Friday, January 3, 2020

Nsa s Surveillance Program A Violation Of The 4th...

Arturs Kazijevs PLSC 1320 4/14/2014 The NSA’s Surveillance Program: A Violation of the 4th Amendment Edward Snowden’s disclosures have brought to light many secret government actions that were previously unknown. One of the most controversial government programs that Snowden disclosed was how the National Security Agency (NSA) collected virtually every phone record for calls made in the United States between US citizens. It makes sense to monitor phone calls to or from callers located outside the United States, because non-US citizens don t have the protection of the US Constitution and monitoring these calls also might be helpful in identifying foreigners who might be plotting terrorist attacks in the US. However, US citizens have 4th Amendment privacy rights under the Constitution, so it is much more of a problem when the US government collects bulk information about US citizens who do not pose an obvious danger to the country. The 4th Amendment of the Constitution states that: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. The 4th Amendment is a result of the concerns that the colonists had excessive powers used by the King of England to search homes and property. TheShow MoreRelatedThe Ns The National Security Agency1250 Words   |  5 Pages The National Security Agency or otherwise known as the NSA, had sparked a recent debate of the fundamental amendment rights that American citizens have. To provide some historical context, the NSA in 2013 was exposed by Edward Snowden, a former contractor and employer of the NSA. He was a NSA whistleblower who divulged the surveilling tactics that the government had imposed on its citizens, as well as on many of its international allies. Many senior governmental officials had repeatedly statedRead MoreAnalysis Of Edward Snowden s Information Leaks1252 Words   |  6 PagesUS government surveillance programs contradict with the constitutional rights of the American people. This essay will address the National Security Agency and its policies, Edward Snowd en’s information leaks, the views of the opposition, and solutions to this lingering problem along with contributions. The primary American government sector in charge of sorting through the massive amounts of data that pass through technological means is the National Security Agency (NSA). The NSA searches for threatsRead MoreAnti Transportation Security Agency ( Tsa )1393 Words   |  6 Pages2,977 lives one fateful September morning, we realized we left the doors to our country wide open to attack. As a result, we ramped up our security and instituted new programs to combat terrorism to make ourselves invulnerable to similar attacks. But as the government began to develop programs within the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) to prevent such an attack from ever happening again, the government began to infringe on the rights which were laid downRead MoreViolation Of Twelfth Amendment Throughout The Digital Age2625 Words   |  11 PagesTitle: Violation of 4th Amendment in the digital age. Intro: Imagine being watched at every hour, every minute, every second, of the day, WITHOUT consent. Not just you, but your wife or husband, your children, nieces, nephews, and for some grandchildren. One of the many things that Americans value and are proud to defend with their very lives, is having the right to have rights. Now when those same rights then become endangered, the last thing a person would think is that the same people who makeRead MoreThe Usa Freedom Act And The Nsa3320 Words   |  14 PagesAppropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001), which expired on May 31, 2015. The USA FREEDOM Act was created in response to public backlash against the PATRIOT Act and the NSA, particularly in the wake of Edward Snowden’s whistleblowing release of information about massive surveillance and data gathering. The purport of the USA FREEDOM Act is to stop some of the most egregious transgressions of the National Security Administration by limiting the ability of the federal governmentRead MoreThe Internet Is A Huge Impact On Our Daily Lives1701 Words   |  7 Pagesregion has the technological capabilities to run a network through their infrastructure. These increasing technological capabilities throughout the past few years have changed the way that information via the internet is processed and stored. In today s society, what once was considered personal information is no longer what it use to be. We openly reveal what once was considered personal information for the everyone to read on a daily basis. Meanwhile, we enjoy every moment on the internet, but societyRead MoreNational Security Outline Essay40741 Words   |  163 PagesTipson 50 CHAPTER 18: The National Security Process 60 CHAPTER 19: intelligence and Counterintelligence 63 CHAPTER 20: Access to Information 65 CHAPTER 21: Freedom of Expression 70 CHAPTER 22: National Security and the Fourth and Fifth Amendments 73 R. J. Rummel, â€Å"Power Kills; Absolute Power Kills Absolutely (Oct. 1991) 77 A. Theories of Confidence-Building Measures 79 J.N. Moore, Law and the Indochina War 81 Henkin, Is there a ‘Political Question’ Doctrine? 82 STANDING 83 JNM, SOLVING

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

The Mexican-American and the Church Cesar E. Chavez - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 686 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2019/08/02 Category People Essay Level High school Topics: Cesar Chavez Essay Did you like this example? The Mexican-American and the Church Cesar E. Chavez, was an first generation Mexican-American labor leader and civil rights activist in the 1960s. Growing up, his family, much like many other Mexican-American families, were victim to constant discrimination. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Mexican-American and the Church Cesar E. Chavez" essay for you Create order When he was a young boy, his family was forced off their family farm in Arizona and to become migrant workers, constantly fighting homelessness and hunger. This lead Chavez to labor and fight to ensure no other families had to go through the same experience. He would go on to co-found the National Farm Workers Association with Dolores Huerta in 1962. At this time in American history, much like African-Americans, Mexican-Americans were not able to pursue the American Dream and were treated like third class citizens. Economic and racial discrimination was just a part of everyday life. Mexican-Americans and Filipino farm workers were being paid less than Braceros, contracted Mexican workers. The wages were $1.25 for Filipino workers and $1.10 for Mexican workers while the braceros were being paid $1.40 wages. The low wages forced poverty onto them. This lead to the initiation of the Delano Grape Strike in September 8th 1965, in which the Filipino and Mexican-American farm workers protes ted higher wages. In the midst of all this chaos, any turned to the church for guidance, many churches would encourage them to persevere and to continue to work under terrible conditions, many were not allowed lunch breaks, usable bathrooms or drinkable water. The way that Chavez approaches the audience is interesting. The audience is Mexican-Americans who live in poverty, poor farm workers and the Catholic church itself. He addresses the topic of the relationship between Mexican-American farm workers and both the protestant and catholic church throughout the speech while still speaking to all different audience groups. The purpose of the portion of speech directed at the catholic was to confront and request that the catholic church take part in the peaceful protests instead of shaming their cause by comparing them to the protestant church and to make farm workers aware that it is happening. Cesar also spoke about the influential power of the Catholic church and how it could help the cause, and that its wealth was not being distributed to the poor He reminded them that they are merely servants of God. Chavez directly references the fact that the Protestant California Migrant Ministry are out in the fields helping the migrant workers. And while he states their catholic suspicion of them, he says the y had developed a very clear conception of the church. It was called to serve, to be at the mercy of the poor, and not to try to use them. By saying this, he is directly attacking his own congregation. He states that they have a right to appeal to the church and help others, since it was their duty as followers of Christ, to do so and to use the churches power to their benefit, this demonstrates ethos. Then he appeals to pathos through implementing the emotion of fault into his audience, mainly towards the Catholic Church, by stating that the church is the servant of the poor and it is their fault if the wealth that the church has is not being channeled to the needy. Finally he uses logos through his statement of the church being the only presence and form of God, which is what they are being denied of throughout his efforts of creating a better system for the poor and making sure his supporters are well taken care of. Cesar Chavez uses mostly personal anecdotes throughout his speech, highlighting the work that hes mostly accomplished, such as forming community organizations and labor unions among farmers. In his anecdotes, he only mentions help coming from outside communities and always having to plead to churches within his community to recognize his social group and their mission, only to get rejected or even ignored by them. This helps him show how uninvolved his own religious community is towards his own actions, which is primarily to help out the poor, even though the churchs main supposed goal is to be the servants of the poor and needy.

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Ordinary Objects Become Meaningful Lacoste Challenge...

The organizational process behind making ads is complicated. Many things can be discovered when you look into the deeper meanings behind an advertisement. The advertisement that I chose to interpret through semiotic analysis came from Vogue Magazine, advertising the new Lactose perfume for men called Lacoste Challenge. This is a very recent ad, made to advertise this new fragrance for men, and it features celebrity actor Hayden Christensen as the new model for the promotion of this new perfume. This ad is pretty straight forward and general, but what else is missing? What other details were included in the development of this ad that makes it so effective to consumers? Through this semiotic analysis, the study of signs, I’m going to take a†¦show more content†¦The overall image has a very soft appeal, because the outlines of the man and the objects in the picture are slightly blurred. These are the images that we see when we take a first glance of the ad. These thing s are what people see first and recognise, as everyday items they are familiar with. Secondly, we’ll cover the connotative level of the advertisement, which is where we decode the deeper meanings behind the images in the ad, and interpret them in order to discover the meanings that are less obvious to the consumer. First is brand name that they have on the perfume Lacoste. Lacoste is a well known name, which in itself sounds expensive. It is a French name and the French are usually classified as high society people. The sell high end clothing and accessories for men widely know for the popular and stylish tennis and collared golf shirts. The animal used as a part of their logo is a green crocodile derived from the nick-name of a tennis player whose name was Lacoste. The male in the ad is celebrity actor and model Hayden Christensen. He is also wearing Lacoste apparel further advertising the brand. He is quite famous, and is easily recognized through his roles in various movi es. The ad also points this out in the bottom left hand corner just under his picture, to point that out to people who recognize the face, but can’t remember the name. By associating Hayden Christensen with Lacoste perfume it associates it with being an object of masculinity, celebrityShow MoreRelatedBrand Building Blocks96400 Words   |  386 Pagescompetition is at center stage, driven by the power of strong retailers, value-sensitive customers, reduced category growth, and overcapacity (often caused by new entrants and by old competitors hanging on, sometimes via bankruptcy). Retailers have become stronger year by year, and they have used that strength to put pressure on prices. Whereas a decade ago, the manufacturer largely controlled information, retailers are now collecting vast amounts of information and developing models to use it. AsRead MoreStrategic Marketing Management337596 Words   |  1351 Pagescontrol to produce superior marketing performance âž ¡ To give full recognition to the problems of implementation and how these problems might be overcome. Since the appearance of the first edition in 1992, the marketing environment – and therefore the challenges facing marketing planners and strategists – have changed in a variety of often dramatic ways. Amongst some of the most significant of these changes has been the emergence of what within this book we refer to as ‘the new consumer’ and ‘the new competition’

Monday, December 9, 2019

Raising Children free essay sample

Phase 3 IP Colorado Technical University Online Four Points 1. I have learned that my topic is very controversial and can take on different arguments with the changing of one word. I wasn’t aware of all the information and articles related to this subject. When I brainstormed this interest, I felt that I would be hard-pressed to find information supporting or opposing. Researching my information has taken six to seven hours at a time to come up with the right viewpoints. Evaluating resources was a new one for me.While researching one parent choosing to stay home and raising children, I found supporting and opposing information. I found articles and books on money being a focus for both parents working. I found advice on how to downsize so that one income would be sufficient. One article described how daycare provides better programs and activities than a parent could provide. Online careers were suggested in many of the articles in favor of one parent staying home raising children. We will write a custom essay sample on Raising Children or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 2. Two working parents simply doesn’t add up, better adjusted and secure children does. 3.Adding up can take on several meanings. Finances are what come to most people’s minds. Here is what I found to be reality in my own life and in many of the articles. Transportation and all the costs associated with the second car. Wardrobe and personal appearance products for that second person. Daycare costs for any child not of a school age. Increased food costs for eating out for lunch. Many of the examples I found and experienced show that the second job mainly pays for the act of working. Raising better children involves one of the parents staying home to raise the children.Research has discovered that for parents to be away from infants for more than a few hours is damaging. Many parents who work feel it is best for the child for them to be home, but feel it is a financial necessity. I want to be my child’s role model and not a stranger, so why should I send him/her to someone else to raise them? ? 4. Argument Outline 1)Identify and briefly describe the problem that is the topic for your argument. Parents are choosing to both work careers instead of considering the consequences on the child’s upbringing and calculating the financial costs of working that second job. )In one to two sentences, state your solution to this problem as clearly as possible. The solution is downsizing the finances and one parent staying home to raise the children. Knowledge and understanding about what it takes to do this and the benefits on the family are keys to this solution. 3)Identify and briefly describe your intended audience for the essay. I am targeting all working parents who believe that there is no way around one parent staying home with their children. 4)List any questions, objections, etc. your audience might have in response to your proposed solution.I might be faced with people saying that one income isn’t enough to pay the bills. I might have people saying that they don’t want to live an unfulfilling life due to not having any money. I might have fears of one parent becoming dependent upon the other. I will have questions about online jobs and careers. I will also get questions of which parent should stay home. I might get parents stating that they have a right to be the person they want to be. 5)Complete the following chart by filling in the reasons which support your argument and the evidence which proves that each reason is true. Hint: reasons tell your audience why your opinion/point of view is valid, why your opinion is true. Reasonslist a minimum of three reasons in the boxes below, one reason per boxEvidencelist the specific evidence which supports the reason. (List 3) Reason 1 Children that are parent raised are more productive in society. Supporting Evidence Since the early 1960’s, drug and alcohol abuse, teen-age suicide and pregnancy have increased in each decade to follow. These decades have also increased in percentages of dual income households. Reason 2 Less stress in house when one parent does not work.Supporting Evidence One person at home can take care of many tasks as they interact and take care of a child. Trying to complete these tasks after arriving home from work can be taxing when you are tired and stressed from the job. Communication and planning of the budget will enable this to happen. Reason 3 Money doesn’t produce better children, parents time does. Supporting Evidence Money can buy someone else raising your children. Quality time can be given by a parent where a caregiver has many to look after. A parent has a vested interest in the outcome of that child.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Project Report on Bamboo free essay sample

A growth oriented Entrepreneur will always be in search of opportunities, which can generate income, enhance long-term value and command recognition and respect in the society. Looking at the present upbeat atmosphere in the NE Region for development of industry, thrust by Government of India for the development of environment friendly alternate resources and last but not the least, the spectacular progress made by China in the bamboo based industry – Â  group has decided to put up a unit in Guwahati to manufacture Bamboo Flooring, Board related products. During the exploratory phase, we reviewed reports journals published by forest department / NGOs on Bamboo resource in NE Region, visited discussed with the Bamboo growers, met with machinery manufacturers in India abroad, attended seminars, studied market for flooring and its development potential, consulted technocrats from India and abroad about the possibility of making flooring in India using India Bamboo. We received encouraging response and could feel the potential. We will write a custom essay sample on Project Report on Bamboo or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Now we are determined to put up project and this report provides details on various aspects of the same. Bamboo flooring/board is the newest and most revolutionary products in the flooring and interior decoration concept. The unique Bamboo grain provides an exotic oriental beauty to the interior of any room, and the high quality of Bamboo compared to wood guarantees a lifetime of enjoyment. Bamboo Flooring and Bamboo Board is also the most environment friendly construction material available. Although Bamboo looks and behaves like a superior hardwood, it is actual a grass. Unlike wood forests, which take decades to regenerate, the Bamboo groves only take a few years to renew themselves. As consumer (especially in developed markets such as North America, Europe and Japan) become increasingly environment conscious, this has become a strong marketing aspect of Bamboo products. Bamboo’s natural versatility is suitable to a variety of environments. The finished product is all-around coated and protected against insects and fungus. Light weight . Excellent appearance. Harder and more stable than wood. Easy to install. Creates friendly atmosphere for Asthma Allergy patients. Excellent insulator of heat/cold. Environment friendliness Water- resistant. Numerous uses. The demand for Bamboo Flooring Bamboo Panels are expending from South- East Asian Countries to European and American markets. The international market for bamboo flooring is estimated at Rs. 750 cores and it is expending at a rate of 50% p. a. Current trends in the interior decoration industry are ‘back to nature’ i. e. away from synthetics and towards more natural products such as wood / bamboo. Due to health reasons, wood/ bamboo floors are taking away the market share from carpets (bamboo floors are hypo-allergenic and as a consequence, do not suffer from dust mite infection like other floor coverings. In addition, wood sources are becoming increasingly depleted and the consumer is becoming environmentally conscious, the market for bamboo products has increased exponentially- for flooring, paneling, and a variety of products limited only by the imagination such as doors, frames, table tops, gift items, photo frames etc. Market response to Bamboo flooring is more than encouraging particularly for its look, strength and high-class protective coating. With support from international agencies an d technical experts we are very optimistic about achieving quality standards. With booming construction activities, scope for interior decoration activities has increased substantially. Of late, growth in use of marble and granite is reducing as Interior decoration industry always looks for new products. There have been imports of wooden and laminated floors but prohibitive duties and resultant landed price is restricting growth of such alternative products. In the domestic market, the size of the organized flooring market has been estimated at Rs. 1500 crores for all type of flooring. As the supply creates its own demand nd if the Bamboo flooring can capture even 6-7 % of the market for flooring, it will mean a market of Rs. 100 Crores to being with and it is likely to grow at a rate of at least 15% per annum. Source: INBAR Report Our initial market survey has given has us all the reasons to be excited about huge potential not only for flooring but also for wall panels where there is absolutely no new product since last decade. Moreover, a product made in Ind ia will have better acceptability to larger cross section of price sensitive India consumers.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Biography of Voltaire, French Enlightenment Writer

Biography of Voltaire, French Enlightenment Writer Born Franà §ois-Marie Arouet, Voltaire (November 21, 1694 – May 30, 1778) was a writer and philosopher of the French Enlightenment period. He was an incredibly prolific writer, advocating for civil freedoms and criticizing major institutions such as the Catholic Church. Fast Facts: Voltaire Full Name: Franà §ois-Marie ArouetOccupation: Writer, poet, and philosopherBorn: November 21, 1694 in Paris, FranceDied: May 30, 1778 in Paris, FranceParents: Franà §ois Arouet and Marie Marguerite DaumardKey Accomplishments: Voltaire published significant criticism of the French monarchy. His commentary on religious tolerance, historiographies, and civil liberties became a key component of Enlightenment thinking. Early Life Voltaire was the fifth child and fourth son of Franà §ois Arouet and his wife Marie Marguerite Daumard. The Arouet family had already lost two sons, Armand-Franà §ois and Robert, in infancy, and Voltaire (then Franà §ois-Marie) was nine years younger than his surviving brother, Armand, and seven years younger than his sole sister, Marguerite-Catherine. Franà §ois Arouet was a lawyer and a treasury official; their family was part of the French nobility, but at the lowest possible rank. Later in life, Voltaire claimed to be the illegitimate son of a higher-ranked nobleman by the name of Guà ©rin de Rochebrune. His early education came from the Jesuits at the Collà ¨ge Louis-le-Grand. From the age of ten until seventeen, Voltaire received classical instruction in Latin, rhetoric, and theology. Once he left school, he decided he wanted to become a writer, much to the dismay of his father, who wanted Voltaire to follow him into the law. Voltaire also continued learning outside the confines of formal education. He developed his writing talents and also became multilingual, attaining fluency in English, Italian, and Spanish in addition to his native French. First Career and Early Romance After leaving school, Voltaire moved to Paris. He pretended to be working as an assistant to a notary, theoretically as a stepping stone into the legal profession. In reality, though, he was actually spending most of his time writing poetry. After a time, his father found out the truth and sent him away from Paris to study law in Caen, Normandy. Di Nicolas de Largillià ¨re - Scan by User:Manfred Heyde, Pubblico dominio, Collegamento Even this did not deter Voltaire from continuing to write. He merely switched over from poetry to writing studies on history and essays. During this period, the witty style of writing and speaking that made Voltaire so popular first appeared in his work, and it endeared him to many of the higher-ranking nobles he spent time around. In 1713, with his father’s assistance, Voltaire began working at the Hague in the Netherlands as a secretary to the French ambassador, the marquis de Chà ¢teauneuf. While there, Voltaire had his earliest known romantic entanglement, falling in love with a Huguenot refugee, Catherine Olympe Dunoyer. Unfortunately, their connection was considered unsuitable and caused something of a scandal, so the marquis forced Voltaire to break it off and return to France. By this point, his political and legal career had all but been given up. Playwright and Government Critic Upon returning to Paris, Voltaire launched his writing career. Since his favorite topics were critiques of the government and satires of political figures, he landed in hot water pretty quickly. One early satire, which accused the Duke of Orleans of incest, even landed him in prison in the Bastille for nearly a year. Upon his release, however, his debut play (a take on the Oedipus myth) was produced, and it was a critical and commercial success. The Duke whom he had previously offended even presented him with a medal in recognition of the achievement. It was around this time that Franà §ois-Marie Arouet began going by the pseudonym Voltaire, under which he would publish most of his works. To this day, there’s much debate as to how he came up with the name. It may have its roots as an anagram or pun on his family name or several different nicknames. Voltaire reportedly adopted the name in 1718, after being released from the Bastille. After his release, he also struck up a new romance with a young widow, Marie-Marguerite de Rupelmonde. Unfortunately, Voltaire’s next works did not have nearly the same success as his first. His play Artà ©mire flopped so badly that even the text itself only survives in a few fragments, and when he tried to publish an epic poem about King Henry IV (the first Bourbon dynasty monarch), he couldn’t find a publisher in France. Instead, he and Rupelmonde journeyed to the Netherlands, where he secured a publisher in The Hague. Eventually, Voltaire convinced a French publisher to publish the poem, La Henriade, secretly. The poem was a success, as was his next play, which was performed at the wedding of Louis XV. Chateau de Cirey where Voltaire lived.  ©MDT52 In 1726, Voltaire became involved in a quarrel with a young nobleman who reportedly insulted Voltaire’s change of name. Voltaire challenged him to a duel, but the nobleman instead had Voltaire beaten, then arrested without a trial. He was, however, able to negotiate with authorities to be exiled to England rather than imprisoned at the Bastille again. English Exile As it turns out, Voltaire’s exile to England would change his entire outlook. He moved in the same circles as some of the leading figures of English society, thought, and culture, including Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope, and more. In particular, he became fascinated by the government of England in comparison with France: England was a constitutional monarchy, whereas France still lived under an absolute monarchy. The country also had greater freedoms of speech and religion, which would become a key component of Voltaire’s criticisms and writings. Voltaire was able to return to France after a little more than two years, though still banned from the court at Versailles. Thanks to participation in a plan to literally purchase the French lottery, along with an inheritance from his father, he quickly became incredibly rich. In the early 1730s, he began publishing work that showed his clear English influences. His play Zaà ¯re was dedicated to his English friend Everard Fawkener and included praise of English culture and freedoms. He also published a collection of essays that praised British politics, attitudes towards religion and science, and arts and literature, called the  Letters Concerning the English Nation, in 1733 in London. The next year, it was published in French, landing Voltaire in hot water again. Because he did not get the approval of the official royal censor before publishing, and because the essays praised British religious freedom and human rights, the book was banned and Voltaire had to quickly flee from Par is. In 1733, Voltaire also met the most significant romantic partner of his life: Émilie, the Marquise du Chà ¢telet, a mathematician who was married to the Marquis du Chà ¢telet. Despite being 12 years younger than Voltaire (and married, and a mother), Émilie was very much an intellectual peer to Voltaire. They amassed a shared collection of over 20,000 books and spent time studying and performing experiments together, many of which were inspired by Voltaire’s admiration of Sir Isaac Newton. After the Letters scandal, Voltaire fled to the estate belonging to her husband. Voltaire paid to renovate the building, and her husband did not raise any fuss about the affair, which would continue for 16 years. Somewhat abashed by his multiple conflicts with the government, Voltaire began keeping a lower profile, although he continued his writing, now focused on history and science. The Marquise du Chà ¢telet contributed considerably alongside him, producing a definitive French translation of Newton’s Principia and writing reviews of Voltaire’s Newton-based work. Together, they were instrumental in introducing Newton’s work in France. They also developed some critical views on religion, with Voltaire publishing several texts that sharply criticized the establishment of state religions, religious intolerance, and even organized religion as a whole. Similarly, he railed against the style of histories and biographies of the past, suggesting they were filled with falsehoods and supernatural explanations and needed a fresh, more scientific and evidence-based approach to research. Connections in Prussia Frederick the Great, while he was still just the crown prince of Prussia, began a correspondence with Voltaire around 1736, but they did not meet in person until 1740. Despite their friendship, Voltaire still went to Frederick’s court in 1743 as a French spy to report back on Frederick’s intentions and capabilities with regards to the ongoing War of Austrian Succession. By the mid-1740s, Voltaire’s romance with the Marquise du Chà ¢telet had begun to wind down. He grew tired of spending nearly all his time at her estate, and both found new companionship. In Voltaire’s case, it was even more scandalous than their affair had been: he was attracted to, and later lived with, his own niece, Marie Louise Mignot. In 1749, the Marquise died in childbirth, and Voltaire moved to Prussia the following year. Circa 1751, Voltaire travelled to Prussia in 1750, on the invitation of Friedrich II and was a permanent resident of court for two years. Hulton Archive / Getty Images During the 1750s, Voltaire’s relationships in Prussia began to deteriorate. He was accused of theft and forgery relating to some bond investments, then had a feud with the president of the Berlin Academy of Sciences that ended with Voltaire writing a satire that angered Frederick the Great and resulted in the temporary destruction of their friendship. They would, however, reconcile in the 1760s. Geneva, Paris, and Final Years Forbidden by King Louis XV to return to Paris, Voltaire instead arrived in Geneva in 1755. He continued publishing, with major philosophical writings such as Candide, or Optimism, a satire of Leibnizs philosophy of optimistic determinism which would become Voltaire’s most famous work. Candide by VOLTAIRE, Francois-Marie Arouet - French philosopher, playwright and novelist. Title-page of Candide or Optimism. Culture Club / Getty Images Starting in 1762, Voltaire took up the causes of unjustly persecuted people, particularly those who were victims of religious persecution. Among his most notable causes was the case of Jean Calas, a Huguenot who was convicted of murdering his son for wanting to convert to Catholicism and tortured to death; his property was confiscated and his daughters forced into Catholic convents. Voltaire, along with others, strongly doubted his guilt and suspected a case of religious persecution. The conviction was overturned in 1765. Voltaire’s last year was still full of activity. In early 1778, he was initiated into Freemasonry, and historians dispute as to whether he did so at the urging of Benjamin Franklin or not. He also returned to Paris for the first time in a quarter century to see his latest play, Irene, open. He fell ill on the journey and believed himself to be on death’s doorstep, but recovered. Two months later, however, he became ill again and died on May 30, 1778. Accounts of his deathbed vary wildly, depending on the sources and their own opinions of Voltaire. His famous deathbed quote- in which a priest asked him to renounce Satan and he replied â€Å"Now is not the time for making new enemies!†- is likely apocryphal and actually traced to a 19th-century joke that was attributed to Voltaire in the 20th century. Voltaire was formally denied a Christian burial because of his criticism of the Church, but his friends and family managed to secretly arrange a burial at the abbey of Scellià ¨res in Champagne. He left behind a complicated legacy. For instance, while he argued for religious tolerance, he also was one of the origins of Enlightenment-era anti-Semitism. He endorsed anti-slavery and anti-monarchical views, but disdained the idea of democracy as well. In the end, Voltaire’s texts became a key component of Enlightenment thinking, which has allowed his philosophy and writing to endure for centuries. Sources Pearson, Roger. Voltaire Almighty: A Life in Pursuit of Freedom. Bloomsbury, 2005.Pomeau, Renà © Henry. â€Å"Voltaire: French Philosopher and Author.† Encyclopaedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Voltaire.â€Å"Voltaire.† Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/voltaire/

Saturday, November 23, 2019

[WATCH] How to change your life according to Michael Strahan

[WATCH] How to change your life according to Michael Strahan Michael Strahan sat down with Daily Fuel to talk about a major (and early) inflection point in his life. Listen to how the Good Morning America co-host came to the conclusion that he was largely responsible for his fate, and how Jane Fonda workout videos (of all things) helped propel him to be the world class athlete he’d soon become.   The result not only concluded with his election to the NFL Hall of Fame, but the mindset he developed has guided him throughout his remarkable and unparalleled career.  While there’s an undeniable randomness to life in general, we all must eventually decide for ourselves to what extent we determine our own destiny.Source: [DailyFuel]