Performing arts project film and drama Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Performing arts project film and drama - Essay Example By referring instead to a French Film, such as Jeunet's Amelie, we can eliminate this bias. This approach presumes that essentially, Shakespeare's play, though technically English, feels as though it were written in a language other than our own. Shakespearean scholars probably don't find this to be a problem, but since we want to examine the elements of spectatorship rather than differences in language here, it is best that we eliminate the analysis of language all together. That said, Amelie is a good choice for contrast to theatre because of its reliance on both cinematic structure and theatricality to convey the message of the film. Moreover, the brilliant use of cinematography in the film provides an inherent contrast to theatre. In addition, since both Amelie and Much Ado About Nothing can be considered romantic comedies as it were, we analyze the experiences of a particular genre, rather than comparing apples and oranges. The most obvious and visible difference between the experiences incurred in theatre and cinema is that between static and alternating perspectives. That is to say, that when we watch a play, the action of the play remains directly in front of us at all times. It's possible that different things may be occurring on different parts of the stage, but the perspective of the audience spectator never shifts. When we watch a film, our perspective as a spectator is constantly shifting. In Amelie, it is interesting that we almost always share the perspective of the title character, Amelie herself , except for when the director decides that he wants to offer his audience more information than he offers his heroine. This aspect provides opportunities for both cinema and theatre to maximize the performance's relationship with the audience. For theatre, the director can choose to have a scene in the background or on a separate part of the stage from the primary action which the audience may or may not be required to see to enhance their understanding of the play. In Much Ado About Nothing, when two characters are downstage carrying on a conversation, this does not mean that the rest of the actors on stage stand still. Rather, action continues upstage and to the right and left of the primary action, as though it were all occurring in real time. For films, the capability of the camera offers new and exciting ways to tell the story. At different parts in the film, we view the world through different perspectives, such as the "Glass Man's" telescope, or Amelie's window. By providing these different perspectives for the spectator, the director is often able to make his audience feel like a voyeur upon the lives of the characters in the film. The shifting perspectives not only offer us new and important pieces of information, but present a visually dynamic piece of film. We enjoy watching specifically because of the bright colors and beautiful scenery that changes throughout the film; this would not be possible in theatre, as we are only ever offered one view from our seats in the auditorium. Similarly, film allows the audience to witness expressions of emotions on the faces of the characters. Again, due to the capabilities of camera angles and camera work, we have a front row seat, so to speak, to the emotions that the characters are feeling, whether it be surprise, anguish

Ancient Chinese Contributions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Ancient Chinese Contributions - Essay Example Gunpowder is considered as the most important invention of the ancient Chinese, according to the legend, the invention of gunpowder was an accident (McClellan, 2011, p.125). Those who were responsible for inventing gunpowder were actually trying to locate a method through which human beings could remain immortal and by accident, they produced gunpowder which has the ability to take human life easier. Gunpowder is an essential contribution of the ancient Chinese because it has helped human beings in defending themselves against loss of life and loss of property for several years. Gunpowder has been used by militia and defense forces of the western world to protect themselves at the time of war and to protect loss of property and life against enemy attacks. The use of gunpowder in the field of warfare started taking place during the 14th century. Ancienct Chinese have even gained heavy recognition for the creation of compass. If the compass would not have been invented then individuals would have suffered great difficulty in moving from one end to another. They would have faced difficulty in finding their local destinations and destinations they intended to reach. Chinese should be thanked for their invention of compass because without this invention people would not have been able to fly aircrafts and condcut adventorours activities such as hiking. The early compass devloped by the ancient Chinese was created to help the chinese population in finding the location to the southern regions as these regions were considered as significant areas for them (McClellan, 2011, p.126). The compasses that were manufactured during the 4th century were created with the useof lodestone. Today education is considered as one of the most essential parts of humanwellbeing and if it would not have been the contribution of paper made by the anci ent Chinese, human beings would have remained uneducated for a very long period of time. If paper would not have been created by the great ancient chinese, record keeping would have never existed as there is no humanbeing who can hold huge amount of data in their memories for a long period of time. Paper has assisted in managing reocrds and has helped humanbeings in managing important information. The modern day paper used by the entire world is an achievment that was created by Cai Lun, he was the inventor of paper and during A.D 105, he invented paper by mixing fibers obtained from wood and water (Ho, 2000, p.216). The fourth greatest invention made by the ancient chinese was the Chinese abacus which is a simple tool for conducting calculations that are mathematical in nature. The four main mathematical functions that are performed with the assistance of abacus includes: multiplication, divison, addition and subtraction. The abacus was an invention of Chentg Dawei and this inventi on was created during the era in which the Ming Dynasty was in power (Ho, 2000, p.85). Abacus proved to be very

Formulate And Conduct Monetary Policy In Malaysia Information Technology Essay

Formulate And Conduct Monetary Policy In Malaysia Information Technology Essay The selected company for this paper is the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. The organization is popularly known by its widely accepted acronym HSBC. To-date, this multi-national company is a giant financial conglomerate that operates from more than 7,500 offices spread across 87 countries world-wide with more than 330,000 employees (www.hsbc.com). Briefly, the historical background of Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) was that it was founded in 1865. Its formation was to cater to primarily for the China trade. In 1876, it opened its Singapore branch followed by the Penang branch in 1884. The main banking activities then during the turn of the century in the Straits Settlements were to cater for trading activities in China. As the British presence in the Malay states in the Malay Peninsular grew through tin mining and during the later stages through rubber cultivation as well as other commodity plantations such as cocoa, tobacco and spices, Hongkong bank grew larger as demand for banking support to the business communities grew (HSBC. Its Malaysian Story, text by Douglas Wong, Editions Didier Millet, 2003). The financial industry in Malaysia has demonstrated a vibrant development since its announcement to open up the industry for foreign participation via increased equity and to hold a major stake in insurance companies, investment banks and commercial banks. Amongst the foreign players that has made a big inroad into the financial industry of Malaysia is HSBC, Standard Chartered and Citibank. (www.chinapost.com). The industry is controlled by the central bank of Malaysia known as Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM). BNM formulates policies, sets out controls for the banking lending activities in the country and implements the Banking Financial Institutions Act 1989. Its main primary functions are:- Formulate and conduct monetary policy in Malaysia; Issue currency in Malaysia; Regulate and supervise financial institutions which are subject to the laws enforced by the Bank; Provide oversight over money and foreign exchange markets; Exercise oversight over payment systems; Promote a sound, progressive and inclusive financial system; Hold and manage the foreign reserves of Malaysia; Promote an exchange rate regime consistent with the fundamentals of the economy; and Act as financial adviser, banker and financial agent of the Government. (www.mida.gov.my) The major competitors to HSBC in Malaysia comprises of the foreign banks in Malaysia such as Standard Chartered Bank, Citibank, OCBC Bank and UOB Bank. The local banks that competes with HSBC are larger in terms of branch network, customer accessibility, capitalization, systems, loan spread as well as human capital. Part 2 The early era of modernization in the bank is through implementation of accounting machines in 1959 with the use of National Cash Register Corporation (NCR) Machine called NCR Class 32s for the general ledger and current accounts in Hongkong banks branches. The savings accounts were done using the NCR 42. The NCR 32 were later replaced by NCR Postronic machines in the larger branches in Malaya. The second phase of mechanization or early computerization in Hongkong bank started in 1976 through out to 1980. This phase involved the use of IBM mainframe such as IBM 360 which cost USD450,000 in 1977, Philips terminals, Racal modems and telecommunication provide by Telekon Malaysia. By 1988-89, the Philips banking terminal has been replaced by a Unisys system used by the HSBC group worldwide (HSBC. Its Malaysian Story, text by Douglas Wong, Editions Didier Millet, 2003). The Data Management and Storage system of HSBC are based mainly on its mainframe system that has been retained largely from its era of computerization in the 1976 era up until mid 1984/5. The mainframes are its key machines in storage of data and information which comprises of customer information, loan advances, staff information including its compensation payroll data. The Windows NT server is one HSBCs key data management and storage system. Another system in HSBCs data management and storage is its Windows 2000 SP4 server and Windows 2003 SP1 server. These three systems forms the core data management and storage for HSBC. The advantages of these systems are their storage capacity that is large enough for HSBCs customer information. The dependability of these systems has proven stable and dependable against unnecessary data losses. The IT Support teams constantly provide cumulative security update such as its Outlook Express. The flexibility of these three systems can be demonstrated in the series of pack and patches that was downloaded for the Windows 2000 SP4. Among those patches to address the system are:- Vulnerability in the Web View to allow Remote Code Execution. Vulnerability in HTML Help to allow Remote Code Execution. Vulnerability in Remote Desktop Protocol could allow denial of service. Vulnerability in the Microsift Data Access Components (MDAC) Function Could Allow Code Execution. (HSBC Intranet) The ability of the server to accommodate the above patched identified from the list of Microsoft Service Pack and Patches for Windows 2000 SP4 demonstrated the flexibility of the server to take patches in the system. These are aimed to ensure the server remains stable to support the banks requirement in data management and storage. In addition to the data management, the operating systems platforms are based mainly on Microsoft Windows. (www.hsbc.com.my) The bank placed high importance to ensure its operating systems are sound, dependable to its business needs, safeguard customer information, enables continuous product enhancement as well as maintaining employees information which are considered sensitive and crucial. Policies on internet usage for HSBC are highly regulated. The banks policy on the usage of email and internet is regulated and the policies can be found in the banks intranet accessible by all staff. The usage of email and internet is based on conditions laid down in the banks group policies. Its usage is for business correspondences and is to be conducted in a business-like and professional manner. The use of email and use of external computer access over the internet is subject to the banks policies and Code of Conduct. (HSBC Intranet). The networking and telecommunications aspect of HSBC is controlled and careful attention is given to the access to internal software and hardware of the organization. This manner of control is reflected in the organizations LAN security where all software installation is authorized through formal procedures. This would include LAN administrator guide strictly enforced, service patches on latest Microsoft updates are monitored and using approved anti-virus software (inclusive of updates). In terms of controlling the organizations network, strict password usage and control is enforced. This is evident in the organizations policy on placing ownership and accountability on individual user of their password. This includes frequent changing of password every 60 days (HSBC Intranet). In broad terms regarding consultants, system integrator and vendors, HSBC maintains strict regulations on outside equipment by consultants and vendors. In addition, the bank enforces strict controls on third party data transfer, maintenance of customer and staff personal data within the mainframe system and serves are not accessed by third parties such as external consultants and contract employees without proper clearance (HSBC Intranet/PC Security Guidelines). These strict controls are put in place to protect customer and staff data privacy as well as data security from being compromised by external or third parties that comes in contact with the banks systems or servers. In terms of the banks computer hardware platforms, these equipments are maintained through tight policy and guidelines that governs administration of the banks IBM servers, the computer hardware especially PCs and laptops used by the staff, comprising mainly of IBM machines (HSBC Intranet). Part 3 This report will proceed to present the concept on cloud computing, outlining its key features, current trends, future developments and consider its benefits to business (making direct reference to banking) and the cost of cloud computing to HSBC. Cloud computing comes into focus only when companies think about the IT needs/requirements. Companies started to explore ways to increase capacity or add capabilities on the go with business-as-usual operations without investing in new infrastructure, training new personnel, or licensing new software. Cloud computing encompasses any subscription-based or pay-per-use service that, in real time over the Internet, extends ITs existing capabilities (www.infoworld.com) (Based on an article by Eric Knorr Galen Gruman adapted from Infoworld). Prior to the availability of cloud computing, the traditional business applications have been complicated and expensive. The amount and variety of hardware and software required to run these applications and systems are daunting. The organization requires a whole team of experts to install, configure, test, run, secure, and update them. When the organization begins to multiply this effort across dozens or hundreds of applications, it is easy to observe the reason why the biggest companies with the best IT departments are not getting the applications they require. Given this reality, the small and mid-sized businesses will obviously face even bigger challenges (www.salesforce.com). While the concept of cloud computing was recognized to be spearheaded by Salesforce.com, there has been other companies that have dived into the business of providing CRM solutions in the form of software-as-a-service. A Google search produced several key service providers in cloud computing such as Gogrid, ORACLE, IBM, SAP cloud computing.com, vads.com and rimuhosting.com. The published benefits of cloud computing are the ability of the concept to leverage on cost while providing customized options to the subscribers. The list of benefits provided by cloud computing given the fundamental infra structure of cloud computing is as follows:- The level of Web-services integration has been proven. Cloud computing technology has demonstrated itself to be much easier and faster to integrate with the organizations existing enterprise applications (both traditional software and cloud computing infrastructure-based), whether third-party or applications that has been developed internally by the organization. Advanced service delivery. Cloud computing infrastructures offer greater scalability, complete disaster recovery, and demonstrated an impressive uptime figures. Lack of requirement to install additional hardware or software: There is no requirement for additional hardware or software in a fully cloud computing infrastructure. The positive features of cloud computing technology is in its overall simplicity and it requires significantly fewer capital expenditure to set up and get the whole system running. Faster and lower-risk deployment. The organization can set up and run the whole system much faster with a cloud computing infrastructure. It also saves the organization substantial expenses and allows employees/users to log into the new solution quickly. The cloud computing technology applications are live in a matter of weeks or months, even with extensive customization or integration included. Support for deep customizations. Cloud computing infrastructure allows deep customization and application configuration and it also preserves all those customizations even during upgrades. In addition, cloud computing technology is ideal for application development to support the organizations evolving needs. Empowered business users. Cloud computing technology allows on-the-fly, point-and-click customization and report generation for business users. As a result, IT is not required to spend a large amount of time and resource making minor changes and running reports. Automatic upgrades that dont impact IT resources. Cloud computing infrastructures put an end to a huge IT dilemma: If the organization upgrades to the latest version of the application, the organization is required to spend time and resources to rebuild their customizations and integrations. Cloud computing technology doesnt force an organization to decide between upgrading and preserving all its applications, because those customizations and integrations are automatically preserved during an upgrade. Pre-built, pre-integrated apps for cloud computing technology. The involvement of more companies in providing cloud computing infrastructure and applications will be able to multiply and provide more applications in either pre-built or post-built requirement to suit clients requirement. (www.salesforce.com). Malaysias IT infrastructure. The availability of better infrastructure compared to other countries in the region such as the availability of broadband indicates that the country is a suitable platform to embrace cloud computing with the assurance and support from the government. An example of this support is the entrance of Microsofts full range of cloud computing capabilities in Malaysia as well as other established parts in this region. (www.nst.com.my). While the concept and published reports and opinions have advocated various benefits from cloud computing, there are obvious down side to the concept compared to the more established traditional business applications that are more supported by the applications provider. One of the major online company that adopted cloud computing is Amazon.com. Recently, there have been technical problems and interruptions by the company starting on 21 April 2011. This has prompted industry analysts and observers to ask organizations to seriously reconsider relying on remote computers that are beyond their control. Matthew Eastwood, an analyst for the research firm IDC has called this incident involving Amazon.com as a wake-up call for cloud computing. The incident has started discussion on the concerns for cloud computing as such:- The amount organizations are required to pay for backup and recovery services. This concern also covers other areas, including paying extra for data centers in different locations. That is because the companies that were apparently hit hardest by the Amazon interruption were start-ups that, analysts said, are focused on moving fast in pursuit of growth, and less apt to pay for extensive backup and recovery services. (www.nytimes.com). The actual flexibility of cloud computing. While cloud computing has demonstrated its flexibility in terms of adaptability to organizations requirement and cost, there is a real concern amongst industry analysts on the claim of actual infinite elasticity of cloud computing. Arising from the recent Amazon.com interruption, there are serious concern on the ability of cloud computing to provide stability beyond the security from the traditional business applications provider that has seen proven reliability. This will be severe for what the analysts are concern for larger industry such as the entertainment industry (http://cloudcomputing.sys-con.com). Taking this argument a step further, this report also raises the concern arising from the Amazon.com incident to the banking industry. Would HSBC depart from the major players in banking to embrace cloud computing given this latest discussion in the IT industry. Part 4 In my analysis of the present structure of HSBC, the idea of adopting cloud computing needs to be pursued with a certain degree of caution and optimism. I am recommending the following options for your consideration in adopting cloud computing into the applications support, maintenance and storage for HSBC:- Limited participation in the Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) by putting in the new applications via cloud computing whilst keeping the existing applications to be enhanced, supported and stored by the existing system. The bank will continue to work our vendors and system support providers to maintain the existing applications. This dual approach is aimed to venture quickly into cloud computing and at the same time in assuring senior management, Asia Pacific Group IT as well as the Global team on our prudence to continue maintain the existing system for our current applications. This recommendation is to maintain status quo in our level of customer service with any unexpected disruption to our clients arising from technical problems. In addition, the VPC is relatively simple to implement and the cost of the subscription to SKALI Cloud Servers a minimal fee while having pre-build features which HSBC can use immediately. (www.skalicloud.com). This approach also eases up our GTLM (subsidiary providing IT support to HSBC) who is having attrition of IT personnel and simultaneously struggling to backfill the vacancies. In considering the IT infrastructure of our competitors, our proposed investment into cloud computing would be timely to ease off more capital investment into applications management and storage. The savings can be channeled to other IT requirement such as upgrade of our servers and other interface channel to the front end to give better support to our users. This will enable faster turnaround time and increase productivity of backroom / support staff and also better customer service for our sales service staff to our clients. Our overall business strategy under the Medium Term Outlook (MTO) three year plan from 2010 to 2012 emphasize the importance of improving productivity and cost savings to complement the bigger business revenue aim for the bank. Under this plan, the proposed adoption of cloud computing is to enable HSBC to have a quick support for its application support, minimize over dependence on staff, service providers and vendors. Many banks have spent time and money building an internal infrastructure. Such large infrastructure investment makes it difficult to cost justify moving for such infrastructure to be moved to an outside provider. There may be long-term savings but in the short-term, the difficulty is justifying the large investment into a cloud computing arrangement. In addition, moving the whole application systems from internal to eternal source via a cloud-based platform has a certain cost in itself which makes it even less attractive and even more difficult to justify. (http://thefinanser.co.uk) Issues with regulators. A recent report appearing in the UK Financier highlighted that Microsoft is often asked about Security by share holders as well as regulators. Companies would naturally due to their interest in protecting data privacy, will be determined to know how organizations protect their data. Among the questions posed to the organizations is the location of the cloud, the standards used by the organization in selecting the cloud that is located remotely away from the host country. In this respect, Microsoft is heavily geared towards security and is one of the largest firms in the development space in this area. Some issues do arise however with regulators in key markets, particularly in finance. For example, in Turkey, they regulate that data must be held on bank premises. Thats hard to overcome but is a key reason Microsoft continues to provide on premise solutions banks can implement while regulations catch up. (http://thefinanser.co.uk) Security of the information maintained within the cloud that is located away from the bank. In view that the cloud is not part of the banks organization or a subsidiary where the bank has partial or majority ownership, there remain questions on the control the bank has over the information, data or applications stored in the cloud (Interview with Mr Peter Ng, Manager IT Development/Support Office Automation on 12 April 2011). In addition, there is a provision within the Banking And Financial Institutions Act 1989 (BAFIA) that prohibits any director, employee or agent appointed by the bank who has access to the banks information made available such information to any other person or parties (S.97 of the Banking And Financial Institutions Act 1989). The concern raised by Mr Peter Ng is amplified by the fact that banks information, data or applications stored in the cloud outside the management purview of the bank. In view that the facility and commercial ownership of the cloud does not come under the definition of an agent appointed by the bank, there is no locus standi on the part of the cloud being accountable for any legal action that can be taken in the event there is a breach of S.97 of BAFIA. Section 97 of BAFIA states as follows:- 97.  Ã‚   (1)  Ã‚   No director or officer of any licensed institution or of any external bureau established, or any agent appointed, by the licensed institution to undertake any part of its business, whether during his tenure of office, or during his employment, or thereafter, and no person who for any reason, has by any means access to any record, book, register, correspondence, or other document whatsoever, or material, relating to the affairs or, in particular, the account, of any particular customer of the institution, shall give, produce, divulge, reveal, publish or otherwise disclose, to any person, or make a record for any person, of any information or document whatsoever relating to the affairs or account of such customer. (Banking and Financial Institutions Act 1989). Part 5 In summary, HSBC has a complex IT system that has been build over the years of our existence in Malaysia since the computerization of our banking system. The availability of cloud computing as an alternative in our on-going challenges in application management should be carefully considered in terms of expanding our IT capabilities to move into bigger areas of banking. This will provide HSBC with the opportunity to have better flexibility in managing our overall applications system to be able to provide better support to our users. This will in turn, enable our staff to provide better customer service and engagement. The adoption of cloud computing by the bank can be implemented with the following strategies:- Adopting a hybrid cloud where major vendors such as IBM, ORACLE and Hewlett Packard offers hybrid delivery with their existing technology to manage complexity of HSBCs diverse application systems that caters to different business groups where different applications for business segments such as Personal Financial Services, Commercial Banking, Treasury and Global Banking are different. The dedicated servers and applications can be better managed through public cloud (for lower cost applications storage with medium or low risks) and managed dedicated servers (for higher risks applications and data) that can be managed in partnership with the major vendor. This combined approach mitigates risks portfolio for the bank in terms of spreading evenly its storage in cloud computing where external parties and vendors cannot be fully controlled compared to internally managed servers and storage facilities (Interview with Mr Lim Wei Hup, Senior Manager IT Operations/Support conducted on 14 April 2011). Co-venturing into cloud computing by adopting a strategic partner to mitigate risks as well as leverage on common areas and different technical expertise to harness effective teamwork for selecting external applications from various clouds. An example of a recent tie-up and cooperation in the financial industry is the venture of Polaris Software Lab, one of the leading global financial technology companies announced a strategic investment in IdenTrust, a global financial institution. IdenTrust is one of the premier service providers of digital identity authentication services to several key banks such as Citibank, Bank of America, Deutsche, HSBC and even Barclays Bank. (www.siliconindia.com). The concern of being the first bank in Malaysia to embrace cloud computing need not arise as the government has provided ample support, key service provider such as Telekom Malaysia has been upgrading its broadband services and the availability of fiber optic infrastructure will ensure adequate bandwidth and speed. HSBC has always been a pioneer in various aspect in banking be it technology, products and services and even bringing environmental issues into part of its global commitments. With our rich history and forward optimism, venturing into cloud computing is an option management seriously need to consider in view our future growth strategy.

Earthquake Engineering :: Earthquakes Earth Geology Essays

Earthquake Engineering Earthquakes are vibrations felt at the surface of the earth which are caused by disturbances of the energy in the earth's interior. These vibrations are known as seismic waves. (Skinner Robinson McVerry 1) There are different type sof seisimc waves such as Primary (P) waves, whcih travel the fastest, Secondary (S) waves which cause the earth to vibrate vertically, Surface (L) waves. P and S waves are "affected by changes in the density and the rigidity of the materials through which they pass." (Columbia Encyclopedia) Earthquakes vary in their intensity and duration. Often times they are strong enough to cause massive destriction. Tall buildings often suffer as a result of these natural disasters. In recent years this has become a larger and larger threat with both the number of large buildings, and their number of occupants increasing. In an effort to try to minimize the damage caused by earthquakes many some engineers focus primarily on designing and constructing ea rthquake resistant buildings. Earthquake engineers have gathered much of their information from analyzing past earthquakes, and learning which buildings can and can't withstand the tremors. The goals of these engineers is to design buildings that can withstand moderate earthquakes and obtain minimal damage, and that the buildings will not collapse lowering the probability of human deaths. Authorities have attempted to implement codes or regulations, but that has proved to be very difficult tasks becasue there are many variables that effect the dynamic response of buildings. One way to try to avoid disaster is to evaluate seismic risk is to look at a buildings hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and location. Hazards are, for example, landslides ad soil type. Exposure is a building's occupancy and function. Vulnerability is the expected performance of a building's system, and location is how often earthquakes occur in the area. (Lagorio) Some other things that have become evident are that geometric simplicity and symmetry are key to constructing an earthquake resistant building. Simplicity often leads to symmetry, and in turn symmetry tends to decrease the likelihood of a concentration of mass. This idea of lighter buildings being safer can be explained mathematically using the formula F=MA. To understand how this formula works it is pertinent to recognize that earthquakes alone do not cause damage because all they provide is an acceleration.

Bird Watching

Birdwatching or birding means going outside to enjoy watching birds. It is a popular hobby. Someone who does this is called a birdwatcher or birder. These two words mean the same thing, but people who spend a lot of their time watching birds, taking their hobby seriously, are more likely to call themselves â€Å"birders†, while â€Å"birdwatchers† may just be people who like watching birds when they happen to go for a walk. Both birdwatchers and birders are usually amateurs. The scientific study of birds is called ornithology. People who study birds as a profession are called ornithologists. Birdwatching (or birding) is very popular in countries such as Britain and the United States. It can be especially awarding in spring when a lot of birds are singing and building nests to raise their young. In spring and autumn many birds can be seen as they migrate. In winter some other kinds of birds may be visiting from colder areas such as the Arctic where there is no food in the winter. A pelican flying moves steadily enough for it to be followed with a pair of binoculars It is useful to have a good pair of binoculars to help to see birds that are far away more clearly. Scopes or telescopes can also be used. These give much greater magnification than binoculars (making the birds look much bigger), but they need to put on a tripod because they cannot be held steady by hand. They are useful for looking at birds that stay in one place for some time such as ducks swimming on a lake, but no use for birds flying in the air or hopping quickly from one tree to another. Some birders like to take photographs of birds. This is difficult to do well unless one has good, expensive cameras and long lenses. Telescopes can be attached to cameras. This is called digiscoping. Twitchers a pair of binoculars are essential for birdwatching Some birdwatchers are called twitchers. Twitching means spending all one’s time trying to see as many different kinds of birds as possible (the normal word â€Å"twitch† means: making little jerks in the body, often with muscles in the face). Twitchers keep lists of all the birds they have seen, and if they hear that a rare bird has been seen somewhere, they travel long distances to try to see it so that they can add it to their list. Birdwatchers are useful Although birdwatchers are amateurs, they can be very useful, because they can tell organizations such as the British Trust for Ornithology about what they have seen. This information can be useful when discussions take place about possible damage to the environment, e. g. because of new developments (building). It can help us to protect the birds, because we understand their needs. Some birders help with bird ringing. Putting a ring on a bird’s foot helps us to identify it when it is seen again so that we can understand where birds go and what they do. Birders can also take part in bird counts. In Britain a â€Å"Big Garden Birdwatch† project takes place one weekend each year in late January. Over 400. 000 people watch the birds in their gardens for one hour and are asked to make a list of how many they see during this time. By comparing the results with other years this helps us to see which birds are surviving well, and which ones are becoming less common. Code of behaviour Birders are always reminded how important it is not to disturb the birds. This is particularly important in the nesting season. If birds are nesting on the ground in fields or reedbeds one should never go anywhere near them. Some birds get used to humans being near, but others may be very shy of humans.

Ethical neutrality Essay

In what follows, when we use the term â€Å"evaluation† we will mean, where nothing else is implied or expressly stated, practical value-judgments as to the unsatisfactory or satisfactory character of phenomena subject to our influence. The problem involved in the â€Å"freedom† of a given discipline from evaluations of this kind, i. e., the validity and the meaning of this logical principle, is by no means identical with the question which is to be discussed shortly, namely, whether in teaching one should or should not declare one’s acceptance of practical evaluations, regardless of whether they are based on ethical principles, cultural ideals or a philosophical outlook. This question cannot be settled scientifically. It is itself entirely a question of practical evaluation, and cannot therefore be definitively resolved. With reference to this issue, a wide variety of views are held, of which we shall only mention the two extremes. At one pole we find (a) the standpoint that there is validity in the distinction between purely logically deducible and purely empirical statements of fact on the one hand, and practical, ethical or philosophical evaluations on the other, but that, nevertheless – or, perhaps, even on that account- both classes of problems properly belong in the university. At the other pole we encounter (b) the proposition that even when the distinction cannot be made in a logically complete manner, it is nevertheless desirable that the assertion of practical evaluations should be avoided as much as possible in teaching. This second point of view seems to me to be untenable. Particularly untenable is the distinction which is rather often made in our field between evaluations linked with the positions of â€Å"political parties† and other sorts of evaluations. This distinction cannot be reasonably made: it obscures the practical implications of the evaluations which are suggested to the audience. Once the assertion of evaluations in university lectures is admitted, the contention that the university teacher should be entirely devoid of â€Å"passion† and that he should avoid all subjects which threaten to bring emotion into controversies is a narrow-minded, bureaucratic opinion which every teacher of independent spirit must reject. Of those scholars who believed that they should not renounce the assertion of practical evaluations in empirical discussions, the most passionate of them – such as Treitschke and, in his own way, Mommsen- were the most tolerable. As a result of their intensely emotional tone, their audiences were enabled to discount the influence of their evaluations in whatever distortion of the facts occurred. Thus, the audiences did for themselves what the lecturers could not do because of their temperaments. The effect on the minds of the students was to produce the same depth of moral feeling which, in my opinion, the proponents of the assertion of practical evaluations in teaching want to assure – but without the audience being confused as to the logical distinctiveness of the different types of propositions. This confusion must of necessity occur whenever both the exposition of empirical facts and the exhortation to espouse a particular evaluative standpoint on important issues are done with the same cool dispassionateness. The first point of view (a) is acceptable, and can indeed be acceptable from the standpoint of its own proponents, only when the teacher sees it as his unconditional duty – in every single case, even to the point where it involves the danger of making his lecture less stimulating – to make absolutely clear to his audience, and especially to himself, which of his statements are statements of logically deduced or empirically observed facts and which are statements of practical evaluation. Once one has granted the disjunction between the two spheres, it seems to me that doing this is an imperative requirement of intellectual honesty. It is the absolutely minimal requirement in this case. On the other hand, the question whether one should in general assert practical evaluations in teaching – even with this reservation – is one of practical university policy. On that account, in the last analysis, it must be decided only with reference to those tasks which the individual, according to his own set of values, assigns to the universities. Those who on the basis of their qualifications as university teachers assign to the universities, and thereby to themselves, the universal role of forming character, of inculcating political, ethical, aesthetic, cultural or other beliefs, will take a different position from those who believe it necessary to affirm the proposition and its implications – that university teaching achieves really valuable effects only through specialised training by specially qualified persons. Hence, â€Å"intellectual integrity† is the only specific virtue which universities should seek to inculcate. The first point of view can be defended from as many different ultimate evaluative standpoints as the second. The second – which I personally accept – can be derived from a most enthusiastic as well as from a thoroughly modest estimate of the significance of â€Å"specialised training†. In order to defend this view, one need not be of the opinion that everyone should become as much a pure â€Å"specialist† as possible. One may, on the contrary, espouse it because one does not wish to see the ultimate and deepest personal decisions which a person must make regarding his life, treated exactly as if they were the same as specialised training. One may take this position, however highly one assesses the significance of specialised training, not only for general intellectual training but indirectly also for the self-discipline and the ethical attitude of the young person. Another reason for taking this position is that one does not wish to see the student so influenced by the teacher’s suggestions that he is prevented from solving his problems in accordance with the dictates of his own conscience. Professor von Schmoller’s favourable disposition towards the teacher’s assertion of his own evaluations in the lecture room is thoroughly intelligible to me personally as the echo of a great epoch which he and his friends helped to create. Even he, however, cannot deny the fact that for the younger generation the objective situation has changed considerably in one important respect. Forty years ago there existed among the scholars working in our discipline, the widespread belief that of the various possible points of view in the domain of practical-political evaluations, ultimately only one was the ethically correct one. (Schmoller himself took this position only to a limited extent. ) Today this is no longer the case among the proponents of the assertion of professorial evaluations – as may readily be observed. The legitimacy of the assertion of professorial evaluation is no longer defended in the name of an ethical imperative resting on a relatively simple postulate of justice, which both in its ultimate foundations as well as in its consequences, partly was, and partly seemed to be, relatively unambiguous, and above all relatively impersonal, in consequence of its specifically trans-personal character. Rather, as the result of an inevitable development, it is now done in the name of a motley of â€Å"cultural evaluations†, i. e. , actually subjective cultural demands, or quite openly, in the name of the teachers’ alleged â€Å"rights of personality†. One may well wax indignant over this point of view, but one cannot- because it is a â€Å"practical evaluation† – refute it. Of all the types of prophecy, this â€Å"personally† tinted type of professorial prophecy is the most repugnant. There is no precedent for a situation in which a large number of officially appointed prophets do their preaching or make their professions of faith, not, as other prophets do, on the streets, or in churches or other public places- or if they do it privately, then in personally chosen sectarian conventicles – but rather regard themselves as best qualified to enunciate their evaluations on ultimate questions â€Å"in the name of science† and in the carefully protected quiet of governmentally privileged lecture halls in which they cannot be controlled, or checked by discussion, or subjected to contradiction. It is an axiom of long standing, which Schmoller on one occasion vigorously espoused, that what takes place in the lecture hall should be entirely confidential and not subject to public discussion. Although it is possible to contend that, even for purely academic purposes, this may occasionally have certain disadvantages, I take the view that a â€Å"lecture† should be different from a â€Å"speech†. The unconfined rigour, matter-of-factness and sobriety of the lecture declines, with definite pedagogical losses, once it becomes the object of publicity through, for example, the press. It is only in the sphere of his specialised qualifications that the university teacher is entitled to this privilege of freedom from outside surveillance or publicity. There is, however, no specialised qualification for personal prophecy, and for this reason it should not be granted the privilege of freedom from contradiction and public scrutiny. Furthermore, there should be no exploitation of the fact that the student, in order to make his way in life, must attend certain educational institutions and take courses with certain teachers with the result that in addition to what he needs, i.e. , the stimulation and cultivation of his capacity for understanding and reasoning, and a certain body of factual information – he also gets, slipped in among these, the teacher’s own attitude towards the world which even though sometimes interesting is often of no consequence, and which is in any case not open to contradiction and challenge. Like everyone else, the professor has other opportunities for the propagation of his ideals. When these opportunities are lacking, he can easily create them in an appropriate form, as experience has shown in the case of every honorable attempt. But the professor should not demand the right as a professor to carry the marshal’s baton of the statesman or the cultural reformer in his knapsack. This, however, is just what he does when he uses the unassailability of the academic lecture platform for the expression of political – or cultural-political- sentiments. In the press, in public meetings, in associations, in essays, in every avenue which is open to every other citizen, he can and should do what his God or daemon demands. The student should obtain, from his teacher in the lecture hall, the capacity to content himself with the sober execution of a given task; to recognize facts, even those which may be personally uncomfortable, and to distinguish them from his own evaluations. He should also learn to subordinate himself to his task and to repress the impulse to exhibit his personal sensations or other emotional states unnecessarily. This is vastly more important today than it was 40 years ago when the problem did not even exist in its present form. It is not true – as many have insisted – that the â€Å"personality† is and should be a â€Å"whole†, in the sense that it is distorted when it is not exhibited on every possible occasion. Every professional task has its own â€Å"responsibilities† and should be fulfilled accordingly. In the execution of his professional responsibility, a man should confine himself to it alone and should exclude whatever does not strictly belong to it – particularly his own loves and hates. The powerful personality does not manifest itself by trying to give everything a â€Å"personal touch† on every possible occasion. The generation which is now coming of age should, above all, again become used to the thought that â€Å"being a personality† is a condition which cannot be intentionally brought about by wanting it and that there is only one way by which it can – perhaps- be achieved: namely, the unreserved devotion to a â€Å"task†, whatever it – and its derivative â€Å"demands of the hour†- may be in any individual instance. It is in poor taste to mix personal concerns with the specialised analysis of facts. We deprive the word â€Å"vocation† of the only significant meaning it still possesses if we fail to adhere to that specific kind of self-restraint which it requires. But whether the fashionable â€Å"cult of the personality† seeks to dominate the throne, public office or the professorial chair – its effectiveness is only superficially impressive. Intrinsically, it is very petty and it always has injurious consequences. It should not be necessary for me to emphasise that the proponents of the views against which the present essay is directed can accomplish very little by this sort of cult of the â€Å"personality† for the very reason that it is â€Å"personal†. In part, they see the responsibilities of the university teacher in another light, in part they have other educational ideas which I respect but do not share. For this reason we must seriously consider no only what they are striving to achieve, but also how the views which they legitimate by their authority influence a generation with an already extremely pronounced predisposition to overestimate its own importance. Finally, it scarcely needs to be pointed out that many ostensible opponents of the academic assertion of political evaluations are by no means justified when they invoke the postulate of â€Å"ethical neutrality†, which they often gravely misunderstand, to discredit cultural and social-political discussions which take place in public and away from the university lecture hall. The indubitable existence of this spuriously â€Å"ethically neutral† tendentiousness, which in our discipline is manifested in the obstinate and deliberate partisanship of powerful interest groups, explains why a significant number of intellectually honorable scholars still continue to assert personal preferences in their teaching. They are too proud to identify themselves with this spurious abstention from evaluation. I believe that, in spite of this, what in my opinion is right should be done, and that the influence of the practical evaluations of a scholar, who confines himself to championing them on appropriate occasions outside the classroom, will increase when it becomes known that, inside the classroom, he has the strength of character to do exactly what he was appointed to do. But these statements are, in their turn, all matters of evaluation, and hence scientifically undemonstrable. In any case, the fundamental principle which justifies the practice of asserting practical evaluations in teaching can be consistently held only when its proponents demand that the proponents of the evaluations of all other parties be granted the opportunity to demonstrate the validity of their evaluations from the academic platform . But in Germany, insistence on the right of professors to state their preferences has been associated with the very opposite of the demand for the equal representation of all tendencies- including the most â€Å"extreme†. Schmoller thought that he was being entirely consistent when he declared that â€Å"Marxists and the Manchester school† were disqualified from holding academic positions, although he was never so unjust as to ignore their intellectual accomplishments. It is exactly on these points that I could never agree with our honoured master. One obviously ought not in one breath to justify the expression of evaluations in teaching – and when the conclusions are drawn therefrom, point out that the university is a state institution for the training of â€Å"loyal† civil servants. Such a procedure makes the university, not into a specialised technical school- which appears to be so degrading to many teachers- but rather into a theological seminary, although it does not have the religious dignity of the latter. Attempts have been made to set certain purely â€Å"logical† limits to the range of evaluations which should be allowed in university teaching. One of our foremost professors of law once explained, in discussing his opposition to the exclusion of socialists from university posts, that he too would be unwilling to accept an â€Å"anarchist† as a teacher of law since anarchists, in principle, deny the validity of law – and he regarded this argument as conclusive. My own opinion is exactly the opposite. An anarchist can surely be a good legal scholar. And if he is such, then indeed the Archimedean point of his convictions, which is outside the conventions and presuppositions which are so self-evident to us, could enable him to perceive problems in the fundamental postulates of legal theory which escape those who take them for granted. The most fundamental doubt is one source of knowledge. The jurist is no more responsible for â€Å"proving† the value of these cultural objects which are bound up with â€Å"law†, than the physician is responsible for demonstrating that the prolongation of life should be striven for under all conditions. Neither of them can do this with the means at their disposal. If, however, one wishes to turn the university into a forum for discussion of practical evaluations, then it obviously is obligatory to permit the most unrestricted freedom of discussion of fundamental questions from all standpoints. Is this feasible? Today the most decisive and important political evaluations are denied expression in German universities by the very nature of the present political situation. For all those to whom the interests of the national society transcend any of its individual concrete institutions, it is a question of central importance whether the conception which prevails today regarding the position of the monarch in Germany is reconcilable with the world interests of the country, and with the means- war and diplomacy- through which these are pursued. It is not always the worst patriots nor even anti-monarchists who give a negative answer to this question, and who doubt the possibility of lasting success in both these spheres unless some profound changes are made. Everyone knows, however, that these vital questions of our national life cannot be discussed with full freedom in German universities . In view of the fact that certain evaluations which are of decisive political significance are permanently prohibited in university discussion, it seems to me to be only in accord with the dignity of a representative of science and scholarship to be silent about such evaluations as he is allowed to expound. In no case, however, should the unresolvable question – unresolvable because it is ultimately a question of evaluations – as to whether one may, must, or should champion certain practical evaluations in teaching, be confused with the purely logical discussion of the relationship of evaluations to empirical disciplines such as sociology and economics. Any confusion on this point will hamper the thoroughness of the discussion of the logical problem. However, even the solution of the logical problem will provide no aid in seeking to answer the other question, beyond the two purely logically required conditions of clarity and an explicit distinction by the teacher of the different classes of problems. Nor need I discuss further whether the distinction between empirical propositions or statements of fact and practical evaluations is â€Å"difficult† to make. It is. All of us, those of us who take this position as well as others, come up against it time and again. But the exponents of the so-called â€Å"ethical economics†, particularly, should be aware, even though the moral law is unfulfillable, it is nonetheless â€Å"imposed† as a duty. Self-scrutiny would perhaps show that the fulfillment of this postulate is especially difficult, just because we reluctantly refuse to approach the very alluring subject of evaluation with a titillating â€Å"personal touch†. Every teacher has observed that the faces of his students light up and they become more interested when he begins to make a profession of faith, and that the attendance at his lectures is greatly increased by the expectation that he will do so. Everyone knows furthermore that, in the competition for students, universities when making recommendations for promotion will often give a prophet, however minor, who can fill the lecture halls, the upper hand over a much weightier and more sober scholar who does not offer his own evaluations. Of course, it is  understood that the prohet will leave untouched the politically dominant or conventional evaluations which are generally accepted at the time. Only the spuriously â€Å"ethical-neutral† prophet who speaks for powerful groups has, of course, better opportunities for promotion as a result of the influence which these groups have on the prevailing political powers. I regard all this as very unsatisfactory, and I will therefore not go into the proposition that the demand for abstention from evaluation is â€Å"petty† and that it makes lectures â€Å"boring†. I will not go into the question as to whether lecturers on specialised empirical problems must seek above all to be â€Å"interesting†. For my own part, in any case, I fear that a lecturer who makes his lectures stimulating by the intrusion of personal evaluations will, in the long run, weaken the students’ taste for sober empirical analysis. I will acknowledge without further discussion that it is possible, under the guise of eliminating all practical evaluations, to insinuate such evaluations with especial force by simple â€Å"letting the facts speak for themselves†. The better kind of parliamentary and electoral speeches in Germany operate in this way – and quite legitimately, given their purposes. No words should be wasted in declaring that all such procedures in university lectures, particularly if one is concerned with the observance of this separation, are , of all abuses, the most abhorrent. The fact, however, that a dishonestly created illusion of the fulfillment of an ethical imperative can be passed off as the reality, constitutes no criticism of the imperative itself. At any rate, even if the teacher does not believe that he should deny himself the right of rendering evaluations, he should make it absolutely explicit to the students and to himself that he is doing so. Finally, we must oppose to the utmost the widespread view that scientific â€Å"objectivity† is achieved by weighing the various evaluations against one another and making a â€Å"statesman-like† compromise among them. The â€Å"middle way† is not only just as undemonstrable scientifically – with the means of the empirical sciences – as the â€Å"most extreme† evaluations: in the sphere of evaluations, it is the least unequivocal. It does not belong in the university – but rather in political programmes, government offices, and in parliament. IThe sciences, both normative and empirical, are capable of rendering an inestimable service to persons engaged in political activity by telling them that (1) these and these â€Å"ultimate† evaluative positions are conceivable with reference to this practical problem; and (2) that such and such are the facts which you must take into account in making your choice between these evaluative positions. And with this we come to the real problem.