The Patriot Act Essay Example for Free

The Patriot Act Essay After the atrocious terrorist attacks on the United States in September 2001, the Government has focused an overwhelming amount of attention on combating terrorism. On October 26, 2001 the Bush Administration passed the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001, infamously known as Patriot Act. Practically, Patriot Act significantly expands the power of the federal government to investigate, detain, and deport those people who the government suspects are linked to terrorist activity and other crimes. Although the US Congress while enacting this bill thought of the ways to protect America from future terrorist attacks, it failed to balance acceptably the Act with Americans’ civil and constitutional liberties (Strickland, 26). Ironically, the bill created to protect against terrorism extends beyond its limited goal, jeopardizing the civil liberties of Americans more than necessary and creating many opportunities for privacy and freedom violations. History illustrates that, in times of peril, hastily taken measures often weaken governmental restrictions against coercive and intrusive powers and often infringe on civil liberties without substantially enhancing security. Throughout United States history, the country allowed civil liberties to be sacrificed in face of what seemed to be legitimate exigencies of war: the Alien and Sedition Acts, the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, the blacklisting of supposed communist sympathizers during the McCarthy era, and the government’s surveillance of civil rights leaders in the 1960s (Pike, 20). These abuses should not be forgotten in this war against terrorism, but rather used as a lesson that the risk of governmental abuse is substantial. As Louis D. Brandeis explained, â€Å"experience should teach us to be most on our guard to protect liberty when the governments purposes are beneficent . . . The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding† (Gastil and Sussman, 116). This history of abuse indicates that civil liberty violations will likely be a reality if the governmental actions are not carefully constructed with safeguards. From the critical standpoint, the US Patriot Act evidently lacks these safeguards. According to professor Chimerinsky, â€Å"some loss of freedom may be necessary to ensure security; but not every sacrifice of liberty is warranted . . . The central question must be what rights need to be sacrificed, under what circumstances, and for what gain† (Congress Hearings, Lexis-Nexis, 2001). From the very beginning, the Act does not define what a â€Å"suspected terrorist† is, or how the government may go about suspecting someone of terrorism. Potentially, this lack of transparency gives the government an opportunity to use the norms of the Act virtually on every American. The US Code of Federal Regulations defines terrorism as â€Å"the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives† (28 C. F. R. Section 0. 85). However, this definition is rarely adhered to in practice. Title 2, section 201 of Patriot Act, entitled â€Å"Authority to Intercept Wire, Oral, and Electronic Communications Relating to Terrorism† amends Section 2516(1) of title 18, US Code. It allows any criminal violation relating to chemical weapons or terrorism to authorize eavesdropping on the perpetrator. Section 215 also gives the United States government the right to gain â€Å"access to records and other items under the foreign intelligence surveillance act. † This includes everything from dental records to fingerprints and criminal history. Perhaps the most menacing part of the Patriot Act, however, is Title V, entitled â€Å"Removing Obstacles to Investigating Terrorism,† which features sections which allows DNA identification of terrorists and other violent offenders, forces local law enforcement to relinquish control and all data over to federal law enforcement, allows disclosure of educational records, and allows disclosure of information from NCES surveys. Not only these provisions make the Act to be unjust and inappropriate, but they also violate all the norms established by the US Constitution regarding civil rights and liberties. Guaranteeing the security of the United States is the most fundamental governmental objectives and intelligence surveillance plays a critical role in the protection of national security. However, protecting civil liberties is of great importance, and that is why the issue of surveillance went through years of debate. The values of the Constitution of the United States have united the country for more than 200 years. The framers designed the Constitution to protect civil liberties in times of war as well as in times of peace. It necessary to remember that the Constitution was designed at the time when America won the Revolutionary War; the time that was not comfortable or easy, and enemies posed a real threat. However, protecting civil liberties remained a central goal. Similarly, the current threat of terrorism cannot now be used as justification to disregard civil liberties provided by the Constitution. American ideals and values must be respected to maintain the strength of the United States. Commitment to the principles of the Constitution in the face of terrorist atrocities will serve justice and demonstrate the strength of the United States to the world. Even before September 11th, the government acknowledged that terrorists hope to provoke responses that undermine the Constitution of the United States. For instance, a report published before the Patriot Act argued that counterterrorism policies must be effective, but must also respect the democratic traditions (Bernstein, 29). Meanwhile, the Patriot Act could have profound implications on the democracy of the United States. Privacy involves the relationship of the individual to the state, the most fundamental aspect of a government. Since the beginning of the United States, â€Å"Americans have been committed to the idea that people have the right to control how much information about their thoughts, feelings, choices and political beliefs is disclosed† (France M. et al, 83). Privacy acts as the boundary that provides protection from the outside world and maintains human dignity. Privacy works to shield minorities and outsiders from persecution, something America prides itself in providing. â€Å"By reducing our commitment to privacy, we risk changing what it means to be Americans† (France M. t al, 84). The analysis of the Act’s sections depicts whole unconstitutional character of this controversial bill. For instance, Section 218 blurs the essential distinction between criminal and intelligence surveillance. It requires only that â€Å"a significant purpose† of a search or wiretap be â€Å"to obtain foreign intelligence information† (Hearings, Lexis-Nexis, 3162/218). The addit ion of the word â€Å"significant† eliminates the previous FISA civil liberty safeguard that separated criminal surveillance from intelligence surveillance. Now the Patriot Act allows a search to be performed under the previous surveillance guidelines even if the motivation is to get criminal evidence, not foreign intelligence information. In contemporary context, this change allows the FBI to conduct secret searches or to secretly record telephone conversations without probable cause when their primary purpose is to obtain criminal information, not to gather foreign intelligence (ACLU, 2005). As a result, Section 218 threatens the civil liberties of Americans who pose no terrorist threat. Moreover, the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution requires the government to prove to a judicial officer that it has probable cause of a crime before it conducts an invasive search to find evidence of that crime (US Constitution, AM IV). Before the enactment of the Patriot Act, if the primary purpose was a criminal investigation, the law enforcement officials had to first prove the higher standard of probable cause. Investigating criminal activity cannot be the primary purpose of surveillance. However, the change made by Section 218 authorizes unconstitutional activity by impinging on the Fourth Amendment protection that requires probable cause. Section 218 now provides law enforcement officials with a tool to avoid probable cause when conducting criminal investigation surveillance. As long as law enforcement officials can find some aspect of the surveillance relating to intelligence gathering, the surveillance is now very likely to be allowed even if the surveillance is primarily conducted for criminal investigation purposes. Form the critical standpoint, the word â€Å"significant† is not enough of a safeguard to protect the probable cause requirement for criminal investigations. Prior to the Patriot Act, the statutes that governed the use of pen registration and trap and trace devices were structured according to the understanding that the telephone was the predominate method of communication across a distance. To obtain a court order, the law enforcement officer needs to attest that the information to be obtained is â€Å"relevant to an ongoing criminal investigation† (18 U. S. C. , 3123 (a), 2001). In order to have access to the contents of the telephone communication, the officer had to prove probable cause, that is, that a crime has occurred, is occurring, or will occur (18 U. S. C. S. , 3122, 1993). Therefore, previous policy somehow limited the access law enforcement officials have to obtain call content. Not only has the Patriot Act simplified the procedure of obtaining court orders, it also extends the rights of law enforcement officers to access everything from hard-wire telephones to Internet communications. Now, Section 216 gives law enforcement agents access to â€Å"dialing, addressing, routing or signaling information transmitted by an instrument or facility from which a wire or electronic communication is transmitted,† once they have obtained pen register and trap and trace orders. In addition to the outgoing dialed telephone numbers and the origin of the incoming telephone calls, pen registers and trap and trace orders now give access to much more information contained in an electronic communication: the routing, addressing and signaling information of an electronic communication. Taking into consideration that in the US modern history, the FBI has repeatedly abused its powers, the Patriot Act jeopardizes significantly Americans’ right to privacy as well as other civil liberties. For example, during 1960s the FBI has investigated people because of ethnic background or political viewpoint, both of which unjustly invade the sacred American right of individual privacy. Reasons why the government, blindfolded congressmen and other officials allow the possibility for infamous historical incidents and violations to happen again remain unclear. For now, the only thing which is clear is that my personal privacy as well as privacy of my family and friends is under constant threat. Quite possibly, my email correspondence with my foreign friends or relatives is under careful watch of FBI or other Homeland Security agents. My educational records along with other private information are easily accessible for unclear and non-transparent purposes. And although my correspondence, my online diaries, weblogs, email, etc do not represent any threat for the United States, there is no justification and reasons for why they should be available for surveillance. Finally, the US Patriot Act is apparently neither effective vehicle to protect citizens from terrorism nor it conforms to the Constitution. Practically, it impedes your, my, their civil liberties. The Government should have first determined and analyzed the barriers inhibiting effective use of existing policies that protect against terrorism, and only then utilize such aggressive control over our liberty.

A Caring And Helping Profession Nursing Essay

A Caring And Helping Profession Nursing Essay As an associate degree practicing nurse, working on a cardiac unit, my scope of practice has been primarily focused on direct patient care. I have always been motivated to help my clients whenever possible to attain optimal level of restoration through different methods of therapeutic regimen and teaching. I assist my clients to meet their immediate needs, smiling, listening, using therapeutic touch where appropriate, and communicating effectively. I involve my clients and their families in their care by keeping them informed with medications, laboratory and diagnostic testing. I am a big advocate of the phrase Knowledge gives power because it fosters nurse-client relationship and trust. I believe very much in engaging my clients with the knowledge of their disease process, the plan of care and the method of care delivery that will ensue. Knowing what to expect usually gives clients more control and they are more willing participants in an unfamiliar environment while coping with unf amiliar diagnosis and the challenges of being sick. However, transitioning to a baccalaureate program now, I realize that my approach to nursing is evolving and becoming more dynamic and inclusive to promote a more holistic method of care delivery. Primarily based on the body of knowledge that is emerging on my journey back to school and prior experience, I have come to understand what the philosophy of nursing means. Nursing philosophy forms the framework for nursing practice and guides the application of nursing process to effectively manage the complexities of evolving nursing roles. Developing a nursing philosophy requires that a nurse embarks on a journey of self-discovery, Rew, 1994. It starts by recognizing and understanding the interconnectedness of all things, how human beings relate with their environment and how it affects their health. Based on the body of knowledge and experience, nurses usually have a set of beliefs, values and ideologies that influence perceptions, thoughts and feelings, (Hood. pg. 60). These values are usually etched within the framework of ethical principles and they constitute a nursing philosophy. The profession of nursing primarily deals with human beings, health, nursing and environment and as such nurses need to examine and reflect on what each of these concepts mean and how they are related to one another in order to affect each positively. Human beings are unique, holistic individuals characterized by genetics and biologic compositions. Human beings are defined by their understanding, perception, reasoning, life experiences, spirituality and cultural background. Human beings have intrinsic values and have inalienable rights, and the right to be treated with dignity and respect from conception to death. Health is a state of well-being. Health is defined as the optimal functioning of all physical, psychological, social, sensing, feeling and communicating systems. A state of total shalom, nothing missing, nothing broken. A state of health is viewed as a point existing on a continuum, from wellness to death and it varies with individual perception of what wellness is. As defined by World Health Organization, Health is a State of complete, physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Nursing is a helping profession, a synergy of arts and science. The science of nursing is based on the principles and theories of behavioral and natural sciences, the embodiment of scientific knowledge, skills and professional values and morals instilled in practice and care delivery. Nursing encompasses the collaboration and autonomous care of all individuals in all settings, it includes health promotion, awareness, prevention of diseases and a restoration from deviation of health. Environment is not limited to physical space, but characterized by intrinsic and extrinsic factors, that defines a person. Internal factors that affect mood and wellness are considered environment and external environment includes families, social, spiritual, cultural factors that affect a man. Sill Hall view human beings as an interrelated, interdependent, interacting complex, organism, constantly influencing and being influenced by the environment. (Sills Hall, 1977, p.24). Bearing in mind that the profession of nursing is centered on these four metaparadigms: Human beings, health, nursing and environment, it is imperative for nurses to approach care delivery to human beings in a holistic manner factoring in the interrelatedness of how one affects the other. Environment co-exists with human beings in a reciprocal relationship and as such affects individuals positively or negatively. It may be a disruptive or peaceful relationship. Deviation from a state of well-being is a disruptive state that requires the helping compassionate care of nurse professionals. As individuals are constantly adapting to varying degrees of changes in their internal and external environment, nursing is a piece of healthcare delivery system that constantly strive to assist individuals to attain their optimal level of wellness. Utilizing the nursing process and accessing multi-disciplinary approach in a holistic goal directed manner, nurses assume multiple roles of professional caregivers, teachers, advocates and counselors to accomplish competent and compassionate care in different continuum of an individual state of health. http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT2fbd0m6Pyju6XFO_GZ5z-3-ntqUwZaYF-61nhgnt5YrepYBRLYQ http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTsPPQYw0EE5JF6ClAdg9ZX1okAqYjMedRRcvjPoZXmAm4xxLj8Ew http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQpHAALPu3jyPkayfwLIc5FuuiEVO9qczGozC4Ob8pTGsV_CDU7pQ http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTVwTuWcjWRQyh2ZUMPt45MRo2yW9c4GzL8-vneWn54imlzSFn0 The theoretical models and frameworks of various nurse theorists has emerged as a guide to nursing philosophy and care. They provide a body of knowledge used to support nursing practice. They each define their nursing philosophies placing human beings as the center of care but cognizant of the interconnectedness and relationship of health, environment and nursing interacting and affecting each other. Sister Callister Roy Adaptation model is one that has impressed on my heart and has influenced my practice. Sister Callister Roy is a nurse theorist, professor and author, compelled by instructor, Dorothy Johnson, to write a conceptual model of nursing while studying for her Masters degree at UCLA She proposed The Roy Adaptation Model theory (RAM). Studying through this theory gives me a better understanding of mans adaptive capacity in response to stimuli and also the intrinsic nature of man to adapt various modes to cope with life challenges especially relating to health. In this mode, Human being is viewed as a holistic adaptive creature capable of adaptive systems. She describes the Environment consisting of internal and external stimuli that interacts directly with human beings. She sees Health as a sound unimpaired condition leading to wholeness and the Nursing goal as that which promotes modes of adaptation and that support overall health. The four Modes of adaption of RAM promote integrity and they are: the physiologic-physical mode, the self-concept- identity mode, role function and interdependent mode. Physiologic-Physical Mode identifies the intrinsic factors comprised of physical and chemical processes that occur in human beings that are responsible for the functions and activities of daily living. The underlying need is physiologic integrity evidenced in the degree of wholeness achieved through adaptation to change in needs. Self-concept-Identity Mode focuses on the psychological and spiritual integrity and the sense of unity as humans search for the meaning and purpose of life Role Function Mode deals with the individual roles that we occupy in society and how we aim to fulfill the need for social integrity. The knowledge of knowing oneself in relation to others. Interdependent Mode looks at the interconnectedness and relationship of people, environment, structure and perception. Adaptation potentials individually and collectively. Using RAMs six- step nursing process, the nurse gathers a full assessment of a client including behavior, orientation, family dynamics, objective and subjective data. The second step is to recognize and determine the stimuli affecting the behaviors exhibited. The third step involves formulating a nursing diagnosis based on the presenting symptoms and the persons adaptive state. The forth step is goal oriented and nursing planning to promote adaption and wellness which leads to the fifth step of nursing interventions. Utilizing several methods of therapeutic healing tailored to each individual crisis state with the ultimate goal of managing the stimuli to promote adaptation. The final and sixth step is the evaluation stage, using reflection and data to reassess the individual state of adaptation mode or lack of it. The ability of the nurse to manipulate the stimuli and not the patient enhances the persons interaction with their environment, gives them a sense of control and promote he alth. Nursing, as stated earlier, is a synergy of science and art. Nursing is a learned profession and as such nurses are required to have a formal education, clinical practice and research in order to understand the biologic, physiologic, behavioral and social sciences to make decisions. The application of that body of knowledge in practice is built on the art of nursing. Delivery of care with wisdom, compassion, genuineness, empathy, respect for dignity and a sound commitment to do good at all times is the basis of the art of nursing. Nursing is an experience that occurs between two individuals forming the nurse-patient interaction. Nursing is constructed around the centrality of nurse-client relationship and how they affect each other positively. When nurses use knowledge and personality to implement interventions in the nursing process to effect change in the ill, they alleviate stress and the relationship becomes therapeutic. It is through the establishment of therapeutic association that nurses are said to promote healing (Allen, 2000: 184). In the early days, Nursing derived knowledge through intuition, tradition and experience or by borrowing from other disciplines (Kalisch Kalisch, 2004). The knowledge of nursing has since then shifted to empirical knowledge discovered through research. Research is vital in nursing today because it expands nursing knowledge and integrates best evidence based practice into clinical practice. The systemic review of literature aspect of research makes it possible for quality improvement activities and to determine the effectiveness of nursing interventions and practice changes. Research allows clinical practice to evolve in knowledge and it gives confidence in practice based on satisfactory patient outcomes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callista_Roy http://tgh.org/nursing.htm http://coxcollege.edu/cc_body.cfm?id=3062 Therapeutic Nursing: Improving Patient Care through Self-Awareness and reflection SAGE, Nov 4, 2002 edited by Dawn Freshwater v http://svnnet.org/uploads/File/NurseResearch.pdf bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbmmmmhttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTcuF-G7OaxGy9C90KJoupuDES8HpVbw81Nn5H1geULekZ-QNWjoNxf4ZD8hDCNsHvTCXfYwZ8tbWxTP58Y4RQz3U75iO9NQtIpSEeFfK71N-8lzbjCSVb5DaETpCz-wicPH2BAXcwZVNY/s400/PIC+6.jpg

Soliloquy Essay - Two Soliloquies, One from Lady Macbeth and One from Macbeth :: GCSE Coursework Macbeth Essays

Analysis of Two Soliloquies - One from Lady Macbeth and another from Macbeth  Ã‚   On the level of human evil, Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth is about the character Macbeth's bloody rise to power, including the murder of the Scottish king, Duncan, and the guilt-ridden pathology of evil deeds generating still more evil deeds. Perhaps, the play's most memorable character is Lady Macbeth. Like her husband, Lady Macbeth's ambition for power leads her into an unnatural, phantasmagoric realm of witchcraft, insomnia and madness. But while Macbeth responds to the prophecies of the play's famous trio of witches, Lady Macbeth goes even further by figuratively transforming herself into an unnatural, desexualized evil spirit. Throughout the novel, there are moments when important characters are given the opportunity to express details of their character and reveal information that is otherwise not given, but vital to the development of the story. A soliloquy is a classical literary technique to allow a character to share his or her thoughts and feelings with the audience. I will now examine and attempt to interpret two of these soliloquies, one from Lady Macbeth and the second from Macbeth himself. As the scene opens, Lady Macbeth is reading a letter from her husband. The letter tells of the witches' prophecy for him, which is treated as a certainty, because "I have learned by the perfectest report, they have more in them than mortal knowledge". "The perfectest report" means "the most reliable information," so it appears that Macbeth has been asking people what they know about the reliability of witches. If that's the case, he has ignored the advice of Banquo, who is quite sure that witches can't be trusted. But Macbeth seems to trust the witches absolutely, because he is writing to his wife, his "dearest partner of greatness," so that she "mightst not lose the dues of rejoicing". That is, he believes that she has a right to rejoice because she will be a queen. However, Lady Macbeth doesn't rejoice. She is determined that he will be king, but she suspects that he doesn't have the right stuff to do what needs to be done. Speaking to him as though he were really there, she says: "Yet do I fear thy nature; / It is too full o' the milk of human kindness / To catch the nearest way". Her reaction to the letter shows that Lady Macbeth is a woman who knows her husband very well, perhaps because she shares some of his instincts.

Comparison of Platos The Last Days of Socrates and Hesses Siddhartha

Comparison of Plato's The Last Days of Socrates and Hesse's Siddhartha       The Last Days of Socrates and Siddhartha are sources that reveal information about religious or philosophical ideas in the cultures that they focus on. While vast differences exist between the Greek and Indian values that shape their philosophies, they make similar assumptions as they attempt to make sense of the world. Understanding the dichotomous relationship of the soul and the body is integral to grasping the similarities and differences between the classical Greek and Indian paths because the way in which these concepts are understood defines the very nature of truth.    Socrates, the main character in The Last Days of Socrates, and Siddhartha, the central figure in Siddhartha, are both portrayed as learned men searching for truth. The author of The Last Days of Socrates, Plato, conceived the document as a representation of Socrates' method of inquiry. Although it is a primary source from the period (429-347 B.C.E.), the reader must consider that The Last Days of Socrates is a re-creation of events that may have happened, not a verbatim account. Siddhartha is a secondary source that explains an Indian philosophical journey through the perspective of a twentieth century German author. Thus, one must consider the author's bias towards his subject and remember that the ideas presented are one scholar's interpretation of the legend. By attempting to compare and contrast both sources' approaches to truth, one can make some observations about the way Greek and Indian cultures view truth; keeping in mind that the sources each merely represent one account of the historical events and ideas.    Intrinsic to Siddhartha and Socrates' searche... ...th. By becoming aware of the separation of the soul and the body, the indestructible and immortal nature of the soul, and the impossibility of the soul understanding truth while bound to the body, one can begin to understand how this dichotomy has shaped Indian and ancient Greek philosophy.    Works Cited Baumer, Franz.   Hermann Hesse.   New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1970. Field, G.W.   Hermann Hesse.   Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1970. Hesse, Herman. Siddhartha. Dover Publications, 1998. Plato, The Last Days of Socrates.   Trans. Hugh Tredennick and Harold Tarrant.   London: Penguin, 1993. Welch, Carolyn Roberts.   Cliff's Notes on Hesse's Steppenwolf and Siddhartha. Lincoln: Cliff's Notes Inc., 1973. Ziolkowski, Theodore.   The Novels of Hermann Hesse: A Study in Theme and Structure. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1965.

Roy Lichtenstein was the most visual of all The Pop Artist. Explain :: Art

Roy Lichtenstein was the most visual of all The Pop Artist. Explain why this may be true. Roy Lichtenstein led the way for pop artist’s and exploited it to the best that any artist could. Roy Lichtenstein led the way for pop artist’s and exploited it to the best that any artist could. Lichtenstein was born in New York in October 1923. Lichtenstein’s parents were middle class people, when he went to school art wasn’t on the curriculum. Although when he was young he did paint. Lichtenstein was and still is considered the most sophisticated pop artist around. Roy Lichtenstein was inspired by Picasso’s paintings; he studied them and learnt from them. In 1961 Roy Lichtenstein made use of the â€Å"Ben-Day dots†. This was the first time an artist had used this device. The â€Å"Ben-Day dots† were firstly mastered by Roy Lichtenstein. With the new invention of this device it made way for commercial use of it. Lichtenstein’s art was always fairly colorful and in most cases telling us a story. Reverie 1965: Roy Lichtenstein always enjoyed illustrating and implementing carton drawings into his work. Reflections of a Scream 1990: Reflections of a scream is illustrating to society how the world is today. The answer is Children. As you can see from the above two pieces of art, Roy Lichtenstein is a visual artist, the two pieces of art were created by the use of â€Å"Ben-day dots†, you will soon or if haven’t yet realized it Lichtenstein did all his art work using this device. The commercial use of Ben-day dots† allows advertising to take posters to the next step. Advertising could now have large scale posters on buildings and relatively cost effective. Lichtenstein wanted his art work to relate to items and places to the outside world. Roy Lichtenstein had on many occasions gone into a comic book store and buys hundreds just so he could read them and hopefully get inspired from them. He was a realist, didn’t expect much from other people. â€Å"Whaam† was created in 1966; this was a time when tensions were high. The cartoon and comic heroes were playing a vital role. Lichtenstein took these actions and manipulated them to his own personal mind of thinking. In many situations the out come was one of action, he wanted to appeal to the younger generation. â€Å"Whaam† does this. Lichtenstein revolutionized art it self. He modernized art with the use of pop art. Out of the three most well known artist’s (Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein) Lichtenstein is the most visual out of them. Roy Lichtenstein Explosion 1965-6 Explosion 1965 another action piece of Lichtenstein’s art, he started

Cool Running’s – American Dream

Englisch – Leistungskurs Do you think that â€Å"Cool Running’s† is an example of the idea of the American Dream? Give reasons for your answer! The film â€Å"Cool Running’s† can be regarded as a perfect example of the idea of the American Dream in many ways. When a group of Jamaican athletes founds a bobsled team, on an island, offering neither snow nor any sleds they could practice on, a former bobsled coach finds himself ready to train the team, in order to win the Winter Olympics.Regarding their commitment to obtain their goals, they struggle through everything standing in their way, such as not being supported by their own families, and even being ridiculed by the opponent teams, and the media. The first desperately looking team becomes a well-trained bobsled crew, showing off their skills and now even competing in the Winter Olympics. Their goal to win the Olympics only becomes of second importance, when their coach reveals his past referring to the scandal he is responsible for, by cheating during the past Olympics, followed by him saying: â€Å"If you're not enough without a medal, you'll never be enough with one. During the final day’s race one of the sled’s blades falls off, flipping the sled on its side, when only a few meters are separating the team from the finishing line. However, they lift the sled proudly and walk across the finishing line, while the crowd around them is applauding cheerfully. It seems like society almost forgot the meaning of the American Dream, by putting prosperity on a level with happiness. Many people forget how some can even find happiness without wealth or economic success, but in their personal fulfillment, which in this case was to take part in the Winter Olympics and represent their country.

All In The Name Of Honor Essay

Yale lecturer Joanne Freeman (2001), in her book, â€Å"The Affairs of Honour†, dissects the New Republic through cultural microscopic lenses by focusing on the Founders’ personal honor and reputation as the underlying factor for all political action in America’s inchoate democracy. The auhor strengthens her thesis as she explores with compelling narratives how the nation’s Founders behaved and acted, all in the name of personal honor, to an extent of reckless violence in order to claim their rightful positions in the annals of history. The most stunning account in the book is the renowned duel between then vice-president Col. Aaron Burr and Gen. Alexander Hamilton, former aide-de-camp to George Washington, stemming from a criticism allegedly made by Hamilton against Burr, saying the latter is, â€Å"one who ought not to be trusted with the reins of government† (Freeman, 2001, p. 6). By publishing articles on the American Citizen that were deemed insulting to his honor and reputation, Burr eventually made the bold duel dare to Hamilton, who accepted, and lost his life in the end. In saying , as a forewarning to the reader, that â€Å"†¦we must concede that there was a larger logic underlying the duel, a belief so strong that it compelled men to hazard their lives† (Freeman, 2001, p. 65), and proving later on that both men were compelled to risk their lives because of their own vanities, Freeman is actually telling the reader that both men, although great in their own respects, were too obsessed with personal honor to do anything of political significance. Freeman presents the Founders as alpha males out to satiate their personal egos and risking even their lives to prove so. Freeman plays too much emphasis on looking at decisions at face value and ignoring to appreciate the political significance or rationale behind them. For instance, when she says â€Å"at various points in their political careers, even men of seemingly ironclad principles like Jefferson and Hamilton were rumored to have abandoned their supporters to join with former foes† (Freeman, 2001, p. 269), she is misleading and unfairly painting a picture of treachery and backstabbing in the Founders as if to do so would be unforgivable betrayal to the American people. To Freeman, affairs of honor were a way out for great personalities of the New Republic to cope with the seemingly unstable political life, along with gossip networks, media, and duel as the last resort. As there were no established political parties yet, politics was personal, alliances were unpredictable and in short, you could trust no one during this period. Therefore, the â€Å"code of honour did more than channel and monitor political conflict; it formed the very infrastructure of national politics, providing a governing logic and weapons of war† (Freeman, 2001, p. 146). Dueling, like she says, was a trend. A careful reading of literature mentioned by David Waldstreicher (2002) in his article Founders Chic as Culture War appears to indicate a growing trend and acceptance in a cultural (re)writing of American history, from the traditional bottom-up approach to the top-bottom perspective, characterized by what I think, is an unfortunate emphasis on personalizing the progress and gains of the American revolution. While themselves admittedly more appealing than the traditional textbook-styled accounts of history, the accounts by Joseph Ellis, David McCullough and Joanne Freeman being reviewed by Waldstreicher have the effect of de-emphasizing the complex political process during those times to mere political squabbles and â€Å"affairs of honour† instead of an interplay of the yet fluid political divisions (governors) and the people (governed) and how these two groups came to terms in order to produce the democracy that America champions. Judging by the way Waldstreicher presents his views on the three, it is apparent that he agrees with some of the authors, not particularly on Freeman, on how individually, the Founders struggled with their own personal demons, but the former carefully points out Ellis, in still adulating them, saying , â€Å"Things fell apart, but character—greatness—held† (Waldstreicher, 2002, p. 187). A culturalist also, he is careful to create a demarcation line between the views espoused by Freeman and his own, suggesting that Freeman is in a way reviving the Washington beltway vision of how politics operates, telling it from the perspective of the leader or the general, and throwing aside ideologies, partisanship, policy and instutional development. Freeman’s return to the â€Å"dead white men† perspective and exaggerated emphasis to humanize Founders in her book undoubtedly makes for a compelling story; one that would make for a good history read. However, the extreme focus on the personal traits of the Founders in her book undermines historiography in general. I do not believe that men like Adams or Jefferson, could be that dense, especially while basking at the still-idealistic mood out of the gains of the revolution, would have thought that only their personal honor was at stake. There is without a doubt several failings in character among the Founders, like all other human beings, but, like Waldstreicher, an appreciation of them should be based on the political significance of their actions, not on anything else. I possess no sacred reverence for the Founders in excess of how I appreciate their individual contributions in concert with the actions of a vigilant people who, collectively, shaped America to what she is today, faults and all. By singling out the Founders and presenting evidence on how they backstabbed, deceived or shifted allegiances is to ignore that the same culture pervades in modern America and elsewhere as a political maneuver allowed in a democracy. By representing history solely on individual action and characters of the Founders is to brandish a reportage of events that generally undermines American heritage. References Freeman, J. B. (2001). Affairs of Honor: National Politics in the New Republic. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Waldstreicher, D. (2002). Founders Chic as Culture War. Radical History Review, 84, pp. 184-94.