Queer Theology free essay sample

Professor Stuart was consecrated as a Bishop in the Open Episcopal Church (a small, independent grouping within the United Kingdom). In 2006 she became Archbishop of the Province of Great Britain and Ireland of the Liberal Catholic Church International. Her published works include: * Gay and Lesbian Theologies: Repetitions and Critical Difference * Just Good Friends: Towards a Lesbian and Gay Theology of Relationships * Daring to Speak Love’s Name * Religion is a Queer Thing * Lesbian and Gay Theologies: Repetitions with Critical Difference Prof Gerard Loughlin Gerard Loughlin  BA MA (Wales) PhD (Cambridge) is Professor of Theology and Religion at the  University of Durham,  England. He is the  author  of  Telling Gods Story: Bible Church and Narrative Theology  (Cambridge University Press 1996) and  Alien Sex: The Body and Desire in Cinema and Theology  (Blackwell 2004). These works show Stuart moving from a liberationist approach to an approach grounded in queer theory. She now argues that gender and sexuality are not matters of ultimate theological concerns and that the Christian duty is to refuse to work theologically with such categories. We will write a custom essay sample on Queer Theology or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page His work included: the relationship between God and Israel: Husband to wife. Jesus to the Church, Husband to wife. The Church includes BOTH genders. Therefore man to man in matrimony. He believes that the Church is looking at this in a symbolic way rather than facing up to the fact that it is what God/ Jesus wants. He talks of the love between Jesus and his disciples ‘John of Zebedee left his wife/wife to be to follow Jesus whom he loved! ’ There is a question over WHO got married at the Wedding in Cana- was it his disciples? Two men? John and Jesus are said to be ‘symbolically married’. He believes that this is significant when discussing gender roles and biology. A ‘natural kind’ of marriage –woman and man- is a ‘fantasy’ and not realistic. The use of ‘queer’ used to be an insult. It should now offer a sense of pride to Gay people. Is queer theology rooted in the bible It is rooted in the bible as it believes the fundamental concepts of Christian theology – e. g. trinity, Jesus and his resurrection etc It is not rooted in the bible as Scripture begins and ends with the picture of marriage as an institution ordained by God – designed for the union of a man and a woman in a life-long, faithful, covenantal relationship. This view is affirmed by Moses, Christ and Paul, and has been upheld through thousands of years of Judeo Christian history and tradition. Pro-gay revisionists usually do not even attempt to address Gods created intent for human sexuality, but instead twist Scripture and argue against those texts which condemn same-sex behaviour. Link five teachings from the bible that support queer theology * The argument that if Gods presence and gifts of love are manifest in a gay-affirming church and in homosexual relationships, it is evidence that God accepts and blesses homosexual behaviour. The argument that Im a born-again believer and Im gay, therefore homosexuality must be okay is * The argument that Jesus said nothing about homosexuality in the gospels * Bible translators mistranslated five references to sexual ethics in two different testaments of Scripture. And there is also a possibility that they only mistranslated Scriptures regarding homosexual behaviour. * References to God condemnin g homosexual behaviour is directed to homosexual prostitutes not to homosexuals as a whole * Love between Jesus and his disciples ‘John of Zebedee left his wife/wife to be to follow Jesus whom he loved! John and Jesus are said to be ‘symbolically married * There is a question over WHO got married at the Wedding in Cana- was it his disciples? Two men? How does queer theology link with liberation theology? Queer Theology is grounded in Liberation Theology that respects the experiences of those who have been systematically alienated and abused by the traditional religious establishment. It is imperative that lesbian and gay Christians embrace the hermeneutics of suspicion and interpret scriptures accordingly. The queer Christian community must live within church structures in light of being a part of the underside of society. A large part of the mission of Queer Spirituality is to challenge doctrinal and theological imperialism that has infiltrated many churches. Queer Theology has no choice but to help build the Reign of God by seeking to destroy unjust and oppressive ecclesial structures and teachings. Queer Spirituality has no choice but to fight the battle for God’s justice with righteous anger and speak the truth in the mist of adversity and strife. Queer Theology must work for freedom and liberation by waging a spiritual battle against domination, control, power, and abuse of church authority by confronting distorted beliefs about lesbian and gay Christians. Queer Spirituality is a call to reject churches that hijack human dignity and freedom in the name of religion. Queer Theology can only embrace a spirituality that cultivates honesty, healing, affection, compassion, and justice. Queer Spirituality can only be authentic when seeking to cast out the demons of poverty, injustice, racism, violence, prejudice, exploitation, or homophobia in any form — whether they are within us, our government, or our churches. While formulating a Queer Spirituality, lesbian and gay Christians need to dig deep into, appreciate, and learn from a noble and splendid Hebrew-Christian heritage. Queer Christians must draw from this heritage the strength to believe that the God of compassion and mercy always conquers and triumphs over the evil of homophobia, hatred, and bigotry. Queer theology basics conclusion – * Queer theologians wanted to construct a theology which came directly from their own context * ‘queering’ involves a re- interpretation and definition of our language and practices from the perspective of homosexual people * Queer theology is closely related to philosophical and socio political movement of queer studies

Catcher in the Rye, thematic essays

Catcher in the Rye, thematic essays A Lack of Companionship, a Lack of Joy Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel (qtd. in Davidoff 106). As long as man has existed, man has strived to have companions: to feel the love of friends and family. In J.D. Salingers The Catcher in the Rye, protagonist Holden Caulfield rose from his sadness and found happiness only when he realized the importance of the love and companionship offered by friends and family. Holden faced many obstructions in his quest to find the joy that was missing in his life. Unfriendly and non-understanding people seemed to attack Holdens life from all directions, yet Holden ultimately discovered happiness through the kindness of his sister Phoebe. By learning from Holdens quest for happiness, we as humans will be able to peer deeper into our own quests for joy and our own understandings of where happiness actually comes from. In order to find happiness, one must first recognize his sadness and ultimately acknowledge the supreme importance of friends, family, and every companion Sometimes one notices the void of sorrow only when he realizes that he is without anyone to love. Loneliness can sometimes become apparent when one finds none to spend quality time with and love, as was Holdens case when he is left without a single companion. The first example of this phenomenon in the story is when Holden leaves his high school Pencey, and all the friends within it. When Holden was packed and leaving the school he, took a last look down the goddam corridor. I was sort of crying. I dont know why (Salinger 52). Holden is sad because he is leaving every companion he has: every source of affection. A second time in the novel when Holden is confronted with the lurking void of loneliness is when chatting in a hotel lounge with a peer from hi...

Literary Essays and School Essays

Literary Essays and School Essays Literary Essays and School Essays Literary Essays and School Essays By Maeve Maddox As a literary term, essay is defined as â€Å"a short non-fiction composition.† What many people mean by â€Å"essay† these days, however, is quite different from what it means as a literary genre. The Literary Essay The word essay comes from the French word essayer â€Å"to try, to attempt† and still has this meaning in English, both as a noun and as a verb: Thats his first essay into the cattle business. We shall essay to remedy the situation. The first writer to apply the term to the type of reflective and entertaining pieces he liked to write was the Frenchman Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592). The writer who popularized the essay form in English was Francis Bacon (1561-1626). For the professional writer, the essay is the ideal genre with which to practice the writing craft. It offers the opportunity to focus on a topic and discover what one thinks about it. In a much quoted passage from his Collected Essays, Aldous Huxley describes the essay as a literary device for saying almost everything about almost anything.† Huxley says that essays can be studied â€Å"most effectively within a three-poled frame of reference† and goes on to identify the â€Å"three poles† as: the pole of the personal and the autobiographical the pole of the objective, the factual, the concrete-particular the pole of the abstract-universal Huxley’s opinion is that most essayists are at home in one, or at most, two, of the three types of essay. The writer comfortable with all three writes â€Å"the most richly satisfying essays.† Montaigne remains a model for modern essayists because he was able to combine the three poles. George Orwell is another useful model. For more recent examples of the literary essay, browse the pages of such publications as The Village Voice and Slate. How Long is an Essay? Although an essay is defined as â€Å"a short non-fiction composition,† in the hands of a professional writer with plenty to say, it can be pretty long. The essays of Montaigne and Bacon, for example, can run to 4,000 words. The famous essay â€Å"Self-Reliance† by American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) exceeds 10,000 words. For the non-professional writer, the high school student applying for college, for example, the â€Å"essay† is quite short. College entrance essays fall in the 500-700 word range. It’s rare that a high school student or college freshman is asked to write an essay any longer than 1.000 words. The greatest difference between the literary essay and the school essay is that the literary essay springs from the interests of the writer and can be a joy to write. The essay written as a school assignment is often regarded by the writer as drudgery. The Essay as Chore Two main reasons that essay writing is perceived as a chore by students are 1) they don’t want to do it 2) they’ve had insufficient reading experience. We learn our first language by hearing it spoken. We absorb the forms of written language by reading it. Students with limited reading experience will find essay writing more difficult than those who are avid readers. They have not internalized the patterns of written English. As a result, sentences written by ill-read students seldom vary from simple or compound. The most common coordinating conjunction found in this type of essay is and. The most common subordinating conjunctions are because, then, and before. The reading level of this type of â€Å"assignment essay† rarely rises above sixth grade. That in itself is not necessarily a bad thing within the framework of communication. Much popular material is written at this level. The vocabulary in student essays tends to fluctuate between the elementary and the exotic. Many, if not most, high school students acquire advanced vocabulary by studying word lists, not by encountering them in the context of books. As a result they often misuse words because of insufficient understanding of their meanings. Nevertheless, even without a strong reading background students can master the skill of producing a five-paragraph essay that is acceptable for most school assignments. The Five-Paragraph Essay The five-paragraph essay is often criticized for being too restricted; too cut-and-dried. It is said to inhibit creativity. Perhaps. But not all the young people being asked to write essays are gifted with creativity. And even the creative ones need to learn the basics of composition before soaring off to their creative heights. The five-paragraph essay remains a useful workhorse. Parts of the Essay Every essay has three main parts. In the five-paragraph essay they are arranged this way: Introduction (first paragraph): states the topic and theme; Briefly states three points to be made about the theme. Body (paragraphs 2-4): each paragraph expands and supports one of the points mentioned in the introduction. Conclusion (paragraph 5): restates the theme and sums up the argument in a satisfying way. The Hardest Part of Writing an Essay Essay writing guides can help, but the most important aspect of any writing assignment lies with the writer. Only the writer can answer this most important question: What do you want to say? Time spent in pinning down the topic and theme of your essay is never wasted. Don’t begin writing before you know 1. what you are writing about 2. what you want to say about it 3. to whom you are saying it With school assignments, the essay topic is often part of the assignment, but the student is usually given a choice of more than one. If at all possible, choose a topic in which you feel some interest. Have a destination. It’s not enough to say you’re writing about â€Å"war† or â€Å"civic responsibility† or â€Å"gun control.† What do you want to say about the topic? What do you want your reader to feel about it after having read your essay? One of the most frequent faults of freshman essays is that they leave the reader wondering â€Å"so what?† Who’s your reader? Picturing your reader in your mind as you write will influence your writing style. If a teacher is your target audience, nonstandard vocabulary and grammar are not an option. Supporting Statements A common fault among student writers is the failure to distinguish between a general statement and a supporting statement. Inexperienced writers often attempt to support one general statement with another general statement: My sister is annoying. She really bothers me. I can’t stand some of the things she does. All three of these statements are generalizations. Specific, concrete examples are needed to support general statements. General statement: My sister is annoying. Supporting statement: She eats my favorite cereal on the sly and then puts the empty box back into the cabinet. Some helpful links A good starting place for the insecure writer is Ali Hale’s article on the writing process. A good guide to and discussion of the five-paragraph essay can be found here. A detailed step-by-step guide to writing the student essay can be found here. The steps include pre-writing, outlining, drafting and revising, Finally, here’s an example of a five-paragraph essay Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Dialogue Dos and Don'ts60 Synonyms for â€Å"Trip†Educational vs. Educative

Business environment jewellery, organic food and tesco Essay

Business environment jewellery, organic food and tesco - Essay Example The jewellery and watches market is highly competitive in terms of both supply and retail. Recent years have seen the emergence of several luxury-goods and high-fashion conglomerates into the market, which possess strong brands that are supported by substantial financial resources. In addition to the above implications of excess capacity in Jewellery market, the major implication is the phenomenal change in customer buying behavior. To what extent might the traditional small jewellery and watch operators be considered to be suffering from unfair competition from 'luxury-goods and high-fashion conglomerates' 10 marks Traditional small jewellery and watch operators suffer a major setback in business because of the increasing competition from luxury goods and high fashion conglomerates. There are many instances where the traditional jewellery has lost its importance and the demand for the same is fading because of the evolution of new type of fashion jewellery. Some of the critical aspects for major setback for traditional jewellery Evolution of high fashion conglomerates in the jewellery industry paved way for changing consumer behavior and shift in the purchasing methods and dimensions. The conglomerates use their financial strength to identify key locations that are expensive for better customer segment reach. The traditional firms are a way behind in reforming their practices and are slightly reluctant to change any dimension of their jewellery setup. Whereas the conglomerates are ready to spend fortune on effective advertisement and branding techniques and deploy promotional strategies to attract customers and achieve brand loyalty paving way for effective customer retention. After the great depression, there has been a shift in consumer... The Supply factor out paces the demand of jewellery leading to reduction of prices, minimizing the ultimate corporate profit by a small percentage and increase in job cuts as a measure of sustainability. Traditional small jewellery and watch operators suffer a major setback in business because of the increasing competition from luxury goods and high fashion conglomerates. There are many instances where the traditional jewellery has lost its importance and the demand for the same is fading because of the evolution of new type of fashion jewellery. The traditional firms are a way behind in reforming their practices and are slightly reluctant to change any dimension of their jewellery setup. Whereas the conglomerates are ready to spend fortune on effective advertisement and branding techniques and deploy promotional strategies to attract customers and achieve brand loyalty paving way for effective customer retention. After the great depression, there has been a shift in consumer buying behaviour, their choice and preferences leading to more modified buying motives. With the effective marketing initiatives, the customer target base is attracted towards designs which are fashionable and simple for official purpose.

Land Use Effects on Water Quality at Different Sites along the River Literature review

Land Use Effects on Water Quality at Different Sites along the River Ribble - Literature review Example Several scholars have released many notable works regarding river preservation. This literature review will explore the important points stated by some of them and discover how various methods suggested by them will be useful to protect the unique nature of the river Ribble in England. River Ribble situated on the North Western part of England is an important river in the UK. River Ribble originates in the Yorkshire Dales region and flows east draining into the Irish Sea. River Ribble covers nearly 110 Km from its starting point to the joint where it merges with the Irish Sea. Five rivers - Darwen, Douglas, Calder, Hodder and Ribble - drain into the Ribble estuary. The Ribble River is home to thousands of different birds and fishes. The Ribble estuary is one of the biggest in the UK. The 7 km stretch of the River Ribble starting from Settle and lasting till Cow Bridge is considered as a 'Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)’. The area is home to nearly 34,000 birds and n umerous fishes like Atlantic salmon, crayfish and unique organisms like Eurasian otter. River Ribble is considered as one of the important wetland sites in the UK, as it is teeming with high biodiversity. The latest research conducted in 2011 suggests a large part of this 7 km stretch is rendered ‘unfavourable’ because of constant flooding and high pollution levels. As a result a fully fledged Long Preston Deeps SSSI River Restoration Plan was launched in 2010 (Natural England, 2011). Several organizations, like the EU Water Framework Directive, work with the aim of restoring the natural features of the Ribble basin as it is being polluted severely in the recent years owing to various reasons. All over the world, there are four main reasons for river basins getting polluted drastically. 1. The first major reason is sewage discharge. Human faecal discharges are a major form of water pollutant even in developed Western countries. Sewage disposal is usually released into t he river in from of outfall pipes, by dumping the sewage sludge in the rivers or through the wash water which brings with it an enormous amount of animal waste and fertilizers used in the adjoining lands. Converting the marshlands close to the river into agricultural lands will increase this problem by many folds. Domestic waste, organic wastes, industrial wastes everything forms a part of this sewage. The same water is purified using chlorine in the drinking water treatment plants. Excess chlorine addition to water increases the rate of bladder and colon cancer in people drinking them for many years (Perera & Boffetta, 1988). 2. Water discharges released from cooling plants in power stations and fertilizer producing companies can alter the natural temperature of the river disturbing its habitat enormously. 3. Industrial and toxic wastes like organocholrines and radioactive wastes are dumped into the river. They make the river water poisonous reducing its quantity and aqua life seve rely. 4. Agriculture and horticulture use fertilizers extensively. When they are washed into the river, the natural nutrient content in the river is increased leading to the growth of harmful plants like phytoplanktons. Algal blooms also occur. They will absorb too much water for their growth killing the river eventually. Controlling intensive farming in areas very close to the river is a must to save it (Falconer et al, 2005). It is a well known fact that the effluent from the

British contemporary art Essay Example for Free

British contemporary art Essay British contemporary art is the art that developed in the late 20th century and early 21st century in Britain. It was this time when there came a kind of rejection for ‘modern art’ and the force and dynamism of ‘abstract expressionism’ reduced. At the end of 1950s loose movements of early contemporary art developed ‘Pop art’ that emerged formerly in England and started with the exhibition of ‘This Is Tomorrow’. The sixties art scene saw David Hockney, Peter Blake and Richard Hamilton during this time. Pop art’ can be characterized by descriptions of common places that were placed in new artistic ontexts, optical flickering of the international pop art movement were seen in the paintings of some artists and various other varieties in the work of numerous artists were appreciated. The styles that were diminished were put under the umbrella term of ‘postmodernism’. The development of new historicism, ironic and detached, which generated a number of artistic â€Å"neonism†, marked the commencement of a new era in art. The Young British Artists movement in 1990s with the version of conceptual art that featured installations often achieved international recognition. Many new artists simultaneously tirred up and challenged history of art and gave a new definition to art that it is any work of art is an entity, which in itself is self-sufficient. The new art seemed to be sometimes detached with social consciousness and concentrated on issue driven themes and minorities like gay, feminism etc. Another trend that is being seen in numerous works of art is the concept driven by the use of photography and language as the substance. Further contemporary art movement includes digital art, which was initiated in 1970s but became prevalent with the beginning of 21st century. The digital artists make use of software and sophisticated computers along with video equipments and create an extremely different work of art. Damien Hirst, internationally renowned and leader of â€Å"Young British Artists† dominated the art world in Britain especially during 1990s. The central theme of Hirst’s work is ‘death’ and his famous work was a series of dead animals preserved in formaldehyde. â€Å"The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living† is a tiger shark dipped in formaldehyde in a vitrine and is of 14-feet, the sale of which made him world’s second highest expensive living artist. He is well known for his ‘spin paintings’ and ‘spot paintings’. When considering international presentation his first major one was â€Å"Mother and Child Divided† in which a cow and a calf is cut into pieces and displayed in a series of split vitrines. Damien Hirst is considered as the second most famous living British artist after David Hockney. He was born in 1965 in Bristol and was brought up by his mother and stepfather. Before going to college he did a basic course in Leeds School of Art and then moved to London in 1986 and graduated in 1989 at Goldsmith College in BA Fine Art course. During his student life he held an exhibition â€Å"Freeze† in Docklands warehouse for which he himself conceived the idea, organized it as well as promoted it too. This exhibition commenced his career along with many other young British artists. In this Mishra 3 show several of Damien’s art pieces were exhibited along with the works of his 16 fellow students of Goldsmith College. It can be said that this self-promoting exhibition gave way to starting â€Å"Young British Artists† movement. Ex-Thatcher ad-man, Charles Saatchi got impressed by his works and displayed some of his works in the first â€Å"Charles Saatchi’s Young British Artists† show. Saatchi even bought â€Å"A Thousand Years†, a piece of Damien in 1990 and since then he has created a lot of pieces and has been admired by collectors as well as curators and his works are considered extraordinarily provocative. In 1991, he filled an art gallery with live tropical butterflies and presented an installation named â€Å"In and Out of Love†. â€Å"The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Minds of Someone Living†, a piece that made him the second highest expensive living artist, was commissioned for about US$32,000 in 1992. This made Damien a media icon and since then media and public both started to mitate, praise and also criticize him. The Young British Artists of Damien’s generation is completely different from their preceding generation and are well known for their entrepreneurial spirit, independence and media savvy. Most of them are self-promoters and get sponsored privately. They did not depend on government agencies to discover their talent and then present them as was done earlier but instead they displayed their talent with the help of private sponsors who readily organized exhibitions for them. Hirst tried to develop exploration of mortality as the central theme of his artworks and extended it with humor, ynamism, novelty and enthusiasm. His â€Å"The Natural History† series, which is quite well known among his admirers, included dead animals presented, as momento mori as an irony on natural history. This series disclose the contemplation of his approach and the work of art has a visual power which is not possible to be described in words. Without having the experience of the series one cannot imagine or envisage it. If Hirst’s productions were to be categorized, it would be done in three types and they are paintings, the glass tank pieces and cabinet sculptures. Considering his paintings hat are divided into spot paintings and spin paintings. Spot paintings can be described as those paintings that are randomly organized and the canvases are color-spotted and their titles refer to pharmaceutical chemicals. Spin paintings are individually created with the help of centrifugal force and is literary done on a spinning table. His glass tank sculptures include dead animals or animals cut into pieces like cows, shark or sheep that are kept in formaldehyde perched in death. Hirst’s cabinet sculptures include collection of bottles of pills or surgical tools that are on highly arranged shelves. Damien Hirst was very quick in sharing his ideas and interest areas and very easily conveyed his message. His pieces of art were most simple but at the same time had complex ideas knitted along. Along with his paintings he expanded ‘hobby’-art technique that tried to attract audience towards the beauty and extreme energy of haphazard paintings. Hirst’s piece of art in which a single fish is suspended in formaldehyde was admired as a symbol of advanced art and people came to know that how ordinary things placed in an artistic manner could attract and look beautiful. Some of Hirst’s pieces of art ike â€Å"Alone Yet Together† which included a cabinet that held 100 small fishes in small tanks of formaldehyde and â€Å"Loss of Memory is Worse than Death† which included a steel cage that contained several vitrines with surgical mask, syringe and gloves were auctioned but failed to sell. Damien puts the blame on media that it makes the public believe the flawed explanations from art critics and public get misguided and believe in them without even actually viewing the artwork. Damien is of the opinion that people understand as well as appreciate artwork even if they don’t possess an art degree because nyone has the basic knowledge of visual background, which makes them understand complex advertisements too. It is only because people are not exposed to artworks frequently they are unable to express or appreciate it. Damien now insists that his spin paintings should be provided with spinning equipment on the wall so that there is no confusion about the upper side of the painting. As far his spot paintings are concerned they have become an icon of Hirst’s artwork. Usually it is seen that Damien’s work have recurring themes in a different way and one of is themes is â€Å" cigarettes† and the best example is his piece of work, â€Å"Party Time†. Damien considers smoking as a â€Å"theoretical suicide† and he stated, â€Å"The concept of a slow suicide through smoking is a really great idea, a powerful thing to do†. One more theme that is seen quite common in Hirst’s art is medical equipment and he had been infatuated and he wants people to believe in art just as they believe in medicine. The flood of ideas and images that Damien’s artwork creates leaves admirers of art amazed, fascinated and also threatened. One of the themes in Damien’s paintings is ‘emptiness’ like in ‘He Tried to Internalize Everything’ and ‘The Acquired Inability to Escape’ he displays a small cage like structure in which objects like desk, chair and other things usually needed for human interaction are seen covered with glass but there is human presence lacking. The feeling or intension of the artists behind these works can only be experienced and there is no question of solving any problem in this piece of art. Since the things are inside a glass cage the feeling seems to be suffocating and frustrating. Damien has fascination for glass because even though it is solid and dangerous it is transparent. It allows anyone to see everything but you cannot touch anything kept inside it. Damien’s lots of tank pieces are with animals in formaldehyde where they cannot go through any natural process and he finds it quite difficult to preserve them completely. He believes that the idea behind any creation is more important than the actual piece that has been used for the purpose. He wants his creative pieces to last till his lifetime and he is not much bothered about them after it. These animals are most famous among his works and at the same time they have been quite controversial too. He was awarded the Turner Prize for ‘Mother and Child, Divided’ and Damien says, â€Å"I want people feel like burgers. I chose a cow because it was banal. It’s just nothing. It doesn’t mean anything. What is the difference between a cow and a burger? Not a lot†¦ I want people to look at cows and feel ‘Oh My God’, so then in turn, it makes them feel like burgers†. Damien wants to make people look at ordinary things in a different way and he believes that they are frightening. He wants people to question because one thing that is useful in one way can be just opposite the other and this change of function is what makes things frightening. He says that the same is with art. He has received many letters in which people have protested, threatened or laid moral objections to the use of animals in Damien’s artwork. But Damien himself is very sympathetic about animals and most of his animals are bought from slaughterhouses or have died their natural death. Damien had quite a lot of problem convincing concerned authority his pieces of art were to be considered art and not food, as he was not allowed to take his artwork for an exhibition in United States. Again in August 1995 Damien was banned to exhibit his artwork â€Å"Two Fucking, Two Watching† which included dead cows fucking without formaldehyde. The objection was that the methane gas would explode the glass and would probably prompt vomiting among the visitors. Damien’s art installation that got changed into restaurant, which was followed to sale very shortly, is just an example that Damien is simply interested in art rather than conventional media. He is a versatile artist and his art include paintings, video, sculptures and every other media in between them. He has also designed cover art for albums, directed a music video and even was part of an art and film exhibition in 1996 at the  Hayward Gallery with his short film â€Å"Hanging Around†. He included many of his pop star friends from London to provide music for this film. In 1998 he became a part of a pop group and recorded two singles. Damien has also worked on quite a few side projects. Damien’s work has been admired and exhibited in Britain, the USA, Korea, Australia and many other countries in Europe. His works are included in public museums and galleries as well as in lots of private collections too. He lives with his sons Connor and Cassius and his girlfriend Maia Norman in Devon and works at his home.

Different Types of Organized Crime in Canada Essay -- Criminal Justic

Different Types of   Organized Crime in Canada   Organized crime in Canada has many faces. The people who engage in organized crime are as varied as the types of organized crimes they engage in. There are essentially four categories of organized crime in Canada. These four categories are: (A) Aboriginal organized crime groups, (B) Outlaw motorcycle gangs, (C) Traditional Italian Mafia crime groups, ethnic groups such as Asian Triads and Vietnamese gangs, (D) Colombian cartels and emerging crime groups from Russia and Nigeria (Beare 1996: 75). Any of these groups could potentially be linked to such illegal activity as: the trafficking of narcotics, extortion, loan-sharking, various types of frauds, smuggling of cigarettes, alcohol, weapons and people (illegal aliens), pornography, prostitution, murder, and gambling. It is true that any of the groups mentioned in the above categories could be involved in any of the crimes just mentioned. However each category tends to have certain crimes that it commits with regularity, crimes th at, that particular group may specialize in.As well these groups tend to have certain crimes that they do not touch. Perhaps they stay away from a particular crime because it is the speciality of a stronger group. A look into which groups do which crimes will be helpful.   Aboriginal organized crime groups tend to deal with crimes that many people do not consider a big problem. These groups tend to focus on the smuggling of cigarettes and alcohol. Aboriginal groups also tend to take part in the founding of illegal gambling facilities. Although these offences in and of themselves may appear to be rather innocent; the large amount of money involved in these enterprises soon changes the nature of the game... ...ent of all the cocaine consumed in Canada and the United States (Beare 1996: 86). The Colombian cartels control the bulk of the cocaine market through out most of the western world. Enforcement officials are only just begging to understand the extent and the sophistication of the Colombian cartels' criminal activities here in Canada. The links that the Colombians are making with other criminal groups could prove to be very dangerous.   This has been a brief overview of the different categories of organized crime one can find in Canada. The only good to be said about all of this is that at least there are many different groups. True it makes the groups harder to track down. But if one group controlled it all they would be impossible to stop. Reference: Beare Margaret 1996 Criminal Conspiracies Organized Crime in Canada. Nelson Canada, Scarborough, Ont.

International Business Climate Essay

1.0 Introduction Business climate refers to the economic environment in general which depicts how businesses and business activities are supported by the government as well as the lending institutions. Business climate is also a reflection of the attitude of the labor unions toward inflation rates, taxation rates, employers and other issues which affect business activities   in a given region or country. Switzerland ranks the most attractive country in terms of having the most conducive international business climate which has attracted tremendous investments and highly skilled labor from all over the globe. The country enjoys a safe and stable working environment and most small and medium enterprises are located in the Greater Geneva Berne area (GGBa) which has an excellent international business track record (ggba-switzerland.ch, n.d). Switzerland experienced one of the weakest economies in the Western Europe in the 1990s during which the annual GDP growth averaged 0% between the years 1991 and 1997. A gradual economic growth was witnessed in the beginning of late 1997 and it reached a peak in 2000 with a GDP of 3%. Between 2001 and 2003, the economic growth slowed down but began to grow at 2.5% per annum since the year 2004 until the latest global economic crises which have had a great impact on its economic growth (state.gov, 2010). Being at the heart of Europe, Switzerland is a hub for the crucial communication systems which are indispensable in the industrial Europe. Therefore, the expansive modern and reliable infrastructure encompassing the country facilitates an extremely high number of international and local business activities. The good international business climate of the country has been influenced by several factors which entails economic, cultural, legal, and political issues. It is therefore the obj ective of this paper to discuss these issues with reference to Switzerland as a country. 2.0 Economic Climate Trade is the backbone of Switzerland’s prospering economy which has made its per capita income be among the highest globally. International climate highly favors the export markets upon which the country depends for generating enormous income while at the same time facilitating the imports of raw materials which are essential for the expansion of the range of goods and services available in the economy. Economic climate is also made better by the liberal trade and investment policies which has attracted many investors in addition to the well defined commercial law and well developed legal system. Switzerland is a member of several international economic organizations including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Trade Organization (WTO), Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and The World Bank (state.gov, 2010). Important sectors of the economy include tourism, engineering, banking and insurance which have a heavy influence in the economic policies of the country. The existing trading companies enjoy unique expertise from Far East, Africa, Middle East and Eastern Europe. The highly developed tourism industry gives the country’s market the   opportunity to trade in services and equipment related to tourism. The export industry provides the economy with about half of the country’s corporate earnings with the largest trading partner being the European Union. The trade and economic barriers between Switzerland and the EU are minimal hence facilitating more business activities. The U.S   is a major export destination of products from Switzerland and also a major source of imports of raw materials for the country. U.S is the second-largest importer of Swiss goods after Germany and also is the largest foreign investor in Switzerland (state.gov, 2010). 3.0 Legal Climate The business regulatory system in Switzerland is highly transparent and regulations affecting the activities of both local and international investors are applied with no discrimination. Previously, cartels were common in the economy whereby companies in various industrial and service sectors through industrial and trade associations organized themselves into vertical and horizontal cartels. The new law governing the formation of cartels ensures that such cartels do no harm to the society and the economy. The adoption of this law which includes the authority to stop anti-competitive behavior without prior warning has facilitated an extra GDP growth of 0.5-0.8% per annum following the reduction of harmful cartels (Dimireva, 2010). The legal system governing international and local business activities has propagated an efficient capital markets and   portfolio investment. One of the largest markets for foreign borrowers is the Swiss franc dominated foreign bond market and generally there are no restrictions on the sale or purchase of   foreign equities and currencies. Forward transactions between Swiss nationals and foreigners can be carried out at the prevailing market rates. The liberal market of Switzerland is protected from being misused as a platform for criminal activity and money laundering by regulations which serve to adjust particular aspects of portfolio investment. A good example is the signing of OECD Anti-Bribery Convention in 1997 which started operating in 2000 (Dimireva, 2010). The effective legal and policy framework of Switzerland has excelled in combating corruption which if unchecked can adversely impact the international business climate. Following implementatation of laws deterring corruption, for instance the U.S firms which have invested in Switzerland have not issued any complaints about cases of corruption. There are highl y effective investigative and enforcement mechanisms which deals with any domestic corruption and this has attracted more international investors who have developed confidence in the Swiss economy. 4.0 Political Climate The Swiss political system is highly stable and effective since both the county and state government bodies possess high levels opf control. The system has been structured in such a way that all the rural and urban areas of the country have access to government officials for requests or essential information. A referendum which requires a popular one million signatures is enough to give people the power to demand certain changes concerning business practice, the established law or the environment. One of the main contributors to the country’s political stability is the stability existing within different institutions.The Swiss National Bank for instance is a highly steadfast finanacial institution which has strengthened and stabilised the Swiss Franc. Political stability is further stabilised by the fact that Switzerland   is a representative democracy in which the major governing body is the Federal Council made up of seven persons. The government is considered to be trustw orthy and honest by the populace (mkeever.com, n.d). 5.0 Cultural Climate International business climate in Switzerland is greatly influenced by the etiquette and cultural expectations in the Swiss professional environment. In order to develop productive working relationships and successful business strategies, it is a preriquisite to understand and respect the various aspects of Swiss culture. The country offers Communicaid’s Doing Business cultural awareness courses to enhance the creation of fruitful business relationships between foreign business professionals and the Swiss clients partners and colleagues (Guliyev, 2007). Such courses are essential in ensuring competitive advantage which offers foreign business people with the ideal opportunity to comfortably do business in the country. In addition, there are a wide range of cultural and leisure activioties which has further facilitated the progress of the country in doing intyernational business. The ideal cultural climate has prompted a large number of   sports lovers, business travellers an d nature enthusiasist to visit the country all year round which has elevated international business relations a notch higher. 6.0 Conclusion The creation of an enabling international business climate is a collective task of various institutions and aspects of the society. These aspects must comprehensively address cultural, political, economic, and legal situations of the particular country which is willing to create a conducive business environment. Switzerland is a good example of a country in the heart of Europe which has embarked in creating such an environment which consequently has attracted huge investments. The creation of   an excellent international business climate may not be as challenging as sustaining it and therefore firm political, legal, cultural and economic strategies are indispensable in achieving it.

Astronomy: From the Earth to the End of the Universe

What is the universe? For something so mind numbingly large, it is quite simply to define – the universe is simply everything that exists. However let us ponder that question. Imagine a blind goldfish born and raised in a tiny fishbowl.For that goldfish, the universe is the gallon of water, the glass boundary, and the sand and ornaments sitting at the bottom. While it is apparent to us the universe is much larger than that, for the fish that is the entire extent of the universe – a gallon of water, a glass bowl, some sand and the rain of fish food coming from above.In some ways, mankind is that blind fish, oblivious to the extent of the universe since his universe is defined only by what he can perceive and observe. Astronomy can be seen as a tool by which mankind slowly grew his universe, from his planet, to his solar system, to his galaxy to 156 billion light years wide thing that we call our universe today.One could argue that astronomy is the first science to emerge , beating out physics, biology, chemistry and other fields of study in occupying mankind’s academic curiosity. We can say this because astronomical phenomena are probably one of the first observations made by our ancestors. It does not take a knowledge or curiosity of science to notice the presence of night and day.It does not take a scholar to notice that the sun rises in the same direction and sets in the opposite direction day after day. Primitive man looked at the moon and would notice its changing shape and the fact that on some days it is present and on some days it is not. One does not need a telescope to notice those numerous twinkling points of light in the sky called stars.Even without possessing the astronomical tools we have today, ancient civilizations have created numerous ways to observe and catalogue the behavior of celestial bodies. The concept of a calendar was based around the changing patterns of stars in the heavens.Knowledge of such patterns became impor tant for ancient farmers as the presence of specific patterns in the sky could tell them that it is time to plant, another set of patterns would tell them that it is a good time to harvest, and another set of patterns could tell the imminence of the annual flooding of the river. For early man, the connection between movements of stars and the events unfolding in his midst were clear. Knowledge of celestial movements aid him feed himself and his family.With such heavenly foretelling, the development of a feeling of connection between the Gods and the stars is hardly surprising. Huge monuments were erected to serve as observatories for these events.Monuments to the gods were created to align with celestial behavior. Stonehenge in Britain served as a stencil for solar motion. In Chichen Itza, pyramids and towers dedicated to the gods also served as astronomical observatories.

Mr Bennett Essay

Mr Bennett Essay Mr Bennett Essay University of Phoenix Willie C Bennett BUS/210 12/09/2012 Philip Shippers The business plan I chose is Computer Engineering, Todd, West, and associates who specialize in the modification to inventory management systems of all types. The mission of Todd, West, and associate is to work directly with customers to improve their warehouse management system. In reading this business plan that I would be concerned with is does the company have the experience and leaders to identify and meet the needs of the customers. Is the plan properly identifying the market; does the company have managers in place who understand the business plan; does the company have proper material to meet the demand of the service providing is the products capable of meeting the demands and needs of the customers; does the company have sufficient capital reserved enough to sustain a six month period; does the company have a training plan that would educate employees to the goals of the company. These are the concerns I have toward the strength of the company. One of the strength of th e staff of Todd, West, and associate is that they have performed within the industry major companies with successful results. Their unique perspective has already led to two of the industry leaders, symbol and CDS, outsourcing special modification orders to Todd, West, and Associate. With this said the company has already achieved huge recognition. In reading the business plan for the computer engineering business there are no known weaknesses. The objectives chart shows a manageable sale, gross margin and net profit chart which is very achievable in a three-year period. One of the weaknesses of the company would be reaching sources outside of the RAM which they have already developed. Although they show success, developing a outreach plan to outside sources will be challenging. It is estimated that wireless ADC products will dominate the market by 2005. Two of the industry leaders, symbols and CDS, exceeded 600 million in sales for FY 2000. Wireless product represents 28% of their total sales. The company (computer engineering) will have to provide a service which will be more advantageous than the competitive competition. Although Todd, West, and associates competitive edge is the five years Mary and John has spent installing symbol and CDS wireless ADC system, most companies internal are already set up with this business. In reading the business plan studying the sales monthly, sales by year projections the company shows great potential for opportunities. The company’s opportunity personally shows great potential for increase for employees and the business. With an average increase of $10,000 per employee each year the opportunities of success is achievable. The financial plan profit monthly, yearly and gross margin monthly also shows great profit which is reachable. Financially the opportunity for profit growth shows an increase of $100,000 in three years along with cash flow. Although it is not mentioned in the business plan the

The Nature-Culture Divide

The Nature-Culture Divide Nature and culture are often seen as opposite ideas- what belongs to nature cannot be the result of human intervention and, on the other hand, cultural development is achieved against nature. However, this is by far not the only take on the relationship between nature and culture. Studies in the evolutionary development of humans suggest that culture is part and parcel of the ecological niche within which our species thrived, thus rendering culture a chapter in the biological development of a species. An Effort Against Nature Several modern authors- such as Rousseau- saw the process of education as a struggle against the most eradicated tendencies of human nature. Humans are born with wild dispositions, such as the one of using violence to achieve one’s own goals, to eat and behave in a disorganized fashion, and/or to act egotistically. Education is that process which uses culture as an antidote against our wildest natural tendencies; it is thanks to culture that the human species could progress and elevate itself above and beyond other species. A Natural Effort Over the past century and a half, however, studies in the history of human development have clarified how the formation of what we refer to as culture in an anthropological sense is part of the biological adaptation of our ancestors to the environmental conditions in which they came to live.Consider, for example, hunting. Such an activity seems an adaptation, which allowed hominids to move from the forest into the savannah some millions of year ago, opening up the opportunity to change diet and living habits. At the same time, the invention of weapons is directly related to that adaptation- but from weapons descend also a whole series of skill sets characterizing our cultural profile, from butchering tools to ethical rules relating to the proper use of weapons (e.g., should they be turned against other human beings or against uncooperative species?). Hunting also seems responsible for a whole set of bodily abilities, such as balancing on one foot as humans are the only primates that can do that. Now, think of how this very simple thing is crucially connected to dance, a key expression of human culture. It is then clear that our biological development is closely tied to our cultural development. Culture as an Ecological Niche The view that came to be most plausible over the past decades seems to be that culture is part of the ecological niche within which humans live. Just as snails carry their shell, so do we bring along our culture. Now, the transmission of culture seems not to be directly related to the transmission of genetic information. Certainly the significant overlap between the genetic makeup of humans is a premise for the development of a common culture that can be passed along from one generation to the next. However, cultural transmission is also horizontal among individuals within the same generation or among individuals belonging to different populations. You can learn how to make lasagna even if you were born from Korean parents in Kentucky just as you can learn how to speak Tagalog even if none of your immediate family or friends speak that language. Further Readings on Nature and Culture The online sources on the nature-culture divide are scarce. Luckily, there are a number of good bibliographical resources that can help out. Here is a list of few of the more recent ones, from which older takes on the topic can be recovered: Peter Watson, The Great Divide: Nature and Human Nature in the Old World and the New, Harper, 2012.Alan H. Goodman, Deborah Heat, and Susan M. Lindee, Genetic Nature/Culture: Anthropology and Science Beyond the Two-Culture Divide, University of California Press, 2003.Rodney James Giblett, The Body of Nature and Culture, Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.

Responsibility to Protect and Obstacles in Its Implementations Essay

Responsibility to Protect and Obstacles in Its Implementations - Essay Example In so doing, the Assembly deliberately rejected the old paradigm that viewed sovereignty and human rights as diametric opposites of a horizontal continuum, and embraced the notion that the two principles necessarily reinforce each other. In paragraph 139 of the Document, the Security Council was recognized as possessing the right to authorize force under Chapter VII to prevent genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity where "national authorities manifestly fail" to protect their own populations" (World Summit Outcome 31). This recognition has decisively broadened the legal effect of Article 39 of the Charter - it is now fully settled in law that the Security Council may use force in contained domestic crises where atrocities are being committed. The principal argument of this paper is that notwithstanding the advancements of "responsibility to protect", the doctrine in its present form has serious shortcomings that could leave the Security Council without cl ear parameters and guidelines for dealing with future genocides. R2P fails to meet the needs of civilians due to the non-intervention norm enshrined within the Charter. It is vital that more work be done to develop clearer standards and benchmarks in the determination of responsibility to protect. Barriers Implementing R2P R2P, while specifically addressing humanitarian interventions, is a doctrine which is not legally binding. R2P merely serves to clarify the criteria permitting intervention. The criteria are just cause, right intention, last resort, right authority, proportional means, and reasonable prospects. Just cause determines the grounds under which humanitarian interventions may occur. The ICISS identified genocide and large-scale ethnic cleansing, actual or imminent. Right intention prohibits intervention for the sake of regime change or other national interests. The intervention must be solely based on humanitarian motives. The last resort criterion determines that all n on-military means of conflict prevention must be exhausted before relying on the use of military force. The right authority criterion clarifies that while the UN Security Council is the primary vehicle for authorising intervention, it may also, in the case of UNSC paralysis, be authorised by regional organisations such as North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the European Union (EU), or the African Union (AU). Proportional means is the idea that the scale, duration, and planned military intervention are the minimum of what is necessary to secure the defined objective. This assures the country in which the intervention is taking place that the intervention is merely temporary and that sovereignty will be returned in the shortest time possible. The final criterion; reasonable prospects, is perhaps the most important. It is the idea that an intervention will only take place if the consequences of such action will not be worse than doing nothing (Matt 31). However, like all legal c onventions, R2P is subject to interpretation. There is nothing in R2P which prevents states from arguing that the just cause threshold has not been crossed or that the responsibility to protect lies with the host state and not the international community. It is stated within the R2P report that it is a pro-sovereignty doctrine, and that the responsi