Analytical Essay Sample on Modernity in Australian Architecture Factors of Evolution

Analytical Essay Sample on Modernity in Australian Architecture Factors of Evolution Introduction Australian architecture has undergone considerable evolution to reach its current state. The architectural transformations within the country had many underpinning factors. This situation enabled the country to keep abreast with the changing trends across the world, particularly within the European and the American blocks. In view of this background, this paper explores the distinctive elements in Australias engagement with Architectural Modernism or high Modernism. Post-war reflection The world war one and the great depression influenced the Australian architecture by triggering the need for a new mindset for demonstrating regeneration and growth within the country. The journey of modernization forced past traditions to give way to new styles and trends (Modern Australian Architecture, Australia.gov.au). Through this, modernization promoted evolution of architecture based on the availability of technologies, new materials, as well as ideals (Howells Nicholson 121). This opened up new possibilities and methods of achieving building and planning. American influence The unique climatic conditions in Australia prompted the need for adaptations. Because of this, the American urban designs, particularly those created by Richardson offered significant influences in Australian modern architectural trends (Architecture, Architecturestyles.org). This led to the diversification of cultural tastes, as well as the needs of an increasingly multicultural Australian society. Distinctive Australias engagement with Architectural Modernism (high Modernism) The Australian modernist architecture places emphasis on function. The architecture provides for specific needs instead of imitating nature. Main features evident in this architecture include functionality, minimalism, and geometric shapes. The new technologies and techniques freed Australian architects from past engineering limitations, thereby enabling them to come up with new rational designs that the base of a buildings function (Modern Australian Architecture, Australia.gov.au). The new materials included steel, reinforced concrete and glass. They were mass produced, inexpensive and flexible to use. This transformed the conservative tendency within Australian society. Some distinctive elements of Australian architecture have come about due to climate, place, history, and identity. The modern Australian architecture is an expression of a local identity that balances the ideals of art and architecture against the prevailing local climate and social realities (Australian Architecture, Australia.gov.au). The most modern Australian architecture features bold and strong horizontal spandrels. They also have long windows for letting in maximum daylight. They also have single span across every floor, which means that no columns interrupt the interior spaces. Architects such as Robin Boyd, Harry Seidler and Roy Grounds contributed significantly to the realization of modern Australian architecture (Australian Institute of Architects, Architecture.com.au). They applied modernist-style principles into homes in the Australian, thereby giving a new sense of architecture, distinctive in the Australian context. Buildings Federation houses are examples of distinctive Australian architecture. This was the version of the English Edwardian House. It uses Australian motifs, roof of terracotta tiles, detailed fretwork in the roof gables, as well as windows. This distinctive element has been evident in Australian modern architecture (Australian Architecture, Australia.gov.au). The distinctive aspects were that the houses were smaller, fireplaces located in a corner of the room to save space, and the houses required less painting and maintenance. Many houses had round sunrise motifs (Early Construction, Buildreport.com.au). For instance, it features in the Australian Federation Square. This architectural design in Melbourne creates a square for the future that embraces digital media, thereby creating a new experience of public realm. Distinctive Australian architectural adaptations or styles include Federation styles of residential architecture and the Queenslander. The styles have led to the development of iconic Australian designs, which include Melbourne Royal Exhibition Building, Sydney Opera House, and the 11 remnant penal colony sites chosen in 2010 for World Heritage protection (Architecture, Architecturestyles.org). Conclusion The Australian architecture borrowed considerably from other architectures, especially from Europe and North America. They transformed these architectures to meet the prevailing domestic conditions to give rise to distinct designs.

A Good Man Is Hard To Find(And Write About=) Essays - Free Essays

A Good Man Is Hard To Find(And Write About=) Essays - Free Essays A Good Man Is Hard To Find(And Write About=) Ravi B. Lucas April 18, 2000 A Good Man Is Hard to Find The story of A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery OConnor has been debated and analyzed so much because it can be interpreted one thousand different ways. OConnors characters are usually searching for an elusive salvation, and her stories illustrate her views on the human condition. Many spiritual themes weave their way through her work, but never seem to achieve their intended ends. In this story, groups of criminals massacre an entire family while their ringleader discusses theology with the family's grandmother, only a hundred feet away. The source of the misinterpretation of the storys crux emerges from two key characters that OConnor weaved together: the Grandmother, and the Misfit. These two are so complex because they stand for many different things. The most reasonable interpretation of these two characters is that they represent OConnors view on the evil in society. The story begins with the typical family challenged by their grandmother who does not want to take the vacation to Florida. She has read about a crazed killer by the name of the Misfit who is on the run heading for Florida. Unfortunately, she is ignored by ever member of the family except for the little girl June Star who has come to read her grandmother like a book. Ironically, the morning of the trip the grandmother is dressed in her best Sunday clothes and the first one in the car ready to travel as June Star predicted she would be. The grandmother's dress is very nice for a trip she was horrified to take only a day earlier. The grandmother festooned in white gloves, a navy blue dress, and a matching hat, only for the sole purpose of being recognized as a woman in case someone saw her dead on the highway. This logic may seem absurd to anyone who is unfamiliar with aged aristocratic southern culture. Southerners of a high class would dress in their fine clothes when they traveled o n vacations, especially ladies. The reader is clued into the grandmother's shallow thoughts of death. In the grandmother's mind, her clothing preparations prevent any doubts about her status as a fine lady. However, the Misfit later points out, There never was a body that gave the undertaker a tip. The grandmother's superficial readiness for death is a bleak characteristic and revealed when she encounters the Misfit. She shows herself to be the least prepared for death when she is left alone with him. As the trip progresses, the children reveal themselves as brats, mainly out of O'Connor's desire to illustrate the lost admiration for the familys respect for their grandmother. The family lost their respect for their grandmother only because she proposed a different life style. She was part of a Southern aristocratic culture where people behaved much more conservatively. Her beliefs, attitudes, and morals were from another time where people respected what older people had to say, and what they stood for. Naturally, she was never reluctant to share her opinion on matters, and was a little forceful about sharing her thoughts. She made sure to watch over her son, and kept a grip on what he did- even as a grown man. She refused to retire and become a composed old woman. She wanted to stay involved in the familys matters, and show that she was still an significant person with the knowledge that came with her age. Consequently, with all her bickering the family began to hold a grudge agai nst her. The Grandmother lacked comprehension, and did not know that she became annoying, but she was not spitefully bothersome. The reader should notice when the family passes by a cotton field, five or six graves are exposed, and conceivably, they foreshadow the near future. Some interesting dialogue takes place when John Wesley asks, Where's the plantation, and the grandmother replies, Gone with the Wind. This is perhaps another attempt by O'Connor to illustrate the breakdown of the familys absence of respect and reverence for the grandmothers old life. The family 's encounter with Red Sammy Butts serves as another outlet for O'Connor to express how trust and

Qualitative Research Designs Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Qualitative Research Designs - Assignment Example The research design used by the researchers for this study is review of the existing literature because the aim of the researchers was to gain an insight into the issue and explore it in its depth. Qualitative research designs have always been used on a wide scale to conduct nursing related studies (Polit & Beck, 2012). The research design used for this particular study appears to be appropriate because review of the existing literature always provides some good amount of information that can be used for any qualitative studies. There were no apparent ethical issues for this research as the researchers did not involve general public. Rather they made use of the existing literature to base their conclusions. All literature used in the study is properly cited and referenced, thus, no issue of copyright exists as well. If the study design would have been quantitative, the researchers would have followed a systemic process to gather information. Moreover, there would also have been some test relationships and an analysis of the cause and effect relationships. Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2012). Nursing research: Generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Chapter 20, â€Å"Qualitative Research Design and

Academic Pressures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Academic Pressures - Essay Example Stress could begin at very early childhood years and continues into later years depending upon the life’s situations. Psychologists as well as academic professionals have identified that many students undergo immense stress even during schooling, which intensifies as the challenges increase with academic advancement. More often, teenagers and/or adolescents in high school and early college years are most prone to academic pressures because of the rapid shift in their curricula, studying atmosphere, competition as well as biological changes in the growth process. Academic pressures begin with stress caused by parental expectations, peer pressure, competition, strict timelines, difficult curricula etc. These factors are meant to induce learning, inculcate discipline and help students achieve their academic curricula within set timelines. On the other hand, all these or each of these stressors significantly impact students’ memory and thinking ability. As Hales stated, â⠂¬Ëœbecause of stress’s impact on memory, students with advanced skills may perform worse under exam pressure than their less skilled peers’ (63). In general, academic pressures tend to crush the inherent abilities of teenage students.

Guide to Mental Health Self-Help Support Group Experience Essay

Guide to Mental Health Self-Help Support Group Experience - Essay Example They touch the family, friends, and caregivers as well. How the symptoms are managed depends on a great degree on the amount of information provided by the mental health professional. In addition, the cultural perspective will often dictate the level of shame and stigma that must be overcome and how treatment will be provided. The medical model seeks to reinforce the importance of lifelong abstinence by encouraging the patient to attend counseling and twelve step groups. These support groups are frequently used as adjunctive interventions and are philosophically interwoven into many social and medical model treatment programs. Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) was founded in the 1930s by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, two alcoholics who discovered that they could maintain their sobriety by helping other alcoholics. AA is often referred to as the most effective and widely utilized treatment for addictions (Royce, 1981) and this is the primary reason why our group chose this mental health support group. Aside from this, it is now an international self-help fellowship which offers support to all people who want to quit drinking. Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous and other anonymous support groups are structured on the AA model and utilizes its â€Å"Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions† as the basis of their recovery program. The fellowship and principles offered at meetings encourage individuals to remain sober by taking life â€Å"one day at a time† and to work toward spiritual development and character change. Alcoholics Anonymous currently has more than one million members in the United States with 52,000 groups while they have almost 100,000 members in Canada with 45,000 groups. They also have members outside US and Canada averaging 730,000 distributed in more than 45,000 groups. They have a total of 2,082,980 members and 105,294 groups in their organization including the loners and members in

Pay As You Earn (PAYE) System: Advantages and Disadvantages

Pay As You Earn (PAYE) System: Advantages and Disadvantages PAYE (Pay as you earn) was first introduced in year 1944. This is a system used by HMRC (HM Revenue Customs) to collect Income Tax and NICs (National Insurance contributions) from employees pay, including directors of limited companies, as they earn it. OPERATION OF PAYE SYSTEM Under PAYE system, employers are responsible to deduct both Income Tax and NICs from employee when paying them their wages or occupational pension. Employers are required to operate PAYE on the payments make to employee if the employees earnings reach the LEL (National Insurance Lower Earning Limit). For tax year 2010-11 (6th April 2010 to 5th April 2011), LEL is  £97 a week,  £421 a month or  £5,044 a year. The tax rate charged for earning not more than  £37,400 is at 20 percent, earnings more than  £37,400 but less than  £150,000 is at 40 percent and earning above  £150,000 is at 50 percent. A tax code and National Insurance category letter determines the amount of income tax and NICs deductable from employees wages or pension will be issue by HMRC. Employees with earning less than  £110 are exempted from making NICs. Employees with earning more than  £110 but less than  £844 per week will need to pay 11 percent and employees with earning is more than  £844 per week will need to pay 1 percent. Before the tax year starts, usually in January or February, forms P9T or P9X will be given to employers to tell them about the tax codes that to be use for each employee. In the event if HRMC do not have enough information to issue a full tax code to employers, employers will then be told to use the emergency tax code until more information is received and the tax code can be adjusted. A tax code is usually made up of one or more numbers followed by a letter. By multiply the number by ten, the employee will be able to obtain his total income earn in a tax year before any tax deduction. The employee will be getting the same take-home wages each week or month as the tax code spread this tax-free amount equally over the year. See appendix for the common tax letters. Any changes example, employee receiving a second income, employers are expected to inform HMRC accordingly, as this will affect the tax code. Employers were to provide each employee a pay-slip or pay statement at or before the payday and pay HMRC the income tax and NICs by 19th of each month or by the 22nd if payment is made through electronic. Employers whose payments to HMRC do not exceed an average of  £1,500 are allowed to make quarterly payments. If the correct amount was not send in or late sent in, interest may be charged. At the end of each tax year, 5th April 2011, form P60 stating the summary of the employees pay and deductions is to be provided before 1st June following the end of the tax year, 1st June 2011. After the end of the tax year, no later than 19th May 2011, employers must send HMRC the form P35 and P14s summarising the total payroll figures for the year. PROCEDURES WHEN TAXPAYER CHANGES JOB When one employee left their old job, a form P45-Details of employee leaving work should be given to him by his previous employer. Information for Part 1 and 2 must be completed. If the employees last day of work falls on 6th December 2010, this form should reflect the National Insurance number, tax code and total wages and tax as of 6th December 2010. This form P45 will be then given to the new employer when the employee joined onboard. Information for Part 3 will then be complete. The employee will be able to claim back the tax if he started the new job within four weeks after leaving the old job. This tax refunded will be made two to three weeks later if the employees wages is paid on a weekly basis, or included in the pay-slip if his wages is paid on a monthly basis In the event if no form P45 is given to the new employer, employee will need to complete the form P46-PAYE notice of new employee. HMRC will process the form P46 and revise the tax code if necessary. If too much tax is paid, employer will make the necessary refund. Form P46 is only necessary if employee is not a student whom works solely during their school holiday and employee is not working for one week or less. If first pay-day falls on the 1st January 2011, form P46 information must be provided by employee before his first pay-day and employer must send in the form (both form P45 or P46) not later than the employees first pay day, which is 1st January 2011. Although send in forms can be done online or paper form, it had been becoming compulsory for all employers to file the in-year forms online. In-year forms include form P45 and P46. Companies with more than 50 employees should already be filing their in-year forms online. They will be penalty if they file form P45 or P46 on papers. Companies with less than 50 employees are required to file their in-year forms online with effect from 6th April 2011. In the event If the employee decided to retire or stop working, he can claim back the tax payable from HMRC, by completing form P50-Claiming tax back when you have stopped working. COMPARE AND CONTRAST OF PAYE SYSTEM AND SELF-ASSESSMENT SYSTEM In the view of HMRC and a taxpayer, both PAYE system and self-assessment system works about the same as both systems are meant to use to identify employees and self-employed individuals incomes or pension in each tax year. Most employees in UK paid their tax due on their income or pensions to HMRC through PAYE system. However, employees like company director, even if they are already taxed through PAYE system, they will still required by law to complete a tax return. Employees whom earned proceeds from sales of certain assets (capital gain) will either need to inform employers so that they can include this income under PAYE system or they can complete a tax return. Beside the company director, self-employed individuals or trustee or individuals having foreign income will also be required to complete a tax return and inform HMRC about their incomes or profits. Both employers and self-employed individuals have to first register under HMRC before any tax submission or tax payments. Employers have to register under HMRCs PAYE online for employers service, while all self-employed individuals must register for self-assessment and obtain the tax return form. Self Assessment tax returns will be send out by HMRC in April each year (which is April 2011 for Tax Year 2010-11), for online filing, a letter called Notice to File will send instead. A Self Assessment registration form is need to be complete if individual has never file a tax return before. Although the PAYE system and self-assessment system operate in the similar way, the type of forms used under these two systems are different. Under PAYE system, employers are expected to send HMRC the form P35 and P14s summarising the total payroll figures for the employee for the year. Under the self-assessment system, different forms are being used. Being self-employed, individual has to complete form CWF1 to register and inform HMRC about their business nature. Being not self-employed, individual has to complete SA1 instead. The deadline for tax submission and payment for both systems are also difference. Under PAYE system, Under PAYE system, employers are to pay HMRC on a monthly basis, by 19th of each month or by the 22nd if payment is made through electronic, if tax amount is more than  £1,500. If tax amount is less than  £1,500, employers can pay HMRC on a quarterly instead of monthly basis. Under self-assessment system, for paper tax return, it must reach HMRC by midnight of 31st October. For online tax return must reach HMRC by midnight of 31st January. For example, tax year 2010-11, paper tax return deadline is 31st October 2010 and online filing is 31st January 2011. In term of tax payment, for tax year 2010-11, first payment falls on 31st January 2011, second payment falls on 31st July 2011, and the balance payments falls on 31st January 2012. Penalty will be charged if tax return is not received on time. Comparing the PAYE system with self-assessment system, tax payments for self-assessment are split into 3 payments, while under PAYE system payments are made either on monthly basis or quarterly basis. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF PAYE SYSTEM AND SELF-ASSESSMENT SYSTEM No system is prefect, to a taxpayer or HMRC, PAYE system and self-assessment system has its own advantages and disadvantages. As a tax-payer under self assessment system, individuals benefit from the lower rate of NICs. Apart of this, under self-assessment system, self-employed individuals can enjoy the cash-flow advantage of not having paying their tax on a monthly basis as tax payments are split into three payments. However they will still face this split payment as disadvantage. This is so when the deadline date reaches 31st January. Under self-assessment, individuals need pay taxes for two tax years on 31st January, first payment for tax year 2010-11 and balance payment for tax year 2009-10. As a tax collector, self-assessment system helps to collect tax for benefits. A taxpayer whom is an employee of a company, he may entitle to some benefits like company car etc. This benefit is not included in the pay-slip therefore not taxed through PAYE system. With self-assessment system, taxpayer will need to include this benefit-in-kind. Under PAYE system, when employee changes job, form P45 is supposed to be provided by previous employer to employee. When form P45 is not issue, new employer will need to complete form P46. Often when new employer do not received the code notice or form P45 on time, it is possible that tax calculation will be incorrect. Another disadvantage of PAYE system is that, under PAYE system, forms P9T or P9X will be given to employers to tell them about the tax codes that to be use for each employee. However employee with more than one source of income tends to be confused of what tax code to be used. This will lead to incorrect deductions of tax for the taxpayer which resulted in either tax over-deducted or under-deducted. Also when a taxpayer turn from 65 or 75, he qualifies for age-related relief, tax code should change. For such cases, HMRC may or may not change the tax code automatically. If tax code is not change, taxpayer might ended up paying more tax. Based on the recent news released early year of 2010, due to the new PAYE system, wrong tax code was issued, which caused taxpayer paying more tax. Due to this incident, HMRC is trying to improve the operation of PAYE system.

Synthetic Model of Bioethical Inquiry :: Biology

Bioethics and the Synthetic Model of Bioethical Inquiry ABSTRACT: Bioethics, viewed as both a form of reflective practice and a developing discipline, is concerned with the moral aspects of health care practice and research. With its steady maturation in the domain of moral discourse, bioethics has presided over a number of questions about the nature of human illness and how problems imposed by illness can be understood in an age marked not only by progress, but also by the concomitant fear that such progress will outstrip our humanity and our dignity as persons. I discuss some of the current tensions and ambiguities inherent in the field of bioethics as it continues to mature. In particular I focus on the present tendency in bioethics to bifurcate ethical theory and practice. I analyze some of the dichotomies resulting from such bifurcation. Finally, I call for an approach to bioethical discourse defined by the rigor of systematic and critical thinking characteristic of ethical theory, the disciplined eloquence and persuasive power of rh etoric, and the principles of Renaissance humanism. A new model of bioethics is proposed, one that synthesizes the analytic functions of moral theory with the practical and therapeutic functions of rhetorical humanism; such a model bridges the divide between theory and practice. This synthetic model of bioethical inquiry emerges from both ancient and contemporary debates about the possibility and nature of moral knowledge as well as from the moral teachings of humanists and rhetoricians throughout the history of ideas. The bioethics field has had an impressive impact on public, professional, and personal life in the last twenty five years. Bioethics, viewed as both a form of reflective practice and a developing discipline, is concerned with the moral aspects of health care practice and research. With its steady maturation in the domain of moral discourse, the field of bioethics has presided over a number of questions about the nature of human illness and how the problems imposed by illness can be understood in an age marked not only by progress, but by the concomitant fear that such progress will outstrip our humanity and our dignity as persons. This paper attempts to sort out some of the current tensions and ambiguities inherent in the field of bioethics as it continues to mature. In particular it focuses on the present tendency in bioethics to bifurcate ethical theory and practice and analyzes some of the dichotomies which result from it.