Thursday, October 31, 2019

Environment Management at Yamama Cement Company Assignment

Environment Management at Yamama Cement Company - Assignment Example Such techniques include proper handling of environmental issues, effective marketing strategies and up to date human resource and employee relationship techniques. However, this paper will mainly discuss various characteristics of Environment Management programmes at Yamama Cement Company. The issues of environmental impact that must be considered in an Environmental Impact Assessment for Yamama Cement are six-fold: climate protection, fuels and raw materials, health and safety, emissions reduction, local impacts and concrete recycling. (Yamama Cement Website, 2010) This issue matrix is adopted from the World Business Council for Sustainable Developments (WBCS), â€Å"Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI)†. (â€Å"Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI)†) 3. Health and safety: In this field, the World Business Council for Sustainable Developments (WBCS), â€Å"Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI)† motto is Aiming for Zero. The objective is no employee injuries or fatalities. 5. Local impacts: This aspect of environmental stewardship involves reduction of airborne particulate matter discharge and noise, â€Å"disturbance to landscape, local watershed and local biodiversity caused by limestone quarrying† and involvement of all relevant local stakeholders. Presence of world’s hottest deserts makes the Middle East one amongst hottest countries of the world with extremely hot and dry weather. Hence, all kinds of traders and manufacturers keep in mind its exceptionally harsh climatic conditions and use construction materials which can provide an effective resistance to heat and dryness. (Sinton, 2005, 450) For example, builders need to use waterproof foundation for buildings in order to avoid water infiltration due to a corrosive characteristic of salt present in the underground water within the Middle East.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Dramatic function in the play Essay Example for Free

Dramatic function in the play Essay In the play, A View From The Bridge, we are faced with emotions that we have probably all felt or will feel during our lifetime. However, when these emotions are taken to extremes, it could lead to unimaginable consequences. Covered here are some of the more complex and intriguing relationships that shape the whole play, from beginning to end, from the innocent love of a young woman to the dark sinister workings of a mind driven beyond logic and reason. One of the most interesting and complicated relationships in the play is that of Eddie and Catherine. Catherine is Eddies niece through marriage and has been cared and provided for by him ever since her mother died whilst she was still a baby; with a sense of her childhood, her babyhood, and the years and during that time, they have grown very close, Eddie treats her like his own daughter. He likes it when she greets him when he gets home, when she treats him like a father; Eddie is pleased and therefore shy about it However, as revealed later the play, Catherine thinks of Eddie as more than an uncle or a father, she thinks of him almost as her husband; If I was a wife I would now Im supposed to turn around a make a stranger out of him? She was originally talking about Beatrice but towards the end of the sentence, she was talking about herself, putting herself in Beatrices place as though she was the wife that was making s stranger out of the husband. Catherine matches Eddies love for her perfectly, seeking his approval in everything she does, she is eager to please him and is happy when he is happy; You like it? she asks about her skirt, you like it? she asks about her hair. In fact, when Eddie says beautiful she says You like it, huh?; this is a rhetorical question, shes seeking more than approval, shes seeking confirmation, because Eddies opinions matter to her and it pleases her tremendously to see that he likes what shes doing. However, when Eddie says that shes walking wavy and aint all the girls Catherine is very upset; almost in tears because he disapproves. There is a point where Catherine cares too much about Eddies views, from the play, we can tell that she has put off a few of her lifetime ambitions to keep him happy; as Beatrice says: I dont understand when this ends. First it was gonna be when she graduated high school, so she graduated high school. Then it was when she learned stenographer, so she learn stenographer. So what are we gonna wait for now? Eddie has obviously been thinking up all kinds of reasons to keep her at home. He says that he just doesnt want her working with the wrong people and that she should get a good education and go and meet a nice, well-educated (preferably rich) young man and settle down and get out of the working class world.  Most of this we can believe, not only does Eddie love Catherine, he is also very protective of her; I know that neighbourhood, B., I dont like it.  Maybe Catherine doesnt realize it but all her fondness is what makes him so overprotective of her, she acts like a little child around him; Catherine: He thinks Im a baby. Beatrice: Thats because you think youre a baby. I told you fifty times already and Eddie is so used to that he just cant accept the fact that she is growing up. He likes to come home to her childish antics, he likes to have her waiting on him hand and feet. There may be a slight ego problem when he realizes that Catherines pay is going to be so high, even higher than his if the estimate he gave Marco is a direct correspondence of his salary; But I think you could probablythirty, forty a week, over the whole twelve months of the year.  Eddie is obviously not ready to give up the job as the man of the house, metaphorically speaking, hes used to having everyone look up to him. He doesnt take Beatrice seriously and Catherine has always been so childlike and adoring, she sits on her heels beside him. Suddenly, Eddie feels that someone is threatening his position and that concept scares him, its the same fear as when Rodolpho steps into Catherines life, hes becoming the object of Catherines affections, not Eddie. Quite a lot has been mentioned on the boyfriend front; Eddie is unwilling for Catherine to show interest in the male populous; Eddie: Listen, I could tell you things about Louis which you wouldnt wave to him no more. Catherine: Eddie, I wish there was one guy you couldnt tell me things about. Not only does this show that he discourages any interest Catherine develops, he also does it very often, sometimes when Catherine isnt even interested in them, just to be on the safe side. Could there be more to this relationship than just parental concern, care and love? Could it be that Eddie is harbouring some secret desire for Catherine that he is too ashamed to act upon but is enough to make him feel better when she only has him and no one else? A father would be glad if his daughter found love, but a boyfriend would be jealous, and Eddie was certainly not glad when Rodolpho wins over Catherines heart. In the beginning of Act Two, Eddie was drunk and when he came home, he kissed Catherine on the lips. As the Romans said, in vino veritas, which means there is truth in wine, what is normally hidden is exposed as the person loses sense of inhibition and sometimes even logical thought; in this case, Eddies desire for Catherine. Of course, Catherine has already been pretty upset with him already and this was just putting salt to the wound. She didnt admit straight away to Rodolpho that Eddies views were once again affecting her judgement, she asks him the questions that Eddie has been harbouring ever since he arrived and especially after talks about marriage and says that they are her own questions, she even suggests that they go live in Italy because she imagined it would be beautiful but really its just covering up her fear of Eddie, even though she did admit to it; Im afraid of Eddie here. Rodolpho saw right through her, he could see that she was frightened and wanted to get away from Eddie. Rodolpho: My heart dies to look at you. Why are you so afraid of him?  At this point, Catherine still feels that Eddies change of mood was partially her fault; I would just feel ashamed if I made him sad. Ever since the beginning of the play, Catherine always seemed to be in constant uncertainty and fear of Eddie, but never of his actions, more of his opinions because it mattered so much to her but since after the kiss, she has developed a physical fear of him, of what he could and would do to her and the people she loved and that includes Eddie himself. Wait outside, dont argue with him Catherine says, wanting to keep Rodolpho safe from Eddie.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Beijing Capital International Airport Development Project Construction Essay

Beijing Capital International Airport Development Project Construction Essay 1. This guideline has been prepared as an evaluation and condensation of a full environment impact assessment (EIA) of the proposed Project Beijing Low Cost International Airport (PLCA), which will be prepared for the Government by the consulting group of the Faculty of Economics and Management, Universiti Putra Malaysia, following China Government guidelines by The Ministry of Environmental Protection of the Peoples Republic of China, formally known as Chinas State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) and the methodologies described in Environmental Assessment Requirements and Environmental Review Procedures of the Asian Development Bank (1993) and Environmental Guidelines for Selected Infrastructure Projects (1990). The objective of the EIA is to ensure that environment aspects are addressed and potential problems are foreseen at the appropriate stage of project design. Hence, at the preliminary level, a coordinator is selected for the EIA to collect detail background in formation. The EIA report would be based on (i) the Project feasibility study prepared by Airways Engineering Consultants under Bank technical assistant (TA), (ii) discussions with principal authors of the above documents, (iii) field visits to the Project site and local government capital, and, (iv) discussions with local government and pertinent National Government officials with environmental responsibilities. 2. The methods used to carry out the EIA for impact identification included: (i) review of available literature, (ii) meetings with National and local government officials, (iii) site visits to the PLCA and surrounding areas, (iv) discussions with inhabitants near the site via door to door survey, (v) ambient noise and air quality and surface water quality sampling and testing in the field and in the laboratory, and (vi) application of professional knowledge and experience. 3. Besides, the EIA would require a baseline study on data and impact evaluation, assessment, documentation, decision making and post audits that incorporates the results and conclusions in the report of the EIA. II. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT 4. The rapid economic growth in China has led to the increase numbers of demand for air transport service consumer, in both passengers and cargo. Being located at the capital of the Peoples Republic of China, the flourish of tourism sector, business and cargo service had caused the current capacity of Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) registered 65.3 million passengers and achieved 1,420,997 tonnes of cargo traffic in year 2009, which ranked the 3rd and 14th busiest in international respectively. It has reached an efficiency score since year 2006 till now (Andrew Yuen Zhang, 2009). However, the PEK which has three terminals can only handle 78 million passengers per year. At the same time, since the projection for passenger capacity in 2012 would reach more than 90 million, it would be over congested in just round the corner. The current alternative or nearest international airport available is Tianjin BinHai International Airport, however it is located too far, 160km from Beijing. While the nearby Beijing Nanyuan Airport (NAY) located north to Daxing is owned by military and serves as a middle cost domestic airport that capable of handling only 1.2 million passengers per year, hence it is viable to look for a new destination to build an international airport that in future might accommodate the airlines currently using NAY. Strategic locality might be one of the factors that passengers are generally still prefer to land at PEK due to time and cost convenient. Besides, the design of PEK cannot accommodate airbus A380. Hence, it is urgent to look for a new suitable location to build a new airport that is schedule for completion in year 2015 to cater the future demand. 5. Previously, there was suggestion that the major difference between the current and new Beijing airport to segregate into either serving the local or international market so that there would be no overlap. However, it had received many objections due to its unfairness nature. It is proposed here that due to the rising of the low cost proposition in international market, the proposed Project is to design and construct a Beijing Low Cost International Airport. This can divert the passengers from the PEK that PLCA can be an aviation hub based low cost service that encourage more tourists and tap in the budgeted travel market. This is not the latest concept for low cost terminal building in China as the first has operated in Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport, which was limited only for domestic flights from May 2008 to October 2009. A survey conducted by Civil Aviation Net of China showed that 92% of respondents opt for low cost flights, if is needed to pay the air ticket by the ir own. Following the global market trend, due to increasingly cost-conscious travelers, a huge new low cost airport that can cater 70-80 million passengers is proposed to be reasonable. The Beijing concept would be a successful one since it is not like the Zhengzhou model which failed due to restricted for domestic. In order to meet the forecasted traffic, the size for new airport would be 3,800 hectares (ha) of land. 6. The suggested locations for the new airport include Lixian Town in Daxing District (39Â ° 33 8 North, 116Â ° 26 42 East), a downtown rural area covers an area of 1,012 square kilometers with a population of 671,444, as in year 2000 statistics. It is about 40 kilometers (km) south of the Beijing and can be connected to Beijing via Jingkai Express Highway. Another suggested location for the PLCA is at Guan District which is 60 km away from the current airport. 7. The first phase of development of the PLCA, the Project, will meet air traffic forecast demand for the year 2016, would involve the size of 1, 800 ha. This involves large turboprop aircraft with sufficient range to cover both the local and international demand. Development covers the soil improvement and earthworks necessary of construct a landing strip 2,300 meters (m) in length, with an initial runway length of 3,500 m. The project will also complete with enough passenger and cargo terminals, car park and access roads; control tower; crash; fire, and rescue building; ancillary buildings; housing for airport staff; wastewater treatment plant and a potable water system; electric power; fuel farm; perimeter fencing; and supporting airfield lighting and navigation aids. All of the security verification system, luggage system and other essential facilities are well equipped. The new runway would be fitted for Boeing 737, Airbus A320 and Airbus A380. There would be various choices of restaurants, stores and duty free shops. It is not a luxurious one, but with just a simple interior decoration. All these would reduce in the airport landing fee and airport construction fee (ACF). As the proposed airport would be a low cost and incorporate the trendy green airport concept, boarding ramps is not provided. The following phase would claim another 1,700 ha land, and total runway 7000 km. A 100 ha of unoccupied land is reserved as part of the Project to provide added protection in the approach areas from future possible encroachment by non-airport development. Every passenger is allowed to carry 15 kg luggage, five kg less than under normal regulations. III. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT A. Physical Resources and Natural Environment 8. The PLCA is proposed to be located at an area of plain land, which is typical of the Lixian Town at Daxing District (Wu, et. al, 2010). The soil is heavy metal and hence not suitable for vegetable growing, but can be used for construction (Hu, et. al, 2006). Currently, the residence in the area depends on agriculture or food service that support Beijings demand. Due to the changing characteristics of the soil, a transition of economic activity is predicted. A detail studies should be carried out at the Project site for determining the suitability of the land and the possibility of earthquake and other natural disaster. 9. The climate of the area follows the four seasons, as similar to Beijing. The average temperature ranges from a high of 17.9 to a low of 7.2 Celsius. The wind velocity needs to be obtained from the China Meteorological Administration. 10. The baseline monitoring should be carried out. Both on the site itself and the nearby highway Jingkai Expressway. The air quality, level of hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide have to be determined and compared with the national benchmarks. 11. The Longhe River and Xintiantang river are required to be carried out environment assessment as both of the rivers support the agriculture activities at the area. 12. Baseline monitoring of the surface water quality ought to be conducted at the two rivers. Sampling and testing are needed to understand the pollution level by human waste in surrounding areas. 13. Since the site of the airport is nearby to residents are and some of them are still relying the usage well, so the groundwater have be tested on the requirement of water treatment. 14. Since there are twelve forests and Yongding River as the mother river supporting many subrivals in nearby town within Daxing district, so the level of possibility of endanger to the flora and fauna need to be assessed. It is understood that the fishing activities have decreased due to the less raining in past few years. C. Human and Economic Development 15. The PLCA is in an area of low population density. 16. Most of the residents of the area are farmers and small businessman who sell vegetable that supports the demands from Beijing city. However, the income level is quite low compared to the city. 17. The predominant land use around the PLCA is agriculture. D. Quality of Life Values 18. Near to the site in other town but not at Lixian Town itself, only forests and some Mosques which are served as heritage conservative sites. There is healthcare service, power line, electricity, telephone, water treatment service for the area. IV. ANTICIPATED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES 19. This section assesses the potential impact of the proposed development of the PLCA on the surrounding environment and presents mitigation measures. It would cover the potential effects associated with location, design, construction and operation. A. Environmental Impacts Due to Location 1. Disruption of Surface and Groundwater 20. The environment impacts of the location need to be carried out. 2. Relocation 21. Resettlement is required for some affected villages or called as cun but the impact is needed a further studies. 3. Land Values 22. There would be an increase in land values for residential areas, nearby to the highway, airport. The local government hence has to do a proper planning to avoid bubble economics for the housing sectors. 23. The impact of the ecology from airport need to be taken into consideration. B. Environmental Impacts Due to Project Design 1. Nearby River Erosion, Flooding 24. The construction of the airport could create a large impervious surface in an area that is now covered by grassland and some brush and trees. If the drainage is poor designed, it would affect the nearby rivers. 2. Disposal of Human Waste 25. There is potential pollution of surface water and groundwater due to the possible introduction of turbidity and coliform bacteria from human waste will be mitigated by the design of a wastewater treatment plant. 3. Petroleum Water Disposal 26. Some spilling of fuel is likely to occur during the aircraft refueling on the aircraft parking aprons, and it is necessary to trap and filter out these wastes before they enter the main drainage system of the aprons, which will empty into the nearby small river. To reduce such impact, the drainage system of the aprons will be designed so that water runoff during rains will be channeled into subsurface drains that will contain a trap system, accessible through access holes, to filter out and collect wastewater treatment plant after being treated to break down the hydrocarbons. C. Environment Impacts During PLCA Construction 27. With the good design and construction standards and procedures are adopted according to Green Airport, it is expected to have minimum impacts. A contractual guarantee which include the environment impact associated with construction is a most appropriate way to ensuring such implementation to be adhered. 1. Sediment Runoff 28. The construction program might have impact towards the nearby river and altering its natural flow. This would affect the number of fish population in the river. Hence, implementation of erosion and sedimentation control is required to minimized the impact. The area should also replant threes alongside to ensure the green environment to be accomplished. 2. Dust and Noise/Vibration Pollution 29. The dust pollution would be under control due to latest technology. The noise and vibration pollution is minimized via strict rules and regulations so that it wont affect the living hood of population nearby. No construction work is allowed before 7am and after 7pm on weekdays, weekends and public holiday. Penalty of RMB5000 would be imposed once there is an enforcement operation or any complaints regarding the constructor violate the rules and regulations. 3. Worker Safety and Health 30. Worker safety and health will be ensured via protection through contractual undertakings to implement safe site practices. 4. Slum Creation 31. Since there is job creation and recruitment of workforce from the residence nearby and no sourcing of workers from other areas are needed, hence there is little needs for building temporary on-site house and this reduce the risk of slum creation. 5. Traffic Congestion, Blocking, or Disruption of Utilities 32. The current level of traffic on the main highway near the site is not congested. There are new highways opening soon. Hence, there is little traffic problem arises. D. Impacts During PLCA Operation 33. The impacts during operation phase should be analyzed and forecasted. 1. Noise/Vibration Disturbance 34. The accepted level of noise/vibration disturbance is about 65 decibels or 65 Ldn (day-night noise level) to the nearest residential area, since there would be some distance from the airport, hence the impact can be minimized. The distance between the airport and nearest housing area, hence, is needed to be estimated. Besides, controlling of noise/vibration disturbance can be done via the arrangement of the air traffic control by having schedule in the daytime and less air traffic in the night time. However, a completed noise analysis has to be carried out based on the forecasted future flight traffic volume. Noise monitoring terminals would be build to ensure the minimal impact of noise pollution. 2. Water Pollution/Escape of Sanitary Wastes 35. The construction of wastewater treatment plant and sewage distribution lines must be part of the Project. The water, especially at the terminal area needs to be treated with the latest green technology. Potable water for airport operations need to be provided from a drilled well, or wells with treatment to meet World Health Organization standards. 3. Air Pollution 36. The EIA should ensure minimum impact of air pollution even the operation of PLCA starts. 4. Congestion at Airport Access and Exit 37. The congestion level is ought to be estimated, regardless of current low level of usage and new highways are opening soon. 5. Hazards to Traffic from Operation Aircraft 38. The residential areas or buildings nearby are low and little risk arises for the height over aircraft passing. How, the accurate level is needed to be assessed to reduce any potential risk. 6. Human and Economic Development 39. The impact on possible changes from rural-to-urban would lead to migration towards areas nearby PLCA is needed to be assessed. Although it would bring job creation and have minor socio-economic changes from agriculture or small business towards service based, a details assessment would be required to ensure the culture is balanced and not change drastically. 40. The local government would play a very major role in permitting licenses for buildings and business. The potential positive impact would most probably be the increasing public facilities which is currently lacking. 7. Quality of Life Values 41. The current lacking of public facilities and facilities would be improved via the proposed project. The income level would be increased while the potential changes would be the population migration from other area in searching for employment opportunity. 8. Environmental Overview 42. The project will not involve scare or irreplaceable resource in line with the green airport concept. Raw materials such as sand and gravel should be employed for its construction and future expansion. No loss of biodiversity should be achieved. V. ALTERNATIVES 43. The other alternative which is considered feasible is Guan as one of the nominated site. It is a downtown further down than Lixian Town. VI. COST BENEFIT ANALYSES A. Internal Rate of Return 44. The economic internal rate of return for the Project should be estimated. B. Economic Benefits 45. The potential main economic benefit would be income generated from visitors expenditures, time saving for passengers, and the value of foregone passenger and cargo traffic. Cost saving due to low landing cost and additional employment and increased in property value are not included in this analysis. C. Project Costs 46. Project costs include (i) civil works, (ii) other construction, (iii) equipment and its installation, (iv) consulting engineering design and supervision, and (v) cost for abatement for pollution. D. Monitoring and Reporting Cost 47. Monitoring will be required to carried out during construction and operation of the Project. It would be a contractual base. E. Nonqualified Environment Impacts 48. Any negative impacts in environment would be internalized into the cost of Project. Hence, cost-benefit and cost effectiveness of such pollution is not based on separated budget. VII. INSTITUSIONAL REQUIREMENTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PROGRAM A. Institutional Capacity 49. Since there are many experiences on airport building by China Aviation Society, hence with the assistant from consultant on EIA, which adhere to rules and regulations as mentioned earlier, no special training is required. However, the government needs to support on the low cost airline in order to be successful implemented. B. Monitoring Program 50. The impacts of the proposed PLCA Project is needed to carried out whether it is significant in order to decide on the relevant type of monitoring program. 51. Sedimentation and control of erosion and water runoff, water quality, worker safety and health, and traffic interference would be the utmost monitoring items during construction period. All other monitoring programs are yet to be indentified after a thorough study. 52. Monitoring program for operation phase are also required for the preparation of control over kinds of potential serious pollution. C. Documentations 53. Clear documentations are required. Appropriate recommendation should be included in the working document with the alternative environmental and economic impacts adhered. VIII. PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT 54. Public involvement is important in this 21st century that the demand and supply is matched without major objection from the public. Local residents can be consulted via public hearing on the Project plan or random door-to-door survey can be carried out with sets of questionnaire on their view of potential impacts in term of the environment, social and economic towards the communities. 55. The public involvement between public and developer is needed for the negotiation on the required acquisition and compensation. IX. DECISION-MAKING 56. The EIA would be important to facilitate the decision making process for the decision makers, however it does not serve as an absolute path. If it is rejected, further studies is required on alternatives. IXI. POST AUDITS 47. Post audits are required to determine how closely to reality the EIA predictions. It is important to avoid any form of bureaucratic constrains. General statements in the body of legislation would be good as supplementary guidelines would be required from time to time.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Video Games: Assassin Simulations Essay -- Video Games Violence Papers

Video Games: Assassin Simulations Video game violence has been a wildly debated topic since the beginnings of the industry. The topic evolved from the debate on media violence or violence in print media. However, the video game debate brings a new angle. Video games, because of their immersive nature, are said to have more impact on children. The proponents and opponents of video game censorship do not really fall into traditional political boundaries. The proponents of censorship tend to be some parents and doctors. Those opposed to censorship tend to be those who play the video games themselves. There is a center faction, however. The center faction consists of those doctors and psychologists who evaluate media violence on a purely medical level. The proponents of video game censorship use a lot of pathos, ethos, but little logos. They mainly believe that kids are driven to violent acts through what they observe in their environment. They invoke images of the school shootings at Columbine. They rely on their own ethos, being mostly doctors or self-declared â€Å"experts† on the subject. The center is a bit different. They rely totally on logos and ethos. They provide statistics and ask you to trust their studies. They also attack the studies and logic by the proponents as faulty. But, despite this, they do recognize that video games are getting increasingly violent. The opponents of video game censorship are mostly video gamers like myself, whose only voice is on USENET and popular web-based gaming forums. We don’t have any â€Å"experts† to speak for us, except for those who take a general anti-censorship stance. Video games, being an expression of free speech and not dangerous to our children, should not be censored. Michael... ...nents of censorship were adults when they committed the crime. In addition, video games are an art form and are protected as free speech under the first amendment. Works Cited Brody, Michael â€Å"Playing With Death† The Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter. v16 i11 (Nov. 2000) Information Access Expanded Academic ASAP. Grossman, Dave â€Å"Teaching Kids How to Kill† National Forum v80 i4 (Fall 2000) Information Access Expanded Academic ASAP. Peck, Peggy â€Å"Brain Cells Victims of Video Violence† United Press International (Dec. 3 2002) Information Access Expanded Academic ASAP. Walling, Anne D. â€Å"Do Video Games Lead to Violent Behavior in Children† American Family Physician v65 i7 p1436 Information Access Expanded Academic ASAP. â€Å"Gangs in Cyber Space† Yahoo Internet Life (Aug. 1, 2002) Information Access Expanded Academic ASAP. Video Games: Assassin Simulations Essay -- Video Games Violence Papers Video Games: Assassin Simulations Video game violence has been a wildly debated topic since the beginnings of the industry. The topic evolved from the debate on media violence or violence in print media. However, the video game debate brings a new angle. Video games, because of their immersive nature, are said to have more impact on children. The proponents and opponents of video game censorship do not really fall into traditional political boundaries. The proponents of censorship tend to be some parents and doctors. Those opposed to censorship tend to be those who play the video games themselves. There is a center faction, however. The center faction consists of those doctors and psychologists who evaluate media violence on a purely medical level. The proponents of video game censorship use a lot of pathos, ethos, but little logos. They mainly believe that kids are driven to violent acts through what they observe in their environment. They invoke images of the school shootings at Columbine. They rely on their own ethos, being mostly doctors or self-declared â€Å"experts† on the subject. The center is a bit different. They rely totally on logos and ethos. They provide statistics and ask you to trust their studies. They also attack the studies and logic by the proponents as faulty. But, despite this, they do recognize that video games are getting increasingly violent. The opponents of video game censorship are mostly video gamers like myself, whose only voice is on USENET and popular web-based gaming forums. We don’t have any â€Å"experts† to speak for us, except for those who take a general anti-censorship stance. Video games, being an expression of free speech and not dangerous to our children, should not be censored. Michael... ...nents of censorship were adults when they committed the crime. In addition, video games are an art form and are protected as free speech under the first amendment. Works Cited Brody, Michael â€Å"Playing With Death† The Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter. v16 i11 (Nov. 2000) Information Access Expanded Academic ASAP. Grossman, Dave â€Å"Teaching Kids How to Kill† National Forum v80 i4 (Fall 2000) Information Access Expanded Academic ASAP. Peck, Peggy â€Å"Brain Cells Victims of Video Violence† United Press International (Dec. 3 2002) Information Access Expanded Academic ASAP. Walling, Anne D. â€Å"Do Video Games Lead to Violent Behavior in Children† American Family Physician v65 i7 p1436 Information Access Expanded Academic ASAP. â€Å"Gangs in Cyber Space† Yahoo Internet Life (Aug. 1, 2002) Information Access Expanded Academic ASAP.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Roles of First Ladies

Roles of the First Lady Kenya Stanford Ashford University HIS 204 American History Since 1865 Instructor: Tara Ross November 15, 2010 Abstract The roles of the First Lady can vary. Several of the authors describes that some of the First Lady’s roles can be from writing invitations , creating an policy, sharing ideas about political rights, to coming up with health care reform. This essay contains some of the old traditional roles that the First Lady was required to do in the 18th century and how it changes over time. Also, it explains how each century First Lady goes about performing her duties.Roles of the First Lady The roles of the First Lady are really undetermined because it changes due to their interest and the timeframe that they were in. Traditional roles of the First lady The duties of the First Lady vary from time to time. During the 18th century, the traditional roles of the First Lady were being a hostess for our country. White House. Gov states, â€Å"The Preside nt and the First Lady’s job responsibilities are to entertain both national and international guest that were arriving and staying at the White House (White House. gov). It also goes on stating that the reason for hosting the event was to strengthen any existing ties, to stage for new relationships, to establish new partnerships, or just to extend the hospitality of the White House as the â€Å" home â€Å" of our nation leader and every First lady were responsible for writing every single invitation by hand (FirstLady. org). 18th Century First Ladies: Martha Washington and Abigail Adams Martha Washington was a well-respected and very kind-hearted to all that knew her. However, Martha did not enjoy her roles as being the First Lady.According to the article, she statedâ€Å" I think I am more like a state prisoner than anything else, there is certain bounds set for me which I must not depart from any many younger and gayer women would be extremely pleased in her place; she would be much rather be at home (White House. Gov). † Just by reading the article on her, it gives me the idea that she was very private about her life with outsiders and she always held her head up. During her time she was called â€Å"Lady Washington. † She had gotten that name during the Revolutionary War era (America. ov). During the war era, Martha Washington was placed into a winter encampment that was the most comfortable to live in (Berkin, Carol). During the war, she and the other general wives served as hostess. The purpose was to lift everyone spirits and giving every solider a reason on what they were fighting for (Berkin, Carol. ) After Martha had moved to the White House, she found out that she was also responsible for managing the presidential household and supervising the domestic affairs at Mount Vernon from a distance (MarthaWashington. us).However, her successor Abigail Adams was a very interesting woman of her time. People viewed her as a very patrio t woman. Abigail’s letter talked about current politics and how she expressed her opinions. During the time of when the famous â€Å"shots heard around the world† started, Abigail was writing John letters to express her concern and her longing to be with him. According to Carol Berkin, ‘Soon I will be in continual arms. Rumors have spread that the British has spread. We know not what a day will bring forth, nor what distress one hour may throw us into (Berkin, Carol). During her husband’s presidential, she would write letters that was expressing her ideas about women’s right. For example, one of her famous letters was when she wrote John telling him to remember the ladies when it came down to the new law (New World Encyclopedia). Basically, she was trying to gives the women more rights that they were entitled to but during the American Revolution that was proving to be was very impossible task. According to New World Encyclopedia, â€Å"Highly cons cious of her role as the president's wife, Abigail Adams saw her role largely as a hostess for the public and partisan symbol of the Federalist Party.Her entertainments were confined to a relatively small home in Philadelphia, turned into a hotel after the capital was moved from Philadelphia to Washington, D. C. (New World Encyclopedia). †. She also attempted to influence fashion, believing that the more revealing Napoleonic-style clothing then popular were too indecorous. Since presidential families were responsible for covering the costs of their entertainments and the Adamses were enduring financial difficulties at the time of his presidency, Abigail Adams's receptions were somewhat Spartan (New World Encyclopedia). 19th Century: Mary Lincoln and Ida McKinley Mary Lincoln was a woman who wanted the public to like her. She was getting to point where she was tired of the public talking about her fashion so she decides to do a makeover for herself and for the White House.At th e beginning through the end of the article, the author discusses how Mary Lincoln was very careless with money and how she would act out if she didn’t get her way (Lincoln White House. org). The Lincoln Institute only notes that Mrs. Mary Lincoln visited the wounded from the Civil War and remodeled the White House (Lincoln White House. rg). Ida McKinley was a very ill person who suffered from being epilepsy. Her conditions were affecting her and her husband job performance. According to Miller Center Public Affairs, â€Å"Although she occasionally appeared at state dinners and in receiving lines, her attendance at these functions was sporadic due to the unpredictability of her seizures (Miller Center, 2010). † It also goes on stating that the president had to ask the vice president’s wife to help her with her duties due to her being sick.Even though she was very sick, she manages to crochet bedroom room slippers for fundraisers and charities. After reading the a rticle, she proves that she was able to show her husband that she cared about how he felt about politics and that she would dedicate herself to it through the end. She was the first to have her spouse to reschedule everything around her instead of the President reschedule everything around him. 20th Century: Edith Roosevelt and Jacqueline Kennedy Following President McKinley’s assassination came about very sudden to Edith.So Edith had to fill in that position as First Lady. Not being a stranger to Washington and to the public, Edith was able to perform her job really well. Edith was very good at managing books and being able to keep up the home. But just like Martha Washington, she kept her life private from everybody including T. R’s extended family. According to the Theodore Roosevelt Association, â€Å"Under Edith's careful eye the White House collection of china and the portraits of First Ladies were begun.The task of restoring the house to its classic and simple federal style, inside and out, while accommodating a large family and executive branch of government for a growing nation came to the Roosevelt’s. First Lady Edith Roosevelt played the major role in overseeing the largest renovation of the White House into the stately and practical government center it is today (theodoreroosevelt. org). † Just like Martha Washington, Mary Lincoln, Edith Roosevelt, and Abigail Adams, the next First Lady named Jacqueline Kennedy tends to follow in some of their steps.Her first big role as First Lady was the historical restoration of the White House (JFK Presidential Library and Museum. ). The article stated that she created a White House Guide and authenticates the artwork. She also created the White House Historical society; posts White House curator, oversaw to creating a publication of a guidebook for the visitors, and finally established the White House Library and the Rose Garden (JFK Presidential Library and Museum. ).Later on, Jacq ueline Kennedy becomes a host for the television tour by CBS in 1962 (JFK Presidential Library and Museum. ). 21st Century: Laura Bush and Michelle Obama Unlike the other former First Lady, Laura Bush manages to go to the extremes with her duties as First Lady. According to National First Ladies Library, â€Å"Education has been the primary focus of Laura Bush's tenure as First Lady and the issue that has bound all the various efforts she has spearheaded.When she eventually was able to deliver testimony before the Senate Education Committee on January 23, 2002, Laura Bush called for higher teacher salaries and better training for Head Start and day care workers. In the nine month of her tenure introduced a National Book Festival in Washington, D. C. based on the model of the one she had created in Texas. Within two years, this festival had inspired the Russian First Lady Ludmilla Putin to host an October 1, 2003 book festival in her nation that Laura Bush attended in Moscow, along with several American authors (National First Ladies Library, 2010).She also went to Afghani to met the women and to hear how miserable their lives have been since the war, and she created a public-forum to help with the techniques to comfort children that were traumatized during and after 9/11(National First Ladies Library, 2010). Again, every First Lady’s ideas about how to perform her job is different just as Michelle Obama have stated. Michelle states that â€Å"This new administration doesn’t view service as separate from our national priorities, or in addition to our national priorities.We see it as the key to achieving our national priorities,† she continued. â€Å"We believe that the only way to build that new foundation for our economy is to establish a new role for service in this country (America. Gov). † The article continues to talks about how Michelle talks about how you can volunteer to make differences. Michelle’s second role as Fir st Lady was to reconstruct a playground and packed over 15,000 backpacks for the children of America’s service members to take with them to summer camp (America. Gov).White House. Gov states that as First Lady, Mrs. Obama looks forward to continuing her work on the issues close to her heart — supporting military families, helping working women balance career and family,   encouraging national service, promoting the arts and arts education, and fostering healthy eating and healthy living for children and families across the country (America. Gov) As I stated earlier, every First Lady’s role is undetermined because it changes due to their interest and the timeframe that they were in.Every First Lady has their ways on how they would like to do things. Some of them may not have a lot of experiences when it comes to politics and some may. Whether it is making sockets or reconstructing a playground, these women are using their talents in helping others. Like Michell e stated, â€Å"â€Å"There’s a feeling that you get when you help someone achieve their goals: the fulfillment of putting your faith into action and feeling that you’re a part of something that’s bigger than yourself and doing your part for the greater good.Bibliography America. Gov. (2009, June 29). Retrieved from America. Gov-Engaging the world: michelle Obama defines own Rosle as First Lady: http://www. america. gov/st/usg-english/2009/June/20090629092010degrebsginek0. 475445. html Berkin, C. (2005, February 01). Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for Americans' Independence. United States, United States: Alfred A. Knopf Incorporated. Institute, T. L. (2010). Mr. Linclon's White

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Calligraphy in Islam

Calligraphy is the form of art which denote signs and letters in an expressive form, it’s a form of visual art which was developed in western Europe by monks about 1500 years before. It is a painting which is helps to express emotions through designs and show the intellectual skills of an individual. it is Greek word defined by greek roots Kalli meaning beautiful and attractive and gharphia refers to writing. The aim of this proposal is to discuss the role of calligraphy in islam and different types of calligraphy. Calligraphy is the tongue of the hand, the delight of the conscience, the ambassador of the mind, the inheritor of the thought, the weapon of knowledge, the companion of absent friend, the converser with them over long distances, the depository of secrets, and register of events. † – Ibrahim Ibn Muhammad Ash-Shaybani Many religions have made the use of art to portrait their core doctrine. Islam has used the shapes and sizes of word and letter in calligr aphy which is a paramount form of art for Islamic visual expression and inspiration. It portrait the cultural values of Muslims. The Islamic calligraphy is a hallmark of most muslim societies it stands out with other calligraphic tradition with flexibility and its applicable to any decorative purpose, from the 8th century it became more standardized and bonding with Muslim identity far more firmly than any writing tradition. The tools used by calligrapher are unique which includes reeds and brush pens, scissors, a knife for cutting the pens, an ink pot, and a sharpening tool, The traditional way to hold the pen,† according to Safadi, â€Å"is with middle finger, forefinger, and thumb well spaced out along the (pen's) shaft. Only the lightest possible pressure is applied. † The most admirable reeds were native to the coastal lands of the Persian Gulf. Qalams the most valued objects are stipulated across the entire Muslim world. An accomplished and handy scribe would require different qalams in order to achieve different degrees of fineness. Inks used are of various colors but the ink most used is black and brown, since there acuteness and consistencies can be altered, Many of the calligraphers are provide training on how to prepare ink while other implies that their recipe is a secret. Although techniques differ from one place to another place, most inks were based on soot or lamp-black mixed with water and gum-Arabic. Other ingredients are indigo, minced gall-nuts, and henna. The final stage of preparation involved straining the ink through silk. Also, the ink might be perfumed if desired. There are different kinds of calligraphy restricted to Islam the most common among them is Kufic. It has amalgamation of square and angular lines on one end, and compact bold circular forms on the other. It reached perfection in the late 8 century and became to only script to write Quran for following 300 years. Taliq calligraphy which was developed in Iran in the 10th century created by Hassan Ibn Husayn but due to great improvement by abd-ul-malk its usually affiliated with him. It is written with thick nipped pen with cater corner cuts, it’s a combination of short thin vertical with broad horizontal whose natural length is exaggerated wherever possible and especially at the end of work. Thuluth is medieval Islamic style of handwritten alphabet. It’s written on principium that one third of each letter slopes. It is gigantic and fancy calligraphy script which is often used for titles rather than the long text. The letters are round and maybe written in line so close that the element of letters intersect with each other. Many of its discripence are found on architectural monuments as well as on glass, metalwork, textiles, and wood. Naskh which means â€Å"copying,† is like a run on a mill which was used in ordinary correspondence and the production of literary works. It has a regular appearance. This calligraphic script of Ibn Muqla was escorted to excellence by Ibn Al-Bawwaba, a house decorator who turned his hand to calligraphy. In 10th century it was used for writing the Quran and this art never ended in Persia However, it is Mirza Ahmad Nayrizi, in the early 18th century who is regarded as the last great master of naskh. There were many late development in the Calligraphy. The Safavid dynasty in 1502 produced an eye opening masterpieces of Islamic art. During the era of Shah Isma'il and his successor Shah Tahmasp (1524-1576), the Ta'liq script was invented and developed into a widely used native script which led to the invention of a lighter and more elegant version called Nasta'liq. The word Nasta'liq is a compound word derived from Naskh and Ta'liq The Mughals lived and reigned in India from 1526 to 1858. This dynasty was the greatest, richest, and longest lasting Muslim dynasty to rule India. They produced some finest art work in the history. Nasta'liq, Naskh, and Thuluth were adopted by the Muslim calligraphers during this era. The passionate development of calligraphy in India led to the creation of new versions of Naskh and Thuluth. These Mughal scripts are thicker and bolder, the letters are widely spaced, and the curves are more rounded. Calligraphy was extremely appreciated in this era especially when the Taj Mahal was built. One name remains closely associated with It with the superb calligraphic inscriptions displayed in the geometric friezes on the white marble — that is the name of the ingenious calligrapher Amanat Khan, whose real name was Abd ul-Haq. It can be proven that the fact, that the Arabic calligraphy has more strongly associated with Islam than the Arabic language itself. That is, even illiterate people who could not conceive either spoken or written Arabic knew immediately when they were in a Muslim environment when they saw the Arabic script clearly displayed in calligraphy. This rare function of the Islamic calligraphy continues to the present day. Referencing: Sana Naveed. (2006). islamic calligraphy art. Available: http://www.muhammadanart.com/ . Last accessed 17th feb 2011. Islami City. (2005). islamic calligraphy . Available: http://www.islamicity.com/culture/calligraphy/. Last accessed 17th feb 2011. Museum Of Fine Arts. (202009). Introduction: Traces of the Calligrapher. Available: http://sites.asiasociety.org/islamiccalligraphy/introduction-traces-of-the-calligrapher/. Last accessed 17th feb 2011. Mamoon Shakkal. (1993). The Language And The Script. Available: http://www.sakkal.com/ArtArabicCalligraphy.html. Last accessed 17th feb 2011. Wilson, Diana Hardy. (1990). The encyclopedia of calligraphy techniques: Headline. p34-56. Saramago (1995). Manual of painting & calligraph: Carcanet, in association with Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation,. p1-17.