I don't have a topic it just needs to not be ethical, moral or Research Paper

I don't have a topic it just needs to not be ethical, moral or religious in answering a policy question - Research Paper Example Many states in the United States, for example, are enacting laws that require corporate organizations to accommodate needs of domestic violence victims through granting leave (Martin, 2013). Understanding the root cause of domestic violence, and other forms of violence, may however inform the legal approach to the problem. Protecting children from witnessing instances of domestic violence, according to O’Brien, Cohen, Pooley, and Taylor, reduces possibility of the children’s engagement in domestic violence during their later stages of life (2012). This is consistent with Cycle of Violence theory that explains transfer of domestic violence traits from parents or other people in an environment to children and suggests that laws on domestic violence more stringent may be a long-term solution to the domestic violence problem (Gonzalez and Corbin, 2011). Domestic violence is a significant social problem whose implications extend to financial scopes. Its psychological and physical effects on victims reduce their potentials that even force them out of employment to grant them legal leave from duty. While a legal approach has failed to reduce incidences of domestic violence in the society, despite its perceived able framework, protecting new generations from experiencing or witnessing domestic violence may be a long-term solution to the problem because of its hypothesized ability to reduce aggression in the new generation (Martin, 2013; Gonzalez and Corbin, 2011). The study is significant in understanding significance of violence experience during childhood and the long-term cause of domestic violence in the society. Its results will determine the significance and establish a basis for legal policies that can address the problem. Establishing significance of children’s exposure to domestic violence will mean that strict laws, im plemented over a generation, are necessary for a long-term solution to

Forensic Science And The Legal System Criminology Essay

Forensic Science And The Legal System Criminology Essay Forensic science (often is written as forensics) is the appliance of a wide range of sciences to answer questions of interest to a legal system. This may be relevant to a crime or a civil action. Besides its relevance to a legal system, more generally forensic science covers the accepted scientific methodology and norms with the help of which the facts regarding an event, or an artifact, or some other physical item are established as being the case. In that regard the concept is related to the idea of authentication, where by an interest outside of a legal form exists in determining whether an object is what it wishes to be, or is alleged as being. It became much easier to solve crime today than it was 50 years ago, because of the advances that have been made in science, or even in forensic science. In fact, new and innovative crime solving techniques are being introduced by the day to help law enforcement to solve cases that are baffling the first time. If we took a look at the role that forensics play in the fields of criminal law and justice, we would see how important it is in solving crime because: It really helps to establish the nature of the crime: There are some crimes that are accidents and others that are by design. Analyzing the evidence with the help of a forensic microscope we see cops and others in the law enforcement area to determine if the crime was a murder, suicide or other form of accidental death. If it is a murder, forensic evidence tells them if the crime was accidental or carried out in cold blood. Forensic science is used to investigate and solve burglaries, drug offenses, arsons and automobile accidents. It helps to remove personal prejudices: Forensic science makes law enforcement officers to look only at the evidence and not follow cases on their instincts or their feelings. That is why it provides a quantifiable way to solve crime, one that can be used to provide cold, hard evidence that is more acceptable in courts and to juries in convicting the guilty or acquitting the innocent (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2004, p. 32). It helps to bring to light evidence that is not visible to the naked eye: Forensic science uses a number of techniques to discover evidence that is not immediately visible. So, even in situations where it seems to be no evidence at all, a minute fingernail or a strand of hair can help nail the criminal. The methods and techniques that are used are detailed and accurate, and if done carefully and correctly, they can help to recreate the crime in laboratory settings and solve the crime. And last point and most important of all, it helps solve the crime itself: Using details such as the time of death and other physical evidence, forensic science can tell if a person is guilty of the crime or innocent as he claims. If it is used wisely and correctly, forensic science can help convict the guilty and acquit the innocent, both of which are important when someone is being prosecuted for a crime. Forensics makes a great comfort to those who have been affected by the crime and a valuable tool for the criminal law and justice departments in fighting crime. Forensic science extends into a lot of sub-sciences which uses natural science techniques to get relevant criminal and legal evidence (Richbourg, J., 2004, p.17). Forensic science specialties of the 21st century include: Forensic Accounting This science allows receiving, examining and taking into account obtained data. Digital Forensics (also called as Computing Forensics) includes scientific methods and techniques used for search, recovery of information on digital media (pictures, e-mail). Forensic Document Examination This science allows studying, recovering and understanding the documents, making an analysis of handwriting and drawings, charts and graphics. Many studies involve a comparison of the observed document, or components of it, to a set of known standards. Forensic Economics The purchasing, researching and understanding of evidence related to economic damage, which includes determination of lost benefits and earnings, business value and profit loss, lost household service value, labor replacement and future medical expense costs, etc. Forensic Engineering The reconstruction, researching and explanation of structural or mechanical failure or in devices, buildings, etc. (Escholz S., 2002, p. 319). Forensic Linguistics The searching and explanation of language for use as legal evidence. Forensic Origin and Cause The researching, explanation and identification of a fire for the express purpose of determining the cause of ignition and origin of the fire. Forensic Photography reconstructing, and preceding an accurate photographic reproduction of a crime scene for a courts benefit. Forensic Psychology and Psychiatry The researching, evaluation and understanding of mentally-related illnesses and human behavior for the purpose of obtaining legal evidence. Forensic Anthropology is the kind of physical anthropology, relevant to a legal situation- typically the identification and recovery of skeletonized human remains (bones). Criminalistics is the supplement of combination of clues (i.e. fingerprints imprint footwear impressions and tire tracks), ballistics, trace evidence, controlled material. Criminalistics includes clues collected from different kinds of sciences to find the answers of questions relating to the researching and comparison of criminal investigations. This evidence is usually processed in a crime lab. Forensic Biology includes testing DNA and serological tests of bodily (physiological) fluids for the purpose of individualization and identification. Helps to answer forensic questions such as paternity or maternity testing or finding a suspect at a crime scene. Forensic Entomology helps in determination of time and location of death, by studding how insects relate to human remains, and can often times determine if the body that is examined was moved after death. Forensic Geology is the kind of trace evidence found in soils, minerals and petroleum, as applied to a legal setting (Escholz et al., 2002, p. 321; Surette, 1998.p. 194). Forensic Meteorology is an analysis of prior weather situation, specific to the site being observed. Forensic Odontology is the science about teeth- specifically, the uniqueness of dentition. Forensic Pathology combines the spheres of medicine and pathology, determines the cause of injury or death. Forensic Toxicology is science that helps to give the evaluation and the elucidation of the effects of poisons, chemicals, or drugs on the human body. Forensic archaeology is the example of a combination of archaeological techniques and forensic science, typically in law enforcement. Forensic psychology is the discovery of the mind of an individual, using forensic methods. Usually it deals with the circumstances behind a criminals behavior. Forensic video analysis is the scientific research, comparison, and analyzing of video in legal matters (Cather, K.H., 2004, pp.9-10). Forensic engineering is the studding and analyzing of structures and other objects to answer questions as to their failure or reason of damage. Usually such research is used to answer legal questions. Forensic limnology is the analyzing of clues gathered from crime scenes in or around fresh water sources. Revision of biological organisms, particularly diatoms, can be used in connecting suspects with victims. Forensic science is very important for policing, criminal investigations and court processes because it helps with: Crime-Solving Contributions. Forensic science helps in to solving crimes through investigative activities such as determining the cause of death, identifying suspects, finding missing persons and profiling criminals. Determining Cause of Death. Forensic pathologists determine someones reason of death by performing autopsies. During these procedures, they study fluids and tissues from a body to find out the cause of death and the manner of death. Identifying Suspects. Forensic experts can identify suspects by analyzing evidence found at the scene of a crime-such as fibers, hairs, blood and fingerprints. These methods usually are used to exonerate the innocent. Finding Missing Persons. Forensic scientists can help in finding people who have been missing for long time using the process of image modification. Using this method, a photograph is aged to illustrate what someone may look like years after his last being seen. This is one of the tools that can be used to find criminals who have eluded justice (Cather, K.H., 2004, pp.11; Escholz et al., 2002, p. 339). Profiling Criminals. Forensic experts use profiling to help find suspects. By analyzing a crime accident, they can determine a criminals patterns and personality in an effort to narrow the suspect pool. Forensic Science is important because it helps in analyzing of forensic evidence is used in the investigation and prosecution of civil and criminal proceedings.   It can help to find the guilt or innocence of possible suspects. Forensic science is also used to link crimes that are thought to be related to one another.   For example, DNA evidence can link one offender to several crimes or crime scenes.   Linking crimes can help law enforcement officers to narrow the range of possible suspects and to establish patterns of for crimes, which are useful in identifying and prosecuting suspects (Nielson Media Research, 2004, p. 26). Forensic science also works on creating new techniques and procedures for the collection and analysis of evidence. In this meaning, new technology can be used not only to keep forensic scientist on the cutting edge of science, but also to maintain the highest standards of quality and accuracy. The public is primarily educated about forensic science by Hollywood films and television shows (Barak, 1995, p. 3). Within the past ten years, the emphasis on forensics as a primary tool to solve crimes has increased significantly on broadcast television with shows like CSI. In comparison, Hollywood films have rarely featured a forensic scientist working in a lab or out in the field as a main character. Typically, the police make a stop at the crime lab to drop off or pick up potential evidence, thus move the films investigative plot forward. Nevertheless, as depicted by the media, forensic science is a broad field practiced by both genuine forensic scientists and law enforcement investigators. In the real world, the duties of forensic specialists are normally limited to forensic science techniques; however, police investigators use forensic methods on occasion (Cather, K.H., 2004, p.13) Audiences have learned about forensics from television as well as film. Television has shown both traditional forensic science and the use of forensic science by law enforcement through news shows, documentaries, docudramas and crime dramas. These have been given much greater exposure lo the public in various television formats than Hollywood films ever did. Probably first to focus on forensic scientists were investigative news shows, such as 60 Minutes, 48 Hours, and MSNBC investigates. These often featured repugnant criminal acts that were solved through the use of forensic science evidence. During the mid 1990s, docudramas that focus on forensic scientists began to emerge. New Detectives, FBI Files, and Forensic Files, feature actors to recreate actual cases to depict how forensic science evidence assisted in the successful capture of offenders. Nowadays there are a lot of videos and documentary films about forensics, such as A Case of Murder, Dead Mens Tales, Killers Trail, The Case for Innocence, The Case for Innocence, Jeffersons Blood, The Bone Collector, Murder by Numbers, Kiss the Girls. We should also mention such great television Series with Forensic Science Elements as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Crossing Jordan, Law and Order (Richbourg, J., 2004, p.19). We can find a lot of True life crime forensic science on television in such shows as: New Detectives (Discovery Channel), Forensic Files (Court TV), I, Detective (Court TV), Cold Case Files (AE), Medical Detectives (TLC), Forensic Science (TLC), Unsolved History (Discovery). Forensic sciences spell in the limelight has given it huge honor. The TV shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation has made students flocking to forensics courses. But while this interest is sexing up the image of scientists, it is also stopping police catching criminals and securing convictions. Young people who watch CSI believe that those scenarios, where forensic scientists are always right, are what happen in reality. It means that in court, juries are not always impressed with evidence presented using scientific terms. Another big problem created by media coverage of forensic science is that it informs criminals of the techniques the police use to catch them. That is why, some forensics experts are not willing to cooperate with the media (Cather, K.H., 2004, pp.13). There is an increasing amount of criminals who use plastic gloves during break-ins and condoms during rapes in order not to leave their DNA at the scene. Statistics describes a murder case in which the assailant tried to wash away his DNA using shampoo. Police say that car thieves there have started to dump cigarette butts from bins in stolen cars before they abandon them. None of this films or TV shows makes the forensic scientists job easier, but it probably wont prevent them fingering a suspect. As a conclusions we can say that a minority of Americas population has had no direct experience with the criminal justice system (Escholz et al., 2002, p. 328; Surette Otto, 2002, p. 450). That is why those who are called for jury duty know very little of the capabilities of the use of forensic science to resolve criminal investigations. With the media serving as a primary source of information to 95% of the public (Surette, 1998.p. 197), the reality of forensic science in the average citizens mind could be based only on the medial depictions of forensic experts. The ability of media to reach a broad audience seems to have caused a reaction by trial lawyers. For the last several years, the forensic crime drama CSI has surpassed the popularity of any other television show (Nielson Media Research. 2004). Nearly 80% of the surveyed lawyers suspected fans of forensic crime dramas have unrealistic expectations of evidence. The common belief among trial lawyers that forensic crime dramas create such unrealistic expectations seems to have resulted in several changes while preparing for trials and during criminal proceedings. First, a slight majority of the lawyers reported they ask jury candidates if they specifically view forensic crime dramas during voir dire. Attorneys also may be compensating for the possibility that jurors have unrealistic expectations of forensic evidence by submitting additional evidence for forensic testing. Fifty-one percent of the lawyers reported requesting some forensic tests more than they did five years ago. In contras t, prosecuting attorneys maybe requesting further forensic test because of an increased interest in matters involving forensic science by defense attorneys. For every topic of defense interest investigated by the current study, at least 59% of the lawyers reported an increase. The responses to surveys by criminal trial lawyers suggest the majority of attorneys have reacted the current popularity of forensic crime dramas. Before these findings can be accepted as a general nationwide trend, further research in multiple regions of the country is needed. Qualitative and quantitative studies should be designed to test the findings of this study and expound upon this possibility. A not educated citizenry, weaned on media images, may serve to undermine the court process when called upon to serve as jurors. Better preparation by judges and attorneys to counter such a trend is warranted.

the story of an hour :: essays research papers

In Kate Chopin's short story "The Story of an Hour," there is much irony. The first irony detected is in the way that Louise reacts to the news of the death of her husband, Brently Mallard. Before Louise's reaction is revealed, Chopin alludes to how the widow feels by describing the world according to her perception of it after the "horrible" news. Louise is said to "not hear the story as many women have heard the same." Rather, she accepts it and goes to her room to be alone. Now the reader starts to see the world through Louise's eyes, a world full of new and pure life. In her room, Louise sinks into a comfortable chair and looks out her window. Immediately the image of comfort seems to strike a odd note. One reading this story should question the use of this word " comfortable" and why Louise is not beating the furniture instead. Next, the newly widowed women is looking out of the window and sees spring and all the new life it brings. The descriptions used now are as far away from death as possible. "The delicios breath of rain...the notes of a distant song...countless sparrows were twittering...patches of blue sky...." All these are beautiful images of life , the reader is quite confused by this most unusual foreshadowing until Louise's reaction is explained. The widow whispers "Free, free, free!" Louise realizes that her husband had loved her, but she goes on to explain that as men and women often inhibit eachother, even if it is done with the best of intentions, they exert their own wills upon eachother. She realized that although at times she had loved him, she has regained her freedom, a state of beeing that all of G-d's creatures strive for. Although this reaction is completely unexpected, the reader quickly accepts it because of Louise's adequate explanation. She grows excited and begins to fantasize about living her life for herself. With this realization, she wishes that "life might be long," and she feels like a "goddess of Victory" as she walks down the stairs. This is an eerie forshadowing for an even more unexpected ending. The reader has just accepted Louise's reaction to her husband's death, when the most unexpected happens; her husband is actually alive and he enters the room shocking everyone, and Louise especially, as she is shocked to death.

Vitamin C in Different Fruit Juice

Activity 1. 21- Is high Vitamin C all it claims to be? Purpose: * To investigate the vitamin C content of fruit juice * To investigate which type of fruit juice provides the most vitamin C The quantity of vitamin C in food and drink can be determined using a simple colour test. Vitamin C decolourises the blue dye DCPIP (dichlorophenolindolphenol). Vitamin C is an antioxidant and reduces the DCPIP. DCPIP changes from blue to colourless (or slightly pink) as it becomes reduced. We will be testing a range of different fruit juices to see which contains the highest concentration of vitamin C Hypothesis: I predict that the orange might be the juice that provides the most vitamin C; this is because it is widely promoted as a ‘high vitamin C juice’. * Grapefruit juice might contain the second highest amount of vitamin C; also because of it promotion in the media. Vitamin C is a water-soluble compound that is essential for life. It is involved in many processes in the human body , including: the production of collagen in the connective tissue; the synthesis of dopamine, noradrenaline and adrenaline in the nervous system; and the synthesis of carnitine, which is important in the transfer of energy to the cell mitochondria.A deficiency in vitamin C causes scurvy, a disease that affected sailors in the 16th – 18thCenturies. It was discovered that fresh fruit, e. g. limes and oranges, or sauerkraut (preserved cabbage) provided the sailors with protection from scurvy. Safety: * Running should be avoided in the laboratory to prevent accidents especially when handling liquids * Goggles should be warn at all times when carrying out the experiment * Care should be taken when handling glass wear * The supervisor should be informed about any spillages of liquid that may be hazardous to others in the laboratory. Controlled variables: Temperature; If a juice is higher in temperature than the other, it will cause the reaction to speed up which would make the exper iment unfair. * Concentration of DCPIP; different concentrations would not benefit the experiment as we are only changing the type of juice. * Shake each flask using the same movements; more vigorous movements may add oxygen which would affect the DCPIP and turn it slightly blue again. * Same end point colour (colourless); attention and concentration should be given to see through until the very last drop so the volume is not increased. Independent variable: * Fruit juice Dependant Variable: Volume of juice required to decolourise the DCPIP. The experiment procedure: Equipment: * 1% DCPIP solution * Vitamin C solution * Range of fruit juices * Conical flasks * Beakers * Pipette accurate to 1cm3 to measure volumes accurately * Burette to measure volumes accurately * Safety goggles Method: 1. Pipette 1cm3 into a beaker 2. Fill the burette with the vitamin C solution 3. Add the vitamin solution in droplets 4. As soon as the DCPIP goes colourless, stop the burette and record the volume of vitamin C solution that was used. 5. Repeat this procedure with other juices 6. Repeat the experiment at least 2 times . Calculate the mean result for each juice Table of results: | Vitamin C| Orange| Grapefruit| Lemon| Blueberry| Pineapple| | 1| 2. 5| 3| -| 2| 13| | 0. 4| 2. 4| 1. 95| 1. 1| 3| 12. 75| | 0. 35| 0. 4| 1. 15| -| 0. 8| 8. 2| | 0. 1| 2. 1| 4. 7| 1. 7| 1. 5| 8. 2| | 0. 1| 1. 96| 4. 6| 2. 3| 1. 8| -| AVERAGE| 0. 39| 1. 96| 3. 08| 1. 9| 1. 8| 10. 5| Here the least volume of juice needed to decolourise DCPIP was the blueberry juice, followed by lemon then orange juice. From the experiment, blueberry juice provided the most vitamin C because less of it was needed in order to turn DCPIP colourless.The pineapple juice was the juice that let out the highest volume from the burette in order to decolourise DCPIP; this is because it was the juice that provided the least amount of vitamin C. All of the juices had vitamin C in them as the highest volume was only 10. 5cm3. The res ults obtained from the experiment showed no relation to my hypothetical prediction. It may have been because of the experimental errors that had been overlooked whilst carrying out the experiment. The results from the experiment did not agree with the widely publicised fact that orange juice provides the most vitamin C.A number of errors could have been made: the temperature may not have been the equivalent for all juices( the last juice to be measured may have been at a higher temperature than the rest causing the reaction with the DCPIP to hasten), the amount of shaking may of effected the results as too much shaking could have added oxygen which would have restored the DCPIP to blue, the end point may have been difficult to judge because of it close proximity, some juice may have been lost whilst it was being transferred from the beaker , there might have been an error in how accurate the juices were measured or recorded.In the future more attention could be given and the experim ent could be done more slowly; time may have been an issue when carrying out the experiment. The results obtained were pulled together from different groups in the class who may have all treated their readings and measurements differently, therefore it would be much reliable if I repeated the experiment and obtained at least three readings for each juice on my own. Moreover, the juices bought could all be from the same brand, this is because some manufacturers put more sweeteners or fresh juice than others.

Does Religion Cause War?

I. IntroductionSince writing has been invented about 5,200 years ago, there has been religion in some levels. Whether it is the belief to a Christian God, or whether goes further back in history to Hinduism or Judaism, Buddhism and along with other religious beliefs. During that same period of time, there have also been a large number of wars and battles between different countries and civilizations. But what are the causes of these wars? Many argue that such things as politics, power and material goods are the causes of these wars, whereas others claim that it is religion which is the main reason.Where it can be said that religion has had a large influence on many conflicts in the past, it can also be argued that political issues and power struggles have had just as large an impact. While some argue that religion is the cause of wars, it is inconclusive whether war would or would not exist if there was no such thing as religion.Based on our research, some would say The Crusades are a major example of religion causing war. From the 11th century to the 13th century Christian states in Europe launched what are sometimes called Holy Wars against Muslims in the East. These wars centered on the city of Jerusalem which held a Holy significance in the Christian world. However when 3000 Christians were massacred, this began the retaliation and therefore the beginning of The Crusades to release the Holy City of Jerusalem from the rule of Muslims. In this example, religion has clearly caused The Crusades as there would not have been any war if the city of Jerusalem did not have Christian significance.II. Counter ArgumentsHowever, a contrary argument to this would be that it was the massacre of 3000 Christians which caused The Crusades to begin and not because of differing religious beliefs, although it is unquestionable that religion played a major part in the beginning of the Crusades as the massacre may not have taken place without a religious background. As the argume nt for religion causing war heavily outweighs the opposing argument, in this context it is fair to say that using this example, religion does cause war.Although the previous example concerning The Crusades suggests that religion does cause war it would be unfair to generalize this conclusion from one example of war to war in general. There are many counter arguments when discussing the topic of religion causing war such as political or cultural issues. One such example of this is the conflict in Northern Ireland which is commonly perceived as a religious one although religious and political leaders have used religion to incite division or unison within their people.The Unionists (those who wish to remain a part of Great Britain) are predominantly Protestant whereas the Nationalists see themselves as Irish and are usually of the Catholic faith. It is this difference between the identities (British or Irish) of the people which has caused conflict and not because of the commonly held belief that it is one of religion and sectarianism. By using this example it is clear that religion is not the sole cause of war although it can be used as an incentive to continue a conflict which is shown through the conflict in Northern Ireland where it has almost become a religious conflict, such is the commonly held view of the hostility. This example can therefore be used as basis for an argument stating that religion does not, in general terms, cause war.III. Our ArgumentsClaim #1Ignoring The Crusades, and more specifically the First Crusade, it is difficult to confidently state that there have been other wars which have undeniable religious causes. However, one which has underlying holy origins is World War II. In the book Mein Kampf it states â€Å"hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord† (Hitler, 1924) While some say that Hitler was irratio nal in his thinking, it  is undeniable that one of the main reasons for creating the Nazi Party was a misguided religious belief, such as the one above, and therefore the beginning of World War II can be put down to religion to an extent. This is shown by his actions following his writings in Mein Kampf.Claim #2To an extent, the â€Å"anti-terrorism† war in Afghanistan is also an example of a war with a religious cause although some argue that the war began for other reasons. As the terrorist attacks in America were the catalysts for war in Afghanistan, it can be said that the conflict did have a religious cause. This is because of the terrorists having a misguided belief, much like Hitler and his determination to eradicate the Jews, that they were acting in the name of an Islamic God. Because of this belief the cause of the conflict in Afghanistan can be put down to religion and therefore suggests that religion can cause war and conflict.Claim #3On the other hand the examp les of wars which have been caused by religion cannot automatically assume that all war is caused by religion or generalize a cause of one conflict to all conflicts. Following on from this another example of a war which does not have a religious cause is the Gulf War in 1990. The basis for war in this example was the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq, caused by a non-religious belief that Kuwait was a part of Iraq, along with the fact that Saddam Hussein wanted to invade and capture more land for himself. Therefore, this example again confirms the idea that religion is not the sole reason for war and that again, political issues are just as likely to be the catalyst for conflict.IV. ConclusionA final argument against the claim that religion causes war is one which is based on opinion and also has large quantities of evidence to back up the point; that war would occur anyway even if religion did not exist. One viewpoint is that it is human nature to always want more (greed) and this, more t han religion, can cause conflict with others which may lead to war. The evidence to support this point comes from the large number of wars and conflicts which do not have religious causes.In conclusion, it is unfair to suggest that there would be no war if religion did not exist as it is probable that human beings would use other motives for war or find other things to fight over. However, having said that it would also be unfair to declare that religion does not cause war as The Crusades, World War II and the war in Afghanistan to name just a few, defy that notion. Following on from this, some wars do have religious causes but consequently it is false to suggest that religion causes war in general as there are other hugely significant causes such as political issues, power struggles and the greed of humanity for more material possessions which are just as likely causes for war as religion.

Ancient Definitions of Rhetoric

Ancient Definitions of Rhetoric Broadly defined in our own time as the art of effective communication, the rhetoric studied in ancient Greece and Rome (from roughly the fifth century B.C. to the early Middle Ages) was primarily intended to help citizens plead their claims in court. Though the early teachers of rhetoric, known as Sophists, were criticized by Plato and other philosophers, the study of rhetoric soon became the cornerstone of classical education. Modern theories of oral and written communication remain heavily influenced by the basic rhetorical principles introduced in ancient Greece by Isocrates and Aristotle, and in Rome by Cicero and Quintilian. Here, well briefly introduce these key figures and identify some of their central ideas. Rhetoric in Ancient Greece The English word rhetoric is derived from Greek rhetorike, which apparently came into use in the circle of Socrates in the fifth century and first appears in Platos dialogue Gorgias, probably written about 385 B.C. . . .. Rhetorike in Greek specifically denotes the civic art of public speaking as it developed in deliberative assemblies, law courts, and other formal occasions under constitutional government in the Greek cities, especially the Athenian democracy. As such, it is a cultural subset of a more general concept of the power of words and their potential to affect a situation in which they are used or received.(George A. Kennedy, A New History of Classical Rhetoric, 1994) Plato (c.428-c.348 B.C.): Flattery and Cookery A pupil (or at least an associate) of the great Athenian philosopher Socrates, Plato expressed his disdain for false rhetoric in Gorgias, an early work. In a much later work, Phaedrus, he developed a philosophical rhetoric, one that called for studying the souls of human beings to discover truth. [Rhetoric] seems to me then . . . to be a pursuit that is not a matter of art, but showing a shrewd, gallant spirit which has a natural bent for clever dealing with mankind, and I sum up its substance in the name flattery. . . . Well now, you have heard what I state rhetoric to bethe counterpart of cookery in the soul, acting here as that does on the body. (Plato, Gorgias, c. 385 B.C., translated by W.R.M. Lamb) Since the function of oratory is in fact to influence men’s souls, the intending orator must know what types of soul there are. Now these are of a determinate number, and their variety results in a variety of individuals. To the types of soul thus discriminated there corresponds a determinate number of types of discourse. Hence a certain type of hearer will be easy to persuade by a certain type of speech to take such and such action for such and such reason, while another type will be hard to persuade. All this the orator must fully understand, and next he must watch it actually occurring, exemplified in men’s conduct, and must cultivate a keen perception in following it, if he is going to get any advantage out of the previous instruction that he was given in the school. (Plato, Phaedrus, c. 370 B.C., translated by R. Hackforth) Isocrates (436-338 B.C.): With Love of Wisdom and Honor A contemporary of Plato and founder of the first school of rhetoric in Athens, Isocrates viewed rhetoric as a powerful tool for investigating practical problems. When anyone elects to speak or write discourses which are worthy of praise and honor, it is not conceivable that such a person will support causes which are unjust or petty or devoted to private quarrels, and not rather those which are great and honorable, devoted to the welfare of humanity and the common good. It follows, then, that the power to speak well and think right will reward the person who approaches the art of discourse with love of wisdom and love of honor. (Isocrates, Antidosis, 353 B.C., translated by George Norlin) Aristotle (384-322 B.C.): The Available Means of Persuasion Platos most famous student, Aristotle, was the first to develop a complete theory of rhetoric. In his lecture notes (known to us as the Rhetoric), Aristotle developed principles of argumentation that remain extremely influential today. As W.D. Ross observed in his introduction to The Works of Aristotle (1939), The Rhetoric may seem at first sight to be a curious jumble of literary criticism with second-rate logic, ethics, politics, and jurisprudence, mixed by the cunning of one who well knows how the weaknesses of the human heart are to be played upon. In understanding the book it is essential to bear in mind its purely practical purpose. It is not a theoretical work on any of these subjects; it is a manual for the speaker . . .. Much of what [Aristotle] says applies only to the conditions of Greek society, but very much is permanently true. Let rhetoric [be defined as] an ability, in each [particular] case, to see the available means of persuasion. This is the function of no other art; for each of the others is instructive and persuasive about its own subject. (Aristotle, On Rhetoric, late 4th century B.C.; translated by George A. Kennedy, 1991) Cicero (106-43 B.C.): To Prove, to Please, and to Persuade A member of the Roman Senate, Cicero was the most influential practitioner and theorist of ancient rhetoric who ever lived. In  De Oratore  (Orator), Cicero examined the qualities of what he perceived to be the ideal  orator. There is a scientific system of politics which includes many important departments. One of these departmentsa large and important oneis eloquence based on the rules of art, which they call rhetoric. For I do not agree with those who think that political science has no need for eloquence, and I violently disagree with those who think that it is wholly comprehended in the power and skill of the rhetorician. Therefore we will classify oratorical ability as a part of political science. The function of eloquence seems to be to speak in a manner suited to persuade an audience, the end is to persuade by speech. (Marcus Tullius Cicero,  De Inventione, 55 B.C., translated by H. M. Hubbell) The man of eloquence whom we seek, following the suggestion of Antonius, will be one who is able to speak in court or in deliberative bodies so as to prove, to please, and to sway or persuade. To prove is the first necessity, to please is  charm, to sway is victory; for it is the one thing of all that avails most in winning verdicts. For these three functions of the  orator  there are three styles: the plain style for proof, the middle style for pleasure, the vigorous style for persuasion; and in this last is summed up the entire virtue of the orator. Now the man who controls and combines these three varied styles needs rare judgment and great endowment; for he will decide what is needed at any point, and will be able to speak in any way which the case requires. For, after all, the foundation of eloquence, as of everything else, is wisdom. In an oration, as in life, nothing is harder than to determine what is appropriate. (Marcus Tullius Cicero,  De Oratore, 46 B.C., translat ed by H.M. Hubbell) Quintilian (c.35-c.100): The Good Man Speaking Well A great Roman rhetorician, Quintilians reputation rests on  Institutio Oratoria  (Institutes of Oratory), a compendium of the best of ancient rhetorical theory. For my part, I have undertaken the task of molding the ideal orator, and as my first desire is that he should be a good man, I will return to those who have sounder opinions on the subject. . . . The definition which best suits its real character is that which makes rhetoric the  science of speaking well. For this definition includes all the virtues of oratory and the character of the orator as well, since no man can speak well who is not good himself. (Quintilian,  Institutio Oratoria, 95, translated by H. E. Butler) Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430): The Aim of Eloquence As described in his autobiography (The Confessions), Augustine was a student of law and for ten years a teacher of rhetoric in North Africa before taking up study with Ambrose, the bishop of Milan and an eloquent orator. In Book IV of  On Christian Doctrine, Augustine justifies the use of rhetoric to spread the doctrine of Christianity. After all, the universal task of eloquence, in whichever of these three styles, is to speak in a way that is geared to persuasion. The aim, what you intend, is to persuade by speaking. In any of these three styles, indeed, the eloquent man speaks in a way that is geared to persuasion, but if he doesn’t actually persuade, he doesn’t achieve the aim of eloquence.(St. Augustine,  De Doctrina Christiana, 427, translated by Edmund Hill) Postscript on Classical Rhetoric: I Say The word  rhetoric  can be traced back ultimately to the simple assertion I say (eiro  in Greek). Almost anything related to the act of saying something to someonein speech or in writingcan conceivably fall within the domain of rhetoric as a field of study. (Richard E. Young, Alton L. Becker, and Kenneth L. Pike,  Rhetoric: Discovery and Change, 1970)

Famous Quotes and Sayings About Sadness

Famous Quotes and Sayings About Sadness Sorrow is a part of our existence. Even the best among us cannot escape feeling sad at times. It is when you are feeling sad that you develop new insight about yourself. This is a select list of twenty sad quotations that moved me the most. They will ring true if you are feeling sad. African Proverb However long the night, the dawn will break. Cynthia Nelms Nobody really cares if youre miserable, so you might as well be happy. Dale Carnegie Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. Carl W. Buechner They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel. W. Somerset Maugham It is salutary to train oneself to be no more affected by censure than by praise. David Borenstein Feelings are not supposed to be logical. Dangerous is the man who has rationalized his emotions. Sydney J. Harris Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable. David Weatherford We enjoy warmth because we have been cold. We appreciate light because we have been in darkness. By the same token, we can experience joy because we have known sadness. Jean de La Fontaine Sadness flies away on the wings of time. Jim Rohn The walls we build around us to keep out the sadness also keep out the joy. David Grayson Looking back, I have this to regret, that too often when I loved, I did not say so. Helen Keller Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it. Carl Jung There are as many nights as days, and the one is just as long as the other in the years course. Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. William Shakespeare I had rather have a fool make me merry, than experience make me sad. Colette, The Last of Cheri I love my past. I love my present. Im not ashamed of what Ive had, and Im not sad because I have it no longer. Sidney Madwed You can choose to be happy or sad and whichever you choose that is what you get. No one is really responsible to make someone else happy, no matter what most people have been taught and accept as true. Roy Batty, Blade Runner All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain. Christina Georgina Rossetti Better by far you should forget and smile than that you should remember and be sad. R. W. Dale We ask God to forgive us for our evil thoughts and evil temper, but rarely, if ever ask Him to forgive us for our sadness. Brian Andreas She said she usually cried at least once each day not because she was sad, but because the world was so beautiful and life was so short.

The Basics of Technical Writing

The Basics of Technical Writing Technical writing is simply a form of writing for one to get technical information across to others. Many technical fields find it necessary for their people to have the basics of technical writing down pat, since the best people to explain how a system wor. Knowing the basics to technical writing is essential if one hopes to have a future in a highly technological field. Many of your technical personnel tend to think and speak in highly specialized language that is specific to their certain field. One of the basics to technical writing would be to learn the ability to translate these technical terms into a report form with language that will be simple for the general audience to comprehend. It is highly advisable for everyone who aspires to go into a specific technological field to at least take a course teaching the basics to technical writing. This simple knowledge will carry this individual higher within the ranks of their chosen profession, since solid communication skills are a necessity in the corporate worlds. Another of the basics to technical writing is to communicate with a clear understanding of the purpose of the writing. The intent of this paper needs to be clearly stated, riight up front, and . What is the writer trying to convey to the audience? Understanding this simple point is the biggest basics to technical writing that one can begin with. Some of the basics to technical writing will tell you to make sure your research paper outlines the results, shows new information gained from the results and states the significance of the results. In this section, try outlining what makes your proejc The proper structure of this type of paper is important to the basics of technical writing. One should do a brief abstract then a very short introduction that brings up the problem and it’s solution. A very important basic step in technical writing includes making sure the writing is clearly stated in language that anyone unrelated to the field can understand. In learning basics to technical writing, one will find that it is important to include any previous works that may be relevant to your paper. In writing the main body of a technical paper, a few illustrations are usually advisable. These figures tend to lend themselves to making the stated comments more understandable. Basics to technical writing advise that figures and statements together works well for the readers. Again, make sure the terminology is clear and understandable to one who may not be familiar with this particular field. Close your paper with a description or explanation of the end results from the experiment or study. Providing details is one of the basics to technical writing. If you expect your paper to be out on the internet then make sure you include a good descriptive title pertaining to your subject. If you do this properly your paper will appear very high on specific search engine queries. Having a couple of readers proofread your paper before presentation is a very good idea. Have one person who is very technological as yourself and another who is just your basic reader curious about the field that you are writing about. If both individuals can understand and make perfect sense of your paper then it’s ready to be presented. If you can master just the basics to technical writing then you’ll be well on your way to creating interesting and informative papers.

William Harvey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

William Harvey - Essay Example Harvey is most famous for observing and putting forth the working of the circulation system. He outlined how the heart pumps blood and also traversed the path it takes. While the valves in veins were already hinted at, by earlier physiologists, Harvey took it up as a challenge to find out the real purpose of valves and its functioning in the circulatory system of the body. He also discovered the pulmonary circulation and the systemic circulation. He discovered that while the heart pumps blood through the arteries, that flow into the body, while the veins carried impure blood back to the heart. He experimented upon this by pushing in blood in the opposite direction, which certainly did not happen. En route to discovering and letting t he world know about his great discovery, Harvey did stumble upon great many stones, mainly critics! Harvey's ideas were eventually accepted during his lifetime. His work was attacked, notably by Jean Riolan in Opuscula anatomica (1649) which forced Harvey to defend himself in Exercitatio anatomica de circulations sanguinis (also 1649) where he argued that Riolan's position was contrary to all observational evidence. [www.wikipedia.com] Ha

Business environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Business environment - Essay Example The pre-privatization organization of electricity in United Kingdom is symbolized by broad vertical integration of production, transmission, distribution and its supplication (DTI, 2006). For instance, the structure of nationalized industry in Wales and England was control by one huge production and Transmission Company called CEGB which sold electricity in mass to 12 area distribution boards. Each of them served a franchise or a closed supply area. In Scotland, existed two vertically integrated boards that practiced regional monopolies though they cooperated nearly in utilization of their producing plant into ensuring that the demand was catered as viewed in the figure below: One of electricity innovation sector at privatization was the building of electricity pool of Wales an England (DTI, 2006). The pool become one of initial mechanisms of its type and thus, there involved little experience on other countries to rely on its creation and regulations connected with it. In its establishment, considerable weight was offered to arrangements functioned pre-privatization by CEGB, the time when electricity system was publicly-owned and centrally organized. Electricity Association (2002), after the first increase in numbers of licensed electricity suppliers functioning in electricity supplying market, the modern increase in acquisition and merger practices proposes the trend toward consolidation of electricity supply market. Electricity Association (2002) points onto the lowering prices and relentless competition, since spurring on companies gets a chance of consolidation to ensure they become more competitive (Electricity Association, 2001). There has been the recent trend into integration of production and supplication in recent years. In July 1998, Powergen purchased East Midlands Electricity as National Power purchased Midlands Electricity supply business. After the National

Canopy Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Canopy Research - Essay Example To cater to this emerging problem, the need to research in forest canopy by identifying and mapping biodiversity in forest canopies, quantifying canopy-atmosphere and canopy-soil fluxes, and educating the public about both the economic and ecological aspects of forest conservation intensifies. Ecology education through canopy science can be fostered and this can be done via the Jason Project which includes the challenges of access and data collection in the treetops. Students can also learn about the complex linkages among biodiversity, biogeochemical cycling, and global environmental conditions through the Science curricula developed specifically for the canopies of Panama. In addition, Live broadcasts of researchers conducting canopy studies into classrooms throughout the world, provides a unique model that integrates research with ecology education. Canopy research has also created local economic incentives for conservation of forests through ecotourism. With the modern technology of creating a swaying bridge for instance, it allows the public to personally experience the treetops. While this may have slightly negative consequences to some wildlife, ecotourism does more good than harm by educating a new generation about the canopy.

The Christian Life Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

The Christian Life - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that throughout the scriptures, God is referred to as Holy and His holiness provides the motivation for sanctification – a process by which God has chosen to create a people for Himself. God is not only the â€Å"motivation for holiness, He is also the agent of holiness†. Since God is holy, He requires His children also to be holy and it is He who enables them to become holy with the help of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is therefore the sanctifying agent that enables believers to be transformed. It is of vital importance that believers cooperate with and obey the Holy Spirit to experience Christ like living. Even though the Holy Spirit empowers the believers, the transformation into Christ like living will not manifest unless they willingly surrender and cooperate with the leading of the Holy Spirit. This is important as the goal of every conversion is for believers to be transformed into the likeness of Christ. This is cl early stated in Romans 8:29 (New International Version) which says, â€Å"For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.† Holiness involves putting to death the sin nature which God has already sentenced to death on the cross and living the new life that is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. In the book of Romans, Paul introduces two aspects pertaining to holiness – justification or positional sanctification (Rom 1-5) and experiential sanctification (Rom 6-8). ... w he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.† Holiness involves putting to death the sin nature which God has already sentenced to death on the cross and living the new life that is indwelt by the Holy Spirit.2 Thesis Statement Accepting the scriptural truth that a believer is united with Christ and has the power to walk the victorious Christian life by surrendering to the indwelling Holy Spirit is the key to be transformed into the image of Christ. Justification and Sanctification In the book of Romans, Paul introduces two aspects pertaining to holiness – justification or positional sanctification (Rom 1-5) and experiential sanctification (Rom 6-8). Justification is the legal title declaring that a believer is now holy and righteous and is accomplished by the believer simply placing their trust on the finished work of Christ at the cross, whereby God’s holiness and righteousness is imputed on the believer. Experiential sanctification is the process of being made holy to align with the new legal identity of the believer and is manifested by the believer’s surrender and obedience to the Holy Spirit. It is therefore an important aspect of God’s redemptive plan and the primary work He does to develop godly character in His people. Indwelling of the Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit is central to Paul’s theology. Throughout his writings, Paul emphasizes that the Holy Spirit is granted to all believers in Christ. He underscores that being a Christian is not just accepting certain truths about Christ but rather to have an indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This is clearly recorded in Rom 8:9 which reads, â€Å"You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if

Health culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Health culture - Essay Example Defined medically, health refers to the absence of disease and disease causing organisms or conditions in human body. From biomedical model, disease is temporary organic condition that is curable through medical intervention. In addition, biomedical model views disease as a condition of a sick person who must undergo treatment. Furthermore, biomedical model argues that treatment of a disease is only possible after symptoms appear, and the treatment must be within a medical environment. The sociological understanding of health and illness concerns with the study of the social factors that lead to unhealthy conditions. This focus on the social origins of illness and effects guides to the concept of health inequalities. Health inequality refers to the difference in health conditions due to variation in access to health care facilities experienced by a given group of population within a country or between countries. Society is the main determinant of health inequalities experienced by particular group of people. Society contains various life factors such as ethnicity, economic prosperity, cultural beliefs, educational background, political affiliations and law, which have particular effects on health inequalities experienced within various societies and communities (Smith, 2003 pg. 9). Social gradient is the collective name for the highlighted factors of life within various societies. Social gradient acts as the test instrument for understanding the level of exposure of a certain group of people to experience health inequality. This is to mean that groups or individuals exhibiting most favorable social conditions or circumstances like good income or good education background have better access to be tter health care services and facilities. The better the access to better health care factors the longer the life of a given group or individual (Graham, 2009 pg. 52). The general implication of health inequality is that the poorer a group

Ethical dilemmas teachers face Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Ethical dilemmas teachers face - Research Paper Example Every lecture needs to be prepared at least one day in advance. It is far more complicated for the teachers to check the homework they give the students than for the students to do it. Each student has to bear his/her own load but the teacher has to bear the load of the whole class. In addition to that, the teacher has to take exams, check the papers and grade them. To top it all, contemporary educational setup is far more complicated than it ever was. There has occurred advancement in syllabus with the emergence of new subjects and research. The class has become more and more multicultural in terms of the ethnic origin of students. Consequently, ethical dilemmas for teachers have both increased in the level of complexity and number. â€Å"There is no single code of ethics in pluralistic societies† (Aksoy, 1999). Every day, a teacher gets into so many situations that require him to make a very important decision without the existence of a single code of ethics that he/she can follow. This paper discusses some of many ethical dilemmas that teachers all over the world face. The teachers interviewed shared their experiences and told how they tackled the situations and provide rationale for the choices they made. 1. Intervention in student’s personal life A teacher faces an ethical dilemma deciding the limits to which he/she can intervene in the personal life of a student (Kristian, 2011). This interview was from Mr. Brown who has been working as a private high school teacher for over ten years. This paragraph summarizes Mr. Brown’s account of the ethical dilemma he encountered in the school. Charles was a very active boy. His participation in the lectures was marvelous. He always did his homework on time. He had the capability to assist other students in understanding intricate concepts. He had wonderful teaching skills. When I had a question for the whole class, he would be the first to volunteer and solve the question for the whole class. One thing that was particular of Charles was that he would never miss the class. He had not been absent for a single day in his three years in the school. Then one day, Charles did not come. The following day, he was absent too. All the teachers and particularly I were very concerned about him. The school principal called him at the home number but nobody attended the call. The third day, Charles came. After the class, I asked him if everything was alright. That was when Charles told me that his step-father had physically abused him. He further told me that he wanted to shift over to his dad’s place, but his mom wouldn’t allow that because his dad had divorced her. I consoled him like I would my own son, but I knew there was not much I could do to pull him out of those problems since I was his teacher. Charles was emotionally close to me and considered me eligible to confide his secrets in. I told him to see me after the class whenever he felt like, and he did start to discuss his home issues with me frequently. I believe that â€Å"[e]ffective teachers often draw more openness from their students† (Reid and Stringer, 1997). But gradually I realized that he had become a little too dependent upon me, and would take my pieces of advice seriously. Al though I tried my best to give him the most rational advice, yet after all I was a teacher, not a counselor or a psychiatrist. I was worried that if I intervened inappropriately, that could not only put his academic career on stake, but also damage his personality. On one side, I would make him more upset if I refused to see and listen to him. On the other side, I assumed responsibility for any consequences that he might see if he followed my advice, and it led him to the wrong point. â€Å"

Health culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Health culture - Essay Example Defined medically, health refers to the absence of disease and disease causing organisms or conditions in human body. From biomedical model, disease is temporary organic condition that is curable through medical intervention. In addition, biomedical model views disease as a condition of a sick person who must undergo treatment. Furthermore, biomedical model argues that treatment of a disease is only possible after symptoms appear, and the treatment must be within a medical environment. The sociological understanding of health and illness concerns with the study of the social factors that lead to unhealthy conditions. This focus on the social origins of illness and effects guides to the concept of health inequalities. Health inequality refers to the difference in health conditions due to variation in access to health care facilities experienced by a given group of population within a country or between countries. Society is the main determinant of health inequalities experienced by particular group of people. Society contains various life factors such as ethnicity, economic prosperity, cultural beliefs, educational background, political affiliations and law, which have particular effects on health inequalities experienced within various societies and communities (Smith, 2003 pg. 9). Social gradient is the collective name for the highlighted factors of life within various societies. Social gradient acts as the test instrument for understanding the level of exposure of a certain group of people to experience health inequality. This is to mean that groups or individuals exhibiting most favorable social conditions or circumstances like good income or good education background have better access to be tter health care services and facilities. The better the access to better health care factors the longer the life of a given group or individual (Graham, 2009 pg. 52). The general implication of health inequality is that the poorer a group

Cultural Event Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cultural Event - Essay Example t in the modern world is the festival stands for reaffirmation of hope, religious tolerance, a renewed commitment to friendship, spreading the word of peace and harmony and above all, celebration of â€Å"simple joys of life†. For many Hindus, Diwali is also the New Year’s Eve and it is held on the final day of the Vikram calendar, a type of Hindu calendar followed by Indians from the Northern part of the country. The day after Diwali is known as Annakut and it is considered as New Year’s Day for Hindus living in the Northern part of India (Diwali Festival 498). Diwali is always in October and November on the Gregorian calendar (Hindu Council of Australia para 2-6). The festival is accompanied by various rituals with the choice of ritual to be performed by an individual depending on the location of that particular person. However, lighting of candles, electric lights and fireworks is the most common practice for many Indians when they are celebrating Diwali festival. As the name suggests, ‘rows of lights’ are lit in the new moon night as a way of welcoming Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and on Bengal, to honor the goddess Kali who is so honored (Hindu Council of Australia para 2 -6). In other words, Diwali is celebrated at night more than during the day. Indians attribute much value to the Diwali symbols since they consider them to bring forth the significance of Diwali. The symbols stand for happiness and prosperity which is celebrated with great zest and enthusiasm because Diwali many Hindus associate the festival with prosperity and wealth (Anon para3-9). Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi are the most important symbols of Diwali and people literally worship them on this special day. Lord Ganesha represents good luck whereas Goddess Lakshmi is believed to be the Mother of Wealth. Other common symbols include Earthenware, lamp fireworks, candles, Diwali diyas, fireworks and oil Diwali lamps just to mention a few. During this ramrkable day, people share

The Eisenstein And Architectural Montage Film Studies Essay

The Eisenstein And Architectural Montage Film Studies Essay From a lump of clay a vessel is made, what makes it useful is space within the vessel, for a room, we make doors and a window, but what makes a room habitable is the empty space, so while theres advantages in the tangible, it is in the intangible that theres use.  [1]   Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, c.550 BC Tzu describes a space which is not empty but which is a gap, a gap which is waiting to be transformed by experience. These spatial gaps are inherent in fragmentation. In his book Actions of Architecture, Jonathan Hill focusses on these spatial gaps and discusses the Chora L. Works by Jacques Derrida and Peter Eisenman. The book is split into three sections. It doesnt start at the beginning nor does it end at the end. The first and last sections are penetrated by nine holes whilst the middle section has only conceptual holes. Hill states the intention of this was to convey that the absence of a section doesnt mean the absence of meaning. In the book, Eisenmann and Derrida declare that solid and voids are architectural representations of presence and absence. Voids have as much of a presence as solids in the book, as users can fill in missing words with their own meaning. Montage: In Actions of Architecture, Jonathan Hill discusses the use of montage in architecture. He uses Alvar Aaltos Sanatorium and Le Corbusiers 1931 rooftop apartments for Charles de Beistegui as examples of buildings where montage was used as a strategy for architectural composition. In Aaltos Sanatorium, montage is used as a strategy to join two dissimilar aspects of the building which have no connection expect for being adjacent to each other. Aalto achieved this by utilizing two distinct fragments.  [2]   In Le Corbusiers rooftop apartments, the architect departs from his traditionally rational design approach. Various surfaces of the apartment are juxtaposed with elements of the surrounding city. Important fragments of the city are isolated from the rest of the urban context below with the use of high walls surrounding the perimeter of the terrace. By doing this, Le Corbusier twinned the fireplace with the Arc de Triomphe in the far distance. The architect revealed selected views of the city with sliding walls. A periscope in the centre was the only means by which the entire city could be seen as a spectacle.  [3]   Space Between: Hill explains montage as a spatial exercise where fragments are brought from other sites to a new location while maintaining to some extent the essence of the older location. He uses film to explain this. In film, we perceive fragments through the arrangement of components. In Baldessaris artwork, the artist claims the process is as important as the final result. He juxtaposes unrelated components as he opposes the predictability and linearity of film.  [4]   Jose Quetglas suggests that Mies is concerned with the creation of visual perspective that acts as a guide to movement.  [5]  A Miesian plan is primarily concerned with compositional aspects of perspective painting than that of the anti-perspective intentions of the De Stijl. Jonathan Jones, a researcher at the Applied Visual Research Unity in Derby University found that according to his research, it is impossible to comprehend a painting in its entirety at once. A single glance is not sufficient to take in everything. Visual perception is fragmentary in nature. Our visual field is quite small so to focus on objects results in the background becoming blurred. Similarly in a film by a montage director, the world is viewed through a series of glances.  [6]   While designing the Barcelona Pavilion, Mies drew an axial line over and over from which he measured asymmetries against.  [7]  Mies orientated the Pavilion along an East West axis. Through termination of axis and spaces, movement was diverted. Mies used this technique to formulate movement sequences. Zimmerman states movement flows on the outer of planes in contrast to the delimiting floor and ceiling planes.  [8]  Mies contrasts symmetry and asymmetry and slices space with elements of the building which is characteristic of postmodernism.  [9]   In his book Neoclassicism Architecture Rowe analyses the work of Mies. He states the centre is diminished by the international style and emphasis is placed on dispersion along the axis in which Mies creates a composition of balanced symmetry.  [10]  The Pavilion is an example of decomposition of a volume which is deconstructed into individual planes. Through Mies Pavilion we see a focus on multiple viewing positions as opposed to a single perspective of the classic. The positions of internal walls are determined by the use of triangulated lines. Mies aligns corners and end points of planes using this technique.  [11]  His attention was divided between the fragmentation of the space and the integration of visual perception through this method. The image was fragmented by The Cubist Art Movement which created multiple points of view. As discussed, in Mies Pavilion we see a shift from centrality, abstractions of geometries and facades with frontal relations.  [12]  Buildings such as this cannot be experienced or understood from a static position. Cinema Montage is composition and the assembly of movement images. This comprises an image of time.  [13]  These parts succeed each other creating a parallel alternate montage. Eisenstein criticises Griffith for what he see as the juxtaposition of parts and not a unity of production. A cell, which makes its own part by division and differentiation. Eisenstein agrees with Griffiths idea of an organic composition as an assembly of movement images to the transformed situation through the transcendence of opposition.  [14]   Deleuze investigates cinema in terms of movement, the philosophical and the technical. Movement informs our understanding of the formation of worlds in terms of the types of information it selects and generates as new forms. Deleuze discusses cinema in terms of framing the movement image. In a relatively closed system; framing, type of shot and cut are the vital aspects for the films quality creating what he calls a set of values.  [15]  The speed and rhythm of the shots affects the image. Cinema Montage: Dleuze looks at four schools of montage. American, French, German and Soviet. Deleuze situates montage in the relation the movement of time. In the Deleuzian system, montage is the determination of the whole of the image, achieved through the techniques of cutting and creating continuities. Montaged images creates sets of images. Montage creates movement which in turn produces specific modes of time that are not fixed but events that are contextually reproduced over the passage of chronometric time. He regards montage as the coming together of images to create a whole whose final form is in movement. He refers to the work of Bob Dylan as an example of the long preparation for creating work. To him things are made after an encounter with other things, people but also with after encounters with movement, other ideas, events, entities. Cinema is comprised of a number of different kinds of images, Deleuze calls this image- assemblage montage. Through connections as of yet un-thought, un-named, but intuited through things already manifested in forms and the performance of those intuited spaces. Montage makes possibilities take new forms. Eisenstein: Architectural Montage. For Eisenstein, a relentless vertigo is determined from the architectural forms interacting with each other. Eisenstein intention was for architectural representations of space to explode into successive stages of montage from decomposition to recomposition as though it were an array of shots. From this, Eisenstein claimed the principles of montage are embodied by architecture. In Montage and Architecture by Eisenstein, he sets out this theory. Two paths of spatial perspectives are contrasted, where the viewer follows an imaginary line created among a series of objects. Varying positions moving in front of a spectator and the architectural, where, the viewer moves through an array of carefully positioned elements which he has viewed in order with a visual sense. Eisenstein claims that the perspective path of the Acropolis constructed by Auguste Choisy depicts composition of the site.  [16]  He asks the reader to view it with the eye of a film maker. Eisenstein claims there are carefully sequenced perspectives here. He suggests that there is a relationship between the viewers pace of movement and the rhythm of the buildings. To him, Choisy has set up a combination of a film shot effect, producing new impressions from each new emerging shot. This creates according to Eisenstein a montage effect, where effect is gained from sequential juxtaposition of these shots. In the movie street Eisenstein shows his interest of cause and effect as a notion of movement. Shots are decomposed and recomposed. Architectural composition is compared to cinematic montage by Eisenstein in an essay on two Piranesi engravings for the early and late states of the Carceri series. The flux of form which contains the potential to explode into a series of successive states Eisensteins theory of space constructions depicted new ideas of architecture as frozen music. Eisenstein compared the basis of architectural composition, massing and the establishment of rhythmic elements to that of music, painting and cinematic montages. Montage: As Frozen Music In The Culture of Fragments Gianmarco Vergani puts forward a proposition for the unification of interdisciplinary arts to create an original art form. This is an area which offers a depth of experimentation. According to the author, the merging of architecture and music can be achieved through two principles, synchronic and diachronic expression.  [17]  He terms music as a diachronic art form as it is derived from change and continuous transformations in time. Architecture on the other hand, is synchronic, it a fixed medium consisting of structure and volumetric elements. This leads to two methodologies by which to create architecture through music. First, music must be reduced to its architectonic dimensions outside of time. Music is then seen as a synchronic structure in which it can be applied to architecture. In the diachronic approach, architecture unfolds through time. Space is read sequentially in time increments and is experienced through the observers movement.  [18]  This is a reversal of positions as the observer is required to move in order to experience the architectural composition unlike the listening of music where the observer remains static whilst enveloped in music. Relationships are formed between the two elements. The author proposes that in music; tone timbre, pitch, dynamics and duration can be extracted while in architecture; texture, material, light, colour, scale. These can be transposed into architectural spaces. In music the pitch is transposed into colour, tones and timbres are transposed into textures and materials. The dynamics of a piece of music can be read as contradiction and increasing scale.  [19]   However, he does claim some limitations in this methodology. He states the art form is not truly fluid or dynamic as it can only become such through the participation of the observer. Architecture is static; representing time in this medium cannot be fully executed. The author proposes that a truly diachronic visualization of music is needed. Folding In Folding in Architecture Greg Lynn declares the importance of defining compositional complexity in architecture. Gregg seeks a progression from the collage aesthetics of Robert Venturis Complexity Contradiction in Architecture and the spatial collage of Deconstructivist Architecture. Greg terms Intricacy as a fusion of components into a continuity creating a whole in which the various elements form a larger composition.  [20]   According to the author, this intricacy is unlike compartmentalisation or hierarchy. Instead it is the variation of components. He aims for the term to move from an understanding of detail in architecture as an isolated component. What is proposed is an architectural system where there are no details in the traditional sense. Instead the detail is everywhere continuously variegated throughout the whole. As mentioned in previous chapters, the loss of structure to Greg was in favour of an infinitesimal component and displacement of a fragmentary collage.  [21]   The infinitesimal is a fragmentary approach to form. It is based on the slipping between single frames and interconnections. From a distance the form possess similarity and in a coherence of detail between varying elements that compromise the structure. According to the author, the composition of the intricate is organic, in that every component interacts and communicates simultaneously. Every instance is affected by every other instance. The outside is not a fixed limit but a moving matter animated by peristaltic movements, folds and foldings that together make up an inside: they are not something other than the outside, but precisely the inside of the outside. Deleuze Foucault p.96-97 Le Pli, the concept of the fold, is Deleuzes architectural philosophy. In which, the fold is seen as continuous multiplicity of differentiation Thus a continuous labyrinth is not a line dissolving into independent points, as flowing sand might dissolve into grains, but resembles a sheet of paper divided into infinite folds or separated into bending movements, each one determined by the consistent or conspiring surroundingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ A fold is always folded within a fold, like a cavern in a cavern. The unit of matter, the smallest element of the labyrinth, is the fold, not the point which is never a part, but a simple extremity of the line.  [22]   The fold is the integration of elements that are unrelated into a continuous form. Deleuzes philosophy of the fold offers continuity and variation in the development of a form. To him the form is the conclusion and the process. The Inflection as Delezue describes is the point at which a curve begin to form as either convex or concave. Inflection is the ideal genetic element of the variable curve or fold. The essence of a fold is the temporal nature in which it develops from the inflection to its subsequent position. A memory is maintained of its previous position.  [23]   to unfold is to increase, to grow; whereas to fold is to diminish, to reduce, to withdraw into the recesses of a world.  [24]   An example of this can be viewed in Origami. The folds of which shift from enfolding, unfolding to enveloping. After the first fold, the context begins to reduce in size. The form is unpredictable, after each fold the shapes from the previous fold cease to exist. According to the author, in this instance memory can be enacted through unfolding. A variation of this is Kirigami. The continuity of the folds becomes obstructed by cuts in the fold. This demonstrates conflict and contradiction instead of smoothness and continuity. The folds in origami act as bounding agents between other folds, in Kirigami when a conflict arises, the folds deviate from their continuity and exhibit but not resolve the occurring confliction. In this way, Origami is like folding architecture seeking to realize conflict and contradiction whereas Kirigami is similar to Deconstructivist architecture, it exhibits them. According to Deleuze, multiple is not many parts. It is something that has been folded in many ways. This becomes a unity that envelopes a multiplicity.  [25]   As a by-product of the fold, form and context become surfaces with no distinct interiority or exteriority. The continuous nature of the fold implies a dialogue between time and environment. Case Studies: Montage Strategies Rem Koolhaas who had involvement in cinema as a scriptwriter conveys cinematographic image in some of his plans. In his proposal for the City Hall in The Hague, we see a transfer of the Manhattan skyline to the European City. The famous skyline which is seen so many times in film is utilized here as a movie set made into architecture. Koolhaas breaks down the overall volume into various slabs and uses a series of prisms of differing heights. From a distance, the effect appears like a series of skyscrapers compressed on a flattened image, as would be the view from the opposite side of the river in Manhattan. Since the latter decades of the 20thCentury, fragmentation has been a central issue in architecture. The many different guises of architecture today from postmodern, Deconstructivist and to all subsequent trends are based on fragmentation. A transcript of Rem Koolhaas and Sarah Whilings conversation is quite revealing in this aspect. as an entire object from the exterior of a building. That is what seems to unite the biggest project competitions from 1989 (Zeebrugge, ZKM and Bibliotheque). In some of the projects, the architectural language is quite unstable. The facades and the angles of Porto Case de Musica and Seattle are odd structures which no longer possess a unified identity. For the most parts these projects appear more decon now than they did as part of the 1988 Deconstructivist Exhibition.  [26]   For Koolhaas, the characteristic of Deconstructivism was not in the strange forms, but in the fragmentation. According to Koolhaas, each new building insisted on assembly and integration, the construction of a new whole, which may be unstable but which remains a single entity.  [27]  An example of this are the Seattle and Porto projects which have forms that cannot be recognized as regular geometric shapes but they have in their volume a unity of materials on the outside. In terms of metropolitan scale, Koolhaas has said, A city can obtain a coherence in its planned composition through a system of fragments.  [28]   This is evident in his large scale urban projects where he strives to achieve coherence. According to Koolhaas when a building gets beyond a certain size, it becomes a big building. The volume can no longer be articulated by one architectural gesture nor a combination of gestures. It is this which initiates the autonomy of its elements. This is not fragmentation as the elements remain committed to the overall building. To establish links between independent elements, Koolhaas relies on the programmatic hybridizations, frictions, overlaps, proximities and the superimpositions that are possible in a building of large scale. Montage itself was founded to organize relationships between independent elements. As Maholy-Nagy stated in 1929. The technique of montage is present as efficient in many fields of design. It can be found in methodology, in text, writings and in painting through collage.  [29]   In Soviet avant-garde cinema, Lev Kuleshovs idea of montage can be viewed as an analysis, a dissecting into parts, with the aim of reintegration or as he stated, Montage is a two way operation Montage is the basis of cinema. It enables us to fragment and to reconstruct and finally to remake the material.  [30]   Dualities: Koolhaas utilizes these methods of montage in the urban planning and architectural projects his office undertake. A dualism is present in his use of montage. A decomposition and a reintegration. For example, in Lille Congrexpo, there are three independent sections. The zenith, the conference and the expo which are all juxtaposed without any articulation as though the three sections had been cut from one complete form. The CCTV HQ project in Beijing can be viewed as a single skyscraper which has been divided up into six parts which contain functionally different divisions. In these examples the concept was to concentrate all the activity and program into a single system. The Hyper Building in Bangkok is an assemblage of a series of pieces that maintain their independence in the final building. This is both sculptural and architectural. The building was designed by Koolhaas as a veritable city that groups a vast array of programs together giving the essence of a hybrid building on an urban scale. According to Koolhaas, several buildings fuse together into a larger singular whole which brings together the coexistence of real space and cyberspace, of electronics and real facilities. To him the montage consists of material bodies and immaterial flows. Montage as a collision: Urban Complexity Koolhaas compares the work of an architect with the cinematic montage. Im certain the work of a screenwriter and the processes of an architect are methods based on editing, in creating programmatic, cinematographic or spatial sequence  [31]   The complexity of urban life such as infrastructural congestion is the central themes to many of Koolhaas projects. He highlights these elements through the collision of contrasting elements. As with Eisenstein  [32]  , this collision sometimes occurs at several scales in Koolhaas projects, from the urban scale down to the encounter between materials. The Kunsthal in Rotterdam is an example of this issue. The concept was a square with two routes crossing it. The collision between these routes gives rise to the project. These two infrastructures also cross over other collisions, crossing between ramps and staggered planes, and between these and the horizontal planes. A similar instance can be found in The Euraille project. A tower was placed over the TGV station, this solution was the symbol of infrastructural and programmatic congestion that characterized the architectural operation. Similarly with Eisensteins films, through collisions, the visual and mental conflict involved in this montage is what expresses the concept. In The Hague, a service tunnel comprising of a subway with a station at either end and two car parks with pedestrian entrances, was not designed by Koolhaas to resemble a tree like system. Instead it is a hybrid project, building and infrastructure. The different program elements interpenetrate spatially and form an assemblage in which the flow and the visuals are participants an altering but not segregated perception. The strategy utilized here is that of the montage in which collisions between constituent environments and elements give rise to a richer and clearer spatial experience. The Villa Savoye marked a high point in Le Corbusiers promenade architecturale As a critic explains The movement, in one sense, is more virtual than real, to progress through the building you must engage your imagination  [33]  and if entertainment is associated with the displacement of the viewer, then the house becomes the source of that entertainment. It does this by choreography; there is no fixed image but a series of overlapping images. This architectural effect is clearly associated with cinema  [34]   Sequences There are three relations in an architectural sequence. The first deals with the working method. Secondly, external relations where spaces are juxtaposed and thirdly the program. The mode by which architects traditionally draw implies a transformational sequence. Layers of transparent paper are placed on top of each other. Each has a variation around a theme. An open system of sequencing sees transformation through the addition of new elements which are juxtaposed according to criteria such as narrative or programmatic. However, not all architectural sequences are linear and comprised of spatial additions. Fragmented montages produce structure where meaning is found through order of experience rather than the order of the composition. Mies Pavilion as discussed in previous chapters is an example of this fragmentation of space. Its sequence is organised around a thematic structure and variations.

Product Testing: Toxic And Tragic :: essays research papers

Product Testing: Toxic and Tragic by the PETA Organization This is an article written by one of the most passionate and reliable sources of animal rights, called PETA (People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals). I do not want to dumb down the information in this article, but I will try not to drone on. This article speaks of how people test cosmetics on animals, the ethics of it and alternatives to product testing on animals. First, there are test called â€Å"Eye Irritancy Tests†. These tests find out whether products used for or near the eyes will hurt one’s eyes. These animals, usually rabbits, are first locked into these headlocks where their heads protrude out and their bodies behind. Then, without using any form of anesthesia, the product, whether it be liquid or powder, is literally dropped in these rabbit’s eyes. They hold open the eyes of the rabbit with some sort of hook. Then they record the results of these tests such as: inflammation, bleeding and deterioration. The rabbits often break their necks trying to get free from these locks. Next their is an â€Å"Acute Toxicity Test†, performed on a group of test animals ranging in size. Usually what they will do is force a tube into the animal’s stomachs or cut a hole into their throats. Then they will force a substance in through those ways. Other options are that they could inject the fluid through the skin or a vein. These tests are to see how these fluids would effect humans. The scientists look for results like: bleeding, diaherra, convulsions and skin eruptions. There is also another test linked to this one called the â€Å"Lethal Dose Test†. These tests are unreliable. The article then tells of how these methods are legal, but very lethal for animals. In this section such controversies like how â€Å"the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires only that each ingredient in a cosmetics product be "adequately substantiated for safety" prior to marketing or that the product carry a warning label indicating that its safety has not been determined.† Which means these test results do not guarantee our safety. Testing on animals could be completely bogus for are we know. There are alternatives to animal testing. For seven years, the cruelty-free company petitioned the American Dental Association gave a seal of approval to Tom's of Maine toothpaste’s. Toothpaste companies (like Proctor and Gamble) were performing lethal tests on rats in order to be eligible for the ADA seal. The scientists would brush rat’s teeth for more than a month, then kill the animals and examine their teeth under a microscope.

Vanadyl Sulfate: Could it be a wonder drug for the future? :: Sports Medicine Health Essays

Vanadyl Sulfate: A Wonder Drug For The Future? Introduction In the competitive world of sports, athletes are always trying to get an edge. When practice is not enough, many athletes try to change their diets to gain an advantage over the competition. To make more educated decisions about what they eat, many athletes look closely at what happens to food once it enters their bodies. From studying the gastrointestinal and endocrine systems, athletes and researchers have learned to appreciate the role of insulin in athletic performance. In order to enhance performance, researchers have developed a product called vanadyl sulfate, which supposedly mimics the effects of insulin. While its effectiveness as a workout supplement is still in question, vanadyl sulfate also has promise as a possible alternative treatment for diabetes. The Insulin Theory To properly comprehend the importance of insulin and the rational behind wanting to increase it artificially, one must first understand the process of sugar metabolism. Sugar metabolism is the process by which the body converts food into energy that can be used by muscle cells. (http://encarta.msn.com/find/default.asp) The process begins when enzymes break down food into glucose, a simple six carbon sugar that can be easily absorbed in the intestine. From there, the hormone insulin plays several important roles. It is obvious that the cells that make up a person need energy to survive and function. Insulin is crucial in the delivery of energy to cells. In the body, glucose is the standard form of energy after digestion. Unfortunately, glucose's size and structure make it hard for the molecule to pass through the outer membranes of many of the body's cells. Insulin helps to fix this problem. Specifically, insulin bonds with the outer membrane of cells to increase permeability. This enables glucose to pass through the cell membrane more easily and gives the cell access to more energy. Without insulin, it is extremely difficult for glucose in the blood to be used by the body's cells as energy. Conversely, an abundance of insulin increases the rate at which glucose is used by the cells and therefore lowers the amount of glucose left in the bloodstream (Guyton, Hall, 972). In addition to helping to provide the cell with energy, insulin can also help the cell in other ways.

American history Essay

In American history, there have been numerous instances in which a greater degree of damage and death which visited out shores. In the three day battle of Gettysburg, more than 51,000 soldiers fell. (Burns, 1989) The invasion of France on June 6, 1944 took more than 6,000 lives. Pearly Harbor claimed more than 2300 lives and introduced Americans to a war that would take more than 400,000 lives. However, the events which transpired on September 11, 2001 will always serve as one of the defining moments for those who lived through it. As with the assassin ion of John F. Kennedy was to our parents’ generation, September 11, 2001 will be for our generation. The news is filled with a multitude of calamities. The Asian tsunami in December of 2004 which claimed 200,000 lives or any number of events which take a toll on the human population, due to the fact that the evening news is saturated with events which should horror us but which really don’t as we have become apathetic against its stimulus, there are sometimes, national tragedies which affect the average American in ways that are hard to explain and fathom for those who are on the outside and looking in. This was the case for Natasha Jackson; a 27 year old African American female who lost two family members on September 11. For her, the day is more than just a time to rally behind the troops and to take time out of one’s day to remember those who died. For Natasha Jackson, 9/11 does not stop but continues 365 days a year. Natasha Jackson grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. Her father was a police chief in DuPage County Illinois. Natasha was in college while the events of September 11 were transpiring. At the end of her 8am class, which ended at 9:15, and upon walking to her next class, she was overheard some talk about a major news event. She did not realize exactly what had happened until the professor in her next class, told her and the rest of the class what had happened. All of the details would not be known until months and years later. However, by the time the second plane hit the tower, it had become obvious that this was no accident. We had hoped that all of the more than 50,000 people, who, on a daily basis, worked in the Twin Towers, would have been able to vacate the building while it was still standing. This was not the case for nearly 3,000 people who perished when the towers fell. (Burns, 2003) Since I had not known anybody in New York or who were on those planes that were hijacked, I was glad that as for me, the event did not take any of my loved ones. However, I knew that was not the case for thousands of families across the country. America was now at war to defeat terrorism and this would take an additional four thousands American lives to date with more casualties being reported daily. I did not know that the events of September 11 would affect somebody so close to me as I would eventually find out to be the case. Towards the end of September, 2001, as clean up crews were still busy picking up the twisted metal from the site of Ground Zero and plans for a strike against Iraq were being discussed, I learned that two of Natasha’s relatives, were not only affected by 9/11, but were actually killed when the first tower fell. It was something that was hard to realize had hit so close to home even when it was not my relatives that had been affected. More than six years later, Natasha sat down to talk to me about the events of that day and what she felt then as well as now. Natasha commented: â€Å"That day is one that I will never forget for as long as I live. † I was horrified by what I saw on television. However, my reaction was one filled with a bit more panic than my classmates who were watching the same thing as I was. I knew that my aunt, Marilyn Jackson worked in Tower One at Canter Fitzgerald. I would later find out that nearly 800 employees of that firm would die on September 11. (Burns, 2003) † When asked exactly what her initial reaction was, Natasha still finds it difficult to accurately explain what she was feeling. â€Å"I though that I was seeing a movie and that the events in New York was an examples of special effects or something. I really didn’t know what to think. I sat transfixed at what I was seeing and I didn’t get around to calling my father until a couple hours after the towers fell. I just didn’t know how to react. † In the immediate hours after the first tower fell, I actually ran into Natasha. We were not our jovial self for obvious reasons but I assumed that it was due to the events in New York, Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon earlier that day. I did not think to ask Natasha if she had known anybody who was killed that day. I knew that she had always had a love affair with New York and hoped to complete her Master’s Degree at New York University one day. I did not know that she had two relatives who lived there in the city. Natasha then explained what her immediate actions were in the hours following the destruction of the first tower and then the second. â€Å"I called my father to ask him the whereabouts of my aunt. He said that he didn’t know and that he would not know for some time. Not only was the event very chaotic, but the fact that he was a police chief in a Chicago suburb, his force went on high alert as there was rumors that The Sears Tower might be targeted. People didn’t know what to think. Everything was a mess. I was a mess as well. I pride myself on being a rational and independent person. I never get anxious but am rather calm and have a strong demeanor. That day, I was not able to contain my composure which only compounded my feelings of anxiety as I did not know how to gather my thoughts. † Natasha then comments on the time when she heard that her aunt was missing and then, a few days later, believed to be dead. â€Å"The next few days, nobody knew where my aunt or many of the other were. I waited by my phone and could not go to class. I tried to separate myself from the various news accounts as there was no shortage of coverage on television. I tried to go for a walk or to go and work out. My attempts did not come to fruition and it only served as a momentary respite from the inner pain and confusion that I was feeling. Eight days later, I received a call from my father who told me that my aunt was probably dead and the possibility of there being any survivors of the attack from those who were in the towers at the time it fell, was very unlikely. The country would later learn that there would not be a single survivor from the fall of the Twin Towers. It seemed unlikely, even before being told that was the case, that anybody could survive that. I still held out hope until I received that call. † The terror that Natasha would feel, would not be confined to only the loss of her aunt, who alone, would be more than anybody could really fathom. What served as a source of added stress, not only was Natasha’s aunt murdered on 9/11, but so too was her uncle. The aunt was from her father’s side and her uncle came from her mother’s side. Gerald Smith was a firefighter and one of the 343 New York City firefighters who died trying to save others in the Twin Towers. (Burns, 2003) â€Å"It is really hard to fathom such a combination punch that misguided and evil people gave to our family. I had been close to my uncle as a child but when he moved to New York, we lost touch. However, as it is the case with most people, those who touch their lives as a child, even though communications might have dropped off, they still reside in an important part of that person’s heart. I had not known that my uncle was still a New York firefighter. However, when my mother called me, not more than two days after being told that my aunt had died, I was told that my uncle died as well. There are no words that could describe what I felt that week. I could not go to class, I barely ate and did not take any visitors at all for the rest of the year. If somebody told me that they I had their condolences and that they understood how I felt, I was so angry inside, that I had to restrain myself from simply punching them in the face. And I am not a violent person by any means. I have strong opinions but usually respect others and would much rather avoid an insulting argument than to engage in one. I just became a very angry and bitter person. † In perspective, I asked Natasha how she now viewed 9/11 and all of the ramifications that it has now had for the country. â€Å"I have considered myself a Democrat for most of my life. However, even though the war in Iraq has been mishandled on a dozen different fronts, I become so angry when I hear politicians from both political parties proclaim that we should simply leave Iraq and that terrorism is really not worth fighting. It seems to me that since America is a very disposable society, people have forgotten what happened on 9/11. I will never forget seeing people jumping 1000 feet to their deaths while the towers burned. When I hear reports of Glasgow, London, Bali and Madrid being victims of more terrorist attacks from a small portion of the Muslim community who have been steered the wrong way, I become very frustrated. Does one have to lose two members of their family in a terrorist attack to remember that America is a very dangerous place and that there are millions of people who would love to attack this country. I still am a Democrat and believe in the principles of the party. I just feel so frustrated, as does most Americans, about the level of unity and as a result, progress that is being achieved in this area. † Natasha spent most of the Fall of 2001, dealing with the deaths of her family members. â€Å" Since there were no remains that were found of both my aunt and uncle, I really didn’t know what to do. I still go to their grave sites but I know that their body is not there. In time, the body would slowly disappear but I wanted to have the same experience that anybody would want who receive some comfort in visiting the gravesite of their loved ones. At least, I wanted to experience that but have been unable to. However, I feel additionally cheated by the fact that the only place where I can visit my aunt and uncle is in my mind. † When asked, Natasha speaks about her life since 9/11. â€Å"I eventually graduated college and even though my plans to receive my Master’s Degree at New York University did not pan out, I still feel close to that city and always will. I went to Boston to work for the Democratic National Convention in the months leading up to the 2004 election. With a degree in political science, I always have been politically aware of my surroundings. I knew that I needed to expand my sphere of influence beyond college and felt that my effort in the DNC, although not successful, still did prove some good. I honored my aunt and uncle in that respect. † It was a trying but successful time for me as I actually got to meet President Clinton while dining at a restaurant in Boston. I walked up to both him and his wife Hillary and introduced myself beyond the Secret Service and Mr. Clinton actually said that he had heard that we were doing good work. Perhaps that was just lip service but it was a great honor for me nevertheless. †