Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Perverted Patriotism essays

Perverted Patriotism essays Describe how patriotism is perverted in After the First Death. Of all ennobling sentiments, patriotism is probably the most easily manipulated. It can give a powerful expression to the best of a nations character: commitment to principle, strength and devotion. Patriotism can be great, but when taken too far innocence becomes evil. Patriotism can be described as the devotion to the welfare of ones country. In the novel After the First Death by Robert Cormier patriotism is perverted and used as an excuse by both opposing sides: the terrorists (Miro, Artkin, Antibbe, Stroll and Sedeete) and the secret organisation, Inner Delta. The terrorists justify their ruthless acts by excusing themselves as freedom fighters for their country. The head of Inner Delta, General Marchand or assumed identity General Rufus L Briggs takes patriotism to such extremes that he willingly sacrifices his son in order to defeat the terrorists. Thus, it can be said both sides value patriotism over life itself. Inner Delta is a secret government military organisation, which controls and maintains security for the benefit of the American citizens. It is not fully specified what the agency does, but it can be gathered that it is a type of intelligence organisation similar to the Australian equivalent ASIO. The head of this organisation, General Marchand takes patriotism to his heart. He believes the only thing worth living for is ones country. General Marchand perverts patriotism in After the First Death due to past events that have had a deep impact on him and affected him greatly. His patriotic ways came from the death of a close friend during WWII. Caught up in the fever of patriotism Mark Marchand joined the army along with his friend Jack Harkness towards the end of 1941. Jack died in battle while fighting overseas with Marchand. Mark vowed over his friends grave that he had not died in vain. This ...

Monday, March 2, 2020

Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, Modern Architects

Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, Modern Architects Jacques Herzog (born April 19, 1950) and Pierre de Meuron (born May 8, 1950) are two Swiss architects known for innovative designs and construction using new materials and techniques. The two architects have nearly parallel careers. Both men were born the same year in Basel, Switzerland, attended the same school (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Switzerland), and in 1978 they formed the architectural partnership, Herzog de Meuron. In 2001, they were chosen to share the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize. Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron have designed projects in England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, the United States, and of course, in their native Switzerland. They have built residences, several apartment buildings, libraries, schools, a sports complex, a photographic studio, museums, hotels, railway utility buildings, and office and factory buildings. Selected Projects: 1999-2000: Apartment buildings, Rue des Suisses, Paris, France1998-2000: Roche Pharma Research Institute Building 92 / Building 41, Hoffmann-La Roche, Basel, Switzerland2000: Tate Modern, London Bankside, UK1998-1999: Central Signal Tower, Basel, Switzerland1998: Ricola Marketing Building, Laufen, Switzerland1996-1998: Dominus Winery, Yountville, California1993: Ricola-Euope SA Production and Storage Building, Mulhouse-Brunstatt, France1989-1991: Ricola Factory Addition and Glazed Canopy, Laufen, Switzerland2003: Prada Boutique Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan2004: IKMZ der BTU Cottbus, Library at Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU), Cottbus, Germany,2004: Edifici Fà ²rum, Barcelona, Spain2005: Allianz Arena, Mà ¼nchen-Frà ¶ttmaning, Germany2005: Walker Art Center expansion, Minneapolis. MN2008: Beijing National Stadium, Beijing, China2010: 1111 Lincoln Road (parking garage), Miami Beach, Florida2012: Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, Kensington Gardens, London, UK2012: Parrish Art Museum, Long Island, New York 2015: Grand Stade de Bordeaux, France2016: Elbphilharmonie concert hall, Hamburg, Germany2017: 56 Leonard Street (Jenga Tower), New York City2017: La tour Triangle, Porte de Versailles, Paris, France2017: M Visual Art Museum in Kowloon, Hong Kong Related People: Rem Koolhaas, Pritzker Prize Laureate, 2000 I.M. Pei, 1983 Pritzker Laureate Robert Venturi, Pritzker Prize Laureate, 1991 Thom Mayne, 2005 Pritzker Laureate Zaha Hadid, Pritzker Prize Laureate, 2004 Commentary on Herzog and de Meuron from the Pritzker Prize Committee: Among their completed buildings, the Ricola cough lozenge factory and storage building in Mulhouse, France stands out for its unique printed translucent walls that provide the work areas with a pleasant filtered light. A railway utility building in Basel, Switzerland called Signal Box has an exterior cladding of copper strips that are twisted at certain places to admit daylight. A library for the Technical University in Eberswalde, Germany has 17 horizontal bands of iconographic images silk screen printed on glass and on concrete. An apartment building on Schà ¼tzenmattstrasse in Basel has a fully glazed street facade that is covered by a moveable curtain of perforated latticework. While these unusual construction solutions are certainly not the only reason for Herzog and de Meuron being selected as the 2001 Laureates, Pritzker Prize jury chairman, J. Carter Brown, commented, One is hard put to think of any architects in history that have addressed the integument of architecture with greater imagination and virtuosity. Ada Louise Huxtable, architecture critic and member of the jury, commented further about Herzog and de Meuron, They refine the traditions of modernism to elemental simplicity, while transforming materials and surfaces through the exploration of new treatments and techniques. Another juror, Carlos Jimenez from Houston who is professor of architecture at Rice University, said, One of the most compelling aspects of work by Herzog and de Meuron is their capacity to astonish. And from juror Jorge Silvetti, who chairs the Department of Architecture, Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, ...all of their work maintains throughout, the stable qualities that have always been associated with the best Swiss architecture: conceptual precision, formal clarity, economy of means and pristine detailing and craftsmanship.