Nietzsche and Foucault

Both Nietzsche and Foucault have similar ideas about the genealogy of punishment. On the one hand, Nietzsche argued that the initial public displays of punishment arose out of our basic primal instincts – to see the wrongdoer punished in a public manner so everyone who wanted to see their suffering (and according to Nietzsche this mob was composed of anyone who didn't repress their instincts and urges) could do so. Foucault, on the other hand, presents his account as a genealogy. His genealogy gives us an account of the shift from the old method of sovereign power towards the modern method of disciplinary power. In the older system of punishment, the power to execute and punish was held absolutely by the sovereign, and all public displays of punishment were displays of the sovereign's power over their subjects. In the modern system, this power relation between the state and the individual still exists, but is done so in a much more private way. Punishment now takes place behind closed doors, giving rise to the birth of prisons and correctional facilities, exhibiting a more disciplinary power. In other words, the system of punishment shifted from public displays of the sovereign's power over their subjects to private rehabilitative processes meant to change the criminal back to normal standards of society. In this essay I will explain each of the philosophers' ideas about the shift in the method and purpose of punishment, and I will explore how Nietzsche's genealogy of morals could further account for this shift. Foucault's investigation into punishment and the origin of punishment begins with his exploration into why people in society conform to standardized norms and how certain institutions correct people's deviance away from those norms through exercising their power. He explains that this â€Å"corrections† have been historically carried out in the form of two different types of power: sovereign power and disciplinary power. In Discipline and Punish, Foucault asserts that sovereign power is held by the leader or ruler of the land and the subjects, historically residing in the form of a king or other monarch, and the subjects of such a sovereign are made to abide by their laws and regulations. When a subject breaks a law, their punishment is characterized by extreme violence and made to be very public (DP, 7). The execution or punishment itself is most often carried out by a state-appointed executioner, working as a direct representative of the sovereign's power in order to further dissuade the public witnessing the execution of committing other crimes (DP, 9). Around a hundred years later, there was a shift away from these public displays of power and violence to a more corrective and rehabilitating process. Foucault defines disciplinary power as the power to return a wrongdoer to the normative standards of society (DP, 179). As the years go on, power is taken away from a central body and is exhibited through institutions such as schools, prisons, and hospitals where power and knowledge is maintained through the sciences (e.g. psychology, sociology, and psychiatry) rather than laws. This new form of power is exercised over the individual's soul rather by disciplining their body (DP, 30). In other words, these new houses of power prefer a correctional approach in order to rehabilitate the wrongdoer and cut down on the amount of individuals not adhering to the norms of society (DP, 19). By doing this, disciplinary power and punishment is exercised over subjects through hierarchical observation, correcting individuals based off of an accepted norm (DP, 171, 183), and examination, which is characterized by the merging of observation and normalizing in order to more fully understand the actions and thought-process of the individual, thereby gaining more power over them (191). Foucault further argues that this shift from sovereign to disciplinary power was instantiated by evolution of power the state held (or wanted to implement) over its subjects. The new Enlightenment system of punishment that emerged in the early 19th century, although on its face seems to be a reaction against the old system of linking together punishment with violence and spectacle is in fact just a new system of power for the state and a new way of exercising control over its subjects. This new system is supposed to be a more humane way of dealing with offenders – it is meant to be seen as a cure in fact – however, the opposite is true: no longer is it intended to punish the individual, rather it is set up to supervise and observe the individual. This system of disciplinary power is no longer torturing the body, rather it is characterized by the deprivation of some sort of rights and liberties, most often by housing them in some sort of correctional institution. However, for Foucault, this does not remove the harm and injury of corporal punishment for to deprive an individual their rights and freedoms is to inflict a different form of pain. With this current form of punishment, the State has shifted its power into the shadows so to speak. It has distanced itself from grand, gruesome public displays of its power to a more nuanced and covert system of private punishment that no longer sates the bloodlust of the crowds that used to watch the executions (because as we will see with Nietzsche, people began to suppress their natural instincts around the time of the slave-morality revolt) but rather focuses its energy on the degradation of the offender's soul. In his Geneology of Morals, Nietzsche presents his view of how morality (and through that, punishment) has developed over the course of history. Retributivists assert that the essential essence of punishment is contained in the fair and equitable deserts it presents the guilty offenders with. To this, Nietzsche claims that this punishment did not come from the thought that the crimes of the guilty must be punished—in fact, he claims that this judgement is a rather late form of human observation and condemnation. Punishment, in Nietzsche's mind, came about as the will of the masters over the slaves, to enable them to experience and revel in the feeling of condemning someone and being able to abuse someone beneath them. In other words, punishing a wrongdoer was a right of the masters to engage in cruelty, something that was viewed as a positive trait. However, these values changed after the emergence of Christian ressentiment which flipped the cruelty exhibited by the masters before from something good to something evil; this taught man to be ashamed and to reject his primal instincts (those of the masters) which told him that cruelty and abuse was essential to a happy life. Before this reversal, humans celebrated our cruel instincts: â€Å"[W]ithout cruelty there is no festival: thus the longest and most ancient part of human history teaches—and in punishment there is so much that is festival!†( Nietzsche, Genealogy , essay 2, section 6). Nietzsche believed that punishment as it was supposed to be practiced in the days of the masters is no longer how it is actually practiced in modern society. This is because if punishment still represented the sovereign power (as Foucault would put it) of those who punished, we would no longer punish. Originally, punishment came about as the direct expression of the will of the powerful (what Foucault called the â€Å"sovereign†). However, in our modern society, a change has taken places and the roles in punishment have been reversed. Being powerful in ancient times was likened to being cruel and happy; being powerful nowadays is the ability to suppress those instincts, to reject cruelty and through that, punishment. Being able to punish is no longer an act of power over those beneath you; those who now punish are too frail to be able not to punish. This Christian ideal of ressentiment irrevocably changed who punished and what punishment actually is. Those who are now the punishers take punishment as not being the imposition of their will over those weaker than them but rather as the defending of their idea of justice by retributive means, by curing the sick, or by preventing further breaches of this justice. Nietzsche asserts that our understanding of punishment in modern times is a contradiction of its beginnings. He believes that the implementation of punishment—the remains of the â€Å"will to power†Ã¢â‚¬â€now prefers the morality of the weak, and tells them of the importance of getting retribution for the crimes committed, or the importance of doing only that which has utility. Therefore the weak aren't creating a new institution of punishment, rather they are transforming the old version under their new masters, into something that directly goes against what punishment was initially supposed to mean. Taking this idea into the perspective of Foucault, Nietzsche would say that the change in the meaning of punishment from that which gloried in public displays of violence to a penitentiary system which targeted the rehabilitation of the prisoner or to gain some sort of retribution for the criminal's offence has less to do with the punished and more to do with the punishers. To Nietzsche, this shift is in accordance with a rejection and suppression of basic human instincts, where the reveling and celebration of cruelty has been transformed into the idea of retribution or justice.

Art Notes: Living With Art

Art Megaliths are large stones that are surrounded by a circular ditch. The monument is presumably the marking of graveyard and once was accompanied by other monuments. The Neolithic era is known for the uses of new tools and constructive materials such as hardening clays using a flame. Pottery was used to create bowls, food Jars, cups, and a variance of other objects. Each culture characterizes art in its own way. Artists perform tasks such as create places for some human purpose, create extraordinary versions of ordinary objects, record and commemorate, give tangible form to the unknown. Eves tangible form to feelings and Ideas. And refreshes our vision and help us see the world in new ways. Vincent Van Gogh was a â€Å"painfully disturbed, tormented man who, in spite of his anguish, managed to create extraordinary art. † He was born In Grotto Sunders, Holland. By the time he became intense into art he only had ten years left to live. Creativity is the ability to create some thing that is â€Å"innovative and useful†. Researchers say that creativity can definitely be Improved.Selective perception Is the focusing on the visual Information needed for the task at hand and being able to zone out that of the background. The nature of perception suggests that one of the most important aspects is to notice details and visual relationships, recognize associations and emotions they inspire. Chapter 2 What is Art? Art museums are a source of civic pride. Many artists left behind extravagant examples of just how much they too valued art. Vincent Van Gogh painted Wheat Held and Cypress Trees which demonstrated his genius. Art and beauty art greatly linked.In the 1 8th century when art became a widely approved category, art and beauty were used together to describe a feeling of pleasure. Philosophers hardhearted this pleasure as an â€Å"intellectual pleasure/we perceive through a special kind of attention called disinterested contemplation. † Beauty i s linked to qualities such as symmetry, simple geometrical shapes, and pure colors. Compelling visual power and urgent messages are used to recognize art. Art can Invoke great pleasure as well as Inspiring sadness, horror, pity, awe, and other emotions.Representational includes a broad range of approaches as naturalistic and abstract. A personage is a fictional character. Stylized defines representational art that imitates to a preset style. Nonobjective is a descriptive of art that does not represent or otherwise refer to the visible world itself. What is art? Art is always about something, embodies meaning. Form is the way a work looks. Content is what a work of art is about. Subject matter Is the content the objects or events the work depicts. Iconography Involves Identifying, describing, and Interpreting subject matter In art.Chapters 3 and 4 Notes Chapter 3 Themes of Art word count: 202 All works of art are about something no matter what form whether it is a painting, textile, building, or ceramics. The areas of â€Å"beauteous† are considered themes. A many themes. Art throughout history has played a role in people's relationships with the sacred. Art described politics, social orders, and stories and histories. There are many works depicting deeds of heroes, lives of saints, and folktales. Most of which were passed down from generation to generation. Sometimes it is enough Just to look around ourselves and notice what our life is like here, now, in this place, at this time. † The earliest images of daily life that survived were in tombs of Egypt. Many rituals have been developed to honor ancestors and appease their spirits. However, here is really no ritual that would ever compare to the deep seated feelings with a human. During the renaissance, theorists linked art with poetry. They created images through their descriptive words. They weren't literally painting a picture. Some actual paintings were created to go along with poems.Nature and the human relationship to it have greatly been themes of art works. Chapter 4 The Visual Elements Word Count: 210 The first element of art is line. Line is plainly defined as a path traced by a moving point. An outline defines a two dimensional shape. Contour lines are the lines used o draw or record boundaries of three dimensional forms. Lines are also used to direct movement within a piece. When you look at a piece your eyes tend to follow the lines. Shape is a two dimensional form. Mass is a three dimensional form that occupies a volume of space.A figure is a shape we detach and focus on. The ground is the surrounding visual information the figure stands out from. Figures are considered as positive shapes, and the ground is considered negative shapes. Values are shades of light and dark. Chiaroscuro is an Italian style from the Renaissance period. Hatching involves closely spaced parallel lines. Cross hatching is used to show darker values with an extra set of parallel lines goi ng in the opposite direction. Stippling is also used to suggest values by condensing areas using dots.Simultaneous contrast is used to make complementary colors appear more intense when placed side by side. Texture describes surface quality, smooth or rough. A vanishing point is where forms seem to diminish in size as they recede from us. Chapters 5 and 6 Notes Chapter 5 Principles of Design Word Count: 206 In two dimensional art the organization odd line, shape, mass, light, value, color, texture, space, and motion is called composition. Unity is the sense of oneness, of things belonging together and making up a coherent whole. Variety is the difference which provides interest.Visual weight refers to the heaviness of lightness of the forms arranged in a composition, as gauged by how insistently they draw our eyes. In symmetrical balance, the forms of a composition mirror each other across a central axis. Asymmetrical composition has two sides that do not match. Emphasis means that our attention is drawn more to certain parts of composition than to others. If the means that certain area of composition are purposefully made less visually interesting so that the areas of emphasis stand out. Scale is the size in relation to a standard or normal size.Proportion refers to the size relationships between parts of a whole or between two or more perceived as a unit. The use of a scale to indicate relative importance is the hierarchical scale. Rhythm is based in repetition and it is a basic part of the world we find ourselves in. Chapter 6 Drawing Word Count: 233 The drawings we have been looking at are all on paper, a material we associate closely with drawing. Many other surfaces have been used to draw on. The oldest are eve drawings, caves carved with a hard stone, and using charcoal.Pigment is a coloring material, and binder is a substance that allows it to be shaped into sticks. Graphite is a soft crystalline form of carbon. It is a naturally occurring drawing medi um. Metal-point is the ancestor of the graphite pencil. It is an old technique that was especially popular during the Renaissance. A ground is a base coating of paint. Charcoal is charred wood. Pastel consists of pigment bond with non-greasy binder. Drawing inks generally consisted of ultramarine particles of pigment suspended in water. Wash is ink diluted with water and applied with a brush.A rapid-graph is a metal-tipped instrument that channels a reservoir of in into a fine line. The soft and supple brushes used for watercolors can also be used with ink. The concept of using a brush for drawing shows how difficult it can be to define where drawing leaves off and painting begins. Rectangular shapes sliced from newspaper and from a roll of imitation wood grain wallpaper have been incorporated into a charcoal drawing of a cafe © table set with wine glass and a bottle. This was the new age of more literal art through representation.Chapter 7 and 8 Notes Chapter 7 Painting word coun t: 215 Pigment is powdered color, compounded with a medium or vehicle, a liquid that holds the particles of pigment together without dissolving them. The vehicle generally acts as or includes a binder, an ingredient that ensures that the paint even when diluted and spread thinly. Without a binder pigments would simply powder off as the paint dried. Paints are applied to a support, which is the surface in which the artist works. This may be canvas, paper, wood panel, or a wall. Tempera shares qualities with both watercolors and oil paint.Geese is a mixture of white pigment and glue that sealed the wood and could be sanded and rubbed to a smooth, berrylike finish. Oil paints consists of pigment compounded with oil, usually linseed oil. The oil acts as a binder, creating as it dries a transparent film in which the pigment is suspended. Glazes are thin veils of translucent color applied over a layer of opaque paint. All prima is the name of the technique of opaque colors on the white gr ound. Water color consists of pigment in a vehicle of water and gum Arabic, a sticky paint substance that acts as the binder.Gouache is watercolors with inert white pigment Chapter 8 Prints Word Count: 244 A matrix is a surface in which a design is prepared before being transferred through pressure to a receiving surface such as paper. The term relief describes any printing method in which the image to be printed is raised from the background. Wood engraving uses a block of wood as a matrix. In this case the surface is cut along the grain. A linoleum cut, or linocuts, is very similar to a woodcut. Linoleum is much softer than wood, making it easier to cut, while limiting the number of crisp impressions.Engraving is the oldest of the intaglio techniques, engraving developed room the medieval practice of incising linear designs in armor and other metal surfaces. Dropping is similar to engraving, except that the cutting instrument used is a dropping needle. Mezzanine is a reverse proce ss, in which the artist works from dark to light. Etching is done with acids, which â€Å"eat† the lines and depressions into a metal plate much as sharp tools cut into those depressions in other methods. Aquatint is a way of achieving flat areas of tone-gray values or intermediate values of color.Photographer can print continuous tones, tones that shade evenly from light to dark. To achieve this, a fulfills positive transparency of the photographic image is placed over a sheet of light-sensitive gelatin tissue and exposed to ultraviolet light. Lithography is a bibliographic process. The printing surface is flat not raised as in relief or depressed as in intaglio. Chapter 9 and 10 Notes Chapter 9 Camera and Computer Arts Word Count: 221 Camera and computer technologies are essential to business, advertising, education, government, mass media, and entertainment.ABA All Has Bin al- Haitian, or otherwise known in the west as Alkaline, conducted an experiment in which he conclude d correctly that light travels in straight lines. He also theorized that the human eye worked on this same principle: light reflected from objects passes through the narrow opening of the iris, projecting an image of the outside world onto the surface of the dark interior. Dagger's light sensitive surface was a copper plate coated with silver iodide, and he named his invention the daguerreotype.Photographs bearing witness to events appear in newspapers and magazines all over the world. Dada was formed in 1916 as a reaction to the unprecedented slaughter of World War l. The word dada itself has no meaning, it refers to the art movement that Hoc belonged to. An auteur is a director whose films are marked by a consistent, individual style, Just as a traditional artist's painting or sculptures are. Just as radio had been invented to allow sound captured by a microphone to be transmitted over the air, so video was invented to do the same for moving images captured by a camera.Art that us es the Internet as a medium is known as Internet art, or more casually, net art. Chapter 10 Graphic Design Word Count: 201 On the most basic level, we communicate through symbols. Visual communication is also symbolic. Letters are symbols that represent sounds; the lines that we use to draw representational images are symbols for perception. A word mark or logotype is granted the status of art, letters for public architectural inscriptions have been carefully designed since the time of ancient Romans, whose alphabet we have inherited. A typeface is a style of type.Among the services offered by early printers in the 1 5th century was the design and printing of single sheets called broadsides. Handed out to town dwellers and posted in public spaces, broadsides argued lattice or religious causes, told of recent events, advertised upcoming festivals and fairs, or circulated woodcut portraits of civic and religious leaders. With the development of film and television, graphic design was set in motion. Words and images worked together in film titles, television program titles, and advertisements, all of which needed to be designed.Many art museums maintain collections of graphic designs, which overlaps with art in interesting ways. Many artists have worked a graphic designers, and many graphic designers also make art. Chapter 11 and 12 Notes Chapter 11 Sculpture and Installation Word Count: 211 Amman is a sculpture in the round, a freestanding work that can be viewed from any angle, for it is finished on all sides. A low relief, also otherwise known as a bas-relief, is a technique in which the figures project only slightly from the background. A sculpture that forms project more boldly from their background are called high relief.Modeling and assembling are considered additive processes. Carving is a subtractive process I which one starts with a mass of material larger than the planned sculpture and subtracts material until only the desired forms remain. Casting inv olves a mold of some kind, into which liquid or similitude material is poured and allowed to harden. Modeling is familiar to us in forms such as play dough. Fired clay is also known as terra cotta. Casting is a more indirect method of creating a sculpture. In casting, smother more rounded shapes can be achieved, and also be very shiny.Ceramic is cast in a liquid form called slip, made by mixing powdered clay with water and a defalcation. Assembling is a process by which individual pieces or segments or objects are brought together to form a sculpture. The human figure is one of the widely basis for sculptures of many times and cultures. Chapter 12 Art of Ritual and Daily Life Word Count: 206 Ceramics, from the ancient Greek word kormas, meaning â€Å"of pottery', is the art of making objects from clay, a naturally occurring earth substance. When dry clay has a powdery consistency; mixed with water, it becomes plastic, that is, moldable and cohesive.The vase is made of porcelain, a ceramic made by mixing kaolin, a fine white clay, with finely ground Petersen, also known as porcelain stone. If clay is one of the most versatile of materials, glass is perhaps the most fascinating. The most familiar way of shaping a hollow glass vessel such as a bottle is by blowing. The glass artist dips up a mass of molten glass at the end of a long metal tube and, by blowing into the other end of the tube, produces a glass bubble that can be shaped or cut technique used for windows, lampshades, and similar structures that permit light to pass through.Stained glass is made by cutting sheets of glass in various colors into small pieces, then fitting the pieces together to form a pattern. Forging is an ancient metal working technique using a hammer to shape the metal. Notes Chapters 13 and 21 Chapter 13 Architecture rod count: 200 Tensile strength refers to the amount of tensile or stretching stress a material can withstand before it bends or breaks. It especially concerns the abi lity of a material t span horizontal distances without continuous support from below.Another term for load bearing construction is â€Å"stacking and piling†. This is the simplest method of making a building, and it is suitable for brick, stone, adobe, ice blocks, and certain modern material. Load bearing structures tend to have few and small openings, if any, in the walls, because the method does not readily allow for support of material above a void, such as a window opening. Post and lintel construction is the most elementary structural method, based on two uprights, the posts, supporting a horizontal crosspiece, the lintel or beam.Hypotheses halls comes from the Greek word for â€Å"beneath columns. † A dome is an architectural structure generally I the shape of a hemisphere or half globe. I f a ceiling is coffer, it is ornamented with recessed rectangles, coffers, which lessen its weight. Concrete is an old material that was known and used by the Romans. Like all area of human creativity, architecture has been affected by the evolution of digital technologies. Chapter 21 The Modern World word count: 206 Romanticism was not a style so much as a set of attitudes an characteristic subjects.The 18th century is sometimes known as the Age of Reason, for its leading thinkers placed their faith in rationally, septic questioning, and scientific inquiry. The first art movement to be born in the 19th century was Realism, which arose as a reaction against both Neoclassicism and Romanticism. Realist artists sought to depict the everyday and the ordinary rather than the historic, the heroic, or the exotic. Artists admired many aspects of Impressionism, especially its brightened palette and erect painting technique. But they reacted in various ways to what they perceived as its shortcomings.Their styles are so highly personal that we commonly group them together under the neutral term Post-Impressionists, meaning simply the artists that came after Impressi onism. Europe remained America's artistic touchstone during the 19th century, for America viewed itself then as a continuation of European culture. American artists often went to Europe for part of their training, not only to study with European teachers, but also to see the collections of the great museums. Broadly peaking, expressionism describes ant style where the artist's subjective feelings take precedence over objective observation.Cubism poured all its energy into formal Notes Chapter 22 and 23 Chapter 22 From Modern to Postmodern Word Count: 210 Painters associated with the first major postwar art movement are commonly referred to as the New York School. The New York School was a convenient label under which to lump together a group of painters also known as the Abstract Expressionists. A critic of the time coined the term action painting to describe the work of Pollock and others, for their paintings are not images in the traditional sense UT traces of an act, the painter' s dance of creation.The variety of Abstract Expressionism is sometimes known as color field painting. By the middle of the asses, Abstract Expressionism had been the â€Å"new' style or fifteen years. Many artists felt that it was time to move on. While the artist of Pop turned their attention to imagery, other artists continued to explore the possibilities of nonrepresentational art. One direction that attracted many painters was hard-edge painting. Pop art's focus on imagery in the mass media inspired artists to look more closely at photographs. In a rend called Photorealism, they began to paint what they saw there.In a variety of interrelated trends, artists variously reacted against aspects of developed possibilities that it suggested. Collectively, these trends are known as Factionalism, which unfolded from the mid asses through the mid asses. Chapter 23 Opening Up to the World Word Count: 233 Beginning in the 19th century, transportation and communications technologies made p ossible by science and industry opened up new possibilities for human interaction, compressing our experience of distance and quickening the pace of daily fife. Born in Egypt, she moved to France with her family at the age of eleven.Since 1996 she has been based in New York. Aimer has created installations an performance pieces, but she is best known for paintings such as The Black Bang. We stumble on a secret world within the world we thought we knew. When we step back, the painting comes back into focus, but we can never quite see it in the same way again. Aimer cautions against interpreting her work too narrowly, either as a feminist statement or as a critique of Islam. Recently Murrain generally has broadened his object matter to embrace traditional Buddhist imagery, folding screen motifs, and abstraction.Murrain generally does not execute his own works. They are usually realized to his exacting designs, every outline drawn, every color specified, by employees of Kaki Kaki, Ltd. , a company he founded. In contrast to Murrain's international enterprise, Mexican artist Gabriel Rocco does not have a studio at all. A global wanderer with apartments in Mexico City, Paris, and New York, he prefers instead to work in temporary spaces or in the confines of an apartment amid the furnishings and accumulations of everyday life.

An Introduction To Encryption And Decryption

An Introduction To Encryption And Decryption CHAPTER 1 This thesis proposes a VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL) design of Encryption and Decryption Algorithm for Data. In this chapter, the challenges of cryptography is firstly presented. This chapter also briefly discusses the problem definition, scope of work and the thesis objectives are also highlighted.Finally, the chapter end with the chapter organization. The dissertation presentation is provided at the end 1.1 An introduction to Encryption and Decryption, a type of cryptography Encryption and Decryption, a type of cryptography, refers to the process of scrambling information so that the observer cannot be detecting the data. Cryptographic key is a piece of data used to encrypt or decrypt to plaintext. (Alex Brennen V., 2004) The Crypto, from the word cryptographic mean is it has its origins in the Greek word KRUOTOS, which means hidden. Thus the objective of cryptography is to hide information so that only the intended recipient can read it.[2] . Cryptographic is a protocol or method of performing encryption and decryption (Alex Brennen V., 2004). There are two types of cryptographic: symmetric and asymmetric key. Figure 1.1 is example a symmetric cryptographic has a single key, which is used for both encrypting and decrypting information. Data Encryption and Decryption is a well-known example of symmetric cryptographic. In symmetric cryptographic, public-key cryptographic uses complementary pair of keys to divided the process of encryption and decryption. This process is shown in Figure 1.2. This part is discuss about the symmetric-key cryptographic only.[3]. The proposed projects is to create the algorithms where it is use to convert of information, rearranging the original massage produce output referred as ciphertext Plaintext Plaintext Ciphertext Key Figure 1.1: Symmetric Cryptographic Plaintext Plaintext Ciphertext Encryption Key and Decryption Key Figure 1.2: Public-Key Cryptographic 1.2 Problem Statement At present there are many encryption and decryption, especially in the communication system provided in a variety of application. Encryption and decryption is particularly impacted in the field of military communications and reliable security data to protection for transmitting. This ciphertext is used in the military is to send information such as direction, strategy, secret codes and other information that can not be know by the national foe during the war.[4] Creating this system is the process by which information can not be detect by the national foe. The information can not be recognizing by the national foe because this system is using the process to encrypt data and decrypt data. [4] 1.3 Scopes of Work Based on available software resources, limited time frame and expertise, this research project is narrowed down to the following scope of work: 1. The project is only to design fixed 64-bit input of data block size, 64-bit output of data block size and 56-bit of key size based on an Encryption and Decr yption algorithm . 2. The projects is limited to design, to synthesis, to simulate and to verify the design in Altera Quartus II software. Objective The project are to create a system that can protect electronic data (secret information) which Consist of encryption and decryption process and to fully design an encryption and decryption algorithm using VHDL. The objectives of this project are

The Description of an Application Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Description of an Application Letter - Essay Example I also have experience in excelling in use of new technologies in the field of medicine. I have enclosed my certification credentials, resume and two references to enhance your access to additional information about my qualifications. I will be very grateful if considered and promise to deliver my best if granted an opportunity to serve your organization. â€Å"The Community Cancer Center (CCC) is one of the private, bountiful, non-profit, community-owned and operated cancer treatment facilities† (Community Cancer Center) that was formed in early 1980.CCC is very unique. This is evidenced by its lack of affiliation with governmental, political, or religious organizations. It is also independent of any support from any hospital or medical organization. Additionally, it performs its roles without any support from tax dollars. All these contribute to it working entirely towards enhancing the success of the community. â€Å"The CCC is governed by a voluntary, 30-member Board of Trustees† (Community Cancer Center). Its administrative duties are carried out by an executive director who supervises a staff of 22 as well as part-time employees. Physician services are offered by 2 independently employed oncologists. CCC offers support to those who lack the potential to purchase needed medicines. It also offers nutritional as well as psychosocial counseling to those in need of the service. A van owned by the center as well as the driver employed by the center take part in transporting patients who lack the ability to access medical centers. According to Bruce Hanna who was the former president of the Community Cancer Foundation, the philosophy of the CCC is to â€Å"To give hope, when life is challenged by cancer and to care for all who need it in Douglas County† (Community Cancer Center). The job I am applying for is  located in Normal, IL 61761. It is offered by all industries, and it requires a full-time employee. The reference code for the job is 20645485.  

Lack of effective Information Systems (IS) and Applications at Lesley Case Study

Lack of effective Information Systems (IS) and Applications at Lesley Stowe Fine Foods (LSFF) to support cloud ERP - Case Study Example Optimization of information systems affects success of ERP systems; however, this requires considerable amount of skills and knowledge, which in this case lacks in LSSF in helping it solve issues within its IS framework. LSSF’s inadequate information system mainly deals with the company’s internal resources; however, introducing cloud ERP that supports both internal business resources as well as basic Customer Relationship management system points out to the lack of information systems in the organization. The inadequate information system in the organization is unable to cope with demands of the basic system for customer relationship management that may go beyond the organization’s control. Although information technology is able to solve the issues within the company, introducing the IT solution faces the problem of the lack of IT department in the organization that results in a poor information system that is unable to solve the problems. Although, the cloud ERP solution may be implemented under optimal conditions in the organization, the solution would be prone to various challenges and failures in the organization because of the fragmented IS across its sites in Canada and USA. These issues in the company do not support implementation of cloud ERP solution (Compeau & Scott, 2013). Considering that some employees resort to manual activities in accomplishing their tasks, it is clear that LSSF lacks applications that can support the implementation of cloud ERP solution for the enterprise. The need for integration of various functions in the enterprise illustrates the absence of applications and information systems that support implementation of the intended cloud ERP solution. Given that currently the organization’s production, shipping, and inventory management involve manual processes (Compeau & Scott, 2013), it is clear the information system does not support

Eastman Kodak Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Eastman Kodak Company - Case Study Example It was observed that Kodak aimed to create a monopoly in the market which violated the Sherman Act’s Section 2 guidelines. The company also attempted to impose varied types of exclusive dealing based contracts upon different retailers. The decree includes licensing of processes for photofinishing as well as assistance of technology for anyone eager to start the business of photofinishing. The main objective of the decree was to ensure a healthy competition among the varied business entities in the photofinishing industry (Baye & Scholten, â€Å"Kodak Appeals to Court to Terminate 1921 and 1954 Decrees that Restrict Pricing Policies†). It can be stated that Kodak became the solitary leader in the industry with the development of film based product. The company sold its color film through processing aspects. It is also noted that through bundling the prices of photofinishing as well as processing, Kodak monopolized the market of the photographic industry. This resulted in the emergence of 1954 antitrust decree, which is considered as the second decree affecting the actions of Kodak. The decree was initiated by the court in order to enact restrictions to Kodak against bundling photofinishing process effectively. Hence, it can be stated that both the decrees i.e. 1921 and 1954 had resulted in the creation of enhanced market competition in the global market context for selling the products of photo films as well as processing. The decrees had restricted Kodak’s monopoly business in the global market context (Baye & Scholten, â€Å"Kodak Appeals to Court to Terminate 1921 and 1954 Decrees that Restrict

Protein isolation Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Protein isolation - Lab Report Example The aim of the experiment is to isolate, purify and identify Rubsico in spinach leaves using Ammonium sulphate, spectrophotometry, and electrophoresis and ion exchange techniques. Spinach leaves were described, homogenized and rubisco isolated using two grades of ammonium sulphate concentrations (37 % and 50%). Filtrates and supernatants were tested using appropriate techniques to ascertain successful isolation. (Robinson, Streusand, Chatfield and Portis, 1988) The isolate was then purified using DEAE Cellulose fast flow ion exchange chromatography and bound proteins eluted using different shades of salt concentration. Purified proteins were run on a SDS-gel electrophoresis to identify the isolate (Robinson, Streusand, Chatfield and Portis , 1988). Ammonium sulphate (salt) precipitates proteins by altering hydrogen bond interaction between protein and water molecules. Ammonium sulphate a high affinity for water molecules displaces protein molecules (lowers the solubility) thereby causing precipitation. Different protein molecules precipitate at different concentrations of ammonium sulphate and at the rate at which it is added. The effect of salt concentration on the isolation of rubisco is shown on figure 1. The absence of the rubisco band on sample p2 (protein isolated at 50 % salt concentration) shows a significant amount of the protein was isolated at 37% concentrations of ammonium sulphate. A protein molecular weight ladder shown in figure 2 was used to establish a calibration curve that used to identify the protein isolate. Figure 1 The effect of salt concentration on the isolation of proteins; the top arrows represent the samples ( from left to right: MW ladder, leaf extract filtrate, Supernatant of first precipitate (S37%), Pellet of first precipitate (S37%) at low salt, Pellet of first precipitate (S37%) at medium salt, Pellet of

Reflection paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 17

Reflection paper - Essay Example Different people may have different approaches to certain subjects because they The study on the methamphetamine and its effect on memory were explored in a way that linked it to the various aspects mental challenges (The Nervous System 2). In essence, the chapter was important in the manner in which it explored the variations in patterns of thought in different people and the capacity to comprehend situations or respond to certain stimuli from the environment. It might be necessary to consider the fact that some of the challenges that affect the efficacy of thinking processes have to be aligned with the differences in the brain capacities of individuals. Furthermore, the chapter opened my understanding of the enormous potential of the human brain and its capacity to coordinate activities within the understanding of human behavior. The brain as a biological organ is subject to a range of processes that determine human behavior. The communication between neurons is explored in a way that sheds light on the complexity and speed through which biological processes operate and communicate. On this matter, it becomes important to consider the fact the speed of communication is a key factor to communication. The challenge that arises within the element of communication should be considered as a product of the different levels of potentials between individuals with regard to the unique characteristics of the brain and variations in environmental factors. One of the important lessons obtained from the chapter revolves around the effect of substances on the functioning of the brain. Substances have the capacity to alter or ruin the processes of the brain in ways that may not be easy to comprehend in a normal way. In this regard, it becomes necessary to consider the fact that most of the issues that afflict matters of judgment are related to the capacity of the brain to process information with the right kind of

Staffing Organizations in a Coffee Business Term Paper

Staffing Organizations in a Coffee Business - Term Paper Example The association between the employer and employees will determine the relationship between the employees and a particular business entity. This coffee shop will be a sole proprietor’s business hence the owner is synonymous to the business. This means the relationship between the workers and the employer will signify that between the business and the employees. Conflicts between employees and employers are common occurrences, and there have been legal perspectives developed to address them. According to Salvacion (2008), the employees should sign contracts, and terms of service within the laws of the land, which clearly stipulate the duties, roles, obligations, and rights of both the employer and the employee. The relationship between the coffee shop and the employees will be devoid of discrimination, wrongful termination, poor working environment, and poor and unreliable payments. These are just but a few areas of legal concern, but the entire federal employment law shall be a pplicable in this mutually beneficial relationship. During the course of business operations in the coffee shop, issues of disparate treatment may arise. Disparate treatments involve favoritism or discrimination of employees at the workplace. Favoritism may take place due to religious, racial, sex, age and disability biases. According to Salvacion (2008), when such discriminations exist in business without correction overtime, then services of a lawyer should be sought to ensure that the problem is solved in due consideration of the law. Due to the fact that I desire the growth of the coffee shop, I will not allow disparate treatment to reach this level. I will endeavor to avoid the same through ensuring that there are effective and efficient communication channels to allow the employees to express their grievances on disparate treatment. This will be achieved for example, by providing a free environment to allow the employees to air their views like organizing team building events. Another way is by taking speedy action on complaints on disparate treatment geared towards embracing equal treatment for all employees regardless of the social and physical differences.  

Causes of World War One Essay Example for Free

Causes of World War One Essay There were many reasons why World War One broke out: imperialism was taken into effect, nationalism and unification of nations was very popular, alliances all over Europe were established and glorifying one’s military rapidly rose. World War One started in July of 1914, and lasted until November 1918. The primary cause of WW1 was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand; however, alliances developed prior to the war and the glorification in country’s military made the call for war nearly imperative. Militarism is when a country builds a strong military with the intention to use it when it is thought necessary. A nation will glorify it’s military and impose a threat to surrounding nations, which will lead those nations to establish larger, stronger, and more potent militaries. This was the case with Germany and France: Germany began to build up a forceful army in order to prepare for defense against France if necessary. This made the French feel threatened, and influenced to initiate in building an even larger army. This caused WW1 because both nations felt a threat against each other. Another example of militarism that caused WW1 was Germany building a large navy, as opposed to Great Britain. Again, Germany managed to impose a threat towards another nation, causing for that nation to feel obligated in establishing a stronger navy than Germany’s. Every nation at this point in time felt they had to have the biggest and strongest form of military in order to feel a sense of protection. The main cause of WW1 was the attack against Franz Ferdinand, who was the heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Austria-Hungary had control over Serbia, and Serbs did not like this. The Black Hand, a Serbian terrorist group, wanted Serbia to be free from Austria-Hungary’s rule. This caused WW1 because the nationalism in the Black Hand drove them to attack Ferdinand in order to try and gain back Serbia’s control in its land. The goal of the Black Hand was to break of Austro-Hungarian power in Serbia to form a Greater Serbia, which would be accomplished by attacking Ferdinand in Sarajevo, Bosnia where he was scheduled to visit on June 28, 1914. This assassination led Austria-Hungary to believe Serbia was behind the Black Hand’s movement. After the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. As Serbia and Austria-Hungary prepared to go to war, Russia offered support to Serbia, causing for Germany to declare war on Russia. This caused WW1 because the alliances drew nations into fighting, and it led to a huge war. As Germany and Russia went to war, Russia looked to France for help. Germany later declared war on France due to its alliance with Russia, and soon, Germany invaded Belgium as part of the Schleifen Plan. The Schleifen Plan was arranged for Germans to invade Belgium, and through Belgium, take Paris, then sweep back to Russia to take Moscow. This caused WW1 because the powerful nations of Europe were drawn into a state of war, and after Germany’s invasion in Belgium, Great Britain (who was allied with Russia and France) declared war on Germany and began a naval blockade (didn’t allow for Germany to get supplies). The primary cause of WW1 was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand; however, alliances developed prior to the war and the glorification in country’s military made the call for war nearly imperative. The assassination brought attention to many nations, which led to a rise in militarism between nations. Alliances also led to many nations coming together, using their militaries to take down opposing nations. Irrelevant things like feeling your army and navy is stronger than that of some other nations, connection between countries, and the attacking of an unpopular Austro-Hungarian heir led to a breakout of chaos in what we know today as World War One.

Representation Of Women In Hindi Cinema Film Studies Essay

Representation Of Women In Hindi Cinema Film Studies Essay Hindi cinema has always been a major point of reference for Indian culture and society. Not only has it shaped but also expressed the changing scenarios and contours of Indias cultural and societal sentiments to such an extent that no other preceding art form could ever achieve. Hindi cinema has influenced the way in which people perceive and deal with various aspects of their own lives. Cinema means different things for different people, for some it is the greatest and the most appreciated medium of entertainment, while for others it is just a medium that disseminates moving pictures. And then there are people who think that it is a medium that reflects the true mood and the changing scenario or rather reality of the society that produces it. Not only does it reflect, it also shapes and influences a society. One can say that cinema and society influence each other. Cinema, is a true reflection of the society and what we see in movies actually happens, otherwise where do these films get their inspiration from? Movies now portray live-in relationships, girlfriends and boyfriends, pre-marital sex, corruption, people following live and let live policy in life and family, liberal parents, colleges are depicted like dating parties and professors like friends. Of course one has to admit that it is all exaggerated and blown up, sometimes even in epic proportions, but the core idea, the crux, the central theme, comes from the society itself. Obviously those situations and reflections of life and society are exaggerated and blown up converting it all into a motion picture with elements of drama, suspense and comedy so as to attract spectators. The society and the world that we live in is changing and these changes are echoed in the cinema. Lets take the example of the humble and illiterate mother or ma depicted in the Hindi movies of 60s, through the 70s right till the 80. The ma was a female figure, an epitome of sacrifice and hard work, caring and bothered about nothing but her children. She burned the midnight oil to stitch clothes to afford two meals a day and to pay for the heros BA degree, has slowly got replaced with the modern, educated and sometimes even independent mom. The heroine who was normally a simple homely girl has now been replaced by a woman who is not only educated and bold but is also confident about her sexuality. The hero no longer falls in love with a innocent uneducated gaon-ki-gori. He has now been replaced by a simple boy next door with no palaces to live in, with human capabilities, flaws and aspirations. The result is that the audience can now easily relate with the lead characters of the film. But there is a different aspect, a different side to the coin, as well; cinema itself can herald or bring about changes in the society. It inspires fashion and crimes when people try to mimic what they see in movies, failing to realise that what they see on screen is an altered or modified version of reality that is made to look glamorous though instruments and technology and that life like cinema is not predictable. But, there are some movies that bring about positive changes as well like the recent change in the old policy followed by CBSE as a result the movie Tare Zameen Par (2007). CBSE now gives extra time to dyslexic students for their board exams. Similarly, public interest in hockey was renewed after the hit movie Chak De (2007). So it wouldnt be wrong to say that cinema isnt just a source of popular entertainment for families and individuals, but also a vehicle of social change, as it should be. Audiences like to see the familiar on screen. They like to see what they know, what they are aware of, what they believe and it is this reflection on screen that caters to the tastes and sensibilities of the masses. People derive joy, pleasure and amusement when they watch such films and therefore it is the audience that decides what goes into a film. Next it is the investor. The producer of a film would want to invest in something that would fetch him some returns on his investment and therefore they put their money in films that would make the audience happy and consequently bring in the greens for the investors. Unless a film caters to the mass audience, it will not be economically viable. The representation of women is often used as a selling point of the films. Audience likes to watch women on screen in various song and dance routines, in stereotypical images, in various costumes ( as discussed in chapter 2) and the reflection of women on screen change from time to time with changing trends in the continuously evolving society ( as discussed in chapter 3). It is true that the changing ideologies of a society have the power over what is depicted on screen and how it is depicted but another truth is the fact that the patriarchal undercurrents in our society are still the same. Women are still depicted in a way that caters to the male gaze. Women are still categorised and this has been achieved through song and dance sequences, through various forms of dress and through stereotypical images. All these factors help to compartmentalise women, turn them into a fetish leaving no room for the real woman to be depicted on screen. A cursory glance on the history on Hindi cinema and the changing trends of society and cinema leads one to believe that Bollywood has progressed over time in terms of depiction of women. Globalization and western culture has had a strong influence and a huge impact on the content films, the locations where they are shot and even the settings. But a closer examination of the films reveal that indeed there has been progress, but only in terms of technological devices that are used for special effects, locations as in they are more scenic, the films have begun to represent N.R.Is, the speech has westernised, the dresses have a modern influence and the entire aspect of film making and marketing has becoming more commercial and corporate like. It has truly become an Industry, a business. Women are still depicted or portrayed in the old moulds of feminity. Heroines are westernised, as is everything around them, but this has resulted in turning a woman into a commodity that needs to be made a spectacle of so that the film can sell well. The western influence and modernisation has led to more skin show in order to make the film commercially viable as it is now sold to Indian as well as western audiences. Mythology, religion, notions and ideas about family and tradition, cultural ethos, all of these strongly influence Bollywood and consequently the representation of women on screen. But one must understand that all these values that dictate the trends of Bollywood are ruled and dominated by the premise of patriarchy and therefore women are represented in a manner which is submissive to these values and therefore subject to control by men. The women are shown in subordinate roles, upholding traditional values. They represent the community and are seen as repository of community values. Women authenticate a national/cultural identity. The body of the woman is the carrier of cultural signs. Symbols of marriage like the mangalsutra, sindoor etc. are fetishized. Women are represented as prototypes, one dimensional characters as daughters, wives, daughter-in-law, courtesan, lover, widow. Such stereotypes have no personal traits, no substance in terms of character and temperament; they only exist in relation to men, to heroes on screen. They are there as foils to the male characters so as to highlight their characteristics. Feminity as it is outlined by the premise of patriarchy is more often than not adhered to in Indian films. However, through an analysis of new emerging trends in Bollywood cinema as well as the parallel cinema, it becomes clearly visible that some women break this mould. There are films that portray women in bold and strong characters and sometimes even as individuals but such films are not very successful commercially. And also the answer to the question whether women in Hindi cinema are constructed so as to attract male gaze remains yes because even in those films, the heroines who played the bold, strong and individual characters were good looking and attractive, they were used in various song and dance sequences and were objectified through the use of costumes and other cinematic tools. There have been attempts to emancipate women from the constraining stereotypical moulds through representation of strong women characters in powerful roles in mainstream cinema but they have been only partially successful because those films were made but they werent very successful. The art movies or parallel cinema as they call it, emerging in the 1970s, avoided objectifying women, and focussed on showcasing the prevalent oppression and exploitation of women in our society. But the overriding themes, ideologies and concepts of religion, culture and tradition have a very strong foothold when it comes to Hindi cinema and they entrap representation of women in fixed moulds of stereotypes strengthened by patriarchy. Events seldom catapult women characters of Indian cinema to a white-hot spotlight. They are dumped into the quagmires of tension-packed fireworks of the home-prison or the ambitious exploitations of healers and killers, lovers and betrayers. The women are shown as having no spheres of their own, no independent identity, no living space. They go down in collective memory as organic imperfections, ramshackle, rickety, unhinged creations, mere fictional constructs of the fragile handle with care male ego. Hindi films with excellent photography, picturesque locations, designer costumes and gorgeous heroines enthral and influence audiences in a manner which slowly and steadily transforms the way they think and perceive the world around them. The youth that forms a large chunk of the audience start aping what is shown in screen in terms of costumes, language, style and above all the norms and ideologies highlighted by the films. These ideologies prescribe that domestic bliss and societal recognition is achievable only through submission to the pre-established hierarchies. One of the dictates of such ideologies is that women should be submissive and subordinate to the males in family and in society in general. Films often show heroes pursuing the heroines not with poetry, as the idea of chivalry preaches, but with songs and sequences that manhandle the heroine, pestering her with antics like playing with her dupatta, pulling and pinching her cheeks, blocking her path, coming too close for comfort and sometimes even kissing her without her permission. The girl initially tries to get away from this brute but finally gives in to him and accepts his love. The marvel of marvels happens when she succumbs to such degrading antics and is won over by his charm. Is it any wonder that eve teasing is rampant in this country when films show women giving in to such demeaning and crude gestures used by the male in the film in order to court her? In case a girl is raped in a film, the girl is compelled to marry the perpetuator of such a deplorable and detestable act. The girl isnt even asked if she wants to spend the rest of her life with the man responsible for violating her physically and psychologically in such a horrendous manner and robbing her of her freedom. The woman becomes the property of the man who ruined her life. If she refuses to marry her rapist she is immediately alienated from the society and is deemed undeserving of anyones sympathy and support for she refused to marry the man who violated her and then was willing to provide for her as his wife. The perpetuator, the criminal here becomes noble and self-righteous for in the act of agreeing to marry the woman he raped hes redeemed himself. The victim, if she refuses to marry him, becomes ungrateful, perverted and promiscuous for she refused a mans offer of marriage, a man who as per the norm, could have shrugged off all responsibility towards her. Most Hindi films portray love stories between a rich boy and a poor girl or vice versa. The predictable and often repeated story line being that they meet, fall in love, encounter opposition from their respective families, communities and society and finally they get married after innumerable trials and tribulations. The rich boy who wants to marry below his station is considered noble, heroic, sacrificing and generous while a rich girl who wants to marry the poor boy is often portrayed as fashionable, independent, spoilt, pampered and bratty who desperately needs to be tamed and domesticated so as to bring her in line with what the society expects. In other words she needs to wear Indian dresses with bindi and bangles, should be able cook and serve to the family and finally should see her husband as her sole reason for existence. This she is transformed into by the poor boy who as reward gets the woman as a trophy in the end. The whole idea defies logic. Why would a rich and pampere d girl want to marry a poor boy for there are enough good men in the world with the same moneyed background? The underlying patriarchal assumption being that any man is good enough to marry a girl, rich or poor doesnt matter. A woman, in a film, who puts her aspirations, ambitions and career before family is considered ruthless and also at time unwomanly but if a man does the same he becomes noble and virtuous. If a woman does it she is to be condemned for her professional goals come in the way of serving the family and her husband but if a man does it he is doing so to provide for his family which is commendable. The double standards of the society and hypocrisy of the patriarchal ideologies promoted by films are more than evident but such films are accepted by the audiences and they go on to become hits. The same ideology and story is repeated film after film transforming the ideology into a norm that soon becomes a trend followed by the people. Wielding the camera is probably a more onerous responsibility than wielding the pen, as the visual medium is several times more powerful than the written one. Add to this the sway that tinsel towns charismatic heartthrobs have over the masses and the job of film makers as arbiters of taste and public opinion becomes that much more accountable. The ideology of patriarchy works through the concept of female morality setting territorial limits for the whole idea of feminine identity and exposing the hypocrisy of male attitude that ultimately seeks patriarchal domination of women. A females body remains central to the societys as well as her realization of self. Patriarchy, that asserts itself through marriage, adultery and rape, works through the female body. On the other hand a female who tries to resist patriarchy uses her body to express her freedom, desire and sexuality. Powerful woman characters and their impact is eclipsed by the manner in which she is depicted as stereotypes trapping a woman in roles that submit to the dictatorial conventions of our society in the process inhibiting the qualities of a woman as an individual at peace with herself and comfortable in the world of her personal aspirations and interests. This is because a girl child in the formative years of growing up is conditioned through the process of socialization where her freedom and liberty is cut down drastically. At a very young age she learns to submit to the whims and fancies of the patriarchal society. She gives in to the tyrannies of our society and forgets all about her own emotional, social and financial needs along with her individual aspirations. Women in our society are perceived and therefore represented as inferior beings. The realities of the patriarchal society and the standards set by it make the woman under confident and make her believe that the only form of security she can achieve is through obedience to the society that terrorizes her to begin with. This ideology perpetuated by the masculine world around her makes a woman consent to the unreasonable emotional, social and financial demands made upon her, all in the name of peace, happiness, order and security.

Autism Essay -- Teaching Education

Autism â€Å"We start with an image—a tiny, golden child on hands and knees, circling round and round a spot on the floor in mysterious, self-absorbed delight. She does not look up, though she is smiling and laughing; she does not call our attention to the mysterious object of her pleasure. She does not see us at all. She and the spot are all there is, and though she is eighteen months old, an age for touching, tasting, pointing, pushing, exploring, she is doing none of these. She does not walk, or crawl up stairs, or pull herself to her feet to reach for objects. She doesn’t want any objects. Instead, she circles her spot. Or she sits, a long chain in her hand, snaking it up and down, up and down, watching it coil and uncoil, for twenty minutes, half an hour--- until someone comes, moves her or feeds her or gives her another toy, or perhaps a book.† Excerpted from â€Å"The Seige† Autism—â€Å"a mysterious world where the unknowns still outnumber the knowns. A syndrome whose manifestations are many and whose etiology is suspected of being multi-causal†. â€Å"The word autism still conveys a fixed and dreadful meaning to most people—they visualize a child mute, rocking, screaming, inaccessible, cut off from human contact. And we almost always speak of autistic children, rarely of autistic adults, as if such children never grew up, or were somehow mysteriously spirited off the planet, out of society. Or else we think of an autistic â€Å"savant† a strange being with bizarre mannerisms and stereotypies, still cut off from normal life, but with uncanny powers of calculation, memory, drawing, whatever—like the savant portrayed in Rain Man. These pictures are not wholly false, but they fail to indicate that there are forms of autism which do not incapacitate in the same way, but may allow lives that are full of event and achievement, and a special sort of insight and courage too† (Grandin, 12). Autism was first identified as a disorder in 1943 by Dr. Leo Kanner. It was widely accepted that a child’s autistic condition was the result of extremely, cold distant, rejecting and overly intellectual parenting. The child’s extreme withdrawal was viewed as a refusal to engage in social or physical contact, rather than inability. The assumption therefore was that the familial environment being hostile was the cause of the child’s refusal to become enga... ...sm- perhaps even before a child is born. That day remains but doctors have recently made great strides in the field of brain research, both using psychology and through highly sophisticated technology. It’s anyone’s guess, though how long it will take them to unlock the secret of this fascinating syndrome†. â€Å"We start with an image—a tiny, golden child on hands and knees, circling round and round a spot on the floor in mysterious, self-absorbed delight. She does not look up, though she is smiling and laughing; she does not call our attention to the mysterious object of her pleasure. She does not see us at all. She and the spot are all there is, and though she is eighteen months old, an age for touching, tasting, pointing, pushing, exploring, she is doing none of these. She does not walk, or crawl up stairs, or pull herself to her feet to reach for objects. She doesn’t want any objects. Instead, she circles her spot. Or she sits, a long chain in her hand, snaking it up and down, up and down, watching it coil and uncoil, for twenty minutes, half an hour--- until someone comes, moves her or feeds her or gives her another toy, or perhaps a book.†

Murder? Oh wait! You Mean an English Paper! Oh! OK! :: Poems

Murder? Oh wait! You Mean an English Paper! Oh! OK! If you ever wanted to kill someone, Like bury their body in your backyard kind of kill, It was probably the moment your English teach spoke these words†¦ â€Å"Your. Next. English. Paper. Is. Due. Next. Monday.† Cringing, you think desperately for a topic to write about. A topic you feel strongly about, A topic worth 20% of your grade. Oh goodness, you begin to hyperventilate. What do you feel strongly about again? You’re only seventeen!!! You’re supposed to know that already?! So you ponder. Opposite. Opposite. A paper about the opposite of something you feel strongly about. So. You. Think. Gay Marriage. NO! You refuse to write a paper about why people. Yes, PEOPLE!! Should not have the right to get married. Drugs. NO! You refuse to write a paper why drugs are good. Laughing to yourself about even the thought of that, you move on to the next possibility. Alcohol. NEGATIVE! You think to yourself, ‘Hmmm†¦ In what incident does alcohol NOT make one look like an idiot?† The stories from your English class are enough to help you keep that belief. Lost. Confused. You don’t know WHAT to write about. So you choose the one thing you can think of, pickles. Why pickles should be eaten with cream cheese. The opposite. Why pickles shouldn’t be eaten with cream cheese. Well that fails! [crumbling up the stupid paper†¦ you didn’t like it anyway. Loser.] Amazing how a rant about pickles can be so amusing†¦ But not work with the topic at hand. And you thought pickles always worked. [note sarcasm] And now, you have come to your final resort. Murder†¦. YOU MEAN!!! Rewriting the English paper†¦ Not murder†¦ Goodness that’s just silly. Who murders over a college English paper? You do obviously†¦ Frustration got the best of you? Check please! Placing your hand to your face you ponder. Your mind a complete blank. You begin to think about what you had for lunch. What did you have for lunch? [sigh] Now you’re just getting off the topic at han You can’t think like this. Your mind has gone on complete shut down and you can think of nothing. Taking a break (break†¦ yeah†¦ even though you hadn’t really been working to begin with) you go and get some pickles and cream cheese to calm your raging nerves. Your pounding heart. And finally decide†¦ why papers like this should not be assigned to college students. The opposite. why papers like this should be assigned to college students. Ok, you know your English teacher meant all the best by assigning this paper. But secretly you blame your current illness on the stress caused by the receiving of this damned paper.

Singapores education policies are largely influenced by the need to compete :: Economics

Singapore's education policies are largely influenced by the need to compete in a global economy. Do you agree? Explain your answer. a) Singapore's education policies are largely influenced by the need to compete in a global economy. Do you agree? Explain your answer. [12m] I agree to a large extent. Ever since Singapore gained independence in 1965, Singapore's education policies has played a crucial role in the economic progress and social changes of the country, and more importantly, the raising of Singapore's standing on the global stage, in terms of both economic might and international recognition. During the early years of independence, Singapore's main priority was to deviate away from entrepot trade into manufacturing and industrialisation so as to improve the economy, and at the same time solve the problem of unemployment. As a result of this move towards industrialisation, the Singapore government had to prepare students for entry into the workforce by equipping them with the necessary skills. As such, technical education was introduced for the first time in secondary schools in 1969, where all boys and 50% of the girls had to take technical subjects such as woodwork and metalwork. In addition, technical schools and vocational institutes were set up to provide training in areas such as electricity, electronics and metalwork. Existing institutions such as Ngee Ann Technical College and Singapore Polytechnic were expanded to include courses in similar fields of study. The government also encouraged the study of English as a first language, as they realised that the English Language held the key to better jobs and a better economy as it allowed access to western knowledge and technology, which during that time was one of the most, if not the most, advanced in the world. From this, we can see that even in the 1960s and 1970s, Singapore's education policies were already tailored to allow Singapore to be able to compete in a global economy, by expanding the manufacturing industry through the equipping of the workforce with the necessary skills, and improving communication with the rest of the world through the introduction of English as a first language, allowing Singapore to take advantage of Western technology and knowledge and hence put her in a better position on the global stage. The advent of the 21st century has brought a whole new set of challenges to Singapore, and Singaporeans thus have to learn to be more resourceful and self-reliant in order to survive, live long and prosper in the more competitive global economy. In the past decade, the world has seen rapid growth of the Information Technology (IT) industry - this has resulted in widespread use of computers and the

Efficient Business Communications in Companies Today Essay

â…  . Introduction Communication is one of the most important factors in any organization or relationship. It is â€Å"the process of people sharing thoughts, ideas, information and feelings with each other in commonly understandable ways† (Hamilton, 2011). When people can communicate properly in a business then it runs smoothly without communicational mistakes and misinterpretation. The main purpose of efficient business communications is to generate a positive, reliable and consistent reputation with customers, employees and other businesses. Efficient business communication promotes confidence in the company so that people are able to trust the company. Businesses are crossing national boundaries to compete on a global scale today. That’s why efficient business communication is important nowadays. To be successful, businesses need to develop efficient ways of communications around the world. In that way, social media and modern technologies is efficient business communications in compa nies today. â… ¡. Body 1. Social media in business communication Pearlson and Saunders (2010) define social networking sites as online services that allow members to create profiles with information about themselves and connect with other individuals that share common interests and expertise. While social networking sites began as methods for people to express their individuality and keep in touch with others, they have developed into communication tools that allow businesses to connect directly with the widespread audiences these sites provide and benefit from the immediacy and intimacy of these contacts. The popularity of social networking sites provides companies with the opportunity to take advantage of instant two-way dialogue with millions of users in a more cost-effective method than previous one-way marketing strategies. Social networking has also changed how working professionals share information and the methods companies use to find new employees. LinkedIn, for example, provides users the ability to create profiles that outline their pr ofessional expertise and accomplishments and Hempel (2010) outlines how both employees and employers benefit from the features of LinkedIn. Over 60 million members have LinkedIn profiles with details on their experience and the ability to reach out to peers to ask for advice or join groups of members with similar affiliations. This provides users the ability to network more effectively than they could through an exchange of business cards or resumes. Employers have also discovered benefits to using LinkedIn to identify and recruit potential employees. LinkedIn provides highly detailed information on members, allowing representatives from companies such as IBM and Accenture to easily identify promising candidates based on member profiles and professional references while saving thousands of dollars in recruiting fees. Twitter provides its users the ability to stay connected by exchanging short messages of 140 characters or less, known as â€Å"tweets†. These brief messages are designed to provide users the ability to quickly share information with a wide audience. Companies are now expected to take an active role in the use of social networking sites to identify candidates for employment, promote their products, and engage customers in the medium and time frame they prefer rather than dictating how and when communication takes place. Given that these sites provide free tools for companies to establish immediate, two-way dialogue with vast numbers of customers, it is imperative that companies develop effective social networking strategies to further establish and strengthen the critical relationship between company and customer. 2. Modern technologies in business communication Technology seems to be in a state of constant evolution. New technologies are being developed all the time, and the impact this has had on the world of business communication is immeasurable. In spite of that speaking to someone in person is the best method of business communication, technology has allowed you to communicate with people around the world through other methods to save company money. Technology plays an important role in the business. It helps to grow business into a customer-focused and sustainable business. Today, modern technology has changed the way these business conduct their communications with each other. Technology has allowed for many forms of communication to take place through the use of cell phones, email, and even holding meetings. Many large organizations have installed a complex network of computer-based telephone, facsimile, printing, voice-mail, e-mail and videoconferencing technologies. These technologies increase the potential for communication in the organization, such as speed, frequency and reach of communication and reduce its cost (Hinds, Keisler, 1995). As technology has progressed, it has increased the speed of business communications. Instead of having to wait a week for a document to be delivered by mail, information can be instantaneously transferred via email or file sharing programs. Technology has greatly increased accessibility in business communication. Because of things like smart phones, email, text messaging and instant messaging, information can be sent very quickly to anyone, anywhere. This has altered accessibility in a multitude of ways. People can work or communicate from anywhere and at any time. Technology has made the world a lot smaller, especially in the context of business. People from different cultures interact on a frequent basis. Global partnerships have become much more feasible as things like video conferencing have facilitated me etings that cost much less to conduct than flying halfway across the world. This has also forced business communication to become more dynamic, as individuals from different cultures learn to accommodate for the cultural and communicative differences in their business relationships. People from opposite ends of the world can work together, 24 hours a day. Moreover, advances in technology make it possible for more and more people to work away from the office – in cars, airports, hotels and homes. (Thill, Bovee, 2005) As it was mentioned before, managers have at their disposal a wide variety of communication technologies from which to choose. And some the most popular technologies can be discovered. They are telephone, voice mail, Internet based communication technologies such as e-mail, instant messages, videoconferences, blogs, file hosting. Mobile Phones Telephones are one of the most common, popular and simple forms of business communication today. The use of the telephone has increased exponentially since its invention because it provides an easy and convenient way to overcome the two principal barriers to communication: time and distance. The telephone is much like one-to-one face-to-face communication, but is done at a distance (Hinds, Keisler, 1995). Using telephones overcome the two principal barriers to communication: time and distance. In fact, some experts estimate that 95 percent of most companies’ daily contacts come via the telephone (Ind, 1999). When people call to an organization, they want to quickly and easy reach somebody who can help them and provide information. Most companies provide cell phones for their employees and they require them to carry them on and off the job. This allows people to be available anytime when they need to be called in. This form of communication is good to get in touch with someone but when you have an important topic to discuss, it is better not to do it over the phone. It also allows companies to save money by having corporate discounts from providers. These benefits of using telephones show that in order to run a business in an effective way, the role of telephones shouldn’t be underestimated. Telephones are one of the most efficient ways of communication. E-mail Of all the Internet activities, e-mail is used more often. Email has changed the way any business is being done. Nowadays people complain about the amount of Email they receive. But, nevertheless, using Email has impacted business in a positive way and has some advantages over other methods of communication. Hamilton (2011) mentioned that â€Å"there are some definite advantages to using e-mail and instant messages in an organization – increased access to and faster retrieval of information, to name just two.† Use of e-mails costs less then sending letters. Thus, e-mail has become one of the most common forms of business communication. Since e-mail communications eliminate the interpretation of body language, tone and gestures, there’s a set of norms and ethics that come with email communication. For example, using capital letters in a sentence can be construed as you screaming at the other person. So, to minimize the potential for problems, many companies now ha ve formal e-mail policies that specify certain rules of creating e-mails and use of company e-mail service. Instant messages Instant messaging allows people to carry on real-time, either one-to-one or small groups text conversations. It is quicker then e-mail and usually used inside the organization to allow employees to share information, exchange documents or hold virtual meetings online. Calls via Internet and Video conference Modern technology allows communicating in person via electronic meetings, such as videoconference or calling and receiving calls via Internet. Programs such as Skype offer Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services that allow individuals and businesses to call and place electronic meetings all over the world for prices much cheaper then regular landline services. Lehman, DuFrene (2005) found that â€Å"despite e-mail, fax machines, cell phones a lot of employees do not communicate as well with one another in virtual environments as they do in traditional office†. Videoconferencing is used by multiple-location companies to communicate with their employees – for training, business updates, to introduce new products or procedural changes (Hamilton, 2011). In videoconferencing people’s participation is more organized and orderly, they come well prepared, which may account for shorter meeting and saving time. It is also effective when an organization is hiring someone who is leaving in other country. If it is expensive to bring that person to the company’s country for an interview, the better way to conduct it is via Skype rather than via telephone. You can see the person, his body language which will give you more information about the person rather than just voice. â… ¢. Conclusion Today, people more connected in globalized world by modern technologies. Lifestyle are changing internet bases that quicker, easier and more cost-effectively. This is nothing different in business communication. Full use of social media and modern technologies are undoubtedly maximizing communications between businesses and their suppliers, partners, customers and their potential customers.

What Is Strategy?

Today's dynamic markets and technologies have called into question the sustainability of competitive advantage. Under pressure to improve productivity, quality, and speed, managers have embraced tools such as TQM, benchmarking, and reengineering. Dramatic operational improvements have resulted, but rarely have these gains translated into sustainable profitability. And gradually, the tools have taken the place of strategy. As managers push to improve on all fronts, they move further away from viable competitive positions. Michael Porter argues that operational effectiveness, although necessary to superior performance, is not sufficient, because its techniques are easy to imitate. In contrast, the essence of strategy is choosing a unique and valuable position rooted in systems of activities that are much more difficult to match. In answering the question ‘what is strategy? ’, some theorists focus more on the role of strategy in allowing a firm to ‘position’ itself in an industry, hence to make choices regarding ‘what game to play’. Others focus more on the role of strategy in determining how well a given game is played. Strategy is about both: choosing new games to play and playing existing games better. One of the biggest disagreements among strategy researcher concerns the process by which strategies emerge. Some describe stratgy as a rational and deliberate process, while others describer it as an evolutionary process which emerges from experimentation and trial and error. Some place more emphasis on external factors, like the structure of the industry to which he firm belongs (e. g. the industrial organization approach), while others place more emphasis on factors internal to the organization, like the way production is organized (e. g. Resource-Based approach). Furthermore, some describe a relatively static relationship between strategy and the environment where firms respond to external conditions, while others describe a dynamic picture of competition, where firms not only are influenced by the environment, but also actively seek to change it. (e. g. he Schumpetarian approach). This feedback relationship between firm strategy and the environment is the focus of industry ‘lifecycle’ studies which look at the sources and effectrs of changes in industry structure. Porter(1996) claims that not all business decisions are strategice. Decisions can only be defined as strategic if they involve consciously doing something ‘differently’ from competitors and if that difference results in a sustainable advantage. To be sustainable it must be difficult to imitate. Activities which simply increase productivity by making existing methods more efficient (‘operational efficiency’) are not strategic since they can be easily copied by others. Although a firm must engage in both types of activiteis, it is strategic activies that will allow it to develop a sustainable superior performance. One of the factors that renders strategies hard to imitate, hence unique, is that they are the result of a complex interaction between diffenrent activities, which is not reducible to the sum of the indicidual activities. It is this synergy between activities that produces value, not the activities in themselves. Whittingtton(2001) introduces us to four different perspectives on stragey: the classical perspective, the evolutionary persperctive, the processual perspective and the systemic perspective. The classical perspective assumes that the manger has near to complete control over how to allocate the internal and external resources of the firm, and can thus manipulate the internal organization of the firm to better suit these objectives. In this view, strategic behaviour is guided by rationality, opportunism and self-interest. The evolutionary perspective places emphasis on behacioural differences between firm (e. g. some firms base their descisons on rational caculations, others simply on imitaion) and on the market selection mechanisms that allow some firms to frow and survive and others to fail. This view causes the image of the heroic entrepreneur, centreal to the classical perspective, to fall apart: it is not one manager but the mix between the forces of market selection, random events, and processes of positive feedback that determine performance. The processual perspectiver holds that economic outcomes emerge from the interactions between individuals and between individuals and their environment. The result of this interacion is unpredictable because actions are often unintended. Humans are not perfectly rational but ‘bounded’ in their rationality. This, along with the fact that interaction between individuals is guided not only by self-interest but alsoby collective bargaining and compromis, causes economic dynamics to be fuzzy and unpredictable. The systemic perspective argues that each of the above approaches is characterized by a narrow view of the world: a Western, often Anglo-Saxon, view. The ‘rationality’ of a particular strategy depends on its specific historical, social and cultural context. Strategic behaviour is ‘embedded’ in a network of social relations that includes cultural norms, class and educational background, religion and so on. Hence what if labelled as ‘irraional’ behaviour in one context may be perfectly rational in another.

Defining the Visual Arts Essay

Visual art defined Visual arts can be defined in many ways. The textbook answer was unobtainable for this class. Visual literacy seems to be the focus of the textbook. Online research has yielded slightly better insight: â€Å"The visual arts are art forms that create works that are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, photography, video,filmmaking and architecture. These definitions should not be taken too strictly as many artistic disciplines (performing arts, conceptual art, textile arts) involve aspects of the visual arts as well as arts of other types. Also included within the visual arts are the applied arts such as industrial design, graphic design, fashion design, interior design and decorative art.† [1] Basically, visual art would be any type of art that can be appreciated visually. Differentiation from other creative expression The visual arts set themselves apart from other art forms due to their very name and meaning. Literally, it refers to art work which can be appreciated visually, not audibly, or theoretically, but tangibly visible. Visual arts are very expansive and do not only include unique or fine art, but also practical things such as standard building design and practical objects like Aboriginal tools or other artifacts. In some people’s eyes, something as plain as a school bus could be considered visual art. Visual arts media types The Visual arts have many different media types with which visual artists can â€Å"paint.† Some of the types are: Dry Media & Liquid Media – Encaustic painting is one example of a type of liquid media, Drawing media, Mixed media, Printed Media, and many more. Virtually any way one can create visual art is derived from a type of Visual arts media. Meaning of visual arts values Just as society and individual people have their values, so does the artist. The values behind visual arts can be compared to understanding the meaning behind the lyrics of a song. If one does not understand the artists views and/or values, they will not understand the true value of a particular work of art. This is not true in every piece of art, however. In some cases, an artist intends for his viewers to ascertain the values of the artwork on their own. Factors of interpretation In factoring interpretation, there are different ways to interpret anything, whether it’s music, dance, or static visual art displays. If an artist wants their artwork to be interpreted in a certain way, they would have to take into account the overall public opinion on a topic. The values of a piece of artwork play a major role in how a piece is interpreted. As mentioned in the text, Westerners look at the picture of the Arabic woman with a gun, and can only think of one thing, when in reality, the photographer had other intentions for the interpretation of that photo-art. References 1. Brown, George http://www.georgebrown.ca/centers/ad/index.aspx Center for Arts and Design in Toronto, Canada†. Georgebrown.ca. 2011-02-15. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 2. Sayre, Henry M., A World of Art, Sixth Edition, Copyright 2010 by Pearson Education

A study of the psychology of belief with reference to the influence of Freud

For many people, religion has been a pillar of our society for as long as we can trace back. A psychologist however, would argue that religion developed from the day that the people of our society started questioning their existence. As Sigmund Freud, physiologist, doctor, psychologist and the father of psychoanalysis, is generally recognised as one of the most influential and authoritative thinkers of the twentieth century, we need to consider his analysis of religion when approaching this topic. However as some of Freud's theories were developed over a century ago is it really possible to apply them to our society today, especially as our society is so multicultural and faith still holds a key role within many people's lives? According to Sigmund Freud religion is an â€Å"illusion† we as a society or as individuals, conjure up for ourselves, for a number of key reasons. The first and most essential reason Freud claims we turn to religion is as a way of expressing psychological anguish from our childhood. The second is we turn to religion as a way of overcoming and preventing dangers from the natural world, in hoping to gain control â€Å"the necessity of defending oneself against the crushingly superior force of nature. † The third is that religion is used as a stress relief, stress that has developed from living in a suppressive society that condones the expression of sexual desire. A final key reason Freud developed is that we follow religion to prevent the feeling of helplessness we can get when we no longer have the protection of our parents or guardians: â€Å"And thus a store of ideas is created, born from man's need to make his helplessness tolerable and built up from the memories of the helplessness of his own childhood and the childhood of the human race† I shall address Freud's key idea to begin with: religion is a way of expressing psychological anguish. All of Freud's work is focused around the idea of our unconscious or our subconscious. Freud claimed that as children, any emotional torment we may suffer, instead of dealing with it directly at the time, we suppress it in our unconscious mind, only to channel it into another outlet later in life as an obsession or repulsion of any particular aspect of life. This is referred to as sublimation. One of the ways in which a person may choose to â€Å"channel† their negative experiences is through religion. This link was brought to Freud's attention as he began to notice similarities in his patients' obsessions in relation to the source of their compulsive behaviour as to that of a religious person and their faith. Both have a symbolic meaning to the follower and have a set ritual – failure to complete this ritual (however regular it may be) leads to guilty feelings of regret. Seeing this comparison Freud came to the conclusion that religion is another form of neurotic illness that stems from our unconscious. Freud then began to address the matter of what suppressed feelings from childhood actually were. It is through this thinking he developed the concept of the â€Å"Oedipus Complex â€Å". This suggests that as children, young boys hold loving feelings of a sexual nature for their mothers. Through this they develop feelings of envy and hatred for their fathers. Due to the society we live in the Oedipus complex has to be suppressed as it is not acceptable behaviour but the sexual urges, Freud claims, are still there. It is these urges that are pushed to our unconscious that later come out in obsession or infatuation with something – obviously in this case – religion. â€Å"Thus religion would be a universal obsessive neurosis of humankind. Just like the obsessive neurosis in children it springs from the Oedipus complex, the relationship with the Father† As mentioned before Freud made a direct link between psychological anguish and guilt and religion and guilt. Freud put forward a process that humans use to channel their guilt, particularly that of a sexual nature from the Oedipus/Electra complex. In an attempt to rid themselves of these feelings of guilt the person develops idols or Gods. By doing this they feel they can repent for their guilt by worship or sacrifice to these idols. Initially the idol may be a representation of the child's Father yet later on, in the same way the Father is rejected through Oedipus, the God is changed to an animal of a primal sort. The animal becomes sacred and inflicting harm upon the animal becomes a sin. Sacrifices are made to and worship becomes a ritual. This first stage of sublimation Freud labelled as animism. The second stage is, however, called religion. During this stage, the animal develops the status of a God and once again takes the form of the father figure thus completing the cycle from Oedipus to religion. As Freud said â€Å"I put forward a suggestion that mankind as a whole may have acquired its sense of guilt of its history, in connection with the Oedipus complex† Closely linked to this is the theory that religion is used as a â€Å"stress† relief, stress that is placed on us by the society we live in. The stress that is caused by the suppression of our natural urges as children. This stress forces us to channel our libido into other areas of thinking and working, areas in life that are more socially acceptable. As I explained previously it is common for this area to be religion and worship. Freud's second theory for religion is that we use religion as a way of protecting ourselves or overcoming fears from the natural world. The problem of evil and suffering and religion has long being a conflict for many philosophers and psychologists. It is through this conflict that â€Å"St. Augustine's Theodicy† was developed. St. Augustine based his arguments on the Bible and his theodicy suggests that God is perfect and created the world perfectly. Created things are susceptible to change and evil comes from angels and human beings that chose to turn away from God. Augustine concluded that God cannot be blamed for creating evil since evil is not a substance rather than a deprivation (a lack of good) and it is not logical to say God created that deprivation. Despite this theory and many others that have been presented to us since the problem of evil and suffering is what gives science a higher appeal than religion to many people living today but it is also, according to Freud why we invent religion in the first place. Religion offers us a â€Å"reward† for any suffering we may have inflicted upon us during our lifetime and adds meaning to life and its purpose. Otherwise we would be suffering unnecessarily and there would be no point to continue with life. Also through prayer and worship we feel we can control naturally occurring events that can cause us suffering such as death, illness, natural disasters etc. We do this in an attempt to abolish our fears of things we cannot control or change and hope to have some power over them through religion. Freud's next point is not dissimilar to the ideas of Karl Marx. Marxists would claim that religion is encouraged by the state to enforce order in society. Freud suggested a purpose for religion is that it is developed to give us a reason to obey authority. Regardless whether it is state authority or religious authority according to Freud people develop an attitude that â€Å"Everything in our world is an expression of the intentions of intelligence superior to us, which in the end, though its ways and byways are difficult to follow, orders everything for the best. We feel that if we disobey we shall not be rewarded, or worse punished for our crime or sin and we, by consequence, do not disobey. Freud came to the conclusion that religion must be overthrown for society to develop and progress. A final key reason Freud presents for humans fabricating religion is to prevent the feeling of helplessness we can get when we no longer have the protection of our parents or our guardians. This is simply that we develop â€Å"Gods† in order to protect ourselves, so we have someone to care for us and someone to look up to in the same way that we as children looked up to our parents. When Freud's theories were first published they were considered deeply controversial, interestingly though people took interest in what he said and took his psychoanalytical theory very seriously because at the time science was starting to make it's breakthrough and Freud's explanations were fresh and appealing to many. However whether theories that were developed over a century ago can still be relevant today is a different consideration. For Freud's work to still be relevant today, when science has developed further than psychology, which in comparison is considered the â€Å"soft science,† there would have to be some evidence to support the basics of Freud's theory. Freud based his â€Å"Oedipus Complex† on the ideas of Darwinism, a stage of life in prehistoric men when the family unit was the â€Å"primal horde†. It consisted of a mother a father and offspring. As the dominant male the father would scare off any male threat to the female. This continued until all the male offspring joined together and turned on the father and eventually killed him. The idea of religion stemming from guilt is not such a controversial one, particularly linking to sexual guilt and religion. Religious figures have often condemned sexual activity for the use of anything other than reproduction. Figures such as St. Augustine (who was greatly influenced by Plato) viewed sex and sexual desire as â€Å"having been implanted by the Devil at the time of the fall† as Peter Vardy explains Augustine claimed that it was best to avoid all sexual activity even within wedlock. If the situation should occur when sex was needed for reproduction then the man â€Å"should descend to his task with a certain regret. † Peter Vardy also outlines the common Catholic teaching which even today, in what we like to consider a sexually liberated society is still very traditional in it's approach, namely: – – Masturbation is sinful since this means using genitalia for a purpose for which they are not intended – Sex can never have pleasure or the expression of love as its main object since, again, this means using genitalia for a purpose for which they were not intended Homosexuality, if it is practised, is deeply sinful as this means using genitalia for a purpose for which they were not intended since procreation cannot result and it is â€Å"against nature† So considering people are still raised to believe sex for any other reason other than reproduction is sinful, it is easy to see why sexual feelings may lead to feelings of guilt. Particularly as sexual feelings are present throughout all stages of childhood that Freud identifies in the following ways: from birth to the age of eighteen months the child goes through what Freud named the â€Å"Oral Stage. This is to say all gratification of learning is gained through the mouth (feeding, chewing, sucking fingers etc. ) From eighteen months to three years the child progresses into the â€Å"Anal Stage† this normally happens when the child goes through potty training and often as a result develops fascination in anus and faeces. The period of time between three and six years of age was coined as the â€Å"Phallic Stage† and it's during this stage that the child develops features of the Oedipus complex (if male) or the Electra complex (if female). After the initial rush of feelings from the phallic stage have passed the child falls into the â€Å"Latent Stage† during which Freud claims there is no sexual development but this could be due to a suppression of the sexual feelings from the â€Å"Phallic stage. † The final stage of childhood according to Freud is the â€Å"Genital Stage† and depending on how the child's feelings from their younger years were dealt with, this is the time when sexual desire develops and is explored deeper. So if a child is raised to deny themselves the sexual feelings their body releases then they may begin to feel sinful or guilty for having these feelings in the first place. Therefore for Freud to find a link between sex, guilt and religion is not entirely controversial. This all acts as evidence towards Freud's theories and the relevance they hold in our society today. However, that said, there is plenty of reason why Freud's theories are not at all relevant to us in such a developed society. Freud has been criticised for focusing on the link between a father figure and a â€Å"God† in religions such as Judaism and, of course, Christianity. He fails to address eastern cultures and religions, which are based on worship of female idols or Goddesses,† such as the Egyptian Isis cult and Buddhism who have no one single object of worship. One of Freud's major critics, Bronislaw Malinowski, who went on to write a book called â€Å"Sex and Repression† disputed Freud's theory that religion develops from sexual guilt caused from the Oedipus complex. He points out for Oedipus to be a complex it needs to be universal. You cannot apply a complex such as Oedipus to matriarchal tribes in which the male is not dominant and takes the role of a nurse. Malinowski also brings to our attention the lack of evidence for â€Å"Oedipus† within the animal kingdom, as Darwinism only applies to early mankind. Also there is less evidence of â€Å"Oedipus† leading to religion in our society today as it is becoming increasingly secular and fewer people are turning to religion. This could suggest that the Oedipus complex does not occur, or if it does it does not have a link to religion. It is more likely, however, that all children still do go through the Oedipus complex but as our society is more sexually liberated people are allowed to express sexual desire in other ways rather than it becoming sublimated and channelled into religion. Another key criticism of the â€Å"Oedipus Complex† is the suggestion that religion is a cause of the complex rather than a result of it. If it was not for religion then, it is possible, these sexual urges would not have been suppressed at an early stage and a complex would not begin to develop. It could be just a possible that a child was made to feel guilty about the loving feelings towards his Mother and as a consequence developed a complex (Oedipus. ) Rather than the â€Å"Oedipus Complex† leading to religion. Another more general criticism is that even if religion is a cause or result of guilt, or fear it still works as a â€Å"Buffer† between the soul and reality. It is essential to society, as, music, art or literature as it is an expression of self and belief. Therefore it is not sound to suggest, as Freud did that religion must be overthrown. † Donald Winnicott essentially presented this criticism of Freud's work but is the popular feeling of many today. Psychology self – help book â€Å"Love is the Answer† presents the argument that some none – religious responses to misfortune of frustration e. g. Cynicism has actually been shown to be bad for physical health. So a â€Å"religious† view (of forgiving and repenting) might actually be health giving to us, and to dismiss it from our society would be to dismiss this positive outlook on life. So Freud's theory may have been apt for his society, a society built on religious structure, and some of his points may appear to justify the behaviour of people today. But I feel that in the twenty-first century when we are all encouraged to express our beliefs, ideas, sexuality and â€Å"bare our souls†, a theory based on suppression (even if it is unconscious) seems radical. I think religion itself has become more liberal and has resulted in many â€Å"branches† of Christianity all with a different strand of tradition. Some â€Å"branches† base their morals on the word of the Bible where as others feel that we have to â€Å"update† the word of God and adapt it to how we live today. To apply a theory from a century ago is to digress, in the same way technology has evolved, and our knowledge of our universe and surroundings have developed, we have to advance spiritually. We have to question what we already know, even if this means abandoning Freud's theories and all its implications.