American Architecture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American Architecture - Essay Example In 1879, after four years of studies spent under the tutelage of another famous architect of that time John Edelmann, Sullivan was hired as a junior partner by the famous structural engineer Dankmar Adler. Their partnership lasted until the year of 1896 when Sullivan started to experiment with new materials such as steel girders that made possible construction of much taller buildings than before. Sullivan had certain creative differences and disputed intensively about style issues with Daniel Burnham, the author of the Columbian Exposition in Jackson Park in 1893 and with one of his students, Frank Lloyd Wright. Sullivan insisted that 'form should follow function' thus proclaiming the primary importance of the purpose of a building as compared to the design1. Sullivan's legacy is an important element of modern Chicago. The Jewler's Building at 17 S. Ashland Avenue designed and built by Adler and Sullivan in 1882 was designated as one of Chicago landmarks a century later. Together with Adler he also built the Kaufman Store and Flats at 2312-2314 N. Lincoln Avenue designated a city's landmark in 1996. Another famous masterpieces of Sullivan which became Chicago landmarks are the Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Cathedral and Rectory located at 1121 N. Leavitt Street build by Sullivan alone in 1903, the Auditorium Theater at Roosevelt University, and the Carson, Pirie, Scott Store at the corner of State and Madison. Integrity of structure and ornament, emotional tension of the form, and outstanding individuality of the building are the most noticeable features of Sullivan's style: "Nurtured by the artists sympathy with life, the ornament spoke: it was the voice of the artist and the building -- indeed they were one, the building a 'stock personality' and the architect an interpreter and prophet"2. Today Sullivan is considered perhaps the most influential architect and critic of the Chicago School, the father of the modern skyscraper, and a mentor to another outstanding American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 - April 9, 1959), one of most innovative and prolific American architects of the last century, was born in Richland Center, Wisconsin. Wright attended but did not finish the high school in Madison, Wisconsin, and in 1885 entered the University of Wisconsin where he studied civil engineering. In 1887 Wright moved to Chicago to go apprentice to a well-known Chicago architect, Joseph Lyman Silsbee. It was during that time that Wright worked with Louis Sullivan whom he would later acknowledge as a mentor. At the end of 1880s Wright got married and moved to Oak Park, Illinois. In 1893, he quit his partnership with Sullivan and established his own firm in Chicago. After five years Wright transferred his practice to Oak Park where he had his most productive and stable days. Sidetracked by romantic misadventures, Wright designed some buildings in Arizona and Wisconsin, but those works were not as good as the works of his Illinois period. Frank Lloyd Wright founded the Prairie School of Architecture characterized by long and horizontal designs and organic architecture that won a wide domestic and international acclaim. Wright's rehash of the famous Sullivan's

Advertising Analysis: PETA’s Campaigns

Advertising Analysis: PETA’s Campaigns Assignment 1 Organisational Communications. This essay critically explores and evaluates the nature of PETAs (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) advertising communications, concentrating mainly on one of the major criticisms that PETA uses numerous sexual images of women that perpetuate female objectification. Through a close examination of the campaign: Go Vegetarian, this essay will assess PETAs campaigns involving the sexualisation of womens bodies from a feminist perspective. In the process, the essay will demonstrate an understanding of a range of communications, theories and concepts for the idea that PETA relies on sexism to advance animal issues, and capture the attention of the viewer. The essay begins by using a feminist analysis to explore the theory of viral marketing in one of PETAs recent advertisements. This section will analyse how the use of viral marketing has created a direct approach from business to consumer allowing consumers to promote the service themselves (Smith, Coyle, Lightfoot, Scott, 20 07). The main focus here is the irony of how an organization which emphasises a social justice agenda, has subjected another social justice cause. It then reviews the contrasting approach of how PETA invokes, to some extent, a new wave of social change where women are escaping the oppression of patriarchy and having a strong sense of empowerment. This part of the essay will take on a semiotic approach to show how codes and context are central in producing meaning (Barthes, 1977). In exploring these issues, the essay endorses a broadly feminist standpoint on gender, although it also seeks to highlight a number of potential justifications and opposing arguments, it particulary focuses on the notion that PETA commodifies and exploits womens bodies to sell animal rights. PETA is famously known for its flirtatious nudity in advertising to get their message of anti-animal cruelty across. Their creative but controversial advertising communications has caused a string of negative debates over the years which have become an integral part of their brand. Recently, PETA took a stab at viral advertising and produced a shocking Super Bowl advertisement called Veggie Love, which NBC rejected due to its provocative nature. This ad shows lingerie models seductively froilicking with vegetables with a tagline saying Studies show Vegetarians have better sex. Superbowl commercials are viewed by millions including children which PETA failed to take into consideration. Although this ad is explicit with the discursive message it is trying to convey, it relies on the theme of sex to promote and sell vegetarianism. It can be said that the women in this short 30-second-clip are objectified and subjected to the male gaze. Mulvey (1975) suggests women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to connote to-be-looked-at-ness. Although the ad is conveying a strong message that eating meat is wrong, it is clear that women are presented as sexual objects of male fantasy and desire. However, there is no clear suggestion that PETA aims their advertising communications specifically to the male audience. Female viewers are also compelled to take the viewpoint of the central character (male), participating also in the pleasure of men looking at women (Mulvey, 1975). The exploitation that animals undergo at the hands of humans makes this advertisement seem inappropriate and unjust. It can be said that the use of sexualized images of women is forgetting the horrific treatment that animals incur and that the true message of oppression has been forgotten and replaced to create a buzz about advertising strategies. Ironically, it can be said that PETAs banned viral campaign worked mostly to their advantage. Viral marketing is used to encourage consumers or individuals to pass on a message to others, creating the potential for expansion in the messages exposure and influence (Rushkoff, 1994). It can be said that audiences better receive viral marketing than traditional third party marketing because it is an implied approval from a friend. Due to the fact that viral marketing is highly dependent of consumers passing on a message, marketers are now even more concerned in creating a campaign that is controversial or unethical (Kilby, 2005). For the marketing strategy to work, a buzz has to be created from consumer-to-consumer. This PETA advertisement is of a provocative nature to initiate the ripple effect which ultimately benefits the organization and its stakeholders. Minus the negative criticism around the campaign, whether planned or unplanned, PETAs viral marketing strategy is a positive one i n terms of the publicity it received. The fact that the advertisement was banned from television but can still be seen in the social sphere of the internet creates more of a buzz about PETA as an organization whilst allowing them to promote at a low cost. Consequently, looking at both standpoints, PETA has used its advertising communications here in a strategic way however, this advertisement does not benefit in highlighting the true cause. On the other hand, although it can be said that PETA uses its advertising communications to put across a positive message whilst simultaneously exploiting women, there is one less controversial advertisement in particular that can be viewed as a paradox to the viral advertisement and many other PETA campaigns. The We can do it campaign, taken and adjusted from the 1940s advertisement for the Westinghouse Company, by J. Howard Miller, draws the idea of female liberation and empowerment. This advertisement highlights the Vegetarianism campaign. This advertisement shows a young, attractive woman, Playboy model Laura Anderson, posing with a Popeye stance, wearing a red and white polka dot headband and a blue denim cropped shirt. Her eyes are directed straight into the camera lens and her mouth is agape. Her lips are red and her stomach is exposed. Directly above everything is the written text: We can do it. The ad is clearly an adaptation of Millers painting famously associated with cultural icon of the United Status, Rosie the Riveter. Rosie the Riveter represented the American woman that worked in the factories during World War II and we can see that the 30s and 40s era is still fairly suggestive in this PETA adveritsement. During this period of time, women were considered submissive to men and were required to stay at home and fend for the family while the male acts as the breadwinner. Polka dot headbands are old fashioned, reminiscient of a housewife or working wom an. The woman and the key signifiers connotate female liberation, escaping the supression of patriarchy and taking on the female empowerment agenda. The confident stance is similar to how a male would pose and the fact that this is a woman creates the idea that women are somewhat equal to men. The elements can connate the strong independent woman who stands for what she thinks is right, in this case, becoming a vegetarian. Only a few visual aspects of this advertisement have been altered from the original. The fact that the womans shirt is cropped in the PETA ad still creates the element of objectification. It can be said that the woman in the PETA advertisement has been sexed up and is subject to the male gaze. This advertisement is complex and witty in a way that it presents female liberation creating the illusion or war on the meat industry however spoofs it at the same time. Although the woman is clearly representing a sense of freedom, the red lipstick, red polka dot headband a nd the cropped shirt connotates a sense of seduction and sexuality. The fact that PETA chose a Playboy model also to represent their organization can also be questioned

aALCOHOL SHOULD BE BANNED Essay -- essays research papers

ALCOHOL SHOULD BE BANNED Alcohol in the form of alcoholic beverages has been consumed by humans since pre-historic times, for a variety of hygienic, dietary, medicinal, religious, and recreational reasons. While infrequent consumption of alcohol in small quantities may be harmless or even beneficial, larger doses result in a state known as drunkenness or intoxication and, depending on the dose and regularity of use, can cause acute respiratory failure or death and with chronic use can cause severe health problems, such as liver and brain damage. As stated earlier, alcohol in small doses is harmless and can even be beneficial, but how many people can consume alcohol â€Å"responsibly† and â€Å"sensibly†? Very few I must say. It can be argued however, that some of the benefits of drinking alcohol can be harnessed when drank moderately, for example alcohol has been known to induce a relaxed feeling due to its central nervous system depressant qualities. Secondly, alcohol has carbohydrates in large quantities which are digested to produce energy and therefore has some health value. Thirdly, it reduces tension in the muscles thereby, heightening the feeling of relaxation. Finally, alcohol has been known to lower inhibitions giving the user the feeling of bravery and reducing shyness. However, Alcohol in large doses can be very detrimental to not only the user but to people around him/her. For instance alcohol has been known to damage the brain especially the frontal lobes. It also caus...

Health Promotion Essay

According to the World health organization (WHO), health promotion is defined as the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health. It moves beyond a focus on individual behavior towards a wide range of social and environmental interventions. (World Health Organization, 2014) Nurses play a pivotal role in health promotion that include disease prevention, follow-up treatment, patient education and behavioral changes in respect to their health. Health promotion by nurses have led to positive outcomes including patient awareness, knowledge of diseases process, self-management, and improved quality of life. (Kemppainen, Tossavainen, & Turunen, 2013) This paper will focus on health promotion in the nursing practice through literature review, the evolution of nursing roles and responsibilities in health promotion, the implementation methods for health promotion that encompasses all areas of nursing, and the three levels of health promotion prevention. Pr imary Prevention Primary prevention is the first level of health promotion. The goal is to protect healthy individuals from acquiring a disease or experiencing injury before it occurs. Primary interventions used by nurses include but are not limited to education about nutrition, the importance of daily exercise, seat belt and helmet use, dangers of tobacco and other related drugs, routine exams, screenings, immunizations, and identifying potential hazards in the work place. (Institute for work and health, 2009) The concept of primary prevention is traditionally used in reference to physical health but in the article, â€Å"Education in primary prevention in psychiatric-mental health nursing for the baccalaureate student†, it focuses on the concept of primary prevention in reference to mental health. This can be difficult for nurses because mental and emotional problems are related to complex emotional and behavioral factors. For primary prevention the focus for nurses is on providing interventions to groups before a crisis situation could occur. The focus from this article was on implementation of preventative programs for target groups. Alcoholism prevention, prevention of child abuse, and child care for the populations of elementary and junior high school children. Rape prevention, loss or bereavement, drug or alcoholism prevention, and teen-age  pregnancy prevention for adolescents. Parenting, child-birth classes, child abuse prevention, stress management for young adults. Reproductive and sexual concerns for middle aged adults. Sensory loss, rape prevention, loss of loved ones for elderly patients. (Welch, Boyd, & Bell, 2009) Secondary prevention The next level of health promotion is secondary prevention. These interventions used by nurses are used after the patient has an illness or is at serious risk. The goal is to recognize the disease process at its earliest stage and slow or stop its progression. Interventions include medication compliance for example: reminding patients to continue their low-dose aspirin to prevent further heart attacks, TIA’s, or strokes. Regular exams and screenings are recommended for those patients at risk. (Institute for work and health, 2009) In the article,† Primary and secondary tobacco prevention†, primary prevention focused on education and prevention of experimentation and use. Secondary prevention is used for individuals who are currently using tobacco products. Interventions used are successful cessation courses, evidence-based treatment of tobacco dependence, pharmacotherapy, individual and group counseling. This is utilized at the earliest stages of tobacco addiction to help patients quit and remain smoke free. (Tingen, Andrews, & Stevenson, 2009) Tertiary prevention The last level in health promotion is tertiary prevention. These interventions focus on the management and care of patients with disease and the prevention of further deterioration while maximizing the quality of life. (Institute for work and health, 2009) Tertiary prevention is used when managing long-term health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Some examples of tertiary prevention include programs for cardiac or stroke patients, support groups, and pain management programs. In the article, â€Å"Tertiary prevention for individuals: Healing the wounds†, prevention is focused on healing. Primary and secondary preventions were used in the treatment of stress but with all the interventions stress continues to occur in most individuals. Tertiary treatment was designed to return those individuals suffering from high levels of stress back into  their home or work environment and minimize the recurrence of stress. Tertiary prevention relies on both help from the individual and help from other medical professionals. It reaches out for additional assistance from employers and outside resources to ensure appropriate programs are available. (Quick, Wright, Adkins, Nelson, & Quick, 2013) Evolution of nursing roles and responsibilities Health promotion used by nurses is commonly associated with the general principles of basic nursing. Patient education is a regularly used intervention used by nurses in an everyday setting. Health educators are taught health promotion, interventions, state regulations, specific policies, and they must have the ability to apply this education to their patients. Because of the growing diverse population, nurses must become more patient-focused health promoters. While general education is still used, the different patient groups require different health promotional needs. (Kemppainen, Tossavainen, & Turunen, 2013) Implementing health promotion skills is a must for all nurses. The most important skill is effective communication. They must be able to encourage their patients and their families to have an active participation in their treatment planning. The patients must feel comfortable expressing their feelings about their plan of care. Nurses can help their patients by leading by example. This can be achieved by being healthy role models, living healthy lifestyles, and through positive and caring attitudes that promote health and well-being. Nurses must also possess skill-related competencies including teamwork, time management, data collection, critical thinking, and interpretation of information given from a variety of sources. (Kemppainen, Tossavainen, & Turunen, 2013) Conclusion In conclusion, health promotion is more important than ever. Health promotion includes primary, secondary, and tertiary preventions. These include education, practice, research, and reinforcement that teaches patients how to prevent and manage diseases. The future of nursing focus on keeping individuals healthy. Nurses must have a strong understanding of health promotion in order to communicate to a variety of groups. As the population grows and becomes more educated through primary prevention overall health of  the population will improve. References Institute for work and health. (2009). What researchers mean about primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. Retrieved from Institute for Work & Health: http://www.iwh.on.ca Kemppainen, V., Tossavainen, K., & Turunen, H. (2013). Nurses’ roles in health promtion practice: an integrative review. Oxford journals. Quick, J., Wright, T., Adkins, J., Nelson, D., & Quick, J. (2013). Preventive stress management in organizations. American Psychological Association, 183-198. Tingen, M., Andrews, J., & Stevenson, A. (2009). Primary and secondary tobacco prevention in youth. Annual review of nursing research, 171-193. Welch, M., Boyd, M., & Bell, D. (2009). Education in primary prevention in psychiatric-mental health nursing for the baccalaureate student. International nursing review, 126-130. World Health Organization. (2014). Health Promotion. Retrieved from World health organization: http://www.who.int/topics/health_promotion

Cognitive Development May Progress Gradually or Through a Series of Stages Essay

Cognitive development can be defined as the growth of our knowledge in understanding the world around us. This growth can be developed gradually, in other words, it is seen as a continuous process by collecting more information. Another way of developing cognitively is through a series of stages which involves some sort of revolution from one period to another in one’s lifetime. Jean Piaget, a cognitive developmentalist believed that humans go through a series of stages in life in order to reach their full cognitive ability. In this essay, we would briefly talk about Piaget’s Stage Theory and its criticisms. Piaget divided his theory into four different stages of development. The first one is known as the sensorimotor stage which is applied to infants for approximately the first two years of their lives. At this stage, infants discover the world mainly by their senses and actions. One of the main concepts Piaget penned is object permanence. This is the knowledge of the existence of objects even when we cannot directly sense it. Piaget suggested that babies lack this concept through his study; A not B task. In this study, the experimenter hides a toy under Box A then the baby would search for it under Box A. This procedure was repeated and eventually in front of the baby, the experimenter hid the toy under Box B. The baby searched for it under Box A instead of B even though they saw the experimenter hid it under Box B. Therefore, this study shows that the baby lacked the concept of object permanence. They are known to be in a state of solipsism, also known as the failure to differentiate between themselves and the surroundings. Based on observation conducted on his own children (1952), Piaget divided this stage into six different sub stages. However, Piaget’s claims on object permanence have been criticized. Baillargeon et al. (1985) found in their research that infants as young as three-and-a-half months have developed the ability of object permanence. This was backed up by Bower & Wishart (1972) whereby they discovered that even after the lights were switched off, the babies continued to search for the object shown. Hence, they do possess the ability of object permanence. The second stage is the preoperational stage which occurs when the child is aged 2 to 7. On this stage, the child solves problems by using symbols and develops the skill for languages. According to Piaget, the child is egocentric which means he sees the world from his standpoint but not others. The solution to this is to apply operational intelligence. The process of solving problems by using logic. Another concept which Piaget is concerned with is conservation. It is the understanding that any quantity remains the same even if physical changes is made to the objects holding the medium. In addition to these concepts, centration, also defined as the focus on a single aspect of a problem at a time. Piaget states that at this stage, the child fails to decenter. Conversely, Borke and Hughes (1975) found contradicting evidence against Piaget’s on his study of the three mountains task. They used the same elements of the task and discovered that children had no problem with identifying the perspectives of the others when the task is shown in a meaningful context. Hence, from the result obtained, Hughes found that the children did not display any characteristics of being egocentric. Furthermore, Gelman (1979) found in his study that four year olds altered their explanations of things to get their message across clearer to a blindfolded listener. If Piaget’s concept of egocentrism was correct then, this shouldn’t have happened. In addition, Flavell suggested an alternative to this issue by coining the Level 1 and Level 2 perspective-taking abilities. In Level 1, one thinks about viewing objects but not the different perspectives that can be seen of the objects while in Level 2, one is able to imagine the views of the objects from different angles. Flavell concluded that it is not compulsory that children think others share the same perspective as themselves but they do struggle to imagine what others can see. Therefore, this shows that Piaget’s claim on egocentrism could be correct or wrong. Moreover, in Donaldson’s Children’s Minds (1978), she argued that children misunderstood the questions which Piaget asked while conducting the studies. This was the reason why Piaget obtained the results in his studies involving the concept of conservation especially. Donaldson stated that Piaget’s tasks had no meaningful context for the children to understand, hence they answered what they thought the experimenter expected of them. This claim was supported by Rose & Blank (1974) where they found children often succeeded in the conservation task. Further research was done by Samuel & Bryant (1978) who used conservation of number, liquid quantity and substance and obtained similar conclusion with Rose & Blank’s. Donaldson also stated that children were unintentionally forced to produce the wrong answer against their own logical judgment. One of the explanations is that the same question was asked repeatedly before and after transformations presented to them and this in turn caused the children to believe that their original answer was wrong. Thus, the idea of children assuming the fact that reality changes according to appearance could be incorrect. In addition, Piaget may have underestimated a child’s cognitive ability because based on Mitchell & Robinson’s (1992) study; they demonstrated that children from the age of 4 could locate the correct answer to a solution by canceling out the alternatives. This process is also known as inference by elimination. The children were presented with a set of cartoon characters, three of which were well-known. They were asked to identify a superhero which was unknown. The researchers discovered that majority of the children selected the unknown character without doubt. Another example of a child’s ability is their capability with syllogisms which consists of logical problems accompanied by a general rule that enables people to create a statement. Dias and Harris (1990) stated a general rule that all fish live in trees and Tiddles is a fish, then it is logical to assume that Tiddles live in trees. After presenting this to the children, they insisted that Tiddles lives in the water instead. However, after the experimenters presented them with another rule, they were ready to use the rule to make inferences. Therefore, these evidences show that Piaget may have underestimated the abilities of younger children. Subsequently is the stage of concrete operation which happens to children around the age of 7 to 12. Now the child is able to solve their problems in a logical manner but the problem has to be either real or concrete. The final stage; formal operations which takes place when the child turns 12 and continue into their adulthood. In this stage, one would be able to solve problems systematically and logically even if the problem is a hypothetical situation. Wason and Johnson-Laird showed that most intelligent adults do not fulfill Piaget’s ideal cognitively developed person through selection task. This claim is proved in Cheng and Holyoak’s (1985) study where the results strongly show that majority of the participants does not display the reasoning of an adult in the stage of formal operations. In other words, this experiment is a clear indication that the formal operations stage does not exist. One of the critics of Piaget’s Stage Theory in general is John Flavell (1982) who claimed that Piaget did not define the cognitive processes clearly. Furthermore, Braine and Rumain (1983) who conducted an analysis on the contents and the structure of the theory found that Piaget’s theory could be flawed. These are only the few critics of Piaget’s Stage Theory. Thus, the theory is constantly being questioned due to its impact in the field of cognitive psychology. After stating the basic facts of the theory as well as giving some examples of the critics of Piaget’s concepts and ideas, we are now able to get an overview of the debate. Overall, there are evidences which propose some of the concepts to be reviewed again and maybe even rejected. However, from the researches conducted on Piaget’s theory as well as the impact of it, alternative theories were penned down. For example, Vygotsky’s theory which takes on a more social based view of describing the cognitive development. In conclusion, Piaget’s theory have been applied in various institutions especially education but it is also being criticized by many in the field, therefore, it is only fair to conclude that Piaget’s theory may need to be modified in order to create a more accurate theory to explain the way we understand the world.