Each Man Kills the Thing He Loves Essay

â€Å"It seems to me that we all look at Nature too much, and live with her too little† This quote provides a philosophical insight into the main theme I will explore within my chosen poems. Nature is defined as the phenomena of the physical world collectively, including plants, animals, the landscape, and other features and products of the earth, as opposed to humans or human creations. However this simply states that nature and humans are opposites, and one opposes the other. The poems I have chosen question this definition of nature and put it to humankind to answer the question, are we one with nature, or merely manipulating it to our own advantage, giving little back to our heritage? Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Ballad of Reading Gaol’ explores our own humanity and how easily two conflicting emotions become each other; whilst Charlotte Mew’s ‘The Trees Are Down’ examines human ignorance and through use of language she unravels the ever changing connections with nature. However it is Lawrence’s ‘The Snake’ that uses strong imagery to portray humankind in all its shapes and forms, forever changing. These three poems utilize a series of techniques that bring forth a common phrase we are what we hate, kill and love, which ultimately contributes to a universal relevance, the main idea I will be focusing on, ‘each man kills the thing he loves’. Oscar Wilde is considered a gifted author, playwright and poet of the nineteenth century. He was intimately involved in the up rise of aestheticism, a philosophy of nature and expression of beauty; Wilde expanded the narrow-mindedness of the Victorian Era, ultimately bringing a new light to society. ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’, a semi autobiography, is considered the most seminal and serious of all Wilde’s works. However it is after being accused of homosexual offences, by his lover’s father, and further incarcerated at Reading Gaol that Wilde’s writing took a more melancholic approach. After serving his two years of hard labour, Wilde then moved to France, and was in ‘penniless exile’ It was in his last remaining years that Wilde produced two extremely heart felt pieces of work; De Profundis, a Latin term for ‘from the depths’, was an epistle addressed to his lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, and recounted his lifestyle of extravagance and love, within the first half. In the second part the text looks into his recent experiences, during his time at Reading Gaol, as he comes to terms with his spirituality. The other, ‘The Ballad of Reading Gaol’, a six ‘cantos’ poem, further subdivided into six lined stanzas, describes his experiences of loneliness and death, whilst incarcerated at Reading Gaol. The initial scene of the ballad, ‘He walked amongst the Trial Men, In a suit of shabby grey’, was inspired by the hanging of Charles Thomas Wooldridge, on Saturday 7th July 1896, a thirty year-old man convicted of cutting the throat of his wife. Charlotte Mew was an understated poet, whose works were less recognised, in comparison to Wilde, however she was highly praised by the likes of Siegfried Sassoon and Virginia Woolf. Mew lived a traumatic life, from beginning to end; facing close family deaths and two of her siblings being diagnosed with mental illness. These early experiences affected her future and had major influences on her; beginning with her and her sister Anne making a pact never to marry, in fear of passing on her family’s madness. Additionally Mew had similar sexual orientations as Wilde, attracted to ones own sex, however due to the condemnation of homosexuality, in the nineteenth century, Mew was left with a strong sense of suppression. Her life was extremely stifled by such experiences of death, loneliness and disillusionment and hence reflects these themes within her work. ‘The Trees are Down’ is a six stanza poem, that follows no structured form, merely ranging from one to nine lines, each stanza. The poem is based around the Revelation reference, at the beginning of poem: ‘-and he cries with a loud voice: hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees† and relates this to our society, past, present and future. David Herbert Lawrence, D. H.  Lawrence, was an extremely successful writer and artist. Publishing many plays, novels and volumes of poetry. He lived a very modest life, born in the small mining township of Eastwood, England, in 1885. Lawrence was an outcast, with few friends at school, who didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps of becoming a miner. So Lawrence went on to study, gaining a scholarship at Nottingham High School and then becoming an elementary teacher. However it was after falling in love with his old professor, Earnest Weekely’s, wife, Frieda von Richthofen, that his life was altered. Breaking off his engagement and ending his teaching career, Lawrence developed his writing into a career. ‘Sons and Lovers’ is a semi-autobiographical account of Lawrence’s experiences as a boy, under the name of Paul Morel, who loved his mother and full of hatred for his father. Lawrence wrote this novel after the death of his mother, in 1910, and explores the love of a mother â€Å"As her sons grow up she selects them as lovers–first the eldest, then the second. These sons are urged into life by their reciprocal love of their mother–urged on and on. † All three poets lived extremely different lifestyles, however the common thread between them is the literary period they lived in, the nineteenth century. Wilde’s work, pre-incarceration, was considered extremely lush and light, however post-incarceration it grew sad and he adapted Dark Romanticism into his works. Mew explored Naturalism where the environment controls people, especially in ‘The Trees are Down’, which is similar to the works of Lawrence who combines naturalism with Pre-Raphaelitism, combining literacy with the visual arts, which is seen through his strong imagery. Comparing these three literary movements helps shape each poem, providing a purpose behind the theme of each text. The intent of these poems differ slightly from one another, however all three have embedded the allegory of killing our intimates within their texts. Wilde takes his own personal experiences of loss, and additionally the example of Wooldridge’s own act, to reveal how within love echoes hate and vice versa. Mew, who’s poem seems completely ahead of her time, exposes the ignorance of the human race. This exposure of human’s prejudice towards nature is again echoed within Lawrence’s poem through the line ‘my education said†¦ he must be killed’. The common purpose within these texts is the exposure of human’s ignorance and how inevitable it is. Lord Alfred Douglas’s father took Wilde to court for alleged homosexuality and this life altering moment in Wilde’s life is easily identified within the poem ‘The Ballad of Reading Gaol’. However Wilde carefully entwines Wooldridge’s own attempt of ‘killing the thing he loved’ within his own story to expose the wider occurrence of this tragedy. It is questioned whether or not Wilde came up with this statement or whether it is a nod to Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice when Bassanio asks ‘Do all men kill the things they do not love? ’ Wilde is well known for his stimulating epigrams, yet this phrase seems to generate a metaphor for life and although not a question, like in Merchant of Venice, Wilde questions the similarities of love and hatred. When searching the word ‘love’ up on Thesaurus. com it provides a list of antonyms, including ‘hatred’, and vice-versa and yet here we see Wilde placing the two, opposing verbs, hand in hand. Wilde’s underlying purpose within ‘The Ballad of Reading Gaol’ is not to recount his experiences at Reading, but what Wilde is really looking for is the mode of interaction in which love and hatred are one and indivisible, in which the bitterness is an expression of the admiration. Written in the nineteenth century Mew’s poem, ‘The Trees are Down’, was completely ahead of its time and in today’s society is seen as an empowering demonstration of humanity’s destructive ignorance. Using the line from the revelation Mew makes deep connections with the past and by examining her present looks into the future of what is to come, what is now extremely relevant. The purpose of this is to reveal society’s destructive nature and speak out against the destruction of our heritage as ‘half my life it has beat with’. Lawrence examines prejudices of the human race towards animals, within the poem, ‘The Snake’, and how we accept the words fed to us in an alleged ‘education’. However the irony of it all is that we are one with the Snake and this is what Lawrence was trying to achieve. Describing the snake drinking from trough as if ‘he’ is a person, the same as the narrator, then ‘he’ looks up ‘just like cattle do’. Lawrence’s connections across the animal kingdom; man, snake and cattle alike, break down the barriers of humans vs. animals, generating a scene of equality. However it is once the narrator’s ‘voice of†¦ education’ convinces him otherwise, his face becomes humanity; fearful and paranoid. Each text focuses on humanity and from here branches off the love-hate, ignorance and prejudices of the human race. Wilde highlights the correlations between love and hatred we express towards one another, Mew exemplifies humanity losing touch with their heritage, whilst Lawrence’s reveals the irony within humankind’s prejudices. In all three cases the writer is attempting to exemplify how two effects, wildly different, grow closer together, reciprocating off one another, or how two objects, scientifically/emotionally tied together can push one another away.

Google Marketing Plan

Strategic planning Analyzing Google’s strategic planning process Google’s Strategic planning Strategic planning is the process of developing and maintaining a fit between the organization’s goals and capabilities and its changing marketing opportunities. Google’s story is not that different from many startups in the late 1990s. At first, the operation was run out of Page’s dorm room with borrowed and refurbished equipment. The newly incorporated company, funded by angel investors, moved off campus and soon, at the height of the dotcom boom, attracted $25 million in support from two venture capital firms.In 2004 the company went public with a prospectus that proposed the motto â€Å"Don’t Be Evil† and described an auction to determine its opening share price. STEPS IN STRATEGIC PLANNING: STEP ONE: DEFINE THE MISSION Google’s mission: Organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. STEP TWO: SET OBJ ECTIVES AND GOALS Google’s objectives: Enabling users to search a larger base of information, Google began with the Internet search engine in 1998.They want to make the â€Å"perfect search engine† that â€Å"understands exactly what you mean and gives you back exactly what you want. † At that time, Google need to invest in research and development for a better search engine. So being profitable becomes an objective. Developing tracking mechanisms and new advertising technology, as their main profit was from Internet advertising, they dug deeper in this field and introduced â€Å"AdWords†, a self-service program for creating online ad campaigns in 2000.It help thousands of businesses grow and be successful. This program has become the main profit resources now. Creating patents and intellectual property – will hold the keys to gaining competitive advantages in the market and retaining and recruiting the best human resources Google has grown to offe r products beyond search, but the spirit of the mission remains. From search to Chrome to Gmail—their goal is to make it as easy as possible for you to find the information you need and get the things you need to do done.In 2011, Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, writes about the company's plans for the coming years, saying â€Å"as I think about Google's strategic initiatives in 2011, I realize they're all about mobile. † Thanks to geolocation and the power of the phone's Web browser platform, it's possible to deliver personalized information to users about â€Å"where you are, what you could do there right now, and so forth, and to deliver such a service at scale. † At this point, Google decided to devote most of their energy in the mobile field, as it can provide the customer with useful information very easily.This objective is persistent with Google’s mission. STEP THREE: Designing the Business Portfolio Nearly everything the company does , including buil ding big data centers ,buying optical fiber , promoting free Wi-Fi access ,fighting copyright restrictions , supporting open source software ,and giving away Web services and data , is aimed at reducing the cost and expanding the scope of Internet use . In year 2011, Google began working on a mobile payments service called â€Å"Google money†, in according with the mobile field development objective.Google’s products a) For individual: Google search; Google Chrome; Gmail; Aim to help you find the needed information easily and conveniently and spare more time for yourself, family and friends. b) For companies: Google AdWords: to find prospects; you don’t have to pay until you ad has been clicked. Google Apps: Gmail; Google Calendar; The Cloud Disk; Google document†¦ Help to improve work efficiency. Google Analytics: optimize your website c) For network: Chrome AndroidAnalyzing the current business portfolio (BCG Analysis) Product| Market Share | Market Growt h| Type| Android| High| High | Stars| Browser| Low| High| Question marks| Ads| High| High| Stars| Searching engine| High| Low| Cash cows| Youtube| High| Low| Cash cows| Developing strategies for growth and downsizing Market Penetration: Google is now expanding in different areas especially in American markets by following the penetration strategy and the customers are targeted by the advertisers in different geographical locations.Market Development: Google search in present market is involved in changing the trends just because of the customers need. Google is now enhancing the features of the search engines to become more attractive for the customers. Diversification Strategy: Google has always been investing heavily in internal R&D projects with the aim of â€Å"solving the world’s problems using technology†. It is now much more than a search engine – it is using its massive retained profits to diversify into a wide range of seemingly unrelated industries.STE P FOUR: PLANNING MARKETING AND OTHER FUNCTIONAL STATEGIES Google has sought to employ the power of differentiation to create a competitive advantage —understands exactly what you mean and gives you back exactly what you want Applying concentric diversification focus on the core product of search services the company has also been able to benefit from a competitive advantage in â€Å"faster response times, greater scalability and lower costs† Hence, not only does Google have a high advantage in the differentiation arena, but a cost and speed advantage as well.Google offers generous stock options and provide relaxed working atmosphere to retain the best talent and align employee interests with shareholder interests. (Google provides free lunches every day for employees and encourages participation in the weekly roller hockey games. The company regularly sponsors employee outings such as picnics and skiing trips) WHAT ROLE MARKETING PLAYS IN THIS PROCESS?First, marketing provides a guiding philosophy that suggests that company strategy should revolve around building profitable relationships with important consumer groups. To maximize customers’ benefit, satisfy the latest demand, Google develop the technologies that serve people’s life and work. Second, marketing provides inputs to strategic planners by helping to identify attractive market opportunities and by assessing the firm’s potential to take advantage of them.As the development of mobile equipment, more and more people choose the mobile instead of fixture. Google spend much energy in the mobile equipment these years, marketing lead Google to this development direction Finally, within individual business units, marketing designs strategies for reaching the unit’s objectives. Marketing strategies and programs are developed to support marketing objectives.

Course Syllabi- History of Graphic Design Essay

Course Description History of Graphic Design is a critical contextual research and survey study of the intents, influences, practices, and artifacts of graphic design. The course will be structured on readings, research, and visual presentations on subjects of designer activities throughout history with an emphasis on the broader historical context of the planning, production, form, distribution, reception and cultural integration of graphic design Student Handbook The Student Handbook is now available digitally rather than in hard copy. It can be found on the PNCA website (under Student Life) and on Homeroom (Home page, under PNCA Essentials). Disability Support PNCA is in compliance with federal law requiring colleges to provide reasonable accommodations for students with documented physical and/or learning disabilities. If you have a disability that might affect your performance in this class, please make it known to the instructor. Learning Outcomes At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to : - ­Ã¢â‚¬  Demonstrate and articulate in discussions, writings, and visual presentations an understanding of the historical context of the creation of a work of graphic design (i.e. – time, place, culture, intents) - ­Ã¢â‚¬  Synthesize readings and lectures and be able to formulate and post discussion points and prepare visual examples for peer review and feedback (as comments) using online tools - ­Ã¢â‚¬  Utilize, and bibliographically document, a range of resources used for the study of the history of graphic design (books, journals, periodicals, online, interviews) - ­Ã¢â‚¬  Creative Practice Identify the roles, activities, and trades of communication design professionals throughout history and distinguish specific fields related to and integrated with the profession of graphic design - ­Ã¢â‚¬  Learning Outcomes are linked to PNCA’s Core Values which are: Identify and articulate the influence of fine art (theories, trends, aesthetics, visual styles) on the work of graphic designers Integrated Knowledge, Critical Thinking, & Cultural Inquiry Social and Ethical Responsibility Course Content initiate, and participate in, discussion on the planning, process, production and distribution of works of graphic design - ­Ã¢â‚¬  Effective Communication - ­Ã¢â‚¬  formulate a connection of the cultural influences on design from history with practices of contemporary graphic designers through examples, writings, and discussions Assignments for this Class: - ­Ã¢â‚¬  - ­Ã¢â‚¬  - ­Ã¢â‚¬  - ­Ã¢â‚¬  Required Readings and discussion with evidence of comprehension Weekly Subject Research and On-line Posting to Homeroom Weekly In-Class presentations Final Research Paper Topics for weekly research will include: Design during Cultural Upheavals / World Conflicts Design for Social Causes / Design for Social Good Design for Commerce, Consumption, Commercialism Information Design / Dissemination and Distribution of Information Technological Changes and its Influence on Graphic Design Design as Author, Designer as Artist, Whole Designer The Concept of Brand and the Development of Brand Identity Low Design / Bad Design Major Benchmarks in Typography Reactionary Design / Culture Jamming Expectations/Policies for this course: Students are required to read and to be ready to articulate a response to all readings assigned in class. Each week there will be an assigned subject research topic that will require independent sourcing, image documentation, writing, and on-line posting on the ‘Homeroom’ site established for the course. Each student will make a 5-10 minute presentation of each assignment postings during classtime with an expectation of the use of prepared supported notes for verbal elaboration on the material presented. In-class and on-line participation in the form of response and discussion and will be expected and recorded. A final research project on the relatedness of the topics of historical practice presented to the practices of a contemporary designer or design firm/group will be in the form of a research paper. (8-10 pages minimum) Attendance You will be allowed two absences without additional penalty – although you are responsible for any work that is missed. The third absence will result in the lowering of an entire letter grade from the computed final grade. A fourth absence will result in a final failing grade of F. Missing 30 minutes of a class period (during any part of the scheduled classtime) counts as an absence. Frequent tardiness (less than 15 minutes) will accumulate to absences (3 tardies =1 absence) Number of hours students are expected to work outside of class: This class meets for three hours per week, and six hours of work outside of class are expected. (3 credits) Grading Criteria †¢ Weekly Research Assignments timely completion / in-class presentation preparedness and comprehensiveness †¢ In-Class participation/contributions †¢ On-Line participation/contributions †¢ Final Research Paper Materials / Supplies Required: †¢ Access to, or ownership of, equipment to scan/photograph (digitize), upload and review visual and text information on a regular daily basis. (Computer and Camera/Scanner) †¢ Money for photocopying (approx. $20 projected) †¢ Flash Drive (2-4gb) Recommended: History of Graphic Design text purchases (Personal library) Bibliography The books listed here are predominantly larger volumes dedicated to a broad overview and history of graphic design. (More may be added during the semester) Many less comprehensive but key texts are available in the library as well as journals and periodicals that are specific to designers, styles, and various other edited groupings – these should be sought out and reviewed andutilized especially for more indepth study on a research subject. Major Texts of the History of Graphic Design Those mark with asterisk* are on reserve shelf at front desk of PNCA library and are available on 3 hr. check out (note: many of these text have duplicates or earlier editions and are available for longer check out periods if needed) Title: Meggs, History of Graphic Design, 4th Edition* Author(s): Philip Meggs, Alston Purvis Publisher: Wiley ISBN: 978047169902 Library Call#: Z 246 .M43 1983 Title: Graphic Design, a Concise History* Author: Richard Hollis Publisher: Thames & Hudson world of art ISBN 0500203474 Library Call#: NC 998 .H65 1994 Title: Graphic Design: a New History* (1st and 2nd Editions) Author: Stephen Eskilson Publisher: Yale University Press ISBN: 0300120117 Library Call#: NC 998 .E85 2007 (1st Edition in Library*) Students are invited to contribute to the additions to this bibliography through their weekly research and presentation. All sources should be cited using MLA citation methods. Title: Graphic Design History, A Critical Guide* Author(s): Johanna Drucker, Emily McVarish Publisher: Pearson/Prentice Hall ISBN: 0132410753 Library Call#: NC 998 .D78 2009 Title: Graphic Design in America* Author(s): Mildred Friedman, Joseph Giovannini, Steven Heller Publisher: Walker Art Center ISBN: 0810910365 Library Call#: NC 998.5 .A1 G65 Title: Design, Writing, Research* Author(s): Ellen Lupton, Abbot Miller Publisher: Kiosk ISBN: 1568980477 Library Call#: Z 246 .L86 1996 Title: Communication Design, Principles, Methods, and Practice Author: Jorge Frascara Publisher: Allworth Press ISBN: 1581153651 Title: A Century of Graphic Design Author: Jeremy Aynsley Publisher: Barron’s Educational Series ISBN: 0764153242 Library Call#: NC 998.4 .A96 2001 Other Readings: Journal: Visible Language 28.3, New Perspectives, Critical Histories of Graphic Design, Pt. 1 Critiques Editor and Publisher: Sharon Poggenpohl Digital reference (Links) sites should be added to online postings On-Line History of Graphic Design Reference www.designhistory.org Weekly Course Schedule Week 1 6 Sept Week 2 13 Sept Friday, 13 September is the last day to add or drop a class. All information (dates, times and assignments) in this schedule is subject to change at any point during the semester. Updates will be announced and posted. Welcome / Introductions Class Expectations / Syllabus Overview / Course Structure / Assignments Using Homeroom / Communication Expectations Course Resources Reading Assigned (Posted on Homeroom) Critical Histories of Graphic Design Discussion of Readings on the approaches to History of Graphic Design development Lecture: Brief History of Graphic Design, Pt.1 Read on Homeroom these posted excerpts for this class: Graphic Design History, a critical guide, by Drucker and McVarish, Communication Design, Principles, Methods, and Practice, by Frascara, Graphic Design, a Concise History, by Hollis, Megg’s History of Graphic Design, by Meggs and Purvis, Visible Language 28.3 New Perspectives: Critical Histories of Graphic Design, article by Blauvelt Also read (for this classes visual lecture): â€Å"Prehistoric Prelude to Graphic Design† from Graphic Design History, a Critical Guide, by Drucker and McVarish Week 3 20 Sept Lecture: Brief History of Graphic Design, Pt.2 Read on Homeroom these posted excerpts for this class: â€Å"Early Writing: Mark Making, Notations Systems, and Scripts† from Graphic Design History, a Critical Guide, by Drucker and McVarish Lecture: Conventions and Norms Overview of Weekly Research Project Topics, Objectives, Goals, Expectations, Methods Introduction of Topic 1: Design during Cultural Upheavals / World Conflict Week 4 27 Sept Student Research Presentations of Topic 1: Design during Cultural Upheavals / World Conflict Questions and Discussion Introduction of Topic 2: Design for Social Causes / Design for Social Good Week 5 4 Oct Student Research Presentations of Topic 2: Design for Social Causes / Design for Social Good Questions and Discussion Introduction of Topic 3: Design for Commerce, Consumption, Commercialism Week 6 11 Oct Student Presentations of Topic 3: Design for Commerce, Consumption, Commercialism Questions and Discussion Introduction of Topic 4: Information Design / Dissemination and Distribution of Information Week 7 18 Oct Student Presentations of Topic 4: Information Design / Dissemination and Distribution of Information Questions and Discussion Introduction of Topic 5: Technological Changes and its Influence on Graphic Design Week 8 25 Oct Student Presentations of Topic 5: Technological Changes and its Influence on Graphic Design Questions and Discussion Introduction of Topic 6: Design as Author, Designer as Artist, Whole Designer Friday, 25 October is the last day to withdraw from a class. Week 9 1 Nov Student Presentations of Topic 6: Design as Author, Designer as Artist, Whole Designer Questions and Discussion Introduction of Topic 7: The Concept of Brand and the Development of Brand Identity Week 10 8 Nov Student Presentations of Topic 7: The Concept of Brand and the Development of Brand Identity Questions and Discussion Introduction of Topic 8: Low Design / Bad Design Week 11 15 Nov Student Presentations of Topic 8: Low Design / Bad Design Questions and Discussion Introduction of Topic 9: Major Benchmarks in Typography Week 12 22 Nov Student Presentations of Topic 9: Low Design / Bad Design Monday, 18 November SP14 registration begins Questions and Discussion Introduction of Topic 10: Reactionary Design / Culture Jamming Week 13 29 Nov Thanksgiving Holiday. No class. Week 14 6 Dec Student Presentations of Topic 10: Reactionary Design / Culture Jamming Questions and Discussion Final Paper – Topic Determination Week 15 13 Dec Final Paper Draft Due – Individual Meetings Week 16 20 Dec Final Class – Course Wrap-up / Overview Friday, 20 December Last day of classes. Please note: The rest of the template is uniform for all PNCA classes, it includes: PNCA grading policy, statement on plagiarism, library & ACE. This section should be included in any electronic versions of the syllabus, but doesn’t need to be distributed to students in paper form. ACE The Academic Center for Excellence (ACE) @PNCA is a peer driven support network for students at all levels. ACE provides in person and online assistance with the following: study skills, digital tools, research, writing and editing strategies, math, professional practices (rà ©sumà ©s, cover letters, documentation), idea generation, project management, organization, and more. For more information, location and hours, please visit the ACE Homeroom site: http://homeroom.pnca.edu/sites/1019 About Your Library The Charles Voorhies Fine Art Library provides research assistance, help with citations and bibliographies and a place to document your artwork. Whether you are looking for articles, books, audio collections, DVDs, or Web resources, the library can help! For research help contact Dan McClure (dmcclure@pnca.edu) and for help with library materials contact Serenity Ibsen (sibsen@pnca.edu). More information is available at www.library.pnca.edu. Statement on Academic Integrity PNCA values intellectual honesty and encourages authentic expression, independent thinking and original writing. The College expects that all work conducted and submitted by our students shall be the combined result of original thought and ethical research. All acts of plagiarism, whether deliberate or unintentional, are considered a violation of the Student Code of Conduct and will not be tolerated on the PNCA campus. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of and to act in accordance with the PNCA Guidelines for Academic Honesty. This is a document that defines plagiarism, discusses the conventions of ethical research and documentation, and explains the appropriate uses of source materials. These guidelines also describe the student’s responsibility for maintaining documentation and evidence of research in order to verify originality in all writing assignments at PNCA. The document: PNCA Guidelines for Academic Honesty is provided for you in the following locat ions on campus: the Student Handbook, the Library’s Homeroom site, the Academic Integrity HomeRoom site, the ACE HomeRoom site, the Foundation HomeRoom site, the Liberal Arts Homeroom site. You may also view written copies of the PNCA Guidelines for Academic Honesty in the office of Student Services, the Academic Dean’s office, and the PNCA Library. Student Information + Responsibilities Students are expected to have in their possession a current edition of the Student Handbook. Students are responsible for all the information contained in the handbook, and should refer to the handbook frequently for deadlines, policies, procedures, and responsibilities. Student Handbooks are available in the office of Student Services. Students are expected to check their student mailboxes frequently for communications from their instructors or from the administrative offices of the college. Week Two is the last week that you may add or drop a class with no penalty. Week Eight is the last week that you may withdraw from a class with a â€Å"W.† PNCA Grading Criteria This is the institutional grading policy for all PNCA students. Grades are distributed after the end of each semester. Grading Criteria Grade A: Student performance is outstanding. Student exhibits excellent achievement and craftsmanship in all aspects of work. Student exceeds the problem criteria and consistently challenges himself/herself to seek fresh solutions to assigned problems. Student exhibits a commitment to expanding ideas, vocabulary and performance. Student’s attendance, participation and class involvement are excellent. Grade B: Student performs beyond requirements of assignments. Student exhibits above-average progress and craftsmanship in all work. Student meets and exceeds the problem criteria. Student exhibits above-average interest in expanding ideas, vocabulary and performance. Student’s attendance, participation and class involvement are above average. Grade C: Student performance is average and all requirements are fulfilled. Student exhibits an average level of progress and improvement in all work. Student meets the problem criteria. Student exhibits interest in expanding ideas, vocabulary and performance. Student’s attendance, participation and class involvement are adequate. Grade D: Student performance is uneven and requirements are partially fulfilled. Student’s output is minimal. Student exhibits minimal improvement in work. Student does not meet the problem criteria in all assignments. Student exhibits minimal interest in expanding ideas, vocabulary and performance. Student’s attendance, participation and class involvement are less than adequate. Grade F: No credit earned. Student fails to meet a minimum performance level. Student does not exhibit achievement, progress or adequate levels of craftsmanship in all assignments. Student’s work is consistently incomplete or unsuccessful. Student’s attendance, participation and class involvement are inadequate. Pass/Fail Grade: A Pass/Fail grade will be given for designated courses in which the course content is such that direct faculty oversight of the learning experience is not possible, and evaluation on the present grading scale would be difficult. â€Å"Pass† implies a â€Å"C† grade or above. â€Å"Fail† implies less than a â€Å"C† grade and course work graded as â€Å"Fail† does not apply to the degree. Pass/Fail grades are not calculated in the grade point average. This grading applies to Internships. Graphic Design Co-op uses traditional letter grades. Incompletes In certain situations, a student may request an â€Å"Incomplete† grade in a class. You may petition for an â€Å"Incomplete† only if your situation meets both of these conditions: 1. An extenuating circumstance exists and it has prevented you from completing the coursework (Extenuating circumstances are illnesses, family, emergencies, etc.), 2. You are currently in good standing in the class. See the Student Handbook for more information about Grades and Incompletes.

Providing 20% of energy from renewable sources for the Potsdam,Berlin Essay

Providing 20% of energy from renewable sources for the Potsdam,Berlin Germany Project - Essay Example The endeavor to provide a percentage of the energy from renewable sources can be triumphant by putting in place, blueprint parameters that require a reduced amount of energy use. Background information The aims of designing buildings that are thermally insulated is basically maintain a contented and sanitized room temperature especially during low temperatures . Fortification against damages from cases of thermal brunt or moisture linked damage which requires very little thermal padding. Energy preservation is the principal intention for thermal insulation as it reduces heating hassle more so during winter thus the environment is also protected. Appropriate solutions or scenarios for the project Contemplation of this aims in Potsdam’s new buildings is necessary and besides renovating the aged structures to be more energy efficient. To enable the accomplishment of this aims, building materials used should be of stumpy thermal conductivity and the windows put in place of small U -values on the elevation and off-putting thermal bridges and unrestrained infiltration on the other face. In addition to declared rationale, thermal insulation offers a key responsibility, avoiding overheating of edifice during summer by minimizing the transmission of radiation from the sun, engrossed on the building’s peripheral surface, to the building’s interior. ... The altitude of the sun remains low during wintry weather as it rises in the southeast to southwest where as in summer it reaches a higher altitude. To reduce overheating during summer the roof and the west and east wall is designed with minimal glazing since the sun comes out and sets more to the north of east than west (Blij & Muller 2004). To trim down unswerving sunrays on windows to the south, the constructions can be premeditated with roof overhang on the south. This reduces heating anxiety during winter and at the same time plummeting cooling needs during summer thus minimizing energy utilization. The construction resources should also take into deliberation the thermal gathering as a constituent of solar heating. Overheating ought to be abridged throughout the day by using materials with aptitude of captivating heat during the day and releasing heat at night to circumvent temperature drop. Construction parameters of the building envelop should take into concern air tightness and leakage dealings. These can be done via blower doors technology and the principles can be used in air flow and infiltration connected modeling. Building envelop standards ought to be such that there is negligible heat trouncing due to air leakages as this would trim down energy efficiency while abode heating in winter. Conversely, during summer warm air inflow increases cooling anxiety thus more energy use (Craddock 2008). To ensure energy proficient abode, structures in both new-fangled and old Potsdam should be ventilated mechanically so as to maintain indoor air quality. Systems of whole-house aeration using mechanical means include: exhaust, balanced, supply and heat recovery. System choice depends on climate, skilled personnel availability,

The Body Shop Marketing Plan Analysis Research Paper

The Body Shop Marketing Plan Analysis - Research Paper Example Guatemala produces Aloe Vera used in manufacture of beauty products by the Body Shop. Political instability destabilizes major business processes and business transactions with foreign countries. Secondly, Peru is also faced with political instability, yet it is the major producer of the Brazil nut oil, used in manufacture of beauty products (Assenmacher, 2012). Economic Factors Body Shop Company utilizes the franchising policy as one of its strategies for growth. The decreasing interest today makes the company stands a better growth opportunity as this works in its favour. Secondly, the global trend exhibits a decline of financial institutions, even as countries are advised to brace for tougher economic times ahead. The Body Shop, being a player in the global economy, will also feel a pinch in case this happens in the future. In addition, the current exchange rate indicates a gradual decline of the pound. Therefore, continued weakening of the pound may result in increased prices on imports, including products and product ingredients (Assenmacher, 2012). Social Factors Most social factors work in favour of the company. First, there is increased awareness of the company’s fair trade, as well as the nature of products, which are natural, devoid of animal testing. Additionally, more men are concerned with their appearances, thus will go for beauty products. The company has registered an increase in the number of online customers, considering that in 2008; approximately 65 percent of British families had access to the internet. Finally, the willingness of the buy anti-ageing products is a boost to the company (Mennen, 2011). Technological Factors Dangerous chemical and acidic... Customer Relations Management entails the strategies used by a company to obtain customers and develop long-term relationships with them. Currently, The Body Shop Mainly depends on offers to attract and retain customers. However, overuse of offers has created a negative attitude about this company. The new marketing objectives should focus on other strategies of attracting customers without appearing desperate. Such strategies include positioning of their franchises, advertisements, and customer education. The company can continue giving offers but they should be logical and reasonable. This will make the customer realize that the products are of quality and worth the price. The Body Shop marketing budget should be considerate to ensure the company does not continue reducing its profits. Moreover, focusing on creating environmental awareness using online techniques such as websites will enable The Body Shop spend fewer funds in conducting corporate social responsibility and increase profits.

Proposed Installation of a Swimming Pool Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Proposed Installation of a Swimming Pool - Essay Example Since some pools are easily removed while others become a permanent part of a property, this is an important consideration. Related to this concept is the type of coating or painting which should be used for a newly constructed pool. Another of your concerns was the safety features and insurance liability coverage you should carry, not only for your own family's security but also for visitors' coverage or for incidental pollution considerations. Electricity for pumps and filtering devices, accidental misuse of chemicals in the water and a host of other issues are involved here. While you did not ask us about enclosures or pool covers, we are including some information about these in this report. Since Atlanta is not actually in the semi-tropical areas of the USA, we felt you would appreciate some ideas for safe storage of the pool area in cooler weather. We did some interview research about the cost and life expectancy of both on-ground and in-ground pools. (Answers.yahoo). This was part of our research as to which of the three pool types to recommend to you and to provide you with the rationale for your decision. Our staff checked online sites for prices as well as the pros and cons of each of the three pool types. ... Our staff checked online sites for prices as well as the pros and cons of each of the three pool types. Of course, size influences price as surely as whether to build into the ground or on top of the ground. We looked at various building materials for the pool types. These include fiberglass, concrete, steel, aluminum and resin. We felt sure that you did not intend to be building an air-filled rubber pool so we did not check into that material. We have information on ground preparation for the pool types. The red clay of Georgia will not give you much problem for whichever type of pool you build. Lastly, we investigated liability insurance, pool covers and enclosures as well as cleaning and painting materials. In the next section of this report, we will break down our findings to aid in making an informed decision. Findings of Investigation Let us first consider the three possible pool types. They are above ground pools, on ground pools and in ground pools. There are descriptions and photos available online (Propools). The above ground pools are easily moved since they are made to be rather easily put together and taken apart. Within a few hours, the owner can put up the pool and fill it with water and begin using it. These pools sit on top of the ground. Just as easily, the pool can be disassembled for storage or removal to another spot. These pools can be made of aluminum, steel or resin. (sharkline). Pepper 3 The on ground pools are better for sloping ground and are similar to in ground pools in that they are more permanent. Their prices are a bit higher than the prices of the above ground pools since these pools are not easily removed. The third type of pool is the in ground pool. It

The Federal Reserve Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Federal Reserve - Essay Example Those initiatives should arrive at good results for the greater majority, including Small Business Enterprises and private individuals, although there seems to be a need to determine the timetable for such an achievement. As of May 2013, only large businesses were discovered to be realizing better credit facilities. Employment rate remains high although previous quarters had higher unemployment rates. However, the most recent initiatives reported in February 2013 by the Board of Governors gave some hope for changes along a better direction. In that report, full employment was made a commitment. And until the time when full employment is realized while low inflation rate at 2% is maintained, the Fed will continue to accommodate further infusion of money supply into the economy. Roles & Effectiveness of the US Federal Reserve Founded in 1913, the US Federal Reserve System was meant to serve as the country’s Central Bank under the supervision of Congress. Its roles were: (1) to f ormulate the monetary policy that defines the nation’s â€Å"monetary and credit conditions† so that maximum employment of the people, price stability, and â€Å"moderate, long-term interest rates† can be realized; (2) to supervise and regulate banks and other financial institutions for a safe and sound financial system that protects â€Å"the credit rights of consumers†; (3) to maintain a stable financial system and control the risks inherent in the financial markets; and (4) to serve the local and foreign governments with the facilitations for transactions, including services in connection with the payment system (BoG 2005, p.1). Over the years, it has evolved into influencing the demand and money supply situation of a country, using the four (4) standard means. The first is known as the means through â€Å"Open Market Operations† whereby the Federal Bank may reduce or increase money supply by limiting the amount and/or volume of purchases or sal e of US Treasury securities. When the Federal Bank purchases securities from the open market, more cash is made available in the economy. When the Fed sells Treasury securities to cash-rich investors for them to have a stable income source at an attractive interest rate, the country will have less money supply circulating. A 2nd means would be through the issuance of a directive for all banks to maintain a certain reserve requirement. These are in the form of cash in amounts determined by the percentage of deposits by consumers. Reserves are then deposited with the Federal Reserve Bank. To increase money supply, the Fed can simply lower the required reserves for all deposits. To decrease the level of money supply, reserve requirements may be increased so that there would be less lending operations on the part of banks and therefore lower money supply available in the economy. The 3rd way is by adding the requirement to have reserves in the form of â€Å"Contractual Clearing Balance † (BoG 2005, p. 3). Some transactions with payments that take some time to clear between two banks can be secured by additional reserves at the Federal Bank. Such amounts are on top of the 2nd means which is the reserve requirements by the Fed. These additional deposits with the Federal Bank may be stipulated by the Federal Reserve Bank (FRB) governing body. The 4th means of influencing the level of money

Lying is Universal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Lying is Universal - Essay Example For our elders who have already passed most parts of their lives such as our grandparents lying is such a trivial phenomenon that they hardly realize when they are undergoing it. Virtually they make themselves believe that whatever they are thinking is right and is based on nothing but facts! It has often been noticed that their thoughts about any matter in particular are based over a series of continuous lies that they have made themselves believe as facts rather than otherwise! Even if it is pointed out to them that what they are sayin is incorrect they claim to have never lied about anything ever before. Below is a narration of such a happening in which an elderly person lies about certain things without realizing what she is doing. A few weeks ago on a sunny afternoon I was lazily reclining on my armchair engrossed in the servitude of my summer vacations. â€Å"I cannot find my Ring! I have looked every where!† exclaimed my grandmother. There was nothing else that could ha ve taken my attention off from the suspense novel that I was reading other than my grandmother’s remarks. What was so special about them was that she was talking about the so very famous ring that had a myth behind it. It was our family’s ancestral ring. ... But today, when she had come back into her room after her morning chores she had suddenly realized that she was not wearing her ancestral ring. She could not recall when she had taken it off and where she had put it. The only thing she knew was that she had looked up all the possible places where the ring could supposedly have been but in-vain. She could find it nowhere. I and my siblings offered our services to her and each one of us took up a separate room to conduct the â€Å"Ring-Hunt† in it. Under the sofa, over the cabinet, beside the refrigerator and below the room carpet, after about 3 hours of continuous search there was no place left on our ground floor that we hadn’t looked up. In the meantime when we were busy searching we could continuously hear grandmother complaining to each and everyone of her children and friends over the phone that she had lost the ring and that she suspected the cleaning lady of having stolen her centuries’ old ring. She was so very convincingly telling everyone that the maid had taken her ring that the listener would get the idea that grandmother was cent percent sure in her saying and that it was not just an imaginary assumption that she was making. Is she not lying? I thought to myself while looking up the ring in her closet. But she was talking as if she had seen the maid take the ring with her own eyes whereas only a few hours earlier had she mentioned that she did not recall where it that she had last seen the ring was. The next thing I heard was that she had extended her Pretend-Story of Stolen Ring Even more. She had linked it with every time the maid had ever mentioned to grandma that she really appreciated the antique jewels that she possessed. She quickly

Report on Religious Field Research Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Report on Religious Field Research - Assignment Example This religious teaching emanated from India when Siddharta Gautama, son of King Suddhodana and Queen Maya in 566 BB of Kapilavastu, who reflected the four realities of life: sickness, old age, death, and a wandering monk. He followed the life of the monk, abandoned his wealth and wore ragged robes (Instilling Goodness School, 2013). He practiced ascetic lifestyle to gain enlightenment; do a lot of meditation and eat raw foods, fruits and leaves. Sometimes, he fasted. He realized in life that overdoing things cannot provide happiness in life, but moderation and objective balancing of needs is. Gautama became Buddha, the awakened one (Boundlesslight.webs.com, 2013). He emphasized that suffering is caused by peoples’ dissatisfaction and greed and such could only be eliminated if one would live a life of truth, moderation, meditation, and reflective reasoning of life. He believed that life’s moderation will spare one from unnecessary wants and from overreacting to life†™s circumstances (Instilling Goodness School, 2013). ... While it has been recognized that human failures are sourced from misguidance, misperceptions, distortion, stresses and suffering, but for them, this can be remedied by living a balance life and life of reason as the best remedy for all these things (Boundlesslight.webs.com, 2013). Buddha explicated that happiness is fundamentally based on quiet and simple life: to want what you have and not want those you do not have (Instilling Goodness School, 2013). This is to rule over one’s negativities in life to maintain that composure and peace derived from the inevitabilities of life’s roller coaster realities. Self-control is possible when we all have control of our very lives and when we are reasonably able to maintain that life of reflective reason (Instilling Goodness School, 2013). Buddhism has three major teachings: 1. Nothing is lost in the universe- this asserts that all matters are transformed into energies of the universe and vice versa. For instance, all human being s are finite and life will eventually die and be buried back into the earth. From dust we came and life returns into dust (Instilling Goodness School, 2013). Other life forms emerge from the soil which could either be plants that could provide oxygen which will support the existence of life too. Every person is born from parents and the children grow into adults to become parents too of the younger offspring. Human life perpetuated in this cycle and if people tends to be destructive to the environ where one is evolving would mean that we, too, are destroying our lives (Instilling Goodness School, 2013). 2. Everything Changes – this is the fundamental principle of impermanence.

To what extent has Coalition Government affected the role and Essay - 4

To what extent has Coalition Government affected the role and functions of Prime Minister and Cabinet - Essay Example During such times, parties will opt to form grand coalitions or all party coalitions. In an instance where the coalition inevitably collapses or fails, a confidence vote is held. The idea behind collective responsibility in mostly related to an instance when say a vote of no confidence is passed in the parliament. Therefore, this will mean that all the ministers that form the cabinet are responsible for any arrangements that have been performed in relation to running of the government. This system basically tries to show the faith in the whole government as a whole in making day to day decisions. Collective ministerial responsibility simply implies that the government will collectively account to the parliament for the polices, actions and any decisions that they pass. However, the idea of collective responsibility means that for any decision or action to be made, all the members of the coalition must come into an agreement. This may slow down the government especially in instances where the two parties fail to come to an agreement. The government will be at a standstill. But at the end of the idea, the fact remains that collective decision making is favorable because it is more likely that better decisions will be reached and the decisions will mostly have the citizen’s best interest at heart. Collective responsibility is easy to maintain in a coalition government where the Prime Minister is kept as the keystone of the entire government. This is however not always the case. This is happens as there are instances when the coalition government is formed into a single party government. However, currently, people are highly enlightened, which makes collective responsibility a problem in some instances. For example, ministers now have their own advisors who may influence their decision and in addition, they freely communicate to the media without considering the impact of their action to them and the entire cabinet as a

Strategic plan for robin hood and merry men and women Research Paper

Strategic plan for robin hood and merry men and women - Research Paper Example This has put Robin in a dilemma and he has to make a decision sooner than later to feed all of them. An option that he is considering but not sure is creation of transit taxes. Robin acts as the CEO, and is responsible and makes all the important decisions. He is assisted by lieutenants who have specific roles assigned to them and concentrate on that. This is in the lines of Fayolism theory (Gallagher et al., 1997). But this is now very tough considering the size of the organization. The charismatic leadership of Robin has worked wonderfully until now. He has been bale to influence his followers by his personal characteristics rather than his position of authority. He has all the characteristics of a charismatic leader such as passion, vision, risk taking, etc (Daft, 2007). But now he will need to find other charismatic and transformational leaders who can work within the organization. BMMMW needs to rework on the focus. Robin’s personal vendetta must not come in the way of th e much higher goal of welfare of the people. BMMMW still do not have a proper strategy to achieve their goal. Recommendations On assessing the current situation and the primary objective of the organization, following recommendations are made: A plan of action needs to be designed.

Paul Tillich Response to Modern Criticism Essay Example for Free

Paul Tillich Response to Modern Criticism Essay The later part of 20th century witness a renewed question of empiricism in philosophy of religion. The question is concerned with what patterns a religious reasoning and religious language should take in determining the existence of God, the belief in God, the reality of a good God and the existence of evil. The approach is championed by logical positivism based on verification principles of ascertain meaning only by sense experience. The Modern Empiricism as discussed in this paper covers the period of tale end of 1500 AD to the end of 1800 AD, that is 16-19 century. This course explores the themes of Paul Tillichs philosophical theology, with special attention to his analysis of meaning and its apparent loss in modern society. The course will also evaluate Tillichs response to the problem of meaninglessness and his effort to interpret the Christian message. WHAT IS EMPIRICISM? According to John Scott Gordon Marshall, empiricism, in philosophy, is â€Å"the attitude that beliefs are to be accepted and acted upon only if they first have been confirmed by actual experience†. This broad definition accords with the derivation of the name from the Greek word empeiria, meaning â€Å"experience. † Primarily, and in its psychological application, the term signifies the theory that the phenomena of consciousness are simply the product of sensuous experience, i. e. of sensations variously associated and arranged (Andrew M. Colman: 2003:242). It is thus distinguished from Nativism or Innatism. Secondarily, and in its logical (epistemological) usage, it designates the theory that all human knowledge is derived exclusively from experience, the latter term meaning, either explicitly or implicitly, external sense-percepts and internal representations and inferences exclusive of any superorganic (immaterial) intellectual factor. Empiricism is thus opposed to the claims of authority, intuition, imaginative conjecture, and abstract, theoretical, or systematic reasoning as sources of reliable belief. Its most fundamental antithesis is with the latter (i. e., with Rationalism, also called intellectualism or apriorism). Forms of Empiricism According to Catholic Encyclopedia empiricism appears in the history of philosophy in three principal forms: (1) Materialism, (2) Sensism, and (3) Positivism. a. Materialism: Materialism in its crudest shape was taught by the ancient atomists (Democritus, Leucippus, Epicurus, Lucretius), who, reducing the sum of all reality to atoms and motion, taught that experience, whereof they held knowledge to be constituted, is generated by images reflected from material objects through the sensory organs into the soul. The soul, a mere complexus of the finest atoms, perceives not the objects but their effluent images. With modern materialists (Helvetius, dHolbach, Diderot, Feuerbach, Moleschott, Buchner, Vogt, etc. ), knowledge is accounted for either by cerebral secretion or by motion. b. Sensism: All materialists are of course sensists. Though the converse is not the case, nevertheless, by denying any essential difference between sensations and ideas (intellectual states), sensism logically involves materialism. Sensism, which is found with Empedocles and Protagoras amongst the ancients, was given its first systematic form by Locke (d. 1704), though Bacon (d. 1626) and Hobbes (d. 1679) had prepared the data. Locke derives all simple ideas from external experience (sensations), all compound ideas (modes, substances, relations) from internal experience (reflection). Substance and cause are simply associations of subjective phenomena; universal ideas are mere mental figments. Locke admits the existence, though he denies the demonstrability, in man of an immaterial and immortal principle, the soul. Berkeley (d. 1753), accepting the teaching of Locke that ideas are only transfigured sensations, subjectivizes not only the sensible or secondary qualities of matter as his predecessor had done, but also the primary qualities which Locke held to be objective. Berkeley denies the objective basis of universal ideas and indeed of the whole material universe. The reality of things he places in their being perceived and this perceivedness is effected in the mind by God, not by the object or subject. He still retains the substance-reality of the human soul and of spirits generally, God included. Hume (d. 1776) agrees with his two empiricist predecessors in teaching that the mind knows only its own subjective organic impressions, whereof ideas are but the images. The supersensible is therefore unknowable; the principle of causality is resolved into a mere feeling of successiveness of phenomena; its necessity is reduced to a subjective feeling resulting from uniform association experienced in consciousness, and the spiritual essence or substantial being of the soul is dissipated into a series of conscious states. Lockes sensism was taken up by Condillac (d. 1780), who eliminated entirely the subjective factor (Lockes reflection) and sought to explain all cognitional states by a mere mechanical, passive transformation of external sensations. The French sensist retained the spiritual soul, but his followers disposed of it as Hume had done with the Berkeleian soul relic. The Herbartians confound the image with the idea, nor does Wundt make a clear distinction between primitive concepts (empirische Begriffe, representations of individual objects) and the image: Denken ist Phantasieren in Begriffen und Phantasierenist Denken in Bildern. c. Positivism: Positivists, following Comte (d.1857), do not deny the supersensible; they declare it unknowable; the one source of cognition, they claim, is sense-experience, experiment, and induction from phenomena. John Stuart Mill (d. 1870), following Hume, reduces all knowledge to series of conscious states linked by empirical associations and enlarged by inductive processes. The mind has no certitude of an external world, but only of a permanent possibility of sensations and antecedent and anticipated feelings. Spencer (d. 1903) makes all knowledge relative. The actual existence of things is their persistence in consciousness. Consciousness contains only subjective feelings. The relative supposes the absolute, but the latter is unknowable to us; it is the object of faith and religion (Agnosticism). All things, mind included, have resulted from a cosmical process of mechanical evolution wherein they are still involved; hence all concepts and principles are in a continuous flux. d. Classical Empiricism: Classical empiricism is characterised by a rejection of innate, in-born knowledge or concepts. John Locke, well known as an empiricist, wrote of the mind being a tabula rasa, a â€Å"blank slate†, when we enter the world. At birth we know nothing; it is only subsequently that the mind is furnished with information by experience. e. Radical Empiricism: This was advanced by William James, an American pragmatist philosopher and psychologist, based on the pragmatic theory of truth and the principle of pure experience, which contends that the relations between things are at least as real as the things themselves, that their function is real, and that no hidden substrata are necessary to account for the various clashes and coherences of the world. James summarized the theory as consisting of (1) a postulate: â€Å"The only things that shall be debatable among philosophers shall be things definable in terms drawn from experience†; (2) a factual statement: â€Å"The relations between things, conjunctive as well as disjunctive, are just as much matters of direct particular experience, neither more so nor less so, than the things themselves,† which serves to distinguish radical empiricism from the empiricism of the Scottish philosopher David Hume; and (3) a generalized conclusion: â€Å"The parts of experience hold together from next to next by relations that are themselves parts of experience. The directly apprehended universe needs, in short, no extraneous transempirical connective support, but possesses in its own right a concatenated or continuous structure. † The result of this theory of knowledge is a metaphysics that refutes the rationalist belief in a being that transcends experience, which gives unity to the world. According to James there is no logical connection between radical empiricism and pragmatism. One may reject radical empiricism and continue to be a pragmatist. Jamess studies in radical empiricism were published posthumously as Essays in Radical Empiricism (1912). According to him, it is only if it is possible to empirically test a claim that the claim has meaning. As all of our information comes from our senses, it is impossible for us to talk about that which we have not experienced. Statements that are not tied to our experiences are therefore meaningless. This principle, which was associated with a now unpopular position called logical positivism, renders religious and ethical claims literally nonsensical. No observations could confirm religious or ethical claims, therefore those claims are meaningless. Radical empiricism thus requires the abandonment of religious and ethical discourse and belief. f. Moderate Empiricism: More moderate empiricists, however, allow that there may be some cases in which the senses do not ground our knowledge, but hold that these are exceptions to a general rule. Truths such as â€Å"there are no four-sided triangles† and â€Å"7+5=12† need not be investigated in order to be known, but all significant, interesting knowledge, the empiricist claims, comes to us from experience. This more moderate empiricism strikes many as more plausible than its radical alternative. BRIEF HISTORY OF EMPIRICISM The first Empiricists in Western philosophy were the Sophists, who rejected such Rationalist speculation about the world as a whole and took man and society to be the proper objects of philosophical inquiry. Invoking skeptical arguments to undermine the claims of pure reason, they posed a challenge that invited the reaction that comprised Platos philosophy Plato and to a lesser extent Aristotle were both Rationalists. But Aristotles successors in the ancient Greek schools of Stoicism and Epicureanism advanced an explicitly Empiricist account of the formation of mans concepts or ideas. For the Stoics the human mind is at birth a clean slate, which comes to be stocked with ideas by the sensory impingement of the material world upon it. Yet they also held that there are some ideas or beliefs, the â€Å"common notions,† present to the minds of all men; and these soon came to be conceived in a nonempirical way. The Empiricism of the Epicureans, however, was more pronounced and consistent. For them mans concepts are memory images, the mental residues of previous sense experience; and knowledge is as empirical as the ideas of which it is composed. In medieval philosophy, most medieval philosophers after St. took an Empiricist position, at least about concepts, even if they recognized much substantial but nonempirical knowledge. The standard formulation of this age was: â€Å"There is nothing in the intellect that was not previously in the senses. † Thus St. Thomas Aquinas (1225–74) altogether rejected innate ideas. Both soul and body participate in perception, and all of mans ideas are abstracted by the intellect from what is given to the senses. Mans ideas of unseen things, like God and angels, are derived by analogy from the seen. The 13th-century scientist Roger Bacon emphasized empirical knowledge of the natural world and anticipated the polymath Renaissance philosopher of science Francis Bacon (1561–1626) in preferring observation to deductive reasoning as a source of knowledge. The Empiricism of the 14th-century Franciscan Nominalist William of Ockham was more systematic. All knowledge of what exists in nature, he held, comes from the senses, though there is, to be sure, â€Å"abstractive knowledge† of necessary truths; but this is hypothetical and does not imply the existence of anything. His more extreme followers extended his line of reasoning toward a radical Empiricism, in which causation is not a rationally intelligible connection but merely an observed regular sequence. In modern philosophy, the earlier and unsystematically speculative phases of Renaissance philosophy, the claims of Aristotelian logic to yield substantial knowledge were attacked by several 16th-century logicians, and, in the same century, the role of observation was stressed. One mildly skeptical Christian thinker, Pierre Gassendi (1592–1655), advanced a deliberate revival of the empirical doctrines of Epicurus. But the most important defender of Empiricism was Francis Bacon, who, though he did not deny the existence of a priori knowledge, claimed that, in effect, the only knowledge that is worth having (as contributing to the relief of mans estate) is empirically based knowledge of the natural world, which should be pursued by the systematic, indeed almost mechanical, arrangement of the findings of observation and is best undertaken in the cooperative and impersonal style of modern scientific research. Bacon was, indeed, the first to formulate the principles of scientific induction. A Materialist and Nominalist, Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679), combined an extreme Empiricism about concepts, which he saw as the outcome of material impacts on the bodily senses, with an extreme Rationalism about knowledge, of which, like Plato, he took geometry to be the paradigm. For him all genuine knowledge is a priori, a matter of rigorous deduction from definitions. The senses provide ideas; but all knowledge comes from â€Å"reckoning,† from deductive calculations carried out on the names that the thinker has assigned to them. True knowledge is thus not merely a priori but also analytic. Yet it all concerns material and sensible existences: everything that exists is a body. The most elaborate and influential presentation of Empiricism of this period was made by John Locke (1632–1704), an early Enlightenment philosopher, in the first two books of his Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690). All knowledge, he held, comes from sensation or from reflection, by which he meant the introspective awareness of the workings of mans own mind. Locke confused the two issues of the nature of concepts and the justification of beliefs. His Book I, though titled â€Å"Innate Ideas,† is largely devoted to refuting innate knowledge. And even so, he later admitted that much substantial knowledge—in particular, that of mathematics and morals—is a priori. He argued that infants know nothing; that if men are said to know innately what they are capable of coming to know, then all knowledge is, trivially, innate; and that no beliefs whatever are universally accepted. Locke was more consistent about the empirical character of all mans concepts and displayed in detail the ways in which simple ideas can be combined to form complex ideas of what has not in fact been experienced. One group of dubiously empirical concepts—those of unity, existence, and number—he took to be derived both from sensation and from reflection. But he allowed one a priori concept—that of substance—which the mind adds, seemingly from its own resources, to its conception of any regularly associated group of perceptible qualities. Bishop George Berkeley (1685–1753), a theistic Idealist and opponent of Materialism, applied Lockes Empiricism about concepts to refute Lockes account of mans knowledge of the external world. He drew and embraced the inevitable conclusion that material things are simply collections of perceived ideas, a position that ultimately leads to phenomenalism; i. e. , to the view that reality is nothing but sensations. He accounted for the continuity and orderliness of the world by supposing that its reality is upheld in the perceptions of an unsleeping God. The theory of spiritual substance involved in Berkeleys position seems to be vulnerable, however, to most of the same objections as those that he posed against Locke. The Scottish Skeptical philosopher David Hume (1711–76) fully elaborated Lockes Empiricism and used it reductively to argue that there can be no more to mans concepts of body, mind, and causal connection than what occurs in the experiences that he has of them. For Hume all necessary truth is formal or conceptual, determined by the relations of identity and exclusion that hold between ideas. Voltaire imported Lockes philosophy into France; and its Empiricism, in a very stark form, is the basis of sensationalism, in which all of the constituents of human mental life are analyzed in terms of sensations alone. A genuinely original and clarifying attempt to resolve the controversy between Empiricists and their opponents was made in the critical philosophy of Immanuel Kant (1724–1804), drawing upon Leibniz and Hume. With the dictum that, although all knowledge begins with experience it does not all arise from experience, he established a clear distinction between the innate and the a priori. He held that there are a priori concepts, or categories—substance and cause being the most important—and also substantial or synthetic a priori truths. Although not derived from experience, the latter apply to experience. A priori concepts and propositions do not relate to a reality that transcends experience; they reflect, instead, the minds way of organizing the amorphous mass of sense impressions that flow in upon it. Lockean Empiricism prevailed in 19th-century England until the turn to Hegel occurred in the last quarter of the century. To be sure, the Scottish philosophers who followed Hume but avoided his Skeptical conclusions insisted that man does have substantial a priori knowledge. But the philosophy of John Stuart Mill (1806–73), logician, economist, and Utilitarian moralist, is thoroughly Empiricist. He held that all knowledge worth having, including mathematics, is empirical. The apparent necessity of mathematics, according to Mill, is the result of the unique massiveness of its empirical confirmation. All real knowledge for Mill is inductive and empirical; and deduction is sterile. On similar lines, the philosopher of evolution Herbert Spencer (1820–1903) offered another explanation of the apparent necessity of some of mans beliefs: they are the well-attested empirical beliefs of his ancestors from whom he has inherited them, an evolutionary revival of the doctrine of innateness. Two important mathematicians and pioneers in the philosophy of modern physics, W. K. Clifford (1845–79) and Karl Pearson (1857–1936), defended radically Empiricist philosophies of science, anticipating the Logical Empiricism of the 20th century. In contemporary philosophy The most influential Empiricist of the 20th century was the great British philosopher and logician Bertrand Russell (1872–1970), who at first was Lockean in his theory of knowledge—admitting both synthetic a priori knowledge and concepts of unobservable entities. Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951), the influential pioneer of the school of Linguistic Analysis, convinced Russell that the truths of logic and mathematics are analytic; and Russell then came to believe, with Hume, that the task of philosophy is to analyze all concepts in terms of what can be directly present to the senses. In this spirit, he tried to show that even the concepts of formal logic are ultimately empirical though the experience that supplies them may be introspective instead of sensory. Doctrines developed through the collaboration of Russell and Wittgenstein yielded the Logical Positivism of the German philosopher Rudolf Carnap (1891–1970) and of the Vienna Circle, a discussion group in which that philosophy was worked out. The Empiricism of Logical Positivism is especially evident in its restatement of the fundamental thesis of Humes philosophy in a form known as â€Å"the verification principle,† which recognizes as meaningful and synthetic only those sentences that are in principle verifiable by reference to sense experience. BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF PAUL TILLICK Paul Johannes Tillich was born at Starzeddel in the province of Brandenburg, Germany, on Aug. 20, 1886. He spent his early years at Schonfliess, where his father was a Lutheran clergyman. He studied at the University of Berlin, received his doctorate from the University of Breslau in 1911, and earned his degree in theology at the University of Halle in 1912, the year he became a clergyman in the Lutheran church. During World War I Tillich served as a military chaplain. From 1919 until 1933 he taught at the universities of Berlin, Marburg, Dresden, Leipzig, and Frankfurt. His opposition to the Nazis cost him his job in 1933, and he went to the United States to become professor of philosophical theology at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. He remained there until 1955, when he became a professor at Harvard University. From 1962 until his death on Oct. 22, 1965, he taught at the University of Chicagos divinity school. The brilliance and complexity of Tillichs thought were expressed in his lectures, sermons, and books. The most difficult of his works is ‘Systematic Theology, on which he began working in 1925. It was published in three volumes from 1951 to 1963. His books of sermons, beginning with ‘The Shaking of the Foundations (1948), present his thoughts more clearly for a wider audience. Other works include ‘The Protestant Era (1948), ‘The Courage to Be (1952), ‘Dynamics of Faith (1957), and ‘The Eternal Now (1963). Like Spinoza, he was a â€Å"God-intoxicated man† who wanted to help his fellow human beings recapture a relevant and dynamic religious faith. EMPIRICAL ARGUMENT 1. The Existentialism of God Empiricists believe that experience is of primary importance in giving us knowledge of the world. Whatever we learn, according to them, we learn through perception. Knowledge without experience, with the possible exception of trivial semantic and logical truths, is impossible. A more moderate form of Empiricism is that of the substantive Empiricists, who are unconvinced by attempts that have been made to interpret formal concepts empirically and who therefore concede that formal concepts are a priori but deny that categorial concepts, such as â€Å"substance,† â€Å"cause,† and â€Å"God,† are a priori. In this view, formal concepts would be no longer semantical, pertaining to the relation of words to things; they would be, instead, merely descriptive or purely syntactical, pertaining to the relations between ideas. On this basis â€Å"God,† would not be an entity alongside other entities but a device for arranging a mans factual beliefs about the world; the concept â€Å"God† would thus play a structural and not an informative role. The Response of Tillich: Tillich was a central figure in the intellectual life of his time both in Germany and the United States. It is generally held that the 20th century has been marked by a widespread breakdown of traditional Christian convictions about God, morality, and the meaning of human existence in general. In assessing Tillich’s role in relation to this development, some critics have regarded him as the last major spokesman for a vanishing Christian culture, a systematic thinker who sought to demonstrate the reasonableness of the Christian faith to modern skeptics. Others have viewed him as a forerunner of the contemporary cultural revolution, whose discussions of the meaning of God and faith served themselves to undermine traditional beliefs. Tillich himself believed he was a â€Å"boundary man,† standing between the old and the new, between a heritage imbued with a sense of the sacred and the secular orientation of the new age. He asserted that his vocation was to mediate between the concerns voiced by faith and the imperatives of a questioning reason, thus helping to heal the ruptures threatening to destroy Western civilization. He believed that from the beginning life had prepared him for such a role, and his long career as a theologian, educator, and writer was devoted to this task with single-minded energy. Theological systems, developed by Paul Tillich, were based on the concept of symbol. In it Tillich, a Rationalist asserts that â€Å"there are concepts not derived from or correlated with experienceable features of the world, such as â€Å"cause,† â€Å"identity,† or â€Å"perfect circle,† and that these concepts are a priori (Latin: â€Å"from the former†) in the traditional sense of being part of the minds innate or natural equipment—as opposed to being a posteriori (Latin: â€Å"from the latter†), or grounded in the experience of facts. On the other hand, a Rationalist theory of knowledge holds that there are beliefs that are a priori (i. e. , that depend for their justification upon thought alone), such as the belief that everything must have a sufficient reason or that a process cannot exist by itself but must occur within some substance. Such beliefs can arise either from intellectual intuition, the direct apprehension of self-evident truth, or from purely deductive reasoning. His Protestant Principle: Apparently developed from the insight he had gained at Halle as a norm in analyses of religion and culture, the meaning of history, and contemporary social problems. Tillich’s love of freedom, however, did not make him forget his boyhood commitment to a rich and satisfying religious tradition; and how to enjoy the freedom to explore life without sacrificing the essentials of a meaningful tradition became his early and lifelong preoccupation. It appears as a major theme in his theological work: the relation of heteronomy to autonomy and their possible synthesis in theonomy. Heteronomy (alien rule) is the cultural and spiritual condition when traditional norms and values become rigid, external demands threatening to destroy individual freedom. Autonomy (self-rule) is the inevitable and justified revolt against such oppression, which nevertheless entails the temptation to reject all norms and values. Theonomy (divine rule) envisions a situation in which norms and values express the convictions and commitments of free individuals in a free society. These three conditions Tillich saw as the basic dynamisms of both personal and social life. In his search for solution concerning the meaning of human existence, Tillich, using his most widely read books, The Courage to Be and Dynamics of Faith, argued that the deepest concern of humans drives them into confrontation with a reality that transcends their own finite existence. Tillich’s discussion of the human situation in these books shows a profound grasp of the problems brought to light by modern psychoanalysis and existentialist philosophy. The publication of his Systematic Theology made available the results of a lifetime of thought. The most novel feature of this work is its â€Å"method of correlation,† which makes theology a dialogue relating questions asked by man’s probing reason to answers given in revelatory experience and received in faith—theonomy’s answers to autonomy’s questions. The dialogue of Systematic Theology is in five parts, each an intrinsic element in the system as a whole: questions about the powers and limits of man’s reason prepare him for answers given in revelation; questions about the nature of being lead to answers revealing God as the ground of being; questions about the meaning of existence are answered by the New Being made manifest in Jesus Christ; questions about the ambiguities of human experience point to answers revealing the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life process; and questions about human destiny and the meaning of history find their answers in the vision of the Kingdom of God. The Being of God According to Leonard F. Wheat, the statements of Paul Tillich such as: God does not exist. He is being-itself beyond essence and existence. Therefore to argue that God exists is to deny him, God is the symbol for God and The God of theism is dead seem to represent him as an â€Å"atheistic theologian† as some critics put it, but a closer look at Tillichs position makes him appear less controversial. He argued that Tillich’s oft-repeated assertion that God is not a being, but being-itself. is the only possible definition of God because all other options turn God into a Supreme Being that is something less than God. If God is not being-itself, he is, in fact, in as much bondage as the old Greek gods were in bondage to fate a King indeed but only a puppet-king. Thus, his motivation for defining God as being-itself is to protect the transcendence of God from idolatrous misconceptions, not to cover his atheism with silly word tricks. Much the same goes for his talk of symbols. Tillichs remark that God is the symbol for God lead many to conclude that he regarded God as merely symbolic (i.e. , not real), says Wheat. However, Tillich was simply conveying the fact that human language can never fully grasp the ineffable glory of God, since our superlatives become diminutives when applied to God. However, Tillich argued that language is capable of pointing to the reality God in a symbolic fashion, although it is never identical with that reality. Thus, symbols are truly glorious things, because they allow us to describe the indescribable, opening up levels of reality that are closed to literal language. With this in mind, his talk of the God above the God of theism makes more sense. The God of theism is the symbolically-conceived God that is forever transcended by the True God. Far from being a nonsensical phrase designed to trick people into believing, this is Tillichs way of affirming both the validity of theological speech and the complete otherness of God. Thus, while the form of Tillichs doctrine of God is certainly unconventional, I think its substance lies comfortably within the Christian tradition. REFERENCES Andrew M. Colman: Oxford Dictionary of Psychology, Oxford University Press, New York, 2003. Bacon, Francis, Viscount Saint Baron of Verulam: The Nature of Things. Anthony M. Quinton, University of Oxford, 1950 David Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature, (1739) in Encyclop? dia Britannica. Encoyclopaedia Britannica Student and Home Edition. Chicago: Encyclop? dia Britannica, 2010. Immanuel Kant: Critique of Pure Reason, in Encyclop? dia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Student and Home Edition. Chicago: Encyclop? dia Britannica, 2010. John Locke: An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, vol. 2 Oxford University, England 1690 John Scott Gordon Marsall: Oxford Dictionary of Sociology, Oxford University Press, New York, 2005. John Stuart Mill, A System of Logic, Ratiocinative and Inductive, (1843) in Encyclop? dia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Student and Home Edition. Chicago: Encyclop? dia Britannica, 2010. Radical Empiricism: Encyclop? dia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Student and Home Edition. Chicago: Encyclop? dia Britannica, 2010. W. H. Walsh, Reason and Experience (1947); and H. H. Price, Thinking and Experience, 2nd ed. (1969) in Encyclop? dia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Student and Home Edition. Chicago: Encyclop? dia Britannica, 2010. Internet Sources Empiricism: retrieved from http://www. theoryofknowledge. info/sources-of-knowledge/ empiricism/ http://www2. warwick. ac. uk/fac/soc/philosophy/people/faculty/longworth/keyideasrationalismempiricism. pdf Catholic Encyclopedia: Empiricism. Retrieved from http://www. newadvent. org/advert/99001 f. htm Leonard F. Whea: (March 09, 2006) Was Paul Tillich an Atheist? retrieved from http://woauthority. blogspot. com/2006/03/was-paul-tillich-atheist. html on 24/10/2012.

Human Physiological Function And Homeostasis

Human Physiological Function And Homeostasis The human organism consists of trillions of cells all working together for the maintenance of the entire organism. While cells may perform very different functions, all the cells are quite similar in their metabolic requirements. Maintaining a constant internal environment with all that the cells need to survive (oxygen, glucose, mineral ions, waste removal, and so forth) is necessary for the well-being of individual cells and the well-being of the entire body. The varied processes by which the body regulates its internal environment are collectively referred to as homeostasis. What is Homeostasis? Homeostasis in a general sense refers to stability, balance or equilibrium. It is the bodys attempt to maintain a constant internal environment. Maintaining a stable internal environment requires constant monitoring and adjustments as conditions change. This adjusting of physiological systems within the body is called homeostatic regulation. Homeostatic regulation involves three parts or mechanisms: 1) the receptor, 2) the control center and 3) the effector. The receptor receives information that something in the environment is changing. The control center or integration center receives and processes information from the receptor. And lastly, the effector responds to the commands of the control center by either opposing or enhancing the stimulus. This is an ongoing process that continually works to restore and maintain homeostasis. For example, in regulating body temperature there are temperature receptors in the skin, which communicate information to the brain, which is the control center, and the effector is our blood vessels and sweat glands in our skin. Because the internal and external environments of the body are constantly changing and adjustments must be made continuously to stay at or near the set point, homeostasis can be thought of as a dynamic equilibrium. Cells depend on the body environment to live and function. Homeostasis keeps the body environment under control and keeps the conditions right for cells to live and function. Without the right body conditions, certain processes (eg osmosis) and proteins (eg enzymes) will not function properly. All organisms need some control on their internal environmental conditions in order to ensure that they will be able to survive. Since many of the metabolic reactions that occur within an organism depend on the use of enzymes or even the use of other organisms such as prokaryotic bacteria, it is essential that the optimal conditions required for the functioning of that enzyme be provided. Homeostasis therefore, is the tendency of organisms to regulate and maintain relative internal stability, and involves, among other processes, the maintenance of a constant body temperature, glucose concentration, pH, osmotic pressure, oxygen level, and ion concentrations. The ability to maintain a constant internal environment, with which we are most familiar, is that of a constant body temperature in homeothermic organisms. For example, the average body temperature of a human The mechanisms that regulate homeostasis operate by feedback mechanisms. Negative and positive feedback mechanisms operate in living things. Negative feedback mechanisms reverse the direction of the change. This maintains the constant, steady state and so represents homeostasis. Positive feedback, on the other hand, acts to change the variable even more in the direction in which it is changing. Thus, positive feedback is not a homeostatic mechanism. Temperature control is an example of a negative feedback homeostatic mechanism. The region of the brain called the hypothalamus monitors the human bodys temperature. Variation from the normal temperature of 98.6ÂÂ °F (37ÂÂ °C) triggers a response from the hypothalamus. The temperature can be lowered by activation of glands capable of sweating, or raised by signalling muscles to shiver to produce heat. Homeostatic mechanisms are a fundamental characteristic of living things. Without these mechanisms, facets of a body that need to be kept operating in a steady state, such as temperature, salinity, acidity, hormone levels, concentration of gases such as carbon dioxide, and the concentrations of nutrients, would become so unbalanced as to threaten the life of the organism. In a healthy body, homeostatic mechanisms operate automatically at different levels; molecular, cellular, and at the level of the whole organism. At the molecular level, the activity controlled by one gene can be under regulatory control by another gene. At the cellular level, a well-studied homeostatic mechanism is contact inhibition, in which cells stop dividing when they begin to crowd in on each other. Cancer, in which a hallmark is the rampant growth and division of cells, is a condition where the homeostatic mechanism of contact inhibition is inoperative or defective. At the whole organism level, a homeostatic mechanism is a vital part of birth. During labor, the contraction of the uterus causes the release of a hormone called oxytocin from the hypothalamus. The hormone increases contraction frequency, which in turn stimulates the release of more oxytocin. This increasing contraction cycle propels the fetus down the birth canal and into the world. After birth, the oxytocin acts to contract the expanded uterus in order to minimize bleeding, thereby maintaining the mothers blood volume The importance of homeostatic mechanisms to the well being of an organism is underscored by the consequences of their failure. For example, at body temperatures of 107ÂÂ °F (42ÂÂ °C), the negative feedback systems cease to function. The high temperature then acts to speed up the bodys chemistry, raising temperature even more. This, in turn, further accelerates body chemistry, causing a further rise in temperature. This cycle of positive feedback is lethal if not halted. Two hormones are responsible for controlling the concentration of glucose in the blood. These are insulin and glucagon. The diagram illustrates the principle of negative feedback control in action involving blood/sugar levels. Pancreas Receptors The receptors of the pancreas are responsible for monitoring glucose levels in the blood, since it is important in every cell for respiration. Two types of cell release two different hormones from the pancreas, insulin and glucagon. These hormones target the liver, one or the other depending on the glucose concentration In cases where glucose levels increase, less glucagon and more insulin is released by the pancreas and targets the liver In cases where glucose levels decrease, less insulin and more glucagon is released by the pancreas and targets the liver The Liver The liver acts as a storehouse for glycogen, the storage form of glucose. When either of the above hormones target the liver, the following occurs Insulin Insulin is released as a result of an increase in glucose levels, and therefore promotes the conversion of glucose into glycogen, where the excess glucose can be stored for a later date in the liver Glucagon Glucagon is released as a result of an decrease in glucose levels, and therefore promotes the conversion of glycogen into glucose, where the lack glucose can be compensated for by the new supply of glucose brought about from glycogen Diabetes Diabetes insipidus is a condition where excess urine is excreted caused by the sufferers inability to produce ADH and promote the retention of water. Diabetes Mellitus is another form of diabetes where the sufferer does not have the ability to produce sufficient insulin, meaning that glucose cannot be converted into glycogen. Anyone who has this condition usually has to take injections of insulin after meals and snacks to maintain their storage of glucose needed in emergencies. Fight or Flight In emergencies, adrenaline is released by the body to override the homeostatic control of glucose. This is done to promote the breakdown of glycogen into glucose to be used in the emergency. These emergencies are often known as fight or flight reactions. Adrenaline is secreted by the adrenal glands. The secretion of it leads to increased metabolism, breathing and heart rate. Once the emergency is over, and adrenaline levels drop, the homeostatic controls are once again back in place Osmoregulation Osmoregulation is the regulation of water concentrations in the bloodstream, effectively controlling the amount of water available for cells to absorb. The homeostatic control of water is as follows A change in water concentration leads to active via negative feedback control Osmoreceptors that are capable of detecting water concentration are situated on the hypothalamus next to the circulatory system The hypothalamus sends chemical messages to the pituitary gland next to it. The pituitary gland secretes anti-diuretic hormone (ADH), which targets the kidney responsible for maintaining water levels. When the hormone reaches its target tissue, it alters the tubules of the kidney to become more / less permeable to water If more water is required in the blood stream, high concentrations of ADH make the tubules more permeable. If less water is required in the blood stream, low concentrations of ADH make the tubules less permeable. This is illustrated by the flow chart below Evolutionary Adaptations in Water Regulation Some of the tutorial pages in the adaptation tutorial investigate some of the evolutionary adaptations that organisms have achieved through natural selection. This looks at Ways in which both animals and plants can be better adapted to cope with extreme environments (desert or wetlands). These changes can be behavioural, physical or anatomical, and in some way promote water regulation. Both plant and animal adaptations are investigated

Portrayal Of Modern Women Media Essay

Portrayal Of Modern Women Media Essay Introduction Women may often be at a loss as to their real role in society is. A working mother may play dual roles which are conflicting, that of being a nurturing home-maker to her family, ensuring that the husband and children are well-taken care of while the house is kept spic and span and running smoothly. At the same time, she is a career woman who is expected to be driven, ambitious, hard-worker and committed to the success of the company she works for. On top of that, women are also expected to look their best to the outside world and be alluring sexual beings in the bedroom. Because of the many roles women play, they often seek advise from various sources. One source that they may find consistently reliable are womens magazines because these depict articles set in the modern times, and assumed to promote modern values. At a time when information is so much easier to acquire from various media sources including television, radio and the internet, concrete reading materials are still conveniently available and preferred by many readers (Stevens, Maclaran Catteral, 2007). It would be interesting to explore how contemporary magazines depict women and what priorities they should have in life. Although contemporary womens magazines such as Glamour and Cosmopolitan claim to empower modern women to be more assertive and independent in achieving gender equality, the message sent out from their content (emphasis on the importance of womens beauty and their success in relationships) seem to endorse traditional femininity ideologies, which put women in a role subservient to men in a patriarchal society. Since magazines may have a great influence on how women think, it is crucial to understand the subliminal and overt messages such media format feeds them. The research question that will be explored in this paper is: How are women portrayed in contemporary womens magazines and what messages are conveyed to them? The significance of finding answers to this question will provide enlightenment on how society views women, how women view themselves and how such views guide their value formation, attitude and behaviors. Theoretical Framework This paper is guided by the Sexual Script Theory by Gagnon Simon (1973) and the Objectification Theory by Frederickson Roberts (1997). Scripting theory is premised on the concept that individuals have subjective understandings that determine their choices and qualitative experiences. Sexual Script Theory, specifically focus on the subjective understanding of a person about his or her sexuality that determine his or her sexual actions and experiences related to sex. Scripts are cognitive devices used to guide people in their behaviors. Sometimes, such behaviors are self-fulfilling prophecies to support the scripts upheld by the person. For example, if ones sexual script is to be desirable in order to be liked as a person, then that individual will exert all efforts to look attractive and behave in a seductive manner. Similarly, and to more specifically illustrate the Sexual Scripting theory, the Objectification theory explains how females internalize an observers view to be the prim ary view of her physical self. This means that if a woman gets accustomed to being seen as an object of desire, she becomes socialized to treat herself as such and behaves accordingly (Frederickson Roberts, 1997). Vulnerable to judgment of society, women vigilantly monitor themselves with the knowledge that being positively viewed by others means more opportunities. Studies have shown that how a womans body appears to others can determine her life experiences. Physical attractiveness seem to matter more to females than to males. Women deemed unattractive by their co workers are described more negatively and given less regard than comparatively unattractive men (Bar-Tar Saxe, 1976; Cash, Gillen Burns, 1977; Wallston OLeary, 1981). Physical attractiveness is more highly correlated with popularity, dating experience and marriage opportunities for women than for men (Berscheid, Dion, Walster Walster, 1971; Margolin White, 1987) With regards to the research question at hand, Sexual Scripting Theory and Objectification Theory are appropriate to analyze how magazines portray women because it is assumed that the advertisements and articles of contemporary womens magazines seem to influence women with the idea that they need to use their sexual attractiveness to advance their state. Literature Review Womens magazines enjoy a wide readership for various reasons. Aside from escapism (Geraghty, 1997, 1998) from the daily grind, readers may be hooked on them as they provide temporary solutions to social and personal conflicts (McMahon, 1990). Women find an array of interesting topics in womens magazines. Stevens, Maclaran Catrall (2007) compare different kinds of womens magazines and find that in general, there are magazines that primarily offer fashion and fitness advice (e.g. Vogue, InStyle, Self, Shape); magazines geared toward an older adult female audience (Womans World, womans Day, Good Housekeeping); teen-focused contemporary womens magazines (Seventeen, Teen, YM); and adult-focused contemporary womens magazines (Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Marie Claire, Cleo). In terms of content, contemporary womens magazines are known to uphold traditional femininity ideologies perpetuating ones looks as the measure to judge a womans worth. These magazines likewise encourage women to subordinat e their own interests so they can preserve their relationships with others (Ferguson, 1983; McCracken, 1993; McRobbie, 2000; Peirce, 1993; Sonnet Whelehan, 1995). Duffy Gotcher (1996) also found that 78% of magazine covers highlighted body appearance and over 60% advertised diets, exercise or cosmetic surgery. Aside from these topics, magazines also addressed issues about establishing and maintaining heterosexual dating relationships and somehow put across the message to young women that it should be a priority in their lives, overshadowing their education, careers or participation in social and community service, athletics or politics (Duffy Gotcher, 1996; Evans et al, 1991). More liberated magazines offer explicit sexual advice to women to keep their men happy. Over the past three decades, contemporary womens magazines have significantly increased their sexual content, offering frank advice about sex and relationships (Kim Ward, 2004). The message it sends across is prizing sexually assertive women. Thus, it gives the readers instructions on aggressive ways to attract men and to be able to fulfill their own sexual desires (Durham, 1996). However, Menard Kleinplatz (2008) comment that in the magazines, although there is a strong emphasis for female readers to be sexually active and be in the service of men (Durham, 1996), they are cautioned not to be too overtly sexual. They are encouraged to dress and interact with men in a way that promotes sexual desirability but are discouraged from showing desire themselves (Durham 1996, 1998; Garner et al. 1998). These magazines, then, can be seen as part of a cultural apparatus that purports to assist women to be heterosexually attractive, to be coy, alluring, sexy, and flirtatious, in order to find true love and to catch a man, and then to maintain his interest (Overall, 1999, p. 298). On the other hand, mens sexuality is promoted to be aggressive, animalistic, insatiable, urgent and uncontrollable (Firminger 2006; Garner et al. 1998; Ward 2003). Cosmopolitan magazine is known for being racy, intended for the fun, fearless female (Streitmatter, 2004). Sexual agency and desire is highly promoted to young women. Likewise, the stereotypical male sexual role is described as being primarily sexual and out of control. In Cosmopolitan, much of womens sexual agency and aggressiveness happens within the context of a relationship (Durham, 1996). Walsh-Childers et al. (2002) commented that in some adult-focused magazines, sex is presented as a fun, casual and risk-free activity. A noticeable lack of emphasis on sexual health, contraceptives and STD prevention is observed (Kim Ward, 2004). The promotion of sex as something to keep a man interested in a woman and make him stay in the relationship has been observed as a prevailing theme of some womens magazines. Farvid Braun (2006) contend that the ability of a woman to perform great sex not only fulfills her mans sexual needs but also her own relational needs as well. Since a man is portrayed to want great sex and encounter it with a woman who enjoys it as much, then it would leave a lasting impression that makes the man crave for the woman more. The message conveyed from this, though, is that a memorable sexual performance of a woman is depicted as more important than her personality in terms of keeping a man interested. Farvid Braun (2006) note another message that may be taken from magazine articles about sex. While men can enjoy sex anytime they want, women need to exert more effort in pleasing them as a way of besting other women that their men have had sex with before, or with potential sex partners. This implie s that sex is used as a deterrent against infidelity. Indirectly, it also says that since men have strong sexual drives, that they are potential cheaters (Farvid Braun, 2006). That is why women should gain expertise in the sexual pleasing of their men so that they will not find a need to stray. On the other hand, women are not characterized as having strong sex drives and if they cheat, it is pictured in more severe ways, within more elaborate and negative scenarios. Womens infidelity is more condemnable and less forgivable than mens infidelity. Blame is assigned to the woman and is not likely caused by sexual or relational shortcomings of the partner she cheated. Another gender difference in infidelity is that women are seen as victims of their male partners cheating, but men are seen as seekers of revenge for being cheated on by a female partner (Farvid Braun, 2006). Cheating is still considered always wrong despite the seemingly loose morals propagated in the magazines and mono gamous heterosexual relationships are promoted as central to the identity and well-being of women (Farvid Braun, 2006). Ideologies conveyed by contemporary womens magazines are considered manipulative in the sense that the messages projected regarding the nature of femininity points to legitimizing and naturalizing patriarchal domination (Gough-Yates, 2003). Being limited in scope, primarily about beauty, fashion and advise on getting a man, it communicates to its readers the idea that a man is the main route to a womans happiness and that if women are good enough, the right man will come along and sweep them off their feet-ideally into wedded bliss (Gauntlett, 2002, p. 190). When women are regularly bombarded with this idea, eventually, they adopt such ideology in their lives even without consciously considering the implications such as finding their own fulfillment in their own strengths as women are not regarded as priorities in these magazines. They would develop tendencies to search for and depend on men as their source of happiness and fulfillment. Another perspective is that womens magazines distribute a cult of femininity (Ferguson, 1983, p. 5), advocating ways to be more feminine and promoting a particular ideology catering to patriarchal norms. McCracken (1993) commented that women discover that their inadequacies are sustained by the fear of lacking beauty, fashion sense and self-confidence when they read glossy womens magazines. Womens bodies have been used to sell several advertised products. Walsh-Childers (1996) observed that photos of women in advertising usually focused the readers eye on womens body parts such as the breasts. Soley and Kurzbad (1986) also observed that more and more sexual content became manifest since the mid-1980s as female nudity and erotic content became commonplace in contemporary U.S. advertising. Ms. Magazine published advertisements that increasingly portrayed women as sex objects in its first 15 years of publication. After it no longer ran such ads, Ms. Magazine upheld a position that explicitly embraced feminist orientation and spurned advertisements which were insulting to women. Ms. magazine established itself as an institutional prototype for the appropriate conduct of advertising to women (Ferguson et al., 1990, p. 41). Still, with this supposed precedent of championing for women in advertising, there persist ads depicting women as sex objects (Krassas, Blaukamp Wesselin k, 2001). Krassas, Blaukamp Wesselink (2001) conclude that womens magazines communicate a paradoxical perspective of female sexuality in that women are encouraged to shed their traditional roles and become more independent while they are pressured to find and sexually satisfy a man. Womens bodies are considered commodities and their independence allows them to use such commodities to their advantage and to maximize their market value (Goldman, Heath Smith, 1991). Krassas, Blaukamp Wesselink (2001) also note that Cosmopolitan magazine may be the first to recognize women as sexual, at the same time, they are primarily sexual objects whose desire is fulfilled by allowing themselves to be treated as commodities that are sexually available to men and designed to attract men. Methods The choice of studying Cosmopolitan magazine was determined by it being the top-selling womens magazine in the world (Worlds Longest-running and Most Popular Periodicals, 2009). Having 58 international editions and translated into 34 languages, the magazine is distributed in more than a hundred countries. With this position comes the power to reach such a wide readership. Data Gathering The researcher will be reading and taking notes from 3 issues of Cosmopolitan Magazine, specifically the June, July and August 2010 issues which are the ones available to the researcher. Researcher will note down the titles as well as the content of each article as well as the advertisements promoted by the magazine. White and Marsh (2006) contend that a good coding scheme has categories or levels that are exhaustive, that is, all relevant aspects of the construct are represented (p. 32). For this study, categories or themes of articles in the magazines will serve as codes such as articles with sexual content, relationships or body issues. To determine the amount of the content per category or theme in each magazine issue, the percentage of content will be computed by counting all the titles (for cover page) and articles (including sidebars) written for the issue and getting the percentage of the content listed in each category against the total content of each issue for both cover page and inside articles. Analysis Discussion According to White Marsh (2006), after coding, data should be summarized so that they could be understood easily and are applicable to the hypotheses or research questions. Then, the researcher relates the data to other situations or studies so findings are put into perspective. In this case, the data shall be related to information in the review of literature that is most relevant to it. Results The dominance of the category of sexual content in the cover pages of the magazines obviously used sex as a selling point. These titles were made to catch the attention of potential buyers who include women in need of advise to boost their sex lives as well as men who may be curious as to what the articles reveal. Titles such as 75 Sex Tips From Guys: Sizzling, Sinful and Surprising Things Theyre Craving Now (June 2010 issue); 99 New Sex Facts: Every Forbidden, Fascinating Detail You Want To Know.. and only Cosmo will tell you (July 2010 issue) and Naughty, Naughty Sex Poll: Its Official: We Got 2,000 Men to Reveal, Do this not That in bed (August 2010) practically scream for attention as it is given the boldest print. Also, words such as Sex, Sexy and Hot jump out of the page as they are highlighted in the cover that eyes will automatically be drawn to the bright and bold titles. Other categories of content fought for attention with catchy titles such as Look So Sexy (June 2010), Th e Sexy Secrets to Making Smart Decisions (July 2010) and Together Forever? How to Still Flirt With Him (August 2010). Even with these titles, a hint of sex is still present. The thick issues of the magazine are filled with crisp, glossy pages, rich with various content. However, the volume of sexual content promised in the inside pages may disappoint readers, as the percentages do not hold in the articles printed within the issues. The articles spread into more than one page, so in terms of quality, the anticipated richness of sexual content was justified. The articles were graphic in language and mostly instructional such as giving actual directions on how to achieve better orgasms or identifying highly sensitive body spots that provide the most pleasure. It would not be difficult to imagine what the authors were referring to because the articles were replete with real-life examples. Readers would learn that the recommended sexual techniques would be very pleasurable, and may want to try it out themselves. Mostly, the articles taught readers how to please men in bed. This is consistent with the contentions of Farvid Braun that women should learn to be great in bed in order to keep their men fulfilled and content with just having them. The content category on Fashion and Beauty dominated the inside pages of the magazines. It showcased the latest trends and products, as worn and used by popular celebrities. Clearly, the magazine has become a marketing tool for the fashion and beauty products, luring women readers to buy them for themselves so they will also be considered hot, cool, trendy or hip supposedly descriptions of women who are fashionable and sophisticated. Aside from being viewed as a marketing tool, the magazines emphasis on women being fashionable and beautiful sells an ideology that that is how women should be in order to feel fulfilled as a person and to be able to attract men. The advertisers of the magazine prey on womens insecurities and their intense need to be accepted, admired and loved. Using very attractive models does not only create more insecurity about readers looks but also a more passionate desire to achieve the models look by purchasing the cosmetics she used to look that attractive. Discussion and Conclusion The theories and scholarly observations in the literature review seem to be consistent with what is actually published in womens magazines. Sexual scripting of women being objects of desire as well as sex objects playing the stereotype of existing for the pleasure of men reverberate in the magazines even if these took pride in empowering women to be fun, fearless females. However, it admits that women have sexual needs themselves that they should not be ashamed to fulfill. The Objectification theory is validated by the advertisements and articles of women wanting to look good for their men so that they will not be replaced by younger, sexier and more beautiful women. The 3 magazine issues reviewed do not totally reflect Durhams (1996, 1998) and Garner et al.s (1998) comment that women are encouraged to dress and interact with men that promotes their sexual desirability but are discouraged from showing desire themselves. Women being overtly sexual towards men is actually supported in the issues studied. This is because the authors have done thorough research on what men really want in sex, and one finding is that they are aroused by women making sexual advances towards them. The articles in the magazine merely report what men want to inform women on what to do to please them. It is apparent that male ego is supposed to be massaged and nurtured by women, living in a patriarchal society. Both Sexual scripting and Objectification theories are thus proven i n this case. The portrayal of women in the magazines (article pictures and advertisements) reflects women as eye-candy or a prize to be won by the most deserving man. The photographs show mostly Caucasian women gazing into the camera, and giving the image that they are communicating with the readers with their eyes or smile to buy whatever product, idea or ideology they are selling. The use of very attractive models instills in readers an ideal of beauty to emulate. Such beauty is enhanced by cosmetics and fashionable clothes and shoes. Although known for covering much ground on sex, it was initially surprising that the percentage of titles of sex-related articles was not as high as expected. However, upon further scrutiny, the articles were replete with detail and length. The magazine was also found by this study to cover topics about men, relationships and self-improvement. Readers who may be constrained in seeking information about these topics elsewhere may find comfort in the fact that Cosmopolitan provides honest advise in the viewpoint of experts of the topics. For instance, many topics on men were discussed by men themselves! Cosmopolitan has its own formula for success. Being known for a magazine that unashamedly promotes sex for unmarried women, it titillates the curiosity of most women, even those who pride themselves of upholding the strictest of morals. Cosmopolitan cover pages use the most popular and attractive woman whom the world adores for the moment. Add to this celebrity cover girl, catchy titles of articles, mostly racy and intriguing, and the magazine sells well. Being sold is the first step in spreading the ideologies constructed in the magazine and conveying it to its readers. Being the best-selling womens magazine in the world, it is presumed that Cosmopolitan magazine has already been successful in imbedding to its millions of readers the ideologies it wants to convey.