Politics in Modern Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Politics in Modern Art - Essay Example The essay "Politics in Modern Art" investigates politics in modern art. The artistic movement against the polity during the 1960s and 1970s is particularly high in California. Here, there is a striking confluence of political agitation and passionately engaged art. The San Francisco Bay area took the lead role nationally with the foundation of the free speech movement.Then, the state gave birth to the Beat and hippie countercultures, which was responsible for many profound social change across the country. In writing about the contemporary art Peter Selz, Susan Landauer observed: While the civil rights and peace movements grew simultaneously in cities nationwide, California played a significant role in their development. In their wake came the Chicano labor movement in the San Joaquin Valley, the revolutionary Black Panther Party in Oakland, as well as some of the most radical manifestations of gay liberation, Red Power, and environmental activism. All of these activities was accompa nied by an outpouring of political art unmatched elsewhere in the United States. Recent commentary of the subject to date has been made by Richard Candida Smith’s Utopia and Dissent: Art, Poetry, and Politics in California. Candida explored and examined the ideological , socioeconomic and historic roots of both political ferment of the recent times and its artistic expression. He pointed out that many of the values of liberty and dissent taken up by the New Left were first articulated by the community of artists and poets.

The Scramble for Africa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Scramble for Africa - Essay Example 5). The impact of globalization on Africa has illustrated its dangers. Just as capitalism needed to be regulated in the United States and other market economies in the industrial age to protect people from the abuse of companies in the name of profit, a worldwide effort arguably needs to be made to protect the most vulnerable people in the world from corporate abuse when their own governments will not do so. According to Simon Taylor, director of Global Witness, a globalization watchdog, G8 countries need to take the lead in preventing this kind of abuse, as their companies are the most likely to be benefiting from it. He asserts, "Western companies and banks have colluded in stripping Africa's resources. We need to track revenues from oil, mining and logging into national budgets to make sure that the money isn't siphoned off by corrupt officials" (par. 4). The potential for Africa to produce huge profits for foreign investors is undeniable. The continent is shaping up to be the highest potential investment area in the world. "Sub-Saharan Africa may be the poorest region in the world but it is also its most profitable investment destination. According to the World Bank's 2003 global development finance report, the continent offers 'the highest returns on foreign direct investment of any region in the world'" (Wright 2005, par. 7). It is only a matter of time before this fact will influence the behavior of foreign companies. "At the moment only around 1% of the private capital that is sloshing around the globe finds its way into sub-Saharan Africa. But there is an increasing band of intrepid international companies that are initiating a new scramble for Africa. Like the colonial pioneers before them, they have found that the strategy can be risky but the potential rewards are enormous" (par. 8). The African continent's wealth of oil and diamonds is the primary target of this latest "scramble." Oil in particular has led developed nations to eye Africa, particularly given the recent escalation of prices. "Spurred by rising global oil prices and depleting reservoirs nearer home, the world's biggest energy-consuming countries have re-discovered Africa. Oil production across that least-developed continent is set to double by the end of the decade, with the US alone importing more than a quarter of its requirements from there. Africa is expected to supply one-fifth of global output by 2010" ("Oil exploration" 2005, par. 2). Competition for this African resource is fierce, and threatens to inflict serious injury on local populations. "As the world's oil becomes depleted, the energy-intensive developed countries face each other in mounting competition for the remaining resources. This trend could have major economic, political, social and environmental implications for regions such as Africa" (par. 1). Unfettered by the kind of government regulation constraining huge multinational oil companies in developed countries, there is a grave risk that they could fail to implement environmental and other safeguards, thereby risking the health and safety of the local populations. Further, an environmental disaster such as an oil spill or refinery explosion could have tremendous economic

Employment Law in Hungary Problem Question

Employment Law in Hungary Problem Question The difficulties that Andreas and Luka face in this circumstance relate to the fact that where Treaty Articles[1] and Regulations[2] are directly applicable in national courts. Directives are only binding as to the result to be achieved, with it being necessary for the Member State to adopt the national law in such a way as to implement the Directives terms.[3] This means that whilst Andreas and Luka would have been able to rely directly on a Treaty Article or Regulations to enforce their EU rights in the Hungarian courts, they must rely on some alternative method of enforcement in respect of the Directive. It is these alternative methods of enforcement that lie at the crux of the issues here. Although the direct effect for Treaty Articles was not instant, it was developed over a period of time, and Van Gend was the first judgment to expressly state that Treaty Articles could be directly effective.[4] On the other hand, Article 288 TFEU[5] specifically says that Regulations are directly effective. This was confirmed in Leonesio [6] and held that Directives are only directly effective in respect of the aims to be achieved and that the Member States are given discretion as to how these aims are introduced into national law. On the face of it, it could be suggested that because Directives are not directly enforceable in the national courts, Member States would be able to disregard the requirements of the Directive. If as it has happened in this circumstance, it does not suit the current national requirements. This would, of course, make Directives largely irrelevant. This was the view that was taken by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Van Duyn v Home Office.[7] In this judgment, it would be held that, if the Directive was clear, precise and unconditional (the same requirements as exist for the direct effect of Treaty Articles and Regulations)[8], and had a direct effect on the relations between individuals and the Member States. Therefore, the Directive ought to be given direct effect in the national courts. The above position was further clarified in Pubblico Ministero v Ratti.[9] Mr. Ratti was a manufacturer of solvents in Italy, was charged failure to comply with the stricter Italian law. The ECJ made clear that the proper purpose of direct effect for Directives was to prevent a Member State from gaining an advantage by ignoring the requirements of a Directive. In essence, a Member State is estopped from denying an individuals rights based on the contents of a Directive once the period for implementing the Directive has passed. Based on the above, it seems that Andreas and Lukas position is a relatively strong one, but unfortunately, the issue is slightly more complicated. These complications are initially lie in the fact that a failure to implement a Directive into national law is entirely caused by the fault of a Member State. In Marshal,[10] it was recognized that allowing an individual to rely on the provisions of a Directive directly against another individual could have unfair results. This is because the individual expected to comply with the Directives may have no idea of its existence. On this basis, it was further held in Faccini Dori v Recreb[11] that the Directives could only have a direct effect on the Member State itself. This is known as a vertical direct effect. This is clearly a limiting factor and therefore it is essential that it is possible to identify what kind of organization fits within this requirement. The issue of identifying against whom the direct of a Directive could be relied upon was addressed in Foster v British Gas.[12]Here, it was held that an organization would be part of the Member State if it was subject to the authority or control of the State, or had powers that went beyond those that ordinarily exist between individuals. There are two separate approaches that are followed in this respect. In Sozialhifeverband,[13] it was held that private companies owned by a local authority would be considered sufficiently linked to the State purely based on the nature of their ownership. In Vassallo, [14] it was stated that the nature of the role of the organization could also impact on whether it was considered part of the State. In this case, a privately-run hospital was considered part of the State. This is because some of its activities were publicly funded and partly also because it was serving a public function. It can be seen from the above, the fact that Directives can only have a vertical direct effect will have a significant impact upon Andreas and Lukas ability to rely on the Directive. It seems probable that even though Andreass employer receives some of its funding from private contributions, the fact that it is partly funded by the State, and it will be considered to serve a public function. It will mean that it will be considered part of the State and that, Andreas will be able to rely on the provisions of the Directive directly against it. The effect of this will ensure that prior to his dismissal, Andreas will be considered to have held a permanent contract. Therefore, he will presumably be able to rely on Hungarian employment law, at the very least, attempt to assert that he should receive some compensation for his dismissal. However, Andreas will not be able to assert that the Directive means that he should not have been dismissed. This is because the only relevant purpose of th e Directive is to ensure that a permanent contract is granted after two temporary ones have elapsed. The position is very different for Luka. This is because the company for which she is working with is purely privately owned and funded. This is unlikely to be considered to serve as a public function. Therefore, she will not be able to rely on the direct effect of the Directive. However, this is not the end of the matter, because there are further possibilities that may assist her. The first of these possibilities lies in what is known as an indirect effect. In Von Colson Kamann,[15] it was held that national courts have a duty to interpret national legislation in line with EU provisions if this was possible. The approach in Von Colson Kamann[16] was quite limiting in that it only applied to national legislation that was implementing the Directive in question. This approach would not assist Luka, this is because there is no indication that the Hungarian government has taken any implementing steps at all with the regards to this Directive. The position was expanded somewhat in Marleasing[17], that to require national courts to interpret all national legislation in line with EU provisions where possible. It is not possible to comment on the impact of an indirect effect on Lukas position specifically. This is because this will entirely depend on whether there is already in existence any Hungarian legislation that could be interpreted in line with the provisions of the Directive. If this is possible, Luka will be able to rely on the existing national legislation and the Hungarian courts will be required to interpret accordingly. Clearly, if there is no relevant Hungarian legislation exists, of if the existing legislation is written in such a way that an alternative interpretation is not possible, the indirect effect will be of no assistance to Luka. The second possible solution for Luka can be found in the judgment in Francovich.[18] In this judgment, it was held that where a Member State has failed to implement a Directive and if certain other requirements are satisfied, an individual would be able to hold the Member State liable for their losses. In order for State liability to arise, three conditions must be met. Firstly, the Directive must grant rights to the individual. Secondly, it must be possible to identify these rights from the content of the Directive. Finally, there must a direct causal link between the Member States failure to implement the Directive and the loss suffered by the individual. There seems little difficulty in applying the above three conditions to Lukas position. On the fact given, it appears that the very purpose of the Directive was to grant individuals with the right to be placed on a permanent contract and the subsequent employment security that such a contract provides. It is also clear that the nature of the Directive makes its purpose clear. The position in respect of the causal link between the failure to implement the terms of the Directive and the loss sustained by Luka is an interesting one. This is because, taken at a simple level, the non-renewal of Lukas contract would not have occurred if the Directive had been properly implemented. Luka would already have been working under a permanent contract. However, the failure to implement is not necessarily the reason for Lukas loss. This is the downturn in piano manufacture and the subsequent loss of her job. In this respect, Luka may have lost her job even if she had a permanent contract. In order to address this, it would be necessary to consider the steps taken by Kende Pianos in deciding whom to dismiss. However, it seems that even if it is possible to demonstrate that Luka would have been dismissed anyway, even if she would be on a permanent contract. Therefore, on the fact that she will not receive this payment is directly caused by the failure in implementation of the Directive and Luka should be able to claim damages from the State in order to compensate for this loss. In conclusion, Andreas will be able to rely on the Directive directly in the Hungarian courts to ensure that he receives the same employment rights as an individual on a permanent contract. On the other hand, Luka will not be able to rely on the direct effect of the Directive, but she may be able to rely on its indirect effect, or she may be able to seek damages from the Hungarian State. CASES Faccini Dori v Recreb (case 91/92) [1994] ECR I-3325 Foster v British Gas (case C-188/89) [1990] ECR I-3313 Francovich and Bonifaci v Italy (joined cases C-6/90 and C-9/90) [1991] ECR I-5357 Leonesio v Italian Ministry of Agriculture (case 93/71) [1972] ECR 293 Marleasing SA v La Comercial Internacionale de Alimentacion SA (case C-106/89) [1990] ECT I-4135 Marshall v Southampton and South-West Hampshire Area Health Authority (case 152/84) [1986] ECR 723 Pubblico Ministero v Ratti (case 148/78) [1979] ECT 1629 Sozialhifeverband Rohrbach v Arbeiterkammer Oberosterreich (case C-297/03) [2005] ECR I-4305 Van Duyn v Home Office (case 41/74) [1974] ECT 1337 Van Gen en Loos v Nederlandse Administratie der Belastingen (case 26/62) [1963] ECR 1 Vassallo v Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedale San Martino di Genova e Cliniche Universitarie Convenzionate (case C-180/04) [2006] ECT I-7251 Von Colson Kamann v Land Nordrhein-Westfalen (case 14/83) [1984] ECR 1891 TREATIES Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union 2012 BOOKS Chalmers, D Davies, G Monti, G European Union Law (3rd edn Cambridge University Press 2014) Craig, P De Burca, G EU Law Text, Cases, and Materials (6th edn Oxford University Press 2015) Schutze, R European Union Law (Cambridge University Press 2015) [1] Van Gen en Loos v Nederlandse Administratie der Belastingen (case 26/62) [1963] ECR 1 [2] Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), Article 288 [3] Ibid [4] Van Gen (n1) [5] Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), Article 288 [6] Leonesio v Italian Ministry of Agriculture (case 93/71) [1972] ECR 293 [7] (case 41/74) [1974] ECT 1337 [8] The van Gend Criteria (van Gen en Loos) [9] (case 148/78) [1979] ECT 1629 [10] Marshall v Southampton and South-West Hampshire Area Health Authority (case 152/84) [1986] ECR 723 [11] (case 91/92) [1994] ECR I-3325 [12] (case C-188/89) [1990] ECR I-3313 [13] Sozialhifeverband Rohrbach v Arbeiterkammer Oberosterreich (case C-297/03) [2005] ECR I-4305 [14] Vassallo v Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedale San Martino di Genova e Cliniche Universitarie Convenzionate (case C-180/04) [2006] ECT I-7251 [15] Von Colson Kamann v Land Nordrhein-Westfalen (case 14/83) [1984] ECR 1891 [16] Ibid [17] Marleasing SA v La Comercial Internacionale de Alimentacion SA (case C-106/89) [1990] ECT I-4135 [18] Francovich and Bonifaci v Italy (joined cases C-6/90 and C-9/90) [1991] ECR I-5357

Free Essays - Criticism of My Antonia :: My Antonia Essays

Criticism of My Antonia       My Antonia by Willa Cather is a novel based on the memories of the protagonist, Jim Burden. Many critics have criticized this novel, and have focused on such literary elements as symbolism, motif, and characterization. The strongest argument however is the one that states that the foundation of every element in the book is based on the personal memories of Willa Cather.    Many critics have discussed the symbolism in this novel. One symbol that some critics have discussed is the plow. It was said that the plow suggests a way of life that not only helps the land to flourish but the individual as well (Brown). Another symbol that many critics discuss is Marek Shimerda. The fact that Marek has webbed hands and feet sets him apart from the other "normal" children who seem to represent creativity and innocence (Shaw). The road that Jim Burden travels on is another symbol that critics focus on quite a bit. It is said that the road symbolizes the "road to destiny" that America itself takes. (Brown). Critics have also pointed out that the red dust that covers everything, the intense heat, the burning wind, the wilting oak groves, and the stifling vegetation represent oppression, paralysis, submergence, and loss of vitality (as in the old ways of life) as opposed to the alternatives of the new world such as discovery and recovery (Holmes).    One thing that many critics have discussed is that the plot of My Antonia revolves around the ideas of childhood and the fact that the structure of the novel is centered around scenes that have to do with children. This shows up in the beginning of the book as ten year old Jim is riding the train from Virginia to Nebraska; and at the end of the book when all of Antonia's children are around (Shaw). A contrasting motif to that of childhood is adulthood. Throughout the book, Cather describes how adulthood has many hardships as compared to the carefreeness of childhood.    Another element of the novel that critics spent a lot of time discussing is characterization. One critic pointed out the fact that many of the characters in My Antonia have imperfections in their physical appearance that seem to bring out the imperfections of society that exist, and put the ideas of "social perfection" on the back-burner (Randall).

Deep Ecology

Whether its watching a whale Jump up in the air and seeing him crashing back into the water, or looking at all of the trees leafs changing colors in the fall time; nature is a beautiful thing. In the past, traditional Native Americans once cared about the land. The grass, trees, rocks, and everything else had value. Nowadays most people are moving away from these ideas and moving towards a capitalist mindset, only caring about their own personal gain. Deep ecology is defined as â€Å"an environmental movement and philosophy that regards human life as Just one of many equal components of a global cosystem† (Google).Arne Naess was a Norwegian philosopher who coined the term Deep Ecology. It may seem very similar to traditional Native American thought, but there are a few differences. In traditional Native American thought, they believe that everything is sacred, has value, and is alive. Deep ecologists do not feel the same way, they believe objects hold value but not all things are living. For example, if you were to pick up a rock and show it to a deep ecologist, he or she would say that the rock is not living. According to traditional Native American thought, they would say hat the rock is valuable, living and is sacred (Professor Bill Weiss).Arne Naess and George Sessions created the eight principles of deep ecology. They are the eight principles that all deep ecologists follow. The fifth principle states, present human interference with the nonhuman world is excessive, and the situation is rapidly worsening (The Anarchist Library). For example, 137 species of animals are becoming extinct each day, which adds up to 50,005 species disappearing every year, because of deforestation (Oocities). If we don't start doing something about this issue he world's animal population will become extinct, and that's only from deforestation.That doesn't include all the garbage and chemicals that we are dumping on the earth. Those also have an effect on animals all acros s the world. And soon this will start to effect the human population. People will start to become sick and they won't have anything to eat because animals across the world were killed off or become extinct, and the vegetables you want to eat won't be edible because the chemicals that were dumped on the earth reached the plants you want to eat and ontaminated them. This could potentially lead to the human population becoming extinct.I'm not saying this is going to actually happen or be an immediate result of our actions but this is what the world is coming to. The companies are the indirect problem in this issue. It's the population's demand that keeps these companies going which makes us the direct source to the problem. Almost everyone is caught up in the capitalist mentality, only caring about themselves and seeing how much money they can make. And when that happens they go out and buy more products which ave negatively affected the environment.

Freedom Essay

Freedom- what so many people wish for. It was summer of the year 2010, a time when I could finally enjoy myself and be comfortable for who I am. Summer was a time that everyone loved but going back to the year 2008 for me it was a time of darkness. All the girls on the beach showing off their new bikinis and all the boys being shirtless and showing off their looks and then there is me†¦. A girl named Page Duncan aged 15 who have no friends because she weighs 70 kg.In November 2007 it was starting to get hot so all my friends and I decided to go to the beach. As we arrived the temperature was getting hot so everyone decided to put on their bikinis for a swim but I didn’t feel comfortable because of my body so I chose to wear a one piece. As I got back from the change rooms some of my friends made comments saying â€Å"oh my god you’re so fat† and â€Å" I didn’t know whales could stay on the sand that long† and as they were saying it they all la ughed. When the girls said that to me it made me cry and be really upset so I decided to ring my mum to pick me up. Whilst on the phone with mum she asked me why I wanted to leave so early so I lied to her saying â€Å"I feel sick† so she wouldn’t know.After this day I no longer had friends, I was no longer comfortable with my self, and I was always upset about my body weight. The next day I went to school, as I arrived the whole school laughed at me and again calling me fat. Clearly this was because of yesterday. As the day went I got bullied time after time again. Finally the day ended where I found my self in my room free from all bullying until I went on Facebook. I opened up my message box and received messages saying, â€Å"You’re so fat†, â€Å"go kill your self†, â€Å"you’re ugly†. When I had read this I found my self in so much pain and anger.Today I don’t want to go to school so I am going to ask mum if I can stay ho me because I am feeling sick. Mum thank God approved so I locked my self in then  room and started crying. After a while I had soaked in so much anger and decided to cut my self. This felt good and I realised it released my anger so I did it again and again and again. Eventually I stopped because I found myself bleeding that much that I had blood on my blankets that was red as cherry.The next day mum calls me for breakfast but I am not hungry so I replied with â€Å"mum I’m not hungry†. Mum then walks into the room and see the scars on my arm and sees the blood on the blankets and asks me â€Å"honey what’s wrong with your arm?† so I reply with â€Å"mum it’s okay I just scratched me arm† so she replied with a â€Å"oh okay be careful next time and go put a band aid on and also come get breakfast†. I chose to stay in my room so I can starve my self so I can have a perfect body.As the days went on I find myself cutting my self more a nd more and also not eating and I love it. I finally am getting happy with my body, as I have lost 20 kg, which means I am now 50 kg.One day in October 2009 mum confronts me because she again notices my scars and notices I have lost weight so she wants to take me to the doctors so we did to find out that there was nothing wrong with me. Mum tells me she is still not satisfied so she decides to take me another doctor but again nothing is wrong.When I got home I decided to cut my self again, whilst doing it I cut a vein all of sudden BOOM I have past out†¦A few minutes later mum walks into my bedroom and finds me passed out with blood everywhere. Mum starts panicking and rings triple zero, she then applies pressure till the ambulance come to slow down the loss of blood. The ambulance finally arrives and takes me to hospital.Page Duncan wakes up†¦ â€Å"Hello there, I’m your nurse, you nearly died with the amount of blood you  lost. You have been unconscious for 2 days. I m also here to tell you that you have been diagnosed with depression† mum then walks into the room and is upset she asks me â€Å"why are you doing this†, mum the reason I am doing this is because I am fat and I have no friends. ‘Mum cries’ Mum please don’t be upset and she replies with â€Å" look I am upset about this but that’s okay know because I am going to fix this†.When I finally get out of hospital mum decides to have a talk. She says, † Look Page back in my day I actually was diagnosed as well but I got through it and so can you. I know this is going to be tough but we are going to get through it. I have arranged an interview with the teacher so that they are aware and can help you, I have got you medicine and also if you are that concerned about your weight you can go on a weight program if you’re interest† okay thanks mum I really appreciate it, I really didn’t know you experienced this. I’m sorry.2010 summer came and I am healthy, I am happy, 2 years later at 60kg, confident and now have friends that appreciate for who I am, I can now put a bikini and not be conscious and most in importantly I owe it all to my mum for getting me through this. After all this time I decided to go to the beach and not be scared about what others think and accept that if people want to bully me they are not true friends.In conclusion you do not have to be skinny or good looking to have fun or put on a bikini or be shirtless, it’s all about appreciating what you have. You don’t need these things to have freedom. Page Duncan was diagnosed with depression because of what other people thought. She then overcame this with the help of others and now realises that you don’t have to be skinny or good looking or smart to be free and happy. Her w eight does not longer get the better of her because she knew if they said hurtful things that they weren’t true friends. The best way to describe is â€Å"if you believe you will achieve†.

Free Essays on Stress And Cardiovascular Disorders

, something that may be stressful for one person may be pleasurable for the next. A roller-coaster is a great example of this. On a coaster there are the people that close their eyes, clench the safety bar for dear life and can‘t wait to get off. Contrastingly, at the front of the coaster there are the thrill seekers that stay wide eyed for the entire time and relish in every steep plunge. And then there are those that are bored with the ride, maybe because they have been on the same ride many times before. In terms of emotional resources, some people are not as equipped as others to deal with the roller coaster of life with its ups and downs and unexpected twists and turns. Besides roller-coa... Free Essays on Stress And Cardiovascular Disorders Free Essays on Stress And Cardiovascular Disorders Stress is an adaptive response to the physical and psychological forces and pressures that challenge an organism (Selye, 1978). Hans Selye was a Canadian researcher who coined the term â€Å"stress† in order to describe a series of responses that were observed in laboratory animals that were subjected to severely disturbing physical and emotional threats. He observed and recorded the animals’ responses and discovered that some of the animals experienced ulcers, heart attacks, hypertension, arthritis, kidney damage, and other diseases. Selye’s experiment demonstrates how unrelenting physical and psychological stress can kill an organism (Rosch, 2002). These findings are applicable to the human condition where protracted levels of stress from a variety of life events eventuate in serious physical pathology. Specifically, this paper will explore the link between stress and cardiovascular disease. The first segment of this paper will describe some common causes of stress and examples of how different individuals cope with it. Next, the issue of stress and it’s indirect influence on cardiovascular disorders and other diseases will be addressed. Stress is experienced at multiple levels by different individuals. In other words, something that may be stressful for one person may be pleasurable for the next. A roller-coaster is a great example of this. On a coaster there are the people that close their eyes, clench the safety bar for dear life and can‘t wait to get off. Contrastingly, at the front of the coaster there are the thrill seekers that stay wide eyed for the entire time and relish in every steep plunge. And then there are those that are bored with the ride, maybe because they have been on the same ride many times before. In terms of emotional resources, some people are not as equipped as others to deal with the roller coaster of life with its ups and downs and unexpected twists and turns. Besides roller-coa...