Creations

An Evening, ready to fly….

2011-01-05T19:38:00.001+05:30

Warm and the night!

2010-12-06T02:40:00.001+05:30

Vectography

2010-11-16T02:21:00.001+05:30

Sketchography

2010-10-03T15:43:00.001+05:30

Sketchography

2010-10-03T15:38:00.001+05:30

Swirls Typography

2010-09-20T01:13:00.001+05:30

Forget The Rules!

2010-09-17T03:22:00.001+05:30

Human eye doesn’t care for the right spelling to understand a sentence. Its just first and last letter of the word which lets us not lose the track of reading without making mistakes.

The Education

2010-09-16T23:27:00.001+05:30

Nepali Movie LUST

2010-09-16T23:18:00.001+05:30

TyPoGrApHy

2010-08-18T18:07:00.001+05:30

Vectrography

2010-07-24T13:31:00.001+05:30

Give me Peace! not a DEAD-LINE

2010-07-24T00:54:00.001+05:30

Life…

2010-07-23T00:29:00.001+05:30

The Process

2010-07-23T00:25:00.001+05:30

Golden Sky

2010-07-23T00:15:00.001+05:30

A rainy day!

2010-07-17T08:50:00.001+05:30

Click picture to see full size

Imagography

2010-07-11T23:40:00.001+05:30

The Monsoon Sky

2010-07-11T23:39:00.000+05:30

Nature Wonder

2010-07-11T23:37:00.000+05:30

The Burning City

2010-06-20T11:14:00.000+05:30

The Time Machine!

2010-06-15T05:49:00.001+05:30

Lonely Sunset.

2010-06-10T19:13:00.001+05:30

Download Wallpaper: Right click> Save target as or Save link as

Existential Ethics

2010-06-10T19:08:00.001+05:30

Ethics

Ethics is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and bad, noble and ignoble, right and wrong, justice, and virtue. Moral principles may be viewed either as the standard of conduct that individuals have constructed for themselves or as the body of obligations and duties that a particular society requires of its members.

Existentialism

Existentialism is a philosophy concerned with finding self and the meaning of life through frexistential ethics will, choice, and personal responsibility. The belief is that people are searching to find out who and what they are throughout life as they make choices based on their experiences, beliefs, and outlook. And personal choices become unique without the necessity of an objective form of truth. An existentialist believes that a person should be forced to choose and be responsible without the help of laws, ethnic rules, or traditions.

Historical background & two kinds of existentialism

Existentialism is a philosophical movement of the late 19^th, 20^th, & 21^st centuries, originated and developed by such philosophers as Søren Kierkegaard, Arthur Schopenhauer, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, Albert Camus, and Jean-Paul Sartre.

There are two forms of existentialism: (1) theistic existentialism, and (2) atheistic existentialism.

According to theistic existentialism (e.g., Kierkegaard, Heidegger), God has created us & yet has also apparently withdrawn from Her creation--so that we find ourselves bereft of divine guidance & lost in the world & questioning our faith. Then in the face of a sexistential ethicsmingly meaningless, pointless world, individuals must create meaningful lives for themselves by making active choices and by taking full responsibility for those choices.

According to atheistic existentialism, "God is dead." This is because the very idea of God contains a tragic incoherence:

Assume that God exists and is all-powerful & all-knowing & all-good. Then also assume that evil exists in the world. Then God is either responsible for the existence of evil, in which case God is Himself evil & not all-good; or else God is not responsible for the existence of evil & yet knew that it was going to happen & couldn’t prevent it--so God is not all-powerful; or else God would have prevented evil but didn’t know it was going to happen, and is therefore not all-knowing. So given evil, God is either not all-good, not all-powerful, not all-knowing, or does not exist.

The atheistic existentialist then concludes that God does not exist. What this means is that human beings have no pre-established nature or essence or goal for their lives, and that in the face of a meaningless pointless world, individuals must create meaningful lives for themselves by making active choices and by taking full responsibility for those choices.

Existential ethics

Existential ethics recognizes that morality begins with each person's fundamental valuing of his own being and his choosing to continue his existence in wholeness. Each human being has a vital interest in managing the life he values. He must live the story of his life just as he writes it.

Existential ethics is compatible with the known facts of human life. It recognizes that we make our own heaven and hell. Those who understand and observe its principles do not labor under a frightening threat of external judgment and eternal punishment.

Existential ethics is concerned with the wellbeing of human individuals (in contrast to the wellbeing of "humanity") because the ethic is fashioned by human individuals who have become concerned with their own continued wellbeing after observing that nature is not at all concerned with it. Existential ethics understands that each individual is responsible for his own security and enhancement. This responsibility does not fall on any other individual or group (with the exception of parents in a child's early years). It may however willingly be assumed by others for any one of a number of reasons.

Existential ethics offers a minimalist approach to ethics. In expecting others to treat us with fundamental respect, restraint and fairness and to offer us help in emergencies, it does not seek to oblige others to help us make our lives secure, comfortable and successful. It seeks for each individual only an improved opportunity for a secure and enhanced existence. The rest is entirely up to each of us. If we can succeed in persuading others to work with us to provide ourselves collectively with more than a reasonable opportunity for survival and enhancement, all well and good. But we cannot demand more than an improved opportunity from anyone in the name of moral duty.

Existential ethics originates in a worldview that has many of the features of an existentialist worldview. It is a necessary worldview for one who is committed to discerning the truth about ourselves in the world, using our rational faculties to search for it and having the courage to face up to the truth when it is discovered.

Existential ethics is scientific because it is based on a rational analysis of credible evidence. It is scientific because it is testable and falsifiable. Do human beings possess a naturally reasoning brain? Do we human individuals actually choose to continue existing at some point in our lives? In general, do we intuitively recognize the requirements of justice? Does possessing moral virtue help us to live our lives more successfully? Can moral action influence our social environment in a generally beneficial way? These claims can all be tested. If certain key claims made by existential ethics are found to be false, the theory will fail.

Existential ethics is secular because it rejects religious "faith". It does this because faith involves believing things that lack credible evidence to support them; because, as the pious Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher, freely admitted, "…faith begins precisely where thinking leaves off". (Fear and Trembling, p.82)

Existential ethics is down-to-earth rather than mystical because, as Albert Camus, French Philosopher, rightly observed, "What can a meaning outside my condition mean to me? I can understand only in human terms". (Myth of Sisyphus, p.51)

A moral person refuses to "believe" where there is a lack of credible evidence. He/she especially rejects a "belief" when it is improbable, yet has the possibility of very significant impacts on his/her life. He/she rejects belief in religious "faiths" that are not based on a rational analysis of credible evidence, yet nonetheless demand that their adherents act in various life-impacting ways. They almost always require adherents to commit themselves to particular lifestyles: they may refuse to allow them to read certain books, for example, to sing or dance, or to eat certain nutritious foods. They require their adherents to commit themselves to improbable beliefs when there is no practical need to believe. Yet non-belief is natural to human beings. It is a part of our original condition.

In the presence of the mystery we face concerning the ultimate nature of the universe, existential ethics teaches that agnosticism is a more appropriate position than atheism to adopt. As noted earlier, atheism is a substantive belief. Agnosticism however acknowledges without fanfare and without embarrassment that we simply do not know what the ultimate substance and nature of the universe are. But isn't agnosticism just a "belief" too? Yes, it is. However it is a belief not about substance but about process. It is a formal belief. It is a belief about belief. It is a specific instance of the general principle that we ought not to "believe" in the absence of credible evidence. Rationally, it is a much more acceptable belief than either religious faith or atheism. In the matter of the ultimate nature of the universe, we should simply suspend belief until such time, if ever, that more persuasive evidence is produced to support either of the other two positions. In the meantime, we should get on with the rest of our lives. Rationality insists that it is preferable to live with no answer than with an answer that is probably wrong.

Existential ethics is a moral code meant to be used on a daily basis, not, like conventional ethics, merely an icon to be engraved on a golden tablet, placed on a pedestal and occasionally admired. Existential ethics is readily understandable and offers practical guidance for everyday living. It is more likely than conventional morality to actually be practiced because it can point to personal benefits that accrue to human individuals from moral living. Children can be offered convincing evidence to show that it is to their own ultimate benefit to follow a moral way of life when the moral way is properly explained and understood.

Existential ethics is fundamentally concerned with integrity. It tells us that we act morally when our ends and means are fully integrated with our fundamental choice of continuing to exist in wholeness. This intentional harmony is a manifestation of character commonly called "integrity". We have integrity when our thoughts, words, feelings and acts are all in accord with one another.

References :

Existential Primer: Ethics. (n.d.). Tameri Guide for Writers: Index Page. Retrieved June 9, 2010, from http://www.tameri.com/csw/exist/ex_ethics.html

Existentialism. (n.d.). Philosophy - AllAboutPhilosophy.org. Retrieved June 9, 2010, from http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/existentialism.htm

Introduction to Ethics. (n.d.). spot.colorado.edu. Retrieved June 9, 2010, from http://spot.colorado.edu/~rhanna/1100_fall_2004_handout6.htm

McBride, W. L. (n.d.). Existentialist ethics - Google Books. Google Books. Retrieved June 9, 2010, from http://books.google.com/books?id=bRmx6OpeNN4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=existentialist+ethics&source=bl&ots=dOH0wCeT5s&sig=fgmMR9ZNuRAUlwqKY0NOPTn4eCo&hl=en&ei=STkQTJjXOpO1rAebzai8CQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CEAQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Mooney, E. F. (n.d.). Ethics, love, and faith in ... - Google Books. Google Books. Retrieved June 9, 2010, from http://books.google.com/books?id=QV8q4U2RxiUC&dq=Kierkegaard+ethics&printsec=frontcover&source=in&hl=en&ei=g0kQTPbWBYKFrAektLHPCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=11&ved=0CFUQ6AEwCg#v=onepage&q&f=false

2010-05-23T23:15:00.001+05:30

Chirkuri Panorama

2010-04-28T18:48:00.001+05:30

Panorama taken from Chirkuri hill, Rasuwa district at arround 5300 meter height.

Click image to see larger view.

The Spring!

2010-04-07T17:08:00.001+05:30

Red reflection!

2010-03-27T20:14:00.001+05:30

A story without words.

2010-03-23T16:24:00.001+05:30

Happy Holi!

2010-02-27T00:19:00.001+05:30

Shiva Ratri 2010

2010-02-26T20:02:00.001+05:30

See full album

Mahendra Nagar yatra!

2010-02-25T22:20:00.001+05:30

View full album.

Looks best when viewed full screen.

2010-02-24T00:44:00.001+05:30

Panorama!

2010-01-26T16:23:00.001+05:30

Use Adobe Photoshop

Pray for Haiti!

2010-01-26T09:28:00.001+05:30

Pray for Haiti. At least this is what we can do for them.

Images used from

1. http://media.ft.com/cms/e3bb2038-0027-11df-8626-00144feabdc0.jpg

2. http://media.photobucket.com/image/pray/barnabas716_photos/pray-2.jpg

The Dark Night!

2010-01-05T01:01:00.001+05:30

This image is influenced by my previous one “The Magical Night”.

The Magical Night

2009-12-22T11:36:00.001+05:30

Adobe Photoshop Tutorial for “The Magical Night”

(Click images for larger view)

Final Image

Tutorial:

Layer 1: Background

Layer 2: Sky

Layer 3: Base

Layer 4: Grass

Layer 5: Stars

Layer 6: Moon

Layer 7: Plants

Layer 8: Tree

Layer 9: Lover Boy

Layer 10: Lover Girl

Layer 11: cycle

Layer 12: Color Balance Final Image (Large View)

Desktop:

Significance of mass-media research

2009-09-13T08:03:00.000+05:30

Among the four methods of knowing (Tenacity, Intuition, Authority and science) , Science is regarded as the best method of knowing. Science is used in research as a method of investigation, which makes research a scientific process. Research is a method to find out fact or truth. Research is used in both natural and social sciences. Under social sciences we have communication research and mass-media research. To find out the significance of mass-media research, we must know relation between mass-media and research.

Research in mass-media is to find out fact or truth, to investigate something. Because science leads to errorless or less error results or conclusions, research helps mass-media to find out facts more dependently and systematically. Research becomes a very tool for mass-media. On the other hand mass-media research helps to find out about the whole media itself. About which way the media is running. Mass media research helps to evaluate past, situation of present and shows the way to move for future. It becomes the single way to find out about where the mass-media is going. Mass-media research helps to maintain the standards and make better ethics for media as well as informing what kind of step to be taken forward. Mass media research finds out the impact of mass media in human society. Thus it does research on human society.

If mass media research wouldn’t be there, it wouldn’t be possible to analyze the mass-media and its impacts on society or social impact on media. Research as a best way of knowing, mass media research gives the actual face of so many things about society and mass media itself. Thus the mass-media research is very significant.

Media Studies

2009-08-05T13:04:00.001+05:30

On The Road!

2009-05-13T01:34:00.001+05:30

Cultural differences in expression of emotions

2009-05-10T02:13:00.001+05:30

Emotions are universal phenomena; however, they are affected by culture. While some emotions are universal and are experienced in similar ways as a reaction to similar events across all cultures, other emotions show considerable cultural differences in their antecedent events, the way they are experienced, the reactions they provoke and the way they are perceived by the surrounding society.

Bases of cultural differences

Self construal

The way a person perceives her/himself in relation to the surrounding human environment affects one’s emotional world. Collectivistic cultures emphasize the fundamental relatedness of individuals to each other, for example by valuing attending to others, fitting in, and harmonious interdependence with them. Thus the self in collectivistic cultures is interdependent, and the individual is focused predominantly on his or her relationship with in-group members or with the in-group as a whole. In individualistic cultures, on the other hand, individuals hold an independent view of the self and seek to maintain their independence from others by attending to the self and by discovering and expressing their unique inner attributes.

Subjective vs. objective emotions

The view of the self as independent in individualistic cultures leads to the perception of emotions as a unique personal experience. The emotional reality is therefore taken as subjective: different people are expected to have different emotional worlds, and to react in different ways to the same experiences. On the contrary, in collectivistic cultures, emotions are experienced out of relationships. They reflect the outer, rather than the inner world and are therefore taken as objective: it is assumed that all people experience the same emotion in a given social situation.

Self and emotions

The construal of the self affect the personal emotional experienced. The need to enhance the self and its independence in individualistic cultures leads to prevalence of emotions that stress the uniqueness and separation of the individual. In collectivistic cultures emotion relate more to the relationships with others and to the fitness of the individual to its social environment. Hence, the same situation might lead to different emotions in collectivistic and in individualistic cultures. In a research held by Mesquita (2001) it was found that achievements related to higher education in Turkey (a collectivistic culture) led to pride as a result of the honor brought to the family, while in Holland (an individualistic culture) similar achievements led to self satisfaction and content.

Cultural norms for emotions

Social norms exist for various aspects of emotions.

General emotional norms: what emotions are considered to be good or bad? Which should be more prevalent?
Feeling rules: how should one feel when encountering certain event (does being criticized lead to anger or embarrassment?)
Display rules: how should one act when experiencing certain emotion (does anger manifest as aggression or withdrawal?)

While individualistic cultures are loose regarding to the display rules (one can express one's feelings as preferred at the moment), norms for positive feeling rules in individualistic cultures are very tight. According to those norms, one should be happy and strive for happiness, and if one is not happy, that means one has failed to achieve life’s goals. In collectivistic cultures such as China, the feeling rules are rather loose: there are no strict expectations about how one should generally feel. However, the display rules are much tighter: there are certain expectations about the way one should show one's feelings in a given context. For example, Confucian cultures consider expression of emotions (both positive and negative) as a possible threat to the social order. Hence, the norms are of not-showing personal emotions. One may feel as one pleases, as long as one doesn’t express it.

Cultural effects on emotional aspects

Culture and Life Satisfaction

Culture affects the subjective well-being. Well-being includes both general life satisfaction, and the relative balance of positive affect verses negative effect in daily life. Culture directs the attention to different sources of information for making the life satisfaction judgments, thus affecting subjective well-being appraisal.

Individualistic cultures direct attention to inner states and feelings (such as positive or negative affects), while in collectivistic cultures the attention is directed to outer sources (i.e. adhering to social norms or fulfilling one’s duties). Indeed, Suh et al. (1998) found that the correlation between life satisfaction and the prevalence of positive affect is higher in individualistic cultures, whereas in collectivistic cultures affect and adhering to norms are equally important for life satisfaction.

Shame and culture in the work context

Shame is an automatic involuntary response to a personal failure attributed to the self. The failure is relative to other’s expectations, thus shame is a social emotion that involves self-consciousness. A study examined the effects of shame on salespersons in Holland (an individualistic culture) and the Philippines (a collectivistic culture). They found that bad experiences with clients led to similar shame emotions in both cultures. However, the responses to this shame were opposite: shame caused Dutch salespersons to withdraw and to perform poorer on their job, apparently because they directed most of their mental resources inwards, to defend the self. Filipino salespersons felt shame all the same; however, the shame caused them to put more efforts in building relationship and thus to perform better on the job. Moreover, Filipino salespersons demonstrated more Organizational Citizenship Behaviors (OCB) after experiencing shame. The reason for this is that in collectivistic cultures shame signals that social harmony has been hampered and that the individual should act to rebuild it.

Democracy & Journalism

2009-04-08T02:13:00.000+05:30

Journalism and Democracy are considered interdependent because Journalism acts as the

Source of information for democracy
Watchdog
Mediator/representative

1. Journalism as source of information for democracy.

It is generally accepted that democracy contributes to good government only when it is well informed. According to Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: “Democracy is a form of government in which supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodic free elections. It implies universal suffrage, competition for office, freedom of speech and the press, and the rule of law.” In a democratic state people vote for all kind of reasons, as is their right, and not always on the basis of rational thought or careful deliberation. But from the normative perspective the democratic ideal is one of informed choice to which the outputs of political journalism are key contributors. Journalists provide the key information on which citizens become able to judge between competing candidates and parties.

2. Journalism as the Watchdog.

In order to prevent the leakage in democracy, journalism is charged with monitoring the exercise of power. Is government competent, efficient and honest? Is it fulfilling it’s responsibilities to the people? Are there programs and policies based on sound judgment and information, and designed with the interest of society as a whole in mind? In its capacity as watchdog journalism sees the activities of governors, on people’s behalf. Journalism plays the vital role in functioning of the democracy accurately.

3. Mediator/Representative

Journalism plays a role of mediator between citizens and politicians. People’s voices are heard through media. Media gives citizens direct access to the public sphere, in the form of open forums, talk shows, live phone calling programs, studio debates about public affairs etc.

The representative function of journalism is today enhanced by the availability of fast, interactive technologies such as e-mail, text messaging, blogging and many more. All of which provide new ways for citizens to communicate with politicians and participate in public debate. These technologies fuel the democracy to become more developed.

Media itself wants to become free therefore it always supports the democracy. On the other hand the government also needs to communicate with people. It is only possible when there is a well functioning democracy. If we look back to the history of Nepal then we find press took growth after the introduction of democracy in 1951. before it Gorkhapatra was the only medium for government to reach peoples. But later when King Mahendra took the power and declared Panchayat system the right to press freedom was violated and private sectors were restricted. In 1990 after the restoration of democracy Press got flourished and today also it is believed that it was press which took the positive change and growth. Similarly during Janaandolan-2 King Gyanendra took power and attacked Nepali press. Lots of foreign news channels were banned to broadcast in Nepal. News papers were not allowed to publish against the government and F.M. radios were not allowed to broadcast news. After Janaandolan-2 again Nepali media got its freedom and it was possible only because of democracy. If we look at the media of Myanmar then we can find less freedom for press and press working as the mouthpiece of government. It proves that democracy and journalism are both interdependent. Neither journalism nor democracy can be imagined separately.

Digital Divide of Teachers & Students..

2009-01-24T22:23:00.001+05:30

5 Photo Essay Tips

2008-12-28T22:12:00.001+05:30

Today Christina Nichole Dickson looks at the topic of Photo Essays. Christina is a photojournalist for Revolutionary Media. She is also an instructor with the Institute in Photographic Studies. Her work may be found at Christina Nichole Photography.

In the last twenty years, video and film have become the predominant forms of modern storytelling. But before video, there was photography. And for the last one hundred years photography and storytelling went hand in hand.

Now more than ever, the power of storytelling ought to be harnessed. But telling a story with photos takes more than just a skillful photographer. An impacting photo story can only be developed by skillful photographers who understand the emotions and concepts behind ever-great story.

The form of such a story is called the photo essay.

What is a Photo Essay?

A photo essay is very simply a collection of images that are placed in a specific order to tell the progression of events, emotions, and concepts. Used by world class photojournalists such as Lauren Greenfield and James Nachtwey, and Joachim Ladefoged to name a few, the photo essay takes the same story telling techniques as a normal essay, translated into visual images.

5 Photo Essay Tips

A photo essay isn’t simply for photojournalists however. Every human being is drawn to stories. Whether you are an amateur or a professional, the photo essay is a brilliant way to bring your images to life and touch your family, friends, and coworkers.

1. Find a topic: Photo essays are most dynamic when you as the photographer care about the subject. Whether you choose to document the first month of a newborn in the family, the process of a school drama production, or even a birthday party, make your topic something in which you find interest.

2. Do your research: If you document a newborn’s first month, spend time with the family. Discover who the parents are, what culture they are from, whether they are upper or lower class. If you cover the process of a school’s drama production, talk with the teachers, actors and stage hands; investigate the general interest of the student body; find out how they are financing the production and keeping costs down. If you photograph a birthday party, check out the theme, the decorations they plan on using, what the birthday kid hopes to get for his or her gifts. All of these factors will help you in planning out the type of shots you set up for your story.

3. Find the “real story”: After your research, you can determine the angle you want to take your story. Is the newborn the first son of a wealthy family on whom the family legacy will continue? Or does the baby have a rare heart condition? Is the drama production an effort to bring the student body together? Or is it featuring a child star? Is the birthday party for an adolescent turning 13, or the last birthday of a dying cancer patient? Though each story idea is the same, the main factors of each story create an incredibly unique story.

4. Every dynamic story is built on a set of core values and emotions that touch the heart of its audience. Anger. Joy. Fear. Hurt. Excitement. The best way you can connect your photo essay with its audience is to draw out the emotions within the story and utilize them in your shots. This does not mean that you manipulate your audience’s emotions. You merely use emotion as a connecting point.

5.Plan your shots: Whether you decide to sit down and extensively visualize each shot of the story, or simply walk through the venue in your mind, you will want to think about the type of shots that will work best to tell your story. I recommend beginners first start out by creating a “shot list” for the story. Each shot will work like a sentence in a one-paragraph story. Typically, you can start with 10 shots. Each shot must emphasize a different concept or emotion that can be woven together with the other images for the final draft of the story.

Remember that story telling takes practice. You don’t have to be an incredible writer to pull off a powerful photo essay. All you need is a bit of photographic technique, some creativity, and a lot of heart. And once you begin taking pictures in stories, your images will never be the same.

In part II of this series on Photo Essays, I will give a practical example of how I apply these techniques in a photo essay of my own.

Source : http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/5-photo-essay-tips/

Good Morning KU!

2008-12-27T20:28:00.003+05:30

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A Trip to JANAKPUR

2008-12-24T06:22:00.001+05:30

Digital Painting

2008-12-24T03:18:00.003+05:30

2008-10-01T11:21:00.003+05:30

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