Edgar Allan Poe’s “Ligeia” Essay

Though there is no mention of race or slavery in Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"Ligeia,† the story is suffused with the symbolic interaction of light and dark, white and black, pallor and pigment. In a situation so fully charged with the symbolics of race, and in a story written in antebellum America by an author raised in Virginia, the lack of any mention of slavery is enough to indicate that this story, despite its studied silence on the matter, has something to tell us about the psychology of racialism in the United States. In the conflict between Ligeia and Rowena—though it takes place almost out of sight, at the edge of the real and of vision—Poe sets up Ligeia as the dark lady and Rowena as the fair one. The reader might expect this to play out as either an abolitionist or racist affirmation of equality or racial supremacy. The situation is complicated, however, by the presence and perceptions of the narrator, who is outside of the highly charged color scheme. Poe positions the reader as an observer of racialist dynamics, rather than as a racialized participant, to allow the reader a view of how a passive, dominant white class depends on, and is crippled by its dependency on, a black underclass that stands for everything it lacks and fears. The dichotomy of black and white emerges relatively late in the story, only after Ligeia has died and the narrator has taken Rowena as his new wife, but the coloring of Ligeia is present from the start. Among her other sublime attributes, the narrator writes that â€Å"She came and departed as a shadow† (111). However, she is also very pale. She has a â€Å"lofty and pale forehead –it was faultless† and â€Å"skin rivalling the purest ivory† (111). Her whiteness, though, is framed by â€Å"the raven-black, the glossy, the luxuriant and naturally-curling tresses† (111). Her eyes, the windows of the soul, are also â€Å"the most brilliant of black, and, far over them, hung jetty lashes of great length. The brows, slightly irregular in outline, had the same tint† (111). While her skin is very white, every other feature of Ligeia is exceedingly black. In her shadowiness, Poe depicts her very being as dark. Ligeia’s white skin might be attributed to Poe’s desire as an artist to keep this story from being overtly racialized or didactic or scandalous. His presentation of intense blackness as the frame of intense whiteness, however, is actually a better representation of race in America than a simple schematization of white versus black. Over against the â€Å"one drop† rule that determined a person to be â€Å"black† if they had any black ancestors, the reader determines Ligeia to be â€Å"white† based on one attribute against many dark ones. In fact, Ligeia’s blackness is more than skin (or hair) deep. She is a mystery even to her lover, the narrator, who associates her with the religious mysteries of ancient civilizations. Like the African slaves brought to America, she has a connection to a cultural past that is lost to the narrator and which can only play on his fancy. Her family, which he does not know the paternal name of, â€Å"is of a remotely ancient date. † Musing on his ignorance of his beloved’s family name—which must seem a little unusual to any reader—he wonders why this is: â€Å"was it a test of my strength of affection, that I should institute no inquiries upon this point? or was it rather a caprice of my own –a wildly romantic offering on the shrine of the most passionate devotion? † (111). The proposed solutions ironically obscure the possibility of repression, that he does not know because he does not want to know, that he is afraid to know. The narrator can only imagine that he does not know her name because he loves her so much. The narrator’s conspicuous forgetting begins to trace the mechanism by which Americans repress blackness, and the dependence of whiteness on a black contrast, for the sake of keeping whiteness unquestioned as a positive attribute. Part of the narrator’s madness, though, is that he continues to fixate on the blackness in Ligeia as the symbol of depth and plenitude. Through this obsession with blackness in what is supposed to be a white face, Poe uses â€Å"Ligeia† to pose an inquiry into American racialism that escapes from traditional dualisms of good versus bad into an examination of the psychological mechanisms that make such a debate possible. At the same time that the depth of Ligeia’s learning provides a viable historical representation of the white slave-holder’s ignorance of African cultures, it also comes to assume sublime proportions that simultaneously remove that knowledge from history. Using the fetishization of Orienal cultures as a model, the narrator transports Ligeia’s difference into a realm beyond the earthly. The same mechanism was applied to blackness in America: when whites could not fathom the difference between European cultures and African cultures, they wound up believing that blacks and blackness were unfathomable. This set the stage for blackness to be aligned with other things white European culture did not understand—with animals, for example, or sexual appetite. The narrator’s visible obsession with Ligeia’s blackness as a symbol for his inability to comprehend her exposes the way in which American culture could both deify African culture as more authentic and denigrate it as more base. For the narrator, of course, this dissonance takes the form of his love for Ligeia. He cites Bacon on beauty: â€Å"’There is no exquisite beauty,’ says Bacon, Lord Verulam, speaking truly of all the forms and genera of beauty, ‘without some strangeness in the proportion’† (). The narrator agrees that there is something strange about Ligeia but he cannot find it. Each individual part, it seems, is perfectly wrought. The strangeness, though, is as Bacon would have it: in the proportion of all these perfections to each other. Metaphorically, the perfection of the white and black face is the perfection of a racially segregated society viewed from within the heavily repressed white perspective. The concepts used all make sense by themselves: that Africans have different cultures, blackness and whiteness are beautiful in their own ways, some things are beyond human understanding—but the particular way they are connected in a slave-holding society has more than a little â€Å"strangeness in the proportion. † Poe’s presentation of the narrator’s consciousness directs the reader to precisely this perspective, focusing not any individual part but on the framing of the whole, because it is here that the psychological dependence of whiteness on misappropriated conceptions of Africanism functions. The narrator’s repression of blackness into a transcendental white worldview—in which blackness only exists at the fringes to serve whiteness and make it more beautiful, both literally and metaphorically—results logically in the death of Ligeia and her replacement by a very white English girl of known parentage but not much depth of soul. The Lady Rowena is â€Å"fair-haired and blue-eyed,† a perfect Aryan, in contrast to Ligeia’s dark hair and eyes, and her family, like the economic system of chattel slavery, is enthralled to a â€Å"thirst of gold. † When the narrator describes their wedding his memory catches more on the blackness of their surroundings than on the European whiteness of his bride. â€Å"I have said that I minutely remember the details of the chamber—yet I am sadly forgetful on topics of deep moment,† like Ligeia’s parentage or the wedding itself (). The details he remembers include a â€Å"bridal couch—of an Indian model, and low, and sculptured of solid ebony†¦a gigantic sarcophagus of black granite†¦[and a tapestry with] patterns of the most jetty black† (111). The blackness that he has banished from the person of his bride he has recreated in their surroundings. The composition of black and white is by now recognizable to the reader: the alabaster centerpiece that was Ligeia’s face is now the person of Rowena, and the black hair and eyes of Ligeia are the room and its contents. The tableau that was beautiful when contained within the frame of Ligeia’s face becomes, when extrapolated onto the greater scale of the mansion or estate, somber and terrifying. Blackness looms everywhere in the bridal room. By being marginalized, blackness also comes to surround whiteness and threaten it. The climax of the story comes from just such an incursion of blackness into the white center. Ligeia seemingly poisons Rowena from beyond the grave and uses her body as a medium for return. From the narrator’s earlier adulation of Ligeia, it seems that he might be happy with this turn of events, but he has enough of his wits about him to be terrified that a ghost has returned to life. His terror also has a deeper cause. The displacement of blackness that has guided the story’s logic thus far means that the narrator is at last implicated in authorizing a racial economy. In the black room (with black curtains) Ligeia has supplated Rowena—and now Ligeia really is a dark figure, bearing with her the real abyss of death—the only place for whiteness to flee is into the face and person of the narrator. Throughout the story, however, the narrator has been fully invested in a white moderate-centrist repression of race, as seen in his convenient forgettings and fetishizations of Ligeia. Furthermore, the version of blackness that he has set up is dangerous to whiteness; blackness holds such an anxious sway over his mind that he sees it everywhere, and now it everywhere threatens to engulf him. The anxiety that invigorates the finale differs from the immediate horror of â€Å"Ligeia,† the transgression of the natural order through the return of the dead, in that here the horror is not within the story as an object of narration but surrounding the story as the ground on which it stands. For the reader, the immediate shock is Ligeia’s reanimation, but at the subconscious level this is enacted through reader response as the experience of the text stepping beyond its boundaries and into the real, the objective correlative of a corpse stepping beyond the boundary of death back into life. The doubling of conscious and unconscious horror in the story’s climax gives it affective power in that the reader is now fully identified with the narrator: as the text reaches its unholy apotheosis in moving beyond itself, the next target in the spread of the imaginary blackness is the reader. This movement might provoke a strong reaction formation—the condemnation of the work as unliterary or obscene—or, in a more tolerant reading, a shudder. All of the above explication of how darkness forms an invasive dialectical presence in â€Å"Ligeia† allows us to expand an interpretation of the work from the formal interplay of light and dark to the real, instantiated, and historical discourse of domination and slavery. On this ground, the message of â€Å"Ligeia† about slavery is as tangled as the rendering of color. Ligeia, the dark lady, seems to dominate the narrator from the beginning of the tale, and in her return via the corpus of Rowena she exerts power not only over another person—one marked as fair, as white—she demonstrates her mastery over life and death itself. Ligeia’s empowerment seems paradoxically at odds with aligning this story with the historical circumstances of slavery: black African slaves were legally considered chattel, moveable property, and had all the same rights that cattle or the like would have, that is, virtually none. If we remember, though, that as a tale of the grotesque—an imaginative exaggeration that partakes of the inversions and reinvestments of the subconscious—â€Å" Ligeia† does not disclose its truths at the level of literal or represented but in the language of (bad) dreams. What correlates the play of power in â€Å"Ligeia† with the logic of slavery is that the very idea of total domination—or rather, since we are dealing in inversions, the total subjugation of the narrator—can operate so freely in the story. The historical domination of the white slave owning class is represented here in its inverted form as the grotesquely hyperbolic empowerment of blackness through occultation. Ligeia’s transcendent power does not correspond to the real configuration of social forces in 1830s America, which was already being marked by ambivalence toward the national sin, but to the idealized racial superiority that white ideology purported to itself—though it could not, ever, live up to its own fantasy of itself either in terms of exacting submission or conversion of the â€Å"heathens†Ã¢â‚¬â€and to the equally idealized mystery of blackness empowered through an assumed (and constructed by apathy) opacity. The form of domination operating in the story is evidenced largely by the formal construction of the narrator’s discourse. Instead of pronouncing at the outset his obsession with Ligeia, the narrator demonstrates his relationship of submission/domination by overwhelming the reader with intricate, over-detailed descriptions of Ligeia. The narrator is dominated by his own telling, by discourse itself, and the telling is fully possessed by the body and soul of Ligeia. Rather than willfully presenting her domination over the narrator, and thus exposing herself to revolt or to a failure to live up to the role of â€Å"master,† Ligeia’s domination is represented through the narrator’s willed submission. His total submission—undemanded, uncoerced, almost unasked for—attributes to Ligeia a total form of power that the master cannot arrogate to himself but which exists exclusively in the mind of the imagined slave. The countercurrent of this is that the story is told by the slave though discourse is supposed to be the exclusive domain of the master. Yet the thrall is narrator is truly what the master class of a slave-owning society requires to receive the adulation is craves, and is in keeping with the logic of slavery. The slave class exists to labor on behalf of the master class; the final step in establishing an absolute and horrific slavery is for the labor of discourse to become the burden of the slave. Poe’s story works through a mounting intensity of the motifs of white and black, starting small and growing to a climax in which blackness appears everywhere. Through this progression, Poe’s story shows that even though a white perspective gets to tell the story of â€Å"Ligeia† and of U. S. history, it is not safe from a backlash. To the contrary, in trying to secure itself absolutely from blackness, the whiteness of the American mythology has invented a racialized other that it cannot escape. The black fear that haunts the narrator and the American reader assumes the massive proportions of the problem of racial chattel slavery itself. Beyond the scale of the actual ambivalences of the play between owner and slave is the nightmarish dimension of absolutes that the ideology of such a society demands. The model for this absolutism is, of course, the dichotomy between life and death: a clear transition that is irreversible. The horror of the American mind, which must reconcile an absolute division between master and slave with a contingent division between classes that are actually interpenetrating, is brought into the light of representation in Poe’s horrific tale of the risen dead.

Basic Terminologies in Food Preparation Essay

Research about garnishing, plating, mixing of juices, How to serve in glasses Garnishing A food item which is served with garnish may be described as being garni, the French term for ‘garnished’. A garnish is an item or substance used as a decoration or embellishment and often a flavor component on a prepared food dish or drink. In many cases, it may give added or contrasting flavor, some garnishes are selected first to augment the visual impact of the plate, while others are selected specifically for the flavor they may impart. A garnish makes food or drink items more visually appealing. They may, for example, enhance their color, such as when paprika is sprinkled on a salmon salad. They may give a color contrast, for example when chives are sprinkled on potatoes. They may make a cocktail more visually appealing, such as when a cocktail umbrella is added to an exotic drink. Plating The arrangement and overall styling of food upon bringing it to the plate is termed plating. Some common styles of plating include a ‘classic’ arrangement of the main item in the front of the plate with vegetables or starches in the back, a ‘stacked’ arrangement of the various items, or the main item leaning or ‘shingled’ upon a vegetable bed or side item .Item location on the plate is often referenced as for the face of a clock, with six o’clock the position closest to the diner. A basic rule of thumb upon plating, and even in some cases prepping, is to make sure you have the 5 components to a dish; protein, traditionally at a 6 o’clock position, vegetable, at a 2 o’clock position, starch at an 11 o’clock position, sauce and garnish. Mixing of Juices Understanding how to combine different types of juice may improve your success in making fresh juice that is easier to digest. This is a method for selecting the right juices to mix, according to their compatibility. As a result, easy digestion is promoted. When you consume juice or food it undergoes many changes and is broken down into its constituent nutrients and then absorbed. A noteworthy feature of digestive secretions is that your body adjusts its fluid and enzymes to the character of the food eaten and juices consumed. There are, however, limitations in this process. It is possible for your body to adjust its digestive secretions to a particular  juice, however, complex it may be, but this adjustment process can be incomplete when a variety of juices are consumed at the same time. This combining of incompatible juices may cause digestive disorder. Fruit juice is categorized according to the type of fruit it is from. The four fruit categories: Sweet fruits, acidic fruits, sub acidic fruits, and watery fruits. How to serve in glasses Selecting the right glassware for your table and bar will enhance the appearance of your presentation, add elegance to your serving style and give flair to an aspect of ordinary dining and entertaining that is often overlooked. Beyond the aesthetics, specialized glassware is created to complement the drink it is intended to serve. Knowing the basics of wine, beer, and cocktail glasses can ensure that each and every beverage you serve can be enjoyed at the peak of its flavor. Use this guide to determine the most appropriate glassware for your needs and impress friends and connoisseurs alike. Wine Glasses Although wine glasses come in many different sizes, the cup portion or â€Å"bowl† is the most important aspect. The visual appeal, body of the wine and play of the aromas are all factors in choosing the correct glass. There are no hard, fast rules for serving wine, but the following standards are generally observed. * Red Wine – Traditionally, red wines with strong bouquets are served in the larger bowled wine glasses. The greater exposed surface gives these heady wines a good opportunity to breathe without losing the aroma. * White Wine – Lighter, more delicate white wines are served in taller glassware with a more narrow bowl that allows the bouquet to concentrate. * Champagne – The tall slender flute style glass is the best fit for champagne as it displays the sparkling quality of the bubbles at the best advantage. The low, wide open champagne glasses aren’t really practical as they are easily spilled and cause the champagne to go flat much more quickly. * Sherry/Port – As sherry and port are generally strong wine hybrids that are served as pre or post dinner aperitifs, they are generally served in exceptionally small glasses. Like liqueurs, Sherry and Port are both meant to be sipped and the size of the glass indicates the correct  serving amount. Beer Glasses While true beer enthusiasts will tell you that using any glass is preferable to drinking from the bottle or can, there are specific glasses for specific types of beer. Like wine, the shape of the glass will affect the aroma and subsequent overall enjoyment of the beer. Unlike in Europe where there are many different types of beer appreciated and thus many beer glass styles, American beer is typically served in mugs or pilsner glasses. A pilsner glass is the typical tall narrow glass with the slightly wider rim that you will see frequently used in bars. Lighter beers are traditionally served in pilsner glasses while darker, heavier brews are more compatible with mugs or steins. Cocktail Glasses There are countless numbers of cocktail concoctions and mixed drinks, but luckily most of these drinks are intended for a standard set of glasses. * Collins Glasses – Alternately referred to as tumblers, these 14-16 oz tall glasses are the right choice for soft drinks, whiskey sours, bloody marys and any juice-based cocktail such as the cranberry juice and vodka. The larger size of the glass complements the limited amount of alcohol content in these drinks. Most standard drinking glasses can be classified as Collins glasses. * Highball Glasses – At a slightly smaller 10-12 ounces, highball glasses are used for stronger mixed drinks such as the tequila sunrise, gin and tonic and long island iced tea. These are also commonly used when a â€Å"tall† version of a stronger drink is requested. Thin and elegant, the highball glass is a classy addition to any glassware collection. * Rocks Glasses – Also called â€Å"old-fashioned†, these small square shaped glasses are used to serve cocktails with a high alcohol content and little else, such as rum and coke, southern comfort or seven and seven. As can be inferred from their name, rocks glasses are also used to serve shots â€Å"on the rocks†. * Shot Glasses – As the name indicates, shot glasses are used for serving shots straight up. In addition, shot glasses can also be used to measure the amount of alcohol used in other mixed drinks and are a great addition to any bar, even if you don’t plan on serving shots. * Hurricane Glasses – A tall glass with a graceful curve in the center, Hurricane glasses are typically employed to serve their  namesake drink, along with daiquiris and margaritas. The beautiful shape of the glass makes any drink visually pleasing. * Martini Glasses – One of the most easily recognizable glasses and the favorite of James Bond devotees worldwide, martini glasses are primarily used to serve†¦martinis. The wide, triangular glass is available in many unique styles and is a staple of any bar set-up.

Uniforms eliminate judgment Essay

Whether or not uniforms should be in all schools is a constant debate. Did you know school uniforms have been around for hundreds of years? I believe that uniforms should be in all schools. Uniforms eliminate judgment, distractions and violence. Uniforms eliminate the peer pressure of high school. Wearing uniforms helps to raise self-esteem and gives teens a feeling of belonging. Everyone is seen as equal regardless of their family’s economic status. Uniforms reduce the pressure of being popular and eliminate cliques which revolve around what you wear. It allows teens to experience a feeling of acceptance regardless of their social and economic background. School uniforms create a safer learning environment for students and faculty. They enable school authorities to easily recognize trespassers that do not belong in the school. Violence and bullying is decreased due to all students appearing equal. A fewer number of thefts occur as everyone owns the same apparel. They eliminate gang mentality as they cannot represent themselves. Violence is decreased as everyone appears as one. Studies have proved many positive results of uniforms in schools. Students are less focused on what their wearing, creating less distractions and making it easier for them to learn. Uniforms create a stricter environment which leads to school rules more likely being followed. Teachers do not have to worry about being ‘clothes police’ and can concentrate on their teaching. Not having to pick out an outfit saves time that students can use to sleep and study. This will improve student attendance and punctuality. Uniforms create unity and boosts school spirit and involvement. Uniforms give students a more positive outlook on school and create unity within the school. Clearly, uniforms bring about a positive school atmosphere and enables student’s to focus on their studies. Uniforms help students to reach their full academic potential without the outside distractions of everyday teenage pressures. By learning these skills in high school, teens will become more productive members of society. These skills will advance your self-esteem and further your potential in life. Uniforms can teach teens to be more accepting of others and not quick to judge. Therefore, wearing uniforms in high school is a small price to pay for a life full of acceptance and achievements. Remember, high school is a learning process not a fashion show.

Gap Inc. SWOT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gap Inc. SWOT - Essay Example This essay stresses that poor management made the Gap’s core stores its worst competition. Under CEO Paul Pressler, the same products were carried in the Gap, Old Navy and the Banana Republic at different price points. Frustrated consumers stopped going. The Gap failed to keep its brands diversified. Originally Old Navy was the Gap’s bargain basement store. Consumers could go there and find cost effective clothing. Thanks to Pressler, consumers went their to get discount prices on Gap products. This paper makes a conclusion that the Gap’s management continued to create more problems for the company. The Gap started cloning itself by creating the GapMaternity, GapKids, BabyGap and others. This expansion hurt both the individual stores and the entire chain. Each new store requires employees, utilities and rent. The deluge of stores with specialized Gap products cut into the corporation’s profitability. Gap Inc is an international company. Having stores in several countries protects it from local economic downturns, recessions or depressions. The Gap’s competitors provide better customer service and adapts better to the fickle fashion climate. All of these companies are significantly smaller than the Gap and are able to implement changes quicker. The Gap is also vulnerable to US government regulation. China apparel and textile restrictions are in effect until December 31, 2008. A change or increase in these restrictions could raise production costs.

Understanding the dangers of identity theft and how a company or Essay

Understanding the dangers of identity theft and how a company or individual can be protected from it - Essay Example As advancement in technology made access to information easier, many unscrupulous people take advantage of their skills and steal sensitive information from companies and private persons online. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, a non-profit organization based in the United States (www.idtheftcenter.org), in 2010, there were about 662 cases if information security breaches reported in the United States but the actual number may be higher since not many people and organizations report breaches on their information security system. People whose identity have been assumed by another can suffer tremendous loses. Note that once somebody steals another person’s identity, he or she may be able to access the bank accounts and other personal information of the victim (Abagnale, 2007). As it is, there is a big possibility that the victim may lose money and assets on the process. Aside from taking money and other assets from their victims, some identity thieves use the ide ntity of their victims to commit crimes (Cullen, 2007). For instance, an identity theft can sue the identity of his or her victim in fraudulent online transactions so when the fraud is reported to the police, the police go after the identity theft victim. As it is, it is very important that individuals and organizations understand the kind of risks that they are in and do something to protect themselves from identity thieves. II. Ways and Means Employed by Identity Thieves to Gain Access to Important Information There are a number of ways to commit identity theft but the most common are social engineering, phishing and hacking attempts. Social engineering is committed by exploiting human psychology to gain entry to databases, computer systems and even buildings with sophisticated security system (Hadnagy, 2010). Note that instead of attacking the software or system used by a company or individual, the identity theft uses mind tricks to retrieve sensitive information for the people i nside the building and the people who are running the databank or the system (Hadnagy, 2010). To get the information that he or she needs to gain access into the building or the database, the identity does a lot of research and identify the key persons who he or she will retrieve the needed information (Wilhelm, 2010). For instance, if the identity theft wants to gain access to a database, he or she may pose as a computer technician or IT support person and trick an employee in the IT division to divulge passwords and codes to gain access into the system. Although the basic principles of trickery used in social engineering may sound simple, the execution of the act requires careful planning and psychological manipulation skills (Mitnick, 2003; Allsopp, 2009). When planning its strategies to defraud his or her victim, the identity needs to gather all the necessary information to trick the victim. To do this, he or she may access the personal information of the person targeted using e xisting social networks such as facebook, linked in and others (Mitnick, 2003; Wilhelm, 2010). Note that a good number of users of these online networking sites tend to give out personal information such as e-mail addresses and even telephone numbers online which may them relatively easy preys for identity thieves (Wilhelm, 2010). From the information gathered from these social networking sites, the identity may now be able to psychologically manipulate the victim into giving him or her sensitive information. In most cases, the deception happens online or through the phone so the identity theft and his or her victims do not actually come face to face (Allsopp, 2009). Aside from social engineering, phishing is also commonly used by identity thieves to steal information from their victims. To steal information from their victims, identity theft pretends to be a reliable online entity such as a bank, a well known courier, website and the like (Abagnale, 2007).

A study of relationship between service advertising strategies and Dissertation

A study of relationship between service advertising strategies and consumers responses within hospitality industry - Dissertation Example Results The following mean ranges have been used for the substantive interpretations of the means: 1.00-1.49 – strongly disagree; 1.50-2.49 – slightly disagree; 2.50 – 3.49 – neutral; 3.50-4.49 – slightly agree; and 4.50 – 5.00 – strongly agree. Table 1a. Descriptive statistics: The advertisement caught my attention. Mean Std. Deviation Advert 1 3.94 0.80 Advert 2 3.76 0.86 Advert 3 4.17 0.66 Total 3.96 0.79 On the capacity of the advertisement to catch their attention, the means for all three advertisements all suggest agreement. Table 1b. One-way ANOVA: The advertisement caught my attention. Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig. Between Groups 12.40 2.00 6.20 10.30 0.00 Within Groups 261.77 435.00 0.60 Â   Â   Total 274.18 437.00 Â   Â   Â   The one-way ANOVA suggests that there is a significant difference among the three advertisements’ ratings on attention getting capacity (F=10.30, p=.00). The post hoc tests in Table A1 (Appendix A) indicates that Ad 3 received significantly higher means than the other two advertisements. Ad 1 is likewise more effective than Ad 2 on this aspect. Table 2a. Descriptive statistics: The advertisement elicited my interest in the hotel being advertised. Mean Std. Deviation Advert 1 3.84 0.63 Advert 2 3.79 0.72 Advert 3 3.99 0.58 On the capability of the advertisement to elicit interest in the hotel, all means suggest agreement by the respondents. Table 2b. One-way ANOVA: The advertisement elicited my interest in the hotel being advertised Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig. Between Groups 3.31 2.00 1.65 3.98 0.02 Within Groups 180.79 435.00 0.42 Â   Â   Total 184.09 437.00 Â   Â   Â   On the capability of the advertisement to elicit interest in the hotel being advertised, the F-value indicates that there is indeed a significant difference among the ratings given to the 3 advertisements (F=3.98, p=.02). Table A2 (Appendix A) indicates that Ad 3 garnered significant ly higher ratings than the other two advertisements on this facet. Table 3a. Descriptive statistics: I felt the conviction that what is shown in this advertisement must be true, and developed a positive disposition on my part. Mean Std. Deviation Advert 1 3.33 0.82 Advert 2 4.10 0.78 Advert 3 4.26 0.62 On the conviction that what is shown in this advertisement must be true and developing a positive disposition on the respondents, Ad 2 and 3 garnered agreement. However, Ad 1 received a neutral rating. Table 3b. One-way ANOVA: I felt the conviction that what is shown in this advertisement must be true, and developed a positive disposition on my part. Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig. Between Groups 72.18 2.00 36.09 64.61 0.00 Within Groups 242.99 435.00 0.56 Â   Â   Total 315.17 437.00 Â   Â   Â   The one-way ANOVA for statement 3 suggests that there are significant differences yielded for the ratings given to the 3 groups (F=64.61, p=.00). The results in Table A3 (Appendix A) indicates that Ad 3 got higher ratings than the other two ads on this facet, whereas Ad 2 received a higher rating compared to Ad 1. Table 4a. Descriptive statistics: I would like to know more information about this hotel by looking it up in the telephone directory and calling this hote

State and internationalization of Society Literature review

State and internationalization of Society - Literature review Example He states that the United States has led a campaign to unify the world (5). He cites the example of the export of democracy to nations in the former third world and the provision of support for development in other nations of the world. This, in his view creates a definition of Americas position as a dominant superpower in the world today. Also, he points out that the global bodies, including the United Nations and other international groups have over the past 60 years supported in the even development of nations and communities in the world. This has led to more nations coming together to achieve things (13). Etzioni identifies that the co-operation of nations under numerous banners has caused nations to live according to harmonised structures and systems. He also indicates that nations do a lot in terms of co-operation like transnational co-operation in commerce, banking, internet, health and research, environment, human rights and crime prevention. This was defined in the section which he called the new safety architecture. The new safety architecture is a concept that is steeped in the fact that nations are better off by co-operating and sharing some resources to achieve ends that are common to them. This is because when nations work together, they get to create a leverage that enable them to get optimum results from limited resources. Also, there are some activities that can only be achieved effectively when nations come together to work on them. Some of these activities include counter-terrorism, cross-border crime prevention and other similar drives. It is thus counter effective for any nation to attempt to live as an island. So he argues that authorities in nations are bound to work together to achieve results and common objectives that are in their best interest. On the individual level or amongst the ruled, there are increasing activities like the Internet, communication technology and the observance of similar

International Arbitration Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International Arbitration - Dissertation Example The Second Chapter deals with the research methodology adopted in this work. A doctrinal approach was followed in this research work. The Third chapter provides a Literature Review. In this chapter, many case studies were included to examine the effectiveness of investment arbitration. Moreover, scholarly reports and extant literature on the topic were scrutinised. The Fourth Chapter deals with a discussion of the findings and the fifth chapter deals with conclusions. Ambiguity in the interpretation of the treaty provisions, lack of expertise in ministries in case of developing countries, bias on the part of the arbitrator are some of the reasons identified for the lack of success of investment arbitration. Shortcomings with International Investment Arbitration Chapter 1 – Introduction Investment treaty arbitration is significantly different from other types of arbitration. In investment arbitration, the arbitrator is empowered to make decisions that are final. This type of ar bitration brings to the fore a number of issues relating to impartiality and independence. In the other types of arbitration, the final decision is taken by the court.1 As is well known, the courts enjoy independence from private and state power. Such independence is promoted by providing judges with a secure tenure, precluding outside remuneration and the adoption of an objective procedure of assigning cases. These factors are conspicuous by their absence in investment arbitration. As a consequence, it is not uncommon for these arbitral awards to be influenced by inappropriate factors. 2 These safeguards do not find a place in investment treaty arbitration. A class of inappropriate influences is that related to the career and financial interests of arbitrators. These arbitrators do not have secure tenure and engage in remunerative activities that are external to their role as adjudicators. 3 The independence and impartiality of the investment arbitral process is crucially dependent on the existence of openness. In the absence of transparency, it become difficult if not impossible to confirm the integrity and fairness of the decision making process. 4 Arbitrations related to investment treaties emerge from bilateral and multilateral treaties formed between countries to promote foreign investment. In general, such treaties incorporate provisions for settling disputes between a private foreign investor and the host nation by arbitration, under public international law. 5 Contemporary international arbitration is widely believed to have commenced with the Jay Treaty of 1974. This treaty was entered into by the US and Great Britain. Private international arbitration had not developed during that epoch and there was a predominance of international arbitral commissions.6 Subsequently there was an increase in instances of private international commercial arbitration. However, this system of arbitration has not yet developed to any significant extent. Wider acceptance of this method of dispute resolution could render it more transparent. Such arbitration views confidentiality as a significant feature of the dispute resolution. Accordingly, if the parties are in favour of keeping their dispute resolution confidential, then they have to incorporate relevant clauses in their arbitration contract. 7 Another method of ensuring confidentiality is to make a reference in

Organization design Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Organization design - Assignment Example The aspect of capitalizing on and responding to change was exhibited by the ancient Athens who faced agricultural setbacks. The Athens recognized their problem as a potential challenge and decided to respond effectively to the cultivation of olives that have the capacity to obtain water from the deeper water tables. Modern businesses should adopt such an approach in the contemporary business world. The response adopted by businesses towards change determines the level of success (Bridges, 2009). In a world defined by change, it is irrational for businesses to focus on the competition because they will be easily blinded to a level where they cannot recognize the challenge. However, capitalizing on change allows businesses to tackle the challenges and respond effectively. All individual sat different levels in a business have a responsibility of developing appropriate responses to change. Whereas business leaders determine when to launch new products or to pursue a new category of customers, upper-level managers focus on redefining the different departments to suit the new organizational goals. Middle managers have to respond effectively by reorganizing all the efforts from different departments and encouraging supervisors to define new responses at the new level. Every individual in the organization must contribute positively so that organizations can effectively capitalize on change (p.

Art Blog Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Art Blog - Assignment Example That is probably one of the inner concept of the totality of the exhibit --- how everything is connected. The art works in this exhibit are connections to our past --- in fact, a very important past in the history of L.A. 2. Crosscurrents: A Day in the Life This is a very interesting post you wrote, Hailey, and the word tradition really caught my attention. Yes, the â€Å"Crosscurrents† exhibit is really about our culture and tradition --- much like a history of how everything came to be as they are now. Valentine's exhibit, which you mentioned is somewhat a miniature of what is at work here in the exhibit. You mentioned â€Å"What I enjoyed most about this exhibit was that it showed the process taken to make the Gray Column with photos, text and video, and told the story of how it was created.† For me, I see every piece of art work here as the step-by-step process of how it evolved to the modern art we know today. I also agree with you on your view of Henry Takemoto's â€Å"Untitled† piece of â€Å"circular shape with blue brushwork.† It's like an heirloom piece --- a piece of heritage. 3. Crosscurrents: Solid Light Grace, it is so true when you said â€Å"Computer images and pictures don’t do this artwork any justice at all.† I also love how you pointed out that the art piece looks different from different angles. The way you compared this piece of art to a sculpture and a painting at the same time is also a brilliant way of looking into this. I have always liked it to find someone who may not be truly able to understand a piece of art work, yet is able to find himself or herself communicating with it. The way you did your research makes me think that this art work really captured your interest. If I may say too, that the strategic placement of the art pieces also helped a lot in showcasing the maximum potential of each piece. It seems to me now that were some pieces placed at a different position, it probably would n ot have evoked the same experience for us. 4. Under the Big Black Sun: They All Woke Up Jaime, I do like the boldness of the posters too. They were brave and daring. We all know history and we do know too that that courage is what brought about the political and cultural movement in L.A. for the better. Thank goodness now we're celebrating diversity --- at least! Things such as these make me realize that there is beauty in the midst of even a horrible part of history. I am not an expert in graphic design, but I do know that the art here is not merely in the designs and the colors or the imagery at work. I feel there is also art in the way these people then responded to political and cultural issues through creative protests. The old adage â€Å"a picture paints a thousands words† seems to simple to even use to grasp the total idea of this whole exhibit. 5. Under the Big Black Sun: Rewind Hey there, Hailey. No one can really expect everybody to experience the same thing with e very exhibit. But what I appreciate in your post is your directness. You know what you were expecting and you know when you're not getting it. And despite how things seem to let you down, you still kept looking for something that will appeal to your senses. I also agree with your comment about Chris Burden's â€Å"The Reason for the Neutron Bomb† (1979). Meticulous and precise even seem like understatements at one angle, but since you mentioned â€Å"angles,† have you tried looking at that art work from different

Cloud security, DATA LOSS and HIJACKING Literature review

Cloud security, DATA LOSS and HIJACKING - Literature review Example Users can upload and access uploaded pictures, documents, music files. www.dropbox.com cloud computing site offers possible free 18 gigabytes of memory to its users (Blaisdell, 2012). Further, the users of cloud computing can choose between public or private computing types. The public computing type allows anyone to access the data saved in the remote server (Howell, 2012). Under the private type computing, unauthorized persons are not allowed to access the data saved on the remote server. The term cloud equates to being invisible. Cloud computing entails outsourcing data storage to another location, cloud (Shor, 2011).The cloud is user-prioritized, filling the computing needs of the users (Gillam, 2010). The persons using the cloud service do know the hardware or software used by the cloud service providers. Likewise, the cloud service clients do not know where the files are saved, the location of the cloud service providers being â€Å"hidden† from the cloud service users. People using internet –capable cell phones, tablets, and computers can save their files in the cloud computing sites. They can then access their files from the cloud server sit es from any available computer, tablet, or internet- capable cell phones. Consequently, the users of the cloud computing sites do not need unnecessarily high gigabyte capacity memory cards or drives to save their huge files on their cell phones, tablets, or computers. To ensure high quality cloud computing service, data loss and hijacking must be reduced to allowable levels. In addition, the above picture shows how the basic cloud computing setup works. One cloud computing person can access the same files from the same cloud computing site from a tablet, cell phone or any computer terminal. Some cloud computing sites offer either the free or paid membership its users (Jamsa, 2011). One cloud computing service provider offers the file saving privileges to many clients.

50s Pop Culture Essay Example for Free

50s Pop Culture Essay Pop culture is commercial culture based on popular taste. Today’s pop culture consists of rap/ hip hop music, sagging jeans, high-top shoes, and 3D movies. In the 1950’s fashion, music, and technology was worlds apart from how it is today. Rock Roll, Hot Rods, black leather jackets and rebellious teens are iconic images often imagined when mentioning the 1950’s in the US. History repeats itself. This fat is perhaps the most obvious when it comes to fashion. Fashion today is heavily influenced by the fashion during the 1950’s. Girls wearing bright colors, flow dresses, tight blouses, and high-waist shorts are common now, and were during the 50’s. Guys wearing fancy suits/ dress shirts, with khakis are undoubtedly coming back into style especially among â€Å"hipsters. † The â€Å"rebel† style of the 50’s with blue jeans (which everyone wears today, but were unacceptable for young women to wear) T-shirts under leather or jean jackets, with boots and long hair is becoming quite common for the youth today. Music has played a huge role in American society for over a hundred years. In the 1950’s the fastest growing genre was Rock Roll. Largely because of teens, and they’re need to express themselves and be noticed. Music in the 50’s was one of the only things in this time embraced it fully. Country singers like Johnny Cash stayed above water because of their ingenuity, ability to adapt, and pure talent. Blues and soul artist like James Brown and Ray Charles are icons for their ability to touch people through music on a personal level. No essay about American 50’s pop culture would be complete without mentioning â€Å"The King of Rock Roll† Elvis Presley. Almost every aspect of pop culture in the 50’s was heavily influenced by the era of Rock Roll. Cars were no exception. Hot rods were very popular among the youth, but seen as death traps by adults. In reality â€Å"adult cars† like the Lincoln Continental were far more dangerous. Car advancements were huge during this time, like the growth of automatic transitions. Cars were simple to work on making it a hobby for many young adults. Racing and car shows became common. Learning about pop cultures from different is not only interesting but important too. It helps you understand how todays pop culture became the way it is. People that ask questions about why fashion is the way it is, or how music became how it is, can study past pop cultures for answers. 50’s pop culture changed music, fashion and technology forever!

The Phi Phi Islands

The Phi Phi Islands The Phi Phi Islands are situated in Thailand, between the large island of Phuket and the western coast of the mainland. It is consisted by group of islands such as Phi Phi Don, Phi Phi Lae, Bidanok, Bida Nai, Yoong, Pai, the largest of which is named Koh Phi Phi Don, the only one with permanent inhabitants on. As a scene of a British-American film ‘The Beach in 2000, this island came to a worldwide tourist attraction. Unfortunately it was trampled by the Indian Ocean Tsunami on December 2004, when almost every infrastructure on the island is destroyed. Till now, most of this has been restored and reopened to tourists all over the world. As established a national park of Thailand in 1983, the islands feature beaches and limpid sea water are under the protection of local government. Tourism on Phi Phi, like the rest part of Krabi province, has developed only very recent years. It was so natural that only the most adventurous visited this island staying in only the most basic accommodation in the early 1990s. Nowadays, however, this island is becoming one of the major destinations for travellers in Krabi. Compared to other islands nearby, Phi Phi islands are still highly less exploded, where no road on the largest island while the others are completely free of human inhabitants. Hence visitors would enjoy their casual vacation without hustle and bustle. Based on its idyllic tourism resource, hiking, snorkelling and diving are the activities most highly recommended by every tourism agency company. Meanwhile fishing, rock climbing and cliff jumping are enjoyed among their specific participants. Tourism System Identification Before starting to write a management plan, it is necessary to identify resources of main destination. Resources include natural resources, culture, capital and organizations. Natural resources are climate, water, geography and scenery. Culture is about historic sites, cuisine, religion, local celebrities. Capital includes infrastructure, transportation and financing. Organizations are including public and private sectors. Natural resources Ø Weather Phi Phi islands are located between the Pacific and the Indian. It is located about 50 km from Phuket. Because of its location, the weather is around 24 °C to 32 °C year round. From November to March is the best time to visit the island. However, local people enjoy from June to August. The reason is the weather is good and there are less people or tourists in famous sites. Ø Water and Geography In 1998, over 150,000 tourists visited Phi Phi islands and most of them are foreigners (Seenprachwong, 2001) because the Phi Phi has 3S. These are Sun, Sand and Sea. The sea is very beautiful and clean so that it is famous for scuba diving and swimming. The island is composed by limestone. Hence, it has a significant view of reefs. People even can see it clearly under the water. Moreover, in the south-east of Phi Phi Lay, there is a place called Viking Cave. The cave is full of wall paintings. Most paintings are elephants and boats. It is shown that people has lived in Phi Phi Island long time ago. Phi Phi Don is the biggest island. In the north of this island, there is called Laem Tong. It is a best place for scuba diving. The plentiful, various marine ecology is the most important reason. Beaches such as Ao Lodalum and Ao Ton Sai are also good places for tourists to have a relax moment in Phi Phi. Ø Scenery As this report mentioned before, Phi Phi is part of National Park in 1983. In 1990s there are more and more people came to Phi Phi Islands. There are two reasons. The first is that it is near to Phuket. When Phuket is crowded by tourists, some people will come to Phi Phi for enjoying a relaxing and quiet time. The second reason is that the island, Phi Phi Lay is the scene of the movie â€Å"The Beach†. This place is Maya Bay. Some of tourists will come here to have sightseeing and have an adventure to experience sceneries of the movie. Culture Phi Phi island is belonged to Krabi Province. The population of Krabi is about 458,000 in 2000. 60 percent of people are Buddhists. 40 percent are Muslims. It makes the place with plenty of events. For example, there is a celebration called â€Å"Songkran Festival† during the Thai New Year. People will celebrate by visiting temples, sprinkling water on Buddha images for showing respects to Buddha, and sprinkling water on each others hands for wishing good luck. However, it becomes a water fight in recent years. Everyone is crazy to pull water on each other, no matter friends, strangers, or tourists. There is no exception that people will not get wet on that day. The report has mentioned there is a Viking cave in Phi Phi Lay. The cave is full of ancient paintings. It is a place to discover ancient history. Because paintings include many kinds of boats, Chinese boats and European boats, this place might be a transfer harbour of trade or a shelter for mariners from storms. Most of hotels and restaurants are in Tonsai. The famous cuisine in Tosai is seafood. People sell fresh seafood which is caught in the morning to attract tourists. After sun sinks into the sea, many nightclubs, bars are lightening up. Some restaurants only open in the night. Capital Ø Infrastructure Since 1990, the tourism development makes this place more and more crowded. This development lets the environment in danger. When the movie â€Å"The Beach† filmed here, the company destroyed the environment by cutting down trees and planted coconut trees, building villas. This made a huge impact while tsunami hit Phi Phi islands in 2004. Most of buildings collapsed, around 70 percent. Thai government even prohibited people go to the island. After July, 2005, most buildings were rebuilt by government and about 300 shops and events started again. After this natural disaster, Thai government started to plant trees which were big enough to reduce damages by natural disasters. Also, they proposed an agenda to protect local environment by limiting the development of hotels and setting up the limitation of tourists. However, local people were against this proposal. There were near 1500 hotels and restaurants opened again in the end of 2005. Tonsai is the main place of tourists. There is a tourist information centre. There are few banks in Tonsai which is located in Phi Phi Don. However, there are no banks or ATMs on the east coast. People only can change or withdraw money here. Ø Transportations Phi Phi is near to Phuket and Krabi, only 50 km. There are two ways to go to Phi Phi. The first vehicle is ferries. People can take ferry form Phuket or Krabi. It takes 90 minutes. Moreover, people can travel by ferries with their cars. However, it only has two ferries each day. The other option is by speedboats. Companies are private. There are some speedboats companies to choose. It is more flexible then taking ferries. People can even get to their chosen resorts to save more time. The inner roads of islands are small. The island is small, about 28000 km ². Hence, the most famous vehicle which people can use is bicycle. Organizations Ø Public The number of tourists is increasing year by year. It was 2.5 million in 1981, and 11 million in 1993 to the national parkas. Because of this, the government revises laws year by year to solve the environmental problems. Hence, the Thai government had a proclamation of the Enhancement and Conservation of the National Environmental Quality Act. Of B.E. 2535 (1992). This Act is about prescribing how to manage, plan and maintain the environmental quality. There are some features of this Act, such as the polluter pays principles, designation of environmental conservation and protection zone, pollution control zone and special working group. Besides, The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) had an event which could awake peoples awareness of environmental conservation. The authority used many ways to tell people how to protect environment, such as media, TATs publications and news. TAT also trained youth people to have knowledge of conservation. There were some campaigns which were held in tourist destinations calling people from every community to clean destinations, such as â€Å"Beautiful Phuket† project. Ø Tsunami Warning System Tsunami warning system is established in 1949. It is a system which can predict where tsunami happens and warn people to reduce damages. There are 26 countries and states joining the system. Thailand is one of members. However, before 2004, there is no detection system in west coasts of Thailand. That is one reason why Puket and Phi Phi Island had a huge damage. After this, the government set up the system in west coasts. In last year, there is about 14.09 million tourists from everywhere to Thailand. Ø Private After tsunami hit Phi Phi Island, a resident in Phi Phi gathered local Thais and foreign volunteers to help people to live. The group was called â€Å"Hi Phi Phi†. First, they cleaned up Phi Phi Islands. Then, they help local people to repaint houses, hotels and replant trees. They were essentials and hopes for restaurants, bars and guesthouses in Phi Phi Island to support their life. Now, their mission is complete. The group is trying to help local people for setting up charities. Charities can assist people to reconstruction and take care of orphans in a long-term. Phi Phi Island is the renowned and alluring tourism destination in Thailand and in particular famous for its diversity of diving reefs and habitats. The regular tour activities of phi phi island include scene watching, fishing, diving, rock- climbing, sea kayaking and spas. Management Plan Ao Nang Tourism Strategy Steering Committee (ATSSC) is the regional institution based on Phi Phi Island and specific in exploring new tourism attractions; promote the resorts and public the up-to -date tourism information. ATSSC is the leader in achieving a sustainable tourism destination by balancing the economic profits and environmental, local cultural value in a regional and global context. The main target of the committee in 2010 is to project the â€Å"Phi Phi Island Tourism Development Program 2010†. Objectives First, combining the amazing natural resources and unique local cultures to foster the tourism industry as a viable sector of local economy(Stynes,D OHalloran,C,1987); to position the Phi Phi Island as the preferred four-season tourism and sports activities destination and build a recognizable even yearning image of Phi Phi Island among the travellers around the world. Second, to encourage marketing initiatives that based on the existing tourism resources and comparative advantages to promote tourism development. On the premise of not ruining environment, the committee and local communities try to explore new activities to attract more staying visitors through promotion and provision of visitor infrastructures, tour services and characteristic events. Third, to ensure the program is the well-managed process (D. Stynes C. OHalloran, 1987), keeping the tourism development with the carrying capabilities of the host community, balancing the needs of the travellers and needs of the local residence. The locals which live in the prime tourism location have great impact on the tourism development. One of the key objectives of the program is to gain a greater level of acceptance and support of local people, teach the locals to understand the impacts of tourism on local economy as well as to facilitate efforts to upgrade the quality of service, amenities and attractions. Tourism is the pillar industry in Phi Phi Island, the committee aims to create more job opportunities and foster the investment through the program so as to enhance the viability and sustainability of local economy. Tourism development is a systematic project which requires corporation among economic development agencies, the government representatives and tourism agencies(D. Stynes C. OHalloran,1987). One aim of the program is to gain genuine willingness to promote greater cooperation as well as to share responsibilities among different social sectors to facilitate the feasibility of the objectives and achieve the best results. AlternativesGeneration To generate tourism development alternatives requires some integrated analysis of local resources and demands of visitors. The committee present three tourism development plans as below: Ø International Water Sports Centre: Phi Phi Island is the most attractive scuba diving destination in Thailand because its tranquility privacy and its bespoke diving pier.(McGeown K,2005) The uniqueness of diving in Phi Phi Island compare to other islands in Krabi province are the amazing limestone cliffs drastically straight jutting out of sea and down to the sea as well as its diversity of diving reefs and habitats. On the basis of advantaged natural resources, the committee schemes to build Phi Phi Island as the world renowned Water Sports Centre (WSC scheme) covers from diving, snorkelling to sea kayaking. Ø Wedding Paradise: Phi Phi Island is the delightful place that full of cultural flavor and receives much exposure from Hollywood movies. The Maya Bay is the original setting place of love movieâ€Å"The Beach† starred Leonardo Di Caprio and â€Å"The man with golden gun† with James Bond. The remarkable natural scenery not only attracts the big names, the alluring local culture also fascinates the new couples and honeymooners around the world. Infinite business opportunities hide in the pristine beach and crystal clear water, the ATSSC committee projects a theme tour that target on the young people, in particular the young couple to cater for the weddings and honeymoon services. This proposition will not only attract more staying visitors, but also drive development of related industries such as hotels, restaurants and bars and ferry industries. Ø Ultimate Wellness Sanctuary: The Phi Phis natural beauty is a large chunk of allure that attracts visitors from all ages. The path behind the Tonsai Village is the ideal position to view the classic landscape, and the long beach is super excellent for the view of sun rise and sun set. After one day trip, having an energy-enriching treatment is the fantastic enjoyable finish. Phi Phi Island is one of the origins of Thai Spa due to its rich natural materials include flower extracts, plants oils, sea weeds and fish-roe. The committee proposes to upgrade the spa treatment on Phi Phi Island to an upper class on the basis of pure natural resources and traditional massages. Transform the spa industry from the tourism supporting business to the core local industry. Alternatives Evaluation It is important to evaluate the tourism development alternatives from the feasibility analysis and impact analysis with the â€Å"Benefits and Cost† approach which link the tourism activities with the stability of local economy, the sensitivity of environment and social structure (Walsh, R.G, 1985). The tourism development program impact on Phi Phi Island as below: Impact on local government: local government takes the major responsibilities to provide the infrastructures and services that key to tourism development. Developing the new tourism project can push government to ensure the carrying capacities, infrastructures that to meet the anticipated demands. Phi Phi Island has rich storage of natural resources and its tourism has developed more than two decades, in particular the diving industry has grown maturely. The new tourism project will reduces the capital pressure of government and increase the government revenue through charges, sales and taxes. (Stynes, D.J, 2004) Impact on local business: The tourism development can directly serve the community benefit and drive related industries. The diving centre can attract more divers that stimulate the development of local transportation; the wedding services drive the growth of flower planting and the spa industry generate more job opportunities for skilled locals. However, the key point for tourism development is the more â€Å"self-sufficient† the community is, the better the tourism impact. (Stynes,D.J, 2004) For example, although Phi Phi Island has the fantastic diving sites, the necessary diving equipments are mostly imported from U.S, Europe and Australia. If these products are bought to mush from outside, the large amount of tourist spending will leak out of the local economy. Impact on environment and residence: The quality of environment and life may go up or down depends on the way of tourism development. (D. Stynes C. OHalloran,1987) Developing Tourism may generate more job opportunities and increase revenue as well providing more retailers, hotels and restaurants; however, from the other hand, it also mean the higher living cost, busier traffic and higher tax, and the possibilities of environmental damage. (D. Stynes C. OHalloran,1987) In addition, tourism is the season-sensitive industry, and tourism work are basically in service sector and most are seasonal, part-time and low wage. The local government and tourism committee should balance the benefit and cost of tourism development and make a sustainable and strategically tourism development plan. Tourism Development Decision Tourism development plan should consider the relative roles of social sectors and involve a series of decisions. The ATSSC project the tourism program from four aspects. Segmentation: Phi Phi Island is the alluring destination full of natural resorts and cultural mystery that attract the customers from all age groups all over the world. The target market of new tourism program is more precise based on the demographics and interests groups. Phi Phi Island is famous for its diving and sports, the committee aim to build the Phi Phi Island as the paradise of young people who love sports and beauty and are keen to spend indelible holiday in the pearl of Andaman Sea (Xinhua,2006). Place: The destinations of Phi Phi Island program include the Phi Phi Don, Phi Phi Lee and the group islands. The key to perfect the local tourism is to regulate and improve the transportations among the different diving sites and attractions by combining the ferries, fast boat with the traditional boats as the uniqueness of local tourism. Upgrade the local attractiveness: Ø Diving: The Phi Phi Island will offer the remarkable variety of diving possibilities to different degrees of divers from beginners to expertise. The local diving club will provide four-hour â€Å"Discover Scuba Diving† to the beginners that introduce the basic skills, the equipment instructions and accompany the divers all the time to experience the beauty of white coral bush. For the divers who want to be certificated divers, the club will advise them to join the â€Å"Dive the globe† program to take further experience in the most popular diving site the Ko Bida Nok to appreciate huge garden of star corals and incredible beauty of anemones as well to play with the clown fish. For the certificated divers and PADI divers, the club tailors the special activities and guides the divers in small groups in speedboat and long tail boat to experience the specialty dives. (Udomsak,S,2003) Ø Snorkeling and Sea Kayaking: There are abundant coral reefs systems around Maya Bay, Pi Leh Bay and Bamboo Island that fantastic for snorkeling. Kayaking some uninhabited beaches and Viking caves in other islands is also the glorious alternative to the adventure potentials and addition to the overall water activities. Ø Wedding and honeymoon service: No one can reject the wedding with serenaded by sea gull and waves on a tropical pristine beach, massaged by soft sands and warm water from Andaman Sea. The tourism committee closely connected with the local premium hotels will offer one-step wedding services with world-class hospitable residences, fresh and colorful flowers and lovely weather. There are variety wedding package can be chose, from economic to luxury all guarantee to leave you the scared and memorable wedding. Ø Ultimate pampering spa: On Phi Phi Island, the visitors can experience the authentic Thai style spa in the atmosphere of tranquility. Phi Phi Island has its favourable natural advantage that has a rich storage of natural material, however, the massage parlours lack the unified standards and regulations to ensure the quality of service. The committee projects a training program for all the massage parlours on Phi Phi Island include the security check of environment, quality check of massage products, the certification of skill workers; the program does not mean to standardization of the spa service, on the contrary, the committee encourage the massage parlours to offer the unique services on the basis of security. Expected results The program will be launched on May, 2010. In the initial period, the committee and local government will focus on completing the local infrastructures and improving the carrying capacities to satisfy the increasing demand of anticipated visitors. With the international water sports centre completed, the committee anticipates Phi Phi Island will become the key all-round tourism destination in Andaman Sea. Tourism is a systematic industry, the committee hope to take advantage of new round tourism development program to drive speed growth of local service business, transportation industry, generate more working opportunities as well to build the goodwill image of Phi Phi Island around the world. Sustainable Development Considering the graceful scenery given by earth, it is absolutely a competitive advantage for their tourism industry. However, small island ecosystem is less complicated hence fragile, even slightly changes may cause the collapse the whole food chain on this island. Without mentioning the careless visitors from every corner of the world, the most careful travellers would leave their trail by hiking, diving, or even simply breathing. For example, a new exploring route through jungle might threaten the small animals feeding on bugs and worms, would directly cause the drastically rise of natural enemies to plants. Under the circumstances of spices singularity of small ecosystem, such change is fatal. Then how to protect the environment while making fully use of its natural resources is the question facing to authority. First of all, environmental protection awareness should be engraved on everyones mind. There should be consideration of environment protecting details through every step of development. From raw materials of building infrastructure to conspicuous signs at which remind travellers and even emission control of transportation, are basically demand. Second, accompany with the increasing tourism industry, a comparative rise of local inhabitant is a vital strike on ecosystem. Instead of restricting people moving onto the small island, it is wisely for authority to encourage local resident moving out, meanwhile providing more convenient transport. At last, there should be a visitor quantity control system. Providing different promotion and differentiating events, to avoid a capacity overload, which would lower the customer satisfactory and even lead to environment disrupti on. Apparently, there would be a conflict between sustainable development and profit maximization, however, it refers to improve reasonably and continuously. Conclusion Based on the identification of Phi Phi Island tourism system from variety resources including natural, culture, capital and organizations, this report set up series of objectives. In order to fulfil fostering the tourism industry with a combination of natural resources and local culture, encouraging promotion on existing tourist activities, and developing local economy through providing more job opportunities and attracting investment, several alternatives were generated. But these alternatives may influence the stability of local economy and environment. After evaluation of the impacts on different aspects from those choices, this plan made appropriate modifications to accomplish goal. In the end, a successful alternative requires thoroughly resources analysing and impacts predicting with a sustainable implementation, so that achieve the initial objectives.

English Copyright Law

English Copyright Law English copyright law does not protect ‘ideas but the ways in which these ideas are expressed. This was established in Harman Pictures NV v Osborne (1967) and recently affirmed in the case involving the Da Vinci Code novel, Baigent and Leigh v The Random House Group (2006).Where the work has been literally reproduced there can be no question of copying. However, difficulty arises where use is made of subtle aspects of style, commonly referred to as ‘non textual copying. The impact that copyright law has had on the computer industry and internet use has also led to much discussion about the effectiveness of the law in this dynamic and ever changing area. The courts, who see the matter as being one of degree, continue to adopt a narrow perspective on what constitutes infringement of copyright. The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 aims to protect work in the following categories: literary, musical, dramatic, typographical arrangement and artistic. The Copyright Computer Program Regulations 1992 included computer programs within the list of literary works along with books and song lyrics. The protection afforded by the Act includes prohibition against any work in the above categories being copied, adapted or distorted without the consent of the copyright owner. Based on s16 of the CDPA 1998 the court has formulated the following test to establish whether there has been an infringement of copyright. Firstly, the work for which copyright protection is being claimed must be clearly identified and established as original. Secondly there must be evidence that this original work has been copied. Thirdly, if the work has been copied, then the courts must decide whether a substantial part of the work has been reproduced. This test was outlined by Jacob J In Ibcos Computers Ltd v Barclays Mercantile Highland Finance Ltd (1994). The defendant created a computer accounting package and licensed it to the claimant. Together, they later marketed the package as (ADS) under the company name PK Ltd where the defendant was the sole employee and Managing Director. The defendant then left the company and joined a competitor as a consultant. There he wrote a programme called ‘Unicorn designed to compete with (ADS). Later the Claimants claimed the Unicorn was developed from (ADS) and therefore infringed their copyright. The court held that (ADS) was a compilation and that copyright existed in the individual programs, their various modifications as well as the whole suite. On comparing Unicorn and (ADS) there appeared to be overwhelming evidence of copying. The latter was an enhancement of the former and not an independent creation. In the absence of independent evidence similarities were due to copying as opposed to the defendants individual programming style. The striking similarities in the interaction of individual components in both packages caused the court to conclude that the ‘substantial part arm of the copyright infringement test had been satisfied. The copyright in the whole (ADS) package as well as the individual copyrights had been infringed. In arriving at his decision, Jacob J provided some guidance on general and detailed ideas rejecting the analysis in the earlier case of John Richardson Computers v Flanders (1993) where the American model for assessing infringement was adopted. He held that this was an incorrect approach which would lead to unnecessary complications. ‘For myself I do not find the route of going via United States case law particularly helpful. It is likely to lead to [the] over citation of United States authority based on a statute different from ours. In the end the matter must be left to the value judgment of the court He dissented from the view held by Judge Baker in Total Information Processing Systems Ltd v Daman Ltd (1992) and was of the opinion that the table of contents of a novel could be compared to the data division component of a computer programme. They could both be integral to the success of the work and sufficient to constitute a detailed idea. They could also constitute a substantial part of the work depending on the skill labour and judgement involved their compilation. In deciding whether a substantial part of a work has been copied one must look at the words of a novel and source code of a computer program as well as other factors such as, the plot of a novel and general structure of a computer programme. He held, ‘I therefore think it right to have regard in this case not only toà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦literal similarities but also to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ program structure and design features Later on in his judgment he questioned whether copyright subsisted in the ‘design features of the programme as highlighted by the plaintiff. In any event he was of the opinion that even if they could be afforded copyright protection the ideas were not detailed enough to form a substantial part of the work. ‘We are here at a level of generality where there is little of the programmers skill, labour and judgment. Even if the set were copyright, the mere taking of those functions would not be an infringement-it would be the taking of a mere general idea or scheme In relation to the contention that if there is only one way of expressing an idea that way cannot be subject to copyright, Jacob J held that this was an error and copyright could still exist. Again dissenting from the opinion of Judge Baker in Total he submitted that Kenrick v Lawrence (1890) was not authority for this proposition. In the Kenrick case the issue was whether copyright existed in the picture of a hand showing voters how to vote. He held that this was an idea and the decision in this case is authority only for the proposition that there is no copyright in an idea as a different picture displaying the same idea would not constitute infringement. Speaking directly about general and detailed ideas, Jacob J asserted that in relation to all work, ‘The true position is that where an idea is sufficiently general, then even if an original work embodies it, the mere taking of that idea will not infringe. But if the idea is detailed, then there may be infringement. It is a question of degree It is therefore important to assess how the courts have set out to separate the expression of the idea in detail from the general idea itself. It seems that in the former, attention is given to finer details of the work. In the final analysis, a balancing act must be performed to protect the author of the idea and encourage literary and technological innovation. Over the past decade there have been many cases involving the protection of computer source and object codes much like an author would seek to protect the words of a book. In John Richardson Computers v Flanders the courts extended the concept of an idea to include user interfaces stating that the way a program is used and responds to a user should also be copyrighted. Here the plaintiffs claimed that the defendants had copied the ‘look and feel of their computer software developed for the pharmaceutical industry. However as computer use became more widespread courts had to reconsider copyrighting ‘look and feel or ‘business logic of programs. This was highlighted in the case of Navitaire Inc v Easyjet Airline Co Ltd (2004) where Navitaire claimed that Easyjet online ticketless booking system eRes was a copy of their original programme, Openres. Navitaire owned the copyright in the source code for the computer programme and did not allege at any time during the case that this was copied. The allegation centred on the fact that eRes was almost indistinguishable from OpenRes in relation to the ‘user interface or interaction between user and programme. The Plaintiffs alleged non textual copying in relation to the ‘look and feel of running OpenRes, user commands to achieve particular results and screen reports in response to user instructions. Copying was alleged of the whole of OpenRes or the various modules that make up the system. What was further considered in this case was whether there could be an infringement where two computer programs produce the same results but the author of the latter had no information of the former apart from the end function. In this scenario the question arises as to whether the general idea alone has been copied or something more detailed. No infringement was found in Navitaire and it was held that to side with the plaintiffs in this case would be â€Å"an unjustifiable extension of copyright protection†. Simon Stokes in The development of UK software copyright law notes, ‘In light of Navitaire, the chances of a successful software copyright look and feel case appear limited unless there is a clear misappropriation of a copyright workà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ or underlying source code. In Nova Productions Ltd v Mazooma Games Ltd (2006) the restrictive approach in Navitaire was reaffirmed. Here the defendant produced a computer programme based on the game of pool that was similar to that of the plaintiff although he had no access to the original source codes. Again the plaintiff here alleged that although the computer programme language or sources were not copied, the user interface or ‘look and feel of the programme was. It was held that parts of the computer programme copied were of a â€Å"high level of generality or abstraction†, common in the industry and did not form a substantial part of the program itself. The court agreed with the Navitaire judgement and stated, â€Å"merely making a programme which will emulate another but which in no way involves copying the programme code or any of the programs graphics is legitimate† The present state of the law is that copying the end result of a computer programme in itself does not constitute infringing its copyright. In both Navitaire and Nova, the court included in its judgement the provisions of the Software Directive recitals 13-15. The Directive provides that, the expression of a computer program is protected but ideas and principles which underlie any element of a program or its interfaces are not. Many believe that spells bad news for creators and brand owners. In the European Intellectual Property Review, Peter Nunn states, ‘As the law currently stands, non-textual copying claims in the software field appear doomed: ideas and user interfaces can seemingly be freely copied It would be useful to consider the courts approach in other cases regarding protected work. In the case of Green v Broadcasting Corporation of New Zealand [1989] the issue of general and detailed ideas were also discussed in relation to a television broadcast. Here the British presenter Hughie Green sought to sue a New Zealand television station for copyright infringement of the format of his game show, Opportunity Knocks. The English Privy Council however rejected this attempt to claim that the format was a dramatic work, asserting that there was no copyright in an idea and the format as presented was ‘conspicuously lacking in certainty. This has led to difficulties in the television industry in relation to protecting various unscripted game show formats however unique and original they might be. Lord Bridge stated that there was, â€Å"difficulty [in] the concept that a number of allegedly distinctive features of a television series can be isolated from the changing material presented in each separate performance (the acts of the performers in the talent show, the question and answers in the quiz show etc.) and identified as an â€Å"original dramatic work† In the more recent case of Miles v ITV Network (2004) again involving television format rights it does not appear that English copyright law has moved any further forward. The claimant James Miles supplied ITV with promotional material for a cartoon programme where the main characters were a traffic light and traffic furniture. Later, ITV launched a programme called Dream Street where a recovery truck was the main character. Although Mr Miles conceded that the look and feel of the two programmes were very different, there were similarities between the characters and the presence of traffic equipment. However, the creator of Dream Street produced evidence to show that his work had been in existence before Mr Miles sent his material to ITV. The appeal was dismissed on the basis that the only similarity between he two programmes being the use of traffic equipment meant that the claim was ‘hopelessly weak Mr Justice Laddie in IPC Media Ltd v Highbury-SPL Publishing Ltd [2004] drew on the Green case in his ruling on whether IPCs Ideal Home Magazines design, subject matter and presentational style had been copied. Perhaps it is the presentation of its case in this manner that caused the judge to conclude that what they were trying to protect was the general idea behind the magazine as opposed to the expression in the idea evidenced by the detail, in content cover and articles. Justice Laddie quoted from the Green Judgement as follows: ‘The protection which copyright gives, creates a monopoly and there must be certainty in the subject matter of such monopoly in order to avoid injustice to the rest of the world: The issue here is of course as with television programmes magazine formats remain skeletal as to allow a dimension of spontaneity and creativity within the series. It is therefore difficult to pinpoint a detailed format and attach a copyright to it if details change monthly or even weekly. Justice Laddie concluded that the design techniques used by IPC were common in the industry and could have been applied by anyone designing a home magazine. Because the nature of a magazines cover and contents is to keep the buyer interested by constantly changing various features, it was difficult for IPC to state clearly what had been copied. No infringement was held to have taken place and again the English courts refused to extend copyright protection to general ideas. Justice Laddie concluded, â€Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦even if, contrary to my findings, Highbury had been â€Å"inspired† in some of its design choices by what it saw in IDEAL HOME, it would have been at far too high a level of generality to amount to infringement of copyright.† The plaintiffs in IPC struggled to prove their case for copyright protection and may have succeeded if they had alleged ‘passing off as their focus seemed to be on a visual comparison of the two magazines. This matter was addressed in Designer Guild Limited v. Russell Williams (Textiles) Limited (Trading As Washington Dc) [2000] and referred to in the IPC judgement as well as other subsequent cases. Here both parties were designers of wallpapers and fabrics. The plaintiffs alleged infringement of one of their designs. The trial judge found that the defendants had access to the original work and had copied a substantial part of it. The defendants appealed to the Court of Appeal who after making a visual comparison held that the two designs were not sufficiently similar and highlighted a number of differences. The Court of Appeal held that although there was some copying this did not form a substantial part of the work and therefore allowed the appeal. The claimants then appealed to the House of Lords who agreed with the initial trial judges decision that the copied features formed a substantial part of the plaintiffs work. Lord Millet commented that the judge who found for the defendants in the Court of Appeal erred in his approach as he treated what was a copyright case as though the claim was one for ‘passing off. If passing off had been alleged, it would have been sufficient for the court to have used visual similarities as a main point of comparison as here the charge would have been the defendants taking the plaintiffs goods and trying to ‘pass them off as their own. Where there is insufficient similarity on a visual inspection the action will fail. In the case of copyright however, the preoccupation is not with the appearance of the defendants work but with its origin. In the area of film, the extent of protection offered by copyright law has also been discussed in Christoffer v Poseidon Film Distributors Ltd [1999]. Here the court had to decide amongst other matters whether Mr Chistoffers copyright in the film script of the story of the Cyclops based on Book IX of Homers Odyssey had been infringed by the film production company Poseidon. On the basis that there was evidence of direct copying and adaptation of the Cyclops script in which Mr Christoffer held the copyright, infringement was found on the part of Poseidon. Justice Parks highlighted that words in the final script do not have to be identical in order for there to be sufficient evidence of copying. ‘In the context of a literary work the concept of copying embraces taking the content of the work, or of a substantial part of it, and reproducing it, whether or not the alleged infringer reproduces the content by using the original authors words or by using his own words In relation to books, protecting the expression of ideas was discussed in Harman Pictures v Osborne (1967) where an injunction was granted to restrain the production of a film on the grounds that it infringed the copyright in the claimants book as phrases and expressions were directly copied and they both ended with exactly the same quotation. Baigent and Leigh v The Random House Group (2007) is the most recent case in which the court have had to decide on the issue of copyright in books and whether a substantial part of a work had been reproduced. The claimants were publishers of a 1992 book, the Holy Blood and the Holy Grail and the defendants the publishers of Dan Browns 2003 novel entitled Da Vinci Code. Baigent and Leigh contended that in writing six chapters of Da Vinci Code a substantial part of their work had been copied. The claim was dismissed at trial however the claimant were granted leave to appeal to the Court of Appeal. Mr Justice Smith who heard the case in the first instance agreed that the six chapters highlighted were based largely on the claimants work but still went on to reject the copyright claim. Lord Justice Floyd in the appeal judgement reiterated how the courts would assess a claim for breach of copyright in a literary work. Firstly if there was material in both an early and later work and the author of the later had access to the former, an inference of copying is made. The court would then look closely at the material to establish if there was in fact any copying and whether this amounted to a substantial part. Baigent and Leigh did not contend that the text of their work was copied directly or that it was in some way adapted. The claim was that Dan Brown had copied the ‘theme of their work in his novel. The courts therefore had to decide whether the theme was protected by copyright bearing in mind the established law that copyright does not subsist in ideas but the expression of these ideas. Dan Brown did not deny that there was a similarity in theme between the two works but contended that he derived this material from other sources. Dan Brown also argued that if the claimants work had been used, the part copied was at a high level of generality and for this same reason could not be said to constitute a substantial part of the claimants work. The judge concluded that a central theme did not exist in the original work as if it did, it would have been recorded somewhere. â€Å"If it was one would have expected at least to find somewhere a statement that this is the Central Theme. This is where the Green case [Green v Broadcasting Corporation of New Zealand [1989] RPC 700] is relevant.† He went on to conclude that if there was such a theme it was too generalised and therefore on the wrong side of the line between ideas and their expression. The judge held that the claimants failed to show structure and architecture to their scheme which remained a number of facts, ideas and assertions. This being the case, there is insufficient evidence of the skill labour and judgement needed in order to attach copyright to it. On appeal, Lord Mummery agreed with the courts decision and dismissed the appeal after clarifying the need to separate issues of copyright subsistence and infringement. The issue was not whether what was outlined by the Claimant as a central theme was copyrightable but whether it had been copied and whether it formed as a substantial part of the original work. It is in relation to these two points that the judges found the claimants had failed to establish their case. The above cases highlight the complexities faced by claimant, defendant and judge in protecting copyright in any given work. The efforts expounded in the original work and the need to encourage creativity are both in fierce competition with each other. Simon Stokes seems to suggest the reason for this balancing act is because, ‘à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦go too far one way and innovation is stifled because the public domain of ideas is encroached upon; go too far the other way and copyright creators may be disinclined to create copyright works if the law does not adequately protect their works Non textual copying where there is no clear evidence of a direct reproduction of the work will continue to be difficult to prove for so long as it is the expression of the idea that attracts copyright and not the idea itself. In relation to magazine and TV industries, the IPC case indicates that it would be extremely difficult to succeed in a copyright claim where there are changing formats envisaged. Peter Nunn States, Laddie J. found that so many elements of the â€Å"format† which the claimants sought to protect were commonplace, including the strapline on the front coverà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦that he arguably shut the door on future claims to protect a magazines format It would be fair to say especially on analysing the Baigent judgement that the ideaexpression dichotomy works on two levels, both in relation to copyright subsistence and also to its infringement. In relation to subsistence the courts continue to assert that there can be no copyright in a general idea as was the case in Green and IPC. In relation to copyright infringement, Baignet shows that taking a general idea in a copyright work will not constitute infringement. The balance to be struck by the court appears to be a ‘work in itself as the facts of each case must be carefully examined as what may appear to be an expression is only an idea due to its generality, the fact that it could have been obtained from a number of other sources or it is common practice in a particular industry. What follows in establishing infringement is the concept of substantiality which the courts assess by weighing the amount of skill and judgement applied to the original work. Perhaps Chen Lin Saw rightly observes in Protecting the Sound of Silence in 433†, ‘While the idea-expression dichotomy is well established in copyright law and is easy to state in theory, its actual application in practice is still masked by a cloud of mystery and uncertainty

Walt Whitman’s Children of Adam :: Walt Whitman Children Adam Essays

Walt Whitman’s "Children of Adam" Walt Whitman will forever live in the minds of individuals as one of America’s greatest poets. People in America and all over the world continue to read and treasure his poetry. He was an original thinker, contributing new modern styles to poetry. He was unafraid of controversy and uninhibited by what others may think of him. He created his own path in poetry, as he describes himself in an anonymous review of his poetry: "But there exists no book or fragment of a book which can have given the hint to them" (Whitman). His poetry was not inspired or affected by those who wrote before him; according to him, his poetry came entirely from "beautiful blood and a beautiful brain" (Whitman). His emphasis on originality, paradoxically, displays how Emerson, a fellow nonconformist, influenced him by stressing the importance of originality and the ability to think without being aided by other people’s words of wisdom. However, while Emerson influenced Whitman, Whitman also affecte d Emerson’s thoughts, as the two were friends who respected each other’s minds. Another member of this group of nonconformist friends is Thoreau, a fellow transcendentalist (Baym 2078). Walt Whitman was born May 31, 1819 on Long Island. As a child he loved to read Sir Walter Scott (Baym 2076). As an adult he took a major interest in the Democratic party, and "began a political career by speaking at Democratic rallies" (2077). However, he is not remembered for his political action; Americans remember Whitman for his amazing poetry. He was one of the first American poets to write his poetry "without rhyme, in rolling, rhapsodic, metrical, or semi-metrical prose-verse of very irregular lengths" (Rossetti), as one of his contemporary critics noted. This new style was not the only way Whitman broke from the way the traditional poets wrote. As Rossetti described, "He not unfrequently alludes to gross things and in gross words—the clearest, the bluntest, and nearly the least civilly repeatable words which can come uppermost to the lips." Whitman’s refusal to shy away from taboo subjects disgusted and offended many of the people of his day, but Whitman possess ed "determination not to yield to censorship or to apologize for his earlier poems" (Baym 2079). One poem that Whitman penned without being concerned with offending people is "Children of Adam." "Children of Adam" is a languid, sensual poem that is overtly sexual. As Whitman says in his poem, he is "singing the phallus,/singing the song of procreation.