Contemporary Exhibition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Contemporary Exhibition - Essay Example According to the essay  Cindy Sherman is a fashionable master of the socially critical photography. Often, she features as a key picture in the â€Å"Pictures Generation.† Sherman’s focus in picture photography has always been to call into the question relating to the seductive and more oppressive influence of the media over personality and collective identities. She calls for her audience’s attention by powerful technology and maquillage that lies back of the countless images that circulate in an unremittingly public persevered in culture. Amongst the unsettling themes lying behind her extensive series of personal portraiture in numerous guises falls under the sexual desires and the domination of the fashioning of her self-identity by the means of self-deception.From this paper it is clear that Sherman’s ideas in photography lie in the long convention of self-portraiture and the theatrical role-playing in the field of art. She uses the camera and the ve ry tools used in everyday cinema, for example, makeup, stage scenery, and costumes. These help her to create an identity that recreates common illusions, or the iconic snapshots signifying numerous concepts. The concepts she fosters are like a public celebrity, sexual adventure, self-confidence, socially sanctioned, existential conditions, and ultimately, entertainment. Sherman’s photographic portraiture intensely emphasizes in the present although extending a long custom in arts that makes the audience reconsider certain common stereotypes as well as the cultural assumptions.   

Cafeteria Food Essay Example for Free

Cafeteria Food Essay Some people think that school cafeterias should be required to provide low-fat and/or vegetarian lunch options to accommodate the government’s nutritional guidelines, but all students do not eat the same. In my essay about cafeteria food, I will explain what students want in their food. I will also share the likes and dislikes in the food and what we can do to improve it. Cold pizza, undercooked hamburgers and brown lettuce sounds nasty. Many students from different states and districts have to deal with that every day at their schools. The food from the cafeterias used to be good, with a sweet flavor, but in the last few years the food had taken a different flavor, a flavor that cannot be tolerated by the students. The students need a better quality in their food, don’t they? It’s time for a change, a change to food, so students can be satisfied while their eating, a change to food that can be really worth it. As a matter of fact, we students pay money to the district every year and this is what we get? It’s time for a change. Everybody knows that eating healthy was from the past. However, now students and not necessarily just students eat fast food like McDonalds or Taco Bell. Now everybody does, which can be a good and a bad thing. The changes of the food’s taste has made many students to not eat at school, or even made students to bring lunch, and this as a matter of fact causes the school to lose money. In all actuality is the loss of money causing the school to give students poorly made food? If the schools would serve students food from places like Pizza Hut and Subway I can guarantee that most or all students would eat at the cafeterias and it would benefit to both school and students. These types of foods would be so great to have in schools, but unfortunately the district and the governments have taken action and unfairly, they have set down laws that prohibit these foods in the schools. They have settled these laws because they want us as students to eat healthy, but if they want to keep us healthy, why are they giving us food with a bad and nasty taste? Also, with these laws they keep students like me away from eating too much â€Å"junk† food because they can cause obesity. But do they keep on giving us food that is not even worth the amount of money our parents give to the government every year? If they were the ones who eat all of the nasty food given by the cafeteria they would of get tired of eating cold pizza and uncooked hamburgers with brown lettuce just like we the students do. In conclusion, we all understand what the government and the school system is trying to do with this healthy eating program. They want to promote healthy eating habits in an effort to prevent obesity. Although nutrition is important, students feel that there is a better way to have healthy food without ruining the taste. Therefore, in an effort to keep students healthy and leave with their stomachs satisfied we should all come together to realize that we are the ones that have to make it through the school day with the food.

Tamil Cultural Identity Abroad Cultural Studies Essay

Tamil Cultural Identity Abroad Cultural Studies Essay Bharatantyam has been embedded in the Tamil culture since centuries, transmitted from generation to generation and evolving over time to uphold its sacredness and its representation of the states traditional identity. Today Bharatanaytam has spread worldwide, performed and practiced across countries and accepted by both traditional and modern masses. However it was only after its rebirth in 1930, when the Devadasi Act was passed, and due to E. Krishna Iyers reworking of the dances movement vocabulary into a socially accepted dance form (On, 2011), that Bharatanatyam gained its respectable social status and hence today plays a crucial role in portraying Indias cultural and traditional identity. This portrayal may be seen as what Bourdieu would call a habitus, which is created through a social, rather an individual process leading to patterns that are enduring and transferrable from one context to another (Powercube, 2012). More precisely, Bharatanatyam is a social measure used to main tain and promote a certain habitus, defining the cultures values which are transferred both through time and across the nations, whilst also acting as a guide for the Tamil generations today. This essay analyses, based substantially on Bourdieus habitus theory, to what extent Bharatanatyam shapes Tamil cultural identity, especially abroad. Art forms in general, especially when practiced over centuries, have proven to be central to any articulation of ethnic identity (Hyder, cited in David, 2009) and this is even more true when a population lives outside of its home nation. There were, and still are, a significant amount of Tamilians that immigrate from India and Sri Lanka to the United Kingdom, especially during and after the British colonialism period. For many Tamilians in London, especially the older generation, Bharatanatyam is the element that contains within it all of their cultural and religious identity: it represents an idealism that they must try to incorporate and preserve. Bharatnayam acts as what Foster would consider an ideal body, something that the material body looks up to and tries to achieve. This ideal cultural representation in Bharatanaym has been transmitted over the years to future generations and to this day young Tamilians explain how Bharatanatyam is part of [their] culture and prevents the culture and religion [from] being forgotten, especially in the West (David, 2009). Two students, Maya and Mahumita, reinforce this statement by confirming that studying Bharatanatyam is their way of learning about their cultural heritage whilst living abroad. For example, most of Bharatanatyams bodily movements and facial expressions bear a prominent representation: that of Tamil womanhood. This can be seen in small gestures such as the applying of the kumkum on the forehead (in representation of the third eye), the plaiting of the hair or the folding of the sari, all symbolizing a feminized social body (David, 2009), describing how a woman should appear and behave in this cultural context. Another more specific example would be that of the heroine character, known as the nayika, and how she uses stylized gestures to prepare herself to meet the hero, the nayaka. Through these gestures the dance transmits an idea of femininity and grace which acts as an ideal for all Tamil women to t ry live up to and admire. This also links to Bourdieus concept of doxa, which is formed through a combination of unspoken norms and beliefs that are taken-for-granted assumptions or common sense behind the distinctions we make (Powercube, 2012), which in this case is the portrayal of how women are expected to behave. These characteristics that Tamil women need to behold are part of an unstated conduct that is reinforced through the dances movements and storytelling, constantly reminding the Tamil population, and women in particular, what their role is society is. As author Ann R. David explains, for the Tamil middle class, Bharatanatyam promises respectability and a traditional femininity and is, therefore, a prized carrier of tradition (David, 2009). As a result, purity of Tamil tradition, their rituals and religion, their language and their social behaviour, such as the importance of womens chastity in the Tamil civilization, is upheld substantially through Bharatanatyam it is co nsidered an influential tool used to craft social status and conduct, uniting Tamil cultural identity across the world. However, first-generation Tamil immigrants, and especially Tamil Hindu groups, are concerned that the external pressures of the West may overwhelm the younger generations and cause them to lose sight of their national identity as Tamilians. In order to preserve this sense of cultural identity, several schools have been built abroad to encourage and indulge the youth in their Tamil culture, ensuring that their roots are not forgotten. These classes would, according to Ann R. David, allow the transmission of traditional culture and assist immigrants in maintaining Tamil identity in local diasporic settings where the acquisition of Tamil social, cultural, and religious values does not necessarily take place (David, 2009). Most Sri Lankan Tamil temples and Tamil weekend classes in London are led by Tamil conservationists who try stay true to their cultural identity by discouraging their dance pupils to attend international performances to keep them from any outside influences. In additi on, most of the syllabus is written and taught in Tamil, despite the fact that the second generations are likely to have grown up with English as their first language given their educational and social context. This obsession to ensure that Bharatanatyam is practised and incorporated in the lives of immigrated Tamilians means that, as a result, the dance now bears more rituals and ceremonies attached to it today than it had during the period of its revival (David, 2009). For example, the offering of flowers on stage, known as pushpanjali, and the dedication of bells on the stage are common rituals now that were not required previously in Bharatanatyam. As part of their cultural essentialism none of the teachers in the London Tamil temples have introduced any creative or slightly unconventional material to their students, ensuring that the history of the dance is untouched in order to transfer a pure concept of their Tamil cultural identity. This may be considered as what Bourdieu re fers to as misrecognition, similar to Marxs concept of false consciousness, which is the conscious manipulation of a certain group or individual. In this case, the conservationists use Bharatanatyam to encourage certain social pressures that have been accepted without questioning such as, as previously discussed, the role of obedient women in the Tamil society. But is this pressure of preserving Tamil traditions through Bharatanatyam having the contrary effect and pushing away the younger generations from exploring their cultural identity? Some may argue yes, as certain teachers and practitioners, mostly in other countries in Europe and in North America, support Tamil nationalism through change and development. Aided and supported by the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam), Tamil Sri Lankan nationalism in particular is encouraged to evolve through more creative Bharatanatyam choreographies. For example, a Bharatanatyam piece was choreographed narrating the story of a military woman who sacrifices her male relatives to be a part of the Sri Lankan war. These types of narrations are unconventional compared to any of the traditional Bharatanatyam stories which usually involve Gods and their relationship with mankind. Another example would be the Akademi centre today whose goal is to enlarge received aesthetic definitions of the traditional and classical through strategic acts of cultural translation and situate Indian dance on the multicultural map of Great Britain (Meduri, 2004). Therefore, this modernising of Bharatanatyam and the usage of its representative symbolic movements to express contemporary concerns is going against the work of the preservationists. This contemporary development of Bharatanayam can be seen as creating a new, more current and perhaps global cultural identity. This sense of global identity seems to be growing, even in Britain, especially amongst the second generation as they have no strong, direct ties to their homeland. They hence tend to see themselves more as British, British Asian or British Hindu citizens who are made up of both cultures, yet belong strongly to neither of them. These young Tamilians are part of a global youth culture (Saldanha, cited in David, 2009) which means that they hold a global identity, unlike their elder relatives who struggle to maintain their traditional cultural identity whilst living in a different country amidst a completely different set of values. In the late 20th century all Indian dance forms were put under the label of South Asian dance, despite the fact that South Asia evidently consists of many more countries than just India, hence not only creating a rather vague category for these Indian dances but also merging internationalism within nationalism. The specific classical dance Bharatantyam being thrown amidst numerous other Indian dances and renamed as a part of a South Asian dance was a huge turning point as it enlarged the Indian label and made visible the diverse dance, performance, and theatre practices of the Indian/Asian diaspora (Meduri, 2004). But some Bharatanatyam dancers and teachers, such as Mira Kaushik, encouraged this relocation of Bharatanatyam dance within the broader category of South Asian dance. Kaushik claimed that although Indian dance might look Indian, it is South Asian dance in the United Kingdom because it is performed not just by immigrant dancers from India but by hundreds of South Asian dancers belonging to the different nations of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India, and Africa (Meduri, 2004). One may argue that Kaushik challenges the idea that Bharatanatyam is specially reserved for Tamilians as their source of cultural identity; she brings a whole new concept to Bharatanatyam by suggesting that it can appeal, be understood and perfo rmed by many other nationalities. This reform therefore alters and reshapes the key tool Bharatanatyam that traditionally promotes the estalished Tamil habitus. By reintegrating Bharatanaytam with a more futuristic and contemporary aspect, it challenges the cultures original habitus and its centuries of unquestioned customs. Therefore Bharatnatyam may actually be seen as a source of creativity and as a catalyst for a new global identity, rather than a source of tradition and preservation of a purely Tamil identity. Bharatnayam has been adopted and reworked since the very beginning of the 1900s by the West, especially in the United States to begin with. For example, in 1906 Ruth St. Denis, the co-founder of the dance company Denishawn, was hugely inspired by South Asian dance and she immersed herself in Indian writings and culture. She used these resources to later on choreograph dance pieces, such as Incense, The Legend of the Peacock, Radha and further on group productions such as The Flute of Krishna in the 1920s. Another distinct dance pioneer, La Meri, even created a rendition of Swan Lake through Bharatanatyam vocabulary. Especially since the 1930s Bharatnayam has opened up as men now feel comfortable to interpret womanly roles, whilst also many dancers from outside of the Tamil nationality have beg an practicing Bharatanatyam, even to a professional level. But does this globalisation of Bharatanatyam necessarily affect the preservation and the influence it has on the Tamil population and their cultural identity? Rather on the contrary, although Bharatantyam has been increasingly globalised since the early 1900s, the dance in itself to this day remains associated with tradition and symbolism. Both in local Indian communities and abroad, Bharatanatyam is an art that globally and continually promotes the habitus of the Tamil community and its values: whether a non-Tamilian dances it, whether a contemporary story is being told, whether a man dances a womans character the movement vocabulary and the concepts behind the dance remains the same for example, even the interpretation of Swan Lake by Le Meri through Bharatanaym essentially needs to use the dances symbolized codes to tell the story. Bharatanatyam is based intricately on traditional meanings, and therefore whatever context it may be placed in, it will stay true to its Tamil origin . Especially in countries such as Britain and Indonesia where the Tamil population is significant, Bharatanatyam remains a key pathway to not only identify themselves with their distant Tamil customs and embody their cultures habitus, but to spread it worldwide. Word count: 2,005

Richmond vs. Virginia :: essays research papers

Richmond vs. New Orleans Recently I was thinking about how I live two different lives. My one life is the main one, where I live in New Orleans, LOISUANNA, and go to a Community College. I have my circle of friends and my girlfriend, but I always feel like something is missing. My other life resides in Richmond, VA. I have no idea how my mom found the place, but she did. I have been going to Richmond since I was very young. I grew up with most of the kids in town and consider those guys my family. There is only one street light in the whole town and nothing, but trees, mountains, rivers, and lakes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I always find myself contrasting my two lives and wishing I could have them both. In New Orleans, where I have lived for four years, I have a lot of friends, but can’t help notice the difference in the way people in Louisiana are compared to Virginia. People in Louisiana are all about their materials. What they have, what kind of car they drive, and how big the wardrobe is. I even find myself competing to look the best and have the fastest ride, but the people in Virginia are not materialistic at all. They don’t have any Burberry purses or 12 pairs of Nike Air Force Ones. All they care about is having fun and going to work.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Richmond also feels like a bubble in comparison to New Orleans. By that I mean Richmond doesn’t have any hardcore drugs, thieves of the night, or crazy police. The town has about 2 police officers and that is more than enough. Since it is a small town everyone knows everybody and when a bad seed pops up, that person is usually exiled from the town. The kids there are so naà ¯ve, because they have really never been to a city, but once ore twice. They don’t see any bad people in the town and they rarely have had any encounters with them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My friends in New Orleans are the complete opposite. Most of them are scam proof and don’t fall for any tricks. They are tough and have had to deal with bad people all their lives. In city-life I find there isn’t as much loyalty to each other as in a small town. Most people in a city are usually looking out for themselves and people they care about and usually nothing else matters.

Ioi Corporation

IOI Corporation Case Study 1. IOI strong growth was achieved through a. Good plantation management practice * Continues improvements on yields performance * Maximize output from plantation and factories and minimize input to achieve a low-cost supply chain b. Diversified business base in palm oil industry, from downstream sector to upstream sector 2. IOI opportunities and threats c. Opportunity * Continues growth on palm oil in edible oils & fats market globally * Increase in non-food industry demand, like biofuel.Now, market is focus on renewable energy. Palm oil has been identified as one of the efficient and clean biofuel * Crude palm oil price getting higher and stable year-on-year. * Sales of properties at prime area especially in Singapore have been encouraging * Expansion in Indonesia with recent planting permit approval to the group’s directly owned plantations d. Threat * Major revenue is come from export markets to Europe and US. Weak economic situation affect the de mand on palm oil. With limited land bank in Malaysia * Unfavorable weather condition * Shortage of estate workers * Fierce competition from Sime Darby and Indonesia and upcoming markets like Africa and Brazil are catching up 3. Internal organization capabilities and it weakness. e. Top 3 executive directors are family members. Decisions making are among family members, higher chances in power abusing and lack of transparency f. Has operations in many countries, expose to foreign exchange risk 4. Change and unchanged g. Change Family based share holders lack of transparency. Need to maintain good relationship with stakeholders to increase the efficiency of the group h. Unchanged * Tissue culture research, leading to cultivation of clonal palms with superior traits * Continuous improvement in productivity and efficiency of its operations * Sustainable environmental friendly practices IOI Financial Analysis FY2012 1. Current liquidity ratio = Current asset / Current liability 2012 (RMà ¢â‚¬â„¢000)| 2011 (RM’000)| 9,185,620 / 2,202,499= 4. 7| 7,703,105 / 2,288,028= 3. 36| The group ratio increased in year 2012 2. Total debt to total asset = (short term debt + long term debt) / total asset 2012 (RM’000)| 2011 (RM’000)| 10,148,965 / 23,064,868= 0. 44| 7,393,721 / 19,655,119= 0. 37| Total funds that are  provided by creditors is increasing in year  2012 3. Total asset turnover = Sales / total asset 2012 (RM’000)| 2011 (RM’000)| 15,640,272 / 23,064,868= 0. 67| 16,154,251 / 19,655,119= 0. 82| 4. Profitability = net income / sales 2012 (RM’000)| 2011 (RM’000)| ,828,529 / 15,640,272= 0. 11| 2,290,513 / 16,154,251= 0. 14| After tax profits decreased per ringgit of sales 5. Market value * EPS = 0. 2785 * P/E = 18. 2047 * Price per share = 5. 07 * (Current assets – current liabilities) / ordinary shares = (9,185,620 – 2,202,499) / 6,419,174 = 1. 08 * Fair value = (5. 07 / 2) + (1. 08 / 2) = 2. 535 + 0. 54 = 3 . 075 IOI group’s profit is decreased on year 2012. The market fair value is much lower than the actual price per share. The option is to sell the share instead of buying it.

Chocolat analysis Essays

Chocolat analysis Essays Chocolat analysis Essay Chocolat analysis Essay Essay Topic: The Birthday Party In the movie Chocolat we first encounter Vianne with her daughter Anouk as they brave the harsh wind and settle into the new village. She is bound by the ways of her mother cheetah: She was one of the wanderers she moved with the north wind from place to place dispensing natural remedies never settling down. We hear how Vianne and Anouk have travelled from city to city also bound by the same north wind. The wind itself carries a musical overtone of strong wind instruments and the light playing of the piano, which is played whenever the wind is present. This delicate playing is used to call Vianne into moving on. This condition is apparent as the film maker focuses on the positioning of the urn next to Vianne`s bed as if it was a constant reminder of her inherited ways. Soon after the north wind called Vianne we see her talking, as she is packing her suitcase, to the urn as if her mother was still alive: Of course of course whatever you like mamma. To reinstate this unspoken bond the same piano and wind instrument sounds are played in the background of the dim lighted room. It is only after Anouk`s and Vianne`s struggle on top of the stairs when we see the ashes fall and the bond broken. We view the urn tumble in slow motion, in quiet fear if the moment. This scene is valuable because it allows Vianne to re-evaluate her own situation. The wind continues to call desire for what is thought to be Vianne. Although Vianne hears this she ignores its calling for her and in one brief moment release what is left of her mothers ashes into the noisy north wind, thus freeing cheetah from her limitations in the urn. After months pass we see Vianne still in the chocolate store with her happiness completed with Rouxs return. We soon are shown the characteristics of the mayor of the village Comte de Reynaud. This is told through the camera work as it is situated high above as if to say his ancestors are looking over his every move. He believes in self control and opposes Vianne as she is compromising with his authority and the morals that the towns people should live by. He is faced with another demon, that of his wife. It is shown that all that is left of the marriage to his wife is a black and white photo of the couple on his desk. When asked about her absence from the village he tries to hide the truth, only later on in the film does he gain independence when he submits to the chocolate and accepts that the old ways of life are not always the best. With this we meet Josephine, in church, stealing a mirror out of a persons purse. She is perceived by many to be crazy. She is illustrated as being a messy and over protected woman in her thirties. She steals to get away from the abuse she suffers at the hands of her husband. A source of independence and freedom, something he can not control. During the movie she stumbles in to Vianne`s shop, beaten but boundless. There is a little light source apparent outside but in the shop it is only dimly lit and there is also an eerie silence inside. We see scenes of a smiling Josephine and her costume changes during this to give her a more brighter and neat look. Its only after a run in with serge that she gains a final stage of freedom. After Serges banishment, Josephine takes over the sleazy cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ and creates a family orientated atmosphere, where she appears to be herself after facing constraints for so many years. Judi Denchs character of Amande can be first thought of as a cranky, old scrooge, even though her house is to some extent neat her life portrays a depressing look. It is only after drinking a hot chocolate her eccentric disposition changes. When Luc and Amande are reunited we see that their similarities between them are endless. Through the movie Amande regains her love of life as she dances and smiled all through out her party. Her party creates her favorite scenarios being her friends, Luc, chocolate and final acceptance. Lucs first appearance is shown in the church as he draws an over emphasized body of a person in the hymn book, while everyone around him is singing. His grandmother hates the way his mother fusses over him. In Lucs room he yearns to be outside with the other children. In this scene the camera is positioned high where his room is, to say that the two worlds are so far apart and secluded. In his room pictures of imaginary worlds are hung, each one more twisted then the last. Unfortunately his mother fusses all over him as shown when Luc develops a little nose bleed. She gushes over him, trying to clean him up. After doing the portrait of his grandmother Luc starts to laugh and acts like a normal boy. Its only after Luc runs away to be at his grandmothers birthday party his mother releases how over protective she has been. In the scenes towards the end of the movie we see Luc at the Easter Sunday celebrations laughing, running around and being a kid. The movie brings into view many different lives and also their stories. As extreme as they might appear, it is not that different and secluded from the society we live in now. Its only because the village is so small and secluded that everyones faults seen to become so clear. This movie shows the determination of people trying to become independent as most are sick of the ways of the old and are looking for a source of output but unfortunately they are told repeatedly what they are doing is wrong in Gods eyes. In the film we are shown the way of a quiet village in the French countryside where they live by the motto tranqulite and have done for many years. It is only after the arrival of a traveller that the town is able to live the way the people crave it to be.