Ice 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ice 3 - Essay Example Self-sufficiency is no longer possible because one individual will depend on another for grocery, another for fuel, and another for other items. To avoid further suffering in times of disaster or lack we need to effect changes that will favour our conditions. For instance, instead of screaming at civic leaders about slow pace of power restoration, individuals can team up and pay for this repair. In addition, the government has a responsibility to provide services, social amenities, and habitable houses to its citizens as per the constitution. Thus, the government is charged with the responsibility of effecting changes that better the lives of the citizens. For instance, the government has to restore and build the power systems, roads, and buildings in case of a disaster. However, the government can sensitize its citizens and work as a team to effect desired change. For instance, the government can work with fuel storeowners to reconstruct the stores in a way they will not be affected by the heated storms like Sandy. Richard Stuebi argues that American Government should be more involved with climate change. In fact, Americans need to alter their current lifestyles and accommodate a sustainable environment. Scientists argue that the recent disasters like Katrina and Sandy have come because of rising sea levels after global warming. If this is true, then climate issue in America need an urgency move by the government and by individuals. The government need to take an active role of sensitizing the public to make efforts to reverse our climatic conditions in the near future. Sensitizing the public and educating them on depth of the climate conditions needs finances, which will come from the government funding. The changes that need to be effected to make climate of America will involve households. First, each household will need to plant some trees to help purify the carbon dioxide released to the atmosphere everyday. Secondly,

Mandatory Uniforms in Public Schools Essay -- Papers Argumentative

Mandatory Uniforms in Public Schools Do you want equality among students in your child's school? Do you want less violence within your child's school? Would you like your daughter to concentrate more on her schoolwork and less on what name brand jeans she is wearing? All this is possible with mandatory uniform policies in public school districts. School uniforms may seem outdated for some people, but in many cases they can improve school spirit, attendance and student behavior. According to The Humanist magazine, former President Bill Clinton's 1996 State of the Union Address called for all 16,000 school districts in the country to adopt a uniform policy. The President stated, "If it means that teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear uniforms" (qtd in Wilkens, screen 1) The public school district in Long Beach, California was the first to take up the mandatory school uniform policy. The school district reported drasti c decrease in violence, discipline problems, as well as higher test scores after one year of implementing the new policy (Wilkens, screen 1). Although students feel that wearing uniforms to school stifles individual expression and creativity, mandatory uniforms in public schools promote a positive learning environment because it creates equality among all students, it decreases violence, and students can focus on schoolwork instead of their clothing. Students along with some parents dispute that mandatory uniform policies within public schools are unconstitutional. They feel that mandatory uniforms in public schools violate the First Amendment of the Constitution, Freedom of Expression. The First Amendment w... ...com*. Marchant, Valerie. "Dress for Success: It looks as if uniforms and dress codes may well make a difference." Time 13 Sept 1999: C6+. Infotrac. OSU-Okc Lib., Oklahoma City.23 Feb 2001 *http://www.infotrac.galegroup.com*. Renstrom, Peter. Constitutional Rights Sourcebook. Santa Barbara: Dimensions, 1999. "Uniform Improvements." Psychology Today Sept 1999: 14. Infotrac. OSU-Okc Lib., Oklahoma City.23 Feb 2001 *http://www. infotrac.galegroup .com*. "Uniforms Rule: This fall, dress codes are an increasingly popular remedy for all that's wrong with American public schools. Do they deliver?" Newsweek 4 Oct 1999:72. Infotrac. OSU-Okc Lib., Oklahoma City.27 Feb 2001 *http:// www.infotrac.galegroup.com*. Wilkins, Julia. "School Uniforms." The Humanist Mar/Apr 1999: 19-22. Infotrac. OSU-Okc Lib., Oklahoma City.23 Feb 2001 *http://www.infotrac .galegroup.com*.

Critical Thinking Reflection Paper Essay

The question that I selected is â€Å"Will receiving a college degree improve your career opportunities?† The obvious answer to this question is yes. However, I want to be sure of my answer by backing it up with critical thinking skills to determine that I have come up with the correct answer. One step to critical thinking is making sure that one’s answer can be well supported by factual information. A fallacy is an argument that is based on a weak argument with little to no supportive factual information. To make sure that my answer to the above question is a valid argument, I would need to conduct research and list all of the information that I find. I may look into statistical information such as the employment rate of those with college degrees as compared to those without a college degree in a particular career field. Another aspect of critical thinking is checking one’s answers and determining that they are well supported and well researched ideas. It is important to questions one own ideas and looking at them from a skeptical point of view to find any weaknesses in the argument. This process can be applied to any area of life where a decision must be made. To ensure that I continue to use critical thinking skills throughout my life I can practice using critical thinking for simple situations, therefore making critical thinking a habit rather than a forced thought.

Learn 7 Facts About the Sistine Chapel

Michelangelos Sistine Chapel ceiling is one of the most influential artworks of all time and a foundational work of Renaissance Art. Painted directly on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, the masterpiece depicts key scenes from the Book of Genesis. The complex narratives and skillfully painted human figures stunned viewers when the painting was first unveiled to the public in 1512 and continues to impress the thousands of pilgrims and tourists from around the world who visit the chapel every day. Below are seven essential facts about the Sistine Chapel ceiling and its creation. The Paintings Were Commissioned by Pope Julius II   In 1508, Pope Julius II (also known as Giulio II and Il papa terribile), asked  Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapels ceiling. Julius was determined that Rome should be rebuilt to its former glory, and had embarked on a vigorous campaign to achieve the ambitious task. He felt that such artistic splendor would not only add luster to his own name, but also serve to supersede anything that Pope Alexander VI (a Borgia, and Julius rival) had accomplished. Michelangelo Painted Over 5,000 Square Feet of Frescoes   The ceiling measures about 131 feet (40 meters) long by 43 ft (13 m) wide. Although these numbers are rounded, they demonstrate the enormous scale of this nontraditional canvas. In fact, Michelangelo painted well over 5,000 square feet of frescoes. The Panels Depict More Than Just Scenes From the Book of Genesis The ceilings well-known central panels depict scenes from the Book of Genesis, from the Creation  to the Fall to shortly after Noahs deluge. Adjacent to each of these scenes on either side, however, are immense portraits of prophets and sibyls who foretold the coming of the Messiah. Along the bottoms of these run spandrels and lunettes containing the ancestors of Jesus and stories of tragedy in ancient Israel. Scattered throughout are smaller figures, cherubs, and ignudi (nudes). All told, there are more than 300 painted figures on the ceiling. Michelangelo Was a Sculptor, Not a Painter Michelangelo thought of himself as a sculptor and preferred working with marble to almost any other material. Prior to the ceiling frescoes, the only painting hed done was during his brief stint as a student in Ghirlandaios workshop. Julius, however, was adamant that Michelangelo —and no other— should paint the Chapels ceiling. To convince him, Julius offered as a reward to Michelangelo the wildly lucrative commission of sculpting 40 massive figures for his tomb, a project that appealed much more to Michelangelo given his artistic style. The Paintings Took Four Years to Finish It took Michelangelo a little over four years, from July of 1508 to October of 1512, to finish the paintings. Michelangelo had never painted frescoes before and was learning the craft as he worked. Whats more, he chose to work in  buon fresco, the most difficult method, and one normally reserved for true masters. He also had to learn some wickedly hard techniques in perspective, namely painting figures on curved surfaces that appear correct when viewed from nearly 60 feet below. The work suffered numerous other setbacks, including mold and miserable, damp weather that disallowed plaster curing. The project was further stalled when Julius left to wage war and again when he fell ill. The ceiling project and any hope Michelangelo had of being paid were frequently in jeopardy while Julius was absent or near death. Michelangelo Didnt Really Paint Lying Down   Although the classic film The Agony and the Ecstasy,  depicts Michelangelo (played by Charlton Heston) painting the frescoes on his back, the real Michelangelo didnt work in this position. Instead, he conceived and had constructed a unique scaffolding system sturdy enough to hold workers and materials and high enough that mass could still be celebrated below. The scaffolding curved at its top, mimicking the curvature of the ceilings vault. Michelangelo often had to bend backward and paint over his head—an awkward position that caused permanent damage to his vision. Michelangelo Had Assistants Michelangelo  gets, and deserves, credit for the entire project. The complete design was his. The sketches and cartoons for the frescoes were all of his hand, and he executed the vast bulk of the actual painting by himself. However, the vision of Michelangelo toiling away, a solitary figure in a vacant chapel, isnt entirely accurate. He needed many assistants  if only to mix his paints, scramble up and down ladders, and prepare the days plaster (a nasty business). Occasionally, a talented assistant might be entrusted with a patch of sky, a bit of landscape, or a figure so small and minor it is barely discernible from below. All of these were worked from his cartoons, however, and the temperamental Michelangelo hired and fired these assistants on such a regular basis that none of them could claim credit for any part of the ceiling. Sources and Further Reading Graham-Dixon, Andrew. Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel. New York: Skyhorse Publishing, 2009.  Monfasani, John. A Description of the Sistine Chapel under Pope Sixtus IV. Artibus et Historiae 4.7 (1983): 9–18. Print.Ostrow, Steven F. Art and spirituality in Counter-Reformation Rome: the Sistine and Pauline chapels in S. Maria Maggiore. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1996.