Lord of the Flies Ralph Essay Example

Lord of the Flies: Ralph Paper The very first time Ralph is Introduced to the reader, one can see his sense of observation even In the first sentence that he says, This Is an Island, at least I think Its an Island. Thats a reef out in the sea. Perhaps there arent any grownups anywhere. As everyone knows, a good sense of observation is essential for a leader. Chosen as a leader shows the naturally set in civilized instinct within humans. Ralph represents order and discipline in this chaotic world without grownups, which is displayed by his character and composure during the first meeting. His speech shows his maturity level, which outdo all but perhaps Piggys. He almost defines himself with his first speech: Listen everybody. Ive got to have time to think things out. I cant decide what to do straight off. If this isnt an island, we might be rescued straight away. So weve got to decide if this is an island or not. Everybody must stay around here and wait and not go away. Three of us-if we take more, wed get all mixed, and lose each other-three of us will go on an expedition and find out. We will write a custom essay sample on Lord of the Flies: Ralph specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Lord of the Flies: Ralph specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Lord of the Flies: Ralph specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Ill go, and Jack, and, and. (23-24). Ralph wastes no time in bringing order to the group. He demonstrates intelligence and self-control by not Jumping Into conclusions and by mating Time to think things out That displays to the reader his cautiousness in making decisions. Surely the other boys recognized this also, for he had earned the title, chief. Another instance where Ralph shows his ability to reason is when he observed that If faces were different when lit from above or below, then what is a face. (78). For a twelve year old boy, that is complex logical thinking, and for him to think that way, one can assume that Ralph Is indeed intellectual. Ralph clearly demonstrates the need for collocation and order by the tasks that he Instructs to be done. To Illustrate, the first task he asks to be done Is starting a fire. He reasoned that making a fire would help a passing ship locate them. One can see through this and know that unlike the other boys who are concern with playing, having fun, and avoiding work. Ralph main goal is getting rescued. Everything he wants done is for there benefit, to either live on the island safely, as shown by the shelters, and or get rescued. During the assembly In chapter 5, Ralph tells the group his frustration that things are not getting done. From the way the other boys act, he Implies that he Is the only one who wants to get rescued. He states that the boys arent even disciplined enough to ease themselves in the designated area. Thats dirty! He says several times about that issue. This point gives us a little insight into the way Rallys mind works. He is disgusted by the little ones are taken short everywhere they want to, and though the author does not state this, one can think that the older boys did the same and didnt think much of It. Ralph wants to grasp what he can of the passing cleavage nature AT man. Something else Ralph says Tanat lets us see Into Nils nature Is when he says, Dont you understand? Cant you see we ought to-ought to die before e let the fire out. Here, he explains his great frustration of the distorted mindset of the other boys. He Just cant understand how the fire is the last thing on their minds. In order to make sure that the fire stays on, he makes a rule that fire is to be lit on the mountain only, and if anyone wants to cook something, it should be done on the mountain. It can be assumed thats the way he reasoned so that the fire would definitely stay on. Again, Ralph displays his keen intelligence and amazing ability to reason. One cannot correctly analyze Ralph without also looking at the way he analyzes himself. Clearly, he does not see himself as others do. Others see him as an intelligent leader, while he sees himself as a poor thinker. In comparing himself to Piggy, he states that Piggy is a better thinker than he is. At the beginning of chapter seven, Ralph finds himself examining his situation: He pulled distastefully at his grey shirt and wondered whether he might undertake the adventure of washing it He would like to have a pair of scissors and cut this hair-he flung the mass back- cut this filthy hair right back to half an inch. He would like to have a bath, a proper wallow with soap. He passed his tongue experimentally over his teeth and decided that a toothbrush would come in handy too. Then there were his nails- (109). Through Rallys self-examination of himself, one notices that hes not particularly a dirty person, in fact, one can go far enough to say that he certainly dislikes being dirty. He is not at all like his mates who long to wallow in mud; instead he would rather wallow in soap. After he sees how deep in the recognizable pit he is in, he makes an astounding statement, Be sucking my thumb next. (10 9). Ralph knew that there was something wrong with the situation that he was in. He discovered with a little fall of heart that these were the conditions he took as normal now and that he did not mind. (110). He yearned for more than this remorseful life of his, this pathetic place he called home. He longed for his mother to tuck him in at night with a kiss goodnight and hear her sweet, soothing voice tell him that everything would be okay. He craved the rough, yet tender hug of his father in the comforts of his home. Surely, he must think that any life is better than the one he has right now, but he settled for those gentle words from Simon, manfully get back to where you came from. The question now is, was Ralph a bossy, self-centered fellow who was at times overbearing, or merely a firm instructor pointing the way towards life. Though Ralph was not a perfect leader, for no one is perfect, he certainly was a great one. He was a rightly respected young man of courage who never was persuaded in his pursuit for what is right, more than Just the round or dynamic character that Gilding was trying to portray him as. As the novel progressed through its climax and then its ending, we find that Ralph has lost most, if not all of his power as the leader. He is merely a awn in this twisted corrupt game that Jack conceived; but here is when his true brilliance shined. For even in defeat, Ralph did not give up. He did not cower as the other boys did, which must have tormented Jack. Beneath the surface the traditional novel that it is, Lord of the Flies makes one question themselves. If we were in the same situation as those British boys, what would we have done? Who would we have been? If we are to ever come across such a situation, then we would realize the savageness within one mans heart and the great hero Ralph was for standing up against sun a canalling.

The Best Man essays

The Best Man essays The dialogue in the movie The Best Man was a significant aspect in portraying the films political message. The first thing I noticed in the dialogue was the sick president saying,The rich used to play polo, but now they play politics. This statement not only suggested that politics were changing by the rich getting into politics but the way he used the word play as if politics were a game. The dialogue further more represents this idea when the poor presidential candidate ends one of his speeches with, May the best man win, where the word win suggests a competition or a game. The movies cinematography demonstrates the game being played. Often in the movie the parties were behind closed doors (smoke filled rooms) where the presidential candidate is the player along with the rest of the party. The party works to dig up the dirt they need to use against their opponents to better their position in the game. This part can be known as dirty politics because not everything done behind closed doors is right or even legal. Its this part of the game that the American people never see, but we do see a certain part of the game that is also very important in who wins. This is the part where the player actually makes his move and exposes the dirt. The player also tells the people what he is about and why he should be the champion. The characterization in the movie helped to establish what kind of player the player is. The rich presidential candidate represents a good player who doesnt want to cheat, he represents pure politics. He says he is a self made man with self made issues which means he hasnt had to cheat to get anywhere and the ideas he portrays are his own. The other player, the poor presidential candidate represents dirty politics. Hes the player who cheats to win. He knows ways to get himself out of trouble and better his posit ...

Management Leadership Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Management Leadership - Case Study Example 2. The presence of Emaar in the United States having acquired John Laing’s homes in California is an indication of the strength of their brand. It means that since the company has such a huge investment in the biggest economy in the world, then it exhibits an international influence in the industry. Investors will ultimately have higher confidence in the company. In addition, it helps them establish a market niche, which is not only based in the United States but all across the world. When the United States develops policies to protect its businesses within the country and those based abroad, Emaar is included. Thereby the company gets much power and influence as a result of the association with US. 3. Using his power and influence and the contacts created, Alabbar can steer Emaar to greatness. First, he can consider getting into partnership with some of the biggest brands in the market in order to enhance his company’s penetration. Secondly, he can consider diversification to other lucrative sectors such as the energy sector. Thirdly, Alababar can establish collaborations with governments. Finally, he can develop sustainability programs such as the corporate social responsibility policy that helps the community relate with the organization. Implicit leadership theory- this theory helps analyze personal attributes of a leader, which may help understand d why they make the decisions that they make. In addition, the leader’s vision, behavior, skills, and deeds are analyzed. It is apparent that such personal attributes of Ed contribute to the performance in the organization. Leader-member exchange theory- this theory is geared towards analyzing a situation where there are subdivisions within a team. The group members get to separate into different groups just like is the case at Cromwell Electronics. In addition, Ed who is the leader seems to have a special focus on the team that has been in the

Nuremberg Trial Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nuremberg Trial - Movie Review Example The accusations against judges were based upon atrocities and murders of Germans inside Germany. The establishment of an American tribunal for the trail of four German judges was therefore constitutionally and legally unjustifiable. In the existing legal frame work structure, the accusations related to international war crimes are directly treated by International Court of Justice. The International Court of Justice has the international and approved authority, as per the charter of United Nations, duly signed by all the members of General Assembly. As per the charter, the International Court can summon the defendant irrespective of geographical affiliation, but this is possible only when complains are registered. This specific case is relevant to human rights violation, and therefore any country or party can register the case against these judges. The Nazi judges have to defend their judgment and actions in accordance with charter and legislation of the Human Rights Commission (U.S. District Court, 2005). It is important to state that legally no court in specific country can hear the applications in the favour or against the citizens of other country - unless the citizens are travelling abroad and even in that specific case the citizens are provided legal support by Embassy officers of their home-country.

Economics of leisure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Economics of leisure - Essay Example Readers of this report have different needs and use the results for different purposes. Chapters 2-5 look at the results on the subject: attendance, participation, access to the arts through the media and the Internet, and attitude toward art and culture. Chapter 6 discusses the results by region to provide a regional overview of the commitment to art. Critically assess the economic usefulness of the concepts and definitions of the 'arts' contained in the document. Art can be viewed as functional, i.e., a set of activities or objects that present to perform some common functions. This kind of concept art is better fit in terms of economic activity. Economics assumes that people act on the network. Creative activity is observed, then the number of persons acting in a feature perceived benefits. To understand the benefits is to understand the economics of art (Bunting, 2007, p45). To comprehend those advantages is the understanding of the economics of art. In this document both Modern Visual Art and Modern Literature challenge the intellect and propose an alternative view of the world. Alongside, these two forms of modent art, allow the artists the immense liberty through conceptual phrase to express their reserved emotions and the fundamental desires. Subsequently, contemporary artists remind about subjective and sensory impressions, not the re-creation of objective realism, due to the inconclusive reality. Contemporary Visual Art and Present day literature have quite a bit in common when compared. Both are the most abstract art forms, and both have seen the most backlash, however what is intriguing here is that they both don’t represent reality (Chan, 2006, p133). The contemporary art greatly stresses upon the self and artistic self-expression. Consider the suitability of the 16-fold categorisation of live events used here {it is listed on page 10} for an economic analysis of demand for the arts. Participation in musical events has been fairly widespread . Almost two in five per cent attended live events in the music world over the past 12 months. One of the five percent attended a rock or pop event in the past 12 months. Classical music attended 10% of people in the past year, 6% of them went to the opera or operetta, 6% of jazz, folk and country and western 2%, and music is 2% of the world. Other types of music were seen in 7% of the people. There was an increase in the proportion of people attending live musical event by 36% in 2001 to 39% in 2003. There was also a slight increase between 2001 and 2003 to participate in events or pop-rock music and a slight decrease between 2001 and 2003 events as "other music". Nearly one in eight (12%) saw a dance of some in the past 12 months, 4% had attended modern dance, and 2% of the ballet. Other types of dances mentioned in 7% of people (Chan, 2007c, p23) . There were no differences in the proportion of people who attend these various events to dance in 2001 and 2003, except for a small i ncrease of 3% to 4% of respondents, modern dance. Different forms of assistance were evident for various musical and dance activities included in the study. For example, classical music is characterized by a high level of care, repeat, with one third (33%) of those present were a classical concert of three or more times in the past year, compared with 19% of those attending the opera. More

Porosity Architecture in Public Spaces

Porosity Architecture in Public Spaces Introduction The connection between the built and the unbuilt / between the â€Å"indoor† and the â€Å"outdoor†/ between the mass and the void is a very sensitive and debatable topic. The experience of a space can be severely affected by the ways its edges are treated, i.e. by controlling how a person enters/exits the space. Transitional experience plays a vital role in overall feel and experience of spaces. Different types of spaces require different types of treatments on their edge conditions. A city needs to be imagined as a space occupied by diverse sets of people with diverse needs and aspirations. The quality of a city has to be judged by what it offers to its residents the right to live, move around and work with dignity and safety. Porosity is one of the many guiding factors in designing a space, specially public places, which are the key strategic spaces in providing the area/city its character. Not only does careful design of such spaces increase the aesthetic quality of the place, but also plays a major role in increasing the standards of functionality, safety, quality and many such factors under which a city can be categorised. Porosity, is one spatial quality that can definitely benefit the public spaces, specially in places like Delhi, where the individual is getting isolated from the community in his efforts to cope up with the pace of life that the city has to offer. Also, with the increasing gap between the two extreme income groups of the city, the spaces, which are meant to be ‘public’, cater only to a certain section of the society, neglecting those which fail to fulfil the ‘entrant requirements’ . Apart from giving spaces back to all the sections of the society, increasing porosity in community spaces can also act as a measure against increasing crime rates in the city, as it opens up the space to a larger section of the society. Topic: Porosity in public spaces Research Question: How can porosity in public spaces be increased to enhance their utility for the society in general ? Public Spaces Public spaces are an inevitable component of human settlements. Parks, plazas, roads, beaches, etc are typically considered public spaces. They are the common ground for people to interact with others, share knowledge or goods, or carry out their daily rituals, be it daily routine or occasional festivities. By definition, they are spaces that should be accessible to all the members of the society, irrespective of their economic strength. It was stated that: Regarding the criterion of access, public space is a place which is open to all. This means its resources, the activities that take place in it, and information about it are available to everybody. Concerning the criterion of agency, public space is a place controlled by public actors (i.e., agents or agencies that act on behalf of a community, city, commonwealth or state) and used by the public (i.e., the people in general). As for interest, public space is a place which serves the public interest (i.e., its benefits are controlled and received by all members of the society) (Akkar, Z 2005).   Ã‚   Of course, these definitions refer to an ideal public space, while the urban atmosphere is not entirely composed of rigidly public and private spaces; instead, it is an amalgamation of public and private spaces with different degrees of publicness. Accepting that the relation between public and private space is a continuum, it is possible to define public spaces as having various degrees of publicness. Regarding the dimensions of access, actor and interest, the extent of publicness will depend on three categories: the degree to which the public space and its resources, as well as the activities occurring in it and information about it, are available to all; the degree to which it is managed and controlled by public actors and used by the public; and the degree to which it serves the public interest. Life in public spaces, not only has a function in the society as a whole, but it is also a rich source of individual amusement, pleasure and play. One criticism of the prevailing socio-functional approach towards urban public space can be that the individuals perspective is often disregarded. To what extent do city dwellers like to meet other urbanites in public places? Hardly any planner, architect or urban administrator seems to be interested in that question. Planners and city councils are eager to speak about public spaces as meeting places. They find it an attractive idea to conceive of public spaces as a unifying element where all sectors of the urban population meet. With the help of that image they can present their cities as communities, despite all the contrasts and differences. Most social scientists dealing with urban public space also tend to regard processes that take place in the public realm as a contribution to the social organization, as a fulfilment of societal nee ds. This top-down-view, however, neglects the daily users perspective. Do city dwellers wish to get together with all their co-urbanites? Everybody who has ever been in a city knows the answer: no, certainly not with everyone. On the other hand, it cannot be denied that at least some individuals derive great pleasure from being in public. Whether a space will function well depends on a range of aspects that include scale, use, safety and comfort, density and links. In many cases it is the individuals experience of walking or dancing down a street, and the quality of environment, that is the most important element. Design then becomes about maximizing choice and trying to provide for different individuals goals. Mitchell, D (1995) adds another dimension to public space by putting forward the point that public spaces are also, and very importantly, spaces for representation. That is, public space is a place within which a political movement can stake out the space that allows it to be seen. In public space, political organizations can represent themselves to a larger population. By claiming space in public, by creating public spaces, social groups themselves become public. Only in public spaces can the homeless, for example, represent themselves as a legitimate part of the public† Public sphere is best imag- ined as the suite of institutions and activities that mediate the relations between society and the state (Howell 1993). Problems with public spaces Despite the resurgence of interest in public spaces, urban design and planning litera- ture has frequently hinted at the diminishing publicness of public spaces in modern cities. Some researchers have pointed out the threat of recent privatization policies, and claimed that public spaces, traditionally open to all segments of the population, are increasingly being developed and managed by private agencies to produce profit for the private sector and serve the interests of particular sections of the population (Punter, J 1990). Others have commented on the high degree of control now maintained over access and use of public spaces through surveillance cameras and other measures intended to improve their security (Reeve, A 1996). Still others have argued that contemporary public spaces increasingly serve a homogenous public and promote social filtering. These open-access public spaces are precious because they enable city residents to move about and engage in recreation and face-to-face communication. But, because an open-access space is one everyone can enter, public spaces are classic sites for tragedy, to invoke Garrett Hardins famous metaphor for a commons (H, Garrrett 1968, cited Ellickson, R 1996) A space that all can enter, however, is a space that each is tempted to abuse. Societies therefore impose rules-of-the-road for public spaces. While these rules are increasingly articulated in legal codes, most begin as informal norms of public etiquette (Taylor, R 1984, cited Ellickson, R 1996). Rules of proper street behaviour are not an impediment to freedom, but a foundation of it (Ellickson, R 1996) Oosterman, J (1992), in his journal Play and Entertainment in Urban Public Space: The Example of the Sidewalk Cafà ©, points out that since 1989, several cities and towns in the Netherlands have invested millions of guilders in the design and redesign of plazas, streets and parks. These designs are also meant to have a social impact. Many discussion sessions are held about the nature of social life in urban public space and its function in the greater urban society. This is the case in debates among policy-makers and planners as well as among social scientists and architects. Although the concepts used in these sessions do not always deserve a prize for clarity, some characteristics appear through the haze: urban public places should be accessible, or even democratic places. Other participants in the discussion about public space do not share this belief in the possibilities of changing urban society by changing its public spaces. Richard Sennett (1990, p.201) for example is rather pessimistic in his latest book The Conscience of the Eye. People no longer seem to be able to cope with the social and cultural differences of the modern city. They maintain their network of personal relations within physically and visibly segregated social worlds: sealed communities as he calls them. According to Sennett, urban public spaces cannot bridge the gap between those worlds, even though they are supposed to do so. Today one cannot open a book about public space design without coming across a picture of either the Piazza San Marco in Venice or the Campo in Siena: two beautifully designed plazas referring to the romantic ideal of free, accessible public space, where everybody meets anybody. Comparing their idealistic model of a real public space with the contemporary city makes authors like Habermas and Sennett rather pessimistic about contemporary urban culture. The citys urban territory is too privatized and inaccessible. This pessimism is not surprising. Over time, the scale of society grew, the mobility of the population increased and new means of communication developed and disseminated among the population. These and other conditions led to different claims on urban public spaces Solutions William H. Whyte argues that cities should exert no controls on undesirables, including beggars and aggressive eccentrics. In his words:The biggest single obstacle to the provision of better spaces is the undesirables problem. They are themselves not too much of a problem. It is the actions taken to combat them that is the problem. The people have the right freely to assemble together, to consult for the common good, to make known their opinions to their representatives and to petition for redress of grievances. In their study with the Jagori, Kalpana Viswanath and Surabhi Tandon Mehrotra concluded that Womens ability and right to access and use public spaces is dependent on the kinds of boundaries imposed upon them due to nature of the space and its usage. Thus having a mixed usage of space is more conducive to free and easy access. Very strict zoning leads to separation of spaces for living, commerce and leisure. This increases the likelihood of some spaces being closed to women and other vulnerable groups such as children. For example in Delhi, we ( Viswanath, K Mehrotra,S) found that vendors selling everyday items make a space safer, whether in the subway, residential areas or bus stops. The local bread and egg seller gave a sense of comfort to women who returned home at night. Similarly vendors provided light and a crowd around bus stops which tend to become increasingly empty and dark as it gets later. But this phenomenon of safety provided by the hawkers is not understood by all govt authorities. Anjaria, J (2006) tells the story of condition of street hawkers in Mumbai. They are frequently described by civic activists, municipal officials and journalists as a nuisance; and are seen to represent the chaos of the citys streets and the cause of the citys notorious congestion. On the other hand, to others they represent an undeserved claim of the poor on the citys public spaces. This despite the fact that even a cursory look at the citys streets and footpaths shows that parked, privately-owned cars are by far the citys greatest encroachers of public space, and the greatest obstruction to the movement of pedestrians. However. to the self-proclaimed defenders of public space, the civic activists and the NGOs bent on removing hawkers from the citys streets, these facts are irrelevant. Neighbourhood by neighbourhood, the citys footpaths must be reconfigured, disorderly footpaths must be made monofunctional. The crime of the hawker is to contradict this dream. And, thus they have become a public nuisance because, by working on the street, they are engaged in an activity that contradicts the supposed universal ideals of the modern public space. The question may be how do we bring the ethos of privatized space that we have become used to together with the return to more democratic values that many people aspire to for the Millennium? Kath Shonfield in her recent contribution to the Demos series on the Richness of Cities (Shonfield, 1998) focuses on public space and what she calls the new urbanity. She promotes the urban right to roam and suggests change to urban policy that would include urban rights to access, extending public access as a principle of new developments, and re visiting the idea of the arcade as an urban design model to be explored. (cited Jon, R 1999) In order to shape the design, size and form of public spaces in town centres, it is necessary to understand their roles and functions. Public spaces in town centres can be classified in two broad categories: links and nodes. Links are roads, pavements or pedestrianized areas which constitute routes allowing movement between land uses and attractions. Nodes are cross roads where a number of links meet in the form of public spaces such as market squares or plazas. There have been different models of gender conscious planning adopted by cities to respond to violence against women and womens fear of violence. The broken windows approach focuses on zero-tolerance to crime, closed circuit televisions (CCTV) and an exclusionary approach to creating safer spaces [Mitchell, D 2003]. This approach criminalises certain kinds of people and behaviour such as gay men. The safer communities model on the other hand, puts forth a vision of making public spaces safer through activities, land use, social mix and involving users in designing strategies and initiatives for safer public spaces. These are seen to be more conducive to building ownership rather than the top-down approach of the broken windows. The safer communities initiatives emphasise activity, land use and social mix (Whitzman, C 2006, cited Viswanath, K and Mehrotra, S 2007) Stavros Stavrides (2007) says: Instead of thinking of social identities as bounded regions one can consider them as interdependent and communicating areas. In an effort to describe urban space as a process rather than a series of physical entities, we can discover practices that oppose a dominant will to fix spatial meanings and uses. These practices mould space and create new spatial articulations since they tend to produce threshold spaces, those in-between areas that relate rather than separate. Urban porosity may be the result of such practices that perforate a secluding perimeter, providing us with an alternative model to the modern city of urban enclaves. A city of thresholds could thus represent the spatiality of a public culture of mutually aware, interdependent and involved identities. Walter Benjamin, in his essay entitled Naples, explored the idea of vitality and variety in the modern city. The porous rocks of Naples offered him an image for a city’s public life: â€Å"As porous as this stone is the architecture. Building and action interpenetrate in the courtyards, arcades and stairways† (Benjamin,W 1985). Porosity seems to describe, in this passage, the way in which urban space is performed in the process of being appropriated (Sennett 1995). It is not that action is contained in space. Rather, a rich network of practices transforms every available space into a potential theater of expressive acts of encounter. A â€Å"passion for improvisation† as Benjamin describes this public behavior, penetrates and articulates urban space, loosening socially programmed correspondences between function and place. Porosity is thus an essential characteristic of space in Naples because life in the city is full of acts that overflow into each other. Defyin g any clear demarcation, spaces are separated and simultaneously connected by porous boundaries, through which everyday life takes form in mutually dependant public performances. Thus, â€Å"just as the living room reappears on the street, with chairs, hearth and altar, so, only much more loudly, the street migrates into the living room† (Benjamin 1985). Porosity characterizes above all the relationship between private and public space, as well as the relationship between indoor and outdoor space. For Benjamin porosity is not limited to spatial experience. Urban life is not only located in spaces that communicate through passages (â€Å"pores†), but life is performed in a tempo that fails to completely separate acts or events. A temporal porosity is experienced while eating in the street, taking a nap in a shady corner, or drinking a quick espresso standing in a Neapolitan cafà ©. It is as if acts are both separated and connected through temporal passages that represe nt the precarious fleeting experience of occasion. Everyday occasions thus seem to shift and rearrange rhythms and itineraries of use (de Certeau 1984). only located in spaces that communicate through passages (â€Å"pores†), but life is performed in a tempo that fails to completely separate acts or events. A temporal porosity is experienced while eating in the street, taking a nap in a shady corner, or drinking a quick espresso. It is as if acts are both separated and connected through temporal passages that represent the precarious fleeting experience of occasion. Everyday occasions thus seem to shift and rearrange rhythms and itineraries of use (de Certeau 1984, cited Stavrides, S 2007) According to Starvides, Porosity may therefore be considered an experience of habitation, which articulates urban life while it also loosens the borders which are erected to preserve a strict spatial and temporal social order. Thresholds, thus play an important role in materialising the play of connection and sepration between spaces. A study of thresholds can help reveal the actual correspondence and interdependence between spatial identities. In post-colonial Asian cities like Hong Kong similar conditions of urban porosity exist. Hong Kongs urban environment is devoid of the cultural conditions that mark the traditional world cities of the West. There are no memorable public spaces, no refined residential fabric, and no exemplary monuments to religion, politics, art, knowledge or culture. â€Å"Urban life in Hong Kong is traditionally linear in form. The roles of parks, piazzas and gardens in Hong Kong take on functions that change with the time of the day. They are by nature multipurpose spaces, festival grounds, concert sites, and improvised sports arenas. While these open spaces are fully utilized in key times, they lack any identity and are usually barren and lifeless when not in use.† (Lu, L 2005)

Tobacco and the College-Bound in the New Millennium :: Essays Papers

Tobacco and the College-Bound in the New Millennium Today’s high school and college age Americans will have to deal with the actions and attitudes of those involved in the current debate over tobacco use in America. As today’s and tomorrow’s smokers and non-smokers, we need to understand that aspects of our future are being decided now. What is at risk? Primarily at risk are two things: first, our health and welfare and that of our friends and loved ones, and second, individual liberty. Risks to Health and Welfare The negative health effects of smoking and other tobacco use are well known and documented by nearly every health-conscious organization in the United States. Cancer, heart disease, and most major pulmonary diseases top the list of the most painful and deadly reasons to quit and not to start. It’s estimated that more than one in six deaths in the United States is due to cigarettes alone. More than three million people die every year worldwide from smoking related diseases (Pringle, 44). Besides the mortality statistics are the millions of additional colds, canker sores, cases of chronic bronchitis and incredibly bad breath. Tobacco use is also incredibly financially taxing. Smoking just half a pack a day will cost over five hundred dollars a year if the smoker uses one of the most popular brands, and most young smokers do. Add to that national annual health care costs and lost work revenues totaling seventy billion dollars ($70,000,000,000), and damages from the 38% of accidental fires attributed to cigarettes, and the life-long cost of smoking is easily in the hundreds of thousands of dollars per American smoker (Pringle, 44). Besides the problems smokers cause for themselves, there are others to consider. Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), otherwise known as second-hand smoke, is not a significant risk for someone who is only exposed to a couple of hours a week in a neighborhood restaurant. It is, however, dangerous to family and friends who may allow themselves to be exposed for many hours a day so as not to inconvenience a smoker.