Global Unification through Handheld Technology Essay -- Technologies E

Global Unification through Handheld Technology "Handheld technology: is it the greatest invention since sliced bread?" (Lewis 1). Whether or not these technologies will be remembered as one of the greatest inventions of all time is yet to be determined, but handheld technologies are definitely changing the way people access and work with information. Handheld technologies were first created to help make some of life's current tasks simpler and faster to complete. Two of the main handheld technologies are the Global Positioning System (GPS) and the Personal Data Assistant (PDA). The first thought that spring to one's mind when GPS is mentioned is usually that it is a fast and easy way to find where one is located. Similarly, the first thought with respect to PDA is usually that it is a good way to organize one's appointments and personal information. Those functions are just the beginning, though. There are several other functions that these technologies have begun to serve, some of which may lead to complicated ethical dilemmas. As was mentioned above, GPS is generally thought of as a device to help one locate one's position. It is found in many cars and is almost becoming a standard feature. It is a handy device if one ever gets lost or needs directions to an unknown location. This functionality is great, but is not what it was invented to do. According to Peter H. Dana, Department of Geography, University of Colorado at Boulder, GPS is a satellite navigation system "funded by and controlled by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). While there are many thousands of civil users of GPS world-wide, the system was designed for and is operated by the U.S. military" (1). It is used by the military to pinpoint the position of ... ...ilian Software Development." [Online]. http://www.iamsam.com/papers/afcea_1999/afcea_ethics_submission.html North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. (1997). "Critical Issue: Ensuring Equitable Use of Education Technology." [Online]. http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te400.htm Santa Clara County Library. "Internet Access." (February 2002). [Online]. http://www.santaclaracountylib.org/aconsent.html Savino, Lenny. "Ex-Decoder Faces Charge in Espionage Case: FBI Says Military Man Sold Secret Data, Images." San Jose Mercury News. 25 August 2001: 1A. "Teaching and Learning with Palm Handhelds." (2002). [Online]. http://www.palm.com/education/palmED/ Wong, Nicole C. "Digital Cameras Eliminate Some Leg Work for Parking Police." San Jose Mercury News. 7 January 2002. *Animated images taken from http://www.animationfactory.com

America Involvement in WW1

Zieger, R (2001) brings out the American experiences in the Great War describing it as a Mr. Wilson war (p1). When the war broke out in Europe the American people wished for it to remain a European affair. They wanted to remain a neutral force supporting neither of the warring sides. This was the period in the United States history when the country was deeply embedded in the isolationism principles, when it came to this war they did not want to be dragged in the political affairs of Europe.Their main focus was economical; they just wanted to expand trade in different parts of the world. They felt that their involvement in the war would jeopardize their expansionist ambitions. They believed that the war would not last for long and the world would be in peace after a short while. In keeping with true neutrality spirit America had in the beginning refused to supply either side or extending any economic assistance to any of the nations involved in the warfare.The American pacifists thoug ht that the conflict would not extend to the other parts of Europe; it would just remain a German and French affair. They were of the view that though the war was not necessary, America interests were not threatened by the activities that were taking place in Europe. (Zieger, R 2001) The neutrality policy was tested when Germany issued threats that any ship approaching British zone would be sank. President Wilson warned Germany against such a threat, according to him they were to be held responsible for any American ship that would be attacked or sank.German use of boats which were known as the U boats posed real threat to the United States and perhaps was the reason why the country could not remain neutral anymore; they had to join the war to protect their interests. The announcement by German pertaining targeting all ships approaching Britain zone angered America prompting their reaction. This was heightened when one of the American ships by the name Lusitania was sank by the Germ an forces killing one hundred and eight Americans who were on board.Though this issue was resolved without attracting much conflict America was forced to adopt a new stand which was to go a long way in taming Germany which was threatening to tear the world apart with its domination ambitions. There are other factors that led to America move from the pacifist view and actively participate in this Great War. They felt that their interests as a country were threatened by Germany threats. The ultimate decision to join the war was reached by the congress when they got some information which indicated that Germany was intending to enter into an agreement with Mexico where the America interest would be attacked.This made the President to move with swift speed declaring an all out war with the enemy. They could no longer sustain their neutrality and isolationist attitude since this would have meant doom for this great nation. (Coffman,E1998 56) For any nation to rally its people to the cour se of the war ,there must be some information distributed urging people to support the course. This is what happened in America during the First World War. A body was formed with the purpose of influencing the americans opinion regarding participation in the war.President Wilson appointed advisers who included Walter Lippmann and Bernays Edward. Propaganda played a key role in getting the American public who intially were jittery about entering into the war. It was a necessary method through which Americans wanted to promote democractic policy around the world. There are various methods that were adopted to advance the propaganda ,movies depicting Germans as an evil lot. They warned the Americans to be wary of Germany spies. Patriotic organizations came up where effrots were made to try and get spies and traitors.The committee set up used various medium such as posters,cables and radio to convey the message to the people. Propaganda was a very effective tool during this war,American government was able to paint Germany as the biggest enemy of democracy and as the country having the worst human rights record where they killed even innocent babies in the name of the war. Through this methods the government gained the much needed support from the people who intially wanted nothing to do with a European war. (Degler,C 1984 604)The same tool has been used in many other occassions ,for example during the war in Afghanistan,change of regimes in Panama,Iraq,democratization of Nicaragua,The Philipines,Cuba,Hawaii,Puerto Rico and many other. The American government has used the same method in painting dictators in these countries as the enemies of democtatization process. The information given to the people as Kinzer chronicles highlighted waas meant to paint the leaders of these countries as bad and should be removed so that the natives can be liberated from their bad rules and oppressive systems.American interest were also in the picture in most of these undertakings. In both cases there are people who felt that the government was overstepping its mandate through its involvement in affairs which had nothing to do with America. These are some of the people who were the targetted by these propaganda machinery and in most casesthey worked right as america was able to intervene and bring some changes in some of the worst regimes in the world. (David,K 1980 24)Kinzers had expolored some of the examples where the American government has successfully used the similar method to rally its citizen behind it and helped win a war. The American people have been made to believe that the government is doing this as a noble course. It has portrayed itself as a machinery that intervenes to liberate masses without result to bloodshed,where innnocent civilians are killed. Starting with 1893 invasion of Hawaii , in the end there were no serious casualties but political stability was restored in these countries.This has been called interference with other nations af fairs in many occassions but the government has managed to get the support of the citizens who in the real sense fund these activities through the taxes they pay to the government. Though not all of these wars have been successful the American government has succeeded to bring sanity to some of these countries. Fot it to have succeeded ,it required much support from home,if this was not forthcoming it could have meant doom as it has happened in the recent years in Iraq and Afghanstan. (Degler,C 1980 304)The great war can not be said to have made world safe for democracy but it was a beginning of a long jorney. This is a process that woukld meet all forms of challlenges ranging form the spread of socialism and the emergence of new dicators who were determined to rule by their fists. America began a process where it aimed to bring sanity in the world politics a system where people would be free in their own countries. Through this method of governance peace would prevail in the world avoiding another ugly situation as had happened before in different palces in the world.(David,K 1980 27) There are some activities that the american governemnt has engaged in which seem to defeat the very cause they have been extending. One of them is the palmer raids conducted in the 1920s. This was a crakdown that aimed at neeting those who harbored different opinions from that of the government. Passing of some legisaltion such as Epsionage act and seditous act have been pointed as killing of democracy since they deny the citizens their right to speak their minds. They are contrary to the constituion which guarantees the American citizens frredom of speech.They have been criticized for having violated the very rights protected in our constituion. Some have even gone further with comparing American government with the world dictators who have been targeted before as they have used the same method to silence their subjects. (Mac Cormick,2005 45) One can draw some similaries betwee n the war on terror and what was happening at this period. War on terror is fight against force who do not believe in democracy. It is against a group of people whose ideologies aim at extending systems where people are denied fundamental rights.Various methods have been used to fight the war on terror,laws have been made to net the terror agents,legislation which are similar to the ones made during and after the great war. Some of these laws for example The so called Partiot act have met resistance since they violate the human rights where the government security agents have been given too much power to an extent of interfering with people’s privacy. America involvement in the great war changed the course of its history,it started a process that have brought order in some parts of the world where masses have liberated from oppressive regimes.This process have meeet opposition within and outside america but the government has in most cases rallied its people behind it through use of propaganda machinery. In most of the cases it has emerged voctorius. Work Cited Zieger, R. America Great War, Rowman and Littlefield (2001) David, K. The First World War and American Society, Oxford University Press (1980) Mac Cormick, C. Hunt for Red Scare Terrorrist Bombers, University Press of America (2005) Gegler, C. Out of Our Past. The Forces That Shaped Modern America, Harper and Row (1984) Coffman, E. The War to End Wars, University Press of Kentucky (1998)

Andy Goldsworthy – Essay

Andy Goldsworthy Andy Goldsworthy is able to create something aesthetically pleasing or conceptually pleasing out of absolutely nothing. He takes what he can from the land and produces sculptures by melting ice together, collecting wood or piling rocks in unique ways. Andy Goldsworthy creates his art using his bare hands alone, and while the art is still standing, he creates his own significant places. His art would often erode or collapse but for the brief time they are standing, his creations show bure beauty and amazement. Andy attempts to get closer to nature in all of his artworks. He portrays to the audience the importance of nature by recreating the different sculptures to remind us of the beauty nature holds. â€Å" â€Å"As with all my work, whether it's a leaf on a rock or ice on a rock, I'm trying to get beneath the surface appearance of things. Working the surface of a stone is an attempt to understand the internal energy of the stone. †- Andy Goldsworthy Goldsworthy tries to keep things simple in what he does. He uses only the materials and tools he is provided with by nature. If it is snowing, he will use the snow as his material, if it is autumn he works with the colours of falling leaves, a falling tree is a source of twigs and branches. Goldsworthy works with the land and not against it. He believes that the he has to learn about the lands surroundings and portray them through his artworks so that when others see the art they instantly feel the emotions of what is around them. He causes us to get sucked into the nature of the artwork and its serenity. â€Å"At its most successful, my ‘touch' looks into the heart of nature; most days I don't even get close. These things are all part of a transient process that I cannot understand unless my touch is also transient-only in this way can the cycle remain unbroken and the process be complete. † -Andy Goldsworthy Touch is an important element in the process of Andy Goldsworthy’s art making. He likes to touch before he places any material in order to get connected with the piece and feel the energy of his artwork. He learns from nature and f the piece doesn’t fit right, it could all come crumbling down. This fragile art is what makes his art so interesting to viewers and is what holds to emotion of the piece. Andy often takes photos of his artwork just after he creates them. He then sells the photos and not the artworks as the artworks often erode or fall. In his photographs, he still manages to portray the emotion seen in all his works. In making this art Goldsworthy must be extremely patient and rely completely on nature. He has had to try again many times after something has not worked and his art has come crashing to the floor. The materials used are very delicate and need to be handled with care, but again, this is what makes his art so interesting and exciting. Andy believes in the way nature can teach you many things and overwhelm you with such grace and beauty. Each of Andy’s artworks provides a story or portrays information in order to make the audience wonder. Andy takes interest in creating land art because of the serenity he produces through nature and because of what he can learn from his art. He is interested in finding the figure or picture to suit that area. He uses subtle amounts of colours in his artworks to create a contrast in what is real and what is art. His artworks vary in size, they could cover large mounts of land or could just consist of a small rock pile behind a tree. The size will vary on what the atmosphere of the land holds. Goldsworthy just works with what he has. Every choice counts in his artworks and he has to take his time to create them but in the end, what he produces is magnificent. Emily Kame Kngwarreye- Emily Kame Kngwarreye is an aboriginal artist who strives on creating her work on the emotions and nature of the land. Her land and the closeness and connection she shares with it inspire her work. Emily is an Elder in Anmatyerre, her aboriginal community, and uses this cultural experience as a basis for her artworks. Her artworks are also based on her lifelong custodianship of the women’s dreaming sites in her clan country Albalkere. The beliefs in the dreamtime stories that have been passed down by ancestors and portray them in her artworks. It was her Dreaming that was the source of the creative power, of her knowledge. So profound was her identification with Alhalkere that it infused her life and her belief system. Alhalkere was the source of her paintings. Even physically, Emily's pierced nose bore homage to the ancestor Alhalkere, a pierced rock standing on the Country of the same name. Emily believed purely in this ancestor and gained the knowledge for her paintings form her belief. | Emily tried to convey her land through her art by using colours and symbols in her artworks. Because of her strong Aboriginal connection with the land, she presented this as her significant place and acknowledged this throughout all of her artworks. Often she would use materials found in the land such as what she painted on or with and sometimes even painted using her hands, but mostly she used paint and a brush. The colours she used were to portray her land and symbolize her connection with the ‘Sunburnt’ country. She would use colours such as warm yellows, reds, pinks and orange to portray her land and chose to represent the nature of the land through rough strokes and dots. Usually she painted what came to mind when she thought about her dreamtime stories or chose to tell the story in her artwork using a number of colours and figures. Her land is what is most important in her belief system and she cherishes her connection with nature and the dreamtime stories. In her artworks, each action is carefully chosen to portray her belief in the land. They demonstrate the connection between Aboriginals and their nature. Emily’s art also displays the relationship between Indigenous Australians and the dreamtime stories they tell which usually involve their land and ancestors. Emily’s art tells the story of her life. It displays her beliefs and inspirations and also the significance of the land in Aboriginal culture. So by looking at her artworks we feel an overwhelming respect for Emily and her heritage. We feel the landscape of her land and the hidden reasures that are held close to her community. Emily’s art displays a sense of pride for her land and helps us to convey the same proudness in our lives. Although some of her artworks display sadness and loss, most demonstrate beauty and love. This sense of happiness enters the viewers mid as soon as they set eyes on her artworks. This feeling is what Emily was trying to convey I her artworks. She tries to capture the unseen beauty of the land and reproduce it so that it is no longer hidden to the viewers eye. Emily paints out of pure adoration to her land.