The Beauty Of Plastic Surgery And Body Preferences

Every species, including our own, has its own model for what it deems â€Å"beautiful†, whether that’s having the most vibrant red feathers in a cardinal, or the straightest hair on a girl, and as such there is a deep longing to be viewed according to this beauty standard. Oxford Dictionaries defines beauty as a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight (Oxford Dictionaries). Though even with a basic definition, can you actually pick out who is â€Å"beautiful† and who isn’t? All around the world there are vastly varying ideals for what is considered to be beautiful. Someone could be considered the most gorgeous person in their country, yet travel to another and their specific set†¦show more content†¦Believe it or not, head size also becomes a beauty factor, whereas if your head is larger your looks are perceived as clumsy or clunky in comparison to a small head. Over in Americ a, no one really notices any of the main Korean focus, but are way more attentive to body figure. Nowadays, the perfect American girl has a curvaceous and toned figure paired with legs that seem to go on for days. Large breasts are another hot commodity, gone are the times when people didn’t mind small breasts, but now if you aren’t a DD you’ll be mocked as â€Å"flat chested†. As opposed to cute, Americans want something sexier, probably best summarized in a Victoria Secret Angel, or modelesque. By now, the increasingly insane and near impossible standards for beauty have led to only one place, plastic surgery, since there is obviously no way for naturally born looks to conform to these ideals. Not only does South Korea par take in various forms of plastic surgery, but is the plastic surgery capital of the world, with more procedures per capita than anywhere else. As stated earlier, the double eyelid, or ssangapul in Korean, is one of the most quintessential parts of their beauty standards, so it is really no surprise that this type of surgery, the blepharoplasty, is the most common and popular. With the surgery, it creates an extra fold under the eyelid by cutting and repositioning excess tissues to create the double lidded

Rethinking Cold War History, By John Lewis Gaddis

Gaddis, John L. We Now Know: Rethinking Cold War History. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press1997. We Now Know: Rethinking Cold War History, is a book about the Cold War. This book was written by John Lewis Gaddis. John L. Gaddis is a Cold War historian. He portrays the Cold War in English and through the dialect of others. The thesis of this book is, I seek to situate this book at a particular point in time, not to claim timelessness for it. This is what I think we know now but did not know, or at least did not know as clearly, while the Cold War was going on. This thesis shows the Gaddis’s purpose behind this book. The purpose, in my opinion, is to clearly show the readers the information that the post-Cold War scholars of Cold†¦show more content†¦Hitler knew this, so his prediction was basically more like putting two and two together. This means that he put together the facts and made his prediction. The rise and fall of Germany led to the clashing of these two superpowers. If Germany was not torn apart by World War II then, the Unites States and Russia would not have collided in Europe. On the other side of that coin, one could say that the Cold War was inevitable because these two superpowers had different outlooks on politics. USSR was more concerned about spreading communism and their own security, whereas the United States wanted peace and world security. Gaddis discusses the impact that these countries had in Europe and their clashing. This discussion is more of a cause and effect. When the Soviet Union blockaded Berlin, the United States responded with the Berlin Airlift. After this, the Soviet Union, wanted to expand their territory, and the United States responded with their Containment policy. This policy is important and plays a role throughout the Cold War. USSR had a sphere of influence that was growing and the United States wanted to stop this. The threat was valid because countries in Europe were weak after World War II and the United States did not want countries to elect a communist leader. In this case, the leaders would vote in the manner that Moscow wanted them to and this was a threat to World security. So, the United States implemented another policy. This policyShow MoreRelatedThe Cold War: A New History by John Lewis Gaddis831 Words   |  4 Pagesof American history was analyzed. The Cold War is rampant with Ameri can foreign policy and influential in shaping the modern world. Strategies of Containment outlines American policy from the end of World War II until present day. Gaddis outlines the policies of presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon, including policies influenced by others such as George Kennan, John Dulles, and Henry Kissinger. The author, John Lewis Gaddis has written many books on the Cold War and is an avidRead MoreWas President Truman Responsible for the Cold War? Essay1105 Words   |  5 Pagesinto office right at the end of World War II, after the death of President Franklin Roosevelt. Almost immediately after becoming president, Truman learned of the Manhattan Project, and had to decide whether or not to use the atomic bomb. With the advice of James Byrnes, Secretary of State, Truman decided to drop two atomic bombs on Japan, in part to demonstrate America’s power to the world and gain a political advantage in Europe (Offner 294). After World Wa r II ended, there were negotiations aboutRead MoreWhat Were The Key Of The Cold War? Essay1409 Words   |  6 PagesWhat were the key factors that lead to the Cold War? From any historical event, there is always different presentations of the same facts. In every subject, an author’s opinion or point of view can completely change the story. In this paper I will be focus on highlighting the most significant factors various authors have proposed led to the Cold War. There are three viewpoints on what on what were the significant factors that led to the Cold War. There is the Orthodox viewpoint, which blames SovietRead MoreThe Causes of the Cold War Essay2058 Words   |  9 PagesIn discussions of the causes of the Cold War, one controversial issue has been the question: who caused the Cold War? On the one hand, traditional historians argue that the leaders of the Soviet Union are to blame. On the other hand, revisionists contend that the Western leaders are to blame. Others even maintain that it was both the Western and the Soviet leaders who are equally responsible for the development of the Cold War. My own view is that the Western leaders w ere responsible for protectingRead More Race for Nuclear Arms and Power1908 Words   |  8 Pagesthe end of 1945 from the effects of the bomb. After these events occurred, the world was shocked by the devastation of nuclear weapons and unsure of the future use of them. In his final state of the union address, President Truman declared nuclear war impossible for rational men.(5) In a Foreign Policy article U.S. physicist Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967) called for greater openness in atomic policy debate. In 1941 Oppenheimer was brought into the atomic bomb project and his first task wasRead More The Historiography of the Origins of the Cold War Essay2691 Words   |  11 PagesThe Historiography of the Origins of the Cold War There have been many attempts to explain the origins of the Cold War that developed between the capitalist West and the communist East after the Second World War. Indeed, there is great disagreement in explaining the source for the Cold War; some explanations draw on events pre-1945; some draw only on issues of ideology; others look to economics; security concerns dominate some arguments; personalities are seen as the root cause for some historiansRead MoreThe Origins Of The Cold War2356 Words   |  10 PagesHI742/HI747- The Cold War, 1941-1991 How Important were individual figures in the origins of the Cold War? The Cold War refers to a period post World War II characterised by a state of political tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States both supported by their allies from the Eastern and Western blocs respectively. Despite this being such a pivotal point in modern history there is a lack of clarity stemming from much debate regarding the catalyst for the Cold War and the ‘start’Read MoreEssay on The Failure of The Berlin Blockade2179 Words   |  9 PagesWest.† C. EVALUATION OF SOURCES The purpose of The United States in Germany, 1944 - 1956 by Harold Zink, was to â€Å"present an overall account of the American role in the occupation of Germany.† It was published in 1957 during the height of the Cold War. McCarthyism was occurring in the US at this time where people were being accused of pro-Communist activities. Pressure was placed on American writers and journalists to promote the actions of the Americans. This source states that the blockade wasRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesRosenzweig Also in this series: Paula Hamilton and Linda Shopes, eds., Oral History and Public Memories Tiffany Ruby Patterson, Zora Neale Hurston and a History of Southern Life Lisa M. Fine, The Story of Reo Joe: Work, Kin, and Community in Autotown, U.S.A. Van Gosse and Richard Moser, eds., The World the Sixties Made: Politics and Culture in Recent America Joanne Meyerowitz, ed., History and September 11th John McMillian and Paul Buhle, eds., The New Left Revisited David M. Scobey, Empire

The Crystal Shard 4. The Crystal Shard Free Essays

There was only blackness. Mercifully, he couldn’t remember what had happened, where he was. Only blackness, comforting blackness. We will write a custom essay sample on The Crystal Shard 4. The Crystal Shard or any similar topic only for you Order Now Then a chilling burn began to grow on his cheeks, robbing him of the tranquility of unconsciousness. Gradually, he was compelled to open his eyes, but even when he squinted, the blinding glare was too intense. He was face down in the snow. Mountains towered all about him, their jagged peaks and deep snow caps reminding him of his location. They had dropped him in the Spine of the World. They had left him to die. Akar Kessell’s head throbbed when he finally managed to lift it. The sun was shining brightly, but the brutal cold and swirling winds dispelled any warmth the bright rays could impart. Ever was it winter in these high places, and Kessell wore only flimsy robes to protect him from the cold’s killing bite. They had left him to die. He stumbled to his feet, knee deep in white powder, and looked around. Far below, down a deep gorge and moving northward, back toward the tundra and the trails that would take them around the foreboding range of impassable mountains, Kessell saw the black specks that marked the wizards’ caravan beginning its long journey back to Luskan. They had deceived him. He understood now that he had been no more than a pawn in their devious designs to rid themselves of Morkai the Red. Eldulac, Dendybar the Mottled, and the others. They’d never had any intentions of granting him the title of wizard. â€Å"How could I have been so stupid?† Kessell groaned. Images of Morkai, the only man who had ever granted him any measure of respect, flashed across his mind in a guilt-driven haze. He remembered all the joys that the wizard had allowed him to experience. Morkai had once turned him into a bird so that he could feel the freedom of flight; and once a fish, to let him experience the blurry world of the undersea. And he had repaid that wonderful man with a dagger. Far down the trails, the departing wizards heard Kessell’s anguished scream echoing off the mountain walls. Eldulac smiled, satisfied that their plan had been executed perfectly, and spurred his horse on. * * * Kessell trudged through the snow. He didn’t know why he was walking – he had nowhere to go. Kessell had no escape. Eldulac had dropped him into a bowl-shaped, snow-filled depression, and with his fingers numbed beyond feeling, he had no chance of climbing out. He tried again to conjure a wizard’s fire. He held his outstretched palm skyward and through chattering teeth uttered the words of power. Nothing. Not even a wisp of smoke. So he started moving again. His legs ached; he almost believed that several of his toes had already fallen away from his left foot. But he didn’t dare remove his boot to verify his morbid suspicion. He began to circumnavigate the bowl again, following the same trail he had left behind on his first pass. Abruptly, he found himself veering toward the middle. He didn’t know why; and in his delirium, he didn’t pause to try and figure it out. All the world had become a white blur. A frozen white blur. Kessell felt himself falling. He felt the icy bite of the snow on his face again. He felt the tingling that signaled the end of the life of his lower extremities. Then he felt†¦warmth. Imperceptable at first, but growing steadily stronger. Something was beckoning to him. It was beneath him, buried under the snow, yet even through the frozen barrier, Kessell felt the life-giving glow of its warmth. He dug. Visually guiding hands that could not feel their work, he dug for his life. And then he came upon something solid and felt the heat intensify. Scrambling to push the remaining snow away from it, he managed at last to pull it free. He couldn’t understand what he was seeing. He blamed it on delirium. In his frozen hands, Akar Kessell held what appeared to be a square-sided icicle. Yet its warmth flowed through him, and he felt the tingles again, this time signaling the rebirth of his extremities. Kessell had no idea what was happening, and he didn’t care in the least. For now, he had found hope for life, and that was enough. He hugged the crystal shard to his chest and moved back toward the rocky wall of the dell, searching out the most sheltered area he could find. Under a small overhang, huddled in a small area where the heat of the crystal had pushed the snow away, Akar Kessell survived his first night in the Spine of the World. His bedfellow was the crystal shard, Crenshinibon, an ancient, sentient relic that had waited throughout ages uncounted for one such as he to appear in the bowl. Awakened again, it was even now pondering the methods it would use to control the weak-willed Kessell. It was a relic enchanted in the earliest days of the world, a perversion that had been lost for centuries, to the dismay of those evil lords who sought its strength. Crenshinibon was an enigma, a force of the darkest evil that drew its strength from the light of day. It was an instrument of destruction, a tool for scrying, a shelter and home for those who would wield it. But foremost among the powers of Crenshinibon was the strength it imparted to its possessor. Akar Kessell slept comfortably, unaware of what had befallen him. He knew only – and cared only – that his life was not yet at an end. He would learn the implications soon enough. He would come to understand that he would never again play the role of stooge to pretentious dogs like Eldulac, Dendybar the Mottled, and the others. He would become the Akar Kessell of his own fantasies, and all would bow before him. â€Å"Respect,† he mumbled from within the depths of his dream, a dream that Crenshinibon was imposing upon him. Akar Kessell, the Tyrant of Icewind Dale. * * * Kessell awakened to a dawn that he thought he would never see. The crystal shard had preserved him through the night, yet it had done much more than simply prevent him from freezing. Kessell felt strangely changed that morning. The night before, he had been concerned only with the quantity of his life, wondering how long he could merely survive. But now he pondered the quality of his life. Survival was no longer a question; he felt strength flowing within him. A white deer bounded along the rim of the bowl. â€Å"Venison,† Kessell whispered aloud. He pointed a finger in the direction of his prey and spoke the command words of a spell, tingling with excitement as he felt the power surge through his blood. A searing white bolt shot out from his hand, felling the hart where it stood. â€Å"Venison,† he declared, mentally lifting the animal through the air toward him without a second thought to the act, though telekinesis was a spell that hadn’t even been in the considerable repertoire of Morkai the Red, Kessell’s sole teacher. Though the shard would not have let him, Kessell the greedy did not stop to ponder the sudden appearance of abilities he’d felt long overdue him. Now he had food and warmth from the shard. Yet a wizard should have a castle, he reasoned. A place where he might practice his darkest secrets undisturbed. He looked to the shard for an answer to his dilemma and found a duplicate crystal laying next to the first. Instinctively, so he presumed (though, in reality, it was another subconscious suggestion from Crenshinibon that guided him) Kessell understood his role in fulfilling his own request. He knew the original Shard at once from the warmth and strength that it exuded, but this second one intrigued him as well, holding an impressive aura of power of its own. He took up the copy of the shard and carried it to the center of the bowl, setting it down on the deep snow. â€Å"Ibssum dal abdur,† he mumbled without knowing why, or even what it meant. Kessell backed away as he felt the force within the image of the relic begin to expand. It caught the rays of the sun and drew them within its depths. The area surrounding the bowl fell into shadow as it stole the very light of day. It began to pulse with an inner, rhythmic light. And then it began to grow. It widened at the base, nearly filling the bowl, and for a while Kessell feared that he would be crushed against the rocky walls. And, in accordance with the crystal’s widening, its tip rose up into the morning sky, keeping the dimensions aligned with its power source. Then it was complete, still an exact image of Crenshinibon, but now of mammoth proportions. A crystalline tower. Somehow – the same way Kessell knew anything about the crystal shard – he knew its name. Cryshal-Tirith. * * * Kessell would have been contented, for the time being, at least, to remain in Cryshal-Tirith and feast off of the unfortunate animals that wandered by. He had come from a meager background of unambitious peasants, and though he outwardly boasted of aspirations beyond his station, he was intimidated by the implications of power. He didn’t understand how or why those who had gained prominence had risen above the common rabble, and even lied to himself, passing off the accomplishments of others, and, conversely, the lack of his own, as a random choice of fate. Now that he had power within his grasp he had no notion of what to do with it. But Crenshinibon had waited too long to see its return to life wasted as a hunting lodge for a puny human. Kessell’s wishy-washiness was actually a favorable attribute from the relic’s perspective. Over a period of time, it could persuade Kessell to follow almost any course of action with its nighttime messages. And Crenshinibon had the time. The relic was anxious to again taste the thrill of conquest, but a few years did not seem long to an artifact that had been created at the dawn of the world. It would mold the bumbling Kessell into a proper representative of its power, nurture the weak man into an iron-fisted glove to deliver its message of destruction. It had done likewise a hundred times in the initial struggles of the world, creating and nurturing some of the most formidable and cruel opponents of law across any of the universal planes. It could do so again. That very night, Kessell, sleeping in the comfortably adorned second level of Cryshal-Tirith, had dreams of conquest. Not violent campaigns waged against a city such as Luskan, or even on the scale of battle against a frontier settlement, like the villages of Ten-Towns, but a less ambitious and more realistic start to his kingdom. He dreamed that he had forced a tribe of goblins into servitude, using them to assume the roles as his personal staff, catering to his every need. When he awakened the next morning, he remembered the dream and found that he liked the idea. Later that morning, Kessell explored the third level of the tower, a room like all the others, made of smooth yet stone-strong crystal, this particular one filled with various scrying devices. Suddenly, an urge came over him to make a certain gesture and speak an arcane word of command that he assumed he must have heard in the presence of Morkai. He complied with the feeling and watched in amazement as the dimension within the depths of one of the mirrors in the room suddenly swirled in a gray fog. When the fog cleared, an image came into focus. Kessell recognized the area depicted as a valley he had passed a short distance down the trail when Eldulac, Dendybar the Mottled, and the others had left him to die. The image of the region was bustling with a tribe of goblins at work constructing a campsite. These were nomads, probably, for war bands rarely brought females and young ones along on their raids. Hundreds of caves dotted the sides of these mountains, but they weren’t numerous enough to hold the tribes of orcs, goblins, ogres, and even more powerful monsters. Competition for lairs was fierce, and the lesser goblin tribes were usually forced above ground, enslaved, or slaughtered. â€Å"How convenient,† Kessell mused, wondering if the subject of his dream had been a coincidence or a prophecy. On another sudden impulse, he sent his will through the mirror toward the goblins. The effect startled him. As one, the goblins turned, apparently confused, in the direction of the unseen force. The warriors apprehensively drew their clubs and stone-headed axes, and the females and children huddled in the back of the group. One larger goblin, the leader presumably, holding its club defensively before it, took a few cautious steps ahead of its soldiers. Kessell scratched his chin, pondering the extent of his newfound power. â€Å"Come to me,† he called to the goblin chieftain. â€Å"You cannot resist!† * * * The tribe arrived at the bowl a short time later, remaining a safe distance away while they tried to figure out exactly what the tower was and where it had come from. Kessell let them marvel over the splendor of his new home, then called again to the chieftain, compelling the goblin to approach Cryshal-Tirith. Against its own will, the large goblin strode from the ranks of the tribe. Fighting every step, it walked right up to the base of the tower. It couldn’t see any door, for the entrance to Cryshal-Tirith was invisible to all except denizens of foreign planes and those that Crenshinibon, or its wielder allowed to enter. Kessell guided the terrified goblin into the first level of the structure. Once inside, the chieftain remained absolutely motionless, its eyes darting around nervously for some indication of the overpowering force that had summoned it to this structure of dazzling crystal. The wizard (a title rightfully imparted to the possessor of Crenshinibon, even if Kessell had never been able to earn it by his own deeds) let the miserable creature wait for a while, heightening its fear. Then he appeared at the top of the stairwell through a secret mirror door. He looked down upon the wretched creature and cackled with glee. The goblin trembled visibly when it saw Kessell. It felt the wizard’s will imposing upon it once again, compelling the creature to its knees. â€Å"Who am I?† Kessell asked as the goblin groveled and whimpered. The chieftain’s reply was torn from within by a power that it could not resist. â€Å"Master.† How to cite The Crystal Shard 4. The Crystal Shard, Essay examples

Individuals in contemporary society free essay sample

There is great debate about how individuals have choice over their leisure activities. I for one believe that it depends greatly on personal preference for the leisure activities we partake in. Yet class or social status can also have a slight influence upon these factors. Postmodernists, such as Lyotard (1984), believe that the boundaries between social class and leisure have become blurred, therefore clear links between class and leisure activities no longer exist. As a consequence of this, Postmodernists say that regardless of the social class we are a part of, we all have the ability to Pick and Choose how we spend our leisure time. Yet surely the leisure activities that we take part in cannot purely be down to our interests. Those who are in working class, may not be able to afford the luxuries of leisure that those in upper or middle class can take part in. Therefore there are social constraints upon our leisure activities. We will write a custom essay sample on Individuals in contemporary society or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Marxists disagree with the postmodernist theory. They believe that occupation or social class influences the leisure activities that we can choose. Marxists such as Parker believe in the idea of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Rewards. For example the manual Working Class jobs are done for extrinsic rewards, those that provide an escape from work, whereas middle class or white collar jobs provide more intrinsic rewards, those that allow leisure activity to link with work. Parkers theory also has valid points, but he over-emphasizes the importance that work has in shaping our leisure activity. His research is also something that is not generalisable, because it is focused primarily on men in full time paid employment. Two other Marxists, Clarke and Critcher (1995) point out that leisure has now become a commercialized multinational industry that is also highly organised. The fact that we now live in a media-saturated society creates a high demand for must-have products, meaning that choice over leisure pursuits is constantly being taken away from individuals. This is because of the medias ideological power which is controlled by the bourgeoisie. I believe that both these beliefs or theories are valid arguments about the extent of choice we have in our leisure activities. Due to our interests and hobbies, people partake in leisure activities that they enjoy. Yet class constrains our ability to choose specific leisure activities because of the cost of some of these and the type of rewards that we prefer whether they are intrinsic or extrinsic rewards.