Effects of Corn Monoculture on Soils: Models for Change in American Agr

Effects of Corn Monoculture on Soils: Models for Change in American Agriculture According to writer and environmentalist Vandana Shiva, "the crucial characteristic of monocultures is that they do not merely displace alternatives, they destroy their own basis"(1993, p.50). If the self-destruction of a monoculture is really so simple, it seems that continuous cropping agriculture should long have been abandoned for a more suitable method. Unfortunately, the problem is far more complex. This paper will focus on the effects of corn monoculture on soils in general, the development of the monoculture in the United States and the effects this had on soil in this country. Through the exploration of other models, suggestions will then be made on how to modify the continuous cropping system in the United States into a more sustainable one. The first piece of evidence that the continual cropping system is inefficient, is that it is the least productive growing system. In experiments done in Wooster, Ohio, it was found that a field where crop rotation was used could produce 27.62 bushels of corn per acre, a field with continual cropping produced only 13.33 bushels per acre, and where chemical fertilizer was used on a continuous cropped field, 30.53 bushels per acre were produced (Weir, 1936,p. 502). Though it interesting that these facts are fundamental enough to have been discovered before 1936, it should also be noted that a recent eight year study done at the University of Nebraska, where scientists compared thirteen cropping systems, "the results confirmed the findings of studies done in the first half of the century"(Committee on the Role of Alt. Farm. Methods, 1989, p.229). If continual cropping is the least effective method o... ...ouncil, 1989, Alternative Agriculture: Washington, D.C., National Academy Press. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 1980, China: Multiple Cropping and Related Crop Production Technology, report on the fao/undp study tour or the People's Republic of China, 25 June- 22 July 1979: Rome, United Nations Publishing. Hudson, John C., 1994, Making the Corn Belt: A Geographical History of Middle-western Agriculture: Bloomington, Indiana University Press. Miracle, Marvin P., 1966, Maize in Tropical Africa: Madison, University of Wisconsin Press. Shiva, Vandana, 1993, Monocultures of the Mind: Perspectives on Biodiversity and Biotechnology: London, Zed Books Limited. Weir, Wilbert W., 1936, Soil Science : Its Principles and Practice Including Basic Processes for Managing Soils and Improving their Fertility: Chicago, J.B. Lippencott Company.

Globalization and Industrialized Countries Essay

As globalization ‘can be seen as being a condition resulting from a long history of international exploration, invasion and colonization, fuelled by economic, military, religious and political interests, and enabled through enormous developments in transport and communications technologies’ (Evans 1997:12). The industrialized environment has transformed drastically since the advent of globalization. Industrialized countries have undertaken extreme restructuring by modifying their means of communication and synchronization of work activities. Globalization has made it promise for companies to work on a real-time basis, whereby products and services are conveyed to the right place at the right time. Since then, globalization and information technology has propagated and has undergone significant improvements. Costs have sustained to decline as these new technologies have emerged. A business not supported by a network of computer systems (primary information technology) is more or less destined to fail, since it will be incapable to compete efficiently in today’s complex and dynamic environment (Aiki S. 1991). Companies are not the only ones who have gained from advances in modern information technology. Consumers and interest groups have created strategic alliances and now capable to coordinate their activities as well as exchange ideas and thoughts through a number of database and network systems (Collins J. C. , and J. I. Porras. 1991). For instance, owners of personal computers can subscribe to a computer network and without difficulty retrieve information on the products and corporations on line. Such information can also without problems be transmitted to other users. This huge use of technology by both consumers and companies affects, but the way business is run today. These consumer strategic alliances know no geographical limitations; oftentimes, they are global in nature, particularly among the industrialized nations. As companies can get in enormous profits from the better coordination, greater product elasticity, improved quality, leaner production, and more time-based competitiveness that information technology offers, they also facades the threat that can come from these consumers’ strategic alliances. For instance, corporations can no longer ignore consumer demands for constant product quality, reliability and respect for the environment, or timely delivery of services. As we move toward more and more advanced technologies, the labor force must be retrained. This training must not only expose workers to the technical matters adjoining the new process but also to the new focus of the organization. They have to be made responsive of the importance of advanced technology in improving work methods and in remaining competitive. Employee compulsion to the new process is imperative. Globalization by itself adds little or no value to an organization. There should be organizational as well as employee dedication to exploit the technology to the maximum (Scott, A. 1996). For instance, with ever-increasing use of computer-integrated manufacturing systems, and the stream of technical documentation that accompanies it, employees have to be skilled of recognizing the critical information at the right time. Once that information is recognized and properly interpreted, there must be an organizational dedication to use the information to make better decisions. Without this potential, the organization cannot take advantage from new technologies. Human resources’ management, therefore, will persist to be a critical factor in the survival of any organization (Schlossberg H. 1992). We sum up the influence of globalization on human resources as follows: †¢ Information technology transforms the mode of communication and work processes. †¢ Custom or standardized operations are replaced with skilled and multi-skilled workers. An extremely trained labor force is desired to manage information technology. †¢ Worker motivation and satisfaction might improve since workers are no longer restricted to routine operations, enjoy management powers, and can contribute to developments in their work processes. (Waters, M. 1995) Globalization also has an impact on the organization itself, as follows: †¢ Organizational reformation is required. This reformation makes the organization flat. Decision-making powers are decentralized. †¢ Communications are better and the organization is capable to make timely responses to its environment. †¢ Introduction of new products and services is improved and varieties of products can be efficiently introduced and marketed by the organization. †¢ The organization is competent to improve its efficiency, quality, and competitiveness. (Scott, A. 1997) Today’s advanced technology can, conversely, easily become a basic technology. A rapid increase of new technologies also brings rapid obsolescence of earlier technologies. Policies concerning technology must not be static; they must keep evolving. Stalk (1988) points out that â€Å"competitive advantage is a persistently moving target . . . The best competitors, the most thriving ones, know how to keep moving and always stay on the cutting edge. † Competitiveness A company should be able to evaluate potential new technologies quickly. The goal must be to remain competitive, and effective management of technology is a vital step in achieving this. With an increased focus on customer satisfaction, technology is a decisive means for achieving customer satisfaction. Browning (1990) notes that a learning organization â€Å"uses technology incessantly to refresh its knowledge of its customers’ wants and to work out new ways of satisfying them. † This commitment to be a learning organization needs vast resources, however. For example, Browning also points out that building a learning organization â€Å"necessitates new skills, clever people and capable machines. † Noticeably, technology and human resources should be used together for the organization to stay competitive (Cunningham, S. and Jacka, E. 1996). Barabba and Zaltman (1991) note that â€Å"hearing the accent of the market and making constructive use of it with respect to the voice of the firm is a learning progression. † Essentially, the voice of the market has to be interpreted into facts and tasks that will lead to suitable products or services to satisfy customer needs. This is related to the application of quality function deployment, whereby the organization expands its strategic plans to assure customer needs. Thus, a learning organization should also be a caring organization. As a caring organization, its major objective is to please its stock or stakeholders, its customers, and employees, and also to be collectively responsible. The traditional organization, with the focus on satisfying stockholders alone, is varying to this new form, with a sophisticated stakeholder group (Petrella, R. 1999). Thus, globalization and human resources’ management are recognized as key variables that facilitate an organization to improve its productivity, quality, and competitiveness. A critical constituent is the information technology, which offers both opportunities and challenges. The organization should show understanding to its environment via its policies, and be learning and caring organization, as time and reliability influence competitiveness. Finally, organizations should innovate and constantly move to achieve new targets, particularly in view of today’s rapidly developing new technologies (Shields, R. 1997).

Outline and assess the main positions in the secularisation debate

Abstract This essay tackles the main positions of the secularisation debate. To begin with, this essay examines the ‘bottom up/demand-side’ theory of secularisation, which postulates that as societies go through the process of industrialisation, the religious values that underpin the societal fabric will inevitably erode as the citizenry become more impervious to spiritual pursuits. This essay also examines the importance of the ‘market’ approach to the theory of secularisation, arguing that the top down/supply side perspective is of fundamental significance in order to understand the persistence of religious practice in modern societies. Introduction The secularisation debate has acquired a growing influence in recent years, due to the onset of the postmodern age. Postmodernism posits that in the age of instantaneous communications and ubiquitous access to technology, rigid and fixed classifications pertaining to religion, class, gender and race have been significantly eroded. The main positions in the secularisation debate focus on two distinct approaches (Fitzgerald, 2000: 133). The first perspective that is postulated for examination relates to the ‘bottom up/demandside’ idea of secularisation. According to this view, as societies go through the process of industrialisation, the religious values that underpin the societal fabric will inevitably erode as the publics become more impervious to spiritual pursuits (Gauchet, 1999: 40). At the same time’, the ‘top down/supply side’ theory of secularisation, which highlights that the need for spirituality remains constant across national boundaries, p laces a great deal of emphasis on the role of religions institutions in maintaining adherence to theological principles. This essay will begin by charting the idea that secularisation responds to the gradual phasing out of religious values in modern societies. The second part of the essay will concentrate in the manner in which these values are permanently re-imposed on societies by religious leaders and organisation. Crucially, the second section of the essay highlights the importance of the ‘market’ approach to the theory of secularisation, arguing that the top down/supply side perspective is of fundamental significance in order to understand the persistence of religious practice in modern societies. The bottom up/demand side theory of secularisation The main view propounded by this theory of secularisation is that the advent of the scientific method and rational observation as a method to create societal improvement has shaken the theological foundations that were influential in shaping the evolution of the Western world (Gauchet, 1999: 45). The erosion of supernatural interpretations of the nature of the world has been a permanent cultural phenomenon in the Western world since the advent of the Enlightenment, with its emphasis on universal categorisation that could be subject to empirical observation and rational testability standards (Martin, 1993: 93). The rational template endorsed by industrialised societies rendered the theological claims imposed by the major religions incompatible with the needs of the existence of human collective that relied in an increasing manner on the benefits brought forward by technological advancement (Martin, 2005: 55). There was a gradual and consistent loss of religious faith in Western societ ies that ultimately resulted in the unravelling of theological practices and Church attendances (Martin, 1993: 97). In addition, this provoked a relative corrosion of the social and cultural meanings attached to religious identity, along with a move away from allegiance to political parties and organisations based on denominational values. According to this theory of secularisation, religious and scientific values are at loggerheads, with a constant undermining of Bible teachings by making reference to the Darwinian teachings put together in the theory of evolution (Martin, 1969: 25). The knowledge gained by society through scientific advancement and its application to technological improvements, coupled with the expansion of education opportunities, impacted on the cultural changes that were ushered in Western societies. It could be posited that the tenets of the Enlightenment undercut the metaphysical principles that were responsible for maintaining societal cohesion during the Middle Ages (Martin, 2005: 59). Thinkers like Max Weber stated that the onset of industrialisation and mass capitalism produced an environment of opinion conducive to reducing the idea of the supernatural to the domain of human rationality and subjected to the explanations taken from the hard sciences rather than making reference to metaphysical arguments (Gauchet, 1999: 49). The attainments made by Western societies in the sciences and the feats that took place in the realm of engineering and technology has emphasised the importance of subjecting nature to the control of man (Bruce, 2002: 59). These developments were responsible for a change of perception regarding the advent of personal tragedies and natural disasters on the part of a growing number of individuals, who started to regard those eventsin rational terms, instead of attributing them to mysterious forces outside the control of man. Accordingly, the intellectual authority held by religious ministers became just one of the sources of knowledge to be taken into account (Berger, 1969: 30). Their authority was put in direct competition with the people who displayed their professional expertise across many fields of study and who made use of the rational method. At the same time, the gradual separation between state and church that took place in many European nations and the United States, couple d with the emergence of bureaucratic apparati and modern political parties led to the discrediting of traditional religious institutions. The industrialisation of Western societies had attached to it a series of changes that impacted upon the ability of individuals to experience mystical experienced (Harris, 2005: 61). This includes the steep decline in communal life, the fragmentation between nature and man and the increased use of technology. It is worth mentioning that the interpretation put forward by Max Weber regarding the bottom up/demand side theory of secularisation is based on the effects that the Lutheran Reform and the industrial revolution had on the development of political and religious life in Western Europe and North American (Idinopulos and Wilson, 1998: 101). The idea of disenchantment with the world, as propounded by Weber, compelled individuals to seek salvation in the pursuit of material gain, hence eroding the very foundations of transcendental Christian thin king (Tremlett, 2009: 22). The growing importance of Rationalism was necessarily conducive to being sceptical about the existence of an omnipotent and omniscient God, ultimately resulting in the debunking of religion as a method of explain natural phenomena (Bruce, 2002: 67). It is also important to stress that a bottom up/demand side theory of secularisation can also be understood according the functionalist perspective underlined by Emile Durkheim (Durkheim, 1912, 1995: 73). The French sociologist identified the loss of functional purpose as one of the main reasons behind the erosion of the centrality of religion in the institutional make-up of modern societies (Norris, 2004: 130). This functionalist perspective highlights the idea that a scheme of theology does not just represent a system of beliefs about the nature of existence (Asad, 2003: 90). Instead, it is also a framework of actions concerning certain and certain rituals and symbolism that are performed to signpost the passage of time across the person’s natural lifespan (Durkheim, 1912, 1995: 30). These symbolisms were responsible for maintaining a high degree of social cohesion and stability, hence producing common goods that could be enjoyed by all members of society (Davie, 1994: 88). Conversely, the industrialisation Western European and North American societies generated the fragmentation of the social space by inducing process of technical differentiation that dispersed the sources of knowledge (Wilson, 1966: 76). The specialisation of knowledge production stripped the ecclesiastical authorities of the powers that they had in determining which epistemological approaches should be pursued and how the knowledge created was to be disseminated (McCutcheon, 2003: 119). In addition, all the charity organisations of Christian extraction that had for centuries been in charge of providing for the disenfranchised members of society were replaced by welfare states subsidised by government institutions (Bruce, 2002: 62). These events were the immediate result of the reappraisal of the role of religious doctrines and organisation. By the late nineteenth century, the doctrines and practices proposed by the Church were not deemed to be functional to the task of ensuring th e material welfare of the population (Tremlett, 2009: 19). Instead, the state had become a kind of secular god that had encroached into many areas of the lives of individuals (Berger, 1969: 147). This entailed that the role of religious institutions were strictly confined to the personal realm; in the public domain, the faith gradually ceased to become a powerful force in the shaping of the political evolution of the nation. The top up/supply side theory of secularisation The views exposed in the previous section can be juxtaposed to the perspective highlighted by the top up/supply side theory of secularisation. This perspective underlines the conditions brought about by the spread of religious freedom in contemporary societies, which led to a competitive environment in the market for religious adherents amongst theological organisations (Davie, 1994: 93). This view makes an analogy between theological organisations and business firms, all of which struggle in order to capture a growing segment of the market. The top up/supply side theory of secularisation postulates that the competition between different religious denominations has a positive impact on the preservation of religion as a vibrant force in society (Asad, 2003: 33). This approach explains the manner in which, for example, the level of religious adherence is larger in countries like the United States, where the different theological denomination are engaged in permanent competition in orde r to attract new adherents (Idinopulos and Wilson, 1998: 111). This theory puts forward the notion that an intense competition between the different denominations result in churches striving to keep a dynamic spiritual environment in their congregations, hence helping to retain the relevance of religion in their community (Harris, 2005: 58). In the United States, this has generated a situation in which the older denominations such as Lutherans, Catholics and Presbyterians are losing ground to the evangelical religious organisations. Whilst the evangelical movements demand a great deal of effort on the part of the would-be adherents, they also offer a more intense religious experience than the older denominations; which seems to be a determinant factor in attracting support for their cause (Asad, 1993: 145). Furthermore, the top up/supply side theory of secularisation posits that in cases where religious life is dominated by theological organisations that are directly subsidised by the state, the clergy seems to be less keen to engage with the community of believers, hence leading to the decay of spiritual life in their communities (Stark and Iannaccone, 1994: 232). This theoretical approach seems to replicate the idea that state-owned organisations, be them of an economic or religious nature, tend to be less innovative than private ones (Davie, 1994: 19). For example, in Northern Europe, the established Protestant churches are able to fend off the threat posed by other Christian denominations (Wilson, 1966: 58). This means that the clergy does not have to overexert itself in order to attract the attention of their would-be religious adherents (Asad, 2003: 14). Consequently, this led to a situation in which religious attendance declined in a significant manner, since the number of optio ns available in the spiritual market tends to be quite reduced (McCutcheon, 2003: 46). However, this does not explain the reasons behind the consistently high levels of religious attendance in Southern European and Latin American countries, in spite of the monopoly enjoyed by the Catholic Church (Martin, 1969: 28). It could be argued that a pluralist religious template as the basis for a high level of religious attendance represents a theoretical blueprint that can only be successfully applied to particular settings (Berger, 1969: 61). It would appear that many of the tenets espoused by this particular theory of secularisation are not based on a sound methodological framework (Harris, 2005: 55). To be sure, the idea of a competitive religious market as an instrument that allows countries to reverse religious decline can only be applied to the United States, which is a society that has traditionally been based around the development of communal life; strongly informed by religious v alues in order to connect individuals to their particular cultural and geographical setting (Asad, 1993: 66). At the same time, it has been argued that the level of religious attendance have remained quite consistent across the ages, which entails that there have been no substantial secularisation process as a result of the onset of modernity (McCutcheon, 2003: 48). In addition, it has been noted that the ‘market’ theory of religion can provide a sound basis for explaining overall trends in religious adherence (Stark, 1999: 249). In fact, in Western societies, periods of low attendance alternated with periods of higher levels of religious fervour (Idinopulos and Wilson, 1998: 98). It is therefore important to concede the possibility that the top up/supply side theory of secularisation may provide with a sound framework of reference in order to examine the level of religious adherence in across the ages (Stark, 1993: 389). It would appear that the postmodern condition do es not necessarily mar the possibility of a reconstitution of religious life along more fluid doctrinal lines (Stark, 1999: 260). This goes some way towards rebutting the assumptions put forward by the bottom up/demand side theory of secularisation (Wilson, 1966: 61). The ‘market’ interpretation of religious adherence may provide a better way of understanding the extent to which modern societies have been secularised (Wilson, 1966: 82). The dynamic interactions that take place in the social space give rise to the possibility of more fluid (and therefore more vibrant) religious denominational structures that may rehabilitate the spectrum of religious life in postmodern societies (Stark and Iannaccone, 1994: 231). It could be posited that this trend, directed from the top down and informed by a strong supply side approach borrowed from the field of economics, is ultimately a better way to understand the reasons behind the persistence of religious life in modern societies (Asad, 2003: 14). Conclusion By way of conclusion, it may be posited that the bottom up/demand side theory of secularisation provides with some interesting insights regarding the evolution of religious life in societies that have been affected by the process of industrialisation and modernisation, to be sure, the application of scientific methods of interpreting the nature of reality resulted in profound changes in the nature and extent of religious practice in Western European and North American societies (Berger, 1969: 77). The specialisation of technical knowledge production removed power from the religious authorities regarding the way in which knowledge was to be pursued, created and spread (Norris, 2004: 41). Moreover, the onset of modernisation and industrialisation gave the state a great deal of power in order to provide welfare provisions for its citizens, hence stripping the church institutions of their functional purpose (Fitzgerald, 2000: 122). Notwithstanding the validity of these arguments, they do not explain the persistence of religious attendance throughout the ages (Stark, 1993: 390). There seems to be an inherent human drive to seek the ultimate explanations of the nature of existence by referring to supernatural forces, which explains the resilience of religious practice across the ages. The postmodern condition has given rise to new forms of religious and spiritual practices that thrive thanks to the way in which they are able to utilise technology in order to fulfil their mission (Asad, 1993: 45). For all the reasons cited above, it could be concluded that the theory of secularisation fails to explain the continued interest shown by people in pursuing spiritual avenues for personal advancement; an interest that seems to be more vibrant than ever in the age of fluid doctrinal requirements for religious practice. Bibliography Asad, T. (1993) Genealogies of Religion, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD Asad, T. (2003) Formations of the Secular, Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA Berger, P. (1969) The Sacred Canopy, Anchor Books, Garden City, NY Bruce, S. (2002) God is dead-Secularization in the West, Blackwell, Oxford Davie, G. (1994) Religion in Britain since 1945, Blackwell, Oxford Durkheim, E. (1912, 1995) The Elementary Formations of Religious Life, Free Press, New York, NY Fitzgerald, T. (2000) The Ideology of Religious Studies, Oxford University Press, Oxford Gauchet, M., (1999) The Disenchantment with the World, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ Harris, S. (2005) The End of Faith, Free Press, New York Idinopulos, T. and Wilson, B. (1998) What is ReligionOrigins, Definitions and Explanations, Brill, Boston Martin, D. (1993) A General Theory of Secularization, Gregg Revivals, Aldershot Martin, D., (1969) The Religious and the Secular, Routledge, London Martin, D. (2005) On Secularisation, Aldergate Publishing Company, Aldershot McCutcheon, R. (2003) The Discipline of Religion-Structure, Meaning, Rhetoric, Routledge, London Norris, P. (2004) Sacred and Secular, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Stark, R. and Iannaccone, L., A Supply Side Reinterpretation of the Secularization of Europe, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion ,Vol. 33, No. 3 (Sep., 1994), pp. 230-252 Stark, R., Europe’s Receptivity to New Religious Movements: Round Two, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Vol. 32, No. 4 (Dec., 1993), pp. 389-397 Stark, R., Secularization, R.I.P. Source: Sociology of Religion, Vol. 60, No. 3, Autumn, 1999, pp. 249-273 Tremlett, P. F. (2009) Religion and the Discourse on Modernity, Continuum, New York Wilson, B. (1966) Religion in Secular Society, C. A. Watts, London

Experiments in Art and Technology Essay

â€Å"The new interface I will define is one in which the artist makes active use of the inventiveness and skills of an engineer to achieve his purpose. The artist could not complete his intentions without the help of an engineer. The artist incorporates the work of the engineer in the painting or the sculpture or the performance. † what a perfect synergy! Introduction ‘Experiments in Art and technology’ (E. A. T. ) is an aged non profit making and tax exempted organization instituted as far back as 1966 by renounced engineers and artists. The engineers included the persons of Billy Kluver and Fred Waldhauer, while the artists, the persons of Robert Rauschenberg and Robert Whitman. Experiments in Art and Technology was pioneered from the experience of a popular work titled – ‘9 Evenings: Theatre and Engineering’. The notable event was of the 69th ‘Regiment Armory in new York City, United State of America† (October 1966). About 40 engineers and 10 popular artists symbiotically worked together to put up an engineered and equally artistic performances. With the works of E. A. T. , artists and engineers’ relationships have received huge boost, thereby stimulating the willingness and participation of industries in artistic events. Companies’ cooperation through sponsorship is one of the achievements of E. A. T. There was fast expression of interest in the group over the space of time. Three years after the inauguration of Experiments in Art and Technology, the organization recorded over 4,200 memberships of diversified artists and engineers all around the United States of America, South America, Japan, Canada and every other interested industry all over the world. Through the process towards achieving the aim of E. A. T. , there was a local program within the group named the Technical Services Program. This program enhanced the effective collaboration of artists working hand-in-hand with engineers on a specific assignment/project. This was made possible by a deliberate effort at pinning suitable artists with appropriate engineers for synergic results. The program also assisted the collaborators in reaching out to industries and corporate-business communities in meeting the needs to accomplish outstanding project. Furthermore, E. A. T. commissioned inter-field projects and events which were anchored by artists involving the use of new technological woks. Some of the projects included the earlier mentioned ‘9 Evenings: Theatre and Engineering† in 1966’, ‘Some More Beginning in 1968’ – the later happened to mark the start of ‘exhibition of art and technology. The exhibition was held at a museum in Brooklyn. Included in the list of the project was the â€Å"artist-engineer collaborations to design and program the Pepsi Pavilion at Expo 70 in Osaka, Japan. † Picture showing First meeting of E. A. T. in November 1966 The Story of Experiments in Art and Technology When Andy Warhol was trying to create floating light bulbs, he asked Billy Kluver for his kind assistance. Kluver, who was an engineer working at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey, rejected the plea but instead promised to offer him a wrapper usually use to wrap sandwiches, the material is silvery. Warhol fashioned the material into a rectangular object called Mylar today. Injecting Helium into this Mylar created a floating funhouse mirrors in 1966. This example of collaboration between artists and scientists was a motivation to forming Experiments in Art and Technology (E. A. T. ). The artist-engineer collaboration in E. A. T. was formalized at the event of â€Å"9 Evenings; Theatre and Engineering†, (Oct. 1966, in New York). The program exposed audience to â€Å"state-of-the-art performances and music† from about 50 artists and engineers. Technology electrified things in an appreciable ways, e. g. â€Å"Dancers tripped light switches by moving their legs past photo-cells, and a tennis game was amplified through microphones in the rackets. The compliment received was overwhelming reflecting the need for engineers in artistic works. E. A. T. was then established in November, and by the early ’70s it had already absorbed networks of over 6,000 members. â€Å"Throughout the lifespan of E. A. T. , affiliated groups produced over 500 artworks; most common was the body-oriented performance or supercharged minimalist sculpture. One of the most memorable projects commissioned was the Pepsi Pavilion of Expo 1970 Osaka. There, over 60 artists and engineers contributed to the interactive exhibits inside the futuristic dome† The Pepsi Pavilion at Expo ’70 Osaka with Fujiko Nakaya’s mist shroud Aims and objectives of E. A. T. The non profit making organization was vibrant primarily within the two decades of its institution in 1966 by Billy Kluver, Fred waldhauer, Robert Rauschenberg and Robert Whitman. It was carved out of the need to ‘mobilize the ingredients of arts, industry and science around collective projects, calling the participation from different disciplines. E. A. T. also aimed at encouraging the technical harmony towards the realization of new means of expressing arts using modern technological equipment such as computer-made images, sounds, video, (audiovisual), manufacturing materials and robotics. To start with, ‘Experiments in Art and Technology’ brought artists and engineers together to enlighten the participants in order to accustom them with â€Å"tele-writing and satellite transmission using telecommunication technology†. In addition, E. A. T. aimed at giving the developing countries around an ease of Communication Bridge through certain project assignments. In pursuance of these goals, E. A. T. began opening annexes in the US, Canada and Japan. Other Projects Projects realized at the advent of interdisciplinary included: The Anand Project of 1969, this project aided educational television whereby public spaces were linked together to facilitate interactions irrespective of the distance apart. Through this, different countries all around the world can exchange disturbing questions even about a common uncertainty. For example, â€Å"Anand Dairy Cooperative in Baroda (India); Telex: Q&A (1971), which linked public spaces in New York (U. S. ), Ahmadabad (India), Tokyo (Japan) and Stockholm (Sweden) by telex† Still among the projects is the ‘Children and Communication in 1972’this particular project piloted the enabling of children within the suburb of New York City, to exchange conversation with telex, telephone and fax machine. Also, in El Salvador is a project to fashion out methods for storing culture and tradition in the region (1973). Collection of E. A. T. ’s Published Documents Detailing the activities of Experiments in Art and Technology in 1980; over 400 documents were stored in archive ranging from information bulletins, exhibition catalogues, periodicals, photocopies of press clippings, proposals, lectures, announcements newsletters reprints of major articles, among others. The archive was deposited at major libraries in New York, Moscow of Russia, Washington in U. S., Paris in France et cetera. The archive was aimed at monument the reflection of E. A. T. ’s wide geographical tentacle with technical and artistic diversity. Technical Service Program (1966-1973) Technical service program (TSP), founded as a subgroup in mid 60s, permits specialist in art and engineering to collaborate with the aim of meeting the artist’s technological needs without interruption in the team projected design and developmental stages. Highly technical projects were accomplished with this partnership. This collaboration was publicized when E. A. T. group came up with EAT News that announced projects at different stages of completion. Still, was the periodic public forum held on upcoming technologies such as ‘lasers and holography. ’ The TSP came to an end in 1973 Technical Information (1966) This program provided consulting services for artists. The service provisions included ‘technical libraries’ for artists in New York and telephone assistance line operated by engineers from E. A. T. offices. The library collection features documented activities of EAT from ‘60s to ‘80s. More on â€Å"9 Evenings: Theatre and Engineering† (1966-2005) These were series of events that catapulted performances of artists and engineers working in unison as an E. A. T. group. The performances broke down inter-relationship barrier. It went does: Billy kluver and Robert Rauschenberg requested the working relation of 30-man engineer at Bell Laboratories, seeking their involvement in an inter-disciplinary project where avant-garde theatre, dance and new technologies were blended together. The artists involved were John Cage, Lucinda Childs, Oyvind Fahlstrom, Alex Hay, Deborah Hay, Steve Paxton, Yvonne Rainer, Robert Rauschenberg, David Tudor and Robert Whitman. These artists were paired with engineers to produce technical components on the podium used by the participants. It was indeed a break through adventure in the field of Art and technology. Billy Kluver, farther of ‘Experiments in Art and technology’ Reference http://www. fondation-langlois. org/html/e/page. php? NumPage=306 The Man Who Made a Match of Technology and Art

How to Write a Reader Essay

Good writing is never merely about following a set of directions. Like all artists of any form, essay writers occasionally find themselves breaking away from tradition or common practice in search of a fresh approach. Rules, as they say, are meant to be broken. But even groundbreakers learn by observing what has worked before. If you are not already in the habit of reading other writers with an analytical eye, start forming that habit now. When you run across a moment in someone else’s writing that seems somehow electric on the page, stop, go back, reread the section more slowly, and ask yourself, â€Å"What did she do here, put into this, or leave out, that makes it so successful?† Similarly and often just as important, if you are reading a piece of writing and find yourself confused, bored, or frustrated, stop again, back up, squint closely at the writing, and form a theory as to how, when, or where the prose went bad. Identifying the specific successful moves made by others increases the number of arrows in your quiver, ready for use when you sit down to start your own writing. Likewise, identifying the missteps in other writers’ work makes you better at identifying the missteps in your own. Remember the Streetcar Tennessee Williams’ wonderful play, A Streetcar Named Desire, comes from a real streetcar in New Orleans and an actual neighborhood named Desire. In Williams’ day, you could see the streetcar downtown with a lighted sign at the front telling folks where the vehicle was headed. The playwright saw this streetcar regularly—and also saw, of course, the metaphorical possibilities of the name. Though this streetcar no longer runs, there is still a bus called Desire in New Orleans, and you’ve certainly seen streetcars or buses in other cities with similar, if less evocative, destination indicators: Uptown, Downtown, Shadyside, West End, Prospect Park. People need to know what streetcar they are getting onto, you see, because they want to know where they will be when the streetcar stops and lets them off. Excuse the rather basic transportation lesson, but it explains my first suggestion. An essay needs a lighted sign right up front telling the reader where they are going. Otherwise, the reader will be distracted and nervous at each stop along the way, unsure of the destination, not at all able to enjoy the ride. Now there are dull ways of putting up your lighted sign: This essay is about the death of my beloved dog. Or: Let me tell you about what happened to me last week. And there are more artful ways. Readers tend to appreciate the more artful ways. For instance, let us look at how Richard Rodriguez opens his startling essay â€Å"Mr. Secrets†: Shortly after I published my first autobiographical essay seven years ago, my mother wrote me a letter pleading with me never again to write about our family life. â€Å"Write about something else in the future. Our family life is private.† And besides: â€Å"Why do you need to tell the gringos about how ‘divided’ you feel from the family?† I sit at my desk now, surrounded by versions of paragraphs and pages of this book, considering that question. Where is the lighted streetcar sign in that paragraph? Well, consider that Rodriguez has introduced the key characters who will inhabit his essay: himself and his mother, informed us that writing is central to his life, clued us in that this is also a story of immigration and assimilation (gringos), and provided us with the central question he will be considering throughout the piece: Why does he feel compelled to tell strangers the ins and outs of his conflicted feelings? These four elements—generational conflict between author and parent, the isolation of a writer, cultural norms and difference, and the question of what is public and what is private—pretty much describe the heart of Rodriguez’s essay. Or to put it another way, at every stop along the way—each paragraph, each transition—we are on a streetcar passing through these four thematic neighborhoods, and Rodriguez has given us a map so we can follow along. Find a Healthy Distance Another important step in making your personal essay public and not private is finding a measure of distance from your experience, learning to stand back, narrow your eyes, and scrutinize your own life with a dose of hale and hearty skepticism. Why is finding a distance important? Because the private essay hides the author. The personal essay reveals. And to reveal means to let us see what is truly there, warts and all. The truth about human nature is that we are all imperfect, sometimes messy, usually uneven individuals, and the moment you try to present yourself as a cardboard character—always right, always upstanding (or always wrong, a total mess)—the reader begins to doubt everything you say. Even if the reader cannot articulate his discomfort, he knows on a gut level that your perfect (or perfectly awful) portrait of yourself has to be false. And then you’ve lost the reader. Pursue the Deeper Truth The best writers never settle for the insight they find on the surface of whatever subject they are exploring. They are constantly trying to lift the surface layer, to see what interesting ideas or questions might lie beneath. To illustrate, let’s look at another exemplary essay, â€Å"Silence the Pianos,† by Floyd Skloot. Here is his opening: A year ago today, my mother stopped eating. She was ninety-six, and so deep in her dementia that she no longer knew where she was, who I was, who she herself was. All but the last few seconds had vanished from the vast scroll of her past. Essays exploring a loved one’s decline into dementia or the painful loneliness of a parent’s death are among the most commonly seen by editors of magazines and judges of essay contests. There is a good reason for this: These events can truly shake us to our core. But too often, when writing about such a significant loss, the writer focuses on the idea that what has happened is not fair and that the loved one who is no longer around is so deeply missed. Are these emotions true? Yes, they are. Are they interesting for a reader? Often, they simply are not. The problem is that there are certain things readers already know, and that would include the idea that the loss of a loved one to death or dementia is a deep wound, that it seems not fair when such heartbreak occurs, and that we oftentimes find ourselves regretting not having spent more time with the lost loved one. These reactions seem truly significant when they occur in our own lives, and revisiting them in our writing allows us to experience those powerful feelings once again. For this reason it is hard to grasp that the account of our loss might have little or no impact on a reader who did not know this loved one, or does not know you, and who does not have the emotional reaction already in the gut. In other words, there are certain â€Å"private† moments that feel exhilarating to revisit, and â€Å"private† sentences that seem stirring to write and to reread as we edit our early drafts, but they are not going to have the same effect in the public arena of publishable prose. Final Thoughts In the last twenty years of teaching writing, the most valuable lesson that I have found myself able to share is the need for us as writers to step outside of our own thoughts, to imagine an audience made up of real people on the other side of the page. This audience does not know us, they are not by default eager to read what we have written, and though thoughtful literate readers are by and large good people with large hearts, they have no intrinsic stake in whatever problems (or joys) we have in our lives. This is the public, the readers you want to invite into your work. Self-expression may be the beginning of writing, but it should never be the endpoint. Only by focusing on these anonymous readers, by acknowledging that you are creating something for them, something that has value, something that will enrich their existence and make them glad to have read what you have written, will you find a way to truly reach your audience. And that—truly reaching your audience and offering them something of value—is perhaps as good a definition of successful writing as I’ve ever heard.

Brexit Essay - Aceyourpaper.com

Brexit Essay Table of Contents 1. Titles 2. Topics 3. Outline 4. Abstract 5. Thesis Statement 6. Introduction 7. Body of Essay 8. Conclusion 9. Works Cited Potential Titles The Potential Effects of Brexit on the European Union Why Did the UK Voters Approve Brexit? Developing Post-Brexit Trade with the European Union Topics The Economic and Political Impact of Brexit The International Implications of Brexit Should the UK Reconsider Its Brexit Decision? The Pros and Cons of the Brexit Decision Outline I.   Abstract II.   Introduction III.   Body A.   Background and overview B.   Immediate after effect of Brexit vote C.   What the future holds IV.   Conclusion Abstract In June 2016, voters in the United Kingdom approved the so-called â€Å"Brexit† referendum, signaling the withdrawal of the British Commonwealth from the European Union. Although a number of economic indicators experienced a short-term downturn after the Brexit vote, most indicators have returned to their pre-Brexit levels and some have even improved. There are also other signs that the devastating consequences of the Brexit initiative will not materialize and there is a growing consensus that even if the UK does experience some challenges in the post-Brexit era, things are not doing to be as bad as predicted. To gain a better understanding of what has already happened and what experts predict for the future, this essay on brexit provides an overview of the Brexit referendum, a summary of the events that have followed its approval by UK voters and a summary of the research and important findings concerning the future for the UK and the EU in the conclusion. Thesis Statement To gain a better understanding of what has already happened and what experts predict for the future, this essay provides an overview of the Brexit referendum, a summary of the events that have followed its approval by UK voters and a summary of the research and important findings concerning the future for the UK and the EU in the conclusion. Title:   Brexit a Half Year Later Introduction It has been more than 9  months since 51.9% of the voters in the United Kingdom elected to leave the European Union (EU) in the now-famous â€Å"Brexit† referendum and in spite what some critics said at the time, the sky has not fallen. Despite some initial negative fallout and jittery reactions from many EU member-states, things appear to have resumed some semblance of normalcy and some economic indicators have even improved. To determine what has happened and what the future holds for the UK, this paper reviews the relevant literature to provide a brief overview of the Brexit referendum followed by recent events that have followed its approval by UK voters. Finally, a summary of the research and important findings concerning the future for the UK and the EU are provided in the conclusion. Background and Overview When the results of the Brexit vote became known on June 23, 2016, the reaction on the part of UK voters and the EU was first a mixture of shock, dismay, fear and even anger (Jasper, 2016). For example, some representative articles and headlines that followed the Brexit vote include:   Brexit earthquake has happened, and the rubble will take years to clear†; â€Å"The Week Britains Brexit Earthquake Shook The World; â€Å"Brexit economic shock equivalent to natural disaster, says OECD†; â€Å"Earthquake in Europe and â€Å"Brexit An Earthquake† (as cited in Jasper, 2016, p. 17). After the dust actually settled and the nervous reactions to the Brexit vote turned to grudging acceptance, many economic indicators in the UK including employment have returned to their pre-Brexit levels and in some cases have since exceeded them as discussed further below. Immediate aftereffects of the Brexit vote The â€Å"earthquake† predicted by many analysts for the UK post-Brexit has simply not materialized. In this regard, Halligan (2016) emphasizes that: Theres very little sign of the predicted post-Brexit economic crisis. To the shock of many not least business titans who bankrolled the Remain campaign the instant collapse doesnt seem to be happening. The UK economy is, for now at least, taking Brexit in its stride. (p. 3)   Indeed, in the month following the Brexit vote, there were more than 150,000 more job listings in the UK than in the same month in 2015 (Halligan, 2016). Likewise, Bowler (2017) agrees that the negative economic impact predicted by many analysts post-Brexit has not materialized. For example, Bowler points out that, â€Å"Before the referendum last June, many economists produced gloomy forecasts which have since been proved wrong. Consumers confidence has not suffered, and by and large, things have gone on as before† (para. 4).. Another reason for the return to relative normalcy in the UK and EU has been the growing realization that the UK is not going to withdraw from the EU anytime soon. Despite the results of the Brexit referendum, the UK parliament is not legally required to automatically trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to begin formal proceedings for withdrawal from the EU and the only pressure do to so will come from the mandate of the referendum vote. For instance, Brooks (2016) emphasizes that, â€Å"In law, a referendum result is advisory on Parliament but not binding. Parliament need do nothing at all legally† (p. 2). In addition, even assuming that a revocation initiative does not overturn the Brexit referendum, it will likely be years and perhaps even a decade or more before all of the negotiations to fully effect the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. Indeed, according to Castle (2016), the trade negotiations that are involved in the Brexit initiative are highly complex and conte ntious and resolving these issues may require another decade with no guarantee of a successful outcome. Many authorities agree, though, that the stakes are too high for the EU to adopt an uncompromising or belligerent approach to post-Brexit trade negotiations with the UK. As Hodges (2017) recently pointed out: Its entirely conceivable that a soft Brexit, in which Britain maintains many of our existing EU trading and regulatory relationships, could be made to work. Its even possible that, with a bit of luck and skilful negotiation, a hard Brexit, involving a much looser trading framework, could also be sustainable. (2017, p. 41) As can be readily discerned from the data shown in Figure 1 below, the UK’s retail sales index has experienced gains in the post-Brexit climate: Figure 1. Retail sales index: 2006-2017 Source: Hodges, 2017 Likewise, another reason for the return of calm to the European continent has been the recognition that despite its importance to the EU, the loss of the UK is not its death knell. Indeed, the EU has become a formidable economic entity in its own right and it is reasonable to suggest that member-states that share the continent overwhelmingly view the arrangement as being in their best interests. In this regard, Headley (2016) emphasizes that, â€Å"Even after Britains departure, the remaining European Union of 27 members, added to the European Economic Area (Norway, Iceland, Lichtenstein) and the special arrangements with Switzerland, will still be the worlds largest economic entity† (p. 8). What the future holds Taken together, it is clear that both the EU and the UK will survive the Brexit referendum and both will perhaps even prosper as a result (Headley, 2016). It is also clear, though, that when and if the UK finalizes its withdrawal from the EU, both will be compelled to make substantive changes, or as Headley (2016) puts it, to â€Å"reinvent themselves† (p. 11). While the EU will remain the largest economic entity in the world for the foreseeable future, though, the outlook for the UK is less clear. While it will remain an important member of NATO and close military ally of the U.S., the UK is faced with forging a new identity that will by need be fundamentally different than what many citizens have known all their lives. For instance, according to Brooks (2016), â€Å"Britain must do much more than leave it must figure out what it will be† (p. 27). Fortunately for the UK, the enormous time and effort spent in formulating the wide range of laws and policies that have contributed to the EU’s success to date also mean that the UK can freely pick and choose what it likes best from the lot and adapt them for its own unique circumstances. In this regard, Brooks (2016) concludes that, â€Å"Weve been promised the good laws will stay but be made British and the bad ones will go† (p. 27). Notwithstanding the promise this oppo rtunity holds for the UK, this process too will take a significant amount of time and the outcome for the UK remains less certain today (Brooks, 2016). Conclusion The results of the Brexit referendum on June 23, 2016 confounded analysts and pundits who confidently but inaccurately predicted that voters in the UK would never leave the security of the European Union. The research showed, though, that despite some initial economic fallout as a result of the vote, things have returned to their pre-Brexit levels and some economic indicators have even improved. Some of the reasons for this return to normalcy include the amount of time that will be required to formally effect the UK’s withdrawal from the EU and the growing realization on the part of UK voters that the outcome can actually benefit them given enough time and attention to post-Brexit issues, including most especially the selection of which EU laws and policies will remain in place. We hope this example Brexit essay  will provide you with a template or guideline in helping you write your own paper on this topic.   You are free to use any information, sources, or topics, titles, or ideas provided in this essay as long as you properly cite the information in your paper and on your reference page. Works Cited /  Sources Bowler, T. (2017, March 28). How has the economy fared since the Brexit vote? BBC News. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/business-36956418. Brooks, T. (2016, September 9). So Brexit means Brexit, does it? I dont think so. The Journal (Newcastle, England), 27. Castle, S. (2016, December 15). Brexit talks could stretch 10 years, British official warns. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/15/world/europe/ brexit-talks-could-stretch-10-years-british-official-warns.html?_r=0. Halligan, L. (2016, July 23). The Brexit bust that wasnt. The Spectator, 3. Headley, S. (2016, September-October). Europe after the British exit: Demise or reinvention? New Zealand International Review, 41(5), 7-11. Hodges, D. Kamikaze Brexit; DAN HODGES POLITICAL COMMENTATOR OF THE YEAR Brace Yourselves! Leadsom and Her Ultras Have Been Handed the Controls and Were Zooming towards A. Contributors: Not available. Newspaper title: The Mail on Sunday (London, England). Publication date: March 26, 2017. Page number: 41. Jasper, W. F. (2016, August 8). Brexit: Rejecting globalism. The New American, 32(15), 17-21.

Non-identity problem and the ethics of climate change Essay

Non-identity problem and the ethics of climate change - Essay Example The incoming research will prove our current choices should not deter the pace of development since nature has a way of providing its recipients. As such, humankind should stop taking responsibility of non-identity problem. According to scientist, when it comes to climate change, the future generation will depend on the decisions we make now. However, these decisions are made by a few who happen to own or control the authority. The adoption of neither regime will result to distant successors leading lives, which are not worth living. Convincingly, it appears that the adoption of Kyoto protocol over-contraction and convergence will not result in any particular future persons that are harmed so long as we hold that harmed person worse off than it would have been had the harming actions, which were performed. Reflectively, choosing Kyoto Lite would benefits more members currently as well as, future generations that will require extensive sacrifices of the contraction and convergence that will require developed countries to reduced the well being of different persons. The underlying argument is that if we believe that ethics and justice are identities which dependent on the structure, then the actions of t hat particular believe might change over time. To defragment the above statement logically, we invite the non-identity problem. Non-identity problem questions our duties to future generations. As noted, duties to these descendants whose identities are beyond our current influence are those which instruct our current behavior. Justifiably, the Kyoto protocol grounded its identity on independent goals such as utility maximization or the perfection of the human species. However, there are deontological concerns and objections that are applied to explain the wrong-doing in such cases. These are the intentions and state of mind of policy choosers. Reflectively, since-oriented or the identity