How Art Deco came to be Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How Art Deco came to be - Term Paper Example It mainly affected decorative arts, such as furniture, architecture, graphic arts, pottery or jewelry, but its influence extended to other artistic fields like films or fashion. â€Å"This movement was, in a sense, a broad umbrella covering many different artistic styles and movements in the early 20th century such as Neoclassical, Constructivism, Cubism, Modernism, Bauhaus, Art Nouveau, and Futurism†. As Carol Fisher says, its origins are rooted in a reaction to the flowing motifs and fussiness of Art Nouveau with its emphasis on individual craftsmen made pieces. Its strongest points were its elegance and functionality. It was mainly based in geometric forms, zigzags and curves, and it is said that it was influenced also by tribal arts from Central America or Africa. Of course, the epoch’s advances in machinery and technology also influenced Art Deco, especially in the use of new materials such as crystal, steel, aluminum, lacquer or inlaid wood. These materials were u sed to produce pieces of art with staggered motifs, streamlined forms, stylized lines, gentle clean curves and rosette patterns. Exotic motifs and patterns inspired in nature, like plants or flowers, were also typical in Art Deco’s works of art. The declination of Art Deco came when it started to be seen as extremely loud, excessive and opulent art. Art Deco was finally ended, until the 80s, when there was an interest for it coming from graphic designers. Some colonial countries like Philippines continued using Art Deco until 1960. (Pheebay.com, "So What is Art Deco Design", October 2008. http://www.pheebay.com). Streamline Moderne was the artistic movement which followed Art Deco as a consequence of the Great Depression of 1929, based in the principles of aerodynamics and the simplicity of lines, ideas that were more in agreement with the sobriety of that period. Some splendid examples of Art Deco buildings could be the spire of the Chrysler Building or the Rockefeller Center in New York, the Bacardi Building in La Havana, the Goinia Theatre in Brazil, the BBC Broadcasting House in London, Palais de Tokyo in Paris or the Sta. Cecilia's Hall in Manila. Also, magnificent examples can be found in

The place of interest in the theory of production Term Paper

The place of interest in the theory of production - Term Paper Example He won himself a Rockefeller scholarship in 1934 and took up teaching jobs at the University of Michigan in 1936 and University of Chicago in 1938. He served as a go-between for Roosevelt and Stalin in 1944 (post Second World War) and as the Polish ambassador to the US from 1945-1946. In 1946, Lange served as the Polish delegate to the United Nations Security Council. A major part of his contribution to economics came during his stint in the US (1933-1945). Although a socialist to the core, he was not a great supporter of Marxian labor theory of value, and instead believed in the neoclassical theory of price (http://cepa.newschool.edu/het/profiles/lange.htm). In this paper, I will actually make an attempt to highlight various things that will make the topic of the place of interest in production theory a bit clearer to the readers. There are a number of things that can be learnt from the production theory. Among these things, some of the important ones are the basics that surround the production theory. These are the basics that will put the discussion of the topic into a definite perspective. In his paper, Lange has tried to give an explanation of the foundation of the existing Theory of Interest . He has actually tried to restate some fundamental propositions of the existing Theory of Interest by making special reference to the General Theory of Production. Generally any kind of association between the interest theory and theory of production seems to be incomprehensible. Lange has found that unless a close connection between the interest theory and the general theory of production is established, there would remain a huge problem while discussing a very complicated topic on whether net productivity of capital actually exists. In Lange’s paper, he has tried to explain in a very structured way, the place of interest in the general production theory. For doing that, he has made some assumptions to bring some considerable

Quit Smoking Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Quit Smoking - Research Paper Example Experimentation with smoking, which can be unpleasant at first for some, is followed by adaptation to the taste and to the pleasurable and rewarding sensations, as well as by behavioral associations experienced by the novice beginner in nicotine dependence, in the later age. Smoking experimentation is often associated with the search for one’s personality and place in the adult world, which occurs just before puberty hits in (NIDA, pp 27-28). Smoking gradually becomes habit and the habit becomes addiction. It also starts as a peer pressure, or having friends who smoke or just liking the second hand smoke. â€Å"In a sense, then, parts of our brains are working against us when we try to overcome bad habits. These routines can become hardwired in our brains,† says Dr. Nora Volkow, director of NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse. â€Å"And the brain’s reward centers keep us craving the things we’re trying so hard to resist†, adds Dr Volkov (NIH). Smoking tobacco is both a psychological habit and a physical addiction. The psychological factors associated with smoking are that cigarettes relieve a smoker from stress, depression, loneliness, or anxiety. It becomes physically addicted to the smoker because you need it after every meal or coffee, at party, along with alcohol or gambling or just because your friends are smoking at an outing. Hence, physical habit and psychological addiction, a deadly combination stops you from quitting. Several diseases have been liked to smoking; coronary heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and chronic obstructive lung disease are just to name a few. Needless to say, they all bring you closer to death. So the next best thing is to quit, and quit for good. Whether you are a teen smoker or a lifetime pack-a-day smoker, quitting can be tough. There are many things that can assist you in quitting which money can buy, but there is one thing Master Card ® cannot buy: it’s your will

The Legalization of Physician Assisted Suicide Essay Example for Free

The Legalization of Physician Assisted Suicide Essay The Legalization of Physician Assisted Suicide Of all the controversial topics to I could have chosen to discuss, the topic of physician assisted death is one that seems to be very taboo, even to date. Oregon is the only state to successfully pass a bill legalizing the practice; this bill is called the Death With Dignity Act (DWDA). Some may confuse physician-assisted death with euthanasia, yet they are two completely different acts. Euthanasia requires a physician, or other entity, to administer a deadly concoction; physician-assisted death is at the request of a terminally ill patient, the doctor provides a prescription of lethal medication which the patient takes of their own free will when they decide the time has come. The legalization of physician-assisted suicide will open up just one more option for patients suffering from terminal illnesses and allow them to die with a little dignity. Terminally ill patients don’t have a lot of options, most suffer greatly on a day-to-day basis. The addition of just one more option to such a short list can do a lot to psychologically comfort a patient. In his essay â€Å"Physician-Assisted Death in the United States: Are the Existing Last Resorts Enough?† Timothy E. Quill outlines several aspects of physician-assisted death, specifically the fact that terminally ill patients need as many options as they can get. Terminally ill patients suffer a great deal; they know that eventually they will die. He states that there are â€Å"several ‘last resort’ options, including aggressive pain management, foregoing life-sustaining therapies, voluntarily stopping eating and drinking, and sedation to unconsciousness [†¦]† (17-22). Some of the suggested last-resort methods seem to be no better than physician-assisted suicide. Take, for example, the method of voluntarily stopping eating and drinking (VSED); for a patient, who is already suffering from the chronic pain of illness, is it fair to ask them to add the suffering of voluntary hunger and dehydration? Sedation to unconsciousness seems to be no better of a solution; the patient is put into a comatose state until they eventually die. This solution seems to ease the suffering of the patient, yet extend the suffering of the family. Aside from VSED and sedation, to forgo life-sustaining therapies seems to be no better. If a pati ent is currently undergoing palliative care to treat symptoms that are causing them to suffer, why stop the treatment and increase the suffering rather than end  the suffering once and for all? Quill goes on to discuss the fact that the choices available to a terminally ill patient are so few that there should be no harm in adding just one more to the very short list. For example, Quill states that â€Å"some patients will need a way out, and arbitrarily withholding one important option from patients whose options are so limited seems unfair† (17-22). Quill makes the point that a patient suffering from a terminal illness will want a way out; not necessarily a way out of life, but a way out of the suffering. There are very few options for someone with chronic suffering, as relief is difficult to come by for someone who is dying. Physician-assisted suicide is just one of these options, and it’s an option that should not be overlooked. In addition, Quill goes further to state that the option of physician-assisted suicide is only an option, just one choice a patient can make about their own health care. â€Å"Most patients will be reassured by the possibility of an escape, and the vast majority will never need to activate that possibility† (17-22). This is a very powerful quote, as it brings forth the point of legalizing physician -assisted suicide doesn’t mean that the act will result in a large amount of deaths. The legalization of the act will simply add one more possibility to the list of last-resorts available to a patient. The quote also goes as far as to say that the vast majority of patients will simply be reassured that, should all other options be exhausted, there is still the possibility of a final escape; never actually needing to use it, should palliative care and hospice suffice in controlling the symptoms of suffering. With the examples provided, we can see that the need for legalizing physician-assisted death is important for patients who suffer from day today. Opening just one more option, when there are so few to choose from, will give the patients a sense of reassurance that they can still have control over their lives. Physician-assisted death is intended as a last resort option; denying the patient a final escape, when all other options have been exhausted, is unfair. Now that we’ve established that a terminally ill patient will benefit from knowing that they have the option of a final escape, let’s talk about why a patient would resort to using physician-assisted suicide. Among the most sensible reasons to end one’s life, the thought of an end to suffering comes to mind. However, we already know that end-of-life palliative care is put into place in order to help  ease the suffering and pain of a terminal illness. This is true, but when is too much? Going back to Timothy Quill, he states that â€Å"there will always be a small percentage of cases where suffering sometimes becomes unacceptably severe [†¦]† (17-22). While suffering is a constant, there are several degrees of suffering; sometimes this suffering can be easily controlled with palliative care and aggressive pain management. However, Quill notes that there are times where the suffering cannot be easily controlled, and there comes a point when it becomes simply unacceptable. When suffering reaches this point, it is time for a patient to start thinking about last resort options; looking for a way to end the suffering. A patient living with terminal cancer is, without a doub t, suffering. Palliative care and hospice care are programs put into place with no intent other than to alleviate the suffering. In her essay â€Å"Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: There is an Alternative†, Sylvia Dianne Ledger describes suffering as such, â€Å"It occurs when a person perceives the impending destruction of themselves, and it is associated with a loss of hope† (81-94). This description of human suffering is excellent when trying to advocate an end to said suffering. Ledger states that a person suffers when they sense their own destruction, when they realize that their end is near. Facing one’s own mortality is not an easy thing to do. The thought of being unable to stop your own demise can, indeed, cause great suffering. Ledger goes as far as to say that this realization of one’s own mortality is associated with a loss of hope, a sense of despair. Along with a loss of hope, there are several reasons why a patient would choose physician-assisted suicide as a last resort option. In an article titled â€Å"The Case for Physician-Assisted Suicide: How can it Possibly be Proven?† from the Journal of Medical Ethics, E Dahl and N Levy report that, according to Oregon’s Death With Dignity Act, â€Å"the most frequently reported reasons for choosing physician-assisted death under the DWDA are ‘loss of autonomy’, ‘loss of dignity’, and ‘loss of the ability to enjoy the activities that make life worth living’† (335-338). This report notes that the top reasons for a patient to choose physician-assisted suicide as the final option don’t even include an escape from the physical pain. Being terminally ill makes life simply un-enjoyable. The number one reason given for physician-assisted death is a loss of autonomy. To lose the ability to have  control over one’s life can be psychologically devastating. The loss of dignity and the ability to enjoy life came in closely behind to round out the top three reasons for wanting death as a final escape. When palliative care doesn’t sufficiently ease the pain experienced on a daily basis, last-resort options should be made available to a patient. When chronic pain and illness take away one’s ability to enjoy life, take away one’s dignity, and take away the human right of autonomy, an option to end the suffering once and for all should be made available. Even the sick deserve to maintain some semblance of their former selves and die with a little dignity. Those who are against physician-assisted suicide have a valid argument, there are always options to ease suffering and control symptoms. Both hospice and palliative care are viable options in the case of terminally ill patients. While discussing alternative options to physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia, Sylvia Dianne Ledger discusses how far end-of-life care programs have come in helping the terminally ill cope with their disease. She notes that â€Å"with the rise of the hospice movement and the availability of its knowledge and experience in the control of distressing symptoms in terminal disease, there is no longer any real indication for euthanasia† (81-94). Ledger notes that both forms of end-of-life care have improved greatly over the years, becoming more and more viable when considering end-of-life options. She notes that they have improved in ease of access, becoming more available to patients through reimbursement programs due their growing popularity. Hospice and palliative care are not only more easily accessible to patients with a need for end-of-life treatment, but their mode of delivery has become more efficient; nurses can now come to nursing homes, hospitals, even patient homes, in order to provide care specific to each patient’s needs. While these programs continue to improve the quality of care they provide, Ledger notes that they also remain a standard among end-of-life care programs and that their implementation leave no room for more drastic options. With such wonderful programs in place and so easily accessible, E. Dahl and N. Levy note that the topic of physician-assisted suicide can actually lead into a discussion about other end-of-life options. They state that â€Å"a request for a  prescription can be an opportunity for a medical provider to explore with patients their fears and wishes around end of life care, and to make  patients aware of other options† (335-338). This means that when a patient believes that their suffering requires a more direct and aggressive action, perhaps suicide shouldn’t be the first option. For a patient to request aid in dying opens up the chance to discuss other options for end of life care. These options are, more often than not, palliative and hospice care. A patient has access to medication to control pain as well as a wide variety of other symptoms. Only after discussing these options should a patient consider ending their life. While discussing how talks about physician-assisted suicide have shed a new light on the palliative care option, Wesley J. Smith addresses the ideas of suicide among patients who are currently enrolled in such programs. He states that â€Å"[†¦] suicide prevention, when needed, is an essential part of the package, crucial to fulfilling a hospice’s call to value the lives and intrinsic dignity of each patient until the moment of natural death† (85-86). The argument with this phrase is that hospice care programs are aware of the suffering, and realize that patients who are already enrolled in their programs are possibly contemplating an end to their lives. He notes that suicide prevention is actually one of the many services offered by hospice programs. This service is offered because the idea of a hospice is to make a patient as comfortable as possible before their lives end of natural causes. He continues by saying that suicide prevention is crucial to maintaining the values of hospice care: to value the life and basic dignities of patients enrolled in their programs. There are several wonderful arguments for why patients should choose a long (or short) term care program over suicide, these programs are set up to control pain and other symptoms. These programs have improved greatly over the last several years, and are now able to provide better care; reimbursement programs have also become available, as both hospice and palliative care have become a very widely accepted form of last-resort treatments among the terminally ill. While end-of-life care programs are excellent, and offer relief from many of the symptoms affecting patients, these programs seem to do little to overcome the underlying issues causing a patient to desire a final escape. The biggest issue with the ever-expanding hospice and palliative care programs is a lack of manpower. Timothy Quill addresses this issue when discussing last resort options. He states that â€Å"there remain serious challenges. There are not enough skilled  palliative care clinicians to meet the growing needs [†¦]† (17-22). This is definitely a problem with the end-of-life programs which are growing rapidly. With programs such as Medicaid who are willing to reimburse patients who truly need palliative care, many more patients who are actively dying will be enrolling in these programs. If these programs are not fully prepared and staffed to meet their growing clientele, there won’t be enough nurses available to treat patients. Quill goes on to state that even if a patient is fully educated on palliative care options, enrolled, and being treated by a nurse, this may not be a reason to rule out the final escape. He notes that â€Å"all last resort options, including physician-assisted death, make sense only if excellent palliative care is already being provided† (17-22). This argument directly refutes the opposition’s view that hospice and palliative care are acceptable altern atives to physician-assisted-death. He states that the last resort options only become acceptable if all other options have been exhausted. Once a patient has enrolled in hospice care and an aggressive pain management system has been implemented, what if they continue to suffer. At this point, once palliative care has failed to control the suffering, physician-assisted death is an option that should be considered. When discussing how physician-assisted suicide has corrupted palliative care programs, Wesley J. Smith provides data which further refutes the opposition’s claim. He states that â€Å"according to the state, approximately 86 percent of people who died by swallowing poisonous overdoses under the Oregon law were receiving hospice care at the time they committed suicide† (85-86). It’s clear that the alternative to physician-assisted suicide is not doing a well-enough job of keeping patients’ suffering to a minimum. In Oregon, where physician-assisted death is legal, a vast majority of patients who take advantage of this option have already tried the alternatives. Hospice care may work, for a time, but if the suffering continues while the patient is receiving treatment to control the symptoms, there is still one option left. Through these examples it can be seen that, while hospice and palliative care are programs that are designed to control symptoms and comfort a patient in their last moments, they can’t be the absolute answer. Pain is not the only thing causing patients to suffer. A terminally ill patient who has little control over what is left of their time deserve to maintain their dignity in death;  legalizing physician-assisted suicide will give patients one last moment of control over their lives. A patient doesn’t have a lot of options when the prognosis is death, and the options on the list aren’t necessarily the best. When suggestions such as voluntarily stopping eating and drinking, or sedation into permanent unconsciousness are suggested, it seems almost unfair to deny a patient the option of a final, absolute escape. While hospice and palliative care have a come a long way, and are indeed viable programs for symptom management, there are still aspects of suffering that they cannot control. Pain is just symptom of a terminally patient. Reports of loss of autonomy, loss of dignity, and an inability to enjoy life seem to be at the top of the list when patients begin discussing the desire for death. While the arguments against physician-assisted death hold weight, and make good points, the fact remains that denying someone one last option to control their life is unfair. When someone has lost the ability to enjoy life, lost the sense of control over their own destiny, the availability of a final escape is comforting. Physician-assisted death should be legalized, in order to provide patients just one more option on a list that is so incredibly short. The simple availability of this option should, at the very least, comfort patients if they know that they have a final resort should all other possibilities be exhausted. Works Cited Dahl, E. and Levy, N. â€Å"The Case for Physician Assisted Suicide: How Can It Possibly Be Proven?† Journal of Medical Ethics 32.6 (2006): 335-338. ProQuest Research Library. 10 Apr 2012 Ledger, Sylvia Dianne. â€Å"Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: There is an Alternative.† Ethics Medicine 23.2 (2007): 81-94. ProQuest Research Library. 10 Apr 2012. Smith, Wesley J. â€Å"Assisted Suicide and the Corruption of Palliative Care.† Human Life Review 34.2 (2008): 85-86. ProQuest Research Library. 12 Apr 2012 Quill, Timothy E. â€Å"Physician-Assisted Death in the United States: Are the Existing ‘Last Resorts’ Enough?† The Hasting Center Report 38.5 (2008): 17-22. JSTOR. 10 Apr 2012

An overview of New Zealand: History and culture

An overview of New Zealand: History and culture This paper is a report on the various factors that make up New Zealand. You will find discussions of the history, significant locations, government, economy, tourism, and food. History New Zealand became a recognized location in 1840 when the British made it part of their empire (History, n.d.). The Maori people were the first inhabitants of the islands in the tenth century, but they were flooded by the British culture later on. New Zealand was first discovered by European explorers in 1642; however, then encounter ended in bloodshed. The next meeting took place over one hundred years later in 1769 when both the French and British arrived without each other’s’ knowing. They began trade with the Maori people, who valued highly the arrival of weapons and began the Musket Wars among enemy tribes (The History, 2014). The British developed their plans to colonize New Zealand as they heard rumors of France’s similar ideas (The History, 2014). In 1840, many chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi with the British Crown. This established British law in New Zealand and created a large basis for what the country is known to be today (History, n.d.). However, with the large influx of British settlers, many hostilities grew and began the New Zealand Wars, or the Land Wars, for twenty years. By 1870, Britain withdrew its troops, â€Å"not wishing to invest any further in a costly overseas war which was likely to continue indefinitely† (The History, 2014). Today, â€Å"New Zealand†¦is an independent nation within the British Commonwealth† (The History, 2014). This means that although the country is under the British Monarch, New Zealand has its own active administration for government (The History, 2014). Map (NZ Map, 2014) Government â€Å"New Zealand is a democratic country in which the Members of Parliament (MPs) are chosen in free and fair elections† (NZ’s System, 2014). Parliament is made up of the House of Representatives and the Governor-General. The House of Representatives consists of 120 members, while the Governor-General is a representative of the Queen. The 120 members are elected by vote and are allowed in office for a term of three years. They hold the New Zealand government accountable for its actions and policies and pass laws over the unwritten constitution. New Zealand is defined as a constitutional monarchy, and so they have Queen Elizabeth II as the Head of State. The Queen and Governor-General â€Å"remain politically neutral and do not get involved in the political contest† (NZ’s System, 2014). New Zealand also has lower levels of government bodies, such as territorial local authorities, district health boards, and school boards of trustees (NZ’s System, 20 14). Economy With a population of around four and a half million, their current GDP is around $132 billion at a 2.5% growth (New Zealand). A third of this GDP is made up by the export of goods and services. New Zealand’s economy runs on free market principles through a mixed economy. Its three largest economic sectors are manufacturing, services, and agricultural (Overview, 2014). New Zealand’s currency is called the Kiwi dollar and was â€Å"amongst the top 25 sovereign currencies in the world† at the end of 2012 (Economic Overview, 2014). Today, the Kiwi dollar equals about $1.29 in US Dollars (Rates Table, 2014). Visiting Cities Auckland – While it is the largest city in New Zealand, home to over one and a half million people, it is not the capital. Auckland is located near the top of the North Island and is the main transport hub into the country. Its location touches into beaches and rainforests, but also volcanic areas. The region has 48 volcanic cones, which provide for great views of the city and harbor (Destinations, n.d.). Rororua – This city is south of Auckland, but is still on the North Island. â€Å"Rotorua is known for bubbling mud pools, shooting geysers and natural hot springs, as well as showcasing [their] fascinating Maori culture† (Destinations, n.d.). The bubbling mud pools are caused by the Pacific Rim of Fire: a â€Å"geothermal wonderland.† With the surrounding nature, Rotorua is a home-away-from-home for many adventure activists. It has world-class mountain bike trails, as well as horse riding, lake swimming, bungy jumping, ziplining, and more (Destinations, n.d.). Napier – This city is located within Hawke’s Bay of New Zealand. It is known mostly for its art, architecture, culture, and history of the 1930s. The reason for this is that an incredible 7.9 earthquake hit Hawke’s Bay destroying a vast majority of Napier’s buildings and killed almost 260 people. â€Å"Rebuilding began almost immediately, and much of it was completed in two years† (Destinations, n.d.). Wellington – According to Lonely Planet, Wellington is â€Å"the coolest little capital in the world.† It is located at the southern end of the North Island touching the harbor. It is known for its arts and heritage with many museums, art galleries and theatres. This city continues the adventure with more mountain bike trails and kayaking. New Zealand’s national museum, Te Papa Tongarewa, is located in Wellington too (Destinations, n.d.). Christchurch – This city is fairly large taking over a majority of the middle of the South Island. It lies along the ocean and touches the Alps. To the 340,000 residents of the city, it is known as ‘The Garden City.’ While this location continues the historic beauty and forest-filled adventure, much was destroyed in 2011 from an earthquake. A large portion of the neo-gothic architecture in the central city was ruined along with many other buildings. Despite the destruction, Christchurch still hosts much beauty and fun. A special attraction is the Orana Wildlife Park, which is an open range zoo (Destinations, n.d.)! Queenstown – This is the southern-most city to be visited on the trip in the South Island. According to New Zealand Tourism, Queenstown has become â€Å"world famous for its iconic scenery, friendly people, golf courses, wineries†¦bungy jumping, sky diving, canyon swinging, jet boating, horse trekking, and river rafting all year round† (Destinaitons, n.d.). Currently, most notably, area around Queenstown is recognized as the makings of Lord of the Rings, with locations that helped to create Middle-earth. Queenstown is clearly the most visited location in the country with a population of 19,200, but over two million visitors every year (Destinations, n.d.). NZ Tourism In 2011, New Zealand hosted over two and a half million visitors, and has expected that number to grow by over 650,000 each year (Tourism Factsheet, 2012). With tourists from around the world, there are some key differences to New Zealand (Key NZ, n.d.). The currency is a dollar, but the make-up is different from that of the US. New Zealand has coins valuing 10, 20, and 50 cents as well as $1 and $2 – then bills of $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100. Banking is generally the same and allows for exchanging currencies (Key NZ, n.d.). For driving, the lanes are swapped with drivers on the left side of the road. New Zealand also uses the metric system, where travel is measured in kilometers instead of miles. Other driving laws are the same: must wear a seat belt, no mobile phone usage, and no drinking and driving. Visitors from other countries can drive in New Zealand for up to 12 months with their home country license (Key NZ, n.d.). New Zealand entertainment is made up of three parts: food, spirits, and fun. The cuisine style is tied to mostly Eurasian countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Polynesia, and most of Europe. New Zealand is most well-known for meats like lamb, pork, and venison, as well as seafood such as salmon, crayfish, bluff oysters, mussels, and scallops. The wines of New Zealand are remarkable and are desired around the world. While people in the US must be 21 to drink alcohol, they must only be 18 in New Zealand. Also, unlike than many states in the US, New Zealand has six different casinos throughout the country (Key NZ, n.d.). Aside from all of the scenic adventures in the forests, beaches, mud pools, etc., New Zealand played host to the Lord of the Rings films. â€Å"Since 2004, an average of 47,000 international visitors each year have visited a film location† (Sector Marketing, 2013). Another small, but notable difference is the time zone. â€Å"New Zealand is one of the first places in the world to see the new day† – being 12 hours ahead of the GMT (Key NZ, n.d.). In comparison to the US, New Zealand is 18 hours ahead. A shocking factor when traveling to and from New Zealand is losing and gaining a day, which happens because of crossing the International Date Line. While this time difference is very large, a similarity is the use of daylight savings time, which a majority of the rest of the world does not use (Key NZ, n.d.). Food Delicacies In the Maori culture, a hangi feast is recommended (Destinations, n.d.). The hangi is a method of cooking, which has been used by the Maori for over 2000 years. To cook the food, it is placed in a pit oven which has heated rocks buried inside. While it is a well-known way of cooking, it has become very traditional and is only used on special occasions. The style of cooking is typically used for chicken, seafood, and vegetables, but can also be used for steamed pudding (Food Wine, n.d.). New Zealand has some of the most famous seafood in the world. Marlborough green-lipped mussels are not only delicious, but are known to have health benefits such as arthritis relief. Bluff oysters are especially desired in New Zealand and around the world – they even have their own festival in May: the Bluff Oyster and Food Festival. New Zealand also hosts a scallop festival in September called the Whitianga Scallop Festival. The forth seafood delicacy is called Whitebait. They are tiny fish caught during the springtime and are often made into fritters (Food Wine, n.d.). Works Cited Destinations. (n.d.) Retrieved December 29, 2014 from http://www.newzealand.com/us/destinations/ Economic Overview. (28 Oct, 2014). Retrieved December 29, 2014 from https://www.newzealandnow.govt.nz/investing-in-nz/opportunities-outlook/economic-overview Food Wine. (n.d.). Retrieved December 29, 2014 from http://www.newzealand.com/us/feature/favourite-new-zealand-foods/ History. (n.d.). Retrieved December 29, 2014 from http://www.newzealand.com/int/history/ Key New Zealand Facts and Information. (n.d.). Retrieved December 29, 2014 from http://www.tourism.net.nz/new-zealand/about-new-zealand/keyfacts.html New Zealand. (n.d.). Retrieved December 29, 2014 from http://www.heritage.org/index/country/newzealand New Zealand Map. (20 Nov, 2014). Retrieved December 29, 2014 from http://www.mapsofworld.com/newzealand/ New Zealand’s System of Government. (19 Dec, 2014). Retrieved December 29, 2014 from http://www.elections.org.nz/voting-system/new-zealands-system-government Overview of the New Zealand Economy. (9 Apr, 2014). Retrieved December 29, 2014 from http://www.treasury.govt.nz/economy/overview Rates Table. (29 Dec, 2014). Retrieved December 29, 2014 from http://www.x-rates.com/table/?from=USDamount=1.00 Sector Marketing: Information on key tourism and special interest sectors. (10 Apr, 2013). Retrieved December 29, 2014 from http://www.tourismnewzealand.com/sector-marketing/film-tourism/fast-facts/ The History of New Zealand: a brief overview of the pre-historic, colonial and modern periods. (29 Dec, 2014). Retrieved December 29, 2014 from http://history-nz.org/ Tourism Factsheet. (9 Aug, 2012). Retrieved December 29, 2014 from http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/general/generalinformation/media/tourism+factsheet.htm

Toomer Challenges Racial Identity English Literature Essay

Toomer Challenges Racial Identity English Literature Essay Karintha, reapers and November cotton flowers, all have similar settings in rural Georgia which is located in the south where we see a lot of racism going on. The south for black Americans functioned as a site for trauma as well as a symbolic reference for their homeland. It is also a symbolic connection between slavery and sexualized black women. Its is all embedded in Toomers quest for racial identity as a mulatto. Toomer tries to represent the black womans sexuality as an act of sexual union scarred by traumatic history by depicting Karintha as an innocent prostitute. The book cane is regarded as a passing era associated with the trauma of slavery. Toomer was trying to create a connection between racial and cultural continuity generated by modernity to the regulation of black female desire. The major theme in this story which is death and sex relate to the Black American historical content of slavery and lynching. We see that in Cane, Toomer uses nature to describe the bodies of t he black females but nearly all the females are either tortured or violated in the rural settings which projects displacement of nature. The haunting rhythm of folk songs in the rural landscape draws attention to the women who are objects of male desire and transforms this women into lost objects. Toomer portrays the gender issues and social barriers that hindered black women. Her skin is like dust on the eastern horizonwhen the sun goes down (page 5). This description Toomer gives of karintha as dusk shows that what she represents is fading away. Karintha introduces the themes of movement in life and death that reoccur in the book Cane. The interest of men, who wishes to ripen a growing thing too soonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (page5) shows that men hastened her sexual development. Karintha represents the folks spirit that is fading away due to modernity in the south, she is over sexualized and that means that black men still have urges to be reconnected with the past. In Reapers, we see major racial themes here; the idea of slavery takes major precedence in ones mind when we start reading the poem. Toomer lays emphasis on the word black (Page 7) used to describe the black Americans that were slaves at that time in the south. The reapers were tied to a life of monotonous work. The introduction of the mower disrupts the peace in the cultivation of the weeds and brings war; this brings out the theme of racism, where there is constant social war between the colored and the white. The poem Reapers is suggestive of Black field laborers in the early 20th Century. Toomer also tries to depict the problem of racial economic inequalities that were also present in the south at that time. The word continue (page7) connotes the constant labor the black male did in the fields. We also have a view on how in the early 20th century, black males who had their lands would have to work and pay a certain amount back to the whites thereby leaving them with little profit . All their turmoil and hard work was always in vain. We also see an introduction to violence that emerges with the blood-stained scythe that has cut a rat in the poem, an issue that Toomer readdresses later in cane. November cotton flower is another poem that ensues after Reapers, the poem talks about environment in the south were we all know was difficult for the colored skin at that point in time. The poem describes how the cotton flowers survived the harsh south weather and still strived through the hard times it went through. We see Toomer use the idea of racial identity, he uses the images of scarcity, drought and death to express the black race during the time the poem was written. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Brown eyes that loved without a trace of fear, Beauty so sudden for that time of year. (Page 8) Toomer depicts the sudden urge that the African American race have to fight against racism. The description of a hope for the cotton flower shows that Toomer believes there is hope for the African American; he tries to create a link between the oppression of race to the growing of a cotton flower. In Cane, Toomer tries to create a hybrid structure, where we see a combination of short stories and poems. Karintha, Reapers, and November cotton flowers portray death, labor, racial identity and racism which portray major themes in the book cane as a whole. The book cane is designed in a circle, Toomer starts from the south up into the north and back into the southern regions again. Since, Karintha, Reapers, and November cotton flowers are the first three consecutive pieces in the book Cane, Toomer gives us a shadow or a hint of what is to proceed in other poems and stories in the book. The three pieces are set in the rural south where a lot of racial identity is taking place, the description of Karintha as a November cotton flower, also gives us an imagery of how the south and its environment looked at that point in time. In karintha, Toomer describes her as an innocent prostitute who men constantly came to for gratification of their sexual desires just to fend a living for herself. Toomer reechoes the themes labor and economic inequalities also found in the poem Reapers and November cotton flower. Blood-stained, continue cutting weeds and shade (page 7) shows how the African Americans in the south had to continually labor to fend for themselves and family. In the south, the blacks grew cotton for a living but in November cotton flower, they had turmoil but seen no rewards of their labor, the natural resources were depleted thereby leaving the fields empty. And cotton scarce as any southern snow (page 8) Toomers cane is compiled of encounters with both blacks and white and black. In Karintha, we see encounters between blacks and white. Karintha was a black woman who was sexually appealing to both the white and black men in her community. However, in Reapers and November cotton flower we see the opposite of such encounters. Even though white men are attracted to karintha, in Reapers, and November cotton flowers, we see that they belittle the dusk skin color and subject them to a life of constant labor. Toomer also paints the theme death in these three consecutive pieces that start the book cane, as it would also be discussed in the other poems and stories that followed. In karintha, we see towards the ending that she mysteriously has a child who dies, Toomer likens the death to smokes that curl up in the community. Furthermore, Toomer uses animals in Reapers and November cotton flowers to signify death. In reapers, And there a field rat, startled squealing bleeds, (page7) Shows the black reaper slays the rat and leaves it bleeding without offering any sympathy to it. Toomer also describes the features of a dead land in November cotton flowers. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦dead birds were found (page 8). Toomers description of Karintha as a November Cotton flower shows the idea of double consciousness because karintha was depicted by Toomer as a violent child who was mischievous and always stoning the cow, yet the preacher convinced himself that there was nothing wrong in her acts and regarded her as a November cotton flower. Toomer tries to portray how the whites thought their maltreatment of the blacks were justified and lawful. Which, is also the same thing seen in Reapers when the reaper refuses to acknowledge the fact that he had hurt the rat. The introduction of the mowers by Toomer in the reapers also signifies the birth of modernism and the new Negro movements, which, is also repeated in November cotton flowers when the cotton flowers begins to unexpectedly grow and the blacks see a hopeful future after the death of karinthas child which signifies the death of the old negro and old cultural style because as soon as Toomer transitions to the rural setting, the folk song setting seems to vanish. Jean Toomers cane is a book that takes into cognizance, the lives lived by Negros at that particular era and his work was considered as the New Negro art that led other black poets or writers to write other books in that light.

Defining Beauty for Men and Women in Portraiture Essay -- Masculine Fe

Defining Beauty for Men and Women in Portraiture " ... A thing of beauty is a joy forever : It's loveliness increases ; it will never Pass into nothingness ... " What is beauty? Seemingly a continually evolving and infinitely elusive ideal - mankind has been obsessed with the concept of beauty throughout the ages. Portraiture, as an essential channel of visual communication, has traditionally been the medium through which definitions of beauty are graphically expressed. Particularly in the Renaissance where portraiture often served celebratory or commemorative purposes, it was crucial that portraits were accepted as aesthetically pleasing reflections of the social ideals of the time. Hence by comparing and contrasting a range of different portraits of depicting men and women of the Renaissance such as Titian’s La Bella, Bronzino’s Eleonora de Medici, Sofonisba Anguissola’s Self Portrait, Vasari’s Alessandro de Medici, Bronzino’s Cosimo de Medici as Orpheus and Pedro Berruguete’s Portrait of Federico da Mentelfeltro, viewers can gain an understanding of the conceptual differences in definitions of masc uline and feminine beauty during this period. Titian’s La Bella – Portrait of a Woman in a Blue Dress (1536) is a captivating example of Renaissance ritratto (portraiture) demonstrating ideals of feminine beauty. It presents the image of a vibrant young woman. With smooth, light skin tone and delicate rounded face the woman is clearly defined as an exceptional beauty. Framed at a slight angle to the picture frame, La Bella emerges from the dark neutral background with subtly averted gaze, at once both inviting and refrained. Through the conflict of La Bella’s seductive yet submissive presentation, the portrait captures the essence of Renaissance female beauty perfectly, presenting the mildly sensual nature of the woman’s image as a joy in itself. To complement her dignified demeanour, La Bella wears an amazingly intricate and extravagant blue gown. For a period when women were without a public voice and remained dependant on signs of visual identity such as clothing and jewellery, such a display of finery implies significant wealth and social status. Considering the seductive rendering of the fabric utilising costly lapis lazuli, it is clear Titian desired to present an image of ultimate feminine loveliness. The portrait is free from overt art... ...re often used as vital means of propaganda communication. Beyond these conventional images we have such images as Cosimo de Medici as Orpheus and Self Portrait by Sofonisba. Which, although rare, were recognised as beautiful portraits of the time, and present and much more unusual and intriguing visions of beauty. Through the exploration of this diverse range portraiture, the contrasting ideals of masculine and feminine beauty in the Renaissance have been explored. Yet overall, no matter what the gender orientation of the subject, it the discovery of such passionate and artistic talent presented which is essentially ‘beautiful’. Consequently, the grand appeal of such glorious images is still appreciated today, and will continue to delight viewers for generations to come. Bibliography Paola Tingali Women in Italian Renaissance Art (Manchester 1997) Geraldine A. Johnson & Sara Greico Picturing Women in Renaissance and Baroque Italy (Cambridge 1997) Patricia Simons Portraiture: Facing the Subject ed Woodhall (Manchester 1997) Lorne Campbell Renaissance Portraits (Yale 1990) Alison Cole Art of the Italian Renaissance Courts (Everyman Art Library 1997)