The Sleeping Venus and Olympia free essay sample

The Sleeping Venus/Dresden Venus, Giorgione with landscape and sky by Titian. 1510 [pic] Olympia, Edouard Manet. 1863 The Sleeping Venus, or Dresden Venus, is by Italian Renaissance artist Giorgione. It is one of the last works but Giorgione and the landscape and sky were actually finished by Titian after Giorgione’s death in 1510. The painting portrays a nude woman lounging in slumber. A great deal of effort was put into the shadows and details of the background. As a result, the woman’s position seems to mimic the landscape of the background. One aspect of the painting that was so revolutionary is Giorgione’s choice to paint the woman nude. This wasn’t common of his era and is widely regarded as the beginnings of modern art. Besides the obvious eroticism of nudity, there are underlying implications of eroticism in the positioning of the woman. Venus’s raised arm and her left hand place on her groin imply sensuality. We will write a custom essay sample on The Sleeping Venus and Olympia or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Another underlying theme to this piece in that of the human body being a natural, organism object of the earth. This is related by the curves of the landscape reflecting those of Venus. A unique detail to be noted is that of the color of the sheets. It is more common to see a warm tone in fabric of the time. But, in this piece they are a stark and contrasting silver. This further accentuates the soft and organic nature of Venus and the landscape. Olympia is oil on canvas by Edouard Manet. Painted in 1863, it is of a reclining nude woman being attended by a maid. It was inspired but Titian’s Venus of Urbino. The contrast of this piece to Giorgione’s The Sleeping Venus, is that this piece has more to do with the realism of the subject matter then the fact that the woman is nude. This woman, seeming to be a courtesan is being presented with flowers, thought to be a gift from a client. This is not typical subject matter of the era. Despite the contrast to Giorgione’s Venus, there is the common fact that both pieces were a shocking departure from scenes of their era. The difference in each pieces shock factor is the Olympia was not shocking because of nudity like The Sleeping Venus. The frontal gaze and the details depicting the woman as a courtesan were what stunned viewers. Such things were not narrated in art at the time. Details such as her pearl earring, bracelet, the orchid in her hair and the oriental shawl are all symbols of wealth and sensuality. These symbols are what identify her as a courtesan and emphasize a voluptuous and sexual atmosphere. Her position is also in close unison to that of Giorgione’s Venus, but portray a taboo side of eroticism rather the Giorgione’s organic and â€Å"of the earth† eroticism.

When Should I Take the SAT Math Level 2 Subject Test

When Should I Take the SAT Math Level 2 Subject Test SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you planning to take the Math II SAT Subject Test for your college applications? As you know, the Math 2 subject test covers more advanced math concepts than the Math I. Because of this, you want to make sure you're taking it at the right time to achieve a high score. This article will help you figure out exactly when is the best time for you take this test. First, let's quickly review what's on the Math 2 SAT Subject Test. What's On the Math Level II Subject Test? Like the Math I Subject Test, the Math II test covers algebra and geometry. Additionally, it tests trigonometry and elementary functions, which describe a relationship between an input and output. A simple function question may ask you to solve for x, while othersmay ask you to definea function's range or domain or to graph it. I'll show some example problems of function questions that appear on the Math II test below. First, here'sthe breakdown of what percentage of the test covers each content area. As you can see, algebra and geometry make up a significantly larger portion of the questions than number / operations and data analysis / probability. Math Concept Approximate Percentage On Test Number and operations 10-14% Algebra and functions 48-52% Geometry and measurement (coordinate, three-dimensional, and trigonometry) 28-32% Data analysis, statistics, and probability 8-12% Some of these concepts appear on the math section of the general SAT, while others, like trigonometry, elementary functions, and graphing, are more advanced and specific to the SAT Math 2Subject Test. The following areexamples of function and graphing questions you might see on the Math II Subject Test. The SAT Math Level 2test contains questions that ask you to definethe range or domain of a function. Function questions may also present you with a graph or, like in the question below, ask you to draw or visualize your own graph and manipulate it to reflect changes in a function. The answers to these questions are D, D, and B, respectively. Studying with lots of official practice questions, along with excelingin your school math courses,isthe best way to prepare yourself for the Math II Subject Test. Like all the SAT Subject Tests, the Math Level 2test is 60 minutes long. In this hour, it asks you to answer 50 questions. Now that we've reviewed what's on the Math Level 2test, when's the best time for you to take it? When Should You Take the SAT Math Level 2 Subject Test? What Year Should You Take the Test? College Board recommends that you should take more than three years of college prep math before you take the Math II Subject Test. These years should include two classes inalgebra and one classin geometry, at least. A class in trigonometry and/or precalculus is very helpful, too. So if you takealgebra in eighth grade, geometry in 9th, algebra again in 10th, and trigonometry/precalculus in 11th, then you would probably be in the best position to take the Math II Subject Test at the end of 11th grade. If you are taking trigonometry/precalculus as a sophomore, then you may be in a good position to take the Subject Test at the end of sophomore year. Usually you want to take Math II, and any other Subject Test, at the end of your school year when the course content is freshest in your mind. That being said, which Subject Test dates coincide with the end of the academic year? What Test Date Should You Choose? The Math Level 2 test is offered at various dates throughout the year. June may be the best time to take it, with May as a close runner up. Math II is offered on May 5 and June 2. Its tentative spring dates for 2020 are May 2 and June 6. Sign up by about a monthin advance, if not sooner, just like the SAT. If you're taking the general SAT in the same year as the Subject Test, which one should you schedule first? What About All Your Other Tests, like the SAT/ACT and APs? A smart way to schedule your Subject Test is to sign up for it after you take the general SAT. You'll likely study a lot for the math section of the general SAT, and this studying could overlap with your Subject Test prep. If you're taking both testsin the same year, you could take the general SAT in March (or May), and the Subject Test in May or June. Remember, you can't take the Subject Test on the same day as the general SAT, but you can take up to three Subject Tests on one date. While SAT prep can be helpful for the Math II test, aligning these tests should be a secondary concern. The most important consideration is subject mastery. So if you've taken trigonometry and precalculus as a sophomore, then you'll probably be best served taking the Subject Test at the end of your sophomore year (which may be a year earlier than you're taking the general SAT). This could also be a good way to spread out your tests and have less on your plate in the spring of junior year. While the Subject Test may or may not coincide with your studying for the SAT, it may overlap with a class final or even AP test. This could further help you know the math concepts inside and out, so you can achieve a strong Subject Test score for your college applications. To Sum Up... A high score on the Math II Subject Test is impressive to any college, and especially to selective technical and engineering schools like MIT and CalTech! By planning your study schedule and choosing the best test date, you'll be in the best position to score high on this competitive and impressive Subject Test. What's Next? You might be familiar with what's a good score for the general SAT, but what's a good test score for the SAT Subject Tests? Good scores actually differ by each Subject Test. Learn all about the averages and good scores for each test here. Are you a math whiz aiming for a perfect score on the SAT math? Read all about how to get an 800 in math by a perfect scorer on the SAT. Need a little extra help prepping for your Subject Tests? We have the industry's leading SAT Subject Test prep programs (for all non-language Subject Tests). Built by Harvard grads and SAT Subject Test full or 99th %ile scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so that you get the most effective prep possible. Learn more about our Subject Test products below:

Trus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Trus - Essay Example There is quite a conflict in determining how trust comes into existence and how one may end up being confident about another person. For trust to exist, it is very important for two or more parties to exist. Trust is an outcome of hard work, persistence and dedication. In order to trust come into existence one individual needs to be confident about another individual. An individual can only show confidence in another individual if previously an individual has performed certain actions. For example: a student can only trust a teacher if the teacher has previously proved that whatever the teacher is teaching is actually real. This means that an individual has to perform certain activities in order to ensure that others trust them. Trust is a very important element of society and has various functions. It is one of the most important elements of any relationship that is taking place between two or more individuals or parties. Trust is the knot that keeps people attached with each other. Without trust relationships cannot take place and if trust is broken, relationships come to an end. Trust is a very important element in leadership. Leaders are those who influence others to work in a certain direction and others only work in the direction provided by the leader if others trust them. Trust is used in various contexts and may have different meanings. But the trust that is referred to the confidence that individuals have in each other is the most common way the term trust is used in the society. Trust is a term used in the context of real estate in which an individual may transfer his/her property to another individual on the basis of trust (Bellairs 99). Trust is used in the context of blind following that individuals have in the context of their religion and god. The most common definition of trust is the confidence that two individuals have in each other or one

Development of Chinas legal system and its difficulties and challenges Essay

Development of Chinas legal system and its difficulties and challenges - Essay Example These changes are occurring because of the fact that in order to strengthen the rule of law it is foremost necessary to place emphasis on a large number of elements, both from inside and outside of the country. Also the structure of the domestic law of the country is facing several transformations in the face of growing international trade and globalization. The legal systemis undergoing the most radical changes since their inclusion within the World Trade Organization (WTO). The country has largely been dependent on ideological reasoning and facts. But recently policy makers have suggested that in order to cope with international standards of respectable community, the country must follow specified globally accepted norms and regulations, irrespective of the fact that these norms and regulations are generated by the United Nations Human Rights Conservation or by the WTO (Bruun & Jacobsen, 2000, p. 251). Accordingly the country’s law and legal system have had to be changed and modified. The Republic of China is now initiating these changes or modifications with the most radical occurring in the areas of economic reform and changes in the nature of the administration process. This paper will attempt to evaluate all of these developments and will mark the difficulties or the challenges that china has been facing as a direct result (Alexandroff, Ostry and Rafael Gomez, 2003, p. 154). Philosophy: The Asian legal system appears to be different in many respects from the legal systems of therest of the world. Major reasons for this include spiritual variations and differences in intellectual thought. Religion plays little part in Chinese law-making but perhaps the most influential form of thought is Confucianism (Glenn 2007, pp. 318-319). The core of Confucianism is Humanism and is based on various levels of honesty. According to Confucian thought, with the use of the logic of humanity one can examine the world in the simplest possible manner. An ethical philosophy that is to be practiced by all the members of this society is the primary foundation and function of this thought. For almost a thousand years the legal system of China was dominated by Confucianism. The principles of Confucian ideology were the main driving force behind the evolution of the ancient legal system. Not only that, it also helped in developing the legalism, traditions, and moral aspects of life for the an cient Chinese people. This ideology mainly focused on astrict governmental hierarchy. Along with this the ideology marked its view regarding the fact that people need to internalize all the granted rules and norms and just take appropriate or necessary actions. According to this view, it has been argued that the law should be preserved only for those who try to do something out of pure self-interest at the expense of the interests of society as a whole. Hence, the law of the country has been modified to include harsh punishments with the aim of achievingand maintaining an appropriate social order withmaximum social welfare. In this regard China’s legal systemdiffers significantly from that of the West

Renaissance and Fashion trends Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Renaissance and Fashion trends - Essay Example The essay "Renaissance and Fashion trends" talks about trends in the fashion in the era of Renaissance. For instances clothes that were designed for war had specific purpose, on the other hand the bridal clothing was designed to suit the function of the day. Before the 19th century clothing was tailor made to suit the needs of each individual. The design of women garments was quite different with the modern garments. The garments were loosely fitting and flowing. Most fabrics in ancient time lacked decoration. The general rule in western world preferred plain clothes to the decorated clothes. History records that clothes that people wore were white in color. Any other color was not easily accepted. Commoners were prohibited by the rules of the land not to wear red clothes in the theaters. A wide range of cloth colors started featuring in the fifth century. During this time, people could wear a wide range of colors in public places and in theaters. The cultural believes and the societ al norms dictated the kind of design that a community would accept. However, at the advent of the 20th century, the idea of standardized clothing became more popular as sewing and stitching technologies became widespread and the world moved into the era of industrialization. Tailors and dress markers developed new fashions and took them to the market. Competition among different designers is another factor that has contributed to the changes in fashions. Many designers want their products to sell.

Aspects of wicked problems

Aspects of wicked problems Introduction When facing a design problem, designers need to consider a wide range of factors to ensure that it is as successful as possible. When a design problem is ill-defined a wicked problem arises, which complicated the process more. Sustainability is a very important consideration when designing. Its also important that designers understand the role they are playing, and exactly what their task is. Ive looked at these things and related them to my own design experiences when possible. Wicked Problems Definition Wicked designs can be summarised as problems that are difficult to solve, where there is no real obvious solution that will fully resolve the initial problem. This can be due to unclear, unspecific or changing requirements that can make it hard for the designer to know exactly the situation they are designing for. Furthermore, as one aspect within the product is solved, other problems may be unveiled leading to more problems. A typical example of a wicked problem outside the area of design is politics whatever is done there are still problems and not everyone is happy, additionally as politicians solve issues more emerge. The term wicked design has been defined by ten characteristics compiled by Rittel and Webber (1973) shown below. Number Characteristic There is no definitive formulation of a wicked problem Wicked problems have no stopping rule Solutions to wicked problems are not true or false, but better or worse There is no immediate and no ultimate test of a solution to a wicked problem Every solution to a wicked problem is a one shot operation because there is no opportunity to learn by trial and error every attempt counts significantly Wicked problems do not have an enumerable (or an exhaustively describable) set of potential solutions, nor is there a well described set of permissible operations that may be incorporated into the plan Every wicked problem is essentially unique Every wicked problem can be considered to be a symptom of another problem The existence of a discrepancy representing a wicked problem can be explained in numerous ways. The choice of explanation determines the nature of the problems resolution The planner has no right to be wrong (planners are liable for the consequences of the actions the generate) Explaining the Characteristics There is no definite formulation of a wicked problem Model3When faced with a wicked problem, it is often difficult to state exactly what this problem is, and what you are aiming to do. This can therefore lead to confusion as to whether or not the issue has been resolved, it is a continuous problem. In my design experiences, I have picked up on things that I didnt initially think about whilst doing research and consulting users. For example whilst doing my product study on Speedo fast skin swimsuits, when I gave a questionnaire to a user it highlighted issues that I didnt initially consider such the users experience whilst using it, such as feeling claustrophobic. This led me to look further into the research Speedo had done regarding comfort. The whole design process ends up being a learning experience because you have to thoroughly look into all aspects necessary in order to try and solve the wicked problem. Figure 1 below shows that the design process is continuous it is a never ending circle. Wicked problems have no stopping point A wicked problem can arise when you are designing and there is no clear or obvious place to stop at they dont have an exhaustive end point. You can go on and on developing and altering the design but the end point will never be clear because of the nature of the problem being solved. In my previous design experiences, the stopping point has always been when I have met all the identified required needs stated in the specification, when the time limit prevents me from going any further, and when I have received positive feedback about the design, illustrating that potential users are happy with it. It is also important to ensure that the design has been explored thoroughly from all perspectives. Time and deadlines are often the most contributing factor to determine the point you stop at. This may lead to the design not being fully explored. In a lot of my design experiences, especially at GCSE, I had to move on to the next part of the design process before fully exploring everything a s the opportunities were endless, it was a wicked problem design something to be sold by the National Trust in their shops Solutions to wicked problems cant be described as true or false but good or bad Solutions to design problems cant be described as true or false or right or wrong because it varies depending on whom is using the product. Designs are normally described using personal opinion by evaluating them from different perspectives and considering various factors, for example, function, size, ease of use etc. A design cannot just be classed as right or wrong, its not that simple, parts of it may be correct whereas others might not work. A design may be perfect for one specific group of people but not at all for others. Constructive criticism is a good thing to use when looking at solutions, considering good points, bad points and ways to improve. For example, for AS level I made a lamp intended for use by children, the aesthetics I came up with would suit children but wouldnt appeal to many others. Designers may be given the same brief to work from, yet the end results will not all be the same. This doesnt mean that one person is right and the rest are wrong, the problem has just been solved in other ways depending on how the designer has interpreted it. Every wicked problem can be considered a symptom of another problem A lot of designs can continuously be improved and developed due to reasons such as new technology and materials being developed. Wicked designs cant ever be fully solved; they depend on trends, opinions, financial situations etc. So you may temporarily satisfy the design criteria but not in the long run. An example of this is mobile phones; they are constantly changing and getting better to meet peoples needs and to compete with competitive brands. Figure 2 below suited the need at the time it was designed you could phone off it. Now, figure 3 meets the needs of people, it is multi functional and does everything from browsing the internet to video calling. Every wicked problem can be considered a symptom of another problem. Products that seem out of date now would have been designed to suit the target market at the time they were designed; it is not because of a fault of the designer. Sustainability now has much more importance than previously so the way products are made has change d. Designers know that it is a current issue so strive to create products that are sustainable. Industrial designers and engineers Often it is hard to distinguish between the role of the engineer and that of the industrial designer because the way they work is so similar; however there are some influencing differences. The engineer is more concerned about the technological aspects of the design and the accuracy of it. There is often a right or wrong answer as it frequently involves mathematics and science. On the other hand, the industrial designer focuses more upon the aesthetics, production, social and environmental impact, sustainability and price. There is no definite answer to the initial brief; it is a matter of opinion. Their aim is to make the product appeal to users so that they will buy it. The role of the industrial designer is to create and execute design solutions towards problems of form, usability, user ergonomics, marketing, brand development and sales http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_design Aug 2008 Engineering is the discipline, art and profession of acquiring and applying technical, scientific and mathematical knowledge to design and implement materials, structures, machines, devices.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineering Nov 2009. My experience For my AS project I designed a lamp inspired by the design movement pop art for young children. It was be a night light. For my A Level project, I designed something to encourage healthy eating for children and families to improve their lifestyle. I choose to do the product shown below, you place each persons photo in the frame on the box, and whenever you eat an item of fruit or vegetable (one of your five a day) you put a counter in the slot above your photo. For both of these, some aspects of the design process were considered to be traditional industrial design, and some considered to be the responsibility of the engineer. Role of industrial designer in my experience Industrial design was involved in my A level project because aesthetics was a very important factor to ensure that children would want to use the product. This involved considering colour, shapes, finish and form. Cultural and social concerns played an important part in the designing. I did some research and found that interactive learning was one of the better ways to educate and influence children. I also found out that gentle competitiveness would encourage people to interact with the product. In this case it was done by competing to see who could eat the most fruit/vegetables in one day, recorded by putting counters in the slot above your photo. It was important for me to consider cost and manufacture to ensure that the product would be accessible to people of as many backgrounds as possible. Safety was also an important factor in this design as its intended to be used by children, the parts couldnt be too small and there couldnt be any sharp parts. The industrial designer also n eeded to consider the materials to be used, and the surface finish needed. Role of engineer in my experience The role of the engineer was to make sure that the design provided the required function, and that performance was up to the right level. I had to make sure that the gap between the two sheets for the counters to slot into was exactly the right size so that the counters didnt get stuck, but didnt move around too much. I also had to make sure that the dimensions were correct so that the top black piece fitted into the base securely enough, yet it could be removed to tip upside down to remove the counters. A lot of precision was needed to ensure that the pieces all fitted together correctly. For my lamp it was the role of the engineer to ensure that the electrical parts of the design functioned correctly and that they were held inside the casing safely. Sustainability Sustainability has become a very important influence when designing due to societys increasing concern about it. Designers need to think about the product they are designing from cradle to grave, meaning they need to consider where the materials are obtained from whether they are readily available, renewable or non renewable and where they have to be shipped from. The manufacturing process then needs to be considered to ensure that it causes the most minimal effect on the environment and that the conditions workers are in are acceptable. Packaging needs to be thought about to make sure that it is not in excess, and so that the shape is as efficient as possible for transportation. Figure 7 compares the cradle to gate method (just considering the products lifecycle until it is sold) and the cradle to grave idea, where you consider the products impact after its useful life has ended. Sustainability can be split into three categories economic, social and environmental. The sustainabili ty handbook defines them all, the economic one means considering economic implications of our actions including ensuring that there is an economic benefit both to the region from which the product came and to the region in which it is marketed. The social one means ensuring that our own and other peoples quality of life and human rights are not compromised to fulfill our expectations or demands. And the environmental one can be defined as ensuring that our actions and lifestyles dont cause the planets resources to be used at unsustainable rates. When designing a product, as a designer you should consider each of these three categories and the potential impact your product will have on them. Defenitions of Sustainability Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs Sustainability is all about preserving the worlds natural resources for future generations. A fully sustainable industry would be one that has zero impact or a positive impact on the environment. My experience of sustainability My experience of sustainability involved several factors. My material choice was an important factor. I had to find out how easily available various materials were, what is done with them after their useful life has ended and how they are processed. With my A level project, once the user has finished with the product, the different materials can easily be split into MDF and acrylic ready to be recycled. This concept reflects the idea that Papanek had (1994) of designing for disassembly; designing products so that they are easy to take apart and sort for recycling. He referred to the concept as assemble for disassembly. He proposed that different materials shouldnt be mixed unless its unavoidable in order to simplify the separation process. When considering what wood to use, I decided that there was no need to use a rare wood that would likely have had to have been shipped into the country as this would cause unnecessary environmental damage. I also needed to consider how the material would be processed, for example metal needs a lot higher temperatures to work with than plastics so needs more energy to provide that initial heat which is often created using fossil fuels. How I could improve my design experience With respect to my lamp project, I think that if I had worked more from the perspective of the engineer I may have created a more useful product. If I could do it again I would incorporate a dimmer switch so that the light emitted can be varied as its intended use was to be a nightlight. I think when I was doing the project I was mainly looking at it from the point of view of the industrial designer as I put a lot of consideration into the aesthetics and desirability. In order to make my A level design more sustainable, I could use another of Papaneks ideas (1994), which is to use scrap materials that are left over from production to create other products. For example, the circles cut out to make the frame could be used as counters in a game, or they could possibly be used to make jewelry with. An option to make my design more sustainable would be to use recycled materials to create the product, this option was a bit limited in school but a possibility would be to create the frame an d counters out of recycled polymer. Conclusion I have looked into the concept of wicked designs and understand how they make it hard for designers to fully satisfy the need when addressing this type of problem. They involve many complications that often lead to more, and it makes it hard for designers to create acceptable solutions. To ensure that they do the best that they can designers should understand the nature of wicked problems and all that they entail. I have looked into the roles of the industrial designer and the engineer and have related them to my work to understand the difference between the two, also how the tasks of the two sometimes overlap. I have seen how sustainability is an important factor that affects the way designers need to approach their tasks, and that they need to consider the products implications early on in the design rather than just at the end. I have examined all of the above factors and related them to my work where possible. I have also looked to see where I could improve what I have done in th e past with what I have found out. References Wicked Problems article. http//en-wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicked_problem (2009) Rittel and Webber accessed on 24.11.09 Figure 1: Learn. http://learn.lboro.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=1455 week 3, EWLN power point, slide 13. Accessed on 12.11.09 Figure 2 : http://jamesoff.net/site/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/dsc_4159.jpg accessed on 24.11.09 Figure 3: http://myofferpal.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/apple-iphone.jpg accessed on 24.11.09 The sustainability handbook. William Blackburn. Published 02.01.07 by Environmental Law Institute Figure 7: http://www.scienceinthebox.com/en_UK/programs/laundrydetergent_en.html Industrial design article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_design (2008) Accessed on 25.11.09 Engineering. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineering (2009) Accessed on 25.11.09 Eco Logic. Design for the Real World 1985. Victor Papanek.

Getting Tough With Terrorism :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Getting Tough With Terrorism Which will it be: victim or victory for the United States of America? Our leaders tell us nearly every day that another attack by terrorists -- possibly with nuclear, biological or chemical weapons -- is imminent. The message seems to be: Get your affairs in order, make sure your will is up to date and prepare to meet thy God." Instead of our leaders sending that message to us, how about them sending the message to our enemies in a package more powerful than rhetoric? Whatever happened to the confidence represented by the World War I song, "Over There" ("The Yanks are coming, the Yanks are coming... and we won't come back 'til it's over, over there.")? Who has more to fear, them or us? Do we have more to fear than fear itself? "The Sum of All Fears," now playing in a not so nuclear-free zone theater near you, is a film about neo-Nazis (a politically correct choice of a hate group selected to offend hardly anyone), who blow up Baltimore, of all places. In the film, Americans are again at the mercy of crazed hate-mongers. We are portrayed as powerless to do anything about them. Viagra is often prescribed for physical impotence. What's the cure for political and military impotence? It is victory! In his remarks to graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, President Bush may have signaled the beginning of the end of this victim attitude. Halfway through his speech, he said that our security will require all Americans to be forward-looking and resolute, to be ready for preemptive action when necessary to defend our liberty and to defend our lives.(President) Preemptive action, not reaction, is what's needed. The president said we must uncover terror cells in 60 or more countries. Let's start with one cell in one country, besides Afghanistan. Villagers in some backward country that harbors terrorists should wake up one morning and notice the terrorists among them are dead or missing. People like Saddam Hussein, not Americans, should start each day looking in the mirror and wondering if today is their last day on Earth. Money should be missing from terrorist bank accounts all over the world as American intelligence confiscates large amounts of cash through electronic transfers. Terrorist cells in this country should be located, their headquarters raided and their members arrested before they know what hit them.