Critical Thinking - Michael Alvarez Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Critical Thinking - Michael Alvarez - Essay Example Students tend not to concentrate on their studies when they feel like aliens in a classroom (MacCorquodale, 1970). Therefore, it is essential for his educators to put him in a class where a majority of the learners are ELLs. This will improve his chances of learning. Students need rewards in order to appreciate what they are learning (MacCorquodale, 1970). Therefore, in order to make Alvarez complete his daily assignments, it is essential for his educators to frequently reward, not only Alvarez, but every student who complete their assignment successfully. Rewards not only refer to material things as, at times, psychological appreciation might help (Skinner, 1957). This will, in reality, gives Alvarez the feeling that he is doing the right thing by taking part in class activities. Michael’s parents, as well as his siblings, are the people who should positively shape Alvarez attitude. They should act in a manner that will enable Alvarez to gain respect of others (Skinner, 1957). Charity begins at home, and the way Alvarez family members behave is how he will behave. They should stress to their son the importance of education and try to support him whenever

1. The different forms of currency regimes and their impact on Essay

1. The different forms of currency regimes and their impact on economic activity - Essay Example The currency regime that a country adopts may have an effect on its economic growth; this is collaborated by the breakdown of Breton Woods’s countries, which adopted different types of regimes after the collapse of their union. The different types of regime that countries adopt have, largely affect their economic performance depending on their magnitude of their external trade or liberalization of their economy. Initially, there were two widely accepted currency regimes, which included floating and fixed exchange rates. However due to the dynamics in the international economic system and the desire of states to balance between independent monetary policy, rigidly fixed exchange rates and completely fixed capital mobility, several other monetary regimes have cropped up, these include float, dollarization, pegged float, currency boards and fixed currency regimes. In this paper, I am interested to study the different kinds of currency regimes and their impact on economic activity . In the next section, I will discuss the different forms of currency regimes and their use; in section three, I will analyse how these currency regimes have influenced economic activities of countries. This type of currency regime allows a currency’s value to fluctuate depending on the exchange rate market; in the current economic system, most of the currencies such as the United States dollar, the Japanese yen and the euro are floating currencies. However, in some instances, central banks of the respective countries enter the market in order to influence the exchange rates. The use of floating currency regime enables a country to be able to mitigate the effects of shocks in the international economic system (Miles, 2006, p91). Dollarization can be viewed as currency substitution where another country uses dollar as its only currency or alongside another currency. The United States dollar is the currency that is most used as a substitute

Comparing US-Canadian Healthcare Systems

Comparing US-Canadian Healthcare Systems Health care in many parts of the world is considered a basic right that should be given to people. Access is crucial in order to ensure the efficient delivery of basic health care services. In general, health care systems are organized in order to provide treatment of diagnosed health care problems and these systems are usually government-run, meaning they utilize the peoples taxes. Though most of the health care systems differ, they share common goals and outcomes as well as features that identify them with the universal health standards. Since the end of the Second World War, universal health coverage remained a contentious public issue in the United States. Today, it is the only wealthy nation in the world to not yet adopt universal health coverage. The debate is often framed by comparing the efficiency of the U.S. healthcare system with that of other affluent nations. Though practically joined to the hip in terms of history and geography, the health care systems of the U.S. and Canada are always basis for comparison because they offer two contrasting models. Canada, like many developed countries in Europe, follow a universal and single-payer healthcare system while the U.S. has decided to retain a limited and multi-payer system of health care. A comparison of the health care systems of both countries reveal that in terms of accessibility, cost-effectiveness, and health care outcomes, the Canadian health care system may be a better model from which the U.S. could learn from. Public Policy, Coverage and Access: It is presumed that the government, being the sole purveyor of public policies must address the aspect of health issues and its impact on the citizenry. There is an extensive involvement in the medical market place including financing, direct supervision, regulation, and subsidization (Henderson 2008). In addition, 45 percent of health care spending comes from government sources such as Medicare, Medicaid and various health plans for both civilian and military (Henderson 2008). The United States remained to be the only economically developed country that has not provided universal health care access to its population so that today, millions of Americans remain uninsured (Brown and Lavarreda 2007). Moreover, because there is no universal access to health care services, not all Americans are entitled to even the routine and basic health care services (Shi and Singh 2009). The issue of health insurance coverage remains to be a contentious point because it is the principal financial means where people can obtain their health care services. Its importance is noted on several studies that compare the access of insured and uninsured people as well as in the studies that validates over time the effects of losing or acquiring insurance and its health status. Since absence of the universal health care access is present in the United States, several subsystems have evolved from either through market forces or the need to take care of certain population segments (Shi a nd Singh 2009). In Canada, a single-payer system is managed by the government for the delivery of healthcare. This entitles every citizen to have a universal access regardless of the ability to pay (Howard-Hassmann and Welch 2006). The universal single-payer system differs from what is being employed in the United States privately funded system. Here, every citizen carries a health care card that can be used in seeking medical intervention without the burden of paying the bill immediately (Howard Hassmann and Welch 2006). The funding is generally from the federal government but certain provisions vary depending on the province. It was in 1962 that a major reform in the health care delivery policy of Canada was done starting with the province of Saskatchewan, which was subsequently adopted in the whole country (Kendall 2008). Reform attempts in the United States during Clintons administration faced a strong opposition from insurance companies who held most of the funding (Howard Hassmann and Welch 2006). In addition, various obstacles such as political and ideological factors, the complexity of the proposed reform plan and the diverse opinions in all the fifty states all militated against the passage of much-needed health care reform (Howard Hassmann and Welch 2006). Until present, the problem persists and more than 40 million Americans are not covered by health insurance (Shi and Singh 2009). The Price and Quality of Health Care: The concept of quality of care in the booming health care industry is more than just an idea. It entails essential details for patient care and the ability to cover up the finances. According to the Institute of Medicine (1990), quality is defined as the degree to which health services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes (quality principles) and are consistent with the current professional knowledge (professional practitioner skill) and meet the expectations of the healthcare user (the marketplace) (Cohn and Hough 2008). This view suggests that good clinical quality produces quality outcomes because the efficiency of the medical practice reduces medical malpractice liability and ultimately enhances financial viability (Cohn and Hough 2008).The National Quality Forum (NFQ) as a non-profit organization seeks to promote new guidelines, standards and quality measures to resolve serious and persistent quality deficiencies; it also seeks to re concile the superfluous and often incompatible guidelines, standards and measures of reporting be various health care organizations dedicated to the improvement of quality health care management (Jonas, Goldsteen and Goldsteen 2007). The issue of regionalization that started in Saskatchewan was seen by others as a way of redirecting the responsibility of budget and funding allocations from the Cabinet down to the provinces regional board (Beach, et al. 2006). This leads to the major advantage of the Canadian health care system over the United States reflected in the reduction of administrative costs. Administrative costs reach 20 percent of the U.S. health care dollar while Canada covers only 10 percent (Kendall 2008). Altogether, with the introduction of the publicly funded system, the cost is well controlled and the Canadian health expenditure per capita increased from 1975 to 1991 but significantly declined by 0.3 % per year (Rapoport, Jacobs and Jonsson 2009). From an economic perspective, the price of health care should equal to the marginal cost of production where most of this scheme prevails in competitive free market ensuring fair profit (Marchildon, et al. 2004). Since 1960, the United States healthcare expenditures increased yearly in both absolute and relative terms and in 1980, the annual rate of increase was always in the double-digit range (Jonas, Goldsteen, and Goldsteen 2007). Uncontrolled health care cost and spending accounts much of the reason for increasing costs of health insurance in the United States plus a decline in the employment based insurance reflected a fundamental flaw in the current health care system (Andersen, Rice and Kominski 2007). Health Care Outcomes: Health of the population is a concern for governments and certain goals and standards must be met to ensure a better quality of life. Based on health indicators used to evaluate the effectiveness of services rendered, a study concluded that the current health care system delivery of the United States resulted to poor outcomes (Henderson 2008). A health indicator reflects more than the health care delivery as it either praises or fault a system where life expectancy and infant mortality rate indicates whether aspects such as environment, lifestyle choices, and social problems are properly addressed. In the U.S., male life expectancy at birth was lower at 75.2 years and female life expectancy at 80.4 years. In Canada, male life expectancy was 77.8 and 82.6 years for females. The infant mortality rate in the U.S. is also higher by 5.3 percent than in Canada (Henderson 2008). The poor performance of the U.S. healthcare system could mean that the higher investment in health services does not generate an equal return for its consumers and the consumption of health services is not really value driven (Cohn and Hough 2008). The assessment of the quality of care faced two key challenges and these reflects the involvement of varied factors outside the health care system (Andersen, Rice and Kominski 2007). Adequate methods in managing the variations in health profile and severity of illness must be compared in using the first key challenge in comparison of health plans and providers (Andersen, Rice and Kominski 2007). Moreover, the second challenge is the issue of attribution in using the outcomes data where the determination of the extent to which the health plans or physician that is being evaluated is responsible for the observed outcomes. Despite the use of several indicators to assess the effectiveness of health care systems, several factors can affect the health outcomes and not all of these can be modified by the health care delivery system (Andersen, Rice and Kominski 2007). This could mean that the lower infant and mortality rate in Canada reflects the quality of care and tells us more about the social conditions rather than the quality of health care delivery itself (Weitz 2009). Impact on the Economy: Economic evaluation is an important tool to gauge the impact of the healthcare outcomes because it considers both the financial and the social attributes of the health care system delivery. The most prominent and widely-used technique for analysis in the economic evaluations of health care systems is cost-effectiveness (Henderson 2008). Cost-effectiveness is integrated into the healthcare policies in Canada, Australia and Europe but the increasing value of it must not be rendered the sole factor in funding for a treatment project (Henderson 2008). Based on spending, Canada and the U.S. allot a significant percentage of their GDP to healthcare, higher than most industrialized nations. Canadas healthcare spending comprises 10 percent of its economy while the U.S. spends as much as 16 percent on healthcare. This big gap on spending between the two nations is due to the difference in overhead. Because of its single-payer system, Canada does not require the service of actuaries who set premiums or lawyers who deny care as the U.S. does. Nonetheless, the contribution of the health industry to the U.S. economy in many levels is a major factor why attempts toward major healthcare reforms have faced difficult opposition. In addition, the health sector makes major contributions in the overall income and employment in the United States (Cohn and Hough 2008). It was predicted that 16 percent of all new jobs created in the year 2012 will be in the health service industry with 10 of the 20 of the fast increasing job will be from the health care sector (Cohn and Hough 2008). Moreover, a ripple effect is created in the continuously growing healthcare industry due to its interconnectedness with the U.S. economy. Beyond its economic impact, there are plenty of qualitative reasons why healthcare is important. A strong healthcare infrastructure plus a leading health care organization would likely increase a community to be settled as a permanent residence for many individuals. Also, the presence of a healthcare facility in a community is important in business because of the industrys economic stability (Cohn and Hough 2008). Analysis: The comparison between the two countries respective health care system has presented knowledge about the differences in terms of public policy, coverage and access, price and the quality of healthcare, health care outcomes and the economy. The aforementioned literature has noted that government involvement played a major role in healthcare as governments have direct supervision, control, and regulation of the health care industry. Public policies addressed towards the need for universal access and coverage of healthcare differed in U.S. and Canada. All Canadians have a health care card that enables them to have access to basic health care services without the burden of directly paying because the government allocated a certain portion of their budget for the subsidization of health care costs. In the United States, there is no universally accessible health care delivery system because such service is restricted to the elderly and the most disadvantaged. The fact that most of the Amer icans do not have insurance is a problematic feature that drives calls for major reforms in the industry. What the Americans have are profit-centered insurance companies. This is the primary reason why the cost of health care in the U.S. is much higher than in Canada. Though reforms have been attempted, the issue is still unresolved as the healthcare industry threatens economic consequences should the private insurers and pharmaceutical companies start losing its profits. These companies, along with political pressure from anti-reform legislators have blocked the way for a major healthcare reform in the United States. Canada however was successful in the implementation of health care reform beginning in Saskatchewan in the 1960s In terms of expenditures, the literature also pointed to the high administrative costs make up bulk of healthcare cost in the United States. In Canada, this is properly subsidized by the government utilizing the decentralization of their public funding releg ated to their provincial governments. In terms of healthcare outcomes, the United States has a relatively poor performance in the most important evaluative tools of measuring the efficiency of its health care delivery. Infant morality rates scored high in the U.S. than in Canada along with the lowest years in both female and male life expectancy. This indicator reflects the kind of environment and the kind of sociopolitical issues the country is facing characterized with a high prevalence certain lifestyle diseases. Though not the sole reason for measuring quality of care, it is indeed a factor in the overall outcomes of health for both countries. In addition, the results of the health indicators for both countries emphasize not only the quality of care but also the social conditions present in each of their environment. Such conditions are very important aspects in the area of business of health care. People tend to choose their residence in a place where there is a visible and quality infrastructure such a state-of-the -art healthcare facilities. From an economic point of view, the health care industry proves to be a recession-proof industry as the need and demand for health care services are in constant in the community. The multibillion health care industries in the United States contributed much to the stability of the national economy of the country and this is also the reason for the failure of healthcare reform to materialize. Jobs and revenue generation constitutes a major issue in tackling health care in the United States, as with Canada. However, the subsidization is in effect in the Canadian health care system whereas in the U.S., some features of subsidization are being emulated in certain U.S. states, such as the value of cost-effectiveness in the measurement of their services over the price of services over time. Conclusion: Although the United States and Canada lie close to each other in terms of geography, the difference in their health care delivery system is unmistakable. In evaluating the various literature comparing the health care system of both countries, the Canadians seem to have a better health care delivery system than the United States based on three grounds. First, Canadas universal accessibility and coverage among its citizens to acquire basic health care services allows for the greater enjoyment of health rights than the restricted coverage offered in U.S. health care. Second, the health care outcomes that measures and evaluates the quality of care rendered among the healthcare consumers is relatively better in Canada than in the U.S. Lastly, the cost-effectiveness of the single-payer healthcare delivery system in Canada makes it a suitable model for other countries to follow.

Essay on Taming of the Shrew: Petrucio’s Desire for Katherine :: Taming Shrew Essays

The Taming of the Shrew: Petrucio’s Desire for Katherine  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      In the play The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare, Petrucio recognizes, respects and desires Katherine’s strength of character.   Petrucio is a clever man who sees beyond facades because he uses them himself.   (II, i 46) (II, I 283 - 89)   He is stimulated by Katherine’s sharp tongue and harsh actions.   He proves this many times throughout the play. Petrucio is not in desperate need of money, but comes to Padua to find a rich wife.   He says â€Å"To wive and thrive as best I may,† when he is telling Hortensio why he came to Padua.   He means that he has come to find a wife and get richer.   From Petrucios response to his friend Hortensio (I,ii 64 - 75), it might be said that Petrucio came to Padua to make himself richer by marriage no matter how wretched the woman.   I don’t believe this is true.   He also tells Hortensio that his father has died and that he is out in the world to gain experiences he cannot at home, and to find a wife secondary.   (I,ii 49 - 57)   Petrucio enjoys verbal sport and a non-conventional sense of humor.   Petrucio surrounds himself with neither tame nor conforming people.   You can even see this in his servants.   His servants like him very much and enjoy his entertainments.   An example of this is when Petrucio and his servant man Grumio get into a disagreement about knocking on the gate.   Reflective of this is Petrucio’s methods to â€Å"woo† Katherine.   His methods are game like and outrageous.   Such as when he beats up Grumio because Kate’s horse stumbles, or showing up late to the wedding.   While showing Katherine how ridiculous she is about things, he is also making her feel special, which is something she never felt in life.  Ã‚  Ã‚   He also says that â€Å"This is the way to kill a wife with kindness.†Ã‚   (IV,i 211)   This is his courting method of when he makes the wife feel to good for everything surrounding her. When they eat dinner once he complains à ¢â‚¬Å"Endanger choler planteth anger†¦. since of ourselves are choleric†.   (IV, I 177) While Petrucio may not agree with what society has determined to be   proper, he is aware of the importance to conform.   He knows the ways of society and that he must demonstrate this to Katherine, who has no regard for public presentation.

Lifetime of Color Essay

In the 1900s, the world was suddenly enveloped by vagueness and uncertainty on what the future will bring. Prior to this period, the ambience was definite and secure. In relation to the art world, many artists were trying to outgrow the traditional styles that flourished all over the world. They wanted to create something different based from the conventional aesthetics popularized by the Renaissance. These artisans were considered as the founders of Modernism because they were trying to search for ways on how to display their new found outlook to ambiguity. This scenario laid the grounds for the founding of Cubism. This avant-garde art style movement began when a French painter called Paul Cezanne began to change his Impressionist style. Cezanne shifted from painting landscapes with pastel colors and soft brushstrokes to concentrating on portraying his own interpretation of the â€Å"shapes and forms† and he stayed away from rendering a realistic pictorial output. More so, he put more importance on the painting as a whole rather than focusing on the subject or the theme. Then, another artist came into the picture named Henri Matisse who also paved the way for the development of Cubism. Together with Louis Vauxcelles, an art critic and French journalist who â€Å"coined the term ‘les fauves’ (the wild animals) for the artists of Fauvism,† Matisse discovered an unusual painting by George Braque at the â€Å"Salon d’ Automne. † He said that the artwork incorporated â€Å"little cubes. † Braque’s painting showcased the landscape of the South of France with a surprising twist of including â€Å"two ascending lines meeting at the top and between several cubes. † This work of art provided artists who were looking for change with a new direction. Braque was the very first artist to create a cubist painting. Since then, despite the negative criticisms, cubism became an established style and art movement. The term â€Å"cubism† was developed by Vauxcelles when he was writing a report about the â€Å"Salon des Independants in 1909. † Through the ingenuity and innovation of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, cubism has gained a big following in France and rest of the world. According to Picasso, Cubism has tangible goals. We see it only as a means of expressing what we perceive with the eye and the spirit, while utilizing the possibilities that lie within the natural properties of drawing and color, That became a source of unexpected joy for us, a front to discoveries. (Gantefuhrer-Trier, Gantefuhrer and Grosenick 2004, 6) It is evident that Cubism is the brainchild of Picasso and Braque. They were responsible for the proliferation of a modern, radical and powerful art style that significantly influenced the 20th century. The main focus of this style and movement is the â€Å"complete denial of Classical conception of beauty. † The untrained eye evaluated the by-products of the cubists as perplexing but for the avant-garde, they perceived cubism as the way to the future. In cubism, many traditional elements such as proportions, lines, perspective and forms are distorted. As a result, the visual representation looked like â€Å"a field of broken glass. † Because of this, cubism became known for its â€Å"geometrically analytical approach to form and color, and shattering of object in focus into geometrical sharp-edged angular pieces. † To form these unusual shapes, a systematic deconstruction was employed to create an illusion of three- dimensionality. Many cubists doubted the integrity of â€Å"whole† images because for them these were the synthetic and conventional outputs of the past artisans. They believed that â€Å"perspective space is an illusory, rational invention, or a sign system inherited from works of art since the Renaissance. Moreover, cubism has two major branches namely: Analytical cubism and Synthetic cubism. The former is defined as the intellectual distortion of a subject matter producing hard to interpret and ambiguous materials. Meanwhile, the latter is more â€Å"experimental nature of a collage† and highly decorative. It is easier to comprehend than analytic cubism because the images and forms are not that distorted and abstract. Since its inception, Cubism became a worldwide phenomenon in the field of art. It continues to challenge artists even in the contemporary period to advance the art style and the movement to better reflect culture and society. Pioneers of Cubism The growth of cubism in the 20th century is accredited to Pablo Picasso and George Braque. Both worked hand in hand in exploring and at the same time experimenting with a technique aimed at flattening space. They utilized bold colors, raw shapes and flattened space to display their non-conformist approach towards art. It was the focus on conveying emotions rather than the â€Å"intellectual experiment with structure† that set cubism from other avant-garde movements such as Fauvism. Pablo Picasso Pablo Picasso was a native of Spain. At an early age, he was already producing remarkable works of art. In the early 1900s, Picasso moved to Paris where he developed an artistic phase called the Blue period. This was the time when he used various â€Å"shades of blue† in portraying the darker side of particular place. By the time he met Fernande Oliver, Picasso’s gloomy works transformed into bright shades of red that became known as his Rose period. The circus theme seemed to be the favorite subject of Picasso during this period. By 1906, he went to Spain that marked another modification in his art style. During his stay there, he was greatly influenced by â€Å"African, Green and Iberian art. † He incorporated geometrical forms that made his paintings very forward-looking. Then, Picasso met another intriguing artist named George Braque. In 1908 to 1911, they developed a unique style of painting landscape wherein they included cube shapes or forms in the picture. This became known as analytic cubism. This style was formed by â€Å"by breaking down and analyzing a object† and utilizing a monochromatic earthy brown color scheme. By 1912, Picasso started to use other elements in his artworks that resulted to the creation of collages which is also known as synthetic cubism. This style is more for decorative purposes. In the late 1920s, Picasso moved to Rome, Italy where he got married. In this period, he painted â€Å"neoclassical pictures of women and pictures inspired by Greek mythology. † By the time WWI broke out, Picasso created Guernica, to demonstrate his opposition over the bombing of â€Å"Basque town of Guernica on April 26, 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. † The painting was filled with symbolisms that represented the wickedness attached with the bombing. By the time of the end of WWII until Picasso’s death in 1973, his paintings veered towards more somber theme dealing about death. Some of Picasso’s famous artworks include Woman with a Crow (1903), Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907), Geometric Composition: The Guitar (1913) and many others. George Braque On the other hand, George Braque also lived a full life personally and professionally in the realm of art. He studied painting at the â€Å"local art school in Le Havre,† France. This was followed by a more formal training at the â€Å"Academie Humbert and at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in the studio of Leon Bonnat. † Braque started out with impressionism wherein he was influenced by Matisse and Derain. By 1906, he got immersed with Fauvism and started to use light and bright colors combined with undulating patterns. But he stood out from the rest of the fauvists when he employed â€Å"architectonic solidity of composition and an emphasis on strongly defined volumes rather than color and brushwork. † The year 1907 became a crucial time for Braque and cubism. This was the time when Braque was once again inspired by Paul Cezanne and this was also the time when he met Pablo Picasso. Because of them, Braque’s outputs developed into something more radical. After only three years, the tandem of Braque and Picasso produce a new form art style called the analytic cubism which is described as the â€Å"nonillusionistic and nonimitative method of depicting the visual world. † The partnership of these two artists was mutual and their connection was so strong that their artworks cannot be distinguished from one another. The Violin and Pitcher (1910) is a very suitable example of an analytic cubism by Braque. Most of his paintings during this period were fragmented resulting to a â€Å"compact pictorial structure. † In 1914, Braque ventured into another phase of cubism which was called synthetic cubism wherein the artistic treatment included the use of â€Å"brightly dotted decorative passages. † Then, he moved to Normandy, France in the 1930s which have influenced Braque to shift his themes to seascapes. His painting style employed the use of â€Å"ornamentation and patterned surfaces. † From the 1930s to the 1950s, Braque grew interests on birds, melancholic themes, brilliant fauvist colors that were all seen in his â€Å"sculptures, graphics, book illustration, and decorative art. † Famous Cubist Artworks In the early 20th century, a new wave of artists have emerged that embraced a new progressive art style that had made a significant influence in the art world and the rest of the society and this was Cubism. This innovative movement aided in the development of contemporary art. More so, cubism led to the activation of many artists’ creative geniuses and induction of their bravery to go against the flow. Because of this, numerous masterpieces have emerged that embodied the unique principles and avant-garde style of cubism. Les Demoiselles d’Avignon by Pablo Picasso (1907) This painting showed Picasso’s portrayal of sexuality and his defiance over the traditional rules on visual elements and principles of design. The images integrated illustrated five naked female â€Å"prostitutes in a brothel. † In terms of form, human bodies were deformed with distorted body proportions. Also, out of the five figures, three were wearing ancient African masks that made the painting more interesting. More so, the â€Å"bold, brash diagonal lines and angular planes added a sense of violence to the composition. † The colors used were a mix of bold hues of reds and blues that were combined with the subtle pink and flesh tones. Through this, each figure was able to stand out from one another. Another intriguing factor of the painting is the â€Å"two central figures† that appeared to be looking directly at the viewers. This was probably intentional on the part of Picasso to grab the attention of the viewers. The Les Demoiselles d’Avignon is one of the first models for analytic cubism that successfully demonstrated that three dimensionality can be achieved even without the employment of perspective. Violin and Pitcher by Georges Braque (1909-1910) This still life painting is another example of analytic cubism. Based on the title, the main focus of this artwork is the violin and the pitcher. Many believed that Braque developed a fascination with musical instruments even if he did not know how to play. For him, painting these instruments was his way of showing his departure with naturalism. The treatment on the primary figures was distorted in order to illustrate disintegration. The violin was twisted at the bottom to make the other parts more visible. On top of the violin is the pitcher that was also drawn in fragments to create an illusion of depth. The contrast of the shades of red and grey added more dramatic effect to the series of geometric shapes strewn all over the canvas. There is also a nail on top of the painting but it serves no real purpose unlike in Braque’s earlier painting, Violin and Palette. Underneath the nail is a â€Å"piece of paper† wherein the top right corner was folded that provided a flattening effect on the plane. This also projected a shadow that created an illusion of light â€Å"being beamed down from the top right corner. † Glass of Beer and Playing Cards by Juan Gris (1913) Juan Gris was part of the founding of Cubism together with Braque and Picasso. He pushed for the advancement as well as for the growth of this art movement. In his painting of the Glass of Beer and Playing Cards, it is ruled over by vertical lines that divide the canvas into several segments. A coherently silhouetted beer mug might be established by shifting the vertical band that constitutes the right side of the mug upward so that the white outline becomes contiguous with the outline of the fully modeled form of the mug to its left. But this realignment would in turn disalign the continuity between the blue curvature on the orange wallpaper and the edge of the sand to the right, both forms constituting a view from above of the beer’s foam. Changes or transformations in the appearance of an object seem to occur in a number of directions: they follow the alternating rhythm of vertical bands but also the contrapuntal system of horizontal bands. Occasionally there is also a sense of transformations occurring in depth, as if Gris had peeled away the surface of certain vertical bands to reveal an alternate mode of representation or point of view beneath. Still Life with Chair Cane by Pablo Picasso (1912) This is first painting of Picasso to represent synthetic cubism. It was one of the first illustrations of a collage painting. The elements present in the artwork are woven chair cane, various geometric drawings, newspapers, painted letters and wine labels which were all encapsulated by a rope around the oval canvas. In contrast with analytic cubism, this painting is less on deconstruction but more on juxtaposing different elements for decorative purposes. Since there is only a minimal presence of fragmentations, depth is nonexistent making the painting more flat. Art in the 1900s During the 1900s, several other art movements have emerged aside from Cubism. Some of these movements were the Abstraction, Fauvism, Futurism, Dadaism and Surrealism. The only common factor that binds these art movements is their ability to reject tradition and their flair for the modern aesthetics. In abstraction, the artists choose not to depict reality. The images are disfigured, the details are left out and the conventional perspective is altered. Meanwhile, Fauvism is known for its use of colors in portraying emotions. Fauvists created their masterpieces by imperfectly treating colors in an arbitrary style. On the other hand, Futurism is characterized by the abandonment of the â€Å"static and irrelevant art of the past and celebrating change, originality and innovation in culture and society. † This style celebrates the power and vivacity of machines. Moreover, Dadaism is another movement that garnered positive as well as negative feedbacks from art aficionados. This style is defined as â€Å"nihilistic, anti-aesthetic and a reaction to the rationalization, rules and conventions of mainstream art. † For Dada artists, their artworks are intended to be anti-art. The last movement is Surrealism which existed through the art style of Dadaism. Surrealist art was greatly influenced by the â€Å"theories of Dr. Sigmund Freud and the unconscious† which are represented in a dream or fantasy-like manner in paintings. Though cubism had a lot of competition, it still managed to continue to influence 1920s and even way beyond to the contemporary period. Today, many modern artists are using cubism in sculptures and architecture. Cubism had become more bold and experimental. It seemed like the artists have eliminated all boundaries for the sake of the enrichment of their creativity. Like in the 1900s, many modern artists are still faced with several challenges on how to make their artworks more pleasing to the public eye but at the same time they still want to render a significant importance to their own point of view in order not to compromise their artistic integrity for public support. The House of the Black Madonna in Czech Republic and Cal Poly Pomona University library in California symbolized that the spirit and philosophies of Cubism during its initial phase are still as intense and provocative as it is today. Conclusion In conclusion, Cubism has created a revolution in the world of art. It defied the conventions and traditional practices that have dominated in the 1900s. For many artists, it was not easy to challenge the existing status quo. But because of their yearning for change and their craving for stimulation, they were able to withstand the scrutiny and rejection made by society. Through the resilience and the drive of the cubist style for progress, it was able to endure the test of time that it continues to persist in the 21st century. Moreover, this art style and movement is an evident symbol of how human beings can perceive the world in a totally different way. More so, cubism has showcased the value of intellectual freedom and distinctive aesthetic, in which significantly contributed to the development of the visual art. Overall, cubism is a form of art that will keep on evolving for the expression and celebration of human’s vision, passion and imagination. BIBLIOGRAPHY â€Å"Art timeline. † 2007. A Lifetime of Color. http://www. alifetimeofcolor. com/study/timeline. html (accessed April 24, 2009). â€Å"Cubism. † 2007. Huntfor. com. http://www. huntfor. com/arthistory/C20th/cubism. htm (accessed April 23, 2009) Drinkwater, Lee. â€Å"Georges Braque Violin and Pitcher. † 2009. Lycos. co. uk. http://members. lycos. co. uk/cubist_movement/violin. htm (accessed April 24, 2009). Gantefuhrer-Trier, Anne, Gantefuhrer, Trie and Grosenick, Uta. Cubism. Germany: Taschen, 2004. â€Å"Georges Braque. † 1999. Discoverfrance. net. http://www. discoverfrance. net/France/Art/Braque/Braque. shtml (accessed April 23, 2009). Grisham, Kathleen. â€Å"Analytical Cubism. † n. d. West Valley College. http://instruct. westvalley. edu/grisham/1d_analycub. html (accessed April 23, 2009).

Dad I Got a Dui

Dad I†¦.. â€Å"Dad I got a DUI. † When those words finally came out of my mouth I felt like a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders but at the same time I felt ashamed and like a giant failure. It was finally Friday and it had been a long week. I was ready to get home and start priming for the night. I bought an eighteen on the way home from sunmart, the local grocery store. Once I stepped in the door to my apartment I ripped open the case and quickly guzzled that first beer. I kicked off my heavy steel toed boots and rested my feet on the coffee table. By this time I was almost halfway through my second beer. I had a good feeling about the night and I was ready to party. I looked at my cell phone and it was about five o’clock. I figured that I could use some company so I started dialing. After a few short calls I convinced a couple of friends to come over and relax with me. They loved the fact that I had a fake ID because I could buy them alcohol so they wouldn’t have to spend half of the night wondering how they were going to get something to drink like we used to do in high school all the time. It felt so good to be off of my feet after standing all day at school. It also felt good to have a cold beer in my hand even though I wasn’t old enough to be in possession of alcohol. My first drink was at the age of 16 but I didn’t become a weekend drinker until I was about seventeen and a half years old. I wasn’t a wild or bad kid by any means, drinking was just something that we as friends did when we hung out. I had been caught drinking one time before by the cops and I ended up getting an MIP out of the deal. I guess an MIP wasn’t enough to get me to stop drinking at that time. I figured that a lot of my friends had them so what the heck, I paid the fine and never told Mom or Dad. After channel surfing for a while I decided that I better shower before my friends got over, plus I was counting on meeting a girl later in the night that I had been talking to for a while. I reeked of diesel fuel from working around tractors all day at school. It was good to get that smell off of me. The place needed to be picked up so when I got dressed I cleaned up some stuff that was left over from the last party that we had. Lucky me, my roommate never seemed to help out with the cleaning duties. I often thought about the consequences of underage drinking. I think I thought I was invincible even though I already had one MIP. There where lots of times where I had been drinking and then decided to drive home or to go meet a girl somewhere. I had been very lucky so far with not getting pulled over by the cops. After all the lectures and lessons that my parents had given me you would have thought that I would know better than to drink and drive by this time. My friends showed up and the drinking games began. I had gone to Home Depot the week before and gotten all the necessary items to make a beer bong so that’s how the beers were getting down tonight. Everyone was having a fun time and I had gone through about 14 beers by the time ten o’clock rolled around. Someone had heard about a big party on the other side of town and everyone wanted to leave and go there. I wasn’t interested, I had other things on my mind. She was 5’1†, dark hair, had an olive tint to her skin, and was smoking hot! I met her at a house party a couple weekends past. Her skin shined in the light like a car that just got a wax job. We started talking and just happened to hit it off. All of my friends took off for the party and I left to see my new friend at her place. Little did I know I wouldn’t get to see her that night. On the way to her house I took a wrong turn down a one way street and there was a police officer headed right at me, easy catch for them. I remember trying to drink the rest of my beer before the officer took it from me. I went through a series of sobriety tests that I don’t remember doing, and then it was off to detox in the back of the cop car. My room at detox had a rubber floor like a playground does so kids don’t hurt as much when they fall. The only things in the room were a cold stainless steel toilet and a padded matt for me to lie on. I can’t recall much of the rest of the night except for the one friend that I had the cops call couldn’t pick me up because he was drunk too. I was too scared to call my parents, I figured I would wait to tell them the bad news. Eventually a friend of a friend came and took me to my Apartment. $2700 later, a good ass chewing from my parents, the loss of a scholarship and a job, I learned my lesson about drinking and driving. Dad didn’t yell at me that night, he talked to me in a calm but disappointed manner. I have never been so scared and relieved at the same time in my life than I was that night. And for the girl, well it didn’t work out.