Stereotypes and Excuses in Literature and Media Essays

Stereotypes and Excuses in Literature and Media Essays Stereotypes and Excuses in Literature and Media Essay Stereotypes and Excuses in Literature and Media Essay The human mind contains one’s true identity; usually, however, one’s mind can also overlook this. Oftentimes people are swayed by popular images of people and act using those opinions. Society floods humankind with these perspectives so excessively through media that it has become an issue. After reading Night, watching Primetime’s What Would You Do? and The Lunch Date, an important message to be grasped throughout this unit is that stereotypes do not define a person because it diminishes individuality, which gives the oppressor an excuse to treat the oppressed with disrespect. Night, a memoir by Elie Wiesel demonstrates the prejudice against Jews and the immoral actions that are thoughtlessly produced. When Elie arrives at Birkenau, a SS officer â€Å"[looks them] over as if [they] were a pack of leprous dogs hanging onto [their] lives† (Wiesel 47). He then threatens them to â€Å"work or [to] the crematory† (Wiesel 47). The officer disregards that Elie and the other prisoners are men. Knowing the effect of the words he produces, he holds fear over the prisoners heads, oppressing them because of unjust verifications. The stereotyping also displays its ways through Elie’s father when he politely asks a gypsy where the lavatories are. Rather than responding â€Å"the gypsy [looks] him up and down slowly as if he wanted to convince himself that this man addressing him was really a creature of flesh and bone† (Wiesel 48). After examining Elie’s father, the gypsy knocks him off of his feet with a punch. The gypsy simply ignor es the harmless nature of Elie’s father’s question and convinces himself that Elie’s father is a creature like the Germans emphasize. The man uses this as a justification to subject Elie’s father to violence. The series of acts put on the prisoners present the immoral outcome of stereotypes that corrode a person’s identity. The ABC Primetime series, What Would You Do?, epitomizes how people can be

By SP essays

By SP essays Hammurabi, said to be the greatest leader of Ancient Mesopotamia, laid out a set of laws which emphasizes retribution as a form of punishment ("an eye for an eye"). It is my belief that Hammurabi was a just ruler who took into consideration all things that affected his people. The Code of Hammurabi is very similar to our laws and yet it is completely different. Hammurabis set of laws heavily relies on retaliation which has no place in the twenty- first century. But Code number 203, states that "If a free-born man strike the body of another free-born man or equal rank, he shall pay on gold mina," this reminds one of small claims court. But in a case it is different because a modern day society does not poke out the eye of an assailant, (number 196 "If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out"). It is my belief that Hammurabi was a just man but I would not choose to live under his code because of its harsh punishments. For instance, using the above example, what would happen if the eye incident was an accident? There are catch-22s and holes in the code even though it is well thought out. In conclusion, Hammurabi, said to be the greatest leader of Ancient Mesopotamia, laid out a set of laws which emphasizes retribution as a form of punishment ("an eye for an eye"). It is my belief that Hammurabi was a just ruler who took into consideration all things that affected his people. ...

Db5 diversity in the workplace Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Db5 diversity in the workplace - Research Paper Example It is also mean to increase the number of women in the employment sector. In my opinion, I believe affirmative action had fair intensions. This is because the programs were designed so as to provide individuals who are qualified with a fair and equal access to recruitment and opportunities. This is because the polices states that the people responsible in hiring and recruiting people should give fair and equal chances of evaluation regardless of the candidates gender, race or ethnic background. This makes sure that all people get opportunities equally (Tucker, 2000). It also increases social and economic diversity in the American educational system and workplace. Currently, the affirmative action has created a stronger educational and workplace diversity. This is because students of all races have been equally admitted into academic institutions. It has also made sure that women have increased in number in jobs that predominantly were occupied by males (Sadler, 1996). The program has ensured a rich diversity in colleges. There have been greater gains in the enrollment and graduations for women and people of colored skin at higher education institutions. Generally, I believe the affirmative action has had positive effects to the

Leadership Application Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Leadership Application Project - Essay Example Leadership By Example We have read or heard people who have etched their name in history books as a great leader of their time, whether in fame or notoriety. People like Moses in the Bible, Churchill and Hitler during the World War II or Obama and Bin Laden in the 21st century have captured the imagination of the world. They were leaders on their own right, whether chosen by their people or self proclaimed themselves. There are so many types of leadership: charismatic, participative, situational, transactional, transformational, quiet, and servant. What do these people have that they have so many followers? What are their traits? Do they have maxims they earnestly follow? For this project, we will try to look into the style of leadership which an individual can follow which will eventually make him/her a good leader. Firstly, let’s define what leadership is, according to Northouse (2007)â€Å"Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objecti ve and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent† (p. 3) in simple term, it is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal or objective. There is a notion that leaders are born rather than made. On the contrary, leaders are made through knowledge and skills which is called â€Å"Process Leadership† by Jago, 1982. Jago added that we have traits that can influence our actions which he termed as â€Å"Trait Leadership†. When we are task to lead people, we will be confronted on how to strategize them to follow what we have initially planned, in order to achieve our goal. In this case, we choose the leadership by example because study shows this is what the great leaders demonstrated in achieving their objectives. As Mahatma Gandhi once said â€Å"You must be the change you wish to see in the world.† It is not from another person that we rely for an answer to our problem, it should come from us. No matter our position or role maybe we can take the initiative and make the decision to show the way for others. I would like to cite a simple case in a family. The father, usually the breadwinner, who will take care of the basic needs of the family, that is, food, shelter and clothing. If the father remiss his duty-bound responsibilities because of his irresponsible attitude and unsound decisions, he will not gain support worse respect from his children and spouse. The father should be a role model to his children by leading by example. By showing that you care for their well-being and have an open communication, these two traits alone will work effectively in the family. How do we correlate this in an organization or a big corporation? In a setting where a leader plays a vital role to accomplish an organization’s objectives, he/she should have the traits, skills and knowledge necessary to perform his/her assigned task effectively. A classic example of a perso n balancing family and corporate affairs effectively is psychologist Lily Kelly-Radford, a vice-president of the prominent nonprofit Center for Creative Leadership (CCL). As quoted by Deborah Smith Bailey, Kelly-Radford says â€Å"if you’re good at what you do, take self-care measures and get creative about integrating your work and family life, you can be a successful leader and fulfill personal obligations† (Monitor Staff). She had an extensive experience in teaching and private consulting prior

The impact of ICT on the local community Essay Example for Free

The impact of ICT on the local community Essay Introduction I live in the borough of Waltham Forest. Waltham Forest is quite an advanced community in terms of technology. Technology is used for various things, whether to make them more efficient or to provide a better service. Walthamstow is a small town located within Waltham Forest, which also harbours Leyton and Leytonstone. It is located to the North East of London and bordered to the north by Chingford, to the south by Leyton and Leytonstone, to the east by Epping Forest, to the west by Tottenham and the River Lea valley. Walthamstow is identified by the London plan as one of the 35 major centres in Greater London. Walthamstows market is one of the longest daily outdoor markets in Europe and dominates the High Street. There are various shops lined along the high street with some high-end chain brands to several individually opened stalls that specialise in food, fabrics, household goods and other such stuff. The Mall in Selborne Walk is the largest place in the area to find lots of different brand shops selling high-end goods manufactured and produced to the mass public via corporations instead of individual businesses. The individual businesses tend to be all located outside on the high street. The central library has also recently been refurbished and modernised. It was expanded from 2006-2007 to hold a wider range of books to serve to the public and provide a much better service. Walthamstow also contains other things such as post offices, arcades, funfairs, charity events and a variety of different schools. These include the Frederick Bremer School (a coalition formed in 2008 of the two schools Aveling Park and Warwick School for Boys), Forest School, The Holy Family Technology College, Kelmscott School, Walthamstow Academy, Walthamstow School for Girls, Willowfield School and Sir George Monoux College. There is also the Walthamstow Town Hall. The town hall is used for a variety of things, from important council meeting to being rented for other reasons of necessity e.g. during the Muslim holiday, Eid, the Town hall was used as a place of mass prayer. The National Rail and London Underground Stations include Walthamstow Central Underground and National Rail station, Blackhorse Road Underground and National Rail station, Walthamstow Queens Road, Wood Street, Highams Park and St James Street. The biggest would be the Walthamstow Central Underground and National Rail station which is, as the name states, in the central of the town. It is located near the location of the main bus stations that go around the whole town and near the Selborne Walk Mall. This makes it quite an efficient place as people can travel throughout the town simply after arriving at the station. The station in particular is located on the East end of the Victoria Line, being the last stop. The bus services are also quite complex. There exists a full infrastructure Hopper Service and a multi point-to-point network which is serviced to and from the main bus terminal in Walthamstow Central to a cross network passing through the centre and the outskirts. The five pieces of technology I will be investigating, assessing and evaluating will be the following: * Oyster-card/Travel system * Librarian system * ATM machines * Waltham Forest Council website * CCTV/Metropolitan website Oyster card/Travel system The Oyster card system is a system that functions throughout all of London, within the Tube and Bus services. It is a form of electronic ticketing which uses a database system to track travel information, linking it back to the owner of the corresponding oyster card, and charges them to the appropriate degree for the travelling expenses of the services they used. Oyster cards generally need to be topped-up to be used and works similar in this function to a debit card. The following travel systems incorporate the Oyster card: London Underground, buses, the Docklands Light Railway, London Overground, trams, certain river boat services and the majority of National Rail Services within the London Fare Zones. The Oyster card generally appears as the blue card seen above. It can be used as a single-ticket, period tickets and travel permit. It is also integrated with a Smart card system which uses certain data in the Oyster card to be able to, without using contact, be detected by Oyster card machines. Buses and train platforms use Oyster card machines to scan the card. Once the beep is identified, the person is let through. However, there are also different versions of Oyster cards which also come with different prices and a different appearance. For example, the card to the right is an example of an 11-15 age group Oyster Card and is what all Oyster card holders in that age period hold. In this card, a photographic identification is needed. How the Oyster card and London travel system meets the communitys needs The Oyster card is a small, portable, easy to carry card that carries on it the data of all your travelling expenses and money stored on the Oyster card system. Not only this, but it also holds the advantage over tickets of being cheaper and providing discounts, with buses being completely free for 11-15 year olds. All of these provide the incentive to switch from the out-dated ticket method to the modernised Oyster card system. What this does for the community is provides them with a much more efficient and cheaper system. An oyster card can be topped up to a maximum of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½90. This would be equal to about 45 single tickets but the oyster card is capable of carrying this all in one simple card that stores data inside it. People can be much more organised with this system and save a lot of money in the long run. They can keep track of their travels and how much they are spending. Its portability is another thing that is extremely valuable to people who use the Oyster card system. People dont need to go and purchase a ticket and sort it all out. All they need to do is get their oyster card, tap it on the system and their travelling business is sorted! It makes travelling using public services much more simple for anyone using it. The smart card feature instils a small bit of data into the card, meaning that its data can be detected with the oyster card readers the government installs. People dont have to take their oyster card out of their wallets as the card reader can detect the card through wallets. This makes things easier, especially in crowded buses. The hassle of taking everything out, locating the card and removing it can overcomplicate things and waste time. The smart card feature takes away this long process and gives people the ability to simply tap and move on. The travel system incorporates a countdown system on trains and buses to allow people to approximately see when the bus/train will arrive, whether itd be late, early or on time. People can use this to know when to be present at the station so they can have time to do other things and know when to be back at the station. This gives people the chance to spend their time wisely instead of waiting at a station not knowing how long left to wait and not wanting to miss the train or bus, either. The countdown system on the train is more accurate as its all computerised but on buses, most of them are used via a time schedule on paper. The countdown system essentially allows people to organise their time, plan out much more thoroughly their journey and avoid being late to appointments. Theres a site created by the government that goes along with the travel system called Transport for London, accessed from www.tfl.gov.uk. This site has information about everything regarding the oyster card system, the train system and in general, any public transport facility in all of London. But other than information, it also has a travel planner allowing you to plan a journey, avoiding any problems such as closed lines or to be aware of any accidents that have currently took place. This allows you to plan a safe, fast journey with no obstacles delaying you. This helps people to be punctual on their journey. The site also allows you to log on and view your information. Using this, you can check the money on your Oyster Card and top it up using a credit card. This means that you can pre-plan your journey to make sure you have enough money preventing any problems when travelling. You can also find other information on the site regarding oyster cards, e.g. losing the card, replacing the card, benefits and many more. Buses have the ability to be manually stopped at certain stops but also have the choice to go past the stops. This means that unnecessary stops where no one needs to get off or no one needs to get on can be skipped thus saving time and allowing people to get to their desired destination faster. People can plan where they want to stop or skip the stop if need be. There is also the emergency stop which stops at any location in case something dangerous happens. This allows people to get off the bus in case of a casualty of some sort. As mentioned in the countdown system, buses have quite a strict schedule they need to follow. The schedules are all listed in each bus stop or on the tfl.gov site so people know when a certain bus will arrive. This can be more useful than the countdown system as the schedules stay the same every day. This means that people can plan their journey right to the dot and get to the station right when the bus arrives. People know when exactly to arrive, so they arent too early or too late. This saves them time. Summary * While not completely necessary to use public transport in Waltham Forest, it provides the incentive of discounted use of trains and buses, with buses being completely free with an 11-15 Oyster card * Easy to carry and easy to handle on buses and trains * Smart card feature allows a much easier contact/purchase of transport service, only needing a touch of the Oyster card and nothing more * Countdown system in buses and trains give people a lot more preparation and organisation to their daily schedule * Transport system has its own website-Transport for London-that displays all kinds of information and latest news regarding the transport system * Buses can be manually stopped and requested to stop at certain stops and if no requests are made, no stops happen thus saving time and helping people get where they want to faster * Buses all follow a strict schedule so people know when to expect a bus to arrive and at exactly what minute of the hour How it fails to meet the communitys needs A lot of times, you naturally assume that the bus will stop. However, if there is no one needing to be picked up or no one who has pressed the button to stop the bus, then the bus would simply carry on. This can cause a lot of people to be late due to carelessness which happens quite a lot. People have to stay alert when their stops are coming by otherwise the bus might simply pass it before they realise. Oyster cards are small and can be lost quite easily. They also cost quite a bit to replace and take up to a week for a new one to arrive. This can put a halt to travelling plans or force you to spend extra on buying tickets. Oyster cards, when lost or stolen, can still be used unless reported stolen. As a lot of buses or trains dont generally check if the ID/photograph matches, someone can easily just use your oyster card for their own travelling needs and use up your own money supplies topped up on the oyster card. While buses have a schedule, they can ruin it by coming late. This can be due to an emergency, an accident or just simple traffic. They can also come early causing some people to miss the bus and theyd have to wait for the next one. This can cause a few problems for people in terms of punctuality. Summary * Manual stops cause you to miss yours and ruin your schedule * Oyster cards cost a lot of money to replace and are quite easy to lose * Oyster cards can easily be used by a thief using your own money without being detected * Buses can ruin schedules by coming late due to an accident of sorts Conclusion The Oyster card/travelling system is extremely useful for a citizen in London. Its an extremely advantageous system to have and people benefit tremendously. It saves a lot of money for people in contrast to the previous ticket system and makes peoples travel much more organised and safe. People can premeditate their plans and journeys and plan through any foreseeable interruptions. The community find it much more beneficial in terms of arriving on time. Walthamstow Library/Librarian system A library is essentially a building or room containing books, periodicals and occasionally DVDs or CDs ranging from music to movies for people to loan for a period of time. It can also be a place to study, access computers, access a WiFi connection and lots more, depending on the library. The library in Walthamstow is called the Walthamstow Library. It is located on the Walthamstow High Street, one of the biggest high streets in the country. This means it is easily accessible to a large range of people as the high street is linked to a lot of transport facilities. Its area is extremely efficient as it can take advantage of the large amount of shoppers and shops in the area. It is open every day apart from Thursdays and Fridays. As well as providing the usual functions a library would, it also provides events to kids and even adults in the area such as specialty classes (computer, reading etc.). But the most beneficial thing a library provides to its community would be the loaning of books, DVDs and other such things which is essentially controlled by the librarian system. The library system in Walthamstow also connects with the library systems in other towns in London. They all share one database. Having worked in Leytonstone Library, I had access and in-depth experience to how exactly the librarian system works in the community. The library system works in correspondence with a library card which links to a database called OpenGalaxy. This database contains information of all the people who signed up to any of the libraries in all of London, unless they use another database. It also contains information of all the books in London that have been sent to the library. These books are then linked to each person in the database when they either loan or return it. The library can easily track each book and who it is currently loaned to using this system. How Walthamstow Library and the Librarian system meets the communitys needs The OpenGalaxy system essentially allows anyone, as long as they have simply signed up for a free library card, to loan a book, CD or DVD. Books are free to loan and CDs and DVDs come at a small charge. This allows people who cant afford to buy such things to simply borrow them and give them back. People have free or cheap access to things they usually would have to pay for. People of all kinds are allowed to enjoy books due to the library. People can use this system to reserve books from libraries not just in their local one, i.e. Newham Library and such as the system is connected between all the branches. This means that it is much easier to track a book you might not be able to find elsewhere as there is a large source in which you are searching in. People can also have internet access via laptops due to the public WiFi connection in the library. People who dont usually have access to such privilege can do so via the library. They can do all sorts of things to the internet e.g. research, study or even play games. There is also a quiet room where these people can go so they wont be disturbed in any way. People can find a place to go to where they can focus and not be distracted. The library also gives people free access to computers as long as they have a library card. People are given the chance to work on these computers if they dont have one themselves and its all a free service. This means that people who cant maintain their own computer or internet are given the chance to via a library. The library becomes an important place for people like this. The library also offers children/adult sessions on various things like singing groups, computer classes etc. These can be extremely helpful for busy parents who can simply leave their children here where they would be looked after and socialise with other kids. Adult sessions also mean that uneducated people can be taught how to do certain things that are necessary in this modern age e.g. use a computer which is an essential skill to keep up with the fast modernisation of the world. People who dont have access to a printer or photocopier at home can use the library. This means that people save money on not having to purchase their own printer and photocopier as they can simply use the library. People can print out work or photocopy posters and such using the library. Summary * People can loan a large variety of books, CDs and DVDs * People can use this system to reserve books not limited to their local branch * People can use the library to connect to WiFi * People can use the computers free of charge as long as they have a library card * People can use the quiet room to study in the library * People can take advantage of the librarys children or adult sessions * People can take advantage of the photocopying/printing privileges How it fails to meet the communitys needs The library has a minimal amount of faults as they are a funded public service to the community and do well in serving and providing to the general public. However, there are a few. For example, a library card has your library identity in it. If it gets lost or stolen and goes unreported, people can take books and not return them all under your name, thus giving you the blame. Also, the library card is extremely harsh with overdue books. If a book goes overdue, you have to pay a large fine or you cannot use the loaning system any longer. This fee soon increases if you dont pay and eventually becomes impossible to pay for some people as they would either refuse or just not bother with such a high amount. People would also have to pay an exaggerated amount if they lose the book. This can be a problem to people who cannot afford to simply pay this money, stopping them from loaning any more books. Summary * Library cards can be easily lost or stolen and used to steal books under your name * Pay a large fine for books you have lost or not returned within the due date Conclusion The library is a place with many uses and helps the needy who cant afford their own resources. It is an extremely valuable asset to the community as it provides a place to gain knowledge, finish work and study in peace. ATM machines ATM machines, also known as the automated teller machines, are public and easily accessible machines that give you the ability to access your bank account without the need of going to a banker, cashier or any kind of human interaction. They generally work via a pin number and an insertion of the credit card into the ATM. It then displays your credit card credentials, balance and gives you the option to withdraw and deposit your desired amount. How ATM machines meet the communitys needs With the ATM machine, people save the time by not having to go to a bank and wait in a long queue. An ATM machine simply does all these things for you. You can check your balance and withdraw plus deposit money. Its a very efficient method of transferring money from your bank account. Its a quick, fast and simple method to use. The ATM machine has easy instructions to follow to use it so even the most novice person can use it just by following the instructions given. You simply have to enter your credit card, pin number and then the action you want to take. This makes it easy for a lot of people to transfer money and saves a lot of time. Its located in a lot of ideal and efficient areas, such as outside a supermarket. This allows people to use them when theyre in a dire need of money without having to do something elongated such as going to a bank to withdraw a simple amount of money. If you forget some money you need, you can simply go to one of the easily accessible ATMs which are located in a wide area. This saves people a lot of hassle. The ATM machine can print receipts so if there are any errors due to a technical difficulty, you have proof that the transfer did take place. This saves a lot of problems that occur with the ATM machine and allows the transfer to be much more secure. If people stole your credit card, they could just take it to an ATM machine; steal all the money, leave the credit card and run away. The need of a pin number, which should only be known by the owner of the card, prevents this. A lot of credit card fraud is negated this way. Summary * Negates the need of the prolonged method of going to a banker * Quick, fast and simple to use * Located in a lot of areas allowing you to withdraw money in a large variety of places * Allows you to get money out when you most need it, meaning you dont have to carry large amounts of money wherever you go and put yourself at risk * Printable receipts so you can have proof of withdrawal or deposit in-case a problem occurs * Need of pin number prevents a lot of fraud How it fails to meet the communitys needs However, credit card fraud still takes place even with the need of a pin. It is easy to peek over and see what exactly the pin number is. This can also work with fake ATM machines to steal a lot of money from people. ATM machines are located in a lot of different places so itd be hard to tell if an ATM machine is fake or real. People can easily be taken advantage of in this way. Con artists can place ATM machines and use it to steal or copy a credit card and take a pin number and use it to steal lots of money from the credit card. People can easily be stolen from in this way. People are also easy targets to being mugged. If you are seen coming from an ATM machine, people assume you are carrying a mystery amount of money on you. This puts you as an ideal target for thieves who see you coming from an ATM machine. Thats why it is very dangerous to use one in a secluded area. The efficient, easy use of an ATM machine to withdraw cash can also be a big downside. With the ease of money transfer which is supposed to be securely stored, it might tempt you to withdraw too much for personal needs. ATM machines are strategically located outside casinos so when people gamble, they might be tempted to withdraw more money, especially with how easy it would be. Summary * Easy to fraud despite the need for a pin * Fake ATM machines placed in random locations by thieves and con artists might be used * Easy target for theft if seen coming from an ATM machine * Can tempt you to spend too much, especially if placed outside something such as a casino Conclusion ATM machines can be seen as being essential to a community as they allow the community to transfer money much faster and stops banks from being overcrowded. However, a lot of ATM machines in unsecure locations may put you at the risk of credit card fraud. So, while using them might be useful in terms of saving time and practicality, you are also put at the risk of being a target of criminals. Waltham Forest Council website The Waltham Forest council website is an extremely useful website that can easily be accessed from any computer, as long as they have internet. It provides help with living in the community and information regarding lots of things, such as education, jobs, leisure, information on services in the community e.g. timetables, open dates, events, and many more. People can access a feature called My services where they can do many things such as apply for housing, jobs, parking permits etc. to paying council tax and checking business rates and paying off parking fines. It provides a lot for this community and supports the whole communitys needs in lots of different ways. How the Walthamstow Forest Council website meets the communitys needs The vast amount of information which the site holds involving the borough is staggering. Anything you need to know is located on this site. You can learn about events, shops, clubs, schools and many more. People can use the site to find out all they want about the area they live in. People have access via this site to do things related to fines, taxes and other such things. This means that people wont have to get out of their house to do such things. It can all be paid via the website. This is extremely efficient and saves the community a lot of time. People can use the site to find any vacancies in the area in different areas of the job market. They can have up to date information on when a vacancy opens and do all they can to try and find a job, whether it be part time or full time. This is extremely useful to the large amount of unemployed who can simply find any open jobs using this site without having to go to job centres and such. Parents can look up education and find the best schools to go to in the area for their children using the site. They can find which school would fit their exact location and needs. This is extremely useful and helpful to children as parents can choose which school would suit their child best. You can find any current events or news that happen in the borough via the site. You can keep up to date with anything that happens. This beats the need for newspapers and makes sure people dont miss any community events. Summary * A large amount of information pertaining to the borough * Access to services and ability to do things such as pay fines and taxes which saves time doing it in real life * Find jobs in your area * Look up schools in your area * Find out any current events happening in the borough How it fails to meet the communitys needs The website does not necessarily have any disadvantages. But it does need an internet access which a lot of people still dont have or know how to use. Summary * Needs internet access Conclusion People, living in not just Walthamstow, but the whole of Waltham Forest benefit greatly from this site. They can keep up to date with their lives and know everything going on in the surrounding area. They can find out about jobs, education and other important factors of life. CCTV/Metropolitan website The CCTV system and the metropolitan website both work in keeping finding and keeping crime off the streets. CCTV, which stands for closed circuit television, is a system which uses video cameras to monitor a certain location which happens by sending the footage to the corresponding office it is connected to where it is viewed by the security of that particular place. For example, they could be cameras showing footage of a school, a supermarket or any other office environments. CCTV is generally used for surveillance. They are generally in places where there are risks of crime taking place. The metropolitan site is used to help capture crimes not seen by CCTV cameras or lacking evidence. People can report crimes and also stay confidential. This can allow people to supposedly snitch without the fear of being caught for snitching. How CCTV and the Metropolitan website meets the communitys needs When a criminal sees that a CCTV is in the area, they think twice about committing a crime. This is the first step CCTVs do in reducing crime. The fear of being caught on camera stops the crime from happening in the first place. If a crime is captured, then it can be used as evidence in a court case. It can be shown to prove that a person did commit a crime and help put the criminals behind a bar. This makes the community much safer not only knowing that CCTV would capture the crime if it took place but also that the criminal is locked up behind bars. The method of sending the video feed captured on a video camera back to where its being monitored is quite efficient in that its effective and fast at sending the information back. This makes it easier to capture criminals as the system works in a speedy way. Places such as schools where kids are most vulnerable are kept safe. If a stranger appears or something extremely dangerous happens, CCTV can be used to find the culprit. Dangerous people such as child molesters are found and arrested making school safer and making the kids feel much more secure being in school. The most effective use of the CCTV is that it can be placed in a large variety of places, watching crime from even the most dangerous areas. This allows it to be able to reduce crime no matter where it takes place. The metropolitan website aims to make London a much safer place. This provides reassurance in the community and they have access to a lot of the resources located in the site. People are able to confide in crimes while keeping their identity a secret. This stops people from being scared of being caught for snitching which can provide harsh consequences for the snitch in relation with his friends. The anonymity provides reassurance and a sense of security. Summary * The simple presence of CCTV deters criminals * If it captures a crime, it can be used as evidence * Efficient method of sending camera feed to the corresponding connection where it is being monitored * Keeps places such as schools safe * Can be placed wherever it needs to be * The website aims to keep London safe * Allows people to confide in crimes theyve witnessed while staying anonymous * Provides reassurance to people who are having from witnessing a crime How it fails to meet the communitys needs However, people do complain that CCTV makes for a lack of privacy for people. People feel that it invades what should be personal space. It is also quite expensive and advanced to set up as a whole. The CCTV system requires skill and knowledge of ICT to be able to set up properly and also a lot of money. Summary * Invasion of privacy * Expensive to set up * Can be quite advanced to set up Conclusion Overall, CCTV and the Metropolitan website work extremely well in keeping London secure and crime free. People are less worried about crime wherever they go and it adds an assurance to people knowing they are being protected.

The Censorship Of Art Essay -- essays research papers

Things are heating up in America. People are protesting outside of the movie theaters, concerts, and book and record stores of this great nation everywhere. What is all the fuss about? Censorship, Government officials and raving mad protesters alike have been trying to stop the expressive creativity in everything from Marilyn Manson to Mark Twain. One of the biggest shake-ups happened in museums all over the world recently that would have made Michelangelo and DiVinchi’s hair stand on end. In the Constitution of the United States, the First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech, religion, press, the right to assemble and to petition the government; the Ninth Amendment says, "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people". So it seems one cannot use any of the other rights to quell the rights of an individual or group. Then why is the government trying to censor literature, movies, m usic and art? All of the world’s modern society has become desensitized and easily trainable. Therefore society has come to accept the ideals, morals, and values driven into the psyche by the dominant forces in the nation: the Government and the Church. By quieting the objective voice these two institutions stand in the lead and stay in control. One might assume that the blood-sucking politicians have nothing better to do than to look for things that offend any one major group of people (i.e. the church) to obtain votes. In this manner the government is becoming more and more controlling and artistic censorship is just another way to maintain control. Things were not always so. Government had very little to say about censoring anything. Was it not only three decades ago that as one nation the population was united by the ideals of peace love, and harmony? As an art student in the 60’s era, Robert Mansfield states in his article, Artistic Freedom: government challenge "the first amendment was seldom an issue of concern†¦In fact it seemed that boundaries of expression were governed only by individual creative ability intellect and imagination". Where have these ideals gone? It seems in recent years they have disappeared with the freedom of thought. Why is it so important to some people not to offend? It s eems the people easily offended are the ones deciding what is acceptable f... ...ndependent of any government intervention. Over the years our right to have freedom of speech has proven to be frivolous and impertinent to the two dominant institutions of the modern world. Furthermore the nations revered Bill of Rights has been kicked to the curb by the government and the Church for many years. Neither the government nor the Church has the right to interdict material that can be injurious to their faith or morals. What if every civil rights speaker were required by law to include the views of the Ku Klux Klan in their speeches? Every statement one believed to be true would be worthless while being undercut by falsehood. "The nation is quickly becoming a country of cowards and bullies. Our politicians are unable or unwilling to defend the rights embodied in the constitution†¦" Says H.G. Hovagimyan. Fear that new ideas will bring strong opinions that speak out opposing views and take away some control from the Church and government disgust and fury these two institutions. We as a society have the choice to see, hear, and read controversial books, music, movies, and art. Neither governmental tyranny nor the Church’s intimidation should abridge that choice.

Gender and sexuality Essay

Gender and sexuality has permeated the character of Latin American nations throughout history. Latin America has demonstrated examples of the manipulation of gender as a means of a nation’s government asserting its political and social control, and the history of the Cuban Revolution shows that Cuba is among such nations. Since its infancy in 1959 and through the 1990s, the Cuban revolutionary government has managed to achieve a well-documented history of oppressive practices that has made the Cuban government the subject of much worldwide criticism and scrutiny over the years. Among the root of this oppression is a commitment to political and social control along gender lines for a greater nationalistic cause. Not unlike other Latin American nations, gender roles as they are recognized in Cuba have been constructed and forcefully prescribed by the government. The citizens of the nation have been socialized to discern between masculine and feminine traits, as well understand why certain traits are desirable while others are not. These determinations have had far-reaching consequences in the cultural realm of Cuban society. Social circles are designed partly upon a person’s recognition of and adherence to specific gender roles. A part of the Cuban revolutionary government’s use of gender for political and social control is its attitude toward and relationship with male homosexuality. The systematic persecution of homosexuals in Cuba has been used by the state in an insular fashion against its citizens for the purpose of controlling them, but also as an outward political maneuver of serves to uphold national dignity and honor as part of a Cuban national identity that is to be recognized and respected throughout the rest of the world. In addition to this paper’s thesis being based on the Cuban revolutionary government’s use of gender and sexuality as a tool of political and social control, the notion of patriarchy is a theory that is central to this thesis. Part of Cuba’s national identity is the patriarchal nature of its government, which not only applies to the relationship between the state and its citizens, but also applies to the relationship between Cuba and other nations. Dominance and strength, two factors upon which patriarchy is based, are what Cuba stands to project to larger, more powerful nations as a symbol of an exalted position in the world. As discussed in the paper, Cuba’s patriarchal government uses its rejection of homosexuality outwardly as a tactic of resisting and rejecting the systems and ideals of nations that the Cuban Revolution finds itself to be fundamentally at odds with. Evidence of this can be found in works such as Ian Lumsden’s Machos, Maricones, and Gays: Cuba and Homosexuality. The arguments made in this paper are written around various primary documents that not only support the central thesis, but also serve as a base for extended discussion of certain elements that have contributed to a greater part of a nation’s history. One such element is the notion of gender roles and norms being defined and prescribed by the state, which in turn affects its society’s views. This includes the legal and penal mechanisms through which the prescriptions are upheld. Legal enforcement leads to a second element, which is nationalism as the motive for the state’s manipulation of gender and sexuality. This control of the Cuban people is part of a greater political agenda: ensuring the success of the Cuban Revolution. A part of this political maneuver is maintaining the honor of the nation and defending its worldwide image. A third and final element is the concept of cultures and governments undergoing change over a period of time. Such changes include the state’s gender-based ideas and prescriptions, as well as the catalysts for such change. These changes are ultimtately reflected in the attitudes of a nation’s people. The film â€Å"Fresa y Chocolate† is one of the primary sources that this paper is written around. Set in Cuba circa 1979, â€Å"Fresa y Chocolate† reflects the attitudes toward homosexuality that were the norm in Cuba during the first couple of decades of the Cuban revolution, and also depicts the government’s use of gender and sexuality to advance its own political agenda. What qualities make or do not make the revolutionary? What place does a homosexual have in the Cuban revolution? What is homosexuality supposed to mean to the communist youth? These are questions that â€Å"Fresa y Chocolate† raises and helps answer. The other primary documents that this paper is written around are the writings of controversial gay Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas. This paper discusses some examples of the persecution that Arenas endured as a homosexual coming up during the Cuban Revolution. From physical attacks and censorship to arrests and imprisonment, Arenas symbolized to the Cuban revolutionary government the classic threat to the patriarchal state that the government feared and aimed to neutralize. Although writings from a persecuted homosexual in Cuba stand to possibly reflect certain biases, it is important to look at alternate points of view with the purpose of still supporting the basic arguments conveyed herein. For that reason, this paper will also discuss the works of writers such as Rafael L. Ramirez and Rafael Ocasio, who did not emerge from a situation similar to that of Arenas’s. Ocasio explains that Reinaldo Arenas initially expressed interest in the Cuban Revolution, having left home at the age of fifteen to become a guerilla fighter for Fidel Castro. (14) Arenas was rejected due to his young age and the fact that he had no firearms. His enthusiasm for supporting Castro eventually waned, however, and it was the sexual repression that Arenas encountered at his boarding school that began his discontent with the Castro regime. (17) Ocasio cites the reprisal that students faced if caught committing homosexual acts. In addition to expulsion, school officials also went as far as detailing the nature of student’s transgression in school records, thereby barring these homosexual students from other state-run schools. According to Ocasio, Arenas stated that arrest and incarceration could also result from certain instances of such activity. (17) This made Arenas aware of politically-related persecution of homosexuals as an adolescent. Systematic, state-sanctioned persecution of homosexuals is further exemplified by the nighttime roundups of homosexuals organized by Cuban police, a practice that traces back to 1961. The earliest documented case of this is known as the Night of the Three Ps (prostitutes, pimps, y pederasts). Gay playwright Virgilio Pinera was among those who were arrested. (Ocasio 24) These raids were purely politically-motivated, for as Salas explains, police targeted anything they found in these raids that appeared to be antisocial or non-conformist, including clothing or hairstyles deemed inappropriate. In support of this, Salas cites an instance in which a Young Communist League leader was arrested in one of the raids despite not being involved in any homosexual activity. Police targeted him because of his long hair, which was cut by authorities. The man was released once he confirmed his identity. (155) Homosexuals targeted in these raids were considered part of a greater antisocial element that the government sought to eliminate. Ocasio explains that while officials assigned prostitutes to schools where they could supposedly be rehabilitated, Castro stated that homosexuals would be barred from the possibility of having any influence in cultural life, schools, or the arts. (24) The aforementioned roundups of homosexuals organized by Cuban police had an affect on Cuba’s intellectual community, and was only one example of the Castro regime’s politically-inspired oppression. Various official statements were made by the Cuban government against homosexuals as part of a nationwide campaign promoting proper ethical policies that fostered acceptable revolutionary behavior. It was clear that writers such as Arenas and artists such as Pinera were not seen by the new regime as conducive to the political achievement to which the Cuban revolutionary government aspired. This is supported by Castro’s famous â€Å"Words to Intellectuals† speech, which Ocasio cites as the first official statement made by the Cuban revolutionary government that determined the boundaries within which revolutionary writers and artists were to operate: â€Å"What are the rights of writers and artists, revolutionary or not? In support of the Revolution, every right; against the Revolution, no rights. † Homosexual persecution rooted in the Cuban revolutionary cause is indicative of the revolutionary government’s concept of what it referred to as the New Man. In Social Control and Deviance in Cuba, author Luis Salas discusses the state’s concept of the New Man as Cuba’s ideal revolutionary, which allows no place for a homosexual in the revolution. (166) According to Salas, such a question was clearly answered by Fidel Castro with the following statement: â€Å"Nothing prevents a homosexual from professing revolutionary ideology and consequently, exhibiting a correct political position. In this case he should not be considered politically negative. And yet we would never come to believe that a homosexual could embody the conditions and requirements of conduct that would enable us to consider him a true revolutionary, a true Communist militant. A deviation of that nature clashes with the concept we have of what a militant Communist must be. † Salas contends that to the Cuban revolutionary, the New Man represents strength, honor, and â€Å"connotes maleness and virility. †(166) Conversely, homosexuality is considered to represent weakness, a classically feminine trait. The strength needed to be a true revolutionary is something that the Cuban revolutionary government saw in the uncorrupted youth of Cuba. The youth of the nation was regarded by the state as â€Å"one of the most treasured possessions of the nation† that was expected contribute to the success of the revolution, and as such, was to be protected from â€Å"a group viewed as seducers of small children. †(167) This aforementioned political attitude with regards to homosexuals in relation to the communist youth of Cuba was reflected in the film â€Å"Fresa y Chocolate. † In the film, David is a young communist university student who initially views an older homosexual artist named Diego as someone who is to be avoided and not to be trusted. David’s roommate Miguel is even more militant in his revolutionary, homophobic stance, and resorts to using David to spy on Diego due to his belief that Diego is a danger to the revolutionary cause and thus cannot be trusted. Although Diego eventually befriends David, there is a mutual understanding between both characters of the dangers that such a friendship can pose to a young communist like David, and David makes it clear to Diego that they are not to be seen together in public. This depiction is indicative of the state’s effort to socialize its youth towards anti-homosexual sentiment by portraying homosexuals as political obstacles and enemies of the state in order to influence public opinion and sway political action in the government’s favor. As Leiner explains, homosexuality played a role in Cuba’s prerevolutionary tourism economy, for the widespread solicitation of male prostitutes by gay tourists contributed to the economy. Furthermore, the stratification of prerevolutionary Cuba also lured many heterosexual working-class men into the underworld of homosexual prostitution in order to earn a living. According to Leiner, the homosexual bourgeoisie largely controlled this underworld as did American organized crime, which managed the lucrative, but seedy occupational sector based on prostitution, drugs, and gambling. Such an aspect of prerevolutionary Cuban history is indicative of fears present among state officials in revolutionary Cuba, who perceived homosexuality as fertile ground for the re-emergence of American imperialism, the bourgeoisie, and classism in Cuban society. This is consistent with Lumsden’s contention of revolutionary Cuba’s regulation of gender and sexuality in Cuba being a part of the state’s willingness to overcome underdevelopment and resist American efforts to prevent the revolution from succeeding. (xxi) According to Salas, gays were a remnant of capitalism in the eyes of the militant Cuban revolutionary. According to the Cuban government, the New Man was not motivated by the decadence and wanton lusts that characterize homosexuality, which the government believe was associated with the selfishness that marked capitalist societies. In a speech given on July 26, 1968, Fidel Castro characterized the revolution’s ideal New Man as possessing an altruistic and humanistic nature: â€Å"In a communist society, man will have succeeded in achieving just as much understanding, closeness, and brotherhood as he has on occasion achieved within the narrow circle of his own family. To live in a communist society is to live without selfishness, to live among the people, as if every one of our fellow citizens were really our dearest brother. † In addition to the idealism of Castro’s statement, there is also the character of the language behind his statement that is undoubtedly male as well as overwhelmingly exclusionary. The ideals promoted by Castro in the above excerpt can just as easily be prescribed to women for them to live by such ideals, but the â€Å"macho/socialist amalgam questioned whether male homosexuals could. †(Leiner 27) Leiner explains a study conducted by esteemed commentator Lourdes Casal, who analyzed the influence that the Cuban revolution had on Cuban literature. According to Leiner, Casal discovered a general disdain for homosexuals reflected in over 100 novels. Casal contended that the rejection of homosexuality was the rejection of femininity. Accusing a man of being a homosexual was to be considered an assault on that man’s masculinity, and was considered synonymous with deeming that man a female who is devoid of strength â€Å"and unworthy of holding power. â€Å"(23) Such a meaning prescribed to the title â€Å"homosexual† underscores the nature of the Cuban government’s patriarchal structure, in which power is directly associated with being a man both physically and sexually. Leiner also explains that in revolutionary Cuban society, the perception of homosexuality – and therefore, femininity – went beyond mere sexual preference. Physical weakness and lack of muscularity, a lack of interest in physical competition, the display of a quiet demeanor, or a gentle, nurturing or sensitive nature were enough to raise suspicion of homosexuality. According to Leiner, such qualities were perceived as weak and inferior, and therefore effeminate. The strong, abrasive, and competitive male was above suspicion of homosexuality. (22) The question of why homosexuals were perceived by the state as counter to the revolution remains partly unanswered. In addition to the Cuban government’s belief that homosexuals possessed undesirable qualities such as weakness, cowardice, and perversion, the state’s view of homosexuals as a danger to the institution that is the traditional family further compelled the state and the society it influenced to write homosexuals off as â€Å"antithetical to a socialist society. †(Leiner 25) Lesbian playwright Ana Maria Simo was jailed for four-and-a-half months in 1965 and also suffered shock treatment to â€Å"correct† her simply due to her associating with people who were suspected of being homosexual. She was not a lesbian at the time. She states that she and her friends were political individualists and anarchistic, and that is what bothered the government, not their being gay. (Ocasio 30) According to Leiner, lesbians were no cause of concern for the revolutionary government. Leiner states that Lourdes Casal found no mention, or even the vaguest hint of evidence of concern over lesbianism in either the pre- or post-revolutionary literary works that she analyzed. This is a manifestation of the Cuban government’s patriarchal structure in that the government’s complete absence of concern over the lesbianism in Cuba is indicative of the government’s â€Å"relegation of women as secondary, lesser ‘others. ‘†(Leiner 23) Unlike homosexuals, lesbians posed no threat to the Cuban revolutionary cause, for the revolution never looked to women for signs of strength or power upon which the government could rely in order to ensure the success of the revolution. However, lesbians, even those who displayed overly masculine qualities, were still considered women just as homosexual males were, and both were deemed unqualified for revolutionary status by the state. Standards of gender and sexuality were prescribed and legitimized by the revolutionary state, thus criminalizing homosexuality. The government’s enforcement of its prescriptions has been carried out via formal as well as informal means. A prime example of a formal method of this enforcement is penal legislation. Such legislation involving homosexuality can be found in two sections of the Cuban statutes. In one section of the statutes, legislation involves the relation between homosexuality and the state’s concept of social dangerousness. Article 73 of the Cuban Penal Code regulates social dangerousness, and cites behavior deemed antisocial as its target. In Cuba, homosexuality has been legally deemed antisocial. (Salas 151) Lumsden cites the use of the word antisocial as a code to describe displays of homosexuality deemed ostentatious. (83) According to Salas, anti-homosexual legislation was considered a preventive measure, for the display of so much as even an attitude that authorities perceived as antisocial justified police intervention. (Salas 153) These laws stem from government fears, such as the fear of the threat that homosexuality poses to the traditional family structure. There is also the government’s fear of homosexuality hindering the success of the revolution, of which the fear of homosexuals corrupting the nation’s youth is a part. (Salas 154) The latter fear can explain homosexual males receiving much harsher punishments for having sex with underage boys compared to the punishments that males faced for having sex with underage females. (Lumsden 82) The fact that laws pertaining to homosexuality are in a section of the Penal Code that pertains to violations against sexual development and sexual relations that are considered normal is indicative of the state’s perception of homosexuality as a condition that is contagious and leads to pedophilia. For this reason, Article 317 also includes the act of propositioning an adult for homosexual sex in its permanent barring of convicted sex offenders from the teaching profession and any other field in which such an adult stands to have authority or potential influence over children. (Lumsden 84) Aside from the Cuban revolutionary government’s fears related to the issue of homosexuality, the eagerness of some government officials to enforce anti-homosexual law is also indicative of their determination to remain above suspicion of being homosexual for their own fear of legal and social reprisal at the hands of the government. Examples of this are provided by Reinaldo Arenas in his highly acclaimed autobiography Before Night Falls, in which he discusses various sexual encounters he had with homosexual government officials in Cuba. Arenas cited an incident in which a police officer with whom he had just had sexual intercourse actually arrested Arenas â€Å"for being queer. † â€Å"Perhaps he thought that by being the active partner he had not done anything wrong,† Arenas stated. This statement by Arenas is a clear reference to the commonly held perception of the active, penetrating partner in a sexual act between two men not being a homosexual because his dominant position is considered a product of masculinity and power. This perception is diametrically opposed to the perception of the penetrated partner, for this partner assumes a role that is subordinate to the dominant penetrator, thus representing the role of a woman. In Arenas’s aforementioned discussion of his arrest, he stated that at the police station, the arresting officer attempted to explain his arresting Arenas by falsely accusing Arenas of groping him. However, Arenas managed to prove the officer’s involvement in the homosexual act by quickly admitting to the other officers that he still had the officer’s semen on his body, thus making the officer the subject of much surprise and scorn from his colleagues and work superiors. As part of his account of this incident, Arenas alluded to the revolutionary government’s belief that it is not possible for a homosexual male to possess the qualities that makes a true revolutionary. At the same time, Arenas also made a reference to the belief of a homosexual male being equivalent to a woman: â€Å"They ended up saying it was a shame that a member of the police force would engage in such acts, because I, after all, had my weakness, but for him, being a man, there was no excuse for getting involved with a queer. † Because he managed to achieve a position as a police officer in the Cuban revolutionary government, which included a convincing display of the masculine traits that the Cuban government believed were instrumental to the composition of a true revolutionary, the police officer was undoubtedly a â€Å"man† in the eyes of the state, whereas Arenas was not. The engendering of the passive and active partner in homosexual intercourse is not exclusive to Cuban revolutionary society, however. In What It Means to Be a Man, Casper and Ramirez cite the bugarron, a term used in Puerto Rican society to describe a male who is always the one to penetrate the male partner, yet always considers himself heterosexual. The bugarron blatantly dismisses the notion of his partner’s masculinity, and confirms his partner as the â€Å"woman† of the situation by calling his partner names such as mujer, mami, mamita, or loca. (96) Furthermore, the bugarron’s â€Å"usage of sexuality is highly ritualized to conserve his manhood and avoid being questioned about it. †(Casper, Ramirez 97) The desire to only be a penetrator and never a recipient of penetration serves as a political metaphor. The perception of a penetrator as heterosexual and undeniably male is underscored by masculine traits such as strength and dominance. Pingueros, a name given to male prostitutes in Cuba who only penetrate and refuse to be penetrated, represent the conquering of foreign bodies when solicited by gay tourists. (Chant, Kraske 139) This representation mirrors the notion of Cuba not just fending off but successfully invading and â€Å"screwing back† the imperialist, capitalist nation that has – or might wish to – exploit Cuba for its own self-interests. Just like the concept of prescribing gender to an active and passive partner in sexual intercourse between two men was reached over time by way of changing attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions, attitudes and behaviors toward homosexuality in general changing over time is also to be considered. Cultures are not static; they change over time, as do the notions of gender and sexuality in a culture. (Casper, Ramirez 27) Over the past decades, Cuba has witnessed a certain degree of change in attitudes and actions toward homosexuality on behalf of Cuban society at large as well as on behalf of the state.

Military Robotics Essay

A robot sniper is not subject to arm shake, fatigue, or any of the other human factors that throw off a rifleman’s aim, making each shot more accurate and less likely to hit someone other than the enemy. Pilotless drones are more likely to hit the target with better accuracy than bombs being dropped from a plane at 30,000 feet (Gyrnir). In the Army 53 percent of their casualties come with first contact with the enemy. Having a robot scouting ahead or flying above sending back pictures of the ground below to troops would reduce the casualties (Fogarty). Military robots can serve in place of human beings in explosive ordinance disposal (EOD), surveillance, and other dangerous situations. For example, when an EOD team was hunting for improvised explosive devices (IED), by the time the soldier was close enough to see the telltale wires from the bomb, it was too late. The IED erupted in a wave of flames. A soldier would have to be as far as 50 yards away to escape death and as far as half-mile away to escape injury from bomb fragments. Even if a person is not hit the pressure from the blast by itself can break bones. This soldier had been right on top of the bomb. As the flames and debris cleared, the rest of the team advanced. They found little remaining of their teammate. They loaded the remains onto a helicopter, which took them back to the team’s base near Baghdad International Airport. That night the team’s commander did his duty and wrote home about the incident. He apologized for his inability to change what had happened. He wrote, â€Å"at least when a robot dies, you don’t have to write a letter to its mother† (Singer). The â€Å"Soldier† was a 42-pound robot called a PackBot. The PackBot mounts all sorts of cameras and sensors, as well as an arm with four joints that extends over two meters to allow it to examine suspicious objects on EOD missions. If it weren’t for this robot to scout ahead the rest of the EOD team wouldn’t have survive the explosion (Singer). In conclusion, robotic technology is changing the future of warfare. Robots are used to save and protect, not harm innocent lives. The idea of robots replacing humans in the military is very unlikely. In order for a robot to do something it needs a human to program it and tell it what to do (Singer). Fully autonomous robots that may harm the wrong people presents ethical, legal, and command challenges determining who was responsible for the robot’s actions (the officer that put the robot into action and instructed it on its target or the company that manufactured the hardware) raises philosophical problems. Therefore, until these problems are resolved fully autonomous killing robots are unlikely (Gyrnir).

The great exhibiton essays

The great exhibiton essays In 1851 Britain had reached the pinnacle of technological superiority. The newly appointed Prince Albert of Germany wished to hold an exhibition that would create a new starting point from which all nations would be able to direct further exertions. In other words, The Great Exhibition would set a new standard for all nations wishing to compete in the technological spectrum. Another reason for Alberts desire to hold an exhibition of the works of industry was to create free trade and capitalism. The English Prince wanted to educate people and bring together all the quarters of the globe. The Exhibition also enabled nationalism to flourish; causing Britons to be proud and patriotic about their nations achievements. However, when Prince Alberts idea of holding The Great Exhibition came into circulation much controversy and opposition was caused. Luddites or people opposed to technological development violently disagreed with the idea. A portion of the British public disliked Albert due to his German origin and thus disliked his idea of holding the Great Exhibition. The nature conscious segments of British society were negatively disposed to the idea as they feared it would mutilate and turn Hyde Park into a monstrosity. People also feared that the Exhibition would attract vagrants. However, none of these fears and apprehensions proved to be a barrier as all were taken into consideration, with the peoples concerns at heart. In keeping with Hyde Parks flora and general beauty, architect Joseph Paxton was hired. Paxton incorporated trees into the central design of the Great Exhibition. He also created a circular roof similar to the Great Conservatory at Chatsworth, and utilized materials such as g lass and steal so as to minimize the impact on Hyde Park and its surroundings. After viewing Alberts and Paxtons plans, people opposed to Albert and the Exhibition settle...

The Shocking Aspects of Theater in Ancient Rome

The Shocking Aspects of Theater in Ancient Rome Roman theater began before Roman culture began to emulate the Greeks. However, very little is known of early theater produced by Etruscans and other ancient cultures. The Roman plays that live on in written form were produced in Greek-style amphitheaters, and many of the plays were essentially rewritten versions of Greek stories. In ancient Greece, plays were unlikely to contain graphic violence or sexuality, but the opposite was true in Rome. The Roman Theater and Violence The Roman public loved a good spectacle. They loved to watch combat and admired blood sports and gladiator competition. As a result, there was plenty of gore in most Roman theater. Roman audiences also preferred less subtlety than the Greeks when it came to sexuality on stage. In fact, according to  the book Living Theater by Edwin Wilson, one Roman emperor ordered an entire troupe of mimes to engage in actual intercourse on stage. The fact that this event was recorded for posterity suggests that it wasnt the norm, but it may not have been an isolated event. Famous Roman Playwrights Fewer plays were written in ancient Rome than in Greece. Many of those that were written seemed to be retreads  of old Greek myths (transplanted with the very similar Roman Gods). Perhaps the noted exception to this rule would be the domestic comedies of Plautus and Terence. And of course, Seneca - perhaps Romes best-known tragedian. There were hundreds more playwrights besides the three mentioned below. The Roman Republic and its subsequent empire greatly enjoyed the arts and entertainment. However, while there were many playwrights in ancient Rome, only a small percentage of their works  have survived the passage of time. Plautus If you have ever seen Stephen Sondheims A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, then you have experienced a taste, albeit with a corny 1960s flavor, of the Roman comedy master Plautus. A founder of the comedic theater, he created over a hundred plays in his remarkable career, many of which lampooned iconic figures within Roman society: the soldier, the politician, the clever slave, the philandering husband, and the wise but nagging wife. Terence Terences life story is an ancient tale of rags to riches. Terence was the slave of a Roman senator. Apparently, his master was so impressed with young Terences intellect that he released him from his service and even funded Terences education. During his adult years, Terence crafted comedies which were primarily Roman-style adaptations of Greek plays by Hellenistic writers, such as Menander. Seneca In addition to being a playwright, Lucius Annaeus Seneca was a lawyer and a Roman senator. He witnessed some of the darkest days of Romes empire, as he served under the sadistic Emperor Caligula. The next emperor in line, Claudius, banished Seneca, sending him away from Rome for over eight years. After returning from exile, Seneca became the advisor to the infamous Emperor Nero.  According to dramaturg William S. Turney, Nero ordered the assassination of his own mother and then commissioned Seneca to write a speech that excused Neros crimes. During the playwrights lifetime, he wrote tragedies, many of them re-inventions of Greek myths of decadence and self-destruction. For example, his play Phaedra details the sensual depravity of Theseus lonely wife who lusts after her step-son, Hippolytus. Seneca also adapted the Greek myth of Thyestes, a sordid tale of adultery, fratricide, incest, and cannibalism, with enough carnage to make even modern audiences cringe. Seneca retired from public life assuming that he might spend his elder years writing and relaxing, but the suspicious Nero ordered Seneca to commit suicide. Seneca complied, slashing his wrists and arms, slowly bleeding out. Apparently, it was too slow, because according to the ancient historian Tacitus, Seneca called for poison, and when that failed him, he was placed in a hot bath to be suffocated by the steam. Source Wilson, Edwin. Living Theatre: A History of Theatre. Alvin Goldfarb President, 6th Edition, McGraw-Hill Education, January 10, 2011.

The poetry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The poetry - Essay Example However, contemporary forms have poetry have managed to win over more enthusiasts due to its flexibility. Unlike traditional poetry, contemporary poetry allows the use of free verse and do not emphasize the use of rhymes. Contemporary forms of poetry have also prevailed outside the academic realms due to their provocative nature and their use of more grounded imagery. The fact that these poems are mostly brief, accessible, suggestive, and strongly depict imagery explains their preference. The poem Dream Variations has a nostalgic feel. The singer yearns for a life where color discrimination does not exist. Hughes expresses his desire for a playful and carefree life by talking about his desire â€Å"to whirl and to dance† (Hughes et. al. 3). The end of racial discrimination is symbolized by the end of the white day. However, the poem ends in a pessimistic mood as he talks of â€Å"Rest at pale evening/ a tall, slim tree/ Night coming tenderly† (Hughes et. al. 14-16).The poetry heavily uses symbolism to explain the racial discrimination and freedom without emphasizing rhyme and

Arts pictures description Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Arts pictures description - Essay Example Once, Chowdhury travelled to India as an adult, he was confronted with a harsh reality, one that helped him understand why his father fled India and settled abroad. The Laundry Puja is colourful, disorganized, bright and at the same time, demonstrates a settled doom. The doom is further accentuated by the woman at the center of the photograph whose hands are clasped together as if in prayer. There are two men in the photograph. One appears to just be standing idly against a wall and the other appears to be walking, but it is not clear whether he is entering the area or leaving it. In the background there are three richly colored murals capturing India’s bright culture. Similarly the floor appears to be cement with a bright red color smeared over most of the floor. There are pots and pans on the floor as well as a pile of garments over which a clothes line hangs with garments either drying or airing. In the forefront of the photograph is an alarming image of a man’s head . As it sits upon the bright red floor, it at once gives the impression of a decapitated man, with a red fork protruding from his mouth and yellow beads adorning his facial hair. A closer look reveals that the head is made of some foreign material and is not in fact real. The surreal smirk on the man’s face and the half-closed eyes, present a macabre image all the same. As Chowdhury explains, the disorganization and the mixture of colours and images are meant to convey the confused and complex reality of India as he himself experienced and the fanciful exoticism that he imagined as a boy. Image 2 This painting appears to be abstract expressionism. Abstract expressionism was an art movement that began after the Second World War. During the war, constraints on artists expression in Germany and the Soviet Union resulted in many artists leaving for other parts of Europe and the US. In New York, these artist took advantage of their new found freedom of expression and created a for m of art that sent a clear message. Art had no boundaries and did not have to comply with rigid philosophies. Abstract expressionism therefore emerged as an expression of freedom and resistance to constraints on creative freedom. The expressionist wanted to exercise â€Å"spontaneous freedom of expression† (Chivers, 4). For the abstract expressionist the emphasis was on the filling and using the entire canvas and drawing attention to its surface. What the abstract expressionist wanted to accomplish was highlighting the surface specifications of the canvas, its â€Å"flatness†, and to convey the message that all of the canvas is important (Chivers, 4). The image above epitomizes abstract expressionism in that it does not draw attention to a narrative, but rather it draws attention to the full canvas which displays a uniform image throughout the canvas. What you see in the left side of the canvas is mirrored on the right side, although the colors may have been reversed o r changed somewhat. Regardless, the straight lines with fixed colors alternating in shades and arrangements demonstrate the spontaneous expression of abstract expressionism. Image 3 Kim Keever’s Landscape collection. The above image is a part of New York artist’s Kim Keever’s Landscape collection. Keever’s landscape collection are meant to depart from traditional landscape art. Keever accomplishes