What Is Art Essays - Aesthetics, Art, Emotion, Feeling,

What Is Art? What is Art? What a question! This very same topic has been on the minds of many great people for many years. Just what exactly is art? Art is a form of expression. It is beautiful, ugly, tasteful, distasteful, impressionistic, realistic...you get the point. Art is everywhere. It lives in the soul, mind, and even the heart. Art is an outlet for people to express themselves. Art is a way for the human mind to express itself. Even a loud, outgoing person has feelings that they do not feel comfortable sharing with people. These expressions often come out through their art. What is classified as art? Besides the obviouspaintings, drawings, architecture, etcArt can be dancing, singing, acting, etc. It can be pretty much anything that expresses an idea. Even something as common as speech is art. Everyone speaks with a different voice, and each voice is a piece of art. Art surrounds us. It is encountered so often that often we dont realize art when we see it. All too often we ignore art. We overlook the ideas and thoughts behind it. Anyone can look at a painting and say Wow! Thats beautiful! How many of us can actually stop and say Wow! Now I understand! Art is around to teach us. We can learn so much about ourselves and the world around us. Many times we create art without a conscious reason. We believe that we are just making a pretty picture. Usually we are expressing a subconscious idea. If take the time to actually analyze and critique our artwork we could possibly find out something about ourselves. Often, we use art to express some repressed feelings. Everyone has some feeling or thought that they wish to express but they are afraid. Art is seen as a window of opportunity for these people. They can express what has been on their mind without the worry of embarrassment. Even if a person does confront them about the meaning of the art, they can create a fictional story if they are still afraid. Even people who have feelings that are not repressed use art to express themselves. These people may be using it to sort their thoughts. Some people learn better visually than audibly. For these people, creating art will help their ideas become clearer because they can visually see something. Art is a very important part of modern and historical society. Without art we would not know as much about our history as we do. The surviving architecture, paintings, sculptures, etc. teach us about our past. It is from our past that we decide to change our future. Besides being of historical importance, art also has a modern impact on society. In todays society people are very worried about reputation. Art allows a person to express a less accepted idea without being punished socially. Art relieves a lot of tension in the world. It is a way for people to express their anger and other emotions. It is an outlet for emotions. It is based around an idea. All art has an idea behind it, but not all ideas are put into art. Arts Essays

Free Essays on Roots

In many cultures, there is a phase in a young man’s life, which can be interpreted as a rite of passage. In this sense, it is a bridge from childhood to manhood that must be done in order to become a â€Å"man.† This can be related to our membership intake process, in the sense of the process also being a rite of passage- transforming from an individual with no knowledge of the history or importance of a Sorority , into an individual who can express, and acknowledge the true essence of sisterhood. This section of the novel depicts the story of a young man kunta kinte who has reached the point in his life when he must go mandatory â€Å"manhood training.† In his village, all the young men were gathered up and sent toâ€Å"manhood training† boot camp like scenario when they reached a certain age. They were not aware of when their time was near, but they just knew it was bound to happen. This can be related to our process as being â€Å"interests†. We had an idea that we were going to start our process, however, we did not know when, where, how, or even why. We just had to bear with it, and deal with the anxiety and anticipation, just like kunta kinte and his fellow friends. One night, kunta kinte was told to sit on this tiny stool, and before he knew it, â€Å"a hood had been thrust in the same way over his fathers head.† This blindfolding represented to him that he was about to start his â€Å"manhood training.† Unsure of what to expect, kunta kinte still stayed strong, despite the fact that he was drowning in fear. This can be related to our process, in which we became archonians, blinded, unsure of what was to come, and fearing the unknown. Nevertheless, just like kunta kinte, who felt that since he was with others who were going through the same process as he was, felt that a weight was lifted off his shoulders because he was not alone. This similar feeling is shared between us. The young men were also lined up, according to the... Free Essays on Roots Free Essays on Roots In many cultures, there is a phase in a young man’s life, which can be interpreted as a rite of passage. In this sense, it is a bridge from childhood to manhood that must be done in order to become a â€Å"man.† This can be related to our membership intake process, in the sense of the process also being a rite of passage- transforming from an individual with no knowledge of the history or importance of a Sorority , into an individual who can express, and acknowledge the true essence of sisterhood. This section of the novel depicts the story of a young man kunta kinte who has reached the point in his life when he must go mandatory â€Å"manhood training.† In his village, all the young men were gathered up and sent toâ€Å"manhood training† boot camp like scenario when they reached a certain age. They were not aware of when their time was near, but they just knew it was bound to happen. This can be related to our process as being â€Å"interests†. We had an idea that we were going to start our process, however, we did not know when, where, how, or even why. We just had to bear with it, and deal with the anxiety and anticipation, just like kunta kinte and his fellow friends. One night, kunta kinte was told to sit on this tiny stool, and before he knew it, â€Å"a hood had been thrust in the same way over his fathers head.† This blindfolding represented to him that he was about to start his â€Å"manhood training.† Unsure of what to expect, kunta kinte still stayed strong, despite the fact that he was drowning in fear. This can be related to our process, in which we became archonians, blinded, unsure of what was to come, and fearing the unknown. Nevertheless, just like kunta kinte, who felt that since he was with others who were going through the same process as he was, felt that a weight was lifted off his shoulders because he was not alone. This similar feeling is shared between us. The young men were also lined up, according to the...

What is a Nation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What is a Nation - Essay Example People intending to become a nation have to consent to a government that will lead them. This research describes the meaning of a common past and historical experience, that the Europeans shared. And that was particulary what brought the idea of a national sensibility for people across Central Europe. A nation can therefore be defined as one comprising of people who have made a lot of sacrifices and are willing to make more of them in future just to see that they can chose who leads them. This essay focuses on the history of Europeans in the 19th century. Mainly because in the nineteenth century, Europeans used ideologies that united them, such as nationalism. According to Hunt, many of them, especially liberals and nationalists, wanted independence from the rule of old monarchies and form their own nations. With the ideology of nationalism, they were able to fight for what they wanted and therefore, they got to share a rich history together because of their solidarity towards a common cause. Researcher Hunt stated, that people who believed in nationalism used the notion of consent to start significant political disruptions that troubled the foundations of European monarchies. For instance, the French united in nationalism as they engaged in their revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. Many nationalist leaders lost their lives and this only strengthened the will of the people to unite. This gave the people a history which bound them to one cause of creating their own nation. Nations such as Italy, Turkey, France, Russia and Germany are mentioned in this essay.

Data Mining and Big Data Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Data Mining and Big Data - Assignment Example It is very essential to note that a deep scrutiny of real world commercial implementation of data, makes the International Business Machines (IBM) come out as one of organizations with a high quality ‘Big data’ hub. At this company’s ‘Big data’ hub, large volumes of information are handled, which are actually very hard to process in a traditional database. The data hub is composed is of data mining engines integrated to aid in easy handling of data. The integration of data mining in IBM has made very easy and fast for the company to manage and process data in its globally placed (using cloud technology) immense data warehouses. Thus, this makes it clear that although the data is large, it is realistically the simplest and easily tolerable data volumes in data mining. In this sense, I hereby agree that the term ‘Big data’ is actually an over-hyped buzzword for data mining. Microsoft Incorporation is one of the most successful software companies globally. Due to the large data volumes handled at the company, the subject of ‘Big data’ in the company has also been a subject of concern. At this company, issues related to ‘Big data’ have usually been experienced in scenarios where the organization’s traditional database system is exhausted with the ever-increasing data volumes. This includes operating system files, cache files, customer data and management information system data. However, through the adoption of data mining engines, Microsoft Incorporation has smoothly been handling all the large amounts of data that it shares globally with clients and partners. Therefore, this case study further makes me agree with the statement. Thirdly, Facebook Incorporation is a social network website that manages online communication for over a billion global users a month. These users share messages, photos, poking, placing status and storing personal data. In essence, the company handles very immense and

Kevin Stevenson retires as AASB Chair Essay Example for Free

Kevin Stevenson retires as AASB Chair Essay This media article is about the accomplishments and achievements of Kevin Stevenson regarding his retirement from Chairman of the Australian Accounting Standards Board on 30th June 2014. (Media releases, 2014) While Kevin Stevenson was in his position, he ensured the long traditions of financial reporting was being supported both internationally and domestically and that counseling was provided for the issues raised about FRC. (Media releases, 2014) Mr. Stevenson was the first to research, develop and create Accounting Standards Advisory Forum which is dealt within International Accounting Standards Board. The AASB’s Research Centre was established while Stevenson worked as the Asian-Oceanian Standard Setters Group’s chair. His leadership focus was mainly on the interest of the public. This was stated by Lynn Wood, FRC’s chair and trustee of the IFRS Foundation. Ian Mackintosh, the former Chair of the PSASB of Australia and Deputy Chair of IASB was in agreement with this statement. (Media releases, 2014) According to Mackintosh, Mr. Stevenson has largely contributed to have Asian countries to join IFRS, like Nepal and Korea. From the beginning of the 1970s, Stevenson has put all his attention in setting principal based standards and developing a Conceptual Framework to be used in financial reporting. Mr. Stevenson supported accounting regulations as it was evidenced by his organisation and also by Australian Accounting Research Foundation. He has also been appointed as a director of AARF while watching AARF grew with it’s development of regulations. He was a leader and was in the most important position when setting the international pace to develop the common accounting standards for both the public and the private sectors. (Media releases, 2014) Stevenson has contributed in the formation of the Public Sector Accounting. He took a significant role in the establishment of International Financial Reporting Standards in 2005 and this Standard has widely been used in Australia and the entire Europe. (Media releases, 2014) Concepts, ideas and facts There are two important components that need to be satisfied to offer accounting services exhibiting high efficacy and quality. These are teamwork and leadership. Management models in accounting services need to employ strategic human resource techniques to teams in accounting teams and leadership positions in order to provide high-quality services in the shortest time possible. The operation of accounting services operates under a clear and concise manner and performs its measurement. Therefore, to provide the best accounting services and not get involved in fraud accounting, there needs to be an ultramodern investigation that uses scientific leadership when working as a team with major stakeholders (Topic 2, 2014). Stevenson was leading in the right direction by using new techniques in accounting. These techniques of accounting were important steps which need leaders with efficient skills to apply concepts like efficacy, cost benefit analysis, economies of scale and cost-effectiveness analysis that will progressively measure improvement. To resolve a core issue of the organization and get a competent solution, it is important to acquire efficient leadership. Strategic leadership in accounting provides quality and up to date accounting services to an organization. Leadership like that of Stevenson, brings together all of the incomplete system consisting of thousands of accountants working within a fragmented system of organizations. (Topic 7, 2014) Advanced fraud investigation is developed through effective teamwork and leadership in accounting. Leaders’ decisions are encouraged to be made by considering social and moral implications so it will have a positive effect on the shareholders and customers of the organization, such as the leadership of Stevenson’s. (Topic 7, 2014) Every employee bears an ethical responsibility to act in an ethical manner and make sure that their company does is tax compliant and allows reasonable deductions. Employees should ensure that the company appropriately allocates the importance of the business activities. The Accounting Issue The best way to improve the truthfulness in accounting and financial reporting is by ensuring that ethical standards are used through efficient manners of reporting, sufficient financial management and a strong system of governance. Maintaining a right to the truth is an ethical practice in financial reporting and accounting. Both the clients and stakeholders of an organization have the right to information that is true and accurate when making any investment discussions. It is the legal obligation of any accountant to provide services that are professional and competent and this should be done within their required skills. It is a common argument that a large number of accountants do not have the ability to recognize and solve ethical dilemmas in an ethical manner. This has made it necessary to incorporate ethics education as a key element in the accounting profession. Early initiation of the inclusion of professional values and ethics should be emphasized in the accounting profession. Major issue of the article Stevenson clearly shows that ethical management and taking responsibility to act in the best interest of the company that they are providing accounting services for, relates with providing accurate and truthful records. This beneficial not only to the organization, but also to the society in general (Media releases, 2014) Management should be ethical by being honest, accurate and complete when dealing with financial data and have ethics held in place. Every employee bears the responsibility to make decisions that are wise and up to date for the future well-being of the company. The accounting standards are useful in financial reporting and accounting as they are critically examined when processed. (Topic 2 , 2014) In order to uphold the highest code of ethics, organizations should emphasize on the major functions because shareholders and customers often make their decisions based on financial and accounting reports. Mr. Stevenson’s case is a clear demonstration of the importance of legal and ethical factors in accounting and financial reporting. It is through these two issues that Mr. Stevenson was able to establish effective departments of accounting and financial reporting and design specific rules that govern general functioning of any company. Relevant topics and theories Positive Accounting Theory plans for the future and gives information of what is currently not known. Financial reporting has its history with Positive Accounting Theory applied. It has focused its major interest on various aspects of accounting techniques which has provided an informative background with in depth details of the functionality of accounting in financial reporting (Topic 2, 2014) The application of financial reporting and accounting is concerned with all the future business of a company that relates to any economic unit. There are four main ethical elements involved in accounting and financial reporting. These elements are truthfulness, objectivity, autonomy and competence and they require employees in the accounting and financial reporting profession to act independently towards the clients to whom they offer their services. They should ensure that their desire to attain better living and to acquire more wealth should not be an obstacle to their financial responsibilities. Obligations of ethics greatly affect the decisions of accounting and financial reporting. Also helps solving unfair situations that may alter information symmetry. (Topic 2, 2014) The decision by Nepal and Korea to join the IFRS was based on the financial guidelines that govern accounting and financial reporting. Every employee in the accounting and financial reporting profession, whether in a private or public company bears an ethical responsibility to act in a manner that is loyal and impartial to his or her obligation when reviewing both the financial or individual reports of an organization. It is quite normal for accountants and financial reporters to encounter possible ethical violations when working. As a result, one should maintain carefulness and desist from manipulation of financial records as this is a violation of ethical guidelines. The important elements of normative accounting theory are the integrity and being open to public scrutiny. For some companies to maintain certain public image they may receive pressure from management. Most companies in the public sector are faced with the pressure to be seen as highly successful. Consequently, it becomes an ethical concern for the company to maintain ethical reports of the company assets because the pressure from management could fail them to resist the temptation (Topic 2, 2014). Management should not manipulate the company’s financial records and alter the figures in an effort to create an image that falsely portrays the company as successful. This is often temporary because it only portrays the prosperity of the company on a short term basis before the fraud is detected by the Securities and Exchange Commission (Topic 2 , 2014). Such manipulation, which is often based on poor decision making skills aims at putting up a false image of the financial status of the company and only has negative effects on the well-being of the company. Accounting professional should by all means disregard such practices. Despite the temptation associated with manipulating financial records, management should act as the last defense tool against accounting fraud. For these reasons, accounting theories assert that companies should maintain their ethical vigilance in order to avoid any potential breach of conduct (Callahan, 2014). Every individual engaging in any activity relating to financial reporting and accounting should uphold the highest standards of ethical behavior. It is through these standards that guidelines and rules are set to guide employees in performing their professional responsibilities. Question 2 In comment letter 1, the Financial Reporting Committee of the IMA wrote this letter to express its opinion on financial accounting standards, to simply the income statement presentation by eliminating the concept of extraordinary items. The FRC is in charge of several accounting books of different companies. This basically means that FRC has the responsibility of making timely responses to statements, pronouncements, research legislation, proposals and pending legislation. Their main concern in this comment letter is the complexion of financial statements within FASB. They support the simplified financial statements adopted by the board which is easier for common people to understand CITATION Sch l 1033 (Schroder, 2014). Their support is on the elimination of very unusual items as in most times this criterion is not satisfied. Their proposal to simplify the income statement gets rid of the tedious work in the preparation of financial documents. Their support is based on the fact that the allocation of time in preparing income tax reduces to a great extend by eliminating the occurrence of other income items. They thus advocate for a thorough examination of the details of this suggested proposal CITATION Sch l 1033 (Schroder, 2014). In comment letter number 2, Marcum Accountants and Advisors write to the FASB to simplify the income statement by eliminating the concept of extraordinary items regarding the proposed accounting standards. Their letter is generally a response to several questions regarding the process of simplification of the income statement. They support the concept of elimination of extra ordinary items from the General Accounting principles. Their argument is based on where the extra ordinary items make the application difficult in accounting practice CITATION Giu14 l 1033 (Giugliano, 2014). They thus support the application for extra ordinary items in previous accounting periods. A sudden change of the rules would otherwise lead to confusion in the accounting practice CITATION Top14 l 1033 (Topic 2 , 2014). The ease of application with the proposed update makes it easy to make these recommended changes to adopt. They thus suggest the immediate adoption of the proposed update. They agree with the decision made by the board which was to comply with the principle of separate disclosure of infrequent transactions. They also suggest the importance of offering guidance on deciding the unusual item. CITATION Giu14 l 1033 (Giugliano, 2014) Proper definitions should be provided of the unusually occurring items. In comment letter 3, Ford Motor Company also writes supporting the simplification of financial report assessed and initiated by FASB. Their agreement is based on the reasonable evaluation, identification and improvement of the generally accepted accounting principles CITATION Cal14 l 1033 (Callahan, 2014). This thus means that by reducing the complexity and simplifying the income statement, it will possibly reduce the cost of application. They are also in agreement with the board that such an update would not lead to data loss. The overall benefit would be to the end users of such financial statements. References Callahan, S. (2014). Comment Letter No. 6 (1st ed.). FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Retrieved from http://www.fasb.org/jsp/FASB/CommentLetter_C/CommentLetterPagecid=1218220137090project_id=2014-220 Callahan, S. (2014). Comment Letter No. 6 (1st ed.). FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Retrieved from http://www.fasb.org/jsp/FASB/CommentLetter_C/CommentLetterPagecid=1218220137090project_id=2014-220 Giugliano, G. (2014). Comment Letter No. 5 (1st ed.). MARCUM LLP. Retrieved from http://www.fasb.org/jsp/FASB/CommentLetter_C/CommentLetterPagecid=1218220137090project_id=2014-220 Media releases,. (2014). Kevin Stevenson retires as AASB Chair. Proposed Accounting Standards Update. (2014) (1st ed.). Retrieved from http://www.fasb.org Schroeder, N. (2014). Comment Letter No.2 (1st ed.). IMA/FRC. Retrieved from http://www.fasb.org/jsp/FASB/CommentLetter_C/CommentLetterPagecid=1218220137090project_id=2014-220 Topic 2 The role of ethics in accounting. (2014). Topic 6 International Accounting. (2014). Topic 7 Normative Accounting theories. (2014). Source document

Commanders of the Army of the Potomac :: Essays Papers

Commanders of the Army of the Potomac In his civil war book Commanders of the Army of the Potomac Warren Hassler Jr. fantastically recounts the events that transpired between 1861 to 1865 during which seven men were given the reigns of the North's Army of the Potomac and asked to lead the Union to victory. However, one of the greatest commanders in history stood in their way; Robert E. Lee, and each was pitted against this great general one by one and given the chance to make history. The first, Irvin McDowell was regarded in this book as a great soldier in his own right but a terrible leader who displayed visible gaps in his preparedness, in his tactics, and in his strategy. He was the first to take control of the northern army. Not much later towards the end of May of 1861 General Lee established a defensive hold along the small stream of Bull Run located in Manassas. During the Battle of Bull Run McDowell was crushed by Confederate generals Joseph E. Johnston and Pierre Beauregard due to weak planning and it be came apparent that this in fact would not be a short-lived war. Next up was the most popular and perhaps the greatest of the commanders, George B. McClellan. After the embarrassing defeats at Bull Run he masterfully regrouped and disciplined the AOP as he himself showed outstanding military presence and was constantly increasing his knowledge of offensive tactics. From spring of 1862 till July of that year General McClellan was successful in driving the Confederates out of West Virginia and he was inching toward the southern capitol of Richmond when General Jeb Stuart under Lee encircled and outmaneuvered McClellan's forces who were driven back and finally held at Malvern Hill during the Seven Days Battle. During this time period there was some shifting of control and the AOP was put into the arms of General John Pope. This book regards Pope as one of the most pathetic leaders of the Civil War as he screwed up and changed his ways during the second battle at Bull Run and sacri ficed his men uselessly. Meanwhile, McClellan blew an opportunity to catch the Confederates off balance after he learned of Lee's plans but stalled and hesitated for a day giving the southern reinforcements plenty of time to arrive and group together and the north escaped with a slight victory only after Lee decided it would be wise to withdraw his forces.

John Rawls’s A Theory of Justice

In his influential book A Theory of Justice, John Rawls structured his concept of society around two principles of justice that he argues were best chosen under a â€Å"veil of ignorance† (1971).Rawls maintains â€Å"that the first requires equality in the assignment of basic rights and duties, while the second holds that social and economic inequalities are just only if they result in compensating benefits for everyone, and in particular for the least advantaged members of society† (1971). His argument for the second, while not purely and purposefully classifying society as equitable and impartial, supports the idea that contribution should be proportionate to one’s ability or capability.There are a multitude of ways to interpret Rawls’s second take on the concept of justice, some agreeable and some not. He argues that in order for others to prosper, some should have less (Rawls, 1971).He also asserts the idea that in looking at the bigger picture, everyo ne in the society achieves benefits by catering to what seems like a monopoly of wealth, power and therefore, opportunity. Rawls’s justice supports the socialist idea that majority of society’s responsibilities and burdens should be carried by those who can—those who are wealthy, have power, and therefore, are more capable of managing the said responsibilities.While these may be good points to support his ideas, Rawls’s theory fails by theoretically preventing change in societies where these so-called social inequalities already exist—societies where those high up already enjoy the benefits of good living standards, while those in the lower brackets either continue or further suffer in their disadvantages. It is also faulty in the sense that the poor essentially â€Å"pick up the scraps† that the rich had left.Rawls idea that inequality can actually be just and fair leaves much to be desired. It should have been more egalitarian in the sense that both the rich and the poor would have equitable access to wealth and power. It would be difficult to guarantee justice in a society that separates those who can afford justice from those who can afford justice more.ReferencesRawls, J. (1971). A Theory of Justice. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.