Role of the media in U.S Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Role of the media in U.S - Essay Example The responsibility of the media is to inform the public regarding the candidate’s stance on policy but exclusive, personal interviews are allocated to journalists who are viewed by the candidate as non-confrontational and non-threatening. Because of this, the media, again, becomes the unwitting instrument of its source. The unfortunate economic truth is that the journalist who gets the story keeps their job while the one with integrity, who won’t compromise their ethics by pandering to the politician but does not get the story does not receive a paycheck for long, at least in this profession. Another financial reality is that media organizations â€Å"cannot afford to have reporters and cameras at all locations and so economics dictates that they concentrate their resources where significant news often occurs† (Chomsky, 1989: 18). The media also utilizes corporations and trade groups to provide stories because they are considered credible sources due to their pre stige and status. The government and corporations alike exert much time and effort to accommodate the media so as to sustain their status as primary sources.

Pancreatitis and Peptic Ulcer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Pancreatitis and Peptic Ulcer - Essay Example Pancreatitis is caused by autoimmune problems, damage to the pancreas, blockage of the pancreatic ducts, hypertriglyceridemia, certain medications, complications of certain diseases and viral infections. The symptoms of pancreatitis include upper or middle abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, sweating, weight loss, jaundice and clay-colored stools. Pancreatitis complications include kidney failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome, pacreatitis cysts, heart failure and low blood pressure. Pancreatitis is treated through fasting, intravenous fluids, pain medication, removal of blockages and gallstones, draining of fluid in pancreas and diet regulation. (PubMed Health). A peptic ulcer is an open sore in the lining of the stomach (gastric ulcer), the duodenum (duodenal ulcer), or sometimes in the oesophagus (esophageal ulcer). When the mucuos membrane which protects the alimentary canal from digestive juices and acids is damaged, stomach acids penetrate the sensitive lining underneath, causing an ulcer. Peptic ulcer is caused by the bacterium, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), which is transmitted through contaminated food and water, and spreads through contact witth the stool, vomit and saliva of infected persons. Petic ulcers are also caused by the long-term use of non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) and stomach tumors. The symptoms of peptic ulcers are abdominal pain, loss of weight and appetite, and vomiting. Complications include peritonitis, internal bleeding and blockage of the alimentary canal. Treatment of peptic ulcers consists of antibiotics to eradicate H. pylori and acid reducing medicines.

Architectural Design Proposal of Reading Space

Architectural Design Proposal of Reading Space 3.1 Historical Purpose Context If we surmise that temporary architecture is, essentially, something that is not permanent, then in one form or another as stated it has existed since antiquity, with examples traced from prehistoric wooden huts and shelters, through medieval stage sets, circuses and world fairs, to the mobile home and post-war pre-fabs, and wartime and disaster relief. Interestingly, as early as 58 B.C.E in ancient Rome, such architecture functioned as a form of revolution ancient Romans circumventing governmental opposition to permanent amphitheatres by building temporary versions with the Metropolitan Museum of Art noting that despite their impermanent nature, this architecture was a rich celebration and an expression of anti-establishment ideals. Together with other classical forms, a revival of temporary architecture was also particularly prevalent during the Renaissance; civic groups would welcome King Henry II of France to their cities with festivals showcasing the best and most elaborate in temporary design of the time, such as the specifically commissioned Fountain de Innocents (1550) a collaboration between architect Pierre Lescot and sculptor Jean Goujan. As the University of Torontos Professor of Art History, Christy Anderson, notes: for designers and architects of the Renaissance  the ephemeral nature of the installations lent themselves to design innovations believed to be too unconventional or extravagant for lasting architecture [and] afforded the opportunity for experimentation. Such events were used as tantalising opportunities for the realisation of a new style, made real perhaps for a single day; the transient enjoyably consumed, creating a taste for the permanent. In contemporary architecture, we have become more familiar with the temporary as expressed at exhibitions and pavilions; Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeannerets LEspirit Nouveau Pavilion (1925), Mies van der Rohes Barcelona Pavilion (1929), and Alison and Peter Smithsons House of the Future for the Daily Mail Ideal Home Exhibition in London (1956) each showcasing their designers stimulating philosophies and ideas on the future of architecture, and advertising these compelling forms via memorable, provocative images. Moreover, these challenges to established or conventional approaches to design were yet further inflamed by Archigram, with mobile, inflatable or temporary projects albeit resigned to paper and remaining unbuilt during the 1960s and 70s. 3.2 Academic Discourse Urban Change However, it was the aftermath of the great recession in 2008, which crippled economies with the construction, architecture and engineering sectors arguably hit the hardest and the inevitable temporary suspension of many large-scale projects that ensued which elevated small-scale, bottom-up spatial interventions from niche to mainstream practice, and subsequently exposed them to more intense levels of critical review. Though this opened up possibilities to test scenarios and subvert preconceptions of what our cities should be like, giving architects and designers, often young, the opportunity to push the boundaries of architecture and [take] the city back into their own hands, as Cate St. Hill writes in her RIBA published book This is Temporary, very soon, and perhaps unavoidably, established companies found they could make use of these strategies too, evaporating [away] any freshness, writes Douglas Murphy in his article for the Architectural Review: The Pop-Up Problem. As a consequence, it has now become utterly commonplace for food drink, fashion or design retailers, for example, to make their inaugural entrance into any given city via a succession of trendy pop-ups before the proper shop opens. Though this could be considered fairly commonplace cool-chasing, it stems from the constant procedure of reducing risk: a temporary shop doesnt require payment for a full lease, and it also has an aura of edgy cool. These types of structure therefore offer us a corporate regurgitation of anti-corporate commerce. Importantly, and perhaps more pressingly, in academic and mainstream media discourse, more original spatial intervention projects, which featured smiling locals and were so often portrayed as joyous and likeable, have also since been subject to a considerable amount of criticism primarily contemplating if the actual impact of these projects is overestimated. Though proponents of the pop-up refer to the wider impact an intervention can have galvanising local communities to change the way their public spaces and buildings are used to the benefit of everyone in practice the actual effect remains limited to the most local scale, involving or reaching out to just a handful of locals. This is due, in part, to the perceived lack of scalability, as Ella Harris highlights in her article for The Guardian: the possibility of scaling up such projects, beyond their immediate surroundings, is often minimal due to the specific local conditions. Therefore, when addressing if temporary architecture can act as a catalyst for urban change in the context of this thesis, a catalyst for urban change relates to the ability of the project or intervention to have an impact on an area wider than its immediate surroundings, stimulating local inhabitants to actively seek to utilise public spaces for betterment of society, or to at least raise the question. 4.0  Formulating a Position 4.1 Understanding Current Trends Despite such criticism into the perceived overestimated effect or corporate commercialisation of temporary architecture projects, there are a plethora of younger architects and designers that are emerging as a new generation of a subversive, socially-minded practices, each combatting these concerns by inspiring new definitions of architecture not just in terms of the physical structure, but in the process of creating them. These practices all share a concern for engaging people and enriching local communities, and their projects are well-considered and endowing ways to create animated, deeply-rooted places in the neglected, disused and sometimes inaccessible parts of a city. Therefore, before attempting to formulate my position within the field of temporary architecture, it was necessary to speak to a few of these firms in order to develop a more succinct, albeit limited, understanding of the temporary situation in this moment in time. Set up by Kevin Hayley and David Chambers in 2009, Aberrant Architecture is a London-based multidisciplinary studio and think-tank who create temporary structures backed up by rigorous research into the history of a place and the construction of whimsical narratives, inspired by the way contemporary lives are evolving, Kevin explains. Featuring projects from a tiny mobile theatre towed by a campervan, to an interactive instillation built in collaboration with local community groups, their work is playful, provocative and interactive. Interestingly, both Kevin and David agreed on the two most prominent driving forces between each of their projects specifically setting and reusability. First is the idea of historical heritage, or setting we always approach a project with attention to the history-we look to engage people, perhaps through participation events, in a way that connects them to a story or history, Kevin stresses, as it is this side of the projects which the public are increasingly embracing, and really enjoy. Also, and equally as importantly, is their desire for temporary projects to have a lasting effect: if something is there for three days or 30 years, does it matter? Surely its about measuring the effect it has on a community. However, though they both agreed that the actual physical thing is temporary but the activity or use should be very permanent, they also stressed that being able to reuse the structure was important if something stays in one place for a long time, weve found it can lose its appeal really quickly. With mobile structures, as soon as you move it to a different context it becomes new again. Contrastingly, Assemble a multidisciplinary collective founded in 2010 and comprised of 16 members each under the age of 30 champion a self-initiated style of building that engage communities in the making process, and rely on collaborative teamwork, as Amica Dall joyfully explained. Fascinatingly, Amica and Jane Hall revealed that this preference of such projects stems from a desire to involve the community in a more holistic way, as habitually, they only participate in a small part of the process of creation, [usually via consultation groups] and involvement often only starts after most of the more critical decisions have been made. Self-built projects such as the Granby Workshop in Liverpool, built in collaboration with local artists and craftspeople afford the chance for everyone involved to be part of the whole life of a project. By collectively working out how to make it possible in the first instance, having to fabricate them ourselves, and then living and working with the outcome whilst running the projects, this method allows them to understand the consequence of our design decisions. This approach to temporary architecture allows the physical structure to underscore some doubts in some areas and give confidence in others, affording a continuously evolving understanding of what a community needs. Ultimately, both Jane and Amica agreed that working with people and for people brings extraordinary opportunity to learn from them, to grow sensitive to new things, and most importantly, to find things you werent already looking for. 4.2 Addressing Systemic Societal Issues Undoubtedly then, pop-up architecture can offer something rare: design that is undiluted. Permanent, traditional architecture often needs to serve multiple purposes and changing surroundings the Shard, for example, is at once an office building, transit hub, hotel and retail space. Contrastingly, temporary architecture, as exemplified by Aberrant and Assemble, can advance a singular purpose and concentrate its impact. However, in completing further research, what also became evident, and highly significant, was that the singular purposes very rarely address some of the real-world systemic challenges we face in society, especially in major cities, with just a handful of examples responding to challenges like social inequality, youth unemployment or public health and wellbeing, for example. Moreover, in the few instances where projects do address such issues, services are regularly provided by unpaid, well-meaning volunteers instead of professionals, often filling the gaps left negligent (local) governments. With pop-up interventions providing services for free, local governments might well be pleased to see that they can get away with formerly expensive services. Further still, as Ella Harris writes for The Guardian, in celebrating these projects, are we simply distracting from the lack of structural public provision in these areas and worse still, normalising, even glorifying, its absence? 4.3 Formulating my position Therefore, as discussed, in conducting interviews with specialised practices, there were several reoccurring key themes which became immediately apparent, and naturally proved decisive in narrowing my research scope chiefly, involving the public in an aspect of building or completing the structure, and using a specific element(s) of a sites historical heritage as a way of engaging the public in a larger story. However, following further research, the noticeable lack of projects, events or constructs attempting to address some of the systemic societal issues we face in modern society and the possibility that even the minority that do may simply be masking the absence of appropriate structural public provisions in those areas was highlighted, again adding to a more refined research scope which could look at the possibility of using architecture to address one such challenge directly. As a consequence, formulating my position came as a direct result of twinning these two key themes, and attempting to address them simultaneously. Firstly, building forms expressive of context styles that embrace the environment they inhabit have always stimulated my interest, so in meeting Aberrant and Assemble and understanding that the uniqueness of a design can be found in the particular embedded in the lives, the people, and in the history of a city the first theme lay in a specific alchemy of Architecture; using the combination of distinctive physical, societal and/or cultural contexts to produce innovative, site-responsive design. The second, in identifying a lack of contemporary projects addressing real-world societal challenges, lay in endeavouring to understand if temporary architecture could be used to do just that, or to at least promote such issues into the public domain. The more defined scope for this thesis therefore became an investigation into if/how Temporary A rchitecture can act as a catalyst for urban change by specifically addressing real-world problems through a contextual approach to design. 5.0 Project narrative alchemy 5.1 City + Site Specific Investigations Embracing Aberrants view that temporary architecture projects can lose their appeal if they remain in one place for an extended period of time, and our joint view that such projects can, and should, be representative of, or embrace their local historical heritage, the decision was subsequently made for the project to move around a selection of sites in Canterbury with each site located in appropriate open public spaces, or pockets of disused, inactive, space to test the structures relative success in various locations (as outlined on the site locations map, left). Therefore, in order to conceive a design taking a combination of Canterburys distinctive historical, physical, societal and/or cultural contexts as its inspiration, studies were conducted into each of the prospective sites so that it could appropriate itself in each site, whilst also being representative of Canterburys heritage as a whole to produce a holistic theme for the project. Following these investigations, one overriding theme became immediately apparent Canterburys vast, enduring, and continuing affinity with literature. Throughout recent centuries, Canterbury has proved home to several authors, poets and playwrights, and the city has been an inspiration to the writers of English literature. Playwright Christopher Marlowe, after whom the Marlowe Theatre is named, was born in a house in St Georges Street, Canterbury in 1564, and despite being a contemporary of Shakespeare, was the most popular playwright of his day, and is often acknowledged as the Father of English drama. Furthermore, Charles Dickens also regularly visited Canterbury, and the protagonist of one of Dickens most loved novels, David Copperfield, has strong connections with the city. Canterbury is also incredibly famous for Geoffrey Chaucers Canterbury Tales collection, which have stood the test of time for more than 600 years and are known throughout the world. Additionally, the instantly recognisable Rupert Bear (which features in the Canterbury Heritage Museum), and Ian Flemmings James Bond book You Only Live Twice, were both conceived in Canterbury, whilst Flemmings Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was based on Canterburys colourful, local character, Count Zborowski. Moreover, Canterburys Buttermarket situated directly opposite the Cathedral entrance in the heart of Canterburys historical town for more than 800 years features in the wartime classic film A Canterbury Tale. In addition to current and historical contextual ties, it was also important to consider links which may have been lost especially those concerned with the built environment a collection of which are remembered in Paul Cramptons Canterburys Lost Heritage. In Canterbury, numerous buildings disappeared in the twentieth century a century, of course, of vast changes and technological progress. However, though the famous Blitz of Canterbury is one of the main tributaries of this, it has now been widely accepted that the City Councils ruthless post-bombing clearance policy accounted for many more properties than the Luftwaffe, as the city fathers were seduced by the ideas of Corbusier and the contemporary styles exhibited at the Festival of Britain. Interestingly, though there was no special reason why they should disappear one of the most lost building typologies was Schools (and School Buildings). Demolished, with the site sold for other uses such as the Simon Langton Boys School which occupied the current Whitefriars site in 1959 or in more recent years, closed and amalgamated with adjacent schools the majority of Canterburys principal Schools are now located on the outskirts of the city. This prompted teachers like Frances Bingham to initiate her own one-room schoolhouse, which has since been converted into a family home. Teaching children from the ages of 4-10, Frances taught 32 students over a period of 6 years in Canterbury, achieving the same results as students who were educated in separate classrooms, with some of her students going on to become lawyers, engineers, teachers and nurses. Therefore, given the citys, and each respective sites, respective affinity with literature expressed in all forms and education, via the loss of School building and the resulting captivating story of Frances, the contextual narrative of the project was to draw on Canterburys historical literature and educative ties as a way to draw activity to a space. 5.2 Identification of Associated Real-World Problem Upon identifying a contextual narrative, sequentially, the next step was to identify a real-world problem associated with both literature and education, and, naturally, the logical bridge between these two themes is reading. Interestingly, though reading is a pleasurable pastime for many, following further research into current discourse around reading in schools, in recent years the UK has seen a serious decline in the number of parents reading with their children, as the headlines in Figure XX demonstrate, to the point where several studies have found the situation to be one of the fastest growing systematic societal challenges faced in the current climate. In a survey conducted by the Oxford University Press, it was found that more than half of primary school teachers have seen a least two children begin formal education with no experience of being told stories at home, whilst another study managed by YouGov found that only 51% of children said they love or like reading books for fun, compared to 58% in 2012, and 60% in 2010. Moreover, according to the report, only 54% of children up to the age of five are read to at home at least five days a week, with this declining to 34% of six to eight-year-olds, and drastically, just 17% of nine to 11-year-olds. The studies also discovered that the main causes of this issue stem from the home-life, with parents often finding a lack of available space at home, being too busy with other commitments, unable to afford appropriate literature, or simply feeling embarrassed at their own inability to read to their children. However, Pie Corbett, an educational advisor to the government, stated that: This isnt just an economic thing its not just people who come from poor backgrounds, its across the whole of society. You get a lot of children coming from very privileged backgrounds whove spent a lot of time in front of the TV and not enough time snuggled up with a good book. The TV does the imagining for you and it doesnt care whether youre listening or not. This is despite research clearly demonstrating that children who are read to on a regular basis before, and after, they start school are most likely to succeed its a key predictor in terms of educational success, Corbett continued, as children who are told stories are the ones who first form abstract concepts across the curriculum- [and though] parents may have lost faith with this idea, education is the way out of poverty. Furthermore, these studies have shown that regular access to books has a direct impact on pupils results, irrespective of parents own education, occupation and social class, as keeping just 20 books in the home can boost childrens chances of doing well at school, it was claimed. Finally, YouGovs study of over 17,000 young people also revealed a strong correlation between childrens literacy and what goes on outside school specifically that being raised in a household with a large amount of literature would result in a child remaining in education for an average of three years longer than those with little or no access, which could be the difference between leaving school at 18 and going to university, which can be worth up to  £200,000 more in lifetime earnings. 5.3 Project Narrative Construction Therefore, given the systemic societal issue currently faced in the UK with the number of children reading with their parents being in sharp decline, and that several studies have repeatedly, and explicitly, identified that reading at home and access to books has a proven, positive impact on a childs future life, the project would aim to address this issue specifically either by attempting to solve the issue directly, or simply raising awareness of it via a contextual approach to design which would use Canterburys historical, and continuing, affinity with literature and education as its main source of inspiration. 6.0 Design response and realisation 6.1 Design Response Out of this defined project narrative and a subsequent series of design iterations and developments (for which Kevin from Aberrant kindly provided assistance and advice, and are shown in the Appendix), and scale and structural models was born the Fun-Size Story Box of Canterbury, as shown. The final design was a 2.5 meter cube, constructed entirely of softwood and corrugated cardboard (as they are low-value, easy to source and condition materials), featuring both recessed and projecting volumes inspired by stacked books, and the nature of Canterbury High Streets various building facades. The structure was also to open up to the public, much like a book opening along the spine, to reveal the interior performance and open reading spaces. Via a series of these fun and colourful reading corners, story creation + performance spaces, and open seating areas, the design aimed to provide parents and children with a safe and fun architectural intervention in which to read together. The projected volumes were also to be transparent, so as to make the bookshelves visible from the exterior, creating a sense of intrigue, and the selection of books available would be free for children to take home, donated from local retailers and charity shops, such as the Demelza Childrens Hospice, and HMV. The recessed reading corners and story creation + performance spaces come as a direct result of twinning classroom reading techniques with brain development in children research data, outlining where, why and how children like to read. According to the Centre on the Developing Child at Harvard University, traditional reading corners employed in schools do not conform to childrens actual reading habits, with most spaces tailored instead to improving scores in assessments. Alternatively, children actually prefer smaller, more interesting and inviting reading spaces a small space, often hidden away, where children can enjoy a book therefore, the Story Box features recessed areas where children can do just that with their parents. Furthermore, in early years, children learn best through active, engaged, meaningful experiences, and research suggests that learning is easier when experiences are interconnected rather than compartmentalised into narrow subject areas. This is echoed by ground-breaking kindergarten architect, Takaharu Tezuka, who states in The Guardian that designing for children involves recognising their right to play as well as learn, as from these experiences, they construct their own knowledge and apply their taught knowledge by interacting with their environments. Therefore, rather than having all reading material collected in one space, the Story Box has books arranged throughout the structure, with the provision for interconnected interior and exterior story creation + performance spaces, where children can imagine their own story with their parents, and then act it out, engaging them in a playful experience. 6.2 Council + Legislative Influence In addition to research data, council guidance and legislation were hugely influential on the design. Prior to any formal discussions with representatives of the council, a Planning Analysis was conducted to identify any legislative and/or planning requirements which the project may or may not have to adhere to forming a paper trail. This study found that as this projects Temporary Structure would be classed within the Building Regulations Exemption as a Class 4 Temporary Building, it would subsequently be exempt from several, if not all, regulations, providing it did not (amongst other possible objections) remain where erected for more than 28 days, and the floor area did not exceed 30m ². The project was subsequently designed following these requirements, however, the design continuously evolved following feedback from council representatives David Kemp (CCC Property Asset Manager), and Andy Jeffery (CCC Emergency Planning Events Officer) all of which is collated in the appendix Council Correspondence. This correspondence tackled many issues, such as; ensuring children didnt get their fingers caught in hinges, impeding pedestrians or emergency services vehicles, proximity to any highways, gaining relevant liability insurance, and proving the projects structural integrity. Once these issues were satisfied, and all required documentation was completed and accepted (Event Application Form, Events Policy Terms + Conditions, Event Management Plan, Events Risk Assessment and Public Liability Insurance Certificate) permission was granted to stage the event in the Buttermarket and Marlowe Theatre Forecourt on the weekend of the 11th-12th February 2017. 7.0 Implementation and feedback 7.1 Placement Despite a fully designed and rationalised scheme, like many temporary architecture structures, the project was affected by time and financial constraints, and as a result, only one of the two sides to the Story Box project was fully realised and constructed as outlined in the appendix Construction + Realisation. Yet, despite the unfortunate inclement weather conditions, the project was implemented on site (in the Buttermarket, between 11th-12th February 2017), acting as a prototype to test the validity or relative success of each part of the design, and project. Furthermore, though the event only lasted for two days (running from 10am to 5pm both days), and adverse weather ultimately hampered opening times and the possibility to set-up in more than 2 of the prospective sites, there was sufficient opportunity to engage with members of the community, and to receive valuable feedback. 7.2 Representative Data Movement Firstly, due to the stated limitations, it is important to note that the data collected doesnt represent a statistically significant number, therefore cannot be wholly accurate (this data was recorded by myself, and the 2 other staff members present throughout the day). However, one of the main ambitions of the project was to attempt to attract people to (or activate) pockets of often neglected or disused space, to highlight that these spaces can be re-invented and used for something more and in this sense the project was successful. Due to the weather conditions on the first day, the project was set up under the arcade of arches on Burgate Road, and though this was not envisaged, it meant that the project was truly located in dead space as, on average, only 20 people pass this location every 10 minutes (throughout the day), and of that number less than 10% (2 out of 20) stop in the immediate area for more than 30 seconds. However, whilst the event was held, though the people traffi c remained fairly constant, the amount of people stopping for more than 30 seconds trebled to 30% as people stopped to inspect, or engage with, the structure. On average, parents and children who stopped spent 17 minutes with the structure a significant increase. On the second day, when set up in the more exposed Buttermarket Square (in considerably better weather), on average, the amount of people passing through the site was much higher, at around 120 every 10 minutes, whilst people stopped for around 13 minutes. Again, though traffic remained constant, persons who stopped at the structure spent an average of 37 minutes there almost a 300% increase in time spent in the site. 7.3 Community Engagement + Feedback Aside from statistical data, the design featured tell us what you think message boards and Post-it notes, whilst several interviews were video recorded (stills of which can be found in the appendices) affording parents and children opportunities to express their opinions, either written or verbally. As shown in Figure XX, the written feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with parents agreeing that in attempting to raise awareness of declining reading levels the structure was a good idea-[and] interesting for architecture. One user wrote that she though the project was a really creative idea, imaginative and engaging- [with] fairy tales brought to life before your eyes, before, interestingly, adding that it captures your dreams with your child which may be lost on a busy shopping day, and stating that nothing is more important than a parent seeing their childs imagination grow. Similarly, a mother, Jane, who took the time to read with her 6-year-old daughter, Emma, stated that the structure was a really great use of space showing that you can create engaging and creative spaces for public engagement without costing loads! This sentiment was also echoed in the video interviews, with one mother stating that its nice to have somewhere to sit and read because they [her children] get fed up around the shops, giving a little bit of time for them before adding that its such a simple idea, but no-one else has ever thought of it before. In another interview, Adam, a father of two girls added: Its very homely and cosy. We took the girls to visit the Cathedral, but they got a bit bored, and kept talking about coming back to the Story Box the whole way round. As you can see, theyre having a whale of a time drawing all over the walls. I think the durability of it, and the fact you can just scribble all over it is great because they cant do that at home! Fascinatingly, though blank create your own story pages were placed on the interior walls as a place for children to draw and write, most children drew directly onto the cardboard walls, an unintended feature that another parent appreciated: Great portable pop-up s pace ideal to give kids somewhere to be free and creative to draw on the walls (like they cant do at home!) Moreover, during the event, I had the opportunity to observe if the project was actually attracting parents who werent necessarily reading wi

Staging Jonsons Volpone Essays -- Jonson Volpone

Staging Volpone  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jonson's Volpone, or The Fox is almost exactly contemporary with Shakespeare's Othello and contains aspects that some might view as its comic counterpart. Venetian corruption and the insidious influence of a mincing, unscrupulous servant are themes common to both plays. What, though, has this play to communicate to us? Themes of corruption and materialism, resulting in a misanthropic view of the world, might have been telling in seventeenth-century England, but it is of course extremely difficult to construe them as relevant to the world of today.. Volpone (the fox) is a wealthy man who fakes a grave illness in order to accumulate further treasures that will make him wealthier. His servant, Mosca (the fly), informs some of Volpone's rich associates that he is nearing his end and considering his will; each can boost his or her prospects of becoming sole beneficiary after his death by presently bestowing upon him plentiful gifts. However, Volpone is by no means a simple comedy, and there are elements of several genres contemporary to Jonson an... Staging Jonson's Volpone Essays -- Jonson Volpone Staging Volpone  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jonson's Volpone, or The Fox is almost exactly contemporary with Shakespeare's Othello and contains aspects that some might view as its comic counterpart. Venetian corruption and the insidious influence of a mincing, unscrupulous servant are themes common to both plays. What, though, has this play to communicate to us? Themes of corruption and materialism, resulting in a misanthropic view of the world, might have been telling in seventeenth-century England, but it is of course extremely difficult to construe them as relevant to the world of today.. Volpone (the fox) is a wealthy man who fakes a grave illness in order to accumulate further treasures that will make him wealthier. His servant, Mosca (the fly), informs some of Volpone's rich associates that he is nearing his end and considering his will; each can boost his or her prospects of becoming sole beneficiary after his death by presently bestowing upon him plentiful gifts. However, Volpone is by no means a simple comedy, and there are elements of several genres contemporary to Jonson an...

Documentation(Cebu-Bohol Tour)

TOUR CEBU-BOHOL TRIP A few months ago, on September 25 to 30, 2010, we, the students of the STI College of Cotabato, had an educational tour of Cebu and Bohol, both of which are major tourist spots of the country. The given activity was prepared and realized with the purpose of exposing us to two of the most visited places in the Philippines—to let us experience and see for ourselves the feel of the dynamic tourism there and to know about the current trends regarding the field of hotel and restaurant management which, as we know, consists of work that entails lodging and food service, and plays an essential role in the tourism industry. The trip is considered to be a significant part of our training as aspiring hotel and restaurant managers, owners and/or workforce in the future. The school believed that for us to be effective and efficient members of the hotel industry, we should first be involved in excursions like that in order for us to grasp fully the reality of our chosen future careers and get a clear view of its know-how as well as to learn and obtain new ideas which we could apply in the long run. Being a major tourist destination that they are, Cebu and Bohol’s hotels and restaurants are without a doubt in demand. The school did not overlook that and made a great decision of choosing the two for it is, nonetheless, one of the best places of exposure. Over the years, with the advancement of technology, new developments are also inevitable and have surface especially in the competitive world of hotel industry which has truly evolved a lot. For that reason, we are truly glad that through the activity that we had, we were able to learn something innovative which we could not do so the other way around and just by being inside the four walls of our classrooms. We did not only visited the places just for the sake of seeing its physical beauty and take pictures of it like most tourists do but we went there with the very intention of learning especially from the seminars that we attended. The trip that started on the 25th of September 2010 was wisely spent and was efficiently arranged to really fit all the many places that we were able to visit. On the second day, we arrived at Bohol by 6:00am and checked-in at the Bohol Plaza Mountain Resort. It was a 4-star resort built on a mountain or more appropriately, a hill, hence the name, which has a spectacular view of the mainland of Bohol and faces the city of Tagbilaran. We also went to see the mysterious Chocolate Hills and were truly awed by the beauty it possessed. When noon came, we lunched at the famous restaurant on a boat known as The Floating Restaurant via the Loboc River Cruise and were greeted by a sumptuous and delicious meal. After which, we had the Tarsier encounter at the Corella and Tarsier Visitors Center and saw the extinction-threatened smallest primate on Earth, the Tarsier. And then we got to the blood compact site, the place where the sanduguan between the Spaniards and our ancestors during the 1500s transpired and were briefly informed about the rich history of Bohol. In line with that, we were made to see some of the ancestral houses in the place that were preserved and stood the test of time. It now operates as a tourist end including the great churches that were also built ages ago, particularly the Baclayon Church which is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. In addition to that, we had a stopover at the other resorts in Bohol and at the Bee Farm which provided us a rare experience of organic delights. Moreover, we were able to see the splendor of Cebu while on tour, including its magnificent ancestral houses and the churches of the Basilica de Sto. Nino and Cathedral Church that significantly mirrored the rich culture and history of the place. In 1521, the Spanish conqueror Ferdinand Magellan arrived there and in that same year, planted a big wooden cross at the place where the first Filipinos were baptized as Christians. Currently, this place is a big tourist attraction and is called as the Magellan’s Cross. Consequent to that, we set out to see Cebu’s Beverly Hills Subdivision where people could find the affluent gated communities of the place and the idyllic Chinese Taoist Temple that is the center of worship for Taoism open to worshipers and non-worshipers alike. After lunch, we continue to explore Cebu at its best and saw the oldest street there known as the Colon Street. We likewise went to the University of San Jose-Recoletos, a Catholic private university that is considered to be one of the excellent schools in the land and had a tour of the area. For our next destination, we went to the Mactan Shrine where the statue of our first hero, Lapu-Lapu, could be found and had a souvenir shopping. Cebu, like the other well-developed cities in Manila, is a metropolitan area and branded as the center of business and trade in the Visayas. It is identified for its many skyscrapers that has been scattered all over the place which includes our next stop, to one of Cebu’s finest commercial sites, the Ayala Center. However, though we really had fun, we were also exhausted from the day’s activity and, as explorers of the place, I think it is important that we have a comfortable place to spend the night and regain our strength for yet another busy day. The Crown Regency Hotel did not disappoint us on that and gave us what we all need after a long day around town. While there, we were able to get what I think all tourists deserve—that ‘home-away-from-home comfort’ through the superb hotel accommodation and service that they have. We spent our fourth day a little bit different from the past three days. Instead of touring the other landmark of Cebu and Bohol, we attended a seminar on bed-making, flaring and other things involving hotel and restaurant accommodations at the Crown Regency Hotel. Lessons on the hotel’s activity were given to us and before lunchtime, we were escorted up to take a look at their rooms that displayed different themes—depending on the preferences of their customers—and onto the hotel’s roof deck. Afterwards, we went into a beachfront hotel and resort, the Imperial Palace, and had one more seminar regarding the hotel’s services, the silverwares and utensils they are using and so on. When the seminar ended, we proceeded to go to SM Cebu. Along the way, we were able to pass by an outstanding and splendid hotel, considered to be among the top hotels in Asia—the Plantation Bay—which showcased a variety of fruit plantations along its entrance. Sadly, we were not able to take a look inside. All in all, it was a fun-filled learning experience, with all of us getting along and contributing to the success of the activity. The tour really left a great impact to most of us and, indeed, it was worth all the long time of preparation, expenses and fatigue. †¦Till then.

A picture is worth a thousand words

You've heard it so many times that it sounds trite. But a picture really IS worth a thousand words. And if a dream is a very special kind of picture, how much is IT worth?Maybe more? What about very simple pictures and very simple dreams? No doubt they're worth a little bit less than complex, elaborate ones. Or are they?In my psychotherapy course one day, I presented my undergraduate students with these questions. â€Å"Here's a very simple dream from a psychotherapy client I worked with years ago. I won't tell you anything about the client. I'll just tell you his dream, and then lets see what we can discover about him by exploring it†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ O.K? Here's the dream:†Ã¢â‚¬Å"I was wearing a white shirt and a purple tie.†The students just stare at me, expecting more to come. â€Å"No,† I explain, â€Å"that's it. That's the dream. Now let's start to explore it.†I then lead them through a group process of free associating to the dream (much like I describe on the Working and Playing with Dreams Page). â€Å"Just let your imagination go. Take every element of the dream and just let your mind wander on it. Whatever comes to mind. Don't censor anything, that's important.There is no right or wrong. It can be a fun, playful exercise – although the results sometimes may be serious and powerful. Freud thought that free association bypasses the defenses of rational, logical thinking and unlocks deeper links within the unconscious. It opens one up to fantasy, symbolism, and emotion – the very place from which dreams spring.†Here is a list of some of the associations the students come up with. For the purpose of this article I've organized them somewhat, whereas during the actual exercise the ideas surface in a much more freewheeling stream of consciousness:PURPLE †¦. royalty, bruises, choking, holding one's breath, grief, a combination of blue and pink, goes well with black, The Color of PurpleTIE †¦. formal att ire, going to work, phallic symbol, tied up, being tied to something, chokes the neck, confiningPURPLE TIE †¦. unconventional, stands out, rebellious, showing offWHITE †¦. clean, pure, unstained, â€Å"good,† lightSHIRT †¦. the top part, covered up, tucked in, stuffed shirt, where are the pants?WHITE SHIRT†¦. conventional, boring, going to work, going to church, corporate AmericaWHITE SHIRT AND PURPLE TIE†¦. unusual combination, contradictory combination, very unconventional, tie really stands outDEPLETION?†¦. there's nobody else in the dream, it's so static, there's nothing happening, where are the feelings?After we finish this free associating, I then describe the client to the class.At the time Dan had the dream, he was 23 years old. I would describe him as a quiet, held-back person who was very confined (the tie) in how he talked, behaved, and felt towards others. Put bluntly, people found him rather boring to be with (white shirt). His emoti onal and interpersonal life were choked (the tie).He had almost no friends and felt little connection to his family (the tie again). Other than going to his tedious job (white shirt) as a low level technician for a computer company, essentially nothing was happening in his static, uneventful life (depletion).Dan was also very limited in understanding anything but the most surface, top-level (shirt) characteristics of his personality. Although outwardly conventional in how he dressed and acted at his job (white shirt), secretly he felt rebellious against authority (purple tie on white shirt) and generally superior (purple) to most people.He liked to think of himself as a political activist who firmly believed in the rights of abused (purple) people and felt more tied to them than anyone else. Comparing outside to inside, he was a bit of a contradiction (white shirt on purple tie).