Analyze both stories. Is the author's suggestions a good solution to Essay

Analyze both stories. Is the author's suggestions a good solution to solving a problem - Essay Example On the other hand, the Houyhnhnms see themselves as superior to the Yahoos because they are more rational, thus giving the former the right to have power over the latter’s life and death (Lemke, Martin, Fuentes, and Swift 47). Justifying Infanticide depicts how Singer sees himself as a rational Houyhnhnm who should have a power to decide over the life and death of those considered non-humans, or those who are not yet humans. However, Swift’s aim is to make people realize that humans are indeed Yahoos with pure genetic composition and the propensity towards sensual pleasures, but are also Houyhnhnms with rational thinking and the propensity towards oversimplifications and ideas. In Justifying Infanticide, Singer separated these two --- intelligence and incarnation --- by referring to newborns not as persons, but merely pain-receptors having no psychological association to its future personhood (33). Therefore, if one follows this line of reasoning, newborns are Yahoos wh ose life and death are under the decision of the superior Houyhnhnms. A Modest Proposal is entirely different since it is a satirical exaggeration that states selling the children as food to rich people may alleviate the poor parents’ economic situation (Swift 13). Justifying Infanticide Justifying Infanticide has a utilitarian root that reinforces the concept of â€Å"doing the greatest good for the greatest number.† It says that a deed is made moral if the end justifies the means. In line with this thought, Singer theorizes that eliminating a certain percentage of the population is acceptable if justified by the situation or the result it offers (34-5). According to the utilitarian point of view, objections from people who perceive that killing a person is morally incorrect are mostly based on emotions. Utilitarianism asserts the belief that reason should be the main basis of ethics, so it means that infanticide can be justified by reason in some cases, thus be deeme d ethical (Sloane 47-8). For a clearer definition of terms, infanticide is the intentional killing of an infant for reasons ranging from partiality to a specific gender to control of population (Vehmas 38). Utilitarian Peter Singer provides the most controversial defense of infanticide. For example, Singer states that the costs to families and societies and the quality of life in caring for children with specific disabilities entail more effort but provides less positive results (35). This may be a controversial stance, but on a realistic viewpoint, the child will live a life that is considered unhappy or unwanted by most people. This is one case where infanticide is considered humane (Sloane 48). One great difficulty, however, is in deciding when this is justifiable because there is always the argument that no one can really say when a certain life is undesirable other than that very person. However, one strong defense of infanticide in the utilitarian standpoint is the argument ag ainst the suffering infant whose medical case is beyond the scientific capacity to cure (Vehmas 39). For Singer, it is more altruistic to allow parents to choose to end their and their child’s suffering through euthanasia (36). A Modest Proposal The lack of compassion towards the poverty-stricken citizens is the target of Swift’

Charismatic behavior leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Charismatic behavior leadership - Essay Example In regard to communication, charismatic leaders need more than just the distribution of information in order to communicate effectively. Therefore, to be effective, emotional appeals in their rhetoric are often incorporated, this includes use of symbols, metaphoric and dramatic language hence lending credibility to communication. Moreover, when charismatics communicate with inspiration, passion, motivation and emotion, followers are expected to attribute charisma. Additionally, charismatic leaders are renowned for passionate exciting public oratory thus, making the audience full of excitement. Therefore, the charismatic behaviours in this context lead to a self-serving style, since this leaders seek to appeal themselves to the people (Levay, 2010). Moreover, founding a trust connection with followers is so vital for charismatic leaders. Further integrity is created by signifying consistency and honesty among said personal actions and actions. In order to constantly adhere to a morals base, values and needs of followers must be understood by charismatic leaders. Therefore, by trying to gain trust, the charismatic leaders are trying to lead a self-serving style where their main aim is to create a positive impression of themselves, among those that they lead. However, followers do not regard charisma to be founded on visions, but they regard visionary attributes of charisma to be existing in a leader who customizes the vision with persistent resolve. Thus, it is the follower’s internalization on visions that direct them to regard charisma to a leader (Conger, Kanungo, & Menon, 2000). There are two types of charismatic leaders, the positive charismatic leaders and the negative charismatic leaders. The personality and values of a charismatic leader will provide evidence on whether a leader is viewed negatively or

PESTEL analysis for Embraer Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PESTEL analysis for Embraer - Case Study Example PESTEL is an acronym for the Political, Economic, Socio-cultural, Technological, Environmental and Legal factors that contribute to the growth or decline of an organization. Embraer is the quintessential example of the success of neoliberal privatization of a government company. The political and social factors, to some extent, contributed to the growth of this company. The political environment of Brazil, despite being poor, has had little to no effect to Embraer. The privatization in 1994 excluded the government from the running of the company (Rothaermel, 2012). Similarly, the socio-cultural factors have had minimal contribution because this company does not focus on people. The company focuses on the building and selling of aircraft, which are bought by corporations and not bought by ordinary people. On the other hand, the economical and technological factors have contributed significantly to the prosperity of Embraer. Being based in Brazil, the company was at a unique position to benefit from the economic growth of the country (Rothaermel, 2012). Brazil is a world economic giant, ranked seventh, and is considered as the fastest growing economy in the world. Furthermore, the country is the largest economy in Latin America. This growth in Brazil’s economy has led to fertile economic environment for Embraer’s growth. There is availability of development capital in the country that led to the growth of the company. The government is a significant shareholder in the company giving it vast economic resources for gain. The Brazilian government was very instrumental in the present success of Embraer. After its inception, the Brazilian government gave the company license production contracts for the production of local aircraft. This contract was the catalyst for future growth because the company already had an available market (Rothaermel, 2012). The economical factors have had significant

Chapter 6 Duval l& Hays Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Chapter 6 Duval l& Hays - Essay Example One cannot simply use the literary context of reading the ingredients written on a tuna-can and apply it to understanding Bible. The game of genre determines the meaning. There are many passages and verses that are frequently misinterpreted by ignoring the immediate context. For instance, Jesus has said in the Bible that he is vine (John 15:5). This is probably the prime example of what conferring to immediate context means. If this statement is considered without immediate context it can be misinterpreted that probably Jesus was calling himself a plant, which is not the case. Topical preaching is valid when the passage is not misunderstood regarding the context or when the passage is coherent with the context (Duvall & Hays, 2009). Usually what happens is topical preaching disregards the literary context and that gives the chance to the listener or the reader to misinterpret the message. For this reason the expository preaching is considered a better alternative to topical preaching (Duvall & Hays, 2009). It topical preacher has more chances of getting it wrong by misinterpreting when the correct when they connect their first thought stemming from Johns preaching with some random fourth thought relevant to

Corprate risk managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Corprate risk managment - Essay Example Risks can be beneficial if properly managed (Merkhofer, 1987). Fate favors the bold; those who dare to dream and take calculated risks. Without risks, there are no rewards. Every decision in an enterprise is based on risks. The decision to manufacture more goods in anticipation of a sales pitch is a risk, so is the decision to stock particular goods. There is no guarantee that there would-be customers or that the speculative effort will be rewarded, yet enterprises do take these risks and are rewarded for the same. Risk management is an integral part of doing business in any organization. It can be implemented at both the strategic and operational levels of the business. This necessitates the cultivation of a risk culture. There is no universally accepted risk culture or practices; this may be because different industries face different risks (Focardi and Jonas, 1998). Even if the organizations are in the same industry each organization faces their own unique risks, which will need a unique way of managing. However, the basic risk culture activities include scenario analysis; economic capital modeling and risk control self-assessments. Scenario analysis is the determination of the particular context within which the risk occurs; economic capital modeling involves making financial projections based on certain risk management decisions while risk control self-assessment involves the monitoring of the risks with the view of establishing whether the decision is still viable. The various types of risks include hazard risks, financial risks, operational risks and strategic risks. The paper will examine the decisions that a management can make when faced with a risk (Bouham, 2008). a) Key Risk Management Decisions Risk management is a cost-benefit analysis strategy (Kropp and Schoffran, 2007). Most of the risks usually externally originate threats. According to the SWOT analysis model, any factors that are internal and positives are the strengths of that organization, if they are internal and negative, then they are the weaknesses of that organization, if the factors are external and positive, they are considered to be opportunities that the organization can explore to its benefit while if they are external and negative, they are the threats to the company, and these are the factors that pose as risks to the organization. The costs of decisions to be made are juxtaposed against the benefits expected and the relevant actions can then be taken (Gabardi and Tichy, 2013). There are generally five key risk management decisions. These decisions depend on their impact and probability of happening. The first management decision may be to totally avoid taking the risks. This means that the organization drops the activity that has the probability of that risk arising; it infers total exit, for instance, if it is manufacturing company, then it stops manufacturing and winds up the business. The second decision is risk reduction. This involves making strateg ic decisions that will reduce the likelihood and or magnitude of the risk. The third decision may be to take alternative action by considering other viable options that minimize the risk. The fourth decision is to share the risk by taking insurance cover. Most companies prefer this decision, but it does not work in certain situations. The last decision may be to accept the risk when it occurs and enjoys all its benefits and incur all its

Fostering citizen Information Literacy Essay Example for Free

Fostering citizen Information Literacy Essay For social and economic developments in a country there has to be a good information system (IFLA 2003). For an empowered nation all the citizens should have an easy access to information most especially the developing nations. This will make the citizens make decisions easily hence develop the country. Libraries should be well equipped and structured with programs that will enhance information flow amongst the citizens (Chagari 2005). Libraries should therefore be used to transform nations by providing for their information needs. Information literacy is the process by which information can be extracted from various sources, analyzed and used correctly for decision making. This is the main mission to be achieved in the information age (Australian Library and Information Association 2001). Current information literacy is a necessity in the societies. Opportunities are availed in the modern societies whether cultural or educational requires citizens to be information literate (Drotner 2005). Information literacy will be a motivation factor to many people to acquire knowledge in pursuing their studies through out their lives hence personal empowerment (Chagari 2005). Fostering citizen Information Literacy According to Chagari (2005), public libraries have played a very important role in fostering information literacy amongst the citizens. Public libraries have actively engaged in giving information based services to citizens that have no access to the required information. All the disadvantaged groups or individuals have been identified and everyone including the sick, disabled, unemployed or low income earners has access to information without discrimination. Public libraries have helped in nurturing information literacy in many ways. These included through instructing the users. Tutorials have been made to help train the library users on how to access the required information and use it. There are printed materials in many public libraries to guide the users on how to access the required information (Chagari 2005). These handouts enhance learning and usage of such facilities. Librarians can also provide reference materials to the library users. The librarians may identify certain area and show the learners how to carryout a research in that area thereby lessening their work. The areas chosen may be on specific research areas for example; The users may be showed how to use references available in written materials, how to access online materials using online interactive models. For instance the virtual reference desks connected to internet. Interactive databases can be used to help in decision making. All these methods will enhance learning as a result of improved access to information (Chagari 2005). Public libraries have promoted collaborations amongst various library users and researchers. Through the public library usage, a teacher learner partnership is most likely to be formed. Librarians have to interact with other researchers based on different fields to get the relevant information about the information they have. Through this collaboration information literacy is enhanced (Chagari 2005). Both governmental and non governmental organizations have partnered to help gather information about a particular problem or issue in the organization. This has also been observed through local associates and writers dealing with literature. Promotions and marketing have been done by the public libraries to create awareness amongst the citizens about information literacy. This is to ensure that the citizens’ requirements are met. To ensure every citizen is aware of such services, public libraries have used electronic, printed and vocal communication means to create awareness. Internet, newspapers and televisions have been used to help disseminate such information. Information literacy awareness has been popularized in many countries hence an awareness to the citizens (Chagari 2005). There have been posters or bill boards to help distribute materials about information literacy, training programs, talks, exhibitions and meetings. All these are aimed at creating awareness to the public to encourage citizens to take part in information literacy programs. There has online library sites created to allow for online access of the library information. It may at times require face to face meetings to negotiate on the legal requirements between the local and governmental organizations. Public libraries have made it possible to allow for the arrangement of materials depending on events hence to attract people (Libraries for lifelong Literacy 2004). Revenues have been collected from such services. The revenue collected can be used in developing the systems to be more efficient to the users (Chagari 2005). Suggestions have been made to help support certain groups for instance the women groups to make them computer literate (Kargbo 2004). Public libraries have suggested for both public and private bodies to support adult trainings on areas such as sanitation, nutrition, health, consumer rights, management of food, water, income amongst others (Chagari 2005). These are areas that require public interests to develop a country hence a way to involve many citizens. Such training promotes empowerment hence citizenship. Public libraries have come up with the youth training programs. The libraries provide for the youths needs and hence empower them to meet their goals. Information literacy institutions have been established. There have been associations formed between colleges and research libraries to help develop library attendants. This ensures that the librarians can assess well and ensure improvements in the information literacy programmes available (Chagari 2005). Most undergraduate programs have been advanced to include the information literacy programs. To nurture information literacy amongst citizens, there has to be public libraries in the countries. Through the libraries citizens will get access to information easily and also embrace the new technology of acquiring skills. Government should ensure a global access to information and communication materials or devices (Lough 2002). The only way that societies can ensure active participations in cultural, social, political and economic development is through the digital divide (Bennett 2001). Technology is very fundamental for citizenship in the modern society (BECTA b 2001). There has been an increased use of technology amongst the societies (Home Office 2001b). Computer usage has been introduced in most homes, schools, offices and hence an increased access to information (Home Office 2001a). Countries have introduced computers in their libraries. This is in order to provide equal access to information and enhance digital information access (Serbia 2004). Digital information access in the public libraries will promote information literacy and at the same time provide an extended learning opportunity to the citizens. IFLA as the international body that represents the interests of library users and information service providers requires an equal access to information amongst the citizens. According to Serbia (2004), there are policies and rules that have been formed to ensure standards in public libraries. The standards are based on services as follows; purposes and roles, financial and legal structures, customer or user satisfaction, development strategies, attendants’ qualifications and the management and marketing. All public libraries have to meet quality services based. All public libraries have to have their mission stated somewhere to show the citizens the services they provide. These may include free access to information communication technology to all irrespective of the age to foster and support information literacy. There has been emphasis from governments worldwide on corporate responsibility in developing our nations. A publication has been made on information literacy to promote citizenship empowerment by the UNESCO (Correia 2002). The document was aimed at assessing the policies that govern literature study and to give a way forward to ensure information literacy programmes are implemented in all countries worldwide. In developing countries there is a lot of information available to the citizens. This mass information requires a lot of management to make more useful to the citizens. Librarians have been trained and employed to aid the public library users in accessing such information efficiently (Qvortrup 2007). To promote information literacy, citizens are therefore required to have the basic knowledge to find the required information and use it appropriately on their own. Public libraries have transformed societies in many ways. This is because the libraries have broadened their roles in the societies not only to benefit everyone but also to empower citizens through equitable access to information (Konera 2008; Stipanov 2005; Howley 2004). According to Collection Development Policy (2003), for public libraries to foster information literacy for the well being of the citizens there has to high standards of integrity and services adopted. The librarians should learn how to interact well with the information systems and at the same time how to take good care of the citizens as learners. The librarians should foster intellectual freedom to facilitate information flow and decision making. The librarians should also respect intellectual property hence exercise their power or responsibility on their duty. Clients rights should always be protected giving them access to the required information always. The librarians should be sensitive to the citizens’ requirements or suggestions to ensure all their needs are catered for adequately. Supporting Citizen Information Literacy Public libraries have supported information literacy in many ways. Public libraries use computer systems to store records of information available in the libraries. According to Chagari (2005), computer and networking devices have facilitated learning during the programs organized for information literacy. Through multimedia materials the learners’ participation was enhanced. Coaxial cables have popularized in many countries hence used in many libraries to reach many users through networking. Networking is very cost effective especially when used to access people that are geographically away from each other. Through using the coaxial cables both rural and urban residents can be reached. Information access can also be achieved any where provided you are within the network. The training programs can be video taped and telecasted to targeted groups anywhere within the country (Chagari 2005). With both entertainment and educational opportunities provided by the computerized programs citizens can be easily attracted and motivated to acquire the required information. Mass media communication has been used to broadcast the information literacy programs. Radios, televisions and newspapers can be easily accessed by the majority in many countries. These can be used as tools to sensitize people on the need for information literacy. Librarians have dealt with the context based programs to help them identify the areas of importance to most users for instance political, social, cultural and economic. This was based on the fact that to optimize participation from the citizens their areas of interest must be tackled (Chagari 2005). This encourages citizens to strive for the best in life. The librarians are therefore supposed to ensure every citizen is aware of such services. According to Serbia (2004), communities are different depending with the nation. The requirements of such communities will be different depending on their cultural and social differences. Structures and systems to be devised in the public libraries will therefore be different (BECTA b 2001). Each public library in each country should therefore have their own vision and mission to state their service objectives. The mission statement will help address the individual needs of the public library users. This will also show the technology to be put in place. Opinion on Public Library Preparedness for fostering and supporting citizen information Literacy According to UNESCO public library manifesto (1994), public libraries had their mission since 1994 (Forsyth 2005). Amongst their missions was to ensure equal and reliable access to information for all citizens. It follows that public libraries started emphasizing on information literacy from that time. Institutions were formed to facilitate information literacy. Public libraries came up with policies to ensure its services are free of charge and available to every citizen. Public libraries opted for a nation wide network to facilitate researches and information sharing globally (Hancock 2004). All these were to be funded and hence implemented in all libraries. In this sense, I think public libraries were prepared to ensure equal access to information by citizens. Public libraries have developed programs to help attract, train and develop different members of the societies (Chagari 2005). I think this is a sign of preparedness and they still want to involve more and more. Public libraries have trained their staff to facilitate their ability to train the library users, manage the information in the libraries and collaborate with other people to ensure learning. There is increased level of management in many libraries. Information access has been enhanced for instance the librarians have arranged the information depending on the events or certain topics and authors for easy access. In my own opinion, public libraries have been well prepared to nurture and support information literacy in societies. This is because other than the traditional information sources, libraries have embarked on technology use allowing the citizens to get access to information from various sources. This ensures increased availability of information to the citizens. Public libraries have availed information in video or disc tapes, portable disks. Information has also been simulated and recorded to help in demonstrations where human beings are likely to be exposed to high risks (Chagari 2005). According to John (2002), a library should be able to provide the following services to the users or citizens. Similarly, a library is a place to provide the citizens with information, informing and helping them in making decisions (Centre for Citizenship Studies in Education 2002). I think public libraries should therefore keep the citizens up to date with the information about their daily life and provide them with the adaptive features. Public libraries have provided all these services hence a sign of preparedness to create awareness to promote citizenship. It is my opinion that public libraries have been well prepared to support and promote information literacy amongst citizens. With the advancement of technology this was going to be easily achieved. Public libraries have embraced technology making all citizens computer literate hence bridging the gap between the digital divide. This shows how determined public libraries are to ensure every citizen has access to the required information as a sign of empowerment. Public Libraries have come up with projects that promote sharing, support and researches through organized meetings, conferences, forming partnerships (John 2002). I think this is in order to facilitate quality training, gather the required information and to reach as many citizens as possible Public libraries have even cooperated with other organizations to lend information materials, purchase jointly or even achieve joint storage facilities hence share the costs. This is a sign of preparedness. The libraries are ready to help citizens acquire the required information at all costs. According to Bundy (2003), there was a research done in 2002 to help find out the educational requirements of international students. The research was aimed at identifying the difficulties experienced by the students in access information. Information is power and hence acquisition of the right information by every citizen is a sign of empowerment. I think, public libraries therefore wanted to ensure everyone has access to the right information everywhere. In this sense the libraries prepared well to provide for everyone and hence an equal chance to meet their goals as individuals. I have a strong opinion that public libraries have been well prepared to foster and support information literacy to citizens. Information is a democratic tool and hence can be used to achieve democracy. Information alone may not guarantee democracy one has to struggle to know how to use it well in decision making (Bundy 2003). This calls for information literacy. Public libraries have been on the front line to sensitize all citizens on various issues that affect our societies. Through public libraries various groups in our societies have been trained and informed about cultural, political and economic factors that affect them. I think public libraries have prepared well for information literacy amongst citizens. Since the emergence of technology, there came a need for information literacy. Public libraries formed institutions like National Forum on Information Literacy (NFIL). Such institutions have been used by many countries to ensure their citizens get access to information or to be information literate (Bruce 2002). NFIL has been used by many countries to solve the library issues to foster information literacy in our institutions (Durrance 2005). I think that all the countries that participated in NFIL wanted to ensure non-discriminative access to information by all citizens hence empower all to build our nations Conclusion Library Information literacy is a process of getting access to information, retrieving it and manipulating it to be used in decision making. In most countries worldwide citizens are accessed to basic information only. This is not enough to empower the citizens and promote citizenship. There is therefore need to train people on ways of getting easy access to the required information (Bawden et al 2002). With the advancement in technology Internet and computer use has enhanced the way information can be accessed globally. There are universally used standards to enhance information access (Boaz et al 2000). Through computer use and networking devices information access and reliability has been enhanced. A global reach can be achieved through networking or using the network cable like coaxial (Chagari 2005). There are increases information sources other than the traditional ones. I think this promotes information access, flow and management in the societies. People can even access the library information online anywhere in the world. This an added advantage to most tourists, researchers and students. Reference: Australian Library and Information Association. 2001, Learning for the Future: Developing Information services in Australian schools. Australian School Library Association and Australian Library and Information Association. 2nd ed. Curriculum Corporation, 2001. Bawden, David and Robinson, Lyn. 2002, Promoting Literacy in a digital age: Approaches to training Information Literacy. Learned Publishing, Vol. 15(4). P 297-301. BECTA b. 2001, British Educational Communications Technology Agency The ‘Digital Divide’: A Discussion Paper. Bennett, M. 2001, Reaching those in need. Benton Foundation Buildings, Books and Bytes: Libraries and Communities in the Digital Age. Public Library Journal,Vol. 16 (4), p. 105-7. Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at http://benton. org/Library /Kellogg Booz, Allen Hamilton, 2000, Achieving Universal Access. Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at http://number10-gov. uk Bundy, A. 2003, Opportunity and accountability: Information literacy and libraries in Higher education Paper presented at the Tertiary Alliance Libraries Group. Information literacy Seminar University of Waikato, Hamilton NZ 4 September. Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at http://www. library. unisa. edu. au/about/papers/opportunity-and-accountability. pdf. Bruce, C. S. 2002, Information Literacy as catalyst for educational change; A background paper, July 2002. White paper prepared for Unesco, the US National Commission on Libraries Information Science, and the National Forum on Information Literacy. Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at http://www. nclis. gov/libinfor/infolitconf. pdfme/papers/bruce-fulpaper. pdf Centre for Citizenship Studies in Education. 2002, University of Leicester. Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at http://le. ac. uk/education/centres/citizenship Centre for Democracy and Technology. 2002, Bridging the Digital Divide: Internet Access in Central and Eastern Europe. Chagari, S. 2005, 140 SI Management and Marketing with Information Literacy Information capability building: Role of information Literacy Programmes. Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at http://www. ifla. org. sg/IV/ifla71/papers/043e-Chagari. pdf Collection Development Policy. 2003, A statement on free access to information. Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at http://www. strl. nsw. gov. au/CDP%20Appendices. pdf Correia, A. M. R. 2002, Information Literacy for Effective and Active Citizenship. White paper prepared for UNESCO, the US National Commission on Libraries and Information Science and the National Forum on Information Literacy for use a the Information Literacy meeting of Experts, Prague, the Czech Republic. Drotner, K. 2005, Library innovation for the knowledge society. Scandinavian Public Library quarterly, Vol. 38(2): 20-23. Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at http://www. splq. info/issues/vol38_2/07. htm Durrance, J. C. 2005, The Vital Role of Librarians in Creating Information Communities: Strategies for Success. Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at http://www. si. umich. edu/helpseek/Publications/LAMApub. htm Forsyth, E. 2005, Public libraries and the millennium development goals. IFLA journal, Vol. 31(4): 315-323. Hancock, V. E. 2004, Information Literacy and long life learning: Information Literacy For Lifelong Learning. Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at http://www. libraryinstruction. com/information-literacy. html Home Office a. 2001, Annual Abstract of Statistics. 8. 4. Home Office b. 2001, Social Trends. (HMSO) 31. Howley, S. 2004, Routes to Knowledge. Library and Information Research, Vol. 28 (88): 42-46. Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at http://www. lirg. org. uk/lir/pdf/88_howley. pdf. John, N. R. 2002, Civil Society and the Role of Libraries: Fostering Civil Society, Yerevan, Armenia. University of Illinois at Chicago. Viewed on23rd May 2009. Available at http://indigo. lib. uic. edu:8080/dspace/bitstream/10027/64/1/civil. ppt. Koneru, I. 2008, Revamping Public Library system for equitable access to knowledge: NKC recommendations on libraries. Available at http://icfaiuniversity. academia. edu/documents/0009/2907/NKC_Public_Libraries. doc. IFLA. 2003, Information for all: the key role of libraries in the information society. Report prepared for: libraries @ the heart of the information society. Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at www. unige. ch/biblio/ses/IFLA/rol_lib_030526. pdf Kargbo, J. A. 2004, Adult education in Sierra Leone: what role for libraries? World libraries, Vol. 14(1). Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at http://www. worlib. org/vol14no1/kargbo_v14n1. shtml Libraries for life long Literacy. 2004, Unrestricted access to Information as a basis for Lifelong learning and empowerment. In IFLA/FAIFE World Report Series. Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at http://www. ifla. org/faife/report/FAIFE report 2004. htm Lough, V. 2002, Citizenship, Computer Literacy and the changing role of the Public Library Service in the United Kingdom. Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at http://www. odeluce. stir. ac. uk/docs/Lough. pdf. Serbia, B. E. 2004, Strategic planning and Organizational Development for Libraries. Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at http://www. nb. rs/view_file. php? file_id=812. Stipanov, J. 2005, Knowledge Society and Public Libraries. Paper presented at the Naple Conference, Supetar, October 6-7, 2005. Available at http://www. naple. info/supetar/stipanov. pdf. Tise, E. 2009, Access to Knowledge through Libraries: Information Services and Information Literacy Today. Library and Information Services Stellenbosch University, South Africa; IFLA President-elect 2007-2009. Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at http://www. ifladeutschland. de/de/downloads/keynote_tise_suedafrika. pdf. Qvortrup, L. 2007, The Public Library: from information access to knowledge management: a theory of knowledge and knowledge categories. Information research, Vol. 12 (4). Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at http://informationr. net/ir/12-4/colis/colis17. html Unesco Lobrary Manifesto. 1994, UNESCO Public Library Manifesto 1994. Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at www. fundaciongsr. es/documentos/manifiestos/mani94en. pdf

Grecian Couch Essay Example for Free

Grecian Couch Essay The Grecian couch, otherwise known as a Kline in Greece, is a blending of a bed, couch, and sofa. Its functions is not only limited to providing a seat for sleeping and reposing, but also for reclining in when eating food. The long frame of the couch provides just the right length for a petite lady to repose in. Also the top of the frame is usually fixed with interlaced cords and on the interlacing; a mattress is placed on top of it with covers and a single long pillow. The mattress, covers, and pillows are richly embroidered with silk in a light gold color. The form directs the sitter to lie usually in any position leaving the head to rest on the right where the tallest backing is. There is only one armrest on the very left of the couch and a waist length backing to hold the sitter from falling off. While other Grecian Couches were being supplemented by rosewood, it is principally made out of mahogany wood. The legs â€Å"that was similar to those found on a throne chair, namely legs terminating in animals’ feet† (Boger, â€Å"Guide to Furniture Styles† 5), are usually in the form of chimera, lion, eagles, and swans. The carvings are earthy with leaf patterns and extended curved lines following the over arching â€Å"sweeping curves and scrolls† (Boger, â€Å"Guide to Furniture Styles† 5) that resembles the work of Duncan Phyfe in America. They are realistically carved sometimes with â€Å"medley of and human heads, sphinxes with upraised wings, dolphins, swans, ringed lion’s mask, and the lion monopodium (Boger, â€Å"Furniture Past Present† 364). Today, the additions of wheels are sometimes added to the legs of the couch to give it mobility. The John and Hugh Finlay brothers were the designers responsible for creating the couch, and much more famous Grecian furniture. The Finlay brothers first advertised their designs in the Baltimore Federal Gazette of January 25, 1803. It was not until 1810 (Henry Ford Museum) till the Hugh brothers crafted the Grecian chair. The Finlay brothers worked at times together like when designing the Grecian couch and sometimes apart. Together, they provided to the high demands of hand painted high style furniture for people during the Royal empire styles of design. There was a huge improvement in wealth and class during that period which prompts the Finlay brothers to create luxury goods that promoted a neoclassicism American empire taste. It was in Baltimore where the Finlay brothers generated a large quantity of classical period furniture. The furniture they built were â€Å"stylish, decorated furniture for a wealthy clientele† (Fodera, 183) before 1815, till they met Benjamin Henry Latrobe. Latrobe teamed up with the brothers to create â€Å"confident interpretation of the Greco-Roman aesthetic† style, with â€Å"careful attention given to every detail† (Fodera, 184) so that the brothers were able to create furniture for wealthy residences in Philadelphia and many other people in Maryland. The Finlay brothers, with Latrobe partnering up, constructed some pieces of furniture to showcase in the Waln commission where they were able to showcase the â€Å"neoclassical style as well as the concept of a total approach to household decoration in America† (Fodera, 184) that influenced their direction. This led to Latrobe commissioning the Finlay brothers to decorated the drawing room in the White house for the President James and Dolley Madison in 1808, where a â€Å"set of 36 chairs, two sofas, and four settees† (Fodera, 184) were built. Unfortunately, the furniture remains no more after the White House burned in the fire of 1814. The only thing remaining is the drawings the Finlay brothers made with Latrobe’s instructions on it. However, the fame from constructing furniture for the president, their partnership with Latrobe, and the influences of classical Greek and Roman designs with controlled palettes, led the Finlay brothers to travel Europe by 1810. This is where Hugh Finlay discovered the Empire motif and brought it back to America where with John helped develop quickly a â€Å"familiarity and comfort with the neoclassical idiom† that was readily apparent in the field. They became the first firm to readily advertise painted classical furniture with great success. The trip to Europe and back by the Finlay brothers was one of the first Americans who brought the Grecian-Roman revival to the public. After the War of 1812, a sense of renewal of a better time became a distinct interest to designers as well as the public. With the help of the Finlay brothers, â€Å"there was a civility and sophistication in the late neoclassical ideals† (Greene, 122) that mirrored the continued success of the newborn America. Thus from it grew the early empire style furniture in America, which featured elegant and delicate furniture with waterleaf carving being one of the favorite treatments like the Grecian couch. The Grecian style in which the Finlay brothers pulled from was perfected in the 5th century B. C. and it stayed as a furniture with curving lines and elegant simplicity till the emergence of the American empire style that pulled directly from it in the early 1800s. The height to the American Empire style furniture that featured Grecian sofas and couches as their forefront was after the War of 1812 to about 1830, were the â€Å"obsession with the aesthetic styles of the ancient civilizations† (Greene, 124) was at its peak. Some people might get confused between the Egyptian and Grecian couch due to the similarity between the materials and style of carvings with animalistic foots that they both have. This might be due to the fact that Greece and Egypt are so close to each other and culture intermingled during the Roman period. An important distinction, however, when comparing between the Egyptian and Grecian couch is that the Egyptian Couch has no back frame, nor an arm rest. The Grecian couch lacked the separate headrest, which was common in Egypt (Boger â€Å"Guide to Furniture Styles, 5). What makes this couch Grecian is that the backs of all Grecian couches do â€Å"not extend over the entire area of the couch, but leaves a portion of the seat without a back, indicating that the couch was intended to be used for reclining† (Miller), and not only for a place to sit. As seen in Greek and other classical paintings, the chair is used as a place to lay and pose for artist to paint portraits. A famous portrait known as â€Å"Portrait of Madame Recamier† by Jacques Louis David in 1800 illustrates the ideal image of how one would imagine how to sit in such a delicate couch. One could imagine a lady reposing gracefully on the couch with a fan open chatting and flirting with gentleman. The Grecian couch is meant to display beauty and also represent class in order to decorate the room. The second function and more modern coined term for the style like the Grecian couch is the â€Å"fainting couch† better known as a couch in a room that’s used to catch elegant women who often happen to faint, relax, or encounter a dizzy spell. The Grecian couch could have been a couch for women who needed to fall down onto something that would catch them. It was common for people at the time to have a couch like that in there home in order to provide the women with someplace to be distraught so they can relax. Women was in no doubt the primary target for Grecian style designer, it quickly became popular in the early 1800s with both European and American interest in acquiring these couches in order to display not only wealth but the elegance of having a couch that would function as a designated fainting location. It’s quite possible that the blood vassal tightening corsets worn by women at the time could have influenced the effects of having fainting spells. The clothes worn by women and the amount of time spent at home worrying about there husband might have a contribution. Another theory is the need for a couch that could be used to keep women comfortable enough for doctors to treat their female hysteria when anything unfortunate happens. The influences of the Grecian couch or fainting couch would later create a room known as the fainting room where the couch would be the centerpiece with other calming furniture and paintings would surround the room. During the period right after the War in 1812, also known as the American Revolution, resurgence of a want for peace but also the reminder of the past where fear and death was always around, the fainting couch had its role in comforting women. The Grecian couch became a symbol to wealthy women as the couch used for comforting themselves when mentally stressed. The psychological advantage for the Grecian couch is found today as an example in the hit TV Show on AMC called Madmen where Betty Francis purchases a Grecian couch because she is mentally stressed out that she couldn’t be the perfect woman for Don Draper. At the same time she worries that he might be cheating on her. The act of buying a Grecian chair and resting on it could have meant many things, but to Betty it was a way to escape the awkward 60s after World War II. Today, Grecian couches are used to display elegance and grace much like it did in the past, usually as a centerpiece for the room. New designs and more padding must have increase the comfort of the couch, so women today will use it to primarily to sleep, rest and read their books in. The design change keeps the Grecian chair elegant but with added comfort. It acts like a modern half bed for women to be comfortable and pretty in, just as they would look in a painting.