Saturday, August 31, 2019

Claude Cahun: Boy & Girl Together

Claude Cahun: Boy & Girl Together For this discussion I found an interest in the gender bending â€Å"self-portraiture† of Claude Cahun. An added interest I later found about Cahun and her work came after googling her name; I found some articles about feminism in art that not only speak about Cahun and her feminist work, but also about Cindy Sherman’s art as well (Imagine that to my surprise).Cahun was one of first the 20th century (female) artists to dress herself up in an array of gender bending disguises and photographed herself in the name of art, from the time she was 16 with the collaborative assistance of her life partner (and step sister), Marcel Moore. Cahun had preferred to present herself as both object and subject for her own sexual fascinations, rather than a passive object (Claude Cahun, Self-Portrait, 1928, The Guerilla Girls’ Beside Companion to the History of Western Art, page 62) o be consumed by the â€Å"male gaze. † Claude’s wor k was scandalous to everyone including the homophobic, surrealist men she hung out with, as she paved her own path towards liberation; could Cahun and Moore have been the first two Guerilla Girls’ of the 20th century? Yes, I do feel that woman’s artwork is read in a gender-based way, while men’s is mainly looked at in terms of its content and statement. Claude Cahun’s artwork is looked at as scandalous and pornographic; the surrealists wrote her out of their history.On the contrary the surrealists could appreciate that of Rrose Selavy, the avant-garde alter ego of Marcel Duchamp; a male artist disguised as a woman for art’s sake. Claude Cahun’s gender most definitely comes into play when interpreting and studying her work, as well as her sexual identity. Cahun disrupts restrictive ideas about gender, social prescriptions and femininity. The fact that has surprised me throughout the study of art history is that only the art of white, European affiliated men held any merit. Meaning, the art itself was not looked at by what it was or how well it was created, but y who created it as to whether it was to be consider museum worthy or not. â€Å"What do women want? They want the human to be neither man nor woman. † – Jean-Francois Lyotard (The Guerilla Girls’ Beside Companion to the History of Western Art, page 59) I found this to be supportive of how artwork should be studied, interpreted and of its success of not. The art should be the topic and the content and message be heard over the fact of whether it is created by a man, a woman or someone in-between. References: * The Guerrilla Girls' bedside companion to the history of Western art. New York: Penguin Books, 1998. Print. page 62-63. * â€Å"Claude Cahun. Guerrillagirlsbroadband. N. p. , n. d. Web. 2 Apr. 2012. http://ggbb. org/meet-the-broads/claude-cahun/. Claude Cahun – radical, Jewish, lesbian, writer, resistance fighter, political activ ist, Surrealist, photographer strangely prescient in their concern with sexual politics and gender identity. Her self-portraits represent such a diverse range of sexual selves Although Cahun did not become closely associated with Andre Breton’s Surrealists util the early 1930s, she later declared herself to have â€Å"always been a surrealiste†. The Surrealists organized in response to the rise of Hitler and the spread of fascism in France.Her political commitment extended throughout her life, and though she might best be described as a libertarian anarchist, her politics had an explicitly feminist subtext In examining issues of female self-identity and subjectivity, before they were really formulated as such, Cahun was moving toward her own liberation. Jersey was occupied by the Germans during World War II, and the two women mounted resistance activities such as writing and distributing anti-Nazi leaflets. Cahun was nearly executed for this act, but was given a reprie ve at the last minute.German soldiers moved into Cahun and Moore’s home, destroying much of their art work, including original photographs, photo-plates and negatives. The two women were subsequently incarcerated. The ignorance about Cahun is such that there are source books on Surrealism that refer to her as a man. Cahun’s boyish image was, in fact, shocking in the context of mainstream French Surrealism. The male Surrealists not only advocated heterosexuality, but tended to be homophobic. Claude was a lesbian, A Jew, and a Marxist, three no-nos to the Nazis, who invaded France in 1940.

Friday, August 30, 2019

The events that occurred in Derry on January 30th 1972 became known as Bloody Sunday

The events that occurred in Derry on January 30th 1972 became known as Bloody Sunday. Why have these events produced such different historical interpretations? The straightforward answer is because at present historians do not know precisely what happened on Bloody Sunday. The basic facts are clear. These are that on 30 January NICRA (Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association) planned to hold a civil rights march in Londonderry to protest against Internment (the imprisonment of suspected terrorists without a trial.) British troops opened fire, killing thirteen people and wounding several more. However there are many different interpretations of who started the violence and who was to blame for the events of Bloody Sunday. The Northern Ireland government had banned all such marches, the year before, but the marchers were determined to go ahead anyway. Besides, few Catholics took much notice any longer of the Northern Ireland government. The marchers were unarmed, but when they reached barricades that had been put up by the army to stop them leaving the Bog side, they began to throw stones and shout insults at the soldiers. Snatch squads were sent in to arrest troublemakers, but shooting broke out. Afterwards the soldiers claimed that they had come under fire from flats alongside the road, but the marchers claimed that the soldiers had opened fire first. Thirteen marchers were killed and another thirteen were injured. Each side blamed the other for the disaster. The soldiers claimed that the IRA, which had used the march as a means of provoking a response, fired them on first. Catholics believed that the army had deliberately attacked the marchers. Source C supports that view because it tells of soldiers being heard before Bloody Sunday, talking about â€Å"clearing the bog†, which is referring to Derry's bog side. However the source also shows that the information could be unreliable as it took place in a pub and could just be hearsay. The Republicans of Northern Ireland are seen by some to be determined to humiliate the British authorities by demanding an independent investigation, which is still on going today. Until recently, the British Government has always accepted the view of the British Army, shown in the ‘Widgery Report', that its soldiers had simply fired in self-defence after being fired at by IRA gunmen. Nationalists claim that the British soldiers were unprovoked and opened fire either in response to some imaginary threat or, as a deliberate act of violence The two sides give a different view because of who they are and what they want. The only known truth is that the British government sent troops to Northern Ireland to control the violence between Protestants and Catholics. Whether they did that or not, once in Northern Ireland, the British army quickly became a target for IRA rebel attacks. It therefore was appropriate for the British authorities to support the accounts of the soldiers policing the march who claimed they acted in self-defence. They viewed themselves as ‘carrying out their duties as a peacekeeping force', and blame the IRA terrorists, who had already carried out many attacks on the Ulster Constabulary and British Army in Northern Ireland. Nationalists, especially Sinn Fein and the IRA, regarded the British Army as an Army of ‘occupation'. In their view, the British Army's presence in Ireland was itself an act of aggression so in their eyes the Nationalist community had every right to protest against it. Their interpretation of Bloody Sunday is that the soldiers' response to the marchers was the act of an aggressive invasion force trying to put down legal protest against an illegal occupation of Ireland. It reflects their view that Republicans were not simply terrorists, but occupied in a justifiable armed struggle against British aggression. In the Widgery report the government claimed, † Each soldier was his own judge of whether he had identified a gunman.† A Catholic priest at the scene claimed that he saw no one shooting at troops. He claimed that he saw the British Army shoot without selecting targets, â€Å"it was a massacre.† Due to his religious tendency one would expect him not to make up such a statement, however someone writing a report concluding the true actions of Bloody Sunday would have to question the priest's reliability, because like many others present at Bloody Sunday there is the possibility of a one sided or biased view. The report went onto state â€Å"some soldiers showed high degrees of responsibility, [some] firing bordered at the reckless.† Part of Source A supports the military claim that soldiers simply responded when they came under fire. One former soldier stated how the so-called new evidence was being brought up, but the nail bombs and acid bombs he claimed were used against them were not mentioned. He made a valid point that thousands of people had been on the streets of Derry that day, and that if they had been firing so indiscriminately as people have said, then why were there no women and children killed? Several prominent Nationalists were at the scene and claim to be eyewitnesses to the British army's aggression, but it is questionable as to whether their version of events can be trusted without independent evidence. Source K for example reflects the idea of the soldiers shooting everywhere around them without any provocation. The paratrooper responsible for shooting Damien Donaghy, stated he had â€Å"intended to shoot dead† a man he was â€Å"convinced was a nail bomber.† However he admitted he â€Å"could have shot the wrong man† or that one of the shots he had fired hit Mr. Donaghy â€Å"by accident†. Damien Donaghy, 15 at the time of Bloody Sunday's events, denies that he was carrying any nail bombs or other weapons, but was without doubt shot in the thigh in Derry's bog side during the civil rights march on the day soldiers shot dead 13 Catholic men and boys who were said to be unarmed. Source B supports his view as it weakens claims about supposed nail and acid bombs being used, due to new forensic evidence suggesting that the Widgery reports findings could have been caused by contamination such as emissions from car exhausts. When two groups oppose each other, interpretations are bound to differ, however another cause for the difference in interpretation is that because Bloody Sunday happened 31 years ago, all the buildings are different now and the place itself cannot be used as evidence to support either side's statements. Source I is therefore an example of a valid piece of evidence as it shows a reconstruction of Derry's bog side and can portray the bog side as it was, which is needed to support peoples accounts. Interpretations may differ because people hear, see and experience things differently and so for example a gun being fired by a soldier could have triggered other soldiers to open fire if they had cause to believe it was a civilian or member of the IRA. Currently, the only people who know the truth are those who carried and used weapons on that terrible day and their commanders, both British Army officers, possibly acting on the orders of the British government, or the IRA leadership. This is why the â€Å"Saville Inquiry† has been set up by the British government as part of the current peace process to try to find out the truth behind Bloody Sunday.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Argument - Essay Example Banning universities from showing, or rather, selling students list to credit card companies is a smart move. This is because; higher learning institutions should be the ones imparting life skills upon students. Instead, to benefit from the fees they get from the credit card companies, they give access to the students; this shows the level of corrupted morals in the country’s institutions of higher learning (Approvals.com). Thus, it is evident that students require loans to survive in colleges, unless, of course, one is from a well background. However, in spite of this fact sticking out, colleges and universities expose students to risks knowingly that they do not have the income to sustain the costs of financing a credit card. In this regard, institutions of higher learning should not grant access, whatsoever; despite the benefits, they bear from these companies. In addition, some of these institutions give misleading information, moreover to selling student lists, by giving promises of broader options concerning higher-education options (Golden). The information collected from these students is only beneficial to credit companies that commission such surveys and capitalize by using it for marketing. Other than exploitation by both institutions of higher learning and credit card companies, credit cards are a deception to students as they are not crucial to their life as students. Credit cards do not add any value except accrued debt and a lifetime of paying for it. Colleges should actively advocate against the use of credit cards, as they are non-essential products required by students. This is a critical move towards helping colleges and universities lower their own costs of operation, as well as save students the trouble of having claimants on their back. The move is significant because of the charges that come with processing credit card payments thus, curbing the operating costs of these institutions. Therefore to ensure that students do not use the ir credit cards, or even to deter them from using the said cards, some institutions are charging the processing fees in cards such as visa that are used to pay for tuition, parking and other services rendered in the institutions (Greene). Therefore, by doing so, credit card companies will be deterred from mounting their marketing stands in colleges and luring students to apply for finances that they do not require. This is by use of gifts at campus events in an attempt to attract them towards opening a credit card account (Zhu). In addition, due to the lack of independence demonstrated by most students, since they are either dependents of parents and guardians, the use of credit cards exposes them to greater risk (Zhu). This is in the form of promoting inability to cope with their own needs and put an end to reliance on advances; that one cannot afford due to either low income or lack of means to do so such as a job. Not only do they put students at risk, but also the parents and gu ardians who co-sign the application forms as per the law (Zhu). This is because; by spending that which they do not have puts the guardian in a position of responsibility to bear the cost of financing luxuries in the name of emergencies most of which usually end up as â€Å"fashion emergencies†. The fine print, otherwise known as terms and conditions, used by credit card compa

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Multinational Corporation and State Relations in Emerging Markets Essay

Multinational Corporation and State Relations in Emerging Markets (there are lots of other possible topics) - Essay Example The situations suggest that a possible synergy exists between an MNC and an emerging state. There are strong advantages in multinationals setting up their operations, or at least part of it, in emerging countries, since this may establish a mutually beneficial arrangement. At the beginning, this is usually the case. Time passes, the country’s economy develops and the increasingly affluent population creates higher demand for the firm’s products. With the rising standard of living, the state finds the need to raise legislated wages, which usually works against the interests of the multinational corporation – because after all, MNCs seek to lower their costs. The MNC’s costs rise and their reason for setting up operations in a developing country slowly goes away. Other sources of disagreements emerge, such as the exploitation of natural resources, the repatriation of earnings out of the host economy and to the MNC’s headquarters in the home country, t he regulation of certain policies and processes considered standard by the MNC but unacceptable by the locality, and so forth. There is therefore a difference of roles and interests between the MNC and the host state, which may sometimes lead to conflicting goals; to maintain their working relationship, a balance of these interests must necessarily be achieved for the MNC to continue its productive and marketing activities in the country and for that country’s economy to continue to reap the benefits of the MNC’s presence. This study examines the dynamics and implications of the relationships between MNC and host countries. The purpose is to understand how these relationships are changing over time in response to the increasing globalization, and how problems about them may be addressed and resolved. Multinational corporation defined There is no formal definition of what a multinational corporation essentially is (Ajami, Cool, Goddard & Khambata, 2006, p. 6), and the t erm is often applied to a variety of business entities which have nothing in common except that they have some form of international participation or involvement. Some see multinationals loosely as companies that have parts of their production located in two or three different countries (Hoos, 2000), and some with markets in two or three different countries. Some see the MNC as â€Å"a number of affiliated business establishments† (Logar, 1980, p. 7), while others define it as â€Å"a single organization with a need to coordinate its operations across multiple environments† (Haghirian, 2010, p. 46). The presence of multinationals in a country need not be directly through wholly-owned subsidiaries. MNCs can operate through joint ventures with local firms, or by acquiring controlling interests in businesses already strategically located in a particular country. MNC interests with the least commitment to the country is in the form of exports where the products are shipped to the country in completion of orders from institutional customers, followed by franchises or licenses which the MNC may extend to established firms that would like to operate under the license and with the trade mark of the MNC. In these cases, the multinational corporation could extend their presence in another country without directly investing in it (Johnson & Turner, 2009, p. 247). An example of such MNC operation is seen in the Taiwanese market. Quanta Computers, Inc., a Taiwanese firm, served as contract

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Enviornmental Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Enviornmental Science - Essay Example They are extremely fragile environments, and just the presence of man can have serious impact on these islands. However, they are extremely important as protection of coastlines and as habitat for wildlife. Development in these fragile ecosystems affects the wildlife which lives there and seriously changes the ecosystem. Man creates more permanent structures, but builds them on shifting sands. Pollutants alter the local environment and people seriously damage the various structures of the barrier islands with their activities. For example, even treated sewage alters the nutritive balance and can cause a predominance of algae formation. Human construction causes erosion to accelerate and chemicals kill off whole populations of the fragile food chain. To accommodate development of high rise hotels and golf courses, sand dunes are destroyed and salt marshes and barrier flats are filled in. These are three of the dynamically interacting systems of barrier islands. Allowing the development of barrier islands is an expensive proposition as luxury homes, hotels and condos can be totally destroyed in a hurricane. The public actually foots the cost of this as insurance rates rise for everyone, and the government provides some insurance which insurance companies refuse to sell. So the ecological damage, which is sometimes permanent, plus the enormous cost is simply filling some developers’ pockets. (1) Marshes and wetlands harbor a wide variety of wildlife and help to create and maintain barrier island systems which protect the coast. New Orleans is a case in point. It has lost more than a million acres since 1930 of its barrier islands and wetlands. (2) The marshes are critical breeding grounds which nurture several commercially important species, including shrimp. (3)More than this, Hurricane Katrina would have done much less damage to the gulf coast with these

Monday, August 26, 2019

Discipleship Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discipleship Program - Essay Example 1. One on One Mentoring. A friend of mine who spent some years of College inside the seminary told us of a system, where a senior seminarian is assigned to guide a neophyte through the process of adjustment; from a life of ease to a more restricted one. The senior seminarian is referred to as the Angel; while the new comer, Tobias. This system provides room for one on one coaching and counseling. In the process, camaraderie is strengthened as the neophyte gains confidence and develops to become an 'angel' himself in about a year's time. "Personal instruction from someone who is well experienced and versed was the best way to learn and develop ministry skills, and it still is," according to Dr. Richard J. Krejcir.ii In other churches, this takes the form of house visitation by an elder to a new or prospective member. This method is particularly effective due to its personalized approach, although it may tend to exhaust resources in terms of manpower, and time. 2. Small Group Sessions. Bible studies are usually conducted in small groups to facilitate a more cohesive sharing of experiences, and generate a lot more insights; so does a Sunday school session separately conducted for children, teens, and adults.

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Article Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Article Report - Essay Example There is a balance in the report as problems inherent with standardization were likewise presented as posing possible contrast with motivational theories that encourage innovativeness, creativity and ingenuity; and inability to comply with applications of standardized methods (Reid, 2010, 2). The applicability and usefulness of the information discussed by Reid comes in terms of indicating which particular practices and concepts could be standardized for the organizations’ benefits. Reid’s presentation of issues on metrology, interchangeability, and technological definition (Reid, 2010, 1), among others, provide a glimpse on the areas where standardization could be most beneficial. However, Reid could have cited actual scenarios and experiences of contemporary organizations that have proven standardization to increase their competitive advantage and leadership in their respective fields of endeavor, to make the discourse more meaningful and appropriately supported. Refe rence Reid, D. (2010). â€Å"Benefit Without a Doubt.† Quality Progress, 43, 11; pg. 56.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Difference between rationalism and empiricism Essay

Difference between rationalism and empiricism - Essay Example Rationalist believe that truth exists and rational and logic can grasp truth. Empiricism Empiricism is a Greek Philosophy Empiricism is a philosophy which bases on experience for knowledge This philosophy establishes that sensory experience is the sole way to gain knowledge Empiricism is related to the material world and phenomenon of universe. Empiricism is related to posteriori knowledge which means knowledge need experience. Empiricism explains that all human ideas are based on some outward experience Empiricsim is a psychological thought. Empiricism is philosophical theory which believe on intelligent assessment of things in universe Empiricist believe that knowledge is gained though experience and not by innate ideas. Plausibility of the theories Rationalism -Rationalism is a theory which is based on logic or rational. It is right that logic is predisposed with us who give us the ability to understand between right and wrong. If a person does not have logic then it is not possib le for him to evaluate experience or gain knowledge. However, logic itself cannot give knowledge, as human being is social beings some kind of experience can complete our knowledge level. The strength of this philosophy is universal and eternal which means that if one person can think then all others can as well. Rationalism makes us independent because we don’t need experience from outside to increase our knowledge. This philosophy believes in innate ideas and hence is natural and pure. The weakness of this philosophy is that only by thinking one cannot gain knowledge. For example ;We can imagine of a strawberry of how it would look like but we can never think of it taste. This is because our brain does not have the faculty to give sense of taste of aching which we never... Rationalism -Rationalism is a theory which is based on logic or rational. It is right that logic is predisposed with us who give us the ability to understand between right and wrong. If a person does not have logic then it is not possible for him to evaluate experience or gain knowledge. However, logic itself cannot give knowledge, as a human being is social beings some kind of experience can complete our knowledge level. The strength of this philosophy is universal and eternal which means that if one person can think then all others can as well. Rationalism makes us independent because we don’t need experience from outside to increase our knowledge. This philosophy believes in innate ideas and hence is natural and pure. The weakness of this philosophy is that only by thinking one cannot gain knowledge. For example, We can imagine of a strawberry of how it would look like but we can never think of its taste. This is because our brain does not have the faculty to give a sense o f taste of aching which we never experienced.Empiricism -The main strength of empiricism is that it believes that knowledge can come only through experience which is obtained through sensory organs. We learn from scientific methods and experiments and gain knowledge more and more. According to this philosophy, the best way to understand things is to see with the eyes. The second strength of empiricism is that it gives experimental reasoning. Here the past experience and observation contribute to the gaining of knowledge.

Www.ideo.com and www.kickstarter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Www.ideo.com and www.kickstarter - Essay Example Kickstarter.com has a terrific vision making dreams into realities. Projects, creative ideas and other dream endeavors become reality with the funding that could be provided by kickstarter.com. Looking closely at the reviews for kickstarter.com, the website both has good and negative reviews. For the good reviews, the website was able to materialize projects would not have left the trestle board if it was not funded through kickboard. One of the projects was the Dewey Mac, Kid Detective Book which is a make DIY (do it yourself) and STEM Spy Gadget (Carroll). The idea was to make children experiment from STEM (Science, Technology and Math) experiences to be able to play the game. The participant would be building real working toys such as foxhole radio and glass ear from materials that could be readily found at home. In the process, it strengthens the STEM skills of children while having fun. The kit received various awards which could not have been possible without kickstarter.comâ⠂¬â„¢s help. Another project that materialized through kickstarter.com was the â€Å"Foodie Dice: Play with your food† project (Tumbleweeds). The idea was to inspire cooking combinations from the dice by merely rolling them. It is composed of 5 primary dice and 4 seasonal veggie dice that could produce creative concoctions by merely rolling them. The project receive $86,371 pledges and 2,333 backers (Tumbleweeds). III. Conclusion There are also some negative reviews about kickstarter.com such as non-notification of projects that it dropped that confuses the creators (sitejabber.com). But comparing these operational glitches to the benefit that kickstarter.com does to creative people, it is negligible. People in general are still grateful to the help that kickstarter.com extends to the creative. In sum, kickstarter.com serves as a bridge between people who have great ideas who does not have the resources to materialize it and those people who have resources who would like to h elp creative to materialize their ideas. Part II I. Title: www.ideo.com II. Introduction Ideo.com also deals with creative ideas just like kickstarter.com except that it does not look for fund those ideas into reality but rather help its customers to tap on their latent creativity to realize their creativity. Ideo is a design and innovation consultancy company founded in Palo Alto, California in 1991 by David Kelley, a Stanford Professor, Moggridge Associates, Matrix Design and Steelcase. Its current CEO is Tim Brown. It offers its consultancy services to its clients to help them design their products. Among the products connected with Ideo are futuristic PDS, sports watches and media panel (ideo.com). They call it â€Å"creative confidence† or design thinking where people discover their inherent creativity and transform them into a positive force in an organization (ideo.com). Compared to kickstarter.com where they look funding to help creative ideas materialize, ideo.com br ings out the creativity of people by actively engaging with their customers in the design of their products. III. Body Ideo.com can be classified as a cutting edge company in terms of design. Many of the known brands and popular products that we are using right now are in fact designed by the company. Among these companies are Samsung and British Airways. They collaborate with its customers and help them come up with a design and innovation that is consistent with the brand of their customers. IDEO integrate the needs of people, the possibility of technology and the requirement of business success as its approach to industrial design. It helps its customers