Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Renaissance Art History essays

Renaissance Art History essays The transition from the Middle Ages to modern times between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries is referred to as the Renaissance, which originated in Florence, Italy. During this time, Italian artists studied the art of the Greeks and Romans, whom they learned a lot from. The Italian artists had hopes of rekindling the spirit behind Greek and Roman cultures, referred to as classical antiquities. The Renaissance artists were the main spark behind the rebirth of both cultures. Renaissance humanists emphasized the classical studies along with the restudy of the culturalist ideals and forms. With the combination of wealth and dominant connections, the Medici family soon began to make their presence known early in the fifteenth century of the renaissance. The Medici family were among the more powerful supporting leaders of humanism. The Medicis influence along with few members of the house that supported patrons of the arts, literature, and learning, are what helped establish Florence as one of the richest repositories in Europe. During the high Renaissance, art became a way for some to make a living. Artists were creating ways to show their humanistic ways and views. The same artists could often times get a better understanding of the renaissance in their own paintings. One important artist of the high Renaissance is Leonardo da Vinci, who presents the High renaissance dichotomy better than any other artist of that time period. Leonardo worked for a military weapon engineer, but still managed to continually paint creations of ideal beauty during the high renaissance. After his brief job with the military weapon engineer, Leonardo attained a better understanding of the evil nature of a man. Another important artist is Raphael, who composed the balance and harmony of the high Renaissance. Throughout the Renaissance time period, Raphael designed many churches, palaces, and even mansions. His interpretation of classi...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

The 20 Best Graphic Design Schools in the US

The 20 Best Graphic Design Schools in the US SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Graphic designers are involved in nearly everything we look at, watch, or read, from the designs on books, to the way websites navigate, to halftime commercials, to logos on business cards. Graphic designers are the visual wizards who make sure every concert poster and app user interface has an impact and communicates a desired message. If this sounds appealing to you, you might wonder how you can become a graphic designer. Well, you go to school! In this article, I’ll discuss what a graphic design program is, how I created this list, the best graphic design schools, and how to choose the right program for you. What Is a Graphic Design School? Graphic design, or communication design, is the use of image, text, and media to convey information or ideas. Graphic designers are strategic communicators who design advertisements, book jackets, posters, websites, app interfaces, publishing layouts, album art, logos, and so on and so forth. If you’re creative and innovative, particularly if you’re also interested in technology, graphic design may be a good option for you. To become a professional graphic designer, you’ll need a strong portfolio of work to show potential employers, which you could theoretically do on your own or by getting an associate degree. But if you want a fully fleshed-out college experience, a guaranteed strong portfolio, and ready-made industry connections, consider getting a BA or BFA in graphic design or communications design (the name and specific degree type depends on the school). Graphic design programs can be found both at art schools and as departments within larger universities. They're even found at some technical schools! This list includes graphic design programs of all types, but all are great places to get a graphic design education and to learn the skills you need to launch a design career. Ranking Methodology for Graphic Design Schools How did I compile these graphic design school rankings? First, I found as many lists of the best graphic design schools that I could possibly find. I eliminated ones that seemed to come from less reliable or less reputable sources (like personal blogs) or that were already aggregated lists from other sources (since they would be redundant). This left me with rankings from all kinds of sources with all kinds of data- trade magazines, alumni rankings, student satisfaction, and so on. US News and World Report does not rank undergraduate graphic design programs but does have data on freshman retention rates, which I also factored in. All of the rankings were preliminarily averaged. Schools were then ranked based on average score, how many lists they appeared in (so a school that appeared in spots 5 and 6 on two lists but appeared on no others didn’t necessarily beat a school that appeared in spots 7, 8, 7, and 8 on four lists). Freshman retention rates were used to break ties in close calls. Overall, the rankings reflect a fairly holistic measure of prestige/name recognition, student satisfaction, alumni valuation of the program, and return-on-investment. Was this layout designed by a master graphic design student? You decide. The Best Graphic Design Schools Here are the 20 top graphic design programs. Included with each entry is the school's location, information about the school, its acceptance rate, and the degrees offered. All acceptance rates are for fall 2019 unless otherwise noted. I’ve linked to our admissions requirements pages for all of these schools, but these pages are mostly focused on GPA and test scores. Keep in mind that when applying to a graphic design program, a strong portfolio of your past creative work will likely be more important than grades or GPA. Best Overall Programs These are programs with high name recognition, consistently high rankings, and notable faculty and alumni. Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) - Providence, Rhode Island RISD is essentially the Harvard of art schools in terms of name recognition and famous alumni (including, but not limited to, the founders of Airbnb, animator/comedian Seth MacFarlane, actor James Franco, and fashion designers Nicole Miller and Jill Stuart). Alumni have also received a number of MacArthur â€Å"genius† grants. If you attend RISD, you can expect well-funded programs and faculty in the very top of their disciplines. It’s unsurprising, then, that RISD was consistently at the top of school rankings for graphic design. It’s one of the most competitive schools on this list and has a strongly established, well-known graphic design program. Students apply to RISD overall and do not select a major until midway through their first year of study. Graphic Design is one of the largest undergraduate departments at RISD, with about 165 students. Students graduate with a BFA degree. See here for our expert admissions requirements for RISD. Acceptance Rate: 29% Degree Offered: BFA in Graphic Design Parsons School of Design (The New School) - Manhattan, New York Parsons is another school with a lot of name recognition and top-notch faculty, and they consistently appear at the top of best-program rankings. In 2019 the school was named the best design school in the United States by QS World University Rankings, and the third-best in the world, largely in recognition of its interdisciplinary focus on the nuts-and-bolts technical and the design-functional. The school's four-year BFA program in Communication Design (a graphic design equivalent) has placed alumni at Google, Facebook, and New York Magazine, and has also produced a healthy crop of entrepreneurs and freelancers. See here for our expert admissions requirements for Parsons. Acceptance Rate: 35% (The New School) Degree Offered: BFA in Communication Design The Pratt Institute - Brooklyn, New York The Pratt Institute is another prestigious program located on a historic campus in Brooklyn, NY. They are invested in a philosophy of â€Å"poetic pragmatism,† in which artistic vision is married with practical skills. Many faculty are working professionals in their fields who teach part-time. The Pratt Institute offers a BFA in Communications Design- an interdisciplinary program focusing on advertising, illustration, and graphic design (you choose to focus on one of the three areas). Alumni praise the program for preparing them for careers in their fields and for its innovative and boundary-pushing focus. See here for our expert admissions requirements for the Pratt Institute. Acceptance Rate: 57% Degree Offered: BFA in Communication Design Hey, maybe you'll cross this bridge to get to Pratt! Highly Regarded Programs These programs are well-resourced and well-known in the industry. Many offer their own unique spin on graphic design or have a special focus not found at many other institutions. ArtCenter College of Design - Pasadena, California The ArtCenter’s undergraduate program in graphic design gives extensive training in both old and new media, creating well-rounded practitioners with skills spanning all areas of graphic design as a discipline. The ArtCenter encourages an experimental and socially conscious approach. The school also offers a great return-on-investment, with alumni making higher salaries than graduates from peer institutions. Graduates end up in a variety of industries and fields; alumni currently work for many diverse companies, such as Nike and NASA. See here for our expert admissions requirements for the ArtCenter College of Design. Acceptance Rate: 70% Degree Offered: BFA in Graphic Design Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) - Baltimore, Maryland MICA has a modern, urban campus in Baltimore and offers a craft-focused BFA in Graphic Design that aims to develop both your creativity and your skill with technology. MICA also offers liberal arts minors like Gender Studies and Critical Theory. Additionally, it has a unique interdisciplinary BFA program in humanistic studies, allowing you to combine your graphic design education with an interdisciplinary focus on the liberal arts and humanities. See our expert admissions requirements for MICA here. Acceptance Rate: 64% Degree Offered: BFA in Graphic Design California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) - Valencia, Santa Clarita, California If you dream of attending an art school founded by Walt Disney, CalArts is for you. Disney envisioned CalArts as a place where students from all artistic disciplines could develop in a collaborative, workshop-centered environment. The BFA Graphic Design program is fairly small, with only about 12-20 new students each year. Many alumni go on to work for film, television, and major tech companies. If Hollywood’s calling you, CalArts could be a great choice! See here for our expert admissions requirements for California Institute of the Arts. Acceptance Rate: 33% Degree Offered: BFA in Graphic Design Carnegie Mellon School of Design - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania You might be surprised to see a big research university known for its engineering program on a graphic design list. But don’t be! Carnegie Mellon has an innovative approach to the study and craft of graphic design; alumni praise the program’s integration of the artistic points of design with advanced technologies. Instead of a BFA, the Carnegie Mellon school of design offers a BDes, or Bachelor of Design. It also offers an interdisciplinary degree in design combined with another course of study of a student’s choice, which should be very appealing to students with multiple interests. Finally, it's a great choice if you want an art-school education but a big research university experience. Overall, Carnegie Mellon provides a cutting-edge, strong foundation for design careers. See here for our expert admissions requirements for Carnegie Mellon (note that this is for Carnegie Mellon overall, and the different subschools may have slightly different requirements). Acceptance Rate: 17% Degree Offered: Bachelor of Design (BDes) School of Visual Arts- Manhattan, New York The School of Visual Arts offers a BFA in Graphic Design, with the option to specialize in graphic design in fields like package design, website design, book jacket design, and so on. Alumni have praised the school’s amazing networking opportunities- SVA has a robust internship program, holds professional-level exhibitions of student work, and sends compilations of graduating student work to industry giants every year in the Senior Library. SVA is a good choice if your primary concern is being commercially marketable and networking; it might not be the school for you if you're interested in the practice of design on an artistic and/or theoretical level. See here for our expert admissions requirements for the School of Visual Arts. Acceptance Rate: 72% Degree Offered: BFA in Graphic Design Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) - Savannah, Georgia Savannah College of Art and Design is unusually large for an art school, with over 11,000 students enrolled. You can get a BA in Visual Communication (with a focus on graphic design) or a BFA in Graphic Design, so your options are flexible. Professors have significant industry experience, and you’ll have a chance to study abroad at SCAD’s global campuses in Hong Kong or Lacoste, France. Overall, SCAD is a solid design school that offers lots of opportunities for motivated students. See here for our expert admissions requirements for Savannah College of Art and Design. Acceptance Rate: 72% Degrees Offered: BA in Visual Communication, BFA in Graphic Design At SCAD, you could have access to these trees all the time! Virginia Commonwealth University - Richmond, Virginia This is another great choice if you want the art-school chops with the big university experience: VCU is a large public university with more than 30,000 students. VCU offers a BFA in Graphic Design- but you have to complete the â€Å"Art Foundation† sequence before you can apply into the major. See here for our expert admissions requirements for Virginia Commonwealth University. Acceptance Rate: 81% Degree Offered: BFA in Graphic Design Is Hollywood beckoning? Well-Regarded Programs This section includes some big-name art schools whose graphic design programs aren’t quite as well established as their other programs as well as some up-and-coming graphic design programs that are just now gaining steam. Otis College of Art and Design - Los Angeles, CA The BFA program in graphic design at Otis is located in the Communication Design department, which also houses programs in illustration and advertising design. Otis primarily prepares its graduates to work in the professional sphere; past graphic design graduates have worked for Apple, Anthropologie, Conde Nast, Disney, Interscope Records, Mattel, Sony, and Target. It’s a good choice for students who’d like to do design work for major companies and are interested in some of the more commercial aspects of graphic design. See here for our expert admissions requirements for Otis College of Art and Design. Acceptance Rate: 94% Degree Offered: BFA in Communication Design, graphic design focus University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning - Cincinnati, Ohio If you’re looking to combine the experience of attending a large NCAA division-1 school with a high-quality design program and want to have a chance to take courses in many different disciplines, the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning might be a good fit for you! Unlike many other programs, which offer a BFA, the University of Cincinnati offers a BS in Communication Design as their graphic design degree. Many students go on to work in the healthcare industry, for governments, or for NGOs. So if you’re interested in design in those fields, this school is an excellent choice. See here for our expert admissions requirements for University of Cincinnati (note that this applies to the school as a whole and not specifically to the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning). Acceptance Rate: 73% (whole university) Degree Offered: BS in Communication Design California College of the Arts (CCA) - Oakland, CA CCA offers a BFA in Graphic Design that prepares students to work in multiple design disciplines. It also has a robust internship program for fourth-year students that guarantees you’ll graduate with hands-on, real-world professional experience. Additionally, CCA has a focus on social justice-oriented and socially conscious design practice. Essentially, students get a little bit of everything: a wide skill set, professional experience, and social consciousness. See here for our expert admissions requirements for California College of the Arts. Acceptance Rate: 81% Degree Offered: BFA in Graphic Design Yale University School of Art- New Haven, Connecticut If you want an Ivy League education as well as excellent preparation to work as a graphic designer, Yale is the dream school for you! Students major in art with a specialization in graphic design and receive a BA degree. Interested students should be aware that they will need to apply for admission to the major in their sophomore year. As with many other programs at Yale, the graphic design program is very focused on the craft and theory of design as opposed to its more practical and commercial applications. Therefore, this program is best for students whose interests are academic and artistic as opposed to technical and/or commercial. See here for our expert admissions requirements for Yale University. Acceptance Rate: 7% (whole university) Degree Offered: BA in Art specializing in graphic design Plus, Yale also has snowy New England winters. College for Creative Studies - Detroit, Michigan The College for Creative Studies offers a BFA in Graphic Design. They have a unique focus on â€Å"experience design,† or immersive, multimedia design experiences. If this interests you, CCS is the place to go, as programs focused on experience design are few and far between. CCS also has an institution-wide focus on community engagement. Graphic design alumni have worked for Dreamworks, Google, Nike, Disney, Fox, Microsoft, and universities and libraries. Many have founded their own design firms, too. See here for our expert admissions requirements for the College for Creative Studies. Acceptance Rate: 39% Degree Offered: BFA in Graphic Design School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC)- Chicago, IL School of the Art Institute is the school associated with Chicago’s notable Art Institute museum. SAIC offers a BFA in Visual Communication Design, with a focus on both physical and virtual design mediums. The department facilitates student freelance work and internships to ensure that students graduate with real professional experience. The department also hosts an annual lecture series of visiting designers doing innovative work in the field. And, of course, the campus is located in the heart of downtown Chicago, a city home to many cultural and art institutions. See here for our expert admissions requirements for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Acceptance Rate: 71% Degree Offered: BFA in Visual Communication Design Also, Chicago has the bean- I mean, Cloud Gate. Solid Programs At these schools, name recognition is on the lower side, but you’ll get a solid educational foundation from which to launch your graphic design career. Ringling College of Art and Design - Sarasota, FL Ringling doesn’t have quite the name recognition of many schools further up on this list, but it does have a solid, well-rounded program. The school offers a BFA in Graphic Design that aims to turn students into â€Å"visual storytellers.† Students have the opportunity to study abroad in Europe during their time at Ringling. In addition, alumni have won prestigious industry awards and work for Instagram, LinkedIn, Yahoo, Birchbox, Trader Joe’s, and leading design firms. See here for our expert admissions requirements for Ringling College of Art and Design. Acceptance Rate: 78% Degree Offered: BFA in Graphic Design University of the Arts (UArts) - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The BFA program in Graphic Design at UArts trains students in both old and new media. Students have the chance to work on real-world, practical projects based in the wider Philadelphia area as part of their coursework. The department also hosts an annual Spring Workshop with renowned guest faculty on design topics. This is another program whose focus is more on the practical and commercial than the artistic and theoretical. See here for our expert admissions requirements for University of the Arts. Acceptance Rate: 74% Degree Offered: BFA in Graphic Design Academy of Art University- San Francisco, CA Academy of Art University’s BFA in Graphic Design is focused on the â€Å"intersection between art and commerce.† There’s also a focus on professional preparedness and creative and marketing competencies. Overall, this school is more about giving you actionable workforce skills and connections than developing your refined artistic sensibilities as a designer. See here for our expert admissions requirements for Academy of Art University. Acceptance Rate: 100% (open admissions) Degree Offered: BFA in Graphic Design Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) - Rochester, NY The Graphic Design BFA at RIT is broad in skills education and interdisciplinary in scope. Students have unique opportunities to collaborate with other departments and disciplines on projects, particularly in technical and engineering departments. Students are also encouraged to consider â€Å"the social, ethical, and environmental impact of design.† RIT is a good option for students who are interested in the intersection between tech and design. See here for our expert admissions requirements for Rochester Institute of Technology. Acceptance Rate: 57% Degree Offered: BFA in Graphic Design Admire this very important and cutting-edge piece of graphic design. How to Choose the Right Graphic Design School for You With so many choices, it can be overwhelming to try to narrow down the field to a few programs you're really interested in. I highly recommend visiting schools, taking advantage of information sessions near you, and talking to current students and recent alumni. If you don’t know any alumni personally, try the Reddit graphic design forum! Additionally, here are some key questions to consider as you assemble your list of graphic design programs to apply to. #1: How Strong Is My Portfolio? Can I Get Into a Competitive Program? To get admitted to more competitive programs, you'll often need a strong art and design portfolio. Have you been taking art classes since you could hold a pencil, or is graphic design a relatively new interest for you? To get feedback on your portfolio, I advise taking it to any portfolio review sessions you can find. Sometimes art schools send representatives around the country to review student portfolios at portfolio review fairs, where you can get feedback from many schools in one day on how your portfolio stacks up and what you can do to strengthen it. Otherwise, try contacting your local art and design school to try to get portfolio feedback and a clearer sense of how competitive your portfolio might be. #2: Am I More Interested in the Artistic or Commercial Side of Design? Some programs, like the one at Yale, are much more concerned with the lofty and artistic side of graphic design and its theoretical applications, whereas other programs, like the School for the Visual Arts, are more focused on transforming you into a commercially prepared practitioner. One isn’t necessarily better or more useful than the other- but one might align better with your goals. Do you dream about doing experimental installations in an art museum, or of designing ads for Target? Do you want to learn how to draw contour line art or would you rather learn the seven principles of design? If the former, a more artistically oriented program might be for you. If the later, a more commercially focused option is a safer bet. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. #3: Do I Want to Attend an Art School? Graphic design programs tend to fall into two categories: those housed within specialized art schools, like RISD, and those housed within larger universities, like Carnegie Mellon. If you have your heart set on a more â€Å"traditional† college experience, you might be better off going to a larger university that offers a graphic design program. If, however, you’re interested in a smaller institution with other arts-and-design-minded folks, you might want to attend a dedicated art school instead. Additionally, if you don’t necessarily need a typical university experience but don’t want to attend a super-small institution either, consider a larger art school like SCAD. This seems like a very real and official art-school lecture. #4: Am I Interested in Interdisciplinary Studies? How About Cutting-Edge Technology? Some programs offer a lot of flexibility to explore other interests. Carnegie Mellon, MICA, and RIT, for example, all offer more flexibility in investigating other interests (particularly technological ones at Carnegie and RIT) than other, more rigid programs do. You should also consider if you want a program that’s explicitly focused on training students in new media and the most cutting-edge graphic design technologies, like the College for Creative Studies is. #5: Are There Particular Faculty I Want to Work With? Check out the faculty bios of the professors and lecturers at all of the programs you're interested in. Who’s doing the work that interests you most? Be sure to mention any faculty you’re impressed by and want to work with in your application, too! #6: Do I Want to Study Abroad? If you have your heart set on studying abroad, your options are somewhat limited. Both SCAD and Ringling have established study abroad options, but you'll likely need to do some investigation to find out whether going abroad is possible at other schools as well. #7: Do I Have Geographic Preferences? Last, but certainly not least, where do you want to live while you attend college? There are a myriad of options in California and on the east coast (NYC in particular), but you’re not necessarily limited to those locations. Many programs on this list are as far reaching as Sarasota, Florida; Chicago, Illinois; and Savannah, Georgia. If you want to go to the Big Apple, you have a lot of options. Key Takeaways: The Best Graphic Design Schools Graphic designers are involved in pretty much all of the ways we consume information: they design publishing layouts, book jackets, album art, websites, app interfaces, advertisements, event posters, company logos, and so on. Being a graphic designer involves creativity, tech-savviness, and professional acumen. If this sounds like a career you’re interested in, go to graphic design school! There are many great graphic design programs housed in art schools, large public universities, tech schools, and even the Ivy League. With this handy list, you’ll be sure to find the program that’s right for you! What's Next? Not sure about college yet? Or still picking out schools? See our guides on whether you should go to college and the best way to do college research. Need more help narrowing down your final list of schools? Learn how to choose colleges to apply to, and get tips on how many schools to apply to as well! Considering what to study and worried about your future income? Check out our list of the highest-paying college majors to help you decide whether you should study one of them. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Information Technology Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Information Technology Security - Essay Example To do so we firstly need to understand the different types of frauds. Then we focus on what is identity theft, its growth using computers, and the possible precautions. Also the legal responses have been touched upon briefly. To understand the seriousness of identity theft we firstly need to know the different types of electronic frauds. The next section helps us understand the different electronic frauds. With the increased usage of computers and the Internet, there is a lot of movement data and personal information. This is one of the biggest causes for the increase of electronic crime. E crime is treated very seriously and is every country has its own laws relating to the Internet usage. This document will provide a study of the computer related crimes and a few of the statistics of the various crimes that are conducted. Computer as known are automated data processing, communication or storage devices. Crimes as known are an act which is a violation of the law and regulations. A Computer Related Crime hence is a crime where the computers are used as an instrument for the crime. Here the computers contain all the evidences of the crime. Criminals sort to manipulation of computer records for fraudulent activities. Another very common fraud is unauthorised access to information where the criminals hack into customers accounts to make changes or misuse the accounts. Also another common fraud is hacking, or cracking of software to modify customer data, like phone number and address can be changed easily without any proof or evidence. The cost of licences for software is very high, thus some of the criminals sort to create pirated versions of software. Also with the growth and increase of internet usage, it is very common for people to receive viruses. These viruses can spread through online chat accounts, or even by email attachments. Some of the viruses

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

RATIO ANALYSIS (FTSE 100) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

RATIO ANALYSIS (FTSE 100) - Essay Example s group of ratios basically compares the income statement account of a company to investigate whether a company is able to generate profits in its operation. Profitability ratios mainly focus on a company’s return on investment (Murthy, 2014). Some of the profitability ratios include ratios like, Return on Capital Employed, Gross Profit Margin, Profit Margin, Return on Assets, as well as Return on Equity. For this report we will only use the Return on Equity and Gross Profit Margin ratios. Return on Equity ratio is mainly used to compare the profitability of a company to another company in the same industry. For a general case, a company with a higher Return on Equity ratio shows that the company is more profitable. The ratio shows the efficiency with which the shareholders’ equity is turned into profits. The higher the ratio, the more efficient the company is in convert the shareholders’ equity into profits. From the calculations above, the ROE ratios for TESCO are generally lower than those of Sainsbury. This shows that Sainsbury is more profitable than TESCO. However, the ROE for TESCO in 2014 is higher than of 2013, showing that the company is increasing its profitability efficiency with time. At the same time, the ROE for Sainsbury in 2014 shows that the company keeps on improving the efficiency with which it turns the shareholders’ equity into profits as it is higher than that of 2013. Gross profit margin is this ratio that is used to investigate the financial health of a company by finding out the profit left after taking care of the cost of goods sold. The higher the gross profit ratio, the healthier the firm is. From the calculations above, TESCO exhibits higher gross profit margins in both years than those of Sainsbury. Generally, TESCO is financially healthier than Sainsbury as there is more profits left in its accounts after it accounts for its cost of goods sold than those of Sainsbury Plc. However, looking at the more recent gross profit

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Social Philosophy Essay Example for Free

Social Philosophy Essay Introduction As more and more cities, counties, states, and counties ban smoking in public places, place high taxes on cigarettes, and otherwise enact anti-smoking laws, clashes between the rights of one group of people and the rights of another are inevitable. If this principle were the basis for deciding public policy, which Mill advocated as one of its usages, Mill would fall somewhere in the middle on the smoking/anti-smoking spectrum. Certainly, Mill’s harm principle can be (and has been) used by both sides to support their own arguments.    In the smoking debate, the harm principle falls short in determining which of two harms is lesser, or which of two rights or interests is greater. This is why it is a useful philosophy in debate, but should not be the sole basis for legislation and public policy. John Stuart Mill’s Harm Principle In On Liberty, John Stuart Mill argued for a society organized around â€Å"one very simple principle †¦ that the sole end for which mankind are warranted, individually or collectively, in interfering with the liberty of action of any of their number, is self-protection† (15-16). This is referred to as the â€Å"harm principle,† and is considered one of the founding principles of utilitarianism (Wilson 45-48). Utilitarianism is a belief system which adopts the harm principle, arguing that each individual has the right is pursue his or her own happiness, as long as that pursuit doesn’t harm another individual also pursing their happiness or utility (Wilson 40-44). This is not quite the same as interfering or impeding an individual’s path to happiness, as Mill points out in chapter V of On Liberty; â€Å"In many cases, an individual, in pursuing a legitimate object, necessarily and therefore legitimately causes pain or loss to others, or intercepts a g ood which they had a reasonable hope of obtaining† (106-7).   In other words, Mill recognized that there was not a utopia where every individual could pursue happiness with no overlap when, for example, two individuals pursue happiness through the same, singular person. Mill’s goal was to create a principle that could serve as the basis for society, in legislation, and in social standards and customs. In the final chapter he goes into significant detail regarding the kinds of situations to which this principle could be applied, specifically â€Å"how far liberty may legitimately be invaded for the prevention of crime, or of accident† (108). Mill favors the strongest strictures on liberty in the case of children, where he argues for potential parents having to prove their financial fitness in order to have children at all, and then to provide education for all children (121-122). On issues of crime, he considers government to properly have a place as a precautionary, administrative organization than as a legislative and punitive one (Mill 128). Throughout the treatise, Mill treads the line between the liberties of individuals and the commitment each individual has to society, seeing individuals as heroes who must consistently fight against the whitewashing of democratic society, warning that â€Å"If resistance waits til life is reduced nearly to one uniform type, all deviations from that type will come to be considered impious, immoral, even monstrous and contrary to nature† (84). How the Harm Principle Relates to Anti-Smoking Laws Mill specifically discusses the â€Å"sale of poisons† and taxes on the sale of certain substances deemed to be immoral (109-113). He argues for both the sale and taxation of, for example, alcohol, as being regulation that is â€Å"not contrary to principle† (109). Therefore, we can extrapolate that he would not necessarily be averse to taxes on the sale of cigarettes, since It must be remembered that taxation for fiscal purposes is absolutely inevitable; that in most countries it is necessary that a considerable part of that taxation should be indirect; that the State, therefore, cannot help imposing penalties, which to some persons may be prohibitory, on the use of some articles of consumption. (114) This is important because it underlines Mill’s philosophy of harm as it relates to economics. He did not believe that by adding taxation which would put the price of a certain item out of reach for some individuals, that this was â€Å"harming† them in such a way as to impose on their pursuit of happiness and utility. He considered taxation to be most properly levied against â€Å"what commodities the consumer can best spare† (114). Cigarettes and tobacco are certainly considered ‘extras’ rather than necessities in contemporary society, but they have not always been considered as such. So where, at certain points and in certain cultures, cigarettes were considered something of necessity, the taxation of them would have been an encroachment from the State onto an individual’s liberty. This case problematizes the relationship between Mill’s harm principle and his theory of democratic societies being slavishly ruled by the majority opinion. We have seen an enormous shift in popular opinion regarding the use of tobacco in the United States. What may have been an affront on liberty 50 or 100 years ago (heavy taxation of cigarettes and tobacco products) may be viewed now as simply being necessary to fund our government. If societies are not static entities, and the mores of a single society may shift over even short periods of time, how can we be sure that the currently prevailing opinion is, in fact, the ‘right’ one? Mill believed that â€Å"Society has expended fully as much effort in the attempt †¦ to compel people to conform to its notions of personal, as of social excellence† (19). Indeed the taxation of cigarettes seems to amount to a sin tax, as more of a punishment than a tax of an item which is not absolutely necessary to survival. Medical science is not immune to these changing tides in public opinion. During the waning years of Prohibition in this country, teetotalers claimed that the exhalation of breath from a person drinking alcohol could effectively â€Å"poison† an innocent person standing nearby (Stewart lines 18-19). Similarly, anti-smoking proponents claim today that the exhalations of smoke from one individual can adversely affect the health of another individual. Mill saw this as an argument against censorship; â€Å"We can never be sure that the opinion we are endeavoring to stifle is a false opinion, and if we were sure, stifling it would be an evil still† (14). While we may not be able to know without doubt which opinion is the right one, Mill saw this as an opportunity for individuals to exercise their liberty through discussion and debate. In the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on Mill, Fred Wilson discusses the important of debate in Mill’s philosophy; â€Å"Only through free debate can such critical skills be developed and maintained: our self-development as reasonable persons, capable of critical assessments for belief and action† (45). The goal is not to produce an unerringly ‘right’ decision, but to create a society where open and honest discussion is a part of the mechanism of liberty in society, as both a check on our human fallibility and an encouragement to progress. Why the Harm Principle is Inadequate as a Basis for Public Policy The harm principle provides a philosophy of the individual and his or her relationship to society which is useful as an individual or institution level philosophy. This is especially true for those individuals or institutions without a set of religious beliefs, as the harm principle provides a system of morality to follow. However, as the basis for legislation and public policy, it is somewhat inadequate. There are, more often than not, many people with conflicting interests, and while the harm principle may form the basis of discussion, in the end an individual’s liberty may be stifled in favor of another’s. At that point, the decision has to be made as to which liberty is more important. In the case of smoking bans, an individual who derives happiness from smoking, particularly happiness from smoking in a public place, where he or she is also able to drink and socialize with friends, is taken away. At the same time, other individuals are not subjected to the possible ill health effects of secondhand smoke. The harm principle provides a useful lens through which to frame the debate, but policymakers must often make slightly messier decisions than On Liberty provides for. The very nature of public opinion as Mill saw it (which was as a tyrannical force) means that the definitions of harm will change throughout history and across geography. This leads to both sides of the smoking debate claiming Mill as a member of their side. In an interview, Mill biographer Richard Reeves, in discussing the misuse of Mill by policymakers, said that; What sometimes happens is that if you are doing something that’s actually quite paternalistic, and you don’t want to say so because you want to dress it up as a liberal policy, you might use Mill. And you stretch the harm principle well beyond reasonable usage to justify what’s fundamentally a paternalistic policy. The worst thing is to dress up a paternalistic argument in shoddy, ill-worn, liberal clothing (par. 9). Mill saw the free thought and operation of the individual as being necessary to the progress of society, and especially as a check against both the State and prevailing public opinion (19). Conclusion In this essay I have described and critically examined Mill’s harm principle and how it relates to the contemporary issue of anti-smoking laws. I have argued that the harm principle as applied to anti-smoking laws is and could be used by either side of the debate. An individual who smokes finds his or her happiness circumscribed by the happiness of those individuals who do not wish to have cigarette smoke in the public places they frequent, and vice versa. A group of individuals are going to have their liberty trespassed upon in order for other groups of individuals to retain their liberty, and rather than bringing harm to none there are only degrees of harm, which are considered more or less harmful according to the current tides of public discourse. While this creates space for a robust debate (one of the requirements of a society based on liberty), it does not provide a basis for policymakers and legislators to create public policy. Works Cited Mayes, Tessa. â€Å"Mill is a Dead White Male With Something to Say.† Spiked! Review of Books 28 March 2008. 16 April 2008 http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/reviewof  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   books_article/4923. Mill, John Stuart. On Liberty and The Subjection of Women. New York: Penguin, 2006. Stewart, C. â€Å"The Case Against Smoking Bans.† 2002. New York City C.L.A.S.H. 18 April 2008   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.nycclash.com/CaseAgainstBans/Conclusion.html#Conclusion. Wilson, Fred. â€Å"John Stuart Mill.† The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (Fall 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Stanford University. 15 April 2008 http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2007/   Ã‚  Ã‚   entries/mill/.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Memory :: essays research papers

â€Å"Can our memories be described as accurate? Why or why not? What important implications might this have for our lives?†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Memory is the tool we use to learn and think. We all use memory in our everyday lives. Memory is the mental faculty of retaining and recalling past experiences. We all reassure ourselves that our memories are accurate and precise. Many people believe that they would be able to remember anything from the event and the different features of the situation. Yet, people don’t realize the fact that the more you think about a situation the more likely the story will change. Our memories are not a camcorder or a camera. Our memory tends to be very selective and reconstructive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eyewitness testimony is especially vulnerable to error when the question is misleading or when there’s a difference in ethnicity. However, using an eyewitness as a source of evidence can be risky and is rarely 100% accurate. This can be proven by the theory of the possibility of false memory formation and the question of whether or not a memory can lie. For instance, a group of students saw the face of a young man with straight hair, then heard a description of the face supposedly written by another witness, one that wrongly mentioned light, curly hair. When they reconstructed the face using a kit of facial features, a third of their reconstructions contained the misleading detail, whereas only 5 percent contained it when curly hair was not mentioned (Page 359). This situation shows how misleading information from other sources can be profoundly altered.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Children’s memories are easier to confuse as those of adults. For many years most adults believed that children’s memories could not be trusted because children tend to confuse reality with their fantasies. Children just as adults can be accurate in what they report and they also like adult can distort, forget, fantasize, and be misled. As research show, their memories processes are only human. All I know is that I wouldn’t like to be accused by a group of children or students. It’s not quite as reliable as you may have hoped a memory would be.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Explicit memory is a conscious, recollection of an event or an item of information. It is usually measured using recall or recognition methods. Recalling has the ability to retrieve and reproduce information. Recognizing has the ability to identify information you have previously learned, read, or heard about.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Defining Culture Essay

How can you define culture? What is intercultural communication? How much does the same language used by native and non-native speakers vary? This paper would attempt to answer. Three sources on the subject matter will be used. These are: Jan Blommaert’s â€Å"How much culture is there in intercultural communication? †, â€Å"Talking a Person into Interethnic Distinction: a Discourse Analytic Case Study† by Volker Hinnenkamp and â€Å"Rapport Management Theory and Culture† by Helen Spencer-Oatey. In the first article, Blommaert focused on what theory or theories in the science of linguistic would be most useful to obtain an accurate analysis of intercultural communication as well as the role to the study of linguistics plays in the study of intercultural communication. The author began the article with the thesis that the study of intercultural communication will pose challenges in the science of linguistics due to two reasons. One of these reasons is that each communication by two parties from two different cultures would have certain features that would make it unique that it would need a specific methodology and theory to be elaborated for every communication that occurs. The second reason is that the study of intercultural communication would need the knowledge of other branches of the social sciences such as social psychology and anthropology for it to be properly analyzed (13). Two concepts were used by the author in order to answer the questions stated in the article. The first is that culture is fundamental in the study of intercultural communication, and the primary cause for communication conflicts that may rise in intercultural communication. The author coined this as the â€Å"culture collide perspective. † This is because when two parties belonging to different culture groups meet, their cultures also come across and eventually collide with each other. One example provided by the author to support this is the conflict present in politics. The author considered this perspective as a crude approach in understanding intercultural communication since this concept follows that intercultural communication only occurs when conflict is present in the process and in order for the communication to be successful; the culture of any one of the parties involved would need to be managed. The concept is also seen by the author as ethnocentric in nature in that it assumes that one culture in the intercultural communication process is more superior to the other. Furthermore, it fails to take into consideration the fact that one or both parties involved will try to adjust to the situation prevent intercultural communication conflicts (Blommaert, 14, 17-20). The second concept analyzed in the article is that culture is incorporated into the communication process, depending on the circumstances surrounding the parties involved and represented clearly and without reservation during the process. This makes culture as not only a vital component to the identity of the parties involved, but the situation surrounding the communication in general (Blommaert, 21-22). Based on the information obtained, Blommaert concluded that the non-objective approach is the most appropriate linguistic method to be used in the analysis for intercultural communication. Furthermore, the study of linguistics in intercultural communication should be able to represent a collaborative accord between parties from different cultures (30). The second article is a case study an intercultural communication scenario between a Turk and a German. The case study aimed to show how communication problems arise when two parties communicate using a language which the native to one party and foreign to another as a result of on how the experiences of each party affect how they interpret the message being sent (Hinnenkamp, 91). According to Hinnenkamp, the culture of an individual affects various aspects of the communication process such as the degree of interaction permitted, how often will an individual will allow the other to respond, what topics to discuss, how direct he or she can be in addressing or questioning the other party, and their obligations in reference to their status. Should any of these aspects are not met; one or both parties would attempt to â€Å"repair† the communication by neutralizing and restoring the normative order as dictated by culture who considers the language being used as its native language. This is most exemplified in intercultural communication when an individual speaks in a language that is not native to him or her where the individual tries various methods like mimicking in order to make himself or herself understood (106, 108). The third article focused more on the reactions of the receiver of the message in a communication process. The article aimed to identify factors that affect the judgment of an individual involved interpersonal communication (Spencer-Oatey, 336-337). Spencer-Oatey defined culture as an indistinct collection of attitudes, beliefs, assumptions and values shared by a group of people which influence an individual’s behavior and how the individual views another’s behavior which has a major impact in scenarios where intercultural issues are present (338-339). Contrary to Blommaert’s statement, the author believes that culture is not always manifested depending on the situation when intercultural communication is present. She stated that on some occasions, certain very deep-seeded cultural traits will manifest itself in the intercultural communication process regardless if the situation makes it conducive or not (340). This is because individuals have the freedom to choose whether to uphold, modify or abandon his or her cultural practices when communicating. Culture, then is not manifested in a single encounter. Rather, it becomes only apparent when patterns in communicating develop (342). She did, however, agree that what goes on in an intercultural communication cannot be accurately predicted (345). In the article, John Gumperz specified the variation that occurs in intercultural communication between a native and non-native speaker are the â€Å"different conventions of communication, different speech styles, narrative patterns, in short, the deployment of different communicative repertoires† (qtd. in Spencer-Oatey, 343). The author concluded the article stating that more research is needed in order to fully understand intercultural communication. Unlike Blommaert who recommended that further research must concentrate in being able to gain an agreement between parties in the communication process to occur (30), Spencer-Oatey stated that in order to understand the process, the research should be continuous since intercultural communication occurs in relationships that have spanned for a long period of time (346). To summarize, intercultural communication refers to the interaction between two parties belonging to two different cultures where the culture of each party is manifested in the communication process depending on the length of time the interaction has been taking place and the situation surrounding the communication activity. Culture was defined in the texts as a vague group of attitudes, beliefs, behavioral principles, assumptions and values shared by a group of individuals that influence their conduct as well as how they interpret the behavior another. Finally, certain variations occur in intercultural communication between a native to the language being used and a non-native using the same language in order to be understood by the other. These variations include mimicking, speech styles and narrative patterns. Works Cited

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Bad Impact Tv for Children Essay

TV is a common fixture in our everyday lives. It’s almost as if the TV is a part of the family. We turn it on in the morning so that we can catch the latest headlines. We leave it on all day so we can have some background noise or comfort. We reach for the remote control, unthinkingly and habitually, whenever we walk in the door. Most households have a TV set on for many hours of the day, regardless of whether anyone is watching it or not. So what happens when we become parents and continue to leave the TV on all day while our young children are present? Because we turn the set on and choose programs designed for us, does it even matter? It certainly seems logical that if children aren’t watching the programs, then they would not be harmed by it. However, â€Å"background TV† does affect children, but not in the ways we might fear. Preschoolers who play while CSI is on in the background are not going to imitate the content. Infants who are fed by a parent who is tuned into the evening news are not going to become frightened by an upsetting news story. The effects of background TV on young children are more subtle, but profoundly important. Background TV disrupts children’s play. In one study, 12- to 36-month-old kids who played with toys, while their parents were in the same room and watching adult-directed programs, played for a shorter period of time than when the TV was off. In addition, children used a less sophisticated form of play when background TV was present compared to when it was not. It seems that the TV program, even though it was mostly incomprehensible and probably boring to the children, was captivating enough to repeatedly attract the children’s attention. This may not seem especially concerning. However, play is very important to children’s development. During play, children manipulate and experiment with objects, they learn about cause and effect, and they exercise their creativity and imagination. Play also helps children’s social development, as it requires children to consider other people’s viewpoints and to practice negotiation and conflict-resolution strategies. When play sessions are very short or repeatedly interrupted, children are not able to experience the cognitive and social benefits of play as much. Background TV is also detrimental to parent-child interaction. Not surprisingly, adults talk less to their children when the TV is on. It is difficult for adults to tune out TV and focus on their children, especially when TV content is interesting to them. In another study, researchers found that when background TV was on, parents were less likely to interact with their infants and toddlers compared to when it was off. This is an important effect since healthy parent-child communication is critical to children’s development. It is understandable why researchers have become increasingly interested in the effects of background TV on children. One report revealed that about one third of families with young children leave the TV set on all or most of the time. We’ve allowed TV to occupy a significant position in family life. TV, even when simply on in the background, still has a commanding voice. Maybe it’s time that we give this family member a lengthy time-out.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Minmi - Facts and Figures

Minmi - Facts and Figures Name: Minmi (after Minmi Crossing in Australia); pronounced MIN-mee Habitat: Woodlands of Australia Historical Period: Middle Cretaceous (100 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 10 feet long and 500-1,000 pounds Diet: Plants Distinguishing Characteristics: Unusually small brain; primitive armor on back and belly About Minmi Minmi was an unusually small, and unusually primitive, ankylosaur (armored dinosaur) from middle Cretaceous Australia. This plant-eaters armor was rudimentary compared to that of later, more famous genera like Ankylosaurus and Euoplocephalus, consisting of horizontal bony plates running along the sides of its backbone, a noticeable thickening on its belly, and spiky protrusions at the end of its long tail. Minmi also had an unusually small, narrow head, which has led some paleontologists to speculate that its encephalization quotient (the comparative size of its brain to the rest of its body) was lower than that of other dinosaurs of its timeand considering how stupid the average ankylosaur was, thats not much of a compliment. (Needless to say, the dinosaur Minmi shouldnt be confused with the Japanese-born, Caribbean-style singer Minmi, or even Mini-Me from the Austin Powers movies, who are both presumably much more intelligent!) Until recently, Minmi was the only known ankylosaur from Australia. That all changed at the end of 2015, when a team from the University of Queensland re-examined a supposed second Minmi fossil specimen (discovered in 1989) and determined that it actually belonged to an entirely new ankylosaur genus, which they dubbed Kunbarrasaurus, Aboriginal and Greek for shield lizard. Kunbarrasaurus appears to be one of the earliest known ankylosaurs, dating to the same middle Cretaceous time frame as Minmi, and given its relatively light coating of armor, it seems to have only recently evolved from the last common ancestor of both stegosaurs and ankylosaurs. Its closest relative was the western European Scelidosaurus, a clue to the different arrangement of the earths continents during the early Mesozoic Era.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

25 Subordinating Conjunctions

25 Subordinating Conjunctions 25 Subordinating Conjunctions 25 Subordinating Conjunctions By Mark Nichol If you’re having trouble developing sentences with sufficient variety to keep your writing fresh, take a ride on A WHITE BUS. No, I’m not shouting at you; A WHITE BUS is a mnemonic initialism that reminds you about a set of conjunctions with which you can begin dependent clauses. (A dependent clause is a phrase that must be attached to an independent clause a series of words that can stand on its own as a sentence to make grammatical sense.) Below, you’ll find the words or phrases that the letters in A WHITE BUS represent, and sample sentences in which they’re employed. A 1. â€Å"After dinner, we’ll go see a movie.† 2. â€Å"Although I’d rather not, I’ll make an exception.† 3. â€Å"As you know, she’s rather eccentric.† W 4. â€Å"When we’re done, let’s get some ice cream.† 5. â€Å"Whenever I go, I try to see something I’ve never seen before.† 6. â€Å"Whether or not you agree, I think it looks fine.† 7. â€Å"Where I go, they always have sales.† 8. â€Å"Wherever I go, I try to enjoy myself.† 9. â€Å"While I’m there, I play music on a jukebox.† H 10. â€Å"How is it that even though you go there all the time, you’ve never noticed that before?† I 11. â€Å"If you find out, please let me know.† 12. â€Å"In case you hadn’t heard, I couldn’t care less.† 13. â€Å"In order to enjoy your trip, take your time and enjoy the sights.† T 14. â€Å"That I like wearing red that has never been in dispute.† 15. â€Å"Though I’m flexible, I draw the line about that.† E 16. â€Å"Even if it is true, I’ll forgive him.† 17. â€Å"Even though I’d heard the song before, I hadn’t known who sang it.† 18. â€Å"Ever since I met her, I haven’t been able to think about anything else.† B 19. â€Å"Because I’ve been there before, I’d rather go somewhere else.† 20. â€Å"Before I saw the house, I was ready to just rent an apartment.† U 21. â€Å"Unless you’re willing to wait, you’ll have to come back tomorrow.† 22. â€Å"Until we find it, we can’t leave.† S 23. â€Å"Since then, I’ve had a different opinion of him.† 24. â€Å"So sure were you of your theory about them, you ignored evidence that you were wrong.† 25. â€Å"So that I’m sure I understand you, please repeat what you said.† Sometimes, ON, representing â€Å"only if† (â€Å"Only if I get to drive will I go with you†) and â€Å"now that† (â€Å"Now that we understand each other, things are much better†) precedes A WHITE BUS in the mnemonic phrase. Note, too, that the order in which the dependent and independent clauses appear can be reversed (though often, the comma separating the clauses is then not necessary). However, because the independent clause generally contains the essential information, the sentence is usually more effective when the independent clause trails the dependent clause. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to Use â€Å"That,† â€Å"Which,† and â€Å"Who†Grammar Quiz #21: Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Clauses5 Examples of Insufficient Hyphenation

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Communications Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Communications - Assignment Example As such, the person has to be always right: politically, socially, diplomatically and morally. No tainted stories or backgrounds will be entertained where the reputation of this highly coveted position is considered. Clean past, with an ideological bent of mind and innovative ideas to resolve burning issues of the present are the requirements of this position. Thus, I have chosen to delve into the probable thinking and working of the mind of the most powerful man on earth, that is the President of the United States.I will be analyzing pictures of him that had appeared in papers before he was elected the President of the U.S and pictures that appeared in the media after he was elected the President of the U.S. There have been Presidents of the U.S: Jefferson, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Carter, George Washington, Kennedy and some more who left their imprints on the sands of time. These Presidents were either elected during global crisis of some kind or the other or worked with the sole aim of alleviating the masses form their miseries. There have also been Presidents like Clinton and George Bush who were in the news for the wrong reasons. Then, there have been Presidents who were neither newsmakers nor harbingers of change. The question here is to examine the possibility of the current President in creating a place for himself in world history by undertaking something extraordinary. Does the president have this kind of charisma and dedication? As Bakhtin suggests that even in the most free, the most unconstrained conversation, we cast our speech in definite generic forms, sometimes rigid and tight ones and sometimes more flexible, plastic and creative ones. In the first caricature, posted on 26-10-06, by Mike Keefe in The Denver Post, President Obama is seen as a potential candidate for the 2008 Presidential elections. The cartoon shows him delivering the keynote