Why Get a Degree Essay Example for Free

Why Get a Degree Essay Why should we have a college education? What role does that play in our life? Growing up I have always thought of education as something that was obligated of everyone. Going to Elementary School, High School, and then right after that College was just a routine that was included in the â€Å"apart growing up† phrase. Little did I know that the so called routine wouldnt be the exact routine Id take part of in my life. After changing it up and thinking I may not pursue a college degree, my dad then influenced my pursuit of a college education. Growing up I attended Elementary School, Middle School, and High School, but after High School I ended up taking a year off and attending a Christian gap year program called Link Year. I moved to Branson, Missouri and spent a year strengthening my foundation and growing in my walk with the Lord. Little did I know that after attending this gap year program and taking a year off, that it would make my desire for a college education shrink. Why should I attend college? What was the point of getting a degree when I could go out into the world and work on furthering the Kingdom? Doing things that when I die would matter most to me. These were questions I would ask myself. I didnt think getting a degree would matter or effect those desires and goals I had or would put a limit on them. But wait, could they?Would I regret not getting a degree when Im older? Once I even hinted at my dad about not wanting to go to college and get a degree, he brought a new mindset that eventually would change my mind. My dad pointed out many things. For starters, having a college degree opens up job opportunities. I never thought about having a degree effecting if I could get some jobs or not. Looking into specific jobs, almost every job seems to require some type of degree which totally makes sense. Adding to that when jobs see that you got a college degree they see that you were capable to take on a difficult task and finished it, which also will give you pride and self confidence that you accomplished something challenging. Going to college and getting a degree isnt easy. It takes time, effort, and hard work! Going into jobs they will require time, effort, and hard work! Not going to college and getting a degree would limit my job opportunities  and what places would hire me, which would limit the opportunities to be a light for Christ among people. My dad continued to point out more reasons why getting a college degree was important, but these reasons werent necessarily aimed at the education aspect or job opportunities. Going to college and getting a degree allows us to meet people from many different interests and backgrounds. There are people from all around America who can attend different colleges, and you never know who you will run into and get the opportunity to meet. It allows us to grow socially as we interact with other people who are also striving to improve themselves, and it is challenging us to grow intellectually as we hear from many people with different beliefs as well as have opportunities to share our own. My dad influenced my pursuit of a college education. Now that I am aiming at a college degree, I will have more job opportunities to be a light in for Christ. I will have pride and confidence that I accomplished something challenging and can finish something that is difficult. I will meet many people with different backgrounds, and grow socially as I interact with other people. I will be challenged to grow intellectually as I listen to other peoples beliefs but also have the opportunity to share my own belief and the love I have for Jesus Christ. My dad influenced my pursuit of a college education, and because of it I will be forever grateful.

Global Warming as a Global Issue of Concern

Global Warming as a Global Issue of Concern CONTROVERSIES OF GLOBAL WARMING TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION GLOBAL WARMING AS A GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN CONTROVERSIES OF GLOBAL WARMING ISSUE EXPLANATION OF THE CONTROVERSIES PRESENTED CONCLUSION REFERENCES INTRODUCTION As a global environmental issue of concern, controversies have been presented for and against global warming. Such controversies have stemmed from its causes as well as effects. This is because since the first international awareness of the problem that took place in 1992 during a United Nations (UN) Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, several opinions have continued to grow concerning the genesis of this problem as well as the potential effects posed on the planet. Such international meeting saw an intellectual exchange among the many delegates concerning the best approaches that can be used in dealing with the causes and effects of global warming. However, this problem is still a controversial one among many environmentalists around the world. Therefore, this essay analyzes the various controversies presented by different articles and authors concerning global warming, its main drivers, and seriousness of the issue as well as claimed consequences. GLOBAL WARMING AS A GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN As a global environmental concern, global warming has had several impacts especially for both the biodiversity and the climatic conditions of the planet (Elkins and Simmonds, et al., 2010). This is because current trends have shown that it affects flora and fauna as a result of the increase in the amount of the anthropogenic gases that are accumulated in the atmosphere such as neon- surface air. As a result, this leads to the melting of the ice caps, rise in the sea levels and other climatic changes. Hence global warming represents a major threat especially to the fundamental life forms of living things on the earth. Back, Russ, Liu, Inoue, Zhang and Otto-Bliesner (2013) contends that global warming leads to the increase in the rate of water evaporation into the atmosphere. This is of great concern owing to the fact that water is life and without it, no life can be realized. This is further compounded by the fact that the water vapor is in itself is a greenhouse gas that exacerbates the problem leading to warming of the atmosphere. As such, this increase in the water vapor can further be compounded by the excessive use of the fossil fuels and through land use changes. Burning of fossil fuels contributes to the addition of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere in the sense that such fuels produces anthropogenic gases such as CFCs, methane and nitrous oxide which are responsible for the global warming. In addition, deforestation, explosive population growth, technological advancement, growing urbanization, and industrial expansion are some of the factors that account for the increases in these gas es in the atmosphere. However, it is projected that the rate of the rise will continued if this global issue of concern is not nipped in the bud. Among other major causes, deforestation is argued to be the main causes of the increases in the global warming (Liss, 2012). This is because trees play a major role in the global carbon cycle since they are considered as one of the largest land-based carbon mechanism that helps in the removal of excessive carbon dioxide from the air. Due to this, deforestation has been considered as the second principle cause of atmospheric carbon dioxide contributing for 25 per cent of all the carbon emissions in the atmosphere especially through burning and cutting of trees. For instance, estimates are that over 5500 acres of rainforest are destroyed daily leading to a rise in the global carbon dioxide level which is approximated to be 0.4 per cent each year. The long effects of such changes are inclusive of the melting of the glaciers, increased intensity and frequency as well as the changes in rainfall patterns. According to Liss (2012), imbalances that are created between various life forms on earth makes global warming a controversial issue of global concern. Such imbalances are showing through signs in the form of increased occurrences of cyclones, landslides, tsunami, flood, drought among others. As a result, the increases in the rise of the aforementioned disasters on this planet threaten different life forms. For instance, due to the extreme weather patterns, this can lead to increased effects of malnutrition, airborne as well as water-borne diseases, starvation and extinction of the flora and fauna. CONTROVERSIES OF GLOBAL WARMING ISSUE For the purpose of discussion of the controversies presented in the global warming issue, this essay will analyze four news articles from different media sources. Such controversies will run from the works of the two main authors as presented in the four news articles. As such, the two notable environmentalists who discuss and analyze this issue are J.R. McNeill and Bjorn Lomborg. McNeill’s arguments have been contained in the news article, Something New under the Sun: an Environmental History of the Twentieth-Century World whereas Lomborg discusses it in, The Skeptical Environmentalist: Measuring the Real State of the World. Other two news articles that will be discussed are the Forecasting the consequences of climate driven shifts in human behavior on cetaceans. and â€Å"States Adapting to Climate Change. Environmental Forum.† The central theme in McNeills article is revolving around the fact that environmental problem like global warming comprises some of the byproducts of the modernization as well as development (Cho, Martens, Kim Rodrigue, 2011). As such, he is of the belief that humans have impacted our planet more deeply in the twentieth century than we did in all previous history combined.† Hence the irony in this debate according to McNeill is the fact that some of the same factors that have helped humankind to develop such as economic prosperity as well as technological advancement, are inherent the real causes of the serious environmental problems such as global warming. Consequently, McNeill makes an argument that global warming with no exception from other environmental problems, cannot be dealt with in an effective manner without necessarily having to involve the technological advancements (Dos Santos, 2012). Moreover, McNeill puts it clearly by stating that if global warming consists a serious environmental problem, then the equation will be revised in the direction of a stronger role for the environment. Paradoxically, if humanity is to escape projected environmental crises, then technology, which helped bring them on, will be asked to lead us out. Therefore, McNeill sees technology to be the only solution in dealing with the problem of global warming that can minimize the negative consequences especially of this environmental dilemma that runs rampant across the globe. On the other hand, the rhetoric of global warming has been presented by Lomborg and his argument lies in the premise that global warming together with the other environmental problems, is a mere exaggeration especially from the media specialists, scientists and politicians (Long, Xie, Zheng Liu, 2014). According to him, global warming is a less serious and severe threat as opposed to the weight that is accorded to it in media and among the scientists. As such, Lomborg believes that inaccuracy of studies and predictions that have been made by complicated computer software consist the causes of the fears among the scientists concerning this issue. This is evident through his statement, â€Å"the limitations of computer modeling, the unrealistic nature of basic assumptions made about future technological change and political value judgments have distorted the scenarios being presented to the public.† In addition, Schuldt, Konrath and Schwarz (2011) argue that Lomborg raises many doubts in regard to greenhouse gas emissions considered as the real cause global warming. His main thesis of argument is that greenhouse gas emissions cannot have any impact on the world temperatures. His argument is that even specialized scientists cannot make accurate predictions of the future climate primarily because the climate system is much complex. On the basis of this argument, Lomborg makes a conclusion that global warming is unlikely to be a devastating issue. As such, this raises an important question regarding to whether the temperature change leads to catastrophic consequences. Although in all the environmentalists in the four articles raise valuable claims about the issue of global warming, independent review of the news articles have indicated that McNeill is quite reasonable in his warning and realistic. The point of departure that makes this to be an issue of controversy is the fact that Lomborg’s argues against global warming being a real environmental problem. EXPLANATION OF THE CONTROVERSIES PRESENTED An analytical review of both the environmentalists’ arguments in all the four news articles in regard to global warming brings out the controversies that are presented for and against global warming debate. According to Sharpe (2012), McNeill makes valid as well as reasonable argument in comparison to Lomborg because McNeil bases his argument on the historical backgrounds making references too many past examples in proof of his assumption especially about the relationship that exists between the global warming and economic activities. For instance, McNeil makes a reference to the New Caledonia’s nickel production that took place in 1920s as well as its negative impact especially on the environment, air and weather. According to him, the production of nickel through mining activities led to the pouring of the smoke as well as dangerous gases that were released into the atmosphere. Furthermore, McNeill also refers Londons notorious fog in 1950s as a result of coal mining that caused death of many thousands of people (Sharpe, 2012). This makes McNeill’s argument to have a proof that global warming is not necessarily a very recent environmental problem but as a result of accumulated economic activities of the past century that have paved the way especially for the complication of this problem. Accordingly, in the controversies of global warming debate, McNeill has raised a very strong as well as valid argument as he reviews the information in the recent past in sending the message that the current global warming should be seen as a severe environmental problem that is deeply rooted in the past actions of humankind. The strength and credibility to McNeil’s warnings on the impacts of global warming environmental problem is refereed to authenticated cases especially from the past. Contrary to McNeil’s strong and supported argument, Lomborg’s assumptions are weak and invalid (Schuldt, Konrath Schwarz, 2011). This is because Lomborg does not make any much insight as regards his argument that global warming is not an environmental problem because of the less severity it has in practical in comparison to the predictions made by the scientists and environmentalists. For instance, Lomborg refutes scientific assumptions about the global warming by mentioning that the greenhouse gases does not comprise the only cause of global warming and that there are other factors such as solar energy that may impact global warming. However, this makes his argument to be an invalid one because it has no logical basis due to the fact that existence of many causes of global warming does not refute the fact that it is not a severe environmental problem with many destructive effects especially on life on the earth. Hence Lomborg does not trust technological advancements through computer modeling that allow scientist to make predictions concerning the environment. According to him, he has a belief that scientific predictions are not accurate to make certain real seriousness as well as severity of such environmental phenomena. In these controversies, Lomborg uses ‘doubt’ technique in developing his arguments in his manipulation of global warming being an environmental problem (Dos Santos, 2012). As such, his arguments have received a lot of responses from many experts as well as environmentalists. For instance, Sharon Begley, an environment expert is of the idea that Lomborg’s argument is based on bad logic especially through Lomborg’s argument that people should not to fear global warming because there is high number of deaths resulting from the ‘cold’ weather as opposed to death as a result of the ‘warm’ weather. Begley is right in his refutation of Lomborg’s argument because this means that regardless of the fact that the death toll from the warm weather is slightly less in comparison with cold weather, and then this still remains a problem that calls for a confrontation in order to minimize deaths from the global warming (Anthony and Maynard, p.1802). As such Begley noted that, â€Å"according to a 2006 study, 850,000 deaths from cold will be averted in a warmer world, not the 1.4 million, as Lomborg says.† This makes it an effective strategy in raising an argument especially against severity of global warming and scientists should make an exploration of all possible means in fighting this global problem. Another response to Lomborg’s discussion is that he deals with the issue of global warming from an economic point of view (Cho, Martens, Kim Rodrigue, 2011). This is because lives of people should be seen as being much worthier in comparison with whatever cost is needed especially to in fighting global is warming. In this regard, the problem of global warming â€Å"is approached as an economist would approach it, asking whether the benefits of intervention would exceed the costs.† This is illustrated from his attempt to convince audience with a cost-benefit argument concerning global warming. For instance, Lomborg cites William Nordhaus, a well-known economist in his defense that â€Å"the cost of implementing Kyoto would exceed the total projected cost of global warming† hence this is not a sound argument in dealing with global warming especially from an economic point of view because it is a matter of life and death issues. Liss (2012) claims that one way of refuting Lomborg’s argument is that if global warming problem had not been serious the way Lomborg assumed, concerns of many countries as well as environmental organizations would not have been raised especially through the meeting in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 and in Kyoto in 1997 to assess individual countries’ efforts in minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. These meeting involved studies conducted by highly reputable scientists as well as professional experts that led to a conclusion that global warming is a an environmental problem caused by greenhouse gas emissions. The findings of the meetings enumerated the ice melting as well as depletion of sea shores as some of the serious consequences of global warming. Accordingly, McNeill gives a more reasonable account than that given by Lomborg because the former respects and trusts scientific facts and predictions due to his full confidence in the technological tools as well as computer sof tware that are used in predicting ill consequences of the global warming. Therefore, global warming still remains an environmental problem that needs confrontation adequately. CONCLUSION In conclusion, the foregoing controversies of global warming debate illustrates that global warming is a very serious environmental problem with destructive negative consequences like ozone depletion and an increase in temperatures as presented by McNeil’s strong and supported argument. Hence global warming should be fought adequately due to the data, statistics, and scientifically-based predictions that such a threat is real. REFERENCES Elkins, A and Simmonds, et al. (2010). Forecasting the consequences of climate driven shifts in human behavior on cetaceans. Marine Policy 34(5): 943-954. Back, L., Russ, K., Liu, Z., Inoue, K., Zhang, J., Otto-Bliesner, B. (2013). Global Hydrological Cycle Response to Rapid and Slow Global Warming. Journal Of Climate, 26(22), 8781-8786. Liss, B. (2012). States Adapting to Climate Change. Environmental Forum, 29(1), 10. Cho, C., Martens, M., Kim, H., Rodrigue, M. (2011). Astroturfing Global Warming: It Isnt Always Greener on the Other Side of the Fence. Journal of Business Ethics, 104(4), 571-587. Dos Santos, M. O. (2012). Investigating consumer knowledge of global warming based on Rogers knowledge stage of the innovation decision process. International Journal Of Consumer Studies, 36(4), 385-393. Long, S., Xie, S., Zheng, X., Liu, Q. (2014). Fast and Slow Responses to Global Warming: Sea Surface Temperature and Precipitation Patterns. Journal Of Climate, 27(1), 285-299. Schuldt, J. P., Konrath, S. H., Schwarz, N. (2011). â€Å"Global warming† or â€Å"climate change†?. Public Opinion Quarterly, 75(1), 115-124. Sharpe, M. (2012). Will We Stop Global Warming Before It Kills Us? Challenge (05775132), 55(5), 123-124. Urpelainen, J. (2012). Global Warming, Irreversibility, and Uncertainty: A Political Analysis. Global Environmental Politics, 12(4), 68-85.

Is Graffiti Art Or Vandalism Cultural Studies Essay

Is Graffiti Art Or Vandalism Cultural Studies Essay I am intending on exploring whether graffiti is art or vandalism. By exploring this research topic I will be breaking it down into different sections. The first section I will be defining what vandalism is, the perspectives of other researchers and the actions of vandalism. In the second section I will be defining art. I will also define graffiti and discuss its history and development. Researching about a well known graffiti artist will also be included to make my research more effective. This debatable question is addressed to people with limited knowledge about graffiti. People claim that graffiti is an illegal act without getting their facts straight. I am hoping that my research would widen ones horizon of knowledge once they read my essay. At the end I will conclude and give my own opinion to this subject matter. Introduction Graffiti is an interesting topic because it sparks conflict and debate all over the world. It is important or worth studying graffiti because to many people around the world graffiti is not a good sight to see, mainly because it is not normal to them, foreign, unknown and a problem to everyday organised living. The disliking of the writing on the walls by ordinary people has allowed for anti-graffiti laws to be created by politicians with little fuss and usually with the publics support. In turn, the creators of the writing have become outlaws, simply because of the criminalization of the public act of getting up their names and messages. Vandalism Vandalize is to deliberately damage things, especially public property (Longman Active Study Dictionary- Elizabeth Manning). Not deliberately destroying things or damaging private (your own) property may not be considered as vandalism. Vandal is someone who deliberately damages things, especially public property (Longman Active Study Dictionary- Elizabeth Manning). Someone that damages their own private property cannot be classified as a vandal because he is not destroying it deliberately or destroying someone elses property. A person damaging another persons property with that persons authorization can also not be classified as a vandal because he/she got the approval. The term vandalism was invented in 1794 by Henri Gregoire, the Bishop of Blois, to describe the destruction characteristic of the extreme phase of terror .The statement is correct because it is almost similar to the meaning in the Longman Active Study Dictionary. Destroying or damaging property is one of the destruction characteristics. The term vandalism takes its genesis from the Vandals (an ancient Germanic people) who developed mailed cavalry and who were armed with long spears and bows. They are associated with unnecessary destruction as a result of their taking over of Rome under King Genseric in 455. The term was quickly adopted across Europe. Around AD 1700 their name became notorious with the idea that they were a barbaric group with a lack of culture, with rude behaviour and with the ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable. There are reasons why people commit vandalism. Stanley Cohen has typified and outlined reasons why people execute vandalism. The six types of vandalism are ideological vandalism, acquisitive vandalism, tactical vandalism, vindictive vandalism, play vandalism and malicious vandalism. Ideological vandalism: property to gain publicity for a particular cause and is justified by long-standing grievances or political beliefs- Perhaps one of the most famous historical cases of ideology. Acquisitive vandalism: to acquire money or property. Tactical vandalism: a means of achieving some other end. Vindictive vandalism: to get revenge. Play vandalism: fun or high spirits. Malicious vandalism: the category which people fail to understand because it appears to be vicious, apparently meaningless. (Vandalism Graffiti: The state of the art- Frank Coefield Pg. 32-33). Vandalism as Crime Citizens commit vandalism when they damage or spoil the property of others on purpose. Some vandalism may qualify as culture jamming or sniggling. Culture jams changes logos, fashion statements and product images to challenge the idea of whats cool, along with assumptions about the personal freedoms of consumptions. Sniggling is a prankish act of social commentary, art, disruption, or protest (Wikipedia 02/08/10): it is thought by some to be artistic in nature even though carried out illegally or without the property owners permission. Criminal Vandalism takes many forms. Graffiti is more common in many inner cities as part of gang culture on public property: however, other more serious forms of vandalism that may take place during public unrest such as rioting can involve the wilful destruction of public and private property .I believe a person without legally recognized excuse of destroying or damaging any property belonging to another should be punished or charged for their appall ing behaviour. Vandalism as art Though vandalism in itself is illegal, it can also be an attraction or art to some people. According to Colin Ward (1990) The vandalism of the last centaury becomes todays tourist attraction (Discussion Paper on Vandalism and Graffiti, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, London, 18 June, 1-10). What he means by this is that, the vandalism that had happened in the past will be a historic moment and some people may agree. Some people may oppose to this statement because deliberately destroying property on purpose is not a good idea to them or art to them. What is Art? To a historian trying to study at, growth of art, the knowledge of it and the history of it, it will leave him confused. Art doesnt have logic. In science there is a progression but in art, you will keep going backward and forwards. To understand Art we have to look back at art history. If you apply logic to art, it is artificial. The philosophy of art is how you view the world visually. What is Art? Is a frequently asked question of the evident world by the visual sense, and the artist is simply the man who has the ability and the desire to renovate his visual perception into a material form. The first part of this action is perception and then you express what you perceived. The entire history of art is a history of modes of visual insight: of the diverse ways in which man has seen the world. The inexperienced person might not agree that there is only one way of seeing the world- the way it is presented to his/her own immediate vision. But this is not true-we see what we want to se e, and what we want to see is determined, not by the unavoidable laws of optics, or even (as may be the case in wild animals) by an instinct for survival, but by the desire to discover or construct a realistic world. What we see must be made real. Art in that way becomes the construction of reality. Art is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way to affect the senses or emotions. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations and modes of expression including music, literature, film, photography, sculpture and paintings. The meaning of art is explored in a branch of philosophy known as aesthetics.(Wikipedia 09/08/10) Since art is a very broad topic, breaking it down will make it easier. Visual art Visual art is a visual object or experience consciously created through an expression of skill or imagination. The term art encompasses diverse media such as painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, decorative arts, photography, and installation. (Encyclopaedia Britannica Online) Graffiti Graffiti is a form of visual communication, usually illegal, involving the unauthorized marking of public space by an individual or group. Although the common image of graffiti is a stylistic symbol or phrase spray-painted on a wall by a member of a street gang, some graffiti is not gang-related. Graffiti can be performed in order to gain attention or as a form of thrill seeking (antisocial behaviour), but it also can be understood as an expressive art form.(Encyclopaedia Britannica online) Graffiti and graffito are from the Italian word graffiato, meaning scratched. Graffiti is applied in the history of art to works of art formed by scratching a design into a surface. A related term is graffito, which involves scratching through one level of a pigment to reveal another underneath it. This technique was primarily used by potters who glaze their wares and then scratch a design into it. In ancient times graffiti was carved on walls with a sharp object and sometimes chalk or coal was used. The term graffiti originally referred to the inscriptions and markings found on the walls of ancient sepulchre or ruins, such as in the civilizations of Greece and Rome (as in the Catacombs of Rome or at Pompeii). The most primitive forms of graffiti date back to 30,000 BCE in the form of prehistoric cave paintings and pictographs using tools such as animal bones and pigments. Graffiti was done by the ancient Egyptians, the Vikings and even the Mayans. These people communicated with each other about daily life, current events, etc: offering us a direct look into their ancient street life. It is tradition of communication. Even before this, there were caves in France where prehistoric man left markings on the walls to let us know who was there. Modern-style graffiti In the ancient Greek city of Ephesus (in modern-day Turkey) is where the first known example of modern style graffiti survives. It is positioned near a mosaic and stone walkway, the graffiti shows a handprint that vaguely resembles a heart, along with a footprint and a number. The ancient Romans engraved graffiti on walls and monuments, examples of which also survive in Egypt. Prehistoric graffiti displayed phrases of love declarations, political rhetoric, and simple words of thought compared to todays popular messages of social and political ideals. Modern History Modern graffiti art originated in New York City, and it was known first as New York Style graffiti. This art movement began in the late 1960s when adolescents used everlasting markers to tag or write their names, followed by the number of the avenue on which they lived and in subway cars. This style originated with the emergence of Taki 183 which was the label of a Greek American boy named Demitrius. After an interview with him was published, hundreds of children began to write their names all over New York. This was a start of getting recognized, when writers used their signatures to become heroes in their own communities. Tagging soon became a way to get ones name known throughout the town. However, tagging appeared in Philadelphia before New York. The monikers, Cornbread and Cool Earl were well known in Philadelphia. They gained a lot of attention from the Philadelphia press and the community by leaving their signatures everywhere. As graffiti became more and more popular and more noticeable, writers formed new styles and thought of new ways to write their names and make their tags only one of its type. Writers created many new scripts and scrawl styles and improved their tags with flourishes and symbols. Some symbols were strictly for visual impact while others had meaning, such as crowns, which writers used to proclaim themselves kings. They used arrows to show movement and underlining to show importance. Quotation marks and exclamation points became essential design elements. This time, between 1969 and 1974, is referred to as the pioneering era, when graffiti experienced a surge in styles and popularity. But it was still strictly tag- based. The next major progress was scale. In addition to the growing difficulty and creativity, tags grew larger as writers increased letter size and line thickness and outlined their work. This was the beginning of the piece, short for masterpiece. It is difficult to be certain who did the first true piece, but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223. The thicker letters provide the opportunity for writers to further improve the name and to colour the interiors of the letters with patterns and designs. Around 1974, writers like TRACY 168 and BLADE created works that had serious backgrounds, incorporating characters, scenery and other illustrations on subway cars. This formed the basis for the mural whole car, called the burner, when the entire car is covered. By the end of 1974, the foundations were laid, allowing styles to develop that departed from the tag-styled pieces. This was a turning point in graffiti history, when graffiti made the leap from tagging to style-driven pieces. Soon arrows, curls, connections and twists ran all through the letters. These additions became the basis for semi-wild style and unreadable wild style lettering. Writers such as RIFF 170 too got ideas from other writers and enhanced upon them, helping the competitive atmosphere, which is a necessary aspect of graffiti. Other writers, including FLINT 707 and CASE 2, made major aid in the advance of three-dimensional lettering by adding up depth to the piece, which became the standard. Graffiti worldwide The stretch of graffiti worldwide happened during the 80s with the outbreak of hip hop subculture. Fuelled by music videos and films, images of New York street culture were channelled around the world. Almost overnight, everyone wanted to be a New York B-boy. Modern graffiti is often seen as being mixed with hip-hop culture. However, lets be clear: modern graffiti predates hip hop by at least a decade. Graffiti was here before hip-hop, graffiti will be here after hip-hop, and if it wasnt for graffiti, there would be no hip-hop. Hip-hop and graffiti reached Europe together. European writers spent years studying letters, styles and New York Street culture. They copied the early styles, and then expanded upon them. Graffiti magazines documented early movements across Europe. And the printed media proved to be an additional catalyst for the expansion of graffiti art worldwide. Also during the early 1980s, American writers began touring Europe via art galleries in cities such as Amsterdam, Barcelona and Stuttgart. There was one major difference: European writers were focused on painting walls, not trains, which led to different styles. Europeans also wanted to paint in the birthplace of modern graffiti; so many Americans hosted them in what were called Pilgrimages to Mecca. American writers went to Europe to paint and Europe writers came to American to paint. By the late 80s the European graffiti scene was in full swing. Today Graffiti is influencing the works of creative individuals worldwide in areas as diverse as graphic design, photography, advertising, illustration, and fine art and even multimedia and technology. Why are we attracted to graffiti? I believe that part of it has to do with what I call the psychology and self-affirmation. There is something inside us that wants to take up space and announce our existence. Graffiti has always been about uprising, style and observation. When you do your thing today, you will influence the people of tomorrow, and the observations they create will influence the next generation after that. And the pursuit of styles becomes a never ending expedition. We must all think about improvements, about getting better, because history will be watching. I believe everyone-taggers, bombers and pieces-needs to take their own style to the absolute limit, and then do it all over again. Is Banksy a Street Artist or Vandal? Banksy is low profiled British graffiti artist whose identity used to be unknown. According to author and graphic designer Tristan Manco, Banksy was born in 1974 and raised in Bristol, England. He was a son of a photocopier technician. He trained as a butcher but became involved in graffiti during the great Bristol aerosol boom of the late 1980s. His artworks are often satirical pieces of art on topics such as politics, culture, and ethics. His street art, which combines graffiti writing with a distinctive stenciling technique, is similar to Blek le Rat, who began to work with stencils in 1981 in Paris and members of the anarcho-punk band Crass who maintained a graffiti stencil campaign on the London Tube System in the late 1970s and early 1980s. His art has appeared in cities around the world. Banksys work was born out of the Bristol underground scene which involved collaborations between artists and musicians. Banksy does not sell photos of street graffiti. Art auctioneers have bee n known to attempt to sell his street art on location and leave the problem of its removal in the hands of the winning bidder. (Wikipedia 13/08/10) Career Steve Wright says Banksy started as a freehand graffiti artist in 1992-1994 as one of Bristols DryBreadZ Crew (DBZ), with Kato and Tes. He was inspired by local artists and his work was part of the larger Bristol underground scene. From the start he used stencils as elements of his freehand pieces, too. By 2000 he had turned to the art of stenciling after realizing how much less time it took to complete a piece. He claims he changed to stenciling whilst he was hiding from the police under a dumper truck, when he noticed the stenciled serial number and by employing this technique, he soon became more widely noticed for his art around Bristol and London. Stencil on the waterline of The Thekla, an entertainment boat in central Bristol (wider view). (Wikipedia 13/08/10) Banksys Graffiti Genuine Works of Art or vandalism? Many of his graffiti work has been cleared off surfaces and remain now only in the photographic record. However some of Banksys art pieces have been said to be to be genuine works of art. People who have removed Banksys graffiti works will come to regret these actions as the price of his works are fetching handsome prices at the auction houses. Bristol Council has allowed a piece called Naked Man which portrays a nude male dangling by one arm from a window sill, to be left in place by popular demand. His other art work Space Girl Bird has made a record  £288,000.Banksys stencils feature shocking and funny images occasionally combined with slogans. The message is usually, anti-capitalist, anti-establishment or anti-war. Subjects often include policemen, monkeys, soldiers, rats, children, and the elderly. One of the most common arguments for Banksys work as skill is that his works damage public and private property. Within the terms of the law this is absolutely correct and this simple argument does not deal with the question of Banksys work as potential art. Many of the most respected artists of the past met in their lifetimes as their art challenged common perceptions and pushed the boundaries of what people perceive as art. In effect, Banksy has taken his art out of the possession of the middle class gallery prowlers and returned it to the street and to the working class for whom it is targeted. Its important to take note that Banksys art has provoked debate in regards to whether his graffiti paintings are art or vandalism specifically, this is important because provocation and discussion are two of the most important and desirable results of art, especially in this post modern era. While many people may not like Banksys art, the fact that it encourages debate and at times affects discussion of its subject matter means the works are effective as an artistic force. Anyone can spray paint a wall and it doesnt necessarily constitute as art. Anyone can also offend public values and that also does not constitute as art. Banksys paintings are very deliberate and they attempt to affect the landscape in ways that are both supposed to be positive and subjective, thus moving his paintings into consideration as possible artworks. Not everyone will like Banksys graffiti work, although its hard to deny his work has captured and excited the imagination of many. While some people may be opposed to the idea of Banksy as an artist, Banksys popularity has arisen somewhat out of the fact that his art is offensive to some and creates controversy in certain ranks. So to a degree, the controversy surrounding his work to helps grow his success and popularity without those people who consider Banksy a vandal, Banksy would struggle to gain the notoriety that makes many see him an artist. Graffiti in exhibitions Graffiti art is an emergent art form. Today, it is influencing the work of creative individuals worldwide in areas as diverse as graphic design, photography, advertising, illustration, and fine art and even multimedia and technology-moving away from the street and into private collections and galleries. The self-taught graffiti artists turned walls of public (and sometimes private) buildings into giant panoramas and subway cars into moving murals. Later, graffiti artists began to paint on canvas, walls or large sheets of paper, attracting the attention of art dealers and collectors. One of the first dealers to buy and collect graffiti was Sidney Janis. His heirs Conrad Janis and Carroll donated almost fifty works from his estate to the Brooklyn Museum in 1999. Graffiti is drawn primarily from this gift and added extra element by material the Museums Libraries and Archives. Graffiti in exhibitions explores the ways graffiti has moved away from the painted wall into the medium of print making, creating distinctive, exciting visuals along the way. I strongly think that Governments should in courage graffiti artist to take their artistic displays into exhibitions rather than preventing them from doing what they love doing. It is pretty difficult to prevent people from doing what they love. (http://www.peeta.net/street_art_energy.html) Mr. Totem Painting Graffiti-funded by council/organization Graffiti is considered a crime in most places because of the risk graffiti artists, or writers take when they tag, and the speed and effectiveness with which they must create their pieces, have helped figure the form itself. Individuals however, in a variety of places around the world, are recognizing graffiti as an authentic art form and now grant legal spaces for it. Below are 8 places where tagging is legal, and in some cases, encouraged. 1. Hosier Lane, Melbourne, Australia Photo by BlueBec This is a famous place that is popular to tourists and other graffiti artists. This place encourages graffiti and it is also featured in travel guides and advertising campaigns. Banksy even tagged his work here. 2. Warsaw, Poland Photo by *gorolla The local police dont have a problem with graffiti here. This space provides space for writers and stencil art. 3. Queens, New York, United States Photo by rawmeyn This place is free to the public and it is almost covered by graffiti. Graffiti artists that put their work here have to be granted permission by curator Meres One. 4. Paris, France Photo by Gabriel Radic There are many legal tagging sites in France. Graffiti groups are very territorial with their space and they are not afraid of being confronted. 5. Taipei, Taiwan Photo by neogenova The police only get involved here only when the owners of the space or place complain or property is destroyed. 6. Zà ¼rich, Switzerland Photo by inthesitymad This place is independently run by graffiti artists and is left out by the city. This place is now a cultural centre and is one of the few places where graffiti is legal and encouraged. 7. Sydhavnen, Copenhagen, Denmark Photo by tobiashm Here individual pieces dont last long due to the popularity of the place. 8. Venice, California, United States Photo by jakedobkin This location is world famous for being an open and creative space for street artists Conclusion: In a nut shell Graffiti cannot be precisely considered as vandalism. Graffiti can transform a horrid location into an attractive environment. Graffiti cannot be accurately classified as vandalism because the public property is not destroyed, but made to look stunning. Graffiti is art because it is deliberately arranging elements in a way to affect the senses or emotions. Graffiti can also be thought-out as an art that vandalizes property if it is carried out without permission. But if it is carried out legally (with authorization) it can not be thought out to be vandalism. Vandalism is anti-social behaviour. Criminals carry out their anti-social behaviour during their leisure time. Graffiti artist should learn to carry out their work in places where they dont vandalise. The government should spend money and provide legal areas where graffiti artists can continue with their work. The government prefers to spend money erasing an illegal piece of art, which could be recreated in that same spot, with little cost to the artist, and arguable harm to the community, instead of spending money supporting better education, which will have long-term results, and help the entire economy, not just the immediate area. The jobs created by that money could easily have spent to enable better jobs for todays youth tomorrow. What a waste. Most of the graffiti artists are prosecuted and even gone to jail, as cities get cleaner in order to attract big retailers and big money. Others retire and go on to work in the arts, designing clothes, ad campaigns, or selling paintings in galleries. Other groups of artists continue to paint in the streets and tunnels, disregarding the laws designed to jail them. References: Elizabeth Manning: Longman Active Study Dictionary-Pg.823 Frank Coefield: Vandalism Graffiti: The state of the art-Pg. 32-33 Wikipedia Encyclopaedia Britannica Online

Towson University :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Currently in the Towson University area there are no major transportation plans being planned. The York Road cityscape project is just wrapping up but his project does not help the flow of traffic. Its design was to revitalize that particular corridor just south of the University by increasing lighting, security and the overall appeal of the area. The present improvements to widen the beltway have no affiliation with Towson University. There is a current project which is in the planning stages that will affect the campus and the surrounding community. This plan is the Towson Circle Project. This is a proposal to add new dorm space in downtown Towson, with the goal for students to live close to campus but within the community as well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Towson Circle Project was submitted a few years ago by Towson University. The goal of the university is to grow 10,000 students in ten years. This is the plan for the first ten years of the new century. When a goal such as this one comes along, many things must happen. First, there is the need for more beds and dorm space, which is addressed by Towson Circle. Next, there is the need for more classroom and faculty; this is addressed in the University’s master plan. Finally, with a more crowded campus area there is a great need for better movement with traffic patterns. Currently there are no plans to do this, but in an area where traffic is already less than ideal, it is all about to get worse.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Within the downtown Towson area about 60% of the total population is senior citizens. When the Towson Circle project was originally presented, the project was supposed to house graduate students and faculty. When the final proposal was submitted earlier this semester, somehow the project changed to house juniors and seniors. The surrounding community was not happy about this development. For them, this meant a noisier environment; essentially a college right next door with even more traffic.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The university wants and needs from the community, the opportunity to grow not just within campus property. President Carat of Towson said, â€Å"We need to grow in the community in order to reach our goal.† The university wants to attract businesses to the community as well so students move outward in the area.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The community is supportive of the university’s growth and wants to help them reach their goal of 10,000 students in ten years.

Late April, Early May :: Personal Narrative Writing

Late April, Early May Eileen was special. At least, that's how all of the teachers described her. But all of the kids knew that saying she was "special" was really just a nice way of saying that she was handicapped, or retarded as most of the kids said. The problem with Eileen was that she wasn't completely retarded so she knew when she was being made fun of, which was often. Whenever I'd see her in the halls there would always be a string of kids behind her making jokes and doing impressions of her. She acted as if she didn't notice, but I could always tell from the look on her face that she heard them perfectly, and I could tell that it hurt. I had seventh period gym with Eileen. This is where, for the first time, I was able to see firsthand the torment and ridicule that Eileen had to go through. We were doing pull-ups on a large metal bar one day. When it was Eileen's turn to go, she got up on the bar, went down, and then began with all of her might to pull herself back up. All of the kids began to chuckle as she struggled terribly, all red in the face. It was at this point that we all saw something fall from Eileen's shorts and plop down on the floor beneath her. "She's shit herself," someone exclaimed. It was true. Eileen was pushing so hard trying to pull herself up that it came out right there in front of the entire class. After she had gotten down the class was still laughing hysterically. She looked more confused than embarrassed really. To be honest, I couldn't tell if she was indifferent about what had just happened or if she was horribly embarrassed but just didn't quite know how to react to the situation yet. She bolted out the door in tears just moments later. In the weeks following that incident I didn't see Eileen much. Maybe she couldn't handle coming back to school so soon after what had happened, or maybe I was just lucky enough to have a break from seeing her being constantly belittled and mocked. Not that anyone would ever admit that they really cared, but during those weeks I heard a few kids inquire as to where she was. I think that people liked having her around because she was almost like a safety net for them.

Atacama region border dispute between chile and bolivia

Atacama border conflict is one of the longest border conflicts in the world.   It was a border conflict between Chile and Bolivia in the 1800s and ended up with signing of the Peace Treaty between Chile and Bolivia in 1904 and Chile and Bolivia in 1929.At the end of the conflict, Chile annexed all the coastal strip of Bolivia and the southern tip of Peru.   At a point in the course of the conflict, Argentina was drawn into the conflict resulting to its annexation of Bolivian territory which as controlled by Chile.Even after the signing of the peace treaty, the conflict seems to be going on since Bolivia still claim to be granted the sovereign access to Pacific Ocean even after annexation of its costal strip.   Although the area as owned by Bolivia and Peru, Chile continued with mining mineral rights even after the signing of the treaty which as Bolivia list it entire coastal line making it landlocked country.The main cause of the conflict was the abundance of mineral in the Ata cama Desert. Atacama Desert is the driest desert on either with little human inhabitation. However, it is very rich in minerals especially sodium nitrate.This paper will review the Atacama Desert conflict. The paper will first review the geographical background of the Atacama Desert before going into details of the course of the conflict.   The paper will review the main factors that may have fueled the conflict, the course of the conflict and the results of the conflict.Geographical background of the regionThe region of conflict was lying in the Atacama Desert.   Atacama Desert it located in Chile and it covers more than one third of the northern side of Chile stretching for more than 1000 Km. It straddles the Southern border of the country with Peru.The desert is bound on its Westside by dry hills and mounts and on the pacific cost side extending eastward to the Andes Mountains (MundonAndino, 2009).   Atacama is about 13,000 feet high making it the highest and the coldest de sert in the world.The atacama is the direst place on earth.   It is very sterile since it is blocked from the getting moisture by the Andes Mountain and the coastal Chilean Coast Ranges.The center of the  Ã‚   desert has been referred by climatologist as the absolute desert on earth. As long as climatologists have recorded rainfall in the world, there is no rain that has been recorded in the central part of the desert.   However, some areas in the desert have recorded annual average rainfall between 0.6 and 2.1 mm leading to growth of sparsely distributed vegetations.In the area where no rainfall has been recorded, the only moisture in these areas comes from the dense fogs which are called camanchaca formed from the association of cold air and ocean currents which originate from the Antarctic regions.   Life in Atacama is one of the most complexes since this fog is harvested by both plants and animals alike.   The human beings living in Atacama harvest the fog and use the fog nets which capture the fogs and turn it to drinking water (Veblen and Kenneth 2000, p. 26).The landscape is the same as it meteorology.   The landscape consists of plateaus covered by lava flows and basins of salt.   From the image above, the conspicuous white area is a Salt Flat which is located few miles south of one of the small village in San Pedro which is regarded as the epicenter of the desert.Atacama is one of the sparsely population areas on earth.   However, there is an oasis at the middle of the desert which is elevated 200 meters where the village of San Pedro De Atacama lies.   Apparenlty this is a church which was constructed by Spanish conquerors around 1577 (Fernand 1984, p. 59)).Before the conquest by Spanish, the area was mainly inhabited by Atacameno tribe which is credited with the construction of the some fortified towns referred to as pucaras. With the coming of Spanish Empire, there was remarkable growth of cities and tow along the coast  Ã‚   wh ich were mainly due to growth of silver trade mined in Potosi and other mines around the desert.Archeological evidence also shows that San Pedro de Atacama could have been the center for Paleolithic civilizations. Other important mines which are located in the desert include Escondida mine and Chuquicamata mines.Despite the ragged and dry landscape, Atacama is very rich in minerals.   It is a rich source of copper and nitrates which has been the subject of conflict for along time.The whole desert is awash with abandoned nitrate mines. Apart from this, the desert has scientific importance as it is being used by scientists to study the possible survival tactics used by the inhabitants (Absolute Astronomy, 2009). Scientists have showed that the soil at the center of the Atacama Desert is like that in mass and the life in the desert could give important clues to possibility of life in mars.

It’s Time to End Pet Misery Year 11 Draft Essay

In the opinion piece ‘Let’s End Pet Misery’, featured in the Herald Sun on the 21st of July 2009, writer Susie O’Brien responds to the issue of animal cruelty in Victoria. In an outraged tone, the writer pleads with pet lovers and everyone else alike to support a new bill that aims to make animal desexing compulsory, reducing the rates of unwanted offspring and acts of animal cruelty committed against these animals. The writer begins her argument with the use of alliteration paired with a cliche. â€Å"A single stroke of the pen can save †¦ pets from a short life of misery. † The alliteration of the two words ‘single’ and ‘stroke’ draws more focus to the cliche; ‘a single stroke of a pen’. This emphasises how easily the problem could be solved, angering the reader due to the little that has been done to solve the problem. This technique also works to instil guilt within the reader, making it more likely for them to take action in assisting the cause, thereby supporting the writer’s contention to support the compulsory desexing of pets. One technique the writer uses is a frightening statistic that has been juxtaposed in a larger text. â€Å"In Victoria alone, 300 dogs are put down every day. That’s †¦ more than 100,000 a year. † This unbelievably shocking statistic is a perfect technique to support the writer’s contention. It is able to appeal to the fear and concern of pet lovers and all other citizens alike. This statistic works very well to draw the reader’s attention, due to its intelligent position just below the heading, and works to ‘recruit’ more people to the cause, as most would be unable to stop reading after being confronted with such a statistic. Additionally, it would inspire more people to support the writer’s contention and take action to stop all this death. One of the writer’s strongest persuasive technique is the use of a widely known anecdote paired with strong, emotive language. â€Å"In a devastating attack, someone †¦ hacked off his ears and tail and then left him to die in pain. † Through the use of the well-known story about Buckley, an eight week old Victorian puppy, the writer’s argument is strengthened in the eyes of many readers, as a majority of them would have heard of the story, and resented the horrific act of animal cruelty. Her argument is again reinforced by several instances of colourful language. Phrases like ‘hacked off’ and ‘die in pain’ don’t exaggerate the malevolence of the crime, but instead work to give the reader a clearer image of the vile act. This then makes the reader feel more strongly about the issue, making it more likely they do something about it. The strong use of visual media paired with the article is successful in giving the story an even greater effect; working as the figurative ‘icing’ on the argument. The largest image; that revealing the extent of Buckley’s shocking injuries, is a perfect accompaniment to the text, giving the reader a true idea of the result of his terrible wounds. Additionally, the images of pets behind bars, with their innocent eyes, and somewhat fearful expression makes the reader compare them to prisoners whom have been wrongly accused; forced to live a life of confinement for another’s crimes. These elements make readers wish to take action; ending the injustice, and is effective in supporting the writer’s contention. The opinion piece, â€Å"Let’s End Pet Misery,† is effective in persuading readers to support the author’s pledge to introduce a law making the desexing of pets compulsory. Whilst using a highly angered tone, the writer uses alliteration in conjunction with a cliche to give readers a greater idea of how appalling the government’s inaction is. The writer also shocks her readers through the use of an alarming statistic, revealing the true magnitude of the deaths of unwanted animals. Furthermore, the use of a terrifying anecdote used together with colourful language, as well as the images in the piece alert readers to the severity of the situation and appeal to one’s empathy, ultimately encouraging us to share an equally outraged view.