Japanese Art Essay Example for Free

Japanese Art Essay For the GOY* project, I chose to visit The Pavilion of Japanese Art in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and look at Japanese artworks, especially from the Jomon to Heian period. There were no event focusing on Japanese Art on LACMA, so I opted to join a Sunday tour of the Japanese art collection instead. Knowing at once that it would only last for 50 minutes, I wondered at first how the guide would condense the lecture of thousands of years of Japanese history and Japanese art, especially that it entails a lot of explaining and translating to do. But the explanations as we went along the way were brief and concise and focused on the artworks, but were enough for us to take note of. What I intended to focus on were paintings from the Jomon to Heian period of Japanese Art, but instead I took note of different forms of Japanese artworks which I found interesting. There were several pieces that caught my attention, but those that I focused on were a ceramic vessel from the middle Jomon period, Jizo Bosatsu, which is carved wood sculpture from the late Heian period, and Seated Warrior, a sculpture from the Kofun period. Japanese art on the Jomon period are mostly earthenware vessels, mostly deep pots made of clay. Potteries made from the Jomon period are characterized by rope markings, incised lines and applied coils of clay (Kleiner 91). These vessels, however psychedelically figured, have a variety of uses. They serve different purposes, from storage to burial (Kleiner 91). The vessels on the Japanese Art Tour on the LACMA mostly have textured bases, the incised rope markings very apparent, and have castellated rims. Japanese art on the Kofun period is completely different. According to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts Website, the art on this period is characterized by tombs furnished haniwa, or cylinders which are used as adornment for tombs on the era. The forms of the haniwa later evolved to simple geometric forms of houses, animals, birds, and other figures. The sculpture on the LACMA, however, resembles a Seated Warior form, hence, its title. The Heian period is characterized with artworks representing or illustrating Esoteric Buddhism (Kleiner, 2010). Most of the artworks are Buddhist deities sculptures carved from wood, to which people worship. The sculpture of deities were characterized by a wardrobe of a monks, and all of them stood on top of a lotus, which symbolizes rebirth, according to the tour guide. I have expected Japanese art to be intricate, except maybe those from the Jomon period. But it turned out that even from the Neolithic period, the Japanese already had a sense of aesthetics that their vessels are adorned with rope markings. For me, the abstract form of Jomon period art is its strength. The Kofun period art was indeed very interesting for me because the artworks were used to decorate tombs, and the decorations symbolizes the person in that tomb. Meanwhile, as expected, Heian art is deeply rooted on Buddhism, and has Chinese influences. At the end of the day, I realized that the evolution of Japanese art relied on what happened in Japan at the time these artworks were constructed. The colorful events strongly influences the frame of mind of the artists. History is what shapes art.

Issues In Project Management

Issues In Project Management This essay discusses about two major issues in projects and project management. The two major issues this essay going to discuss and analyse are the impacts of risks if they are not managed in a project and the importance of managing stakeholders in a project and project management. The essay also discusses about other issues in project management that were involved in the illustrated case studies. Risk management is one of the crucial requirements in any projects. Projects without risk management are questionable to its success level and the aftermath can be severe if the risks are of high negative impact. Risk is something that may happen unexpectedly in a project which creates positive or negative impacts to the result of the project. The probability of risk cannot be accurately predicted and so there should be a risk management plan in every project to handle the risks which cannot be avoided. The risk management plan involves risk identification, quantifying the risk into impact and probability, planning a response which includes avoiding, transferring, mitigating and accepting the risk and the final step in risk management plan is to monitor and control the plan. (Webb, 2010) This following section of the essay will discuss about what will happen if risks are not managed in a project with case studies. The first case study used is Denver International Airport Baggage Handling System. The following section explains the background of the case study followed by the issues that aroused due to poor project management which headed the project to be a complete chaos. Denver International Airport Baggage Handling System: Background: The Denver International Airport (DIA) baggage handling system was to be the worlds largest automated baggage system but it became a case of technology project failure. The DIA is the largest international airport in United States covering a land area of 140km and it is the third largest international airport in the world and it can handle more than 50 million passengers annually. (Calleam Consulting, 2008) The automated baggage system was the critical element of the plan. DIA would have been one of the competitive advantages airports providing more efficient operations by reducing the aircraft turnaround time to 30 minutes using this automated baggage system. The original plan was to make use of the automated baggage handling system all over the airport and it was more complex than what people actually believed. The system was planned to handle 88 airport gates in three concourses, seventeen miles of track and five miles of conveyor belts, 3100 standard carts, fourteen million feet of wiring, hundreds of computers connected in a network to control the flow, 5000 electric motors, 59 laser arrays, 400 radio receivers and 2700 photo cells. (Calleam Consulting, 2008). All these components explain how complex the automated baggage handler system is. The construction work of DIA started in November 1989. United Airlines signed and planned to use Concourse A as a hub and it engaged BEA systems to build the Concourse A automated baggage handler system who was the world leader in operating, installing and supplying baggage handling equipment. The project management team of DIA approached BEA to build the baggage system for all three concourses and for the whole airport to transfer baggage automatically. Issues: Massive problems started in building the baggage system which was very complex as they never thought of such complexity. Even though the airport was complete, it did not open as scheduled in October 1993 because of the problems in baggage system and the completed airport was idle for more than 16 months which also missed the opening dates in April and May, 1994 and the opening was delayed to March 1995. (Neufville) The DIA airport authorities arranged a demonstration of the baggage system for the media without informing BEA. There was complete disaster in the demonstration as the bags were crushed and clothes were thrown out from the bags. This was in April, 1994 and the opening was delayed to May, 1994. BEA systems claimed that the airport staff used the system incorrectly and there was no malfunction in the system. System testing was struggling and airport built a manual trolley system as per the log plans recommendation. The delays increased the cost for owners and airlines and huge amount of money was wasted due to the idle use of the airport. In August, 1994, DIA started fining BEA for further delays and not able to complete the system. The airport was opened on 25th February, 1995 with the automated baggage system implemented in single concourse instead of implementing in all the concourses. All other part of the airport used the manual trolley system since the automated baggage was not functioning as expected. The maintenance cost for the system which was not functioning properly was one million dollar per month and so they scrapped the whole system in August 2005 and implemented the manual system in all over the airport. (Calleam Consulting, 2008) Risks that were involved: There were many possibilities of risks in the above mentioned scenarios and one of the reasons why this project failed is due to ignorance of risk. The complexity of the baggage allowance system was underestimated. The project was initiated too late because of not understanding the risks involved in it and the complexity level of the system. Due to not understanding the complexity level, the project was planned to complete in two years which was insufficient to complete such a complex project and due to this the project team made lot of mistakes to meet the schedule which was impossible. Any automated baggage handler system is subject to risk. The failure cannot be said as a bad luck or due to lack of qualifications since the system was installed by BEA systems one of the best suppliers in baggage system. This complex project should be viewed as a research project and in a research project; success cannot be expected in a short time unless it is managed well. Although the airport project management team and BEA systems know that there is a big risk in completing the project in two years time, they started the project and they failed to identify all the major risks involved in proceeding with the complex project. Several managers of BEA advised the BEA senior management team that this complex project is a four year project and not a two year project. Both airports chief engineer and BEAs senior management team ignored the advice and continued with the project. The BEA management structure completely failed to recognize what kind of risk they were entering into by taking this project and committed to proceed with the project. If they have recognized, they would have at least taken steps to reduce the risks involved in this project and find some scope to achieve the goal of the project within the deadline. Some of the issues were unpredictable and since the airport project management team and BEA does not plan any risk management, the unpredictable issues created many impacts on the project since they does not know how to handle the issues. The project team couldnt manage not only the unpredictable issue, some predictable issue like major technical problem that encountered in the project was not able to be handled by the project team. This was due to lack of developing a proper risk management plan in the project. Importance of managing Stakeholders in a project: The other major mistake done by both airport project management team and BEA was excluding the airlines from the discussions who were the key stakeholders of this project. While making key project decisions, stakeholders should be included to produce a winning strategy. (Calleam Consulting, 2008). If the stakeholders are excluded previously and included finally, they will ask for significant changes in the project which leads to nullify the previous work done in the project. This was proved in this project when airlines asked for many changes like adding maintenance tracks and ski equipment racks; BEA and airport project management was forced to accept the changes since they initially avoided stakeholders from the negotiations although there was a term that no changes would be made. Case study Conclusion: The case study can be concluded from the above illustrations and discussions that the DIA baggage handling system project failed due to not understanding the complexity of the project, no risk management plan, poor stakeholder management, lack of communication, poor design and planning of the system and finally lack of management insight in the project which led Denver International Airport Baggage Handling System project to be an example for technology project failure. The next section of the essay will discuss about another case study related to risk management. The Second case study used is Heathrow Terminal 5 Chaos. The following sections explains the background of the case study followed by the issues that aroused due to poor risk management which headed the project to be a complete chaos. Heathrow Terminal 5 Chaos: Background: Public enquiry of Heathrow Airport fifth terminal building proposal started in May 1995 and ended in March 1999 with the longest public inquiry in British planning history costing eight million pounds in legal fees. The terminal was expected to complete by 30th, March 2008 after the approval from UK government. Three twenty million pounds were allocated for planning risks. The terminal includes everything from facilities to handle jumbo aircrafts, car parks, service tunnels, a complete transport interchange, a hotel, shops, catering, highest customer service and it can handle thirty million passengers a year. The Terminal 5 was constructed especially to concentrate by British Airways (BA) flights. (Hancock, 2009) Issues: The opening of Terminal 5 after fifteen years of planning and construction with spending 4.3 billion pounds should have been a great moment for British Airport Authority (BAA) and British Airways (BA) but it head to be one of the biggest chaos. The problem started when the terminal staffs couldnt reach there in time due to difficulty in parking their cars, the staff security screening and familiarisation was delayed too, which led to accumulation of baggage. Another major reason was the collapse of state-of-art baggage handling system due to technical problems which was designed to handle 12,000 baggage per hour. (BBC News, 2008) As a result, more than 23,000 bags were lost and 500 flights were cancelled. BA lost 16 million pounds in the first five days of operations. (Thomson, 2008). BA blamed that the staffs provided were not familiar with the new systems and only few staffs were provided to handle the baggage system. BAA said that the baggage got clogged due to few numbers of staffs from BA and not due to the baggage handler system. Later BAA spokeswoman agreed that there was some software problem in the baggage handler system and it is completely BAAs responsibility. (Hancock, 2009) BA claimed that it was preparing for the past three years to switch to Terminal 5 and thousands of staffs have been trained to handle the new system and they got delayed to their workstations due to the difficulty in parking their cars. (The Times, 2008). The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) wrote a letter to the government ministers and shareholders blaming all BA executives for the Heathrow Terminal 5 chaos including the chief executive. (Milmo, 2008) Risks that were involved: Risk turns to be an issue if it happens. If risks are not managed even after knowing the probability and impact of the risk is high, then there will be a chaos like in this case study. The chaos in Terminal 5 was due to poor management not only for few days but from the initial stage of the project especially lacking risk management. The project would have been a big success if there was risk management for this kind of mega project. There were already defects in the baggage handler system during the trail process before opening Terminal 5 and it was reported to BA. The simulations used a less amount of baggage, less passengers and handlers to test the system. BA management ignored the concerns. They didnt test the system properly and they ignored to manage the risk. They blamed each other instead of solving the problems. BAs chief executive admitted that they compromised testing due to the delays in building the terminal. The baggage handler staff spent much time in searching for the parking place due to wrong sign boards and directions. The staffs were not trained and not familiar to handle the baggage handler system which was another risk. BAs chief executive admitted that they didnt train staffs and didnt familiarize them. (Massey, 2008). Case study Conclusion: Although the Heathrow Terminal 5 project was completed on time and on budget, it is one of the major catastrophic disaster projects. If the systems were tested properly, staffs were trained and familiarisied and if risks have been managed properly, the Terminal 5 project would have been the most successful project. The case study can be concluded from the above illustrations and discussions that the risk management is one of the crucial requirements in project management and ignoring to manage them will lead to failure or disaster of projects like Heathrow Terminal 5 chaos. Case Study: Online shopping system: This is one of the case studies that I personally experienced while learning the module IT Project Management. This case study project was to develop a online shopping software system for the client Metro Super stores and the project was carried out with 8 project teams members including the project manager. We covered most of the issues in project management in the lecture and seminar sessions. This can be illustrated with one example about managing risk in this project. We were asked to come with the risk log for this case study and we discussed about all possibilities of risks that will affect this online shopping software development system. We created the risk log and quantified the risks using its impact on the project and probability of happening. It was a personal experience that taught me the real importance of risk management in project management. (Classroom experience, 2010) Conclusion In all the above produced case studies, the essay discussed and analysed the major issues related to project management involved within the case studies with illustrations of the issues and discussed with examples. From the case studies and illustrations, it is concluded that project management issues are vital to any kind of projects especially for mega projects like Heathrow Terminal 5 and Denver International Airport Baggage Handling System and the project would not succeed unless it is managed well. [Word Count: 2451] Bibliography BBC News. (2008, March 28). Other airports rocky starts . BBC News. (2008, March 30). What did go wrong at Terminal 5? . Calleam Consulting. (2008). Denver Airport Baggage Handling System Case Study Calleam Consulting. Retrieved December 17, 2010, from http://calleam.com: http://calleam.com/WTPF/wp-content/uploads/articles/DIABaggage.pdf Computerworld UK reporters. (08, March 27). Heathrow Terminal 5 chaos: RoundUp. Retrieved December 15, 2010, from http://www.computerworlduk.com: http://www.computerworlduk.com/in-depth/it-business/1268/heathrow-terminal-5-chaos-roundup/ Dunn, P. (2008). Courting Disaster. Retrieved December 14, 2010, from http://www.squarepegint.com: http://www.squarepegint.com/pdf/RecentResearch/CourtingDisasterFinal.pdf Experience, C. R. (2010). IT Project Management. Sheffield Hallam University. Hancock, D. (2009, May 8). Heathrow Terminal 5 Success or Failure? Retrieved 12 17, 2010, from http://www.slideshare.net/: http://www.slideshare.net/Hank5559/heathrow-terminal-5-success-or-failure Massey, R. (2008, May 08). BA chief Willie Walsh brands Heathrows Terminal 5 a national embarrassment. Milmo, D. (2008, April 8). Pilots slam BA management over Terminal 5 chaos. p. 1. Neufville, R. d. (n.d.). THE BAGGAGE SYSTEM AT DENVER:PROSPECTS AND LESSONS. Retrieved December 18, 2010, from http://ardent.mit.edu: http://ardent.mit.edu/airports/ASP_papers/Bag%20System%20at%20Denver.PDF The Times. (2008, March 28). Terminal 5 launch disaster brings holiday chaos. Thomson, R. (2008, April 02). IT experts tackle baggage system problems at Heathrows Terminal 5. Retrieved December 18, 2010, from http://www.computerweekly.com: http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2008/04/02/230084/IT-experts-tackle-baggage-system-problems-at-Heathrow39s-Terminal.htm Webb, L. (2010). Lecture Slides. Retrieved December 16, 2010, from http://shuspace.shu.ac.uk: http://shuspace.shu.ac.uk Williams, C. (2010). Project Management: Risk Management. Retrieved December 15, 2010, from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk: http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/project-management-risk-management.html Sheffield Hallam University Faculty of Arts, Computing, Engineering and Sciences IT PROJECT MANAGEMENT Individual Reflection 20/12/2010 Prasnnaa Kumar Nachimuthu B0045907 MSc Database Professional Introduction The purpose of this essay is to write about the individual reflection of my personal experience in the module IT Project Management held during Sep 2010 Dec 2010. This essay produces my learning experience and my experience of working in a team during this module which helps to reflect upon my learning experience in the module. This module has taught me many things about project management from how to manage a project as a project manager, how to be a good team player and work in team, and most of the topics in project management. This is one of the module I really enjoyed working with my tutors and all my colleagues. The tutors were really interactive with me and everyone in the class and all of the lectures and seminars were very interactive rather than a boring session. The interest of me in this module can be proved with my presence in all the lecture and seminar session without missing a single lecture or tutorial session from the beginning to end of this module. The beginning week of the lecture explained me about this module, project and its definition. The later seminar session involved practical teaching of knowing more about project and I was put into a group. Every week, I learnt a new topic about project management and understood how to act to issues in real time environment. For example, in one of my lecture session, I was given a case study about the problems involved in the biggest building in Sheffield. We understood the case study and I was asked to be in a group to work as a developer of the building and come out with possible solutions to answer the problems of the buyers of the building which consist of my colleagues in another group. While working in the group like a developer, I was thinking as I am the real developer and was trying to come out with possible solutions with my other colleagues in the group. Then I, with my colleagues as developers met the buyers group and answered the possible solutions thinking them as the real buyers. After the session, I was completely satisfied that I have learnt something today. This is one of the examples, and every week, due to working in a group, helped me to handle the issues and answer the project board as a project manager and also ask questions to project manager as a project board member. I had the opportunity to produce the first assignment as a group work. I was the project manager in the group and had to assign the task in which I found it easy because we had breakdown the tasks, worked on it individually, discussed and produced the final document prior to the deadline. Conclusion I conclude from the above produced illustrations of my personal experience that I am completely satisfied the way the module was taught to me and I enjoyed working with my colleagues in a team. I personally thank my tutors for teaching me the project management skills in an interesting, interacting and practical way and I would definitely recommend this module to my colleagues. [Word Count: 529]

Essay About Odysseus, Adonis, And Thor :: essays research papers

Essay About Odysseus, Adonis, and Thor Section I: "Odysseus Is The Most Cunning Man in the World" Odysseus, son of Procris and Cephalus of the Royal House of Athens, played a major role in the Trojan War. However, the legends of Odysseus do not begin until after the great war. At the end of the war he was separated from the rest of the Greek armies and was forced to wander for ten years until he was reunited with his family. His journeys in those ten years were very similar to Jason's journey in his search for the Golden Fleece. Also, in the course of Odysseus' adventures, he proved himself to be not only a great hero but also a cunning and resourceful man, worthy of the title the most cunning man in the world. There are many similarities between the adventures of Jason and those of Odysseus'. Both heroes proved themselves to be mighty warriors; Jason, when forced to battle against the soldiers of the dragon teeth and Odysseus during the long battles of Troy. Both heroes showed extreme courage in the face of danger and neither shied from doing what was necessary to complete their quest. Both men were also very modest and were able to except help when needed, either form gods or from other mortals. Jason did not hesitate to ask for help from the princess Medea. Odysseus accepted help from a simple sheep herder in order to reclaim his home. Although these two heroes had similar adventures and shared similar qualities, they were very different. The first difference we notice between these two heroes is their lineage. Like most Greek heroes, Jason was a direct descendant of the gods. Odysseus on the other hand was not. He was a member of the Royal House of Athens and not divine as were many of his peers and relatives. Odysseus was also more compassionate than Jason. Jason used people to his own end and then disregarded them. An example of this would be his relationship with Medea. She made him into the hero he was, saved his life many times, and left her homeland to follow her love Jason. Jason, however, upon reaching home with the Golden Fleece, decided to marry a princess to gain more political power. He made this decision with no thought towards Medea's feelings and her love for him. Odysseus, in contrast, was far more loyal to his family and followers. He placed their happiness and safety on an equal or greater level then his own. For instance, when he was on

Las Vegas :: essays research papers

Where I’ve been†¦ Well not exactly   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The sunshine of a new evening beats down on me as I drive perpendicular towards the horizon. The sweet chill of an empty environment hits me like the patter of rain on an air conditioner. All the confidence in the world has carried me here, to the ultimate test of will.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I come to halt at a cul-de-sac and leave my horse with the snide caretaker. Up the astro felt steps into the palace of give or take I go. The warmth of a thousand bodies surrounds me as I streamline through the darkly lit corridor full of multi-colored fairies. I come across the gaping pit full of a paradox of souls. Every emotion under the sun is in front of me: anger to the left, joy to the right, heightened libido in front.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Upon entering the pit a temptress calls my attention and tells me my friend Jack is around. â€Å"Do you want to see him?† she says. â€Å"Why of course† I reply with no hesitation. After a couple of moments, the temptress returns with Jack, I pay her for her services and me and Jack get reacquainted after what seemed like a long separation. Jack and me hit it off like old times; we talked for what seemed like hours as we dashed through the aisles of the cold, damp labyrinth. Finally, I stumble upon the first puzzle in my adventure. I look down and notice that Jack has disappeared and is nowhere to be found. I decide to forge ahead and begin to run the gauntlet of chance. I stare down the black eyed Minetaur and stand my ground as the red and black daggers fall short on the oak in front of me. After a short battle, the Minetaur prevails and I am sent on my way to the next challenge in this maze of darkness. The Indian gives me a cold stare as I rattle the rocks and toss them across the plain in search of gratification. His demeanor never changed as I strike the first blow in the war. A second toss of the rocks shows that he is incapable of outsmarting me; I shall double my confidence, and bring him down. Another toss of the rocks†¦the redskin smiles, I bellow, in defeat and I am ushered along to my last chance of redemption. I wade through the murky blue waters below me and head towards my skirmish with the machine.

History of the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit Essay

The occurrence of doctrinal formulation of the Christian faith did not happen all at once. In one point or another, one doctrine will be the focuse while sometimes, another one will be spotted which means that all doctrines have the same or equal attention given by the chirstian. In this case, it is understood that the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit like other doctrines have no special attentions but also took chance in being noticed. During the early years of the century, this doctrine failed to attract attention specially the formal definition of the dogma. There are proofs that it has given importance, however, these importance are not the same as that of the formal teachings. During the early existence of churches, the Holy Spirit was acknowledge and witnessed through baptismal formula and in the Apostles’ Creed. Also, when we use the threefold name, the father, the son and the Holy Spirit, we show that there is a practice and that the presence of the Holy Spirit is indeed acknowledged. But then, when it comes to literature, the Holy Spirit is not prominent enough and given little importance. Montanism brought the subject into life and gave prominence to the Holy Spirit. This movement appeared in Phrygia by Priscilla and Maximilla. They announced the coming of anew period wherein there will be new revelations from God and called the whole period Paraclete and themselves as the prophers. The high morality being emphasized in this movement attracted others to join hence, the two preached about the nearness of death and the end of the world. This movement is more of an orthodox one and in contrast of Gnosticism. However, because of several issues, the movement was rejected and the doctrine of the Holy Spirit remained undeveloped and with no formulation. It was Monarchianism which taught more about the fact that the Son was the expression of the father. Because of this, the Church was forced to know the relationship between the Spirit and the Son, as well as to the father. There it was revealed that God reveals himself in different forms which are three roles that he plays as God. It was Sabellanism which made a major error in interpreting the trinity and the Holy Spirit. Aside from this error is the Arian controversy which is an anti-Trinitarian and does not agree with the Trinitarian views. The controversy in Nicea had to be brought into the Council of Constantinople. However, in this place another controversy came out which even made a great misunderstanding of the Doctrine. The people who were already confused started to disbelief the Doctrine and the Holy Spirit and one Bishop from Constantinople claimed that the Spirit is indeed a creature made subordinate to the Son. The orthodox on this movement preaches that the Holy Spirit is Divine and then the Son is not Divine of Vice Versa. The creed was studied by the Council and pointed out that the creed made use of a term that will avoid another term â€Å"of the substance†. Hence this discovery did counter what the above movement had mentioned about the divinity of the Trinity. However, despite of the fact that the questions regarding the Deity were all cleared and understood by many, there are still questions about the importance and the mystery of the Spirit and its relation to the Son and the Father. In the west part, this one was the question raised by the people and two terms were used to describe the relationship between the Son to the Father and the Spirit. Generation was used to describe the relation between the father and the son while Procession was used between the Son and the Father. In this period, three things were settled concerning the Holy Spirit and the Doctrine. Before Reformation, the attention of the church was focused into the Spirit alone but during the Reformation, the attention of the people and the church was focused on the works of the Holy Spirit. It was emphasized the Holy Spirit’s work has something to do with regenerating man. Several creeds and documents which grew out through reformation just like other periods, there are oppositions and exceptions. The church history saw the formulation of the orthodox doctrine of the Holy Spirit first followed by the definition of the Holy Spirit and its relations to the father and the son through the councils and it was developed during Reformation. It was not an easy way because in ever discovery comes another opposition but in the end, the mystery of the Holy Spirit became known to the people. However, in this life, maybe it is how one sees the power of the Holy Spirit that makes its application and understanding worthwhile. References Ryrie, Charles C. â€Å"The Holy Spirit†

Does Malcolm X deserve the honor of an American Stamp?

Introduction – Before the electronic means of communication reached the hands of everyone equipped enough to access and use such technology for correspondence and even until now that electronic mail or email is as common as the early morning coffee for everyone, the US postal office holds a significant role as an institution in the American way of life. Among the most important aspects of the postal service is the existence of postal stamp and how it has become more than an ornament in the envelope of domestic and international mails that Americans send to friends, relatives and business contacts. It has managed to find a niche outside its utilitarian purposes as it metamorphosed into a collectible item as well as an instrument that helped illustrate the shifting social policies in place inside the United States as time went by, particularly with its role in helping make the country a place wherein equal social rights is in place and improving and that institutions that recognize notable icons and personalities does not consider ethnicity and racial background. Whites, as well as African Americans, are all featured in the different issues of US postal stamps. But is everyone who have earned a status as a social personality have a sufficient enough reason to claim a seat in the list of other icons who are featured in the US stamps or is there a defining line that separates America’s exercise of a system free from racial discrimination from the nomination of every individual who might be a personal favorite but not entirely iconic in the progress of the American way of life as it is today? There are those who will agree that a person such as Malcolm X – born Malcolm Little – achieved a sufficient degree of social importance that earned him the right to have his name and face featured in the US postal stamps, while there are those who may think otherwise. To ascertain the validity of the claims that would stem from those who supports this proposition as well as from those who disagrees with the idea of creating Malcolm X stamps, it is important to put forward first who Malcolm X is and what characteristics and accomplishments he has that made him qualified to be included in the list of African Americans who graced the different issues of the US postal stamp. Who is Malcolm X? – Malcolm X was an Omaha-Nebraska native. Malcolm was the son of Earl and Louise and their fourth child as a couple (since Malcolm X's father also had children prior to his marriage with Louise). Malcolm X's young life was characterized by violence, seeing their house burned by white men and seeing his father physically assault her mother, while her mother was just as abusive towards him physically, which he thought was because of his color (Harvey, p3). Historians claim that the turning point of Malcolm X’s life that led him towards his newfound responsibility towards social and civil rights is during his important transition from being a non-believer to becoming a faithful. He was hardly a religious man during his earlier life, and that is putting it nicely since Malcolm X actually confessed to having ‘very little respect for most people who represented religion’ (Harvey, p5). But when Malcolm X converted to Islam, he adopted the name El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz and he became more active in not just religious preaching but as well as political sermons that advocated human and equal rights and consistently encouraged fellow African Americans to not be intimidated by actions of hate from white people. Sadly, religion, the institution that empowered him, is also rumored to be the one responsible for his death also, mainly because of Malcolm X’s leaning too much towards radicalism and his actions and words that nurture the atmosphere of civil disobedience and activism. Malcolm X in the American Stamp: Does he deserve the ‘Post’? – A United States Postal Service article stressed about its strong commitment in the effort to honor African Americans who made positive and significant contributions to the way of life in the country, even commenting about how the series featuring African American icons are amongst the popular US stamps in circulation. One of the areas wherein civil rights, equality and the absence of racism manages to display its self is in the selection of the icons and personalities that have adorned and will be featured in the postal stamps used in the United States for US mail. Civil and equal rights proponents will be glad to know that the US stamps accommodate notable African American icons – as a matter of fact, there are already some popular and iconic African American personalities that have made their way towards immortality via their presence in US stamps, and these personalities include Malcolm X as well as contemporary and fellow civil rights advocate Martin Luther King Jr., Booker T. Washington ( who is the first African American that was featured in a US postal stamp), Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman (the first African American woman who appeared in the U.S. postal stamp), Jackie Robinson, Scott Joplin and most recently, Thurgood Marshall. One of the noticeable characteristics among the African Americans who were selected to be featured in the postal stamps aside from Malcolm X is that they are not inclined to senseless and overt acts of violence and the outright disregard for laws and rules. King was contrasted with Malcolm X during their time because he was generally a pacifist, and Washington was known for using education as his main thrust to empower his fellow African American. As for Marshall, he was a civil rights advocate like Malcolm X during his time, but Marshall did not break or went around the law to have his way – he affected social change through the dispensing of morally correct and unbiased justice through the halls of the Supreme Court Justice. He assimilated himself with the system and made positive contribution towards his advocacy not by the distortion of the system but by helping create a just society bereft of crime. Thurgood was an icon because he believed that ultimately, the never ending social struggle is free from the color of one's skin and ethnicity, like the pursuit of fair and consistent justice by all. This particular characteristic – the ability to win an advocacy without the use of violation and without sowing more seeds of hatred among people of different races, the removal of violence as a means to achieve the victory of an advocacy, to effect social change in a positive manner – is an important characteristic and a significant consideration that the US post office makes every time they select a new icon from the civil rights movement group the act of immortalizing a person via a postal stamp design is a way of supporting everything that the person stands for and represent, and no modern day social institution will deify a person who is synonymous to violence, social disorder and criminal acts. Yes, it is true that not everyone can be saints, but if persons like Mother Theresa and Mahatma Gandhi can live a life without the use of violence, then why should the US postal service consider the criteria of moral soundness be overly high in their selection of the next new face in the US postal stamp? Yes, there are those who achieved their goals by the use of violence and force, like generals who won important wars and ruthless rulers who helped civilized nations and societies – but for those that can be achieved without violence, why would the best man (or woman) in that category be that which utilized violence and showed disregard and disrespect for the law? What message would it send to the public – whose taxes are making sure that federal offices like the US Postal Services operate so that they serve the best interest of the majority, and not the petty qualms of the few whose idolatry towards Malcolm X failed to comprehend the fact that Malcolm X and his acts of violence made him no better than the person and the institution he fought during his lifetime and aimed at changing. Conclusion – Malcolm X was an inspiration to many, mainly because he represents the rebel that every one wanted to become even just for once in their lives, against one act or experience that created the feeling of indignation. And while there are those who staunchly believes that he was instrumental in how the civil rights movement shaped in America during the late 1950’s and before he died halfway the following decade, the position of this paper in this particular issue is that Malcolm X’s violent and law-breaking past have placed him many points below in ranking along with other civil rights advocates – living or dead – in the US history who deserves to be honored with his/her own version of the US postal stamp. Reference: Haley, A. (1995). Autobiography of Malcolm X. Ballantine Books, N.Y.

Macroeconomics Article Commentary Essay

The worst problems surrounding youth unemployment in Scotland are not over, a Scottish Government Minister told MSPs today. Despite statistics showing a rise in jobs on offer, Minister for Youth Employment Angela Constance said that such a claim would be foolish. She said that improvements in Scotland’s economy would resolve some problems of getting young people into work. But she added that, in the long-term, work is needed to help those facing â€Å"considerable barriers†. Constance’s remarks came as she appeared before Holyrood’s Education Committee to answer questions on the Scottish Government’s Youth Employment Strategy, and ahead of the publication of the latest job figures tomorrow. Figures show that 102,000 young people are currently unemployed in Scotland. That represents around one in four of those aged 16-24 who are economically active. â€Å"Given the recent economic indicators that suggest things are slightly improving in terms of vacancies, do you think we’re over the most challenging year, and have met the greatest challenge?† Ms Constance said she would not be â€Å"foolish enough to look into her crystal ball† and make such predictions. â€Å"We’ll deal with what comes our way,† she said. Pressed by Labour MSP Neil Bibby on whether she believed there is a youth unemployment crisis in Scotland, Ms Constance said: â€Å"What I believe is that we need to be in this for the long haul.† She told MSPs there were around 20,000 young people from disadvantaged backgrounds who face â€Å"considerable barriers to getting into work†. â€Å"When we think of youth unemployment, some of that will be resolved when the economy picks up and gets better,† she added. â€Å"But youth unemployment is always two and a half to three times higher than all-age unemployment. â€Å"There is always an issue there that we need to tackle and it is long-term action we need.† IA Commentary #2: Youth unemployment requires long-term action Just like a majority of all countries, Scotland is facing struggle in their economic recovery after the recession. The problem being addressed in the chosen article speaks about the youth unemployment crisis that is occurring in the country. Demand in the consumer sector is not what the main problem is. Apparently, the youth (age 16 – 24) have reached unemployment (ability to work but don’t have a job) rates of 25% due to â€Å"disadvantaged backgrounds†. This can most likely be assumed that these people have had a lack of education and do not have the sufficient skills to apply for the desired jobs. This could be labeled as a ‘skill mismatch’ between workers’ skills and employers’ needs. Unemployment can have a significant negative impact on a country’s economy and society. As the unemployment level rises, the more people are eligible for benefit payments (money given to the unemployed to consume basic necessities) which take away from the government’s revenue and spending power. Secondly, and most importantly, unemployment can cause a waste of resources and reduce the nation’s output which will lower the economy’s GDP. With this loss of the nation’s output, the economy will be producing within its PPF (Production Possibility Frontier: ability to produce ALL available resources efficiently) and lowers/decreases economic growth. The following labor market diagram can depict what unemployment the market is facing. As seen in the diagram, the labor market is shown in a simple AD/AS model. At Qe, the labor market is at equilibrium as the demand for labor matches the supply. Though, in this case, the supply of labor has decreased causing the AS curve to shift leftwards. This shows that the market is not running at full efficiency as production is being hindered. The resource of workers are not being allocated at high efficiency because they are lacking the factor of production of education. These factors of production are inputs that are used in the production of goods/services. The suggested solution of the article is to seek ‘long-term’ action to regain the loss of supply/productivity in the skill deprived market. Government intervention seems to be the solution to correct those workers facing ‘considerable barriers’ or lack of education. The reallocation of the government fiscal policy to boost economic activity will have to see a greater percentage of revenue towards the education sector. The fiscal policy is the use of the government expenditure and taxation to manage the economy. In this case, a supply-side policy will need to be rearranged to improve the quality of resources which would education in this situation. A period of economic austerity will definitely be needed as the government will be forced to lower discretionary spending (expenditure that is adjusted annually) in other sectors to assure that the current and future youth have better education and provide the economy with better qualities of production. Using the same labor market diagram, you will see the result of increasing the quality of the factor of production (education) as the supply of ‘able’ workers rises back to equilibrium. The diagram shows the effect of re-allocated supply-side fiscal policy (policies to alter the level of supply to create a stable economy) towards increased spending for the education sector. The government can lower the number of un-educated workers/youths that lack adequate skills by subsidizing education and implementing better training for jobs. Currently, the aggregate supply for young Scottish workers lies on the ‘AS Labor’ curve as firms can’t hire the un-skilled workers. This leads the real GDP, or the output of the country to be lower as goods and services aren’t being produced at maximum efficiency due to the lack of workers. The long-run solution that is alluded in the text would definitely be to improve the education system because currently the economy is running on spare capacity (producing at less than maximum efficiency). The economy would have to bare with the supply crisis until the workers have acquired the adequate skills. If the re-evalution of the fiscal policy is used by the Scottish government, then they can potentially fix this skill-mismatch issue and avoid disastrous economic problems. Lastly, to ensure economic safety, the Scottish government should restrain from borrowing money and spend money on other projects to allow them to fix their problem. This could hinder the development in other sectors as the money available to them should be placed towards education.