Thursday, October 31, 2019

The Kyoto Protocol and the Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Kyoto Protocol and the Environment - Essay Example Basically, global warming is a negative environmental phenomenon that can lead to serious environmental problems, such as destruction of the environment, loss of biodiversity, and pollution. According to environmentalist Richard Dahl, global warming is an environmental problem that leads to a rise in world temperatures that is caused by the concentration of greenhouse emission gases in air (Dahl). This rise in temperatures will lead to melting of snow Mountains, which will increase sea levels (Dahl). Therefore, most environmentalists around the world agree that greenhouse gases are the primary reason behind the intensification of the global warming problem in the world. In his book, which is entitled "Global Warming: The Complete Briefing," John Houghton explains that the concentration of carbon dioxide in high air levels is the main source of global warming (Houghton, p.10). The increase in world temperatures has deadly diseases in many creatures and human beings, leading to the los s of biodiversity. As asserted by many environmentalists, the rise in temperatures has already led to â€Å"a devastating decline in coral cover, which caused a parallel decline in fish biodiversity, both in marine reserves and in areas open to fishing. Over 75% of reef fish species have declined in abundance, and 50% have declined to less than half of their original numbers† (Jones et al.). Therefore, global warming is a detrimental phenomenon that will lead to the disappearance of large parts of sea shores. Any attempt to effectively combat this phenomenon should work hard on minimizing the emission of greenhouse gases, which are the primary reason behind the increase in world temperatures.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Oscar ceremony Essay Example for Free

Oscar ceremony Essay An informative speech is strictly regulated. It should meet certain norms of presentation: 1) A model length of an informative speech is up to 7 minutes; 2) Visual aids are welcome but their role is limited to illustrating the verbal message; 3) The speech should be based upon credible sources which should be cited during the presentation; 4) Using notes is acceptable but a fluent memorized presentation is ideal. 5) An excessive use of emotions is prohibited whereas the use of non-verbal communicative means (confident posture, measured gestures, stable eye-contact) is highly praised; 6) The language of an informative speech should be simple, logical, and laconic. Bright imagery can somewhat embellish the speech when used appropriately. Topics/basic concepts Although it impossible to enumerate all the topics that can be suitable for an informative speech, it is generally accepted that an informative speech should be dedicated to some recent technical or medical investigations, unexpected facts and unusual events. This is a sample list of themes for an informative speech: famous lives, glorious deeds, history of creating a book, etc Outline An informative speech should be carefully structured so that such elements as introduction, body and conclusion could be clearly identified. Specific for an informative speech structure are a thesis statement and an organizational preview in the introduction. A generalized outline of an informative speech includes parts as follows: 1) Introduction: Declaring the speech topic; Attracting the attention of your listeners to the problem you are going to reveal; Making a thesis statement; Providing a brief preview of aspects of the problem that will be illuminated in the speech; 2) Body: giving a point-by-point revelation of the speech topic. 3) Conclusion: Making a cumulative review of the information provided; Referring to the introduction and ending the speech up with a startling conclusion. ++ Samples /while browsing through these, make sure you identify the structure/ Oscar ceremony The grandeur of the Oscar ceremony is well predicted, as well as an Oscar earned or an Oscar managed celebrity-chic that can be a great illusion of our time. Extravagant gowns, expensive jewelry, fantastic makeup, and all teeth smiles this years glamorously floating celebrities lightly touch the red carpet with their expensive footwear, later to worship, with all Academy voters, Slumdog, a tear shedding rags-to-riches saga that squeezed eight Oscars, including best director and best picture. The Oscar ceremony is endangered by commercialization. In the past it used to reward talent and art. Now, it is a well established tradition, a show of its own right. Yet, repeated over eighty times, this ceremony is unlikely to turn into a routine event. It sticks to the rules of the game with all the fever of a hot entertaining event. I have watched the TV version of the ceremony, so the following are my first-hand impressions. I would like to admit that nothing special was noticeable during the ceremony. Standout moments were Sean Penns calling the academy a bunch of commie homo-loving sons of guns and Dustin Lance Blacks address to the gay audience. Kate Winslet had proved that patience (five previous nominations) would bear fruit. Her Titanic never sank. Woody Allen had  prepared the fifth supporting acting Oscar, this time it was Penelope whose surname means in Spanish Saint. The evenings screw up was an innovative technique used while handling an annual favorite. It was a recognized failure. The ceremony was reviewed from different angles. A big fashion trend glorified red, white, and black one-shouldered gowns. Marisa Tomeis pale gray Versace, Kate Winslets Yves Saint Laurent one-shoulder slate blue and black gown, Anne Hathaways strapless silver beaded Armani Prove gown or Penelope Cruz fairy-tale white gown from Pierre Balmain were in contrast with the slum scenes from the best picture. The Oscar ceremony, almost perfect, is over. Everything is glamorous, gorgeous, and traditionally well staged. The reporters doubt that all fuss about the best picture opened new horizons in cinematography. The Oscar ceremony is still a great event, pompous and costly. It is about fashion and success, good fun and commercialized entertainment. I wish it were more about the art of cinematography. Coping with depression Depression is a psychological state that is hard to cure, hard to live with, and hard to endure. A depressed person lives in a nightmarish world, darkened by pessimism and dulled by unwillingness to act. This devastating and destructive state has a negative impact on the individual. It drains energy, evaporates optimism and enthusiasm, and paralyzes hope. It distorts the world and substantially reduces the pleasure of living. It may lead to repetitive suicidal thoughts that can end in self-destruction. I have consulted psychological literature to give you some tips how develop a step-by-step program to overcome depression. People suffer from depression for many reasons. They become depressed when all they do seems to become a failure. They get worried about their inability to realize their plans. They get shelled in loneliness. They get nervous and easily irritated. They find their lives unstable and hopeless. They lack safety and become vulnerable to outside influences. Depression is  a hazardous state, especially when you allow it to invade your body and mind. As soon as you realize that something is wrong with your state of mind, turn to help without hesitation. Now, I will give you some anti-depression tips. First of all, stay focused on what you are doing. Start with a small goal and fulfill it: go to a shop, take a short walk, or make a telephone call. Just start taking action and stick to doing it. Second, develop supportive relationship, turning to people who love you and whom you love. Refrain from retreating into yourself, sharing a meal, emailing, accompanying your friend to the movies, confide in a counselor or clergy member. Third, get interested in your own life. For this, have eight hours of sleep, practice relaxation techniques, and go easy on yourself. Why not to practice yoga or tai chi? Why not to introduce a meditative element to your life? Fourth, get regular exercise. Fifth, eat healthy food. Sixth, avoid negative thinking and negative emotions. Finally, ask for help if you cannot overcome your depression without outside aid. Now, you must embark on the road to depression recovery. Remember: action is the best anti-depressant for you. Look at the world from a new perspective: integrate into it on equal terms. Life is given only once, and you have no time to waste it. Not a single moment to spare! As soon as the world starts changing, you will keep a stronger touch with it. You will realize that inward problems are mainly our own creations, our own illusions, our own misunderstandings. Share your doubts with the world, and you be understood in return. It is easiest to shut your heart and pretend that loneliness is desirable. A white lie! Out of depression to communicate with people to establish relationships and depression will quietly go away! I do not think it will be welcomed again! How to build a happy marriage A clear-cut tendency is observed today: neither men nor women are in a hurry to marry. The growing independence of women, reluctant to do all housework and bear the main burden of childrens upbringing, sacrificing career growth, is one of the causes of the changes in family formation. A happy  marriage may be built only on love, tolerance, mutual understanding, equality, and respect. The problem is important because materially both husband and wife are now in many cases on equal terms. More and more women demonstrate higher levels of education than men, More and more women compete with men, holding leadership positions in business, politics and social life. As the result, women become materially independent. They are not materially tied to a family anymore. When they marry, they enrich their world that is now built on kinship, love, safety, quality leisure time activities in which all family members are involved. A family develops a collective feeling of interconnectedness, which is opposed to loneliness. Joy and duty, love and care, discipline and kindness all these are taken together in a family as a pillar of stable social development. I have talked to married people in search of a happy family recipe. I want to share some of my findings with you. A happy marriage is based on intimacy and commitment. It is a bond that outgrows passion as the feature of romantic love. It is a bond that is based on mutual respect and the feeling as if both husband and wife were in many respects one. It is a way of constructing lifestyle, emphasizing intimate relationship and devotion to a person of your choice. It is confidence in the stable character of marriage, reinforced by having kids. Although even happy marriages tend to undergo changes, they never change the high quality of relating to each other. People are happy to be together, to share opinions, to spend time together, to make plans, which is inherent in their attitudes to each other. Happy marriages are tested, like others, by time, material difficulties, hardships, deteriorating health, fluctuations of mood, identity development, and the like. Happy marriages, unlike others, never ruin fundamentals of relationship: commitment is so deep that no difficulty can destroy it, since both spouses know how to help and support each other. Happy marriages cherish happy memories, and they cannot destroy these memories when one of the spouses has a temporary temptation to experience something new. On the contrary, happy marriages are full of wisdom, consensus, and their happiness is rooted in a unique feeling of freedom that ties up to a happy marriage experience more than anything else. They cultivate universal love, which is care, understanding, and tolerance  to human weaknesses. Happy marriages are built by people who worship communication, interaction, and cannot live without sharing all they have in their hearts and souls. There is no couple that would not like to create a happy marriage. Only very few families can build long-term relationships that stick to happiness even under unfavorable circumstances. I have talked to married people who are happy in their own way. They feel the aura of happiness and advise others to be tolerant. A happy marriage is an ideal construct that is like a dream that cannot be realized without hard work, creating a relationship and being happy in the process of its creation. I wish you thought over my information. Do not waste your time. Test your own willingness to be perfect in your relationship. Prove that a happy marriage may be a reality. How to improve your conversational skills The feeling of being tongue-tied is familiar to many of us. We admire people who can express their thoughts with fluency and confidence. Some people think that a conversational skill is a gift, while others believe that this is the result of training. A blabbermouth monopolizes the conversation, turning it into a monologue. I have known a person who was able to talk to anybody with invariable energy and interest. He impressed people by his conversational eloquence. In business communication, conversational skills are an asset to a persons ability to persuade and negotiate the meaning. Conversational skills are necessary for successful career growth and our pleasant interaction with other people. Commitment and consistency are fundamental to improving conversational skills. People with conversational skills have more friends and better chances in life, for they know how to promote their ideas and establish relationships. I am going to inform you about the nature of conversational skil ls, and then I will give you some practical tips that you may find useful. Conversational skills are special tools that make a conversation go. They are learned and trained to become automatic. They control questions, control feedback; help break the ice during unwanted pauses, give an idea of open-ended questions that drive a conversation, elaborate a theme. They are  about shifts to another theme, the use of semantic means, combined body language and verbal speech. Conversational skills make people comfortable while talking to each other. Now, I will give you five ways to improve your conversational techniques. First of all, the speakers should show interest in each other. Healthy curiosity heats up interest. When you ask questions, you intend to be given a response that can drive the conversation. Second, remember that a conversation is a dialogue with well-balanced talking and listening. Skilful speakers monitor themselves, taking control over taking turns. If you get skilled in taking turns, even talking a little, you will perfect your conversational skills. Third, give genuine compliments for the actions the person who you are talking to has done. This appraisal must be specific and will do wonders if followed by a tag question. Fourth, your paralanguage may speak louder than words. Bodily expressions have a meaning of their own. Fifth, a skilful speaker employs What, where, when, who, how, and if questions. Conversational skills are acquired through special training. They help master the art of conversation as a meaning exchange of human thoughts. People are often clumsy and tongue-tied when expressing their thoughts and feelings. They need conversational eloquence, which may be achieved by using conversational techniques. Practice conversational skills with a smile, and this learned art will be yours at the moment when you need it most. London fashion week Fashion has become a large part of identity making in the post-human world in which people play dress-up with their clothing. Fashionable clothes reinvent people as sexual, desirable, and enigmatic. We care about what we wear a great deal because our culture emphasizes an outward appearance. Fashion changes every season, squeezing our wallets. A gorgeous event London fashion week attracts all lovers of fashion from all over the world. It was held in March, using the official London Fashion Week Catwalk. This 450-seater catwalk celebrates the best of the best British  designers of clothes. The event was well advertised. You can surf this events Internet page to enjoy beautiful pictures that covered it up. It was the embodiment of luxury and power, having proved again and again that fashion is in a constant state of flux, generating fantastic new styles and new feelings. Demonstrations of fashionable trends are amusing and inviting to copy trendy features, visible to an eye. First, I will inform you what hot trends London fashion week has promoted. Second, I will inform you why London Fashion Week is so popular. This seasons trends are inspired by cinema, popular culture, and religious icons, with glamour, creativity, and modest beauty combined. Domestic goddess, African Queen or Ethereal Nude, inspires SS/09 wardrobe. All the freshest trends, hot off the catwalk of London, are enjoyable. It is not only a pleasure of renovating your image and counting the money to be spent on the fashionable trendy designer clothes but also a mission to introduce others, less fussy about trendy things, to a new fashionable trend that every show promises. London Fashion Weekend is a single event that gives access to a large number of London Fashion Week designers, classic labels, and the hottest trendy garments. 150 designers are not only showing their newest designs but also selling ready-to-wear pieces at a bargain (at least it is advertised so) price. You may choose from Christopher Fischer, Collado Garcia, Crumpet, Belle Bunty, Ben de Lisi, Alice McCall, Garguz, Inexcess Dashion, Janet Reger, John Smedley, Karl Doroghue, Sass Bide, Nicky Dupont, Madeleine Press, My Lovely Jeans, and some others. This years new designers are Luella, Richard Nicoll, Emma Cook, and Eley Kishimota. All of them pursue their philosophy of fashion that can be made out only when all is seen as one trendy entity in color, cut, and accessories. You may not be chasing fashion but you cant be indifferent because fashion is inherent in our culture and people are always impressed by those who know the taste of trendiest trends. Our appearance depends on what we are wrapped in; fashion is about our social status, success, individualism, and good taste. We like clothes that wear well. We dream of clothes that impress. We desire clothes that make us aggressively gorgeous

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Changing Ethos of the Department of Social Protection

Changing Ethos of the Department of Social Protection REPORT ON THE CHANGING ETHOS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL PROTECTION I am writing about the way the Department of Social Protection has evolved since the recession in 2009.   How their Services were delivered and the changes that have been implemented over the past few years.   The Department of Social Protection plays a part in everyones life at some stage. The aim of the Department is to provide citizens with information, financial support and other services they require in a timely customer-friendly manner.   This report will outline the evolution of the Department in the last few years and the way they have changed their working practices and also more importantly the way the unemployed are treated when first coming into contact with the Department of Social Protection. Department of Social Protection Before 2012 Passive income maintenance expenditures rose very rapidly as unemployment climbed after 2008; the response in terms of expenditure on labor market programmes inevitably lagged somewhat. The Jobs Initiative and Community Employment Schemes were changed and modified.   Jobs Initiative which is amount paid for the Job was introduced in the 1990s it was targeted towards the unemployed over 35yrears of age and unemployed for more than 5yrs.   The jobs were created in the community and participants were paid the market rate.   The Community Employment schemes were also introduced and expanded during the 90s participants would work part time hours in the community and earn additional money to supplement their Lone Parents or Disability payment.   The criteria for additional payment were that they had to be on Lone Parents or Dept. Payment.  Ã‚  Ã‚   They also provided excellent training allowance to enhance the skills and qualifications of those on the scheme.   The Scheme would last anything up to 12 months to 24 months.   These schemes re-energized underprivileged areas all over major cities in Ireland.   Some of the C.E. Schemes made a great benefit to people and they used it to gain skills and experience in order to move into the open job market. Fas the training agency concentrated on long term training rather than short term training courses.   The training courses were not geared towards up skilling for shortages in the Job Market.   There as a gap between what was needed in the labor market and what training was being provided by Fas. They failed to link in with Companies and factories on skills shortages.   To train people for specific skills shortages to fill contract positions.   A revolving door seemed to happen in the early years of the recession the unemployed were floating from one course to another.  Ã‚   A lot of our students left the country to seek employment in Europe and overseas.   Small towns in Ireland became devoid of young people.   Our educated young were leaving Ireland for a better life. The unemployed were treated badly when signing on for benefits and were made to feel small and worthless.   They were dictated to and treated like children when seeking what they were entitled. ACTION AND REMODELING OF OUR DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WELFARE AND TRAINING CENTRES The Government introduced a Programme a Pathway to Work and Employment Activation Policy for all areas in the community.   Community initiatives were drawn up to increase employment.   The Criteria for C.E. Schemes was changed and those on the dole were only entitled to one payment from the Department of Social Welfare.   The Job Initiative was to be phased out.   Money was to follow employment only; private training companies were to be funded if the Government agencies could not provide relevant job market training.   There was a huge shortage of trained people for the Pharmaceutical Industry; training companies began to spring up providing such training over a 12 month period.   The merger of Dept. of Social Welfare and Community Welfare Service, FAS Community and Employment Services and the redundancy and insolvency payment schemes the Department is now one of the largest public service organizations in the country.  Ã‚   The department now has close relationships w ith employers who are essential partners in getting people into employment.   The Department is developing integrated services with the introduction of Intero this model of service is to enhance the service to the customer. It is a quality service delivery across a wide range of disciplines and programmes to meet the changing needs of our customers.   As the economy is now booming and we are heading towards full employment again the Department has played a pivotal role in 2015 in supporting Irelands economic progress.   Unemployment has fallen from a crisis peak of 15.1 percent to 2012 to 8.8% at the beginning of 2016. The integrated new services are now paying huge dividends to the unemployed. Pathways to work to help the unemployed into work, training and education. The Rollout of the Intreo service meets the key objective in the Statement of Strategy 2011 to 2014 to transform the Department into an integrated, activation focused service provider which puts the customer at the center of all our operations.   In short both a safety net and a springboard.   The Department is determined to deliver a customer service that meets best international standards and maintains the public service that meets best international standards and maintains the public service values of openness, responsiveness, professionalism and good governance.   The Charter and Action Plan will be a focal point to help staff meet this challenge. The most important thing is to be responsive to the customer and the job market.   Keep abreast of the changes to industry and the skills shortage, anticipate demand for skills and retain and up skill the unemployed to meet those challenges.   A proactive organization rather than reactive.   The department will be run as an innovative and strategy orientated body who meets the needs of their customers. Customer Charter was initiated We value your opinion Treat with courtesy and respect Inform you of your rights and entitlements Plan and deliver our employer services to ensure you can support people into employment Protect your information Respect your privacy Consult with you to establish your needs when developing delivering and reviewing our services Provide redress when you have a complaint. We Value your opinion let us know what you think of our service.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Explaining a controversy :: essays research papers

Why is sex education such a controversy in this world? Well, some people think that sex education should not even be taught in school because they think it is the parent’s issue to deal with and not the schools. Some of the same people think that when schools have sex education courses that teach about sex and hand out condoms to protect kids, that the schools are telling kids it is okay to have sex. Some schools are now even putting sex programs in their schools so kids will have somewhere else to go about problems dealing with sex. One of the main controversies of sex education is abstinence. Some writers like Rush Limbaugh, and Tony Snow say abstinence is the only way to go. In â€Å" Condoms: The New Diploma† Limbaugh says, â€Å" condom distribution sanctions, even encourages, sexual activity, which in teen years tends to be promiscuous and relegates to secondary status the most important lesson to be taught: abstinence.† He thinks the only way to prevent getting a disease or not getting pregnant is by abstinence. Ubell also agrees with abstinence and thinks that waiting until marriage is a wise thing to do in, â€Å"Sex- Education Programs That Work- And Some That Don’t†. He also talks about how acknowledging that teens are sexually active and using behavior to prevent this can also help with pregnancy and transmitting diseases. Lastly, Snow also thinks that abstinence is the safest way to prevent pregnancy and diseases. Snow mentions that programs that schools are teaching are l ike cults and they are just drawing the kids in and weakening them. They are not teaching abstinence but fun ways to have sex and to â€Å" increase spontaneity†. In the end, all these authors promote abstinence and nothing else.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another part of the sex education controversy is contraceptions. Adam Weisman thinks that condoms should be distributed in school and can help prevent young teen pregnancies and STD’s. Weisman also thinks that birth control clinics should be put in schools. He thinks this approach works and may prevent some births (Birth Control in the Schools). So Weisman is all for handing out condoms in school and programs that in the school’s that will hand out the condoms. Snow, on the other hand, thinks that handing out condoms in the schools and programs in the schools promote sex. Snow says, â€Å" The Programs That Work establish an elaborate system of idiocies, the first of which is that high-schoolers, beginning at age 13, spend an inordinate amount of time fondling condoms.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Opposition to The New Deal Essay

The New Deal, it’s many Administrations and their policies were making major changes to American Industry and society. As a result of this, some people were quite unhappy and attempted to stall The New Deal. As time went on, FDR’s gained more and more power over the reformation of the American economy and businesses. People feared the amount of power FDR had and started questioning his intent. What really caused people to question Franklin D. Roosevelt was his attempt to â€Å"fix† the Supreme Court. As the nine judges making up the court were mainly old and conservative, FDR believed they were too opinionated and too eager use their authority without considering the consequences. Therefore he decided it wise to request he appoint up to six new, open-minded judges. Some people saw this as FRD attempting to tamper with the constitution in order to give himself more power, and it scared them. It was mainly because of this reason that FDR’s request was turned down, but the judges certainly seemed to have got the point and from then on were a lot more careful. Republicans certainly disliked The New Deal and found it dangerous. Leading Republican, Frank Knox, summed up Republican views on The New Deal by saying â€Å"The New Deal candidate has been leading us toward Moscow†. By this he meant that with Roosevelt’s increasing powers and his guidance and control over industry it seemed that he was slowly but surely verging towards communism. They also disliked Roosevelt’s industrial laws because they took power of the owners and benefited the workers with policies such as trade unions and social security. Some extreme opposition came from a self-educated man with a degree in law after only 8 months – he was a â€Å"shameless politician with no morals† and he fought dirty. In order to get where he was he had fixed ballots by placing his own men at available posts in the state government, he had used blackmail and bribery to get votes. Sometimes opponents were as much as kidnapped on Long’s orders. Huey Long became US senate in 1930 and claimed that if he were to become president he would adopt the policy of confiscating any personal fortunes of over 3 million U.S dollars and giving $5000 to each and every less wealthy family. Long did not at any point explain how he would do this, but the idea of much needed money being given to them for nothing was jumped at by the poorer families, and Long gained a lot of support. Fortunately for FDR, Long’s career ended due to assassination before he was able to challenge him. So with certain aspects of luck, and a well-conducted New Deal, FRD managed to rescue America from its depression without any great hitches. There were careless flaws such as the move Roosevelt made trying to fix the SC without considering the consequences, but in the end all went to plan and opposition was only opposition, and not a threat to the New Deal.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Juhani Pallasmaa, Short Bio of the Finnish Architect

Juhani Pallasmaa, Short Bio of the Finnish Architect During his wildly prolific career, Juhani Pallasmaa has designed more than buildings. Through books, essays, and lectures, Pallasmaa has created an empire of ideas. How many young architects have been inspired by Pallasmaas teaching and his classic text, The Eyes of the Skin, about architecture and the senses? Architecture is a craft and an art to Pallasmaa. It has to be both, which makes architecture an impure or messy discipline. The soft-spoken  Juhani Pallasmaa has formulated and described the essence of architecture all of his life. Background Born: September 14, 1936 in Hmeenlinna, FinlandFull Name: Juhani Uolevi PallasmaaEducation: 1966: Helsinki University of Technology, Master of Science in Architecture Selected Projects In Finland, Juhani Pallasmaa is known as a Constructivist. His work has been inspired by the simplicity of Japanese architecture and the abstraction of modern Deconstructivism. His only work in the US is the arrival plaza at Cranbrook Academy of Art (1994). 2003 to 2006: Kamppi Centre, Helsinki.2004: Snow Show (with Rachel Whiteread), Lapland2002 to 2003: Bank of Finland Museum, Helsinki2002: Pedestrian and cycle bridge, Viikki Eco-village, Helsinki1989 to 1991 Major extensions to Itkeskus Shopping Centre, Helsinki1990 to 1991: Outdoor spaces for Ruoholahti Residential Area, Helsinki1986 to 1991: Institut Finlandais (with Roland Schweitzer), Paris1987: Phone Booth Design for Helsinki Telephone Association1986: Renovation of Helsinki Old Market Hall, Helsinki1984 to 1986: Renovation of the Art Museum in Rovaniemi1970: Summer atelier of artist Tor Arne, Vnà ¶ Island About Juhani Pallasmaa He promotes a back-to-basics, evolutionary approach to architecture that has become revolutionary in the 21st century. He told interviewer Rachel Hurst that computers have been misused to replace human thought and imagination: The computer has no capacity for empathy, for compassion. The computer cannot imagine the use of space. But the most important thing is that the computer cannot hesitate. Working between the mind and the hand we often hesitate, and we reveal our own answers in our hesitations. Pallasmaa also suggests that architects and designers read novels and poetry to better understand architecture.  Juhani Pallasmaa’s Book List is an eclectic mix of unexpected titles: In my view, literature and the arts provide deep lessons on the essences of the world and life. Because architecture is fundamentally about life, I find the literary classics, or any fine novels and poems, to be essential books on architecture. Writings and Teaching In spite of the many architecture projects he has completed, Pallasmaa may be best-known as a theorist and educator. He has taught at universities all over the world, including Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He has written and lectured extensively on cultural philosophy, environmental psychology, and architectural theory. His works are read in many architecture classrooms around the world: Questions of Perception: Phenomenology of Architecture by Steven Holl, Juhani Pallasmaa, and Alberto Perez-GomezThe Embodied Image: Imagination and Imagery in Architecture by Juhani Pallasmaa, Wiley, 2011The Thinking Hand by Juhani Pallasmaa, Wiley, 2009The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses (1996) by Juhani Pallasmaa, Wiley, 2012Encounters: Architectural Essays by Juhani Pallasmaa, Peter MacKeith, editor, 2006Encounters 2 - Architectural Essays by Juhani Pallasmaa,  Peter MacKeith, editor, 2012Archipelago: Essays on Architecture by Juhani Pallasmaa, Peter MacKeith, editorUnderstanding Architecture by Robert McCarter and Juhani Pallasmaa, Phaidon, 2012