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International Accounting Standards Board Relevance

International Accounting Standards Board Relevance Introduction The ‘International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) develops relevant standards for different accounting practices’ (Saudagaran 2011, p. 27). The IASB also promotes the application and use of different accounting standards. This agency identifies, develops, supports, and approves various International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on International Accounting Standards Board Relevance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The IFRS Foundation monitors the operations and activities of the IASB. The IASB has been developing and promoting new IFRSs in an attempt to change the nature of accounting. This discussion explores how the IASB has become less relevant and representative today. How Representative and Relevant is the IASB? Many corporations and accountants are currently criticizing the role and relevance of this agency (Harper et al. 2012). For instance, t he IASB released new accounting standards between 2011 and 2014. Such standards have the power to change the manner in which corporations record their revenues. According to Zeff (2012, p. 812), ‘such standards will force companies to speed up the rate of revenue booking’. These practices will also defer revenues. This approach can also result in new accounting scandals or frauds. The issue of Revenue Reporting (RR) is another source of controversy. This is undeniable because it is impossible to establish when a company gets its revenues. The other issue arises from the use of International Financial Reporting Standards. This practice will have numerous implications on many companies and countries. For example, ‘the new standards will affect revenues because companies will have to examine the implications of different taxation laws’ (Harper et al. 2012, p. 469). These new changes do not examine the implications of different trade-offs and political interfer ences. These standards will ensure every company loses its quality. This development ‘will also increase the costs of capital’ (Saudagaran 2011, p. 59). The above situation explains why these new changes might not produce the targeted goals. Every market has its economic frameworks and factors. This fact explains why such international standards will have numerous impacts on different markets (Zeff 2012). Those who are opposed to the transparency of the original standards might not get the best results. The best practice is focusing on new accounting practices that have the potential to produce positive results.Advertising Looking for report on accounting? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More These new accounting standards ‘have the potential to make the earnings of companies more volatile’ (Danjou 2014, p. 4). The standards will encourage more accountants and companies to change the time when th ey earned their revenues. Companies might incur numerous costs in an attempt to provide the required financial disclosures. The new practice will become extremely difficult for more companies. Most of these new rules will complicate the lives of different accountants and managers. As mentioned above, these new IASB accounting standards are detestable. The agency’s main goal was to identify new standards that can produce uniform accounting practices. However, this new move has not yielded much fruits. This is the case because such changes are currently under attack. This situation explains why the IASB has become less relevant today (Danjou 2014). This is the case because the new composition and governance of the IASB fails to consider the issues affecting different markets, regions, and companies (Zeff 2012). Conclusion The agreeable fact is that the IASB has been critical towards producing and supporting the most appropriate accounting principles. However, this idea of conve rgence will affect many corporations in different corners of the world. This problem explains why the agency should identify new changes. This approach will be critical towards making the IASB more relevant and representative. List of References Danjou, P 2014, An update on international financial reporting standards (IFRSS), https://www.ifrs.org/. Harper, A, Leatherbury, L, Machuca, A, Philips, J 2012, ‘The Impact of Switching to International Financial Stands on United States Businesses’, Journal of International Education Research, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 467-472.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on International Accounting Standards Board Relevance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Saudagaran, S 2011, International Accounting: A User Perspective, CCH, New York. Zeff, S 2012, ‘The Evolution of the IASC into the IASB and the Challenges it Faces’, The Accounting Review, vol. 87, no. 3, pp. 807-837.

Current events in business research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Current events in business research - Essay Example This meant that customers were asked for whether they would opt to drink this new product and trials were also made as per its consumption (Robertson, 2009). Then the people who were related with its marketing and advertising were asked to come up with catchy taglines and distribution patterns to make sure that the energy drink’s research was complete and comprehensive from all angles. Also the stakeholders behind this energy drink were brought on to a single platform so that their concerns and related feedback was taken beforehand. This was so done to make sure that the product becomes a hit more than anything else. The research process comprised of factors that included for discerning the taste, aroma, color, packaging, quantity and other details regarding the energy drink. This is the reason why one can think of this research process to be complete from a number of different perspectives. The research behind this proved that it was always good to know about the market and t he consumers so that the product can be designed in a better way. It gives everyone a good idea what the need is like and how it shall be changed for the sake of bringing more benefits. Hence this business research process highlighted quite a few important points which were required at our

Salvador Dali - The Persistence of Memory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Salvador Dali - The Persistence of Memory - Essay Example The essay "Salvador Dali - The Persistence of Memory" discovers the artwork of the famous painter, Salvador Dali. While this might seem uncanny enough, the clocks are not flat as you might expect them to be, but are bent out of shape, appearing to be in the act of melting away. The melting aspect can be explained that the region in which they are located is a desert climatic zone which is marked by extremely high temperatures. This weird and unexpected juxtaposition poses a lot of questions right up-front. First and foremost one has to wonder why the clocks are melting or question their location in the desert. The finally question to ponder is the fact that there are no people around them. Since the subject matter and content of the Salvador Dali's clocks painting seems illogical or irrational, one might be surprised by the very representational and nearly photographic quality of the painting, fitting well with Dali's own description of his art as being hand-painted dream photographs . The concept of the dream in this case is integral in understanding Surrealism and plays a key role in the meaning of The Persistence of Memory, as well. One of the goals of the Surrealists was to bring out the best visual representation of what it is like to be dreaming. As a result of this, Surrealism might seem a little crazy but every individual has had a case of dreams where unrelated people, places, or objects come together in completely inexplicable ways. The understanding most likely depicts a dream state.

We Dont Sell Foods, We Sell Health Research Paper - 2

We Dont Sell Foods, We Sell Health - Research Paper Example The target market for this ad is basically full-time housewife who wants taking good care of family and people who are interested in changing body condition by eating healthy foods. In this case, I choose to design this ad looks like a shopping receipt. My core idea is to tell customers Whole Foods Market sells health instead of foods and they buy more percentage to live well with the most competitive prices possible. According to Jenkins, an advert should capture the attention of the audience at a glance (Jefkins & Yadin, 2000). I used the font as the same one on the formal receipt in my ad because I want my audience to recognize it as a receipt immediately. The font color is black and the logo is green just like the Whole Foods current logo. The receipt also seems to be laying on the desk and a little curve in order to make it more stereoscopic and attractive. This feature enhances the clarity of the advert to the customer and brings out more attention and focus on the information provided. The final ad features â€Å"total health† in order to equip the knowledge to customers of the true nature of services available. It shows that complete health awareness is found here. The advert aims at increasing the awareness of customers of the significance of high-quality foods. This implies care on the part of the seller to the customers in promoting the quality and health in life. Vincent argues that an advertisement needs to be colorful and attractive depending on the media used. This captures the attention of the audience and sends a good message with clarity (Vincent, 1989). This receipt is suitable for magazine advertising since it lacks color and can be outstanding in the colorful magazine layout. The message is precise and the advert has been designed in a mode to fit in a small part of the magazine.  Ã‚  

Photography Essays Art and Media

Photography Essays Art and Media Using examples, discuss the relationship between art and the mass media. Introduction: The relationship between art and media has always been heavily symbiotic, a fact acknowledged only relatively recently, with the ironic wink of â€Å"pop† art in the fifties, but nevertheless the connection has always been present and empowering to both â€Å"high† culture and society’s consumers. Consumer culture and art have invaded each other’s territories to the point where it has become impossible, at times, to tell them apart. The HBO television series, Sex and the City, for example, might be art reflecting life, or art informing life, or both, or neither – so many of the signifiers we use to recognise art, so many of the cause and effect relationships we took for granted, have become indistinguishable. On a theoretical level, the media has amplified artistic causes, for good or for bad, and sometimes where bad is anticipated, the media has been second-guessed or hijacked. On a practical level, forms of media broadcast have much in common with art forms, allowing for overlaps and ironic jokes, since modern technologies enable neatly replicable sign systems- the mass media is a hegemony, and iconography reproduces itself everywhere we look. One reaction to the standardization of imagery and the new lexicon of iconography came in the form of Pop art. Ironically, of course, Warhol’s replicable paintings have an iconographic currency all their own. By the 1970s pockets of subversion were appearing everywhere. Media activists called it â€Å"culture jamming†, the Situationist International called it â€Å"detournement† (â€Å"an insurrectional style by which a past form is used to show its own inherent untruth†) the Pistols called it Punk. But it was essentially the same. Culture jamming can be used to describe a broad range of subversive activity, from the work of graffiti artists to the radical ‘refacement’ of billboards by the Billboard Liberation Front, to pirate radio broadcasts. It is, essentially, an attempt to challenge the authority of the mass media through creative, and generally public, acts of resistance. Adbusters magazine employs culture jamming as its manifesto, transforming it into a social movement with the revolutionary aim of   â€Å"toppl[ing] existing power structures and forg[ing] a major rethinking of the way we live in the 21st century.† Their forceful sloganism, together with slickness of its design, raises suspicions and criticism. This is the rhetoric of a salesman, and there would indeed appear to be a contradiction between its anti-advertising objectives and its image-based editorial strategies. Nevertheless this is the first time that magazines have really subjectified the image, and a magazine which is not only about design but also a beautiful piece of craft itself, seems to sidestep the theoretical problem of hypocrisy, somehow.   The problem of design today is that it is more fascinated by the visual, as a realistic imitation or decoration, and not by the image as a subjective narrative and interpretive element. As a result of its internal dialogue, however, the image is more than a perception. It is a necessary construction on the brink of fiction, that reveals the dialectic of representation and presentation. Rick argues that the once homogeneous field of graphic design has â€Å"begun to separate into two distinct strands†. On one side there is professional practice in all its forms; on the other a field which he terms â€Å"design-culture graphics†. This territory is inhabited by designers doing their own, often self-initiated thing: publishing books and magazines, starting websites, and designing and selling T-shirts, posters, DVDs, etc. He refers to Adrian Shaughnessy’s observations in April 2003’s Creative Review magazine: â€Å"Stylistically it is usually radical, adventurous and sometimes even downright purposeless.† The curious aspect of this claim is the suggestion that the divide has only just happened. Looking back to Morris and Ruskin, again, we see an extraordinary sort of proto-punk for the middle classes, even at the turn of the century. More recently, the division became a true social cleave, rather than an ideological romantic whimsy, with the new wave that followed punk in the late 1970s. Designers such as Brody, Saville, Malcolm Garrett, Rocking Russian and 23 Envelope were so notable because, not only did they shun the mainstream in which designers would once have expected to find work as a matter of course, but they also produced the most inventive and durable British graphic design of the period. Their audience was other young people. In Britain today, a vast number of young designers emerge from design schools and art colleges today with no intention of joining design’s mainstream. People today want to express their individualism in their work and the thought of a small, informal collective started by a group of friends is obviously attractive as it’s a sort of extension of student life. Graphic design played an important role as a tool of empowerment for those whose fringe status was less of a choice, too it gave voice to women and articulating their concerns.  The suffragette’s contribution to the history of graphic design has been intriguing. Unlike the emancipatory and utopic vision of the modernist movement, the images of the women’s movement never prescribed to a unifying aesthetic dogma. When seen in conjunction with other social and counter-cultural movements that became symbolic of a certain stylistic representation, what is notable about the women’s movement is its lack of stylistic unity. While this wasn’t intentional strategy, it practically increased resistance to commodification. Much of today’s art is conceptually sophisticated enough to reflect both art and life, often anticipating its own responses. The characters in Sex and the City, the ultimate show about and because of commodification, consistently acknowledge social expectation, even if it has become their raison d’etre to buck those expectations. When the character Charlotte expresses regrets about not working it shows that she has internalized the message that she should work.   When she accuses Miranda of judging her she exclaims, You think Im one of those women . . . One of those women we hate who just works until she gets married! Here, Charlotte reveals her own view that women should be independent, demonstrating that she herself is conflicted. Her statement has feminist undertones, since it implies that women who change their lives, or who are primarily oriented to attracting a husband, sacrifice themselves and compromise their identities- appropriately, as this is exactly the fate the scriptwriters have in store for her. Charlotte’s emphasis on the â€Å"choice† defense as a feminist case is an oversimplification and a misinterpretation of liberal feminist goals, although it still promotes the critical sentiment that women are diverse, and that one womans decision of what to do with her body or her life should be in her hands, in spite of what her friends, family, or society dictates.Yet, at the same time it highlights some of the problems associated with liberal feminism as a perspective and its frequent misappropriation by women- and perhaps, in this case, the Sex and the City scriptwriters. Liberal feminism is based on the idea that differences between women and men cannot be explained by biology and thus differential treatment is unjust. The idea is that people should be regarded as individuals, rather than identified first as men or women, and should thus be able to make decisions based on what is best for the individual. As Montemurro has written, â€Å"In this episode of Sex and the City, when Charlotte refers to the womens movement, she seems to be referring to the idea that women have been liberated or freed from the constraints of patriarchy and are able to work and attain success at levels similar to those attained by men. Thus, she has the right to decide for herself what will make her happy and satisfied as an individual. If she chooses not to work, then she is not succumbing to traditional feminine expectations; rather, she is doing what she sees as right for her and thus she should not be judged for this.† She goes on to point out that few women have the ability to make this choice. But the whole debate about choice can be located in the context of oppression; in Montemurro’s terms, â€Å"Charlottes choice is predicated on other womens lack of choices†. In addition, Charlotte even states that Trey suggested she stay at home, hinting that the idea to stop working has not come directly from her. The criticism of feminism’s reactive quality applies here: her choice may be â€Å"her perogative† but it is not solely hers, and the specific choice she has(n’t) made stands for the â€Å"choice† (either to stay at home or not) that all women make, with its attendant vulnerability to accusations of reactiveness and passivity. As Montemurro suggests, Charlotte’s powerful, wealthy husband has delivered the option to her â€Å"as a gift of sorts, as if to say, I give you permission to stay home, and Charlotte fails to acknowledge that her choice is made possible only by her subsequent economic dependence on her husband.† Charlotte’s statement that â€Å"the woman’s movement is about choice† is played as distastefully comical, distasteful not least because the scriptwriters are conveying one of two equally dangerous messages. Either they are communicating they notion that it is sufficient lipservice to feminism to give these issues crass and simplistic treatment, or they are expressing Charlotte’s charming naivety through the incidental note of a â€Å"feminist† token. It is as though she believes that any choice- motherhood, career, or taking a cooking class, is of equal value, because the decision is coming from herself. It is a claim made cynically by the media and advertisers, specifically designed to manipulate women who believe themselves to be independent into buying products that appeal to their vanity- products sold on graphic representations of self-indulgence, selling the irresistible idea that women are wallowing in low self-worth and deserve to â€Å"tr eat themselves.† Women’s liberation has become suspect precisely because of this bastardization: the idea that â€Å"free choice† includes â€Å"bad choices†, that female freedom is the equivalent of justified narcissism. Increasingly products, weight loss and fashion have been artificially presented as aids to a deserving woman’s betterment, taking â€Å"feminist† ideas of â€Å"improvement† as their selling point- yet feminists concur that all such strategies only help women to participate in their construction as subservient, imperfect, and generally oppressed. Her infertility is treated with same astonishing crassness, as Tara Flockhart points out, â€Å"The infertility of Charlotte†¦excruciatingly painful affliction, is at first mocked by suggesting that she sublimates her emotional pain in affection for her dog (the animal, not the man, in her life)† Of course it is not merely female â€Å"issues† which are levied by the media. According to feminist artist and writer Laura Mulvey, the female form is still a battleground for viewing conventions, and it is a battle where, for the most part, media images and visual art are on the same side. For Mulvey, the problem is the equivalence of the female form with desire so long as the male body is not seen as desirable, men remain in control of desire and the activity of looking. It seems to be a commonly held assumption that things are improving, but I would suggest, the male body is more prominently â€Å"objectified† by the media nowadays not as a symptom of female control over the gaze but as a direct result of the integration of the gay male gaze into the mainstream. This is rapidly overtaking the rise of women, and these sites of homosexual desire are not replacing images of women but are appearing alongside them. It is no improvement at all. Most images of attractive male bodies in the media today aren’t the result of feminist struggle for equality, but simply more men, gay men, expressing their own desires in public. Virtually everywhere in Hollywood (not to mention the internet, TV, magazines, the High Street) we find Freud’s notion of â€Å"scopophilia† the pleasure involved in looking at other people’s bodies as erotic objects. Mulvey has written extensively on viewing conventions as she perceives them to be facilitated by the cinema auditorium itself. The darkness of the picture-house provides a unique public environment where we may look without being seen either by those on screen by other members of the audience. Mulvey details how certain cinema viewing conditions facilitate for the viewer both the voyeuristic process of objectification of female characters and also the narcissistic process of identification with an ‘ideal ego’ seen on the screen. There would be no post-modernist art responses to the media, of course, without the massively influential modernist movement that rocked the world at the turn of the century. Long before the Sex and the City girls, modernism aimed to expose traditional society as exposed as something fraudulent. The exponents of the modern aimed to show that nostalgia was fallacious: the unity of a golden age had never existed. The modernists only ever wanted to present reality as it was. Since social, political, religious, artistic ideas had been incorporated into this false order, they had to be incorporated into any true reworking of it. It was modernism that impressed upon us the idea that narrative direction- that a story should have a beginning, middle and end was nothing more than an opiate, artifice grafted onto random existence to create illusions of consistency. Conclusions The relationship between media and forms of art is of course not entirely co operative. The mass media has been understood as the servant of capitalist society, and art, as the archetypal â€Å"free thought† its natural enemy. Historically, art’s efforts to bring down capitalist structures from within have been very ill-fated, with artists finding themselves ignored, scorned, crushed or – perhaps worse- accessories to political agendas. Artists and writers must work harder than ever to devise means of opposing or exposing capitalism’s deceptions, but many commentators appear to have reached the conclusion that the battle is barely worth fighting. Jean Baudrillard argues that criticism of the status quo is no longer possible through art or literature and that the only efficient way of dissenting from capitalist society is to commit suicide, Modern art wishes to be negative, critical, innovative and a perpetual surpassing, as well as immediately (or almost) assimilated, accepted, integrated, consumed. One must surrender to the evidence: art no longer contests anything. If it ever did. Revolt is isolated, the malediction consumed. Thus the avant-garde movements in Europe put the artist under pressure to exhibit a certain individuality, while also – rather contradictorily- being a producer, and as prolific, political and reactionary a producer as possible,   There is a lot of talk, not about reform or forcing the Enlightenment project to live up to its own ideals, but about wholesale negation, revolution, another new sensibility, now self- affirming or self-creating, rather than a universalist or rational self-legitimation. This in turn suggests a tremendously heightened role for the artist, the figure whose imagination supposedly creates or shapes the sensibilities of civilization. In a sense, the avant-garde has been socially commissioned to forecast the future, to scouting out new intellectual terrain, Aesthetic modernity is characterized by attitudes which find a common focus in a changed consciousness of time The avant-garde understands itself as invading unknown territory, exposing itself to the dangers of sudden, shocking encounters, conquering an as yet unoccupied future. The avant-garde must find a direction in a landscape into which no one seems to have yet ventured Modernity saw its role as declaring its fragmentary reality, its construction, or the construction of the world or idea it aimed to represent. As one writer says, â€Å"A typical modernist story will seem to begin arbitrarily, advance inexplicably, and end without resolution. Symbols and images are used instead of statements. The tone is ironic and understated-mocking of any of its characters or elements that still seem to appeal to the idea of coherent reality. On the other hand, many modernist works are structured as quests for the very coherence they seem to lack. Because the quest is a very mythological concept, a lot of modernist writers return to and rewrite myths of the world into their works. Often the faith based on myths (such as Christianity) is apparently revealed as a farce and a fraud-that is, as myth rather than objective reality.† Without Modernism’s take on the media, its distaste with media stereotypes, there would be no ironic art forms, and without Surrealism’s great achievement, its ability to assimilate its patterns so completely into our unconscious that its images have become a part of us, without this we would have no impressive, delicious, advertising and no self-perpetuating consumer society. It knows our dreams, but it also knows our nightmares. Surrealism may be the triumphant rebellious child of modern art, but it is the heir of capitalist society. As one writer puts it, â€Å"Historically, surrealism was an art movement of ideas that developed between World Wars I and II and was very prolific. However, today the viewer automatically accepts surrealist imagery. Its everywhere we look. One can find surrealism in childrens books, on television, in advertisements, music videos, movies and any other form of mass media. Today a person can see examples of surrealism everywhere without consciously noting that one is looking at a surreal image† Bibliography Bataille, George. The Lugubrious Game in Visions of Excess, US: University of Minnesota Press (1985) Breton, Andrà © Manifestoes of Surrealism, trans. Richard Seaver and Helen R. Lane US: Ann Arbor, (1969) Burger, Peter and Block, Richard, The Thinking of the Master: Bataille Between Hegel and Surrealism US: Northwestern University Press (2003) Burgin, Victor (Ed.) (1982): Thinking Photography. London: Macmillan Burgin, Victor (1982): Photographic Practice and Art Theory. In Burgin (Ed.), op. cit., pp. 39-83 Burgin, Victor (1982): Looking at Photographs. In Burgin (Ed.), op. cit., pp. 142-153 Derrida, Jacques. Specters of Marx: State of Debt, the Work of Mourning, and the New International, UK: Routledge (1994) Descharnes, Robert and Neret, Giles, Dali: The Paintings UK: Taschen (2001) Drew Heath Johnson Inspiration and Influence: The Visions of Ansel Adams, on http://www.museumca.org Flockhart,TSex and the City gets a feminist analysis   The Daily Iowan Published: Thursday, December 2, 2004 Gott, Ted. Lips of Coral: Sex and Violence in Surrealism, in Surrealism: Revolution by Night, exh. cat. (Canberra, 1993) Habermas, Jurgen in Holub, Robert. Jà ¼rgen Habermas: Critic in the Public Sphere, London: Routledge, (1991) Hardie, Philip Ovids Poetics of Illusion Cambridge:   Cambridge University Press, 2002.   pp. viii, 365 Kristeva, Zoe Artistic Rebellion: The Modern Dynamic in The Philosopher, Volume LXXXIV No. 1 Playboy Interview: Ansel Adams -150; candid conversation, Playboy vol. 30, no. 5 (May 1983), p. 68. Montemurro, Beth. Charlotte Chooses Her Choice: Liberal Feminism on Sex and the City in http://160.39.101.217:8080/ramgen/women/montemurro.rm Sekula, Allan On the Invention of Photographic Meaning Artforum 13:5 (January 1975), reprinted in Vicki Goldberg, Photography in Print (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1981), pp. 452-73 Sheppard, Richard, Modernism, Dada, Postmodernism, US: Northwestern University Press (2000) Short, Robert. The Age of Gold: Surrealist Cinema, US: Creation Books (2002) Tagg, John. The Burden of Representation: Essays on Photographies and Histories. Amherst: Massachusetts UP (1988) http://web.mala.bc.ca/atkinsona/112-11%20modernism.htm http://www.usc.edu/schools/annenberg/asc/projects/comm544/library/images/742bg.jpg http://www.massurrealism.com/about/ http://www.stewarthomesociety.org/artstrik.htm

Sociopolitical Philosophy In The Works Of Stoker And Yeats Essay

Sociopolitical Philosophy in the Works of Stoker and Yeats   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Around the turn of this century there was widespread fear throughout Europe, and especially Ireland, of the consequences of the race mixing that was occurring and the rise of the lower classes over the aristocracies in control. In Ireland, the Protestants who were in control of the country began to fear the rise of the Catholics, which threatened their land and political power. Two Irish authors of the period, Bram Stoker and William Butler Yeats, offer their views on this â€Å"problem† in their works of fiction. These include Stoker's Dracula and Yeats' On Baile's Strand and The Only Jealousy of Emer, and these works show the authors' differences in ideas on how to deal with this threat to civilization. Stoker feels that triumph over this threat can only be achieved by the defeat of these â€Å"demonic† forces through modernity, while Yeats believes that only by facing the violent and demonic forces and emerging from them could Ireland return to its ancient and traditional roots and find its place in society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The vampire was a common metaphor used by many authors in an attempt to portray the rising lower class and foreign influence as evil and harmful to modern civilization. The Irish Protestant author Sheridan Le Fanu uses vampires to represent the Catholic uprising in Ireland in his story Carmilla. Like much of gothic fiction, Carmilla is about the mixing of blood and the harm that results from it. When vampires strike, they are tainting the blood of the pure and innocent, causing them to degenerate into undead savages who will take over and colonize until their race makes up the condition of the whole world. This was the fear the Protestants had of the rising Catholic class. They were seen as a lowly people and the fear was that they too would colonize and degenerate Ireland, and perhaps the rest of Europe, back into a primitive land of savages. This fear of the breakdown of civilization by dark forces is also what Dracula is about.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Dracula, Stoker sets up the heroes and victors of the novel as civilized people, while the foreign villain is ancient and demonic. The book begins with the journal of Jonathan Harker, a stenographer from London who is sent to Transylvania to close a land deal with the mysterious Cou... ...rk forces that threaten it, and removing itself from these forces, in addition to simply delaying the inevitable, will only lead to further tragedy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The works of these two Irish authors are fine pieces of fiction that effectively employ the elements of horror and tragedy which are common in gothic literature, but they also serve as valuable insights into the philosophies that were shared by many Europeans during these times of anxiety and change. It is difficult to say which philosophy is superior to the other. Stoker's Dracula   was published in 1897, while Yeats' works were written later, with The Only Jealousy of Emer  written in 1919, giving him the advantage of witnessing the Easter Rising of 1916. The turmoil of the period was not as simple as modern versus primitive or good versus evil, and certainly not everyone in Europe shared their views or anything close to them, thus making it virtually impossible to judge the superiority of one philosophy over another. While readers may not agree with either of the authors, these works are still entertaining and serve as a testament to the power of literature as a platform for social and political opinion.

Opportune the future Social Issues

Whether your elbows feel offended if they are asked to leave the table, or your fingernails constantly suffer from being the victims of your mouth, bad habits, will always haunt us. It is not easy to totally eliminate or cease continuance of these habits. However, what we need to do to get rid of our habits, is to maintain the ability to weigh the pros and cons of our dreadful practices. More importantly, we need to keep our nation, and our people away from the horrid habit of marijuana usage. It is not necessary to say yes. It is not necessary to encourage legalization. As of today, the nation stands behind three basic ideas of what to do with marijuana; legalize it, make it legal for medicinal purposes only, or keep it as it is, illegal. Through the development of society and the advancement of technology, humankind has constructed many ways to make bad habits appear good. Many argue that the legalization of marijuana will improve our economy, and aid those suffering from diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis and various cancers. This article is designed to cut through the fog of misinformation and manipulation with cold, hard facts. The proposal of legalization has been approached without carefully considering the negative impingement on a person's psyche, one's societal values, the impact on a person's health, and the detrimental effect on one's basic ethics and morals. When the issue of legalization is debated, the medical aspects are always the first factor that is brought into the light of day, while other imperative portions of the issue are left to lie in the dust. Though when it is looked upon, there are many aspects concerning marijuana that can be considered harmful. When marijuana is consumed, it is taken into the body and affects the brain directly, disabling it to think normally. When someone on a â€Å"high† is spoken to, they seem very relaxed and carefree. This, to some may be a positive effect but in reality has been thought of as a definite negative. Paranoia and panic invade the users mind, giving them an unreal perception of reality. Short-term memory, coordination, learning, and problem solving are all factors that negatively affect the brain. How can all these destructive ideas be good? How can the unpleasant possibly succumb and overtake the â€Å"supposed† positives†? Marijuana is a very potent chemical compared to other psychoactive drugs. All the effects listed previous are long term, damaging effects that an individual will be left with. If a person were to use marijuana for medicinal purposes, it can be proposed that in the short term it may be doing good, but in the long term, with all the side effects being left behind; the arguments in support outweigh the disadvantages. The damaging effects of this drug have short-term effects as well, that disturbs and contorts the minds thinking. Research shows that marijuana is not physically addictive, but it can be psychologically addictive. When a person believes he or she is addicted, the feeling stems into a higher usage causing a cycle of detrimental effects. Some short term effects that may be caused by the dangerous drug are problems with memory and learning, distorted perception, difficulty with thinking and problem solving, loss of coordination, increased heart rate, anxiety, paranoia and panic attacks. All these things clutter the mind causing chaos and can lead to dreadful occurrences. Staring at all the things that are able to happen to the mind psychologically, gives the understanding that just because it may be useful in one case does not mean it will be valuable in senses of the overall case. With this said, the question of legalizing marijuana comes into play. Looking at the facts laid out in front of you thus far, the conclusion of what to decide can be made easy. Ethics are defined as a set of principles concerning correct conduct and moral values. One must realize that every single person has a different interpretation of ethics. However, how can society conclude that legalizing marijuana is ethical? It stands to reason that if this behaviour is currently prohibited by law and follows with a severe punishment, it must be widely and clearly judged to be immoral. Canada is on the verge of facing a drug problem, and this problem extends towards all citizens. The children of today, the future leaders of our society will be open to drug usage because inevitably, marijuana smoking will be just as common as the smoking of cigarettes. And why will the government let children grow up in a legal drug-abusing world? Only for selfish and immoral reasons like money. The most potent question to ask is; if marijuana is legalized, is it really worth it to throw all known morals into the trash, and let children be nurtured in a drug filled society? Marijuana promotion is also unethical. If this drug is legalized it will also be promoted, maybe not directly but just the fact of legalization will affect the decisions of millions worldwide. Rules and regulations are what hold civilizations together. When rules are broken there is a certain shaking of the society in consequence of the broken rule. If marijuana is legalized, there will be no more rules to enforce the usage of the drug, thus slowly leading to a deterioration of society. To legalize or not to legalize? That is the question. A question that is running through many peoples' thoughts. The legalization of marijuana is a controversial debate that may never satisfy those in favour of it and against, in the end. Although the final decision is one made by the Ontario Government the impact the new law will have on society is heavily taken into consideration because of the influential role Marijuana has on our modern day society. The legalization of marijuana will have a negative impact on our society mainly because it becomes an invitation for children and adults to use the drug regularly. Children are not one to argue with what is legal, giving them an incentive to smoke marijuana as they do cigarettes negatively effecting their education and future. Although there are many children using marijuana, as it remains illegal, the difficulty of getting a hold of the drug and using it continues to be high. Some people argue that the legalization of this drug will increase the economic conditions of our nation not taking into account the increase in the number of people dependent on the drug. Thereby increasing the amount of money needed to run drug addiction programs, welfare for those who spend away their lifesavings on the drug and an increase for hospital beds and emergency rooms for those who get themselves overdosed or in a medical bind because of the drug. Where would the government find the time and money to support the needs and uses of marijuana? Through a social perspective the legalization of marijuana is detrimental to our society as it corrupts the lives of our children who are our future. When marijuana enters the bloodstream it acts significantly on the brain and the nervous system. Many physical effects take place such as; the heart rate is elevated from an average of 70 beats per minute to 130 or more due to the marijuana smoke containing carbon monoxide. This smoke impairs the oxygen carrying ability of the blood resulting in extra stress placed on the heart because it must work harder to move the blood throughout the body. Marijuana smoke also contains high amounts of tars and irritating chemicals, which damage the throat, windpipe, and lungs. Fungus infections have been found in 50% of marijuana smokers in a study at the University of Wisconsin. These infections (caused by aspergillis fungus) may lead to allergies or serious lung infections from inhaling the fungal spores into the lungs. In addition, marijuana also affects the body's system of fighting infection and its production of hormones, which control important body activities. You begin to have trouble with motor skills, walking, talking, and coordination. It is clear that there are many powerful and complicated immediate effects, which take place when marijuana is absorbed into the bloodstream. This leaves an individual unaware of his/her surroundings and actions, thus making them unfit to make decisions on their own. In addition, smoked marijuana contains more than four hundred different chemicals, including most of the hazardous chemicals found in tobacco smoke. However, a substance called Marinol has been developed for patients who suffer from diseases marijuana can ease. This substance has been studied and approved by the medical community and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the nation's watchdog over unsafe and harmful food and drug products. There are no FDA-approved medications that are smoked. Though many persistently argue that medicinal marijuana will relieve the pain of those who suffer from various diseases, it is clearly proven that they are wrong. In essence, marijuana does not need to be legalized for medicinal purposes. There is already an FDA approved drug being administered to those who need it. Legalization for even medicinal purposes will not drastically ease pain. Ironically, the smoking of this drug threatens to increase the health issues of these patients. Marijuana has often been touted as one of the safest recreational substances available. This is perhaps true. Nonetheless, It would be fallacious to conclude that because the chemicals in marijuana have been found to present fewer dangers than some very harmful substances, the medical or recreational use of marijuana is perfectly safe. In fact, it is simply ridiculous. These arguments and presumptions concerning the legalization of marijuana are more fictitious than a fairy tale. In fact, legalizing marijuana will cause a deterioration of one's health rather than restoring it. There is still a great deal of research to be done concerning the effects of marijuana on humans. This is due to the fact that widespread marijuana use has only become prevalent in this country within the last two or three decades. Therefore, the effects of long-term use are just beginning to become apparent. Should Marijuana be legalized? It is evident that many people who support this bill generally try to construct this horrid habit into something good. Psychologically, ethically, socially and medically, studies and debates are continually pointing a thumbs-down sign for the plan of marijuana legalization to be executed.

Biography of Elizabeth of York, Queen of England

Biography of Elizabeth of York, Queen of England Elizabeth of York (February 11, 1466–February 11, 1503) was a key figure in Tudor history and in the Wars of the Roses. She was the daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville; Queen of England and Queen Consort of Henry VII; and the mother of Henry VIII, Mary  Tudor, and Margaret Tudor, the only woman in history to have been daughter, sister, niece, wife, and mother to English kings. Fast Facts: Elizabeth of York Known For: Queen of England, mother of Henry VIIIBorn: February 11, 1466 in London, EnglandParents: Edward IV and Elizabeth WoodvilleDied:  February 11, 1503 in London, EnglandEducation: Trained in the palace as a future QueenSpouse: Henry VII  (m. January 18, 1486)Children: Arthur, Prince of Wales (September 20, 1486–April 2, 1502); Margaret Tudor (November 28, 1489–October 18, 1541) who married King James IV of Scotland); Henry VIII, King of England (June 18, 1491–January 28, 1547); Elizabeth (July 2, 1492–September 14, 1495); Mary Tudor (March 18, 1496–June 25, 1533) married King Louis XII of France; Edmund, Duke of Somerset (February 21, 1499–June 19, 1500); and Katherine (February 2, 1503) Early Life Elizabeth of York, known alternatively as Elizabeth Plantagenet, was born on February 11, 1466, at Westminster Palace in London, England. She was the eldest of the nine children of Edward IV, king of England (ruled 1461–1483) and his wife Elizabeth Woodville (sometimes spelled Wydeville). Her parents marriage had created trouble, and her father was briefly deposed in 1470. By 1471, likely challengers to her fathers throne had been defeated and killed. Elizabeths early years were spent in comparative calm, despite the disagreements and battles going on around her. She likely began her formal education in the palace by age 5 or 6, and learned history and alchemy from her father and his library. She and her sisters were taught by ladies-in-waiting, and by observing Elizabeth Woodville in action, the skills and accomplishments considered appropriate for future queens. That included reading and writing in English, mathematics, and household management, as well as needlework, horsemanship, music, and dancing. She spoke some French, but not fluently. In 1469, at the age of 3, Elizabeth was betrothed to George Neville, but it was called off when his father supported Edward VIIs rival, the Earl of Warwick. In August 29, 1475, Elizabeth was 11 and, as part of the Treaty of Picquigny, she became betrothed to Louis XIs son, the Dauphin Charles, who at the time was 5 years old. Louis reneged on the treaty in 1482.   Death of Edward IV In 1483, with the sudden death of her father Edward IV, Elizabeth of York was at the center of the storm, as the eldest child of King Edward IV. Her younger brother was declared Edward V, but because he was 13, his fathers brother Richard Plantagenet was named regent protector. Before Edward V could be crowned, Richard imprisoned him and his younger brother Richard in the Tower of London. Richard Plantagenet took the English crown as Richard III, and had the marriage of Elizabeth of Yorks parents declared invalid, claiming Edward IV had been betrothed before the marriage had occurred. Though Elizabeth of York was by that declaration made illegitimate, Richard III was rumored to have had plans to marry her. Elizabeths mother, Elizabeth Woodville, and Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry Tudor, a Lancastrian claiming to be heir to the throne, planned another future for Elizabeth of York: marriage to Henry Tudor when he overthrew Richard III. The two princes, the only surviving male heirs of Edward IV, disappeared. Some have assumed that Elizabeth Woodville must have known, or at least guessed, that her sons, the Princes in the Tower, were already dead because she put her efforts into her daughters marriage to Henry Tudor. Henry Tudor Richard III was killed on the battlefield in 1485, and Henry Tudor (Henry VII) succeeded him, declared himself King of England by right of conquest. He delayed some months in marrying the Yorkist heiress, Elizabeth of York, until after his own coronation. They were married in January 1486, gave birth to their first child, Arthur, in September, and she was crowned Queen of England in November 25, 1487. Their marriage established the Tudor dynasty of the British crown. Her marriage to Henry VII brought together the House of Lancaster which Henry VII represented (though he grounded his claim to the crown of England in conquest, not birth), and the House of York, which Elizabeth represented. The symbolism of a Lancastrian king marrying a Yorkist queen brought together the red rose of Lancaster and the white rose of York, ending the Wars of the Roses. Henry adopted the Tudor Rose as his symbol, colored both red and white. Children Elizabeth of York apparently lived peacefully in her marriage. She and Henry had seven children, four surviving to adulthood- a fairly decent percentage for the time. Three of the four became kings or queens in their own right: Margaret Tudor (November 28, 1489–October 18, 1541) who married King James IV of Scotland); Henry VIII, King of England (June 18, 1491–January 28, 1547); Elizabeth (July 2, 1492–September 14, 1495); Mary Tudor (March 18, 1496–June 25, 1533) married King Louis XII of France; Edmund, Duke of Somerset (February 21, 1499–June 19, 1500); and Katherine (February 2, 1503). Their oldest son, Arthur, Prince of Wales (September 20, 1486–April 2, 1502) married Catherine of Aragon, a third cousin of both Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, in 1501. Catherine and Arthur became ill with sweating sickness soon after, and Arthur died in 1502. Death and Legacy Its been surmised that Elizabeth became pregnant again to try to have another male heir for the throne after Arthurs death, in case the surviving son, Henry died. Bearing heirs was, after all, one of the most crucial responsibilities of a queen consort, especially to the hopeful founder of a new dynasty, the Tudors. If so, it was a mistake. Elizabeth of York died in the Tower of London on February 11, 1503, at the age 37, of complications of the birth of her seventh child, a girl named Katherine, who died at birth on February 2. Only three of Elizabeths children survived at her death: Margaret, Henry, and Mary. Elizabeth of York is buried at the Henry VII Lady Chapel, Westminster Abbey. The relationship of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York is not well-documented, but there are several surviving documents which suggest a tender and loving relationship. Henry was said to have withdrawn in sorrow at her death; he never remarried, though it might have been advantageous diplomatically to do so; and he spent lavishly for her funeral, though he was usually quite tight with money. Fictional Representations Elizabeth of York is a character in Shakespeares Richard III. She has little to say there; she is merely a pawn to be married to either Richard III or Henry VII. Because she is the last Yorkist heir (assuming her brothers, the Princes in the Tower, have been killed), her childrens claim to the crown of England will be more secure. Elizabeth of York is also one of the major characters in the 2013 series  The White Queen  and is the key character in 2017 series The White Princess. Elizabeth of Yorks picture is the usual depiction of a queen in card decks. Sources License, Amy. Elizabeth of York: The Forgotten Tudor Queen. Gloucestershire, Amberley Publishing, 2013.Naylor Okerlund, Arlene. Elizabeth of York. New York: St. Martins Press, 2009.Weir, Alison. Elizabeth of York: A Tudor Queen and Her World. New York: Ballantine Books, 2013.

How to Recycle Different Types of Plastic

How to Recycle Different Types of Plastic Plastic is a versatile and inexpensive material with thousands of uses, but it is also a significant source of pollution. Some worrisome emerging environmental issues involve plastics, including gigantic oceanic garbage patches  and the microbeads problem. Recycling can alleviate some of the problems, but the confusion over what we can and cannot recycle continues to confound consumers. Plastics are particularly  troublesome, as different types require different processing to be reformulated and re-used as raw material. To effectively recycle plastic items, you need to know two things: the plastic number of the material, and which of these types of plastics your municipalitys recycling service accepts. Many facilities now accept #1 through #7  but check with them first to make sure. Recycling by the Numbers The symbol code we are familiar with - a single digit ranging from 1 to 7 surrounded by a triangle of arrows - was designed by The Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) in 1988 to allow consumers and recyclers to differentiate types of plastics while providing a uniform coding system for manufacturers. The numbers, which 39 U.S. states now require to be molded or imprinted on all eight-ounce to five-gallon containers that can accept the half-inch minimum-size symbol, identify the type of plastic. According to the American Plastics Council, an industry trade group, the symbols also help recyclers do their jobs more effectively. PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) The easiest and most common plastics to recycle are made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and are assigned the number 1. Examples include soda and water bottles, medicine containers, and many other common consumer product containers. Once it has been processed by a recycling facility, PET can become fiberfill for winter coats, sleeping bags, and life jackets. It can also be used to make beanbags, rope, car bumpers, tennis ball felt, combs, sails for boats, furniture and, of course, other plastic bottles. However tempting it may be,  PET #1 bottles should not be re-purposed as reusable water bottles. HDPE (High-density polyethylene plastics) Number 2 is reserved for high-density polyethylene plastics (HDPE). These include heavier containers that hold laundry detergents and bleaches as well as milk, shampoo, and motor oil. Plastic labeled with the number 2 is often recycled into toys, piping, truck bed liners, and rope. Like plastic designated number 1, it is widely accepted at recycling centers. V (Vinyl) Polyvinyl chloride, commonly used in plastic pipes, shower curtains, medical tubing, vinyl dashboards, gets number 3. Once recycled, it can be ground up and reused to make vinyl flooring, window frames, or piping. LDPE (Low-density polyethylene) Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is number 4 and is used to make thin, flexible plastics like wrapping films, grocery bags, sandwich bags, and a variety of soft packaging materials. PP (Polypropylene) Some food containers are made with the stronger polypropylene plastic (number 5) as well as a large proportion of plastic caps. PS (Polystyrene) Number 6 goes on polystyrene (commonly called  Styrofoam) items such as coffee cups, disposable cutlery, meat trays, packing â€Å"peanuts† and insulation. It can be reprocessed into many items, including rigid insulation. However, the foam versions of plastic #6 (for example, cheap coffee cups) pick up a lot of dirt and other contaminants during the handling process, and often just ends up being thrown away at the recycling facility.   Others Last, are items crafted from various combinations of the aforementioned plastics or from unique plastic formulations not commonly used. Usually imprinted with a number 7 or nothing at all, these plastics are the most difficult to recycle. If your municipality accepts #7, good, but otherwise you will have to re-purpose the object or throw it in the trash. Better yet, do  not buy it in the first place. More ambitious consumers can feel free to return such items to the product manufacturers to avoid contributing to the local waste stream, and instead, put the burden on the makers to recycle or dispose of the items properly. EarthTalk is a regular feature of E/The Environmental Magazine. Selected EarthTalk columns are reprinted here by permission of the editors of E. Edited by Frederic Beaudry.

Global Perspective Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Global Perspective - Essay Example The military power which both the US and the USSR accumulated, most especially weapons of mass destruction, quite effectively dictated the impossibility of their engaging in direct armed conflict. Such a conflict would have led to the deaths of millions upon millions of people, not to mention the probable obliteration of entire cities. At the same time, however, these two nations were adversaries and, because of their ideological differences, disagreements between them were as intense as that between warring nations. The US and the USSR were caught in a war with one another but had to avoid the possibility of this war turning hot.' Accordingly, their conflict assumed the form of a race for industrial development, a contest over the acquisition of satellite states, an arms race and even a space war. They may have avoided direct military confrontation but they quite often engaged in indirect warfare through proxy states, as in the Vietnam War or the first Afghanistan War, to name but two examples. Indeed, they divided the world between them. As may have been inferred from the foregoing argument, the United States and the Soviet Union were in a war with one another and the conflict between them was as contentious and as dangerous as any which had ever unfolded between two nations.

Country Analysis Bangladesh Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Country Analysis Bangladesh - Essay Example The rural birth rate was higher than birth rates in urban areas; in 1985 there were 36.3 births per 1,000 in the countryside versus 28 per 1,000 in urban areas. The crude death rate per 1,000 people decreased from 40.7 in 1951 to 12 per 1,000 in 1985; the urban crude death rate was 8.3, and the rural crude death rate was 12.9. The infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births was 111.9 in 1985, a distinct improvement from as recently as 1982, when the rate was 121.9. Life expectancy at birth was estimated at 55.1 years in 1986. Men and women have very similar life expectancies at 55.4 and 55, respectively. Population Distribution: In the late 1980s, about 82 percent of the population of Bangladesh (a total of 15.1 million households) resided in rural areas. With the exception of parts of Sylhet and Rangamati regions, where settlements occurred in nucleated or clustered patterns, the villages were scattered collections of homesteads surrounded by trees. Continuous strings of settlements along the roadside were also common in the southeastern part of the country. Until the 1980s, Bangladesh was the most rural nation in South Asia. In 1931 only 27 out of every 1,000 persons were urban dwellers in what is now Bangladesh. In 1931 Bangladesh had fifty towns; by 1951 the country had eighty-nine towns, cities, and municipalities. During the 1980s, industrial development began to have a small effect on urbanization. The 1974 census had put the urban population of Bangladesh at 8.8 percent of the total; by 1988 that proportion had reached 18 percent and was projected to rise to 30 percent by th e year 2000. Figure 1.1 - Bangladesh Population Graph Urbanization: In 1981 only two cities, Dhaka and Chittagong, had more than 1 million residents. Seven other cities--Narayanganj, Khulna, Barisal, Saidpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, and Comilla--each had more than 100,000 people. Of all the expanding cities, Dhaka, the national capital and the principal seat of culture, had made the most gains in population, growing from 335,928 in 1951 to 3.4 million in 1981. rank country population 2005 1. China 1,315,844,000 2. India 1,103,371,000 3. USA 298,213,000 4. Indonesia 222,781,000 5. Brazil 186,405,000 6. Pakistan 157,935,000 7. Russia 143,202,000 8. Bangladesh 141,822,000 9. Nigeria 131,530,000 10. Japan 128,085,000 Figure 1.2 - World Population Table RESOURCES Migration: Internal migration indicated several recognizable trends. Because of increasing population pressure, people in the 1980s were moving into areas of relatively light habitation in the Chittagong Hills and in parts of the Sundarbans previously considered marginally habitable. Agrarian distress caused some movement to urban areas, especially Dhaka. Because of the inhospitable urban environment and the lack of jobs, many newcomers returned at least temporarily to their villages, especially during the harvest season. Unemployment, however, was even