What Is a Likely Letter in College Admissions

A likely letter is an admission tool used by highly selective colleges and universities. It  notifies the schools top choice prospects in the regular applicant pool that an acceptance letter is likely to be coming in the future. Likely letters give colleges a way to begin recruiting top applicants without having to wait until official decision notifications in late March or early April. What Does a Likely Letter Typically Say? Likely letters  tend to flatter the applicant and hint at the arrival of an acceptance letter in the future. You can expect something like this: Greetings from the Office of Admissions at Ivy University! Im writing to let you know how impressed my colleagues and I were with your many accomplishments  both inside and outside of the classroom. We feel that your talents, interests, and goals are a great match for Ivy University. While we dont send out official offers of admission until March 30th, we thought youd like to know that you are very likely to be admitted. Congratulations! Does a Likely Letter Guarantee Admission? While a likely letter doesnt guarantee youll receive an acceptance letter, its pretty close to a guarantee. Keep your grades up, dont get suspended or arrested, and you will almost certainly receive good news from the college that sent you the likely letter. The letter itself wont be worded to guarantee admissions since that would be an acceptance letter, and sending out acceptance letters ahead of the official notification date would break the schools policies. But yes, you can pretty much count on getting in. Realize that even an official acceptance can be rescinded if your grades drop significantly, or you do something to get in trouble. When Do Colleges Send Likely Letters? February is the most common time to receive a likely letter, but they can come earlier or later. If you apply early in the fall, a few schools will even send out likely letters before the new year. This is particularly true if an athletic recruiter is actively working with admissions to woo the student. What Schools Send Likely Letters? Many colleges dont openly advertise their practices surrounding likely letters, so its hard to know how many schools actually use them. That said,  Harvard University,  Yale University, the  University of Pennsylvania  and all the other  Ivy League schools  use some form of likely letters. Most of the countrys  top universities  and  top liberal arts colleges  also use likely letters. Many colleges have rolling admissions, so they have no need for likely letters. They will simply send out an acceptance letter as soon as they have decided a student is a good match for the school. Far more private colleges and universities use likely letters than public institutions, but a few of the most selective public universities such as the  University of Virginia  do use them.   Why Do Colleges and Universities Send Likely Letters? If the college  admission process seems painfully selective and competitive, youre certainly correct if you are applying to the countrys most selective colleges and universities. But theres another side to the competition. Sure, lots of students are competing with each other to get those limited spots in the top schools, but those top schools are also competing with each other to get the strongest, most talented students. Enter the likely letter. In general, the nations most selective schools do not have rolling admissions. Most notify their entire regular admission applicant pool of admissions decisions in late March or early April. This means that three months often go by between the application deadline and the release of decisions. Thats three months during which other colleges could be actively recruiting and wooing students. If a student applies early in the admissions cycle—in October, for example—five months could go by between a student sending off that application and receiving an acceptance letter. Thats five months during which a students excitement for the school can diminish, especially if he or she is being actively courted with flattery and scholarships from another school. In short, if a college wants to get a strong yield from their top applicant pool, they will often employ likely letters. Likely letters allow them to communicate with top students, reduce the students wait time, increase the students excitement, and make it more likely that those students will enroll. I Didnt Get a Likely Letter, What Now? Dont panic--the majority of applicants a college admits do not receive likely letters. For example, in 2015 Harvard University sent out 300 likely letters. 200 of those letters went to athletes (likely letters are an important tool for schools to recruit those rare students who excel both academically and in athletics). The University of Pennsylvania sent out 400 likely letters in 2015. With a little rough math, that suggests that about one out of every six admitted students in the regular applicant pool received a likely letter. So if you received a likely letter, congratulations! The school saw you as an exceptional applicant and really wants you to attend. If you didnt get one? Youre in the majority. You might be disappointed to not receive a likely letter, but the game certainly isnt over.

Analysis Of Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury And 1984 By...

MENTALITY OF CONFORMITY The societies in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and 1984 by George Orwell clearly show the serious effects of conformity. Despite the lack of freedom to think independently, both societies maintain their general happiness. Conformity is the most common and most persuasive form of social influence. The matching of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors are signs of conformity. It has become an unconscious, natural part of everyday life; however, it has been occurring for centuries. Knowledge of the mentality of conformity proves to be important since this could improve individuality in today’s society. This paper explains why conformity occurs, what conformity is, and who conformity effects. WHO CONFORMITY EFFECTS Conformity can happen to anyone; however, certain groups and individuals tend to be more susceptible to conformity than others. Young People As people grow older, they gain a better sense of judgement and independence from their previous experiences; therefore, younger generations fall to conformity more than older generations. Teenagers believe acceptance is very important, so they are more vulnerable towards conformity. Background Similar to how parents and teachers help form personality traits and morals, they play a role in shaping responses towards conformity as well. When they enforce individuality and self-confidence, they become instigators of this trait; therefore, those who follow in their footsteps stand up to conformity andShow MoreRelatedFahrenheit 451 By George Orwell1931 Words   |  8 Pagescertain freedoms were implemented into these novels which generated connections between these stories. In his novel, Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury describes a distant world in which the idea of censorship was exaggerated to such an extent that it was illegal for any literature to exist, and if found books are burned by the firemen. Similar to Bradbury’s society, 1984 by George Orwell includes a corrupt government where members of the Party are under surveillance at all hours of the day, and the worstRead MoreAnalysis Of Ray Bradbury s Fahrenheit 451 Essay2089 Words   |  9 PagesThe analysis of Ray Bradbury s dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451, shows that literature as books, education and alike is abused and criminalized in the hero’s reality, who is Guy Montag. The novel’s setting is when new things seem to have totally replaced literature, fire fighters set flames instead of putting them out, the ownership of books is deserving of the law and to restrict the standard is to court demise. The oppression of literature through innovation and technology can be analyzed throughRead MoreThe Analysis of Canonical Literature 1134 Words   |  5 Pageswhat they know is right. As Orwell states, He who controls the past controls the future. And he who controls the present controls the past (Orwell 37), so by reading varied literature, readers learn of the past, so it doesnt repeat itself in the future, and they do this through taking action in the present. What more, not conforming to majoritys beliefs builds character and individuality and causes a person to have a greate r positive impact on the world. As George Santana says, Those who cannotRead MoreEconomic Systems, Capitalism And Socialism1829 Words   |  8 PagesEconomic Systems People can use economic systems to build empires and destroy civilizations. The society s featured in the books 1984 by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury did just that. Both took advantage of some form of an economic system to achieve their respective goals. Whether it be the command economy of Oceania, or the overly consumerist economy of the dystopian United States, they both employed economics to their benefit. Economics is the science of scarcity. Scarcity is

Business Structure Accounting and Legal Issue †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Business Structure Accounting and Legal Issue. Answer: Introduction This report is asked by the supervisor of Turnaround and Insolvency Business Experts or TIBE which is a famous insolvency and restructuring firm to assess the insolvency status of its client Deluxe and Delicious Wine Pty Ltd or DDW. This company is involved in the business of wine with the service extended to the field of warehousing and distribution. Present business scenario of this company had put them in some tight corners related to their financial conditions and they are facing problem towards management of creditors. The CEO of the company had come to TIBE to seek help to come out of this situation with the activities of critically assess the financial condition of the company as per the legislative rules imposed by the Corporation Act, 2001 of Australia. The CEO was looking for the suggestions and advice from TIBE in order to know the options available for the company if it is placed under the supervision of external administration along with her next course of action being C EO in this situation. To assess the case, the company has handed over a file with confidentiality which possessed the financial information of relevance and by researching that information, inference is to be drawn in the form of suggestion by TIBE to understand and advice about the solvency status of the company(Bosker, 2017). Being an accountant of TIBE, the duty was bestowed upon me to research and give a report to my supervisor about the assessment of the status of solvency of DDW as per the legislative provision oflaw vide section 95A of Corporation Act 2001. After critically analyze the case of DDW Pty Ltd, I have to identify also if some other relevant information is also required from DDW Ltd to make the report well organized, and to the point with probable suggestions about the future course of action by the company in consideration of the solvency of the company. This report is to be provided in the form of memorandum of advice which will cover three situations; Insolvency detection of DDW Pty Ltd Suggestion about the provision of external administration and turnaround process for DDW Pty Ltd Required information from DDW to make the report authentic and meaningful I will furnish them below with the provision of legislation as provided by the Corporation Act 2001 of Australia. The report will be given in the form of Memorandum of Advise(Topp James, 2015). Memorandum of Advice From- To The Supervisor Subject- DDW Pty Ltd- Insolvency, probable external administration process and turnaround steps, and need of further records from DDW for effective report construction Detection of Insolvency for DDW Pty Ltd- ILAC Method Issue The main issue is to find the possibility of insolvency detection of DDW Pty Ltd as the company is unable to repay its debts in due time because of its shortage of liquid fund. Law The Corporation Act, 2001(Cth) of Australia has specified the insolvency of any entity though its regulation vide Section 95A (2). This entity will cover any person or corporate body. Main enquiries are to be done under the said section 95A (2) is to detect the solvency criteria of any company with the consideration of below conditions: Is the corporate body be able to repay its debt to the creditors in time as per the terms and conditions specified which is determined by the factors like liquidity position of the corporate which is mainly determined by the availability of cash reserves, positive working capital, healthy cash flow situation, accessibility of reliable alternative sources of funding for the corporate, monetary strength of the corporate for borrowing from the market, value of realizable assets to repay debts with the consideration of time and date frame(Svpartners, 2015). As per the judgment of Justice Emmett in the case of Quick vs. Stoland of 1998 with no. 157 ALP615 at 622, there are four factors which were set out for consideration. They are: Quantum of the debt of any corporate body is to be ascertained as per the date and time of repayment which was agreed during taking the debt in written or verbal form as per the terms and conditions of payable debts with time of fallen due. Evaluation of all assets of the company as per the date and time in question of repaying debts with their liquidity and realizable value. Anticipated quantum of cash flow of the business is to be find out with the anticipation of cash in-flow from projected sales and respective payouts in the form expenses to be deducted from them(Austlii, 2015). Understanding between the lenders and creditors of the company and the management of the company to distinguish the shortfall of liquidity of the company in the way of proper information of realizable assets with value and cash flow for assuring coverage of future loans to be repaid alter comparing to the present borrowing. This same case has been enriched with the statement of Justice Finkelstein which said that identification of justified clauses for not paying debts by the company by due time should be taken into consideration as justified due to the merit of the case. This situation should to be considered by the aspect of commercial reality which attracts the requirement of considering the financial condition of the company with the wholesome effect, which should be included of its activities, availability of fund to pay liabilities by the action of sale of realizable assets, or through flow of cash, asking for fresh debts from the market with the inherent strength of the company to attract capital raising from the market. Refer to definition of section 95A, it is also suggested that the viable test of proving solvency by any company is the cash flow test which seems to be more realistic than the exercise of balancing assets with liabilities(Austlii, 2001). The act of section 95A has the provision with two rebuttable presumptions of insolvency which are depicted in the Act vide section 588 E. these presumption are in related to proceedings of recovery as per the applicability of civil case and criminal case. These presumptions are mainly justified with the facts which are subject to rebutting with the application in case of directors involved in the financial operation of the company and assigned to manage the financial activities. The term insolvency, as contained in section 95A is clarified in statutory way should only being relied upon when the application of statutory presumptions of insolvency as per applicability of subsection 588E (3) and 588E (4) with the provision of not subject to rebuttal of presumptions(Debtrecoveryqld, 2016). Presumption one is related to proof of continued insolvency which is valid at a certain date as per sub section 588E (3). This provision is clearly mentioned that the company subject to closure is proved to be insolvent for any particular period during the period of 12 months before to the relation-back day which is generally taken as the date of application of closure of the company as filed or with the appointment of the administrator, this presumption is taken as the criterion for the company to be declared insolvent since that period up to the relation-back day(Austlii, 2015). Presumption two is depicting the criteria of insolvency for the said situation which is depending upon the situation of non-providing of sufficient and logicalaccounting records as per justified financial transaction as per section 588E (4).this presumption is subject to proof of non provision ofaccounting and financial records by the company either for their inability or providing them or for their inability to correctly explain them to justify their financial position. There is another option that if the company is unable to keepaccounting records for last seven years after the period when the related transactions had been there, it is to be presumed that the company was fallen in the stage of insolvency during that period. This presumption has not been applicable in case the company had failed to maintain the records of accounts in technical or minor stage, with the non-applicability in case of removing accounts by destructing or concealing those by any other person who is not ide ntified as the defendant direction as per the situation which has no proof that the defendant direct had no involvement in those actions. Indication of insolvency-Australian Securities and Investment Commission or ASIC had given list different major financial and operational activities which can be determinant to indicate insolvency for any company. They are: Absence of cash flow projection Unorganized way to maintainaccounting of the company Unavailability of complete records of financial information No presence of budgets and plans by the corporate for different wings of operation Continuation of such activities which can generate losses Accumulated impact of higher liabilities that assets Inability of the company to pay dues in the form of debts or interest by due time Gradual increase of involvement of financiers The age-wise analysis of creditors goes beyond 9- days Ad-hoc system to pay debts with the happening of judgment of debts Government payment non-compliance like tax or employees superannuation Facing difficulties to get finance from external sources Realization of current assets is getting tough Loss of personnel of key management capacity(Asic, 2016). Application The above conditions prevail in case of DDW Pty Ltd as the company is passing the crisis of cash shortage with other financial operations of the company are proving to be vulnerable for the company to carry on business. The applications of above conditions for the company are highlighted below: The basic parameter of financial strength of any company is to be found from working capital and cash flow analysis. Refer to the financial information provided by the company, the working capital analysis had shown alarming signals of negative working capital with current liabilities are more than current assets. Although the current assets were considered at book value, the realistic value showed lesser asset of inventory by 20% due to damaged stock which is not saleable in nature. The receivables of the company are with the terms of 180 days which is not ideal as the company is running the practice of paying debts with 90 days limit. This situation automatically creates cash crunch as the inflow of money takes longer period as the outflow of money takes shorter period and thats the reason why the company is running out of cash or with bad liquidity proven by the activity of the company. Operations of the company had found higher level of overhead costs on rent of warehouses, salary of staffs and gradual changing of business situation with increased competition from online vendors reducing revenue at steady pace. This is responsible for gradual shrinkage of profit margin. The company is unable to maintain proper records of accounts due to high turnover of human resources and this led to incomplete financial record and accounting reports(Omar, 2016). Conclusion With the above discussion following ILAC Method, the last part is given below as conclusion: The creditors of DDW were not paid off their debts in due time and some of them had proceeded to the court for recovery of their money. The accounting system of the company is casual and not strict without reconciliation with third parties, causing confusion at the end of creditors about their real recoverable amount as the company record and their record differs. Management of working capital is really bad and due to the unprofessional stickiness to the older practice of receivable and payable management, there is no sign for early recovery from this situation. Proper cash flow statement is not provided by the company, but with the available records it is evident that the company cannot manage working capital in effective way which is prevalent with their traditional strategies of creditors payment limit of 90 days and debtors payment time with 180 days. This situation obviously creates cash shortage. There is the incident of sponsoring gift by the company for the kin of the directors which has also direct impact on the cash management of the company. External administration process and turnaround steps- ILAC Method Issue The issue of this case is to provide options for the management of DDW Pty Ltd to ask for external administration or turnaround process as per guideline of ASIC or Australian Securities and Investment Commission. The guideline of ASIC provided in this situation restricts the company to go for further debt if they are gradually tending towards insolvency. The standard process is to appoint voluntary administrator or liquidator. Law Respectivelaw is Section 95A of the Corporation Act, 2001 of Australia. Application Voluntary administration-This provision is extended to give direction to the affected companies for future course of action. Voluntary administration is performed by a person who is aptly qualified and independent in nature and has the ability to take total control of the specific company to guide them with best possible solution to ensure safety and security to the company and the external stakeholders. This objective can be met through a deed of company arrangement. This is proved to be the fastest option as the appointed voluntary administrator by the board of directors can have the ability to resolve the issues. This process needs to be consented in written form from a registered liquidator who can play the role of voluntary administrator(Asic, 2013). Liquidation- Basic objective of this activity is to ensure that under the control of any independent and qualified person, the company would wound up in the process which ensures prudence and fairness for all the external stakeholders of the company. Receivership-This is made by secured creditors to appoint receiver to control all or few of the realizable assets in order to ensure repayment of debts. Conclusion Refer to the process voluntary administration; the company has to opt for this for resolving the monetary situation of the company by providing scope of directors to manage the situation with the guidance of professionally qualified person. Requirement of further records from DDW for effective construction of report Considering the case of assessing insolvency of DDW, further requirement of documents are there in the form of audited accounts report with the comments of the directors and the auditors so far compliance of accounting procedure as per AASB standard is concerned. This requirement could be met with specific reports in the status of consolidated financial statements, comprehensive income statement, cash flow and analysis of owners equity. These reports are required for last five years in order to conclude and prepare a constructive report of the company DDW. These reports will enable me to furnish a report which will be analytical, comprehensive and informative in nature. The final report will obviously give direction to the company through which the company can come out of this dilemma. The demand of the situation also generates the necessity of creditors and debtors accounts with confirmation from them in order to avoid unnecessary ambiguity. It also advised to consider the value of inventory in realistic manner by destroying the damaged inventory for arriving at the proper position of the company. References: Asic. (2013, November 04). Small business-what is external administration. Retrieved may 12, 2017, from Asic: https://asic.gov.au/for-business/your-business/small-business/closing-a-small-business/small-business-what-is-external-administration/ Asic. (2016, March 23). Types of Insolvency. Retrieved May 12, 2017, from Asic: https://asic.gov.au/regulatory-resources/insolvency/types-of-insolvency/ Austlii. (2015). Commonwealth Consolidated Acts. Retrieved May 12, 2017, from Austlii: https://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca2001172/s588e.html Austlii. (2015). Corporation Act 2001 - Sect 95A. Retrieved May 11, 2017, from https://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca2001172/s95a.html Austlii. (2001). Corporation act 2001. Retrieved May 11, 2017, from https://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca2001172/ Bosker, B. (2017, March 17). Ignore the Snobs, Drink the Cheap, Delicious Wine. Retrieved May 12, 2017, from Nytimes: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/17/opinion/sunday/ignore-the-snobs-drink-the-cheap-delicious-wine.html?_r=0 Debtrecoveryqld. (2016). Rebutting the Presumption of Insolvency. Retrieved May 11, 2017, from https://debtrecoveryqld.com.au/%EF%BB%BFrebutting-presumption-insolvency/ Omar, P. (2016). International Insolvency Law: Themes and Perspectives. Barrister: Routledge. Svpartners. (2015). Indicators of Insolvency. Retrieved May 11, 2017, from https://www.svpartners.com.au/insolvency/indicators-of-insolvency-checklist Topp, A., James, T. (2015). The Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (the Act). Retrieved May 12, 2017, from https://www.findlaw.com.au/articles/1993/what-is-insolvency.aspx

To dismiss the Chartist movement as mere hunger politics is to underestimate the depth of its political support Essay Example

To dismiss the Chartist movement as mere hunger politics is to underestimate the depth of its political support Essay * Chartism product of industrialisation. Problem was boom and slump nature of economy and temporary unemployment. This was one of issues that angered w/class about Poor Law Amendment Act 1834. In Manchester alone in 1837 there were estimated to have been 50,000 unemployed at some point and there were constant protests in Yorkshire re, this inconsistency of opportunity. * The man in charge of controlling the Midlands and North from a military sense had sympathy with the Chartists and reported to the government everywhere people are starving in the manufacturing districts. * Industrialisation brought with it the problem for many of mechanisation. Britain contained a rich heritage of craftsmanship and it was craftsmen that were badly hit. These including handloom weavers and more locally Black Country nail makers. Also hit badly were the workers in declining areas such as Wales and there can be little doubt that many of these were shocked by their loss of earnings after a lifetime of relative prosperity. We will write a custom essay sample on To dismiss the Chartist movement as mere hunger politics is to underestimate the depth of its political support specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on To dismiss the Chartist movement as mere hunger politics is to underestimate the depth of its political support specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on To dismiss the Chartist movement as mere hunger politics is to underestimate the depth of its political support specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer * There is evidence that after the 1842 rejection, food shops were looted primarily and again this coincided with a virtual standstill in production in the north in several industries. Tellingly, trade and output revived massively by 1843 and Chartism membership declined quickly. Depth of political support * The aims are said to be the six points and this is possibly good evidence of a political agenda i.e. none of the points said we want regular bread supplies. Chartism is surmised well by Marjorie Bloy who wrote it represented the fundamental belief that economic exploitation and political subservience could be righted by parliamentary means. Hence, how can political depth and hunger politics be untangled? Some variations on the six points existed and these again demonstrate a desire for other things than bread: these included the Poor Law abolition, no tax on newspapers and 8 hours maximum within the factories. * The London Working Mens Association was founded by skilled and fully employed craftsmen. These included Lovett and Place who were not economically disadvantaged and the pledge of the Association was that men should be in possession of their political and social rights. * It may need considering that if the essay title states political support we ought to ask how much support the movement received from middle and upper classes. The answer is not a lot. The upper classes were in full political control and rejected the first petition 235 to 46 votes. Many middle class supporters left the movement after early violence (Attwood of the Birmingham BPU is a good case in point) and some Chartist leaders such as O Connor (whilst ironically being middle class himself) aggressively rebuked any offers of assistance from this social group. Their parallel support of the ACLL ensured success here. * Many had sympathy with the Chartists grievances but would have balked at suggestions that they should seize power. General Napier mentioned above was an apologist for the government but this does not mean that he gave the Chartists political support. Conclusion: Chartism was a political movement born of economic circumstances. The superficiality of its support is best illustrated by the fact that when the economic situation improved, membership declined rapidly. This support would not have declined so quickly if the political views were deeply felt.

Body Piercing and Tattoos Essays

Body Piercing and Tattoos Essays Body Piercing and Tattoos Paper Body Piercing and Tattoos Paper but many scholars believe that Nubians brought the practice to Egypt much earlier. There was little anthropological attention to tattooing in the early part of the century because of preconceived notions of its insignificance to cultural analysis. (Robert S. Bianchi, 1988, 21-28). Archaeological evidence indicates that the Maya, Toltec, and Aztec cultures performed tattooing and scarification, and that the practice is thousands of years old in Asian cultures. Although tattooing was practiced in pre-Christian Europe, the word tattoo does not appear in English until Captain John Cook imported it after a journey to the Pacific Islands in the eighteenth century. Captain Cook claimed the Tahitians used the word tatua, from ta, meaning to strike or knock, for the marks they made upon their bodies. Captain Cook recorded this word as tattaw. The Polynesian word tapu, from which the word taboo derives, indicates the status of the person while being tattooed. Although no connection has been made between the words tattoo and taboo, it seems highly likely that they are related. While enduring the process of acquiring socially meaningful marks, the tattooee is being formed and shaped into an acceptable member of society. Prior to the completion of the tattoos the person is not only physically vulnerable because of the possibility of contamination during the penetrating process of tattooing but symbolically vulnerable as well. No longer without a tattoo, but without a finished tattoo, the persons body and therefore the self are not yet completed. The person is a liminal entity not yet in society and therefore taboo. (Per Hage, Frank Harary, Bojka Milicic, 1996, 89) Although the origin of tattooing is uncertain, anthropological research confirms that tattooing, as well as other body alterations and mutilations, is significant in the spiritual beliefs of many cultures. Various peoples tattoo or scarify during puberty rituals. In traditional South Pacific Tonga society, only priests could tattoo others and tattoos were symbolic of full tribal status. Eskimo women traditionally tattooed their faces and breasts and believed that acquiring sufficient tattoos guaranteed a happy afterlife. In many African cultures scars indicate social status and desirability as a marriage partner. Scarification patterns often identify the bearer as a member of a specific village. Many of these practices are changing and fading as Western influences enter African cultures. Until the mid-nineteenth century, Cree Indians living on the Great Plains tattooed for luck, for beauty, and to protect their health. Cree men with special powers received tattoos to help them communicate with spirits. A dream conferred the privilege of receiving a tattoo, which would be inscribed during a ceremony conducted by a shaman authorized to tattoo. The tattooing instruments were kept in a special bundle passed on from shaman to shaman. The ability to withstand the painful and tedious process of tattooing, which often lasted two to three days, confirmed the tattooees courage. Blood shed during the process was believed to possess magical power and was absorbed with a special cloth and kept for future use. tattoo. about. com In a Liberian initiation ceremony the novices are resuscitated to a new life, tattooed, and given a new name they seem to have totally forgotten their past existence. (Mircea Eliade, 1958, 31). The ritual recreates the flesh bequeathed to initiates by their parents and experienced during childhood. The physical change marks a symbolic rebirth into a new spiritual, social, and physical reality as well as a real physical change. This magical use of the body reiterates the idea that physical and spiritual existence and their interactions are deeply entwined. The trajectory of piercing from an underground activity to a fashion in mainstream magazines illustrates the American adoption of marginalization as a trendy practice. Piercing various parts of the body, which is a more or less painful procedure depending on the body part, has become more popular and commercialized in the past two decades, and extremely fashionable in the past few years. Although some people self-pierce, most individuals go to a boutique that pierces and sells piercing jewelry. Clients frequently request nipple, navel, and nose piercings, and less commonly obtain eyebrow, lip, cheek, or tongue piercings. Piercings through various glans or skin folds of the genitals are even less common. dmoz. org/Arts/Bodyart/Magazines_and_E-zines Although one can construct histories of self-mutilatory beautification practices, such as leg-shaving, hair-tweezing, and body sculpting, body piercing practices in Western cultures remain virtually undocumented. James Myers, an anthropologist at the University of California remarks on the stigma attached to body piercing and discussion of Western nonmainstream body mutilation, and notes that the general public conceives of people who pierce, scar, brand, and burn themselves as psychological misfits. Myers refutes any connection between these practices of body modification and pathological self-mutilation, and he discusses body modification as a cultural rite of passage. Although Myers attempts to normalize the perception of body modification, his ethnographic research is problematic because it is conducted with a select group of participants, a greater than average proportion of whom are gay and involved in sadomasochistic activities, therefore already marginalized by society. A more representative sample of the general population might show that certain forms of piercing have now become popular in mainstream culture, whereas the more extreme pierces have gained popularity with individuals who engage in what dominant culture defines as deviant. (James Myers, 1992, 90-92) Nose and navel piercings have become more common in the general population. It is probable that until now few individuals pierced ornamentally, and those who did rigorously hid their unusual adornments from sight. Ear piercing, once considered barbaric for women and a badge of homosexuality for men, is now an accepted, common practice for women, and has lost much of its stigma for men also. Punk subculture introduced multiple ear piercings to the public eye, and fashion spreads quickly popularized the look with a large percent of the population. The marginalized groups that contributed to popularizing ear piercing, homosexuals and youth subculture, are also responsible for introducing other body piercings into the public arena. As of 1993 a well-known and burgeoning piercing Los Angeles boutique, the Gauntlet, which originally catered to a large gay population when it opened in 1975, performed 18,000 piercings a year. www. gradeatattoos. com Piercing practices have been pathologized as expressing sexual perversity and affiliation with marginal members of society, and as with tattooing, it is difficult to separate myth from reality. Tattooing has most often been mythologized as a proof of masculine heterosexuality, but the association of tattooing with gay culture has some validity, as tattooist Samuel Steward, also known as Phil Sparrow, notes. In his diary accounts of his years as a tattooist, which he kept for Alfred Kinseys research at the Institute for Sex Research, Steward estimates that fewer than 1 percent of his clients were obvious homosexuals and perhaps a total of 20 percent were gay. Although Steward acknowledges that his customers sometimes exhibited homoerotic motivations, masochistic pleasure, and even fetishistic tendencies toward tattooing their own bodies or others, his experiences as a tattoo artist in Chicago in the 1950s led him to conclude that the homosexuals he knew were reluctant to tattoo because they considered it marring the body unaesthetically. (Samuel M. Steward, 1990, 56) Reference: Brumberg Joan Jacobs. The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls. New York: Random House, 1997, 132 James Myers, Nonmainstream Body Modification: Genital Piercing, Branding, Burning, and Cutting, Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 21. 3 (1992): 290-92. Michael Atkinson, Tattooing and Civilizing Processes: Body Modification as Self-Control; The Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology, Vol. 41, 2004 Mircea Eliade, Birth and Rebirth: The Religious Meanings of Initiation in Human Culture, trans. Williard Trask (New York: Harper, 1958), 31 Per Hage, Frank Harary, Bojka Milicic, Tattooing, Gender and Social Stratification in Micro-Polynesia; Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, Vol. 2, 1996, pp 89 Robert S. Bianchi. Tattoo in Ancient Egypt, Marks of Civilization (Los Angeles: Museum of Cultural History, University of California, 1988), 21-28. Samuel M. Steward, Bad Boys and Tough Tattoos: A Social History of the Tattoo with Gangs, Sailors, and Street-Corner Punks, 1950-1965 (New York: Harrington Park Press, 1990), 79. www. adrenalinetattoos. com tattoo. about. com www. gradeatattoos. com dmoz. org/Arts/Bodyart/Magazines_and_E-zines

One Step Back †Using Smaller Markets To Break Into Larger Ones

One Step Back – Using Smaller Markets To Break Into Larger Ones When breaking into a large market – especially where you have no prior experience – rejection is a certainty. Not everyone can nail the perfect pitch on the first try, and writers should keep their heads up and keep trying. But what happens when the rejections keep coming in, no matter what you try? Each person would have their own reasons as to why they arent nailing the pitch. It might be the pitch being bland, it might be the ideas not hitting the target, or it might be good, solid ideas that have been covered already. To help hone what part of the process is letting you down, you can try pitching to publications lower down the rung. This move backwards can either be very simple or extremely hard, depending how niche your target publication is. Someone writing about technology could probably have an easier time than those wanting to write about model trains. If moving downwards seems impossible, consider going sideways: find a publication which doesnt necessarily feature your niche, but still utilizes it. Once youve found your target, its time to start! You may find that articles that were rejected from your original target are more than suitable for the smaller publications, given the fact that theyre in more need to fill up slots for their publication schedule. Once you get an acceptance, you can develop a working relationship with the editor: talk them through pitches, note what they reject and accept, see why they reject specific articles and hone your pitches and ideas to suit them. After a few months, you may begin to notice that the publication becomes very easy to pitch to. This means its time to spread your wings and go for bigger, better-paying publications – mainly, your original target! Use your new-found skills to make a second attempt at landing that acceptance. The best part is, any queries that fail to strike the fancy of your target can very easily become accepted ideas with the editor you work with. I learned this the hard way when I decided that bite-sized, factual articles would be great fun to write. I was first drawn to Listverse because of its simplicity: research ten points, write the article, send it in, and get paid $100 for the enjoyment of creating a well-researched article. It seemed ideal, but I couldnt break in at all. I decided to try the waters with another website, TopTenz, despite their paying only half of what Listverse does. They liked the ideas that Listverse didnt, and I began to work with the editor of TopTenz to get my ideas out there and earning some money. I learned a lot from the months of working with the editor, and when I look back at the pitches I gave Listverse, I cringe at how naive I was. While I still work with the TopTenz editor closely, I recently decided to use my new-found knowledge to try to break into Listverse once again. On the second pitch of my re-attempt, I got a green light that eventually lead to an acceptance and payment! I highly doubt I could have crafted a winning pitch if it were not for my experience with TopTenz. If youre having issues getting into a publication, try mastering the level below it. Once youve done that, the only feasible step is to move up – and thats when youll be much better equipped to land that gig youve wanted.

Between Art and Architecture in The Landscape Essay

Between Art and Architecture in The Landscape - Essay Example The paper tells that expressions that are in architecture are distinguished by the works of various architects, movements of different time frames and approaches to creating the buildings. There are distinguishing characteristics associated with the different architectural structures and landscapes, specifically which are based on the approaches which the architects take. A feature which is considers in terms of architecture is based on the artistic influences that are portrayed in each of the buildings. While architectural pieces may be considered as artistic, there are several artistic structures that do not represent architecture. Identifying and defining the differentiation as well as the approaches of various artists and the aesthetics of architecture then creates a defined meaning of what is associated with various movements. Even with the use of experimentation of mediums and the expectation of using art as architecture, are still specialized aspects that show there are altern atives that are created from both mediums. This is developing controversial aspects to the artists and architects as well as how the use of both mediums is able to develop distinctions between both categories. Identifying the spatial differences, crafting alterations and the approaches and ideologies which are taken by different architects is also able to create a different approach to how the architects and artists remain as distinct categories that are able to develop alternative movements and experimentation based on the individual mediums. Defining Contemporary Art and Architecture The concept of art and architecture has traditionally been associated with two different mediums based on the aesthetics and functionality of the pieces. Architecture implies a building or other area which is used for lifestyle needs or which is based on creating what is known as a spatial practice. The artistic works imply an expression an aesthetically valuable approach that is able to convey a mess age or meaning that is more critical in nature. The combination of both is known as a critical spatial practice and is now regarded as intertwining between both mediums. This consists of site specific art and public art, urban interventions, conceptual designs and collaborative groups which are developing hybrid approaches to the artistic and architectural endeavors within a spatial area. The changing meaning of art and architecture is one which has altered specifically because of implications based on the developments between each medium (Rendell, 2006: 3). The similarities and differences with contemporary art and architecture as well as the blurred lines which have been created have furthered into changing characteristics of what identifies art and architecture. The identification is one which is no longer based on the functionality and images that are approached as well as the use of space or context that comes from either art or architecture. The combination of both has led int o a different visual reasoning of the work. Conceptual ideas as well as figurative approaches are both being used with art and architecture to show a shift in the perspectives of what both mediums relate to. The change is one which is no longer identifying and defining the rules and regulations which were approached in terms of visual designs and the systems which were before required for art and architecture. Instead, there is a direct link to the visual landscape that crosses in terms of art and architecture as the same approach to structure (Goldschmidt, 2003: 158). Social and Cultural Changes in Architecture The movement into art and architecture as interchangeable and as a hybrid concept has not only