Job skills Essay

VERBAL COMMUNICATION 1 Able to express your ideas clearly and confidently in speech TEAMWORK 2 Work confidently within a group COMMERCIAL AWARENESS 3 Understand the commercial realities affecting the organisation. ANALYSING & INVESTIGATING 4 Gather information systematically to establish facts & principles. Problem solving. INITIATIVE/SELF MOTIVATION 5 Able to act on initiative, identify opportunities & proactive in putting forward ideas & solutions DRIVE 6 Determination to get things done. Make things happen & constantly looking for better ways of doing things. WRITTEN COMMUNICATION 7 Able to express yourself clearly in writing PLANNING & ORGANISING 8 Able to plan activities & carry them through effectively FLEXIBILITY 9 Adapt successfully to changing situations & environments TIME MANAGEMENT 10 Manage time effectively, prioritising tasks and able to work to deadlines. Other skills that were also seen as important GLOBAL SKILLS Able to speak and understand other languages. Appreciation of other cultures. See Study and work placements outside the UK Working Abroad NEGOTIATING & PERSUADING Able to influence and convince others, to discuss and reach agreement. LEADERSHIP Able to motivate and direct others NUMERACY Multiply & divide accurately, calculate percentages, use statistics & a calculator, interpret graphs & tables. COMPUTING SKILLS Word-processing, using databases, spreadsheets, the Internet & email, designing web pages etc. SELF AWARENESS Awareness of achievements, abilities, values & weaknesses & what you want out of life. PERSONAL IMPACT/CONFIDENCE Presents a strong, professional, positive image to others which inspires confidence & commands respect. LIFELONG LEARNING Continues to learn throughout life. Develops the competencies needed for current & future roles STRESS TOLERANCE Maintains effective performance under pressure INTEGRITY Adheres to standards & procedures, maintains confidentiality and questions inappropriate behaviour. INDEPENDENCE Accepts responsibility for views & actions and able to work under their own direction & initiative. DEVELOPING PROFESSIONALISM Pays care & attention to quality in all their work. Supports & empowers others. ACTION PLANNING Able to decide what steps are needed to achieve particular goals and then implement these. DECISION-MAKING Determines the best course of action. Evaluates options based on logic & fact & presents solutions INTERPERSONAL SENSITIVITY Recognises & respects different perspectives. Open to the ideas & views of others CREATIVITY Generates & applying new ideas & solutions

Importance of arts Essay

Now we must study the following questions: What significance does art acquire if we assume that our interpretation of it is correct? What is the relation between aesthetic response and all other forms of human behavior? How do we explain the role and importance of art in the general behavioral system of man? There are as many different answers to these questions as there are different ways of evaluating the importance of art. Some believe art is the supreme human activity while others consider it nothing but leisure and fun. The evaluation of art depends directly on the psychological viewpoint from which we approach it. If we want to find out what the relationship between art and life is, if we want to solve the problem of art in terms of applied psychology, we must adopt a valid general theory for solving these problems. The first and most widespread view holds that art infects us with emotions and is therefore based upon contamination. Tolstoy says, â€Å"The activity of art is ba sed on the capacity of people to infect others with their own emotions and to be infected by the emotions of others. †¦ Strong emotions, weak emotions, important emotions, or irrelevant emotions, good emotions or bad emotions – if they contaminate the reader, the spectator, or the listener – become the subject of art. This statement means that since art is but common emotion, there is no substantial difference between an ordinary feeling and a feeling stirred by art. Consequently, art functions simply as a resonator, an amplifier, or a transmitter for the infection of feeling. Art has n6 specific distinction; hence the evaluation of art must proceed from the same criterion which we use to evaluate any feeling. Art may be good or bad if it infects us with good or bad feelings. Art in itself is neither good nor bad; it is a language of feeling which we must evaluate in accordance with what it expresses. Thus, Tolstoy came to the natural conclusion that art must be evaluated from a moral viewpoint; he therefore approved of art that generated good feelings, and objected to art that, from his point of view, represented reprehensible events or actions. Many other critics reached the same conclusions as did Tolstoy and evaluated a work of art on the basis of its obvious content, while praising or condemning the artist accordingly. Like ethics, like aesthetics – this is the slogan of this theory. But Tolstoy soon discovered that his theory failed when he tried to be consistent with his own conclusions. He compared two artistic impressions:  one produced b y a large chorus of peasant women who were celebrating the marriage of his daughter; and the other, by an accomplished musician who played Beethoven’s Sonata. The singing of the peasant women expressed such a feeling of joy, cheerfulness, and liveliness that it infected Tolstoy and he went home in high spirits. According to him, such singing is true art, because it communicates a specific and powerful emotion. Since the second impression involved no such specific emotions, he concluded that Beethoven’s sonata is an unsuccessful artistic attempt which contains no definite emotions and is therefore neither remarkable nor outstanding. This example shows us the absurd conclusions that can be reached if the critical understanding of art is based upon the criterion of its infectiousness. Beethoven’s music incorporates no definite feeling, while the singing of the peasant women has an elementary and contagious gaiety. If this is true, then Yevlakhov is right when he states that â€Å"‘real, true’ art is military or dance music, since it is more catchy.† Tolstoy is consistent in his ideas; beside folk songs, he recognizes only â€Å"marches and dances written by various composers† as works â€Å"that approach the requirements of universal art.† A reviewer of Tolstoy’s article, V. G. Valter, points out that â€Å"if Tolstoy had said that the gaiety of the peasant women put him in a good mood, one could not object to that. It would mean that the language of emotions that expressed itself in their singing (it could well have expressed itself simply in yelling, and most like ly did) infected Tolstoy with their gaiety. But what has this to do with art? Tolstoy does not say whether the women sang well; had they not sung but simply yelled, beating their scythes, their fun and gaiety would have been no less catching, especially on his daughter’s wedding day.† We feel that if we compare an ordinary yell of fear to a powerful novel in terms of their respective infectiousness, the latter will fail the test. Obviously, to understand art we must add something else to simple infectiousness. Art also produces other impressions, and Longinus’ statement, â€Å"You must know that the orator pursues one purpose, and the poet another. The purpose of poetry is trepidation, that of prose is expressivity,† is correct. Tolstoy’s formula failed to account for the trepidation which is the purpose of poetry. But to prove that he is really wrong, we must look at the art of military and dance music and find out whether the true purpose of that art is to infect. Petrazhitskii assumes  that aestheticians are wrong when they claim that the purpose of art is to generate aesthetic emotions only. He feels that art produces general emotions, and that aesthetic emotions are merely decorative. â€Å"For instance, the art of a warlike period in the life of a people has as its main purpose the excitation of heroic-bellicose emotions. Even now, military music is not intended to give the soldiers in the field aesthetic enjoyment, but to excite and enhance their belligerent feelings. The purpose of medieval art (including sculpture and architecture) was to produce lofty religious emotions. Lyric appeals to one aspect of our emotional psyche, satire to another; the same applies to drama, tragedy, and so on †¦ Apart from the fact that military music does not generate bellicose emotions on the battlefield, the question is not properly formulated here. Ovsianiko-Kulikovskii, for example, comes closer to the truth when he says that â€Å"military lyrics and music ‘lift the spirit’ of the army and ‘inspire’ feats of valor and heroic deeds, but neither of them leads directly to bellicose emotions or belligerent affects. On the contrary, they seem to moderate bellicose ardor, calm an excited nervous system, and chase away fear. We can say that lifting morale, calming nerves, and chasing away fear are among the most important practical functions of ‘lyrics’ which result from their psychological nature. It is therefore wrong to think that music can directly cause warlike emotions; more precisely, it gives bellicose emotions an opportunity for expression, but music as such neither causes nor generates them. Something similar happens with erotic poetry, the sole purpose of which, according to Tolstoy, is to excite lust. Anyone who understands the true nature of lyrical emotions knows that Tolstoy is wrong. â€Å"There is no doubt that lyrical emotion has a soothing effect on all other emotions (and affects) to the point that at times it paralyzes them. This is also the effect it has on sexuality with its emotions and affects. Erotic poetry, if it is truly lyrical, is far less suggestive than works of the visual arts in which the problems of love and the notorious sex problem are treated with the purpose of producing a moral reaction. Ovsianiko-Kulikovskii is only partly correct in his assumption that sexual feeling, which is easily excited, is most strongly stirred by images and thoughts, that these images and thoughts are rendered harmless by lyrical emotion, and that mankind is indebted to lyrics, even more than to ethics,  for the taming and restraining of sexual instincts. He underestimates the importance of the other art forms, which he calls figurative, and does not remark that in their case also emotions provoked by images are counteracted by the nonlyrical emotion of art. Thus we see that Tolstoy’s theory does not hold in the domain of the applied arts, where he thought its validity to be absolute. As concerns great art (the art of Beethoven and Shakespeare), Tolstoy himself pointed out that his theory is inapplicable. Art would have a dull and ungrateful task if its only purpose were to infect one or many persons with feelings. If this were so, its significance would be very small, because there would be only a quantitative expansion and no qualitative expansion beyond an individual’s feeling. The miracle of art would then be like the bleak miracle of the Gospel, when five barley loaves and two small fishes fed thousands of people, all of whom ate and were satisfied, and a dozen baskets were filled with the remaining food. This miracle is only quantitative: thousands were fed and were satisfied, but each of them ate only fish and bread. But was this not their daily diet at home, without any miracles? If the only purpose of a tragic poem were to infect us with the author’s sorrow, this would be a very sad situation indeed for art. The miracle of art reminds us much more of another miracle in the Gospel, the transformation of water into wine. Indeed, art’s true nature is that of transubstantiation, something that transcends ordinary feelings; for the fear, pain, or excitement caused by art includes something above and beyond its normal, conventional content. This â€Å"something† overcomes feelings of fear and pain, changes water into wine, and thus fulfills the most important purpose of art. One of the great thinkers said once that art relates to life as wine relates to the grape. With this he meant to say that art takes its material from life, but gives in return something which its material did not contain. Initially, an emotion is individual, and only by means of a work of art does it become s ocial or generalized. But it appears that art by itself contributes nothing to this emotion. It is not clear, then, why art should be viewed as a creative act nor how it differs from an ordinary yell or an orator’s speech. Where is the trepidation of which Longinus spoke, if art is viewed only as an exercise in infectiousness? We realize that science does not simply infect one person or a whole society with thoughts and ideas, any more than technology helps man  to be handy. We can also recognize that art is an expanded â€Å"social feeling† or technique of feelings, as we shall show later. Plekhanov states that the relationship between art and life is extremely complex, and he is right. He quotes Tairfe who investigated the interesting question of why landscape painting evolved only in the city. If art were intended merely to infect us with the feelings that life communicates to us, then landscape painting could not survive in the city. History, however, proves exactly the opposite. Taine writes, â€Å"We have the right to admire landscapes, just as they had the right to be bored by it. For seventeenth-century man there was nothing uglier than a mountain. It aroused in him many unpleasant ideas, because he was as weary of barbarianism as we are weary of civilization. Mountains give us a chance to rest, away from our sidewalks, offices, and shops; we like landscape only for this reason.† 6 Plekhanov points out that art is sometimes not a direct expression of life, but an expression of its antithesis. The idea, of course, is not in the leisure of which Taine speak s, but in a certain antithesis: art releases an aspect of our psyche which finds no expression in our everyday life. We cannot speak of an infection with emotions. The effect of art is obviously much more varied and complex; no matter how we approach art, we always discover that it involves something different from a simple transmission of feelings. Whether or not we agree with Lunacharskii that art is a concentration of life, we must realize that it proceeds from certain live feelings and works upon those feelings, a fact not considered by Tolstoy’s theory. We have seen that this process is a catharsis – the transformation of these feelings into opposite ones and their subsequent resolution. This view of course agrees perfectly with Plekhanov’s principle of antithesis in art. To understand this we must look at the problem of the biological significance of art, and realize that art is not merely a means for infection but something immeasurably more important in itself. In his â€Å"Three Chapters of Historic Poetics,† Veselovskii says that ancient singing and playing were born from a complex need for catharsis; a cho rus sung during hard and exhausting work regulates muscular effort by its rhythm, and apparently aimless play responds to the subconscious requirement of training and regulation of physical or intellectual effort. This is also the requirement of psychophysical catharsis formulated by Aristotle for the drama; it manifests itself in the  unsurpassed mastery of Maori women to shed tears at will, and also in the overwhelming tearfulness of the eighteenth century. The phenomenon is the same; the difference lies only in expression and understanding. We perceive rhythm in poetry as something artistic and forget its primitive psychophysical origins. The best repudiation of the contamination theory is the study of those psychophysical principles on which art is based and the explanation of the biological significance of art. Apparently art releases and processes some extremely complex organismic urges. The best corroboration of our viewpoint can be found in the fact that it agrees with Bucher’s studies on the origins of art and permits us to understand the true role and purpose of art. Bucher established that music and poetry have a common origin in heavy physical labor. Their object was to relax cathartically the tremendous stress created by labor. This is how Bucher formulated the general content of work songs: â€Å"They follow the general trend of work, and signal the beginning of a simultaneous collective effort; they try to incite th e men to work by derision, invective, or reference to the opinion of spectators; they express the thoughts of the workers about labor itself, its course, its gear, and so forth, as well as their joys or sorrows, their complaints about the hardness of the work and the inadequate pay; they address a plea to the owner, the supervisor, or simply to the spectator.† The two elements of art and their resolution are found here. The only peculiarity of these songs is that the feeling of pain and hardship which must be solved by art is an essential part of labor itself. Subsequently, when art detaches itself from labor and begins to exist as an independent activity, it introduces into the work of art the element which was formerly generated by labor: the feelings of pain, torment, and hardship (which require relies are now aroused by art itself, but their nature remains the same. Biicher makes an extremely interesting statement: â€Å"The peoples of antiquity considered song an indispensable accompaniment of hard labor.† From this we realize that song at first organized collective labor, then gave relief and relaxation to painful and tormenting strain. We shall see that art, even in its highest manifestations, completely separate from labor and without any direct connection thereto, has maintained the same functions. It still must systematize, or organize, social feeling and give relief to painful and tormenting strain. Quintilian puts it this way: â€Å"And  it appears as if [music] were given to us by nature in order to make labor bearable. For instance, the rower is inspired by song; it is useful not only where the efforts of many are combined, but also when it is intended to provide rest for an exhausted worker.† Thus art arises originally as a powerful tool in the struggle for existence; the idea of reducing its role to a communication of feeling with no power or control over that feeling, is inadmissible. If the purpose of art, like Tolstoy’s chorus of peasant women, were only to make us gay or sad, it would neither have survived nor have ever acquired its present importance. Nietzsche expresses it well injoyful Wisdom, when he says that rhythm involves inducement and incentive: â€Å"It arouses an irresistible desire to imitate, and not only our legs but our very soul follow the beat. †¦ Was there anything more useful than rhythm for ancient, Superstitious mankind? With its help everything became feasible – work could be performed magically, God could be forced to appear and listen to grievances, the future could be changed and corrected at will, one’s soul could be delivered of any abnormality. Without verse man would be nothing; with it, he almost became God.â €  It is quite interesting to see how Nietzsche explains the way in which art succeeded in acquiring such power over man. â€Å"When the normal mood and harmony of the soul were lost, one had to dance to the song of a bard – this was the prescription of that medicine †¦ First of all, inebriation and uncontrolled affect were pushed to the limit, so that the insane became frenzied, and the avenger became saturated with hatred.† Apparently the possibility of releasing into art powerful passions which cannot find expression in normal, everyday life is the biological basis of art. The purpose of our behavior is to keep our organism in balance with its surroundings. The simpler and more elementary our relations with the environment, the simpler our behavior. The more subtle and complex the interaction between organism and environment, the more devious and intricate the balancing process. Obviously this process cannot continue smoothly toward an equilibrium. There will always be a certain imbalance in favor of the environment or the organism. No machine can work toward equilibrium using all its energy efficiently. There are always states of excitation which cannot result in an efficient use of energy. This is why a need arises from time to time to discharge the unused energy and give it free rein in order to reestablish our equilibrium with the rest of the  world. Orshanskii says that feelings â€Å"are the p luses and minuses of our equilibrium.† These pluses and minuses, these discharges and expenditures of unused energy, are the biological function of art. Looking at a child, it is evident that its possibilities are far greater than actually realized. If a child plays at soldiers, cops and robbers, and so on, this means, according to some, that inside himself he really becomes a soldier or a robber. Sherrington’s principle (the principle of struggle for a common field of action) clearly shows that in our organism the nervous receptor fields exceed many times the executing effector neurons, so that the organism perceives many more stimuli than it can possibly attend to. Our nervous system resembles a railway station into which five tracks lead, but only one track leads out. Of five trains arriving at this station, only one ever manages to leave (and this only after a fierce struggle), while the other four remain stalled. The nervous system reminds us of a battlefield where the struggle never ceases, not even for a single instant, and our behavior is an infinitesimal part of what is really included in the possibilities of our nerv ous system, but cannot find an outlet. In nature the realized and executed part of life is but a minute part of the entire conceivable life Oust as every life born is paid for by millions of unborn ones). Similarly, in our nervous system, the realized part of life is only the smallest part of the real life contained in us. Sherrington likens our nervous system to a funnel with its narrow part turned toward action, and the wider part toward the world. The world pours into man, through the wide opening of the funnel 154), thousands of calls, desires, stimuli, etc. enter, but only an infinitesimal part of them is realized and flows out through the narrowing opening. It is obvious that the unrealized part of life, which has not gone through the narrow opening of our behavior, must be somehow utilized and lived. The organism is in an equilibrium with its environment where balance must be maintained, just as it becomes necessary to open a valve in a kettle in which steam pressure exceeds the strength of the vessel. Apparently art is a psychological means for striking a balance with the environment at critical points of our behavior. Long ago the idea had been expressed that art complements life by expanding its possibilities. Von Lange says, â€Å"There is a sorry resemblance between contemporary civilized man and domestic animals: limitation and monotony. Issuing from the patterns of bourgeois  life and its social forms, these are the main features of the individual existence, which lead everybody, rich and poor, weak and strong, talented and deprived, through an incomplete and imperfect life. It is astonishing how limited is the number of ideas, feelings, and actions that modern man can perform or experience.† Lazurskii holds the same view when he explains the theory of empathy by referring to one of Tolstoy’s novels. â€Å"There is a point in Anna Karenina where Tolstoy tells us that Anna reads a novel and suddenly wants to do what the heroes of that novel do: fight, struggle, win with them, go with the protagonist to his estate, and so on.† Freud shares this opinion and speaks of art as a means of appeasing two inimical principles, the principle of pleasure and that of reality. Insofar as we are talking about the meaning of life, these writers come closer to the truth than those who, like Grant-Allen, assume that â€Å"aesthetics are those emotions which have freed themselves from association with practical interests.† This reminds us of Spencer’s formula: he assumed that â€Å"beautiful is what once was, but no longer is, useful.† Developed to its extreme limits, this viewpoint leads to the theory of games, which is accepted by many philosophers, and g iven its highest expression by Schiller. The one serious objection against it is that, in not recognizing art as a creative act, it tends to reduce it to the biological function of exercising certain organs, a fact of little importance for the adult. Much more convincing are the other theories which consider art an indispensable discharge of nervous energy and a complex method of finding an equilibrium between our organism and the environment in critical instances of our behavior. We resort to art only at critical moments in our life, and therefore can understand why the formula we propose views art as a creative act. If we consider art to be catharsis, it is perfectly clear that it cannot arise where there is nothing but live and vivid feeling. A sincere feeling taken per se cannot create art. It lacks more than technique or mastery, because a feeling expressed by a technique will never generate a lyric poem or a musical composition. To do this we require the creative act of overcoming the feeling, resolving it, conquering it. Only when this act has been performed – then and only then is art born. This is why the perception of art requires creativity: it is not enough to experience sincerely the feeling, or feelings, of the author; it is not enough to understand the structure of the work of art; one must also  creatively overcome one’s own feelings, and find one’s own catharsis; only then will the effect of art be complete. This is why we agree with Ovsianiko-Kulikovskii who says that the purpose of military music is not to arouse bellicose emotions but, by establishing an equilibrium between the organism and the environment at a critical moment for the organism, to discipline and organize its work, provide appropriate relief to its feelings, to chase away fear, and to open the way to courage and valor. Thus, art never directly generates a practical action; it merely prepares the organism for such action. Freud says that a, frightened person is terrified and runs when he sees danger; the useful part of this behavior is that he runs, not that he is frightened. In art, the reverse is true: fear per se is useful. Man’s release per se is useful, because it creates the possibility of appropriate flight or attack. This is where we must consider the economy of our feelings, which Ovsianiko-Kulikovskii describes thus: â€Å"The harmonic rhythm of lyrics creates emotions which differ from the majority of other emotions in that such ‘lyric emotions’ save our psychic energies by putting our ‘psychic household’ into harmonic order.† This is not the same economy of which we talked earlier, it is not an attempt to avoid the output of psychic energies. In this respect art is not subordinated to the principle of the economy of strength; on the contrary, art is an explosive and sudden expenditure of strength, of forces (psychic and otherwise), a discharge of ene rgy. A work of art perceived coldly and prosaically, or processed and treated to be perceived in this way, saves much more energy and force than if it were perceived with the full effect of its artistic form in mind. Although it is an explosive discharge, art does introduce order and harmony into the â€Å"psychic household,† of our feelings. And of course the waste of energy performed by Anna Karenina when she experienced the feelings and emotions of the heroes of the novel she was reading, is a saving of psychic forces if compared to the actual emotion. A more complex and deeper meaning of the principle of economizing emotions will become clearer if we try to understand the social significance of art. Art is the social within us [55], and even if its action is performed by a single individual, it does not mean that its essence is individual. It is quite naive and inappropriate to take the social to be collective, as with a large crowd of persons. The social also exists where there is only one  person with his individual experiences and tribulations. This is why the action of art, when it performs catharsis and pushes into this purifying flame the most intimate and important experiences, emotions, and feelings of the soul, is a social action. But this experience does not happen as described in the theory of contaminati on (where a feeling born in one person infects and contaminates everybody and becomes social), but exactly the other way around. The melting of feelings outside us is performed by the strength of social feeling, which is objectivized, materialized, and projected outside of us, then fixed in external objects of art which have become the tools of society. A fundamental characteristic of man, one that distinguishes him from animals, is that he endures and separates from his body both the apparatus of technology and that of scientific knowledge, which then become the tools of society. Art is the social technique of emotion, a tool of society which brings the most intimate and personal aspects of our being into the circle of social life. It would be more correct to say that emotion becomes personal when every one of us experiences a work of art; it becomes personal without ceasing to be social. â€Å"Art,† says Guyau, â€Å"is a condensation of reality; it shows us the human machine under high pressure. It tries to show us more life phenomena than we actually experience.† Of course this life, concentrated in art, exerts an effect not only on our emotions but also on our will â€Å"because emotion contains the seed of will.† Guyau correctly attributes a tremendous importance to the role played by art in society. It in troduces the effects of passion, violates inner equilibrium, changes will in a new sense, and stirs feelings, emotions, passions, and vices without which society would remain in an inert and motionless state. It â€Å"pronounces the word we were seeking and vibrates the string which was strained but soundless. A work of art is the center of attraction, as is the active will of a genius: if Napoleon attracts will, Corneille and Victor Hugo do so too, but in a different way. †¦ Who knows the number of crimes instigated by novels describing murders? Who knows the number of divorces resulting from representations of debauchery?† â€Å"Guyau formulates the question in much too primitive a way, because he imagines that art directly causes this or the other emotion. Yet, this never happens. A representation of murder does not cause murder. A scene of debauchery does not inspire divorce; the  relationship between art and life is very complex, and in a very approximate way it can be described as will be shown. Hennequin sees the difference between aesthetic and real emotion in the fact that aesthetic emotion does not immediately express itself in action. He says, however, that if repeated over and over again, these emotions can become the basis for an individual’s behavior; thu s, an individual can be affected by the kind of literature he reads. â€Å"An emotion imparted by a work of art is not capable of expressing itself in immediate actions. In this respect aesthetic feelings differ sharply from actual feelings. But, since they serve an end in themselves, they justify themselves and need not be immediately expressed in any practical activity; aesthetic emotions can, by accumulation and repetition, lead to substantial practical results. These results depend upon the general properties of aesthetic emotion and the particular properties of each of these emotions. Repeated exercises of a specific group of feelings under the effect of invention, imagination, or unreal rnoods or causes that generally cannot result in action do not require active manifestations, and doubtless weaken the property common to all real emotions, that of expression in action. †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I Hennequin introduces two very important corrections, but his solution of the problem remains quite primitive. He is correct in saying that aesthetic emotion does not immediately generate action, that it manifests itself in the change of purpose. He is als o correct when he states that aesthetic emotion not only does not generate the actions of which it speaks, but is completely alien to them. On the basis of Guyau’s example, we could say that the reading of novels about murder not only does not incite us to murder, but actually teaches us not to kill; but this point of view of Hennequin’s, although it is more applicable than the former, is quite simple compared with the subtle function assigned to art. As a matter of fact, art performs an extremely complex action with our passions and goes far beyond the limits of these two simplistic alternatives. Andrei Bely says that when we listen to music we feel what giants must have felt. Tostoy masterfully describes this high tension of art in his Kreutzer Sonata: † Do you know the first place? Do you really know it?† he explains. Oh! †¦ A sonata is a frightening thing. Yes, this part, precisely. Music, generally, is a frightening thing. What is it? I don’t understand. What is music? What does it do? And why does it do whatever it does? They say that music elevates our  soul. Rubbish, nonsen se! It does work, it has a terrible effect (I am talking for myself, but it certainly does not lift the soul. It does not lift the soul, nor does it debase it, but it irritates it. How can I put it? Music makes me oblivious of myself; it makes me forget my true position; it transfers me into another position, not mine, not my own: it seems to me, under the effect of music, that I feel what I don’t feel, that I understand what I actually don’t understand, can’t understand. †¦ â€Å"Music immediately, suddenly, transports me into the mood which must have been that of the man who wrote it. I become one with him, and together with him I swing from one mood into another, from one state into another, but why I am doing it, I don’t know. That fellow, for instance, who wrote the Kreutzer Sonata, Beethoven, he knew why he was in that state. That state led him to certain actions, and therefore, for him, that state was sensible. For me, it means nothing, it is completely senseless. And this is why music only irritates and achieves nothing. Well, if I play a military march, the soldiers will march in step, and the music has achieved its purpose; if dance music is played, I dance, and the music achieves its purpose. Or, if Mass is sung and I take communion, well, here too the music has achieved its purpose; otherwise, it is only irritation, and no one knows what to do with this irritation. This is why music occasionally has such a horrible,terrifying effect. In China music is an affair of state, and this is how it should be †¦ â€Å"Otherwise it could be a terrifying tool in the hands of anybody. Take for instance the Kreutzer Sonata. How can one play its presto in a drawing room, amidst ladies in decollete? Play it, and then busy oneself, then eat some ice cream and listen to the latest gossip? No, these things can b e played only in the face of significant, important circumstances, and then it will be necessary to perform certain appropriate acts that fit the music. If it must be played, we must act according to its setting of our mood. Otherwise the incongruity between the place, the time, the waste of energy, and the feelings which do not manifest themselves will have a disastrous effect.† This excerpt from The Kreutzer Sonata tells us quite convincingly of the incomprehensibly frightening effect of music for the average listener. It reveals a new aspect of the aesthetic response and shows that it is not a blank shot, but a response to a work of art, and a new and powerful stimulus for further action. Art requires a reply, it incites  certain actions, and Tolstoy quite correctly compares the effect of Beethoven’s music with that of a dance tune or a march. In the latter case, the excitement created by the music resolves itself in a response, and a feeling of satisfied repose sets in. In the case of Beethoven’s music we are thrown into a state of confusion and anxiety, because the music reveals those urges and desires that can find a resolution only in exceptionally important and heroic actions. When this music is followed by ice cream and gossip amidst ladies in d’collet, we are left in a state of exceptional anxiety, tension, and disarray. But T olstoy’s character makes a mistake when he compares the irritating and stimulating effect of this music to the effect produced by a military march. He does not realize that the effect of music reveals itself much more subtly, by means of hidden shocks, stresses, and deformations of our constitution. It may reveal itself unexpectedly, and in an extraordinary way. But in this description, two points are made with exceptional clarity: First, music incites, excites, and irritates in an indeterminate fashion not connected with any concrete reaction, motion, or action. This is proof that its effect is cathartic, that is, it clears our psyche, reveals and calls to life tremendous energies which were previously inhibited and restrained. This, however is a consequence of art, not its action. Secondly, music has coercive power. Tolstoy suggests that music should be an affair of state. He believes that music is a public affair. One critic pointed out that when we perceive a work a work of art we think that our reaction is strictly personal and associated only with ourselves. We believe that it has nothing to do social psychology. But this is as wrong as the opinion of a person pays taxes and considers this action only from his own viewpoint own, personal budget, without bearing in mind that he participate the huge and complex economy of the state. He does not reflect that by paying taxes he takes part in involved state operations whose existence he does not even suspect. This is why Freud is wrong when he says that man stands face to face with the reality of nature, and that art be derived from the purely biological difference between the principle of enjoyment toward which all our inclinations gravitate, and that of reality which forces us to renounce satisfaction and pleasure. Between man and the outside world there stands the social environment, which in its own way refracts and directs the stimuli acting upon the individual and guides all  the reactions that emanate from the individual. applied psychology it is therefore of immense significance to know I as Tolstoy puts it, music is something awesome and frightening to average listener. If a military march incites soldiers to march proudly in a parade, what exceptional deeds must Beethoven’s music inspire! Let me repeat: music by itself is isolated from our everyday behavior; it does not drive us to do anything, it only creates a vague and enormous desire for some deeds or actions; it op ens the way for the emergence of powerful, hidden forces within us; it acts like an earthquake as it throws open unknown and hidden strata. The view that art returns us to atavism rather than projecting us into the future, is erroneous. Although music does not generate any direct actions, its fundamental effect, the direction it imparts to psychic catharsis, is essential for the kind of forces it will release, what it will release, and what it will push into the background. Art is the organization of our future behavior. It is a requirement that may never be fulfilled but that forces us to strive beyond our life toward all that lies beyond it. We may therefore call art a delayed reaction, because there is always a fairly long period of time between its effect and its execution. This does not mean, however, that the effect of art is mysterious or mystical or that its explanation requires some new concepts different from those which the psychologist sets up when he analyzes common behavior. Art performs with our bodies and through our bodies. It is remarkable that scholars like Rutz and Sievers, who studied perceptual proc esses and not the effects of art, speak of the dependence of aesthetic perception on a specific muscular constitution of the body. Rutz was the first to suggest that any aesthetic effect must be associated with a definite type of muscular constitution. Sievers applied his idea to the contemplation of sculpture. Other scholars mention a connection between the basic organic constitution of the artist and the structure of his works. From the most ancient times, art has always been regarded as a means of education, that is, as a long-range program for changing our behavior and our organism. The subject of this chapter, the significance of applied arts, involves the educational effect of art. Those who see a relationship between pedagogy and art find their view unexpectedly supported by psychological analysis. We can now address ourselves to the last problems on our agenda, those of the practical effect of art on life  and of its educational significance. The educational significance of art and its practical aspects may be divided into two parts. We have first criticism as a fundamental social force, which opens th e way to art, evaluates it, and serves as a transitional mechanism between art and society. From a psychological point of view, the role of criticism is to organize the effects of art. It gives a certain educational direction to these effects, and since by itself it has no power to influence the basic effect of art per se it puts itself between this effect and the actions into which this effect must finally resolve itself. We feet therefore that the real purpose and task of art criticism is different from its conventional one. Its purpose is not to interpret or explain a work of art, nor is its purpose to prepare the spectator or reader for the perception of a work of art. Only half of the task of criticism is aesthetic; the other half is pedagogical and public. The critic approaches the average â€Å"consumer† of art, for instance, Tolstoy’s hero in The Kreutzer Sonata, at the troublesome point when he is under the incomprehensible and frightening spell of the music and does not know what it will release in him. The critic wishes to be the organizing force, but enters the action when art has already had its victory over the human psyche which now seeks impetus and direction for its action. The dualistic nature of criticism obviously entails a dualistic task. The criticism which consciously and intentionally puts art into prose establishes its social root, and determines the social connec tion that exists between art and the general aspects of life. It gathers our conscious forces counteract or, conversely, to cooperate with those impulses which have been generated by a work of art. This criticism leaves the domain of art and enters the sphere of social life, with the sole purpose of guiding the aesthetically aroused forces into socially useful channels. Everyone knows that a work of art affects different people in different ways. Like a knife, or any other tool, art by itself is neither good nor bad. More precisely, it has tremendous potential for either good or evil. It all depends on what use we make of, or what task m sign to, this tool. To repeat a trite example: a knife in the hands surgeon has a value completely different from that of the same knife the hands of a child. But the foregoing is only half the task of criticism. The other half consists in conserving the effect of art as art, and preventing the read spectator from wasting the forces aroused by art by  substituting for its powerful impulses dull, commonplace, rational-moral precepts. Few understand why it is imperative not only to have the effect of art shape and excite the reader or spectator but also to explain art, and to explain it in such a way that the explanation does not fill the emotion. We can readily show that such explanation is indispensable, our behavior is organized according to the principle of unity, which is accomplished mainly by means of our consciousness in which any emotion seeking an outlet must be represented. Otherwise we risk creating a conflict, and the work of art, instead of producing a catharsis, would inflict a wound, and the person experiences what Tolstoy when his heart is filled with a vague, incomprehensible emotion of depression, impotence, and confusion. However, this does not mean that the explanation of art kills the trepidation of poetry mentioned by Longinus, for there are two different levels involved. This second element, the element of conservation of an artistic impression, has always been regarded by theoreticians as decisively important for art criticism but, oddly enough, our critics have always ignored it. Criticism has always approached art as if it were a parliamentary speech or a non-aesthetic fact. It considered its task to be the destruction of the effect of art in order to discover the significance of art. Plekhanov was aware that the search for the sociological equivalent of a work of art is only the first half of the task of criticism. â€Å"This means,† he said when discussing Belinskii, â€Å"that evaluation of the idea of a work of art must be followed by an analysis of its artistic merits. Philosophy did not eliminate aesthetics. On the contrary, it paved the way for it and tried to find a solid basis for it. This must also be said about materialistic criticism. In searching for the social equivalent of a given literary phenomenon, this type of criticism betrays its own nature if it does not understand that we cannot confine ourselves to finding this equivalent, and that sociology must not shut the door to aesthetics but, on the contrary, open it wide. The second action of materialistic criticism must be, as was the case with many critic-idealists, the evaluation of the aesthetic merits of the work under investigation †¦ The determination of the sociological equivalent of a given work of literature would be incomplete and therefore imprecise if the critic failed to appraise its artistic merits. In other words, the first action of materialistic criticism not only does not eliminate the need for  the second action, but requires it as a necessary and indispensable complement.† A similar situation arises with the problem of art in education: the two parts or acts cannot exist independently. Until recently, the public approach to art prevailed in our schools as well as in our criticism. The students learned or memorized incorrect sociological formulas concerning many works of art. â€Å"At the present time,† says Gershenzon, â€Å"pupils are beaten with sticks to learn Pushkin, as if they were cattle herded to the w atering place, and given a chemical dissociation of H20 instead of drinking water.† It would be unfair to conclude with Gershenzon that the system of teaching art in the schools is wrong from beginning to end. In the guise of the history of social thought reflected in literature, our students learned false literature and false sociology. Does this mean that it is possible to teach art outside the sociological context and only on the basis of individual tastes, to jump from concept to concept, from the Iliad to Maiakovskii? Eichenwaid seems to believe this, for he claims that it is impossible as well as unnecessary to teach literature in the schools. â€Å"Should one teach literature?† he asks. â€Å"Literature, like the other arts, is optional. It represents an entertainment of the mind. †¦ Is it necessary that students be taught that Tatiana fell in love with Onegin, or that Lermontov was bored, sad, and unable to love forever?† Eichenwald is of the opinion that it is impossible to teach literature and that it should be taken out of the school curriculum because it requires an act of creativity different from all the other subjects taught at school. But he proceeds from a rather squalid aesthetic, and all his weak spots become obvious when we analyze his basic position, â€Å"Read, enjoy, but can we force people to enjoy?† Of course, if â€Å"to read† means â€Å"to enjoy,† then literature cannot be taught and has no place in the schools (although someone once said that the art of enjoyment could also he taught). A school that eliminates lessons in literature is bound to be a bad school. â€Å"At the present time, explanatory reading has as its main purpose the explanation of the content of what is being read. Under such a system, poetry as such is eliminated from the curriculum. For instance, the difference between a fable by Krylov and its rendition in prose is Completely lost.† From the repudiation of such a position, Gershenzon comes to the conclusion: â€Å"Poetry cannot and must not be a compulsory subject of education; it is time that it again become a guest  from paradise on earth, loved by everyone, as was the case in ancient times. Then it will once again become the true teacher of the masses.† The basic idea here is that poetry is a heavenly guest and it must be made to resume the role it played â€Å"in ancient times.† But Gershenzon does not concern himself with the fact that these ancient times are gone forever, and that nothing in our time plays the same role it played then. He ignores this fact because he believes that art is fundamentally different from all the other activities of man. For him, art is a kind of a mystical or spiritual act that cannot be recreated by studying the forces of the. According to him, poetry cannot be studied scientifically.† One of the greatest mistakes of contemporary culture,† he says, â€Å"application of a scientific or, more precisely, a naturalistic method to the study of poetry.† Thus, what contemporary scholars consider to be the only possible way of solving the riddle of art is for Gershenzon the supreme mistake of contemporary culture. Future studies and investigations are likely to show that the i creating a work of art is not a mystical or divine act of our soul, I real an act as all the other movements of our body, only much complex. We have discovered in the course of our study that a creative act that cannot be recreated by means of purely conscious operations. But, by establishing that the most important elements in art are subconscious or creative, do we automatically eliminate any and all conscious moments and forces? The act of artistic creation cannot be taught. This does not mean, however, that the educator cannot cooper ate in forming it or bringing it about. We penetrate the subconscious through the conscious. We can organize the conscious processes in such a way that they generate subconscious processes, and everyone knows that an act of art includes, as a necessary condition, all preceding acts of rational cognizance, understanding, recognition, association, and so forth. It is wrong to assume that the later subconscious processes do not depend on the direction imparted by us to the conscious processes. By organizing our conscious, which leads us toward art, we insure a priori the success or failure of the work of art. Hence Molozhavy correctly states that the act of art is â€Å"the process of our response to the phenomenon, although it may never have reached the stage of action. This process †¦ widens the scope of our personality, endows it with new possibilities, prepares for the completed response to the phenomenon, that is, behavior, and also has educational  value †¦ Potebnia is wrong to treat the artistic image as a condensation of thought. Both thought and image are a condensation either of the conscious with respect to the phenomenon involved or of the psyche, which issued from a series of positions preparatory to the present position. But this gives us no right to confuse these biological elements, these psychological processes, on the basis of the vague argument that both thought and artistic image are creative acts. On the contrary, we must emphasize all the ir individual peculiarities in order to understand each as a part of the whole. The tremendous strength that arouses emotions, inspires the will, fortifies energy, and pushes us to action lies in the concreteness of the artistic image which is in turn based upon the originality of the psychological path leading to it.† These considerations need one substantial correction if we move from the field of general psychology into child psychology. When we determine the influence exerted by art, we must take into account the specific peculiarities facing one who deals with children. Of course this is a separate field, a separate and independent study, because the domain of child art and the response of children to art is completely different from that of adults. However, we shall say a few brief words on the subject and trace a basic line along which child psychology intersects this field. There are remarkable phenomena in the art of children. First, there is the early presence of a special structure required by art, which points to the fact that for the child there exists a psychological kinship between art and play. â€Å"First of all,† says Biihler, â€Å"is the fact that the child very early adopts the correct structure, which is alien to reality but required by the fairy tale, so that he can concentrate on the exploits of the heroes and follow the changing images. It seems to me that he loses this ability during so me period of his development, but it returns to him in later years. †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Apparently art does not perform the same function in a child as it does in an adult. The best example of this is a child’s drawing which in many cases is on the borderline of artistic creativity. The child does not understand that the structure of a line can directly express the moods and trepidations of the heart and soul. The ability to render the expressions of people and animals in different positions and gestures develops very slowly in a child, for various reasons. The principal one is the fundamental fact that a child draws patterns, not events or phenomena. Some claim the opposite, but they  seem to ignore the simple fact that a child’s drawing is not yet art for the child. His art is unique and different from the art of adults, although the two have one very interesting characteristic in common. It is the most important trait in art and we shall mention it in conclusion. Only recently was it noticed that certain absurdities or amusing nonsense which can be found in nursery rhymes by inverting the most commonplace events play a tremendously important role in child art. Most frequently the required or desired absurdity is achieved in a nursery rhyme by assigni ng certain functions of object A to object B, and vice versa. †¦ â€Å"The hermit asked me how many strawberries grow at the bottom of the ocean. I answered him: ‘As many as there are red herrings in the forest.’ To understand this nursery jingle the child must know the truth about life: herrings exist only in the ocean, and strawberries only in the forest. He begins to look for the absurd only when he is absolutely sure of the facts.† We, too, feel that the statement, that this aspect of child art comes very close to play, is true; as a matter of fact, it gives us a good explanation of the role and the significance of art in a child’s life. â€Å"We still do not quite understand the connection which exists between nursery rhymes and child’s play. †¦ When evaluating books for small children, critics frequently forget to apply the criterion of play. Most folk nursery rhymes do not issue from games but are play, a game in themselves: a play of words, a play of rhythms, sounds; †¦ these muddles always maintain some sort of ideal order. There is system in this folly. By dragging a child into a topsy-turvy world, we help his intellect work, because the child becomes interested in creating such a topsy-turvy world for himself in order to become more effectively the master of the laws governing the real world. These absurdities could be dangerous for a child if they screened out the real interrela tionships between ideas and objects. Instead, they push them to the fore, and emphasize them. They enhance (rather than weaken) the child’s perception of reality.† Here, too, we observe the same phenomenon of the dualism of art. In order to perceive art, we must contemplate simultaneously the true situation of things and their deviation from this situation. We can also observe how an effect of art arises from such a contradictory perception. Since absurdities are tools for the child to use in understanding reality, it becomes suddenly clear why the extreme leftists in art criticism come up with a slogan: art as a method  for building life. They say that art is building life because â€Å"reality is forged from the establishment and destruction of contradictions. When they criticize the idea of art as the cognition of life and advance the idea of a dialectic perception of the world through matter, they reach agreement with the psychological laws of art. â€Å"Art is an original, chiefly emotional †¦ dialectic approach to building life.† Now we can envision the role of art in the future. It is hard to guess what forms this unknown life of the future will take, and it is even harder to guess what place art will take in that future life. One thing is clear, however: arising from reality and reaching toward it, art will be determined by the basic order of the future flow of life. â€Å"In the future,† sa ys Friche, â€Å"the role of art is not likely to change substantially from its present role. Socialist society will not be the antithesis of capitalist society, but its organic continuation.† If we regard art as an embellishment or ornament of life, such a viewpoint is admissible. However, it basically contradicts the psychological laws of art. Psychological investigation reveals that art is the supreme center of biological and social individual processes in society, that it is a method for finding an equilibrium between man and his world, in the most critical and important stages of his life. This view of course completely refutes the approach according to which art is an ornament, and thereby leads us to doubt the correctness of the above statement. Since the future has in store not only a rearrangement of mankind according to new principles, not only the organization of new social and economic processes, but also the â€Å"remolding of man,† there seems hardly any doubt that the role of art will also change. It is hard to imagine the role that art will play in this remolding of man. We do not know which existing but dormant forces in our organisms it will draw upon to form the new man. There is no question, however, that art will have a decisive voice in this process. Without new art there can be no new man. The p ossibilities of the future, for art as well as for life, are inscrutable and unpredictable. As Spinoza said, â€Å"That of which the body is capable has not yet been determined.†

Analysis of the Film Psycho

The movie Psycho is a story about a woman named Jaine Leigh named Marion Crane. The movie starts with a bedroom scene where Marion starts talking about her future with her lover Sam. After a short encounter with Sam, she returned to work and was exposed to $ 40,000 in cash. With such huge money, Marion ran away with money; this meant that she wanted to run away with Sam and they could start again. Along the way, she stopped at the motel, became the site of her murder, and is about to explore more sites. Alfred Hitchcock writes a journal article on the analysis of movie 'psychology'. This is argued as one of the great pictures as one of the psycho film's attractions. I will explain the specific technique Hitchcock used to give the audience a sense of tension and create a suspense. With low budget, very basic special effects, black and white photography, Alfred Hitchcock 's psychology still overcome pending issues and competed with today' s big hit. For many years many people have begu n to believe that despite myriad scientific research, psychodynamic concepts and treatments are not as effective as other treatments. However, in Shedler (2010), as the misunderstanding of the concept of psychodynamics and the ineffectiveness of treatment was retirement of a graduate medical institution to train non-doctors and non-doctors, mainly due to dislike of mental health professionals I assert that. Take a disqualified position Alfred Hitchcock 's psychology directed movie analysis psychology (1960) is based on Robert Bloch novel of the same name. The film is overseen by Hollywood legend Alfred Hitchcock. The script is written by Joseph Stephano and is based on real crime of serial killer Ed Gein. Movie stars Janet Rey, Anthony Perkins, John Gavin and Vera Meyers. This film has been nominated for four academic awards and is widely recognized as one of Hitchcock's best films. It produced two sequels, Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock. One of the operational themes presented to audie nces at Psycho is the opposite of good and evil. This can be seen in various roles through movies. You can also get an example from a conflict in a role. Some contradictions, how the characters deal with them, and how each other shapes the structure of the movie. The concept of characters that audiences receive depends on various people throughout the film.

Communication Difficulties in English Speaking Essay

Communication Difficulties in English Speaking - Essay Example In native English speaking countries such as the United States, England and Australia, the accent and the vocabularies are slightly different. In countries like India and China English is accepted as a second language and has included in the curriculum because of the importance of English as an international language. But even then peoples from non-native English speaking countries were experiencing problems in communicating with those who have English as their mother tongue. â€Å"With the number of foreign investors flocking to India and the growth of outsourcing, English has come to play a key role in professional relationships between foreign and Indian companies. Familiarity with the differences between American and British English has definitely grown as much business communication is carried out according to the language style with which a client is comfortable.† (Khokhar) This paper briefly analyzes the problems faced in communicating through English by two different groups of people from one native English speaking country, Australia and one non-native English speaking country, India. In a communication process, the addresser and the addressee use a frame of reference: their knowledge of the subject under discussion, their experience in professional or individual terms, their norms, i.e. the norms of the society in which they live, their assumptions, i.e. what is taken as a factor believed to be true. Australians and the Indians have entirely different cultures and attitudes. India is one of the biggest and heavily populated country having diversified languages and cultures whereas Australia is comparatively a small country having almost a unique culture and religion. The outlooks of these societies may be different because of their cultural differences and hence in communications also these differences can play a part. Though it is closer to British English since it originates from that style, with the influx of globalization American English has definitely had an impact on the youth as well as in the professional sphere.

Minimizing the risk of cold stress and thermoregulation in neonatal Essay

Minimizing the risk of cold stress and thermoregulation in neonatal children - Essay Example Any deviation from the normal values will influence the biochemical processes and will disturb the natural homeostasis presents within the cells of the human organism. The temperature of the body is divided in two parts: the temperature of the internal organs, known as the core temperature, and skin temperature. The temperature of the internal organs remains almost exactly constant, within a variation of 0.6 0C. Nevertheless, many healthy people whose temperature has been measured orally have shown a range of normal temperatures, varying from under 36 0C to over 37.5 0C. The average normal temperature of the internal organs is considered to be within the range of 36.6 to 37.5 0C if it's measured orally and 1 0C if it's measured rectally. Since the temperature regulatory systems of the body are not perfect, the body temperature varies in different situations, such as extreme exercise and extremes of temperature of surroundings. For example, during exercise, when excessive heat is produced, the temperature of the body can rise temporarily to as high as 38.5 to 40 0C. On the other hand, when the body is subjected to extreme cold, the temperature of t he body can often fall below 36 0C. The skin temperature, on the other hand, constantly varies, depending on the surroundings. This temperature is important when we take into account the ability of the skin to lose heat to the surroundings. As was stated before, the body's perfect functioning is dependent on maintain the balance, or homeostasis, in the organism. The control of body temperature is no different; in essence, it represents a balance between heat production of the body and heat loss. Logically, the rate of heat production that increases more than the loss of heat leads to elevated temperature of the body. If the loss of heat is greater, lowering of body temperature occurs. Heat production represents the principal by-product of metabolism. There are various factors that determine the rate of heat production, and these factors combined are named the metabolic rate of the body. According to Guyton and Hall (2000, p.822) the most important factors are the following: 1) Basal rate of metabolism of all the cells of the body 2) Extra rate of metabolism as a result of muscle contraction (this includes muscle contractions caused by shivering) 3) Extra metabolism caused by the effect of thyroxin (and to a smaller extend other hormones like growth hormone and testosterone) 4) Extra metabolism caused by the effect of epinephrine, norepinephrine and the sympathetic stimulation of the cells. 5) Extra metabolism caused by increased chemical activity in the cells, especially when the cell temperature increases. The main generators of heat in the body represent the internal organs, especially the liver, brain and heart, and in the skeletal muscles during exercise. From these organs the heat is transferred to the skin, where it is lost to the air and other surroundings. According to Guyton and Hall (2000, p.822) the rate at which the body heat is lost is determined by two factors: 1) How rapidly heat can be conducted from where it is produced in the body core to the skin 2) How rapidly heat can then be transferred from the skin to the surroundings. The insulator system of the body, that prevents the heat from

Deepwater Horizon explosion (April 2010) -Transocean Company Essay

Deepwater Horizon explosion (April 2010) -Transocean Company - Essay Example This resulted to the loss of about five billion oil barrels through spillage but luckily, the situation was contained in 15th of July 2010. The discharge of crude oil had many negative effects such as damaging fisheries and their habitats as well as disrupting the economy (Guttry, 291). The oil spill, which is termed as the largest in the history of America, resulted to the damage of property worth forty billion US dollars. Since the damage was so big, it attracted the president’s attention where he responded by appointing a commission to inquire the causes of the spill (Guttry, 291). Reports state that even after the several response actions taken to control the impacts of explosion, the well in the Gulf of Mexico is still leaking. Although the estimated leaking rate is three million liters per day, some scientists argue that it is higher. The restriction by the government for scientists to establish the effects of the spill has raised ethical issues of government providing i nformation to the public. Ethical questions that were raised concerned the effect that the spill had on the eco system for example, the seabirds could be poisoned. In terms of legal, it was clear that the wild animals did not have any form of legal protection after the oil spill. Even though the major goal of any business is to make profit, it also has the right of making sure that its actions conform to the expectations of the society in terms of law and ethical custom (Halbert, 11). The Transocean Company should also put in place a number of safety measures that protects the environment in the event of fire or oil spill. After the explosion, company was also unable to pay dividends to the shareholders and many investors lost trust in the company during the year 2011 (Halbert, 13). The tourism business of Florida was affected negatively and the repair measures by the company could not restore the tourist attraction sceneries damaged by the oil spill (Halbert, 17). The companyâ€⠄¢s reputation was also damaged to the potential investors and to the society when they realized that the operations of the company were not inclined towards ensuring safety to its workers and the environment. After the explosion, the US president issued a drilling moratorium to regulate the drilling operations. The Energy National Board, which is located in Canada, also made it mandatory that all the drilling companies should produce their set of defined safety measures as a process of controlling oil spill damages. Moreover, the National Contingency plan (NCP) was enforced whose role is to provide the federal actions in response to an oil spill (Hagerty, 07). The response action could be the demand of the company responsible for oil spill to compensate the affected parties. Since the disaster of oil spill was one of the greatest in the US history, the event attracted a number of responses and reactions from the government, private companies, and Non-profit making organizations. As required by the government, the Transocean committed itself to pay twenty billion US dollars as a way of settling the claims resulting from the damages caused by oil spill. The major damages caused by the oil spill were on property, physical injuries and even death of the workers (Guttry 293). It is therefore evident that the drilling operations in deep water are very risky and the government as well as the industry should make safety of the workers

European Union's State Development Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

European Union's State Development - Case Study Example (Boromisa 2004).A thorough knowledge of the impacts of the monitoring and evaluation of the candidate countries is indispensable for a the success of the upcoming talks in 2009 for Croatia.This is because the progress of the candidate countries is monitored and evaluated regularly once a year by the European Commission and its main findings are published in Regular Reports.Even after the candidates are have signed the Accession treaty they are still monitored.This evident from the recent "Monitoring Report of the European Commission on the State of Preparedness for EU Membership of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia" (European Commission, 2004c).When Croatia was given the candidate status it was stated by the European Council at Brussels stated that "The European Councilconfirms that the negotiations will be based on Croatia's own merits and that the pace of accession will depend solely on Croatia's progress in meeting the requirements for membership". (European Commission, 2004c).As it can be seen that Croatian candidature was already dependent upon the evaluation of its functioning of the ideals of liberty, democracy and human rights (parliament, executive, judiciary). A stable political and economic system is thus the key to Croatia's success in achieving the timely membership of the EU.For Croatia then the ultimate integration into the EU will means inclusion into the internal market, i.e. free movement of goods, persons, services and capital. (Boromisa, A. and Miki, M., 2003).Also there will be an impact upon the trade patterns followed by the removal of trade barriers (e.g. tariffs, quotas, voluntary export restrictions) and harmonization of policies (e.g. agriculture, competition, trade and industrial).Finally there will also be a multilateralization of individual free trade agreements which will require substantial adjustments to the local investment policy and regulation. It also has to be taken into account that there is a risk of delays in the ratification procedure rises with the number of the EU member.states vying for EU membership increasing. (Boromisa, A. and Miki, M., 2003). Also Croatia might have to deal with some politically tough decisions which may form the basis for the requirements for the EU like decreased public expenditure. (Frederik Sorensen 2001 ) .Current issues faced by the EU include the controversy relating to open skies agreements, and state investor disputes. The issue of Open Skies recently created many headlines and in the context of Croatian membership it can be seen that the matter is no longer economical or legal. The issue is purely political. (Frederik Sorensen 2001 ). This became a tug of war that took place between EU and USA authorities over the recent Open Skies Agreement. The Agreement aims to liberalise transatlantic airspace yet European transport Ministers were reluctant to agree to it at first as they felt it gave the US an unfair advantage over European interests and its

Case studies 1 & 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Case studies 1 & 2 - Essay Example If the decision to promote one of the board members as the direct for the Energy cooperative is beneficial for the masses by providing them with a leading figure or a figurehead for the corporation. Then the company can proceed with the proposal. Ethical relativism in rights theory indicates that there are no universal rights or wrings, however what is accepted as the norm for right and wrong is established to be ethical. As a result as the clients and the external partners of the energy cooperative have the right to now the management at the committee, it is also their right to know that there is no single director at the company. Instead a group of directors precede over the committee for operations and decision-making. The theory of justice depicts that ethical decision are those which are fair to all parties and have integrity. In order to be fair to the clients as well being fair to the other directors on the board of the Energy Cooperative Company the proposal of the director to address to the clients while addressing himself as ‘the director of the company’ should be rejected as it is unfair and lacks integrity. Instead it should be depicted that he is one of the directors on board the Energy Cooperative’ Â   The three levels pertain to pre-conventional, conventional and post-conventional levels. At the pre-conventional level in the first stage pertaining to obedience and punishment orientation, the company could decide against the proposal as there is a threat of a lawsuit from the external partners, clients and the other board directors for misrepresentation. At the second stage which is interest driven, the company could decide in favor if the proposal as it would provide them with a spokesperson form the company that can be perceived as the figurehead and leader in the cooperative for others. At the conventional level in the third stage pertaining to interpersonal accord and conformity the cooperative can deicide in favor

Unit 2 - Business Resources, Unit 20 - Managing Physical Resources in Coursework

Unit 2 - Business Resources, Unit 20 - Managing Physical Resources in a Business Environment, Unit 16 - Human Resources management in Business - Coursework Example skills, attitude and formalities to work in the conerned company, physical and technological resources of the company and their associated management to improve upon the existing performance, the importance of emplyability, skills and staff retention, sources of external and internal finance and budgetary control, financial state and a discussion on the same and finally calculation and discussion of some important financial ratios along with their limitations. Virgin Atlantic (UK) requires an initial documentation of either a valid EU Passport, or a UK Birth certificate along with a valid NHS Insurance proof or a valid passport with the necessary permits to work in the UK. (Virgin Atlantic, 2012)These documents must be submitted to Virgin Atlantic (UK) even before the selection process has begun. (Virgin Atlantic, 2012)It has to be sent it along with the application for the relevant job opening a candidate is applying to. (Virgin Atlantic, 2012). The application involves attaching an updated CV along with a covering letter and the necessary document which validates a candidates eligibility to work in the UK (discussed above). Under no circumstances the person should have any criminal record or any pending criminal case (Virgin Atlantic, 2012) Virgin Atlantic employs approximately 9000 people all over the world in various countries, with roughly 4000 cabin crew and 700 Pilots. (Virgin Atlantic Airlines, 2014). The main requirements for working at Virgin Atlantic include: â€Å"intelligence, responsibility, initiative and support† (Virginia Airlines Ltd, n.d.)for a candidates fellow workers, this is irrespective of which field of work the candidate would apply to, whether it be Finance, Marketing, Human Resource or Operations. (Virgin Atlantic Airlines, 2014).These requirements enable Virgin Atlantic to identify key personnel and assign them strong roles in order to build on the â€Å"Virgin† brand. (Virgin Atlantic Airlines, 2014) Virgin requires all its

The Influence of Technology on Society and the Economy Essay Example for Free

The Influence of Technology on Society and the Economy Essay The nature of technology possessed by a society happens to be the defining characteristic of the self same society.   Thus, the Stone Age, the Iron Age, the Bronze Age, the Industrial Age, and the Information Age are very appropriate terms used to define the nature of human society in different times (â€Å"Technology,† 2007).    Man’s living standards are to known to have been improving with new technologies cropping up as a result of his own efforts.   Thus, new technologies are also known to have a positive effect on the economy.    At the same time, however, it is a fact that those who do not use the new technologies also do not experience the greatest socioeconomic benefits of the new technologies.   This is the reason why man in the Information Age is presently observing the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots (Friedman, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Iron Age saw man using tools that were superior to those of the Stone Age.   Therefore, both the Iron Age and the Bronze Age increased man’s standard of living.   The tools that were made in the Iron Age and the Bronze Age led to an increase in efficiency as well as productivity.   By knowing how to make different objects with iron and bronze, man was also able to increase trade with his neighbors.   The introduction of new goods and services by way of trade automatically translated into higher standards of living than before.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thus, new technologies must always translate into higher standards of living.   The sixteenth century saw new inventions that revolutionized manufacturing and other features of living.   The wheel-lock musket, the helicopter, the spinning wheel, the pocket watch, the diving bell, the seed drill, the camera obscura, the knitting machine, the compound microscope, the Gregorian Calendar, and the enameling of pottery were all brought into the world in the same century (â€Å"Timeline†).   All of these new technologies were not only used in trade, but also became a part of people’s daily lives.   As a matter of fact, at this point in time we cannot even imagine a world without these objects to help us out with our everyday routines.   Hence, society becomes dependent on technology that it has used successfully in the past.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The late eighteenth and the nineteenth century saw the beginning of the Industrial Revolution – a highly exciting time for man.   During the Industrial Revolution, man learned how to manufacture goods and services faster than before, and at lower costs of production.   The introduction of manufacturing machinery was undoubtedly a gigantic leap in the world of production. More importantly, the enhancement in efficiency and productivity experienced during that time grew the economy by leaps and bounds.   All the same, the industrialized nations at the time were separated from the non-industrialized nations that lacked the expertise for developing machinery.   The industrialized nations had to export the machinery to the non-industrialized nations.   However, they could only sell machinery to the non-industrialized nations when the latter found themselves in a position to pay for them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Technologies developed in the last century have similarly influenced society.   The following passage explains some of the influences of the latest technologies on society:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Technology-driven changes have been particularly evident in the past century.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Automobiles have created a more mobile, spread-out society; aircraft and improved   Ã‚  Ã‚   communications have led to a smaller world and, eventually, globalization; contraception   Ã‚  Ã‚   has revolutionized sexual mores; and improved sanitation, agriculture, and medicine have   Ã‚  Ã‚   extended life expectancy.   A technologically literate person recognizes the rate of technology   Ã‚  Ã‚   in these changes and accepts the reality that the future will be different from the present   Ã‚  Ã‚   largely because of technologies now coming into existence, from Internet-based activities to   Ã‚  Ã‚   genetic engineering and cloning (â€Å"Technology†). Following the Industrial Revolution, the Internet Revolution was the next most exciting technological change experienced by society.   Turning the world into a ‘global village’ where people around the world could communicate with each other at low costs and at any time, the Internet also revolutionized the way business is conducted.   Today, consumers from around the world may purchase goods sold online from almost any nation. This, of course, is in stark contrast to the shopping experiences on people’s travels when people could only be excited about foreign goods whilst traveling in foreign lands.   Businesses from around the world have grown tremendously because of the Internet.   The ex-chairman of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan explained some of the benefits of the Internet and other new technologies back in the year 2000:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The relationship between businesses and consumers already is being changed by the   Ã‚  Ã‚   expanding opportunities for e-commerce.   The forces unleashed by the Internet are almost   Ã‚  Ã‚   surely to be even more potent within and among businesses, where uncertainties are being   Ã‚  Ã‚   reduced by improving the quantity, the reliability, and the timeliness of information.   This is   Ã‚  Ã‚   the case in many recent initiatives, especially among our more seasoned companies, to   Ã‚  Ã‚   consolidate and rationalize their supply chains using the Internet. Not all technologies, information or otherwise, however, increase productivity—that is,   Ã‚  Ã‚   output per hour—by reducing the inputs necessary to produce existing products.   Some new   Ã‚  Ã‚   technologies bring about new goods and services with above average value added per   Ã‚  Ã‚   workhour.   The dramatic advances in biotechnology, for example, are significantly increasing   Ã‚  Ã‚   a broad range of productivity-expanding efforts in areas from agriculture to medicine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Indeed, in our dynamic labor markets, the resources made redundant by better   Ã‚  Ã‚   information†¦are being drawn to the newer activities and newer products, many never before   Ã‚  Ã‚   contemplated or available.   The personal computer, with ever-widening applications in homes   Ã‚  Ã‚   and businesses, is one.   So are the fax and the cell phone.   The newer biotech innovations are   Ã‚  Ã‚   most especially of this type, particularly the remarkable breadth of medical and   Ã‚  Ã‚   pharmacological product development (â€Å"Remarks,† 2000). New technologies are enhancing man’s ability to create products and services of value.   In the boundless ocean of the digital culture, everything should appear as a blessing.   But, there are problems that the economy must face alongside the blessings.   In the music industry, for instance, the digital age has been seen as a mixed blessing.   Because of piracy or MP3’s, whichever name we give to the mixed blessing of the digital economy as it concerns the music industry, the digital economy is presently not in a state to flourish as much as possible even if the steadily rising numerical figures related to the growth of electronic commerce tell us another tale (Muhammad, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As mentioned previously, another problem facing the global economy in our times is the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots, similar to the one experienced during the Industrial Revolution.   According to Friedman, those who are able to use the chip technology most productively today are naturally the winners in the global economy.   As compared to these successful nations and businesses are those suffering from the symptoms of Microchip Immune Deficiency Syndrome, which include economic slackness, along with a deficiency to increase the use of knowledge (Friedman). This is the reason why the World Trade Organization acts as a protestor of globalization – which is driven by the World Wide Web – on behalf of the poor nations whenever these nations are threatened by it (Lipsey, 2006).   Also according to Friedman, the wealth of the prosperous Bill Gates was at one point equal to the total net worth of at least a hundred million poorest of Americans. Another fact to explain the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots during the globalized Internet Age is that in the United States, the incomes of one-fifth of the poorest working families dropped between 1979 and 1995 by at least 21%, for the simple reason that they did not know how to adopt the new technology.   What is more, the incomes of one-fifth of the richest Americans increased by almost 30% during the same time period (Friedman).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Still, new technologies are known to be responsible for growing the economy by increasing organizational effectiveness, that is, in the organizations that can afford the new technologies.   Organizational effectiveness is for the organization to be doing everything that it knows how to do, and to be doing it well.   The organization knows how to manage its employees, and to manufacture the products or provide the services that it originally set out to manufacture or provide. However, in order to be effective in its operations, the organization should be managing its employees well, and manufacturing good quality products or providing high quality services to its customers.   In the organizational environment of today, the organization that is effective in its operations must be effectively using information technology.   This is, in fact, one of the requirements of organizational effectiveness in our times (Helms).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The computer software designed for the organization in our time helps to organize plans, letters, legal documents, articles, and countless other files as well as indispensable documents.   In other words, software can help to modernize as well as simplify the whole process of working with computer documents (â€Å"New Software,† 2006).   This helps the organization to do its job well, seeing that computer software is designed to perform routine tasks that humans might perform only with mistakes because they dislike and get easily wearied performing monotonous tasks.   Additionally, time is money in the business world.    By using computer software to handle routine tasks with speed, the rich organization is using its human resources at jobs that only skilled human beings would be able to handle.   Thus, everything at the organization runs well.   The computer software does its own job excellently, while the skilled human beings, without wasting time on routine tasks that computers can handle, perform jobs that computers cannot do.   Hence, computer software adds to the skills and specializations at the workplace, which in turn help to increase production, thereby benefiting the economy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At the same time, however, it should be remembered that everybody in society does not benefit when the economy grows thanks to new technology.   Rather, the rich get richer and the poor become poorer.   This is the reason why the Internet Age has failed to raise the standards of living of the poorest people in the globe. References Friedman, T. L. (2000). The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization. New York: Anchor Books. Helms, M. M. Defining Organizational Effectiveness. Retrieved 28 October 2007, from http://www.daltonstate.edu/faculty/mhelms/citizen/2001_10_28.html. Lipsey, R. G. (2006, April 4). Don’t Give Up On WTO: Fix It. YaleGlobal. Muhammad, T. K. (1999, March). Leaders Of The Digital Economy. Black Enterprise, Vol. 29. New software is first of its kind; Solves file organization problems encountered by all computer users. (2006, September 14). M2 Presswire. Remarks by Chairman Alan Greenspan. (2000, January 13). The Federal Reserve Board. Retrieved 28 October 2007, from http://www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/speeches/2000/200001132.htm. Technology Shaped By and Shaping Society. (2007). The National Academies. Retrieved 28 October 2007, from http://www.nae.edu/nae/techlithome.nsf/weblinks/KGRG-55SQTT?OpenDocument. Timeline 16th Century. Magic Dragon Multimedia. Retrieved 28 October 2007, from http://www.magicdragon.com/UltimateSF/timeline16.html.

Colonialism and Immigration Restriction Act of 1901

Colonialism and Immigration Restriction Act of 1901 Alan Taylor Are Colonialism and the â€Å"Immigration Restriction Act of 1901† really dead in Australia? In this essay I will propose that colonialism and the ‘Immigration Restriction Act aka White Australia policy’,[1] are not dead, not just yet anyway. I will briefly outline some of the tensions in the community which led to the implementation of this policy in 1901. I will also investigate how the media of the day helped this policy along. I will then go on to explain how this policy, which was enacted to stop non Europeans entering Australia, effected the Indigenous population throughout the life of said policy. I will then go on to see if some points from this policy are being revived in today’s political environment, or is it just coincidence that these new legislations seem to align themselves with the White Australia policy of yesteryear. Also I will briefly examine if these new policies breach the ‘Human Rights Act’. One in particular, Operation Sovereign Borders,[2] designed to stop refugees entering the country illegally. By the end if this es say I should be able to answer the question posed above. The Immigration Restriction Act was the main component of a package of legislation acknowledged by the new Federal Parliament in 1901. It was premeditated to exclude all non-European migrants and also the Indigenous population who were deemed as not being Australian. This package also incorporated the ‘Pacific Islander Labourers Act and Section 15 of the 1901 Post and Telegraph Act’,[3] which provided that ships hauling Australian mail, and therefore funded by the Commonwealth, should provide work for white labour only.[4] The attitudes were in line with Australian nationalism of the late 1800s. And was a move to control non-European immigration to most of the Australian colonies dating back to the 1850s. The beginning of the White Australia policy began with the mining boom of the 1850s. The white miners anger towards the hard-working Chinese diggers ended in violence in Victoria and New South Wales. These two colonies governments initiated restraints on the immigration of Chinese people. Later, it was the turn of hard-working indentured labourers from the Pacific South Sea Islands known as Kanakas in the northern region of Queensland. The employees of factories in the south became strongly opposed to all forms of immigration which might threaten their employ; predominantly by non-white people who they thought would accept an inferior standard of living and also would work for lower wages. A number of influential Queenslanders felt that they would be expelled from the impending Federation if the Kanaka trade did not stop. Leading NSW and Victorian politicians advised that there would be no place for Asiatics or coloureds in the Australia of the future. In 1901, the new federal government voted for an Act ending the employment of Pacific Islanders and other non-white people. The Immigration Restriction Act 1901 obtained royal approval on the 23rd December1901. It was depicted as an Act to deliver certain limitations on immigration and for the removal from the Commonwealth of forbidden immigrants. The Act banned from immigration those considered to be insane, anyone expected to become a burden upon the public or upon any public or charitable institution. This also included any person suffering from an infectious or contagious disease of a loathsome or dangerous character. Other limitations put in place included a dictation test which was used to eliminate certain aspirants by entailing them to pass a written test. Often these tests were carried out in a language that the aspirant was not familiar with and had been selected by an immigration officer. With these strict measures in place the enactment of the White Australia policy was w armly applauded by most sections of the community. In 1919 the Prime Minister, William Morris Hughes, hailed it as the greatest thing we have achieved.[5] The Immigration Restriction Act demonstrates Australias stance toward immigration from federation until the later part of the 20th century, which preferred applicants from certain countries, most of these applicants were mainly of European nationality. The abolition of this policy occurred over a period of 25 years. After the 1949 election win of the alliance between the Liberal and Country parties, Immigration Minister Harold Holt permitted 800 non-European refugees to stay in Australia and Japanese war brides were allowed to enter Australia. Over succeeding years Australian governments steadily dismantled the policy with the final remnants being removed in 1973 by the new Labor government. The Immigration Restriction Act 1901 represents the official adoption by Commonwealth of Australia of racist policies that resulted in a form of immigration apartheid that grew out of racist 19th century community attitudes. Up until the middle of the20th century, these types of racist attitudes limited the Indigenous population from realizing the same rights as the white Australians. In the 1950s, many of the Indigenous population were relocated in missions where they had to abide to stringent conditions and to rely on handouts of food. A number were even forced to assimilate into white Australian society after being removed from their family homes as children, these were to become known as the stolen generations. The media throughout this period used cartoon images and headlines such as to put across the Government views on who should be allowed entry into Australia. While the policy which was enacted in 1901 to restrict the immigration of non Europeans has been dead, since 1973, I fear some components of said Policy are creeping back into today’s Policy making, in an age where we are considered to be in the post colonialism era. The measures undertaken during this period were helped along by the print media of the day, as it is today. On 21 June 2007, the Australian Government announced a ‘national emergency response to protect Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory’ from sexual abuse and family violence. This has become known as the ‘NT intervention’ or the ‘Emergency Response’.[6] The medium for the actions was the release of ‘Report of the Northern Territory Board of Inquiry into the Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse, titled Ampe Akelyernemane Meke Mekarle: ‘Little Children are Sacred’.’[7] Some parts of the ‘NT intervention’ policy, was to initiate extensive alcohol restrictions on the Aboriginal lands in the Northern Territory. The enforcing of school attendance by linking income support and family assistance payments to school attendance for all people living on Aboriginal lands and providing meals for children at school at the expense of the parents. Also the introduction of obligatory health checks for all Aboriginal children to aid in the recognizing and treating of health problems and any causes of abuse. As part of the urgent response to this emergency, there was an increase in policing levels in prescribed communities, including requesting verbal agreements from other jurisdictions to enhance NT resources, funded by the Australian Government. This was accomplished by improving authority by assigning managers of all government business to agreed communities.[8] As it stands, there is a need for considerable change for the NT intervention measures to be considered steady with Australia’s international human rights requirements. The Social Justice Report of 2007 outlined ten steps, to which I only mention a few, to modifying the intervention so that it is consistent with these obligations and ensures Indigenous individuals in Aboriginal communities in the NT equal treatment and full human dignity. In the 1990’s the Australian Government initiated Mandatory detention for Asylum seekers, under mandatory detention, any person who enters the Australian migration zone without a visa is located in a holding facility while health and security checks are carried out. At which time seemed fair. This in turn led to the Pacific Solution: 2001–2007 the Australian government policy of conveying asylum seekers to detention centres on island nations in the Pacific Ocean, while their refugee status was verified. In 2007, the Labor Party under Prime Minister Kevin Rudd discarded the Pacific Solution, by installing a more liberal asylum policy. Rudds government guaranteed to resolve all asylum claims within three months and closed the Nauru detention facility. In November 2012 Australia with the approval of Papua New Guinea opened an offshore processing facility on Manus Island, a remote location 800kms to the north of Papua New Guinea. It then started sending asylum seekers from Christmas Island, an Australian territory south of Java, to the Manus Island facility, over 4,800kms away. In July 2013 Australia then announced that all asylum seekers arriving in its territory by boat would, if they ascertain that these asylum seekers are actual refugees, would be resettled in Papua New Guinea, and not in Australia. In 2013 Amnesty International Australia released a report entitled ‘This Is Breaking People.’[9] This report looked into the Manus Island detention facility to see if the Labor government was in violation of the asylum seekers human rights. Also in the same year Amnesty International Australia also released another report entitled ‘The truth about Manus Island.’[10] They found that nearly five months into this new policy of sending the asylum seekers to Manus Island, it was clear that the Regional Resettlement Arrangement has resulted in a host of violations to their human rights. Some of the violations that they found were: ‘Asylum seekers are detained in the absence of any individualized assessment of the need for detention. Contrary to international law, the Regional Resettlement Arrangement with Papua New Guinea discriminates against asylum seekers on the basis of their means and date of arrival, treats as suspect all asylum seekers who arrive by boat, and penalizes them for their manner of arrival.’[11] One of the recommendations to fix these and other human rights violations was to: ‘Immediately review the Regional Resettlement Arrangement with Papua New Guinea and end offshore processing and the offshore detention of asylum seekers. All asylum seekers held in the Manus Island detention centre must be transferred back to Australian territory and given full access to asylum procedures in Australia.’[12] Today the Government is turning back the boats as promised with their policy Operation Sovereign Borders. ‘Operation Sovereign Borders is the Abbott governments military-led plan to combat people smugglers and treat the arrival of asylum seeker boats to Australia as a national emergency and a border protection crisis’.[13] In one cartoon from the White Australia policy era it depicts an Aboriginal looking menacing towards a landing party from England, the slogan reads ‘Trying to STOP THE BOATS’ these types of images were common under the Immigration Restriction Act. In the lead up to the 2013 Federal election, one of the slogans the then opposition party used for their campaign was ‘STOP THE BOATS’ in reference to asylum seekers arriving in Australia illegally by boat. At the very top of the Immigration Restriction Act of 1901, it states: ‘To place certain restrictions on Immigration and to provide for the removal from the Commonwealth of prohibited Immigrants. [Assented to 23rd December 1901]’[14] Are these policies influenced by the long dead Immigration Restriction Act, or is it just by coincidence that they appear similar. In conclusion it seems that the Immigration Restriction Act or ‘White Australia’ policy is creeping back into today’s political and national environment, but I hope that it is just coincidence that it looks that way. We did help write the human rights charter, yet it seems that we have been in violation of this charter for some time. Also with ‘NT intervention’ policy let’s hope it does not lead to another stolen generation. As a nation we should have learnt from previous mistakes made, to strive toward a nation that can be a role model for the global community. Let us not regress to our colonial past where we were perceived as a country of racists, for we as a nation live in a post colonial world. Finally to answer the question, ‘Are Colonialism and the â€Å"Immigration Restriction Act of 1901† really dead in Australia?’ Yes I do believe these to be a thing of the past and are dead in Australia. But if the I and the people of Australia cannot be tolerant off other people and their cultures, surely we will regress back to the days of colonialism and the ways of the ‘White Australia’ policy. Bibliography Amnesty International Australia, This Is Breaking People human rights violations at Australia’s asylum seeker processing centre on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea. accessed february 20, 2014. http://www.amnesty.org.au/images/uploads/about/Amnesty_International_Manus_Island_report.pdf.. Amnesty International Australia, The truth about Manus Island: 2013 report. Accessed February 10, 2014. http://www.amnesty.org.au/refugees/comments/33587/. (The truth about Manus Island: 2013 report) Australian Human Rights Commission, The Northern Territory ‘Emergency Response’ intervention – A human rights analysis. Accessed February 22, 2014. http://www.humanrights.gov.au/sites/default/files/content/social_justice/sj_report/sjreport07/pdf/chap3.pdf. Australian Human Rights Commission, Social Justice Report 2007 Chapter 3: The Northern Territory Emergency Response intervention. Accessed February 22, 2014. http://www.humanrights.gov.au/publications/social-justice-report-2007-chapter-3-northern-territory-emergency-response-intervention Museum of Australian Democracy, Immigration Restriction Act 1901 (Cth). Accessed February 19, 2014. http://foundingdocs.gov.au/item-did-16.html. National Communications Branch, Department of Immigration and Border Protection, Canberra, Fact Sheet 8 – Abolition of the White Australia Policy. Accessed February 09, 2014. http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/08abolition.htm. SBS. Factbox: Operation Sovereign Borders. News. http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2013/09/19/factbox-operation-sovereign-borders (accessed February 10, 2014). Thompson, Stephen. Migration Heritage Centre, Objects Through Time. Last modified 2011. (Accessed February 12, 2014) http://www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au/exhibition/objectsthroughtime/immigration-restriction-act/. Transcript. No. 17 of 1901. No. 17 of 1901. Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, 1901. http://foundingdocs.gov.au/resources/transcripts/cth4ii_doc_1901a.pdf. (accessed 10 Feb 2014). Other Skwirk.com. History of racist attitudes and fear, White Australia: Immigration Restriction Act 1901, Australia to 1914, SOSE: History Year 9, NSW | Online Education Home Schooling Skwirk Australia. 2014. http://www.skwirk.com/p-c_s-56_u-127_t-350_c-1213/history-of-racist-attitudes-and-fear/nsw/history-of-racist-attitudes-and-fear/australia-to-1914/white-australia-immigration-restriction-act-1901 (accessed 11 Feb) [1] An Act to place certain restrictions on Immigration and to provide for the removal from the Commonwealth of prohibited Immigrants (No.17 of 1901) [2] Term the Government uses instead of ‘Stop the Boats’ [3] Immigration Restriction Act 1901 (Cth) [4] Fact Sheet 8 – Abolition of the White Australia Policy [5] Fact Sheet 8 – Abolition of the White Australia Policy [6] Social Justice Report 2007 Chapter 3: The Northern Territory Emergency Response intervention [7] Northern Territory ‘Emergency Response’ intervention – A human rights analysis [8] Brough, M., (Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs), National emergency response to protect children in the NT, Media Release, 21 June 2007. [9] This Is Breaking People 2013, 3 12 [10] The truth about Manus Island: 2013 report [11] This Is Breaking People 2013, 3 [12] This Is Breaking People 2013, 4 [13] Factbox: Operation Sovereign Borders. September 19, 2013 [14] Transcript 1901, 1