Role of a judge and role of a defense attorney Research Paper

Role of a judge and role of a defense attorney - Research Paper Example By applying all these roles, the judge sets to become independent in the courtroom. One of the advantages of this is to enable to promote equality in the treatment of case trials leading to appropriate verdict. On the other hand, this would also promote equal chance for each party in the courtroom to appropriately present their individual cases and story in order to determine facts. On the other hand, the interdependence of the judge with other courtroom personnel would turn out the trial to be more technical particularly in the determination of facts because the proof beyond reasonable doubt has to be consistently created on both sides during the case trial. In addition, the interdependence of the judge with the jury could possibly make it hard to eliminate personal bias and conviction during the acual process of hearing and deciding a case. For this reason, it is important for the judge to employ more dynamic house rules, to promote ethical and legal standards. This substantially w ould lead to a balancing act in shaping substantive and procedural law. 2. It is the obligation of defense attorney to defend the client in a lawsuit from either criminal or civil case (Siegel, 2009, p.409). The real responsibility is to aim for probable acquital as there is a need to substantially increase the burden of proof on the part of the prosecutor to prevent conviction in as much as possible. In some cases, the defense attorney may also serve as the one who would make the verdict lighter for the guilty. In general, the defense attorney defends the client in a lawsuit while ensuring legal ethics, so as not to mislead the court with wrong information (Neubauer & Fradella, 2010, p.168). In this case, the defense attorneys are trying to be independent with the prosecutor and the judge as they would create substantial appeal to nullify the evidences pointed against the accused. In this case, they should deviate

The central ethical issue Essay Example for Free

The central ethical issue Essay At first glance, it can be difficult to immediately discern and identify the main, or central, ethical issue that revolves around the case (‘Parenting Parents’) that chronicles Mary’s struggles pertaining to her parents’ problem about substance use and abuse. It is because there are some other issues that can also be of ethical and moral concern. Firstly, we can directly question the integrity of Mary’s parents by giving their children a â€Å"burden† because of their being alcoholic. Moreover, although they can fulfill their functions as parents and as members of the community, it is evident that they did not live as a good example to their growing children because of their inclination and addiction to alcohol, which caused worries to their children, especially to Mary. On the other hand, since Mary’s parents were able to consult their physician, they should also have received an adequate advice, aside from receiving a mere prescription of medication, or perhaps a referral to a specialist, in order to correct their alcohol abuse and alleviate their condition. Unfortunately, in Mary’s eyes, the condition of her parents seemed to have been aggravated with the addition of the narcotic medication into their system (body). In this regard, a greater responsibility is now placed on the prescribing physician due to the fact that Mary’s parents believed that there was really nothing wrong with the dosage and that it was â€Å"legally prescribed†. Therefore, the central ethical issue in the case must be on the appropriateness, or otherwise, of the actions of the prescribing physician (by prescribing higher dosage of narcotic medication), as well as the fact that there was no sufficient information given to them about the treatment regimen, thus leaving inadequate knowledge and augmenting Mary’s apprehension about the status of her parent’s health. II. Research 1. http://www. pubmedcentral. nih. gov/articlerender. fcgi? tool=pmcentrezartid=1769525 The research-article by Robert L. Fine (2007) entitled ‘Ethical and practical issues with opioids in life-limiting illness’ explores the vast ethical and practical concepts pertaining to narcotic pain management. The article presented a substantial connection of ethics and practice through purposeful application of knowledge and evidence-based practice. Further, the article also refutes some common psychosocial and practical misconceptions about narcotics such as the beliefs that these medications cause respiratory depression and addiction. Moreover, the said article is especially relevant to this paper because it renders a significant idea about the higher dosages of narcotics to alcoholic patients, which, according to Fine, is because of their â€Å"incredible tolerance to opioids or narcotics†, thereby necessitating an increased dosage to effectively manage their pain while having a â€Å"strict dosing protocols and written contracts†. Hence, the article emphasized that patients who are substance abusers (like Mary’s parents) should be managed with compassion and suggested the importance of providing information and conducting proper education, not only to the patients but also to their families and significant others, regarding the overall effects of the medication in order to correct the underlying misconceptions and lessen their anxiety, as well as referring them to addiction specialists or psychiatrists. 2. http://www. ama-assn. org/ama/pub/physician-resources/medical-ethics/code-medical-ethics/opinion9032. shtml The above link represents a portion of the American Medical Association’s Code of Ethics, specifically the subtitle on ‘Reporting Adverse Drug or Device Events’ (American Medical Association â€Å"Opinion 9. 032†). In this manner, it is stipulated in this portion that the physicians have an ethical responsibility to report actual or potential adverse reactions of a certain medication or a devise to the broader medical community. Moreover, the said article augments that physicians belong to a group that could best monitor and report any adverse or untoward reactions, as well to communicate relevant information about to a certain drug or medication (American Medical Association â€Å"Opinion 9. 032†). Thus, this article poses its relevance to the central ethical issue in this paper since it highlights the physicians’ responsibility to provide and communicate information to all stakeholders. 3. http://clinicalcenter. nih. gov/participate/patientinfo/legal/bill_of_rights. shtml The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center’s article on the ‘Patient Bill of Rights’ is the one that is represented by the above link. In so doing, the so-called patient bill of rights typifies the right of the patients to complete current information pertaining to all aspects of their care, which must obtained from the physician. Moreover, all the necessary information must be given in â€Å"easily understandable terms† (National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center â€Å"Patient Bill of Rights†). As such, the said article is relevant to this paper because it highlights the importance of providing information about the patients’ treatment, which fairly includes the medication regimen that is particularly involved in the discussion of the central ethical issue of this paper.

Johnny Carson :: essays research papers

Johnny Carson was born on October 23, 1925, in Corning, Iowa. He was raised in Norfolk, Nebraska and attended the University of Nebraska. The actor/comedian was the host of NBC's Tonight Show from 1962 to 1992 and, though he inherited the hosting duties of the program from Jack Parr, defined the show and became the icon for late night television. For those thirty years, Johnny Carson was arguably the most popular entertainer in the country and America's most identifiable celebrity on television. Carson served in the Navy from 1943 to 1946 and moved to California in 1950 where he began working in television and radio. The first show he hosted was called "Carson's Cellar" and aired in 1951. He also wrote and performed on The Red Skeleton Show in 1954. In 1956 Carson moved to New York City and he hosted the television game show Who Do You Trust? from 1958 to 1963. During that show's successful run as ABC's top daytime program, Carson was invited to appear on The Tonight Show. His first guest appearance was in 1958 and in 1962 Johnny began a thirty year job as the show's front man. Interestingly, he co.-wrote the famous "Johnny's Theme" that opened each show with Paul Anka in 1962 and receives residuals from each daily performance to this day. The first guest of the Carson era was Groucho Marx who introduced Johnny to his new audience. Johnny Carson became known for his relaxed manner, witty commentary, and impersonations. His opening monologue became a national institution and Carson was trusted to such a degree that when he jokingly announced a shortage on toilet paper in 1973 it truly became the "Great Toilet Paper Shortage of 1973." Reports of hoarding and buying extreme quantities were off-kilter proof of his societal impact. Critics sung the praises of his monologues, describing its import in glowing terms: "a magnifying glass on American culture," and "a national institution." Johnny Carson was the most valuable asset in television, making The Tonight Show NBC's biggest money maker and its most consistently high rated program. Johnny Carson was the last person millions of Americans saw before going to sleep every night and The Tonight Show became a cultural tradition that spanned generations and races. Known for a combination of Midwestern charm and cosmopolitan wit, Johnny created the standard for late night television as well as some of TV's most enduring characters. A typical show would include Ed McMahon's introduction, "Heeere's Johnny!", a topical monologue, that famous golf swing followed by interviews with celebrities and common people, and of course, Doc Severinsen's music.

Current Event Research Paper Essay

The research paper I found to discuss was a study done on motivation in the work place in a hotel in Konya, Turkey. Since I am currently in the hotel industry I find it very interesting that these individuals were able to conduct a mathematical analysis of what drives employees to stay committed in the work place. The three factors they tested to see which had the highest effect on employees were intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and work motivation. In this study they had employees fill out a survey based on a 5-point scale that consisted of a list of questions pertaining to their work environment and the outcome of certain situations. This study was based on a single 5 star hotel that contained about 500 employees, only about 120 participated in the study. Researchers broke the results down into a mathematical problem that started equal for each of the three factors but then increased/decreased based on test results. They also had a percentage breakdown of age range and gender so you knew the different variables they were working with. The problem they were trying to solve was to see how to keep employees from leaving a company since employee turnover is much more costly than keeping long term employees. I know from my experience that employees need motivation when at work especially in an industry as difficult as hospitality. This test was important to conduct because as managers and supervisors we need to know what keeps our employees going and striving. The result of this study proved to be very informative and helpful when better understanding employee’s basic needs. Researchers were able to find out what the most important factor is and what the least important factor is for employees when we are trying to keep them committed to a company. The first result of this study showed that intrinsic was the most important  motivational factor. This means that employees value being treated as a human more than anything else. Instead of treating employees like they are just a working piece of a machine, they want to know that they are viewed as a social human beings who are important to the organization as a whole. I know from personal experience in this industry that this result is spot on, you can give employees raises but if they don’t feel appreciated within your company or even just your department then they will shut down. This is a very important result to see so that management can see that basic respect of employees by their leaders makes all the difference. The second most important factor for commitment showed to be extrinsic motivation. I was surprised to find that this actually wasn’t the highest result since people generally work towards moving up at their job. This result showed that it is important to reward employees with promotions, salary increases, etc. which I feel is basic common knowledge that you should have as a manager. In my hotel I reward my employees with incentives for receiving good guest reviews which I feel is important to show them that not only are they doing a great job but I want them to be rewarded for going above and beyond for our guests. The outcome of this study shows that in fact employees do need to receive monetary compensation for a job well done alongside praise and respect for doing their job well. The last result was work motivation which showed to have absolutely no effect in this case study. In this specific study it presents that work motivation has no effect on employee’s commitment to a company thus making it irrelevant to this study. Work motivation is the basic internal and external factors management uses to keep their employees going at work. This did surprise me that it has no effect on employee’s commitment to their company since I would feel like if you are being motivated to do your work you would want to stay with that company. I found this entire study to be very interesting since I do work in this specific field so it is good to know as a manager what will make my employees want to stay with the company. I think all in all they went about this study the right way by breaking it down into three factors and calculating it down to percentages and using a 5-point system to rank from most important to least important. I would say that maybe if this test was conducted again that they break it down by department so it was more specified as well as ha ving more participants in the survey so the results  would be more validated.

Pricing strategy Essay

Home depot is a store dealing with home appliances and other household consumables. I will look at the pricing strategy of refrigerators. Most prices of different brands of refrigerators are set to match the prices of their competitors. This is because mostly the competitors are operating in the same environment. it is essential to offer better quality brands with the same price as competitors. However when setting the price, the objective is to ensure profitability of the firm is taken care by the price set. The profit firm must incorporate capital requirements and the associated gains that cover the expenses of the organization. Always the profit considered in price setting is equals to price less cost of sales. While capital gains is equivalent the current assets and fixed assets running costs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In choosing the target, market for refrigerator is made during the construction of sores. However the in which they are operating attracts the customers. Take an example of the New York most people have excess disposable income to spend and there are utilities that support the refrigerator in almost all homes.   The company has reported that they have high expectation in the stead rise through to 2025 for product. Another important factor in the increase of consumers are the aging population with large pensions and young business executives with more excessive funds. In fact, this two groups forms an important consumer segment of home depot refrigerators. The customer has carried the consumer assessment they have adapted market oriented determination and differential.   References   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Schaik J.L., (2002); The Task of Marketing Management; J.L. van Schaik (Pity) ltd

Determination of the Enthalpy for Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide Essays

Determination of the Enthalpy for Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide Essays Determination of the Enthalpy for Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide Paper Determination of the Enthalpy for Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide Paper Determination of the Enthalpy for Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide Objective: To construct a coffee cup calorimeter, measure its calorimeter constant, and determine the enthalpy of decomposition and formation of hydrogen peroxide. Background: This experiment is a classic thermodynamics lab. In it, we attempt to measure the enthalpy (? H) of a chemical reaction. The main obstacle is that this is a quantity that cannot be measured directly. It instead is observed as heat from one substance is transferred to another while being monitored with a thermometer. A temperature change in a known substance (such as water) can be related to a certain amount of heat (q). q ? ? mass ? ?T f ? Ti ? ? Specific heat ? Our calorimeter is going to be a set of Styrofoam coffee cups. These cups are well known insulators, and they should keep most heat inside themselves. They are not perfect, however, and they will absorb some of the heat from the process, so we need to determine the calorimeter constant. For any process, the first law of thermodynamics must be followed. ?E ? 0 ? qsystem ? surroundings However, if the calorimeter itself is going to absorb some energy, it must be accounted for as well. ?E ? 0 ? qsystem ? qsurroundings ? qcalorimeter In the first portion of our experiment, a known mass of water with a known temperature will be used to determine how much energy is being absorbed by the calorimeter. Once this is known, the change in enthalpy from the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide can be determined. 2H2O2(aq) ? 2H2O(l) + O2(g) A solution o f hydrogen peroxide will be added to the calorimeter and its temperature will be monitored for a short time. A small amount of iron nitrate will be added to catalyze the reaction and produce a measureable temperature change. This temperature change will be plotted over time. Using this plot, the mass of solution, its specific heat, the calorimeter constant, and the temperature change, we will be able to determine the enthalpy for the reaction. Procedure Week One – Determination of the calorimeter constant Objective – To measure the amount of energy absorbed by the calorimeter while observing a change in temperature. 1. Using a top loading balance, determine the mass of Styrofoam cup and a stir bar. . Place about 100mL of warm deionized water in the cup. Monitor its temperature for 3-4 minutes. Record the temperature every minute. 3. Using a top loading balance, determine the mass of a second Styrofoam cup and a stir bar. 4. Place about 100mL of room temperature water in the cup. Monitor its temperature for 34 minutes. Record the temperature every minute. 5. When the temperatur e of the warm water is about 20? C above the room temperature water, quickly pour it into the room temperature water. Continue monitoring the temperature and recording it every minute. . After several minutes, when the temperature is no longer changing quickly, record the mass of the combined water. 7. Repeat this procedure at least one more time. Week One – Preparation of a standard potassium permanganate solution Objective: To prepare a potassium permanganate solution with a known concentration. This will be used in a second week to standardize a hydrogen peroxide solution. 1. Obtain enough potassium permanganate to make 250. 0mL of a 0. 02M solution. NOTE: Use the analytical balance for this operation. It is NOT necessary to get exactly the amount you calculated. It is only important to be close to this amount, and to record the amount you took accurately. 2. Dissolve this in a small amount of water before diluting it to a final volume of 250. 0mL in a volumetric flask. 3. Transfer this to a clean dry bottle, and store it for use next week. Week Two – Determination of the Concentration of hydrogen peroxide. Objective: Determine the concentration of hydrogen peroxide and use this result to know how many moles are being decomposed. 1. Pipet 2. 0mL of hydrogen peroxide into a small Erlenmeyer flask. Add about 10mL of 4. 0M H2SO4 and 50mL of deionized water. 2. Rinse and fill a buret with the potassium permanganate solution that was prepared last week. 3. Start to titrate the solution. It should stay clear until the end point is reached. The endpoint is the lightest permanent pink color that persists. 4. Repeat so that you have three precise trials. 5. Calculate the concentratio n of the hydrogen peroxide solution. The balanced chemical equation is written below. 2MnO4-(aq) + 5H2O2(aq) + 6H+(aq) ? Mn2+(aq) + 5O2(g) + 8H2O(l) Week Two – Enthalpy of Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide Objective: Use the calorimeter from last week to determine the enthalpy of decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. 1. Add 50. 0mL of hydrogen peroxide to the tared Styrofoam cup using a graduated cylinder. 2. Obtain 10. 0mL of 0. 5M iron(III)nitrate in a graduated cylinder. 3. Start recording the temperature of the hydrogen peroxide solution. At the five minute mark, quickly add the iron nitrate, but do not record the temperature. 4. At the six minute mark start recording temperatures again until you reach the 12 minute mark. . Dump out the solution, and repeat if time permits. Calorimeter Constant Calculations It is very straightforward to determine the energy that is gained or lost when a known mass of water is heated or cooled. ?E ? 0 ? qsystem ? qsurroundings ? qcalorimete r From the data above, you will need to plot the temperature of the room temperature water and extrapolate that line out a bit. That will be its initial temperature (T1). Extrapolate through the points after mixing, and this will be its final temperature (T2). From this the heat gained by the room temperature water can be calculated. qroom ? mass T2 ? T1 Cwater ? This is repeated for the warm water. Extrapolate the warm water’s temperature through the time when it is mixed. This is will be its initial temperature (T3). Extrapolate through the points after mixing and this will be its final temperature (T2). From this the heat lost by the warm water can be calculated. qwarm ? ? mass T3 ? T2 Cwater ? The Calorimeter constant will be the difference between these two. Whatever energy lost by the warm water should have been gained by the room temperature water, except for what was gained by the cup. qroom ? qwarm ? qcup ? T2 ? T1 ? ? Ccup ? A sample for the plot is below. The v ertical line is the time when the two water samples were mixed. Mixing Curve for Water 42 37 T3 Temp (C) Room Temp Water 32 27 T1 22 0 2 4 6 Time (min) 8 10 12 T2 Warm Water Calculations for the Enthalpy of Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide The solution here is mostly water, and it is assumed to have a specific heat of 4. 184 J/g? C. There are two things that would absorb the energy lost by hydrogen peroxide: the solution, and the cup. ? qH 2O2 ? qsolution ? qcup The ‘q’ of the solution is calculated in a way similar to that of water. The time and temperature information will have to be plotted. The only thing that is different here, is that the temperature of just one thing is being recorded. There will only be two temperatures, T1 and T2. qsolution ? ? mass T2 ? T1 ? 4. 184 J ? g ? C ? qcup ? ? Ccup ? ?T2 ? T1 ? Here Ccup was determined last week. To determine the ? H in terms of joules per mole, one will have to divide the energy by the number of moles in the solution. moles ? M H ? 2 O2 ? ? Volume ? H 2O2 Report Information taken from this lab included the following. Week One ? Mass of room temperature water ? Mass of cup(s) and stirring bar(s) ? Mass of warm water ? Mass of combined water ? Initial temperatures for water ? Post mixing temperatures for water ? Time ? Mass of potassium permanganate ? Volume of potassium permanganate solution Week Two ? Volume of hydrogen peroxide solution titrated. ? Volume of potassium permanganate used. ? Mass of cup and stirring bar. ? Mass of hydrogen peroxide ? Mass of mixed peroxide and iron ? Temperature prior to mixing. ? Temperature after mixing. ? Time From this, one will need to calculate: ? ? ? ? The concentration of potassium permanganate The concentration of hydrogen peroxide (averaged) The calorimeter constant (averaged) The enthalpy of decomposition of hydrogen peroxide (averaged) In a 1 – 2 page typed report please give the following: ? ? ? A brief 2-3 sentence abstract describing the experiment and the final result. Work detailing how quantities were determined. A brief one paragraph discussion dealing with the comparison of the result to the literature value of (-94. 6 kJ/mole). What specific sources of error might account for a difference between your result and the literature value.

Burning Man as a Postmodern Utopia †Humanities Essay

Burning Man as a Postmodern Utopia – Humanities Essay Free Online Research Papers Burning Man as a Postmodern Utopia Humanities Essay Burning Man is an event that takes place annually on the Nevada desert floor. What began as a modern version of a summer solstice ritual has morphed into a full-blown artistic counter-culture phenomenon. Burning Man is a postmodern remix. It samples concepts and ideas and combines elements that are evocative of ancient cultural and religious ritual with modern ideals of a utopian society. Burning Man is politically and artistically situated as a remix of the ancient idea of Utopia. Can this postmodern artistic idea continue to thrive or has this experiment fallen victim due to intense commercial pressures? BURNING MAN As Ulf Poschardt says in his 1998 book DJ Culture, â€Å"Postmodernism is generally seen as the sphere of unlimited possibilities. Anti-dogmatic, free, liberal, hoping for every narrative fragment after the end of the great narratives and prepared to accept everything† (Poschardt, 393). Burning Man started as an event in such a sphere of open ended possibilities according to founder Larry Harvey in his lecture LA VIE BOHÉME A History of Burning Man. The event was conceived from the notion that bohemians †have a kind of erotic sense of property. They share with one another. They cooperate with one another. They collaborate with one another. What Bohemia’s reflect is the natural life of artists, how they behave in their authentic environment. And these were the principles we followed† (Harvey, lecture). This reflects Poschardt’s postmodernist concepts. The idea that anything goes and that there is no absolute truth lies at the bottom of both th e postmodern and the bohemian ideals that Harvey speaks to. He went on to state, We have become a nation of posers. Its not a life thats lived or shared, but an imitation of life, a kind of commercial for self. We need some deep and drastic therapy to break this spell. We need to reestablish contact with our inner selves. We need to reinvent a public world†¦this is where my work and the experiment called Burning Man comes in. (Harvey). Harvey’s deconstruction and proposal for a new state of living reflects the ideals of utopian states. This is a powerful postmodern strategy, upending familiar tropes of western society. Burning Man enacts a magical ritualistic effigy burning as opposed to the political effigy burnings of despised leader (e.g., George Bush in Iraq). Burning Man samples from a long line of effigy burning rituals. Doan Ngu, is celebrated on the summer solstice in Vietnam where offerings are made to spirits and ghosts and to â€Å"the god of death† to stave off epidemic. Offerings of human effigies made of grasses are burned, providing souls to staff the army of the God of Death. Carnival Aruba, in Martinique and Guadalupe is a 3-day festival that ends on Ash Wednesday with the burning of an effigy of the King. The King’s effigy is paraded through the streets for all to see, and then set alight in the main plaza of the city or town. In Venezuela there is the Burning of Judas, an effigy dressed as a known public figure in the community, This Judas effigy is also paraded through the town before being burned. The participants slap, punch and kick the effigy before lighting it on fire. In Hinduism there is the burning of the effigy of Ravanna marks the tenth day of the celebration of Divali. The statue of the 10 headed demon Ravanna is made of wood and hay with fireworks inside. The celebrations begin around sunset, families and friends gather, and the statue is set on fire. People shoot arrows into the effigy; it burns along with a huge display of fireworks. These rituals, and many more, are all rituals that bring the community together (Henderson, Thompson, 118-156-189). Burning Man takes place during the seven days before Labour Day weekend in Black Rock City, Nevada. Burning Man started in San Francisco in 1986 as a summer solstice ritual. In 1986 Jerry James, a builder, and Larry Harvey, a landscaper, decided to construct a life-size human effigy made largely of junk wood. They took it to Baker Beach, a mile long stretch of sand just west of the Golden Gate Bridge, with a handful of friends and set it on fire. They burned along with it tokens and mementoes of things they wanted to rid themselves of. It was an act of cleansing for a handful of people. They were so moved by the experience they decided to make it an annual ritual (Doherty). Aided by the San Francisco Cacophony Society, word spread and by 1990 the crowd had increased to 800 and the man had morphed into a 40 foot structure. At this point the San Francisco police stepped in, stopping the ceremonies on the grounds that it was unsafe to torch such a large object on a public beach. One of the Cacophonists, John Law had the idea of moving the ritual to Black Rock desert, an evocative, barren lakebed which dries up for a few months of each year. This was a place where they would not have a problem burning a large structure. A few weeks later, on Labour Day weekend, a group of 100 made the long trek out to the Nevada Desert. Burning Man had found its home (Doherty). Burning Man has grown significantly. It is estimated to be doubling in size every year. Last year there were over 30,000 participants. Although Burning Man has grown beyond anyone’s wildest estimate, it remains true to its core idea: everyone who is there is invited to partake in the ritual of putting items inside the man before the burning. Not surprisingly these items vary as much as the people themselves. Although Burning Man is a temporary community, it is a strong community that ties people together. Larry Harvey described his vision in his LA VIE BOHÉME lecture: Imagine you are put upon a desert plain, a space that is so vast and blank that only your initiative can make of it a place. Imagine it is swept by fearsome winds and scorching temperatures, and only by your effort can you make of it a home. Imagine youre surrounded by thousands of other people, that together you form a city, and that within this teeming city there is nothing thats for sale†¦This novel use of nothingness elicits a superabundant production of spectacle. But it is spectacle with a difference. We have, in fact, reversed the process of spectation by inviting every citizen to create a vision and contribute it to a public environment. We call this process radical self-expression. What makes this self-expression truly radical is its reintegration of the private and personal back into a shared public domain. Burning Man has evolved into an event for artists from all over the world to meet, create and ultimately burn their work. This iconoclastic practice indexes the early conceptual art movement, for example Allan Kaprow, Jim Dine, and even Ana Mendieta’s ‘burning women’. Conceptual art came to fruition in the mid Twentieth Century bohemian subcultures and avant-garde modernist movements. Previously modernism evolved as a resistance against the disenfranchising forces of early technology and industrialization. Those involved in this lineage of this new perspective of the world, were looking to transform culture and creative self realization in art Burning Man is a â€Å"happening† where spectacle and ritual meet on the desert floor, and where the role of participant and spectator blurs. Burning Man is a massive show of art that is not for sale much of the art created is burned throughout the event. These events at Burning Man demonstrate that the contrast can lessen between the individual and communal in our postmodern world. Burning Man represents a collective desire to participate in long lost communal rituals. Many have a desire for collective input; even in our postmodern times there is a need for a sense of community. This is fulfilled, albeit briefly, by Burning Man. UTOPIA Utopia refers to the ancient longing for a place of happiness and freedom, a paradise on earth. Utopia is defined as an â€Å"imagined perfect state or place of things†(Oxford). The word Utopia coined by Thomas Moore in the Sixteenth Century passed through the English language and has been appropriated by most of the world’s languages. California of course, has a rich history of Utopian societies. In his book California’s Utopian Colonies Robert V. Hine states, â€Å"A utopian colony, thus, consists of a group of people who are attempting to establish a new social pattern based upon a vision of the ideal society†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Hine, 5). Larry Harvey has tried to create just this, a new social pattern based upon his vision of the ideal society, a place where nothing is for sale and where everyone is at the same time audience and participant. Larry Harvey has sampled from the old ideals to bring us a new utopian vision for our time, a place where all people are eq ual and everything is exchanged through barter. Martin Buber’s reference to Israeli Kibbutz in his book Paths in Utopia could be referring to Burning Man: â€Å"Nowhere else in the history of communal settlements is there this tireless groping for the form of community-life best suited to this particular human group, nowhere else this continual trying and trying again, this going to it and getting down to it, this critical awareness, this sprouting of new branches from the same stem and out of the same formative impulse†(Buber. 141-142). BURNING BURNING MAN Harvey’s intention to alter the form of spectacle was admirable. At the beginning he wanted all the participants to be spectators and vise versa. All contributing to the artistic nature of the event But Burning Man’s popularity has proven to be its undoing. In 1994, the year Harvey started a website, the media discovered the event, encouraging people to flock to Burning Man in greater numbers every year. By 1997 media at the event included CNN, ABC, NBC, ZDF (Germany) as well as Time, The Washington Post and publications from Brazil England, France, and Japan. The media has enabled millions to simulate participation virtually, but in reality they remain only spectators. In this Mephistophelean bargain the media has brought with it the commercialization of Burning Man. Harvey’s chief ideal has always been â€Å"nothing is for sale†. This refrain is no longer valid. Along the way Burning Man started charging admission to attend. To take part in Burning Man it now costs from $165.00 to $250.00 for advance tickets. It seems that the refrain should be almost nothing is for sale. In addition to the admission there is now a Burning Man Cafà ©, which sells (not barters or trades) its beverages. Yes things change. Burning Man is no exception to this rule. As Fredric Jameson, a postmodern Marxist theorist says (quoted by Posehardt in his book DJ Culture), â€Å"In Postmodern culture, ‘culture’ has become a product in it’s own right; the market has become a substitute for itself and fully as much a commodity as any of its items it includes within itself: modernism was still minimally and tendentially the critique of the commodity and the effort to make it transcendent itself. Postmodernism is the consumption of sheer commodification as a process† (Poschardt, 393). The history of Burning Man exemplifies the commodification aspects of postmodernism. One can almost expect to see Burning Man franchises ‘coming soon to a dry lakebed near you’. Harvey’s second most important ideal was that there are â€Å"only ten official rules. That was enough for Moses, and thats enough for us†(Harvey). These original rules have expanded into an 11-page document. For instance, a â€Å"no dogs allowed† rule was added in 2003. Arguably Burning Man has had to add rules and guidelines because it has expanded beyond its original scale. Ironically Burning Man’s utopian quality has diminished in the postmodern commodification possess. Anti-consumerism lies at the heart of Harvey’s ideals, but is this practical in our capitalist world? Alicia Ludena states In Search of the Postmodern, â€Å"Postmodern theorists, however, claim that in the contemporary high tech media society, emergent processes of change and transformation are producing a new postmodern society†(Ludena). Larry Harvey’s Burning Man sprung out of his desire to create a new postmodern ritual. It was a postmodern idea that took the old construct of burning an effigy and transformed it into a contemporary art event. It altered even more when it became a commercial event. Burning Man as a Utopia was fundamentally flawed, because it was essentially atavistic. Burning Man stepped over the line and became just another commodity, perfectly postmodern but hardly utopian. Buber, Martin. Paths in Utopia. First Syracuse University Press Edition, 1996. 9-141-142 Doherty, Brian. â€Å"Burning Man Grows Up†http://reason.com/0002/fe.bd.burning.shtml Harvey, Larry, LA VIE BOHÉME - A History of Burning Man February 24, 2000. burningman.com/whatisburningman/lectures/la_vie.html Henderson, Helene, Thompson, Sue Ellen.Holidays, Festivals and Celebrations of the World Dictionary. 2nd Ed, Omnigraphics, Inc. Penobscot Building, Detroit, Mi 48226.1996. 118-156-189 Hine, Robert V, California’s Utopian Colonies. Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery, SanMarino, California. 1953. 5 Ludena, Alicia In Search of the Postmodern http://mural.uv.es/alulla/charact.html Oxford Dictionary of Current English.Oxford University Press. Great Claredon Street. Oxford OX2 6DP , revised edition 1998 Poschardt, Ulf. DJ Culture. Trans. Shaun Whiteside. London: Quartet Books Ltd. 1998. 393 Research Papers on Burning Man as a Postmodern Utopia - Humanities EssayCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeMind TravelWhere Wild and West MeetBringing Democracy to AfricaComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoCapital PunishmentEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenQuebec and CanadaBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm X