Graffiti

One common objection is that graffiti is not art because it is vandalism and hence a criminal act. While it is true that it can be vandalism and a criminal act, these facts would not seem to have a bearing on its status of being art. The mere fact that something is illegal or classified as vandalism hardly seems sufficient to make something fall outside of the realm of art. After all, imagine a state in which music was a criminal act and labeled as a vandalism of the public sound space. It would hardly follow that music would thus cease to be art. As such, this objection fails.The reasons and values for why one might engage in graffiti art are as varied as the artists who produce it. A chief reason is the prospect of fame and recognition of one's artistic talent. Graffiti is also a form of self expression. The art as â€Å"writing† is a creative method of communicating with other writers and the general public. What it communicates is the artist's identity, expression, and ide as. Judgments are based solely on one's artistic ability. This type of communication is of value because it links people regardless of cultural, lingual, or racial differences in way that nothing else can.In addition, producing graffiti art with a crew builds team work in that the crew works together for the accomplishment of a common goal. The feeling of this achievement in league with others is of value to the artist In addition, graffiti art is not a spontaneous activity like tagging in the form of fancy scribble. The completion of a piece or a production involves a great deal of imagination, planning, and effort. The graffitist first does a sketch. Then he or she plans out characters and selects colors.Next, the artist selects his or her â€Å"canvas† or surface and does a preliminary outline, followed by a filling in of colors and ornamentation, and then the final outline is completed. Graffiti can also be analyzed according to the elements of lines, color, and structure s that are present in the work in order to produce a narrative about it. Another significant reason why graffiti art can be viewed as art is by considering the producer's intention. Graffitists intend their work to be apprehended as art that can communicate feelings and ideas to the audience.This is in line with Tolstoy's mandate that art must allow people to express ideas and share in each other's feelings via the artwork. Plus, graffiti art has a function of not only communicating to others, but it also beautifies the community by appearing on areas that normally would be eyesores, such as a wall in a vacant lot or an abandoned building. Furthermore, all of the aesthetic properties and criteria from the base element of color to the complex issue of artist intention which are ascribed to other works in order to characterize them as art can all be found in examples of spraycan art.The only difference between those works in a gallery or museum and graffiti art in terms of how and why the latter is not readily accepted as art is due to its location and presentation. Indeed the issues of location and presentation are the most significant obstacles to a wholehearted acceptance of spraycan art as art. Graffiti art cannot be disregarded simply because it is not presented in the conventional location and manner, i. e. , framed and placed in a museum or gallery. The location of it on a wall or subway without permission only makes it unsolicited art.As such, it can be called vandalism, but again, this does not disqualify it as art. Rather the categorization of graffiti art as unsolicited art that is vandalism only justifies a removal of it from the surface. On the other hand, the vandalism aspect of graffiti art can be considered as a uniqueness and not a detracting feature of the art form because as vandalism, graffiti art is very temporary. A piece which might be sixty feet long, twelve feet high, and take twenty to thirty cans of paint and at least eight hours to pr oduce might be gone in a matter of minutes.We are not used to art approaching us outside of conventional settings such as a museum. Instead of the audience going to view the art form, spraycan art reaches out to the viewer; sometimes in a startling manner. One can only imagine how shocking and surprising it might have been to see a colorful train moving swiftly through the dingy stations and drab boroughs of New York City. Spraycan art is an art form that is completely open to the public because it is not hemmed in by the confines or â€Å"laws† of the gallery system or the museum. Perhaps, this is its only crime.In summary, some forms of graffiti become art according to four criteria. First, graffiti art is separated from everyday graffiti markings by the artist's intention to produce a work of art. Second, graffiti art has an established history of development in style and technique. Third, graffiti art even has been recognized by the art world. A fourth criterion is that t he public response to graffiti art indicates that it is art. Whether or not all of the public agrees that graffiti art is good, bad, or extremely valuable is a different discussion about evaluation and not whether or not graffiti art is art.The evaluative concerns actually play more into where, when, and how graffiti art should be displayed. The above criteria are defensible in so much as they have been used to legitimize other artistic forms. However, what appears to be the most significant answer to describing how and why graffiti art is art is the notion of understanding where the artist and the audience synchronize in agreement about a particular work being an example of art. It is a matter of comprehending what makes a creation art for the artist and what makes this same creation art for the audience.When and according to what criteria that these two viewpoints coincide is what thoroughly determines graffiti art as art. And like other art forms, graffiti art is definitively art when both the artist and the audience agree on the works ability to provide maximal aesthetic satisfaction. While it is almost impossible to formulate a theory of necessary conditions or rules specifying when graffiti art is art, I think it is sufficient to draw on already established aesthetic theories and criteria to point out that some forms of graffiti do qualify as art.Therefore, graffiti in the form of spraycan art is art. It has form, color, and other base properties as well as an arrangement of these elements into structures that qualify it aesthetically as being art. Just doing something with spraypaint might make it graffiti, but it does not necessarily qualify it as art or graffiti art. In addition, when the spraycan art is analyzed according to the artist's intention and value to audience, there is even more evidence to suggest that it is genuine art.The only obstacle that has hindered the general acceptance of graffiti art is its location and presentation. However, the instances of acceptance of graffiti art by the art world shows that conventional methods of presentation are not all that matters in determining if something is art. And graffiti art is not to be disqualified as art simply because it might appear unsolicited. In short, graffiti in the form of spray can art is art like any other work that might be found in a gallery or a museum.

Foster children and family resilience Essay

Foster children refer to minors or young people who have been removed from their custodial adults or birth parents by governmental authority. These children are placed under the care of another family either through voluntary placement by a parent of the child or by the relevant governmental authority if the birth parent has failed to provide for the child. Family resilience on the other hand, is the positive capacity of a family to cope with catastrophe and stress. It is also a feature of resistance to future adverse events. In this sense, family resilience goes hand in hand with cumulative protective factors used to counteract risk factors. Naturally risk factors are against positive development of a child coupled with low academic achievement and behavioral or emotional problems. Examples of some of the risk factors are low socioeconomic status, poverty and parent with mental disorder, drug abuse and abusive caretaking among others. McCord, Joan. (1993) reported that resilient family is the one which remain composed despite being exposed to misfortune or stressful events. Some of the characteristics of family resilience include among others:- †¢ A sense of self esteem which enhances coping effectively with challenges. †¢ Active approach toward an obstacle. †¢ Ability to view difficulty as problems that can be overcame, endured or solved altogether. †¢ Being able to know when enough is enough though after being considerably persistent. Problems with generic present-day parent education programs Most of the parent education programs that are developed target only general situations rather than focusing on specific parent characteristics or situations (Elmquist, 1995; Nelson, 1995}. They try to use general approach to solve all problems which limit effectiveness of parent education program. Also, researches undertaken have given conflicting information and differing theories to approach parent education resulting to conflicting advice to parents (Powell, 1990). The few studies that have been undertaken on family programs have not been comprehensive making it hard to generalize about which strategies are effective, for whom and for what outcome (Powell1989; Small, 1990). On the other hand, some social problems such as teen pregnancy, adolescence suicide, and drug abuse that frequently affect parents in the process of bringing up children are difficult to tackle using a generic program because they need specialized program (Medway 1989, Mullis 1999). Changes in lifestyle and family structure add to complexity of issues involved in raising children hence making it difficult to address using generic parent education programs (Mullis, 1999; Powell, 1990). Why might a very structured family environment work with young children, but cause adolescent children to rebel? Between the ages of twelve and nineteen is a period in a teenager’s life that determines what kind of adult he or she will become. This period of adolescence is known as the â€Å"formative years† and they are vulnerable to peer pressure. At this stage they may experience an urge to rebel against the pressures placed on them as youths. Also, they give in to peer pressure because of an overemphasis on the importance of social adjustment, lack of interest or communication on the part of the parents and teachers, and the unrealistic expectations that these entities create. (Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly and Reed Larson,1984) From another point of view, families are always both functional and dysfunctional. What tend to work for a certain group will somehow not always work for another. A structured family is functional for young children but dysfunctional to adolescents (Huber, 1998; Masten 2001) Families with young children are very structured and this contributes to stable and secure context to live within. This same structure contributes to rigidity and rebellious behavior among adolescences. It’s the balance between the two that’s functional and dysfunctional that determines the success of children rearing Strength of the foster care system The foster care system help parents in finding what their talents and strengths are in their role as parents. It also facilitate parents to use their talents and strengths more frequently to minimize stress, improve family communication and engage their children in problem solving. The system designed to assist children and adolescences whose development is negatively affected by issues such as parental neglect, abuse, emotional and behavioral problems (Benedict and White, 1991). It gives increased attention to emotionally disturbed children and adolescences and concentrates mostly on the necessity for alternative interventions to address their needs (Barbell, 1996; Brandenburg, Friedman and Silver, 1990). The system help on ensuring that, children are well catered for in a conducive environment. The system facilitates the recruitment and training of foster parent for they are considered vital partners in ensuring children gain a sense of self-worth and self-confidence. It also cooperates nationally to review the success of the foster care program. It mostly focuses on specifically designed treatment plans that focus on fulfilling the needs of the treatment foster care child (Hawkins, 1989). Purpose of the family resilience project. Family resilience project focuses on increasing successful behavior by using a family own expertise in addressing issues in treatment of foster care families. It allows families to view their behavior as both a dysfunctional and functional and put more emphasis on increasing functional behavior. Also it offers treatment foster care families specialized and individualized training directly geared toward bringing up children residing with them. On the other hand, another project goal includes creating more positive working relationship between treatment foster care family and biological family. It also creates an understanding among the family members hence enhancing an appreciation for being treatment foster care family. The project provides parent education training that is practical and that could be readily applied. Conclusion Family resilient project advocate reacting to child’s behavior immediately as compared to delaying the reaction because it yield more positive results. The foster care child knows the parent are serious when they don’t allow bad behavior to pass It also advocates use of set of rules that are flexible, concentrating more on what has worked. The project advocates the use of skills which include ability to think reflectively and being able to attempt alternative solutions for social problems. References Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly and Reed Larson. Being Adolescent: Conflict and Growth in the Teenage Years. Basic Books, Inc. 1984. New York McCarthy, John D. and Dean R. Hoge. (1984). The dynamics of self-esteem and delinquency. American Journal of Sociology, 2. 396-410. Mullis, F. (1990) Active parenting: An evaluation of two adlerian parent education programs. The journal of individual psychology. McCord, Joan. (1993). Problem Behaviors. Pp. 414-430 in S. Feldman and G. Elliot (Eds. ), At the Threshold: The Developing Adolescent. Cambridge, MA:Harvard University Press. Rosenberg, Morris, Carmi Schooler,, and Carrie Schoenbach. (1989). Self-esteem and adolescent problems: Modeling reciprocal effects. American Sociological Review, 6. 1004-1018. Scholte, Evert M. (1992). Identification of children at risk at the police station and the prevention of delinquency. Psychiatry: Interpersonal and Biological Processes, 4. 354-369 Powel D. R(1990). Parent education and support programs. Young children 41,47-53.

Writing and Publishing Resources

Writing and Publishing Resources Roundup of Writing and Publishing Resources Here at Reedsy, we’re fortunate that we get to work with some of the finest talent in the publishing industry - and these experts have shared their experiences and knowledge with us in the form of interviews and how-to guides. In fact, we’ve published articles on so many topics that it’s hard to keep track of them all.In this post, we want to share some of the best Reedsy articles so far, sorted in a way that mirrors the publishing journey taken by most authors. Check out Reedsy's roundup of writing and publishing resources! #amwriting To make this information even easier to digest, we've compiled it into our beautiful Book Launch Checklist! You can simply download it for free below, then follow the steps to publication! How Do You Write Your Book?If you have any questions or topics you’d like to see covered on the Reedsy Blog, post them in the comments below.

Persian Jews essays

Persian Jews essays Paradise, a term meaning a place or condition of beauty or happiness, is a good term to describe the times when the Jews of Iran were prospering. During the sixth century B.C.E., King Nebucchadnezzar of Babylon conquered Judea and exiled the Jews to surrounding regions. This marked the start of the Jews in Iran, and history shows that the Jews went though both good and bad times in Iran. To this day, there exists a significant population of Jews in Iran. For most of the period, between the times of Cyrus the Great in 550 B.C.E. to the end of the Sasanian dynasty in 642 C.E., the Jews of Iran did not experience prosperity and suffering due to their religious beliefs, rather this occurred due to the decision made by the Iranian leaders for their own Iranian interest. This paper will emphasize the lives of Judeo-Iranians after their exile from Judea by King Nebucchadnezzar to the time of the Muslim invasion in the seventh century. This paper is divided into three sections to make the paper more accessible to the reader, similar to Habib Levys book. Each section will be relevant to a significant time for the people Iran. The Good Times: The Achaemenid Dynasty [550 B.C.E. 330 B.C.E.] In 550 B.C.E., Cyrus the Great, the third descendent from the Achaemenid family came to power and established the Persian Empire (Olmstead, Pg. 39). Cyrus the Great is portrayed as a smart, noble, and ideal character in Persian history. He is the greatest and most powerful leader in Persian history (Levy, Pg. 45). During his reign, he conquered Babylon, and created an empire stretching from the borders of India to the Mediterranean (Seltzer, Pg. 113). Cyrus respected the faiths of all nations and peoples (Levy, Page46). He freed all the Babylonian captives, including the Jewish captives, and allowed the return of the Jews to Judea to build a new temple (Levy, Pg. 46). There are many passages in the Old Testament regarding...

Case Study about the Capital Gains Tax

In the given case, Dave Solomon age 59 is planning to get retired at an age of 60. He has decided to plan out his assets in the best possible way so that he has enough money at the time he gets retired. With an intention to save maximum amount available with him at the time of retirement, he decides to collect $1,000,000. HE decides to rent a city apartment and withdraw the tax free amount that he has saved in the superannuation fund for the retirement purposes. He was living in St Lucia from the past 30 years. He in order to raise the money that he has decided he plans to sell out his home through an auction. He conducts and auction and sells the house for $850,000 which has cost him $70,000, 30 years back. During the auction process, Dave has forfeited $85,000 from one of the customer, who first agreed to buy the house but after he fails to meet out his commitment. In this process Dave has paid $15,000 to the agent who has helped in fetching the right customer for the process. Cons idering all these points, Dave has made profit of $850,000 for the sale transaction. A person is not required to pay any capital gain tax on the profit that the person has earned on the sale of his residence. The exemption that has been given in the Australian tax laws is applicable only on the property in which the person is living or residing into. Thus, a person is required to pay the capital gain tax only on the property that has been earned by the person only on the property that has been held by him as an investment. In the given case, Dave has been living in his house located at ST Lucia which he has sold for $850,000. Being this property is the only in which Dave is living from past 30 years. Thus, in light to the above provision, being a property which has been used by the person is his own residence does not attract capital gain tax. Thus in that case, the capital gain earned by Dace worth $850,000 is not eligible for capital gain tax. As per the Australian tax laws, a person is not eligible to pay any capital gain tax liability arising on the profit that he has earned on sale of personal and collectible assets. In case of personal and collectible assets we have a separate classification which would be used for such taxation and thus the same in no case should be mixed with the provision of normal capital gain tax laws. The collectable and personal asset in this case includes art work such as drawings, paintings, photographs etc., jewellery, antiques, coins etc. In the given case, the painting of pro hart that has been sold by Dave would be covered in the definition of personal and collectible assets and thus the profit worth $110,000 that he has earned on such sale would be covered under the separate category other than capital gain. A person is not eligible to pay any tax liability on the gain that he has earned on sale of personal assets. The personal assets in this case includes car, resident property etc.   In the given case, the assessee sold motor cruiser for $60,000 which he has purchased for $110,000. In light to the above provision, Dave is not likely to bear any capital gin tax from sale of his personal assets. Although, Dave has incurred loss on the above transaction, thus being the gin is not taxable, the loss so incurred by Dave would also not be carried forward or set of from any taxable capital gain. Dave during the year has taken a loan of $70,000. He has utilized the sales proceeds on purchase of shares which he has sold during the year for $80,000. On this sale, Dave is required to pay brokerage and stamp duty worth $750 and $250 respectively. In case of sale of shares, a person if carrying out the same a business, he would be eligible to bear the tax on ordinary income basis; else the income so earned would be taxable as capital gain. Dave in the above case has to bear interest cost worth $5,000 on the loan amount. While calculating the capital gain tax all the expenses that have been incurred in earning the profit on such sale would be allowed as deduction. However, the interest that the individual has paid on the loan amount that he has utilized for purchasing the shares, would not be allowed as deduction being the same does not have any direct link with generation of income. In this case, Dave made a profit of $9,000 on the transaction. The interest amount of $5,000 would not be allowed as deduction. Considering the above points, Dave during the period has earned the following as capital gain: Dave in the last year has a net capital loss of $10,000 that he has earned on sale of shares. The capital loss so incurred by Dave can be carried forward and will be reduced from the gain made in the current year. The amount that has been earned by Dave during the period would be used by him for meeting his retirement needs.   ATO. Gov, Statutory formula method for Car FBT taxation, viewed on 1 st June 2016. ATO. Gov, FBT Tax rate 2016, viewed on 1 st June 2016. ATO. Gov, Market Interest Rate 2016, viewed on 1 st June 2016. ATO. Gov, Collectables and personal use assets, viewed on 1 st June 2016.

Judicial Process Article Review Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Judicial Process Article Review - Research Paper Example Some states in the US define the juvenile-adult transition at seventeenth birthday, and some few states define the line of transition at sixteen years of age. Generally, states have laid down transfer procedure laws that govern or call for criminal prosecution of young offenders, even if they are considered juveniles under the jurisdictional definition. The laws are intended to reduce or deter further criminal activities. Research has not established any inherent fact that they are effective, questioning their efficiency. Are the laws efficient in deterring crime? Research on effects of the law on deterring crime has produced totally inconsistent results. Prompting the question of their effectiveness. Many studies have not realized a drop in juvenile crime rate that can be associated with the transfer laws. Nonetheless, much evidence demonstrates that transfer laws governing the states have a diminutive or no effect in deterring crime by the juveniles. Possible reasoning attributes it to general ignorance, tendency to ignore risks involved in decision making and low impulse control. A research comparing youths prosecuted criminally and youth processed under the juvenile system demonstrated a counter effect of transfer laws on criminal deterrence. Youths prosecuted criminally were also found to recidivate frequently and sooner into criminal activities. These negative results can be attributed to various causes, which include indirect and direct effects of conviction criminally, absence of rehabilitative means in the criminal correctional facilities, and the risk of association with criminal mentors in the adult correctional system. Studies showing the counter-productive nature of transfer system do not all agree that the effect is true in all types of offences, creating a possible assumption that criminal conviction may be effective on some juvenile offenders and non-effective on some offenders. A research conducted by

Ethical descion making-Healthcare ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethical descion making-Healthcare ethics - Essay Example This paper aims to show two ethical issues/dilemmas in the health care area discussing and identifying the conflicting interests and the applicable ethical theories and principles. The Ascension Health organization website will be used to gather information and ideas for this paper. Ascension Health is the nation's largest Catholic and largest nonprofit health system, serving patients through a network of hospitals and related health facilities providing acute care services, long-term care, community health services, psychiatric, rehabilitation and residential care. The first case presented in this paper is about a rape victim who was brought to Freeman Hospital's emergency room. The hospital authorities refused to disclose facts about the morning-after pill which the rape victim requested for information. The hospital authorities' reason is that they are a Catholic Hospital and they are against abortion. The competing interest now is that the victim/patient has the right to make her own decisions regarding the treatment, and therefore, adequate disclosure of information must be provided so the patient can make an informed decision. However, the Freeman Hospital being a catholic institution refused to disclose information to the patient regarding the pill, claiming that they are against abortion or prevention and termination of pregnancy. The ethical principles and concepts involved in this issue a