Painted Portraits free essay sample

This paper discusses the work of American painters Cecilia Beaux and John Singer Sargent. This paper explores the works and styles employed by Cecilia Beaux and one of her teachers, John Singer Sargent. It gives a brief personal history of each painter and their early influences. It further explores their unique styles, for Beaux, it was based on French impressionism and color, and Sargents ability to portray essence. Finally this paper attempts to show why portraits remained popular during a time in which photography was widely used. One of the reasons that Beaux and Sargent were popular painters even in an era in which portraiture was becoming more and more the domain of the photographer was that while portraits have always been made to serve as keepsakes and visual memoirs, they have also always served other functions as well, perhaps the primary of these being to mark the social status of the subject. We will write a custom essay sample on Painted Portraits or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Portraits by their very nature never be mass-produced but must also be commissioned. This means that they are expensive, requiring someone to be able to pay an artist to devote all of her or his skills and time to the subject alone. Thus portraits have always served as a proxy, a marker of high status.

The Birth Of Venus Essays

The Birth Of Venus Essays The Birth Of Venus Paper The Birth Of Venus Paper The Birth of Venus is a painting familiar especially to those who know about mythology. Sandra Bottling wanted to show the birth of Venus one of the Greek gods In his own point of view. He demonstrates this by how he painted Venus and whom he painted in the drawing with Venus. He also shows it by the type of media he used and what he painted it on. For this painting, he had used tempera on canvas. HIS Inspiration for painting Venus came about during the Renaissance era. It Is one of the first non-biblical female nudes In Italian art (Birth of Venus). Bottling was Influenced to paint Venus from reading Homers Scripts. In particular, one of homers scripts was about how Crocus had clashed with his father Uranus. During the clash, Crocus emasculates Uranus and because he had done Venus Is born. In this work, he shows Venus coming of a shell nude covering her body In a modest way. It would signify not only her birth to a new world but also show humanism. The background of the painting shows the ocean which Is how she was able to be born In the first place (Botulisms Birth of Venus). Also, he Includes Zephyrs, the god of the wind and he Is shown holding on to a nymph named Colorist. The wind signifies a guidance so it would make sense to why Zephyrs is in the painting since he leading Venus. Furthermore, he also includes Pomona the goddess of the spring she awaits Venus with a mantle which is blowing in the wind from Zephyrs. It shows how Pomona is welcoming the new goddess. Moreover, he painted Venus in such a beautiful way that it shows that he had studied the subject of the painting. It demonstrates that Bottling had thoroughly thought over about how he would want to present Venus. Thus, Bottling had shown many symbols in his painting that corresponds to Homers work.

Criminal law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

Criminal law - Essay Example However, if the child victim is older than 13 but younger than 16 a suspect can raise the defence that the child consented to the sexual activity and he or she reasonably believed that said child was at least 16 years of age.1 Critics of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 argue that the Act goes too far by criminalizing legitimate sexual activities of children closer to age 16 and is far too strict on those who are mistaken about the child’s age. This paper examines the reality of this position by dissecting the manner in which the criminal justice system approaches cases in which offences relating to children are interpreted and disposed of. The offences contained in Section 9-12 include sexual assault, inciting children to engage in any form of sexual activity or forcing a child to watch sexual activities. Alarmingly, sexual activity with a child is defined by Section 9 as the intentional touching of ‘another person’ and that other person is under the age of 16 and the person does not reasonably believe the other person to be over the age of 16.3 The act of touching might conceivably be interpreted as sexual in nature and is a matter of fact for a jury to decide.4 In an article published in BBC’s online magazine, Giles Wilson questioned the propriety of the laws role in the age of modern sexual activity among teens. By and large, Wilson argues, the Sexual Offences Act 2003 criminalizes teen age kissing.5 Angela Phillips refers to the Sexual Offences Act 2003 as ‘the child trap’ adding that it is: When the House of Commons debated the Sexual Offences Bill a number of Representatives took issue with Section 13 as it stood, fearing that it had the impact of criminalizing what could only be described as normal activities between adolescents. In fact, Member of Parliament and Liberal Democrat Women’s Issues Spokesperson, Sandra Gidley said: Although I welcome the approach to

Strategic management, British Airways Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategic management, British Airways - Essay Example External market costs, such as supply chain, are also impacting profit negatively at BA. This report takes an in-depth view of the market environment in which British Airways must operate as well as a strategic analysis about how the company has positioned itself for strategic success. British Airways operates in a very difficult environment currently, with profit continuously declining both in consumer travel and in the cargo division of the business. It is currently the economic downturn being felt globally which is contributing to these profit declines. Done (2009) offers that the recession has given the business more than two years of losses, with loss expectations until at least March 2010. Much of this decline, according to the author, is due to difficult financial market trading conditions which significantly impacts the budget capability at BA. In fact, this economic recession has caused British Airways to lose a total of 17.7 percent of its passenger traffic profit just in April of 2009 (Done). Additionally, BA is also losing money due to the slip of value in the British pound. Done (2009) offers that its total operating loss was 150 million pounds, which will serve as the firm’s first operating loss in over five years. These losses have given the company a very poor credit rating which impacts the firm’s ability to procure enough working capital to make strategic changes which can have positive long-term impact, such as new construction at various international airport terminals. There is also a great deal of competition in British Airways’ passenger traffic division of the business, including Lufthansa, Ryanair, Air France, Martinair and Iberia (plus many more European airlines). Competition is one external force which appears to be consistently trying to outperform BA by offering different consumer options on board, such as

Critical Perspectives on Management and Organisations Essay - 2

Critical Perspectives on Management and Organisations - Essay Example It is also common that older people happen to be steadfast in their habits and have consistency in many things because of their firm beliefs and ideas. They are usually not flexible, and their temperaments are not adaptable for the changing situations and in most of the cases they are not creative (Merriam Webster, 2015). Financial burden on people is increasing continuously and women have to work with their male counterparts to earn a living. If women are not given their due share of jobs that are available in the market, if they are not given promotions in their organizations or if they are expelled on the basis of their gender; this sexism can give rise to a number of social and economic issues. The financial situation of country has much to do with the other fields and areas of the country. The whole social, cultural, industrial, technological, even religious and spiritual prospects of the collective community and personal lives of people get affected (Nauert, 2010). When females do not get jobs because they are women, they face many psychological issues. These issues may get aggravated with the passage of time alongwith the perceptions of women regarding the prevailing gender equality in society change. This may create a kind of psyche in which they consider themselves victimized and in turn they start feeling alienated and they start taking themselves in society whose self-esteem is not considered important and their sense of insecurity is developed. They may experience anxiety and undue pressure because of the society which regards males to be professionally strong in comparison to females. A male-dominant environment can get evolved which can have a profound impact on the society. The problems raised by such issues have exerted a profound impact on the society and feminist movements are a reflection of this fact.

University Peer Selection and Influences of Social Support

University Peer Selection and Influences of Social Support Phase 1 – Peer selection and influence of perceived social support of university students: do connections matter? Background Perceived social support has been shown to be an important predictor of psychological disturbance where individuals are exposed to distressing stimuli such as earthquakes (Xu et al, 2013) and war (Besser Neira, 2012). Additionally, perceived social support has also been shown to an important predictor in school environments for academic achievement (Song et al, 2014), and other problematic behaviour indicators such as low self-esteem, adaptive skills and teacher reported social skills (Demaray Maleki, 2002) which are linked to educational advancement. Other studies have observed the origins of perceived social support for particular populations being an important factor. Chavajay (2013) found that international students felt great levels of social support came from fellow international students, and Zagenczyk et al (2010) found perceived organisational support (POS) of employees would be more like the nearest person they found to be influential. perceived social support is complex in nature, its links with human growth and prevention of psychological disturbance, but also how and where the sense of perceived social support transcends to and from can depend on the similarities of the people around them. Social network analysis considers the human in relation to others within the network, and it is shows the nature of their relationships that give rise to social phenomena found within the analysis of networks. This could be via structural effects such as reciprocity, centrality in the network and popularity, or it could be actor driven such as the tendency to behave in a certain manner, such as the case for friendships being linked to smoking behaviour (Mercken et al. 2012) or it could be levels of psychological phenomena (which are also characterised as behaviour) (Snjiders et al, 2010), or more commonly aspects of the self such as cultural indicators such as nationality, gender, race, sexuality and so on. Psychological research could develop into a new branch of social network analysis, the longitudinal actor-driven stochastic models (actor-driven stochastic model) as developed by Snijders et al. (2010) which can be used to validate social network phenomena variance with psychologi cal phenomena, such as perceived social support, by observing it longitudinally and use that information to model expectations on actor and network development while utilising Markov chain process to model the networks evolving structure. Rationale The rationale for exploring perceived social support with actor-driven stochastic model metholology can be found via a synthesis of some recent research in perceived social support. Besser Neira (2010), made inferences based on means that can no understand the individual in relation to their situation within a network. They discounted medium effect size change of attachment style across the length of their study, perhaps as a result of an inability to look at socialising factors, such as covariates of reciprocity and the tendencyofhomophily between dyads. When consideringZagenczyk et al. (2010) in conjunction with Besser Neira, they show that peer influence on perceived support options in an environment might be important, and therefore it is plausible to hypothesise that similar phenomena could change attachment style behaviours that Besser Neira observed. Zagenczyk and colleagues work was cross-sectional and used social network measures in a 2 step multivariate analysis, and the refore is unable to infer causality (a common criticism of social network analysis (Borgatti and colleagues)), although it shows that social network phenomena correlated with beliefs it does not show how these beliefs became over the life-cycle. When considering the origins of perceived social support within the university context Chavajay (2013) focused his attention on international students, in essence he focused his attention on a population with situational similarities and found that higher levels of perceived social support were reciprocated between these similar groups. Chavajay suggested that this may have been a result from a greater need to experience social support when entering a new culture, and this collective need amongst international students engenders greater levels of the perceived social support phenomena, but these inferences are subjective and have not been clarified with a qualitative investigation. Chavajays research describes the tendency for homophily wher e by similar populations naturally evolve denser and become more homogenous networks (Steglich et al. 2010) while Zagenczyk and colleagues research suggests structural factors such as centrality (as inferred by the importance advice ties which have a strong relationship with friendship ties and ties of structural equivalence) of certain individuals within proximate networks in organisations is indicative POS as POS emanate from advice ties of structural equivalence. If perceived social support or POS can be related to self-ordering phenomena as well as hierarchical network effects then research into this field can describe behavioural change via two distinct psycho-social roots. Psychology can utilise the actor-driven stochastic model to discover the relationships of perceived social support within categorical groups as well as through common mechanisms of friendship formation lime, reciprocity, homophily and transitive closure, i.e. researchers can combine agency and structure while modelling behaviour (perceived social support). The psychologist can analyse multiple data sets and generate a wide variety or multivariate and bivariate statistics, and to a degree infer time sequentiality when seeking causality. Research can combine active theory development through generating and comparing findings, and then control for alternative explanations while assessing uncertainties in inference Snijders et al. (2010). However, the model is assumption-intensive – the actor-driven stochastic model uses two functions to predict network evolution via microsteps. Firstly, rate function which depends on observation period, actor cocariates and network position, which combine to consider the speed and opportunity for change within the network, and secondly, the objective function which evaluates the actor decision to change a tie based on short-term goals following preferences, opportunities and constraints. These functions require network and behaviour parameter estimates to be used in order for the model to estimate network evolution, therefore good data and awareness of group context is important when carefully developing theory (Steglich et al. 2010). Investigations of human psychology, can benefit from interpersonal methodology such as the actor-driven stochastic model as the individual can be noticed within the context of their immediate relationships. Although, limitations to the model include traditional problems associated with effects that are distil in nature (Bronfenbrenner, 2005) – it can not explain the disappearance of a tie as a result of exo-system decisions in the wider environment, however as is traditional in the empirical method mechanisms are in place to resolve sample problems. However, since the researcher requires high levels of contextual understanding when using actor-driven stochastic model to understand phenomena, descriptive phenomenological investigation would be welcomed to help identify spurious relationships in quantitative data. In cases such as small pilot studies, when sample sizes are inadequate and where the aim is the learning of a new methodology Trafimow (2014) may argue that this links with the goals of qualitative inquiry. A researcher considering human intelligence of an alien culture is less likely to make valid measurements of intelligence if he basis them on personal experience. So when embarking on an exploratory phase of a research project Trafimow (2014) recommends using qualitative methods to find out the variables that matter and then to use empirical methods to quantify how much they matter. Another point to consider before implementing actor-driven stochastic model is its complexity. Not only must the researcher understand its core concepts and assumptions of the stochastic social network analysis, they also have to aquire the skills and knowledge to produce social-network panel data that fits the stochastic model. Additionally, the researcher must then be able to navigate and use RSiena, the program which runs inferential statistics and generates predicted network models in accordance with the statistics related to the actor-driven stochastic model (Snijders et al, 2010). With the level of complexity within such a psychological methodology, correctly measuring and validating perceived social support within the group context while correctly estimating parameters for ongoing theory development and model validation requires a 2 phase approach. Aims Phase 1 (MSc) To understand contemporary issues surrounding perceived social support Understand the ways social networks are analysed Understand perceived social support within the group context Develop valid panel data gathering forms for pilot study To understand practical psychological applications of actor-driven stochastic model To understand the relationship of peer selection and perceived social support Objectives Systematic Review of Literature: perceived social support perceived social support Measures Social Network Analysis actor-driven stochastic model Design Focus Group with Open Ended Questions on perceived social support Survey Focus Group on how they understand perceived social support Analyse and Evaluate Findings From Focus Group Compare Focus Group Findings with validated perceived social support questionnaires Build Panel Data Gathering Form Conduct Pilot Study using actor-driven stochastic model using RSiena Method This study is exploratory in nature and will be divided up into two parts. The first part will be qualitative and the second quantitative. Part 1: Participants For an exploratory qualitative exercise 8 – 15 will suffice to inform the evaluation of perceived social support. The group will be taken from a selected population university students that take part in a society and see each other on a regular basis. Prodecure Participants will be informed that they their information will be kept in strict confidentiality and that the session will be recorded for analysis. Participants will then be asked to complete a consent form before the focus group will begin. Focus group with open-ended questions The focus group will be structured around open-ended questions regarding the nature of perceived social support and how they understand it. An example could be â€Å"I wonder what comes to mind when you consider the support around you?† this would illicit the participants perceptions toward support and what kind of resources they see as available. Analysis This information will then be analysed using a content analysis method proposed by Berg (2007) and then used to validate existing self-report questionnaires such as Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet, Farley, 1988) or the The 18-item Index of Sojourner Social Support Scale (Ong Ward, 2005), both of which were used on populations of university students. The validated survey questions will then be used as part of the panel data gathering form used in the quantitative analysis. Part 2: Participants The specification for the participants is that they will be in a reasonably dense network structure and therefore see each other on a regular basis and reciprocate within the group. Although the minimum amount of participants for the method for reliable results is n > 25 (Snijders et al, 2010) 8 – 15 participants will suffice to form the basis of a RSiena pilot study. Prodecure Participants will be informed that they their information will be kept in strict confidentiality and that the session will be recorded for analysis. Participants will then be asked to complete a consent form before the focus group will begin. Measures For the study to produce meaningful parameter estimates for modelling the data will be captured in 3 waves of fortnightly assessments. The participants will complete a self-report questionnaires providing panel data Friendship network. Students will be asked to identify up to 5 close friends within the group. Only friendships in which nominations are shown to reciprocate will be retained for analysis. Homophily. Students will be asked four indicators of homophily on socio-demographic characteristics: gender, race, university year and age. Perceived Social Support. Students will be asked a chosen number of indicators which reflect their perceived social support and make up a scale where internal consistency will be tested. The scores will then be divided up into meaningful ranges where by the participants can be catergorised. Analysis The analysis of the data will be consistent with the longigtudinal actor-based stochastic method as described by Snijders et al (2010). The analyses will be implemented with the Simulation Investigation for Empirical Network Analysis software program (Snijders et al. 2007). All changes in friendship ties and perceived social support scores observed between the final 2 measurements are modelled as the most probabilistic sequence of events that explain the total amount of observed changes. In this scenario there are two dependent variables, one describes perceived social support and one describes changes in friendship ties, and are modelled simultaneously with each other as dependent variables with each other. Within subjects effects can be measured with ANOVA where appropriate and parameter estimates for the actor-based model deemed to be statistically significant with a t-ratio obtained by dividing the unstandardised estimate by the standard error.  ­

History of the Magna Carta :: essays research papers

The Magna Carta is often thought of as the cornerstone of liberty and a defense against unjust rule in England. The Magna Carta is also a type of constitution. Just like the English have the Magna Carta, the Americans have the Constitution. To better describe the Magna Carta I’m going to tell you some more about the line of events that led up to this famous document. First there was the landing of the pilgrims in 1620 at the Plymoth Rock â€Å"for the glory of god and the advancement of the Christian faith†. Prior to this happening, another course of events unfolded in England. In 500 (?)A.D., the Anglo-Saxons conquered England bringing Roman Catholicism with them. Only the new Latin Bible was available to the people and the pagan rulers had that in mind so the people couldn’t read it. Two important men, John Wycliffe and William Tyndale tried to translate this new Bible. The church didn’t like this and burned the translated Bibles and killed Tyndale. The idea of a limited government came from the Anglo-Saxons. Before-hand, the King’s counselors were called Witan, but when the Norman conquered they changed the name to Parliament. This is how the Parliament came to be. Another event that connects the colonist and the English together is the event of a hated King in England trying to take away freedom and go back to the old ways. The idea of how much power the King had struck Parliament. After that, the Parliament and the people made the King sign the Magna Carta, which limits the amount of power the King has. The Magna Carta also affected the rights of the American colonies. It practically took away all relationships between the King and the colonies. After the relationship was broken, America broke off from England. All of this happened because of the Magna Carta. The Magna Carta introduced the idea of placing the King under the law of the land.

Reaction Paper on SONA 2014 Essay

There were many highlights on the recent SONA President Benigno S. Aquino stated last July 28, 2014 and these are the 3 things that intrigued me the most: Under the controversial DAP, PNoy said that around P1.6 billion fund was given to Training-for-Work Scholarship Program of TESDA. A total of 223,615 beneficiaries have graduated with an equivalent of 146,731 graduates currently working. I would say I really applauded him for his insights on education. True, Education is very important in every country. A country consists of people, now if those people are mostly illiterate what do you think would the country become of? And yes, after spending a couple of pesos to those students through scholarships, how much do you think those students would pay for their taxes when the will graduate and have their own jobs? see more:sona 2017 reaction paper The ugly side of this though is the reaction of COA and politics involvement. Did you know that according to COA these amounts were not fully utilized by the agency, casting doubt on Aquino’s figures. COA said that out of the P1.1 billion funds from DAP obtained by TESDA in 2011 for TWSP, only 92.47% was utilized. Now how about that?! People and even projects are not perfect. When will they accept that?! I am still thankful though because at least he is showing positive numbers and facts. President Benigno S. Aquino III, during his 5th State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, cited attainments in the country’s aviation industry as having contributed to the country’s steady economic growth the past year. First on the list of citations was when the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) last March 2013 lifted the significant safety concerns it had previously issued for the Philippines.In the same year, the European Union lifted its ban on Philippine Airlines, allowing it to fly once again to Europe. But with the improved aviation system, President Aquino said, Filipinos can now fly directly from Manila to London. President Aquino also welcomed the FAA’s decision to upgrade the Philippines’ aviation status back to Category 1. He said that because of this upgrade, it is likely that there  will also be an increase in routes going to the United States â€Å"The increase in flights of our local airlines to the United States and participating countries in the EU is a big help to both tourism and business,† the President said in his speech. I am also thankful for this one. Philippines being an accessible country worldwide is a Go Go ! what I meant is its a definite plus for us if we don’t spend too much on connecting flights just for us to get to our destination. I not sure if ever you experienced connecting flights before and I really hope youd never do . Because, Oh my! it is such a hassle with time and money. Imagine you being excited but you need stopovers, sleeping in the airport just catch the earliest flight to your destination and pray to GOD the weather will cooperate or else you’re stuck! Meanwhile, President Aquino also pointed out how the country’s hosting of the World Economic Forum on East Asia this year was a huge success, showing the world the country’s capacity in business.â€Å"†¦With the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Summit the Philippines will be hosting next year, we will be able to inform even more people of our progress, and the opportunities that this has opened up for all,† he said. This is my biggest concern of them all. I hope he will exert more effort on this one. As a regular consumer I don’t see myself having a positive sides on this one. Yes I know we are eventually experiencing Mother Nature’s reminders on how we should take care of the resources she has given. But by God! even the spices that is very common and needed in every household (ex: GARLIC – my favourite spice with chicken) costs too much. Including our staple food which is rice. This one needs to be alleviated! Remember County c onsists of People, People needs Education but most of all it needs to FOOD in order to survive!

Cultural Theory Essay Australian Tourism Essay Example

Cultural Theory Essay Australian Tourism Essay Example Cultural Theory Essay Australian Tourism Essay Cultural Theory Essay Australian Tourism Essay The Australian tourism advertisement that was released earlier this year, complete with the tagline â€Å"So where the bloody hell are you? † was one of the most controversial government-funded ads in recent memory. The advertisement was created and funded by Tourism Australia and screened on domestic television in dozens of countries around the world. The release of the ad prompted considerable worldwide discussion: it was initially banned from British television by the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre, due to the ad’s use of the word ‘bloody’ and its perceived connotation as a profanity (â€Å"Brits ban ‘bloody hell’ TV ad†). I have chosen to analyse this advertisement because it is a recent, controversial text filled with many complex images that portray what it means to be Australian. The advertisement portrays the following Australian locales: outback pub; secluded beach; ocean-side saltwater pool; kangaroo-inhabited golf course; open patio house; remote offshore tropical island; Uluru, Australia’s center; Sydney Harbour; barren desert (refer to appendix for a full description). The implied negative consequence of ignoring the advertisement is that potential tourists will be unable to visit and experience the beauty of the Australian landscape. Australia is portrayed in multiple ways by this text. As it is a tourism advertisement, its purpose is to convince foreigners to visit our country. According to the representations of Australian culture that are put forth by this text, we Australians value alcohol (primarily beer); engage in physical activity, no matter the age; frequent our many beaches; appreciate our native fauna; value family life; respect our indigenous citizens, and are generally sociable people. Each of these depictions of what Australians represent and value are tied to the process of ideology. The term ‘ideology’ is rooted in the work of Marx. He argued that the dominant ideas and viewpoints in society were that of the ruling class (â€Å"Questions of Culture and Ideology†). Althusser submits that there are two sides to ideology: one that consists of the actual living conditions of people’s lives, which is not false; and a set of meanings which misrepresent class and power within society, which is thus false. As many of the scenes and situations depicted in the focus text are irregular and stereotypical, the advertisement is ideologically constructed to depict Australian culture in a particular light. Ideology can be thought of as a sophisticated filter, through which our worldview is perceived (â€Å"Ideology†). Personal ideologies and societal ideologies may differ: whereas a society, by and large, may subscribe to ideologies of peace, democracy and justice, an individual may hold opposing viewpoints and thus, opposing ideologies. Within our focus text, Australian ideological values such as equality, respect and the importance of family are prevalent. The Australian tourism ad is one that is rife with complex imagery, whose purpose is to represent Australia. Semiotics, the study of signs, refers to the way in which particular images, text or objects can be used to create messages, which are often a part of a larger system of signs. For example, a green light is generally interpreted as a sign to ‘go’, within the larger context of a traffic light-controlled motor vehicle intersection. Once isolated and taken out of that context, the green light makes little sense. Consider an example from the text; the casual manner of the man who tells us â€Å"Bill’s on his way down to open the front gate† ironically suggests that this is a petty task, until the shot of a vehicle driving across a vast landscape conveys the message that such a seemingly simple task is, in fact, quite an ordeal. When discussing semiotics, ‘myth’ refers to a sign or series of signs that depicts one term within a system as indicative of all other terms. Furthermore, the simplification of signs known as ‘indifferentiation’– the refusal of difference (Thwaites 68) – perpetuates myths by silencing all non-dominant terms or voices. For example, within the focus text, the producers are guilty of mythic indifferentiation by suggesting that the only place that Aboriginals have within Australian culture is as an entertainment source for non-Aboriginals. Though it is unfair to write the advertisement off as largely mythic in its semiotic construction and thus not indicative of wider Australian culture, I have, for the purpose of this essay, ntertained the thought. A ‘metonym’ refers to the association between terms, either in part or whole. Thus, the scene in the bar metonymically suggests that all Australian men work hard and enjoy a cold beer – served by a woman, no less – at the end of a day’s work. The choice of an attractive young woman in a bikini to represent beach culture m etonymically invokes sex. The purpose of this sign is to physically attract foreigners to Australia through the use of a sexually attractive woman. Whether or not this specific sign is aimed at a particular sex is irrelevant: the woman in the bikini nonetheless represents happiness, health and virility. These traits are exhibited by a majority of the Australians in the ad, and are thus metonymically indicative of the rest of the Australian society. The very idea that all Australians are happy and healthy is, of course, ridiculous. For example, it is estimated that half of Australia’s population is overweight (â€Å"About Overweight and Obesity†) and approximately one in twenty Australians is currently living with depression (â€Å"Understanding Depression†). Imagine if you were a European and saw an ad on television that portrayed Australians as they are in reality: for example, if the beautiful blonde bikini girl was replaced with an overweight man with a disgusting smoker’s cough. While this may more closely mirror reality, it would be an extremely poor marketing decision. The signs that appear in this text are all carefully chosen for the purpose of appearing attractive to an overseas market. The producers’ attempt at political correctness in regard to the Aboriginal people largely misses the mark. While their native musical instruments of rhythm sticks and didgeridoo, and the spiritual icon of Uluru are well-represented and tasteful, the final scene featuring Aboriginal people dancing and the quoted line, â€Å"And we’ve been practicing for over forty thousand years† invokes a connotation that effectively reduces the entire Aboriginal people to little more than a tourist attraction, assumedly for the rich, white Europeans that the advertisement is largely aimed at. While it is highly unlikely that the producers of the text intended for this to be the denotation (or ‘preferred reading’, Thwaites 62) of the scene, the fact that it can be easily read in this manner, as derogatory toward the Aboriginal people, is demonstrative of the many different ways in which signs can be read. The Australians that speak in the advertisement use short, simple sentences to convey their messages. The language is constructed in this manner for two reasons: firstly, because it was broadcast in countries where English might not be prevalent, and thus the producers wanted to simplify the language as much as possible; in addition, they attempted to capture the manner in which an ordinary Australian speaks, which is something that they achieved well. Furthermore, the one word that caused quite a stir, â€Å"bloody†, is not even worth batting an eyelid at, as an Australian living in Australia. Tourism Australia’s Manager of Strategic Insights, Lawrence Franklin, suggests that the use of the word â€Å"tapped into real perceptions of the irreverent, self effacing nature of Australians† (â€Å"Bloody hell, does research work? †). While the word was apparently politically incorrect enough within other cultures for them to attempt to ban the advertisement, the colloquialism is so institutionalised within our society that the so-called â€Å"great Australian adjective† is well and truly a part of our vernacular, endorsed far and wide, from the average citizen right up to our Prime Minister (â€Å"Australia’s Bonzer†). The inclusion of golf as the choice of sport to portray Australian-ness is a strange one. The creators of this text clearly wished to send out a particular image of Australian sport; instead of showing scenes from a popular team sport for which Australia is well known, such as rugby league or cricket, the producers chose to show the financially exclusive sport of golf. This sign attempts to convey a message of sophistication. I suppose that golf is more of an internationally recognised sport than the other two mentioned, and the producers decided to make a safe bet on a commonly played game, rather than alienate their audience by displaying an unfamiliar sport. Tourism Australia’s â€Å"So where the bloody hell are you? † television advertisement is an undoubtedly well-produced, well-researched product that adequately represents a majority of Australia’s culture, people and values. When analysed using semiotics, ideology and ordinariness, it is exposed to be a rich text that provides many points of discussion. While it is next to impossible to coherently convey everything that it means to be an Australian within a one-minute audio-visual presentation, the ad was, overall, fair in its depiction of the Australian way of life. References and Works Consulted â€Å"About Overweight and Obesity. † Australian Government Department of Health and Aging. 30 September 2002. 1 June 2006. health. gov. au/internet/wcms/publishing. nsf/Content/health-pubhlth-strateg-hlthwt-obesity. htm â€Å"Australias bonzer. So why the bloody hell arent you guys here? † Times Online. 4 February 2006. 31 May 2006. timesonline. co. uk/article/0,,3-2055531,00. html â€Å"Bloody hell, does research work? † Australian Market Social Research Society. April 2006. 29 May 2006. mrsa. com. au/index. cfm? a=detailid=2095eid=121 â€Å"Brits ban ‘bloody hell’ TV ad. † Sydney Morning Herald Online. 9 March 2006. 30 May 2006. smh. com. au/news/national/brits-ban-bloody-hell-tv-ad/2006/03/ 09/1141701625132. html Barker, Chris. â€Å"Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice. † Questions of Culture and Ideology. Ch. 3 pp. 57-87. Ideology. † Elana Starr. 31 May 2006. http://www89. homepage. villanova. edu/elana. starr/pages/ideology-cinema. htm Thwaites, Tony, Lloyd Davis and Warwick Mules. â€Å"Introducing cultural and media studies: a semiotic approach. † Interaction of Signs. Ch. 3 pp. 48-74. Altheide, David L. â€Å"Media Hegemony: A Failure of Perspective. † Public Opinion Quarterly 48. 2 (1984). â€Å"Understanding Depression. † BeyondBlue: The National Depression Initiative. 24 November 2005. 31 May 2006. beyondblue. org. au/index. aspx? link_id=7. 246tmp=FileStreamfid=263

Write Daily or Not

Write Daily or Not Stephen King (On Writing) and Julia Cameron (The Artists Way) believe strongly in writing daily. A few others, however, argue that writing daily isnt necessary. So whats a new or struggling writer to decide is the best for them? My take on writing daily is this: DO IT EVERY DAY. Until you find a voice, until you know your direction, until you are a hard-core writer and not a hob Unfortunately when you stop writing for a period, or skip weeks between poems or chapters, you lose ground. You backslide. Its like building a house for a week then letting the weather erode it for a couple months, then you go back to it and have to spend several days fixing whats deteriorated due to neglect. And thinking about writing doesnt work. It doesnt count. While it feels good, and you might consider new ideas to write about, its not writing. Nothing is a substitute for putting words down for a conclusion. Now there may come a day when you have so much on your plate, that you feel discombobulated. Too many deadlines, too confused where to take a scene, uncertain whether a character is needed. At that point, take a day off. Maybe even a weekend but only after youve been writing so steadily that you are honed to scribble each day. My light day is Saturday after a busy Friday putting out newsletters, when Im most likely to have family drop in. There have been times when Ive been at conferences and missed three days, but Im itching to get back to business Youll build your writing in layers. Your talent doesnt embed itself into your brain unless its repeated on a steady basis. If you put weeks and months between your chapters, be prepared to have to do a lot of starting over. Like going to college, taking Spanish 1 this year, and Spanish 2 three years from now a lot is going to be lost in the interim. Yes, you might have been writing for years. But how many years would it really be if you tallied only those days you actually wrote? Write daily. Youll be flabbergasted at your rate of improvement.

Children VS Television Programs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Children VS Television Programs - Essay Example topic is debatable as there are pros and cons of watching television, but by watching adult programs, children are liable to commit sexually inapt activities or violence. Such programs do not hold any intrinsic worth. However, prohibiting children from watching such programs generate curiosity and revulsion thereby making children delinquent. Convincingly, parental judgment is required to inculcate wisdom for decision making outlook. Such attitude provides significant social benefit. Observing acts of violence or sex hampers the cognitive psychological development in so doing, children become desensitized for such actions. Watching TV for hours together everyday diverts interest of children, they keep pondering about the acts they saw on the television, consequently they are likely to be less active, perform less physical work, read only a few books or hardly they manage to finish their homework or study schedule, likely to be overweight and have poor grades in school. In the modern society violence, race, sexuality, gender, alcohol and drug abuse, attitudes and overwhelming behaviors are prevailing, similar situations are displayed in the television programs to a greater scope and magnitude which are perceived as "safe and acceptable" by the children. Parents should keep a check on children while they are watching television programs, they should encourage discussions with children and should mention positive behavior encompassing friendship, co-operation and concern. Parents should discuss personal and family values that relate to the television program including the consequences of violence being d isplayed. Parents must discuss the impact of advertisements and purchasing, and should encourage children to involve in hobbies and sports

Freedom of press Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Freedom of press - Assignment Example However, internet journalism suffers from a lack of structure that often results in ethical breaches and creation of content that is not informative or reliable. While the potential for internet as a tool for mass information is great; its biggest advantage is also its greatest weakness. With so many players in the information sector and a emphasis on being the first one to break a news; there is no check on the quality of the material is produced and distributed, no benchmarks in place and no enforcement of journalistic standards. â€Å"It is clear that digital journalism can allow for greater commitment to editorial standards. From better linking to primary sources of information, to greater commitment to transparency, there has never been an age more able to incorporate open, high-quality journalism† (Riordan). The problem is that online with so much free content available, websites are in a desperate race to get the most viewers and increase ad revenues. There is a significant occurrence of â€Å"Click-bait† in internet media outlets, where readers are enticed by sensational, often exaggerated headlines into going to a website link for a news article which may be unrelated to the exact heading. The practice is done to increase the number of users for a certain website and it compromises the integrity of the news. The worse scenarios are in which the news itself is falsified to create reader interest, one innocent example of this phenomena are related to the launch of the iphone 6 which was soon accompanied by news stories about the phone bending under slight pressure or people falling to pranks about charging the phone. These news stories were debunked within a few days but created a significant interest among fans and critics of the phone alike. More seriously, in the Gaza-Isreal conflict a lot of the news that was passed around on social media was