61Bordwell, D. and Kristin Thompson. Narrative as a Formal System. Film Art An Introduction. Location Publisher, Year. 89-113

Mass Media Influence On American Society Media Essay

Mass Media Influence On American Society Media Es assertIt is the power that shapes and molds the mind of virtu altogethery every citizen, new or old, rich or poor, simple or sophisticated (Sweet Liberty, 2000, 1). The media is a part of everyday life in America. News and events outside of ones home or neighbourhood are brought to their area via the newspaper, magazines, radio, television, and the internet. As the quote above mentions mass media, and its components, are very sizeable and are capable of influencing ones mind, as well as their behavior. The images and stories introduced to children and young adults make it difficult for these viewers to distinguish between fact and fiction (Cable News Network, 1998, 3), thus stimulating confusion and blind emulation.In Torrs Violence in Film and Television, adopt and television editor, Harvey Roy Greenberg, says that different forms of aggression, either spoken, sung, danced, or written have appeared in practic altogethery every cli me and time. In early(a) words, the media and raging entertainment have been nearly since ancient times. In the Stone Age, violent images were painted and carved into their stone canvases, the Romans enjoyed gladiatorial combat, and the Victorian English enjoyed plays and puppet shows a lot featuring murder and swordplay as styluss of exciting the audience (Torr, 2002, 15). Violence on television, or portrayed in literary form, may have been more(prenominal) mild and censored in the past, further all the same, the public was still vulnerable and easily influenced by what they witnessed and experienced.Hollywood, currently, is very candid and graphic in its productions, especially depending on the director and editor. However, in contrast with todays wild interpretations and brutal killings, in the 1930s, Hollywood abided by production codes. These codes regulated all aspects of screen content, with an elaborate argument of rules outlining what was permissible to show and w hat was not (Torr, 2002, 22). As times changed and American society became more informed about reality and the ferocity which took place, the codes were modified, eventually leading to film ratings. Although Americans were more aware and the ratings provided some restrictions, this did not mean that emulation and confusion were eliminated completely. virtually from the cradle, children in the United States are bombarded by violence on TV, in movies, and in song lyrics (Cable News Network, 1998, 2). Children are easily swayed and influenced by the some images and pictures presented to them through the media. By high press aim graduation, children will have spent well-nigh 50 percent more time in front of a television than in front of a teacher (Dudley, 1999, 32). Parents, often times, are too drained or pre-occupied with their own lives, leading their children to find comfort in watching television or compete characterization games which, consequently, become the prime example s for their actions and behaviors. For all too many Americans, the real founding has been replaced by the false reality of the TV (Sweet Liberty, 2000, 2). These children hear the news and watch shows and films where innocent people are creation stolen from or being killed, scarcely they have nobody there to teach them the difference between what is real and what is not, what is right and what is wrong.An article printed in Time magazine, entitle Suburban Smackdown, is a great example of how the media persuades children to impersonate what they view on television. The article concentrates on the violence of wrestling and how some children and young adults are place on shows, costumes, masks and all, for their neighbors based on these wrestling characters they see on TV. It may not be the Rock vs. the Undertaker on prime-time TV, barely the high school boys of the Extreme Wrestling Federation of Sayerville, N.J., try hard to make their contests look just as real (Fonda, 2000, 4 9). It may be fun and games for a lot of these kids, precisely images seen on a Best of Backyard Wrestling video included kids jumping onto barbed wire, setting their opponents on fire, and other kids somersaulting onto mattresses studded with sharp objects (Fonda, 2000, 49). And the violence seems to be trickling down from teenagers to tots (Fonda, 2000, 49). The Wrestling Federation and the high school boys imitation is similar to a slippery slope. The professional wrestlers are not setting a sober example for these boys by promoting fights and violence for no reason, other than winning a trophy, and these high school boys are not setting a good example for even younger children because they are expressing that violence is fun and okay. One year before this article was published, in Dallas, a three-year-old boy was killed after his seven-year-old crony stiff-armed him in the throat, trying to imitate a move he had seen on television (Fonda, 2000, 49). After hundreds and thousan ds of years of media influence, it cost childrens lives and innocence for the pro-wrestling federations to run dont-try-this-at-home ads during their matches.Children are a large majority of the population influenced by the media, but it is not them alone who imitate and follow what they see and hear on a daily basis. Media experts say the last four decades of research have shown a clear correlation between violence on television and the development and display of aggressive determine and behavior by both children and adults (Torr, 2002, 99). Adults watching the news are influenced by the events occurring locally as well as internationally however, it not so much(prenominal) what they hear, but more how it is being presented. For example which items are emphasized and which are contend down, the reporters choice of words, tone of voice, and facial expressions the wording of headlines the choice of illustrationsall of these subliminally and yet profoundly affect the way in which we interpret what we see or hear (Sweet Liberty, 2000, 2). Not only does the news affect the way adults think and view the society, but film and violent entertainment in any case play a large role in influencing their behaviors and actions. A good, very recent example involves Mel Gibsons movie The vexation of Christ. . . . A Fort Bend County man has fanned the flames of the fervor when he confessed to killing his girlfriend after viewing the movie in hopes of seeking salvation (Klentzman, 2004, 1). The Passion of Christs message influenced this man in a positive way, in confessing for his mortal sin, but the other side to this positive media influence is not so bright Leach, the man convicted of the murder, suffocated his girlfriend and got the idea of making it look like a suicide from the weekly series CSI (Klentzman, 2000, 2).Music and its lyrics have similarly played an enormous role in shaping and molding American societys minds. Todays unison is absolutely nothing like t he Oldies. The modern-day society is accustomed to hearing music where 50 percent of the lyrics are what are considered bad words. Heavy metal and rap lyrics have elicited the greatest concern, as they compound the environment in which some adolescents increasingly are confronted with pregnancy, drug use, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, injuries, homicides, and suicide (Dudley, 1999, 55). Artists like Marilyn Manson and Eminem have parents worried because they do not want their children being exposed to such porcine language, afraid they will try to emulate these particular artists and the stories conveyed through their lyrics, often times including the subjects of beating their wives or slitting their wrists. Another good example of how the music world influences peoples minds and behaviors is the suicide of Nirvanas Kurt Cobain. When Kurt Cobain died, I died with him was the note left by an eighteen-year-old who, along with two other friends, executed a suicide pact following Cobains death (Dudley, 1999, 34). MTV and other music stations play a crucial role in young adults lives. With continuous coverage of celebrities and music artists, many people find the drive to conform. Parental awareness, supervision, and discussion are critical variables in heading off additional tragedies (Dudley, 1999, 34).Video games have become a more recent trend, but just as the other sources of media, these games have the potential of influencing and molding the minds of children and adults. In the past, video games like Pong, consisted of a ball which would bounce off of two sticks. Nowadays, video games like Mortal Kombat or Grand Theft Auto, consist of cursing, shooting, beating, and killing humans and monsters. The National Coalition on Television Violence found that more than 75 percent of video games contained violent images (Sherrow, 1996, 71). Many researchers believe that video games have a stronger effect on children than merely watching television because the players take a direct and active role in the violence the researchers also believe that the players of these games will become desensitized towards violence and disregard human life because, in these games, they are able inflict pain, but no pain is inflicted back on them (Sherrow, 1996, 71). Many of these images mimic reality, using lifelike scenes and situations. What we see happening, is that there is so muchrealistic-type violence portrayed in movies and other situationsThey think that if you shoot somebody, they get up (Cable News Network, 1998, 4). As well as promoting violence, video games also encourage anti-social behavior. Instead of going outside and playing sports or interacting with other people, many people choose to stay indoors, in a dark room, playing on their video game systems.With the advancement of technology, how can one forget the Internet? Since its development in 1993, the Internet has been an excellent resource for research, entertainment, and communication . However, the Internet also has many flaws. Like video games, the Internet also encourages anti-social behavior one may be able to communicate through AIM services and such, but it is possible to be addicted to the Internet. Those addicted to the Internet do not feel the need to socialize in another setting, perhaps outside. Also, the Internet has many websites for games, interesting facts, and useful yellow page information however, it also has many websites very inappropriate for children and young persons, like pornography or violence. As mentioned above, lines of communication theory are often opened up through the Instant Messaging services, although this may be a positive thing, it can also lead to spartan and harmful situations. For example, children using the Internet and talking to their friends through instant messages may enter chat rooms. These chat rooms are full of strangers and people of all ages trying to take advantage of young minds. For instance, there have bee n many cases where older men have posed as 10-year-old boys in order to suitable up with a child of the same age group and rape or kidnap them. Parents may try to block and limit what their children see or do on the Internet, but with the education and information children and young adults receive today they can easily break the locks placed upon their access on the computer.Although media images may be enlightening, a lot of the time they are disturbing and provocative, especially depending on the audience. Common sense just tells you that theres obviously an influence. Television is the most powerful medium in the world. Movies, the entertainment industry, the music industry, theyre very powerful (Cable News Network, 1998, 14). As one is able to tell, the mass media is present in our everyday lives. By watching the news, reading the newspaper, watching the television set, or going to the movie theatres, the media is always there. Whether one may realize it or not, in one way or a nother, the media has influenced their behaviors and/ or actions. From birth to death, people in America will live in a society in which their education and their futures revolve around the mass media and its messages, whether they are positive or negative it is the American way of life.

Moral Influences on Historians

Moral Influences on HistoriansMalthus was criticised of confusing righteous and scientific categories, of eachowing the former to influence his understanding of the latter(prenominal). Should the historians stool be free of moral influence?Population was for Malthus the great Devil, the untamed Beelzebub that was only kept chained defeat by vice and misery, and which, if it were once let loose from these restraints, would go forth, and ravage the earth. (Hazlitt 1994, p.182)This contemporary response to Malthuss knead by William Hazlitt echoes the main corpus of rejoinders aggrandisement the charge against Malthus that his work reflected uncorroborated ethical assumptions that ultimately would prove counterintuitive and fly in the face of common sense.Although frequently articulated by his opponents, this raise will argue that this charge is mainly misguided. The question requires to explore three distinct hardly interrelated issues first, whether Malthuss work suffers from a confusion of moral and scientific categories. Second, whether the scientific aspects of his work have been subject to distortion on musical score of the moral principles he held to be true and valid. And third base, whether write up as a scholarly enterprise should be free from moral maxims.The implications of all three issues be complex and reach far beyond the confines of this look for. Malthuss work itself is easily straddling several domains of academic inquiry and stop of the answer to whether his work suffers from the conflation of moral and scientific categories lies in the heterogeneous character of his work. It seems appropriate to elaborate all three issues mentioned above through an investigation of his main short letters. Malthuss work disrespects neatly drawn boundaries of academic spheres.The essay will proceed as follows. In a first section it will outline what I believe the wider issue is that informs the debate surrounding the veracity and validity of Mal thuss historiographical work. The trice part of the essay will sketch the primary arguments by Malthus and, eventually, relate these as we go along to the issues of objectivity and soggyity.Malthus wrote at the intersection of three domains of intellectual engagement. At the time of the publication of his work, none of these fields had emerged as scholarly disciplines in themselves, although one (history) was in the process of methodological standardisation. Malthuss main thesis on the consequences and logic of people growth drew on one side from historical endorse and articulated a particular historical narrative. On the different hand, it advocated distinct measures to prevent unchecked population growth and be urinate engaged with what we would now call social policy. On a meta-level, however, his historical narrative as well as his conclusions about the nature of population control and its pizzaz rested on assumptions about the nature of man and the role of reason in de termining the common good of English society. In a wider sense accordingly Malthus offered his readers a dense and complex philosophical framework that informed his analytic and interpretative project. The issue of scientific objectivity or moral influence of his work however does not extend equally into these three fields. And it is this disciplinary character which will allow us to clarify some of the challenges and accusations that were levelled against his work.Intere cauterisely the question whether Malthus confuses moral and scientific categories in his work only pertains to one dimension that of history and historical prove. Social policy is per se generated by ethical dioramapoints about what society ought to look like and about the permissibility of human suffering or desirability of human happiness. Philosophy as an enquiry about the moral resources for social agency of individuals possesses equally qua definitionem a moral impetus. Neither of the both are therefore even in their ideal form free of ethical considerations, nor should they be. To deprive them of any normative content is to strip them of their essence.This is not the case with history, or so at least some philosophers of history claim. The relevant debate is mainly cast in the issue of objectivity in historiography. Historical state so the main claim goes, can somehow be void of ethical judgement and so should be the end product of historical work, histories that purport to be an accurate word picture of things past. Insofar as Malthus presented us in the Essay (Malthus 1970) with an example of historical musical composition, he would have to abide by strict guidelines of what constitutes documentary historiography. There are several confusions here at work that, once clarified, instantly defuse the charge of subjectivity against Malthus.If we understand objectivity in historical writing as absence of undue personal bias then precise of historiography would pass this test. Mc Cullagh has convincingly argued that such a stringent standard makes little sense (McCullagh 2000). If we probe our convictions further we whitethorn find it utterly reasonable that some types of political, ideological or moral bias find their way into our narratives. What we do find deplorable however is if historians try either to conceal their possible use ups in giving a particular narrative a specific slant, or pretending to present to us in their narratives the epitome of objectivity in historical work. Furthermore, we can, as sensitive observers, detect biases and criticise them. All we need for that intent is to be able to follow up the historical evidence and check that it corroborates the particular historical narrative under scrutiny. This way it is fairly easy for historians to signal a work written to robust methodological standards from a fanciful account of past events.The thesis that objectivity is a standpoint universally divided and that therefore historical op inion ultimately must converge upon an indisputable singular truth is erroneous and distorts the nature of history as an intellectual endeavour. objectivity in historiography can only amount to absence of obvious personal bias which still leaves us as historians with questions of contested interpretations and the problematic nature of evidence picking. History therefore is by nature a field of contestation, a conversation on things past (Oakeshott 1999) rather than the presentation of an ultimate irrefutable portrayal of events. If that is the case, moral maxims may play a role in the instruments of selection and interpretation in historical work, but that should not bother us as long as they are transparently articulated and remain susceptible to criticism.Haskell has formulated a persuasive critique of those conceptions of history that assume historical writing be ethically neutral (Haskell 1990). We have, he writes, as much probabilitys to prevent our moral convictions to colo ur our historical work as we have to detach us from our social lives and commitments. In fact it is at the heart of the philosophical project of scepticism to suggest that the search for an Archimedian point of view, which would expose to us the world as it is in some transcendent reality, is riddled with problems bordering on conceptual nonsense. It is this scepticism that informs Malthuss work on population control and his critique of social policy and social reform. Consequently this critical project is formulated from an ethical standpoint which is clearly expressed and made transparent in his writings. The historical evidence he produces is equally open to scrutiny and he did abide by all common standards of methodological stringency endorsed at that time. Hence to claim that his historical account of population growth is unduly influenced by moral, political or ideological commitments which are immune from analytical scrutiny is to misunderstand the capacity of history for st ringent methodological discipline and professional standards.Let us now turn to a brief outline of the various themes and arguments which Malthus presents in his work. As already mentioned his work is a multifaceted and richly textured argument which straddles at least three domains of intellectual inquiry history, philosophy and social policy. To contend that Malthuss essay is exclusively an example of history proper is to fail to recognise the multiplicity of his intentions as well as the depth of his argument. As I have argued above, it should cause us no trouble to accept that Malthus the historian has in fact worked from ethical assumptions that may not be universally shared and that these assumptions have influenced his selection of historical evidence as well as the interpretations of it. The standards of historical work stipulate simply that these assumptions can be revealed, scrutinised and criticised by evaluating the validity of his interpretations of historical evidence as well as the impartiality of his selection. This in essence is the nature of historical work and does not jeopardise any reasonable claim of the discipline as a whole to engage in an enterprise that can lay claim to be objective as different from morally neutral (Haskell 2000).It is however a quite different story if we take Malthus to be an advocate of particular policies of public health or social reform. The question then does not seem to be whether or not Malthus was guided by his moral convictions in formulating his views on these matters, as he inevitably was, but whether his view of history should justifiably tell us anything about the way in which we should organise our society. The question resonates deeply with contemporary philosophical debates of which Malthus must have been keenly aware. Only some years before David Hume took issue with the view that we can infer the future from things past. There can be no doubt that to a certain breaker point Malthus is guilty of c ommitting the mistake of extrapolating from past developments a picture of a desirable future state of British society. But let us in all fairness look at his claims in detail. In outlining his main arguments I will use a distinction made by Hamlin which I believe structures the field of interpretation in a helpful way and separates the contentious issues from the non-contentious ones.Hamlin focuses first of all on Malthuss core argument which is of descriptive nature in his statement of the population principle. As a purely descriptive proposition it must fail to invite criticism of ethical subterfuge. (Hamlin 2000, p.117). The principle of population can be summarised in three aspects. Firstly, Malthus believes to have shown that the population cannot increase without the means of subsistence, second, that population invariably increases when the means of subsistence are getable, and third that the superior power of population cannot be checked without producing misery or vice (W inch 1987, p.19)Here Malthus works with two (mainly speculative) assumptions first, that mans drive to upbringing is infinitely greater than the earths potential to produce subsistence. And second, that the sexual impulses of man are stable over history. Malthus illustrates the first postulate by differentiate the arithmetic power of subsistence to the geometric growth in population. The disparity between the two had been pointed out previously by other commentators, and critics have accordingly incriminate Malthus of plagiarism (Hazlitt 1994a, p.171). But it would only be fair to Malthus to mention that he never claimed to be the discoverer of this relation between the two different ratios (Hazlitt 1994a, p.171). Although Malthus attempts to stand out his calculations about the unavoidable divergence of the two ratios with some available figures on population growth and grain production in the past, his argument which links the two remains speculative.This is not so much the c ase because he may use only a highly selective range of historical evidence (it can be disputed how much was available to him at the time), but rather because the disparity between the two hinges upon certain assumptions about the nature of population growth and food supply as well as their interaction. Malthus thinks that procreation is the natural outcome of the sexual impulse and does not reckon with the proliferation of already available means of prevention. Equally, his notion of food supply is one dimensional and consequently fails to take into account the possible variations of food produce. He notes that pasture necessarily makes less(prenominal) effective use of land than grain production, yet fails to see the different outcomes in nutritional value for humans. The speculative character of his writings therefore fill in the lack of depth of his calculations not in his moral convictions that may have come to bear upon his selection of historical evidence and his interpretat ion of it.The second domain of his work relates to social policy and the potential of society to prevent misery. This introduces a first normative element into the picture but, contrary to many critics, Malthuss ethical convictions do not confound the entire issue but only aspects of it. The fist aspect is whether or not it is true as a historiographical assertion that poverty exerts an influence upon the ability of population to grow. Here Malthus is still on descriptive ground. He once again may lack the semiempirical resources to reach a sufficiently informed judgement on the issue but nothing points to the possibility that Malthus follows in his interpretation of the available evidence a personal bias and subsequently tries to conceal it. His prose is not driven by ideological or moral convictions.The second aspect however deals with the chances of success for a proactive policy of public health and welfare. Here he extrapolates from a intermixture of historical evidence and s ome theories about social and economic agency. It is this mixture which opens him up to the charge of propagating the abolition of any reform agenda on the grounds of ideological beliefs. His position is informed by certain theories of socio-economic behaviour that are at best speculative, at worst simply false. His core argument rests on an analysis of the effects of resource scarcity in society. He notes that the formulation of additional money to the scant(p), if not mirrored by an increase in food supply, only results in the increase of prizes. The overall effect comes to nought. As the income of the poor rises, so do the prizes since the demand exceeds now the supply of food. The intended effect is the continuation of misery for the poor (Malthus 1970, pp.94-95).While this hints at an economic relationship that may or may not pan out in the predicted way, and overall may still prove to be overly simplistic, it can hardly be considered to be unduly influenced by moral beliefs. It is prima facie an economic theory which features (still) in many run of the mill explanations of prize development. Malthus however supports this idea with the notion that any kind of monetary assistance transforms the capacity of human agency for self-reliance negatively. He writesThe poor laws are strongly calculated to eradicate this relish of independence. Hard as it may appear in individual instances, dependent poverty ought to be held disgraceful. Such a stimulus seems to be absolutely necessary to promote the happiness of the great mass of mankind, and every attempt to weaken this stimulus, however benevolent its apparent intention, will always defeat its purpose. (Malthus 1970, p.98)Here he presents us with what John Rawls would have called a background social theory that informs our interpretation of social activity and structures our notion of socio-economic agency (Rawls 1993). The difficulty is that these theories require plea in order to shed their ideological dr ift (Daniels 1996). Malthus seems to think that all sorts of dependence are deplorable, while all kinds of independence are laudable. What he fails to build it that independence exists in social contexts which crucially shape the capacity to act as an economic or social agent. Clientelistic relationships for example may to some degree offset lack of money. On the other hand, the absence of either deprives any individual to enter the stage of economic co-operation in the first place, hence the chance to perpetuate personal independence and transform it into participation in social and economic schemes of co-operation.Malthuss theory about the stimulus of independence abstracts from the conditions that need to be fulfilled for active and effective socio-economic agency. This clearly reflects an ideological bias although, arguably, it may echo the beliefs and attitudes prevalent at the time.Here Malthuss work lacks the sceptical sting that it exhibits in other parts. The further one r eads his essay the more he gets bogged down in speculations about the perfectibility of man and the conditions for moral excellence. These are regrettable deviations from his main argument and deflect from the validity of his historiographical reflections. Once again however, these are strictly speaking not confusions of historical evidence and moral convictions but attempts to defend the conclusions he drew from population development in the past for social policy. He may have committed a category mistake by gulp on descriptive data to formulate prescriptive and substantial policy and support this with views on human nature and the role of reason in society, but his historical credentials remain intact. Although his policy recommendations drew fire, it would be unfair to say that his selection of historical evidence was driven by personal interest or moral convictions.BibliographyPrimary SourcesMalthus, Thomas Robert (1970), An Essay on the Principle of Population and a Summary vi ew of the Principle of Population, parvenue York Penguin Books 1798 and 1830Hazlitt, William (1994a), An Examination of Mr. Malthuss Doctrines, in Population. Contemporary Responses to Thomas Malthus, ed. By Andrew Pyle, Bristol Thoemmes Press, pp. 170-175Hazlitt, William (1994b), On the Principle of Population as Affecting the Schemes of Utopian Improvement, in Population. Contemporary Responses to Thomas Malthus, ed. By Andrew Pyle, Bristol Thoemmes Press, pp. 176-183 indirect SourcesDaniels, zero(prenominal)man (1996), Justice and Justification. Reflective Equilibrium in theory and practice, Cambridge New York Cambridge University PressHamlin, Christopher and Gallagher-Kamper, Kathleen (2000), Malthus and the Doctors Political Economy, Medicine, and the State in England, Ireland and Scotland, 1800-1840, in Malthus, Medicine, and Morality Malthusianism after 1798, ed. By Brian Dolan, Amsterdam Atlanta Rodopi, pp.115-140Haskell, Thomas L. (1990), Objectivity is not Neutrality Rhe toric vs. Practice in Peter Novicks That Noble Dream, in History and Theory, Vol. 29, No. 2, pp.129-157Mccullagh, Behan C. (2000), Bias in Historical Description, Interpretation, and Explanation, in History and Theory, Vol. 39, No. 1, pp.39-66Oakeshott, Michael (1999), On History and other essays, Indianapolis Liberty FundRawls, John (1993), Political Liberalism, New York Columbia University PressWinch, Donald (1987), Malthus, Oxford New York Oxford University Press

Fashion media communication

Fashion media conversationTwenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didnt do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.- Mark TwainAll my life I have dared to go that extra mile to achieve whatever I have wanted. Now that I have become a part of this industry I am living my dream.Fashion and Style are not mere words but an intrinsic part of todays life. Fashion according to me has limitless possibilities and infinite opportunities for the creative thinking in an individual. It has a wide spectrum, and still a wider scope for experimentation to express that creative urge. Today musical mode has acquired global standing. Its language imbibes in itself a blend of cultures. Fashion is the great leveler, the harmonizer. Fashion is the fusion of artistic tastes, its eloquence may be simply elegant or classic. Whether one feels identified to musica l mode or not, being indifferent to its massive attack is inevitable.Having had the opportunity to study in one of the most prestigious fashion institutes in the country I have been able to imbibe in me the intricate nuances and skills of the fashion world. But I believe in maintaining an explorative attitude as life is a learning process hence I am keen on exploring other dimensions in this field. The various Industry visits which were a part of my curriculum during my showtime and the internship at one of the leading export houses of India aided me to interface between design and technicalities of production and understand the different arenas of the fashion industry. I also had the opportunity to promote the arts and crafts of India by undertaking projects in the cluster breakments of the country. I have a flair for designing and the ability to maximize the resources in playscript and the confidence and desire to make a name for myself in the field of Fashion Media and commun ication. The Fashion Design degree from the National Institute of Fashion engineering has instilled in me high levels of creative awareness. An accentuated penchant for excellence gives me the required patience, which is a prerequisite in the field. I do not get bogged down by deadlines rather I keenly look forward to meet them. Designing and production are certainly not the end of the design process, with promotion of the fashion products being an equally important part which depends mainly upon the creative use of the diverse media involving communication techniques. My bachelors education in Design has endowed me with lasting inputs in areas like Design Process, Fashion forecasting, Product development, Graphic Design, Styling, Fashion management and branding which I believe will help me to further strengthen my abilities and develop in me the art and acumen to carve a niche for my self in the field of Fashion Media and use the appropriate tools to market fashion as the product o f artistic creativity. I desire to become a student at your highly acclaimed institute to polish my skills which I inculcated during my graduation through pains and dedication and focus on the core concept of fashion as an inherent part of our society with the objective of making people aware of the immensity of fashion as a way of life. I see HE Diploma (Fashion Media and Communication) offered at the London College of Fashion as a means for enabling me the high expertise and skills required in this field. But most importantly, I see it as a means of evolving my own personality and outlook rough the fashion world and directing my energy and knowledge towards the efficient and meaningful culmination of my career objectives.Through this course I would want to focus and develop in me the ability to be part of Fashion Media, and use the appropriate tools to project and market fashion as the right mix of artistic creativity and business.I believe in expression and I have chosen fash ion as my medium of self expression and would like to use fashion media and communication as a platform to realize my dreams. I strive to be the best, trained by none other than the best. As Archimedes once said pay me a firm place to stand, and I will move the earth.

Slavery and Human Decency :: American America History

Discrimination is very old in its origins. From the earliest periods of charitable existence, groups developed prejudices toward others and then discriminated against those whom they regarded as different or inferior. M any attempts were taken to maintain or increase power, prestige, or even wealth groups found it easygoing to invent or accept the idea that others were somehow inferior to them and thus not deserving of equal treatment. Among the many differences that could be used as a basis for discrimination, people quickly discovered that physical appearance was the easiest to identify. It required no subtle analysis, no careful contemplation, but only a sounding glance at those visual features that would later be used to identify race. The shape of ones nose, color of ones hair, or even the color of ones skin describes the usual nature of what we now call racial consciousness. Slavery is a perfect example. Racial animosity grew in both the North and South, and in many instanc es light-emitting diode to physical violence. The era of slavery should have been called the era of inhumanity. Slavery was inhumane, barbaric, and ultimately disgusting. In 1800 the population of the United States included 893,602 slaves, of which only 36,505 were in northern states (Phillips 18). Slaves were treated as if they were a piece of meat. The defined characteristics of slaves are as follows, their labor or services are obtained through force their physical beings are regarded as the property of another person, their master they are entirely subject to their masters or owners will (Phillips 17). Slave life according to historians has never been and will never be classified as a so-called idyllic experience. There was little in the way of recreation and other forms of entertainment to pass the time. It must be remembered that, slaves had no time they could call their own. Rarely did slaves get any free time at all, but when they did it was spent recuperating from long si xteen-hour workdays. Most slaves were not healthy taken care of. Many slaves went for days without eating, and in turn this caused their work pace to slow. According to Collier, plantation slaves worked sixteen-hour days in the summer, and were only given lead pounds of bacon or pork and roughly twelve quarts of cornmeal a week (26). Many slave owners or overseers would peruse the plantations and lash out at any given slave particularly because they simply werent working hard enough.