Art Max Beckmann

Max Beckmann â€Å"Still-Life With Three Skulls† 1945. The ’Great War’ had a lasting and profound effect on Beckmann. In 1915 he suffered a mental breakdown and for this reason was discharged from the German army. In artistic terms, the sickening experience of senseless mass death on the battlefield brought new bleakness to his paintings. Beckmann’s use of a traditional Vanitas-style still life tells us a lot about what his thoughts are about the world he is part of, especially after his war encounters.This Vanitas work springs from his before mentioned terrible experiences during World War One, the political crisis of 1920s and 1930s Germany, the rise of Hitler and exile, a completely new area for Beckmann. After the rise of Hitler, Beckmann's popularity distinguished as Hitler would have no portrayal of what Nazi Germany was really like (violent and corrupt), even through art as the Nazi people deemed his work â€Å"degenerate†. It was in response to Nazi terror that Beckmann produced his first tripitch (a picture of three panels hinged vertically together), called Departure (1932-1935).The side panels depict torture and suffering, while the centre piece shows a woman and child on board a boat on a bright blue sea (although hinting at an unknown fate awaiting them). Beckmann fled Germany in 1937, taking refuge in Amsterdam, where he painted this still life during the final months of World War II. He combines a flat sense, and sharp, bold and intense colours with traditional Vanitas still life objects (the skulls). Also including an extinguished candle, playing cards-that possibly could suggest the gamble of human life that the war brought with it.The artist described these years as â€Å"a truly grotesque time, full to the brim with work, Nazi persecutions, bombs, hunger. † In the choice of objects, the prominence of black, and the thick, rough paint, this still life captures the grim mood portrayed by such words. . I t was in response to Nazi terror that Beckmann produced his first tripitch (a picture of three panels hinged vertically together), called Departure (1932-1935). The side panels depict torture and suffering, while the centre piece shows a woman and child on board a boat on a bright blue sea (although hinting at an unknown fate awaiting them).

Humorist Essay

Humor is all about a person making an amusing observation that in result creates laughter and provides entertainment for the audience. In the book titled Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton, the author makes a statement that the role of humor in society is to allow people to say things that other people cannot or will not say because of their role in the community.I agree with de Botton’s statement because humor secretly allows people to get a message across without having to worry about others looking down upon you because of what you said, as well as providing people with more awareness of the wrongdoing in society by making them easier to understand through the use of humor. In basic comedy, humor is effectively used to bring forth a message that is possibly serious or controversial by making it amusing and easier to understand.De Botton clearly makes a stand that humorists are not only here to amuse and amaze, but are here â€Å"to convey with impunity messages that might b e dangerous or impossible to state directly†. In this quotation, de Botton states that comedy can and is frequently used as a secret method to give thoughts and observations that may be thought of as insulting if brought up in a serious manner. Steven Colbert for example, uses humor to make serious comments about our country. He states his opinions about the government and major news stories however does so with comedy to back him up.When talking about the war in Syria, Colbert said that â€Å"Only 29% of Americans want the U. S. to attack Syria — which on the plus side means that 29% of Americans know there is a place called Syria†. Colbert uses humor to convey a message about how ill-informed people in our country are. He says this with a tone that also implies that the vast majority of people who are â€Å"ill-informed† simply don’t care at all. The basic component of what makes humor and comedy an essential factor in a society is that although t he presentation is not necessarily taken seriously, the message and ideas behind the material are always easy to recognize.In regards to humor, humorists don’t have to worry about being polite or caring for their audience. They are allowed and accepted as being funny for having quality material that contains offensive and explicit language. Their notable reputation for being indiscreet to its own audience is what makes humor an effective tool in society. For one, humorists have the ability and responsibility of making its audience laugh. But it also has the capability to allow the audience to relate the humorist's material to their own thoughts, thus allowing them to openly express themselves through laughter and enjoyment.It also has the potential to inspire people to think in a different sense. Through comedy, a humorist can quickly change one's views or opinions of a certain subject or argument by making that argument more entertaining and funny. By making an underlying me ssage laughable, it makes it easier for the audience to understand what the message of the material is actually conveying. De Botton's opinion of the vitality of humor in a society is true in that it is necessary, because it helps not only fulfill people's entertainment and expressive needs, but it also serves a purpose as an instrument of spreading a message to its audience.

Nutrition †Obesity Essay

A large controversy in the field of health and food today is the effects that fast food and industrialized food have on our wellness. The convenience of obtaining food has become the main objective in society, but is it taking a toll on our health? Fast food restaurants such as (but not limited to) McDonald’s and Burger King are a major aspect to how a lot of our generation fills their stomach. Many researchers have been trying to link the increase in obesity to the consumption of industrialized food within the past few decades, but some argue that lack of physical activity has a part in the incline of overweight Americans as well. To get a complete analysis of exactly how our health is being affected by fast food industries, I am researching the following questions: Why is fast food so popular? How does fast food consumption affect adolescent obesity? What health risks are related to fast food consumption? What are other factors that could possibly contribute to the obesity problem? And should fast food be completely omitted from a healthy diet? These questions will be helpful to determine healthy lifestyle choices for families who do not know which way to go when dealing with the issue of industrialized food. Conducting research was a necessity before I could form an opinion about the fast food industry. During a two week period in October 2010, I examined six different sources. These sources include four academic journal articles, one book, and one magazine article. The magazine article by Clare Ulrich hinted on almost all of my questions but did not go into specific detail about each one. One academic journal by Stender, Dyerberg, and Astrup was not very helpful in answering my preliminary questions, but had me posing another question about the ingredients that make fast food so unhealthy. The academic journal article written by Raymond Gozzi Jr. answered some of my questions about why Americans keep going back to their favorite fast food restaurants. An article from the book Food and an academic journal article by Nestle and Young were very helpful in expressing different factors that could be affecting obesity rates. Glassner, Barry. â€Å"Environmental Factors and Genetics Are the Source of Obesity. † Food. Ed. Jan Grover. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. 158-165. Print. Barry Glassner, a sociology professor at the University of Southern California, discusses his beliefs that obesity is not linked to food consumption in his academic journal article Environmental Factors and Genetics Are the Source of Obesity. Glassner suggests that other factors such as genetics, stress and inactivity are responsible for the obesity epidemic among Americans. The author mentions that there are so many diet fads because no one knows exactly what foods make a person gain weight or if any foods do at all. Glassner includes in his article that genes are the main reason for overweight people. He says that natural selection and natural resistance to obesity are the main factors to weight gain. Then the author links economic stress to the reason Americans are now more overweight. The article says that stress is a major factor to eating habits and since the economy is doing poorly right now, Americans are over eating to aliviate the stress and not staying active due to long work hours. Glassner claims that most fast food bashers try to convince the public that there is a direct link to obesity and fast food consumption, but provide no real evidence to support their thesis. This article helped answer my research questions about other factors that could affect the incline in obesity. Gozzi Jr. , Raymond. â€Å"The Fast Food Franchise as Metaphor. † A Review of General Semantics 53. 3 (1996): 322-325. Print. Raymond, Gozzi Jr. is an Assosiate Professor of the Television-Radio Department at Ithaca College. He wrote the academic journal article, The Fast Food Franchise as Metaphor which states, â€Å"A fast food franchise is an embodied metaphor for the perfect system†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (323). The author believes that people love knowing they will get the same product every time they come back. Gozzi also looks at other business franchises and compares them to human love of predictability. The crash of the fast food era is also mentioned in this article. The author explains that the fast food industry has changed in order to maintain steady business flow by adding salads and breakfast, but he also wonders how long franchises will last in our society. This information was useful to me in answering my question about why fast food is so popular. None of my other information elaborates on Americans wanting fast food because of the familiarity so this article brought a different prospective to my research. Stender, S. , J. Dyerberg, and A. Astrup. â€Å"Fast food: unfriendly and unhealthy. † International Journal of Obesity 31. 6 (2007): 887-890. Print. The academic journal article, â€Å"Fast food: unfriendly and healthy,† by Stender, Dyerberg, and Astrup, looks at the more factual aspect of the effects of fast food consumption. Stender and Dyerberg work together at the Department of Clinical Biochemistry and at the Gentofte Hospital at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark while Astrup also works at the University of Copenhagen for the Department of Human Nutrition and the Centre for Advanced Food Studies. This article examines actual studies of the difference of an American who eats fast food frequently and one who does not. The authors of the article include the fattening and unhealthy contents of industrialized food from the chains McDonald’s and KFC. To finish the article, the authors include a section about some items that are being done to make the fast food industry more consumer friendly such as nutritional labeling on all food products. This article made me consider and answered another question that would be beneficial to my research: What contents in fast food make nutritionists brand is so unhealthy? Americans need to know what to look out for in certain fast foods so we are able to limit or omit the unhealthy aspects from our diets. Ulrich, Clare. â€Å"The Economics of Obesity: Costs, Causes, and Controls. † Human Ecology 33. 3 (2005): 10-13. Print. Clare Ulrich discusses the effects that the fast food industry has on the American population. She begins her article with a heavy statistic that death from obesity, has increased by 33 percent from 1990. Ulrich obtains some of her information about the cost and reasons why people choose fast food from the presentation, â€Å"Economics of obesity,† by John Cawley. The author also uses information from the Surgeon General about the percentage of Americans who are overweight or obese. She also includes the percent of childhood obesity in the United States and some possible reasons that this number has increased since 1950. This article was helpful to me in answering the questions: Why is fast food so popular? How does fast food consumption affect adolescent obesity? What are the health risks are related to fast food consumption? Although this article did give me useful information about my inquiries, it did not go into extensive detail about what keeps Americans hooked on fast food, how obesity effects children, and how fast food is accurately linked to fast food consumption. Wood, Marcia. â€Å"Kids, Fast Food, and Obesity. † Agricultural Research 57. 9 (2009): 20-21. Print. Marcia Woods writes about the results of a study of kid’s meals at fast food restaurants done by pediatrician Jason A. Mendoza in her article Kids, Fast Food, and Obesity. Wood says that Mendoza and his team of researchers from the Children’s National Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine, did an analysis of ten fast food franchises who served kid’s meals. The author says Mendoza found only three percent of the meals met the nutritional set by the National School Lunch Program for children ages five to nine. Wood includes why the meals did not make the grade based on Mendoza’s research. The author says the research is conducted because of the growing numbers of childhood obesity and the increase in meals eaten away from home. Woods concludes her article with potential health consequences from being obese as a child. This article answered my question about the effects of childhood obesity and also my latest question about the content in fast food that makes it deemed unhealthy. Mendoza’s research is very helpful as a credible source that explains why children could be gaining more weight. Young, Lisa R. , and Marion Nestle. â€Å"Portion Sizes and Obesity: Responses of Fast-Food Companies. † Journal of Public Health Policy 28. 2 (2007): 238-248. Print. Portion Sizes and Obesity: Responses of Fast-Food Companies by Lisa R. Young and Marion Nestle discusses the relationship between the rise in portion sizes and weight gain among Americans. The authors believe that food is not specifically the reason for the increased obesity rate, but the much larger portion sizes since 1998. This article examines and compares the sizes of the most popular items sold at fast food restaurants: soft drinks, hamburgers, and French fries. The three fast food franchises chosen for the research were McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Burger King. The data in the article includes a table of portion sizes in the years 1998, 2002 and 2006. The research shows that the portions have increased in almost all areas. Nestle and Young also look at what these fast food franchises have done to reduce portion sizes in response to media pressure. The authors then include data from the original sizes of soda, French fries and hamburgers in 1955 to 2006. Young and Nestle conclude that fast food restaurants have done very little or nothing to reduce portion sizes and promote healthy numbers or caloric intake. The article was useful to answer my questions: What are other factors that could possibly contribute to the obesity problem? And should fast food be completely omitted from a healthy diet? Portion size is a big factor to weight gain with any type of food and the studies showed me that the portions since 1998 and 1955 have drastically changed which could link it to obesity.

The Buddhism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Buddhism - Essay Example It is true that Buddhists seek enlightenment, but the immediate philosophical and spiritual concerns are short-term rather than long term. In order to better understand the unique place held by Buddhism in the spiritual world, this essay will examine how the Buddha characterized the meaning of life, how his characterization was practiced at the individual level, and how Buddha's characterization of life has been misinterpreted by others. As an initial matter, the Buddha was not particularly impressed with the physical world in which he existed. Although he has been reported to have lived a privileged life he was also keenly aware of the suffering of the less fortunate. As noted by Karen Armstrong, a leading religious scholar, "When he looked at human life, Gotama could see only the grim cycle of suffering, which began with the trauma of birth and proceeded inexorably to aging, illness, death, sorrow and corruption only to start again with the next life cycle" (2006: 274). His broad characterization of the meaning of life, therefore, was constructed of three main theoretical assumptions. The first assumption was that birth was a traumatic event, that these traumas persisted throughout life, and that the ultimate trauma was death. Life, as characterized in this manner, was an unhappy affair. The second assumption was that suffering was a varied and nuanced concept; more particularly, the Buddha saw suffering as a prod uct of basic needs (such as food and shelter) as well as the product of human desires for such non-necessary things as excessive food, fame, and excessive wealth. Suffering, in this way, was defined differently by the Buddha than the concept is commonly understood in Western societies. This is because the Buddha linked notions of pain and longings or desires intimately and considered both to be types of suffering. The final assumption was that this life cycle was repetitive. The aforementioned suffering throughout a life was bound to be repeated over and over again unless someone found a way out. This was the Buddha's quest, to find a way for the individual to transcend the suffering, and it consumed the majority of his adult life. The Buddha attempted to transcend the suffering by positing that "these painful states must have their counterparts" (qtd. in Armstrong: 2006: 274) and elaborating by suggesting that "supposeI start looking for the unborn, unaging, deathless, sorrowless, incorrupt, and supreme freedom from all this bondage" (qtd. in Armstrong: 2006: 274). What began as a series of observations, about suffering and the human life cycle, developed into a full-blown thesis ripe for experimentation. The Buddha's thesis was that suffering could not exist in isolation, that it must result from some other underlying cause or causes, and that the counterpoints to pain and suffering must exist. A main theoretical obstacle was how to discover these counterparts; the Buddha solved this theoretical obstacle by relying of what to him was known as Nibbana or Nirvana. Translated literally, Nirvana means a "blowing out." For the Buddha, this meant the "blowing out" of the passions and the desires that led to suffer ing. This belief by the Buddha, that passions and desires caused suffering, was the next step in his characterization of life. It can thus be argued that the Buddha was most

Power and Office Politics Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Power and Office Politics - Case Study Example The paper also seeks to outline the possible underlying agendas that the superiors of Green may have in relation to the case. As finality, the paper seeks to provide recommendations to use in the resolution of the dilemma through means that benefit all parties. The research focused on the two conflicting professionals and how their differences have affected their relationship. Key words: personality, work style, conflict, superior Introduction Thomas Green was a Senior Market Specialist of the Eastern region in the North America branch of the Travel and Hospitality Division of Dynamic Displays who held the office after his promotion that became effective as of September 10, 2007 at the age of 28. Prior to this, Thomas was an account executive in the company’s Banking Division, where he sold ATMs to Southeast regional banks (Beckham and Sasser, 2013). He held the same post in the Travel and Hospitality Division when he first joined Dynamic Displays in 2007. Thomas Green holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Georgia class of 2001 as his qualification. At the same time, Frank Davis held the position of Marketing Director for the organization’s Travel and Hospitality Division, which was senior to the position held by Thomas Green. At the time, he was a 17-year veteran of the organization at the age of 45 having risen through the ranks from the position of an accountant executive. A bachelor’s degree in history from the New York University in 1986 and a Sawyer Business School, Suffolk University Executive MBA in 2002 served as his qualifications for the job (Beckham and Sasser, 2013). Thomas Green is answerable to Frank Davis who in the situation is his boss. After undergoing rapid promotions through the ranks, Green is criticized by Davis. The criticism arises from the differences that the two have in terms of their work styles and personalities that results in the two having differing views on the best methods to use to attain the ends of the required work (Beckham and Sasser, 2013). The situation results in a silent conflict that threatens the success of the division. The conflict threatens to destroy the working relationship of the two, which would impede the attainment of the goals of the company (Pfe?eri and Falcone et al., 2013). The methods incorporated by the two are both convenient for attaining company goals and the conflict is resolvable if only the two take steps to mend the relationship. Work styles and personalities of Thomas Green and Frank Davis The work styles that Davis and Green incorporate in their approaches to achieve the required ends are different. The personality traits of the two professionals also tend to differ. Davis applies the use of facts and hard data in the form of charts, memos, and proposals as well as a strategy in the presentation of proposals in an attempt to sway clients (Beckham and Sasser, 2013). He believes this will assure clients’ confidenc e in their investments. Green on the other hand is a practical person favoring face-to-face meetings with clients to sell the ideas to them in a manner that sways them into trusting his ideas  (Hbr.org, 2013). The idea of using charts, memos, and proposals as the core strategy does not augur very well with Green. Davis also believes in the following of procedure as a style of working requiring Green to

Types of Forecasting Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Types of Forecasting - Research Paper Example There is no one standard method of forecasting, the effectiveness of the method depends upon the nature of the business and its usefulness to it. (Render, Stair & Hanna. 2003) Forecasting is easier to perform in businesses which have historical data to follow. For a new business like the one John and Micheal are pursuing is a new business line for which no substantial historical data is available. Further the business with this new venture needs expansion in the scale of production along with the changes in the supply chain. Due to all these factors the forecasting needs to be done in a way which incorporates the changes in the business, its supply chain while reducing cost and increasing profits in the business. The quantitative methods would not be suitable to apply as no historical data on the same lines of business will be available because of the newness of the product in the markets and lack of competitors of the product. The approach Stone Horse Supply Company needs to follow will be forecasting in view of the supply chain which can meet customer’s requirement on time, save costs associated with inventories and earn profits in the future. Unlike the traditional supply chains in the past, the supply chains now focuses on the demand chains, that is greater focus is given on the customers and their needs. Demand forecasting can be done at Stone Horse Supply Company by determining the demand for the future and what level of sales could be achieved. There are many methods of forecasting through which sales and demand can be determined which all usually work on the historic data and underlying assumptions which can not be applied to the new venture Stone Horse Supply Company is going to undertake. (Lawrence, Geurts, & Guerard. 2002) a. Consumer Surveys/ Market Research: This approach is a systematic approach to gain an

Long day's journey into night Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Long day's journey into night - Research Paper Example O’Neill brings out the role of men and women in the society at that time and the difference between the father and his sons. The issue of gender and especially feminism is focused in the play through the life of Mary, who also happens to be the structural center of the play. A deeper analysis reveals that Eugene portrays Mary in a manner that she has many troubles and has many weaknesses evidenced by the use of morphine. She is being seen as irresponsible mother who cannot quite the addition. In addition, it is evident at times when James and Jamie talk alone and on the arrival of Mary, they shut up. The evidence concerning the fact that they are to be the only persons is from the fact that she is the one who can handle issues since they believe as seen in the statement, â€Å"Ive always believed Jamie did it on purpose. He was jealous of the baby. He hated him.† (2.2.103) (Eugen and Neill 103). James showed man character when he told Mary to forget the past. This is demonstrated by how strong he is and could forget the past. In addition, James Tyrone characters confirm feminism through his appearance and personality. It is evident that the story evolves around him as the head of the family but later we see the role of the woman becomes necessary when it comes to reliance and love. On the other hand, O’Neill uses Mary to show the â€Å"struggles that women go through in their daily lives† (Porter 80). Mary is described as a beautiful woman who takes up her role as a mother despite the addiction and other challenges that she has to overcome. For that reason, Mary started using morphine and got addicted to it after she had difficulty and was not treated well at the birth of her youngest son Edmond. Mary is also depicted as a tragic woman who is different from what she used to be in the past. She was innocent, beautiful and used to have dreams of becoming a Catholic nun a pianist. She also had strong religious faith in God.