4 Davids

Jennifer Keefe Professor Mark Moak Art History 1 December 2011 The Life and Times of the Four David Artists Through out the years there were many great artists who created many great works of art, but only four Italian artists really stick out for creating the same piece all with different points of views. These artists were Donatello, Verrocchio, Michelangelo, and Bernini, all of who created a David sculpture. Each one very unique and different. These four artists all stand out in there own individual ways. David who was supposed to be the second king of Israel, killed Goliath with just a sling and a single stone.The story of David and Goliath goes something like this, according to the bible in 1 Samuel 17. â€Å"The Philistine army gathered for war against the Israelites. The two armies faced each other on opposite sides of a valley. A Philistine giant named Goliath, would come out in armor and challenge the Israelites to war. The King of Israel who at that time was Saul, and his whole army were scared of Goliath. David who was the youngest son of Jesse, was sent to battle for one simple task, to bring his father back news of his brothers. While there, David heard Goliath shouting and saw the fear that had began to show in the men of Israel.David volunteered himself to fight Goliath, it took sometime for Saul to agree, but finally he gave in. Dressed in his simple tunic, carrying only his staff, slingshot and a pouch full of stones, David approached Goliath. The giant cursed at him, making horrible threats and insults. David said to Goliath, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied †¦ today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air †¦ and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel †¦ t is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands. ’ As Goliath moved in for the kill, David reached into his bag and took out a single stone and aimed for Goliath's head. Finding a hole in the armor, the stone sank into Goliath’s forehead and caused Goliath to fall face down on the ground. David then took Goliath's sword, killed him and cut off his head. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned around and ran. At this moment the Israelites began to pursue, chase and kill their enemy (1 Samuel 17). †As time went on four very different artists became inspired to create their own very different and very unique David’s. These four artists were Donatello, Verrocchio, Michelangelo and Bernini. First was Donatello. Donatello was an early Italian artist and sculptor from Florence. Donatello is well known for doing most of his work in bas-relief, which is a shallow relief, which is well incorporated in his 14th century works. Donatello created many major works such as the statue of St. Mark in 1411 through 1413. In 1417 Donatello completed St. George, which is shown in bas relief and shows one of the first xamples of central point perspective. Central point perspective is when all the perspective lines come from one point in the painting or drawing. One of the things that I read about that I found funny was that Donatello sculpted a tabernacle for his work but was sold in 1460 to hold Verrocchio’s Incredulity of St. Thomas. Between 1415 and 1426, Donatello created five more statues for Giotto’s campanile of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, which to some of us we like to call the Duomo. The five works that are in the campanile are the Beardless Prophet, the Bearded Prophet, which were both made in he year 1415, the Sacrifice of Isaac in 1421, Habbakuk in the years 1423 through 1425, and Jeremiah in the years 1423 through 1426. These sculptures follow classical models for viewers and show strong details. In 1425 Donatello c reated a piece titled Crucifix, which shows Christ in a moment of agony, with his eyes and mouth slightly opened. Between the years of 1425 through 1427, Donatello worked with another artist by the name of Michelozzo on the monument for the Antipope John XXII for the monument that would be in Florence. Donatello completed a marble panel monument for Cardinal Rainaldo Brancacci in a church inNaples, int the year 1427. Around the same time he did two statues called Faith and Hope for a baptistery in Siena. â€Å"Donatello created a perfect balance between Classicism and realism in my mind. This was created from an image of an Italian boy who looked like a Classical nude figure (Fichner-Rathus 331). † I didn’t know this, I just thought it was something that he created from his mind. Although Donatello was inspired by Classical figures, he chose a young boy whose arms appear weak because of the lack of muscles. After defeating Goliath, whose head lies at David's feet, he r ests his sword by his side, hich looks like it was almost to heavy for David to handle. â€Å"It seems almost impossible that a young boy like David could have succeeded in such a task. David himself look shocked even by his own deed as he glances down on the body of Goliath. Apparently, David's intellect, faith and courage made up for his lack of build (Fichner- Rathus 331-332). † Donatello’s David now sits in the Medici. Second was Verrocchio, who also designed a sculpture of David. Verrocchio in my opinion was one of the best known sculptors of his time in the fifteenth century. Verrocchio was born in Florence around the year 1435.Some people say that he studied under Donatello, but no one knows for sure, some people also say that he might have studied under a painter named Lippi. It is a mystery that has yet to be solved and may never be solved. Verrocchio’s main works are dated back to his late twenties. His studio or workshop was in Florence where he was a member of the Guild of St. Luke. Some more great artists passed through his studio such as Leonardo da Vinci and Lorenzo di Credi. Some of the works that were created by his students are often times hard to distinguish between his own works and theirs. Towards the end of his life he opened a ew workshop in Venice where he was working on a sculpture of Bartolomeo Colleoni. Eventually he left his workshop in the hands of one of his apprentices Lorenzo di Credi. Verrocchio died in Venice around the year 1488. Verrocchio’s figure of David is one the most famous works of his time and still is today. In Verrocchio’s David, I see a strong contrast between the way that Verrocchio treated the same subject that Donatello did. Verrocchio’s brave man â€Å"appears somewhat older and excludes pride and self- confidence rather than a dreamy gaze of disbelief (Fichner-Rathus 334). † I personally hought that Verrocchio’s David looked surprised but also quite prou d of himself. Verrocchio had little detail that showed in his David, where as Donatello did a very good job with his realism and making the torso of David seem different. Verrocchio’s sculpture also looks like a different technique was used. Donatello’s David has closed objects and Davids limbs are in created in what they call an S- curve stance, which helped with his human form. An S- curve is where the calf and the thigh are bent so that the leg creates the shape of an S, which is very different from Verrocchio's sculpture because his is more open.For example, the sword and elbow are sticking out, away from the center of the body. â€Å"Donatello's graceful pose had been replaced in the Verrocchio, by a jaunty contrapposto that enhances David's image of self-confidence (Fichner-Rathus 334). † The third artist that created a David sculpture was Michelangelo. Michelangelo was probably one of the greatest artists that ever lived during his time. Michelangelo was born during the biggest period of Western art also known as Renaissance Italy, which at that time was the most artistically developed country. Not only was Michelangelo a sculptor, but was also a fresco painter.Michelangelo created The Creation and The Last Judgement, both of which are in the Sistine Chapel. The start of Michelangelo’s career started in Florence, which at the time was under Lorenzo the Magnificent. Things were changing after the death of the anti-Renaissance Priest and the leader of Florence. Michelangelo was asked to complete an unfinished project that was already started 40 years earlier by an artist named Agostino di Duccio. This project was a huge statue of David, which symbolized the freedom of the Florentine republic. This statue of David was to be placed in the Piazza della Signoria which is front of thePalazzo Vecchio. This masterpiece was created out of a solid marble block. This was a huge advantage for Michelangelo because he was able to use this t o establish himself as a sculptor of incredible talent and strength for his imagination. Michelangelo had a very strong character from what I have read about him. He preferred to work by himself, rather then working with others, which is probably where he gets such a sense of independence and strong character. I’ve also read that Michelangelo would lose his temper and would end up in sticky situations because of it. Julius II who was the pope t the time, made Michelangelo bend over backwards at his feet to try and get him to get him to finally paint the wall and ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. His reputation as a sculptor was established when he carved his David at the edge of twenty-seven from a single piece of what seemed like to everyone else as an unworkable piece of marble. Unlike the David's that were created by Donatello and Verrocchio, Michelangelo's David is not shown after defeating Goliath instead, David is portrayed as a â€Å"most beautiful animal preparing to ki ll-not by savagery and brute force, but by intellect and skill (Fichner-Rathus 345). Over his shoulder is David's sling, and the stone is sitting in the palm of his right hand. Michelangelo's David shows the young face of David who has just reached adulthood and shows great physical and intellectual attributes. Michelangelo's sculpture is close in form, like Donatello's David. â€Å"All the elements move firmly around a central axis (Fichner-Rathus 345). † Finally, there is Bernini. Bernini had many early works before he created his David sculpture in 1623. Bernini studied under Cardinal Scipione Borghese, who was a member of the reigning papal family at that time. Under Cardinal Scipione, Bernini arved his first group of life size sculptures. Bernini’s first life size sculpture was called Aeneas, Anchises and Ascanius Fleeing Troy which was created in 1619. Bernini’s second sculpture was created in 1622 called Pluto and Proserpina. In 1624 Bernini created Apoll o and Daphne which was supposed to be viewed as a relief. â€Å"Apollo and Daphne standing near each other looking as though they could be in motion. Apollo’s left arm is resting on Daphne’s left hip. This statue is in the Galleria Borghese in Rome. ( Italian Master). † The Ecstasy of Theresa is another sculpture that was done between 1644 and 1647.This sculpture was made the church of the Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome. This sculpture was created for Saint Theresa because she would write religious narratives. In one of here narratives she talks about her relationship with god as a â€Å"burning arrow piercing through her heart (Meyer 10),† I thought a description of a relationship between a human and God would be a little more beautiful and not so morbid. The sculpture of Emperor Constantine, which was sculpted between 1654-1670 out of marble, is another one of Bernini’s works of art. It is located in the Vatican in Rome. The statue has drapes in it that are not marble but stucco.In 1623 Bernini created his David, which is very different from those of Donatello, Verrocchio and Michelangelo. Bernini had neither Donatello's triumphant boy or Michelangelo's posturing adolescent. Bernini’s hero is full-grown and fully engaged-both physically and psychologically. David’s aim shows his muscular body as it twists just a split second before slinging the stone that he has grasped in his left hand. David stands alone, but Goliath is simply just envisioned in the viewers mind as standing directly behind David. As a viewer looking at the sculpture of David, I am almost tempted to play the fight in my mind and pretend hat I am ducking in order to avoid being hit with a stone. â€Å"It is the anticipation of violent action that heightens this confrontation as David's latent power is momentarily arrested (Scribner 66). † Present in this sculpture are three of the five characteristics of Baroque art: motion which is a different way of looking at space and the concept of time. Donatello and Verrocchio depicted David at rest after he killed Goliath, Michelangelo, presented David before the battle, with the tension and emotion evident in every vein and muscle. Bernini does not depict David before or after the fight. Instead, he shows him in the rocess of the fight. This represents the element of time in his work. The views are forced to complete the action that David has begun for us. With David's positioning, a new concept of space comes into play. â€Å"No longer does the figure remain still in a Classical contrapposto stance, but rather extends into the surrounding space away from a vertical axis. This movement outward from a central core forces the viewer to take into account both the form and the space between and surrounding the forms-in order to appreciate the complete composition† (Fichner- Rathus 360). † In order to understand the sculpture fully, we must move around the wor k.As we move, the views of the work change drastically. As you can see, the works sculpted by Donatello, Verrocchio, Michelangelo and Bernini are drastically very different in there own ways. Donatello presented David as a young boy who seemed incapable and amazed at his feat. Verrocchio's David, although an adolescent, appears somewhat older and has more self-confidence than Donatello's David. Michelangelo's David has just reached manhood and is capable of great physical feats, like defeating Goliath. Finally, Bernini's David is a full grown man. He, like Michelangelo's David, also appears to be strong, brave and gifted enough to slaughterGoliath. These four artists were both amazing and spectacular. They each brought something different into the world and even still to this very day we are still in awe over what they created. Donatello, Verrocchio, Michelangelo, and Bernini, four great artists with four very different views on the world. Works Cited Fichner-Rathus, Lois. Understan ding Art. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc, 1995 Italian Master. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1940. Meyer, Alfred Gotthold. Donatello. Liepzig: Fischer & Wittig, 1904 Scribner, Charles. Gianlorenzo Bernini. New York: H. N. Abrams, Publishers, 1991.

Buddhist website

The future exploratory study will identify how the multimedia factors contributing to Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) – graphic usage, audio/video usage, merchandise section, etc. – affect Thai user’s attitude toward Buddhist website. The dissertation also seeks to determine whether the abovementioned factors make user to have either positive or negative or indifferent attitude toward the site. The study will employ a two-part qualitative methodology, and the results, it is hoped, will lead to more informed policies for the assessment of Thai user’s attitude toward Buddhist websites.This dissertation will employ heuristic and field research methodology to perform a high-level cultural analysis on Website design for the purposes of future research. The analysis of socio-economical and cultural issues (religion, Human-Computer Interaction, e-commerce, ethnography) relating to Website design is especially valuable from the perspective of the Thai-speaking Bu ddhist audience. Future research on the matters stated above is expected to clarify what kind of information people from the particular cultural region expect and how it should be designed.Literature Review Mayhew once compared a website to a book which anyone can display on The World Wide Web (WWW) which is â€Å"a repository of public information and transactions created by the public and accessible to the public via the Internet† (Mayhew, 2003, p. 3). The characteristics of the WWW are tensely linked to the ones of the website. Any website incorporates multimedia data such as text, static graphics, sound, animation, movie clips and virtual spaces arranged as hypermedia documents.These are the â€Å"documents that contain links to other pages of information† (Dodge & Kitchin, 2001, p. 3). The key issue about a website is its interactive, multimedia and hypermedia nature. The present research should be inevitably wrapped around the principles of Human-Computer Interac tion (HCI), user interface (UI) design, website usability engineering, and their influences on the website users. Alty defined the goal of HCI as â€Å"the efficient transfer of information between persons and computers† (2003a, p.100). According to Alty, HCI is [†¦] a generic term that describes all the activities concerned with the research, design, analysis, development, implementation and evaluation of the interactions across the interface between computer applications and human beings (often called users or operators) who are interacting with the application. (Alty, 2003b, p. 228) An authentic website should be constructed according to the principle of user-centered design.It means that â€Å"the needs, capabilities and limitations of the intended users [should be] properly taken into account during the design process† (Alty, 2003a, p. 100). Among the Internet user interface capabilities and constraints affecting users’ perceptions Mayhew listed modem speed, browser capabilities, browser controls and interpreters, installed â€Å"helper applications† or â€Å"plug-ins,† windowing, direct manipulation, and color (2003, p. 11).Within the context of HCI, a website utilizes output (text, graphics, sound, music, speech, color, animation, still pictures, moving video) and input (text [keyboard, handwriting], gesture [mouse, pen, dataglove, eye-movement], audio [voice or sound]) media to produce an effect on the user. Most literature investigates the tokens of user-friendliness in regard to a website (Mayhew, 2003; Mayhew & Bias, 2003; Opaluch, 2003; Boardman, 2004). Acknowledging the importance of this concept, Kurosu (2003) relied on cultural aspects of web usability such as â€Å"cultural variety† and â€Å"depth of culture† (p.48). The researcher utilized Suzuki's (1997) definition of the culture as â€Å"the response pattern shared by some specific group of people that is shaped through interaction with the environment† (Kurosu, 2003, p. 48) holding â€Å"the response pattern† as â€Å"how people will interact with the Website,† and â€Å"interaction with the environment† as â€Å"the interaction with the Website through the PC environment, including the browser. † Laney (1998) in his investigation of religious Christian Web sites relied on the Media System Dependency as well as uses and gratifications perspectives.Some researchers (Weeks & Goodman, 2003; Proctor & Vu, 2003) investigated HIC within the context of human information processing and perceptual-motor behavior, whereas the other group of scholars (van der Veer & del Carmen, 2003; Yoshikawa, 2003) emphasized the mental modeling as the core of HCI. Finally, Brave & Nass (2003) researched emotional implications of human-computer interaction. There is also a considerable body of research (Mayhew & Bias, 2003; Carey, 2001; Steinbock, 2000; Varey, 2001) dedicated to the issues of e-commerce a nd marketing relating to websites.Taken into account the field of the present research, reaction of Thai users towards Buddhist websites, the abovestated mechanisms and structures of HCI with a stress of user-friendliness should be analyzed within the religious and cultural context. The relation to culture in terms of geographical location is distorted and made complex within the WWW context (Couldry & McCarthy, 2004; Miller, 2004; Dodge & Kitchin, 2001; Kurosu, 2003). Geographical boundaries (the areas where people confess Buddhism, Thailand as a state unity) do not coincide with cultural zones (Thai cultural identity) and virtual areas (the WWW).On the one hand, Thailand is ready to enter the global community with its rather developed media network (Hamilton, 2002; Mccargo, 2002). On the other hand, the Thai national cultural identity is of introvert type with its â€Å"assertion of distinctiveness in relation to a powerful external world of ‘others’† (Hamilton , 2002, p. 153). One should also take into consideration the cultural elements constituting the religion of Buddhism. Haynes (2003) stated that over 90 per cent of the Thais are Buddhists.In Thailand Buddhism is â€Å"the sasana pracham chat, that is, the ‘inherent’ national religion† and constitutes â€Å"an ideological basis and political legitimacy† for the state (Haynes, 2003, p. 365). However, Haynes (2003) noted that the role of the state religion is flexible and â€Å"open to debate† (ibid. ). Swearer emphasized the unusual orientation of Thai Buddhism towards â€Å"[t]he cult of relics, images, icons, and amulets† (2003, p. 10). The religion in Thailand became more â€Å"secular and commercial† (ibid. ).The discussion seems especially interesting when religious issues are projected onto the virtual reality in the form of a religious website. Miller & Slater acknowledged â€Å"the coming together of a widespread interest in the spiritual implications of the technology, found in some of the cyberutopian literature, together with an interest in the use of the Internet on the part of established religions† (2000, p. 173). Laney (1998) noted that the simplification of web technologies and, thus, their cheapening contributed to the proliferation of religious websites.Unfortunately, the accessible literature concentrated on Christian websites with no comparison to other confessions. Last (2005) provided an interesting statistics on the Christian websites in regard to the goal of the website users in their accessing the religious websites. According to the source, 32 percent of the web-surfers are interested in religious news, 17 percent search for places to worship, 14 percent plan religious group meetings via the Internet, and 7 percent donate to charity with the help of the WWW.Besides, 11 percent of Internet users download spiritual music, 35 percent send online greeting cards, and 38 percent email spi ritual messages. Unfortunately, the statistics is rather modest in regard to Buddhist websites. Within the Thailand context, Hachigian & Wu observed such HCI problems as â€Å"the lack of IT access in rural areas where most of the population lives, lack of literacy in English/lack of Thai content, incompatible systems in different parts of the government, and inadequate training of officials† (2003, p. 88). Most of the Buddhist websites found by a plain search via search engines (Yahoo, Google, etc.) are written in English. Therefore, the present investigation is associated with difficulties in locating authentic sites for analysis. Problem definition It is true that literature about the WWW and general principles of website user interface (UI) design has grown lately. However, religious usage of websites is significantly underexplored. It is especially evident in regard to non-Christian religious websites. Religious website usage may contribute positively to the body of scho larly research on the motivations for religious Web use. The media being studied are Buddhist religious sites on the World Wide Web.Large investments are being made into the construction and development of religious websites on the Internet. A great proportion of Buddhist websites are written in English and seeks to meet cultural expectations of the Westerners. Laney (1998) once defined the problem for his investigation of Christian websites as the poorly researched motivations of the English-speaking visitors. The American scholar would be astonished at the â€Å"black hole† in regard to the motivations of Thai-speaking web-surfers whose driving desires and emotions relating to Buddhist websites are unexplored even to a greater extent.The present project seeks specifically to provide an exploratory study of Buddhist Thai-speaking website users and their motivations for using the religious Buddhist websites. Cultural theory as well as Mental Models theory and HCI theory const ruct a complex framework important for the present analysis. In order to investigate Thai users’ attitudes toward Buddhist websites the following theoretical framework was constructed. Three issues taken as independent variables are taken: graphics usage, audio/video usage, and e-marketing strategies in regard to Buddhist religious items.The first two issues are the types of output media whose effect on the user has been empirically proved. The issue of e-marketing is still being explored mainly from the perspective of user-centered design. A lot of elements may enter this concept including technical (e. g. , modem speed), user-oriented input (text, gesture, audio media), cultural (language, religion, country/nation) and other issues. The aforestated independent variables are supposed to affect (either positively, or negatively, or neutrally) the variable of website user’s perceptions.It is supposed here that graphics and multimedia elements do correlate with web-surfe rs’ emotions and attitudes. The second hypothesis is that religious background of a user (Buddhism) reinforces his/her positive/negative attitude toward Buddhist websites. In an effort to determine the presence/absence of correlation between website user design elements and Thai Buddhist users a revisit of previous implications of HCI and cultural paradigms is necessary. This research will attempt to provide a description of Thai Buddhism website usage.An additional purpose of this study is to identify the website design elements which positively/negatively affect the users of Buddhist religious websites. This study is an exploratory step in growing research on religious websites usage and the motivations for its use. Numerous studies will be required to obtain sufficient knowledge to fully understand this audience’s motivations and preferences for utilizing the most modern form of mediated religion. It is hoped that the present project will provide a starting point an d contribute to the growing body of knowledge in regard to the Internet and its cultural and social significance.Bibliography 1. Dodge, M. & Kitchin, R. (2001) Mapping cyberspace. London, Routledge. 2. Mccargo, D. (2002) Media and politics in Pacific Asia. London, Routledge. 3. Boardman, M. (2004) The language of websites. New York, Routledge. 4. Dennis, C. , Fenech, T. & Merrilees, B. (2004) E-Retailing. New York, Routledge. 5. Steinbock, D. (2000) The birth of Internet marketing communications. Westport, CT, Quorum Books. 6. Varey, R. J. (2001) Marketing communication: An introduction to contemporary issues. New York, Routledge. 7. Miller, D. & Slater, D.(2000) The Internet: An ethnographic approach. Oxford, Berg. 8. Hachigian, N. & Wu, L. (2003) The Information Revolution in Asia. Santa Monica, CA, Rand. 9. Mayhew, D. J. (2003) The web as software. In: Ratner, J. ed. Human factors and web development. Mahwah, NJ, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pp. 3-19. 10. Kurosu, M. (2003) A cult ural comparison of website design from a usability engineering perspective. In: Ratner, J. ed. Human factors and web development. Mahwah, NJ, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pp. 47-59. 11. Mayhew, D. J. & Bias, R. G. (2003) Cost-justifying web usability.In: Ratner, J. ed. Human factors and web development. Mahwah, NJ, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pp. 63-87. 12. Opaluch, R. (2003) Usability metrics. In: Ratner, J. ed. Human factors and web development. Mahwah, NJ, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pp. 101-122. 13. Hamilton, A. (2002) The national picture: Thai media and cultural identity. In: Abu-Lughod, L. , Ginsburg, F. D. & Larkin, B. ed. Media worlds: Anthropology on new terrain. Berkeley, CA, University of California Press, pp. 152-170. 14. Swearer, D. K. (2003) Aniconism versus iconism in Thai Buddhism.In: Heine, S. & Prebish, C. S. ed. Buddhism in the modern world: Adaptations of an ancient tradition. New York, Oxford University Press, pp. 9-25. 15. Alty, J. L. (2003a) Databases, know ledge management and information retrieval. In: Feather, J. & Sturges, P. ed. International Encyclopedia of Information and Library Science. New York, Routledge, pp. 100-101. 16. Alty, J. L. (2003b) Human-computer interaction. In: Feather, J. & Sturges, P. ed. International Encyclopedia of Information and Library Science. New York, Routledge, pp. 228-230.

Miles Davis and Kind of Blue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Miles Davis and Kind of Blue - Essay Example This "Miles Davis and Kind of Blue" describes the career of Miles Davis, his contribution in jazz music and his album "Kind of Blue". The album in focus, Kind of Blue, was first released in 1959. The importance of this album lies apart from the importance of the innovations that it brought into the field of jazz, in the fact that it is the highest selling jazz album of all time. Its historical importance can be gauged from this fact itself. This album is unique as a result of the revolutionary impact of the chord changes that it effected in the structure of the jazz song. The melody of the song was earlier created through a structure that would be written earlier. However, with the introduction of modal jazz that was not exactly a Davis innovation, there was considerable scope for innovation as the melody was created through changes in the modes of the scale rather than the changes in chords. The dependence on chord was changed in a massive way when it came to Kind of Blue. This is t he reason as to why Davis is considered one of the greatest innovators of the genre. The technique of improvisation was built into the very structure of the composition and melody whereby the progression of the song could then happen through a process of improvisation on the part of the singer. Brought about by Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, this revolution was brought to its logical conclusion by Miles Davis through Kind of Blue, his greatest album (Kaplan). One of the main genres of the twentieth century as far as music is concerned, is jazz. ... This album is unique as a result of the revolutionary impact of the chord changes that it effected in the structure of the jazz song. The melody of the song was earlier created through a structure that would be written earlier. However, with the introduction of modal jazz that was not exactly a Davis innovation, there was considerable scope for innovation as the melody was created through changes in the modes of the scale rather than the changes in chords. The dependence on chord was changed in a massive way when it came to Kind of Blue. This is the reason as to why Davis is considered one of the greatest innovators of the genre. The technique of improvisation was built into the very structure of the composition and melody whereby the progression of the song could then happen through a process of improvisation on the part of the singer. Brought about by Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, this revolution was brought to its logical conclusion by Miles Davis through Kind of Blue, his g reatest album (Kaplan). One of the main genres of the twentieth century as far as music is concerned, is jazz. Apart from the innovations that it introduced into other forms of music, it is also significant for its political importance as a genre that represented the aspirations and cultures of African American communities. The genre provided a voice to several people over the ages, voices that had been marginalized in the schemes of things as they existed earlier. The importance of jazz also lies in the way in which it was used to talk of certain issues that failed to be highlighted earlier as a result of the lack of an appropriate form of music or art. The emergence of jazz gave Black musicians an outlet through its freewheeling style that did not impose any

Prostitution in Victorian Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Prostitution in Victorian Society - Essay Example The streets of London immortalized by Dickens in their fascination and horror were in many ways embodied by the spectacle of prostitutes, many little more than children, plying their trade. Prostitution became a symbol of the worst excesses of Victorian Britain, and as such were a focus for attempts at change. As with many social ills that attract a variety of attention, prostitution was viewed through a number of different lenses according to the interests of the viewer. By the beginning of the 1840's a number of different groups:- mainly religious groups, major news organizations and women's social groups - began to take notice of the problem of prostitution. One of the major reasons for this new attention, as William Acton noted in his landmark study, Prostitution (1870) was the sheer number of prostitutes now visible on metropolitan streets in general, and London streets in particular. Acton estimated that there were at least 40,000 prostitutes actively working in London alone. It had become impossible to simply ignore the activity as it was so prevalent. The very title of Acton's book shows the variety of different perspectives that were taken on the subject: The basic foundation for the study was moralistic in nature, but as was often the case in Victorian thought, it needed at least a veneer of the rational, scientific thought that had come to such dominance during the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution. Thus the "social" and "sanitary" aspects also need to be considered. The concentration on "London" and "Other Large Cities" reflects the concern that these massively growing conurbations were essentially out of control. Prostitution was a visible, terrible sign of this lack of control. Various reasons were put forward to explain why there were so many prostitutes. The idea of the "fallen woman" was prevalent among these, as Walkowitz (1982) suggests. The fallen woman archetype was, of course, an essential element of the Christian theology of the period which often associated any expression of sexuality, and specifically any embodiment of female sexuality, as innately evil and something to be avoided. The "fallen woman" was in fact any woman who had sexual relations with a man outside of marriage, whether she had a single lover or slept with dozens of men a day as her profession. Prostitution was seen as a moral and social problem by many of the writers of the time such as Charles Booth and Henry Mayhew (Walkowitz, 1992). One major 'reason' given for prostitution by contemporary commentators was the rather surprising gender disparity that had been revealed by the 1851 census. This showed that there were 4% more women than men. This implied that about 750,000 women would remain unmarried because there were not enough men to go around. These unmarried females began to be known as "superfluous women" and/or "redundant women" (Bartley, 1999). These designations are telling: a woman's worth is seen purely within her ability to marry a man. Any woman who cannot marry because of a shortage of men is at risk for becoming a prostitute. The doubtful logic that this rather large leap relied upon was that unmarried women had no man to support them and so would need to support themselves through illegitimate means. The idea that all unmarried women would be tempted to

The Muslim brotherhood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Muslim brotherhood - Essay Example The brotherhood was initially formed essentially as a small charitable society with religious goals. During the authoritarian regime in Egypt, the brotherhood became the most prominent and effective opposition sector. The brotherhood’s ambitions were shaped by the existing political and social scenario. It was during mid 1980s, that the brotherhood spread its activities and asserted its presence in different facets of public life. Starting from this period, the brotherhood designed its objectives towards global democracy and human rights (Wickham, 20,46). It is an organization whose ultimate goal is to establish a full Muslim state where there will be no extreme disparity of wealth distribution with the rich and poor holding equal status (Oliver & Atmore, 194). Muslim Brotherhood The Society of the Muslim Brothers or the Muslim Brotherhood was founded by Hasan al-Banna in the year 1928. Hasan was a scholar and schoolteacher born in Egypt. He was born to a local sheikh in Cairo , and his father instilled in him â€Å"classical and traditional religious learning and piety† (Wickham, 21). ... He made this his mission, and the way he chose was to preach and teach the Islamic ideals and concepts both to the young people and their parents. In the following years, he established himself as a powerful and intensely effective orator with the skill to spread his message. He began to give his sermons in local mosques and coffee houses. His mission of bringing to the forefront the Islamic way of life, and his dedication to look after the welfare of the Muslims influenced six labourers from a British military camp. These laborers approached him, and requested him to become their leader. The name of the group as Muslim Brotherhood was selected by Hasan since all the member of the brotherhood was primarily dedicated towards the service of Islam (Wickham, 21). The Muslim Brotherhood is a religious and social movement that is composed of Sunni Muslims, and is one of the biggest, oldest and the most significant Islamist organizations in the world. Initially, Egypt was the only country w here the Brotherhood concentrated its activities and movements. However, currently it is estimated that the group has spread its wings in more than 70 countries, while according to other estimates the group is establishing itself in more than 100 countries. When Hasan formed this Brotherhood, his main assertion was that Islam be granted the supreme authority over all matters of life. With this ultimate goal, the Muslim Brotherhood strives to establish an Islam kingdom or monarchy extending over not only the current day Muslim population across the world, but over all communities around the globe. Another purpose of the Brotherhood is to establish the Islam law or the Shari’a as the sole law of court in all countries across the globe. This is the principle philosophy

The Giver Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Giver - Essay Example The book and the movie have same ideas that they convey out. In both the book and the film there is pain being experienced by different characters involved. For example, in the film, there was a war that took place and the community went through tough times. After the war, they decided to do away with racial feelings. On the other hand, in the book, there are options on how to make things work for the community especially in decision making by the elders. The book and the film have series of similar events that resulted to the main theme of both the book and the movie. Therefore, in this review, there is no different in the plot or subplot as can be realized when watching and reading the book and the film respectively. In class structure, the movie and the book have a positive impact on students in building the knowledge of literature, hence improvement in academic standard. In addition to this, the book and the movie clearly show some types of leadership that can be copied by the most governments in many nations around the globe. This can be either positive or negative to those who put them into practice. For example, Jonas is nominated to take charge of all memories and provide them when they are needed for use by the community. However, the government has the responsibility to control the use of any written material and films. This is done by different institutions within the government at different levels. Sometimes the contents of some materials may be dangerous to peace or economic stability of the nation. In this case, the content of the book and the film have important information that is helpful to the citizens. Example is showed when the community elders seek the receiver’s advice whenever they needed wisdom to make decisions on various issues within the committee. The occasions that needed wisdom were during population increase and when the pilot always takes

Global Diversity Plan Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Global Diversity Plan - Term Paper Example Through global diversity management, heterogeneity in organizations can not only be recognized and valued to help the organization strengthen its performance. Often, managing diversity at a global level becomes a challenge for many organizations because of the numerous aspects that are involved. Global diversity management has become an integral process of an organization because mismanagement or lack of adequate management can result in different consequences such as dissatisfaction among the employees, marginalization of certain groups and impact on performance (Gardenswartz, 2003). Therefore, it is necessary to have a strategic plan as well as vision in place for diversity management at a global level that encompasses all the main risk-issues and has plans for redressing each of these issues. Objective The objective of this study is to create a strategic plan that would help in promoting in global diversity in an international organization that is based in the United States but ha s presence in China, Germany and Nigeria. As with most multi-national organizations, this organization too has a preference to maintain a consistent operating policy across the globe so that there is centralized control, better coordination and a uniform corporate culture. However, these policies would not be rigid, but would be in such a manner that it can be customized according to each particular office in a country. The long-term objective is to make global diversity as a strength for the organization. Composition and Management of Global Teams For any organization that has a high focus on global diversity management, a team of leaders from diverse locations would manage the global organization. This is imperative because this will make sure that the organization is a global organization that provides accurate representation of each of the offices across different geographies. One main aspect that needs to be highlighted in the global diversity management plan is the composition and management of global teams (Govindarajan & Gupta 2001). Even in situations where the office is much smaller when compared to other global offices, it is necessary that this office has a good representation in the global scheme of things. Even though the organization would have its headquarters in the United States, the offices in China, Germany and Nigeria will have an Office head, who would be a part of the Board of Directors so that each of these offices have equal representation and voice in critical decision making meetings. The offices have mostly been divided according the functions. The office in the United States would function as a central fulcrum and would have representation for all the functions of the organization. This is done to ensure business continuity; in the event of any situation, office is not able to function in any particular country. The sales function and marketing team would be based out of the United States because large majorities of the clients are located in the United States. The China office would focus highly on product development, where as the offices in Germany and Nigeria would work on product marketing plans. In addition, they would also participate in client interactions. Each of these functions would have a leader or head, who would report to the global leader of these functions based in the United S

Assessment Activity Week 6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Assessment Activity Week 6 - Essay Example One could say there is lack of synergy in the functioning of the company from a global perspective. The other issue in the case is that there is a disconnect with the way things are carried out, this is so because there are too many subsidiaries and fragmented teams that handle tasks which can be done by a single, core team. This would lead to information symmetry with is not the case currently. Although there is no doubt that there is going to be value addition to the company in the long run, to see significant results in the short run priorities have to be changed and looked at from a global perspective. The process has to be modified and restructured a bit to incorporate the current issues. For example the strategic team should look at the option of allocating funds based on criticality of the goal served and how the project would impact the overall development of the company. In fact a good way to evaluate a project is to see its weighted average score across the various goals sp ecified in the NRG.

E-commerce And Marketing Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

E-commerce And Marketing - Coursework Example ling goods and services may prefer internet services in marketing and doing economic transaction with other businesses or to customers because of its efficient and effectiveness to the consumers or the suppliers. E-commerce and marketing have played an important role in marketing and promoting businesses throughout the world through websites namely Facebook, blogs, YouTube and twitter etc. this social media websites provides opportunity to connect and to communicate with customers all over the world on a more personalized. This report also tries to evaluate how marketing and e-commerce websites for companies provides viewers with fresh and updated information about new products, innovations, offers and programs that the company is undertaking at any moment (Dholakia, Nikhilesh). This provision of current and updated data to viewers encourages clients to visit the Company’s website, which results into increased sales and advice the company of any changes to be made to the produ ct or to the services for their satisfaction. When marketing services or products, a company must ensure that there is production and purchase of products and services at the right time by the consumers. These products must meet and deliver the required quality standards and performance specifications for the customers’ satisfaction that might be done through internet. In this process, companies must ensure it has sufficient stock that meets the demands of the customers. In addition, the products must reach the customers in a timely manner and a perfect condition. However the e-commerce and marketing process will enable the company to interact with customers and improves their satisfaction, as it establishes clear business strategy and process. The company does this by ensuring that it meets... This report stresses that E-commerce and marketing have had an important impact in Business-to-Business, Consumer to Consumer and Business-to-Consumer models of electronic commerce. Also the media is one of the key determinants of the purchasing decision of the present consumer. Consumers in the present society will want to look for information about a product or service from any available source that appears to be reliable. For many consumers, the media appears as one of the independent and reliable in situations that can offer information to the public without bias. Unfortunately, some media companies have taken advantage of the trust that consumers have bestowed on them, to manipulate the consumer into purchasing products and services unwillingly. This paper makes a conclusion that the media companies achieve this by delivering faulty information on the real identity of the products and services to the target market. E- Commerce is necessary to a business since it helps in spreading information from one person worldwide. Through this business have greatly marketed themselves and increased profit since the negative and positive responses they get encourages them to develop or maintain the loyalty of the customers. The author of the essay recommends the company to redesign the website requirements by considering the preferences of users rather than the company requirements.Through this business have greatly marketed themselves and increased profit since the negative and positive responses they get encourages them to develop or maintain the loyalty of the customers.

Efforts to Reduce the Budget Deficit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Efforts to Reduce the Budget Deficit - Essay Example Indeed in line with the conventional analyses, the United States has been a clear example of how disruptive an increasing debt deficit is to the long-term economic growth. The national debt has not only suppressed the overall national savings, which, in effect, has reduced domestic investments, but has also increased the country’s borrowing abroad, as evident in the current account balances. It is undeniable that sustained national debts over the years have played a lead role in increasing interest rates, making internal borrowing for investments expensive, hence the capital from abroad to finance the federal budget for almost every government that has ever been in place. As a result of the alarming successive decreases in the national income due to the huge returns from the domestic capital stock accruing mostly to the foreigners, a trend that has now erected caps on the national productivity via a mounting unemployment, several statutory budget controls have been enacted by the congress to reduce the budget deficit, with most notable efforts beginning in the year 1985. After years of disagreements between Congress and the President [Regan, to be precise] on either tax increases or spending cuts as a way forward in halting the trend of deficit growth, members of Congress from both sides of the divide finally passed the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 [popularly known as the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act ("GRH")]. Passed and approved by the President as â€Å"an important step towards rectifying decades of fiscal failure† GRH laid down procedures of eliminating the federal budget deficit that stood at $200 billion in 1986 by the year 1991 (Stith, 1988). GRH was essentially a binding enactment, enforced independent of the legislative budget process and the executive orders, which had failed in cutting down the total government spending and/or resisting political pressure for more government programs. The celebration particular ly for President Reagan who had grander ambitions of reducing the share of the national resources consumed by the federal government was, however, short-lived, as the provisions of GRH was ruled a ‘violation of the principles of the separation of powers’ in 1986 by the Supreme Court in Bowsher v. Synar. To save efforts that went into making the GRH from complete collapse, the Congress went back to the drawing board, eliminating the constitutional defects identified by the Supreme Court eventually producing an amended version of GRH that moved automatic sequestration process from the hands of Comptroller General to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in the Office of the President (Stith, 1988). Accordingly, the deficits decreased in the subsequent years as a result of substantial cuts in spending accompanied by economic growth that ensured increased revenues. With the turbulent Bush administration in the 1990s, GRH proved insufficient in restricting the growth of the deficits. Congress, thus, reached an agreement with the regime allowing for a combination of â€Å"tax increases and caps on government spendin

Big business affects ethics in promotion Essay Example for Free

Big business affects ethics in promotion Essay Ethics in marketing and promotion activities has been disregarded in the business world today. The reason again is the big profit at stake. Because big business entails big amount of profit, promotional ethics has been undermined. This gives birth to the deterioration of promotional ethics. History has shown many promotional activities that have evolved in style as well as in form while safeguarding the basic interest of promotions which is to profit just like in the lottery form of promotions. â€Å"In the 1960s, lottery-like contests designed to publicize products through sweepstakes competitions spread rapidly. In the 19th century, every state banned lotteries—defined as competitions in which chances to win prizes were sold—to protect citizens. In 1868, Congress prohibited the distribution of lottery materials through the mail. The mid-20th century sweepstakes, however, did not require contestants to purchase tickets or products to win prizes and were thus considered legal. † (Congress, 1970) In promoting a product, it is of a general rule that one must be honest. But looking at the business world today, honesty has vanished. The promotions in the business world have been characterized by deception. Majority of the companies promoting their products are only deceiving clients for earning purposes. They want a fast disposal of their products so that their capital and profit will soon be seen. They don’t care if the product is falsely advertised, all they care about is the people buying it. This absence of honesty and truthfulness plagues the business world. A product of such untruthfulness most of the time are discussed in court where a lot of clients give their complaints. Dishonesty can also be seen in instances like a company is telling the public that the product weighs like and the product gives vitamins such as these. But in reality, all they are saying are false and untruthful. This reality is very prevalent that sometimes people see it as just normal in marketing. Being dishonest sometimes is already accepted as part of the business world. In promotions, companies never look at the quality of their products. They just focus on promoting it and deceiving the public just again for profit. Promotions then become just words of manipulating the people. They do away from the criteria that what is said regarding a product must coincide with the truth about it. But in reality, truth about the product and the quality of the product diverge in two different directions. In promotion ethics, welfare of the clients must be first and foremost bannered. The clients are the ones giving life to the business world and they are the ones using the products. Again, with the prevalence of deception, businesses view the people as only tools for a desired end. They forget that the reason they indulge in business is not only for profit but for the service to the people. The people must experience good quality service from the business world. People must be given an honest and sincere service by businesses. The glamour for money of the people makes the promotional ethics deteriorate. This is a sad reality that we face. Now, it is true that it is very hard to overcome this because most people are very much inclined with money and the power in it. The constant desire of people to gain and assimilate material things brings about all the disease in promotional ethics. These are diseases that eat every persons’ being and not only deteriorates the promotional world but also the dignity of people inside it. SUMMARY While big business becomes bigger, media will continually be challenged to hold on to their ethical standards while balancing itself on the persuasive power of business to control media decisions of what to communicate and what information to keep away from public scrutiny. As these two forces contend with each other, using each other as leverage to further one’s own interests, balancers are needed. Social responsibility and media ethics are needed to strike the balance between these two forces from using each other’s strengths in order for the other to become bigger monsters that they are. â€Å"Big business has changed the world. The global growth of corporate culture has brought with it the spread of democratic systems, increased wealth and education, and diversified local economies. But it has also created extreme degrees of exploitation, greed, and environmental destruction. † (Enlightennext, 2006) It is a matter of time when consumers finally realize that they have the power to tip the scales between big business and media and forge these two giants to adhere to their social responsibility, ethical standards in a global setting. REFERENCES: American Advertising Federation Board of Directors, March 2, 1984, San Antonio, Texas.Berlau, John. March 18, 2002. Is big business ethically bankrupt? Insight on the News Blohowiak, Donald W. 1987. No Comment! An Executives Essential Guide to the News Media. Praeger Publishers Bowers, Chris. 2004. Media Conglomerate Will Attempt to Swing Election For Bush http://www. mydd. com/story/2004/10/9/153537/663 Congress, House, Select Committee on Small Business, Investigation of iPreselected Winnersi Sweepstakes Promotions: Hearings before the Subcommittee on Activities of Regulatory Agencies Relating to Small Business of the Select Committee on Small Business , House of Representatives, 91st Cong., 1st sess. , Washington, D. C. , November 12, 13, and 14, 1969 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1970). DuBrin, J. , Andrew, (February 2004). Fundamentals of Organizational Behavior. South- Wester Publication, 2004 Donaldson, T (1988). Broadcasters Seek to Clean Up the Industry and Hope to Regulated Commercial Activities on the Air, â€Å"Ethical Dilemnas†. Chicago, 1988 Evans, Fred J. 1987. Managing the Media: Proactive Strategy for Better Business-Press Relations. Quorum Books. Ethics and Television. November 21, 2006 from http://www. museum. tv/archives/etv/E/htmlE/ethicsandte/ethicsandte. htm Enligthennext. 2006. Can Big Business Save the World? Retrieved November 21, 2006 from http://www. wie. org/business/ Gardner, Howard and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, William Damon 2001. Good Work: When Excellence and Ethics Meet. Basic Books Glover, JD. 1954. The Attack on Big Business. Harvard University Press How Much Do Television Ads Cost? November 21, 2006 From http://www. gaebler. com/Television-Advertising-Costs. htm Liebert, R. M., Sprafkin, J. (1988). The Early Window (3rd ed. )New York: Pergamon. McGuire, William J, 1986. The Myth of Massive Media Impact: Savaging and Salvaging. in C. Comstock (ed) Public Communication Campaigns. 2nd edition. Newbury Park CA: Sage. NBC. National Broadcasters Meet at Chicago and Adopt Code of Ethics New York Times (New York), March 26, 1929. Perse, Elizabeth M. 2001. Media Effects and Society. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Smith. J. W. 1994. The Worlds Wasted Wealth II, (Institute for Economic Democracy, 1994), p. 224.

A Letter To My Past Self English Language Essay

A Letter To My Past Self English Language Essay I might find yourself a bit taken back by reading reader from your future. I assure you are not being watch by a hidden camera and the but of a joke. I think you will agree with me, or rather yourself that education is very important to your, our future. For that reason you are preparing yourself for college. I could tell you who you are going to meet and what classes you shouldnt take, but that wouldnt fair. What I will tell you is that your field of vision will widen. Your brain will hurt and you will have many all righters. To truth of the matter is that you have the tools to be successful already. These tools will need to be sharped and taken care of a like any other tool in your garage. Of these tools writing is very important, maybe the most important of them all. To understand how to write is a key that will propel in on the road you will begin on. Through its process and constant evolution, one must embrace writing as an art form and not a chore. Language is a multifaceted tool which we use to communicate to one another. Its defined as a systematic means of communicating ideas or feelings by the use of conventionalized signs, sounds, gestures, or marks having understood meaning. As the definition suggests its more than just spoken words. Its a head nod, a thumbs up, a smile, braille, hand movements, etc. Pediatricians describe children as sponges to indicate their ability to learn from their environment. Those of us lucky enough to be raised in a household with multiple cultures can have an advantage or disadvantage depending on what we are taught. Institutions such as schools, churches, and the military have their own set of governing rules and behaviors which shape our minds and therefore also shape our usage of language. The experiences Ive had in life shaped my relationship with language, through empowering and undermining my search for self-actualization. Growing up in a bilingual family affected my speech development as a child, which lead me to mix the two languages instead of mastering them one at a time. The United States is a melting pot of difficult cultures, peoples, religions; I believe its what makes this country so great. Even though the United States does not have an official language, English is predominately used. Of course some might argue that in Florida or Texas, Spanish is more widely used, but thats another topic for another day. Being of Spanish decent can be hard and confusing at times. I am of Puerto Rican decedent and was born here in America. My mother being Puerto Rican and my step-father being Guatemalan had issues with what language I was supposed to be taught first toddler. My step-father said I should learn English first because we lived in America and everyone speaks English. My mother on the other hand wanted me to learn Spanish so that I wouldnt forget my roots. As a child hearing my mother speaking Span ish and my father speaking English hindered my communicational development. Thus the language of Spanglish was born. Im sure that Spanglish was being used before I was born, but the fact that I was combining both languages to communicate held me back in some areas. I would start a sentence in English and finish my thought in Spanish. It wasnt that I was doing it on purpose, but my mind took the easy route to finish my thought. If I couldnt find a word in English for something I wanted to say, I would just find one in Spanish and vice versus. That may have worked at home, but it didnt work so well when my Jewish pre-kindergarten teacher couldnt understand me completely. It wasnt that I was not smart enough to be in her class, or develop enough to be in pre-kindergarten. I knew my ABCs, could count to ten and knew the colors of the rainbow. The Hindering factor was that I knew them in Spanish. My inability to use the English language at that age was going to hold me back in school. I was possibly looking at a disadvantage from the start. My mother was so afraid of the school not accepting me in to kindergarten that a summer of hell awaited me. She stopped talking to me in Spanish and English became the predominate language in my home. Being that I was young and a sponge, t didnt take me long to learn the English language for my age. I was able to understand and be understood by my English speaking only teachers. That decision that my mom made resulted in another dilemma in my life which I now still deal with. Growing up in a multicultural environment confused me at times and let me to think and believe I was rootless. Am I an American or am I Puerto Rican? Do I feel comfortable speaking Spanish or English? Everyone at school spoke English, my mother once schooled started talking to talk to me in only English and no one really talked to me in Spanish besides my cheek grabbing aunts no came to visit everyone once in a while. I believed that my roots as my mother put it were slipping away from me. I felt ashamed for a long time because I think I wasnt Hispanic enough or Puerto Rican enough. Having to switch on language the way I did when I was younger put bump in my road for success. To this day I hate spelling and I rather do math. You could say a some people dont like to spell. That is a true statement, but my inability to master one language at time was very confusing. One question that my grandfather asked me repeatedly when I was younger was, How do you say that in Spanish. One instant that I remember, he was referring to my uncles Nintendo. I had asked him if it was alright if I could use the Nintendo in English. Even though he understood what I asking, he was playing a mean trick on me and proofing a point to my parents. He told me that if I could tell him how to say Nintendo in Spanish, then I was allowed to play. I had to ran to my father ask him and he told me Nintendo in English is Nintendo (with a Spanish accent) in Spanish. I felt a bit dumb, but I didnt care at the time because all I wanted to do was play Nintendo. Thinking about that time it was hard for me to have a full conversation with my grandparents without being frustrated. To a degree with was like Malcolm X writing is letters in jail, I know what I wanted say, but I had a hard time saying it in the right language. I eventually took Spanish classes to improve my Spanish speaking skills and talked more with my parents in Spanish to not lose touch with that side of myself. My enlistment in the military was not only culturally shocking, but linguistically shocking as well. Ive recently closed a chapter in life, titled The Marine Corps. It was a life altering experience which I befitted from tremendously. It was a culture shock to say the least. I mention this because there were expectations of me which I had no clue of. I was supposed to know these things, about those things, and all that overnight. One of the craziest issues I had was the language. All of my life the floor had been the floor and all of a sudden floor was now the deck. The walls were bulkheads, the windows were portholes and my shirt became my blouse. Now back on my neighborhood if you were a guy and you wore a blouse that you played for the other team, by that I mean homosexual. I slowly realized that the Marine Corps was rooted in Naval traditional and the terminology date back to ship life. After a while verything started to make sense, but that doesnt mean it became easier. I was st ill being yelled at for referring to the deck as the floor while I cleaned it. Another issue in the Marine Corps I had was speaking in the third person. Now that only last for the three months of boot camp if you ever met a Marine and asked him about the longest time of his life, he or she will problem say Marine boot camp seemed to never end. I just couldnt understand why I needed to say This recruit or recruit Perez needs to use the head instead of saying Hey I need to use the bathroom. Again those were just traditions that fitted a purpose. Whenever you spoke incorrectly the Drill Instructors made it a point to correct you with physical fitness, with that being said I was one tough and lean recruit by the end. Besides being expected to perform in boot camp and being held to a standard. The rest of my Marine Corps life was one learning experience after another. I learned that you dont address a Colonial the way you would you home boy back at home in an e-mail. Professionalism is s omething you need a lot of if you going to survived the arm forces. You are a cut about the rest; cream of the crop so that meant if you half ass work wasnt tolerated. Incomplete work, or work poorly accomplish is the same as not doing it at all. Writing professionally wasnt something I was taught, but I learned under fire. I would write an e-mail or a respond to question 3 to 5 times and had my peers look it over so I wouldnt get in trouble. That would hinder my workload output, but I wasnt being yelled at anymore for not being professional, not it was about not working fast enough. It used to scare me to know that I would have to write an e-mail and 1000 people would read it. I dreaded replies on incorrect grammar or my use of Spanglish. Yes I did use Spanish on a couple of occasion and that they go over so well. With time everything can be accomplished, and my writing skills became better, I do still try to review my work/email/face-book status updates before hitting enter, it ju st a habit now. My experience with my own culture and cultural language (Spanish), allowed me the understanding needed to embrace the Japanese culture and language. My Marine Corps life has let me different place around the world and Okinawa, Japan is included in that list. I still remember being picked up from the airport by my superiors and the long drive to base. Its a humbling experience driving around in a different country and seeing a different set of people you arent used to seeing. I was trying to read billboards, street signs, and even the menu off of the McDonalds drive through, but everything was Latin to me. Well it wasnt Latin most likely the signs were in Hiragana, Katakana, or Kanji. Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji are 3 forms of writing that the Japanese use. My friends and I would go and interact with the people of Okinawa; we didnt like staying on base so we explored the island and what it had to offer. It wasnt easy at first, but the Okinawan people were very accepting of us becaus e we at least tried to learn the language. I carried a Romanized dictionary, to be able to say what we were trying to convey. Even though I know that I was order chicken in English, but the Japanese waitress only knew Japanese. My friend, Wesley would come to the rescue on occasion such as those if I took too long in my dictionary. He had a pocket picture book, which travelers used in different countries to express what that want. He pointed to a picture of chicken and the waitress new exactly what I wanted to order. It amazed me that images can be used to communicate the basic of thoughts. My patience in knowing that I was guest in Okinawa and that I was the one that couldnt be understood helped me better understand the people and culture of Okinawa, Japan. Language has been my double edge sword and that if I used correctly and I acknowledged and understood, but if I am careless and foolish with it and it cut you deep than anything known to man. Of course language isnt something you can pick up and slick through the air, but you can master this invisible tool. I practice when I speak, read, write, sign, and even nodding my head. It is what I do with my experiences; it is what I do with I practices that shape my mastery of it. To quote smarter man than I He who controls the language, controls the word. I believe the word word in his quote means my inner being, my inner self. To become my best self, I must be fully aware of who I am and realize I can be more. I will not be a prisoner of my own mind, for it is I that hold myself back or lets myself fly.

Marketing Analysis and Planning at HSBC

Marketing Analysis and Planning at HSBC This report highlights the market segmentation of the HSBC credit card in India. The organisation segments the market on the basis of geographic locations and in view of income, lifestyle and behavioural traits. The product has been majorly targeted to the existing customers of the bank and the shopaholics at the Westside store. The bank also emphasises on increasing credit card-spends and customer satisfaction by offering distinct product types and elite additional benefits unlike its industry rivals. The brand image and service excellence of the organisation has positioned its credit card at an elevation. The marketing mix strategy executed by the bank coils strength to the market position of its credit card. HSBC has designed its credit card to satisfy the needs of every individual in the respective market segment by offering six different card types. The demand for credit card is increasing in the country as more people prefer plastic money over hard cash. Hence, they are willing to pay the optimum price for the card usage. The massive presence of the entity gives an advantage over the competitors and provides convenience to the customers. The report also emphasises on the success of cobrand association with the Westside store and the effective marketing strategies implemented by HSBC. The consumer engages in complex buying behaviour due to numerous similar product options. The effective and efficient marketing mix implemented by the bank echoes positivity on the buyers behaviour towards the credit card. The product satisfies the consumer needs and wants, cost, convenience and communication aspect enhancing the buyers inclination towards the product. Finally, the report critiques the marketing strategy executed by the organisation. It also sketches the key marketing facts and suggests future marketing plans which might help in accelerating growth. 1.1 Description of the Organisation The HSBC group in India was founded in October 1853 when the Mercantile Bank of India, China and London was established in Mumbai. With the authorised capital of INR 5 million, the mercantile bank opened branches in Chennai, London, Colombo and Kandy. By 1855, the bank expanded operations in Kolkata, Canton, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai. The HSBC Group serves around 100 million customers worldwide through around 8,000 offices in 87 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa. With assets of some USD 2,418 billion at 30 June 2010, HSBC is one of the worlds largest banking and financial services organisation. HSBC is marketed worldwide as the worlds local bank. (About us, www.hsbc.co.in) The HSBC Group is committed to the five core business principles of outstanding customer service: effective and efficient operations, strong capital and liquidity, prudent lending policy and strict expense discipline. 2. The market segment of HSBC credit card HSBC isolates the various broad segments within the market and follows segmented marketing. The company divides the market on the basis of creditability. It offers several card types to different market segment adopting clustered preferences. The chart below illustrates HSBCs bases for segmenting: C:UsersPrashantDesktopUntitledaa.jpg The consumer market has been classified on the grounds of different geographical units i.e. states, cities and regions. The main focus is to target urban and sub-urban markets needs and preferences. With the economic growth in the country, double income has become a common scenario in most families resulting in high spending power. HSBC divides the market on the basis of their income and the purchasing power, occupation and social class. Buyer under the common segment group may have different psychographic profiles bases personality and lifestyle. HSBC and Westside offer the cobranded card that is designed to supplement the lifestyle and is regarded as mark of prestige and recognition. The consumer market has further been segmented on the basis of the buyers attitude, knowledge, usage and response to the product. 2.1 Product Targeting HSBC targets the existing customers of the bank from Personal Banking, Assets and Investments and Personal Finance Services (PLB, AIQ PFS) through open market acquisition bases their creditability. HSBC amalgamates its customer base, while amplifying revenue from within the existing customers by majorly increasing their spending on the card instead of hunting for new prospects. The bank can afford new cards, but not at the expense of non-performing assets (NPA). The bank majorly engages in cleaning-up on credit card portfolio and emphasis on retained growth. The bank also considers the credit cards for upgradation to superior card types bases the income criteria. The chart below shows the income eligibility criteria (GBP) for its card types: Source- www.hsbc.co.in There is no income eligibility criterion for HSBC Premier credit card as the existing cards are upgraded to Premier bases card performance and creditability. Furthermore, HSBC targets the Westside store shoppers covering the entire age group in the market. With the acceleration in urbanisation, the rise in customer density area is evident thus enabling efficient utilisation of resources by reaching same number of consumers with minimum number of store outlets. The consumers are in the middle to high range income groups as the products in the store are moderately priced. HSBC Credit card operations, which keep a hawks eye on demographics, are swooping down on shopaholic consumers through the cobrand association with the Westside store. 2.2 Market Positioning and Major Competitors HSBC has a competitive advantage over its counterparts as it engages in offering better, cheaper and newer products and services. It incorporates the customer-benefit approach and product-class approach in order to position its product overcoming the industry rivals. Major Competitors: Citibank Credit Card Standard Chartered Credit Card SBI Credit Card ICICI Credit Card Axis Bank Credit Card HSBC differentiates its credit card from its competitors bases four dimensions: Product Differentiation The HSBC credit card provides special features like fuel surcharge waiver and exclusive rewards programme. The petrol fuel surcharge waiver is an elite feature on HSBC credit card which undermines the similar product offered by the market competitors. The rewards programme on HSBC credit card gives bonus points to the cardholder on every purchase that can be redeemed for annual fees, gifts, gift vouchers, charities and JPmiles (Jet Airways Jet privilege account). Along with these features, HSBC Westside Co-branded card is packed with benefits from both the HSBC and Westside. The card offers privileges and superior savings for a memorable shopping experience unlike its competitors. The HSBC credit card is globally accepted at over 18 million establishments worldwide and over 1 lakh establishments in India. The card has access to cash, round the clock, at over 700000 ATMs worldwide. HSBC endeavours password protected payment facility on the Internet at no additional cost. Moreover, the card comes with the zero lost card liability after the loss of card has been reported to the HSBC. Service Differentiation The cardholder is provided with the usage and service guide along with the credit card to safeguard consumer from any misuse of the product. Moreover, HSBCs international connectivity gives it competitive advantage over a similar product available in the market. The post-sale service is also an integral aspect that a consumer looks for before buying a product. HSBCs preamble is to ensure that the customer get the best of service. The cardholder may contact the customer service channels i.e. phone banking service, email or visit the nearest HSBC branch for any probes. The quality of service offered by HSBC provides a brink to its credit cards market position over the industry rivals in the market. Image Differentiation An established brand name is the result of HSBCs continuous identity building programs and service excellence. The logo of the bank signifies that the doors of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation are open for business. The symbol of hexagon representing the six quadrants has an instant recognition and bagged a distinct place in the target customers mind. The same has also worked into brand advertisements in conveying the company personality. At the same time, the banks focus is to create a professional and elegant unified ambience across establishments. There is an exclusive Premier Service desk in selected branches to ensure extra comfort and convenience for its valued customer. The organisation has always believed in playing an active role in the community it serves. At HSBC, corporate sustainability is not mere generosity. It takes its Corporate Sustainability (CS) role seriously and helps create an environment where business and nature can flourish hand in hand. Its MicroFinance lending initiative launched in April 2005 has already benefited almost 9000 poor households in Andhra Pradesh giving them the hope of a sustainable livelihood. (HSBC, www.superbrandsindia.com) Majorly, all the banks offer similar offers and features in the product though; it is HSBCs brand name that creates a difference. Personnel Differentiation HSBC has a strong competitive advantage through hiring and training the better individual that its competitors do. The market segment by HSBC is commendable and targeting market bases financial stability is opt for the industry type as there is huge risk involved. Since, the Indian economy to an extent has recovered from the recession; the bank can initiate offering credit cards to new customer bases. The New to Business (NTB) consumer group can be arbitrated bases their credit history and financial stability within formulated limitations using forecast based risk management. Otherwise, the bank ensures service excellence, local presence and strong market position that undermines its rivals. 3. Marketing Mix Developed by HSBC Supports Its Market Position for Credit Card HSBC devises marketing activities and instils the marketing-mix strategies to influence its business partners along with the prospect consumer. Marketing activities are aimed to create awareness, communication and deliver value to the consumer. 3.1 Product The bank offers different product types for every consumer with different needs and wants. The core product benefit of the credit card is the 52 days free credit period for repayment of purchases. The credit card also comes with the cash advance facility wherein the customer can withdraw cash within the specified cash credit limit. The HSBC credit card types currently in the market are as follows: HSBC Classic credit card HSBC Gold credit card HSBC Platinum credit card HSBC Premier credit card HSBC Westside Cobrand Classic credit card HSBC Westside Cobrand Gold credit card With the HSBC Credit Card the consumers can avail the Balance Transfer which allows them to transfer other credit card outstanding dues for repayment at lower interest rates. Furthermore, the HSBC credit card comes with the Loan on Phone facility to convert the purchase into easy instalments. The bank also has cobrand association with CPP Assistance Services Private Limited to safeguard the cardholders interest in event of card loss, theft and related fraud. The CPP (Card Protection Plan) shields the loss of important cards valuable documents including the other credit, debit, ATM, membership or loyalty cards. Furthermore, the role shoppers can also apply upto three additional credit cards for their spouse, parents, siblings and children. 3.2 Price The HSBC credit card has been priced high compared to the most of the competitors in the market. The consumer does not hesitate to opt for the card at offered price considering the brand name and the additional features of the product. The bank charges annual fee towards the card usage which is levied to the cardholders account in the anniversary month and a joining fee on some card types that is levied at point of sale. From time to time, the bank offer cards with no joining fee and cards free from annual fee for life to select customers. The bank may offer 50% discount on the fee bases the creditability of the prospect and the existing customer. 3.3 Place The enormous International presence of the bank ascertains to be a marketing advantage. It endeavours ease of access to bank services to the cardholder even on an international travel. The existing customers of the bank (PLB, AIQ, and PFS) can directly approach any of the branches for credit card application. However, the bank has also established various distribution channels across country i.e. Direct Selling Agents (DSAs) who generates business for the bank under a mutual agreement. Moreover, the banks cobrand association with Westside store has concentrated the target prospect of the bank and enriched its local presence. The consumer can apply for HSBC Westside credit card by visiting any of the Westside store in the region. The Westside store has an enormous presence in the country that ensures that prospect consumers are at ease to reach the product. 3.4 Promotion HSBC focuses on establishing sound communication with the consumer and implement Direct Marketing strategies. The bank advertises the credit card through various marketing means like Email Telemarketing, trade magazine advertising, hoardings, brochures and cobranding. The bank also attempts to create a positive image of the product to ensure word of mouth strategy works for the product. The Westside association has proved propitious for the bank in conquering the target market base. The card is being majorly marketed by cobranding with other business partners (e.g. pizza hut, movie theatres) in form of discounts and coupons to existing cardholders. From time to time, the bank launches the cash back scheme on card usage or on purchases with associated business partners to retain the existing cardholders and lure the prospect. E.g. the bank is offering 5% -10% cash back on purchase using HSBC credit card with the merchant MakeMyTrip (India) Pvt. Ltd. (Travel Agency). The strategy of offering different product types expands HSBCs market horizons and also ensures convenience and sound communication. HSBC views email marketing as a vital component of their overall marketing mix, enabling them to communicate with their customers in a highly targeted way.CPP insurance offered by the bank safeguards the consumer liability for misuse before reporting the card as lost. However, the bank can also offer a card type that requires a passcode on manual swipes like it offers secure pay for online purchases. This will enhance security and the bank would expand its customer base by attracting the consumer group who do not opt for credit card due to the risks involved. 4. Marketing Mix implemented by HSBC influences Buying Behaviour for its Credit Card As the product is one time buy and is long-term association, the consumer engages in complex buying behaviour. The studies show that similar social class exhibit similar buying behaviour. The banks strategy to offer different product types influences the buyers behaviour to opt for the respective product types. The basic core product is identical to the similar product being offered by the industry rivals. However, the distinct product type and additional exclusive features associated with HSBC credit card allures the esteem-seekers who look for class, brand and snootiness. CPP insurance on the credit card safeguards the buyer from the perceived financial risk. Also, the EMI facility towards purchase is more likely to generate magnetizing effect on the buyer. This is also a well-known fact that in spite of increased interest rate and annual fee levied, the demand for credit card is rising. In the last decade in India, the usage of plastic money encouraged the young middle class to defy the Hindi adage Dont stretch your feet beyond your sheet which is another way of saying, Live within your means. (The swipe and spend economy, p.4) Hence, the pricing strategy opted by HSBC has been quite successful to attract the target consumer who associate the product with prestige and reputation. The bank might fail to allure the consumers who look for cost benefit and whose interest is only in the cashless purchase and credit facility. However, the bank should offer a card type without any joining or annual fee with the core product benefit for full market coverage. Many people have a psychology to correlate the price of the product with its quality and brand name the costlier the better. Such consumers are likely to have positive approach while making a purchase decision. C:UsersPrashantDesktopaaa.jpg The 4 Cs associated with the 4 Ps As the HSBCs tagline goes the Worlds Local Bank the bank ensures the same substantiates to be true with its massive presence in the country and worldwide. The Marketing Mix variable Place has been designed by the bank as such it delivers customer benefit effectively. It provides ease of access to the consumers unlike any of the competitors in the Indian market. Hence, the contended comforters who ponder the convenience and service would consider the product over its substitutes. Thereafter, as the credit cardholders need continuous association and post-sale services, the self-actualizers would understand the benefit of massive presence of the entity. HSBC engages in personalized promotion through direct marketing that enhances effective communication with the consumer and develops loyalty and trust towards the brand. The Email and Telemarketing adopted by HSBC has been the wisest strategy to approach the existing customers of the bank. HSBC is a big brand name and a buyer will have a tendency to buy the HSBC credit card if the reference group or the influencer is currently using the same. The word of mouth strategy works well for these buyers. The family members or friends of the existing customers are likely to choose HSBC credit card over its rivals. The bank emphasises on associating with brands that is most popular by all in the target consumer group to expand its market horizon. There will be no market for product that everybody likes a little, only for products that somebody likes a lot. (Kotler.P, Marketing Management p.251) HSBCs association with popular brand develops a positive image for its product and the consumer having preference for the associated brand would develop positive image towards HSBC. 5. Conclusion HSBC credit cards are among the most popular and top-rated credit cards in India. The product has been designed as per the market requirement and caters to the needs and wants of every individual with different product attributes, brand image and additional benefits. Furthermore, the bank focuses on operational excellence, customer intimacy and product leadership to enhance its market position over its industry rivals. The product is moderately priced and ensures convenience to the buyer. HSBCs cobrand association with Westside and collaboration with strong business partners creates positive buyers approach towards the product.

Importance of Language in The Catcher in the Rye Essay -- The Catcher

  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Catcher in the Rye, like many other great works, was met by scornful criticism and unyielding admiration. However, many literary critics also marveled at Salinger's use of language, which was used to make Holden Caulfield, the main character, extremely realistic. Such language includes both repetition of phrases and blatant cursing, in order to capture the informal speech of the average, northeastern American adolescent. Through Holden's thoughts and dialogues, Salinger successfully created a teenage boy. The language used in The Catcher in the Rye has long been a topic of controversy in the literary critic's realm. Holden Caulfield's thoughts and comments serve to deepen his personality and to provide entertainment. Salinger wanted to create a typical teenager while keeping Holden as an individual at the same time. Like most teenagers, Holden speaks in trite sentences. However, he also uses words in places that were then uncommon. Holden often leaves his sentences dangling with words like "and all" and "or anything." Often he uses these phrases to extend some indescribable emotion or action like, "... how my parents were occupied and all before they had me" and "...they're nice and all." Many times there is no significance at all to the expressions as in "...was in the Revolutionary War and all," "It was December and all," and "...no gloves or anything." (Salinger 5-7) Not only does Holden speak like this at the beginning of the novel, but also throughout the entire novel, making this pattern a part of his character. Therefore, the "and all" and "or anything" tags to Holden's speech serve to make his speech authentic and individual. Salinger intentionally used such speech repetition to individualize Holden... ...oughout the novel made Holden Caulfield human. Due to the precise representation of a teenage boy, the reader is able to become intimate with Holden's peculiarities, therefore making him seem more credible. By making Holden come to life through repetition of dialogue and thought, Salinger was able to create one of the most unforgettable characters. Works Cited and Consulted Bloom, HB. Major Literary Characters: Holden Caulfield. Chelsea House Publishers. New York, 1990. Costello, DP. The Language of the Catcher in the Rye. Holden Caulfield. Cambridge, New York; Cambridge University Press, 1990. Gwynn, F. The Fiction of JD Salinger. University of Pittsburg Press. 1958 Salinger, J.D.   The Catcher in the Rye.   Boston: Little, Brown, 1991. Salzman, J. The American Novel: New Essays on the Catcher in the Rye. Cambridge University Press, 1991.

Essay --

Desertification is an increasing global issue that has caused many concerns throughout the world. Desertification affects mostly Africa; however it has (and still is) taking its toll on the Arabian Peninsula, southern Asia, Australia, southern South America, and the southwest region of the North American continent (â€Å"Desertification†, 2013). According to â€Å"Desertification: A Forgotten Threat†, every year, some 23,000 square miles of arable and range land are uncontrollably lost to desert, leaving an exceeding amount of consequences for the entire globe to face. As alarming as this fact is, it is important to understand the negative effects that desertification exerts on these affected areas, exactly what this problem is, what it is doing, why it’s happening, why it is important, and what global communities, as well as world leaders can do to prevent it from spiraling out of control in the future. This paper will focus on the physical and economical hards hips due to desertification, the causes of it, the necessary measures that should be taken to prevent it, as well as the importance of spreading global awareness regarding this topic. According to a statement made by UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) on December 10, 1993, â€Å"Desertification is ‘one of the most serious global environmental problems’† (â€Å"Desertification: Not About, 1994). When discussing the topic of desertification, two common questions are, â€Å"What is desertification exactly, and how is it possible for the desert to advance?† Desertification is a term that describes â€Å"the loss of productive land to desert† (â€Å"Desertification†, 2013). It’s a common, innocent public misconception that the desert is advancing; however, this in fact is not the case. When an area u... ...ined areas. Strongly supported by the UN Development Program’s Office to Combat Desertification and Drought, the CCD is the first treaty to demand full participation by local populations. This way, countries can learn from each other, passing on scientific and technical knowledge† (â€Å"Desertification: A Forgotten Threat†, 1999). As one can see, desertification is a serious matter at hand. Creating laws and setting limits to farmers can slow the desertification process slowed down. Actions need to be taken now in order to save the precious land. If nothing is done, the future of important nations will be dark as they are forced to face a myriad of economical and biological hardships. Additionally, there could very well be wars over land and water, causing the affected country to sink deeper and deeper into a viscous pit due to the malicious cycle of desertification.

Free College Essays - Aesthetic Form of Cantos and The Waste Land :: free essay writer

Cantos and The Waste Land:   Aesthetic Form in Modern Poetry  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the Cantos and The Waste Land, it is clear that a radical transformation was taking place in aesthetic structure; but this transformation has been touched on only peripherally by modern critics. R. P. Blackmur comes closest to the central problem while analyzing what he calls Pound's "anecdotal" method. The special form of the Cantos, Blackmur explains, "is that of the anecdote begun in one place, taken up in one or more other places, and finished, if at all, in still another. This deliberate disconnectedness, this art of a thing continually alluding to itself, continually breaking off short, is the method by which the Cantos tie themselves together. So soon as the reader's mind is concerted with the material of the poem, Mr. Pound deliberately disconcerts it, either by introducing fresh and disjunct material or by reverting to old and, apparently, equally disjunct material." Blackmur's remarks apply equally well to The Waste Land, where syntactical sequence is given up for a structure depending on the perception of relationships between disconnected word-groups. To be properly understood, these word-groups must be juxtaposed with one another and perceived simultaneously. Only when this is done can they be adequately grasped; for, while they follow one another in time, their meaning does not depend on this temporal relationship. The one difficulty of these poems, which no amount of textual exegesis can wholly overcome, is the internal conflict between the time-logic of language and the space-logic implicit in the modern conception of the nature of poetry. Aesthetic form in modern poetry, then, is based on a space-logic that demands a complete reorientation in the reader's attitude toward language. Since the primary reference of any word-group is to something inside the poem itself, language in modern poetry is really reflexive. The meaning-relationship is completed only by the simultaneous perception in space of word-groups that have no comprehensible relation to each other when read consecutively in time. Instead of the instinctive and immediate reference of words and word-groups to the objects or events they symbolize and the construction of meaning from the sequence of these references, modern poetry asks its readers to suspend the process of individual reference temporarily until the entire pattern of internal references can be apprehended as a unity. It would not be difficult to trace this conception of poetic form

Expect more, get more

Finding the perfect match online promises to become simpler with the September 21 launching of moreProfiles.com, a website that hopes to become the hub of online dating services. With the help of powerful Web 2.0 software, moreProfiles’ president John Dahl and his associates have created a site that makes it easier for singles to search profiles, upload their own, do side-by-side comparisons—everything necessary find their perfect match. The website enlarges the selection pool by bringing together such major players in the online dating industry as Yahoo Personals, Match, American Singles, Love Happens, and True. moreProfiles.com gives the public free access to the 30 million profiles held separately by each of these dating websites, but all from one central web location. The charm and ingenuity of moreProfiles.com is the simplicity that comes with having to do only One Searchâ„ ¢ and to submit only One Profileâ„ ¢. Previously, singles interested in online dating have found that choosing a dating website often locks them into the relatively stagnant pool of users that belong to that one site. Simultaneously, it has effectively locked them out of several competing sites, any one of which has the potential to contain the one person that could match them completely. moreProfiles’ One Profileâ„ ¢ and One Searchâ„ ¢ solutions propose to remove the guesswork from choosing a dating service, as it brings all the top ones directly to the searcher. Just one search command probes the vaults of several of the most prominent dating websites, giving singles free and complete access to the profiles of millions and making it easier for them to find their match. In addition, the submission of just one profile gets singles’ information out to all the top dating websites, making it easier for matches to find them. Information integration is at the heart of moreProfiles’ mission. The key component of the One Searchâ„ ¢ and One Profileâ„ ¢ aspects of moreProfiles is its meta-search capability that reaches across company lines to bring all relevant information to searchers. It has been Dahl’s concern that singles should not be distracted by decisions about which online dating service to use.   He says, â€Å"The question shouldn't be ‘Which dating website is right for me?’ The question should be ‘Which person is right for me?’† He believes that it should be as simple to search online for a dating partner as it is has been to search for any thing else. In keeping with this, Dahl and his team have used meta-search technology to create a website that integrates all the browsing, searching, and comparison capabilities necessary for making perhaps the most important decision in a person’s life. To moreProfiles and its users, this unique service represents a long-overdue development in online dating services. The president and staff of moreProfiles.com are confident that the site fills a gaping hole in the world of online dating, and are sure that this will become evident in the coming months through an expected influx of singles to the site. Dahl says, â€Å"By offering a way to easily and intuitively browse all the top online dating websites simultaneously, we think a lot more people are going to take advantage of online dating to reach out and find that special someone.†