How does online banking affect the banking industry Dissertation

How does online banking affect the banking industry - Dissertation Example Introduction of ATMs, partially alleviated the problems, and ATMs proved successful in load reduction as well as cutting transaction cost. Advent of internet provided another window of opportunities for the banks to expand their customer reach by providing limited set of internet based banking capabilities to full-fledged virtual banks. This has been extended by further proliferation of PDAs and mobile phones, wherein mobile banking is gaining its foothold as a prominent channel. This paper analyses the progress of online banking since its inception, specifically on the aspects of service quality, security and risk factors from the online banking customer perspective. Based on our study of the decade of online banking, it can be logically concluded that online banking is becoming the number one choice for today’s banking customer in all demographics. ... Occasionally, a customer would phone a bank representative of choice, for financial information (balance in account, check clearance, status of money transfer etc.). Prior to internet/web, ATMs allowed the customer a flexibility of executing certain banking transactions (mainly balance checking, cash withdrawal). Subsequent to that, some banks introduced so called PC banking, where an application installed in customer’s PC established a secured connection with an application running in the bank to perform transactions. Early in 1981, when internet became prevalent at home, some of the banks in US with a large customer base, tried introducing a few facilities to its customers, wherein the customer could perform a few activities, by signing up to additional services from its bank. Some banks charged the customer for these transactions, and these mainly included value-added services to the customer at lesser cost. (E.g. Availability of Dow Jones Retrieval/News Service at a much l esser cost provided by CitiBank). Ubiquity of internet, and customers need for mobility, banks and financial institutions were forced to adopt current technology as a basis for providing its customer, online banking services, available at the reach of the customers’ personal computers, at home, at workplace, or anywhere a customer has access to his/her bank and account. The trend continued with advent and following rapid progress in online technology, from internet banking to mobile banking. Another reason for this shift in service offering on the part of the bank is also due to the fact that customer base for banks and volume of transactions saw

Movie Run Lola Run Film Studies Essay

Movie Run Lola Run Film Studies Essay Cinema that interests me is cinema about openings, unresolved questions and experiements, †¦ without refusing chaos, chance, destiny or the unexpected. This quote by Tom Tykwer (Composer), epitomizes how he is trying to explore the range of possibilities in film. Also making it distinctive to draw in the audience by having open ended possibilities in film. The movie Run lola run directed by Tom Tykwer and the red tree written by shaun tan, both establish two core ideas which are chance and time. The use of a variety of techniques create distinctively visual images that are highly distinctive. Chance is an idea which is clearly portrayed in both texts. In the movie, Run lola run, the director uses flash forwards to empitomize this idea of chance. The audience witnesses the lives change for the people that lola bumbs into on her journeys, and how their lives change each time to how lols life changes. This is seen with the lady with the pram that lola encounters each time as she beggings her run. This symbolises the unpredictability of life. Lolas destiny in each three stories, so do the lives of the people that she sees. The use of the fast non-digetic sound of the clicking of the camera, allows the audience to feel a sense of urgency. This reflects the idea of fate, that our choices, circumstnces and actions are all connected with those whom we encounter in life. The audience gains a sense of knowledge and is made aware that their life is unpredictable and their actions affect others. Furthermore, the use of characterisation is evident in the main character Lola. The idea of using a female as the protagonist of the film is what makes this post-modern film so distinctive to all the other films in todays society. As a result, lola feels at time, that she isnt in control of her destiny and uses her loud, high-pitched scream to change that. The reoccurring digetic sound of lolas scream is mainly evident in the casino scene, where there is a close-up on Lolas face as she screams to control her destiny with the ball to land on the number 20, as she plays the ultimate game of chance. The audience is made to feel anxious as the wait to see the result of her scream. Hence the idea of chance is also presented in the picture book, The red tree. The metaphore the world is a deaf machine, is used in conjuction with the dull colours used to portray that the persona, the little girl, feels unheard and fears that her destiny will be to end up alone and not belong in society. The reader is automatically drawn to empathise with the persona as how a little girl can be unheard and be left all alone. Thus, the use of composiotion layout is used in the middle of the picture book. Where the vector image is a game board which symbolises chance and many paths, also it is evident that the girl in the corner of the page is holding a dice, this dice represents the idea of fate. This illustrates to the reader that the persona believes that her life is a game and also she is unsure of the future. All the above techniques used in both the film Run lola run and the picture book the red tree influence the idea of chance and the use of visual techniques are what makes these texts both so distinctively visual. Time is an important idea in both texts which is constantly reoccurring. At the beginning of the movie run lola run, the opening credits, an animated lola is seen running towards a clock as the sound effects of tick tocking sounds. Allow the audience to be aware of the importance of time in this film. Hence, the close upshot of the pendukm grand-father clock in the opening credits, helps aid the importance of time. The reaccuring motif of clocks and the number 20, 20 minutes to save mani, generates drama and exicitment, also reminding the audience of lolas race against time. Furthermore, the audience is with lola in her journey for the real time of 20 minutes. This gives the audience the knowledge of what lola actually completes in 20 minutes. This technique is what makes this post-modern film so distinctively visual. Furthermore, the use of split screen image is constantly reaccuring in the tri-part structure of the film. This is shown in the multiple scences between mani, lola and the town clock, as lola competes against time to get to mani and save him. This is used to engange the audience and make them wonder what is going to happen next and allow them to wonder if she will make it in time. Simliarily the idea of time is present in the picture book, the red tree with the reoccurring motif of the red leaf. The persona at the start of the novel doesnt pay attention to it, however towards the end of the book she notices it and it is evident that a smile begins to form on her face. This is used to symbolise to the reader that it takes time for a good outcome to occur also that in ones life timing is everything. Furthermore the repition of and wait.. symbolises that the persona is just waiting for something to happen. This makes the reader feel sympathetic to the little girl. This visual technique is used to make both texts so distinctively visual. Also the different events in each of the characters life, helps shape the texts to be unique. In conclusion, the movie run lola run and the picture book the red tree the use of many visual and aural techniques has created texts that are portrayed to be distinctively visual.

Buffalo Soldiers :: Blacks Slavery History West Papers

Buffalo Soldiers When someone thinks of the west the first things that probably come to their mind are probably Cowboys, Indians, Gunfights and The Gold Rush. Little to no people think of blacks and their contribution to the expansion of the west. This is due to the fact that even though the west was considered free territory blacks were still enslaved tot a certain extent. What people have to realize is that slavery is more mental than anything. Blacks made contributions in many areas of the west: on the ranch, in wars, and also in commerce. In this paper I plan to bring to light a majority of the many contributions that blacks made to help make the American west what it is today. Many people carry the misconception that the west was only founded and established on the accomplishments of Caucasians. This is primarily because during the time of the expansion of the west blacks were still looked down upon so eve if they made a great contribution they were not given credit for it. Blacks gave many grea t contributions to the west, which aided in the success of the founding of that particular part of America and its history. "During the time period of 1863 approximately 3,120,000 slaves were freed (Blacks in the west pg. 55)" Due to this large influx of free slaves many of them needed somewhere to go and jobs to do. So many of the decided to go to the west were they would be able to receive a new chance and new identities. " Black families coming wets in covered wagons established self sufficient all black towns and filed every job from barber, to teacher, doctor to state legislator. This went to show many people that there stereotype of blacks that they were dumb and less human was extremely incorrect. But the main contributions that I will be focusing on will be that of Black Cowboys and the buffalo Soldiers. When one thinks of the cowboys the first thing that comes to their mind, or at least my mind would be a white man riding in the open parries of the West. But in many cases that was extremely untrue. "Nearly a third of all cowboys who helped build the American west were black (Black Pioneers Pg.16)". Many people do not know about this due to segregation. Mainly if not only white cowboys were given recognition due to the fact that slavery had just ended and many people were getting use to the fact that blacks were free and equal to them.

Life of Pi

In the novel, â€Å"Life of Pi† the author Yann Martel tells a story within a story about Piscine Molitor who is also known as Pi. He is the protagonist and the dynamic character of story. In the chapters that confine the main story Pi is a timid middle-aged man and is deeply spiritual after learning the teachings of Hinduism, Catholicism, and Islam. He tells us about his childhood growing up in India as a son of a zoo keeper. He’s a vegetarian and he expresses his love for animals. Pi is a student of religion, zoology and is deeply interested by the characteristics of people and animals. Yet there is another side to Pi, and there is a constant switch between his thoughts and actions. Pi has learned about animal nature and its violent capabilities but it is not until he is faced with these circumstances. Not long after the ship sinks Pi and a tiger named Richard Parker are the only ones left on the lifeboat. Pi fears Richard Parker in some way but when he learns that his chances of survival are becoming very slim he uses his fear as a key to survival. Pi temporarily forgets all his other problems and manages through several courses to dominate Richard Parker. Pi The author uses indirect characterization to show how an awful position can bring out the worst in a man, and unexpected help in the most effective of animals. Pi becomes very quick and aggressive when it comes to finding and consuming food. I just didn’t have the time to consider what was before me. It either went into my mouth that instant or was lost to Richard Parker, who was pawing and stamping the ground and huffing impatiently on the edge of his territory. It came as unmistakable indication to me of how low I had sunk the day I had noticed, with a pinching of the heart, which I ate like an animal, that this noisy, frantic, unchewing wolfing-down of mine was exactly the way Richard Parker ate. † This compares t he close similarities between a man and an animal. Life of Pi The novel itself is inclined with philosophy and how different kinds of religion affected the life of Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi), the narrator of the story. It started when Pi was in a ship with his family when a mysterious incident led the ship to sink in the ocean, leaving only Pi the human who survived the incident. Along with him are the different animals whom he had discourse and interaction with in the lifeboat. Things started to went somehow out of control when the hyena ate some fellow animals. Long after, the tiger itself fed on the hyena but managed not to attack Pi. The two, Pi and the tiger whose name in the story is Richard Parker, continued to survive together and managed to keep each other’s company. After a long time, they found an island with a strange algae-dominated form. Soon they discovered that the algae were deforming themselves into acids at night and there’s this strange fruit that has a human-like teeth in it. Pi concluded that the island is an organism that eats humans. With these view of things, Pi and Richard Parker left the strange island and arrived in Mexico. There they departed from each other after keeping each other’s company for 227 days. Pi went to the hospital and he was confined there. Two Japanese officials named Okamoto and Chiba visited him and interrogated him how the ship sank. He told them the stories about the animals and his stay with the tiger, Richard Parker. However, the two officials did not believe him. Then he told another story where he was in a ship with his mother, a cook and a Chinese sailor. This story was a disgusting one where the cook is someone who is barbaric in actions. Pi let the two Japanese officials choose whichever version of story they want and the latter chose the one with animals which they wrote a story with. Pi was engaged in the three major religions in the world namely Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam where his life was patterned. He clearly portrays a character who did not believe in religion as a whole but in conviction in one sense. Belief as a human necessity could be seen through Pi’s character where Pi is a representative of human divinity.[1] His life, as well as his activities, is associated with god/s. For him, everything is related to god/s. Or may I say that everything can be related to god/s. His personality here can be viewed as an attachment to a belief which creates a form of survival. This can be compared to what Emile Durkheim said in his research that those who are in a strong attachment, say Christianity, had a lesser probability of committing a suicide than those who are more individualistic. Moreover, a strong hold to a belief can lengthen one’s life because there is a definite belief that serves as a guide for a person throughout his/her life. On the other hand, Richard Parker was also able to sustain the coexistence between them (with Pi) by his animal instincts. Example for this is the search and hunt for food, which is one of the physiological needs of human in order to survive and to perform everyday life functions. With this is a concept of the survival of the fittest portrayed by the hyena and tiger where they ate their fellow animals in order to survive. The weakest being can not handle to live longer while the stronger ones are those that have the capacity to hunt and kill for their own benefit in order to live. Another manifestation of this survival is when Pi and Richard Parker was the only one who was alive and they managed to live longer in the strange island and to go to Mexico where their lives were more secured. Life of Pi was a unique combination of social reality and religion. According to the author Martel, it doesn’t matter which was believed the truth but that belief should be present. Truth is only a matter of understanding. What really exist are evidences of a history, whether it was true or not. It was we who give the definition of what the social construction of reality means. And what people believed to be the truth is a matter of collective approval. Approval of those in the dominate classes. In the novel, stories were given. How can one say which story is true and which one is not? Martel says that ‘the facts do not always constitute the importance in the experience’.[2] Thus, one can say that unreliable facts which are given to us. We are the ones who will decide what is true and what is not. â€Å"Life’s story is one’s own, and faith trumps factuality.† What really matters for the truth to exist is the belief of people on it. Without the belief, a truth can not be truth. Works Cited Martel, Yann. Life of Pi. Canada: Knopf Canada, 2001. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org [2] Ibid. Life of Pi Name- Htet Hlaing Hmee ( 1207C20609 ) Period- 1 Life of Pi Novel Proposal Theme- The Nature of Suffering Argument A Point 1- Pi can't imagine a God who suffers Quotation- â€Å"This son, on the other hand, who goes hungry, who suffers from thirst, who gets tired, who is sad, who is anxious, who is heckled and harassed† ( 91 ) Point 2 – Pi stops when he's working out the immediate detail of survival. Quotation – â€Å"I was either fixed on practical details of immediate survival or transfixed by pain, weeping silently, my mouth open and my hands at my head. † (169) Point 3- The worst night of his lifeQuotation- â€Å"It is pointless to say that this or that night was the worst of my life. I have so many bad nights to choose from that I've made none the champion. Still, that second night at sea stands in my memory as one of exceptional suffering† ( 188 ) Argument B Point 1- Suffering grief becomes carnivorous Quotation- â€Å"They were dead; I could no longer deny it. What a thing to acknowledge in your heart! To lose a brother is to lose someone with whom you can share the experience of growing old, who is supposed to bring you a sister-in-law and nieces and nephews, creatures to people the tree of your life and give it new branches. ( 194 ) Point 2 – Orange Juice's suffering to proportions Quotation- â€Å"She was beheaded. The neck wound was still bleeding. It was a horrible sight to the eyes and killing to the spirit. † ( 201 ) Point 3- Realizes his suffering is taking place in the middle of an ocean Quotation- â€Å"I saw my suffering for what it was, finite and insignificant, and I was still. My suffering did not fit anywhere, I realized. And I could accept this† (269) Argument C Point 1- No escape for poor Pi.Quotation- â€Å"Salt-water boils – red, angry, disfiguring – were a leprosy of the high seas, transmitted by the water that soaked me† ( 389 ) Point 2- Pi's suffering drive s him Quotation- â€Å"I ate some of his flesh. I mean small pieces, little strips that I meant for the gaff's hook that, when dried by the sun, looked like ordinary animal flesh† ( 386 ) Point 3- Pi turns to God at one of the points of his Pacific crossing Quotation- â€Å"The lower you are, the higher your mind will want to soar. It was natural that, bereft as I was, in the throes of unremitting suffering, I should turn to God. † ( 428 ) Life of Pi In the novel, â€Å"Life of Pi† the author Yann Martel tells a story within a story about Piscine Molitor who is also known as Pi. He is the protagonist and the dynamic character of story. In the chapters that confine the main story Pi is a timid middle-aged man and is deeply spiritual after learning the teachings of Hinduism, Catholicism, and Islam. He tells us about his childhood growing up in India as a son of a zoo keeper. He’s a vegetarian and he expresses his love for animals. Pi is a student of religion, zoology and is deeply interested by the characteristics of people and animals. Yet there is another side to Pi, and there is a constant switch between his thoughts and actions. Pi has learned about animal nature and its violent capabilities but it is not until he is faced with these circumstances. Not long after the ship sinks Pi and a tiger named Richard Parker are the only ones left on the lifeboat. Pi fears Richard Parker in some way but when he learns that his chances of survival are becoming very slim he uses his fear as a key to survival. Pi temporarily forgets all his other problems and manages through several courses to dominate Richard Parker. Pi The author uses indirect characterization to show how an awful position can bring out the worst in a man, and unexpected help in the most effective of animals. Pi becomes very quick and aggressive when it comes to finding and consuming food. I just didn’t have the time to consider what was before me. It either went into my mouth that instant or was lost to Richard Parker, who was pawing and stamping the ground and huffing impatiently on the edge of his territory. It came as unmistakable indication to me of how low I had sunk the day I had noticed, with a pinching of the heart, which I ate like an animal, that this noisy, frantic, unchewing wolfing-down of mine was exactly the way Richard Parker ate. † This compares t he close similarities between a man and an animal. Life of Pi Name- Htet Hlaing Hmee ( 1207C20609 ) Period- 1 Life of Pi Novel Proposal Theme- The Nature of Suffering Argument A Point 1- Pi can't imagine a God who suffers Quotation- â€Å"This son, on the other hand, who goes hungry, who suffers from thirst, who gets tired, who is sad, who is anxious, who is heckled and harassed† ( 91 ) Point 2 – Pi stops when he's working out the immediate detail of survival. Quotation – â€Å"I was either fixed on practical details of immediate survival or transfixed by pain, weeping silently, my mouth open and my hands at my head. † (169) Point 3- The worst night of his lifeQuotation- â€Å"It is pointless to say that this or that night was the worst of my life. I have so many bad nights to choose from that I've made none the champion. Still, that second night at sea stands in my memory as one of exceptional suffering† ( 188 ) Argument B Point 1- Suffering grief becomes carnivorous Quotation- â€Å"They were dead; I could no longer deny it. What a thing to acknowledge in your heart! To lose a brother is to lose someone with whom you can share the experience of growing old, who is supposed to bring you a sister-in-law and nieces and nephews, creatures to people the tree of your life and give it new branches. ( 194 ) Point 2 – Orange Juice's suffering to proportions Quotation- â€Å"She was beheaded. The neck wound was still bleeding. It was a horrible sight to the eyes and killing to the spirit. † ( 201 ) Point 3- Realizes his suffering is taking place in the middle of an ocean Quotation- â€Å"I saw my suffering for what it was, finite and insignificant, and I was still. My suffering did not fit anywhere, I realized. And I could accept this† (269) Argument C Point 1- No escape for poor Pi.Quotation- â€Å"Salt-water boils – red, angry, disfiguring – were a leprosy of the high seas, transmitted by the water that soaked me† ( 389 ) Point 2- Pi's suffering drive s him Quotation- â€Å"I ate some of his flesh. I mean small pieces, little strips that I meant for the gaff's hook that, when dried by the sun, looked like ordinary animal flesh† ( 386 ) Point 3- Pi turns to God at one of the points of his Pacific crossing Quotation- â€Å"The lower you are, the higher your mind will want to soar. It was natural that, bereft as I was, in the throes of unremitting suffering, I should turn to God. † ( 428 )

Pre-Spanish Philippines

Philippine literature in Spanish Period. Spanish occupied Philippinesin early 15th  century. The First Filipino alphabet is Alibata – when Spanish colonized Philippinesthey changed alibatas into Roman alphabet. Spanish banned the used of Alibata because they believed that it is a work of evil. So Spanish fully introduced the Spanish literary language using many Spanish terms. The European literature was brought by the Spaniards and are assimilated in Filipino song and indigeneous themes.The early printing press in the Philippine is run and monopolized by the Spaniards friars. Spanish colonial period literary genres consist of Pasyon Cenaculo Tibag Carillo – shadow play Political essay Comedia Zarzuela Spanish revolutionary Papers El Heraldo de la revolusion La Republica Filipina La independencia La libertad La revolution During Spanish colonization Filipinos felt that they being harrashed by the Spaniards.Then the Birth of the Propaganda movement and la Solidaridad. T hen Filipino fought and introduce tagalong to be the language of revolution of the nationalist movement. Filipino Spanish literature Pedro Bukakeng – Lam ang Tomas Pinpin ( librong pa aaralan ng mga tagalong ng wikang kastilla ,1610 Gaspar Aquino de Belen   – Ang mahal na pasyon ni Jesus, Christong panginoon natin 1704 Pedro Paterno – Sampaguita, Ninay Dr.Jose Rizal – Noli me Tangere, El Filibusterismo, Mi Ultimo Adios Marcelo Del Pilar – Pag ibig sa tinubuang Lupa, Dasalan at tocsohan, kaiingat kayo Graciano Lopez Jaena – Fray Botod Franscico Baltazar – Florante at Laura Fr. Modesto de Castro – Urbanaat Feliza Emilio Jacinto – Liwanag sa Dilim Jose Palma – Himmo Nacional Filipino, De mi jardin Jose De la Cruz – Ibong Adarna Magdalena Jalandoni – Ang guitara, si Anabella, Ang mga tunok sang isa ka bulak

Biography of Mary Custis Lee, Gen. Robert E. Lees Wife

Biography of Mary Custis Lee, Gen. Robert E. Lee's Wife Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee  (October 1, 1808–November 5, 1873) was the  great-granddaughter of Martha Washington  and  the wife of Robert E. Lee. She played a part in the American Civil War, and her family legacy home became the site of Arlington National Cemetery. Fast Facts: Mary Custis Lee Known For: Wife of Civil War general Robert E. Lee and great-granddaughter of Martha WashingtonAlso Known As: Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee  Born: October 1, 1807 in Annefield  in  Boyce, VirginiaParents: George Washington Parke Custis, Mary Lee Fitzhugh CustisDied: November 5, 1873 in Lexington, VirginiaPublished Works: Recollections and Private Memoirs of Washington, by his Adopted Son George Washington Parke Custis, with a Memoir of this Author by his Daughter (edited and published)Spouse: Robert E. Lee (m.  1831–October. 12, 1870)Children: George Washington Custis, William Henry Fitzhugh, Robert E. Lee Jr., Eleanor Agnes, Anne Carter, Mildred Childe, Mary CustisNotable Quote: â€Å"I rode out to my dear old home, so changed it seemed but as a dream of the past. I could not have realized that it was Arlington but for the few old oaks they had spared, the trees planted on the lawn by the Gen’l myself which are raising their tall branches to the Heaven which seems to smile on the desecration around them.† Early Years Marys father George Washington Parke Custis was the adopted son and the step-grandson of George Washington. Mary was his only surviving child, and thus his heir. Educated at home, Mary showed talent in painting. She was courted by many men including Sam Houston but rejected his suit. She accepted the proposal of marriage in 1830 from Robert E. Lee, a distant relative shed known from childhood, after his graduation from West Point. (They had common ancestors Robert Carter I, Richard Lee II and William Randolph, making them respectively third cousins, third cousins once removed, and fourth cousins.) They were married in the parlor at her family home, Arlington House, on June 30, 1831. Highly religious from a young age, Mary Custis Lee was often troubled by illness. As the wife of a military officer, she traveled with him, though she was most happy at her family home in Arlington, Virginia. Eventually, the Lees had seven children, with Mary often suffering from illness and various disabilities including rheumatoid arthritis. She was known as a hostess and for her painting and gardening. When her husband went to Washington, she preferred to remain at home. She avoided Washingtons social circles but was avidly interested in politics and discussed matters with her father and later her husband. The Lee family enslaved many people of African descent. Mary assumed that eventually theyd all be freed, and taught the women to read, write, and sew so that they could support themselves after emancipation. Civil War When Virginia joined the Confederate States of America at the beginning of the Civil War, Robert E. Lee resigned his commission with the federal army and accepted a commission in the army of Virginia. With some delay, Mary Custis Lee, whose illness confined her much of the time to a wheelchair, was convinced to pack up many of the familys belongings and move out of the home at Arlington because its nearness to Washington, D.C., would make it a target for confiscation by the Union forces. And thats what happened, for failure to pay taxes- though an attempt to pay the taxes was apparently refused. She spent many years after the war ended trying to regain possession of her Arlington home: Poor Virginia is being pressed on every side, yet I trust God will yet deliver us. I do not allow myself to think of my dear old home. Would that it had been razed to the ground or submerged in the Potomac rather than have fallen into such hands. From Richmond where she spent much of the war, Mary and her daughters knitted socks and sent them to her husband to distribute to soldiers in the Confederate Army. Later Years and Death Robert returned after the surrender of the Confederacy, and Mary moved with Robert to Lexington, Virginia, where he became president of Washington College (later renamed Washington and Lee University). During the war, many of the family possessions inherited from the Washingtons were buried for safety. After the war, many were found to have been damaged, but some- the silver, some carpets, some letters among them- survived. Those that had been left in the Arlington home were declared by Congress to be the property of the American people. Neither Robert E. Lee nor Mary Custis Lee survived many years after the end of the Civil War. He died in 1870. Arthritis plagued Mary Custis Lee in her later years, and she died in Lexington on Nov. 5, 1873- after making one trip to see her old Arlington home. In 1882, the U.S. Supreme Court in a ruling returned the home to the family;  Mary and Roberts son Custis sold it right  back to the government. Mary Custis Lee is buried with her husband on the Washington and Lee University campus in Lexington, Virginia. Sources â€Å"The Life of Mary Custis Lee.†Ã‚  EHISTORY.â€Å"Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee.†Ã‚  National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.Pryor, Elizabeth Brown. â€Å"Mary Randolph Custis Lee (1807–1873).†Ã‚  Lee, Mary Randolph Custis (1807–1873), Encyclopediavirginia.org.

50 Inspiring Writing Prompts to Kick Writers Block

50 Inspiring Writing Prompts to Kick Writers Block Are you stuck for something to write about? Maybe youre scratching your head trying to come up with a fresh idea for a personal essay- a narrative or an extended description. Perhaps youre in the habit of keeping a journal or a blog, but today, for some reason, you cant think of a blessed thing to say. Maybe you need exercise to start a short story or need to do some prewriting for plot or character development for a longer fiction piece. Heres something that may help: a list of 50 brief writing prompts. The items on the list are not full-blown essay topics, just hints, snippets, cues, and clues to prod your memory, kick  writers block, and get you started. 50 Writing Prompts Take a minute or two to look over the list. Then pick one prompt that brings to mind a particular image, experience, or idea. Start writing (or freewriting) and see where it takes you. If after a few minutes you hit a dead end, dont panic. Simply return to the list, pick another prompt,  and try again.  Inspiration can truly come from anywhere. Its just a matter of freeing your mind from distraction and letting your imagination lead you where it may. When you discover something that intrigues or surprises you, thats the idea to develop further.   Everyone else was laughing.On the other side of that doorLate againWhat Ive always wantedA sound Id never heard beforeWhat if...The last time I saw himAt that moment I should have left.Just a brief encounterI knew how it felt to be an outsider.Hidden away in the back of a drawerWhat I should have saidWaking up in a strange roomThere were signs of trouble.Keeping a secretAll I have left is this photo.It wasnt really stealing.A place I pass by every dayNobody can explain what happened next.Staring at my reflectionI should have lied.Then the lights went out.Some might say its a weakness.Not again!Where Id go to hide out from everyoneBut thats not my real name.Her side of the storyNobody believed us.It was time to change schools again.We climbed to the top.The one thing Ill never forgetFollow these rules, and well get along fine.It may not be worth anything.Never againOn the other side of the streetMy father used to tell meWhen nobody was lookingIf I could do it over againOf course it wa s illegal. It wasnt my idea.Everyone was staring at me.It was a stupid thing to say.Hiding under my bedIf I tell you the truthMy secret collectionFootsteps in the darkThe first cut is the deepest.Trouble, big troubleLaughing uncontrollablyIt was just a game to them.

Should I Waive My Right to Review Recommendation Letters

Should I Waive My Right to Review Recommendation Letters SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Short answer: yes. Long answer: there's no need to worry about checking "yes" and waiving your right to see your letters of recommendation on the FERPA waiver section of your college applications. This article will explain exactly what FERPA is, why you're being asked to waive it, and how it impacts your letters of recommendations. To be honest, the FERPA waiver willprobably be the easiest part of filling out your college applications! What is FERPA? The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), otherwise known as the Buckley Amendment, was passed to protect the privacy of students' educational records. It gives parents and students who are 18 years and older the right to access their records. It also requires that parents or eligible students give permission before their information is released to a third party, except in special circumstances like transferring schools or a health emergency. Since most students who enroll in college are 18 or older, FERPA gives them the right to request access to their letters of recommendation, wherever they might be stored along with the rest of theirapplication materials. I like to picture all the applications of years past stored somewhere like the Hall of Prophecies in Harry Potter, except the endless shelves are filled with files instead of shiny glass orbs. There'sonecaveat to your FERPA-given right of access: youcan only access yourrecommendation letters after you've gotten your admission letter of acceptance and chosen to enrollin a college. If youwere rejected from or chose not to go to a certain school, then youwon't be able to get yourhands on those letters. Note how I said that FERPA gives youthe right to access your letters of recommendation AFTER youenroll at a college. It really doesn't have anything to do with getting to read your letters before your recommenders send them. Some recommenders will let you see them, while others will keep them confidential. The general assumption around reference letters is that they are confidential - this seems more honest in the eyes of admissions officers. Whether or not you see the letters before they're sent is not really what FERPA's about, when you get down to the specifics of it. On the Common Application (or whatever application you're using), you'll be asked whether or not you want to waive your right to access your rec letters. Read on for a preview of what you'll see. Harry Potter and the Chamber of College Applications Waiver of Access (FERPA) on the Common Application Once you add a college to your Common Application, you'll see a tab show up to invite your recommender(s). Before you send those invites, you'll be prompted to read about your waiver of access and select a response.This is what you'll see: "Waiver of Access (FERPA) Under the terms of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), you can review letters of recommendation and accompanying forms after you enroll at a postsecondary institution and only if that institution saves the documents post-enrollment. Why should you consider waiving your right of access? Waiving your right lets colleges know that you will never try to read your recommendations. That in turn reassures colleges that your recommenders have provided support that is candid and truthful. While you are free to respond as you wish, if you choose not to waive your right, some recommenders may decline your request, and some colleges may disregard letters submitted on your behalf. Remember, even if you retain your right of access, you still won't be able to view any recommendations until after you have been admitted to and enrolled in a college. In other words, FERPA does not give you the right to inspect recommendations before they are sent to your colleges. After you make your selection, you will be able to invite your counselor and recommenders. Once you make the first invitation, you will not be able to change your response to the waiver question. To ensure that you fully understand the implications of your selection, we urge you not to answer the waiver question until you have consulted with your guidance counselor or another school official. For more information on FERPA follow this link: ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html" Source: The Common Application Sounds like serious stuff. In reality, it's pretty straightforward. FERPA lets you request access to your recommendation letters after getting in and enrolling in a school. By that point, months after you've applied, done the requisite period ofnervous waiting, received the thick envelope and decided on a school, you probably aren't thinking about cracking into your admissions file to read exactly what Mr. Smith said about you back in December of senior year. You got in, so the rec letters had to have been pretty complimentary. Again, note that FERPA does not give you the right to see your letters of recommendations before they are sent. In the academic world, recommendation letters tend to be kept confidential. Your teacher or counselor may show you the letter and ask for your feedback or revisions, but this depends on the person. Even if you're burning with curiosity, you shouldn't pressure your recommenders to show you the letter. It could indicate that you don't trust them to provide you with a strong letter - and, if that's the case, you shouldn't choose them in the first place! Since you can only respond to the waiver question on the Common App once, let's go over exactly why it's a good idea to waive access. "Waive" goodbye to FERPA - you don't need it this time. Why It's a Good Idea to Waive Your FERPA Right As I mentioned above, the typical expectation for letters of recommendation in college admissions is that they are keptconfidential. Admissions officers give most weight to letters that provide an honest and qualified assessment of the applicant. If you don't waive your FERPA right, you could accidentally signal to admissions officers that you don't trust your recommender or that the recommendation is less candid or genuine. Your recommender might also get the subtle message that you don't trust him or her. The knowledge that you'll see the letter at some point in the future might cause your recommender to write a more generic letter, and thus be less powerful and effective in support of your candidacy. You won't be penalized for your response, but it's risky to check "no" since you don't know how admissions officers or your recommenders will interpret it. If you still feel uneasy about waiving your FERPA right, keep reading. In the next section, I'll explain why there's no need to worry about your recommendation letters, even if you never get the chance to read them. Keep your recommenders inside the circle of trust. No Need to Worry About Recommendation Letters... Perhaps easier said than done, but you really shouldn't stress about your letters of recommendation. Your teachers and counselor are there to help you - in fact, it's literally their job. They want to advocate for you and help you further your education. When you ask for a recommendation, you should ask your teachers if they can provide you with astrong letter of support. If they seem hesitant at all, then thank them for their time and ask somebody else. As long as you're thoughtful about choosing people with whom you have good relationships and who can write an insightful letter about you, then you don't have to worry about leaving the rest up to them. Apart from choosing recommenders who know you well, you can also have some say into shaping what goes into the letter. Most schools will give you a "brag sheet" where you can remind your recommenders of your interests, motivations, and goals. You and your parents can describe some significant experiences you've had or challenges you've overcome to help your recommenders make the strongest letter they can. So even if the letter stays confidential, you'll still have some sense of what likely went into it. At this point, hopefully you have a better sense of what the FERPA waiver is all about and why it's in your best interest to go ahead and agree to the waiver. Or maybe you've scrolled down to this point, thinking "too long; didn't read." Either way, you're in luck! Below are the key points I wanted to make, distilled into bullet points for your reading pleasure. Key Points About the FERPA Waiver The FERPA waiver only waives your right to access your recommendation letters after you've been accepted to and enrolled in a college. It's common practice for recommendation letters to be kept confidential in admissions procedures. Your recommenders may still let you see their letters before they send them - that's totally up to them. As long as you're thoughtful about choosing recommenders who are supportive and know you well (and help them out with a detailed brag sheet), you can rest easy knowing your recommenders want to support you and help you get into college. The FERPA waiver is probably the easiest part of your application. Just go ahead and click yes! What's Next? While the FERPA waiver's easy, the rest of your application can get a bit more complicated. Read all about how to build a versatile college application that showcases your strengths and makes you stand out among the competition. Is it that time of year when you're thinking about requesting letters of recommendation? This article breaks down how to request a letter of recommendation, step by step (coming soon). Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Defining concept of design thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Defining concept of design thinking - Essay Example Design thinking is usually incorporated often into the innovation process as well as organisation. Design thinking is the art of coming up with creative and practical solutions to on-going or current problems with an aim and hope of a better future result. As such, design thinking can simply be taken to be a type of thinking that is solely focused on finding a solution (solution focussed thinking). Instead of just focusing on how to solve a specific current problem, design thinking majorly aims at finding the best future solution. As such, the concept commences with a goal. By taking into consideration both the future and present conditions and the problem parameters, design thinking makes it possible for alternative solutions to be explored and evaluated simultaneously. Therefore, unlike design thinking, the scientific methods only commence with definitions of the problem parameters on the way of finding a solution to the problem. It does not explore alternatives or possess the futu re dimension in its process. Thus design thinking looks at both ambiguous and known aspects of the problem to figure out the open available alternatives and hidden parameters which will lead to the achievement of the goal. Since the process of design thinking is commonly iterative, there exists a lot of starting points. For example, initial problem redefinition or other intermediate solutions. Design thinking is a multidisciplinary process covering fields such as engineering, law, psychology, marketing and economics among others. For example, in engineering, education is geared towards the creation of engineers who can think and create designs (Pourdehnead, et.al, 2011). However, design thinking is a complex subject and one of the approaches used in teaching engineers design is the project-based learning approach (Dym, et.al, 2005). Engineering design

Measures of Effectiveness in BP Accident Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Measures of Effectiveness in BP Accident - Essay Example Managers must always therefore monitor the functionality of a company’s infrastructure often making renovations whenever necessary. This ensures that a company has an effective and updated infrastructure. Additionally, constant supervision of the infrastructure ensures early detection of malfunctions thus instituting timely remedies. Another equally important lesson from the oil spill is the need for a functional contingency plan coupled with adequate resources to facilitate such plans in case of eventualities. The British Petroleum took long to respond to the disaster a feature that enhanced the effects of the accident. Effective contingency plan ensures that a company responds appropriately to disasters. Response to disasters includes taking responsibility where necessary thereby responding appropriately to mitigate the undesirable effects of such accidents. An appropriate contingency plan coupled with adequate financial resources enhances effectiveness of operations in a company especially in times of disasters since the company takes control of such accidents thereby limiting their effects. BP incurred immense financial loses owing to its inability to institute a timely response to the disaster. Contingency plans are dynamic in nature and would therefore provide a timely response to a calamity thereby cushio ning a company from incurring similar

Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Sociology - Essay Example This promoted a environment of mistrust amongst the prisoners. A similar tactic is used by real guards in real prisons which aims to break prisoner alliances. An article in The New York Times about ‘Racial segregation in Prison’ highlights the advantages of this tactic which in effect incorporates elements of racism which pit’s Blacks, Chicanos, and Anglos against each other. It also shows how this segregation regulates some control over keeping heightened violence in check. By the division and conquering in this way, guards deflect a lot of the aggressive focus from themselves. Other real life incident’s that can be related to the continuous revolts of the prisoners to break free of the oppression and abuse of the unchallenged power of the guards is the ‘San Quentin Six’ alleged prison escape attempt at San Quentin in 1971. (The Lucifer effect, Philip Zimbardo). Also there was the ‘Attica Prison Riot’ that followed shortly afterwa rds in New York. The prisoner’s riot was based on their demand for better living conditions and to be treated as human beings. (Attica prison riot, Web). This incident is so much similar to the various revolts the prisoner’s conspired to do against the guards in just six days of the Stanford study we observed. Even in this short span they suffered continuous humiliation in form of extended push-ups, jeering, longer solitary hours and uncalled for punishments such as unnecessary scrubbing of the toilet pans, all of which aimed to dehumanize the inmates turning them into objects. Another recent real life example of what happened in the ‘Stanford Prison study’ can be related to the violation of human rights that occurred at the Abu Ghraib prison under the authority of the American armed forces which took place post the 2003 Iraq war. (Abuse at Abu Ghraib, CNN). This was mainly because the soldiers were pushed into the role of prison guards, without any string ent guidelines as to how to deal with the prisoners. Many of the specific acts of degradation were comparable to those that occurred in the Zimbardo prison experiment. (Psychologist world, Web) Work Cited. The New York Times (Nov, 14). Racial Segregation in Prison. Retrieved from: . Phillip Zimbardo. The Lucifer Effect. Retrieved from: . Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Attica prison riot. Retrieved from: . Rebecca Le Lung ( 2004, May) .‘Abuse at Abu Ghraib.’ CNN News. Retrieved from: . Psychologist world. ‘Influence of Social roles.’ Retrieved from:

International Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Politics - Essay Example This paper aims to critically review the book ‘Why Globalization Works’ which is written by Martin Wolf. In order to support the arguments, evidences from the text will also be presented. Author’s Argument Martin Wolf has presented the topic of globalization rationally. Defending globalization, the author argues that anti globalization, failure of governments and systems have been the cause of global market failures. Wolf also dismantles the argument that rich countries exploit smaller countries. He has drawn a clear picture where the problem exists (Wolf). â€Å"The failure of our world is not that there is too much globalization, but that there is too little† (Wolf 4). Thesis Statement   â€Å"For the greater good, globalization itself is a vibrant channel but as how the political system has mismanaged or mislead this channel of globalization, it has brought the worst affects throughout the world, to the world economies and to their systems†. Bod y The book has a strong appeal for those who are interested in globalization and its future; how democracies will make the most out of this phenomenon and how governments and their free markets will collapse due to its wrong or mere use. In order to understand the author’s argument and to prove the thesis statement, a critical analysis of the book is given below. The idea that distance, space, and technology matters is not disagreed but at the same time a territorial authority of states matter. Even though technology is noticed as a sound source which allows strong territorial control and monitoring of physical objects that crosses the borders, states should not emphasize and rely heavily on the regulation of markets; local or international. The state or a government will itself decide and plan to which extent it is going to utilize the opportunities presented by globalization (Wolf). Market failures are noticed not because of globalization but because of the system failure a nd the weak and ineffective policies. These failures are usually local. It is also due to the central planning as the author has termed it as ‘ludicrous’ as it does not reflect the consumer behavior or his taste, lacking the element of innovation (Wolf 59-60). It is the duty of the government to cater the basic needs of consumers by providing them the basic goods (Wolf). In order to prosper and grow, a state should realize that it needs to clean its debt and at the same time should also protect what belongs to the public. The state must show elements of ‘credibility, predictability, transparency, and consistency’ (Wolf 25). Moreover, the government must refrain itself in interfering in the business deals of merchants and investors. It should let them do business as they want because it is evident that all the Western societies have been crafted by these businessmen using the elements of ‘practicality, rationalism, and freedom of inquiry’ (Wolf) . The author of the book Martin Wolf comes with a very comprehensive definition of globalization that it is something which is meant for the greater good, for the good of the world, for the good of the world’s economies and their economic revivals. The author describes globalization as a method of free trade, and a method where free movement of goods, resources and opportunities are made possible. Globalization itself is an idea to promote the greater integration of the world as the author

Social Media encourages Narcissism, leading society to a word with no Research Paper

Social Media encourages Narcissism, leading society to a word with no personal interaction - Research Paper Example However, there are several states upon which the social media shall be integrated into the encouragement of Narcissism; hence, lead to a world with no personal interactions. Social media networks are the most to blame for the narcissism that is being witnessed among people based on their endless encouragement of the self-reliance on user-generated content; hence, the promotion of selfish tendencies. Narcissistic personality disorder has led to scholars such as Twenge, and Campbell do research on the causes of this situation. According to the two, Narcissism is brought about by four main methods; Media obsession with the celebrities, changes in education, child-rearing and last but not least lending of funds by the financial institutions. Twenge and Campbell have quite a large amount of data that show how narcissism has greatly influenced the younger generation in the wrong direction. Among the evidence collected by about fifty thousand college students in 2006, approximately ten percent of the Americans met narcissism personality disorder in their early 20s and about 15% in the same cohort had extreme narcissistic behaviors. May this was the reason why DSM-V proposed that personality disorder was normal (p. 274). In this regard, social media is the most platform to be largely blamed for the rise of narcissism in that through it, persons are only interested with self-consciousne ss and interactive life based on gratification of personal and not societal interests. Social media encourage narcissism through the destruction of the social networks initially encountered in homes. In recent past, few families spend time together talking since the larger portion of their time is overtaken by activities in the social media and technological advancements. This way, it can be argued that narcissistic personality disorder is a menace to the younger and older generations. About two-thirds of the college students are victims of the situation brought about by narcissism

M2a2 Leading through and beyond Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

M2a2 Leading through and beyond Change - Essay Example Changes are constant in an organization, but most of the changes are gradual and unplanned (Burke, 2010, p.1). Change at times is necessary for organizations to adjust themselves in this dynamic business environment (Reader & eHow, n.d.). In the context of the study, changes will be mainly discussed from the viewpoint of Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM). According to John Kotter, change in general passes through 8 key stages. Also for an organization to implement changes in their system must follow all the steps and accomplish all the necessary tasks of each stage. 1. Increase urgency: - In this stage organizations feel the megacity for incorporating change. This is achieved through the evidences of other companies, about how they got success after implementing change. 7. Consolidating enhancement: - In this stage of the change process an organization must plan and evidently improve the performance through the change. Also recognition and rewarding employees who were indulged in the process, will further help to serve the purpose. Now after examining the study in accordance with the case study of JP Morgan, it has been found that due to change in the trading activities of the traders the bank suffered huge losses. The primary mistake was on the part of the bank’s operations. The bank could not formulate a sound strategy, by which trading activities would have generated less effect. In accordance with the Korter’s model and case study they must develop a strategy that ensures least effect from the traders. In general individuals within the organization do not like changes in the system; rather they fell that any carnage in the organization may hamper their present course of actions. However there is time when change becomes necessary in order to rectify the earlier mistakes. Changes also take place as the precautionary measure of future issues. In the context of

Social Media encourages Narcissism, leading society to a word with no Research Paper

Social Media encourages Narcissism, leading society to a word with no personal interaction - Research Paper Example However, there are several states upon which the social media shall be integrated into the encouragement of Narcissism; hence, lead to a world with no personal interactions. Social media networks are the most to blame for the narcissism that is being witnessed among people based on their endless encouragement of the self-reliance on user-generated content; hence, the promotion of selfish tendencies. Narcissistic personality disorder has led to scholars such as Twenge, and Campbell do research on the causes of this situation. According to the two, Narcissism is brought about by four main methods; Media obsession with the celebrities, changes in education, child-rearing and last but not least lending of funds by the financial institutions. Twenge and Campbell have quite a large amount of data that show how narcissism has greatly influenced the younger generation in the wrong direction. Among the evidence collected by about fifty thousand college students in 2006, approximately ten percent of the Americans met narcissism personality disorder in their early 20s and about 15% in the same cohort had extreme narcissistic behaviors. May this was the reason why DSM-V proposed that personality disorder was normal (p. 274). In this regard, social media is the most platform to be largely blamed for the rise of narcissism in that through it, persons are only interested with self-consciousne ss and interactive life based on gratification of personal and not societal interests. Social media encourage narcissism through the destruction of the social networks initially encountered in homes. In recent past, few families spend time together talking since the larger portion of their time is overtaken by activities in the social media and technological advancements. This way, it can be argued that narcissistic personality disorder is a menace to the younger and older generations. About two-thirds of the college students are victims of the situation brought about by narcissism

How China Grew Rich Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

How China Grew Rich - Research Paper Example This is because these companies are usually export-import oriented. On this basis, the integration of foreign direct investment with the labor force of the domestic country has an effect of creating a positive development of an economy of a country1. Globalization is a factor in the emergence of this international trade, and more so after the disintegration of the Soviet Union. This is because the Soviet Union was a country that was advocating for communalism. On this note, all countries under its influence had a closed economy. However, after its disintegration, majority of the nations within the world began to create an export promotion policy. They began to open their market system for purposes of promoting free trade. In developing these policies, developing countries of the world took an example of the Asian tiger economies compromising of Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea and Hong Kong. These countries managed to improve their economies because of insisting on exports, instead of imports. This policy involved the removal of trade barriers, and encouraging direct foreign investments. On this basis, local companies within the country will participate in international trade by associating with these multi-national companies2. This export promotion strategy was successful in developing countries, and China began to experiment with it in the periods of 1970s. It is important to denote that China had one of the closest economies of the world, prior to the 1970s. The various regimes in the country regulated its economy, and they never encouraged any direct investments within the country. On this basis, their market system was closed. This made the country to be very poor, contributing to its low economic development. However, after opening up its market system to foreign companies, China was able to attract a large percentage of foreign investments and capital3. In 1990s, the country became the second largest nation to host foreign direct investments after

Similarities Between Judaism And Christianity Religion Essay

Similarities Between Judaism And Christianity Religion Essay The creation of the universe still remains a mystery to many of us. Almost all mankind is obsessed with trying to discover how the creation of everything that exists came about. Some are convinced about the divine existence of God while others are atheist. The religious people are also faced with many differences and disagreement about the existence and the nature of the real God. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast two specific characteristics that are evident in Christianity and Judaism. As much as there are differences between the two religious groupings, there are also similarities between them. This is because, Christianity emerged and protested from Judaism, but it is not a continuation of Judaism as some people would suppose it to .Therefore, there are various characteristics that makes the two different. The first characteristic is how they define sin and the second is how they define atonement and religious human intercession. Similarities Between Judaism and Christianity Both religions define sin as rebellion, and God has made his will to be known to all people through His word. Acting contrary to this set will against God is a sin. Although Wyschogrod states that Judaism doesnt take the consequences of sin seriously, Plantinga feels Christians should go back to their original religion so that they can understand the consequences of sin. Therefore, both believe that sin has its consequences. God is all powerful and supreme, the only thing he can do is to allow people to sin but he limits the freedom. One of the reasons for allowing the people to sin is so as He can demonstrate his will and achieve his objectives; which could be to demonstrate his love since his lover supersedes his hatred. Therefore both religions believe that God is a God of mercy. God has provided atonement in order to reconcile all his people with him. This shows that whenever people are engaged in sin and have a deep repentance for it, there is a way out for both religions. This cleanses and erases all the sins and the makes man right with God. They both believe that in order to be forgiven, faith must be incorporated with the atonement. Since there is a continuous behavior of rebellion, both religions believe that they live under two principles which include being loyal to God and being rebellious. Therefore, sin is a continuous process and cannot be avoided by any human being.Because of this repentance must be done regularly. Differences in Judaism and Christianity In regard to Sin, Christianitys center of attention is found on The Original Sin which is the sin that committed by Adam and Eve while they were in the Garden of Eden and continues on from that generation to this generation we are living today .While Judaisms center of attention on Sin which means the continuous sins committed after a person is born, thus proving that at birth a person is with no sin. Therefore, according to Judaism, repentance is done for disobedience done either intentionally or unintentionally after the person is born while for Christianity, repentance is done for an entire persons life since his birth even to the extend of repenting the sins of a former generation. While reviewing the Holy Bible in Genesis chapter 3, the two religions interpret this differently. According to the Christian perspective, when Adam and Eve sinned, the glory of God in them was taken away, thus making the whole creation perverted. While in Judaism, when Adam and Eve sinned, God made them to suffer the consequences by only chasing them out of the Garden of Eden but never meant that sin will follow their forthcoming generation. Christianitys element of redemption that is meant to return the glory of God which was lost after Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden is only through Jesus Christ who is claimed to be God in the flesh and a part of the Holy trinity, cleanses the sins of the whole world for those who accept this redemption. The Judaism element of redemption is done through is through prayer which cleanses the sin impartially, and full cleansing is done after they ask for forgiveness from the people. According to Judaism Jesus was just a good man and was not reincarnation of God into mankind, he has no powers to save souls as Christianity perceives and believes it to be, and he never resurrected from the dead. Since piece has never reigned in this world. Judaism has never approved Jesus as the Prince of Peace and the Messiah. They claim that the Prince of Peace shall rule the world later and peace shall dominate this whole world. But Christianity believes Jesus as the Prince of peace and the promised Messiah and all them that accept this divinity have peace in their minds and souls. Furthermore, Judaism continues to state that God is one. God cannot be made of three parts which are termed as the Holy trinity, even though Christianity claims it to be a mystery. They claim that this can be compared to pagans who worship many god and that the capacity of claiming that God is in three parts diminishes the preeminence of his power. Therefore, it has no room for Jesus having a position of being God the Son. This is opposed by Christianity since according to the Bible in the Book of John 1:1, 14 which claims that In the beginning there was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God. The word became flesh and dwelt among us in this world. As much as there are differences and similarities, only time can tell since Christianity is based on faith. There is no religion that can be placed above the other. Its hard for worshipers also to judge themselves since they can not identify and accept easily their shortcomings since it may be to their disadvantage. Therefore, judgment is left to God alone.

Some Lead, Some Follow, Others Change the World Essay -- Civil Rights

When being asked which Civil Rights activist of the movement was most effective, the answer is quite obvious. This movement originated due to what is called â€Å"Jim Crow† laws. These laws suggested that everyone is separate but equal. Otherwise became blindingly apparent when African Americans were subdued by whites in various ways. For example, the justice system always considered the case of white man over a black one. Also, an African American facility was certainly not comparable to the superior quality of White’s. Soon, organizations began to form in attempts to stop this unjust treatment. One man in particular stands out the most throughout this movement of change: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s form of protesting was the more effective than activist Malcolm X and was the reason for the majority of success during the Civil Rights movement. This is because Malcolm X’s cause would only slow progress during the movement, Martin Lu ther King Jr. had more authority, and he understood that peaceful protesting is the very genesis of redefining a nation. Malcolm X’s cause did not support any advancement in the Civil Rights movement. If anything, his efforts deterred any progress by encouraging separation. Malcolm X looked up to the Black Muslim leader Elijah Muhammad. Muhammad’s campaign was based around whites being â€Å"descended from the devil† and â€Å"being born to harm blacks†. Malcolm soon adopted and idolized this ideology that not only reached toward separate nations, but frightened whites. Considering this, the group the Black Panthers in which Malcolm X formed later on created their own schools, businesses and newspapers in order to further segregate themselves from whites. This group was encouraged by the ide... ...t. He built bridges between races, not walls like Malcolm X. Malcolm X’s cause would only dismiss the goals of the Civil Rights movement. Also, Martin Luther King Jr. had more of an impact amongst his public. Lastly, he contributed to the ongoing idea that acting in a peaceful manor will make goals much more attainable. Martin Luther King Jr. had a very positive impact on not only his public, but this nation. He will never be forgotten within history. Works Cited Levy, Peter B. Let Freedom Ring: a Documentary History of the Modern Civil Rights Movement. New York: Praeger, 1992. Glencoe. "Online Student Edition." Glencoe/McGraw-Hill. 2008. Web. . Cruz, Kimberly. "Comparing Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X." Http://www.polk-fl.net. Web. .

Achiles’ Shield in the Iliad Essay -- Literature Art War Papers

Achiles’ Shield as an Element of Contradistinction in the Iliad The Iliad is an epic of death. It is a tale of conflict, battle, agony, and horrific mutilation. Honor and glory are attained through warfare. The great shield of Achiles stands out in this context because it depicts the glories of an orderly, functioning, productive civilization. This depiction of life stands in stark contrast to the scenes of death that constitute a large portion of the narrative. An examination of the shield of Achiles in Homer’s Iliad reveals many ideas in conflict: love and honor, the pleasures of life versus a heroic death, free will and destiny. By viewing the shield as an element of contradistinction—that is to define it on the basis of contrast—one can see that the shield symbollicaly unifies the entire poem. Achiles’ shield is the mechanism through which the poet presents a tool of warfare as a reflection of civilization; explores the concept, structure, and nature of the universe; and examines the role of art in society. I. A Reflection of Civlization on a Tool of Warfare In the epic tradtion, the arming of wariors for batle holds particular significance. The description of a warior’s armor tels much about the individual character of the warior and about the values of the society of which he is part. The Iliad contains many such arming scenes which take the simple description of armor and transform it into a more expansive and iluminating portrait of ancient Greek mentality. When compared with one another, these descriptions of armor reveal some basic distinctions that make the shield of Achiles of utmost importance. As noted by Atchity in Homer’s Iliad: The Shield of Memory, the armor of Paris is described in book thre... ...contradictions. Art is the medium through which humans explore life’s great questions and test its boundaries. Armed with the belief that ordered civlization will prevail, the artist—poet, metalworker, painter, actor—is free to enter into the batlle of ideals. Works Cited Atchity, Kenneth John. Homer’s Iliad: The Shield of Memory. Carbondale, IL: Southern Ilinois Univ., 1978. Becker, Andrew Sprague. The Shield of Achiles and the Poetics of Ekphrasis. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Litlefield, 1995. Duethorn, Guenter A. Achiles’ Shield and the Structure of the Iliad. Amherst, MA: Amherst Colege, 1962. Edwards, Mark W. The Iliad: A Commentary. Vol. V: books 17–20. G.S. Kirk gen. ed. Cambridge, MA: 1995. Homer. The Iliad. Trans. Richmond Latimore. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago, 1961. Keats, John. â€Å"Ode to a Grecian Urn.† 4 Oct. 2003 < htp://www.poets.org/poems/>.

Night World : The Chosen Chapter 3

God, it stank. RashelJordan had seen a lot of vampire lairs in her seventeen years, but this was probably the most disgusting. She held her breath as she stirred the nest of tattered cloth with the toe of one boot. She could read the story of this collection of garbage as easily as if the inhabitant had written out a full confession, signed it, and posted it on the wall. One vampire. A rogue, an outcast who lived on the fringe of both the human world and the Night World. He probably moved to anew city every few weeks to avoid getting caught. And he undoubtedly looked like any other homeless guy, except that none of the human homeless would be hanging around aBoston dock on a Tuesday night in early March. He brings his victims here, Rashel thought. The pier's deserted, it's private, he can take his time with them. And of course he can't resist keeping a few trophies. Her foot stirred them gently. A pink-and-blue knit baby jacket, a plaid sash from a school uniform, a Spiderman tennis shoe. All bloodstained. All very small. There had been a rash of missing children lately. TheBoston police would never discover where they had gone-but now Rashel knew. She felt her lips draw back slightly from her teeth in something that wasn't really a smile. She was aware of everything around her: the soft plash of water against the wooden pier, the rank coppery smell that was almost a taste, the darkness of a night lit only by a half moon. Even the light moisture of the cold breeze against her skin. She was aware of all of it without being preoccupied with any of it-and when the tiny scratch sounded behind her, she moved as smoothly and gracefully as if she were taking her turn in a dance. She pivoted on her left foot, drawing her bokken in the same motion, and without a break in the movement, she stabbed straight to the vampire's chest. She drove the blow from her hips, exhaling in a hiss as she did it, putting all her strength behind it. â€Å"Gotta be faster than that,† she said. The vampire, skewered like a hot dog, waved his arms and gibbered. He was dressed in filthy clothing and his hair was a bushy tangle. His eyes were wide, full of surprise and hatred, shining as silver as an animal's in the faint light. His teeth weren't so much fangs as tusks: fully extended, they reached almost to his chin. â€Å"I know,† Rashel said. â€Å"You really, really wanted to kill me. Life's tough, isn't it?† The vampire snarled one more time and then the silver went out of his eyes, leaving only the look of astonishment. His body stiffened and slumped backward. It lay still on the ground. Grimacing, Rashel pulled her wooden sword out of the chest. She started to wipe the blade on the vampire's pants, then hesitated, peering at them more closely. Yes, those were definitely little crawly things. And the blankets were just as repulsive. Oh, well. Use your own jeans. It won't be the first time. She carefully wiped the bokken clean. It was two and a half feet long and just slightly, gracefully curved, with a narrow, sharp, angled tip. Designed to penetrate a body as efficiently as possible-if that body was susceptible to wood. The sword slipped back into its sheath with a papery whisper. Then Rashel glanced at the body again. Mr. Vampire was already going mummified. His skin was now yellow and tough; his staring eyes were dried up, his lips shrunken, his tusks collapsed. Rashel bent over him, reaching into her back pocket. What she pulled out looked like the snapped-off end of a bamboo backscratcher-which was exactly what it was. She'd had it for years. Very precisely, Rashel drew the five lacquered fingers of the scratcher down the vampire's forehead. On the yellow skin five brown marks appeared, like the marks of a cat's claws. Vampire skin was easy to mark tight after death. â€Å"This kitten has claws,† she murmured. It was a ritual sentence; she'd repeated it ever since the night she'd killed her first vampire at the age of twelve. In memory of her mother, who'd always called her kitten. In memory of herself at age five, and all the innocence she'd lost. She'd never be a helpless kitten again. Besides, it was a little joke. Vampires†¦ bats. Herself†¦ a cat. Anybody who'd grown up with Batman and Catwoman would get it. Well. All done. Whistling softly, she rolled the body over and over with her foot to the end of the pier. She didn't feel like carting the mummy all the way out to the fens, the salt marshes where bodies were traditionally left inBoston . With a mental apology to everybody who was trying to clean up the harbor, she gave the corpse a final push and listened for the splash. She was still whistling as she emerged from the pier onto the street. Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to work we go— She was in a very good mood. The only disappointment was the constant one, that it hadn't been the vampire, the one she'd been looking for ever since she'd been five years old. It had been a rogue, all right-a depraved monster who killed human kids foolishly close to human habitations. But it hadn't been the rogue. Rashel would never forget his face. And she knew that someday she would see it again. Meanwhile, there was nothing to do but shish-kebab as many of the parasites as possible. She scanned the streets as she walked, alert for any sign of Night People. All she saw were quiet brick buildings and streetlights shining pale gold. And that was a shame, because she was in terrific form tonight; she could feel it. She was every bloodsucking leech's worst enemy. She could stake six of them before breakfast and still be fresh for chemistry first period at Wassaguscus High. Rashel stopped suddenly, absent-mindedly melting into a shadow as a police car cruised silently down the cross-street ahead. I know, she thought. I'll go see what the Lancers are up to. If anybody knows where vampires are, they do. She headed for the North End. Half an hour later she was standing in front of a brownstone apartment building, ringing the buzzer. â€Å"Who's there?† Instead of answering, Rashel said, â€Å"The night has a thousand eyes.† â€Å"And the day only one,† came the reply from the intercom. â€Å"Hey there, girl. Come on up.† Inside, Rashel climbed a dark and narrow stairway to a scarred wooden door. There was a peephole in the door. Rashel faced it squarely, then pulled off the scarf she'd been wearing. It was black, silky, and very long. She wore it wrapped around her head and face like a veil, so that only her eyes showed, and even they were in shadow. She shook out her hair, knowing what the person on the other side could see. A tall girl dressed like a ninja, all hi black, with black hair falling loose around her shoulders and green eyes blazing. She hadn't changed much since she was five, except in height. Right now she made a barbaric face at the peephole and heard the sound of laughter behind the door as bolts were drawn. She waited until the door was shut behind her again before she said, â€Å"Hi, Elliot.† Elliot was a few years older than she was, and thin, with intense eyes and little shiny glasses that were always slipping off his nose. Some people would have dismissed him as a geek. But Rashel had once seen him stand up to two werewolves while she got a human girl out a window, and she knew that he had practically single-handedly started the Lancers-one of the most successful organizations of vampire hunters on the east coast. â€Å"What's up, Rashel? It's been a while.† â€Å"I've been busy. But now I'm bored. I came to see if you guys had anything going.† As Rashel spoke, she was looking at the other people in the room. A brown-haired girl was kneeling, loading objects from boxes into a dark green backpack. Another girl and a boy were sitting on the couch. Rashel recognized the boy from other Lancers meetings, but neither of the girls were familiar. â€Å"Lucky you,† Elliot said. â€Å"This is Vicky, my new second-in-command.† He nodded at the girl on the floor. â€Å"She just moved toBoston ; she was the leader of a group on the south shore. And tonight she's taking a little expedition out to some warehouses in Mission Hill. We got a lead that there's been some activity out there.† â€Å"What kind of activity? Leeches, puppies?† Elliot shrugged. â€Å"Vampires definitely. Werewolves maybe. There's been a rumor about teenage girls getting kidnapped and stashed somewhere around there. The problem is we don't know exactly where, or why.† He tilted his head, his eyes twinkling. â€Å"You want to go?† â€Å"Isn't anybody going to ask me?† Vicky said, straightening up from her backpack. Her pale blue eyes were fixed on Rashel. â€Å"I've never even seen this girl before. She could be one of them.† Elliot pushed his glasses higher on his nose. He looked amused. â€Å"You wouldn't say that if you knew, Vicky. Rashel's the best.† â€Å"At what?† â€Å"At everything. When you were going to your fancy prep school, she was out in theChicago slums staking vampires. She's been inL.A. ,New York ,New Orleans†¦ even Vegas. She's wiped out more parasites than the rest of us put together.† Elliot glanced mischievously at Rashel, then leaned toward Vicki. â€Å"Ever heard of the Cat?† he said. Vicki's head snapped up. She stared at Rashel. â€Å"The Cat? The one all the Night People are afraid of? The one they're offering a reward for? The one who leaves a mark-â€Å" Rashel shot Elliot a warning look. â€Å"Never mind,† she said. She wasn't sure she trusted these new people. Vicky was right about one thing: you couldn't be too careful. And she didn't like Vicky much, but she could hardly turn down such a good opportunity for vampire hunting. Not tonight, when she was in such terrific form. â€Å"I'll go with you-if you'll have me,† she said. Vicky's pale blue eyes bored into Rashel's a moment, then she nodded. â€Å"Just remember I'm in charge.† â€Å"Sure,† Rashel murmured. She could see Elliot's grin out of the corner of her eye. â€Å"You know Steve, and that's Nyala.† Elliot indicated the boy and girl on the couch. Steve had blond hair, muscular shoulders, and a steady expression; Nyala had skin like cocoa and a faraway look in her eyes, as if she were sleepwalking. â€Å"Nyala's new. She just lost her sister a month ago,† Elliot added in a gentle voice. He didn't need to say how the sister had been lost. Rashel nodded at the girl. She sympathized. There was nothing quite like the shock of first discovering the Night World, when you realized that things like vampires and witches and werewolves were real, and that they were everywhere, joined in one giant secret organization. That anybody could be one, and you'd never know until it was too late. â€Å"Everybody ready? Then let's go,† Vicky said, and Steve and Nyala got up. Elliot showed them to the door. â€Å"Good luck,† he said. Outside, Vicky led the way to a dark blue car with mud strategically caked on the license plates. â€Å"We'll drive to the warehouse area,† she said. Rashel was relieved. She was used to walking the city streets at night without being seen-important when you were carrying a rather unconcealable sword-but she wasn't sure that these other three could manage. It took practice. The drive was silent except for the murmur of Steve's voice occasionally helping Vicky with directions. They passed through respectable neighborhoods and venerable areas with handsome old buildings until they got to a street where everything changed suddenly. All at once, as if they had crossed some invisible dividing line, the gutters were full of soggy trash and the fences were topped with razor wire. The buildings were government housing projects, dark warehouses, or rowdy bars. Vicky pulled into a parking lot and stopped the car away from the security lights. Then she led them through the knee-high dead weeds of a vacant lot to a street that was poorly lighted and utterly silent. â€Å"This is the observation post,† Vicky whispered, as they reached a squat brick building, a part of the housing project that had been abandoned. Following her, they zigzagged through debris and scrap metal to get to a side door, and then they climbed a dark staircase covered with graffiti to the third floor. Their flashlights provided the only illumination. â€Å"Nice place,† Nyala whispered, looking around. She had obviously never seen anything like it before. â€Å"Don't you think-there may be other people here besides vampires?† Steve gave her a reassuring pat. â€Å"No, it's okay.† â€Å"Yeah, it looks like even the junkies have abandoned it,† Rashel said, grimly amused. â€Å"You can see the whole street from the window,† Vicky put in shortly. â€Å"Elliot and I were here yesterday watching those warehouses across the street. And last night we saw a guy at the end of the street who looked a lot like a vampire. You know the signs.† Nyala opened her mouth as if to say she didn't know the signs, but Rashel was already speaking. â€Å"Did you test him?† â€Å"We didn't want to get that close. We'll do it tonight if he shows up again.† â€Å"How do you test them?† Nyala asked. Vicky didn't answer. She and Steve had pushed aside a couple of rat-chewed mattresses and were unloading the bags and backpacks they'd brought. Rashel said, â€Å"One way is to shine a flashlight in their eyes. Usually you get eye-shine back-like an animal's.† â€Å"There are other ways, too,† Vicky said, setting the things she was unloading on the bare boards of the floor. There were ski masks, knives made of both metal and wood, a number of stakes of various sizes, and a mallet. Steve added two clubs made of white oak to the pile. â€Å"Wood hurts them more than metal,† Vicky said to Nyala. â€Å"If you cut them with a steel knife they heal right before your eyes-but cut them with wood and they keep bleeding.† Rashel didn't quite like the way she said it. And she didn't like the last thing Vicky was pulling out of her backpack. It was a wooden device that looked a bit like a miniature stock. Two hinged blocks of wood that fit snugly around a person's wrists and closed with a lock. â€Å"Vampire handcuffs,† Vicky said proudly, seeing her look. â€Å"Made of white oak. Guaranteed to hold any parasite. I brought them from down south.† â€Å"But hold them for what? And what do you need all those little knives and stakes for? It would take hours to kill a vampire with those.† Vicky smiled fiercely. â€Å"I know.† Oh. Rashel's heart seemed to thump and then sink, and she looked away to control her reaction. She understood what Vicky had in mind now. Torture. â€Å"A quick death's too good for them,† Vicky said, still smiling. â€Å"They deserve to suffer-the way they make our people suffer. Besides, we might get some information. We need to know where they're keeping the girls they kidnap, and what they're doing with them.† â€Å"Vicky.† Rashel spoke earnestly. â€Å"It's practically impossible to make vampires talk. They're stubborn. When they're hurt they just get angry-like animals.† Vicky smirked. â€Å"I've made some talk. It just depends on what you do, and how long you make it last. Anyway, there's no harm in trying.† â€Å"Does Elliot know about this?† Vicky lifted a shoulder defensively. â€Å"Elliot lets me do things my way. I don't have to tell him every little detail. I was a leader myself, you know.† Helplessly, Rashel looked at Nyala and Steve. And saw that for the first time Nyala's eyes had lost their sleepwalking expression. Now she looked awake- and savagely glad. â€Å"Yes,† she said. â€Å"We should try to make the vampire talk. And if he suffers-well, my sister suffered. When I found her, she was almost dead but she could still talk. She told me what it felt like, having all the blood drained out of her body while she was still conscious. She said it hurt. She said†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Nyala stopped, swallowed, and looked at Vicky. â€Å"I want to help do it,† she said thickly. Steve didn't say anything, but then from what Rashel knew of him, that was typical. He was a guy of few words. Anyway, he didn't protest. Rashel felt odd, as if she were seeing the very worst of herself reflected in a mirror. It made her†¦ ashamed. It left her shaken. But who am I to judge? she thought, turning away. It's true that the parasites are evil, all of them. The whole race needs to be wiped out. And Vicky's right, why should they have a clean death, when they usually don't give their victims one? Nyala deserves to avenge her sister. â€Å"Unless you object or something,† Vicky said heavily, and Rashel could feel those pale blue eyes on her. â€Å"Unless you're some kind of vampire sympathizer.† Rashel might have laughed at that, but she wasn't in a laughing mood. She took a breath, then said without turning around, â€Å"It's your show. I agreed that you were in charge.† â€Å"Good,† Vicky said, and returned to her work. But the sick feeling in the pit of Rashel's stomach didn't go away. She almost hoped that the vampire wouldn't come.

Introduction of Sociology Essay

1. I think that sociologist should try to reform society, based on what they have studied about sociology. Because the main job of those sociologists is to study and research about the society and the human behavior, they are the ones who understand it the best. As a result, they should reform it, not others. 2. If I were a sociologist, I would use all of sociological perspectives, because each perspective has its own advantage and disadvantage. * Symbolic Interactionism: According to the symbolic interaction’s perspective, people attach meanings to symbols, and then they act according to their subjective interpretation of these symbols. Conversation is an interaction of symbols between individuals who constantly interpret the world around them. Of course, anything can serve as a symbol as long as it refers to something beyond itself. However, with the example about applying Symbolic Interactionism to U.S. marriages and divorces over time, this perspective just shows the sligh ting the influence of social forces and institutions on individual interactions. * Functional Analysis (Functionalism, and structural functionalism) each aspect of society is interdependent and contributes to society’s functioning as a whole. This basic approach can be applied to any social group, whether an entire society, a college, or even a group as small as a family. Nevertheless, when any social group loses function, functionalism does not encourage people to take an active role in changing their social environment. * Conflict Theory: conflict theorists stress that society is composed of group that are competing with one another for scarce resources. However, with the example about Feminist, the conflict perspective shows that women are more powerful in making headway in their historical struggle with men. As the result, the combination of 3 perspectives is the best sociological perspective I would use.

Architecture: Words or Shapes

The context, its cultural background and its function also affects owe we view architecture. The question is, what is more important to architecture, its shape or the words that describe it? Aesthetic theory is a greatly important topic in the realm of architecture. It dictates how we view architecture, what makes it beautiful and why it is important to us. This is why there has been so much debate on the topic throughout history. The debate has developed over time and continues today with numerous theorists bringing their ideas forward and taking different positions on the topic.Position This paper holds the position that words are more important to architecture than shapes. Conceptuality is stronger than formalism as an architectural idea. The principal argument is that shapes come from words. Lee Courier is a well-respected architect that discussed this topic. His ideology is given and backed up though experiences of his works. Saint Pewter's dome is a great example where both sid es of the argument are addressed. Is the great dome about form or symbolism? Recognizing architecture as parts of a whole shows how beauty is influenced by its context and how important this is.Taste in architecture and how one should Judge its beauty also considers what properties are most important. Is taste to be dictated by only visual properties or are abstract properties also influential? A flower is undeniably beautiful. Analyzing why this is and how this is related to architecture gives great insight and another perspective of the argument. Words Create Shapes Christian Nowhere-Schulz enforces that words are more important to architecture than shapes by stating that, â€Å"Existential meanings are derived from natural, human and spiritual phenomena, and are experienced as order and character.Architecture translates these meanings into spatial form†. When we grasp this understand we legalize how both types of properties are important to architecture but one informs the other, that words create shapes. A formalist would argue that without shapes there is no architecture. This is true, however question to ask is, where do shapes come from and what guides their composition and color? It is the meaning and purpose behind the architecture that guides its shape. Without words we have no shape or architecture.This puts abstract properties above physical properties, making abstract properties the true root of architecture. Lee Courtier's chapel at Ranch is one of the greatest examples where meaning is manifested into shape. This church is a truly unique composition of forms to create a shape that is immediately recognizable. The beauty of this shape as an object is debatable, however this shape allows us to have an experience full of emotion and delight. Lee Courier himself said that he wanted to create â€Å"a vessel of intense concentration and meditation†.The meanings behind Ranch connect us at a spiritual level, making the architecture beautif ul on a far deeper level than form alone. The shapes of Ranch create a space where we can encounter this more meaningful, deeper level of beauty in architecture. Lee Courier believed that the purpose of architecture is to move us. Great architecture stirs an emotion within us that evokes recognition and respect. Lee Courtier's ideology is most convincing when one experiences it through his architectural works.For example, Villa Savoy in Posits is one of his masterpieces where you can encounter his ideology. Centered in the house is a ramp that takes you on a Journey from the underbelly of the house on the ground floor to the main body on the first floor and then on to a roof garden. Throughout the house views of the surrounding nature are framed, your mind is free ravel, as the forms evoke a sense of exploration and delight. Villa Savoy is better experienced than viewed through an image, only then can you understand the greater meaning and purpose that informs its beauty.One might a rgue that this is not beautiful architecture and a poor example, however upon visiting this house you cannot deny that the house is beautiful in its own right, evoking a response from the occupant. Lee Courtier's masterpiece is moving; therefore achieving what he believed architecture to be about. This experience and the emotion that is felt can only be described in words. Shapes play a big role in the architecture but clearly the meanings behind are more important. Saint Peters Dome The crowning Jewel of Mannerist Architecture is Saint Pewter's Basilica in Rome.This great structure is the out come of a series of classical revival styles that were established and developed during this course in history. This was a time where famous architects like Brucellosis and Michelangelo were pushing boundaries and testing new waters. Architecture of the time was seeking to express the culture and religion through evermore ornamented and magnificent forms. This symbolism retorting the relations hip between man and culture, religion and, the new found freedom of the Renaissance period. The Catholic Church's ultimate representation of connecting Heaven and Earth is the great dome of SST.Pewter's. The dome accentuates the occupants focus upwards to a greater connection with, and realization of God. The appreciation one feels when being inside this great space is an undeniably amazing experience. The meaning behind this architectural feat is so strong that it becomes prevalent to the occupant in one way or another. When looking heavenward under the dome you feel a sense of awe and admiration. What we see is the immensity and ornamentation of the structure however this is interwoven with the deeper abstract properties we feel. Geoffrey Scott has the opposing view, that visual properties are more important.He assumes that as the structural truth of the dome is hidden, it makes its meaning weak. The dome could not support itself and relies on great chains for reinforcement. There fore the dome relies on its beautiful form and ornamentation to fulfill its purpose of majestically crowning Saint Pewter's. This argument is weak as he refers to the meaning of the dome but misses its main purpose, that it is a symbol of heaven. The structure was important in realizing the ability to construct this great dome but not as important as the meaning for the dome.Without this meaning there would be no reason for this structural feat or the beautiful ornamentation and Saint Pewter's wouldn't exist. Therefore we can say that Saint Pewter's dome is a great example of how words are more important to architecture than shape. Beauty needs Context Paris is regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. So what makes this city so beautiful? It is the question one keeps asking themselves when having the opportunity to experience the city first hand. It is Paris as a whole that makes it the way it is. It is an incredible compilation of parts that are interwoven with hi story and culture.From the planning of grand avenues that link iconic landmarks to innovative architecture, everything in Paris has its own part to add to the greater story. Notre Dame cathedral would not be complete without its picturesque setting on the Seine River and the vibrant context surrounding it. The Eiffel Tower would not have its elegance and splendor if it were constructed in the middle of a wasteland. Paris has a deep history in planning, in revolution as well as the romantic French culture. All he parts of Paris need this rich context to make it the way it is.The whole, or the context gives the parts, or the shapes, meaning. Henry Bergen uses Paris as an example of parts and whole in his book An Introduction to Metaphysics. He suggests that Paris cannot be explained in its parts, the shapes within. It needs to be understood as a whole, as an overall impression of symbols and meanings. A clear way to understand this idea is his example of how letters make up a poem. Wh en the letters are mixed up as individual parts they do not make sense, however when they come together to form words the poem can be understood as a whole.It is difficult to find a strong formalist argument that directly tackles architecture in its context. There are many other compelling anti-formalist observations, particularly from Christian Nowhere-Schulz. One example he gives is of the ideal positioning of Greek temples in connection to the landscape. Even the formal elements chosen for each temple are symbolic of the sites characteristics. The dominance of anti-formalist understandings is testament to the importance of meaning in architecture. When we think about the meaning of architecture, we consider a wider spectrum of properties.Formalists are so focused on form that they forget to thoroughly address aspects greatly important to architecture such as context. Taste Architectural taste can be broken down to whether we should Judge architectural works on a universal or indi vidual basis. Universal Judgment of architecture is based purely on shape, proportions and other visual properties. It is free from the bias of any cultural influence or personal preconception. Emmanuel Kant looks deep into this perception and argues that this is the only way we can Judge beauty and architectural works. The individual perception holds the view that beauty is in the ye of the beholder.An individual can approach an object with a preconception from their cultural background, knowledge and experience to form a Judgment. This type of Judgment requires properties that are abstract to inform our aesthetic Judgment. We can then propose the question, how should we Judge architectural works? Should we limit Judgment to a universal approach that only considers shapes or should we have an individual approach that considers other abstract properties? Kant is a formalist and his views counter the conceptuality view of individuality. Kant believes hat not everyone is able to decid e whether architecture is beautiful or not.It is a skill that has to be developed, so that one can make Judgments void of any personal bias. Then and only then could that person decide whether an object was beautiful or not. Alexander Newsman thoroughly analyses Cant's writings is his book Only a Promise of Happiness: The Place of Beauty in a World of Art. This analysis is neutral taking no side of the debate, however he exposes the single mindedness of this argument. How could architecture and its beauty bear no relation to the world around us? We are employ human beings all connected and interwoven into our culture, thoughts and desires.Of course who we are and what we do affects our Judgment, not Just of beauty and architecture but of everything we do. There is no way to separate the two, abstract properties inform our Judgment and taste in the visual properties of an object. When discussing Elaine Scary writings, Newsman talks of beauty being manifested in appearance but being c onnected to a larger cycle, that informs understanding and interpretation. Architectural works should be Judged as an individual. Everyone is unique and has their own cultural background, thoughts and leaning to bring to architecture.Why would you try and block this out to form a universal opinion the same as everyone else? Its is important for architecture to embrace conceptuality and let it continue to develop as rich and vibrant built form in all different shapes and sizes. Language of Flowers Georges Beatable presents a convincing discussion about flowers and how they pertain to beauty and love as aspects aesthetic theory. The rose is an undeniably beautiful object that symbolizes love and has the possibility for many more meanings determined by intention and interpretation.A rose given out of love from one person to another makes this beautiful object more about meaning than form. We can say a rose symbolizes something more beautiful than the rose itself and the abstract proper ties are more important to the rose than visual. All can appreciate a beautiful rose but it is most beautiful to an individual when they have a connection to it rather than considering it Just as a form. Beautiful architecture has the same properties as a rose does. It is beautiful in appearance, directed by its components and colors, and it is beautiful in meaning, directed by its symbolism and purpose.Like with the rose, do we not appreciate architecture more when it has a greater meaning to us? As a rose symbolizes love and stirs emotion, architecture should also stirs emotion as it is experienced and appreciated. Abstract properties bring out the true beauty of an object to make it truly beautiful. This true beauty is what both a rose and architecture is about. The formalist view is that the rose, like architecture is beautiful because of its form. This would mean that the rose as a beautiful gift is less about giver and more about the object, that architecture is more about app earance and sees about the people who interact with it.Clearly you would rather receive a rose from someone you love rather than someone you don't know, even if you do not appreciate the form of the rose, the act of love gives it a greater beauty. Likewise you want to have architecture for the delight it brings no matter the form. What architecture can bring to society is more important than a meaningless composition of shapes that does not relate to people. Conclusion We can conclude that it all comes back to words. The debate over shapes and words leads from one argument to the next and it will never stop.It simply comes down to what is architecture all about? It is all about people. What is beautiful about architecture? It is beautiful in the way it relates to people and how we relate to it. Architecture is a place to dwell; it is a place for human beings. Architecture is meant to improve life, to provide us with shelter and delight. This can be manifested in various ways depende nt on function, cultural meaning and purpose. What we see is its physical properties that have been informed by abstract properties. Every beautiful piece of architecture has Journey to be experienced and a story to be told.