Midterm Essay Essays (951 words) - Black-ish,

Ashley Altidort Professor Jones Black-ish and the Black Middle Class March 13th, 2019 Analysis of Black-ish Episode 501: Gap Year Black-ish, a show that attempts to tackle sensitive topics in the black community enough for digestion to the unrelatable, does so through the Johnson's black middle class family and their troubling scenarios residing in a predominantly white suburb. Karyn Lacy's "Blue Chip Black" examined the lives of black middle class and how they constructed and maintained five distinct social identities: public, status-based, race-based, class, and suburban- and analyzed their experience in regards to the social construction of identity. She developed the idea of the Black cultural toolkit to draw attention to both material and nonmaterial forms of culture that these black families used to negotiate their daily life. The Johnson family enforces the status-based identity in Lacy's black cultural toolkit in episode 501, Gap Year, through symbols and material culture. After realizing how lost and uncertain he was about college, Junior decided to come back home from Howard University and take a gap year, where a student takes a year off before going to college. When he decided to break the news to his family, it was not met with support. His parents Dre and Bow, and his grandfather, Pops, insinuated the idea of a gap year being only an option for wealthy and privileged kids and instantly opposed, as Pops said, "Is this some white shit? Everything around here is some white shit." Dre tries to find some answers at his workplace and his white coworkers are more receptive to the idea because of the opportunities it proposes, but not for young black men. Steven, his boss, highlighted a statistic that further supported Dre's reasoning for the enforcement of education for his children, "Rich young white males are more likely to stay well to do, while rich young black males are more likely to become poor." Due to imbalanced incarceration rates, employme nt bias, and discriminatory policies, a black male has lower chances of being successful in his lifetime compared to a white male. Education, one of the major cultural capitals important to black middle class families, allows both inclusionary and exclusionary boundary work amongst classes. Lacy compares the differences between blacks in Sherwood Park, Riverton and Lakeview as they stem from difference in wealth and the types of assets middle class blacks depend on to create opportunities for themselves and their children. (115) Blacks who spend generously on their children, like those in Sherwood Park, regard their status primarily in the context of status reproduction. They see their spending as an investment, similar to Dre and Bow, and the blacks in Riverton and Lakeview who spent more conservatively on their children consider spending regularly on luxuries, like private school tuition, as a threat to their status position in efforts of protecting what they have. Dre struggles to understand Junior's firm stance on taking a gap year because "his ancestors didn't cross that river so he could take a gap year." Education presented opportunities of success for Dre that were not optional for him to take because of the environment he was raised in, yet it has become one for Junior. In a conversation with Dre, Bo asserts her status identity as a part of an elite black middle class group, "I am Dr. Rainbow Johnson. I went to Brown University. I went to USC medical school. People know my nameI have a reputation to uphold. My kids go to college!" She uses forms of material and nonmaterial culture to further emphasize her status- she brags of her education and diplomas as a pathway to economic independence and reflects on the effort it took to reach her current status position. Similar to the blacks in Sherwood Park, their perspectives of status includes defining and comparing the black middle class to the upper classes. (117) In the second to last scene of the show, Dre attempted to talk Junior out of taking a gap year, however seemed to associate masculinity with education, "A man has to realize an opportunity like this may not last forever, a man's scholarship could be gone once he finally decides to go back to school." Dre says this with regard of

A Handmaids Tale essays

A Handmaids Tale essays IN THE NOVEL THE HANDMAIDS TALE BY MARGRET ATWOOD, A SOCIETY IS CREATED WHERE GOD AND GOVERNMENT ARE JOINED;AND AMERICA WHICH IS NOW GILEAD,IS RUN WITH EXTREME STRICTNESS OF RELIGIOUS AND MORAL DUTIES.ATWOOD POSITS A FUTURE SOCIETY BASED ON SEXUAL REPRESSION.THERE IS A SOCIETY IN WHICH THE MAN IS ENFORCES RULERSHIP BUT THE WOMEN MAKE ALL THE OTHER DECISIONS.IT IS A SOCIETY IN WHICH THEY LIVE LITERALLY ON GENISIS CHAPTER 30:1-6.THIS IS A VERY DISTURBING NOVEL IT SUGGESTS A FUTURE WHERE SOCIETY, AND THE RULERS ARE TYRANNICAL. ATWOOD POSITS A FUTURE SOCIETY BASED ON SEXUAL REPRESSION.IN THE BOOK HANDMAIDS ARE GIVEN NAMES LIKE OFWARREN AND OFGLEN WHICH ARE COMPOSED OF POSSESIVE PREPOSITION.(PAGE 19)THE NAMES WERE TAKEN BY THOSE WOMEN UPON THEIR ENTRY INTO THE HOUSEHOLD OF A CERTAIN COMMANDER.THE WOMEN OR THE HANDMAIDS MUST LISTEN AND OBEY THE COMMANDERS WIFE.MEN AND WOMEN ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TALK TO EACH OTHER EXCEPT WHENTHEY ARE TOLD.THE CLOTHING WORN BY WOMEN IN OUR MODERN TIME CANNOT BE WORN IT IS FORBIDDEN AND CONSIDERED DIRTY, THE WOMEN MUST BE FULLY CLOTHED EXCEPT FOR THEIR FACE AND THEIR THE FORMER UNITED STATES NOW REPUBLIC OF GILEAD,IS RUN WITH STRICT RELIGIOUS AND MORAL DUTIES.THE PEOPLE HAVE TO PRAY DAILY,IN THE MORNING AND IN THE NIGHT.IN THIS NOVEL THE GOVERNMENT TRIES TO FOLLLOW GOD BUT THEY DO NOT FOLLOW IT IN THE WAYS GOD WANTED US TO;THEY TAKE THE BIBLE LITERALLY.THE BOOK ALSO SHOWS THE HARSH REALITY OF THE WAY OUR SOCIETY IS LIVING ESPECIALLY WOMEN.IT SHOWS THAT WE DO NOT NOTICE THE WAY THAT OUR SOCIETY ACTS,DRESSES AND BEHAVES.DEEP FEELINGS OF OUR MORALITY AS HUMANS ARE PRESENTED. IN THIS BOOK,ATWOOD CREATES A SOCIETY WHERE MEN ENFORCE RULERSHIP, BUT WOMEN MAKE ALL OTHER CHOICES.IN THE NOVEL MEN ARE ...

Life and Work of Nancy Spero, Feminist Printmaker

Life and Work of Nancy Spero, Feminist Printmaker Nancy Spero (August 24, 1926–October 18, 2009) was a pioneering feminist artist, best known for her appropriation of images of myth and legend culled from various sources collaged with contemporary images of women. Her work is often presented in an unconventional manner, whether in the form of the codex or applied directly to the wall. This manipulation of form is designed to place her work, which frequently grapples with themes of feminism and violence, in the context of a more established art historical canon. Fast Facts: Nancy Spero Known For: Artist (painter, printmaker)Born: August 24, 1926 in Cleveland, OhioDied: October 18, 2009 in New York City, New YorkEducation: Art Institute of ChicagoSelected Works: War Series, Artaud Paintings, Take No PrisonersNotable Quote: I don’t want my work to be a reaction to what male art might be or what art with a capital A would be. I just want it to be art. Early Life Spero was born in 1926 in Cleveland, Ohio. Her family moved to Chicago when she was a toddler. After graduating from New Trier High School, she attended the Art Institute of Chicago, where she met her future husband, painter Leon Golub, who described his wife as being â€Å"elegantly subversive† in art school.  Spero graduated in 1949 and spent the following year in Paris. She and Golub married in 1951. While living and working in Italy from 1956 to 1957, Spero took note of the ancient Etruscan and Roman frescoes, which she would eventually incorporate into her own art. From 1959-1964, Spero and Golub lived in Paris with their three sons (the youngest, Paul, was born in Paris during this time). It was in Paris that she began exhibiting her work. She displayed her work in several shows at Galerie Breteau throughout the 1960s. Art: Style and Themes Nancy Spero’s work is easily recognizable, made by repeatedly hand-printing images in a non narrative sequence, often in codex form. The codex and the scroll are ancient ways of disseminating knowledge; thus, by utilizing the codex in her own work, Spero inserts herself into the larger context of history. The use of the knowledge-bearing codex to display image-based work begs the viewer to make sense of the â€Å"story.† Ultimately, however, Speros art is anti-historical, as the repeated images of women in distress (or in some cases women as protagonist) is meant to paint a picture of the unchanging nature of the female condition as either victim or heroine. An example of Speros Codices.   Aware Women Artists Speros interest in the scroll was also partially derived from her realization that the female figure could not escape the scrutiny of the male gaze. Thus, she began to make works that were so expansive that some pieces could only be seen in peripheral vision. This reasoning also extends to her fresco work, which places her figures in out of reach places on a wall- often very high or hidden by other architectural elements. Spero derived her metal plates, which she used to print the same image over and over again, from images she encountered in her day-to-day, including advertisements, history books, and magazines. She would eventually build up what an assistant called a â€Å"lexicon† of female images, which she would employ almost as stand-ins for words. The fundamental position of Spero’s work was to recast woman as the protagonist in history, as women â€Å"have been there† but â€Å"have been written out† of history. â€Å"What I try to do,† she said, is pick the ones that have a very powerful vitality† in order to force our culture to grow accustomed to seeing women in the role of power and heroism. Spero’s use of the female body, however, does not always seek to represent the female experience. Sometimes, it is â€Å"a symbol of victim of both men and women,† as the female body is often the site of violence. In her series on the Vietnam War, the image of woman is intended to represent the suffering of all people, not merely the ones she chooses to depict. Speros depiction of womankind is a portrait of the universal human condition. Politics As her work no doubt suggests, Spero herself was outspoken about politics, concerned with issues as diverse as the violence suffered in war and the unfair treatment of women in the art world. About her iconic War Series, which used the menacing shape of an American army helicopter as a symbol for the atrocities carried out in Vietnam, Spero said:. â€Å"When we came back from Paris and saw that [the U.S.] had gotten involved in Vietnam, I realized that the United States had lost its aura and its right to claim how pure we were. Bomb Shitting from her War Series.   Museo Reina Sofia   In addition to her anti-war work, Spero was a member of Art Workers Coalition, Women Artists in Revolution, and the Women’s Ad Hoc Committee. She was one of the founding members of A.I.R. (Artists-in-Residence) Gallery, a collaborative workspace of female artists in SoHo. She joked that she needed this all-female space as she was overwhelmed at home as the only woman among four men (her husband and three sons). Speros politics were not limited to her art making. She picketed the Vietnam War, as well as the Museum of Modern Art for its poor inclusion of female artists in its collection. Despite her active political participation, however, Spero said: I don’t want my work to be a reaction to what male art might be or what art with a capital A would be. I just want it to be art. Reception and Legacy Nancy Spero’s work was well-regarded in her lifetime. She received a solo show at the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles in 1988 and at the Museum of Modern Art in 1992 and was featured at the Venice Biennale in 2007 with a maypole construction titled Take No Prisoners. Take No Prisoners at the Venice Biennale.   Getty Images Her husband Leon Golub died in 2004. They had been married for 53 years, often working side by side. By the end of her life, Spero was crippled by arthritis, forcing her to work with other artists to produce her prints. However, she welcomed the collaboration, as she liked the way the influence of another hand would change the feel of her prints. Spero died in 2009 at the age of 83, leaving behind a legacy that will continue to influence and inspire artists that come after her. Sources Bird, Jon et al.  Nancy Spero. Phaidon, 1996.Cotter, Holland. Nancy Spero, Artist Of Feminism, Is Dead At 83.  Nytimes.Com, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/20/arts/design/20spero.html. Politics Protest.  Art21, 2018, https://art21.org/read/nancy-spero-politics-and-protest/.  Searle, Adrian. Nancy Speros Death Means The Art World Loses Its Conscience.  The Guardian, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/oct/20/nancy-spero-artist-death.Sosa, Irene (1993).  Woman as Protagonist: The Art of Nancy Spero. [video] Available at: https://vimeo.com/240664739. (2012).

Use your understanding of chemistry to answer the following questions Essay

Use your understanding of chemistry to answer the following questions - Essay Example 2. What actually makes a chemical reaction happen? Chemical reaction happens when molecules interact with each other. There should be two or more molecules involved for the chemical reaction to happen. This interaction between molecules causes the smaller parts of the molecules, the atoms to bond with each other and breaks down to form new molecules. When this happen, the possibilities of the resulting molecules are endless. Yes I should squash the bottle albeit it would make the container look ugly. This consistent to Henry’s Law that states that the amount gas that dissolves in a liquid is directionally proportional to the pressure exerted to the gas in equilibrium with that liquid (www.khanacademy.org nd). Leaving a soda half-full without squashing the bottle will flat the soda because carbon dioxide that causes the hissing sound when we open it will seep out faster. There is now large amount of vacuum causing the soda to flatten. So by squashing the bottle, we virtually remove the space above the soda and increase the pressure inside the container preventing it from going

Project Management & Strategic Planning - Case Study -- [S6] Essay

Project Management & Strategic Planning - Case Study -- [S6] - Essay Example major steps in strategic planning phase went missing; steps such as estimation of resource requirements, risk planning and communication with all stakeholders. Furthermore in monitoring and controlling phase business continuity was not planned hence the WestJet implementation took more time and cost along and resulted in customer dissatisfaction. Estimation of resources such as time, people and money ensures a better execution, through risk planning all the related risk factors to the project are estimated with risk prevention and mitigation plans while communication with all stakeholders including customers ensures business continuation in an effective way and clarifying roles and responsibilities (Charvat, 2002). Effective communication prior to a project initiation determines the information and communication needs of the stakeholders resulting in better understanding of responsibilities and tasks distribution as well as clarifying the expectations from them. It results in formation of a cohesive team resulting in a better performance later on and initiates a change management process within the organization. Increased level of awareness invites ideas from employees and customers and ensures readiness of all involved parties. Some disadvantages to communicating a major project in advance include wasted time of project managers in communicating with stakeholders, revealed plans to competitors most of the time triggering a reaction, increased level of suspicion amongst the employees and confusion within customers. Communicating major projects in advance, the project manager has to emphasize on explaining each stakeholder the specific value addition for them (Green, 2007). With volumes sales go down and decreased revenue is not considered good for even an organization in its transition or up-gradation. Along with the unavailability of seats or canceled flights it was essential that both airlines convey the positive message maintaining the trust of the customer

Extended commentary of The Convergence of the Twain by Thomas Hardy Essay Example for Free

Extended commentary of The Convergence of the Twain by Thomas Hardy Essay On the Title: Hardy uses two interesting words: ‘convergence’ and ‘twain’. A convergence is a meeting of two paths, or entities – in this case, a collision! ‘Twain’ is an archaic word for ‘two’, i.e.; both the ‘Titanic’ and the iceberg. Such a title immediately positions the reader to the direction in which the poem will go. Hardy is not, as many elegiac poems of the day were, preparing to mourn the loss of the ship and the lives upon it but rather proceeding to examine the philosophical nature of the collision; perhaps it was fated? The other current use of â€Å"twain† was in the pseudonym â€Å"Mark Twain,† made famous by the publication – initially in England – of â€Å"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn† in 1886. Clems adopted the nom de plume to suggest â€Å"uncomfortable waters† or â€Å"tight navigation,† since two fathoms (â€Å"twain,† the sounding of a Mississippi deck-hand measuring the depth beneath the keel) would be dangerous for a steamboat. Background Information: The ocean liner ‘RMS Titanic’ famously sank, at two o’clock in the morning, upon the 15th April 1912. The disaster claimed 1,502 lives. Hardy was asked to write a poem to be read at a charity concert to raise funds in aid of the tragedy disaster fund. It was first published as part of the souvenir program for that event. Overall Structure: Hardy writes eleven regular triplet stanzas, with an AAA rhyme scheme throughout. The use of triplets allows for a more thorough exploration of ideas in each stanza; unified by the use of the rhyme scheme. Perhaps he also does this to create the effect of inevitability, for the rhymed words form their own paths coincident that lead to a preset conclusion – the reader knows, that is, with which sound each stanza will end after he or she has only read the first line of that stanza. However, that knowledge only appears are having read the first few stanzas or so, echoing the idea that knowledge of those coincident paths of which the poem speaks is not always immediately discernible. Themes: The Vanity of Man, The Relationship between Man and Nature, Fate, Classical Entities. Difficult Language Notes: â€Å"The Immanent Will† – a force of fate. â€Å"Salamandrine† – associated with the salamander (a mythical creature) The poem runs in straight sets but I wish to divide in two for ease of analysis. ‘Part I’ exists from Stanzas I to VI, whilst ‘Part II’ takes the form of Stanzas VII to XII. Part I Notes: First Stanza Notes: Hardy introduces his poem in medias res – the ship has been sunk and lies silently at the bottom of the ocean. He creates a calm effect over his poem through the consonance of the ‘s’ sounds: â€Å"In a solitude of the sea Deep from human vanity, And the Pride of Life that planned her, stilly couches she.† Particular elements of diction are worthy of note: * â€Å"Deep from human vanity† – this line points to the emerging theme of man’s failed vanity, in creating such a grand object to rule over the natural world, only to have Nature smite it. The phrase â€Å"Pride of Life† accentuates this principle. Note how Hardy uses capital letters to make otherwise simple abstract nouns definitive. Although this is pre-emptive, I will now examine the theme of vaingloriousness (and point out notable pieces of evidence throughout the remainder of the poem) which Hardy presents. He uses irony to evoke the ridiculousness of mans plans. In stanzas I through to V, he juxtaposes images of the ships opulence, such as its mirrors meant / To glass the opulent and the ship’s gilded gear with images of the cold currents, â€Å"sea-worms† and moon-eyed fishes that now flow, crawl and swim through those former interiors. This creates a tangible image of the human vanity referred to in this first stanza; what people design for greatness ultimately ends up in a place of abasement. * â€Å"Stilly† is a highly unusual adverb. Hardy uses it to create a sense of ‘peace’. This is furthered by â€Å"solitude† and â€Å"couches†. ‘Couches’ suggests restfulness, or an equanimity. S.L.S considers an image of a ‘death bed’ upon the sea floor. Second Stanza Notes: Hardy focuses upon images of death and change in this stanza: â€Å"Steel chambers, late the pyres Of her salamandrine fires Cold currents third, and turn to tidal rhythmic lyres.† The furnaces of the ship, which contained the salamandrine fires of her engines (a form of LIFE), now have Cold currents thrid (note the a contrast in temperature – and consequently, a contrast in living state) running through them. ‘Thrid’ itself is another reference to the title, as an archaic word for ‘two’. Where there was once heat and life driving the engines of the ship, there is now coldness and death. A further juxtaposition within this second stanza is the use of the word pyre†, as it connotes funerals and death, while the use of salamandrine insinuates a certain tenacity for life (as salamanders were said to live through fires) that could be associated with the ‘Unsinkable Ship’ idea – there was a theory prior to the sinking, now tragically ironic, that the Titanic was unable to sink. Yet, for all of the tragic (or formerly energetic, given the nature of fire) nature of the ship, Hardy once again returns to ideas of peace and harmony. â€Å"Rhythmic tidal lyres† are reminiscent of the classical entities – such as Apollo’s lyre and his place in Arcadia – and consequently calming images. The distinct iambic meter in this phrase aids the calming lilt of the lines. Hardy presents the Titanic’s corpse in a peaceful light, however chilling and panicked her death. Third and Fourth Stanza Notes: I have above described the idea of vanity. I will pick out key phrases from these stanzas which support this idea – their key point is to achieve the above: * â€Å"mirrors meant to glass the opulent† CONTRASTED TO â€Å"grotesque, slimed, dumb, indifferent† sea worms. Note the cruelty and emphasis on â€Å"indifferent†. * â€Å"Jewels in joy designed† CONTRASTED TO â€Å"lie lightless, all their sparkles bleared and black and blind† Note the use of polysyndeton. * â€Å"gilded gear†. Note alliteration. Fifth and Sixth Stanzas: Thus far Hardy has thoroughly examined the idea of vanity and the sunken ship itself. At stanza VI, Hardy changes his focus to the process by which the ship sank, in reference to Hardy’s ‘question’ formulated in stanza V. V â€Å"Dim moon-eyed fishes near Gaze at the gilded gear And query: ‘What does this vaingloriousness down here? VI Well: while was fashioning This creature of cleaving wing, The Immanent Will that stirs and urges everything† It is obvious that Hardy engineers the explanation of the collision as a response to the â€Å"fishes’† question – although one would initially expect the final line of stanza V to be rhetorical. Before diverging upon the analysis of Hardy’s response, note some key elements of this stanza: * â€Å"moon-eyed† (white and dull) contrasts with the shiny, golden nature of the â€Å"gilded†. This accentuates the differences between the metallic (man-made) ship and the natural world. Also note the alliteration used in this line. Question why? * In an final assault on the vanitas vanitatum, observe that Hardy utilises anthropomorphisation to allow even the fish to question Man’s will in creating such ‘vaingloriousness’ – a Natural force (perhaps a personification of Nature itself?) labels the ship a vanity. What consequence does this have? This query, although appearing rhetorical, is answered by Hardy. Denoted by the use of ‘Well’, he switches to a colloquial register – this again adds to the sense of a Volta at stanza VI. Also note the sudden introduction of prominent enjambment at the end of the poem. The sense of stanza VI rolls into the VIIth, in direct opposition to the previous use of ‘poetic closure’ to end all previous stanzas – Hardy normally uses a form of punctuation. Now it’s gone. Apart from being a ‘change’ in its innate self, the enjambment aids in increasing the pace of the poem. This is highly significant. Seeing as, from this point forth, Hardy creates a ‘convergence of the twain’ within the poem itself – i.e.: he brings the two entities together (I will later explore this process in detail) from obscurity to the point of their collision – then increasing the pace at which the two entities move (which is obviously determined by the pace of the poem) must bring them together faster. This adds to the sense of movement, of fast movement and of dramatic effect. Well done, Mr. Hardy. Note some language details: â€Å"Creature of cleaving wing† is a very interesting phrase. â€Å"Cleaving† has multiple meanings, all of which are appropriate to Hardy’s imagery. Primarily, he may be imagining the ship as it ‘cleaves’ through the water, as all good ships should do. Remember, in its day the Titanic was the fastest liner afloat. â€Å"The cleaving wing† may therefore be the iron bow of the boat. Notice how Hardy is utilising additional anthropomorphisation, in referring to the ship as both a â€Å"creature† and one with â€Å"wing[s]†. The iceberg, however, remains inanimate. I doubt that there are any really deliberate poetic techniques to be synthesized from this but perhaps Hardy encourages a larger empathic response from the animate ship than from the inanimate iceberg? However, we must also acknowledge the metallic â€Å"knife-like† associations with ‘cleaving’ – like ‘cleaver’. This has a highly inanimate connotation. [Another weak point, acknowledged.] There also exists an archaic definition in the verb ‘to cleave’ – as in a Biblical usage – meaning ‘to join in matrimony’. This is of enormous interest. Hardy later plays a great deal upon the idea of the twain being marital (and even sexual) mates. Throughout the poem he refers to them with terms connotating a â€Å"confirmed relationship†. We may be â€Å"reading into† the phrase a little too deeply but it is a comment worthy of note. Perhaps Hardy is using the archaic definition of the verb to further advance his marital imagery? He is certainly no stranger to using such odd vocabulary; observe â€Å"The Darkling Thrush†! Finally, I wish to examine ‘The Immanent Will’. â€Å"Immanent† is not an archaic spelling of â€Å"imminent† – do not get confused in terms of these different words! â€Å"The Immanent Will† is somewhat comparable, in terms of a philosophical idea, to the Christian concept of the â€Å"Holy Spirit† or â€Å"Holy Ghost†. It is a spiritual, but existent, entity within every object which determines its fate or actions. Christianity has branches – notably in Catholicism – which believe in a pre-determined plan, of God’s design. In other words, we are all on a plan set out by God. The Holy Spirit helps us to achieve what God wishes; it provides inner strength and resolve. Hardy did not have an easy relationship with religion; born a Christian, he went through multiple tumultuous periods of atheistic belief. That’s probably why he hasn’t gone and just written; â€Å"God, or some deified entity, has allowed and planned for the demise of this here ship. And that’s why the iceberg, which could have been anywhere in a 3,000 mile radius of the vast Atlantic Ocean, just so happened to strike the ship. Deal with it.† So, instead, he has substituted a strictly non-religious term to his idea of Fate. Indeed, he later refers to the Classical ‘Fate’ entities to again replace any otherwise religious terminology. Remember also that Hardy is not aiming to criticise Christianity in a poem intended to raise money for the victims’ families. Thus, clear religious controversy was not a good idea. Stanzas VIII and IX Notes: â€Å"And as the smart ship grew In stature, grace and hue, In shadowy silent distance grew the iceberg too. Alien they seemed to be: No mortal eye could see The intimate welding of the later history,† Again, Hardy invites further comparison through the use of juxtaposition; he now places the two entities in a relative time scale. The use of the word ‘as’ creates this effect, as it brings almost a simile-esque comparative sense to the stanzas. We must focus on the idea of the twain ‘growing’ – as that is the image which Hardy evokes – and the way in which both are joint in the use of the same verb. The obvious mental image is one of a familial relationship; they grow simultaneously but are fatally unaware of each other. Indeed, the distance between them is made explicitly clear and further emphasized by the alliteration used with â€Å"shadowy† and â€Å"silent†. Observe, in the phrase â€Å"In stature, grace and hue†, Hardy returns to the original theme of the ship’s grandeur. He appears, in this occurrence, to be rather more commending (or perhaps simply more mournful) of the ship and its purpose. Stanza IX further dwells upon the notion of fate. Indeed, Hardy utilises some more imagery worthy of note, full of oxymorons. â€Å"The intimate welding of the later history† It takes little to see that this further advances the ideas of both the twain’s ‘marital intimacy’, of the metal-related imagery associated with the ship, but also, in the final few words, the idea of Fate. If one can know, in the present, the details of the future’s past – in other words, the near future – then surely one is saying in an oddly convoluted way that a certain action is destined to soon take place? It’s an oxymoronic (â€Å"later history† is oxymoronic in my book!) way of saying the same as before; the twain are destined to collide. Stanzas X and XI Notes: â€Å"Or sign that they were bent By paths coincident On being anon twin halves of one august event, Till the Spinner of the Years Said ‘Now!’ And each one hears, And consummation comes, and jars two hemispheres. Very little needs to be said about the action in these stanza. The Twain collide, bringing together the long wait in both metaphorical and poetic terms. Hardy’s precise choice of words and imagery is somewhat more interesting, however. For example: * â€Å"Paths coincident† does not point to a coincidence, as one might initially assume, but rather to a â€Å"co-incident† (i.e. â€Å"together†) act. The Twain are, on reflection, on a course which emulates two graphical lines, in the way that they bisect. Does this then also reflect a sense of Fated entity? Graphical lines do not change, thus their ‘collision’ is determined and sealed. * â€Å"Twin halves of one august event† reminds the reader of the action and precise existence of the collision. In the end, the act was a very physical, not philosophical one. Hardy acknowledges this, but attempts to draw out the unified nature of the Twain, in the intrinsic act of their collision. Note that the usual use of â€Å"august† to mean â€Å"awe inspiring or admiration; majestic† is not intended by Hardy here in a positive way. He merely wishes to express wonder at the grand, if tragic, culmination of two great forces. And yes, it is rather melodramatic. * Hardy at lasts then returns to his Fated theme with the phrase â€Å"The Spinner of the Years†. Reminiscent of the Classical Greek Moirai or the Roman Parcae (three old hags who would run, spin and cut the threads of life), Hardy refers to the middle of the three – the Spinner. Spinning a mortal thread has always occupied a position in mythology. Hardy utilises it to draw out a sense of fate. Fate itself conducts the affair, it seems, given that the Twain act upon the word â€Å"Now!† to converge. * Emerson Brown, scholar of medieval literature, pointed out that the poem is 33 lines long, whilst line 33 echoes the 33-year-old Christ’s last words: â€Å"consummatum est.† In any case, when â€Å"consummation comes†, Thomas Hardy sends 1,500 souls to the bottom with an obscene pun. To â€Å"come† has borne a sexual connotation since the 17th century, at least, while consummation traditionally means the fulfilment of the marriage contract by intercourse. The image of the ‘Titanic’ and the iceberg copulating is hard to take seriously – therefore we must question whether Hardy truly intends it. Nevertheless, it advances the idea of the twain existing in a marital bond. Note the sudden use of speech, in the present tense. Very dramatic. Brings the Twain together in Time for the last time!

Ethical Journalism During the Vietnam War Essay -- Vietnam War Essays

Ethical Journalism During the Vietnam War During the Vietnam War, a rift between government officials and journalists emerged. The American government felt the need, for various reasons, to censor many war developments. In an attempt to act ethically, the press fought the censors, trying their hardest to report the truth to the general public. Despite claims of bias and distortion by several prominent government officials, these journalists acted completely ethically, allowing the general public to obtain a fair, informed opinion. The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) provides a very clear and thorough Code of Ethics, which serves as a good definition of ethical journalism. According to this code, an ethical journalist must try to minimize any potential harm done to people directly involved with the event being reported. Such a journalist should also act independently of any personal biases, and be responsive to any criticism of their work. Finally, a truly ethical journalist must seek to find and report the truth (Society). Common sense reaffirms these guidelines. When one thinks of ethical behavior, one usually thinks along terms of being truthful, appreciative of others, acting responsively and using fair judgement. All of these concepts are explicitly stated in the SPJ's Code of Ethics. Minimizing harm done by journalism in times of war is a difficult task. Naturally, there are bits of information that the government needs to keep secret for one reason or another. There is also the danger of victims' stories being exploited and sensationalized. The SPJ's Code of Ethics recommends that journalists should "treat sources, subjects and colleagues as human beings worthy of respect" (Society). During the extreme... ...t 29, 1968: 71. Hallin, Daniel C. The Uncensored War. New York: Oxford University Press, 1986. Janson, Donald. "Police Assault on 21 Newsmen in Chicago Are Denounced by Officials and Papers." New York Times August 28, 1968: 36. Kenworthy, E W. "Agnew Says TV Networks are Distorting the News." New York Times November 14, 1969: 1-2. Kifner, John. "On the Road to Chicago With Some Protestors." New York Times August 23, 1968: 22. Mitchell, Michael C. "Television and The Vietnam War." Naval War College Review 37.3 (1989): 42-52. Nixon, Richard. No More Vietnams. New York: Arbor House, 1985. Roberts, Steven V. "McCarthy Group Seeks to Put Antiwar Candidate on Ballot." New York Times August 22, 1968: 1. "The Parties Respond." New York Times March 17, 1968: E12. "Violence of Police Decried by Callers." New York Times August 29, 1968: 21.

History Notes on Cuban Missile Crisis and Protest in America in the 1960’s

History Matric Notes. The Cuban Missile Crisis. This was the most serious crisis between the USA and USSR in the history of the Cold War. Cuba was a communist country only 90 miles off the coast of USA. In October 1962 US spy planes identified nuclear missile sites being built in Cuba. Background: Cuba traditionally had a passive relationship with the USA. Batista who was president/dictator at the time was viewed as safeguard against communism by the USA, but when revolutionary Fidel Castro overthrew him in 1959 they became suspicious. Castro introduced socialist reforms and started trade negotiations with the Soviet Union. At the height of the Cold War, the existence of a communist country so close to the United States was viewed with great alarm. They secretly started to plan to invade Cuba and overthrow Castro. ’ –> Bay of Pigs: In April 1961, with backing from the CIA, an armed force of Cuban exiles, with supplies from Kennedy, invaded Cuba. This was a huge failu re as Castro’s forces easily defeated the invaders, killing them or taking them as prisoners. This affair was deeply embarrassing for the US as their involvement in the incident had been publicly exposed, and also because it was so badly planned and executed.After this Castro officially declared he communist and turned increasingly towards the USSR for economic and diplomatic support. ’ –> What happened after this? To avoid another US-backed invasion of Cuba and to co-operate with Krushev (USSR president), Castro agreed to the construction of Soviet missiles in Cuba. The Americans watched this happen with great alarm and when the U2 spy plane flew over Cuba in 1962 showing that nuclear missiles were being built shit went down. What Kennedy Did. * Broadcast the American people, informing them of the potential threat and what he intended to do about it. The Americans blocked Cuba and stopped any ship suspected of carrying any arms. * The Soviets and Castro comp lained to the UN, saying the US was threatening world peace. * Kennedy threatened to invade Cuba and remove the missiles by force. *The next 10 days were extremely tense as the world was only the brink of nuclear war. ‘It was Krushev who broke the standoff and agreed to remove the missiles as long as the US agreed never to invade Cuba again. The Cuban Missile Crisis then ended and Kennedy became an instant hero to the West for his apparent ‘tough’ approach’ The Outcome. ) Kennedy became a ‘hero’ and gained a great reputation in the USA for standing up to the Soviet Union. Khrushev also became known in Soviet circles for being the peacemaker as he was willing to make the first compromise. 2) The relationship between the USA and USSR improved and a permanent ‘hotline’ directly liked from the White house to the Kremlin was set up to avoid this ever happening again. A year later they both signed the Nuclear Test Ban which limited tests on nuclear weapons. 3) Cuba stayed Communist and highly armed. However the missiles were removed.Stuff to think about. –> Why did the Soviets place nuclear missiles in Cuba? * They genuinely wanted to defend Cuba. * Khrushev was concerned about the missile gap between the USSR and USA and seized any opportunity to get missiles in closer range of the USA. * Khrushev wanted to test how strong the Americans really were. (Back off or Face up) * Khrushev wanted to use the missiles as a bargaining centre. Agree to remove them in return for some American concessions. –> Did the ‘Bay of Pigs’ incident contribute to /spark the start of the Cuban Missile Crisis? Key Terms.Cold War – Started in 1945, after WW2, the Cold War was an ideological battle between capitalist democratic USA (West) and the communist authoritarian USSR (East). There were never any direct battles between each other’s soil; arms race, space race. Both these countries influen ced other countries. Containment – This was the policy that was outlined the Truman Doctrine, in order to prevent the spread of communism throughout the world based on the Domino Theory (when one country fell to communism, others countries will follow) Statesmanship – Usually a political leader of a country who is espected for their actions or ‘doing the right thing’ for his county. Brinkmanship – The practice of pushing a dangerous situation or confrontation to the limit of safety especially to force a desired outcome. Civil Rights Movement The 1960’s was a decade of popular protest. The CRM in the US was a great e. g. of how effective popular mass protests could be. As a result there was less discrimination against African Americans. Some activists felt that the CRM did not go far enough and the Black Power Movement then arose.At the same time women began to demand equal rights and their was a widespread opposition to the American war in Vi etnam which led to protests by students for international peace. The Civil Rights Movement and Black Power Movement in the USA. In the 1960’s, African American made up 10% of the population. Many of them did not have the same political rights as white Americans as there was prejudice and discrimination against them. This lead to the emergence of the CRM which used non-violent tactics to demand quality and end segregation. Others however adopted the more violent and radical approaches of the BPM.The position of African Americans in the 1960’s Even though there was progress in the 1950’s African Americans were still subjected to segregation and discrimination, especially in the southern states. For example in 1954 the US Supreme court ruled that segregation in schools were illegal but most southern schools remained segregated. Although it was the policy of the US federal government to end segregation, it was not properly enforced. *However the was some success in the 50’s: Rosa Parks Montgomery Bus Boycott –> This boycott resulted in the Supreme Court outlawing the segregation of buses in ’56.As a result of this the minister Martin Luther King emerged as the leader of the CRM. How did the CRM gain momentum in the 1960’s? In 1960 black students at a North Carolina university staged a sit-in at a lunch counter who refused to serve black customers. Their example was followed by 70  000 other students who held similar protests in other segregated facilities. Soon thousands more black and white students joined in a massive campaign of non-violence protest to demand for desegregated facilities. At the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, 250  000 people from all religious ;amp; ethnic backgrounds came together to demand full racial equality.This crowd remained peaceful the entire time and listened to one of the most memorable speeches in history, the ‘I have a dream’ speech by MLK. A year later was known as â⠂¬ËœFreedom Summer’ where black and white civil campaigners from the more liberal states went to Mississippi to open ‘Freedom Schools’. These schools taught basic literacy, black history and stressed black pride. But there was a violent reaction to all of this; Freedom workers beaten and arrested. As a result of this the US Congress passed the Civil Rights Act ’64 barring segregation ;amp; discrimination in employment in all public facilities.What was the Black Power Movement? The CRM was focused on ending segregation in the south, however their was a lot of segregation in the north. Many black Americans living in the north rejected the non –violent approaches of the CRM and Southern Christian Leadership Conference and turned to Black Power instead. Malcolm X argued that violence was necessary to tackle white racism and self-defence against groups like the KKK. He was critical of King’s non-violent approach and said that he held black people back. Malcolm promoted black separation believing blacks needed to be self-reliant.As a result of the BPM black mayors were elected in 7 cities and programmes to improve housing facilities were put in place. *Black Panthers were a militant group within BPM who very willing to use violence. The Women’s Movement During the 1950’s women were expected to stay at home and raise families. There were a limited number of careers women could choose from and their skills were often undermined by sexist attitudes and sexual harassment. Women’s Movement in USA. * In the 60’s women’s attitude began to change. They were no longer willing to accept their inferior position in the work place. This new attitude was partially influenced by The Feminine Mystique – Betty Friedan ’63. Friedan argues that the American middle class home had become a comfortable ‘concentration camp’ for women. * Friedan and others set up the National Organisation for women (NOW) who aimed to raise the status of women and end discrimination. * Feminists used petitions, strikes and legal action to force employers into given women equal rights in the work force. –> The Women’s Movement in the US influenced many other women in other countries to take action such as Britain, Italy, Mexico and France.The Disarmament, Peace and Student Movements. A major concern in the 60’s was that the Cold War would become ‘hot’ and that a nuclear war would break out. Protest movements then emerged to ban nuclear weapons as well as Peace Movements who were against the drafting of young USA students into the Vietnam War. Disarmament Movement. After the USA had dropped atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki during WW2 there was an extremely tense atmosphere as other countries started to develop nuclear weapons and the possibility of a nuclear war was becoming an actual possibility.Also the environmental damage caused by the nuc lear tests was becoming a concern. In 1958 Britain formed the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). The CND held a four day march in London and each other year this march attracted more and more people. Branches of the CND spread all over Britain and by the 1960’s, anti-nuclear protests (‘Ban the Bomb’) all over the world were supported by hundreds of thousands of people. After the Cuban Missile Crisis US, USSR and Britain agreed to a ban on nuclear testing in the atmosphere, though not underground.After this DM got smaller as the threat of nuclear war was less immediate. When the US passed the nuclear non-proliferation Treaty in ’68 the Disarmament movement was considered a victory and ended. Peace Movement. Was against the Vietnam War and emerged in American Universities and then spread to other sections of American society. People had started to question why America was spending so much money they were unable to win and it reminded when Europe colonis ed Asia. The Vietnam War was the first televised war – people saw the devastation and suffering the war was causing Vietnam.The US introduced conscription to raise troops to fight in Vietnam. Some men refused to go (‘draft dodgers’) and many of them moved abroad. There were strikes and demonstration across all universities in America. The most serious protests occurred when President Nixon announced the US was extending the war to Cambodia in 1970. At Kent University in Ohio soldiers fired at student protestors killing four students. People were horrified, 400 universities closed and 2 million students went on strike. Student Movements. [Students questioned authority; parents, education system, government and values of society. The young people who grew up in the ‘60’s were known as the ‘baby boomers’ and by the mid 60’s most of them had begun enrolling in colleges and universities. Universities did not have the facilities to cope with so many students and many campuses became overcrowded. Many students were dissatisfied with the education system and how the universities were run. The CRM triggered student awareness of the problems in their society. Many of them joined the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). Some students protested by ‘dropping out’ of society and becoming hippies. They rejected conformity and the materialism of society. Don’t trust anyone over 30’ ‘Make Love, not War. ’ These protests were taking place all over the world and reached a peak in 1968. Key demands in these protests were greater participation by students in the decisions of the universities administration and a transformation of the curriculum. They also included wider political and social demands such as less violence by government and protests against the communist bloc in Eastern Europe. Key Terms Civil Society Protest – Forms of protest usually against laws or government po licies thought to be unjust taken by ordinary citizens of a country.Civil Rights Movement –Protest movement started by MLK devoted to peaceful and non-violent protest of civil disobedience against discrimination and segregation of black people in the USA and to gain full constitutional rights for all black citizens. Passive resistance – A deliberate policy adopted to oppose policies or laws whereby opposition is conveyed in a deliberate non-violent fashion. SCLC – Southern Christian Leadership Conference founded in 1957 by MLK which co-ordinated the fight for civil rights in the South for the black people of the USA.CORE – The Congress for Racial Equality , founded in 1942 , campaigned for civil rights 50’s – 60’s and is partially associated with the ‘Freedom Riders’ , sit-ins and registering black voters in the South. Black Power – This became the slogan of the more militant black movements in ’66. It advoc ated black identity based on black culture and black values. It argued for racial separation; blacks should run their own society without white interference. Black Power rejected passive resistance and urged black people to fight back if attacked.Nation of Islam – Black Muslims; argued for the establishment of a separate black identity and rejected black/white integration. Disarmament – Movement advocating that countries reduce their weapons spend less on the military and the removal or deactivation of nuclear weapons. Feminism – Rejected age-old patterns of discrimination against women and advocated that women have the same rights and privileges as men. ESSAY. PARTY. Civil Rights Movement vs. Black Power Movement During the 1950’s and 1960’s oppression in the black community of the United States of America was at its ultimate high.This severe oppression led to activists in the black community to finally speak out and demand change. The two main po litical activists during this fight and struggle for black equality were Martin Luther King Jnr. and Malcolm X. Although essentially fighting for the same outcomes, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jnr. had very different ideals and strategies in their fight for civil rights. Martin Luther King who is known for his peaceful protesting during the Civil Rights Movement was born in a middle class, comfortable home. He graduated school at 15 were he then went on to college to graduate with a Bachelor Degree in Divinity.After his education he moved to Montgomery, Alabama where he became a Pastor. In 1955 King started the Civil Rights Movement to fight for the rights of oppressed Black Americans. The movement aimed to outlaw racial discrimination against African Americans and to grant them civil rights. King believed that through hard work, leadership and non -violent protest black Americans could achieve equality. In King’s address in March 1963 to the people of Washington he said ‘In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds.Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. ’ This shows us that King strongly believed in passive resistance and believed that black Americans must fight peacefully and without bitterness in order to gain equality. His ideals were shaped by his Christian faith and the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, an ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement. Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little – he changed his surname in rejection of slavery in America. Malcolm was born in a poor, deprived family with his seven brothers and sisters.Three of Malcolm’s brothers were killed by white men, as well as his uncle and father who were killed by the Ku Klux Klan. Malcolm spent most of his childhood in foster care after his mother was admitted into a mental institution after her husband and sons deaths. After being tol d ‘there was no such thing as a black lawyer’ Malcolm dropped out of school and became involved in stealing and drugs. He was eventually arrested and sent to prison. During his seven year incarceration he converted to Islam and joined the Nation of Islam.After he was released from prison he became the spokesperson for the Nation of Islam and became one of its most powerful speakers attracting thousands of African-Americans. Malcolm X unlike Martin Luther King believed in fighting violence with violence, he was against all white people and was even considered by critics as a racist. Malcolm X was no doubt an extremist; this can be shown from an extract of one his speeches to students in Mississippi in 1964: ‘Don’t try to be friends with somebody who is depriving you of your rights. They are not your friends. They are your enemies. Treat them like that.Fight and you’ll get your freedom. ’ Malcolm believed in the saying ‘separate but equal. ’ This is known as Black Nationalism which was what Malcolm X strived for. He believed that the black man should be able to control the politics and politicians in his community. It is clear that Malcolm X and Martin Luther king had very different ideas and strategies in their fight for Civil Rights. Malcolm was an extremist, whilst King was a passive leader. King believed in a joint fight with white supporters of the Civil Rights Movement, whilst Malcolm believed in complete independence from any white people in the fight for Civil Rights.The key difference between these two political activists is that unlike Martin Luther King, Malcolm X believed that rather then integrate with white society, black Americans should control every aspect of the black community. These extreme differences undoubtedly stem from the two political activists child-hoods and pasts. However, as different as these two were in terms of their styles of speaking and definition of equality, they both pro moted black pride, power and unity and fought for the civil rights of all black Americans. BothMalcolm and King gave hope to their people during times of struggle and main aims were to instil power and dignity to Black American in order to overcome the great prejudices they faced and to bring equality and justice to the black community of America We can conclude that Martin Luther King Jnr. and Malcolm X were contrasting political activists fighting for the same causes. The oppression these two extremely different individuals faced in their lives led them to become the two main political activists in the same fight for black equality and civil rights in America in the 1960’s.They shall always be remembered and praised for their contribution to equality of black people all over the world. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission The TRC was a court-like  restorative justice  body assembled in  South Africa  after the end of  apartheid. Witnesses who were identified as victims of gross human rights violations were invited to give statements about their experiences; some were selected for public hearings. Perpetrators of violence could also give testimony and request  amnesty from both civil and criminal prosecution. -;gt; Why was the TRC put in place? After 1994 when South Africa became a democratic country, it was decided that a process of healing and reconciliation should be embarked upon. There were two viewpoints, one from the ANC, which called for hearings to be held that would reveal the truth about the past, while on the other hand the National Party wanted a general amnesty for all apartheid crimes. In light of this it was finally agreed that a Truth and Reconciliation Commission be established. They came to a compromise; reveal and acknowledge the past and promote reconciliation and amnesty. * Consisted of Desmond Tutu and Dr Alex Boraine as well as 17 truth commissioners. * Was broadcast on TV, radio and newspapers (media and public h ad access) – biggest different between TRC in SA and TRC in other countries before hand. –>The aims of the TRC were: †¢ To investigate the causes of human violations during apartheid †¢ To recommend some form of compensation for victims of apartheid †¢ To grant amnesty to those found guilty of human rights violations – TRC argued this ould bring out more of the truth. (Not everyone was granted amnesty). –> Purpose of the TRC: ‘Having looked the beast of the past in the eye, having asked and received forgiveness and having made amends, let us shut the door on the past – not in order to forget it, but in order not to allow it to imprison us. Let us move into the glorious future of a new kind of society where people count, not because of biological irrelevancies †¦ but because they are persons of infinite worth created in the image of God. – Desmond Tutu. [Finding the truth about the past to rectify and move on t owards a better future] –>Three committees were set up to deal with the work of the TRC: †¢ Committee on Human Rights Violations †¢ Committee on Reparation and Rehabilitation was charged with restoring victims' dignity and formulating proposals to assist with rehabilitation. (Monetary Compensation). †¢ Committee on Amnesty considered applications from individuals who applied for amnesty in accordance with the provisions of the Act. Had to be politically motivated, proportionate and tell the whole truth. ) – DID NOT NEED TO SAY SORRY. –> Truth and Reconciliation? The TRC was viewed as much less effective in bringing about reconciliation. Some said that the proceedings only helped to remind them of the horrors that had taken place in the past when they had been working to forget such things. Thus, the TRC's effectiveness in terms of achieving those very things within its title is still debatable –> The TRC’s conclusion The TRC completed its report in 1998.It concluded that PW Botha’s government had moved from a policy of repression to one of killing of its opponents, as well as being responsible for torture, abduction and sabotage. The report also criticised De Klerk for the activities of the ‘third force’ which had tried to disrupt the negotiations. It also criticised the ANC for civilian causalities in MK operations, for the torture and executions that had happened in ANC camps in exile and the use of violence against its opponents. –> Was Tutu realistic in his expectations of the TRC? Yes: * He had faith as he believed in forgiveness and redemption. He acknowledged that the TRC which was a process which made a contribution to harmony and nation building but was only part of a process * He didn’t expect everyone to agree with him about the value of the TRC * The apartheid era forces could not all be punished, and a way must be found to integrate them willingly into ‘The New South Africa. ’ No: * No real incentive for security forces to come forward * Expecting to much of the black population who suffered so much during apartheid * Reparations were not substantial as you cannot put a price on a mans life Examples of important TRC cases: Amy Biehl was an American graduate of  Stanford University  and an  Anti-Apartheid activist  in  South Africa. She studied at UCT  as a scholar in the  Fulbright Program. When 26-year-old Biehl drove a friend home to the township of  Guguletu on August 25, 1993, a black mob pelted her car with stones and smashed its windows. Biehl was struck in the head with a brick, then dragged from her car and surrounded by a mob that stoned and stabbed her to death while she begged for her life. Four of Biehl's murderers were convicted for her killing; however, in 1998, all were pardoned by the TRC.Biehl's family supported release of the killers, and her father shook the murderers' hands, stating that the most important vehicle of reconciliation is open and honest dialogue -we are here to reconcile a human life which was taken without an opportunity for dialogue. When we are finished with this process we must move forward with linked arms. In 1994, Biehl's parents, Linda and Peter, founded the  Amy Biehl Foundation Trust  to develop and empower youth in the townships, in order to discourage further violence. * http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=tKfKuiyqaiE – Siphiwo Mtimkulu. http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=tef2AwcIZsw – Father Michael Lapsley –> How successful was the TRC? ‘Is the question most often asked. Successful in terms of what? Nuremberg? Chile? Southern Africa? In terms of South African expectations? International expectations? Justice? Truth? Reconciliation? ’ -> Many people were against the concept of amnesty; they wanted justice rather than the truth. Many people found it difficult to accept that men who were guilty of appalling crimes should be allowed to walk free, simply because of a public confession.Others were angered by the fact that many perpetrators who applied for amnesty did not express any remorse. -> Many South Africans were irritated that the TRC process was not bringing about change, justice or reparation. The key components of the legislation were concerned with (i) creating a forum for victims, (ii) establishing the truth, (iii) reparations, (iv) amnesty and (v) reconciliation. In its efforts to create a forum for victims the TRC succeeded most remarkably.The experiences of which the victims spoke have truly become part of the national psyche and are now imbedded in this country’s acknowledged history for the very first time . This alone justifies the existence of the TRC and nobody can ever undo that. It is difficult to judge how this outpouring [of testimonies] affected the South African public. ->‘For some black people it seems to have been cathartic to be able to tell their stories and to hear the confessions. For others, it has been infuriating to see the guilty get amnesty and walk free – although I would argue that the same of exposure had been a punishment in itself.Many whites accused the TRC of being a witch-hunt and of stirring up hatreds that they said would make reconciliation impossible. But a few, mainly white Afrikaners, there is a deep sense of guilt and soul searching, for theirs was the ruling group and these confessing monsters are their own people. ’ -> ‘They were not seeking forgiveness from us but from the government. ’ –> What did the people of South Africa feel? * Perpetrators left off to lightly. * Indifferent to victims needs – only received a 30% reparation package after waiting 5 years. Not even-handed – Too victim friendly , set out to ostracise and humiliate the so called perpetrators * Too even-handed * Not enough reconciliation – Disappointed n ot more victims and perpetrators actually reconciled –> Link between TRC and nation building? The new constitution supported the idea of national unity based on reconciliation and reconstruction of society. Many people therefore believe that there was a strong link between the TRC and nation building. Retributive Justice| Restorative Justice|Crime is an act against the state, a violation of a law, an abstract idea| Crime is an act against another person and the community| The criminal justice system controls crime| Crime control lies primarily in the community| Offender accountability defined as taking punishment| Accountability defined as assuming responsibility and taking action to repair harm| Crime is an individual act with individual responsibility| Crime has both individual and social dimensions of responsibility| Punishment is effective: * Threats of punishment deter crime * Punishment changes behaviour| Punishment alone is not effective in changing behaviour and is disruptive to community harmony and good relationships| Victims are peripheral to the process| Victims are central to the process of resolving a crime. | The offender is defined by deficits| The offender is defined by capacity to make reparation| Focus on establishing blame or guilt; on the past (did he/she do it? )| Focus on the problem solving, on liabilities/obligations, on the future (what should be done? | Emphasis on adversarial relationship|Emphasis on dialogue and negotiation| Imposition of pain to punish and deter/prevent| Restitution as a means of restoring both parties; goal of reconciliation/restoration| Community on sideline, represented abstractly by state| Community as facilitator in restorative process| Response focused on offender’s past behaviour| Response focused on harmful consequences of offender’s behaviour; emphasis is on the future| Dependence upon proxy professionals| Direct involvement by participants| Amnesty – This is an official par don which would be granted in respect to acts, omissions and offences with political objectives committed in the course of conflicts in the past Reparations – Making amends for doing wrong to victims or their families and dependants. This also sometimes (in the case of S. A) included giving monetary compensation to victims or their families. Ubuntu – directly defined means humanness. It means having the quality which separates men from animals – being compassionate and gentle and using ones strength on behalf of the weak in a community

Operations and System Management of a Car Garage

OBSM Coursework Assessment – Element One Powell’s Garage Report Introduction The following report will be researching into a small garage named Powell’s, located in Illogan, Cornwall. Powell’s garage is a family business that was established in 1953. This organisation offers a range of services and products, including MOT’s, tyre replacement and full car servicing. Primary research will be used in order to gain data in order to examine specific factors in Powell’s garage. Slack et al. ’s five performance objectives will display which ways the organisation is thriving and in which ways they are failing. Looking at the design capacity, effective capacity and actual outputs will give an overview of how well they are using their resources within the organisation. Finally, by calculating the organisation’s capability index, a specific operation can be explored in order to highlight the reliability of the service and whether there is any potential room for improvement. Five Performance Objectives Slack et al (2004) states that there are five performance objectives that can evaluate performance of an operation. The first of these being cost, this is the ability to produce at a low cost. By pricing goods and services appropriately to the market, customers will always be attracted and it will allow for a good return to the company. Powell’s have a few competitor garages surrounding them, therefore pricing is a very important aspect of the organisation as they must keep it low enough to rival other garages, but high enough to ensure profit from their services. Quality is another performance objective and this is the ability to produce in accordance with the specifications without error. This will ensure full customer satisfaction and a high-quality reputation. It is essential that Powell’s provide a premium service as not only does it guarantee safety for their customers, but it gives them an advantage over competitors. Dependability is the ability to produce goods and services in accordance to the promises made to the customer. This could include a time deadline that the service needs to be completed by, therefore Powell’s must ensure that they fulfil any tasks given by customers’ and remain reliable or a bad reputation could circulate, resulting in less business. The ability to do things quickly in response to the customer’s demands is known as speed. This should also reduce time between orders from the customer and when they receive it again. Being a busy garage means that Powell’s must complete services as quickly as possible in order to keep up with the level of demand they receive. If this is not met, customers’ could use another organisation that can offer a quick service. Finally, the last performance objective from Slack et al. is flexibility. This is the ability to change the operation in a variety of ways. This therefore means that Powell’s must offer a wide variety of goods and services in order to fit with any customer needs and keep the amount of business high. These five performance objectives can also be linked, and these links mean that an organisation can excel in certain operations and compete with other organisations. For example, quality reduces cost and increases dependability. High quality therefore means fewer mistakes made in the operation, this leads to a reduced amount of time needed to correct any errors, and less time spent on the operation means reduced cost. This results in the customer being satisfied with the service. It will also more than likely mean they will feel confident using the organisation and will return for future business. From using primary research to study Powell’s garage, it is noticeable that quality is the most vital objective to ensure its success in their marketplace. Through questionnaires, shown as Appendix 1, and interviews with customers and within the organisation; it is quality that is the most prominent feature of Powell’s garage. This organisation deals with motor vehicles, which makes it crucial that the main priority of their services is to provide high-quality results or else the customer’s safety is at risk. The following polar diagram demonstrates the customer’s view and the manager’s view on Powell’s services and products according to Slack et al. ’s five performance objectives theory. The customer’s view is an average calculated from 20 questionnaires that were completed by customers. The manager’s view is a combined result from the two managers that work at Powell’s. As shown above, the manager’s view is quite different to that of the customers. The customers did not rate the garage as high as the manager’s but there is an agreement on the speed of the operation. Powell’s garage has two major competitors in the area that offer similar services. In order to ensure that this organisation has the edge over them, it is essential to investigate what is regarded as important by their customers and how each garage provides that service. Perceived user value (Bowman, 1998), is the best method to show customer’s opinions on the services of the three garages and will also include objectives that are not included in Slack et al. ’s theory. The two garages that are geographically closest to Powell’s are K W Autos and J K Motors. The customers were asked to rate the objectives of the garage from 0 to 10 on a questionnaire (Appendix 2), these figures were then made into an average and shown in the following table. Objective| Powell's | K W Autos| J K Motors| Speed| 8| 8| 7| Quality| 8| 7| 7| Cost| 7| 6| 7| Dependability| 7| 8| 6| Flexibility| 7| 7| 7| Quality of Facilities| 8| 6| 5| Courtesy of Staff| 9| 6| 6| Working Hours| 7| 7| 8| The data collected from the customers was then put into a graph to demonstrate the differences between the garages more clearly. From these figures, it is clear to see that Powell’s has an overall higher rating than its competitors. Although this is very positive, there are some objectives that Powell’s are lower. These are the operations that need to be targeted and improved in order to guarantee that K W Autos and J K Motors do not overtake Powell’s in their sales. Capacity The definition of the capacity of an operation is â€Å"the maximum level of value-added activity over a period of time that the process can achieve under normal operating conditions† (Slack et al. 2001, p. 338). Regarding this report, there are two types of capacity that are useful to Powell’s garage; design capacity and effective capacity. Design capacity is â€Å"the capacity to which its technical designers had in mind when they commissioned the operation† (Slack et al. 2001, p. 335). Effective capacity is simply design capacity minus planned loss. Therefore it is what the operation actually runs like. The capacity of Powell’s garage is simply the amount of motor vehicles that can be held in the garage at one time. Powell’s garage has a total of 7 vehicle ramps within the garage; however, 2 of these ramps are designated specifically for MOT servicing. Therefore, altogether, Powell’s can have 8 cars in its premises at one time. In terms of capacity processing, on average, Powell’s can see between 30 and 40 vehicles a week. Although, there are weeks in which it can exceed this and also weeks in which not as many vehicles pass through. Powell’s employ 6 full time mechanics; however, there are always 2 mechanics on the MOT ramps as it always full. This therefore leaves 4 full time mechanics working on 5 ramps for servicing. Straight away, understaffing is the obvious main capacity constraint, as if the garage is completely full, they do not have enough staff to service the vehicles. This would therefore be a planned loss of the organisation. Other planned losses would be mostly time consuming, for example, waiting for vehicle parts to arrive, working hours and waiting for customers to collect their car. As stated before, effective capacity is how the operation actually runs; therefore the everyday realities of a production line will contain something to slow it down. For example, staff breaks, power cuts and maintenance to tools and equipment. Powell’s design capacity (excluding the MOT services) in their garage would be for 5 vehicles to be serviced. However, there are only 4 mechanics available at one time. This means that their effective capacity is 80% of its design capacity. These losses are unavoidable but it results in Powell’s output to be reduced by 20% of what it could have. Actual output is simply effective capacity minus avoidable loss. This is essentially what is produced by the operation when the planned losses and avoidable are taken into account. Avoidable losses include mechanical failure, lighting failure or poorly trained staff. Actual output is therefore much less than the design capacity. It can only be predicted, but this would be estimated around 50%. The following diagram displays the losses against the design capacity and shows how the actual output is calculated. A ‘bottleneck’ is a micro-operation or operations that cause a process to slow down and causes output to take longer. Powell’s main bottleneck is the fact that they are understaffed. However, there are more constraints that prevent operations, these include the type of repair that the car will need, the availability of parts needed to complete the service and working hours. These all affect the processes in the organisation. Capability Index This measures the capability of an operation process within an organisation. This capability index will measure the time any operation can take regarding the services that Powell’s offers. The capability index should give the result as being greater than 1 as this will mean that Powell’s is reliable and capable. However, if the results show that the capability is less than 1, it will prove that Powell’s servicing is incapable and unreliable. The tables below show the amount of time spent servicing vehicles over one month in Powell’s garage. This was recorded from observation and from staff records. Weekly updates allowed a gradual build up of data which could then be grouped to calculate the capability index. Servicing Times| | | 30 minutes| 1 hour| 1 day| 1 hr 30 mins| 1 day| 5 hours| 45 minutes| 3 days| 30 minutes| hours| 6 days| 5 days| 1 day| 2 days| 3 days| 4 days| 3 days| 1 hour| 4 hours| 3 hours| 5 days| 2 days| 1 day| 2 hours| 2 days| 3 days| 6 days| 7 days| 30 minutes| 4 days| Servicing Times| Number of Customers| ;1 Hour| 4| 1 hour – 1 day| 8| 1 – 2 days| 4| 2 – 3 days| 3| 3 – 4 days| 4| 4 – 5 days| 2| 5 – 6 days| 2| 6; days| 3| Capability Index is calculated using the following formula: Cp = USL – LSL 6? Key Cp = Capability Index USL = Upper Specification Limit LSL = Lower Specification Limit ? = Standard Deviation From the data collected above, the USL will be 7 days and the LSL will be 0. 05 as it is in minutes. Cp = 7 – 0. 05 6? Standard Deviation was calculated using all the data collected. In this instance, 1 hour would be 0. 1 and 1 day would be 1. Standard Deviation = 2. 083849 Cp = 7 – 0. 05 6 x 2. 083849 Cp = 6. 95 12. 503094 Cp = 0. 5558624129 Cp = 0. 56 (two decimal places) USL = 7 LSL = 0. 05 This figure and the graph shows that Powell’s garage is operating at a level lower than 1, which indicates that it is not operating at the potential capacity level. Although the capability index worked out to be lower than 1, there is a variety of different service times which suggests that Powell’s offer a wide range of services and at many different time scales. There are many causes for this variation which includes; the nature of the service. The bigger the problem in the vehicle will mean that the service will take longer, and therefore take space for a longer period of time in the garage. There is also the matter of ordering external parts for the repair. This again, could take a long time as Powell’s must wait for the parts to arrive before the repair can begin. All of these variants are time costly in some way but there could be potential initiatives to reduce this. Powell’s could create more space for vehicles outside their garage, by expanding the car park from 1 to 4, this will provide an area to hold cars that require parts from an external source. This would then leave more room available in the garage for less time consuming services. This would see Powell’s garage gain more business and improve their timing for customers. An outside area would also offer a place where very small services are required, for example changing a tyre. This service takes on average 30 minutes to complete. Powell’s would save a lot of time as the car would not need to be taken into the garage or raised on the ramps. Another initiative could be to use the MOT ramps when there are no vehicles using them. This expands Powell’s capacity to 7 full servicing ramps which would provide more business and a faster operation process. An initiative that would also be very effective would be increasing the number of staff; this would allow vehicles to be serviced much quicker. Even if two mechanics worked on one vehicle, this could potentially half the time in which it takes to complete the service. This would then result in extra customer satisfaction, which in the long run would improve Powell’s reputation. It would also allow for more vehicles to be brought in to service as there would be space for that vehicle in a shorter amount of time. Word Count 2,271 References James, P. Rowland-Jones, R. ; O’Brien, L. (eds) 2009. Operations and Business Systems Management. Harlow, Pearson. Slack, N. , Chambers, S. , ; Johnston, R. , 2004. Operations Management. 4th Ed. London: Pitman Publishing. Cengage (2007) Operations, Strategy and Operations Strategy [Online] Available from: http://www. cengage. co. uk/barnes/students/sample_ch/ch2. pdf [Accessed: 26/11/2010]

Indian Castes and Feudal Japanese Classes (Comparison)

Indian Castes and Feudal Japanese Classes (Comparison) Although they arose from very different sources, the Indian caste system and the feudal Japanese class system have many features in common. Yet the two social systems are dissimilar in important ways, as well. Are they more alike, or more different? The Essentials Both the Indian caste system and the Japanese feudal class system have four main categories of people, with others falling below the system entirely. In the Indian system, the four primary castes are: Brahmins:  Hindu priestsKshatriyas:  the kings and warriorsVaisyas:  farmers, traders, and skilled artisans  Shudras  tenant farmers and servants. Below the caste system there were the untouchables, who were considered so impure that they could contaminate people from the four castes just by touching them or even being too close to them. They did unclean jobs such as scavenging animal carcasses, tanning leather, etc. The untouchables are also known as dalits or harijans. Under the feudal Japanese system, the four classes are: Samurai, the warriors​FarmersArtisansMerchants. As with Indias untouchables, some Japanese people fell below the four-tier system. These were the burakumin and hinin. The burakumin served essentially the same purpose as untouchables in India; they did butchering, leather tanning, and other unclean jobs, but also prepared human burials. The hinin were actors, wandering musicians, and convicted criminals. Origins of the Two Systems Indias caste system arose out of the Hindu belief in reincarnation. A souls behavior in its previous life determined the status it would have in its next life. Castes were hereditary and fairly inflexible; the only way to escape a low caste was to be very virtuous in this life, and hope to be reborn in a higher station the next time. Japans four-tier social system came out of Confucian philosophy, rather than religion. According to Confucian principles, everyone in a well-ordered society knew their place  and paid respect to those stationed above them. Men were higher than women; elders were higher than young people. Farmers ranked just after the ruling samurai class  because they produced the food that everyone else depended upon. Thus, though the two systems seem quite similar, the beliefs from which they arose were rather different. Differences between Indian Castes and Japanese Classes In the feudal Japanese social system, the shogun and the imperial family were above the class system. Nobody was above the Indian caste system, though. In fact, kings and warriors were lumped together in the second caste - the Kshatriyas. Indias four castes were actually sub-divided into literally thousands of sub-castes, each with a very specific job description. The Japanese classes were not divided in this way, perhaps because Japans population was smaller and much less ethnically and religiously diverse. In Japans class system, Buddhist monks and nuns were outside of the social structure. They were not considered lowly or unclean, just detached from the social ladder. In the Indian caste system, in contrast, the Hindu priestly class were the highest caste - the Brahmins. According to Confucius, farmers were far more important than merchants, because they produced food for everyone in society. Merchants, on the other hand, did not make anything - they simply profited off of trade in other peoples products. Thus, farmers were in the second tier of Japans four-tier system, while merchants were at the bottom. In the Indian caste system, however, merchants and land-holding farmers were lumped together in the Vaisya caste, which was the third of the four varnas or primary castes. Similarities between the Two Systems In both the Japanese and Indian social structures, the warriors and rulers were one and the same. Obviously, both systems had four primary categories of people, and these categories determined the sort of work that people did. Both the Indian caste system and Japanese feudal social structure had unclean people who were below the lowest rung on the social ladder. In both cases, though their descendants have much brighter prospects today, there continues to be discrimination against people who are perceived as belonging to these outcast groups. Japanese samurai and Indian Brahmins were both considered to be well above the next group down. In other words, the space between the first and second rungs on the social ladder was much wider than that between the second and third rungs. Finally, both the Indian caste system and Japans four-tiered social structure served the same purpose: they imposed order and controlled the social interactions among people in two complex societies. The Two Social Systems Tier Japan India Above the System Emperor, Shogun Nobody 1 Samurai Warriors Brahmin Priests 2 Farmers Kings, Warriors 3 Artisans Merchants, Farmers, Artisans 4 Merchants Servants, Tenant Farmers Below the System Burakumin, Hinin Untouchables

Can Volunteer Work Help Your Resume

Can Volunteer Work Help Your Resume People who are either in-between jobs or looking to change careers have a lot of work to do when it comes to maintaining or building their resumes. If you’re in-between jobs, you must be engaged in activities that will enhance your resume and show potential employers you are a proactive individual. If you’re looking to change careers, you need to tackle that difficult task of adding experience to your resume when no one will give you the opportunity to do so. The answer to both of these problems is to take on volunteer work. Organizations that hire volunteers are always willing to train people when it comes to new tasks, and they are always grateful to have people with experience working on important projects. There are several other ways that volunteer work can not only help your resume, but also boost your career.It keeps the career fires burning.According to Careerealism.com, volunteer work is a great way to keep your passion for what you do burning brightly. If you are a nurse in-between jobs, then volunteering at the local clinic will remind you how much you enjoy helping others. Anyone looking to change careers can gain a real passion for that new career path by getting involved in volunteer work. Instead of jumping into your new career without really knowing what you are getting into, you can use volunteer work to create a heightened sense of excitement about your new profession.You’ll network with new people.Job hunters who do not volunteer are missing out on an excellent opportunity to network with new industry contacts who  might lead to a new job. According to Monster.com, anyone looking to break into a new career will find the process much easier when they utilize the contacts they make doing volunteer work.Some of the most prominent members of your local corporate community do regular volunteer work, and those prominent professionals are always interested in making contact with new volunteers who show passion and ability. The networking contacts you can make volunteering could significantly boost your resume and put you on the path towards a better career.You can add skills to your resume.One of the biggest benefits of volunteering to boost your resume is the opportunity to add new skills to your professional qualifications. The charitable organization you volunteer for would be more than happy to show you an array of new skills that you can use to create a much more impressive resume. Volunteering also gives you the chance to develop a resume for your career change that would list skills that often take years for people within the industry to learn.Volunteering is not only good for your community; it is also good for your career. The people you can meet, the skills you can acquire, and the experience you can build up through a volunteering position can be invaluable in enhancing your resume, and in making your qualifications stand out to potential new employers.To learn more about volunteering opportun ities and boosting your career, you can sign up with TheJobNetwork today. You will get all of the inside information you need to grow your career and boost your professional qualifications.

Use of Old and New Media Simultaneously Research Proposal

Use of Old and New Media Simultaneously - Research Proposal Example Through new media, you can chat with your friends with whom a telephonic conversation would not make much sense. But the use of both the media together takes the main idea behind connecting. For example, many people watch TV or read newspapers while they chat with their friends online (Borsch, 2010). Here, the attention is divided between the two. Neither the friend you are chatting with gets your full attention nor the TV program or the news that you are reading. So in the end, you do not exactly know what you read on the paper or what you watched on the TV. Neither did you have a quality conversation with your friend? Hence, the use of both forms of media here is a disaster. Movies are a great way to relax and immerse yourself in a whole new world. In the past, movies meant complete disconnect with the real world. Movies were the most enjoyable media for many. But with the advent of mobiles, people now use their mobiles even in theatres distracting themselves and also those around them. This takes away the whole essence of watching a movie in the theatre. You pay to enjoy a movie but are distracting yourself by thinking about the message on your mobile. Also, it is very annoying for those around you. This is because you are loosing on quality time that you can spend with your loved ones. People by using both old and new media at the same time assume that they are getting more done at the same time. This is not always true as it can be seen in the above examples. In most cases, it turns out that you only do not do either of the jobs completely or with full attention. The purpose of new media is to make work easier, effective and entertaining (Chun & Keenan, 2006). But when new and old media is used together, this purpose is not served. For examples, when you read a newspaper and listen to music on your iPod simultaneously you are not doing either one of them with full attention. Finally, it would just be a waste of time.