Visual Essentialism and the Object of Visual Culture

No other topic has recently attracted the world’s attention like Visual Culture and this is due to the force at which visuals or pictures are getting into the market (Bryson 2003).Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Visual Essentialism and the Object of Visual Culture specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Scholars have staged heated debates on whether visual culture should be an independent discipline in humanities or not. This paper provides a summary of Bal’s article `Visual Essentialism and the Object of Visual Culture’ and subsequently a critique on the chapter â€Å"visual culture†. The paper concludes that time has come for visual culture to be accorded independence and be handled in lecture halls as a discipline. The analysis focuses on the author’s failure to take sides hence giving other scholars to come in and discuss the topic in discussion. It is the views of thes e other scholars that are used to support the paper’s thesis that visual culture should be a discipline. The article kicks off by the author introducing the reader to her thought on the subject of visual culture as a discipline. The article goes on to argue that classifying visual culture as a distinct discipline is like to mix up religion with theology whereby religion is the ‘field’ while theology is its ‘dogmatic intellectual circumscription’(p.2) The article continues to extract that it will be difficult to try to study visual culture using the methodology of an existing discipline because its object can not be studied under the paradigms of any other existing discipline. Before scholars undertook to investigating the fate of the discipline, Bal proposes that visual culture largely require drawing from alternative disciplines that have established themselves well into the field of academics for example; anthropology, psychology and sociology. She continued to argue that there could be compliance that visual culture is a discipline by the fact that it claims a specific object and raises questions about it. Bal concludes her introduction by proposing that visual culture studies be initially treated as a ‘movement’ that can fail to propel and harm no one or succeed at its own advantage or failure. The article presents visual culture studies as a ‘polemical’ issue if taken at face value (p.3) In the part ‘The Impact of Visuality against Objects’ the article discovers that Culture, like visuality faces the difficulty of definition. Here the author argues that understanding culture depends on the way the word culture is used.Advertising Looking for critical writing on cultural studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is because the word culture, like many other linguistic terms, derives its meaning from the context of use and this makes it hard to grasp its objective meaning at a particular time. In the part ‘The Death of Culture’ the article emphasizes that culture also is tied by ‘visuality’s many tentacles’ (p. 17). The author therefore declares culture as a dead thing as she puts; â€Å"in making the ‘singular universal’ and making the ‘plural homogenous’, culture loses its existence† (p. 18). In the part ‘Visual Culture’ the article is for the idea that a fate awaits culture because no scholar has ever defined it completely including Raymond Williams (1976). It is clearly stated that the word culture can be useful and misleading at the same time. This part centers its argument in the fact that the problem with the object is its attempt to explain what culture is. The author goes on to argue that visual culture is driven by aim of focusing on questions. The next part is duped ‘The Objectives of Visual Culture Studiesâ₠¬â„¢ which analyses the aims and goal of visual culture studies. First, the part highlights that visual culture can be understood better when it is separated from art history and its methods of analysis. In this regard Hobsbawn (1990) prescribes that, Visual culture must start by exploring and explaining the link between itself and naturalism as seen in museum, schools, histories and discourses of imperialism and racism. The last part of the article, ‘The Question of Method’ sums it up that the goal of visual culture studies must be derived from ‘its object’ and the methods that suits performing the tasks must be clearly drawn. The author in this concluding part argues that methods must be separated from the objects and the goals. From the article, it is clear that, Bal attempted to foretell the possible future of visual culture as an area of study, but she did not come out clearly whether visual culture should be a discipline but preferred leaving it open for other scholars to discuss. At this point let us look keenly on the chapter headed ‘Visual Culture’ where my argument, like the views of many others, is that visual culture studies ought to be launched as a distinct discipline. Firstly visual culture has had an abrupt surge into the discourses of humanity and requires investigation. There is need therefore to reflect on what factors might enhance it or otherwise block it from becoming (Bryson 2003). The chapter ‘visual culture’ starts with an authoritative prescription that goals and methods of visual culture studies must â€Å"seriously engage both terms in their negativity that is: ‘visual’ as impure, discursive and pragmatic while ‘culture’ as shifting, differential located between ‘zones of culture’ and performed in practices of power and resistance† (p. 19). Therefore it is clear from the author’s argument that the terms visual and culture must be analyzed separately before they are integrated into a discipline of study.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Visual Essentialism and the Object of Visual Culture specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The chapter continues to enlist that the differentiation between the high and mass culture should be subjected to test and finally dismissed as merely political. However the author is quick to warn that this abandoning could lead to losing a fundamental tool of analysis. It goes on to defend that this differentiation is what should be the primary object of visual culture studies (p.19). Further the author provides an insight that cultural studies have been responsible for opening up the disciplinary structure of the humanities. It has however, as an interdiscipline, suffered difficulties with all of its enquiries and as a result it always defies the boundaries of humanities leading to the heated intellectual de bate about its position. There is however one major drawback of visual culture that the author identifies in this chapter; that its object (what you study) has changed but the method (how you do the study) has remained static (p.20). This lack of methodology is the only limitation that visual culture has to contend with because it completely denies it persuasive analysis. However visual culture today has an uncontrollable upsurge and if we put bottlenecks before it development, we may end up losing in the game. Presently, the field has become too common through new technologies like print media, electronic media among others. Images are not only socially unavoidable but are also part and parcel of economic mainstreams (Hobsbawn 1990). Today, without pictures (visual), whether canonical or your own, you are like one without sight. It is difficult to imagine a magazine without illustrations, books without images for that would portend life without meaning-an innocent life, blind life. There is a great proliferation of images elsewhere, everywhere and images are no longer escapable in life where all media be it electronic ( television, cinema, internet et cetera) or print ( newspapers, magazines and books) all pump images into the social stage (Bryson 2003) oblivious of the where about of the targeted clientele. And the article reinforces this clearly thus, â€Å"because seeing is an act of interpreting, interpretation can influence ways of seeing, hence, of imagining possibilities of change† (p. 21); visual culture has few steps to becoming an independent discipline.Advertising Looking for critical writing on cultural studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is in this understanding that the paper analyses that pictures today are all over and people earn money from the technologies involved, for example in movie industry with even futuristic animated technology like that of blockbusters as avatar all over the world. Magazines cannot sell without the relevant images; commercial models are used to advertise for goods and services in commerce. Visuals therefore have not only become relevant in museums but have had huge influence in all scores of life, political, social economic, aesthetics et cetera. Therefore my view is that, when a phenomena overwhelms the social control with such impunity as visual culture, the best action is to investigate how, why, where, and what next. In this sense the author is right to advise that visual culture should be investigated thoroughly in order to give it a just destiny in our area of studies. The emergence of visual culture as a deserving area of enquiry is deeply rooted in real social processes that are here to stay whatever form it takes in future (Bryson 2003). The proliferation of images today in both production and circulation of visuals is so common in a way that cannot be overlooked (Bryson 2003). Although visual culture is denoted as new by some people, it is not considering that visual culture studies have been there under other disciplines. The traditional art tactic is no longer useful as technology has made it easy to come up with visuals through designing not curving out or assembling natural objects. Software of advanced sophistication is all over and that makes it possible to design visuals, which never was, at a greater speed, efficiency and quality, rightly fitted to a theme. The concept of visual culture therefore badly requires recognition as a discipline within humanities. The chapter also lists that visual culture â€Å"It examines the act of seeing as a product of the tensions between external images or objects, and internal thought processes† (p.19 ) Bal left it at a point where she did not declare her stand and she is categorical that, â€Å"This is why I am reluctant to declare visual culture a branch of cultural studies (p.20). The author here defends her stand by stating that visual culture definition is controversial and each side in the dissenting views has a worthy point to defend. However as a fact of today’s experience designing and stylization need to be taught in class and the art of interpretation professionalized. In the chapter Bal fears that if visual culture is endorsed as a discipline, those who do so might suffer disillusionment should it cease to exist but our experience has it that the visuals are so deeply entrenched into the lives of people that it would be hard for visual study to die off instead, there is thirsty grounds for the discipline that just require to be watered and the discipline will blossom and bear fruits never to be shaken off by seasons. The object of visual culture should be soug ht first in order for us to decide whether visual culture is a discipline or cast it into its former position where it has suffered a Cinderella treatment. The chapter also analyses that if the object domain is visually categorized subject to certain assumptions, approaches and techniques and if it is organized and can be analyzed, then visual culture is undoubtedly a discipline. It es true that visual culture should concentrate some effort on discovering the forces that makes visual essentialism zero its interest in visual culture. This way the subject will qualify to be an independent discipline. In the attempt to understand the ‘object’ Hooper-Greenhill (1989, p.104) says an object is a thing which guides feeling, action and thought. Bal (2003) goes on to argue that visuality is impure because it is itself the act of looking directed to any object that inheres the object domain. Therefore here Hooper-Greenhill agrees with Bal that there can be nothing like visuality without the object. In the same argument the object has to be made first according to Mitchell (2003), who analyses Bal’s article. Mitchell argues that Bal’s phobia in defining an object rather than making it is oscillatory because even the making she proposes is just a process leading to the end definition. Every act of creativity is an act of definition, a process of coming up with a definite identity out of an array of alternatives (Mitchell 2003). Mitchell supports the idea that visual culture is a combination of things brought together and thus visual culture studies must encapsulate such areas as popular culture and media which are as dynamic to capture at a particular time as fast moving jet. These areas, in addition, include non artistic, visual representation, scientific imaging, technical imaging and social acts of seeing and being active in the process, commercial media et cetera (Mitchell 2003). Generally the idea that visual culture must first of all speci fy its object of research in outlining the objective of visual culture require some consideration. The following objects among others are listed to support this point: that visual culture studies must analyze critical points and the way to visual culture and bring down their long established persistence. This is where it must deal with the aim of where visual nature meets with the process and the practices that establishes a given culture (Mirzoeff 1999). This means further that visual culture must separate itself from art history and its method of inquiry. Visual culture therefore must examine the driving force behind realism that inspires its political interest through portrait display. In this ‘cult’ artistic ‘quality’ overshadows faithful representation of the achiever which should be the end (Barlow 1994, p.518). Putting the object before everything else misleads the goal where understanding should come first followed by perception that guides it. Howe ver whatever visual culture is, it is challenging to come up with its definition without referring to visual nature (Mitchell 2003). This is because visuality is made up of many things for example automatic and will reflexes and learnt ones, programmed and freely chosen (Mitchell 2003). Against the author’s proposition of treating visual culture initially as a movement, the above analysis proves that visual culture is a safe ground and we can fearlessly and confidently put our hands into it and come up with successes. However with the innocence of the eye, we should not just walk upright into that decision, we need to tip toe so as to take the foot off when we foresee a soft ground. Visual culture therefore asserts itself in a basket that may be referred to as visuality. The development of images that probes for search of a specific placement, for them is proof enough that something has to be done. The response is the kind of influence visual culture has in the daily life. Th e article treats this discussion with such delicate arms to avoid being left with blame marks should the idea proposed sells, succeeds and fail later. With all this analysis, it is therefore worthy to conclude that visual culture requires special consideration and ought to be taken as a discipline. With all the images I see around that require my attention and earning life for somebody but me, it makes sense to capture whatever skill that produced them as a discipline. That way visual culture will be professionalized after centuries of suffering under other disciplines. If it hadn’t then time has come and it has grown too much to fit in its usual outfit. List of References Bal, M. (2003) Visual Essentialism and the Object of Visual Culture, London: Thousand oaks. Barlow, P. (1994) ‘The Imagined Hero as Incarnate Sign: Thomas Carlyle and the Mythology of the â€Å"National Portrait† in Victorian Britain’, Art History, vol.17, no.4, pp.517-45. Bryson, N. (20 03) Visual culture and the dearth of images, London: Macmillan. Hobsbawm, E.J. (1990) Nations and Nationalism since 1870: Programme, Myth, Reality, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Hooper-Greenhill, E. (1989) ‘The Museum in the Disciplinary Society’, in: S. Pearce, ed. Museum Studies in Material Culture, London: Leicester University Press, pp.61-72. Mirzoeff, N. (1999) Introduction to Visual Culture, London: Routledge. Mitchell, W.J.T. (2003) ‘Showing Seeing: A Critique of Visual Culture’, Journal of visual culture, vol.1, no. 3, pp.165-83. Williams, R. (1976). Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society, New York: Oxford University Press. This critical writing on Visual Essentialism and the Object of Visual Culture was written and submitted by user Billy Romero to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

ACT in 8th Grade

Should You Start Prepping for the SAT/ACT in 8th Grade SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you an 8th grader curious about the SAT and ACT? You might be surprised that you already have a lot of the skills you'll need to do well on these tests, and you're capable of picking up many more. Whether you're prepping to get a headstart for high school or taking the SAT/ACT to qualify for talent competitions, read on for some compelling reasons why you would benefit from prepping in 8th grade. First, why would you take these tests in the first place? Why Would You Take the SAT/ACT? There are a number of reasons why students take the SAT or ACT. The most obvious one would be to get into colleges and universities. Perhaps more immediate for many middle schoolers are the talent competitions and special programs that require the SAT/ACT as part of theirapplication processes. But what if the SAT/ACT is not required for you yet? Is there any reason to start preparing if you don't really have to? Absolutely. Below I'll discuss a bunch of other strong reasons to start prepping for these important tests. First,when are these tests required? For College Most 4-year colleges require the SAT or ACT as part of a student's application, along with a personal essay, teacher recommendations, high school transcript, and other records. Since admissions are so competitive, a strong SAT/ACT score can go a long way to making your application stand out. Prepping for these tests is key to performing well and achieving your target scores. The SAT and ACT are different from most tests you'll take in school, and they require you to be strategic, work efficiently, and demonstrate a variety of skills in a limited, often stressful, amount of time. Because prep is such a significant part of the SAT/ACT experience, many students take the tests several times to gauge their level, identify and overcome their weaknesses, and improve their scores the next time. Some students even build up their overall scores section by section, by focusing intensively on math on one test date and reading on another (to give just one example). Plus gaining familiarity with the test helps students breathe easier and feel less stressed out on test day. So once you understand the power of prep for the SAT/ACT, imagine if you started prepping even before you got to high school. If you devoted just an hour or two weekly or biweekly to learning concepts and applying them to sample test questions in the 8th grade, you'd be well-versed, maybe even an expert, by the time you take the tests. You might even finish taking the tests before junior or senior year, when your friends are scrambling to balance the SAT/ACT, finals, clubs, sports, and college applications. Getting these tests done early could be a welcome relief once you reach junior or senior year. If you're applying to a 4-year college, you're very likely to be taking the SAT or ACT at least once in high school, if not several times to build up your score. The other type of program that might require the SAT/ACT in 8th grade is a talent competition or special academic program. For Talent Competitions The other circumstance where the SAT/ACT is required is when applying for talent competitions. Some special programs for academically gifted and motivated students have application processes similar to those you'd undertake for college. And just like with college applications, you'll want to achieve a strong score to be a competitive candidate for these programs. Some of the programs for middle schoolers are Belin-Blank Exceptional Student Talent Search (BESTS) at the University of Iowa Center for Talented Youth (CTY) at Johns Hopkins University Joseph Baldwin Academy (JBA) at Truman State University Midwest Academic Talent Search (MATS) at Northwestern University Talent Identification Program (TIP) at Duke University If you're interested in any of these programs, then you'll want to prep and take the SAT or ACT toqualify. If you choose the SAT and want to preserve your scores, you'll have to contact College Board so they don't delete your score reports. With both the SAT and ACT, students applying to these programs can choosea one-step registrationoption. So applying to college and talent competitions are the main reasons why the SAT or ACT are absolutely necessary tests to realize your goals. But what about all the other advantages andbenefits that come from prepping for the SAT or ACT? Slow and steady wins the race! Also, I would love to watch this race. Reasons to Prep for the SAT/ACT in 8th Grade Prepping for the SAT or ACT in 8th grade will not just help you become an expert on the tests, it may also help you prep for other tests like ACT Aspire and thePSAT, as well as develop other academic and organization skills. First, what do I mean about becoming an SAT/ACT "expert"? Boost Your SAT/ACT Scores As I talked about above, prep is extremely important for doing well on the SAT or ACT. Doing well in math class does not necessarily equate to a high SAT/ACT math score, nor does being a lifelong reader guarantee you a high score on the reading sections. That's because these tests are unique in the way theyrequire strategy and time management skills. They also ask strangely worded questions designed to distract you from the correctanswers. Luckily, the way they do this stays the same year after year. This means that with careful studying, you can avoid the pitfalls and arm yourself against these tricky maneuvers. Does this sound like a tall order? It may require effort and focus, but every student is capable of improving their scores on these tests. And because all of this careful studying takes time, starting early, like in 8th grade, may be the best way to reach your goals. If you devote just a few hours every one or two weeks over the school year to SAT or ACT prep, then this studying will really accumulate over time. You'll see a great deal of improvement without having to stress about running out of time or having to study a ton of material all at the same time. As the tortoise and the hare taught us, slow and steady wins the race. Prepping will also help you on tests like the ACT Aspire and the PSAT, which you may choose to take earlier than junior year, when it counts for National Merit distinctions and scholarships. Get Ready for the ACT Aspire and PSAT The ACT Aspire, formerly the ACT Explore, is a computer-based ACT test that, like taking an official practice test, can help gauge your progress and give you a sense of where you need to improve. Since it's so similar to the ACT, prepping for the ACT can help you perform well on this test, as well. Since it's still a relatively new test, keep in mind that there are several variables that might not make it the most accurate predictor of how you'll score on the ACT. All th grade students in high school also take the PSAT, which is used to determine National Merit distinctions and scholarships. If you're looking to improve your scores on the PSAT and qualify for National Merit, then you might want to consider taking the PSAT even earlier, like in 9th or 10 grade. Since the new PSAT is so closely aligned to the new SAT, your prep will help you a great deal on both tests. This is another consideration if you're still deciding between the SAT and ACT and want to determine which one will better reflect your abilities and help you get a high score for your college applications. Apart from applying to college, enhancing your study skills and academic knowledge will help you in general in your 8th grade classes and as you make the transition into high school. Prepping for the SAT or ACT in 8th grade can be hugely beneficial for your academic understanding and performance in school. Get a Headstart on High School By studying SAT/ACT math, reading, and vocabulary, for instance, you can reinforce what you've learned in school. Timing yourself might have the added benefit of allowing you get more homework done in a shorter amount of time. Since the SAT and ACT are meant for high schoolers, you probably haven't learned all of the concepts that appear on these tests yet, like geometry or certain high-level reading. That doesn't necessarily mean that these concepts are out of reach, though. By prepping now, you can get a headstart on material you'll learn in high school. Not only will the SAT and ACT lose some of their mystique and become totally within your reach, but your high school classes won't seem so unknown, either. Instead, you can learn and become more confident in your knowledge by studying independently of your classes in school. Prepping for the SAT or ACT in 8th grade can have beneficial effects on your test scores, learning, time management, and study skills.If you agree that these are all worthy goals, then you're probably now wondering, how can I go about prepping for the SAT/ACT? Give yourself a headstart on high school. How Can You Prep for the SAT/ACT in 8th Grade? While there are lots of resources to help you prep for the SAT and ACT, the ones that you should never leave out are the official practice tests from the testmakers themselves. Official practice questions are the gold standard when it comes to studying, since they are the truest representation of the types of questions and format you will encounter when you take the test yourself. PrepScholar's online test prep can also be exceptionallyhelpful for 8th grade students. Unlike other test prep programs and books, PrepScholar doesn't assume you're already a high school student. Instead, it meets you at your level, determineswhat you know and what you need to learn, and helps you keep track of your progress with a planned out schedule and progress reports. Plus since it's an online program, it can further help you develop the skills you'll need for computer-based tests like the ACT Aspire. Test prep books are also good resources that cover a lot of material, but you've got to be discerning about their quality. They also require a lot of independence and discipline from you to make the time to study, score your own practice tests, and analyze your incorrect answers. One great place to start small and gradually build your test prep is with SAT Questions of the Day and ACT Questions of the Day. You can also find a limited number of practice questions on the College Board and ACT websites. Whiie these resources will offer you direct practice for the SAT or ACT, you can also integrate prep with your studies in school to ensure that you're covering the concepts you'll need. Let's briefly break down what's on the SAT and ACT so you can see how each sectionconnects to your classes. These sections are Math, Critical Reading, and Writing on the SAT, or Math, Reading, English, and Science on the ACT. Math The math section of the SAT covers numbers and operations, statistics and probability, algebra, and geometry. The ACT goes one step further and covers some trigonometry. The major emphasis on both tests is on algebra, with a substantial emphasis on geometry, as well. If you're in 8th grade, you probably haven't studied too much geometry yet, and may have only just started studying algebra. To get more practice, you could introduce yourself to a new concept every couple of weeks and practice it. You could also take the math you're learning in school, whether it's probability or algebra, for example, and seek out related SAT/ACT practice problems. While some of the math section on the SAT/ACT may be new, you likely have a lot of the foundational skills you'll need to do well on the SAT Critical Reading and ACT Reading. Critical Reading / Reading Both the Critical Reading section of the SAT and Reading section of the ACT ask you to read passages and answer questions that demonstrate your understanding and interpretation. Unlike your English classes (probably), these questions are not subjective or open to debate. Instead, there is only one 100% correct answer - the rest have some error or logical flaw in them. Your reading comprehension skills may be less easy to quantify than your understanding of specific math concepts. However, reading widely and practicing with SAT or ACT passages can help you become a more advanced reader over time. Plus you can study vocabulary and get a sense of how the same words may be used differently in various contexts, an important skill for both the SAT and ACT. If you like reading, then practicing these questions may not seem like so much of a chore. The random excerpts can actually have really interesting, unique information, and being a critical reader is a great skill to have for the tests, school, and life in general. The other sectionsthat overlap between the SAT and ACT are the Writing and English section. Writing / English The Writing section of the SAT and English section of the ACT also relate to the skills you develop in your English classes. They test your understanding of grammar and word choice. You may also write the essay, which is meant to be a persuasive essay with a 5 paragraph structure. Paying attention to these skills in your English classes will be beneficial for your SAT/ACT prep. Conversely, practicing with sample questions can help you improve your writing skills, which will help you in 8th grade and all four years of high school. Plus you might get a whole lot speedier at producing essays for class. Finally, the last section that you need to prep for only applies to the ACT: the Science section. Science You might be relieved to hear that the Science section of the ACT doesn't actually test very advanced scientific concepts or require too much specific recall of facts and figures. Instead, the science section is similar to Reading, in that you need to have the skills to comprehend excerpts, data, and graphs. All of this is in the context of biology, chemistry, and earth sciences. As an 8th grader, you can not only develop your science and lab skills with prep, but you can also take an SAT and ACT practice test and determine which one is better for you. That way you can focus all your prep on the test that will allow you to get the highest scores for your college applications. We should all be asprepared as this guy. To Sum Up... If you're starting to think about the SAT or ACT, prepping in the 8th grade can be very valuable. Not only can it help you get prepared for the SAT/ACT and PSAT, but it can also benefit your learning in school. Getting a headstart can also be a great challenge, ease the pressure once you get to high school, and put ahead of the curve in math, English, and maybe even science, if you're taking the ACT. Since you'll have years to prepare, you can start slowly and gradually become an expert on the tests. When you finally sit for the official tests, you'll now exactly what to expect and how to achieve your scores. Plus all your dedication and studying will pay off in a huge way once you get to high school and eventually, to college. What's Next? Are you planning to take the official SAT or ACT in 8th grade? Read about what makes a good score on the SAT and ACT for 8th graders and how you can boost your scores even higher the next time you take the test. Are you prepping for the PSAT, too? These are some good reasons you might consider taking it as a freshman. As you know by now, the best way to prep for the SAT and ACT are with official practice questions from the testmakers themselves. Download free pdfs of SAT practice tests and ACT practice tests here. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

When and why did the Sinatra Doctrine replace the Brezhnev Doctrine in Essay

When and why did the Sinatra Doctrine replace the Brezhnev Doctrine in Soviet policy towards East-Central Europe - Essay Example The name of the document many have come up as a joke but its implication on the nations of Eastern Europe was not a joke. This doctrine had widespread effect on these nations and allowed them to control their own internal affairs. This was not possible under the Brezhnev doctrine which was being followed earlier by the Soviet Nation. Before the new doctrine came up; Soviet Nation exerted tight control over the internal affairs of the nations which came into the purview of Warsaw Pact. Brezhnev doctrine was used as a justification by Soviet Nation to justify the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and also that of Afghanistan in 1979. The main reasons which have been cited for this shift in Soviet policy have been the huge economic problems which were being faced by the Soviet Nation; the rising anti-communist and the anti- Russian feelings which were coming up in these nations and the disastrous effects of the Afghanistan war on the economy of Soviet nation. All these reasons made it almost impractical for Soviet Union to exert its forced will on all the neighbouring countries. This doctrine had far reaching consequences on the neighbourhood of Soviet Nation. The entire Soviet block was transformed as a result of this policy. The most dramatic and visible effect has been the destruction of the Berlin Wall in Germany. East Germany government was no longer receiving the support of Soviet Union and this policy made it clear that the country will not affair in the internal affairs of these countries. This led to the ouster of communist governments in East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria. The communist party in Romania also suffered the same fate. This policy in fact signalled the end of cold war and Europe was no longer divided after this policy was announced. This paper aims to study the reasons for replacement of Brezhnev doctrine by the new Sinatra doctrine. The reasons for this dramatic shift in the policy of Soviet Union have been discussed and debated in this paper in the coming sections. Brezhnev Doctrine The Brezhnev Doctrine as a foreign policy for Soviet Union was first defined and clearly established in 1968. (Kovalev, 1968).It was defined as a necessity by Soviet Union in times when forces which are hostile to socialism try to convert a socialist country into a capitalist one. This was considered by Soviet Union not as a problem of the concerned country but a problem which was common to all the socialist countries and effort should be made by all socialist countries to prevent such forces which are disruptive to socialism from gaining power in any country. (Brezhnev, 1968) This doctrine was felt necessary to be defined by Soviet Union in order to justify the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968 and also to justify various other soviet military interventions like the invasion of Hungary which took place in 1956.Before this policy was defined; these invasions were considered as inappropriate and improper. Soviet Union was

Analyzing Fed Policymaking 1996-1998 Term Paper

Analyzing Fed Policymaking 1996-1998 - Term Paper Example With upward rising of the aggregate, there are favorable conditions to drive economic growth such as high job creation, high production, and business expansion. The Federal Reserve policies between 1996 and 1998 were aimed at stimulating growth in ensuring increased productivity, which resulted in increased employment and reduced inflationary rates through control of interest rates. A report by Federal Reserve Board (1999) showed that, economic growth between 1996 and 1998 was remarkable and stronger than many had expected. The economy growth was more than 3.5% in 1997 and between 2.5 and 3.0 % in 1998. By 1998 the real GDP growth was at 3.5%, and was expected to rise further in the following years (Lewis, 1998). According to Lewis, at the start of October 1998, the S& P was abnormally high having risen from about 1000 in earlier years to about 1400 by July 1999. The Fed had to impose a 40% increase in the S &P by hiking interest rates from 4.75 to about 6.5 in the following years. T his rise resulted from an â€Å"irrational exuberance’ where too much money was being injected into the booming internet and technology industries (Lewis, 1998). Figure 1 portrays the general trend of interest rates during this period, Figure 2 portrays the relations between money supply and price levels between 1950 and 2008, while figure 3 shows the dollar performance compared to German’s in 1998. The major driver of the U.S economy that resulted in a high economic growth between 1996 and 1998 was capital spending. Many organizations continued to invest heavily in information technology and modernizing communication equipment to improve their productivity (Lewis, 1998). The market interest rates affect borrowing and lending policies, which affect the production and consumption of goods, products and services. The Federal Reserve Board (1999) explains that, these factors largely influence employment and job creation; high interest rates will discourage investors henc e low job creation opportunities. For example, during this period, Fed decided not to hike the interest rates to control the exponential market growth in preventing the economy from tending to inflation. This is observed in graph 1. In the year 1996, it was expected that inflation and interest rates would be on the rise towards the end of that year, but it turned otherwise (Federal Reserve Board, 1999). As Mishkin (115) explains, the demand for money and interest rates are inversely related using the opportunity cost aspect. This is the expected return sacrificed by an investor by not holding the alternative asset, which refers to a bond in this case. Moreover, demand for money is determined by the wealth or income and the price levels in the market (Mishkin, 116). The federal authority polices during this period were aimed at robust growth in employment, recovery and strengthening of the dollar, and regulated interest rates, which increased wealth and lowered the interest rates mak ing the demand of money to increase. There was a general fall of the domestic interest rates and national debts over this period (Mishkin, 11). In the third quarter of 1998, uproar in financial market globally resulted in a sharp drop in value of the dollar, having dropped from DM 1.7993 to DM 1.6718, which could have shifted the economic growth as well as interest rate policies towards encouraging more borrowing. Low interest rates contributed

Of what use are management ideas and concepts in the practice of Coursework

Of what use are management ideas and concepts in the practice of management - Coursework Example Henri Fayol described his 14 principles of management that, when used in conjunction with other principles, build an effective team and develop a strong manager. Fayol’s 11th principle, equity, determines how to best motivate employees, creating fairness whilst blending authority and kindness. Equity is often determined by the justness of rewards, ensuring that all high-performing employees receive equal opportunities for additional remuneration or other appropriate rewards. Equity is important as a manager in the real-world business environment as it provides employees with a sense of affiliation. This is linked with Fayol’s 13th principle, initiative, that provides more autonomous working environments and opportunities to express employee innovations as become active in the decision-making process. Motivational theories indicate that employees must receive esteem and recognition from others in the organisation. Affiliation establishes perceptions of prestige, control and self-esteem (Gambrel and Cianci). Wal-Mart, a major multi-national retailer, recognises the importance of Fayol’s guidelines for management, providing employees with stock options, incentive bonuses and even profit sharing as a means to build commitment, ownership and equity. Wal-Mart is world-renowned for its high-commitment employees that are team-focused and therefore able to carry out strategic goals. These remuneration packages provide equity by establishing rewards for all employees throughout the organisation and inspires a sense of affiliation as valued contributors to the business model. Fayol’s theories, especially equity and initiative, are important concepts in the real-world. Managers establish strategic goals that determine the future position of the organisation related to profit, competitive advantage or other elements related to its market position. Multi-national companies, especially, require team-focused employees in order to achieve these goals. According to Reis and Pena (2008, p.674), â€Å"If the business is still using vertical hierarchies instead of self-directed teams, truly empowered to make changes, it is not ready for change†. This means that there will likely be resistance to change from different employees if the manager does not provide initiative in his or her efforts whilst promoting a sense of equity that there will be balanced rewards for achievement for all employees. Fayol’s concepts are h ighly relevant as the business will not be able to achieve without employee cooperation when teamwork is required to create new strategies and innovations. Mintzberg is another management guru who has established multiple theories of management that are classical in design. Mintzberg describes ten different management roles required to establish a successful management system, these being informational, interpersonal and decisional (LMC, 2008). Of most relevance is the interpersonal dynamic of the manager who takes on the role of a leader, or one who inspires others rather than establishing routine control systems to gain productivity and motivation. The difference between managers and leaders is in their approach to establishing interpersonal relationships. For example, a

Respiratory Disease Patient Assessment

Respiratory Disease Patient Assessment Total Patient Care Patient Profile Name of patient: Miss Cheung Sex/ Age: F/ 17 Hospital/ Ward. Bed no.: Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital (AHNH) / E4 (Paediatrics unit) / 25 Demographic Data (Client’s personal particulars) Psychological assessment: Miss Cheung, 17 years old, was born in Hong Kong in 1996. She speaks in Cantonese. She is a student and studies in secondary six. She is single and lives with parents at Tai Po. She has no religion. She is a non-smoker and non-drinker. Miss Cheung is shy when people talk to her. She expressed that she does not good at communicating with people. She hoped that she can return to school as soon as possible. Admission Details: Past health history: Miss Cheung did not get respiratory disease before and with good past health history and no family disease history. She has no known drug allergy and food allergy. Reasons for admission/ chief complaint: Miss Cheung was admitted to AHNH E4 ward from the Accident and Emergency Department (AED) on 1st December, 2013 at 11am with her mother for chief complaint of fever for 5 days which was up to 39.1oC, cough with yellowish sputum with small amount, mild runny nose and sore throat. She got fever which was 39.5oC with mild chilis at the time of admission. She had seen private sector for few days ago, but the condition had not been relieved and even worst with increased coughing and sputum production, persistent fever, runny nose and sore throat. Medical diagnosis and investigations: In the physical assessment, her neck was soft and no enlarged lymph nodes. Throat had mild congested without ulcer or exudates. Heart sound was normal with no murmur. Abdomen was soft, non tender, no mass and organ-megaly, and bowel sound was normal. Skin was intact and no rash. Chest X ray was done which showed that left lower zone had mild haziness but bilateral costo-phrenic angle were sharp. She was diagnosed as left sided pneumonia. Client’s progress (since admission, any examination, medical management, nursing care and client’s response): On 1st December, 2013 (admission day), her blood pressure was 114/60 mmHg, and SpO2 was 97% in room air which were normal; pulse rate was 128 beats per minute indicated tachycardia and respiratory rate was 22 breaths per minute indicated tachynea. Miss Cheung was diagnosed as left sided pneumonia. She complained of cough with increased sputum production, runny nose and sore throat and Actifed was administrated as prescribed. She got fever (39.5oC) with mild chilis, hence, Panadol and Augmentin were administrated as prescribed. She can continue diet as tolerated but she decreased diet and fluid intake due to loss of appetite and nausea. She got once vomiting with undigested food and yellowish fluid. Nasopharyngeal Aspirates was preformed for viruses detected. Sputum was collected for culture and blood sample was collected for complete blood count, renal and liver function test, C-reactive protein and AP titire. On the 2nd December, 2013, Miss Cheung complained of cough with increased sputum production but difficulty in coughing out, runny nose, mild headache, nausea and vomiting without abdominal pain and Actifed was administrated as prescribed. She got fever (38.8oC) and Panadol and Augmentin were administrated as prescribed. Miss Cheung complained of having loose stool in the morning which suspected the side effect of taken Augmentin. Miss Cheung had decreased diet and fluid intake due to loss of appetite and nausea. She got once vomiting with undisgested food and yellowish fluid in the morning Investigation(s) done: e.g. CXR, OGD Physical assessment date: Laboratory findings: Medication: Regular medication including oral and intravenous injection: Medications (when necessary): Comprehensive assessment using Gordon Functional Health Pattern: (Data collection date: 2nd December, 2013) Health perception and management Miss Cheung is a non-drinker and non-smoker. She has no known drug allergy. She had regular body check from the government health program. When she felt sick, she usually visited doctor immediately as she did not want to affect her study. She can indicate the rule of healthy life including regular exercise and balanced diet but she had not obeyed and taken action because of heavy schoolwork. Although she knew she was overweight, she cannot control herself on eating snacks. Nutrition and metabolism Miss Cheung has no known food allergy. She liked eating meat and fried food in which she ate fried food twice a week. She disliked vegetables and fruits, hence, she ate rare vegetables each day and fruits once a week. She usually ate 3 meals each day in which she usually ate noodles with egg and hams at the breakfast; fast food at lunch and rice with meats in dinner. She drank 6 cups of fluid everyday including water, soft drinks and soup. She ate snacks including chocolate and potato chip at most recess time. She decreased diet and fluid intake 5 days ago due to loss of appetite and nausea. Elimination She reported that she usually got 6 times urination everyday in which the urine color was yellowish with no pain and burning sensation. She usually had bowel elimination three times a week with brown and formed stools. But she complained that she got a loose stool on 2nd December, 2013 morning. She got once vomiting on 1st December, 2013 and once vomiting on 2nd December, 2013 morning with yellowish fluid and undigested food. Activity and exercise Miss Cheung does not have regular exercise but usually goes shopping with her friends about 5 to 6 hour at weekends. She prefers watching movies and playing computer games in the leisure time. She complained that she became weak and easily felt tired started five days ago. When she walked for a while, she felt shortness of breath. As she got the PE lessons on the 29th November, 2013, she coughed even worst and had breathing difficult and felt better after taking rest. Cognition and perception Miss Cheung is fully alert, and conscious, oriented to time, place and person. Her speech is clear; vision and hearing is normal and her response is communicable. She complained of headache and sore throat. Sleep and rest Miss Cheung expressed that she usually has 7 hours sleeping hours from 12am to 7am at night and usually sleeps well but sometimes get nightmares. She complained that she had decreased sleeping quality five days ago as cough became worst at night and sore throat which disturbed her sleeping. She reported that she cannot sleep well during hospitalization because of the strange environment and coughing. Sexuality and reproduction Miss Cheung is single and never has sexual activity. She does not have regular self breast examination and genital examination. Roles and relationship Miss Cheung lives with her parents and has good relationship with her parents and always gets support from her parents. She feels satisfactory on her social life and has good relationship with her friends. She expressed that she missed school life and her friends and hoped that returned to school as soon as possible. Self perception and self concept Miss Cheung expressed that she quit cared on how people think about her. She believed that if she studies well, parents and friends will like her and proud of her so that she concerns on her study. She expressed that she is shy to communicate with stranger but she quite concerned on having a wide social life. Stress and coping Miss Cheung expressed that her major concern and pressure was her studying. She worried that she stayed at the hospital in which she cannot attend to school and afraid of keeping up the progress. When she feels stress, she prefers eating and listening music to release pressure. Values and beliefs Miss Cheung does not have religious. She believed that she can handle things on her own. She expressed that her family and friends were important for her who always gave her supports. All possible nursing diagnosis with priority: Ineffective airway clearance is related to viscous secretions secondary to pneumonia as evidence by inability to remove airway secretion. Impaired gas exchange is related to excessive secretion secondary to infection as evidence by verbally complained of shortness of breath. Imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirements is related to increased caloric requirements and difficulty in ingesting sufficient calories secondary to infection as evidence by verbally reported weight loss and decreased diet intake. Deficient fluid volume is related to vomiting and decreased motivation to drink liquids as evidence by dry lip and tongue and insufficient oral fluid intake. Activity intolerance is related to inadequate motivation secondary to generalized weakness as evidence by verbally reported of weakness and lost of power. Reasons for priority: After the assessment, the nursing diagnosis made for Miss Cheung were ineffective airway clearance, impaired gas change, imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirement, deficient fluid volume and activity intolerance. The first priority is ineffective airway clearance as the accumulation of thick secretions affects the effective ventilation and may cause cyanosis and dyspnea. It is important for her to be effective airway clearance to reduce the risk of dyspnea. The second priority is deficient fluid volume which may cause dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. These may affect organ function like heart failure in serious. It is important for her to replace fluid volume and prevent harmful effect. The third priority is imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirement. As Miss Cheung had decreased diet intake from the sickness and nutritional requirements would be increased to enhance the immune system, lack of nutrition should be considered. After that, diet modification of balanced diet should be educated to Miss Cheung due to BMI higher than normal range. The fourth priority is impaired gas change which affects the oxygen delivery to the cells. Once the ineffective airway clearance is managed, the problem can be resolved. The last priority is activity intolerance because it is caused by ineffective airway clearance, impaired gas change and discomfort. Once these problems are managed, her activity level has been returned normal. Focus assessment for the altered functional health patterns: Activity and exercise (Data collection on 2/12/2013 at 11am) Subjective Data: Miss Cheung reported that she got cough and fever from 27th November, 2013 in which cough had become worst with increased sputum production. However, she cannot cough out sputum effectively. Once she can cough out, the sputum was yellowish and sticky with small amount. She felt fatigue and malaise especially having exercises. She reported that she felt shortness of breath and increased sputum production when she walked for a while. She got PE lesson on the 29th November, 2013, then, she coughed worst and got breathing difficult. After taking a rest, breathing difficult had been relieved but still cough with increased sputum production and difficult to cough out. She reported that she needed more efforts to take a breath after walking up stairs or doing exercise in these few days. She also expressed that she usually went shopping with friends after school, but she lost of interested after getting sick as she felt tired and wanted to have a rest all the time. She was asked to walk around the ward for about five minutes. She reported that she needed to go to bed as she felt tired and mild breathing difficulty in which she needed more effort to breath and she cannot tolerate more. Objective Date: She can breathe spontaneously through nasal. The serum C-reactive protein (28.2 mg/L) and white blood cell (11.9X109/L) were higher than normal indicated infection and inflammation condition. Chest X-ray indicated that left lower zone had mild haziness. She was diagnosed as left sided pneumonia. Her respiratory rate was 22 breaths per minute on the admission day which was tachypnea. Her respiratory rate on 2nd December, 2013 at 10am was 21 breaths per minute indicated tachypnea with regular rrhythm. Her chest wall moved in symmetrical and did not use of accessory muscle. She was asked to walk around the ward for about five minutes. When she changed position from lying to stand, she had coughed more but she cannot cough out sputum effectively. Her SpO2 was kept monitoring during walking which was 96 to 98%. She had not appeared cyanosis but had rapid and shallow breathing during walking. Before walking, her pulse rate was 105 beats per minute; blood pressure was 114/66 mmHg; respiratory rate was 21 breaths per minute and SpO2 was 98%. After having a walk, her pulse rate was 120 beats per minute; blood pressure was 110/67 mmHg; respiratory rate was 24 breaths per minute and SpO2 was 95%. After auscultation of her lung sound, crackling and bubbling sounds had been noted. Nutrition and metabolism (Data collection on 2/12/2013 at 1130 am) Subjective Data: Miss Cheung expressed that she had lost of appetite and decreased diet and fluid intake from 27th November, 2013 because of getting sick and nausea. She expressed that she got fever, headache, sore throat and cough which were the major reasons of discomfort. She expressed that she had not contacted to people who were getting sick and had not got any vaccination. She expressed that she felt she lost weight since she got sick. She had taken 1/3 diet on every meal time and total 600ml fluid on 1st December, 2013. She got totally four times urination on 1st December, 2013. She got once urination from 2nd December, 2013 in the morning and reported that it was yellowish with small amount and odor. She reported that she got nausea especially after excessive coughing. She got once vomiting on 1st December, 2013 and once vomiting on 2nd December, 2013 morning with yellowish fluid and undigested food. Objective Data: Miss Cheung’s body weight was 75.1 kilogram and height was 164.5 centimeter in which her BMI was 27.8 which was overweight. Physical assessment had been done on the 2nd December, 2013 morning. Her body temperature was 38.3 oC which was hyperthermia; blood pressure was 115/78 mmHg’ SpO2 was 97% in room air and her pulse rate was 105 beats per minutes which were normal. Her respiratory rate was 21 breaths per minute which was tachypnea. Her skin turgor and capillary refill time were within 3 seconds indicated normal but with dry mucous membrane. She had dry lip and tongue. Her Glasgow Coma Scale was 15/15 which was fully consciousness. References: Anthony, R.W., Brain, W., Clive, K., Gary, W., James, P., Rienk, P. (2004). Augmentin (amoxicillin/ clavulanate) in the treatment of community – acquired respiratory tract infection: a review of the continuing development of an innovative antimicrobial agent. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 53, i3 – i20. doi: 10.1093/jac/dkh050. Barry, M.P., Irwin, H.R., Kristen, E.D. (2011). Water, Hydration and Health. Nutr Rev, 68(8), 439 – 458. doi: 10.1111/j.753-4887.2010.00304.x Carpenito-Moyet, L.J. (14th ed.). (2013). Nursing diagnosis: Application to clinicalpractice. Mickleton, N.J.: Lippincott Williams Wilkins. David, R.T., Eric, G.T., John, E., Larry, L., Laurence, Z.R., Steven, A.L., Todd, R.C., Richard, G.S. (2008). Understanding Clinical Dehydration and Its Treatment. Jamda, 9, 292 – 301. Del, M.C, Guppy, M.P.P, Mickan, S.M, Thorning, S. (2010). Advising patients toincrease fluid intake for treating acute respiratory infections (Review). The Cochrane Collaboration, 2, 1 – 10. Genc, A., Guneri, E.A. (2008). Effect of deep breathing exercises on oxygenationafter major head and neck surgery. Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, 139, 281 – 285. Griffint, J., Maughan, R.J. (2003). Caffeine ingestion and fluid balance: a review. JHum Nutr Dielet, 16, 411 – 420. Kim, C.E, William, N.R., Wong, K.M.T. (2011). Sputum-Based MolecularBiomarkers for the Early Detection of Lung Cancer: Limitation and Promise. Cancer, 3, 2975 – 2989. doi: 10.3390/cancers3032975 Singh, R. (2003). Fluid Balance and Exercise Performance. Mal J Nutr, 9(1), 53 – 74. Tina, M. (2007). Respiratory assessment in adults. Nursing Standard, 21(49), 58 – 60.

grinch who stole christmas :: essays research papers

The time arrives but once a year -- Chirstmas-time holiday with varying cheer. But buying and selling and buming and parking Spur movie mischievers in need of a larking. There's snowflakes fallen and gently sprinkled, With all the little Whosters' smiles frozen wrinkled. Sleeping and shopping for five minutes or less, Stopping a moment to see the Grinch and how he stole Christmas. This dastardly deed won't make Zanzibelt wail, This is a gift that won't fly through the mail. For you'd be called names like suffering maroon, If you miss this fable-ous live-action cartoon. Maniacal, magnificent, magical and merry -- Driven through the snow by the one Jim Carrey. Soaring through sets bent by fantastical fancy, He's over the top, past the tip-top of Mount Clancey. The tiniest of heart's tale is whispered and told, But the green-haired shoulders break every mold. There once was a boy by the name of the Grinch, Rankled and ruptured! Punctured and pinched! So his feet did move with speed and precision, Finding a home made of garbage...his decision. "Those people of Whoville and that infernal time of year," Said the man who ate glass with wallowful jeers. But Whos are filled with spirits that sing, (A little off-tune, but to good intentions cling). The hoopla and crazitude centered on a girl, Named Cindy Lou Who, Taylor Momsen gave it a whirl. She questions each corner and scours for the answer, To why Christmas can make even the lazy pure dancers. Based on a book and cartoon by Doc Seuss, A bomb could have blown about the oddball recluse. But fantabulous sets and Cindy Lou's sparkle, Tag-team with Carrey's ability to spew the word "farkle". The wonderment remains, so watch, watch, watch -- Or you'll be laughed at like a boy named little Mike Rotch. The Doc's main points stick like hair to glue, It's not too dark, so other critics: Boo hoo! You need to say why such a creature would steal,