Fate Throughout Sophocless Three Theban Plays Antigone Oedipus Rex Oedipus at Colonus essays

Fate Throughout Sophocless Three Theban Plays Antigone Oedipus Rex Oedipus at Colonus essays Fate Throughout Sophocless Three Theban Plays: Antigone, Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus The classical Greek writers have given the world major literary themes. One such theme is Fate. According to Websters New World Dictionary of the American Language the word fate is defined as the principal or determining cause or will by which things in general are believed to come to be as they are or events to happen as they do: destiny(529). The Theme Fate is applicable to Oedipus and his lineage, in Sophecless three Theban plays: Antigone, Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus. Fate plays a cruel role in the lives of everyone related to Oedipus. Not only was Oedipus's life condemned from the beginning, but the lives of his four children were also ill fated. The entire bloodline, beginning with Oedipus, met a tragic end or led a tragic life through no fault of their own. Thomas Gould explains, sometimes it is suggested that Oedipus would not have avoided his misery by having been a better man, but he could have remained prosperous and happy if he had been a less good man (Gould 51). If not for Fate, the lives of Oedipus and his entire family could have been much better off. The whole debacle started with the birth of Oedipus. Oedipus was the only child of Laius and Jocasta, king and queen of Thebes. They took Oedipus to the oracle at Delphi to have his prophecy read. The oracle prophesized that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother, "... Why, Loxias declared that I should one day marry my own mother, And with my own hands shed my father's blood. Wherefore Corinth I have kept away far, for long years; and prospered; none the less it is most sweet to see one's parents' face..."(ll. 556-559, 187). In order to prevent this from happening, Laius and Jocasta pierced Oedipus's foot and ordered a shepherd to abandon him on a mo...

Free Essays on Freud on Religion

The following paper contains an attempt to define Sigmund Freud's perception of religion. After defining his perception, I will then attempt to point out to a couple of strengths and weaknesses contained in his definition. Freud believed religion was a cultural product, the creation of civilization itself. Civilization's principal task was to defend humankind against nature (Freud, pg. 19). It accomplished this by generating religious ideas in response to nature and fate. By humanizing the elements of nature, nature no longer seemed like a blind force insensitive to humans, but any emotional being capable of feeling sympathy and showing mercy. Religion made the untouchable forces of nature become acts of will and not just something that happens without any rational reasoning. It gave the forces of nature the qualities of a father figure, powerful yet merciful, and turned them into gods (Freud, p. 17). Finally, religion gave civilization a sense of control over one of its greatest fears, death. Religious beliefs in all societies have some idea of the way ultimate reality should be, and how things ultimately should be in the universe. Religion gave individual life a higher purpose. It gave hope after de ath. Religious beliefs made death less a fearsome end and made it simply a passing by command of a superior intelligence (Freud, p. 19). A superior intelligence who orders everything for the best (Freud p. 19). And a place where all good is rewarded and all evil is punished, and all of the hardships and sufferings of life are obliterated (Freud, p. 19). Religions therefore made the awesome elements of nature, especially death, appear much less threatening to civilization and gave a sense of influence over nature. Secondly, Freud believed that religion was an illusion. Religious ideas are not based on experiences of rational thinking, but our illusions based on the "most urgent, strongest, and oldest wishes of mankind" (Freud, p. 30). ... Free Essays on Freud on Religion Free Essays on Freud on Religion The following paper contains an attempt to define Sigmund Freud's perception of religion. After defining his perception, I will then attempt to point out to a couple of strengths and weaknesses contained in his definition. Freud believed religion was a cultural product, the creation of civilization itself. Civilization's principal task was to defend humankind against nature (Freud, pg. 19). It accomplished this by generating religious ideas in response to nature and fate. By humanizing the elements of nature, nature no longer seemed like a blind force insensitive to humans, but any emotional being capable of feeling sympathy and showing mercy. Religion made the untouchable forces of nature become acts of will and not just something that happens without any rational reasoning. It gave the forces of nature the qualities of a father figure, powerful yet merciful, and turned them into gods (Freud, p. 17). Finally, religion gave civilization a sense of control over one of its greatest fears, death. Religious beliefs in all societies have some idea of the way ultimate reality should be, and how things ultimately should be in the universe. Religion gave individual life a higher purpose. It gave hope after de ath. Religious beliefs made death less a fearsome end and made it simply a passing by command of a superior intelligence (Freud, p. 19). A superior intelligence who orders everything for the best (Freud p. 19). And a place where all good is rewarded and all evil is punished, and all of the hardships and sufferings of life are obliterated (Freud, p. 19). Religions therefore made the awesome elements of nature, especially death, appear much less threatening to civilization and gave a sense of influence over nature. Secondly, Freud believed that religion was an illusion. Religious ideas are not based on experiences of rational thinking, but our illusions based on the "most urgent, strongest, and oldest wishes of mankind" (Freud, p. 30). ...

Registered Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Registered Nursing - Essay Example Since ill patients depend on nurses, I am interested to venture in this since it is my dream to touch and provide comfort to people who are not well. To be qualified though, I have to be registered to make sure I deliver quality health care. This is for me to meet the educational requirement. Although, educational requirement depends on the country you are to be registered, nevertheless, in most part of the globe, the completion of a bachelor’s degree or associate’s degree is the foremost requirement. A student may graduate with an earned diploma. The bachelor’s degree last for four years and is more comprehensive because it includes both theory and practicum to sharpen nursing skills learned in the four walls of the classroom. Practicum is done in the hospital and in the community settings. Associate program on the other hand, is taken for only two years with both theory and clinical exposure just the same but not as comprehensive as the bachelor’s degree . This makes most registered nurses to go back to pursue bachelor’s degree to meet the prerequisites and be selected for nurse’s NCLEX examination (Baker, 2008). Attached to the white uniform of nurses, I do understand that they have varied tasks since they comprise the biggest group within the health care system.

Critical Book Review on saint Augustine - confessions Essay

Critical Book Review on saint Augustine - confessions - Essay Example Augustine lived a hedonistic lifestyle in his youth and hence developed a close relationship with a young woman who remained his concubine for fifteen years and got a son by her named Adeodatus. By the age of thirty, Augustine had carved an enviable niche for himself in the Latin world. Bishop Ambrose was the key person to have changed Augustine’s outlook on life. It was in the summer of 386 AD, that Augustine became inspired after reading the â€Å"Life of Saint Anthony of the Desert† and that’s when he decided to convert back to Christianity, become a priest, follow celibacy and devote himself to God. â€Å"Confessions† written by Saint Augustine, gives us a vivid account of the pagan life he had led as well as his spiritual transformation as a devout Christian. The word â€Å"Confessions†, take on two meanings – one is to confess ones sins before God and the other is to acknowledge the truth about God. Therefore â€Å"Confessions†, can be taken as praise and glory to God Our Father. Augustine takes us on a mysterious pilgrimage from paganism to the state of grace relying on God’s strength and magnanimity. As in the words of Augustine, â€Å"they shall praise the Lord who seek him† (8) for â€Å"those who seek shall find him† (9) and â€Å"finding him shall praise him†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..(10). This is precisely what happened to Augustine. In Book One, when recalling the trouble he gave to his mother and those who looked after him as an infant. He recalls to mind how as a boy going to school he hated learning and used to get flogged by his elders. He was also given to gluttony, relentless lies to his parents and tutors and craved dishonest victories, often pilfering things from his parents to trade with other children the baubles they were willing to sell. He is disgusted by his own ways and cries out in despair to the Lord saying, â€Å"Oh, God! Woe to the sins of men! When

Allen Ginsberg Essay Example for Free

Allen Ginsberg Essay Allen Ginsberg was born into social confusion. He was jewish, gay, and his mother was a communist. Yet outside of this, he was also birthed within a generation that wallowed in chaos, both morally and emotionally. Before them had come the Industrial Revolution, which had begun the murder of unity or wholeness in American society; assembly lines and the breakdown of the workplace into distinct and separable parts had fragmented both the individual and the family. Yet it was the bomb that truly brought the deafening crush on American psycha, minimalizing mechanical wonders and becoming the first true human leap in the intelligent understanding of how to control and shape the environment (Henrikson xi). However, to Ginsberg and others, nothing was closer to the anti thesis of the concept of human. Their parents had numbed themselves in order to adapt to the depression and two world wars, forcing them to rationalize the reality of post-war America with apathy and materialism and the empty values of consumerism. Ginsberg refused to believe this was the way of the world and began to write about a new generation who had placed new definitions in place of old notions that no longer applied. He and other writers began a To Allen Ginsberg, the problem was that in society the existence of the individual in isolation was naturally more real than society in general, as collective society has an awesome control over people that transcends their individual wills. (Merril 3) The bomb then was a symbol of this control, essentially bounding people to a future under fear, under which they would strip themselves of their purely human emotions in order to cope with the day. In a world where mainstream television told you how to be and Mcarthyism told you what not to be, Ginsberg believed the individuals only answer was only looking inwards oneself where they couldnt reach through the boundaries of externals (Wooley). His age would be on a spiritual quest, but to embark on it they would need a new religion for a new day; modern religion could no longer do as good and evil and evil seemed increasingly inadequate in a world of science fiction turned fact (Ziegler 172). The beat therefore found their religion in Zen Buddhism for one central reason: both sides of good and evil were embraced in oneness for the individual in the meditation where spontaneous flashes of images and sights might come ( Merill 7). In this religion, nothing the human being was impulsed to perform could be wrong as what was right was instinctual and natural. To sustain their humanity in a world gone mad, man had to embrace every emotion he felt as exploiting these feelings..[led them] to new levels of truth (Merill 2). This was the concept of the ying and the yang ; taking on all forces no matter how panicked or manic in coherence with nature. It is in this particular religious ideology and other forms of explicit verbal attacks that characterize Ginsbergs first acknowledged work, Howl. The content of the book leaves no mystery to why it became so controversial; Ginsberg refuses to deny any schema of thought, most noticeably in the sexuality department. If had he had censored these thoughts, it would have equated to admitting that sexual behavior was unhealthy and unnatural; this expression [was] the denial of shame itself and represented the embrace of his full humanity (Merill 2). But to truly understand the work, one has to imagine themselves in the context of the Six Gallery group of San Francisco poets it was performed before, as its recitation was the first of many performances that would eventually make Ginsberg largely responsibible for the movement of the poet from the printed page to the reading halls (Schumaker 635). One must imagine the situation , because it is in the visual that one can get the feeling of it , of the beat of the music, of the beat of the scene, of the swelling chests and rising spirits of culture [surviving] despite the presence of an oppressive national political environment (Schumaker 214). The mood can only be fully set if the voice of Ginsberg is imagined in a somewhat nervous tone, unsure of the response he will garner as he exalts the individual and their inherent potential for goodness outside of the society , saying Holy! The soul is holy! The skin is holy! The tongue and cock and hand and asshole holy! Everything is holy! The boos, hisses,[claps] of the crowd must be invoked upon the introduction the deity of death known as Moloch who is a direct contrast to the pure human existence (Schumaker 217) The nervousness and dread should be present alongside his description: Mind [of] pure machinery..whose blood is running money..whose fingers are ten armies..whose ear is a smoking tomb.demonic industries!!..granite cocks!!monstrous bombs! Moloch is responsible for taking away the instincts of the people that would bring them happiness as he bashed open their skulls and ate up their brains and imagination (Henrikson #). Yet among this distinction of conflict, the presentation of unity and aforementioned one-ness of Zen can be seen in Ginsbergs portrayal of optimistic youth and its convergence with drugs and various arrays of emotions. Words are infused with the surge of the crowd as there are the angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the night, similar to a lost battalion of platonic conversationalists jumping..off windowsills off Empire State, and equal to those who vanished into nowhere Zen New Jersey [loning it] through the streets of Idaho seeking visionary Indian angels. These descriptions exalt the individual who absorbs his uncertainty and doubt and lets it take him anywhere in his hunt for spirituality, in an ethereal surreal showing of human purity described in a gritty confessional style latent with acid tripped tongues between lips and roses on the ends of declarations. They also know no form, as Ginsberg says each is a breath, a flurry of emotion representative the human exhaling against conventional society and its brutal and constraining tendencies as represented through Moloch (Merill 23) Ginsberg essentially takes the amalgamation of drugs, obscenity, explicit sexual imagery and hysterical/naked tendencies of his people and compares them to the oblique characteristics of Moloch and the boys sobbing in armies by his side, massive like red revolution but subverted to a nationalistic mantra, cut like concrete on warm warring flesh wishing they could feel like the battleground if it had a heartbeat with organs cut away at three crosses to cele brate the mythic religion when Jesus the baby birthed in love consideration and carnal compassion was felt by his mother; of the two, the blatant and overt obscenities of the steel machine were much more Frankenstein-esque in offensiveness and horror than the words of the skin, of frantic nude protests laced like bluesy Saturday night agony tunes. To bring America to this reality, Ginsberg uses the painful recognition of seeing the best minds of his time ..destroyed by madness, emblematic of his lover Carl Solomon being institutionalized after suffering from the noxious consumerist tones of nuclear America (Schumaker 208). Taking all of madness in within himself, the poet summarizes his response to all of this with the single line FUCK AMERICA AND ATOM BOMB. It is symbolic of his overall explicit nature in protest, such as his later poetry which boasted of cocksucking in front of French cathedrals and standing out in aristocratic French scenes penning Death to Van Ghohs Ear (Campbell NUMBER). Ginsberg not only felt this came naturally but felt it was as the new necessity. America needed to be shocked in order to be allured to these works or poetry, which went deeper than blatant sexuality; emotion energy sex love mysticism were all on the same plane of internal mental thought. Avant garde display was now the means to the end of snapping sensually the industrialized human machine, over-fixated on temporary addiction to a set of materialistic values that came with carnage caved in at the ends of seventeen year old love letters where the blood started to run in the rain and the words and signatures were incomprehensible but the dog tags shined like Sunday morning breakfasts baked in sweet bread and kisses from Grandpa Cookie. It was this unconventional fragmented style of verse that caused mothers to cry when kids read about freedom and a world not burgeoning with the moral and physical suicides of a thousand possibilities in a nuclear haze. Theyd imagine such lines would be a threat to a child, who might become like Dylan acid trip epics with Quinny dosing and skys opening for brief seconds where you can taste and feel it, the thing that makes us mad and burn burn burn with hope at the edge of tongues (Dylan)(Kerouac ). Folk heroes proclaimed that children would become beyond their command, the command of authority figures etched in the physical and moral apathy of the bomb. People were listening. With Howl, Ginsberg set down a formula for later protest songs from the likes of Joan Baez :the obscenities of the state should be followed by the uncontrollable and instinctual emotional reactions of the individual. Such muses from the heart and mind about the existence of the new sort of rain coming down and the boy who disappeared in it could be easily invoked in the depths of the subconscious stalled in meditation. As poet Michael Mcclure said after Howls first recitation, none of us wanted to go back to the gray, chill, militaristic silence-to the land without poetry-to the spiritual drabness (Schumaker 215). The apoclypic visions of Ginsbergs The Fall of America and the America that LOOKED FROM ITS GRAVEwere all that lay behind, seen in the influence of Dylan when he too speaks about the end. Blowin in the Wind used lines like How many years can a mountain exist before its washed to the sea while The times are a changin' versed conclusions like Admit that the waters around you have grown and accepit it that soon youll be drenched to the bone. Ginsberg and the beat were aware of this point of no return, a mad run from the end that could come at any time (Schumaker 215) They were asking for the desperation, for the land in front of the setting sun was the only direction they needed to go However, the land had heavy industry walls of red white and blue to block the spread of this so called disease of internal and moral freedom. These obstacles had mouths running with blood crossed with eyes of pristine clandestine censorship to protect the impressionable youth of the next generation from being swallowed by hysterics, as it needed their limbs to fight the great world wars in the bowels of death and destruction that reigned with every passing sunset in the East and in the West. This hypocrisy was essentially what brought Ginsberg into full fledged politics, while others like Kerouac drew the line at the beat representing only self sufficiency and freedom from moral interference (Schumaker 180). Much of this can be due to the inherent political struggles he found in getting his work into the public sphere. When Howl was about to be released for the second time, they arrested a counter assistant at City lights for peddling literature likely to corrupt juveniles, and also arrested Ferlinghetti for publishing it. (Campbell193). Ginsberg therefore was one of the first writers to be constantly backed by the ACLU in open showdowns against what was and was not obscene, not only during Howl but later in the group publication of the drugged up Big Table # 1 (Schumaker 255 , 317). To Ginsberg, this might have been a sign of the government trying to quell the influence of writing that would inflame the masses, similar to the repression of the ideas of the Burgeois revolution through strong state centers in the aristocratic France of the 19th century. But what was more was that the prophetic frenetic man saw lunacy in the fact that the artist was releasing pure human instincts in his musing, feelings which although pure, had to be recited in bland grave like versions such as the censored is holy! (Schumaker 254). His work Kaddish, a trying poem about the death of his mother, was an explanation of this affront . Listening to Ray Charles blues shout blind on the phonograph , Ginsberg praises the ability of Charles to withstand uncontrollable agony by keeping within the limits of structured rhthm. Replacing censored with skin in Howl severely hampered the rhthm of the piece, as missing one part of a language of heartbeats and paranoia encased in syllables was like losing a leg in the moral internal marathon; such a gaping wound could lead to a loss of the entire feeling of the poem. Without the unity, the one-ness, the recited work could not produce the same flash of imagery and light that had occurred, similar to Kerouacs sight of a woman that reminds him of his mother; frozen with ecstasy on the sidewalk..a complete step across chronological time into timeless shadows (Kerouac 172). These estatic moments were what made the spiritual search worthwhile and kids of the mystical mad crazed road hoped that when their moment came, all of these previous moments of light would converge. POPULUSIST ADD HERE Now forceably emersed in the political scene, Ginsberg delved further into politics with his war against the byproducts of age of hate that could not be vanquished with napalm. Particular awareness should be given to his use of blatant contrast to evoke irrepressible feeling. In Plutonian Ode, he draws a parallel between the mythological Pluto and the destructive power of the element that received its name from the God. (Schumaker 629). Lines such as I dare your Reality..I turn the wheel of Mind on your three hundred tons.. My oratory advances on your vaulted mystery are the polar anti-thesies of the beauty of the sparrows waked whistling through marine Streets summer green leafed trees. Protesting such atrocities of nature by nature by meditating on train tracks bound to deliver nuclear material, the recitation of Plutonium Ode would be needed inas his defense, adding parts to it spontaneously like breathing silent Prisoners, witnesses, Police- the stenographer yawns into her palms Sunflower Sutra is very much the same, written he was traveling with Kerouac and viewed a sunflower which was being afflicted with the waste that came as trains passed, its wheels unaware of the indignity it offered the poor flower (Schumaker 632). The subsequent contrast he painted was versed in the lines were not our skin of grime, were not a dread black dusty imageless locomotive, were all beautiful golden sunflowers. In this description, Ginsberg felt like he was taking up the whitemanesque celebration of becoming America through telling a lucid moment which could apply to a majority of Americans. Dylan picked this up better than anyone, evident in his verses describing a young child beside a dead pony and thewhite man who walked a black dog in The Times.. Even keener contrast appears when he muses I change my no pets allowed sign to a home sweet home sign and wonder why I havent any friends (Dylan) This social conscious and use of contrast gave the poet singer the whitmanesqueI am America perspective where he could speak for men who werent even of his own color. Hurricane was the epitome of this, Sunflower Sutra Voice represents the spirits, if not actual experiences, of his readers. It occurs to me I am America 219 even though un American whitmanesque celebration of self gone to seed and suffering the indignity of the discarded refuse they came upon an old, battered sunflower, grimy from the passing trains were not our skin of grime, were not a dread bleak dusty imageless locomotive, were all beautiful golden sunflowers Ginsberg had given the ideology of protest in Howl with natural offense against the grisly gashed abuses of the state covered in gauze and dead presidents. He had experienced the machinations of the war nation as nymphetic Greek realities which varied in degrees of apocalyptic reckoning undergone in hazy highs under hallowed homages hallucinating of American populistic deities of Whitman-esque form invoked under the beauty of the common land . However, it was Jack Kerouac and On The Road who exposed suburban insanity on the edge of skinless pointless existences and the consequent worshipping of the road that took one away from those invisible developments and commuter fathers. It follows the base set by Ginsberg, as its focal character Sal Paradise set off through America as he had this feeling that everything was dead. (Kerouac 2) In addition, Zen and its absorption of uncertainty and an array of unexplainable feelings appear throughout the book. But like Ginsberg, Kerouac implies that these adjectives can only be positive. The insanity that comes from living on the road is a saving prescence, and the more Sal embraces it with his road mate Dean Moriarity the more the spirit [is uplifited] with its access to the wonderment and wildness of life (Henrikson 176). In contrast, a return to Times Square reveals a people that are grabbing, taking,giving,sighting,dying, reflective of the futility of American behavior during the American time, as the heart was traded over in exchange for monotonous complacency with steel hands and sultry scents of capitalisms carnival. To react to such a scene of such pre-planned monotony, Kerouac wrote in a style known as spontaneous prose which entailed descriptions of long line. It was based on images that were observed and the subsequent recording of sounds and emotions related to that moment, all unleashed in the spirit of a honest confessional that acknowledged every thought without censor, in the vein of Ginsberg and Howl. A perfect example is seen in Dylans novel Tarantula, in the lines jack of spades vivaldi of the coin laundry wearing a hipsters dictionary and it is 5:31-the rain sounds like a pencil sharpener (Dylan).Each line epitomized the crazed memory of the sounds of be-bop and jazz like a man blowing a phrase on his saxophone till he runs out of breath , and would be without consciousness, flowing with images until final revelation of exhaustion brought an end (Merill 45). The energy that is given off by each soul-seeking line therefore seems like enough to hold back the worlds onrushing moral and human decay (Henrikson 176). Alliteration was a staple of Kerouac, and many credit him with its creation and see it reflected in Dylans A Hard Rains A-Gonan Fall, although the instinct to put words together like a black branch with blood ,seven sad forests and a dozen dead oceans seems like a natural inherent impulse in litearature. ( However, like the nature of the verse, sustaining such a crazed personally analytical lifestyle requires the dedication to constant moving, embodied in the way Kerouac would shout Go! when Allen would read his poetry (Schumaker 215). With pauses in life or writing, there would be a pause in the search for spirituality of it, or as Dean says, the journey to the magic land at the end of the road (Kerouac NUMBER). This is all reflected in the last chapters at the end of the road in Mexico revealing the hauting images of shawled Indians watching us from under hatbrims and rebozos who didnt know that a bomb had come that could crack all our bridges (Kerouac number The road had come to an end for now and therefore the reality of life was in that image stark naked Indian old mystic land, rooted in the emptiness of mans new capabilities over the days where mystics howled at the skies dancing with red faced gods Fundamental Paradox of Buddhsm All experience is essentially emptiness; that purity and absence are one. (Foster 62). To collaborate on this political and literary endeavor, the icon of Bob Dylan entered Ginsbergs life, a man who had already been heavily influenced by the Beat. The folk hero had the world revealed to him during Howl, but this latent influence was only spawned to action when Dylan first read Kerouacs Mexico City Blues. The long line outpouring of feeling based on flashing images and spontaneous events caused Dylan to drop out of school as it was the first poetry that really spoke to [him] in a natural purely Earthly sense. CITATION The musician saw this same spontaneity in Ginsberg when he viewed his improvisational poetry, which was like working without a net and releasing the crazed random feelings he felt from the public and the atmosphere in words (Schumaker 555) . Dylan was enthralled by the process, one that he had obviously attempted in order to assume a rough-edged, made up on the spot feeling on his albums. (Schumaker 555) the next months Eventually, beat politics came to the same point which had threatened Aunt Molly Jackson and the coal miners; un-American ideas were associated with red. Beatnik was a play of words off of the disloyal notion of the RussianSputnik, while the beat generation film by MGM boasted of a rapist on the run for a main character (Schumaker 6. Even worse was a ploy off of was a play Being out there and unloyal to America, Beatnik was a ploy off of the Russian wonder Sputnik. Even worse was the false consciousness of hip which plagued Kerouac the more he heard words like crazy and wigged in scenes as if people thought the repetition of them could bring out the burning burning burning (Campbell 246). Vexner said the culture of dissent was a hot commodity, as if the Beat were selling the idea of sex and anarchy to a world that was starving for it. CITATION Like Mike Seeger and the Lost City Ramblers, Kerouac and the beat needed to re-examine their roots and tried to analyze what and who it meant to be beat, ignoring all mutated concepts of the beatnik and its subverted image. However, Kerouac one day hated them colllectively, but switched his position come next morn, where he was confessing he loved them only to come to the conclusion when asked again that he was becoming paranoid (Campbell 250). Yet in this critique of themselves the Beat forgot to analyze a few elements that had made their image easy to exploit. The first is that when they were called to moan for man, few realized the energy it took to keep up such a lifestyle. The fact that they pose no answers to an incalcitrent society outside of this bewailing of emptiness and internal discovery made their journey a disjointed and dismembered one; the beats endless internal revolution during crazed trips in On the Road only lead back to conformist society with the realization of the death of America in the haunting mystic Indian scene Dean and Sal experience. circular. All of the hope of the convergence of all of those aforementioned estatic moment where everything rushed forward was cut off slashed at the knees like Vietnam massacres upon the lack of the realization of it. Depending again on these personal distortions to lead them back to estatic moments, the Beat almost relied too much on the self. Their feeling that their prose was a superior form of nature really did spark a level of narcissim that reflected poorly. Kerouacs mantra became youre always genious, proclaiming lofty phrases such as Once God moves the hand, to move back and revise is a sin (Schumaker 261). What he had forgotten was that PURITY YADDA, and that eventually the emphasis on him just swallowed the man in the desperation for drink in Satori and his search for a relative (literally any relative) demonstrated the demise of the man that constantly depended on the hysterics of the situation (Merill 77). Ginsberg on the other hand had tendencies to create poetry where everything would be contained in the vertical figure I which would lead to statements such as I want to be known as the most brilliant man in America. 261, 262 The fragmented style of poetry that bordered on apocalyptic knowledge was just too much for some, even too much for Ginsberg himself who was tired of being Allen Ginsberg (Campbell 192). Many who could not connect with this age or this feeling wondered what gave these men the right to proclaim themselves as phrophets or holy maniacs when all they did was speak in a version of English that they thought was superior in its absence of the comma. Few realized that the backlash against grammar was due to the fact that the period destroyed the delicate rhythm of works like Kaddish , which would cause one to spiral back to the boundless agony that the perfect balance of poetry embraced. Like Dylan says , some were like D.A.R woman [who] flies off the handle. looks at jack. says in some places youd be arrested for obscenity she doesnt een hear the band..she falls down a sidewalk crack (Dylan ) If one couldnt embrace the beat of the scene, the crazy wigged out mantra which dictated the path of the man, then theyd never know. Theyd point out the beards and the bodies spread across mattresses on each other and the heroin needles and the staircase of marijuana smoke that suppose dly led these gloats to higher realization. In Dylans movie Renaldo and Clara, Ginsberg is representative of the father and Dylan the son. It is a relationship of giving and taking between the folk hero and the beat, a representation of what Ginsberg and Kerouac did for Americana. brought Dylan took in the outpouring of words and feeling and exposure of the full heart that caused him to quit school in a spontaneous moment. He acquired Kerouacs class consciousness GO BACK and the love for the capture of gawky awkward beauty of the individual eccentric citizen like Dean Moriarity in words and in American travels, reflected in words such as the the motorcycle black Madonna two-wheeled gypsy queen and her silver studded phantom lover he writes about. The protest inherent in Howl is taken into his soul, alongside the absorbtion and reflection of various unexplainable feelings in an unexplainable time. However, he essentially adds an extension to the beat movement, removing the aspects of the beat that confused many parts of society who were still too numbed to come to grips with these bearded men. Songs like Blowin in the Wind took Ginsbergs art of contrast and brought it full circle; these protest songs leaned more towards the finding of the ultimate answer. Other pieces like Hurricane evoke images from NAME DO THIS SHIT TOMORROW. However, Dylan sounds more like every man in Hurricane , like the every voice of Peter Paul and Mary, because of his humbleness and reluctance to put himself above the common man, something the beat had trouble doing feeling they had divine potential to change the face of thinking in itself. In every sense Dylan is the beat, from his wild descriptions of jazz and hitch hiking in his novel Tarantula to his manic performances thriving off of the emotions of the environment to his celebration of drugs sex and wild wanderings of youth. The spot where Dylan and Kerouac left off, frenzied and genius and incomprehensible to those who could not get it, was the place Dylan took up. The spoken word long line tradition and ithat Ginsberg could only cross halfway across the gap was bridged by Dylan, with memories of Kerouacs inspiring prose driving him. The Zen of it all , of all the nuclear protest, all the civil liberty, all the cries for a sympathetic America become one with the combination of these three. Their memory is like a burning mystic sign that has no form, only emotion, bright enough to reinvigprate the young masses in every generation to the crazed motion and the crazed search and the frenetic fraticness of the freedom of sensuality with the keenness and sharpness of political reality like a goddamn shard that cuts us at the arm just to prove we still bleed . As long as it burns, the land will breath even under the lack of life in the H-bomb oxygen starved skinny era. As long as it burns, the hills will rise and fall with the pure schitzophrenic sanity of the wind, an echo that just whispers search on the end of our hope stricken ears against the fear ridden nuclear wet dreams of bodies sexed and eyes hallucinating vexed and the fallout of a demoralized Patriot and its Acts of jingoistic nuclear tendencies. When Dylan said Ginsberg needed to get out on the open road of the tour to wake up America, he meant that he wanted his spirit to ride through the skeletal suburbs warning the kids of the inhumanity and callousness stalking the land. I hear his voice and and see their protest so well, like Blood writ in Blood, haunting my daytime dreams with hazy invocations of what we truly can be. Knowing that there is a generation who also feels the same burning in the center of the heart gives me strands of hope that somehow we can overcome the same inhumanity in this age of faceless terrorism that shows no distinction between America and the West. With a t ear off the edge of the holy cheek, emblematic of the disunity of our feelings, these men push through our insides to assure us these expressions are what will take us whole. POPULUSIST EDGE OF FOLK TATPRETTY FLOWER POETRY Works Cited Campbell, James. This Is The Beat Generation London : Secker and Warburg, 1999. Henrikson, Margot A. Dr. Strangeloves America Los Angeles : University of California Press, 1997. Merill, Thomas F. Allen Ginsberg Boston : Twayne Publishers, 1998. Schumaker, Michael. Dharma Lion New York : St. Martins Press, 1992. All enamoured with some aspects of the drug culture , labeled as family haters and communist hippies and , the movement began to waver at the end parallel with a lot of the demise of rock stars when coming under controversy and assault by mainstream America. Kerouac became a drunk high off his own lines and Ginsberg moved onto relatively less successful social scenes in rock and roll and the clash.

Gay Adoption :: Gay and Lesbian Adoptions

Homosexuality is becoming more and more accepted and integrated into today’s society, however, when it comes to homosexuals establishing families, a problem is posed. In most states, homosexuals can adopt children like any other married or single adult. There are many arguments to this controversial topic; some people believe that it should be legal nationally, while others would prefer that is was banned everywhere, or at least in their individual states. There are logical reasons to allow gays to adopt children, but for some, these reasons are not enough. The main issue really is, what is in the best interest of the child? This type of problem isn’t really one with causes, effects, and solutions, but one with pros and cons. Like any other adoption situation, a parent prove themselves to be responsible and capable enough to raise a child on their own, or with a spouse. This problem or issue is one that is proving to be a bigger one than many people most likely expected. In Today’s more liberal society, homosexuality seeing more acceptance than ever before. Homosexuals and heterosexuals alike have parental instincts and are as interested in beginning families and raising children. A family should be based on love and trust, if these two elements are present in a relationship, homosexual or heterosexual, there would be no reason that the environment the couple creates for a child would be bad. Some say the homosexual lifestyle revolves only around sex, which of course is the most inappropriate subject for a child. (White) For the most part, parents and adults keep what happens behind closed doors, private, therefore, there would be no reason for a homosexual person to flaunt their sex life, especially in front of a child. Pros of Adoption by Gay Parents Adoption is a very important part of the American lifestyle. The welfare of children needs to be put in front of homophobia. There are an estimated 500,000 children in foster care nation wide, and 100,000 of these children are awaiting adoption. In 2013, only one child of every six available for adoption was actually adopted. (Sanchez, 13) Statistics like these show the true importance of adoption. People seem to prefer to have their own children biologically, but adoption should be taken into consideration, even if natural conception is possible.

Variation Of Acoustics Within A Space Architecture Essay

Concrete would bring forth loud resounding sound whereas rug would absorb sound. A little Dark and loud infinite would arouse tenseness in the user where as a infinite meant to portray joy would be big, good lit and have proper acoustic values. Aural architecture plays many important functions in assorted types of infinites such as musical, societal, navigational, aesthetic and symbolic. In a musical infinite, the echo blends the note sequences into chords. In a societal infinite it changes the distance between people in eating houses. In a navigational infinite it permits traveling through a dark infinite by echo sounding, as an aesthetic infinite it provides a delighting aural texture and as a symbolic infinite it can be associated with spiritual significance in the context of a infinite such as a cathedral ( Blesser 2009 ) The image above shows the shrine of St. Werburg in the Chester Cathedral. This shrine has six deferrals for kneeling pilgrims to put their caputs while praying. This pit amplifies and filters the sound giving the individuals voice a dramatic and emotional strength. The reverberations give the sense of being in another universe, the elaboration gives the sense of familiarity and the ocular isolation contributes to privateness. Through a insistent use for rites and ceremonials, the ocular and aural belongingss of such objects or geometries can get a symbolic significance. In the ocular universe, these would be called icons, and the equivalent of it in the aural universe would be known as an earcon ( Blesser and Salter,2007 ) . The user will be cognizant of the enormousness, geometry and stuff of the cathedral by the feeling of the reverberation and re-echo within the infinite. If the stuff used for the cathedral was carpet alternatively of rock, it would be acoustically softened every bit good as the spacial and acoustic dimensions of the architecture will be lost. ( Holl, Pallasmaa and Gomez, 2006 ) Aural architectures affect on societal infinites is clearly apparent in figure 2 shown below. When we think of architecture we tend to visualise the belongingss of the infinite that can be seen, specially the boundaries that are restricting us to a limited infinite and curtailing our motion every bit good as our legal rights of entree. On the other manus, aural boundaries are different to ocular boundaries as sound flows through every little gap and cranny. Fig 2. Hogarth ‘s angered instrumentalists. Hogarth portrays the discouragement of a instrumentalist who finds that his private music room and the uproar of the street are in fact a singleA aural infinite. The figure above demonstrates how the sounds from the street flow freely through the unfastened window of the house. Hence the street and the room with the unfastened window portion the same aural infinite. Fig 3. Dan Kish ‘s Team Bat taking unsighted adolescents on a bike drive The function of aural architecture in navigational infinites is barely of all time recognized except by the unsighted persons who rely on echo sounding to assist them travel around ( fig 3 ) . We are non usually cognizant that we posses the ability to hear spacial properties such as an unfastened window or a wall. However every person has an developing ability to utilize their ears to supplement vision. Potholers can acquire a sense of the countries of the cave that are wholly hidden by listening to the echo and reverberations ( Blesser and Salter,2007 ) . Anyone who has been spellbound by the sound of H2O beads in the darkness of a ruin is a informant to the extraordinary capacity of the ear to carve our volume into the nothingness of darkness ( Holl, Pallasmaa and Gomez, 2006 ) . The acoustic properties of a musical infinite have a important consequence on the temper and behaviour of an person. This consequence is best demonstrated in high impact infinites instead than ordinary infinites. Stockhausen ‘s public presentation of â€Å" Stimmung † in the Jaita caves near Beirut proves this. The public presentation was on a platform constructed over the abbeys and the audience was 80 thousand off from the performing artists, unlike in normal concert halls. This allowed the natural acoustics to rule the direct sound. After listening to the public presentation, a Catholic priest said it was one of the longest and happiest supplications he had of all time known. Fig 4. Stockhausen ‘s public presentation of â€Å" Stimmung † in the Jeita Cave near Beirut. The acoustic belongingss of a high impact infinite have a greater and more effectual impact on the temper and emotion of the user than in an ordinary infinite. However one can all remember the acoustic abrasiveness of an inhibited and unfurnished house as apposed to the affableness of a lived place. Juhani Pallasmaa writes, ‘ every edifice or infinite has its characteristic sounds of familiarity or monumentality, invitation or rejecting, cordial reception or ill will. ‘ The map of aural architecture in an aesthetic infinite is similar to adding decorations and texture to our ocular infinites to do them look alone and interesting. In the same mode we can add aural embroideries to alter the acoustics of the environment every bit good. In an experiment done by Eusebio Sempere, where he made a sculpture with unstained steel tubings that rotate at its base. It acts as a sonic filter which filters out passage of certain frequences, therefore the hearer on one side heard a tonic alteration of the sound geting from the other side. This sculpture is a ocular equivalent of the colored glass prism. Fig 5. Eusebio Sempere ‘s sculpture inA Madrid has alone acoustic belongingss. Architecture is best perceived every bit sound as it leaves a batch to the imaginativeness of the user and it is said that imaginativeness is needed to do sense of perceptual experience. Even though sound is non the dominant medium for comprehending architecture, it is successful in giving individuality to architecture as sound creates an atmosphere beyond map. In his book Eyes of the Skin, Pallasmaa states that ‘Modern architecture at big has housed the mind and the oculus, but it has left the organic structure and the other senses, every bit good as our memories, imaginativeness and dreams, homeless ‘ ( pg 19 ) . â€Å" You see things and state why? But I dream things that ne'er were and state why non? † Unknown Imagination is the ability to organize a mental image of something that is non straight perceived through the senses. It is the ability of the head to organize mental scenes, objects or events that do non be, are non present or have non happened ( Remez Sasson ) . Imagination is non merely limited to seeing images in the head. It includes all the five senses and feelings. One can conceive of a sound, gustatory sensation, odor, a physical esthesis a feeling or emotion. It is imagination that makes it possible to see a whole universe inside the head. It gives us the ability to look at any state of affairs from a different point of position. It has a really of import function and value in an person ‘s life and is non simply merely woolgathering. Every person possesses some ability to conceive of, but in some it may be developed more than others. We all use it, consciously or unconsciously, in our day-to-day life whether it is to read, compose, be after a party or a trip, to depict an event, to state or narrative, or merely merely giving waies to acquire to a specific finish. The originative power of imaginativeness is needed to accomplish success in any field, and some persons have a greater imaginativeness than others. It is a power beyond originative visual image, positive thought and avowals ( Remez Sasson ) . Basically, imaginativeness is the power of doing something up in one ‘s caput. Perception depends on the world-wide position of a individual and imaginativeness is needed to do sense of these perceptual experiences. Make you prefer your ain dreams or person else ‘s? How about your ain phantasies or person else ‘s? ( Anthony Megna ) . This is the really ground why many persons prefer reading a book in comparing to watching a film, as the film is person else ‘s position and non their ain. The spectator has no power to conceive of the characters, topographic points or the events of the narrative as everything can be seen. Alternatively, when reading a novel, the reader has the chance to put out their ain readings of the narrative and has the power to conceive of the characters, topographic points and incidents in the narrative as he/she wants. Hence reading a book leaves one with a greater capacity to conceive of than watching a film, which is person else ‘s fiction. â€Å" Whenever I start reading a book I ever come up with how I think a character should look or sound, so when versions come out and there is eventually a face and voice to the character and it is different t han the 1 in my caput, it can be hard for me to accept † says Lauren, a Harry Potter fan. By and large when comparing a film to a book, the book wins the lucifer because with a book, one can acquire more information, more scenes and a better

Consumer Securities Trading in United States

The following is an in depth look at the effects the Internet has had on trading securities in the United States. Its purpose is to define the impact of the Internet by determining specific changes in the structure of the trading market as a result of the numerous online brokerages that have surfaced in the past few years. A brief look at traditional brokerages and market characteristics prior to the advent of the Internet provides a foundation with which to measure many of its impacts. The arrival of the online brokerage model has not only introduced an entirely new vehicle with which to trade securities, but it also beginning to effect the way traditional brokerages view their own business models. Specifically, it appears that both the online/discount model and full service model of brokerages will both succeed in the next few years, with the top firms exhibiting characteristics somewhere between the two extremes. New Ameritrade television commercials debuted early this year with a twenty-something-year-old punk extolling the virtues of his new brokerage account to various business men and women. Perhaps the witty E*trade commercial featuring monkeys that first aired during the 2000 Super Bowl was more notable. These commercials are quite a contrast to the traditional brokerage commercials of Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, and Fidelity among others. This contrast is for good reason. Online brokerages have uprooted the traditional model of consumer securities trading and have attracted a critical mass of followers. Before brokerage fees were deregulated 1975, eliminating fixed commissions, trading was something only done by the wealthy. Since then, fees have dropped considerably among the full-service firms making it possible for more and more people to manage portfolios. Until 1995 there was still a fundamental restraint for many consumers: access to timely and accurate information at any time from their own computer. With the arrival of online brokerages in 1995 came a slew of options for investors, new and old, to access an abundance of information and research, and to initiate their own trades all at considerably discounted fees. According to Deutsche Banc, as of 2Q00, online brokerage accounts represented approximately 25% of all accounts in the United States. Furthermore, by 2003, online brokerage accounts are estimated to control 50% of the brokerage market. The online model has already attracted nearly 20 million investors, initiating an increase in overall trading volume. An brief examination of the brokerage industry pre-arrival of the Internet and an in depth look at the brokerage industry now illuminates the many differences and possible implications for the future of consumer securities trading in the United States. Traditional brokerages have been operating freely since 1975. The deregulation of brokerage fees at this time allowed new firms to enter the market, marking the first major alteration in the way Wall Street traditionally offered its services. Before 1975, the market consisted solely of â€Å"full service† firms, those firms who offer trading, research, and financial advice through brokers or financial advisors at a considerable fee. After fees were deregulated, â€Å"discount† firms began to appear, offering consumers smaller fees, but at the cost of less research and financial advice. The market slowly split between these two types of business models, but they were fundamentally similar for 20 years: generate revenue by providing consumers the ability to trade and receive financial advice based upon firm research. The concept of having a broker, or financial advisor who acts as an agent for consumers, was the prevailing idea of stock trading in between 1975 and 1995. Many of those who had portfolios would leave its management entirely up to their brokers, others would call periodically for advice, and some would be actively co-managing their portfolios with the broker. The prevailing model for securities trading was still professionally managed, although different levels of management and cost evolved at this time. Wall Street was altered again in 1995, probably more significantly than in 1975, when securities trading and the Internet converged. According to the Securities Industry Association, K. Aufhasuer & Company was the first to execute securities trading online in 1994. However, it was not until 1995 that the first online brokerages debuted their new business model. Momentum mounted quickly, as many investors flocked to the lure of extremely discounted prices and quick trade execution. Without the â€Å"brick and mortar† presence typical of the traditional brokerages and a significantly less extensive network of research and financial advice, online brokerages can offer transactions at fractions of the costs of traditional brokerages, even of the traditional discounters. The first online investors were, and still are, predominantly â€Å"a mix of young, first-time investors and older, more experience ones,† according to a McKinsey & Company study. When online brokerages first surfaced, they introduced an entirely unique channel for delivering securities trading to consumers. No other brokerage firms offered the ability to trade securities over the Internet; it was exclusively reserved for those companies referred to as â€Å"online brokerages. † This has changed however over the past couple of years. Traditional full-service brokerages are beginning to adopt their own online components. The two most frequently cited reasons for the scramble of full service firms to enter the online market were customer pressure, and the fear of asset flight to online brokerages, according to a Deloitte & Touche Survey. The ability to distinguish these early online brokerages from full service firms is no longer a matter of whether or not they offer online services. The distinguishing feature now is between the cost of their services, segregating firms into a classification again of â€Å"discount† or â€Å"full service. In a sense, the online model has redefined â€Å"discount,† moving the discount brokerage to a much further extreme. Indeed, it is true that most of the firms that are classified today simply as â€Å"discount† are founded on an online business model or have quickly adopted online capabilities, but many of the full service firms, as mentioned, are turning to the online channel in hopes of competing with the discounters. Therefore, when an â€Å"online brokerage† is referred to, it implies both the discount firms and the few full service firms with online capabilities. The evolution of the online brokerage market has been explosive in growth, catapulting from just one online brokerage in 1995 to an estimated 170 in 2000, totaling 19. 5 million online accounts (refer to Figure 1 below). The first online brokerages to emerge were predominantly â€Å"deep† discount, followed by mid discount firms, and finally some of the traditional discount incumbents adopted an online strategy and are now classified as mid-tier firms. To illustrate this trend, consider the emergence of 5 of today's top 6 online brokerages: In 1996, two major deep discount firms emerged, Datek and Ameritrade. Over the next two years, two major mid-discount firms appeared, E*trade and DLJdirect. In 1998, Charles Schwab made their presence felt in the online market which was one of the few traditional discount firms before the online model developed. Fidelity quickly followed suit. This upsurge of online brokerages and the trend for some of the traditional brokerages to go online has had some lasting effects on the securities trading market, which will be explored in the next two sections. The impact of online brokerages is manifested in nearly every aspect of the securities trading market today. Trading volume increase is one of the largest impacts, as a result of the ease and availability of trading that online accounts bring to consumers. It is worth examining the numbers to determine if the large increases in trading volume are actually a result of online accounts, or merely pure correlation with a booming bull market. Over the past decade, the volume of shares traded on the NASDAQ stock market has grown at a compound annual rate of 26%, but since the arrival of online brokerages in 1995, it has grown at a rate of 30%. Although this is not an enormous increase, it is certainly quite significant. To look at it in another light, online accounts represented 15% of all brokerage accounts in the US, but more than 37% of the trading volume. Based upon past experience in the stock market, it may seem that this increase in trading volume is an entirely productive result. However, much of the trading volume from online accounts is a result of day trading, which raises concerns with the SEC. Day trading was not possible before online brokerages made it possible to quickly and effectively trade securities multiple times daily. It is a speculative business, more so than the traditional brokerage business. As Deloitte & Touche describes it, â€Å"Customers usually [trade] in and out of several securities positions every day hoping to earn a positive spread on their transactions. † The SEC is responsible for maintaining fair and orderly markets, to protect investors, and to enforce securities laws that were established upon principles that day trading discards. According to a Deloitte & Touche survey, 62% of discount firms said they would offer services to day traders versus 0% at full service firms. Most online brokerages recognize that day traders make up an integral portion of their customer base, and do not wish to sacrifice the relationship. Day trading is one negative result of the advent of online brokerages that will remain a challenge for some time to come. Another notable consequence of online brokerages is the further development of after hours trading. The New York Stock Exchange first expanded its hours to â€Å"off hours† trading in 1991. The NYSE added a modest extension extending the after hours from 4pm to 5:15pm. It is now possible, with an online account to trade at any time. This can be advantageous to many investors in giving them more flexibility regarding time availability and for investors overseas who have holdings in US securities and cannot trade at regularly scheduled hours. After hours trading in 1999 represented 50% of all online transactions. Online brokerages have improved execution time quite dramatically to an average of 20 seconds per trade versus nearly 60 seconds for full service firms. In addition to improved execution time, the reliability and accuracy of online executions at discount firms is generally considered to be far superior to full service firms' online counterparts. The reasons most frequently cited for this are two-fold. First, most discount firms are built upon an online model, it is their core competency, allowing them to devote all of their efforts to perfect the core of their business model. Discount firms rely on trade volume for revenue, not asset accumulation, so it is imperative that their trade execution is the best that it can be. The second reason for superior trade execution at discount firms is that full service firms simply do not devote the same technological resources to their online channel. Full service firms focus primarily on performing cutting edge research, and providing sound financial advice through its network of brokers. The speed and reliability in execution at discount firms has been one of the top attractions of investors, along with largely discounted prices. The online brokerage market has also greatly impacted the availability of brokerage services to those who were previously unreachable. This hinges upon Internet penetration in the US, which is approaching 120 million active adult Internet users, or a penetration rate of 50%. As was mentioned previously, the first investors to move online were mainly those who were brand new to securities trading, or those who were experienced enough to feel confident trading with little or no professional advice. Most of them brought below average asset values online. In fact, in mid-1999, although online accounts represented 15% of all brokerage accounts, they only represented 5% of the total assets. As stated previously, these accounts also accounted 37% of the trading volume. That would indicate that the online brokerages do not focus on producing revenue through asset accumulation, but through trading volume. This has some major implications to be discussed in the next session. The majority of discount firms rely on trading volume to create revenue through their online offerings. This means they depend on accumulating customers who trade frequently in order to collect fees for trades made. Trade volume has been increasing quite dramatically over the past few, as the percentage of online trades increases as a proportion of total. This bodes well for the online brokerages who are accumulating customers, although those players who are at the bottom of the pack will likely fall out soon. The market is remarkably consolidated after just 4 years in existence. In fact, the top ten online brokerages comprise 90% of the online assets and accounts, and the top 4 comprise 86%. Those brokerages who are having a tough time accumulating customers and trade volume even while the online brokerage market is hot, will likely fall out soon. Referring back to Figure 1, it can be seen that the number of online brokerage firms is expected to decrease over the next few years while the number of online accounts increases. The online industry is consolidating quickly while continuing to grow. Although there is still a large disparity between discount firms and full service firms in terms of how they operate and what they offer, this is likely to change in the coming years. Already, the trend for full service firms to go online is in motion, and there are even some discount firms that are beginning to complement their trading services with plans for banking, insurance, and bill payment services. Currently, discount firms have approximately 74% of their transactions online versus 18% online at full service firms. In a Deloitte & Touche survey, 100% of full service firms said they planned to use online trading to enter new businesses, create alliances, or shift the business model, and 74% of discount firms said they planned to add additional services that are typically offered only by full service firms. It appears that the two extremes in brokerage services are headed towards a common middle ground. As the author of the Deloitte & Touche study put it, â€Å"the distinction between discount brokers and full service firms is becoming less evident. There is distinct evidence that the brokerages that will prevail in the next decade will have features of both a discount brokerage and a full service brokerage. A 50/50 hybrid model of online and full service could prevail, but it is more likely that the future constituents will be based on one core competency (online vs. full service) and have significant characteristics of its counterpart. This is because each business model appeals to different segments of the population. It is generally agreed that full service firms have a distinct advantage in advertising dollars and brand equity, and appeal to investors with more money and/or less knowledge of investing. Online brokerages appeal generally to investors with less money and/or more knowledge of investing. At this point in time, they are quite distinct, but the gap is closing. Another salient example of this phenomenon is that the top focus of current marketing strategies for 18% of online brokerages is to build brand equity, a la the full service firms. Each model, discount and full service, is moving to a common ground. The question that now stands is, who will win out? It is not an easy task to predict the future, or the future of brokerage services in the United States for that matter. One thing is for sure: the online channel will succeed. The top brokerages of the future will certainly incorporate online components very significantly. Those that will continue to succeed will be able to be flexible and adjust to the changing demands of consumers and technology, just as the top firms today are able to embrace the online channel. As Deloitte & Touche put it, â€Å"firms that cannot be innovative will find themselves niche players or acquisition targets. â€Å"

Heroes to Learn From My Dad Essays

Heroes to Learn From My Dad Essays Heroes to Learn From My Dad Essay Heroes to Learn From My Dad Essay My dad is one of the best people I know in this world. Whenever I have a problem he always helps me in every way, he possibly can. He has taught me how to ride my bike, to swim, to use the computer, multiply and divide fractions and lots of other things. Even though I dont always appreciate him teaching me new things, which I think I dont need. Always after some time I am grateful to him because it turns out that he was right. Though he might not be the best teacher in the world, to me he is the best father anyone could have.One of the traits my father has, which I admire is that he is always learning something new and keeping up to track with technology. For that reason he spends lots of times on the web, reading books or taking courses. Even though he needs most of it for his job, I feel very proud to have a father that knows so much. I hope that one day I will be able to over take him.There are lots of ways I could acquire this. It could be by taking course s to learn new sports, new things about computers or new languages. Searching the web to find out information on certain topics, get extra help you might need to learn how its done or just to find out whats happing in the world. Read books to expand you vocabulary, to help you to find out how something works or just give you information. Then when I grow old, I can be proud of myself and say I actually done something in my life.My GrandmotherMy grandmother is a very respected person. I was named after her, I look like her, and we basically have the same type of character. She taught me many important things about life. She has showed me where she went wrong and where I should not make the same mistake. I love her so much because she never stops trying to help me.The trait I love most about my grandma is that no matter how old she gets she still takes good care of herself. She always has the latest hair cut, the nicest clothes, always the right bag and shoes, she never has one of her nails broken or badly painted or even any make-up out of place. Not every grandmother is like that. When I become a grand mother I want to be just like her. So my grandchildren can be proud of their grandma.In order to obtain this we must talk more on this subject when we get together. It will probably take me quite a time before I can learn this but Ill keep on trying and asking questions till one day Ill finally get it.My SisterTo me my sister is the most important person in the world. We dont always get along together well, but she is always there when I need her. I know that since she is smaller than me I cant tell her everything, but as time goes on shell grow. Then someday Ill be able to tell her everything like she does to me. Thanks to her I have learned just how fun having a sister could be. You might think that having a sister is a real nuisance, but have you ever wondered how your life would be without her. I know that mine would probably real boring, and I really apprec iate having her by my side.The trait my sister has which I would like to learn is to have patience. Shes got so much patience, and Ive got so little. I find it wonderful to be able to teach someone. Something, that I am not quite capable of doing. I cant stand having to repeat myself over and over again till someone actually gets it. Something my sister can do without any problem. She enjoys teaching anyone and everyone. No matter how much she has to repeat herself and explain the things. I hope that someday I will be able to do that as well.I think that this is very hard to acquire. The only way I would ever be able to do this is by slowly making myself bare more repeating things over to people. I know this will take lots of time but I think I will be able to get it.

Free Essays on Michelangelo

Michelangelo Michelangelo was pessimistic in his poetry and an optimist in his artwork. Michelangelo’s artwork consisted of paintings and sculptures that showed humanity in it’s natural state. Michelangelo’s poetry was pessimistic in his response to Strazzi even though he was complementing him. Michelangelo’s sculpture brought out his optimism. Michelangelo was optimistic in completing The Tomb of Pope Julius II and persevered through it’s many revisions trying to complete his vision. Sculpture was Michelangelo’s main goal and the love of his life. Since his art portrayed both optimism and pessimism, Michelangelo was in touch with his positive and negative sides, showing that he had a great and stable personality. Michelangelo’s artwork consisted of paintings and sculptures that showed humanity in it’s natural state. Michelangelo Buonarroti was called to Rome in 1505 by Pope Julius II to create for him a monumental tomb. We have no clear sense of what the tomb was to look like, since over the years it went through at least five conceptual revisions. The tomb was to have three levels; the bottom level was to have sculpted figures representing Victory and bond slaves. The second level was to have statues of Moses and Saint Paul as well as symbolic figures of the active and contemplative life- representative of the human striving for, and reception of, knowledge. The third level, it is assumed, was to have an effigy of the deceased pope. The tomb of Pope Julius II was never finished. What was finished of the tomb represents a twenty-year span of frustrating delays and revised schemes. Michelangelo had hardly begun work on the pope’s tomb when Julius commanded him to fresco th e ceiling of t! he Sistine Chapel to complete the work done in the previous century under Sixtus IV. The overall organization consists of four large triangles at the corner; a series of eight triangular spaces on the outer border; an intermedi... Free Essays on Michelangelo Free Essays on Michelangelo Michelangelo the Optimistic Artist Michelangelo was pessimistic in his poetry and an optimist in his artwork. Michelangelo’s artwork consisted of paintings and sculptures that showed humanity in it’s natural state. Michelangelo’s poetry was pessimistic in his response to Strazzi even though he was complementing him. Michelangelo’s sculpture brought out his optimism. Michelangelo was optimistic in completing The Tomb of Pope Julius II and persevered through it’s many revisions trying to complete his vision. Sculpture was Michelangelo’s main goal and the love of his life. Since his art portrayed both optimism and pessimism, Michelangelo was in touch with his positive and negative sides, showing that he had a great and stable personality. Michelangelo’s artwork consisted of paintings and sculptures that showed humanity in it’s natural state. Michelangelo Buonarroti was called to Rome in 1505 by Pope Julius II to create for him a monumental tomb. We have no clear sense of what the tomb was to look like, since over the years it went through at least five conceptual revisions. The tomb was to have three levels; the bottom level was to have sculpted figures representing Victory and bond slaves. The second level was to have statues of Moses and Saint Paul as well as symbolic figures of the active and contemplative life- representative of the human striving for, and reception of, knowledge. The third level, it is assumed, was to have an effigy of the deceased pope. The tomb of Pope Julius II was never finished. What was finished of the tomb represents a twenty-year span of frustrating delays and revised schemes. Michelangelo had hardly begun work on the pope’s tomb when Julius commanded him to fresco the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel to complete the work done in the previous century under Sixtus IV. The overall organization consists... Free Essays on Michelangelo Michelangelo Buonarroti was born the second of five brothers on March, 6,1475 in a small village called Caprese, in Tuscany. Buonarroti's mother, Francesca Neri, was too sick and frail to nurse Michelangelo, so he was placed with a wet nurse, in a family of stone cutters, where he, "sucked in the craft of hammer and chisel with my foster mother's milk. When I told my father that I wish to be an artist, he flew into a rage, 'artists are laborers, no better than shoemakers." Michelangelo’s mother died when he was only six years old, and his father, recognizing his intelligence sent him off to a boarding school. As a child, Michelangelo was moody, secretive, distrusted people, and was quick to burst into fits of anger. His father was a minor official of Florence, with connections to the ruling Medici family. When Michelangelo turned 13-years old agreed to apprentice in the workshop of Domenico Ghirlandaio shocking and enraging his father. After about one year of learning the art of fresco, Michelangelo went on to study at the sculpture school in the Medici gardens and shortly thereafter was invited into the household of Lorenzo de' Medici, the Magnificent. During the years he spent in the Garden of San Marco, Michelangelo began to study human anatomy. In exchange for permission to study corpses, something forbidden by the church, those who gave him permission received a wooden crucifix, carved exquisitely with Christ’s face. His contact with the dead bodies caused some health problems in him, which led to constant interruptions of his studies. By the time he was sixteen, Michelangelo had sculpted both the Battle of the Centaurs, and the Madonna of the Stairs. After the death of Lorenzo de’ Medici, Michelangelo’s generous patron and the father figure in his life, Florence was divided as many political parties fought for command. Michelangelo moved to Rome where he was able to examine many newly unearthed classical st... Free Essays on Michelangelo Michelangelo was born in 1475 in Caprese, Italy. He considered himself a citizen of Florence and requested that his body be buried there upon his death, which it was in 1564. If between these years, Michelangelo made his mark upon are through his painting, sculpture, architecture, and even poetry to become one of the greatest artists on of all time. At age 13 he began studying with the painter Domenico Ghirlandaio, best known for his frescos in the Sistine Chapel depicting the calling of the first apostles, Peter and Andrew. After 2 years with Ghirlandaio, Michelangelo moved on to the Medici gardens where he learned sculpture. The Medici were one of the ruling families of Florence and he became acquainted with two future popes, Leo X and Clement VII. The early style of Michelangelo is best portrayed by his statue of David, of David and Goliath fame, which he produced from 1501 to 1504 in Florence. The fiery intensity clearly visible on David’s face is a trademark of both Michelangelo’s work as well as his personality and work ethic. Shortly after completing David, Michelangelo was recalled to Rome for two commissions by Pope Julius II. The first of these was Julius’ actual tomb, which was planned to be the most grandiose tomb of its day. Some of Michelangelo’s finest sculpture work is shown here, including the statue of Moses, the Bound Slave, and the Dying Slave. The second commission for which Michelangelo was recalled was perhaps his most famous painting work ever, the frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. Here he lay face up on scaffolding high above the floor of the chapel and painted from 1508 until 1512. Most notable on the ceiling are the 9 scenes from the book of Genesis, the opening chapter of the Bible. These scenes include God creating darkness and light as well as Adam and Eve and the Flood. These scenes are surrounded by numerous other old testament subjects as well as the ancestors of Jesus Chri... Free Essays on Michelangelo Michelangelo Michelangelo was pessimistic in his poetry and an optimist in his artwork. Michelangelo’s artwork consisted of paintings and sculptures that showed humanity in it’s natural state. Michelangelo’s poetry was pessimistic in his response to Strazzi even though he was complementing him. Michelangelo’s sculpture brought out his optimism. Michelangelo was optimistic in completing The Tomb of Pope Julius II and persevered through it’s many revisions trying to complete his vision. Sculpture was Michelangelo’s main goal and the love of his life. Since his art portrayed both optimism and pessimism, Michelangelo was in touch with his positive and negative sides, showing that he had a great and stable personality. Michelangelo’s artwork consisted of paintings and sculptures that showed humanity in it’s natural state. Michelangelo Buonarroti was called to Rome in 1505 by Pope Julius II to create for him a monumental tomb. We have no clear sense of what the tomb was to look like, since over the years it went through at least five conceptual revisions. The tomb was to have three levels; the bottom level was to have sculpted figures representing Victory and bond slaves. The second level was to have statues of Moses and Saint Paul as well as symbolic figures of the active and contemplative life- representative of the human striving for, and reception of, knowledge. The third level, it is assumed, was to have an effigy of the deceased pope. The tomb of Pope Julius II was never finished. What was finished of the tomb represents a twenty-year span of frustrating delays and revised schemes. Michelangelo had hardly begun work on the pope’s tomb when Julius commanded him to fresco th e ceiling of t! he Sistine Chapel to complete the work done in the previous century under Sixtus IV. The overall organization consists of four large triangles at the corner; a series of eight triangular spaces on the outer border; an intermedi...

Financial Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

Financial Analysis - Essay Example For this purpose, the performance of the company for the last few years has been taken into consideration. The results are compared with that of its competitors to determine the relative position of the company within the industry. Comparison will also be made with the industry standards to determine the effectiveness with which it manages its performance. Marks & Spencer (M&K) is a UK based retail company that offer products known for their high quality. The product portfolio of Marks & Spencer is highly diversified, comprising of food products, household related goods, apparel and many more. The company started as a single retail store in early 1884 and became an international retail chain in a matter of few years. Within a time span of 125 years, the company had diversified itself and entered more than 41 overseas territories. It boasts of 21 million footfalls per shop per week (M&S-a, 2010). To determine the short term performance of the company, its financial statements for the last three years will be taken into consideration. This time period will be stretched to 5 years to understand its long term trend. To determine the current position of the company, its present performance in 2009-2010 is compared with that of 2007-2008. Such comparison is initiated to understand the effect that economic recession had on the company. This will also help to analyse how the company managed to overcome the recessionary phase. Reports have revealed that recession had no major impact on the total revenue of the company. Only, a fall of 0.44 percent was registered in the total revenue. However, the operating profitability did suffer a fall of 28 percent. In the same way, the net profit (profit after tax) also reduced by 38 percent. As the operational cost increased, the management reduced its net debt by 19 percent. From the above fact and figures, it can be concluded that the revenue of M&S was affected marginally

Conflicts in Kosovo and Chechnya Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Conflicts in Kosovo and Chechnya - Essay Example The key question is whether the conflicts in Kosovo and Chechnya do bear much resemblance. Certain parallels between these two conflicts exist without a doubt. Thus, both cases involve powerful separatist movements, which emerged after the collapse of the Soviets, with ethnic and religious factors underlying them: they have unfolded on almost exclusively Muslim territories (Albanians in Kosovo and Chechens in Chechnya) population of which mistrusted the respective federal authorities. In both cases these movements have formed their own military forces to rely on: the Armed Forces of Ichkeria in Chechnya and the Liberation Army in Kosovo. And finally, military solution has been chosen as an appropriate conflict management strategy in both cases. In spite of the numerous parallels, the most important distinction between the conflicts is evident as well. In former Yugoslavia NATO conducted warfare against a sovereign state though claiming to act out of humanitarian concerns; the Russian Federation embarked on the still ongoing hostilities in order to secure the territorial integrity of the state and suppress secessionism in Chechnya. However, this distinction does not relate to the underlying nature of these conflicts: it has emerged as the result of NATO's solution to intervene in Kosovo and not intervene in Chechnya. Given the numerous parallels between both conflicts, it does require serious analysis to understand the reasons underlying NATO's intensive military efforts in former Yugoslavia and lack of similar actions in Chechnya. MAIN DISCUSSION NATO justified its decision to use force in Kosovo on the basis of the so-called 'international humanitarian emergency'. The origins of this concept can be traced back to the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970). A famine which followed the conflict killed hundreds thousand people, but was ignored by the Western states in the name of non-intervention and neutrality doctrines. However, the idea that under certain circumstances the principle of the sovereignty of states might be questioned emerged to receive further theoretical development in the 1980s. In the 1990s, the Europe for the first time witnessed how this right of humanitarian intervention could be implemented in practice during the interventions in Bosnia and Kosovo. The armed forces of the Alliance attacked Yugoslavia under the pretence of defending the human rights of Kosovo population. The essence of their claim was since the forces of Yugoslavian government were engaged in repeated, and systematic violence against its own citizens, NATO's choice of the military intervention as the only effective method of protecting human rights was fully justified (Annan, 1999). The case for war in Kosovo immediately generated much criticism associated with the ambiguity of the juridical status of a right to intervene, validity and relevance of statistical data on human rights abuses in Kosovo, and questionable ethical aspects of using military power to restore peace. Yet perhaps the most difficult enquiry related to the Kosovo precedent came from those whom questioned the reasons for NATO's decision to intervene in Kosovo and not in Chechnya where the statistics for human rights abuses was even more frightening than in Yugoslavia. An overview of existing st atistical data