Oppose National Identification Cards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Oppose National Identification Cards - Essay Example Ultimately, the Act was intended to prevent terrorism by creating rigorous and consistent standards with regard to state-issued IDs for all the states to follow. States are commissioned to renovate the drivers’ licenses and non-drivers’ identification cards such that uniform security features could be included in them across the whole country (PFAW Capitol Hill). The law repealed Section 7212 under Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, a regulation targeting the issue of national standards for drivers’ licenses and personal identification cards where minimum standards were set and certain information were disclosed in the identification cards left to each of the states’ discretion, thus sacrificing the consistency of the categories and criteria on who are eligible to obtain the drivers’ licenses across the whole country. The new law as such reformed this by replacing each of all the states standards with a specific national one ( Hann). Technically, states are not mandated to accept these federal standards. But, refusing to do so would mean that their residents would be refused employment, then denied having social security or disallowed air travel. In a sense, instead of imposing a direct order on the states, the federal government is threatening them into complying underhandedly. Combating terrorism is the primary reason behind all these. But, proponents of these are actually forgetting that the criminals do not care about laws, not so much as to breaking them anyway. A terrorist would not so much bat an eyelash when he is not going to be dutifully able to obtain a federal ID card. People who disregarded the nation’s immigration laws would not care so much if they were to disrespect these ID requirements, especially when any card can be forged and any regulating agency could

The Medium Is the Massage Mcluhan Essay Example for Free

The Medium Is the Massage Mcluhan Essay This change in our perceptions of reality is the metaphor. â€Å"Our metaphors create the content of our culture. † (Postman, 1986) Postman compares the prophecies of George Orwell’s 1984 with the Aldus Huxley’s Brave New World. Orwell’s warning is of an â€Å"externally imposed oppression† while Huxley’s warning is of â€Å"people who will come to love their oppression, to adore their technologies that undo their capacities to think,† amusing their selves to death (Postman, 1986). Our culture is in danger of trivialization due to the distractions, amusements and limitations of our media today. It is our esponsibility to study the effects of our technologies to prevent any detrimental unanticipated consequences they may have on our society. Samuel Morse when he invented telegraphy, predicted that it would make â€Å"one neighborhood of the whole country. † According to Postman telegraphy â€Å"destroyed the prevailing definition of information, and in doing so gave a new meaning to public discourse. † It is with telegraphy and its union with the press that the value of information changed. Information became context- ­? free and a commodity. Information was bought and sold irrespective of its use or eaning, 1 and this is how the value of news has come to rely on its novelty, interest and curiosity and not on its functionality (Postman, 1986). â€Å"Television speaks in only one persistent voice – the voice of entertainment,† (Postman, 1986). Like the primitive technology of smoke signals, television is a medium restricted by its form. A Cherokee philosopher cannot communicate his ideas with smoke signals. Likewise, television with its inherent bias cannot be used for complex discussions. â€Å"The average length of a shot on network television is only 3. 5 seconds so that the eye never rests, lways has something new to see. † (Postman, 1986) Television favors fascinating dynamic visuals over ‘boring’ complexity and coherence- ­? which do not play well on television. All content is presented as entertainment, â€Å"requiring minimal skills to comprehend it, and is largely aimed at emotional gratification. † (Postman, 1986) However, this does not mean that there is anything wrong with entertainment or that all TV programs are useless. What is wrong is to turn to television for anything serious, expecting the meaningful. It is our obligation to be aware of the metaphor. The metaphor is new culture centered on the need to be entertained and incapable of filtering information, distinguishing what is relevant, or questioning what needs to be questioned. As we are now experiencing the boom in social media with 955 million active users on Facebook in June 2012 (Wikipedia, 2012), it is apparent that we should follow the advice of McLuhan and Postman, and study the elusive effects of social media on our culture today. Facebook tends to encourage people to only show how wonderful their life is. They engage in a form of personal propaganda, indulging in narcissistic behaviors n an environment where it is the norm to do so. It is true that social media brought the world closer together but it has also distanced us. We stay in touch without actually having a conversation through broadcasts and status messages. People compete to have as many friends as possible, making relationships shallow and communications superficial. With more than half of Facebook users accessing Facebook on their mobile devices, it is also important to note the distractions and disconnect these devices cause in our relationships in the real world. â€Å"People know what they do; they frequently now why they do what they do; but what they don’t know is what what they do does† Foucault (Mahon, 1992). In a world where technology is the way of life, it is crucial for us to investigate the effects these tools have on our societies. These tools are extensions of our human experience and therefore must be examined as phenomena that shape the very form of our existence, altering our day- ­? to- ­? day lives and dynamically influencing our culture. These influences maybe indirect and subtle and it is our responsibility to be simply conscious of their effects regardless of whether they are eneficial or not. It is through this awareness that we would be able to 2 prevent the changes that we decide do not suit our visions and goals for the human race. References: †¢ McLuhan, M. (1994). Understanding media: The extensions of man. (pp. 721). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Postman, N. (1986). Amusing ourselves to death. New York, NY: Penguin Group. Mahon, M. (1992). Foucaults nietzschean genealogy: Truth, power, and the subject. (p. 130). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. Wikipedia. (2012, August 20). http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Facebook    Facebook. Retrieved from †¢ †¢ †¢ 3

History of the Roman Baths

History of the Roman Baths Hala Ahmed Albinali Ms. Jessica Lund The Roman Baths The Roman baths are immense and outstanding complex structures designed for bathing, relaxing, and socializing. The Romans believed the baths were essential to the Roman civilization and that they were an example of their superiority and power. The Roman baths were an important part of daily life in ancient Rome’s architectural and social role, since it fulfilled Romans’ concerns about health and cleanliness, as well as allowed all social classes to mix freely, relax, communicate, and bathe while being drivers of the evolution of architecture. The Roman baths were centers of leisure, socialization, business, and gossip. They were originally built as a somewhat private gym in the households of wealthy Romans. The baths also existed in early Egyptian palaces. The Romans took the idea of a hipbath from the Greeks and expanded it into a high degree of sophistication. The baths were usually located near the forum, which is a marketplace or Public Square of an ancient Roman city, the center of legal and business affairs and a place of assembly for the people. At an excavation site in Pompeii, where the first and earliest entry fee box was discovered, that the cost of entry at the Roman baths was simple one â€Å"quadrans† − the smallest coin currency in Rome, thus the Roman baths became a daily regime for people of all classes. On holidays, the entrance fee was free, and during Diocletian’s reign the fee cost two denarii, which was more expensive than usual. The wealthy Romans had balnae in their villas, whic h were smaller, private bathhouses. The Roman baths, which are called thermae, were immensely large bathhouses built for a state and it typically took several blocks. Mixed bathing was unacceptable by most citizens, so there were times for both men and women at the Roman baths. Roman men would work around the afternoon and finish by 2PM or 3PM. At 2PM, the baths were open for mainly men to sport, bathe, and communicate until the baths close. On the other hand, Women had less time, they went in the morning while the men were at work to bathe, gossip, exercise if they were athletes, and meet friends until 2PM. Republican bathhouses had separate bathing facilities for men and women instead of having times for both men and women. As the Roman baths’ popularity grew, men began to use the baths daily, even the Emperor Commodus− who ruled from 180 BC to 192 BC as well as ruling as co-emperor with his father, Marcus Aurelius, from 177 BC− liked bathing so much he says he visited as much as eight times a day. From the beginning of 2nd Century BC, the Roman Baths grew in popularity and size since each Emperor tried to outshine the last Emperor by building more improved bathhouses for the citizens of Rome. By 5th Century AD, the Roman baths became a fundamental part of ancient Roman culture and could be found all over the Roman Empire − there were over nine hundred in Rome alone. Some amazing examples of the Roman baths are the baths of Caracalla, which covered more than thirty-two acres and could hold sixteen hundred bathers at once. It is among the most magnificent bathhouses of the entire Imperial era, but Diocletian’s baths outdid that since they have held up to three thousand people. Some Roman bathhouses were built on natural hot springs, which were known for their healing properties. According to writings and the ritual offerings found in excavations that the water, usually as hot as forty-six degrees Centigrade, that the healing was thought to be the work of the gods. Some ancient Roman bathhouses had temples built either on the site or very close to it, thus they became sacred places. For example, Sulis was the Celtic goddess of the spring, and when the Romans arrived, they worshipped her too. They recognized her with their own goddess of healing, Minerva. On the hot spring, the baths were built, and next to it, a temple to Sulis-Minerva in a walled enclosure. There were no services in the temple, but priests sacrificed animals, and after that, people went in for private prayers. They prayed standing in front of the statue with their hands out, palms up, and when they finished they kissed the statue’s feet. Most ancient Roman baths were places of enter tainment rather than worship. The bathhouses were built to provide a regular ritual that Romans repeated every time they visited the Roman baths. When entering the baths, they would first go to the dressing room, or apodyterium, where there werecabinets to store their clothes and shoes which were guarded by slaves for a fee. The slave(s) would also escort the bathers while carrying the bather’s gear. Sometimes the dressing room had multiple purposes, for example, in the Stabian Baths in Pompeii, thewomens dressing roomwas also a frigidarium, a room with a small cold-water pool. There is no clear evidence that shows what the Romans wore when bathing, but they may also have worn some light covering in the baths. Within the baths, they may have worn special sandals with thick soles to protect their feet from the heated floors. In the baths, there was a large central courtyard, whichwas the exercise ground, or palaestra. A shadyporticothat led into the bathing rooms surrounded it. The palaestra has a natationà ¢Ë†â€™a large outdoor pool such asone in the Stabian Baths. Since the Romans had no soap, they would use oil instead. After changing clothes and oiling their bodies, male bathers would usually begin their routine with exercise, by doing exercises such as wrestling, mild weight lifting, numerous types ofball playing, running, and swimming. After exercise, the bathers would have the dirt and oil scraped from their bodies with a curved metal tool called astrigil. A slave carried their towels,oil flasks,and strigils, while the bathers would start bathing through rooms of various temperatures. They may start in the warm room or tepidarium, which had heated walls and floors, but sometimes no pool, and then proceed to the hot bath, or caldarium, which wasclosest to the furnace. The caldarium had a large or small pool with very hot water and awaist-high fountainor labrum with cool water to splash on their face and neck. After this, the bather could spend some time in thetepidariumagain befo re finishing in thecold roomor frigidarium, a room with acold pool. They would sometimes repeat the same progression of rooms but backwards. Other rooms provided moist steam such as sudataria, dry heat like a sauna or laconicum, as well as massages with perfumed oils. After their baths, they could stroll in the other places the Roman baths offered. The bathers could watch performances of jugglers or acrobats, stroll in the gardens, visit the library, buy a snack from food vendors, or listen to a literary recital. The baths seem to be a quiet, leisurely place, but the baths were noisy, as one philosopher−Seneca−complained when he lived near a bathhouse in Rome: The sturdy man does his exercise with lead weights. When he is straining hard (or pretending to) I can hear him grunt; when he breathes out I hear him panting and his hoarse gasps. Or I might hear the blows of the massagers hands slapping his shoulders. To all this, add the man who dives in with a lot of noise and splashing. And if a ball player comes along and begins to count his score out loud, I am definitely finished. The baths were made to be very attractive and striking places. Although most of the decorations have not survived, many writers commented on the luxury of the bathhouses, describing them with words such as, â€Å"well-lighted, lovely mosaics, airy rooms with high vaulted ceilings, silver faucets and fittings, and paintings and colored marble panels.† There was also a large entrance or meeting area, where people could walk, talk, or sit on seats around two large fountains. Roman engineers invented a system of heating the baths called thehypocaust. Pillars and spaces were left inside the walls so that hot air from the furnace, or praefurnium, could circulate and flow through the space in the walls. Rooms that required the most heat were placed closest to the furnace and the heat could be increased by adding more wood to the furnace. Many heated rooms and pools were positioned to make the most of the heat of the sun. At the Baths of Caracalla, the hot room was an enormous hall th at was one hundred and fifteen feet wide with a pool three feet deep.In order to heat it, approximately fifty large furnaces were needed as well as millions of fireproof terracotta bricks or special bricks called tegulae mammatae. Bathhouses also had largepublic latrines, usually with marble seats over channels whose continuous flow of water that established the first â€Å"flush toilets.† These toilets were a vital part of the plumbing system as well as another common area in which to sit and talk. There was a continuous water flow underneath the seats. A shallowwater channelin front of the seats providedsponges attached to sticksfor people to wipe themselves. The Roman baths were among the most splendid and luxurious of all the outstanding works, and it allowed all, no matter what their social role was, to enjoy the magnificent baths. With their exquisite furnishings, high vaulted ceilings, paintings, brightly colored mosaics, marble panels, and silver faucets and fittings. As well as its organization and planning. The Roman baths were an important part of Rome’s superiority, social role, and advancements in architecture and more. Ancient Roman Baths: Ancient Roman Architecture in Action.Web. 18 February 2015. Camelot International: Britains Heritage and History.† Web. 18 Feb. 2015. James. Roman Baths: Facts and Information.† 25 Mar. 2013. Web. 18 Feb. 2016. McManus, Barbara F. Roman Baths.† June 2011. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. Cartwright, Mark. Roman Baths.† 2 May 2013. Web. 17 Feb. 2015. McGuire, Lela. Baths in Ancient Rome.† Web. 18 February 2015 ROMAN BATHS.† Web. 18 Feb. 2015. Carr, Karen. Roman Baths.†. 10 Feb. 2015. Web. 18 Feb. 2015. Baths. PBS. Web. 18 Feb. 2015. The Romans The Bath House.† 8 Mar. 2014. Web. 18 Feb. 2015. Roman Baths.† Web. 18 Feb. 2015. The Scribe. Ancient History Blog.† 14 Jan. 2011. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.

All The Shah’s Men by Stephen Kinzer Essay -- All The Shah’s Men, Step

In the novel All The Shah’s Men we are introduced to Iran, and the many struggles and hardships associated with the history of this troubled country. The Iranian coup is discussed in depth throughout the novel, and whether the Untied States made the right decision to enter into Iran and provide assistance with the British. If I were to travel back to 1952 and take a position in the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) for the sole purpose of examining the American Foreign Intelligence, I would have to conclude that the United States should have examined their options more thoroughly, and decided not to intervene with Iran and Mossadegh. I have taken this position after great analysis, which is something that Eisenhower and his staff never did. By discussing the history of Iran, the Anglo-Iranian oil company, and Document NSC-68 I will try to prove once and for all that going through with the coup in Iran was a terrible mistake made by the United States.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There were many aspects concerning the history of Iran that showed that the coup was a bad idea. The role of religion played a very influential part in the history of Iran. Many people living in Iran still to this day believe in the Zoroastrian religion. The beliefs associated with this religion may account for many of the uprisings and political protests aimed at the Shah and his power. This religion taught Iranians that they â€Å"have an inalienable right to enlightened leadership and that the duty of subjects is not simply to obey wise kings but also to rise up against those who are wicked† (20). Many thought that the Shah was a terrible leader, and that he would continue to sell out his country to foreigners for the right amount of money. I believe that Mossadegh also believed this, and that he used this Zoroastrian belief to do so. The Shah did not have farr, because he did not act or behave morally. Even Shiism, which came about long after the religi on of Zoroastrian, believes that rulers may hold the power of a country only as long as they are just. By looking over the history of Iranian religion, this alone should have set of alarms in the government that this coup may not be the right way to get Mossadegh out of power.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Not only did the religious history play a large role in Iran’s beliefs but also foreign invaders have been imposing their power on the Iranian region for thousands of years. Iran... ...n, instead of the coup. Instead of rushing into the coup like the Unite States did, it should have sat down, and laid out all of the possible options, and then chose the best course of action.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In All The Shah’s Men there seems to be a very strong hatred for all foreign powers, including the United States, taken by the citizens of Iran. I believe that this ultimately occurred because of the impatience of certain government officials in Washington D.C., and also in Great Britain. If only there could have been better communication between countries, I feel that there would have been a solution reached. The stubbornness of the British for the most part, led to many lives being lost, and a feeling of perpetual disgust being shown towards the United States for their involvement. Although the British were our allies and we did have an extreme fear of communism taking over the free world, this coup was disorganized, forced along too quickly, and put forth without any guidance or strong evidence, which in the end proved to completely defy what the United States was trying to impose on the world, and what Mossadegh was trying to give his people; freedom an d democracy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Consumer Psychology and Marketing Communications Article Analysis Essay

Consumer Psychology and Marketing Communications Article Analysis Consumer Psychology is the art of determining consumer requirements through study and analysis of consumer spending and purchasing habits relating to products or services advertised for sale. The analysis portion focuses on consumer motivation concerning products and mood relative to purchasing products. The Cherry (2012) website Consumer Psychology is a specialty area that studies how our thoughts, beliefs, feelings, perceptions influence how people buy and relate to goods and services. One formal definition of the field describes it as the study of individuals, groups, or organizations, and the processes they use to select, secure, use, and dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society. Psychological variable associations with buyer behavior represent a very significant part of what researchers study about consumers. Historically, the emphasis has been on several important areas: needs and motivation, perception, learning, attitudes, and psychographics. Many investigations into psychological characteristics and buyer behavior ultimately emphasize the existence of market segments and how well those segments predict differences in consumer activities, examining the intrinsic qualities of individuals and how those identifications facilitate targeting consumer groups (McDonald, 1994). According to the Society for Consumer Psychology, division 23 of the American Psychological Association, consumer psychology employs theoretical psychological approaches to understanding consumers. Consumer psychologists study a variety of topics, including how consumers choose businesses, products, and services, the thought processes, and emotions behind consumer decisions. Other factors considered are how environmental variables such as friends, family, media, and culture influence buying decisions, what motivates people to choose one product over another, how personal factors and individual difference affect people’s buying choices and what marketers can do to reach effectively out to their target customers (Cherry, 2012). Consumer behavior consists of studying buyer’s trends and the processes they use to choose, consume, and dispose of products and services. A more in-depth definition will also include how that process affects the world. Consumer behavior incorporates ideas from several sciences, including psychology, biology, chemistry, and economics. Mood of the consumer can affect buying habits. The line between an emotion and mood is frequently difficult to draw, but often by convention involves conceiving of a mood as longer lasting from a few hours up to days and lower in intensity than an emotion. Still another distinction between emotions and moods is that the former typically is intentional, that is, it has an object or referent, whereas moods are generally nonintentional and global or diffused. Marketing communications are messages and other media that used to communicate the promotion part of marketing that consisting of pricing, products, promoting, and placing. Marketing communications is what drives us to buy, whereas consumer psychology studies how or why we buy. It is the study of why we buy certain products and not others, and the process of what we go through to use, select, secure, and dispose of these products or services. It delves into the reasons of how we satisfy our needs and the impact these processes have on society and the consumer. The study of consumers helps firms and organizations improve their marketing strategies by understanding issues, such as the psychology of how consumers think, feel, reason, and select between different alternatives, e. g. , brands, products, and retailers. Several other psychological factors also considered are how the consumer is influenced by his or her environment, e. g. culture, family, signs, media; the behavior of consumers while shopping or making other marketing decisions; limitations in consumer knowledge or information processing abilities influence decisions and marketing outcome. Finally, how consumer motivation and decision strategies differ between products that differ in his or her level of importance or interest that they entail for the consumer, how marketers can adapt and improve their marketing campaigns and marketing strategies to more effectively reach the consumer (Perner, 2010). Consumer psychology studies human characteristics (feelings, thoughts, perceptions, and beliefs) and how these characteristics governs our thoughts, influence how we relate to, and buy goods and services. It studies why we purchase desired products and not others, and the process of what we go through to use, select, secure, and dispose of these products or services. It delves into the reasons of how we satisfy our needs and the impact these processes have on society and the consumer.

The First Ammendment essays

The First Ammendment essays When we read the constitution, it states our rights to exercise religion, and free speech. I feel the Pledge is a good thing to say. It shows that you support our country. When I stand and say the Pledge, my heart starts to beat fast. I think of all of my relatives that have fought in the wars and all that have given their lives to give our country freedom. The Pledge dates back 110 years ago. A man by the name of Francis Bellamy wrote it in August of 1892. Bellamy was a minister. Bellamy believed the middle class should have an economy with equality, social, and political for all. On October 12, 1892, 12 million children read the Pledge to our flag. That was the beginning of our Pledge (World Book4). Although, Francis Bellamy originally wrote the Pledge, it was changed over time. His original version went as follows: I pledge Allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all(Baer1). A couple of years after the pledge was written, there were several groups that adjusted the Pledge to their liking. The groups were the American Legion and the Daughters of the American Revolution. From the original copy they changed my flag to the flag of the United States (Baer1). In 1954, the Knights of Columbus added under God to the pledge (Baer1). Congress starts out their sessions with the same statement, God save the United States, and the honorable court. When judges are sworn in, they have to say, so help me God. Even our money is printed, In God we Trust (Capital Hill5). These symbols all have God in them, and are used by everyone in the world. Just because something has the word God written or stamped on it, does not mean that you stop using it. During an informal survey, the general population support reciting the Pledge at school. More than 50%of the peopl...