Time Since Death Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Time Since Death - Essay Example Therefore, the estimation of the time since death is very essential, since it enables the investigators to narrow down their investigation to a given time frame, which makes it easier to investigate the circumstances that surround such deaths and the possible causes (Newberry, Lewis & Walters, 2004:936). Further, the accurate estimation of the time since death is also crucial for enabling the investigators to narrow down to a narrow range of suspects associated with the death, owing to the fact that, when the time since death is known, then it is easy to know the immediate individuals that were associated with the victim, as opposed to when the time since death is unknown (Payne-James, 2003:93). Therefore, this discussion seeks to analyze the various methods that may be used for the estimation of time since death, with a view to critically assessing the merits and demerits of each of these methods. First, the discussion will explain the different methods applicable in estimating the time since death. Secondly, the discussion will tackle the merits associated with each method. Thirdly, the discussion will present the demerits associated with each method. Finally, the discussion will be summed up by a conclusion, which will recap the important points of the discussion, state limitations associated with the discussion and raise the necessary questions, if any. There are various methods that can be applied to estimate the time of death of an individual, depending on the environment where the body is found, the evidence available and the nature of the cause of death (Szelecz, Fournier, Seppey, Amendt & Mitchell, 2014:671). The different methods that can be applied to estimate the time since death include: This is a method applied to estimate time since death, through the measurement of the core temperature of the body, relative to the temperature of the surrounding environment where the body is found, also referred to as the ambient temperature (Warther,

Cultural Dimensions Essay Example for Free

Cultural Dimensions Essay Culture is one of those terms that have no specific definition because of its diverse nature. It can be looked at from any point of view. However, a basic definition that includes all the important aspects of a culture is ‘the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations’ (Webster, 2008). Culture is very important if one wants to study a society. It can tell a lot about different aspects of the society and this is the reason why different countries deal with issues differently. This paper will outline and discuss the cultures of China, Saudi Arabia and United States of America and will show how, because of differences in cultures, issues like strategy, team communications, influence tactics, conflict management etc are dealt differently in these countries. Towards the end, recommendations to avoid cross cultural differences will be outlined. United States of America The population of United States of America is very diverse. It has people from many backgrounds. However in general, the American culture is said to be one of the most individualistic culture in the world. This means that people are less integrated in forms of groups. They do not depend on each other and are more concerned about themselves than about others. The country also has a higher than world average score for masculinity. This means that there is differentiation between genders to some extent in the American culture. On the other hand, the score in power distance dimension shows that there are not many differences in societal levels. This can be seen in organizational, family or governmental settings. People expect that power will be distributed equally to a greater extent even if someone is lower in the level of hierarchy. Besides this, the score on uncertainty avoidance is also lower than the world average. This means that people are tolerant to uncertainty and there are few rules and regulation present to control results (Hofstede, 2003). One important characteristic about the work culture in United States is that hard work and integrity is appreciated and also, punctuality is valued. Both mean and women are expected to dress according to the surroundings, situation and weather. The culture does not promote or support gift giving in business as it may be considered as bribe (International Business Center, 2003). As mentioned above, because of the cultures individualistic nature, privacy is valued. The lifestyle in general is causal and informal. Americans believe in voicing their opinions and although this direct speaking is sometimes considered as rude in other cultures, it is totally normal among Americans (American Graduate Education, 2007). From the above details, we can tell a lot about how issues like strategy, team communications, influence tactics and conflict management get affected. Since people believe in voicing their opinions, the strategy is usually bold. In addition to this, since any kind of strategy requires its actors to put in all the effort they can possible put in. Be it in an organization, government or even in one’s personal life. The team communication is very effective because of the low power distance characteristic and informal nature of the American culture. The belief that the power distributed to everyone is equal and the informal nature in groups inhibits any kind of barrier in effective teamwork. Gift giving or anything close to bribery is considered very insulting and inappropriate therefore this approach is not widely used in influence tactics. Conflict management is usually done openly without an arbitrator or a third party (American Graduate Education, 2007). As mentioned above, Americans believe in voicing their opinions so this plays a major role in conflict management strategies used nationwide. In order to remove the communication barriers, in my opinion, one would not have to change much about himself because of the presence of a diverse cultures in the population. However, it is suggested that English is used to communicate any kind of verbal information as this is understood and accepted by almost everyone (American Graduate Education, 2007). Regarding dressing, one is suggested to dress appropriately considering the time of the day, weather, occasion and gathering. China Now we come to the Chinese culture. The culture of the people of China is very different from the American culture just discussed above and it is said to be the exact opposite of the America culture. In fact, the Chinese culture is very different, unique and peculiar if one compares it with the rest of the cultures in the world. It is difficult to understand for those who are not a part of it however one does not need to completely understand it before blending in (Think Quest, 1998). We will now look into this in detail. We can prove the above hypothesis correct by comparing the individualism dimension of the American and Chinese cultures. Unlike the America culture, the people of china are very collectivistic. They are integrated tightly, they look after each other and they are highly dependable on the people around them. This can be seen in their family structures and organization values etc. Both the Chinese and American cultures are similar when it comes to the Masculinity dimension. They both score approximately 68 on a scale of 1 to 100. This again is higher than the world average which means that there are slightly more differences between genders in the Chinese culture compared to the rest of the world. The uncertainty avoidance is slightly higher than United States which means people are more tolerable to not have complete information as compare to the American culture. The fourth dimension of Power Distance is also quite higher than the United States meaning that people expect more differences in organizational hierarchies. The American score on Power distance was 45 while the Chinese score is 85 therefore one can imagine the amount of differences in the structures of organizations, governmental institutions and families etc. One major difference is in the long term orientation dimension of the two cultures. While the American culture was more on the lower side of this dimension, the Chinese culture is known to have the highest ranking factor when it comes to long term orientation. These means that people tend to overcome obstacles with time and not with will and strength (Hofstede, 2003). Some other important details of the Chinese culture include being used to the communist form of government. The Chinese culture is very hospitable and accepts people from all backgrounds. Since there is no one particular religion that is followed in the country, anyone can adjust easily (International Business Center, 2003). All these cultural characteristics largely influence many issues in business. For instance any strategy usually requires everyone to stick together and work collectively because of the collectivistic nature of the culture and also teamwork is very effective as people realize that they are dependent on each other. However, because of high power distance, both strategy and team communication is affected. Communication within team becomes more broken as it has to be passed through several levels of hierarchy. The cultural values are imbedded in the he influence tactics. For example these tactics project the idea of togetherness as it is evident from their advertisements that promote family ties and bonds etc (Lin, 2001). The approach to conflict management is including a third party to settle issues. In order to remove the communication barriers, a few things need to be kept in mind. Firstly, it is suggested to not use too much of hand movements as this distracts the audience. Besides this, there are other non verbal gestures that must be avoided. For instance pointing finger may be considered rude therefore such things must be kept in mind in order to ensure effective communication. English is understood widely in the corporate world therefore this is preferred after Chinese of course (International Business Center, 2003). Saudi Arabia Now we will start discussion on the culture of the last country of the paper. This country has also been selected to be studied because of its different and unique culture. The Chinese and Arabian Cultures are similar in the power distance dimension of their cultures. Unlike the American Cultures, the high power distance ranking indicates the inequality of wealth throughout the Arab world. Because of this, the rich of course have more power than the poor. The uncertainty avoidance dimension of the Arabian culture is also very different from the Chinese and the American cultures. While the Chinese and Americans ranked lower than world average on the uncertainty avoidance ranking, the Arabian culture has a higher score in this dimension. Meaning that people do not tolerate uncertainty at all and this can be the reason why there are so many rules, policies and regulations are implemented in the country. Surprising as it may sound, the Arabian culture scored low on the masculinity dimension considering all the restrictions on the Arabian women etc. The score was 52 which is only slightly higher than the world average. The reason for low masculinity ranking could be that all the restrictions on the women of the country are because of the religion and not the culture. The Arabian culture, like the Chinese culture, is more collectivistic. It had an average ranking of 38 which is way lower than that of the American culture and also the world average for that matter. This means people prefer to stick together and remain integrated (Hofstede, 2003). The Arabic culture is largely shaped by its history and religion (Saudi Embassy, 2006). Therefore history, religion and language are valued the most in the Arabian culture. These cultural characteristics affect many practical issues. The strategy devised by Arabs in any situation usually calls for people to remain cohesive. Also because of high uncertainty avoidance, there are many rules, regulations and policies that must be followed. Because of high power distance, like the Chinese culture, effective team communication is affected. But on the other hand, this is compensated for because of collective nature of the culture. The influence tactics are devised keeping the religion in mind. Anything such as bribery or use of women models in advertisements are avoided because this is against Islam. Conflicts are also managed according to the rules of Shari’ah which is the Islamic or Sacred Law (Hooker, 1996). Also, because of the collectivistic nature of the culture a third party is often included in managing conflicts. There are many cultural traits that must be kept in mind in order to improve communication. Firstly, one must keep in mind that during communication, anything he says or does not offend or insult Islam. The people are very sensitive when it comes to the religion therefore one must dress, talk and behave appropriately. There are certain non verbal gestures that are considered offensive such as the thumbs up sign and crossing of legs etc. Therefore one should avoid these. Arabic is preferred by the people there therefore it is preferred is one communicates or at least uses some words from Arabic. One must not ask too many questions are the inquisitive one is considered as the most unimportant and lastly, if an Arab offers a gift, not accepting it may be considered offensive (International Business Center, 2003). References American Graduate Education (2007) U. S. American Culture Values. Retrieved Oct 1, 2008, from American Graduate Education. Web site: http://www. americangraduateeducation. com/folder2/subfolder2/americanculture. htm Hofstede, G. (2003). China- Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimensions. Retrieved Oct 1, 2008, from Geert Hofstede. Web site: http://www. geert-hofstede. com/hofstede_china. shtml Hofstede, G. (2003). United States of America- Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimensions. Retrieved Oct 1, 2008, from Geert Hofstede. Web site: http://www. geert-hofstede. com/hofstede_united_states. shtml Hofstede, G. (2003). Arab World- Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimensions. Retrieved Oct 1, 2008, from Geert Hofstede. Web site: http://www. geert-hofstede. com/hofstede_arab_world. shtml Hooker, R. (1996) Shariah- Sacred law. Retrieved Oct 1, 2008, from Washington State University. Web site: http://www. wsu. edu/~dee/GLOSSARY/SHARIA. HTM International Business Center. (2003). China. Retrieved Oct 1, 2008, from Cybor Link. Web site: http://www. cyborlink. com/besite/china. htm International Business Center. (2003). United States of America. Retrieved Oct 1, 2008, from Cybor Link. Web site: http://www. cyborlink. com/besite/us. htm International Business Center. (2003). Saudi Arabia. Retrieved Oct 1, 2008, from Cybor Link. Web site: http://www. cyborlink. com/besite/saudi-arabia. htm Lin, C, A. (2001) Cultural values reflected in Chinese and American television advertising. Retrieved Oct 1, 2008, from All Business. Web site: http://www. allbusiness. com/professional-scientific/advertising-related-services/836806-1. html Merriam Webster (2008) Culture. Retrieved 1 Oct, 2008, from Merriam Webster. Web site: http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/culture%5B1%5D Saudi Embassy. (2006) Culture. Retrieved Oct 1, 2008, from Saudi Embassy. Web site: http://www. saudiembassy. net/Country/Culture/Cul. asp Think Quest (1998) Destiny, the Culture of China. Retrieved Oct 1, 2008, from Think Quest. Web site: http://library. thinkquest. org/20443/living. html

Athiesms Problem :: essays research papers

To any of you who doubt the presence and magnificence of our Lord, Jesus Christ; first, I must say that I understand exactly where you are coming from. I, too, at one point was a non-believer. Moreover, I was violently anti-Christian to the point of persecuting these children of God. The following is a letter of my conversion to Christianity. It reads through from my early years and the person that I was at that time through to my troubled childhood and teen years all the way to where I am right now. I will focus on and demonstrate the many ways in which I know that Jesus Christ is Lord and God. Hopefully, you will listen with an open heart and realize the wonderful truth that took me so long to see. At the end are a few easy Bible verses to read for further study. My childhood was much like any other. I was born on January 13, 1980 to loving parents and a solid home. Everything was as good as things could be. I very vibrantly remember when I was two years old writing my name on a piece of paper and running around to show my mother what I had done. It was very important to me even at that young ago to feel respected and loved. I remember playing with my sister and chasing her around the house. We loved each other and our situation. When I was very young, my mother and father divorced and my father left us completely. That was the deal; if he left, it was going to be a clean break. I still remember seeing him for the last time when I was four years old. In the coming years, I would end up seeing him again, but not before much damage had been inflicted in our home. My mother remarried a friend of my fathers' and things again went quite smoothly indeed. I had a fairly strong bond with my stepfather. We did many exciting and interesting things toge ther. I very much enjoyed our time and could not get enough of it. When I was seven, I gave the word that I desired to quit Cub Scouts. This was one of the stronger bonding opportunities between the two of us. I did mention that I had good reasons for my request, but I knew at that very moment that things would never be the same.

Language Development multi-disciplinary

Language development is a multi-disciplinary field containing inputs from psychology, academics, behavioral science, neurology and speech development. It’s marked by the culmination of a series of processes, which begin early in human life where an infant goes through imbibing primary language skills from the environment surrounding him, starts remembering words and phrases without the need for understanding their meaning, slowly build connections and visual imagery to understand patterns in language, and finally, as the child grows older, new meanings and new associations are created and his vocabulary increases as more words are learned.Language development as a term, should not be confused with â€Å"language acquisition† of which it is only a subset. The latter also deals with second language learning ability. Linguists and researchers like Noam Chomsky, Elizabeth Bates and Catherine Snow have developed hypotheses, that recognize and measure the specific learning re sults from general cognitive abilities and the interactions between learners, and their surrounding language environments.Language development contains several discussion points. In this paper, we shall look into the following points, based on past research done in relevant area. The main objective of our research is to infer the importance of each and every building block, in facilitating the language learning ability of children. Understanding these concepts have special significance to the case studies of dyslexics (slow learners), auditory and visually challenged kids, children with a stammering problem and kids of immigrant parents for whom English is not a spoken language at home. The articles selected for this purpose have one theme in common: they offer tips and suggestions, and also the roadmap for applications within a children learning environment.Transduction: Having worked in the field of cognitive development among children, Jean Piaget, a famous Swiss development psyc hologist, has described â€Å"transduction† as the first logic of reference in the primary form of reasoning used by children during the preoperational stages of development (2-7 years). The logic here is: if A causes B today, then A always causes B.The basic definition of transduction is â€Å"reasoning† without the reversible nestings of a hierarchy of classes and relations (Mathcs.edu, p.12). Accordingly, the first verbal reasoning is identified as practical and somewhat, based on perception or imagination. It is one step advancement of something known as â€Å"preconcepts†, identified by early language specialists wherein a child merely learns to associate certain â€Å"semi-concepts† which fit into the notion of what the child observes from surroundings (p.10). An example might be, â€Å"Is worm an animal?† It basically means that at the preconceptual level, the child identifies words with â€Å"shapes† and â€Å"patterns† (p.11) , rather than actual denominators of valid reasoning.In contrast, Piaget identified transduction as an advanced stage of cognitive learning, because the child’s thinking pattern carries less of an egocentric point-of-view, and it is more oriented toward finding the meaning to a desired end (p.12). However, even at this stage, the child doesn’t think of representation based on logic at most times, and can distort reality to suit his own â€Å"perception† about the world (p.12). Transduction, has been identified as the â€Å"discovery of lying†, and also the â€Å"dawn of reasoning† (p.12). The essential prerequisites of a study on transduction in language development for children, would consist of   in the preconceptual stage: 1)a symbolic thought, 2)representations derived from motivation, individual perception, daydreaming, and logical reasoning. In the transduction stage, it matures into a vivid construction of the image, and this constitutes t he child’s first grasp with reasoning, and intellect (p.12).Concept   formation:   There is a close relationship between language and concept forming ability   (Xu, p.2). Fei Xu, at the University of British Columbia contends in her research on cross-linguistic behavior patterns, that concept forming abilities reflect certain correlations between aspects of language, and the guiding blocks of reasoning that present a state-of-the-fact reality for the child, slowly whetting his appetite for gaining knowledge on words, based on situations (p.3).The first feature of this concept forming ability starting with infants began, in â€Å"count nouns† and categorization. Quoting from relevant research, Xu points out that children first learn to differentiate between countable and uncountable nouns, as the object is displayed before them. A familiarization tone might be: â€Å"a rabbit†, â€Å"a pig†, and also â€Å"wheat†, â€Å"sugar† (p.5). Th ere is a natural propensity to learn â€Å"novel nouns† (p.6), which are basically words, that are amusing and pleasant to hear. Studies have shown kids can be unusually brilliant in their intuitive ability to grasp new words, to attach their meaning with words they already know. E.g. â€Å"engineer†, â€Å"medicine† and â€Å"President† (p.7).Once the foundation for nouns are clear, Xu offers examples in which children learned differences between adjectives and nouns, which come â€Å"immediately† after learning nouns. E.g. â€Å"good† boy, â€Å"red† apple (p.7). For infants, conceptual ability at an early stage is not a complete process by itself, as they lack understanding of other signposts of intelligence (p.11). In an experiment suggested in the article, small children faced trouble in counting objects of similar shape. To them, articles of different shapes and sizes offers more intrigue and curiosity into counting. Also, many couldn’t tell if a toy train moving in a circular path was indeed â€Å"one† train (p.12). However, the start of concept-forming ability is the dawn of wisdom for infants.Imagery: Imagery refers to any word that creates a â€Å"picture† in the head of children. For older kids (3-4 years and above), imagery using similes, metaphors, personifications (mainly) and other audio-visual tools are a crucial ingredient in learning language (Savich, 1984). Not only do these methods facilitate an increase in handy vocabulary, but they also develop spatial learning abilities in children. Imagery is recommended for older children, because by then their brain cells in the cerebral hemisphere, are divided enough to allow such functions (Savich, 1984).Some of the methods used are: â€Å"the Big, Black barn†, â€Å"Snow White with pink feathers and velvet hands†. For children, the intuitive ability to render strong associations with these image vocabulary, is so po werful that many of them are able to visualize elements that many adults might ignore; e.g. the differences in colors in mosaic tiles; any object (and that includes human beings) readily start getting associated with the child’s cultivated imagination. Also, unlike the early concept-forming stage, this time children have lesser tendency to   face problems in identifying different words and expressions for similar shapes.Patricia Savich, at the University of Los Angeles, in her research on language-disabled children, has contended that they are facing problems in retaining a strong anticipatory imagery ability (Savich, 1984), compared to other children. In an experiment described, she assigned five spatial tasks to two groups of children based on age, sex, native language and background. In all assignments specified, language-disabled children lagged behind their counterparts in identifying words, from the assortment of visual imagery at their disposition (Savich, 1984).Memo ry: Memory has several study areas in the field of language development: recall memory, visual recognition memory (VRM), social communication, and the emergence of language skills. According to Heimann et al (2006), recall memory involves the technique called â€Å"deferred imitation† or DI as the most scientific method of enabling words, to stick in the memory of children. A lot of research in this field, has successfully established the cosmopolitan reach of the method to enable children to learn new words, sentence structures and also intonations of language. DI basically involves showing a picture to the child, make him repeat the word after the instructor, pursue a delay for 10 to 24 minutes, and come back with the picture again, to retain the word in the child’s sphere of imagination, â€Å"permanently†. There is plenty of flexibility, in how and why DI must be conditioned, for specific child-learning initiatives.VRM is applied to children, 3 years and abo ve, and deals with providing close attention for familiar pools of information. VRM is a close indicator of receptive language skills, and along with imagery, helps the child associate connections between different visual stimulus to form an idea of the world where he’s living in. Social communications consist of two aspects: 1)Joint Attention (JA) where the child learns words by studying the gaze patterns of other children in the creche or play group, and 2)Turn-taking skills (TT), which is the beginning of the first steady â€Å"conversation† between the child and the instructor/parent. The parent familiarizes the child with a situation, and it is his responsibility to come back with an answer. Heimann et al (2006), have contended that the onset of a steady conversation, even though in incorrect grammar, is the fist milestone for children’s language development program.Environmental influence: Finally, apart from the four techniques discussed in our framework, the most pivotal influence kids could derive for learning language programs, lies in the influence laid out by the environment in which they live. According to a cognitive behavior study, by Janellen Huttenlocher, a William S Gray Professor in psychology at the University of Chicago, the language environment in which children live, influences considerably their command over individual differences in syntax acquisition (Harms, 2002). There are dramatic differences between 3- and 4- year olds speech and comprehension, depending upon the â€Å"way† teachers and parents spoke to them.The study was based on 305 children across 40 classrooms in 17 preschool areas comprising people of all income-levels. Sentences used for testing were very descriptive, livid and tested all aspects of grammar retention ability: â€Å"the boy is looking for the girl behind a chair, but she is sitting under the table†, and â€Å"the baby is holding the big block and a small ball†. Natura lly, in classrooms that were extremely exposed to complicated sentences, children were more easily capable of using the correct â€Å"syntax† in language tests, compared to under-privileged downtown Chicago neighborhood schools, that are often under-staffed and children come from much less-privileged backgrounds. Even for lower-income background children, those who came to classrooms with qualified language instructors, the curiosity to learn the proper syntax of conversations, was much higher (Harms, 2002).According to Huttenlocher, the foundations of speech due to environment in childhood sticks for life. Children who grow up listening to â€Å"full† sentence syntaxes, are much more likely to use them comfortably when they grow up, compared to many American adults who really enjoy â€Å"skipping† words and have limited vocabulary for use, even though they might know the meaning of several words (Harms, 2002).SourcesHarms, W. (Nov 21, 2002). Researchers discove r environment influences children’s ability toform, comprehend complex sentences. The University of Chicago Chronicle. Vol.22,No.5Heimann, M., Strid, K., Smith, L., Tjus, T., Ulvund, S.E., Meltzoff, A.N. (Aug 1, 2006).Exploring the relation between memory, gestural communication and the emergence oflanguage in Infancy: a longitudinal study. Public Medical Central. 15(3): 233-249.Mathcs.edu. (Date unknown). Cognitive precursors to language. Accessed :www.mathcs.duq.edu/~packer/Courses/Psy598/Precursors,%20Cognitive.pdf [Dec 16, 2006]Savich, P.A. (December 1984). Anticipatory imagery ability in Normal and Language-disabledchildren. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research. Vol. 27: 494-501.Xu, F. (in press). Concept formation and language development: count nouns and object kinds.University of British Columbia, Oxford handbook of psycholinguists. Oxford UniversityPress (OUP). 2-12.

Heat of neutralization Essay

Discussions: 1.Why theoretical value different from value obtained? It may heat loss to the surroundings. It may have parallax error during taking the reading. 2.Why is usually the cup used in this experiment made of polystyrene? To prevent heat loss to the surroundings because it is a heat insulator. 3.Why the heat of neutralization has a negative sign? The reaction gives out heat that results in the increase of temperature of the products formed. I. Discussion  During this experiment, the pressure in the lab will be constant or essentially constant. When pressure is constant, changes in energy (q) can be related to change in the enthalpy of reaction (ΔHrxn). 1  Energy changes accompany chemical reactions as original bonds are broken and new bonds are formed. Usually the energy change takes the form of heat. If heat is released from the reaction, the change in energy or enthalpy (∆H) is negative and the reaction is exothermic. Conversely, if heat is absorbed by the reaction, the enthalpy is positive and the reaction is endothermic. In this experiment you will measure the enthalpy (∆H) of an acid/base neutralization. A neutralization reaction occurs when acid and base combine to form water as shown in the example below. Overall Reaction: HCl (aq) + NaOH(aq) → NaCl(aq) + H2O(l) TIE: H + (aq) + Cl − (aq) + Na + (aq) + OH − (aq) → Na + (aq) + Cl − (aq) + H2O(l) or NIE: H + (aq) + OH − (aq) → H2O(l) Notice in the neutralization reaction above the Na + and Cl − ions, the spectator ions, remain unchanged. The only chemical reaction occurring is between the H + and OH − ions. Neutralization reactions have heat as a product since energy is released when H + and OH − form a H2O molecule. The heat flow, q, of a process like a chemical reaction can be studied by analyzing its heat exchange with its surroundings. The heat released by a system (a chemical reaction) is absorbed by its surroundings (often this is the solution). qrxn = qsystem = − qsurroundings The equation above says that the heat lost by the system is equal to, but of opposite sign from the heat gained by the surroundings. Thus if the heat change in the surroundings is measured then heat released by the chemical reaction can be calculated. Frequently, such a heat change measurement is done in an insulated container called a calorimeter. In a perfect calorimeter, all of the heat released by the chemical reaction would stay inside the calorimeter. Although our experimental setup utilizes a less  than perfect calorimeter, a â€Å"coffee-cup† calorimeter, the data collected is close to that for a perfect calorimeter. The heat flow into the reaction surroundings (solution), qsurroundings, from the neutralization reaction can be calculated using the following equation where m is the mass of the calorimeter contents, ∆T is the change in temperature, and Cs is the specific heat of the contents. We will assume that the solution in the calorimeter has the same physical properties as water, specifically that Cs = 4.184 J/g†¢Ã‚ °C. qsurroundings = m ∆T Cs In contrast when volume is constant, changes in energy (q) can be related to changes in the internal energy, ΔErxn.2 In this experiment the neutralization of sodium hydroxide (a strong base) with hydrochloric acid (a strong acid) and acetic acid (a weak acid) will be investigated. The base is present in slight excess and, therefore, the acid is the limiting reagent and determines the number of moles of acid and base reacting. Therefore, the heat flow from the reaction is: qrxn = ∆Hrxn (mol acid II. Objectives 1. To determine the enthalpy of neutralization of a strong base with a strong acid. 2. To determine the enthalpy of neutralization of a strong base with a weak acid. 3. To use Hess’ Law to determine the enthalpy of dissociation of the weak acid. III. Procedure – This lab is done is pairs. A. Preparation of Solutions 1. Each lab bench will need make the 0.5000 M acid solutions needed for this lab by diluting 1.000 M stock solutions of HCl and acetic acid. Read the label on the container to obtain the exact molarity of the acid solutions. It will be very close to 1.000M. Lab groups at each bench will share these solutions. 2. Each pair of students will need at least 120 mL of each acid. Accounting for errors and/or extra trials, a total volume of 500 mL of the 0.5000 M acids will be enough for 3 pairs of students. 3. The equipment available for the dilution includes 250.00 and 500.00 mL volumetric flasks. Your instructor will demonstrate how to perform the dilution. (Although volumetric glassware is not commonly used to make quantitative dilutions, the process is appropriate for the solutions used in this lab.) Recall the formula for dilution calculations: M1V1 = M2V2 For this dilution: M1 = 250.00 mL V1 = Molarity of the stock acid solution(known) M2, = Molarity of the dilute acid solution(solve for this – should be close to 0.5000 M) V2 = 500.00 mL 4. Include your dilution calculations in your lab book.

People Attitude about Green Computing

People Attitude about Green Computing According to OECD (2006), the demand for information technology keeps rising every day. Information technology is termed as the driver of business activities in economies. Business information technology tools are needed to enhance business operations in different organizations.Advertising We will write a custom thesis sample on People Attitude about Green Computing specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The rise in demand for information technology products causes firms to invest hence producing information technology tools to help in meeting the demand in the market. Technology keeps changing at a fast pace. What is considered to be an efficient technology today maybe be seen as an archaic technology within a short span of time. This necessitates a continuous process of inventing information technology products. Several generations of information technology products have been developed since the beginning of the 20th century (Information Resources Management Association Khosrowpour, 2001). The 21st century has seen another revolution in the information technology infrastructure. New information technology products keep entering the market (Cerasale Stone, 2004). Yoshida (2010) observed that different types of materials are used in the manufacture of information technology devices. Materials used for manufacturing these products and the manner in which they are used have an enormous impact on the environment (Kuehr Williams, 2003). Information and communication tools are listed among the notable green gas emitters. This is because of the high number of such products which exist in the global market (Smith, 2009). The impacts of information technology products on the environment have been categorized into three groups. These include the first order impacts, second order and third order effects. The first category is composed of the direct effects of the information technology products on the environment. The effect s range from the stage of manufacturing down to the stage of consumption. The second order effects are indirect. They develop from the first order effects. Third effects come as a result of the continued demand for information technology in the global economy (Houghton, 2003). The use of green computers is a trending subject. There is widespread advocacy for the enhancement of the use of green technology. Green computers are effective in maintaining a green environment through the use of environmental friendly materials. Australia falls among the industrialized countries of the world. Therefore, the demand for information and communication technology is accelerating (Houghton, 2003).Advertising Looking for thesis on computer science? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Many people keep using computers and related devices without considering their effects to the environment. A survey of Australian universities shows that a high number of students use computers. However, most of them are not familiar with the risks that are posed during the use and disposal of the computers. This is also reflected in other places like offices and institutions where computers are used (Australian Government, 2007; Landwehr, 2005). Houghton, Steele Henty (2003) observed that computers are listed among products that emit green gases to the environment. Computers also account for a high percentage of energy consumption in the world. Approximately, 90% of Australians use computers in offices and at home (John, 2006). Sustainable use of computers is considered as one of the preferred mechanisms of minimizing the effects of information technology on the environment (Friedewald Raabe, 2011). Effective disposal of computers and computer parts that utilize environmentally hazardous substances is given as an option for sustainable use of computers. Several policy guidelines on safe disposal and recycling of computers are bein g developed. Computing devices, which use less energy, have been introduced in the market (Deng Williams 2008). Studies about computer use in the United States show that computers are part and parcel of human life. They aid in the accomplishment of a wide range of tasks. Computers are seen as part of human life. This means that people cannot work well without the support of computers. Computers are found in all forms of organizations, in the United States. Computers are widely found among all population groups. The United States has been in the limelight for a long time for failing to lead the way in the conservation of the environment. The country leads in terms of the wide use of computers and other information technology devices.Advertising We will write a custom thesis sample on People Attitude about Green Computing specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, pressure has piled, forcing the country to adopt environmental protectio n certifications. The concern for the environment in the United States has shown commendable growth. Most Americans understand the human and environmental dangers that come with the use of computers. They understand the market and the need to purchase computers that adhere to the codes of sustainable environment (Seitz, 2011). Hong Kong is among the countries that are undergoing economic transformation. The demand for information technology in the country is growing. Green computing in Hong Kong is a dominant subject among the consumers of information technology. Companies are busy setting up information and communication technology. This has increased the demand for computers in Hong Kong. Information technology experts embrace the concept of green computing. This is based on the concerns that are raised by the people of Hong Kong. Green computing technology is attained through three approaches. These include social responsibility, environmental protection, and economic progress (C how Chen, 2009). References Australian Government. (2007). Managing the environmental impact of information and communications technology (ICT). Sydney: Australian Government Press. Cerasale, M. V., Stone, M. (2004). Business solutions on demand: Transform the business to deliver real customer value. London: Kogan Page. Chow, W. S., Chen, Y. (2009). Intended Belief and Actual Behavior in green computing in Hong Kong. Journal of Computer Information Systems, 50(2), 136-141. Deng, L., Williams, E. (2008). Measures and trends in energy use of semiconductor manufacturing. Web.Advertising Looking for thesis on computer science? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Friedewald, M. Raabe, O. (2011). Ubiquitous computing: An overview of technology impacts. Telematics and Informatics, 28(2), 55-65. Houghton, J. W. (2003). Australian ICT Industries Update 2003, Australian Computer Society and Victoria University, April 2003. Web. Houghton, J. W., Steele, C., Henty, M. (2003). Changing Research Practices in the Digital Information and Communication Environment. Department of Education, Science and Training: Canberra. Information Resources Management Association., Khosrowpour, M. (2001). Managing information technology in a global environment. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Publishing. John, W. H. (2006). Innovation in ICT: A changing landscape. Telecommunications Journal of Australia, 56(2), 1-6. Kuehr, R., Williams, E. (2003). Computers and the environment: understanding and managing their impacts. Kluwer: Dordrecht. Landwehr, C. E. (2005). Green Computing. Security Privacy Magazine, 3(6), 3-3. OECD. (2006). Information and Communications Technology Outlook 2006. OECD: Paris. Seitz, V. (2011). Attitudes Toward Green Computing In The US: Can They Change? Web. Smith, T. (2009). Challenging the chip: from cleanup to sustainability. 9th Asia-Pacific NGO Environmental Conference (APNEC 9), 20–21 November. Kyoto: Japan. Yoshida, F. (2010). Information and communication technology and environmental issues. Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, 12 (3), 133-138.

The Melting Pot essays

The Melting Pot essays In the 1800s and the early 1900s, some people gave the America the name, the melting pot. People imagined this because thousands and thousands of immigrants coming from around the world were coming into the United States in hope of a better life. So most people imagined that all these different cultures were being poured into a giant pot called America, heated to a low boil and molded into one kind of person. If one steps back and thinks about this theory, it isnt entirely true. In fact, its not really true at all. If one takes a closer look at America today, one sees millions of people labeled Americans but not by how they act, what religions they practice and what kind of foods they eat but where they are born. total opposites. Now all Americans must be able to speak English, or at least bad English, and they must also follow the laws set fourth by out four fathers, but no two Americans are alike. Take San Francisco for example. Twenty years ago, it was the center for the hippie movement, but just down the street from Haight and Ashbury there is a place called China Town. A place placed filled with Chinese Americans, shops and temples that could be easily mistaken for buildings only found in China . In Ohio, one could meet a Caucasian farmer, a African American businessman, an Amish family or even a reporter who has a strong German background all in the same day. So many different people living together in one piece of land. Now, after taking a closer look, no one really melted together to make just one kind of person. But what did they do? One could say that the English man could be symbolized as lettuce, Africans as black olives, Germans as radishes, Italians as tomatoes and so on and so forth making a giant salad. All different kinds of fruits and vegetables tossed together in a bowl to create one dish. Everything in close quarters of each other, but still separate and individual. This is how Ame ...

American Settler Colonialism - Definition

American Settler Colonialism - Definition The term colonialism is possibly one of the most confusing, if not contested, concepts in American history and international relations theory. Most Americans would likely be hard-pressed to define it beyond the colonial period of US history when early European immigrants established their colonies in the New World. The assumption is that since the founding of the United States everybody who is born within the national boundaries is considered American citizens with equal rights, whether or not they consent to such citizenship. In this regard, the United States is normalized as the dominant power to which all its citizens, indigenous and non-indigenous alike, are subject. Although in theory a democracy of the people, by the people, and for the people, the nations actual history of imperialism betrays its democratic principles. This is the history of American colonialism. Two Kinds of Colonialism Colonialism as a concept has its roots in European expansionism and the founding of the so-called New World. The British, French, Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, and other European powers established colonies in new places they discovered from which to facilitate trade and extract resources, in what can be thought of as the earliest stages of what we now call globalization. The mother country (known as the metropole) would come to dominate indigenous populations through their colonial governments, even when the indigenous population remained in the majority for the duration of colonial control. The most obvious examples are in Africa, such as the Dutch control over South Africa and French control over Algeria, and in Asia and the Pacific Rim, such as British control over India and Fiji and French domination over Tahiti. Beginning in the 1940s the world saw a wave of decolonization in many of Europes colonies as indigenous populations fought wars of resistance against colonial domination. Mahatma Gandhi would come to be recognized as one of the worlds greatest heroes for leading Indias fight against the British. Likewise, Nelson Mandela is today celebrated as a freedom fighter for South Africa where he was once considered a terrorist. In these instances European governments were forced to pack up and go home, relinquishing control to the indigenous population. But there were some places where colonial invasion decimated indigenous populations through foreign disease and military domination to the point where if the indigenous population survived at all, it became the minority while the settler population became the majority. The best examples of this are in North and South America, the Caribbean islands, New Zealand, Australia and even Israel. In these cases scholars have recently applied the term settler colonialism. Settler Colonialism Defined Settler colonialism has best been defined as more of an imposed structure than an historical event. This structure is characterized by relationships of domination and subjugation that become woven throughout the fabric of society, and even becomes disguised as paternalistic benevolence. The objective of settler colonialism is always the acquisition of indigenous territories and resources, which means the native must be eliminated. This can be accomplished in overt ways including biological warfare and military domination but also in more subtle ways; for example, through national policies of assimilation. As scholar Patrick Wolfe has argued, the logic of settler colonialism is that it destroys in order to replace. Assimilation involves the systematic stripping away of indigenous culture and replacing it with that of the dominant culture. One of the ways it does this in the United States is through racialization. Racialization is the process of measuring indigenous ethnicity in terms of blood degree; when indigenous people intermarry with non-indigenous people they are said to lower their indigenous (Indian or Native Hawaiian) blood quantum. According to this logic, when enough intermarriage has occurred there will be no more natives within a given lineage. It does not take into account personal identity based on cultural affiliation or other markers of cultural competence or involvement. Other ways United States carried out its assimilation policy included the allotment of Indian lands, forced enrollment in Indian boarding schools, termination and relocation programs, the bestowal of American citizenship, and Christianization. Narratives of Benevolence It can be said that a narrative based on the benevolence of the nation guides policy decisions once domination has been established in the settler colonial state. This is evident in many of the legal doctrines at the foundation of federal Indian law in the US. Primary among those doctrines is the doctrine of Christian discovery. The doctrine of discovery (a good example of benevolent paternalism) was first articulated by Supreme Court Justice John Marshall in Johnson v. McIntosh (1823), in which he opined that Indians had no right to title on their own lands in part because the new European immigrants bestow[ed] on them civilization and Christianity. Likewise, the trust doctrine presumes that the United States, as the trustee over Indian lands and resources, will always act with the best interests of Indians in mind. Two centuries of massive Indian land expropriations by the US and other abuses, however, betrays this idea. References Getches, David H., Charles F. Wilkinson and Robert A. Williams, Jr. Cases and Materials on Federal Indian Law, Fifth Edition. St. Paul: Thompson West Publishers, 2005.Wilkins, David and K. Tsianina Lomawaima. Uneven Ground: American Indian Sovereignty and Federal Indian Law. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2001.Wolfe, Patrick. Settler Colonialism and the Elimination of the Native. Journal of Genocide Research, December 2006, pp. 387-409.

Apple Inc. case study Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Apple Inc. case study - Research Paper Example In this thesis, one was supposed to select a company, government agency or any other service outlet and one of its products to study from an economic point of view. Apple Inc was selected for analysis in this research paper because of its recent growth and variety of quality products that have a high demand worldwide. Apple Inc produces and distributes over 35 products and services. For this research, Ipads were selected for analysis among the variety of products manufactured by Apple Inc. Apple Inc has produced a variety of Ipad models. All the models and their features will be analyzed in this research study. Information and financial data concerning Apple Inc will be obtained from articles from sources such as Business Week, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Marketing Communications, Media-Scope, Advertising Age, web sources, and books. Primary data and information will also be collected from local Apple stores concerning their products sales, demand, supply from their factories, and i nformation about their consumers’ purchasing power. Apple Inc is an American multinational company that has its headquarters in Cupertino, California. This Multinational Corporation changed its name from Apple Computer Inc in January 9, 2007 in order to capture a wider market by producing a variety of products and services.... The corporation was established on April 1, 1976, and was latter incorporated on January 3, the next year. The introduction of the iPhone marked the start of a new era in Apple Inc since it widened its scope of products and services. Some of Apple’s best-known hardware products include the Mac line of computers, iPhone brand of phones, ipod brand of portable music players, and ipad brand of tablets and E-readers. Other hardware products designed by Apple Inc include Apple Keyboards, Displays, Magic Mousses, Time Capsules, Magic Trackpads, Apple Battery Chargers, AirPort Extreme, and Apple TVs. Apple Inc also offers software and other computer related service solutions. Some of its well-known software includes the OS X operating systems for Apple computers, iOS operating system for its phones and tablets, iTunes media browser, the Safari web browser, the iLife and iWork creativity and production suites, among others. Apple has also developed the iCloud sharing service where its products users can wirelessly store their content and share with other devices automatically. This thesis focuses on ipad brand of tablets and E-readers. The iPad is a brand of computer tablets designed to run an advanced version of the iOS operating system. The release of the first iPad took place on third, April the year 2010. These were the first generation iPads. However, there was discontinuing of production of the first generation iPad on March 2, 2011 when the second generation came into being. The second-generation iPad was an improvement of the first, with higher memory, processing ability and addition of new features. The iPad 2 are still available in the

Explain how the value of property is affected by changes in the Essay

Explain how the value of property is affected by changes in the property market - Essay Example Even economic harmonisation in the form of the inception of the European Union has failed to change the uniquely individual property market and value practices in the EU member states.This is true even today despite the same observations carried out by Downie (1995) and McIntosh and Ellis 1994).These factors which affect property values differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction based on the different business and economic cultures within the European Union member states which will result in the variability of valuation approaches from country to country (Downie et al., 1996). Moreover these factors will also be affected by financial, fiscal and economic environments of a country with the result of widely divergent real estate structures.These factors as understood by Waroloa and Bernask (1996) can have direct and indirect influences upon the structure, operation and valuation of the real estate concerns in an economy.With reference to the particular set up of Europe they observed that these factors include Factors like those set out in the Table below. The modern international property market as lacking a central trading centre has often been largely criticised as a reason that the value of property prices will always be victim to the particular circumstances of a country as the market is not based on a cluster of geographical and sectoral submarkets.The problem is no two properties (with the exception of homogenous flats a building arguably) are identical and there is a significant information gap for those involved in such transactions.Here we can contrast the Property market with the Equity and Bonds market in the sense that this information gap for the realtor and the buyer necessitates the use of market valautions.This same estimate of price is likely to stay in a state of flux due to the divergent valuation methods and different political weather amongst many other factors

Critically assess how packaging, branding and design provide Essay

Critically assess how packaging, branding and design provide competitive advantage for the Brewdog portfolio - Essay Example Whatever it is that the Marketing group plans shall determine the organization’s success in the industry. The ability of the said in-charged group in making amends for the organization’s ability to make it within the industrial competition in the business world shall make it possible for the business to make a considerable reputation that could attract the clients who are being targeted by the said organization. This is particularly the reason why business organizations both large-scale and small-scale make it a point that the marketing procedures that they carry on for the sake of business progression is given careful attention and as well as an ample amount of investment. Particularly, marketing is a business branch that sets the path for the organization as to how they are supposed to trod the journey of success in the industry that they are dealing with. The intensity of the procedures taken by marketing experts particularly pertains to the quality of the advertising procedures that the organization ought to take into consideration for actual operational purposes. It is in this particular sector of the organization that the fast release or distribution of the services or the products offered by the organization towards the clients could be determined. In this particular case, BrewDog Beers marketing approach shall be examined as to how well the company is able to fit within the competing arena of huge brewery organizations around the world as they introduce their branded product to the target market that they are aiming to serve. How does the internet applications help in this particular goal of creating a feasible environment of marketing to the target consumers that they are aiming their products to be distributed to. With huge and well-known breweries already operating in the market, BrewDog is certain to have the need to get in the market with the use of effective marketing tools to make it in the said field of

Family Heritage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Family Heritage - Essay Example In Dalianliaoning, I was fortunate to attend Dalian elementary school before we relocated to Shanghai again. My father’s business was growing and a result we have been living in Shanghai since the year 2000.The aim of coming to the US was to pursue my education (Travel China guide, 2014). The Han group is believed to have settled in America with the aim of engaging in certain economic activities including building of railways and mining. They mainly settled in California and other places such as Rocky Mountains. They started participating in economic activities in order to meet their means because they were finding facing challenging of serving in the new land. The Chinese Americans experience discrimination despite heading lucrative jobs in the military and other science fields (Every Culture, 2014). The Putian County came into existence in the year 568.The borders the coastal town of Fujian. It has no plantations. It also enjoys a serene weather condition and experience sufficient rainfall, and enough sunshine thought the year. Putian is mainly visited during the winter season of the year. The main centers of attraction include the Meizhou Island and Guanghua temple. The Mazu goddess is believed to occupy the temple. Tourist from around the world troop the town every year because the town fascinates many people around the world. The Jiuli Lake is located some kilometers Xian you town. It has gorgeous scenery and has historical views that were designed by ancient architectures. The Jiuji waterfall is a renowned natural site in a place and interests many visitors. The main means of transport from a town called Fuzhou to Putian is with public transport. In Meizhou Island, the goddess is well respected, and the culture dictates events be held to be occasionally held to celebrate he r. Specific days have been set aside in order to mark her achievements

White flight Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

White flight - Essay Example locations as well as from underdeveloped to contemporary locations the resettlement of people has been perceived as a positivist trend for the settlers themselves as well as for their adopted homelands / towns, because of its ability to contribute in the process of revolutionizing such homelands. Several theories exist, which attempt to describe such a phenomenon, whereby people belonging to a particular region or culture migrate in large numbers to other areas. According to one such theory put forward by Bottomore (1991), imperialism is a system of monopolistic exchange whereby â€Å"excess† is channelized from subsidiary territories to frontrunner sectors which are thriving in all aspects. In other words it is also described as process that suggests domination of underdeveloped countries or regions at the hand of the well established nations1. The theories illustrating the new trend of large scale immigration of Hispanics in the white dominated areas, of southern California, particularly, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange, and Riverside, emerged during the early 1990s2 whereby such a trend was contemplated as a part of a global phenomenon with large chunks of population from less developed economies migrated in large numbers to more developed ones in search of better prospects. The concentration of Hispanics in Southern California is relatively high as compared to those belonging to non Hispanic races. According to the Southern California Association of Governments Region (SCAG)3 the significant number of Hispanics in various regions of southern California is a result of the state’s close proximity to the Mexican border as well as the ensuing symbiotic association among the various counties of the southern part of California and Mexico. The Los Angeles region has witnessed a long and impressive history of foreign migration since its founding. According to the State of California Department of Finance report4, the number of whites residing in Los Angeles is

Examine Wireless Communication and Bluetooth Technology Essay

Examine Wireless Communication and Bluetooth Technology - Essay Example However, wired environment is non-longer preferable because of their lack of flexibility and cost. Because of the challenges associated with wired technologies, Bluetooth and wireless technologies are increasingly becoming standards for using electronic gadgets like phones, iPhones, and laptops. Whereas Bluetooth technology and wireless communication offer users significant advantages over wired environment, wireless technology differs from Bluetooth's technology because of their complexity, security, and hardware requirements. Wireless communication is much easier to use, as compared to Bluetooth's communication (Gratton 201). The ease of use is one of the factors that differentiate the two sets of communication technologies. When compared to each other, Bluetooth is much simpler to use than wireless communication. Many users of communication equipment such as laptops report through Bluetooth are simpler to use. For instance, users of phones with a Bluetooth adapter can connect to a computer through a simple pairing process. The pairing can be accomplished through some few clicks on computers that enhance the use of the phone will be achieved. When users pair these devices, sharing of files can take place. On the other hand, wireless communication is not extremely easy to use (Morley and Parker 285). Users should have appropriate hardware, software and conduct configuration of their devices in order to transfer files. Because of this, users require to have an internet protocol address for each computer of wireless enabled phones. Moreover, users must purchase and install wireless devices such as routers to enable this communication. This process makes wireless communication challenging to use. Bluetooth's technology is more secure than wireless communication and thus, provides more security to data that users exchanged (Kartalopoulos 153). Security is critical, and users consider when it comes to evaluating technologies. Bluetooth covers a short distance as co mpared to wireless communication. Because of this reason, there are few chances of hackers getting around Bluetooth's connection. However, the fact that wireless communication allows connection over long distance is a security threat. When intruders connect to wireless communication network, most of them cannot be seen hiding or hacking the network. Just to illustrate, hackers can gain access into the wireless communication of his immediate neighbor even at the comfort of their house. Conversely, this kind of infiltration is impossible for Bluetooth's technology, as hackers have to maintain a certain distance from the victims. In addition, Bluetooth's technology has a robust level of security that is difficult to penetrate. Even when hackers succeed in gaining access into a Bluetooth connection, passwords can bar them from taking full control of the devices that they would like to compromise (Briere, Hurley, and Ferris 46). This is quite different with wireless networks where hacker s can use sniffer to detect passwords and hack into the communication lines. The fact that many users forget to protect their wireless networks using wireless pre-shared keys indicate the dangers of wireless communication Without doubt, Bluetooth's technologies are more secure than wireless communication Bluetooth technology and wireless communication have different hardware requirements that make them dissimilar (Huang and Rudolph 89).

White flight Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

White flight - Essay Example locations as well as from underdeveloped to contemporary locations the resettlement of people has been perceived as a positivist trend for the settlers themselves as well as for their adopted homelands / towns, because of its ability to contribute in the process of revolutionizing such homelands. Several theories exist, which attempt to describe such a phenomenon, whereby people belonging to a particular region or culture migrate in large numbers to other areas. According to one such theory put forward by Bottomore (1991), imperialism is a system of monopolistic exchange whereby â€Å"excess† is channelized from subsidiary territories to frontrunner sectors which are thriving in all aspects. In other words it is also described as process that suggests domination of underdeveloped countries or regions at the hand of the well established nations1. The theories illustrating the new trend of large scale immigration of Hispanics in the white dominated areas, of southern California, particularly, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange, and Riverside, emerged during the early 1990s2 whereby such a trend was contemplated as a part of a global phenomenon with large chunks of population from less developed economies migrated in large numbers to more developed ones in search of better prospects. The concentration of Hispanics in Southern California is relatively high as compared to those belonging to non Hispanic races. According to the Southern California Association of Governments Region (SCAG)3 the significant number of Hispanics in various regions of southern California is a result of the state’s close proximity to the Mexican border as well as the ensuing symbiotic association among the various counties of the southern part of California and Mexico. The Los Angeles region has witnessed a long and impressive history of foreign migration since its founding. According to the State of California Department of Finance report4, the number of whites residing in Los Angeles is

Technological solution that can bridge a gap, fix a problem or somehow Research Proposal

Technological solution that can bridge a gap, fix a problem or somehow benefit risk, crisis or emergency management - Research Proposal Example Robotics or robot technology can play a significant part in this context, which supports quick reaction in tough and unsafe working environments by substituting employees to perform the risky tasks. Fulfilling the requirements of such risky tasks involves independent control, planning and navigation, instrument fusion and machine astuteness. Robot technology can be used for preventing any problem or issue while ensuring quality and safety of human beings (Habib & Baudoin, 2010). The paper will describe the most significant problems for emergency management, and will propose the requirement for using robotic technological solutions to bridge the gap and accomplish the objectives. Crisis management is a significant area in robot technology which is developed for making major impacts towards dealing with emergency situations. The robots are expected to support in emergency conducts by improving the safety and the security of people throughout the operations. Robots can use advanced instruments and tools in those circumstances which are inconvenient for general people. The recent improvements in robot system and equipment have made the work of rescuing people possible even in harsh environments. Human beings face several difficulties in managing crisis due to several obstructions of environment, which create a gap in performance and objectives of crisis management. The robot technology provides one of the best solutions for bridging the gap in crisis management as it can perform better compared to human beings and certain other technologies (Tadokoro, Matsuno, Nardi, & Jacof, 2009). Presently, the computer and information technology (IT) has brought significant revolution in data processing. The utilization of computer technology and IT is widely spread in present era. Traditionally, the computer and IT was only limited to management of files, however, nowadays they are being used in observing the condition of entire planet and helping to generate

Economic recession Essay Example for Free

Economic recession Essay Economic recession is a period of economic decline; it means that there is a drop in the stock market, and an increase in unemployment but also a decline in the housing market. It also means that in Tourism, the residents of UK will have to will choose to holiday at home as the http://www. independent. co. uk infers ‘’ Grounded by the diminishing value of the pound and fears about the recession, record numbers of Britons will choose to holiday at home this summer. ‘’ Source http://www. independent. co. uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/its-an-ill-wind-uk-tourism-finds-recession-is-so-bracing-1522542. html Additionally, the research by Visit Britain, the tourism authority, has shown that 74 % of people are trying to reduce their holiday spending, and are spending more time planning their trips to maximize value, a cottage in Britain where you can just pack the car up and take all your own food suggests that youve got greater control. However reducing the holiday spending is not the major problem, as there has been a big change in visits to Britain official figures have revealed that the number of tourists who visited the UK from overseas in 2009 suffered a 7% decline on the previous year to 29.57 million. The data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also showed that the number of UK residents who made trips abroad fell 15% last year to 58. 53 million. But visitors to the UK spent around ? 16. 48 billion, or 1% more last year than they did in 2008, a contrast to UK residents expenses while abroad, which amounted to ? 31. 85 billion a 14% fall on figures from 2008. The recession also had an impact on the number of trips UK residents took abroad last year. The figure fell 16% to 38. 44 million, while business trips were down 22% and visits to friends and relatives (VFR) abroad fell 7%. By contrast, more foreigners visited the UK on holiday, with the numbers rising 3% last year, although the overall total suffered with business trips falling 20%. The ONS also recorded a fall of 10% in the number of VFR trips to the UK last year. Records also reveal that UK residents took 21% fewer trips to North America last year and 15% fewer trips to Europe. Source http://www. statistics. gov. uk/hub/index. html Source http://uk. reuters. com/article/2009/07/16/us-britain-travel-idUKTRE56F3FX20090716 QUALITY OF GOOD AND SERVICES Most visitors that come to United Kingdom have clear expectations about what they must pay for, but most of all; they are hoping that the quality of what they pay for is worth their money. The concept of value for money is closely related to price but also involves other quality criteria. The English Tourism Council’s has set up star rating that let the visitors to be informed before they book accommodation to recognise quality and to differentiate levels of facilities and services which as potential guests they can expect, so that it can help them to match their needs and ensure they are not disappointed. The star rating gives an overall judgement of quality including comfort, space, facilities, and cleanliness, and can be used by both domestic and inbound tourits. One star indicates that the place is acceptable overall of quality. There is also adequate provision of furniture, furnishings, and fittings. Hotels that have only one star are usually small, and privately owned. Dinner may not be offered. Two star hotels are also usually small, and privately owned, including resort hotels, and commercial hotels. Accommodation offers a good degree of space and convenience. Furnishings may be simple but are well maintained in all the bedrooms. Breakfast is offered daily to residents and their guests. Dinner is available at least five nights per week. Three star hotels indicates that it is a more formal style of hotel with a greater range of facilities and services such as colour television, telephones, radios, desk etc. There are also public areas including lounge seating, restaurants or bars. Dinner will be provided seven nights per week and light snack lunches are available in the bar or lounge, together with a wide range of drinks. Additionally, there’s also laundry service available. Four star hotels infers that there is a luxury quality with services to match, for example, there is a selection of catering options all offering cuisine and service of the highest international quality. There is also highly trained, professional staff providing exceptional levels of anticipatory service. Source http://www. britainexpress. com/oxford-hotels/star-ratings. htm EXCHANGE RATES The value of one currency against another currency is known as the foreign exchange rate. Exchange rates are an important factor in determining patterns of holiday taking, as any rise in the value of the pound will encourage outbound tourism, particularly if it involves the leading destinations countries. The value of the pound, or sterling, against another currency affects the cost of coming here for inbound tourists. It can affect negatively if it is more expensive to visit UK, but also can affect positively it is cheaper to visit UK. It is more likely that the appeal to tourist will increase when sterling is weak, as they will get more pounds for their money. Conversely, if sterling is strong, overseas visitors get less pounds in exchange for their money and are less likely to want to come here. In recent years sterling has been very strong against the dollar, or the dollar has been weak against sterling – which amounts to the same thing. This has meant that it has been relatively cheap for UK outbound tourists to visit the United States and more expensive for Americans to come to the UK. As VisitBritain. org have suggested that due to the dollar being weak against sterling, America perceived United Kingdom, as an expensive place to visit – the cost of accommodation, transport, and food has been highlighted by Americans as being really high priced. If the pas is riding high against most other currencies, it allows the British to budget for their holidays abroad with unusual freedom of choice, because the UK holidaymakers get much more for their money. For example, the rate of exchange with the Spanish peseta, the French franc, and the US dollar influences over 60 % of the holidays taken abroad by the British. The exchange rates depend on the strength or the weakness of sterling but they are also affected by the internal strength of currencies in main destination countries like France or Spain. At the moment the strenght of the pound sterling against other currencies looks as following Source  http://fx-rate.net/

Impact of Social and Sexual Changes on Art

Impact of Social and Sexual Changes on Art Hair has traditionally been cited as a discernibly female expression of sexuality and beauty, an aesthetic composition that exacerbates a womans ability to attract members of the opposite sex while acting as a visual demarcation line between the male female divides. Conversely, the fact that men often begin to lose their hair during the middle stages of their life adds further mystique to the power of female hair in popular western culture. Like her sexuality, a womans hair is unrelenting burning bright like the female passion that has so unsettled male artists for centuries. Symbolically, the difference between male and female hair has been ephemeral versus eternal; short lived as opposed to everlasting, a fantasy constructed entirely in tandem with a lack of knowledge or even interest in female sexuality within intellectual and artistic circles in the past. The notion of female hair working together with her sexuality as a tool to make a mockery of men was first cemented artistically during the ancient era, where Greek mythologys most famous exponent of the power of seduction of female hair, the Gorgon Medusa, stands as a warning to all men: to beware the hidden power of a beautiful woman. The punishment inflicted upon Medusa by the Goddess Athena because of her famous beauty and charm was to transform her sensual hair into a nest of snakes: for mortal man to even look at her would cast him, quite literally, into stone. With such a powerful, traditional starting point, it is little wonder that the issue of women, hair, art and society would continue along a broadly similar pattern for so many years, where stereotypically beautiful women were seen by men as constituting the front line of the ongoing cultural and sexual war – an object to be simultaneously admired and feared. However, according to James Kirwan (1999:73), it is not female sexuality which is destructive but rather male desire for that beauty. â€Å"The passion of the lover is not extinguished by the sight or touch of any body, for what he truly desires and unknowingly suffers is the splendour of God shining through the body. It is a desire like that of Narcissus that can never be satisfied.† Within the specifically subjective realms of art and visual art, female hair has a long history of conforming to the accepted image of the compliant, recipient woman due to the pervasive, dominant nature of men in art and society. Until the second half of the twentieth century women had become so accustomed to viewing their world through the eyes of men that they had lost sight of the individuality of women as a separate gender and as singular, autonomous human beings. Yet after the 1960s, visual art and aesthetics became increasingly interested in the views of the first wave of feminism, continuing along more radical, left wing lines with the introduction of the second wave during the 1970s. Women were embraced within the artistic community and encouraged to vent and express their sentiments regarding the suppression of the feminine in popular culture. As feminist critic Lucy Lippard (1980:352) details, the true power of feminist art was, logically, in the polar opposite image that it portrayed of modern societys creative achievements. â€Å"Feminist method and theories have instead offered a socially concerned alternative to the increasingly mechanised evolution of art about art. The 1970s might not have been pluralist at all if women had not emerged during the decade to introduce the multi coloured threads of female experience into the male fabric of modern art.† Moreover, women began to change their appearance for the first time in direct protest at the shackles of uniformity that male society had put upon them and hair was at the centre of the re moulding of the image of femininity in the West. The more radical, younger women changed their clothes, re adapted their attitudes and cut their hair in line with the more liberal males of the period who did likewise and grew their hair as a signal of their refusal to conform. The dissertation aims to examine how traditional social and sexual mores have changed in recent times in order to detail what this means for the visual artistic community, in particular the consequences for female artists in the wake of post modernity. In light of the obvious split in feminist art and culture that has been witnessed since the sixties, the dissertation will necessarily be divided into four main sections. The first chapter will provide an analysis and definition of the broader socio political framework of contemporary female sexuality so as to provide a better understanding of the power of feminine symbolism in a male dominated culture. The second chapter will look at the history of female hair and portrayals of female sexuality over the broader history of art; the third chapter examines modern visual art and culture paying particular attention to the use of hair as a medium for communicating with the spectator. The fourth chapter will analyse outsider arts views of female sexuality and hair, as defined by technology and race respectively. A conclusion will be sought only after taking into account each of the above headings as well as the necessary citations that must be employed to back up theory with example along the way. Contemporary Female Sexuality in Post Modern Society Female subversion in cultural affairs has led to womans alienation in the creative world with the result that her sexuality has only very recently been considered important enough to be the inspiration behind a growing body of academic literature. While feminism in the 1970s saw to it that gay women were represented in culture and art as much as heterosexual women, the movement of lesbians into the avant garde community only served to act as a dividing line between straight and gay women whereby many heterosexual female artists were seen as traitors to their own sex. Recent popular works of art and literature have sought to re introduce complexity into an area where theories about the nature of sexual liberty, manufactured largely by men, had become overtly simplistic. The most extreme exponent of the contemporary debate about female sexuality comes from Paris Curator for Conceptual Art, Catherine Millet and her 2002 memoirs, The Sexual Life of Catherine M. In an interview with The Observer (2002:13) newspaper, the French art critic notes that: â€Å"Sexual mores have evolved recently; nevertheless some sexual practices are only tolerated if they are kept hidden. I look forward to a democratisation of sexuality where anyone can reveal their true nature without suffering socially.† Women in Western society have become more independent, assertive and culturally aggressive during the past twenty five years so that female sexuality, in 2005, although still a topic in transition, is a force to be reckoned with inside of the male corridors of artistic influence. Yet contemporary feminist art is an amalgamation and result of the prejudices and taboos that went before it; it is, therefore a symptom of post modernity the culture that defines itself as the generation after the initial social liberation of the sixties implicitly and intrinsically linked to both gender and sexuality. As Christopher Reed (1997:276) implies, feminism was the catalyst for the widespread disassociation that is at the root of post modern radicals ground breaking view of sexuality. â€Å"From the outset, postmodernism dislodged the wedge that mainstream modernism had driven between art and life†¦ feminists, in particular, questioned the way the anti authoritarian rhetoric of postmodernism seemed to become itself a form of cultural authority.† However, although it is true that women play a far more integral role than they did barley two or three generations beforehand, modernity has not constituted a complete break with the past. Modern art, as a direct relation of post-modern society, remains a sphere still largely controlled by men. What it has done is to ask questions where previously only traditional lines of argument were sought. In this way it can viewed as a series of separate branches that emanated from the same initial tree – creating seedlings of avant garde, abstract art, conceptual art, minimalist art and pop art to name but the most famous few. The sum of the legacy of the schism that occurred in society after the residue of the minor cultural revolution of the sixties had settled was a general approval of art as inversion: that what was previously long was short, that what was previously deemed as beautiful was altered until it became ugly – until, paradoxically, it was ultimately seen as beautiful once again. According to Donald Kuspit (artnet.com; first viewed 13 September 2005), modern and post modern art is obsessed with perverse images of sexuality as a source of constantly finding ways to push the barriers of societys rigid attitude towards sexuality and the physical form. â€Å"The treatment of (the body) as the be all and end all of existence, and the only thing at stake in a relationship is the source of modern arts perversion. It extends to a preoccupation with the body of the work of the art itself, which also becomes the object of perverse formal acts.† Postmodernism, therefore, implies rapidly increasing parity between men and women in all spheres of western culture best viewed in the sense of a blurring of the traditional boundaries of sexuality as opposed to a complete merger. At this point it should be noted that, in the same way that it was white males that dominated western art, so the feminists who influenced the first stages of avant garde art were predominantly white, educated and middle to upper class. The issue of race and religion is equally as significant in the discussion of feminism as it is within an analysis of society at large; cliques and hierarchies are a necessary by product of modern civilisation and their presence (and influence) should come as no surprise to basic students of sociology. Hair, every bit as much as skin colour, is a visible dividing line between the races and in the West the image of the Caucasian variety of female hair as a symbol of womens sexuality has resulted in a womans movement that is f ractured and splintered, more so given the brevity of the ideology as a whole. The essential link between culture and art, as well as politics and art means that nothing created during the early years of feminism was out of the reach of politicisation and none of it would have been made were it not for the wider advent of post modern society. Or, as Gombrich (1986:11) puts it: â€Å"not all art is concerned with visual discovery †. With the backdrop to the arrival of feminist sexuality and art in place, an evaluation of how one of the most potent symbols of feminine sexuality was used as a tool of womans subordination in art in the past must now be attempted. Female Hair, Sexuality and Symbolism in the History of Visual Art As already outlined, the question of womens hair and artistic expression is deep rooted in all civilisations. As well as the Greek and Roman equations of hair with dormant female sexuality, the pre Raphaelite artists also promulgated the view of feminine hair as seductive conqueror of weak male spirits. Late nineteenth and early twentieth century paintings continued to expand on the association of the snakes or ringlets of the Gorgons Head with male fear of female genitalia; the reversal of roles whereby the sinuous hairs of Medusa were inverted to symbolise the male phallic icon of power of women and nature. These notions were underlined by Freuds analysis that saw the intricate waves of classical female hair as symbolic of female metamorphosis and change – characterised by the uniquely female ability to transcend gender. According to Meghan Edwards (victorianweb.org; first viewed 15 September 2005), the Classical and Romantic image of the female using her hair to devour male libido was a collective and conscious manifestation of fear in Victorian society, one that was transmitted from the ancient period through to the advent of modern visual art. â€Å"The myth of women who carry in their femininity a grotesque vagina with teeth or who have embedded in their being a serpent or snake with the power to castrate took root long before Rossettis Lady Lilith but became increasingly unambiguous, bizarrely personalized, and widespread among the Symbolist poets and painters by the end of the [nineteenth] century. Visual and psychoanalytic connections between hair and serpents become increasingly explicit in Fernand Khnopffs The Blood of the Medusa, Franz von Stucks Fatality, and Edvard Munchs Vampire, wherein we see the complexity and ambiguousness that infused the imagery of earlier artists like the Rossettis, Waterhouse, Tennyson, and many others give way to an unrestrained fear and indulgence in the grotesque.† Rossettis Regina Cordium (Queen of Hearts), which he painted in 1860, began a period of change in artistic perspective on female hair, where it was accented as a means to communicate a womans ultimate fragility and dependence on man: the first realisation of her sexuality as the embodiment of mans annihilation and self destruction. Pollock (1992:132) notes how, â€Å"her hair is loose, a decent and suggestive sign of allowed disorder, conventionally a sign of womans sexuality.† It is of course significant that almost all of the most artistic and visual instances of female hair in painting were created by men. Many male artists, such as Manet, whos Olympia (1863 5) stands as the most obvious popular example, were non apologetic in terms of their bourgeois fascination with lower class women who were able to fulfil the well to do gentlemans most liberal carnal desires. As the prism through which both men and women viewed societys accepted ideal of the female form, these works of art (especially significant in the days before photography and other twentieth century means of visual communication) constituted the only truth that women knew. Artists of the Enlightenment such as Jean Baptiste Greuze, whos Broken Mirror (1773) charts the social struggle of sexually experienced yet single young woman, as well as High Victorian painters like William Holman Hunt, whos The Awakening Conscience (1853) details the plight and unique dilemma of a kept woman, all converged to create the prevailing image of female sexuality that remained the staple diet of western art for much of the twentieth century: a smouldering power that could be easily sedated by the socio political power of man. As Judy Chicago and Edward Lucie Smith (1999:88) testify, the fallen woman was the most popular portrayal of female sexuality for many of the male artists who dominated the pre twentieth century artistic arena with creators highlighting her essential weakness with a minimal visual emotional connection. â€Å"She is the one who has no way out, and the painter contemplates her dilemma with a sort of repressed sadism. With each one of these works one feels a conflict of intention. The artist, will ostensibly sympathising with the plight of his female subjects, in fact enjoys their suffering, and expects the audience to do so as well.† Where hair was employed as a tool to reference female sexuality, it was used to derisory and derogatory effect, as witnessed in the 1934 sculpture by Renà © Magritte entitled, Le Viol (The Rape), which transforms a mould of a womans torso into a distorted image of her face; her breasts are made into eyes, the hair covering her genitals becomes the mouth, while locks of coarse wavy hair protrude from the neck, conforming to the male stereotype of female hair as an instantly recognisable feature of her fertile sexuality. Clearly, female artists, although very much in the minority were by no means obsolete and painters such as Louise Marie Elizabeth Vigà ©e Lebrun, Rosalba Carriera and Angela Kauffman are but three of a long history of richly talented women artists who showed the intellectual and artistic communities the muted side of female sexuality, beyond the narrow conceptual borders imposed by man. However, in relation to the issue of hair as a vehicle through which to transport female sexuality to the viewer, few of these artists, male or female, made substantial in roads into a deeper philosophical exploration. It is important to note the significant socio economic shift that beset Europe and the United States after the end of the Great War in 1918. Because of their contribution to the labour force, in addition to the nascent political bodies such as the Womens Institute (founded in 1915) and the Suffragette Movement, females in the West were for the first time able to exist, albeit nominally at first, outside of the control of a patriarch. Gradually at first, more completely after the end of the Second World War in 1945, women were able to embrace independency, which necessarily brought with it tremendous consequences for the artistic community. Whereas women artists previously had to pander to male taste in order to sell as well as fund their work, women artists of the second half of the twentieth century were more able to create for the sake of creation as opposed to as a means to fit into male structured society. As Anne Sheppard (1987:97) details, the significance of the release of the socio economic weights of expectation inherently means that essence of the artistic endeavour must change. â€Å"Among an audiences expectations of a work of art are expectations concerned with artistic forms and conventions. The Greeks of the fifth century BC would expect a chorus in a tragedy. Shakespeares contemporaries would expect a Fool in a comedy. Mozarts contemporaries would expect harpsichord music to be played with trills and grace notes. Giottos contemporaries would expect saints to be painted with haloes.† As a broad rule of all artistic behaviour, artists had traditionally been bound by the expectations of the paying audience. Thus, the revolution concerning female sexuality and the way in which she has been visually portrayed came via economic emancipation first. Attention must now be turned to instances of female hair as a means of expression of sexuality in modern visual culture after the creative liberation of women. Female Hair as a Medium in Modern Visual Culture The above background to the advent of the age of modernity, and of the arrival and acceptance of women within the upper echelons of the artistic community in the West, highlights the male dominated nature of notions of female sexuality. Hair was expressed as one of the most seductive of all of womans charms – an intricate part of the parcel that was created by God solely for mans destruction. Even when woman is portrayed as life giver in art, the act is more often than not displayed as ugly and confrontational, as Jonathan Wallers Mother No. 27 (1996) testifies. Indeed, the ongoing negative reaction of museums to child birth and maternity reveals more about the still dominant attitudes of females as sex objects as opposed to life enablers – as destructive rather than constructive, which is to the detriment of the art community as a whole. It naturally follows that while the majority of the (male) art community continued to associate flowing female hair with her ubiquitous sexuality, women artists tied to the first and second waves of the international feminists movement would wish to convey a hidden, alternative image. One of the most universally celebrated of twentieth century female artists was without doubt Frida Kahlo. She is famous not only for the wealth of talent and technique that was at her disposal but also for her independent, analytical and honest view of women, given added significance due to her prominent position in Mexican society. Her self portrait with cropped hair (1940), which is housed in New Yorks Museum of Modern Art constituted the first mainstream attempt to castrate the pervasive female sexuality as characterised by the iconography of ubiquitous long hair. It should be recalled that this painting was created at a time when uniformity of sexuality was the cultural norm: women were meant to hav e long hair, which meant that the subtle question Kahlo posed to women who viewed it was magnified all the more. Two decades later, at the dawn of the watershed decade of the 1960s, the impact of the famous Beatles haircut, first styled and professionally photographed by Astrid Kircherr (who exhibits the cropped blonde look in a self photograph in 1961) was universal within western culture and was noteworthy for its inversion of traditional sexual roles. As, during the sixties, young men grew their hair longer so young women were more inclined to cut their own, highlighting a deliberate cultural means of rebelling against the tired sexual mores of the time. Gay women, in particular, began to associate short hair with sexual freedom. Although contemporary Western society views the stereotypical butch woman with short hair as symptomatic of the lesbian underworld, it was indeed a bold move in the sixties and seventies for a woman to cut her hair in such a symbolic gesture. In this way, women such as the avant garde artist Harmony Hammond (who famously came out via cutting her previously long, feminine hair in New York in 1974) were using their own hair and body image as their art, to make a statement that, visually and aesthetically, woman was no longer the lens through which man peered at his own vision of beauty. As per all cultural de constructions of popular mythology, the actual look of a womans hair was the only the first building block of conformity to be removed in the first phase of feminist expression. Harmony Hammond, furthermore, was one of the most prominent users of hair as an artistic material. Whereby hair was previously used to express female sexuality via depicting or painting the length, texture and contours, Hammond and the burgeoning abstract sect of North American artists sought to incorporate hair into their work to bring attention to the social and sexual constraints by which we all live. She used her own hair in the construction of a hair blanket as well as utilising animal hair to make hair bags. Hammond used materials such as hemp, straw, thread and braids to reference the equation of feminine hair with sexuality throughout her body of work. As Paul Eli Ivey (queerculturalcenter.org; first viewed 21 September 2005) explains, Harmony Hammond exhibited the greatest abil ity to manoeuvre female hair away from its association with beautiful heterosexual objects of male desire, combining ideology and aesthetics in a discernibly feminist manner. â€Å"In the 1990s, Hammond combined latex rubber with her own hair and the hair of her daughter or friends, to suggest landscapes of gendered and sexualised bodies. The braid and the pony tail also took on a life of their own as personified characters: the braid relating to an integration of mind, body, and spirit; the stylised ponytail becoming a flirtatious, sexualised persona.† Her sculpture, Speaking Braids, plays on the difficulty in forming a singular feminine voice in such a diverse culture, where lesbian and bisexual women still feel cut off from the socially acceptable heterosexual females of the twenty first century. The head is disconnected from the body, mirroring societys view of woman as an object of passive desire. The most shocking element is the vomit of light brown braids that extend from the remorseless face of the head of the woman, designed to engage the audience in contemporary thought about the disembodied cries of women to whom marriage and conformity are not available. Hair was therefore used to point out essential moral and ideological divisions within female sexuality and, according to Joan Smith (1997:165), the failure of society to recognise the fundamental differences amongst the various sectors of the broader female sex has been to the detriment of feminism and, ultimately, western culture as a whole. â€Å"Women are expected to be different from men but the same as each other. While there is general agreement that women are unlike men in numerous ill defined ways, there is enormous reluctance to accept the idea that women might not be broadly similar to each other. The issue that exposes this distinction most sharply is motherhood, so that a woman who chooses not to give birth is characterised not just as unnatural but as a traitor to her sex.† Mille Wilson is another feminist artist who has used the symbolism of hair to state a valid view on female sexuality by employing it as the central theme of persuasion. In her ambitious visual art project, The Museum of Lesbian Dreams (1990 2), Wilson speaks to her audience through the fetish surrogates of the typical view of the female body in this instance using female hair in the form of a series of womens wigs to underline the essential similarity of heterosexual and homosexual womans dreams and deepest aesthetic desires, relying on the long, luxurious manes of the artificial hair to symbolise the traditional notion of hair as standard bearer of vivacious feminine sexuality. As Whitney Chadwick (2002:396) notes in her expansive study of women, art and society; â€Å"her work articulates the historical inaccuracy, often absurdity, of social constructions of lesbianism within dominant heterosexual discourses. Such discursive formations often to work to fix identity within, and o utside, normative paradigms.† It should be apparent that much of the artistic arguments pertaining to female hair and sexuality emanate from the perspective of the historical outsiders, namely gay and bisexual women. All great art is created from passion and in terms of damaging sexual stereotyping relating to female icons of beauty the avant garde art community has felt the greatest reason to voice concerns over the prevailing attitude of society towards womens sexuality. However, the real outsiders within the broader feminine artistic debate need to be analysed in order to underscore how hair is culturally understood as one of the most important foundations of mainstream notions of female sexuality. Female Hair and Visual Expressions of Sexuality from the Perspective of Outsider Art Beyond the set boundaries inherent within sculpture and painting, photography and performance art have been the most likely to make a physical statement pertaining to female sexuality. Whereas most other forms of modern visual art minimalism, conceptual art and pop art concentrate on extracting the content rather than moving towards a lifelike representation of the female body, photography recreates the human form as an artistic facsimile. It must be noted that photography and visual performance art highlight the issue of female sexuality via concentrating on the entirety of the hair on her body as opposed to detailing only the stereotypical view of female hair emanating from her head. Indeed, no examination of the subject of sexuality and hair can be complete without an analysis of the art worlds view of female body hair per se, which is culturally speaking – hidden, shaved and moulded in a far more stringent and severe way than any style of hair upon the head, a fact that Germaine Greer (1999:20) expands upon. â€Å"Women with too much (i.e. any) body hair are expected to struggle daily with depilatories of all kinds in order to appear hairless. Bleaching moustaches, waxing legs and plucking eyebrows absorb hundreds of woman hours.† Feminist adherents in the art world have inevitably challenged the claustrophobic views of society towards female body hair with pictures created to shock and induce academic debate about a needlessly taboo topic. Sally Mann made a series of explicit photographs of herself and her daughters during the 1990s, including Untitled (1997), a photograph that focuses the viewer upon the dense vaginal hair of the artist, whose legs are spread open in a bathtub with the subtext of highlighting how women enjoy exactly the same bodily functions as men, however much society shuts itself off to biological reality. Moreover, by making the camera concentrate on the nexus of pubic hair the spectator is likewise advised to consider the cultural reasons as to why women must shave every other part of their body where hair grows naturally. The most shocking and moving of all photographic imagery involving female hair tied to the notion of sexuality is Hannah Wilkes self image taken during her demise from cancer, the disease having robbed her of her hair though not of her female organs, as the naked photo in a wheelchair, selected from the Intra Venus collection (1992 3), graphically illustrates. The power of the visual focus is centred upon the artists wish to show how hair does not make a woman feminine – and that the human spirit is more powerful than any facet of the physical body. Visual art enactment reserves the greatest power of persuasion and audience manipulation. Post Porn Modernism, a performance art show that was exhibited in New York in the late 1980s, is the most obvious example of a visual exposition of contemporary female sexuality devised to shock the audience, concentrating in this instance, on the artists pubic hair and genitalia. Playing on the historical artistic obsession with the female whore, Rebecca Schneider (1996:161) declares that Post Porn Modernism was merely another way to de mystify the myth of female sexuality, in particular highlighting the fragile nature of consumer capitalism where the prostitute is both buyer and seller merged into one. â€Å"In theory, the real live Prostitute Annie Sprinkle lay at the threshold of the impasse between true and false, visible and invisible, nature and culture as if in the eye of a storm. As any whore is given to be in this culture she is a mistake, an aberration, a hoax: a show and a sham made of lipstick, mascara, fake beauty marks, hair and black lace.† However, the art most likely to capture the absurdity of the persistent link between granted notions of female hair personifying womans innate sexuality is that which is created by African women: artists who have to cross strict racial as well as gender and sexuality lines in order to portray women from their culture in an aesthetically acceptable light. These women are the true outsiders of Western artistic expression. Leslie Rabine (1998:127), for example, declares that: â€Å"western slave culture and economics invested the arena of skin, hair and make up with political struggle,† with the result that African women born in the West have had their body image dictated by colour and gender, which creates a kind of schizophrenic effect on the black women to the extent that the naturally curly, short African hair has been usurped in fashion by wigs, extensions and artificially straight hair. Typically, it has been left to the avant garde community to ignite the backlash against the marginalisation of black female sexuality. Alison Saar, daughter of African American feminist artist Betye Saar accented the widely accepted view of natural black female hair as the cultural antithesis to feminine sexuality in her sculpture entitled, Chaos in the Kitchen (1998). Saar used coarse iron wiring to mimic indigenous African hair, on top of a female face that has been deliberately denied eyes to highlight the cultural blind spot that black women have towards their own vision of female beauty. She means to state that, in attempting to copy white mans image of feminine beauty via hair, black women have only succeeded in hollowing out their historical selves. African American artist and photographer Renà ©e Cox made an even more challenging alternative to the prevailing paradigms pertaining to female sexuality and race when she made, Yo Mama (1993). The photograph places the artist standing up naked except for Western high heels the stereotypical twin symbol of hair as the autograph of heterosexual female sexuality. The hair on he